Remnants of the Earth

OUTER SPACE => Open Space => Topic started by: Cheesigator on December 13, 2017, 06:54:36 pm

Title: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Cheesigator on December 13, 2017, 06:54:36 pm
Kirkley couldn't wipe the mad grin off his face as the bay doors sealed shut behind Hesperus and himself, yanking the helmet off as soon as the oxygen was pumped back into the room and he could face his son for the first time in some fifty years without a helmet between the two of them.

Shen** (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/283132129880309760/390677707047829504/shencolored.png) gave a little shiver as he settled the particles around his body more thoroughly into what gave the appearance that he was wearing a sharp and fitted suit, despite it being a little outdated, who knew when the last time he'd seen one was.

For Kirkley, it was nice to see that sometimes things didn't change all that much. It was a reassuring constant in a world that never stopped to rest, one that had taken so much from him that he would never be able to get back.

Shen, standing even with Hesperus at a good 6'4", the ring for a head still always facing you no matter what direction you looked at him from, a real mindfuck if you stared too hard, all lit up by the neon purples and pinks that made up the ethereal flame-sort of... Stuff that always burned at his ring's center. He was just the way Kirkley remembered him, and now that he had a shit ton of parasites out of him, even better.

Shen motioned to Kirkley and the captain handed him the gestured-to commset. He peeked over his son's shoulder, curious to read the conversation, though he was briefly interrupted as Shen gave Hesperus the first hug after he finished waving at the crew from the ship's security cameras, picking the Incubus up off the ship floor and bearhugging him, always having a bit of a soft spot for the demon that made Kirkley's smile bittersweet.

Captain Kirkitty: Heading on up now! Fuck those suits they are the worst. Oh Shen wants my comm
Captain Kirkitty: hELLO
Captain Kirkitty: 8D
Captain Kirkitty: I sorry about other day is was awful hurt real bad 8(((( worms suck
Injida: Parasites are an unholy bitch. It is fine.
Captain Kirkitty: yes! brb hugs !
Biggs: Um...its okay! Hello!
LeatherNSilk: no wordincdkxkfwocendi cnrnfovldneg
Biggs: O.o
Captain Kirkitty: <3
Biggs: Oh. Sorry if I almost shot you a couple of times.
Biggs: I was trying really hard not to. >_>
Captain Kirkitty: is okay ! sorry for bad common D: I eat ships not read them
LeatherNSilk: its getting better. Proud of you
Sappleling: Fucking eat ships?
Captain Kirkitty: !!! :D Thank!
Injida: I will be sure to fly more smoothly next time.
Captain Kirkitty: dad says your flying was best
Biggs: Well. Thank you for, um, not eating us.
Captain Kirkitty: I would never eat dad he is good
Captain Kirkitty: MORE HUGS


This time it was Kirkley going in for the hugs, picking up his bird-like son who wiggled quite happily while Kirkley made a point of not putting his head anywhere near that ring of his. It was a mistake he made once and would never care to repeat again.

More conversation was exchanged via the comms, and as the final security seals unlocked they stepped aboard, heading to the deck to meet with everyone per the Captain's instructions. Introductions were in the way, and Kirkley stood himself at the helm of the ship by the captain's seat as he waited for his crew members to file in, some more disgruntled than others. He nodded to Shen to stand beside him, who cheerfully did so, head still moving in jerky motions like a bird as he looked around, taking in all the sights, sounds, smells, and seeing what had changed since he'd been on his father's ship last, wringing his gloved hands with nervous excitement.

It'd been a while since he'd talked with people, probably. Kirkley smiled softly and turned to address the crew, plus one stowaway, once they had all shown up. He couldn't help the chuckle once Vargas handed a very pleasantly surprised Shen a cup of coffee, who wasted no time in unbuttoning his jacket, sticking the cup in there, his torso almost seeming to stretch and make him taller just for a moment, before he adjusted back to normal size and pulled an empty cup out and buttoned back up again.

"Okay, okay, so the other day didn't go as planned--what was supposed to happen, was I was going to joke about this big awful scary monster who might eat us, and all that fun stuff, and then Shen was going to show up all big and scary-like, make you guys shriek, and then come aboard like you see him now and be normal Shen who is quite nice," He looked over and grinned as Shen did a bird-like happy dance with his feet, forgetting that he had hands.

"But obviously that's not what happened. So barring the awful space parasites and him almost killing us because the bugs were telling him to, I'd like you guys to meet my son Shen. He's going to be taking us to..."

His discolored gaze flickered over to Aesir for a moment, his smile fading just slightly, before he reeled it in and brought his gaze back to everyone.

"To our uh. Vacation spot I guess."

At this point he looked at Shen, who wasn't sure what else to do with the mug, so it was tossed into the ring and it didn't come back out the other side.

God dammit. Really?

"... I liked that mug, you jackass."

Shen merely whuffed his strange breathy laugh, which came from who knows where as far as the other crew members were concerned, before they would all hear a strange, garbled noise bubbling into their heads.***  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LQL4LPyq7U)

"Heheh, do not tell him the cup is in his room. Hi!" He gave the crew a little wave with a gloved hand, "I am the Shen. Shen. Just Shen. Not the the. Hi! I am sorry about the other night, thank you for your help. I almost did the bucket kicking. Thank! I am will be helping you, I am The Transport!"

At the mention of "The Transport" he put his hands in the air and wiggled his fingertips dramatically for a moment before dropping them back down to continue fidgeting, which made Kirkley smile and give him a gentle and brief pat on the back and shoulder--for someone who rarely ever got to interact with others, Kirkley thought he was doing a fantastic job.

He let his hand remain there, murmuring something in a rather archaic-sounding language, deep and gutteral, that Shen responded to via telepathy--everyone could hear it, who knew what they were saying. He turned back to his father's crewmembers though and continued.

"We will be getting the going in morning after one more rest--you will, I will not. I stay here." He shrugged. "Is simple enough. I am secret though, please do not be tellings of me after this journey. Questions?"





** Shen is Kirkley's is one of Kirkley's sons, who originally appeared in the form of a giant black hawk-like monstrosity twice the size of the Loveless in the first thread The Transport. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LWintLI_Mq1T7wtgMywmZ_RJbViV_PXo921qYeeNEeM/edit?usp=sharing) This thread immediately follows The Transport with a few days timeskipped between. Artwork by me.

*** Shen's voice is Joe Saunders as Commander Powell from Dark Star.


Thread Rules!

- Try to post a reply within 24 hours! If you can't it's cool just lmk,
bc this is an important thread and no further plot progression will be happening until it's over/mostly over. I'll put this on hold for Christmas Eve/Day tho for obvious reasons. xD

- Your character doesn't have to be present for every moment!
If your character is in another room, or doesn't have much to say for a round of posts, you can skip posting and let me know, don't feel obligated to post. Posts can be short, too. Ain't nobody judgin, here õ__õ

- Assume your characters will be for the most part occupied and not in epic chat for the next few days, they bout to be very busy and who knows how this thread is gonna end, for those worried about continuity.

- For reference, pior to this thread: crew members have taken the last few days to rest and recooperate while Kirkley and Shen heal from space worm wounds. Kirkley's been selfishly keeping Aesir and Otto in his room for snuggles and 18+ things, the selfish bastard. D: He also screwed Hes and dragged him into the snuggle pile, dude got around. He's been quite irritable without them, but he's better now. Wrestled with Nero and everythang. Dez cleaned the ship and lost to Nero in strip poker, uhh I think that's all that happened.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Draconian on December 13, 2017, 07:43:05 pm
The past few days had been odd.

Aesir had stayed behind in Kirkley's room long after everyone had gotten ready for the day.  Lethargic, tired. He didn't want to do anything except sleep more. Curl himself up in Kirkley's bed. Go back to his own if it got... Crowded... Again. Space sucked. He didn't even want to think of how far away from home he was. Despite what he'd said, he was fully clothed. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, loose green sweater and his maroon bandanna looped around his neck like a scarf. A quick glance at the door and he tossed his com onto the rumpled sheets of the bed and went to his number one spot to snoop.

He'd gotten used to seeing pictures of someone that looked like him. Some more time worn than others.  Aesir sat on the floor with the box between his kneels, touching everything that probably wouldn't get him caught. A tug on the sheet to check the com, frowning when the weird hoopheaded birdman was on board. Should clean this up quickly then. Slowly and gently, he picked up the pictures of the man that looked like him and Kirkley, sadness panging in his chest for how happy they looked. Frowning at all the green in the background of the photos.

The sound of something small falling from the pile had him jerk. Fear shot up his spine because what if he broke something. Aesir looked around holding his breath when he finally spotted it. Looked like a weird big fang broken off of the rest of a tooth. Curiously he picked it up, closing his hand around it and froze, blinking at it before he tucked it into his pocket and finally cleaning up from his sort of pilfering.

He slipped into the area where Shen was behind everyone in time to see him shove a cup of coffee into his coat. Why not? Aesir did his best not to roll his eyes. Instead he put his hands in his pocket, rubbing his thumb over that little shard of whatever he'd found in Kirkleys room. It was Aesir's though. He didn't know why he knew that. But he did. It was his and some strange irrational side of him was angry at Kirkley for keeping it in a box with all those old pictures.

Aesir frowned at the mention of 'vacation', looking confused at Kirkley when they briefly made eye contact. Mostly he wasn't paying attention. Winced away from the voice before he kept his head down and worried his thumb over the thing in his pocket. Should he show it to Kirkley?

No. A quick glance at everyone in the room, eyes lingering on the weird hoophead bird 'Shen' it said it's name was. Good to know he was so chipper after almost fucking killing everyone. Super cool. Mostly he tried to slip away once Shen had said his piece about being the transport and staying here but...

