driftfleet | And everyone who knows us knows

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And everyone who knows us knows

Who: Mantis et (everyone

Broadcast: Yee

Action: Iskaulit, Planetside

When: Earlier in the afternoon

A. Planetside

Tedious as it is, a man needs clothes that aren't mass produced and cheap, and that means a lot of shopping. He has a fair number of bags hanging off his shoulders or his elbows, but he hardly seems to notice the weight of them at all. In fact, a couple may seem to bob a bit even as he stands still.

He takes a breather to look up at the many multi-colored windows that are scattered throughout the shopping area. It's such a simple and effective means of adding some personality and life to an otherwise ordinary building. Sweeping footsteps carry him in slow circles through the different colors shining onto the ground, and he can even be heard humming quietly to himself.

Passerby who happen to catch his attention will hear a surprised noise followed swiftly by a calm wave. He's in a better mood than usual.

B. Iskaulit

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's not completely graceful, but Mantis is gaining just the slightest bit of confidence on the ice. His arms hang more at his sides as he moves along the edges of the ice skating rink, but not so much that he can't quickly swing them about if his feet give out from under him. He's muttering to himself as he goes along, too, mostly about when to take the curves on either end.

His feet slide out experimentally as he turns to complete a lap, letting him glide more than he steps. Nothing one can win a gold medal on, but he laughs a little with each successful bit of gliding and lifts his head a little higher. Now if only he could figure out how not to completely wipe out when trying to go backwards...

Anyone passing by the rink will get a quick wave as he comes by. Practice will not be stalled much, no matter how much he likes the person on the other side of the panels separating actual floor and ice.

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Yuri hurries over, a certain fliuffy poodle at his heels.

"Mantis! Surprised to see you out here. Are you shopping?" he can see he's in a better mood and... well Yuri can feel the calm and he appreciates it. He doesn't attribute it to Mantis, he just thinks he's in a better mood and of course why wouldn't he be? He's on a peaceful planet with Makkachin and now with his friend Mantis. Just goes to show how comfortable he is with Mantis so there.

"I was out here looking for a new collar for Makkachin. She deserves something fancy."

The planet has a way of calming the spirit. Maybe it's all the marshmallow fluff that they call snow. Maybe it's the fact no one is actively trying to kill him. Sourpuss though he may be, Mantis can greatly appreciate the welcome change.

"Yuri! Good to know Makkachin is as spoiled as ever." He walks a little closer, offering a hand for the canine to sniff. "I needed new clothes. Most of what I had had either been destroyed or otherwise ruined. It meant a bit of tailoring, but I have a wardrobe again."

It's a soothing balm. He needs to calm down now after the death planet and part of that is retail therapy and part of that is revisiting one of his heroes at the time. Mantis is a different person from the planet. Proof he's a gentle person in truth.

"She's a good girl, she deserves it." he grins. The poodle sniffs Mantis' hand and after a moment she gingerly licks his fingers.

"Oh, you need help? What are you looking for in particular? I've seen some clothing stores back the way we came. I got something for Victor in there."

He has his moments (and lifetime) of violence, but Mantis seeks out comfort from peace all the same. There's a time and a place for everything. Homicide especially.

Such a delicate lick! Mantis is charmed by how sweet Makkachin is. "You take after Yuri, don't you? No rushing about except for going on walks and treats."

"Are there?" His head perks up. "I'm looking for a few vests at the moment. My work uniform is not going to go well in polite company."

Homicide doesn't have a place in his life and he is lucky he no longer has nightmares about what he did see. And that was the stuff that he managed to actually see. He spent the better part of that journey hiding his face and trying to drown out the sounds.

Makkachin is the best. She is understanding and intelligent. She's also so very soft. She sat and wagged her tail. Yuri blushed. "Oh no, she's Victor's dog. She's been his for years. It's... I'm just taking her out now."

"Oh, sure. I can show you if you want. I might find something more... what I'm looking for in those places anyway. The pet supply stores I have been to don't have the right thing." he's a very focused shopper, when he wants something he isn't satisfied until he finds exactly what he wants.

It was a sound solution that Mantis tried to encourage. Yuri was never meant to be on a planet like that. People like him fight for life's pleasures, not life itself.

What a good dog! Mantis sets down some of his bags to ruffle up the fur around her jaw and ears. How can one animal be so fluffy and soft? "Really? I would have pegged him more for a short haired breed. Less work to brush out."

