002. ☾ First contact { Action }

[proteusmoon]

Who: Cecil and you!
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Planet, around!
When: October 24th, night

[ After sifting through the changes made to the ship with the disappearance of some of the crew, as well as making sure their newest addition settled in all right, Cecil is a little late making it out to explore the planet they've landed on. That said, she's not sure how it is that she managed to attract such a crowd of natives, much less how they managed to keep her busy with being led around their quaint, dusty home all day. One thing just led to another and she's been sight-seeing and answering an awful lot of questions about herself.

It's now nighttime, she's unwittingly tried enough lighter fluid-flavored liquor to render her a little drunk, and it seems her small following is leading her inside the brothel next. It's unclear whether or not she realizes where they're going, but she's also got a handful of those red stones and she's in a pretty good mood, so she's content to be led along.

Honestly, it's been a trying past couple weeks and she needed this chance to unwind, really. Maybe not quite this much, but beggars can't be choosers. ]

Comments

[wilder]

Oh. Is she? ...I was kinda hoping that wouldn't be the case.

[That's just...great. Wow. He would be more surprised, but really, when you're dead yourself while your counterparts live- the idea of alternate realities where certain people die isn't at all shocking.]

So...what? You're gonna...pretend to be her dead friend and hope she never notices?

[proteusmoon]

No, of course not. I mean--

[ Cecil sighs quietly, looking down at her now empty plate of egg-like protein sticks miserably. ]

I don't know. Maybe she isn't truly dead. Makoto seemed shocked to see me, but not especially so-- not the way I would expect someone who had just seen their dead friend to be. It's rather... strange. I'm not sure how to describe it. She said something about having "lost" me. I suppose it could mean all manner of things.

1/2

[wilder]

[Kaneis rubs the back of his neck]

...Yeah. Guess that could mean all sorts of things.

[a pause]

I dunno. I should probably be the last person to give advice about this stuff seeing how well I deal with it, but...I dunno. You should tell her the truth eventually, I think it's fine to give her time to settle in first before dumping that news on her too.

[wilder]

Just, you know, don't wait too long, or the next thing you know, you have to buy a new couch and find someone to patch up holes in your walls because someone decided to fire several ice lances in your living room.

[Because that could totally happen to anyone. Definitely]

[proteusmoon]

Ice lances?

[ Why is it always lances... ]

...Er, I don't think she would resort to that. Even if she did, I presume they made me security on our ship for a reason.

[wilder]

[He gives a half shrug. Siblings man. Siblings]

Well, that's something!

...Still, I think I'll myself scarce whenever you do tell her.

[proteusmoon]

[ She laughs shortly, giving him half a smile. ]

Ah, thank you for your support, dear Kaneis.

[wilder]

Consider it a form of moral support!

'Sides, I think that's a conversation better done in private anyway.

[proteusmoon]

[ In spite of herself, she laughs a little more heartily at his quip, then she shakes her head slowly. ]

No... you're right. It is better done in private. I suppose I'm just... a bit afraid.

[wilder]

Yeah?

[He tilts his head a little]

What's got you afraid?

[He doesn't mean it rhetorically- he knows first hand there's a LOT to fear in these sorts of conversations. But...it'd be good to know what Cecil finds scary about it]

[proteusmoon]

[ Cecil's explanation, perhaps predictably, might not be exactly the sort of reasons Kaneis was expecting. ]

The Makoto I knew was a skilled mage in her own right. If our new crew-mate takes things badly... I fear she might become a danger to herself-- and to you. She might not trust me so easily again, one way or the other, and I worry about losing her faith. I don't want her to doubt that I care for her, to suspect I mean her harm when all I want to do is help her. She's been through enough and she's been alone for much of her life. I don't want her to be disappointed and think that must continue here, because it isn't true.

[wilder]

[NOPE. NOT IN THE LEAST. His expression now goes to CONCERN.]

Wait. Are you saying she could get violent to us over it? Even though I have nothing to do with this?

[proteusmoon]

Probably not exactly that physically violent, but you never know. Mostly, she'll probably pick on you regardless because of your sex.

[ Makoto, Queen of Misandry. ]

[wilder]

Really.

[He raises an eyebrow]

You're not expecting me to just put up with it, are you?

[proteusmoon]

[ She probably shouldn't smile, but she can't help it. ]

Of course not. Ideally, my hope is that you two get along more often than you don't, but I still expect you to stand up for yourself, just as I would expect it of her.

[wilder]

Hey, I'll leave her alone if she does the same.

[Which means, it's probably gonna be war in the bridge. But hey, at least it's good to know Cecil doesn't expect him to just take it because this girl had it hard or whatever]

But alright. Just...don't think you have to put up with it either, out of some kind of weird guilt thing or whatever.

[proteusmoon]

[ Frankly, as long as it doesn't dissolve into actual violence, she can live with them yelling at each other. It's better than them not speaking to each other at all. ]

It wouldn't be out of guilt— it would be out of friendship.

[wilder]

[He's ... not sure he agrees so much with that idea. Taking abuse in the name of friendship. Sure. He's pretty used to Sheena smacking him- but he knew it was when he'd tease or intentionally push her buttons. She'd never hit him outside those instances, and never hard enough to actually do damage]

[But this? This doesn't really sound like what he had with Sheena. In fact it sounded more and more like a girl with issues who uses people as punching bags, emotionally or physically. Was Cecil really planning to put up with it in some twisted concept of friendship]

[...Ngh. Maybe that's why he has next to no friends.]

[But as he reminds himself, it's not really his business. He's not expected to put up with it himself, and what the captain does with the other crew is her business. It's not like he was an expert on friendship or even interpersonal interactions anyway]

[So, after a consideration, he gives a slight shrug]

...Whatever.

[proteusmoon]

[ The hesitation and the one-word reply she gets from Kaneis causes Cecil some mild confusion and her brows stitch together as she tries to discern whether or not she should feel so worried. Somehow it feels like it's been a long time since she last heard someone answer her in such a curt, seemingly apathetic manner, but she can't remember the last time so clearly, let alone who it was with and what it was over. Still... instinctively she sees it as a defense mechanism of sorts and when she considers the implications of such a move from the occasionally temperamental redhead she shares this ship with, she can't help feeling a little bit of warmth bloom in her heart.

Cecil slowly stands from her seat and clears the plate from the table. Then she crosses their tiny galley to stand right in front of her crew-mate (and hopefully her new friend) so she can give him one of her usual soft, reassuring smiles. ]

Kaneis...

[ She gently rests a hand on his forearm, in a way that's meant to be comforting. ]

...Thank you. For breakfast.

[wilder]

[He feels a bit odd about the gesture. He doesn't readily freeze, but he doesn't respond to the touch either. Frankly, physical contact was never really a thing for him- not unless he was invading someone else's space.]

[Nor was he skilled at responding with thank yous]

Uh...sure. Whatever. It's just proteins anyway.

[proteusmoon]

[ He's really not going to know what to do then when she quickly leans in and kisses his cheek, as another thank you for his concern. For her, it's a casual gesture and she doesn't seem to put much significance in it. ]

Don't worry about me. I'm past letting people use me.

[ And then she just walks right past him, headed back to bed. She still feels rather awful, after all. ]

We'll speak of upgrades for the ship later.

[wilder]

[UH YEAH. HE SURE WASN'T READY FOR THAT. So he'll just stand there, looking a little bit shocked because that sure was kissing on the cheek and it was definitely the "affectionate but not in a I wanna screw you" sort of way]

[Uh...]

...Uh, okay!

[WE'LL JUST LET YOU GO NOW]