"Is your mouth in your chest?" Aesir chirped from the back of the group, looking confused - It only now sinking in where exactly Shen had put his coffee.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: GoblinFae on December 13, 2017, 09:49:46 pm
Hesperus had just managed to rip off the entirety of his suit and helmet when he was suddenly and quite pleasantly sucked into Shen's all-encompassing embrace. His com had been crushed between them and yet he couldn't care less as he clung back just as fiercely. The Incubus absolutely adored Kirkley's son and had for all the years the pair had known each other. While it had been half a century since father and son had last met it was even longer for Hesperus. Not every time he ran into Kirkley did he get to see Shen though he treasured each and every meeting. His little tail fluttered wildly in the back of his pants in excitement long after he was released and allowed back on his own two feet.

The demon was glad for a few moments to compose himself as he helped their little stowaway make some food before rejoining the group. Seeing Shen happy and back to his normal self only served to make Hesperus realize how horrible the entire encounter of finding him had been. Waking up to a blinding headache, Kirkley gone, and the Loveless in danger had been far from ideal. He had not taken the time to truly process just how close he had come to losing not one but two friends. Those were thoughts he quickly reburied deep inside again as he rejoined the crew and listened with rolling eyes to Kirkley's explanation. It was one of the old sky dog's favorite tricks, after all.

Vacation spot? As if that didn't sound ominous at all. The look that passed across the captain's face only served to make Hesperus feel more cautious. He had his suspicions as to who little Aesir was, though those had always been stories told to him in the still, quiet moments when Kirkley would go from murderous pirate to something different, something the demon had never truly understood at the time. Hesperus had never been sure what was truth and what was fantasy but seeing those same shades of evergreen and amethyst he had known so intimately in a different face was starting to make a believer out of him.

The demon brushed his own musings away though as Shen's thoughts washed over him in an all too familiar sensation akin to a bubbling spring breaking the surface at last. He chuckled softly at just how adorable the creature was. He had not been lying either, Shen truly was improving with his Common. When Hesperus had first met him, Shen had only been able to communicate in a few broken words. Things were often spoken through the translation of Kirkley or a series of complicated gestures. Things would be much easier this time around, space leeches aside of course.

True laughter escaped him as of all the things to ask Shen, Aesir chose to ask about his unique brand of digestion. Hesperus impulsively pulled Shen flush against him, his arms settling about the other male's waist as he dipped his head enough to avoid the hoop and instead nuzzle against Shen's shoulder. It did not matter to him that the others could see and would probably judge them for the blatant display of affection. The demon had been plenty discreet and to himself since joining the crew for fear of disturbing their precious balance. But, this was Shen and he cared deeply for this "child" that was already so much older than himself. The thought of losing him had frightened the Incubus though he had had to hold it together for the sake of others who would not understand. Now though all he wanted to do was hug the avian-like creature close and never let go.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: nephero on December 13, 2017, 11:10:06 pm
   Otto did not get along with liminality. He was far more comfortable with exact numbers, yes and no, clear and concise boundaries and expectations. A job, and how to do it, or nothing at all. As long as he had these basic ideas (a plan, a general goal, hell even just the most rudimentary commands of “do X until told otherwise”), something to go off of, he was fine. Insert variables, obtain solution. Sometimes it was more complex than that, but at least he had a leg to stand on.

   He didn’t… like… surprises. Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. Secrets? But no, that wasn’t true either— or if it was, that made him a damn hypocrite, keeping all his own secrets to himself but expecting everyone else to divulge theirs. But no, that wasn’t true either. He didn’t mind that everyone had their own lives and their own reasons and their own private selves outside of what they told him— Wolf, for instance, and whatever miracle he’d used to help heal up the giant goldfish

   Which was also apparently wildly inaccurate for how Vargas had commented him needing an encyclopedia of animals, something that he might have been able to to gloss over with an embarrassed laugh any other day, but today just set all his nerves on edge

   But this whole thing, meeting up with Shen, the parasites, Kirkley disappearing for so many terrible, horrible minutes, and then popping back in like it had been nothing— it had made Otto anxious. So anxious. His stomach rolled and his chest felt tight and nothing seemed to be quite right. Normally he’d have felt one of these little attacks and gone straight to his collection of narcotics but…

   He had a job to do. In the absence of the Captain, the Loveless needed to keep running. That was his job. His variable. Something that he could do while the rest of everything floated in the worst kind of limbo. Even staying with Kirkley the following day hadn’t done much— it had been a temporary relief, at best, and when he returned to his duties, was left alone again with his thoughts, well…

   Well, what?

   Well, what, indeed. It wasn’t like any of this crap was his business. He didn’t suddenly have a right to know absolutely everything that Kirkley had planned. Expecting anything of the sort was just… brazen. Presumptuous. Shitty. It was so shitty, and the shittier he felt the shittier his boarders felt, mutual anxiety roiling over and over again to where he felt like he wanted to throw up. Not uncommon, but usually at least he had the benefit of being wasted at the time.

   Being wasted sounded so good. His stash had been compromised, consumed, little though it was, but there were compartments that even a little sneak thief couldn’t get into without knowing where they were. He was only mildly ashamed to say that as soon as he woke up, he’d slipped out of Kirkley’s room in the still quiet of whatever hour it had meant to be and shuffled into Ironsides and pried the metal plating away from the wall just beneath the kitchen area cabinets. The bottle had glowed blue, still beautifully .75 of the way full, the label smudged and wrinkled but still legible. Injida. The last vestiges of his home made into potent inebriation. And fuck, hadn’t he earned that? Just a little bit, just a little time of not remembering how bad he felt, of not remembering how tired he was and of not remembering just how little he actually was allowed to know.

   Don’t ask. Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing. Everything’s fine.

   Kirkley reminded him so much of Roy sometimes. Otto hated that.

   The injida’s personal brand of relief, however, would be terribly short-lived, because not too long after Otto had reached a disheartening .5 of the way full, his comm buzzed with a priority message. Right. Game face. Time to move. Stuff to do. And so it was only with some mild swaying that he had taken his place in the cockpit, keeping his eyes on all the monitors and the blinking notifications, thankful not for the first time for his ability to simply hook in and let his brain do the talking. Fine motor skills were just not a part of today’s plan. Luckily, it seemed, neither were ship-eating monsters.

   He remained where he was plugged in as the rest of the crew filed in, long legs drawn up into the chair just for the sake of comfort as Otto settled into a more relaxed position. Fake it ‘til you make it, or whatever the adage was. He stared, perhaps a bit longer than was polite, at Shen, at this entirely different and equally bizarre form he’d taken, and most of all into the rolling violet flames that fluctuated within the hoop that took the place of any traditional sort of cranium. The flames were fascinating, vibrant and oversaturated with color that Otto felt almost like it should have been impossible for him to see. Even more so, however, was the low, heady droning Shen’s presence brought about from his boarders— whatever this goldfish-apparently-not-a-goldfish was, Otto felt like he could stare forever, and also that he really, really shouldn’t.

   All of that was broken, however, by the sudden incredulous question from the youngest member of their crew, and Otto felt entirely off-balance for half of a moment despite being seated in his chair. Aesir. Leave it to him to ask something completely unexpected; Otto couldn’t help an amused sort of smile that that, more than a little fond of such absolutely carefree inquisitiveness. Not for the first time, Otto wished he could be like the younger human— and not worry himself sick over what everyone else thought twenty four hours out of the day.

   It definitely was the break in tension Otto had needed, his shoulders easing up from how tight they had been, the host taking a deep breath and letting it out in a staccato breath.

   “So, this vacation spot. What should we be expecting?” he asked, observing just how affectionate Hesperus was being with the strange creature and more than a little heart-warmed for it. Hesperus had been so stressed since coming on board (or so Otto thought, it was sometimes hard to tell, but there had just been this unmistakable something attached the whole affair), it was nice to see him genuinely happy for once.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Zero Undead on December 14, 2017, 05:19:48 am
From the time they had entered the asteroid belt things had felt off. It was like this tiny, minuscule nagging feeling like something tickling at the back of Wolf’s mind. The AI continued to hum along, seemingly running smoothly now. Of course when the entire incident had been ongoing it was like someone had thrown a stone at a pond, it had shattered the calm surface with ripples that echoed all the way across his psyche.

What had happened that day…night? It was still gnawing away at him. There was an itch under his skin that wouldn’t go away. Worst of all, Wolf had no idea if it was a real sensation caused by the nanites or if perhaps it was all just within his head; how did you even tell?

Everything had gone wrong. There was a stowaway, and he had been the one to suggest securing her because a crate in the airlock wasn’t safe. He had felt real, genuine concern about the safety of this person he did not know. That wasn’t surprising. Killing and death were very unpleasant and just thinking about either made him unreasonably uncomfortable.

None of that had been his fault.

Wolf had put her in that cell and had even given her one of his little puzzles to play with so she wouldn’t be completely without some form of entertainment. After that he had rushed to help Aesir, and had felt woefully inadequate in performing the task. He had barely helped at all. After all that, that woman had escaped her cell. Otto had made those angry bug noises at him. It was just another failure at a critical moment in time during their quite stressful mission. He should have done better, and it shook him that the AI had failed him so blatantly that night.

So much so that he’d spent the entire next day wallowing in bed, not only from exhaustion, but simple overwhelming emotion. Well, he had tried to wallow. Nero had made that hard with his insistence on keeping him company. Wolf still didn’t know if he would have preferred being left alone or if the warmth of Nero pressed against his back until he relented and spent hours just talking.