He gets up slowly, letting the bags float a little and redistribute along his arms. "Looking for her? We might as well hunt together. Shopping isn't my favorite thing in the world, but it's a necessity."

He doesn't fight much other than himself. Anxiety, fear, physical limitations... he has a charmed life. He need not worry for his personal safety and he is free to pursue pleasures at a competitive level.

Makka wagged her tail hard enough to smack into the soft snow. She panted as Mantis scratched her. She was very happy for any and all pets, thanks.

"Oh, I don't know what attracted him. Their beauty perhaps. Victor loves all things beautiful and surprising. Makkachin isn't the breed you would expect so I guess that's part of it too."

"Aww it isn't? Victor and I can shop all day, we have before actually. Come on, we can get you sorted out back this way. I think I need to look for human jewelry to use for Makkachin. I just hope I find something that won't pull her fur."

Lucky man. Mantis had to fight for nearly everything that made him happy at one point or another.

He smiles genuinely behind the mask. If Yuri were to look a little closer, he'd even see the way Mantis' eyes perk up around the edges.

"I suppose a...poodle?" He's not terrific at such knowledge. "Would be far from the norm while also being pleasing to the eye."

Mantis laughs a little. "It's usually other people that put me off shopping. I tend to stand out in a crowd, but on these planets, I can almost feel normal. Lead the way; I'm sure Makkachin would like the company as well."

He has no real idea just how good he has it since he's never experienced the depth and complexity of life in war, like Mantis. He doesn't realize how bad it can get, just that he doesn't live that life.

He does notice that! He grins wider. It's so rewarding seeing people like Mantis and Yurio who are normally reserved and tight-lipped let loose a bit. It's like finally forcing open an oyster and finding a pearl.

"I can understand that. I get nervous when I travel sometimes for that reason. Well, we're all alien to them so in that sense we're equal. Come on, it's just down this street." and indeed there are four or five shops to choose from for Mantis' wardrobe.

A charmed life, as it were. Mantis never held much disdain for the apparent obliviousness of civilian types. They cannot comprehend that which they have never seen.

He has been known on occasion to feel actual happiness. Planets with marshmallow snow and friends with cute dogs tend to do that to his withered soul. At least now he has someone to do this shopping thing with. One can get drained easily, even on a planet like this.

Mantis walks close to Yuri, pausing at the store windows to see what kinds of clothes they might carry. "It's....nice not being the odd one out. All these stores start to blur for me after a while."

Kaidan is paused in the street, also looking up at the stained glass with soft smile, clearly taken by the sight of it. He catches sight of approaching person in the corner of his eyes and steps out of the way, waving back in return.

"Hey...uh...Mantis, was it? You look like you've been busy..." he says, taking in the large array of bags hanging off Mantis' arms. "Do you...need a hand?"

He remembers that face from when he first arrived. What a mess that had been... Mantis laughs at the offered help. Several bags lift off his arms to float for a few seconds before settling back down.

"Not nearly as heavy as it looks. I'll be fine." He looks up again at the windows. "I like it best when people just call me 'Mantis'. This planet treats everyone well, doesn't it, Kaidan?"

He eyes the floating bags with quiet interest, though there isn't any trace of real surprise.

"Yeah...better than most we've been to so far, I think, but I think their planet relies a lot on tourism. It helps if you're friendly to visitors."

Look as much as you want, he can do that all day. Figuratively, at least.

"The snow is a kind of marshmallow. I would be clamoring for international attention, too." He laughs quietly. "The shopping is also relaxing. Nothing has tried to eat me or destroy most of my wardrobe."

Mantis may notice when another mind enters the room. Or rather, when three new minds enter. Two of which are animal. Both dogs.... and both eager to run around. Noct can't find a place off-planet to let them run so he hopes nobody is in the ice rink right now... but... oh... dear.

He sees Mantis skating around and Pryna is already making a beeline for the ice. She's zooming around, her nails making it easy to rush up to the new stranger, tongue waggling out the side of her mouth, tail wagging. Umbra is not far from her coming up behind. Noctis is at the rink's edge groaning.

"Umbra, Pryna! Urgh, come back you two. Stop, you're gonna trip him!"

He hears all three along the peripherals, but doesn't think much at first. On the swing around another curb he can't help the smile that tugs at his mouth. Two dogs! The Fleet may well be riddled with them before long.

