Huntress Mingle!

[tempredmental]

Who: Huntress Crew and Visitors (so anyone)
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Around the Huntress
When: After Calibrations and Marsiva attack.

[GO FORTH AND MINGLE]

Comments

Keith

[tempredmental]

[After everything was settled, Keith had disappeared from the ship for a bit to visit the Blameless and confirm a hunch... and hopefully find something to bring back, but he was successful on the one he didn't want to be and unsuccessful on the one he did...

So, he was being quiet and moody again.

They were missing others, too, among their own crew, which had also left him feeling pretty down. It was a rough return from calibrations this time.

Keith could be found on the bridge, in the room he shared with Lance, or in the lounge or the kitchen, going over the notes he had taken while on the Marsiva.]

[itsyagirl]

[Veronica hasn't exactly been her normal self since the calibrations, and with the losses that came after that, she's grown even quieter. But she's finally decided to stop moping and do something.

Which leads her to plop down beside Keith where he's sitting in the lounge and sprawl out, propping her feet up onto his lap.]

What's that?

[tempredmental]

Some of the stuff I saw on the Marsiva, but don't remember. It happened during the last calibrations, too.

[He glanced at her.]

What augment do you have again?

[itsyagirl]

[She's a little surprised that he's so unphased by her using him as a footrest, but okay. Good. He's getting used to it.

she tilts her head to the side slightly.]

Huh.

[She peers over his shoulder to look at it, but it doesn't make much sense to her.]

Oh, I don't. I've only got a tactical support one. Civilian class, I think.

[tempredmental]

[It must run in the family. He was used to Lance hanging all over him.]

Hm.

[Keith looked thoughtful for a second.]

Did you notice anything weird about the Marsiva? Like, sometimes, people saw things that others with different augments didn't see. And then it would be gone the next day.

[the_tailor]

[The mood aboard the Huntress was a somber one, for obvious reasons. They'd lost their own, lost those close to them, and Calibrations always did a number on the mind. The loss of Shiro and Pidge was still weighing heavily on Lance, but he knew it was even worse for Keith.

And so he decided to do everything he could to alleviate that pain.

After finding out what Keith had gone looking for in Shiro's room, he puts a little plan together. For an entire afternoon, Lance stands next to the printer aboard the Huntress, printing out picture after picture that Shiro had sent to them in the past. By the time he's done, he has a hefty package of photos. They'd been difficult to curate, but he remembers many of what were in Shiro's room, and...heck, he'd just ended up printing almost anything he didn't already have in his own room.

That evening, he finds Keith on the bridge of the ship. Coming up behind him, he places a kiss to his temple.]

Good evening, babe.

[tempredmental]

[Keith glanced up and gave Lance a weak smile.]

Hey.

[He was curled up sideways on the couch, his knees drawn up, and he had one of the sketchbooks that Shiro had given him tucked between them and his chest.]

How are you doing?

[Sure, he was really upset about Shiro, but he knew that didn't mean Lance wasn't also hurting with that loss and with losing Pidge.]

[the_tailor]

I'm alright.

[Honestly? He wasn't sure if he was. He probably wasn't. But none of them were at this point. Lance moves to take a seat next to his boyfriend, letting one hand stroke through Keith's hair briefly.]

I, um. I got you a little gift.

[tsunergy]

[For the first few days after they return from the Marsiva, Mikleo is completely MIA. He's not in his room, he's not on the Huntress at all, anywhere. Food is left out for Lucen, his leopard kitten, who is thankfully self-sufficient enough to last a few days without him, though he probably spends those days bothering everyone else for attention. There's a shuttle missing, though if anyone tried to investigate its whereabouts, it would be found on the Iskaulit easily enough. Mikleo, though? Gone. As if when Sorey and Zaveid disappeared from the ship, he vanished with them.

Eventually, though, as if nothing at all happened, he reappears and begins to make the rounds, examining the ship and whatever supplies might have survived their long absence, watering the little garden in engineering, checking on the pengyon (who is very disgruntled about being forgotten and has probably eaten all her eggs, if no one's been collecting them).

And then... he makes ice cream. A big batch of it. Most of it goes into the freezer (with a sign on the door for people to help themselves), and he takes a bowl of it into the lounge and curls up on the couch with a book, and just... sulks, and eats. Because he's seen enough of Sorey's dumb romance novels to know that's what you're supposed to do when you can't see your loved one anymore.

He doesn't know if it'll help, but he's going to try whatever he can.]

[the_tailor]

[While Lance is suffering from some of his own losses, he can't begin to think of what Mikleo is going through right now. If Keith had been the one to disappear--

No. Not thinking about that.

But it was clear as day that Sorey meant the universe to Mikleo. While the seraph takes time to himself (a glance to the roster list shows that he's still aboard the fleet, even if he won't show himself), Lance makes sure to take care of his pengyon while he's in there looking after Kaltenecker.

He makes a big batch of cookies to try and cheer people up. When Lance finally spots Mikleo out of his room, he heads over with the container.]

Room for another?

[tsunergy]

[Mikleo's gaze flits towards Lance, and while there is a moment of hesitation, he is in a public space for a reason rather than hiding out in his room or on the Iskaulit again. He can't isolate himself or he'll go insane... or malevolent, which would be worse.

So he nods, gesturing at whatever empty space is available.]

Sure.