There wasn’t even anything important to say. He talked about food – one of the things he had found himself most enamored with since meeting Kirkley- and then about his little projects. Insignificant trinkets he worked on to preoccupy his AI when not taking care of the ship. Neither was an interesting topic, or Wolf didn’t think they should have been, but Nero had seemed more than happy to waste his time engaging in it. He actually seemed enthusiastic and attentive to the conversation. It was really not at all what he’d expected, but somehow it also seemed good.

Nero had been a soothing presence, for as long as he’d stayed.

If he thought about it, out of the crew, Wolf had probably spent the most one-on-one time with Nero, between that strange day and going shopping with him. Usually he only saw everyone together, when they were gathered – like now.

Wolf had seen the chatter over his comm, but had failed to say anything. He didn’t know what to even say, because he was worried that anything at all could be the wrong thing. Nobody had started interrogating him about what he’d done. Not a single demand to explain how he had helped the giant bird-monster that was also somehow the captain’s son.

He preferred it stayed that way as long as possible. Wolf wasn’t sure he could even truly, adequately explain everything. It had been a gamble. He hadn’t been sure it would even work. It stunned him that it worked. What else could he do that he didn’t know yet?

It was all too stressful. Hiding in his room did not seem to be an option, however, so he filed into the room with everyone else. Wolf found a place against the wall, ducking his head and being as inconspicuous as possible, and hating himself for it. These people had been kind to him when no one before them had, and here he wished only to hide from them.

Wolf’s head jerked up as that voice invaded his mind, though. Oh, he did not like that, not one little bit and suddenly didn’t feel as bad for wishing he was alone in his room with his anxious thoughts.

Anxious thoughts he desperately hoped Shen could not read.

Lowering his head again, he pointedly looked at no one. Wolf didn’t want anyone to look at him. He didn’t want to be seen. It felt too much like they could peer in and rip the truth from him at a glance. Why hadn’t the AI stopped this yet?

Why didn’t it make the feelings go away?

Wolf wanted so badly for it to do just that. Maybe he worried that sometimes the AI was really the one in control and his body was still a puppet dancing upon invisible strings, but right now even that seemed better. At least then he felt shielded and safe in a familiar, if twisted, submission.

One more day, Shen said. Then they would leave, going to this supposed vacation spot.

The only question Wolf really wanted to ask is if he could be dismissed now that “the plan” going forward was shared with them. He managed to glance up, teal eyes roaming over Aesir at the question he posed. It was a fair one. Perhaps some of the others found it amusing, but it seemed a logical inquiry to him. Otto submitted an equally good question.

They had endured enough surprises for one trip.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Marakai2.0 on December 14, 2017, 10:08:22 am
It really was a wonder, the things life seemed capable of throwing in one's direction. The last several days had been full of ups and downs, and a couple of twists and turns, and it was to the point that Vargas had little hope of predicting what was around the next corner of this topsy-turvey little adventure he'd joined in on.

It had started with that job with Kirkley, maybe a couple of weeks or so ago, one that had seemed random and out of the blue - the many drinks Vargas had consumed since then made the memory very blurry and unfocused, but the gunner did remember one thing: that paycheck had quite a bit of zeroes on it.

And he'd risked all those zeroes almost in a single sitting, one that had turned massively in his favor into the greatest kind of payout he could have hoped for - a simple poker game with a group of individuals who were, surprisingly, more drunk than him at the time had won him the entire pot, almost doubling his money and winning him the most unexpected of prizes.

He'd won a goddamn gunship. Couldn't fly the damn thing, yet, but that was soon to change, it seemed.

And since then, again out of the blue, he'd been invited to join this motley crew - permanently. He'd jumped at the chance, packed his things, and dove right in.

And then things got weird. They'd gained a stowaway, who had apparently smuggled herself onboard when Hesperus and himself were picked up, and she'd decided to make herself known at what couldn't have possibly have been a worse time. As pretty as she was, she was an odd one. Interesting, and very pleasant to look at, but odd.

But that was then. And here they were now.

Vargas stared up at this 'Shen' who, unless the gunner had been well and truly pickled and couldn't even remember  (which was impossible, he hasn't had a drink since early the last morning, dammit), had shortly before been a large bird creature hellbent on their destruction amongst the asteroids. He understood why and how the personality change had come about, sort of - some giant black leechgrubworm things he'd happily blasted into oblivion - but still.

This guy was a man. Um. Kinda. The bubblewand in place of Shen's head still threw him off, especially once he'd noticed it never seemed to face a different direction no matter what angle Vargas looked at it from. But the fact that really confused him was the fact that, only minutes before, he had clearly been a bird. Thing.

Fuck me. I need a drink. That was the prime thought amongst all others as he brought birdnotbird Shen a cup of coffee, since Kirkley had said it had been quite some time since he'd had it. Even more so once Shen simply tucked the cup within his coat and seemed to....stretch...sli ghtly, before he produced the cup again, sans coffee.

Aesir took the words right out of his mouth, on that one.

Otto posed another good question, which Vargas decided to follow with another. "Besides what to expect, where is it that we're going? I mean...transport? How does that work?" Vargas generally wasn't the one to ask questions - he was literally there to just man the guns, as it seemed there were more than enough men present to pilot the ship - but the entire thought of finding a place worth called a 'vacation spot' in an asteroid belt was only...slightly confusing.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Blink on December 14, 2017, 11:31:28 am
It was all just more evidence of how 'lucky' Dez actually was. First, she thought she had scored so big when crawling into that crate. She had thought she read the label correctly and could've sworn it was destined to be heading somewhere far far away on a ship that was in fact, not this one. Luck only continued to roll in like a set of snake eyes as the ship she had managed to wind up on was staffed with passengers who were less than pleased with her status.

'Stowaway, intruder... annoyance.'

Dez had been called worse things in life by far worse people. Regardless of how they thought, she had gotten on the ship Dez knew all of this was just another scene passing by. Time and time again she had landed in situations similar to this one (minus the being attacked by a headless chicken). Dez would appear and be shunned, therefore making her resort to whatever it took to make her life just slightly less 'unlucky'. Looking out for number one had always been what kept her alive and this situation was no exception.

As everyone filed in Dez took mental note of each face. The man who had given her the puzzle in the very beginning. He seemed nice then, must've eaten something green based on the sourpuss look on his face now. Sourpuss.... yes. The other small one, the one who danced with her in the hangar and copped a feel to grab her Com, Chickenman. There was, of course, the one who made funny noises at her. His eyes were odd and based on the number of lovely candies she found in his ship Dez just assumed that one just had no brain left... she liked him, Candyman.

With hands in pockets, Dez squinted at the one with horns. He deserved a very special name, one worthy of someone who locks people in tiny compartments with nothing but a half-eaten bag of cheese poofs to survive on for eternity. Horny Spider, Seemed fitting in more ways than one. Next would have to be the young one. Dez squinted again as she wracked her brain for a name befitting such an odd duck, Skip

Her blackjack nemesis also deserved a special name, one that probably came the easiest of them all, BlackJack. This brought Dez full circle to the one she could tell hated her the most. His name would have to be the most special of them all. One befitting of someone who clearly hated everything about her. He seemed to have a knack for instructing the others to lock her up or detain her in some way. Clearly he was Warden Kittypants.

With names sorted out Dez was able to finally pay attention to what they were all going on about. Something about Mr. Hoophead and his jacket? Wait... Vacation? Dez emerged from the land of giants and waved her hand to get attention.

"I pose the same questions as Candyman and Chickenman. Also at what point am I being thrown out the air vents, Warden Kittypants? "

Her tone was calm and almost monotone as if being thrown off a ship into oblivion was a walk in the park.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Lion on December 14, 2017, 01:56:15 pm
Nero very rarely planned ahead - or worried about expectations. Going with the flow tended to suit him best in his experience. There were no guarantees, no surefire expectations that he was going to wake up the next morning or live through the rest of the week. Heh - 'live' was surely a fine way of putting it. This was the most static he'd been in well - he honestly couldn't really remember. Time tended to bleed in on itself that way, like segments of watercolor had droplets of water dabbed over them.

Nero closed his eyes, trying to focus, the picture not at all becoming clearer. And all he could feel were the flashbacks of emotion, the white-hot in his veins of fear and adrenaline shooting through him like the most raw high he'd ever felt. But it wasn't quite like being lightyears away, in fact he couldn't have been more alert, and every sound became a blaring wail. Vargas firing off that gun, Otto directing orders through the comm, the feeling of being hollowed out at the thought that Kirkley was really dead.

He knew he couldn't die. Not really. And neither could Nero. He'd go on, and Kirkley would go on - even if the latter had give or take a few ten thousand years ahead of him. 40 years older than where he should have been, four decades out of a nameless hole he probably would have been buried in. At least, it would have been a decent finale. He wouldn't be sad about it, no songs need be sung, no epitaphs, no eulogies. Only good men got those. Only good men died young.

And that was a ferry for which he had no credits to pay the fare.

But that knowledge, did nothing to stop the coldness that clenched at his gut. Because it didn't matter if he died - but he'd be damned if he was going to sit by and do nothing whilst the captain was out there. Not while he could do something. It didn't even skip a beat, that thought process, not a second of hesitation. Never had a decision been clearer than to suit up, to venture into that cold vacant black, to cradle Kirkley's fat head in the crook of his arm from giant birdfish that had suffered awful parasitic lacerations. He wasn't going to lose his package (regardless if that job had been over and done with), he was going to bring him back, he wasn't going to have another Kincaid...