He manages to coast to a slower glide as the dogs come close. A little tilt to his feet means he can do slow circles around the dogs. "Friend to all living things, are we? You'd make an coworker of mine a very happy woman with all that energy."

As he speaks, Mantis circles closer and closer to one of the walls. "Noctis! I thought you only had Umbra. Where did the twin come from?"

Three friendly doggos are not really enough doggos by any standard of measure. More puppies might actually make things nicer or more bearable.

Noct's mind is dark and full of grief. It's like an outline of forced merriment with a center of dark malignant depression trying to suck the joy into itself. Noctis forces a smile.

"Luna always had the two... I got Pryna as a gift last month... she was in the cargo hold waiting for me so... here we are." he doesn't know if Mantis knows that Luna left. He doesn't think he has it in him to say the words again.

There's a saying about potato chips and pets of various kinds... Mantis wouldn't mind more dogs himself.

What he does mind is Noctis, though. The miasma of negative thoughts is as notable as a broken limb. He coasts closer to the prince, noting as well the smile. There's nothing at all chipper in that expression.

"Ohh..." That name ought to drag up mental images of happiness in a young husband like Noctis. "My condolences. Being here, I've left behind people I would have rather not."

He hasn't heard that one but he has experienced chips and dogs and he could use more of both.

But He wishes he could be happy. He feels like he's swirling in a vortex of misery and forced platitudes. He tries not to cry or curl up on himself about it. He can't bring Luna back... he can't have her any longer than she was allowed to be here. He had her at all and now she's home... which means she's dead. That's what devastates him more than anything. He only got to give her a happy life for a matter of months and that was injustice no matter what she may have said about it. She'd have been grateful for that chance but he thinks it's cruel.

"Thanks... trying to move on." and trying to be more expressive with others since it helps his position more. "You lost people too?"

It's a cruelty Mantis is still trying to wrap his mind around. Were it not for Atroma, he'd be completely dead, but he's not where he needs to be. He should be on Shadow Moses trying to give a certain clone hell from beyond the grave. Here...he skates and tries to make peace with the failure of the mission.

"Several. My team was spiraling into a great deal of danger and defeat back home." He leans heavily on the wall of the rink. "We took heavy losses before I woke up here."

The Atroma give and the Atroma taketh away it seems... cruel as that is. He can find at least a little joy in it if people like Mantis can have a life too. He is still benefiting from a life free from death even if Luna went home.

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?" as Umbra and Pryna scamper around Mantis. They hop and jump around vying for his attention, then sit down and wag their tails madly. Do you have treats? They can shake your hand!

Mantis lived for causing suffering, but it's a shallow existence when that's all you define yourself by. Thus, he skates, he decorates his bunk on the Bishop, and he socializes. It's embarrassingly human of him and yet acceptable.

"What didn't happen? Our one informant died on us before we could gain the knowledge we needed. Our disguise master had what looked like a heart attack." He counts them off as he goes, but then his hands clench into fists. It takes a few deep breaths and he relaxes. "A lone assailant was sent after us. More trouble than we had thought."

Mantis is going to sit on the ice. He reaches out for Umbra and Pryna, very intent on scratching some fluffy dog ears.

Why can't Noct force himself to do that? To bring himself to just DO that? He can barely get out of bed each day. If it weren't for Prompto he'd stay with the dogs in bed indefinitely. Damn the crew's need for a cook. He was just winging it anyway...

Well, the dogs come to either side of Mantis, both sniffing and hoping for head scratches. Pleeeeeease? They're good kids.

"Sounds like a hard run you guys had... one guy came in and ruined it... along with the heart attack and the... what kind of mission were you guys running again?" he doesn't quite connect that Mantis was one of the bad guys.

It's pure stubbornness in Mantis. He refuses to wallow when he could be out doing something instead. Sitting still is as natural to him as reading bad romance novels. And if he talked to someone along the or picked a satisfying fight, good.

He oots for one hand per dog, aiming for all the nice spots that dogs seem to love. They're good creatures. More loyal and loving than any human.

"It was a...taking over the world kind of thing. Not that I had any expectation for success, but when your friend is an idiot, you go along with more than you should." He sighs, fleeting memories of Liquid ranting going through his mind. "It was a miracle more didn't go wrong right away."

Edited 2018-01-30 04:49 (UTC)

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