[the_tailor]

[With that permission, Lance takes a seat next to him and makes himself comfortable. The box of baked goods is still full, and he holds it out to Mikleo for him to take some.]

I wasn't sure what your favorite flavor was, but I like to think chocolate chip is a pretty good medium for most people.

text; a few days after the return to the ships

[abracafcku]

wtf mickey where the hell are you??? i kno ur like spooky invisible 99% of the time, but srsly we got work to do??? dont u dare literally ghost me

[tsunergy]

[continues to literally ghost him for a few more hours]

[abracafcku]

[Mmmmkay. No reply?

Fine. Let's do this. Taako cracks his knuckles and starts sending messages every twenty minutes or so.]

yo mickey copyright infringement!! im talkin 2 u!!

--

u better answer my texts or im gonna do some dumb shit

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im going to dye your apron puce colored

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i totally did that thing. holy fuck its ugly

--

okay no i changed it back bc jeezy creezy that was a bad color

--

its now tie-dyed and making my eyes want to bleed

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yeah thats a perma-change whoops cant undo that one

--

MIKE DID U DIE I STG I WILL KILL U IF U DIED

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nope checked with krav and not dead

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so ur just being a turd good to know WHERE R U

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i hate making ice cream why is this so hard 2 do

--

haha i made a snow dick outta ice cream
[A corrupted image file is attached and won't open]

--

shit did that not go thru?

--

[There are twelve texts of the same corrupted image in rapid fire, none of them will open.]

--

eh whatever i ate it so u missed out

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srsly r u ded? ur legally obligated 2 tell me if u are

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hellooooooooooooooooooo ghoooooooost booooooooooooooooy

--

hey?

--

did something happen??

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what's goin on? r u ok????

--

Fuck it. I'm coming over in 10 minutes if you don't answer me and I'll tie-dye your entire room horrible shades so even in the Astral Plane you won't have any rest of this eye-searing rainbow horror.

Answer. Me. Mikleo.

I'm so sorry...

[tempredmental]

[Keith had been doing his best to keep Kosmo away from Mikleo since he'd gotten the wolf from the wishing tree on that icy crystal planet, but a teleporting wolf could pretty much do what it wanted. There was a distinct sound that Mikleo may have heard before in passing, except, instead of just a random flash of light down a corridor or in a nearby room (that Keith would have explained at some point so Mikleo know what it was), the flash actually happened in the lounge with the Seraph... and resulted in the sudden appearance of a teenage size wolf.

Kosmo tilted his head at Mikleo for a moment, then slowly swished his tail back and forth in greeting.]

are you tho

[tsunergy]

[Mikleo's response is immediate: 1) he leans back into the couch as far as he can go, 2) he yelps, loudly and indignantly, 3) he swings an arm and sends a spout of water in the wolf's direction, and 4) he rolls back off the arm of the couch and completely vanishes from sight as an ethereal ripple of light passes over his body.

So, you know, that went great.]

no... not really...

[tempredmental]

[Keith heard the commotion from down the hall, having wondered where Kosmo had teleported off to, and now he knew.

Oh man...

Kosmo, to his credit, managed to remain relatively calm, only giving a small yelp in surprise when he got hit with the water. He started sniffing around the room, though, wondering where the other person had gone.]

Kosmo... what are you doing?

[Keith came in and put a hand on the wolf's back. Kosmo looked up at his person, twitching his ears. Keith frowned.]

Don't scare people.

[Keith also looked around, concerned. There had been someone in here. He considered it for a moment. No one else on board could teleport... at least, he didn't think so. And he only knew one person who could vanish like that.]

Sorry, Mikleo. He got away from me.

Veronica

[itsyagirl]

[Veronica hates this stormcloud that seems to be looming over the Huntress. She's seen it before, back at Garrison, and she refuses to let it get her down again. Not when she's finally starting to fight back again. It's taken time, but she's ready once more to tackle her challenges head on.

Between Biffy, Lance, and her own supplies, Veronica manages to put together a little station for manicures and pedicures. She's found a massage chair and a little foot bath, as well as a hand bath, lotion, and plenty of nail polish. She even crafts a little sign to go with it: Free Mani/Pedis!.

Come one, come all! She's got plenty of colors and wants to cheer up her teammates.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith stared at the sign for a second.]

So you taught Lance about that, huh?

[itsyagirl]

[Veronica smiles brightly.]

I taught him everything he knows, really.

[tempredmental]

[Keith pursed his lips for a second as an argument about the semantics of that statement popped into his head. Unless Veronica was in charge of Lance's homeschooling, he sincerely doubted she taught him everything he knew, but...

He let it drop.]

So, what's involved?

[the_tailor]

[If there's one thing that Lance and his family are good at, it's cheering people up. Of course, they're great at a whole bunch of things, but this was one of the top ones. Lance isn't surprised when he spots his older sister in the common room with what seems to be a surprisingly great set-up.]

Holy... Daaaaaayum, Vero, you really went all out on this.

[itsyagirl]

[She's just finishing arranging her display of nail polishes when Lance arrives, and she smiles up at him, looking pleased with herself.]

Biffy hooked me up. Aaaand I borrowed some of your stuff.

[the_tailor]

You mean stole. I don't remember you asking.

[He sticks his tongue out at her. Of course, he's not actually bothered.]

I think I'll take you up on this, actually.