The hollowed out feeling came back with a vengeance. He failed that job. The one job he'd said he'd never fail. Nero ducked his head and felt horrifically sober the last few days. Lay low, don't make ripples, he was good at that. Make sure the rest of the cargo on board - ie, the crew - was fine. Wolf had needed someone, even if he'd said nothing, even if the little electronics he'd asked about afterward were filler to make sure the little guy was right enough to be alone. Nero couldn't be sure, far be it from him to understand the nuances of giving distance.

But in that time, he hadn't even touched his newly acquired stash, the adrenaline still present, still sobering him, and the hollowed feeling making his veins itch, and he unconsciously favored a fang at the corner of his mouth. It didn't even matter that Kirkley was alive and well now. Was it something else? Nero never stared at death in the face so closely and flinched, no, the lows usually came afterward when he was stitching himself back together. 

Nero had made his way to deck when the rest of the crew had gathered, observing Bubblewand Man hug Hesperus with no shortage of affection. The hollowed out sensation made his chest burn, and he wished he'd at least brought a joint with him.  No, no. This was important. Pay attention. Nero reached up and shrugged his green jacket tighter around him, popping the collar and bringing his loose mauve hair up into a bun.

Best to have one less distraction in his face, eyes flicking to the others in the room. They were here, they were safe. So far anyway. Unexpectedly expected. He held his tongue, grin only curling much in the same fashion Otto's had when his eyes flicked to the blackhaired bugboy in the flight chair at Aesir's endless talent for observation. It was a good smile, and he deserved to smile more. The center of his left palm flared up in an itch, and he favored his fangs again, letting the prickling point force him to observe everyone else.

Wolf, however, still seemed tense, and Nero couldn't blame him. Poor guy. Vargas and Dez, seemed well enough to take it in stride. They didn't have any welling itchiness, or so he hoped. Placated calm, he told himself, and poised himself to the rear of the room, far enough away from Hesperus to keep the man from flat out collapsing in the midst of a debriefing. In the back was where he felt most comfortable anyway, a thought that only briefly abated the tingling he felt in his palm, and he kept his left hand curled, arms crossed over his chest.

Whatever it was, it was going to be interesting.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Cheesigator on December 15, 2017, 09:08:44 pm
As Shen had spoken, Kirkley's eyes roamed over his crew, looking at each face individually and assessing their current state.

It wasn't good.

Not a single person in that room, save for the stowaway girl who he did not consider to be part of their crew, looked like they'd slept enough. Like they were awake enough. Like they were ready. For fuck's sake he was pretty sure at least one or two of them might be either drunk, in need of getting drunk, or potentially high. It made his heart clench and his gut twist with guilt.

Just several days ago they'd all been laughs, chipper fun and good times. Playing board games, snuggling, taking naps, enjoying the sense of family that many of them hadn't gotten to experience for a very long time. And within the space of a few hours he'd managed to take that all away.

Questions were asked and after a moment of silence, Shen glanced over to see his father looking nowhere in particular, glazed over and not really there. Even with Hesperus's arms around him, which Shen quite loved because it made his heart skip a few beats and bump a little faster in his chest, a bit of coldness settled in him because he knew where they were going. And he knew perfectly well why his father was distraught. Kirkley had told him during their visit outside how much this crew already meant to him, how much he loved every single one of them and Shen could see so plainly he was the happiest he'd been in a really, really long time. It made him feel worse knowing he'd scared them so, put them in danger, even though he knew he couldn't help it.

Shen tapped the pads of each index finger together nervously, waiting a moment or two, and when Kirkley didn't respond, he slid an arm out from Hes's grasp to touch his shoulder and communicate just with him.

"Dad, they asked their questions."

Kirkley jerked a little, and the motion of it made Shen flinch back in surprise, quickly looking back to the rest of those assembled in the room and resuming communication with them with his telepathy.

"Um. Yes I--mouth is in here," He tapped at his chest, his anxiety spiking as Kirkley rubbed his face tiredly, for a brief moment looking as old as he really was. Well. Almost.

"We go a place dad does not like but is safe. You go. I stay. You go through here," Shen pointed to the ring and flames of his head, "This is transport."

"This is why I didn't want to talk about it until now, at least not on open chat servers. Shen is capable of creating portals to other dimensions, among other things," Kirkley suddenly spoke up, his voice nothing short of tense. It made Shen's shoulders hunch up a bit. "If we go through the ring we'll get teleported wherever he sends us; he's the safest way of travel without being followed."

With every word whatever cheerful attitude he'd had earlier wore away and it became clearer and clearer that Kirkley wasn't pleased with where they were going; something was weighing heavy on his mind, the memory of a very specific grave and a pang of emotion made his voice warble briefly.

"We're going to The Meeting Place."

He said it with such finality, such a heavy note, looking at his crew with an obvious wall put up between them and his emotions, because he had way too many and he couldn't let a single one escape or he'd crumble to pieces, and that was unacceptable--particularly in front of Aesir. Of all the people in this room, this journey was specifically for him, and for a brief moment Kirkley's gaze landed on him again, not having laughed at his earlier question, and absolutely terrified that something might happen to the boy that could never be undone... But what other choices did he have?

"Meeting Place is ancient," Shen quickly chimed in, the state of his father making him a bit nervous, it was sometimes so hard to tell how the old man would react to things. "Is last hope, protect by two guardians, only one still alive today," He hesitated a moment, gloved hands clenching into fists, his body making the slightest movement in Kirkley's direction to which the ancient shifter's jaw just set more firmly as he ground his teeth and said nothing.

"The other still stay there... Is safe place for all to meet. No weapons. No bad intent. Please... Do not harm the plants or animals there. They are last left. Please respect it. Please."

"There shouldn't be anyone there, it's usually pretty vacant," Kirkley looked away as he spoke, his shoulders tense as he put his hands into the pockets of his void suit which he'd neglected to take off earlier. "Just plants, wildlife--what little is left, anyways. What Shen said is true--no weapons, and for fuck's sake no trash," He glared at the stowaway girl, "Respect it if at the very least for the one person who has never left it."

He had to stop himself short at that before any more anger seeped into his voice; fucking anger, regret, because he couldn't protect Bifrost or keep him safe from death, couldn't find him again soon enough, that he'd had to die at all and it was such a spiraling whirlwind of emotions he could barely hold back with all the stress weighing down on him. Remnants of Otto getting so upset with him about not giving Aesir the chance to get out for some fresh air passed briefly through his mind; for keeping him sheltered, for making his crew ever angry or upset with him, for almost losing his son, for arguing with Hes, it was all piling up and gods fuck it all he hadn't been with a crew in so long he'd forgotten how to keep these things under lock and key.

"We will exit the Loveless and go through Shen's portal on foot, protected by the atmosphere he provides for us--and when we're ready we will exit through the same portal we came in. Not a single soul is allowed to stay behind. Stick with the group and don't go wandering off, because there is no guarantee that dangerous things don't still live there. Is that clear?" He rumbled, looking over everyone very carefully to gauge their reactions.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Draconian on December 15, 2017, 09:51:08 pm
Ha. He knew it.

Aesir was pleased with his fantastic skills of observation when Shen confirmed that was indeed where his mouth was.  The air grew heavy though and Aesir's purple eyes were stuck on the big man beside the firey hoop guy. The rest of the room turned grey and fuzzy and he just... Watched Kirkley. Frowning ever so slightly while he listened to the pair speak. Transportation was the headhoop? Yeah okay. That wasn't weird.

Then again. Aesir listened but slowly looked down at his hands. The scars over his finger tips that never stayed long but... He made new ones. He thought to the plants in his room and how just a few drops of blood when he watered them kept them... Beautiful. A sigh and he tried to imagine this 'Meeting Place' - boring name.

Two guardians. One was there. One was... Somewhere else? Aesir was mostly trying to imagine it still, his eyes sort of glazed because... Sure, Margad had green stuff but it never felt quite right there. Just like Space doesn't feel right. Aesir pressed his fingertips together, realizing he was still staring at them. The Meeting Place. He'd never heard of it before. Right?

The words felt familiar though. Maybe he dreamed of it? A slow breath in. Slow exhale. He moved his hands to his hair to draw his fingers through it, looking through the crew at Kirkley who seemed so tense and withdrawn. He opened his mouth. Wanting to say something - anything - to lighten the mood. Instead, he just backed up as far as he could go while remaining in the room, stopping only when he felt a cold wall through his shirt against his back.

Why did this make his heart beat so fast? He'd never heard of this place before but... He needed to be there. Aesir needed to go there. He also needed to calm down first. So, he let himself slide down the wall until his butt was on the floor and he was taking deep calming breaths. Odd reaction to seeing some actual real green stuff that may or may not be infested by monsters. Did he want to go? He wanted to go.  There was something important there. He didn't know how he knew it, but he knew it.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: GoblinFae on December 16, 2017, 04:17:05 pm
Trust the others to bring up the real questions. It was their newcomer, Dez, though that amused the demon enough to snort into Shen's shoulder and shake with laughter. Warden Kittypants? Oh that was a good one, he would have to remember that for when Kirkley was being particularly irritable and getting his panties in a wad over something stupid. Perhaps when things all blew over in a few decades. Hesperus had time and patience enough to bide his time on this until then.

Golden eyes lifted, dark pupils constricting to fine lines as Kirkley failed to answer his chosen men. Shen's words were mere buzzing in Hesperus's ears as he had eyes only for the captain. Then Kirkley finally spoke and his whole body tensed at the sound of the old sky dog's voice. Something was very much not right and instinct alone told Hesperus to be wary and on guard. There was a seriousness in the captain that frightened him. Centuries upon centuries ago dark laughter and a cruel sneer might have accompanied it. Those dark days the demon could handle but this walled off Kirkley was another matter entirely. He did not know how to feel other than to want to take care of number one.

