video;

[noctiphile]

Who: Mattias Larnaca
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: general waystation area?? vague hand gestures
When: April 22nd

[Lo and behold: Mattias fretting on a bench. It's not an obvious sort of motion, restricted to subtle shifts and twitching fingers, but it's noticeable enough to matter. He's hunched over the comm and what little the background shows is unrevealing. The corner of a building here, the awning of a kiosk there, everything unspecific.]

It's been quite a month, hasn't it? What with the attacks... [he drifts off, never very good with small talk. One of the many gifts he lacks.] It's been good to watch all the repairs. People working together... [Wow, he sure does suck at this. He chews his lip, glancing around as if looking for help. Nope. Nothing. Maybe he'll just get to the point.]

Still, tensions must be running high. Stress and such. Always have a way of sinking in. I've my own, of course. My ship fared poorly in the attacks and that—[He glances away, head sinking slightly.]—it's been the lesser of many events. I don't mean to complain but the effects are starting to wear. My usual methods aren't working. Reading—I just can't seem to concentrate and beyond that... Well. I've little else.

[He sighs, leaning back and running a hand through his hair. It messes it up a bit, but he's careful to smooth it back down.] It feels inappropriate to ask something so selfish but I'm at a loss. And there are a great many things that all of you know... [That I don't is heavily implied. He glances away, switching the comm to one hand so he can properly wring his wrist.] So, I was wondering—how do you cope? With... all of this. It doesn't have to be personal just. Just simple things. Like... jumping off a building. [Immediately, he scrunches his eyes closed.] —Bad example. But, you know what I mean.

[Fiddling nervously, he searches for something else to say, finds nothing, and cuts the feed. ]

Comments

[noctiphile]

So you'd face it with violence.

[How barbaric.] Have you no other options for it?

[paeon]

I know not where you come, but the practices of which I spoke are martial arts and ways of life both. Learning to conquer fear is a tricky subject, but confidence in one's self and the ability to overcome adversity which might otherwise paralyze you is often one of the most powerful tools.

Mayhap I misunderstood. We may be speaking of different types of fear.

[ Her world is incredibly violent, and herself one of the most influential people because of her crazy amounts of power and talent. However, she isn't going to deny that there are other things to be afraid rather than personal safety. ]

[noctiphile]

No, no. When you put it like that, it might not be so different. Though, tell me: if a man were afraid of heights, what would you have him throw his spear at?

[i guess this is his cue to start acting like a little shit]

[paeon]

Why, the cliff from which he was falling. He might then be able to save himself that way.

[ That's okay. O'danya can get pretty... catty herself. Eh? Ehhhh? :D ]