Hesperus squeezed Shen tightly once more before gently releasing him and drawing back to the wall. His fight or flight response was running on overdrive. All he wanted to do was bolt, fire up The Innuendo, and get the hell out of dodge. He had no doubt he could beg Shen to help him escape too. Hesperus was not blind to the male's attraction to him though they had never acted upon it. All he needed was a portal near to some civilization and he would figure out the rest. He always did. But, for all the things Hesperus was, all the things he did, he could not bring himself to be that cruel, to abuse someone's affection towards him for the sole purpose of using and abandoning them. He was not that person. Gold eyes flashed to Kirkley at the thought before he dropped his head and crossed his arms, needing something to do with his high-strung body.

The problem was not Shen though, or even Hesperus himself. It was that there was nowhere he could run that Kirkely would not find him. There was no escaping the warden, as Dez had aptly called him, who refused to let the Incubus go. Wherever they were going to go, whatever they were going to do, Kirkley had wanted him there and for that he was doomed to follow the captain just as he always did. Hesperus was a pet who would perform every trick he knew to please the man and then some. He nodded his head curtly, not trusting his voice to not betray him right then.

The name, The Meeting Place, so common and yet so weighty feeling filled Hesperus with dread. He could only imagine what such a place was. In all his centuries of life he had not once heard of it, nor had Kirkley ever mentioned it even in those forever lost almost tender moments of long ago. Yet, there was no doubt in the demon's mind that he was not going to like being there.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Aesir also retreated before sinking to the floor. For a brief moment his heart crushed in on itself as he saw Tyr there and felt himself almost taking a step forward to comfort him. But, then reason struck him and his breath hitched as it always did when he thought of his beautiful lover. This was just another cruel joke of Kirkley's and although Aesir was beautiful, he was not Tyr. Long fingers dug into the tattoo along his ribs as he fought back memories he was not in the mood to relive of either of the men his heart had been cursed to beat a little bit faster for.

Now was not the time or place but when this was all over Hesperus was sure he would be demanding Kirkley to dump him off somewhere again. He had been wrong. He never should have allowed himself to succumb to this desire again. It only ever hurt him in the end. Even one such as him could endure only so much before they broke and Hesperus had been broken by it all a long time ago.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: nephero on December 16, 2017, 07:43:18 pm
   The injida was wearing off. He hadn’t been too far gone— not nearly enough, anyway, and with his metabolism that was a harder line to reach than most. With the absence of the wibbly-wobbly sensation, of course, came the feeling of everything happening in sharp, frosty clarity, and Otto took a steadying breath as the game plan (if it could be called that) was discussed. With some considerable prompting, anyway. Otto wasn’t sure how he felt about that, just that he felt A Lot of it, and so realized that staring at Kirkley right now was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do. Which definitely didn’t help how he was feeling, but fuck if it weren’t the truth.

   Otto glanced to the side as the hairs on his neck stood on end, the boarders buzzing quietly in their ever-alert way until he took notice. He caught Nero’s eye, his expression, the way he shrugged into his jacket and pulled his hair back and did his best impression of someone who was perfectly focused. A quick smile when he caught Nero’s eye, a silent little marker of camaraderie. Honestly, if he had to pick one person to be the most thankful for right that moment, it had to be Nero. He’d done so much when shit went so far south, and even beyond that, had been such a good friend since they’d all started working on the Loveless together. He could always count on the strange man, which was an odd thought all on its own. But a comforting one nonetheless.

   More itchy buzzing, and Otto had to unplug from the ship just to keep the stimulus at a manageable level, nerves too fried to try and keep up with little alerts about systems checks on top of everything else. As he moved, however, something Off caught in the corner of his eye, beyond just how tense the gathered crew members looked. Which was fair all on its own— Kirkley didn’t exactly make this Meeting Place sound quite like the ‘vacation spot’ that had previously been implied, and after what they’d all dealt with, more “dangerous things” was the last thing they all needed.

   But all that didn’t matter in the slightest, not when Otto caught Not Quite Right motions, his boarders buzzing harsh in his veins, on full alert with no chemicals to abate them. Even behind all the others gathered, he saw how Aesir stopped, saw the distance in the young man’s eyes, saw the unconscious combing of his hair. All the outward signs that something was wrong.

   But this was also Aesir. And Otto was terribly sure that any attempts to draw attention to any of this would be met with some dismissive remark, something about being tired, something about sleep, or something about being entirely fine even when Aesir was anything but fine. He was so hard to figure out, but he was also… young, and who in their entire lives could say they weren’t utterly impossible to predict when they were that age?

   More secrets. And much like with Kirkley, Otto wasn’t sure he liked it. And much like with Kirkley, Otto hated himself for not liking it. The poor kid had enough to deal with without anyone making a fuss; being in space after being planet-side his entire life (Otto could sympathize. The first time he set foot on terra firma had been in his early twenties and after he’d gotten married), having space continually try to do them a murder, and whatever… thing Kirkley was keeping to himself on top of all of that. It was frustrating, so frustrating, and Otto was amazed Aesir hadn’t lost his shit long before this. Otto wasn’t sure his eighteen-year-old-self would have been nearly so complacent.

   Nah. Otto was pretty sure he’d have started minutely sabotaging the ship if it’d been him. Flushing all the toilets all at once every time a door opened and shut. That sounded hilarious.

   He stretched out his legs, slow and casual, before standing up, leaving his laptop and wires in the flight chair as he crossed to the back of the room, and slid down to the floor beside Aesir, their elbows only a handful of centimeters apart. Wordless, letting everything else continue as normal, but at least this way he could keep his legs stretched out and let the cool metal of the ship keep him grounded. Some minor numbing sensation was better than none, and if that also meant Aesir didn’t have to be quite so alone, well. Bonus.

   …Well, that and the anger bubbling beneath Kirkley’s words had his bugs all sorts of twitchy, and the more distance he got from that the better.

   “No weapons,” Otto said, finally, if only to break the silence, “and keep together. Is simple enough. At which time are we departing--”

   A pause, before Otto finished, “Warden Kittypants?”
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Zero Undead on December 16, 2017, 08:50:46 pm
Wolf would have loved to analyze Shen under other circumstances. Just sit down and gather all sorts of data about the odd god-bird. How many beings consumed things via their chest? The universe held so many strange mysteries that he felt as if he’d barely scratched the surface of learning anything at all. If only he could focus on something so benign.

They were going somewhere that Kirkley apparently didn’t like. A place he had previously had the audacity to call a vacation spot while now explaining it was dangerous and there were to be rules as the price of entry.

Maybe the idea of portals to alternate dimensions would have peaked his interest several days ago, but having it explained to them now, with the tension and the fear of what else they might not know – and they obviously knew very little – turned his normal curiosity sour. The idea of travelling through this portal Shen would create for them to a place known only as The Meeting Place made Wolf’s skin itch and crawl even worse than before.

What about weapons? They were forbidden to take any but Wolf wasn’t sure his entire being didn’t count. Were the nanites classifiable as a weapon? There was no way to know without asking, but to ask was to have to explain himself and he was afraid to do that too.

More than anything, it was the finality of it all that put Wolf the most on edge. Kirkley spoke as if there was no choice in this. They were all going through this portal to this strange place, and something about the delivery suggested that there would be no argument on the matter. Why had they not been warned about all of this before entering the asteroid belt? Wolf felt that this entire flight was an entrapment of some form. First not warned about the nature of their destination, and now left with no choice but to push onwards with no way out except Kirkley’s way.

Wolf wasn’t the only one with a strong reaction to it all. His eyes naturally were drawn to Aesir when the young man began backing up to the wall before ending up sitting upon the floor. Watching made his gut clench, his first instinct was to rush to make sure he was alright, but instead he forced himself to stay tucked against his own section of all. Otto was going to Aesir, they didn’t need him.

It wasn’t like he would have been able to do any good.

Turning his attention back to Kirkley, Wolf spoke for the first time since they had gathered, “What if I don’t want to go?”

His face was burning and he lowered his eyes to the floor, arms hugging himself as he avoided looking at any of the others. Even if he felt that the answer was already obvious - yes they all had to go – he felt compelled to at least ask. Just because you knew you would not like an answer didn’t mean you shouldn’t ask a question.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Lion on December 17, 2017, 03:40:42 pm
No, no it didn't sound good at all. But then again, things rarely sounded good. Sometimes it got to the point where you could consider a magnet for this kind of thing. Nero didn't. Very little of him was particularly magnetic or drawing, but when it came to falling into not-good situations, he didn't know anyone else that was better at it. And yet, somehow, in the emptiness, a vaguely comforting thought passed through his psyche and made his heart clench and the hollowness abate a little more. The thu-thump of blood, still pumping through him, made a small hiss pass through his teeth.

If they were going to a place that could still be dangerous, at least they weren't alone. Nothing regarding what Kirkley said fazed him, or raised hackles on the back of his neck. In fact, having something resembling a vague plan of attack brought a small chill of comfort. Whatever was on the other side of that portal, caused him to release another soft hiss, and he favored his fangs again, tongue seeping out to lick his lips.

Where they were going: no weapons, no violence, nothing Nero was good at.  Well if he didn't know what made him feel more useless, he didn't know, but still, he said nothing. He could leave his whip behind although the thought made his palms itch and his chest clench again. He'd never parted with that old braided band of worn leather for longer than a few hours. It was the only thing he'd had of old Edanith, and he felt his pulse spike.

Expect the unexpected, right?  Right. Nero idly unhooked the thing from his belt, and hooked it up on something jutting from the wall beside him. One less possession and already he was feeling naked. Unconsciously his hand reached up to grasp around the red crystal cluster that he'd had made into a pendant. Red, and although it was his own pulse, he pretended it was coming from the cluster. Red, warm, home.

Otto moved out of the flight chair and sat down beside Aesir, he grinned a little, and jerked his head up to Kirkley. If Nero had to go the last place he'd call home right now, he'd be feeling exactly like Kirkley. The tension was thick and languid. Releasing a low slow breath Nero let a small playful smirk appear at the corner of his lips, the slip up toward his jaw curving in that cheshire grin.

He drew his vision down to poor Wolf, who didn't seem to be handling this well at all. Nero pushed himself from the wall and nudged him with an elbow. "Wolf, bud, sometimes we gotta do things we don't wanna do. Even if they're scary. Especially if they're scary. But you ain't alone. We're a real posse, space cowboys, huh. You got my back, I got yours."

After all, Wolf wasn't the only one wondering if they weren't fit to go through that portal. There was a little bit of monster in all of them, wasn't there? Or was it just him?
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Marakai2.0 on December 17, 2017, 05:50:34 pm
For a moment, all Vargas could do was stand there and stare at Kirkley, a rather incredulous look plastered on his white face, though perhaps his inky eyes were less than a perfect at conveying the emotion. Something Warden Kittypants (as Vargas had decided Kirkley would forever know him has, after much stifled snickering) said threw a multitude of red flags for the gunner, warranting the look currently on his face.

They were told not to bring weapons. And that it could be dangerous.

What.

Slowly, he glanced around at the other members of the crew, sizing them up against whatever 'dangerous' could mean. The first, obviously, was Kirkley. Big, well muscled guy, who had recently survived - or was it returned from the dead? - the vicious assault of whatever knew how many of those weird wormleech things. The ability to survive anything would certainly come in handy. Next was Nero. Guy seemed strong, maybe a bit on edge from time to time for reasons that Vargas surmised were similar to his own. Seeing him hang his whip on the wall and grasp the red thingy around his neck reminded Vargas of his own discomfort at going in weaponless. At least he wasn't alone, in that.

Closest to him at the moment was Dez...he wasn't sure if she counted as a crew member, but according to Kirkley everyone was going, and so he looked her over as well. She'd broken out of her own cell, somehow, as well as broken into both the Skorpion and Ironsides. That made her resourceful, at the very least.

He could see Wolf, off by himself, and gave a small smile. The kid - was he a kid? By human standards, he was middle aged, it seemed - was smart, seemed to suddenly know things that he hadn't before. Vargas had no doubt he could easily take care of himself if the need arose.

Still with Shen was Hesperus. Hesperus was...something else, to be sure. Sometimes, cool as hell, others not so much (bastard denied Vargas alcohol, FOR SHAME), but all the same he looked as if he could be imposing it push came to shove. Looked like a cross between a wet dream and a demon from hell, so there were bound to be surprises hidden in there somewhere.

And then, in the back against the wall, were Otto and Aesir. Otto was second in command, Vargas knew, and seemed to be fairly capable of keeping a level head when shit hit the fan. Other than that, the gunner didnt have too much of an opinion of him, having spent only minimal time with him.

Aesir...Aesir made him wonder. Something told Vargas that, somehow, he was the most well protected of all of them. Despite his slight frame and constant lethargy, Vargas felt as though there'd be no issue. Besides, with everyone else present, surely he wouldn't be a worry.

The only issue Vargas could think of among any of them was....humans were squishy, fragile things. Sure, one - so far - seemed very sturdy and possibly immortal, but as of yet he knew little about the others. But he had a feeling that each of them, in their own way, could take care of themselves, even if they were squishy humans. Except Hes, who obviously was not. But, meh.

Confident that all would be well, Vargas turned again to look at Kirkley, and a broad smirk cracked his features. "Well, alrighty, then. If push comes to shove, I'll find a rock or something. Beat some heads in. Count me in, Cap'n." That grin grew yet wider, if that was even possible. "Even if I don't have a choice." His gaze flickered to Wolf as he said that, referencing his question. He had a feeling that Wolf would have just as little choice as anyone else. But hearing Nero say what he said reinforced his earlier thoughts - even if there were those among them that could not protect themselves, they were still protected.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Cheesigator on December 19, 2017, 08:14:51 pm
Once again, the initial responses in the room weren't lost on Kirkley.

Their hesitance, their distrust, their unease was not lost on him.

He knew he was asking a lot of them; and it wouldn't have mattered if he'd asked this of them a month ago, or ten years from now. It would always be a lot, too much for any sane person to handle, not worth the trouble. Kirkley had never once kidded himself that he was worth the trouble to these poor mortals who only had so long to live, and the last thing he should ever do was burden their lives with his problems.

The people he'd gathered here on the ship right now, with the exception of Stowaway Girl, were the closest he'd felt to a real family of people in a really, really long time. This was the first time in decades he felt safe enough to open up to them, even if just a little bit, and every night he'd kept himself up a few minutes longer wondering if he should.

He knew he had a time limit, that much he had figured out from the previous incarnations he'd encountered. Only so long to get Aesir home before life decided to try and hit the reset button, again. And Kirkley was so tired of having everyone he loved and cared about taken away from him, especially that one person he loved the most in the entire universe. Just the thought of Bifrost's smiling face made his heart clench painfully and he had to blink some of the shininess of tears from his eyes.

He'd been arguing with himself constantly now, ever since he agreed to Otto and admitted that he needed to take Aesir to do the inevitable, if he had the right to. Did he have the right to take all of Aesir's potential life away from him, the same way he had with Bifrost? It was something he never quite forgave himself for. Was he being selfish, wanting Aesir to regain who he truly was and leave everything behind? Was Kirkley doing this for himself, or for Aesir?

He didn't know anymore.

He swallowed the thick lump in his throat, not noticing the way Shen shrunk away from him slightly once Hes had let go of him, his eyes on Aesir as he watched the young man slide down the wall. He twitched, about to go to him when another movement distracted him. Otto had risen from his seat and he paused, watching and fighting the urge to growl (not at Otto, just in general) as his second in command slid through the crewmembers to take a seat next to Aesir on the floor.

And the moment he did, and the moment Kirkley saw the two of them sitting together there, all the emotions swelling and raging inside of him quelled, at least for the time being. He still felt the stress and anxiety gripping tightly at the base of his neck, threatening to sink its teeth into his skull and never let him go, but he could fight that back well enough. It was everything else on top of that that he couldn't handle this very moment; and yet in doing such a simple thing, Otto had managed to abate all of it.

He saw his two precious boys sitting there next to each other, safe, and he let out a slow breath through his nose as he visibly relaxed a little. He was still here, still in the present, and he couldn't afford to keep letting himself get distracted when he had a crew to lead, a family to protect.

Wolf had asked if he had to go, and the question hurt. He couldn't blame the younger man for asking, he wouldn't have wanted to if he was in Wolf's shoes either.

None of them had any idea what they were in for, and to a certain extent, neither did Kirkley. He had vague memories from the first time, but things had changed now. They were all about to get very wrapped up in their captain's personal life, and as much as he wished he could, he couldn't give them a choice in the matter.

Nero, gods bless his soul, spoke up and Kirkley noticed he'd hung that precious whip of his on the wall, and his breath caught in his throat as he heard the man speak. He was nothing short of an amazing person, which he might not've thought at first when they originally met. He'd done wonders so far on this ship, keeping Aesir and Otto both company, and Wolf he'd heard, checking in on everyone and doing a damn good job at keeping stress to a minimum as much as possible. Kirkley knew he owed him, big. And hearing Nero say that he was in on this relieved him even further--Vargas chiming in in agreement only further helped.

He stood there in silence for a moment or two, taking the sight of all of them in, glancing over his shoulder at Hes and for a brief, brief moment, letting him see the pang of regret on his face. He wished he didn't have to drag anyone into this. He wished he didn't have to do it at all, and to a point no, he didn't have to.

But if he wanted Aesir to live? Then he didn't have a choice.

"... I understand your apprehension," He said, his tone of voice having considerably evened out after taking a moment to steel himself, "But my reasons for disliking where we're going are entirely personal. You don't have anything to fear--I'd protect each and every one of you with my life." His gaze flickered briefly to Dez; he didn't know her, but he didn't wish her harm, despite his earlier threats. She was included in that bunch.

"If I could let some of you stay I would, however," Here he shifted his stance a bit, sliding his thumbs into the pockets of his void suit as he resisted the urge to look at Hesperus, "I can't protect you if you aren't there with me. Shen will protect Loveless as he can, but if something happened to this ship while the rest of us were gone..." He didn't need to finish the sentence, at least he felt he didn't, his brows knitting with heartfelt concern that resonated with his soul.

If something happened to any of them he'd never forgive himself for it. No matter what. And he knew that very well.

Here he forced himself to smile, raising his eyebrows just slightly at Otto as he finally answered his first mate's question. "We'll be leaving in exactly eight hours. Time to get in a few hours of sleep, rest up, and all that--and that's Captain Kittypants."

He paused a moment, smirking softly as he wracked things over in his brain to make sure he'd covered everything he needed to, and he felt he had. The rest would all make sense when they got there--because they wouldn't believe him otherwise.

"You're all dismissed--if you have individual questions or concerns you're more than welcome to come find me and we can talk in private."

He just hoped they wouldn't worry themselves too much, because at the very least it would be a new experience for all of them. He just hoped it wasn't horrible.

He stepped over then, fighting the need to put urgency in his walk as he decidedly stayed calm, coming over to Aesir and Otto and crouching down in front of them, raising his eyebrows and nodding his chin at them.

"Are you both okay?" He asked quietly, looking more to Aesir as he asked the question, though it was meant for both of them.

He stole a glance over his shoulder in Hesperus' general direction, wishing he could ask him the same thing, yet he also had the feeling that if he had asked he wouldn't have gotten a straight answer, if he got one at all. Checking on him would be the next battle plan, and then Wolf, Nero, Vargas, and Stowaway.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Blink on December 19, 2017, 09:39:14 pm
It would have been too easy for Dez to keep Warden Kittypants going, saying something that would undoubtedly get her into more trouble. Then again, who would that help? Everyone else already seemed to be in some kind of gloom, well except for Chickenman, so pissing off their 'Captain' probably wasn't a good step to take at the moment.

He still hadn't answered her question about the air ducts, she was curious if this 'Meeting Place' had any. Wasn't the first time she had been threatened like that, in truth she kinda got excited about that kind of stuff. All of it gave her something to add to the list, things that made her skin thicker and kept that delightful personality intact. It was easier to piss people off if you knew that was all you were good at.

Moving on.

Scanning the room Dez noticed that Candyman had gotten up, leaving his stuff in a chair that was absolutely calling her name. It was practically screaming at her. "Come sit in me Dez. Come swivel me to your heart's content and all will be right in the universe!" And who was Dez to deny a simple chair such a request?

Moving across the room she made sure to gently place Candyman's things on the console once she reached the chair. After that it was game on as she crawled into it, curling her legs up before pushing off. It was an added bonus when she reached for her Com and uncovered an uneaten cheese poof in her pocket. SCORE!

God life was great sometimes...
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Draconian on December 19, 2017, 11:58:46 pm
Kirkley didn't want to go? He disliked it for personal reasons. Aesir didn't even notice Otto come by, didn't notice anything really until he moved his arm and bumped into the other mans. The contact made his head jerk up and he slowly looked to pale man, purple eyes wide. It took a moment, but he moved his arm to press fully against Otto's, slowly lifting his head while he relished the contact. His eyes lingered on everyone for a moment.

He didn't really know Hes or Vargas. His interactions with Nero and Wolf were friendly but nothing extensive. A few days. Aesir moved his hands to his face to press his palms over his eyes, breathing in slowly.  Tired. Always so tired. By the time Kirkley turned around, telling them they would be safe with him instead of safe alone on the ship with the ring-man Aesir's head moved to rest on Otto's shoulder and he stared ahead.

Trying to remember and think of something he'd never seen before but he knew he knew. A place that he was so sure he'd seen before. Been to before. At the sound of Kirkley's voice, Aesir lifted his head and slowly blinked, pushing his green hair from his face and chewing on his bottom lip.

"Yeah, I think so," He said as honestly as he could. "I think I'm going to go to bed before we go, I'm really tired," Aesir said softly, giving Otto's arm a squeeze and pushing himself up to stand, leaning heavily on the wall.  He flicked his eyes to the other crew members again. Staring at Hes for a moment before looking back at Kirkley. What a tangled web this all was. He couldn't see it but he wondered what tugging on one string would do to all the others.

Though, instead of going to bed, he smoothed a hand over Kirkley's shoulders and... Wandered to where wolf was, taking his elbow and slowly moving to hold the smaller mans hand in his own. "Have you ever seen nature before?" He asked softly, looking between Wolf and Nero, trying to alleviate some of the discomfort Wolf was clearly feeling. "I don't know where we're going but I can feel that it's really pretty. Maybe even comforting." He gave Wolf's hand a squeeze, "You trust me right?"
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: GoblinFae on December 20, 2017, 07:28:28 pm
Golden eyes looked toward Wolf as he spoke up and Hesperus found the corner of his mouth twitching the absolute slightest bit of ways in a mirthless smile. 'Right there with you puppy,' he quietly thought to himself. He knew the answer though without having to hear it verbalized aloud. What Kirkley said went. If the captain told you jump, you asked how high. That was just how it was done.

Seeing the crew rally around their disheartened friend though sent further pangs through Hesperus. What was he doing here? He didn't belong here. He was not needed. Kirkley had it all so why did he need his broken toy? Was it pity? Was it for old time's sake? The demon wasn't sure he wanted to know. The truth always hurt. You could sugarcoat a pile of shit, polish it until it gleamed like gold, but that didn't make it stop being a turd. That's what it all felt like to Hesperus, one giant, steaming pile of crap.

Then, Kirkley turned those pained eyes on him, looking so much like a kicked puppy that the Incubus felt his heart squeeze. He turned his head to look the other way, not wanting to see and get sucked into caring all over again. He could not do this right now. He needed to be whole and strong for whatever hell Kirkley was about to drag them into. The rest could be sorted out later. After all, who better than Hesperus could bury away their bleeding heart as if it was the smallest of paper cuts.

Hesperus stood up a bit straighter, uncrossing his arms the moment Kirkley said they were free to do as they pleased for the next few hours. It was all the incentive the demon needed to leave. His long fingers tangled with Shen's once more as he gently tugged the male into following and all but dragged them both out the door. He wanted nothing to do with lingering to see Kirkley coo over his new lovers and so he missed the look the older man sent him as he dashed out the door.

All he wanted right then was to wrap himself tightly about Shen and hold on for dear life. He had nearly lost a friend and that thought alone had scared him beyond compare. Perhaps it was selfish to keep him to himself or cruel to be so affectionate and not return the love Shen had for him the way he wanted, but Hesperus did not consider himself strong enough a man to resist. He found an empty crewman room and locked the door behind them moments before he flung his arms about the shifter's body and squeezed him so close he probably was crushing the poor man.

Damn Kirkley and damn his own foolishness. Hesperus felt like he was falling, crashing and burning into the atmosphere without anyone or anything to save him. He could not do this right now. Running his hands along Shen's suit to try to ground himself, the demon's voice cracked and tears welled in his eyes as he whispered quietly. "I was afraid we'd lost you. Shen I was so scared for you," he cried, burying his face in that warm shoulder. "Are you really alright? This isn't all too much for you?" Hesperus swallowed thickly and nuzzled against the body held so firmly within his arms even as his own began to tremble with the stress of the world pressing in on him. His fears, his heartache, his argument with Kirkley, and the afters it was all building up against him. He didn't know how long he could hold on against the storm but he prayed to whatever deities might exist that it would be enough. All he needed was to do this "mission" and get out of there. He could do that.

But first, he wanted to enjoy the time he had with Shen. Having stared mortality in the face again, Hesperus knew time was fleeting. Who knows when he would see this friend again or if he ever would for that matter. Questions about Kirkley or where they were going were forgotten as Shen was nudged backwards so they both fell onto the bed. Hesperus would be selfish for as long as he could be. Perhaps not at the price of Shen's own heart, but he had earned that much. Kirkley would find him eventually however, until then he wanted to exist as only him and this dear creature for as long as he could. Maybe if he was very lucky, he would be forgotten altogether.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: nephero on December 20, 2017, 10:48:37 pm
   No one could ever honestly criticize Wolf for his reluctance. After what the crew had endured? It was hard to be enthusiastic about going anywhere, let alone having to go someplace they wouldn’t be able to take weapons to. Already frayed nerves did not soothe with the idea they would all be utterly defenseless, and well…

   It really did beg the question of what would happen if one of them refused to go. Would they be forced? Did they even have a choice? Not for the first time Otto worried his lip over the consideration, especially when he looked to the side at where Aesir still sat, faraway and distant. It would be safer together. That much at least, Otto could believe. If any one of them had been on their own during that parasite attack, none of them would have survived. And when Aesir put his head on Otto’s shoulder, something rattling in his chest told Otto that he never wanted to consider anything like that ever again.

   But how to put that into words? How to bring up reassurances that he himself could barely understand? How to translate intangible feeling? The Common language was a tricky thing, and not for the first time Otto felt rather trapped inside his own head for want of an effective translation.

   Luckily, though, someone else rose to the occasion. Nero, bless every atom in his soul, chose that moment to speak up, and while the words were directed at Wolf, Otto couldn’t help but feel a little better for hearing them. They wouldn’t be alone. They all had each other’s backs, as they’d only just proven during their initial contact with Shen. What would have destroyed them individually, together they had locked down tighter than the last tank of oxygen. Space Cowboys. Otto wasn’t sure what that meant, but he liked the sound of it.

   Which seemed to be a common thread, considering Vargas chose to toss his hat into the ring with the kind of nonchalance that made you think this really was just some kind of team building vacation. They were together, and as the small man mentioned quite pointedly, they could improvise. Otto shifted his arm, slid it around Aesir’s, and squeezed it tight against his side in a kind of partial hug.
   
   Eight hours. It was so long a time to wait and yet somehow felt like not enough time at all. Otto was briefly awash with thoughts of all that would have to be done beforehand; adjustments to life support systems, securing cargo for an elongated absence, getting ready for said absence without getting caught in a wormhole of what-ifs. So distracted, Otto barely caught the tail end of Kirkley’s correction of his title, his lips twitching into an automatic smirk of amusement. He stood firmly corrected. Captain Kittypants.

   Hes evacuated the bridge almost as soon as the word “dismissed” left Kirkley’s mouth, taking Shen with him. Some bubble of concern welled up in Otto, but he wasn’t terribly sure if now was the… best time. There was something else going on there that eight hours simply would not cover, and so it was with mild guilt that he placed the quandary of Hes on the backburner and instead focused on what needed to be done in the now. There was just so much— if they wanted a ship to return to, that was. Otto rubbed at his face, missing the question of whether he and the younger man were all right.

   It wasn’t as if Otto would know how to answer that particular query. Not with 100% honesty, anyway, and anything less was unacceptable. Because he truly didn’t know. Parts said he was, parts said he wasn’t, and parts said that it didn’t matter. Urgent matters to attend to and whatnot. He blinked in mild surprise as Aesir squeezed his arm and got to his feet, the colonist looking up from where he was still seated on the floor. Only reluctantly did he actually let go of Aesir, missing the human contact almost immediately.

   But he could sympathize with his tiredness. It’d been a lot to take in, and sounded like there’d be a lot more. Otto sincerely doubted any of them had gotten any really decent rest, but Aesir most of all. It was a hell of a thing to have all this cascade on you, it was another hell of a thing to not even be in your twenties when it did. The Loveless’ first mate watched Aesir go, expecting him to do much the same as he’d always done and make a beeline for his bed. He hadn’t been expecting Aesir to stop by Wolf, murmuring quietly beside him and Nero.

   If Otto wanted to, he could have easily eavesdropped, the soft hiss of hushed voices picking up without much effort on the boarders’ part. But after the first few words, Otto forcibly turned his attention back to Kirkley. That was a moment between Aesir and Wolf. He was proud of that, glad to know that this was the kind of people who crewed the Loveless— good, kind, considerate, supportive, and all despite barely knowing one another. Just knowing that was enough; he wouldn’t intrude on it any further.

   Especially when the slow rotation of Dez in his flight chair finally proved to be entirely to distracting to ignore. Whatever that girl was on, it had to be some seriously good stuff. Otto was half tempted to genuinely corner her and ask for a hit, but again, exhaustion reared its ugly head and he was left on the impossibly comfortable floor. He glanced over at where Kirkley was still crouched, and gave him a wan smile. Just enough to show that this would all be fine.

   They’d already dealt with ravenous space leeches. The worst had to be behind them.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Zero Undead on December 21, 2017, 05:37:14 am
There was very little that could have drawn Wolf’s eyes up from the floor at that moment, not the nudge from Nero and certainly not his words, good intentioned as they were. He wanted to protest that it wasn’t just because he was scared, but that would have sounded hollow and false. It wasn’t hard to see that he was terrified.

Nero reassuring him that they had one another’s backs should have been more comforting, shouldn’t it? It wasn’t like there was a question of his crewmate’s capabilities. They had all proven useful enough for Kirkley to invite them to join his crew.

Of course Wolf failed to apply that same logic to himself.

All Wolf could dwell on was how ashamed it made him feel as Vargas decided to also chime in, even if it wasn’t directed specifically at him. This man had only just been brought on board. Vargas was a new, fresh crewmate and here he was displaying more loyalty and trust than Wolf could even begin to muster. Hearing the answer to his question made him feel that much worse about it, and he gave a bare nod of his head.

Kirkley needed people that would follow him, not someone that balked and hesitated at critical and difficult moments. He deserved people like that on his ship, and Wolf didn’t feel like he was that kind of person right now.

It was awful, feeling unreliable and useless. Those were not things Wolf was used to feeling. Not that any emotions were well-practiced in his fleshy human brain. That he felt anything at all was Kirkley’s doing. He had been hollow and merely operational before meeting Kirkley, functioning to sustain life had been all that mattered to the AI.

Wolf’s arm twitched as someone gently touched his elbow before their hand slid down to grip his lightly. He hadn’t even noticed that Aesir had moved. Slowly he dragged his eyes up from their joined hands to look at the younger man. It was fascinating how fast he was growing, wasn’t it? Wolf felt smaller every day.

“No.” He had never seen nature before. They held no gardens or such at the lab, none that Wolf had ever seen, at any rate. The Cancer was a space station; there was no nature to be had there.

Wolf felt something burning in his eyes as Aesir kept talking softly to him, there was a dull ache in his head that wouldn’t go away. When his hand was squeezed, he returned the gesture, not even aware that tears were quietly rolling down his cheeks.

Did he trust Aesir? Absolutely, without a single doubt in his mind.

“I trust you.” Wolf’s voice was quiet and held a soft tremor. He didn’t really know what to do with himself, he didn’t know how to cope with the level of emotions rolling through him because the AI usually throttled that part of his brain. It wasn’t working properly and that scared him most of all. What if he was broken? He couldn’t stop himself, leaning into Aesir seeking comfort. “I trust Kirkley. I trust all of you. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t feel good. I haven’t felt good since we came here.”

His free hand came up to press his palm against his forehead as he closed his eyes, tears still sliding down his cheeks. “My head hurts.”
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Lion on December 24, 2017, 07:19:44 pm
Pffft fuck if he had anything to say that would bring about any sort of comfort to anyone. Nero didn't expect those words to comfort Wolf, but they'd felt right to say all the same. The sheer genuineness behind them surprised even himself. There was no pretense, no presumption, and he even believed it down to the pit of his gut. Because in nothing of what he said was he wrong. Not a single one of them was alone on that ship.

Odd how even though he'd said it, and believed it, his palm still itched, and his despite knowing that not a single one of them - Kirkley aside - knew what to expect, it did nothing to stop the rattling in his chest. Maybe not even Kirkley knew what to look forward to exactly. A vague idea, what he'd hoped to find, knowing they were stronger together than apart. His heart rattled faster and he needed something to calm down.  Nero didn't outwardly show his agitation, just that he didn't want to be on deck any longer than he had to, instead curling

His eyes flicked to Aesir, back to Wolf and his heart clenched a little, the pressure making him breath slowly outward. Yeah, that was miles more comforting than the vague thoughtless words he'd tried to convey. Thoughtless? No no, it wasn't that. Not at all.  Nero chewed a little more on his tongue, feeling his tooth prick at the flesh of that spongy thing. Tongues were awfully weird, always odd. A small welling up of copper on that tongue before he slathered it with a wad of spit, absorbing the blood and letting out a small breath to force himself to relax.

8 hours. That was plenty of time. A long wait. And he'd found he'd waited a lot longer for less.  Nero's eyes flicked to Kirkley again, and he offer a small smile. He was good, taken care of, cleaned, and healed. If a little worried for what they were all about to venture into, but there was no use worrying about it now. There was a time and a place. They'd get there when they got there.

Glancing down to Otto on the floor, the rattling in his ribs thumping lowly, slowly, heavily, loudly in his ears, his eyes softened. Otto'd done so much since the excursion out into the black. And the exhaustion was written all over his face.  He was reliable, could be counted on and a Nero kept running his nails over his palm. When he was needed he was there, didn't judge more than he had to, gave when it was needed. He could be depended on and that said more than Nero could put into words. Made Nero felt just a little less alone.  Sure, Otto had Kirkley, sure he had Aesir too.

Hesperus left, taking Shen with him. Nero had ducked off to the side just enough to keep Hes from taking a dirtnap. Er, grated flooring nap. Even with Kirkley there in front of him, Nero moved forward. A pick me up. So that's what he did. Said nothing, and very quietly stooped beside Kirkley and Nero, squeezed the big guy's shoulder reassuringly, before scooting forward and tucking one arm underneath Otto's knees and another just at his back. No sound or grunt of effort when he noised the sleepy guy up and carried him off down the hall out of the deck to his own quarters, the door automatically closing behind them.

He didn't ask any questions, just smiled down at Otto and made a funny face with a half-quirked brow.  "How you feelin' there, cowboy?" he hummed before settling Otto down on the bed.  His eyes settled on that tired face for once and he brushed his hair back, pushing it away with calloused hands, hands that used to grip rope and haul on the back of badarii for transport. That used to scamper down the side of cliffs into deep dark red caves. Spelunking. And his heart thumped so loudly in his ears he thought he as was going to go deaf.

Nero sat down next to Otto, and he kicked the side of the footlocker at his bed, opening the contents of what was inside. Shopping produced a plethora of contraband, and he reached down to pull up a small cache of dandylion, some of the finest from Cancer station.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Cheesigator on January 05, 2018, 06:36:33 pm
The finality of dismissing his crew was usually never something that bothered him. Usually it meant getting prepared for the mission ahead, or a bit of relaxation before they got suited and geared up to go be rockstars and do their thing.

Tonight was different.

Hes was the first to flee the scene, latching onto his son and dragging poor Shen along with him to god knows where on some other part of the ship. Aesir answered his question, said he was okay, and then he got up and went over to comfort dear Wolf; the distress in his voice was unmistakable and it made Kirkley's heart clench, and the knots in his stomach just tightened when all he got from Otto was a small smile before Nero came over, hesitated a moment and scooped him up and disappeared with him, too. One by one all of the crew members took their leave, and as Kirkley slowly stood up he found he was the last one on the deck--save for Dez, who was spinning in a chair.

He was reminded of all the days he'd spent on this ship alone; all the nights he'd spent sitting on the floor looking out the windows at the endless sea of stars and wondering many things. Why he was still here, whether it was worth it to keep searching, to keep trying, and whether it was right or not for him to keep chasing down a person who continued to be born into a series of lives that had never met him, never heard of Kirkley or Fell or ever dreamed of the ancient ruins they once called home.

He dropped his gaze as he felt the heat welling up behind his tear ducts; he'd questioned himself even more after picking up Aesir whether or not he had the right to.

If he had the right to yank that fine young man from his home and his precious family, even if it was for his own safety. Who was he to make that call, that decision for him? It seemed like it was all he was meant to do, and yet he kept questioning himself over and over again. What right did he have to drag any of these other fine, wonderful people into this mess? Who was he to assume that he had any ground to stand on to make decisions for them as a captain, when he kept secrets and brought them through such unnecessary pain, fear, and trouble? They weren't getting paid for this mission. No one was.

They had no reason to follow him anywhere. And he knew he was asking way too much of them to be considered fair or just. How selfish was he?

He had originally planned to check up with every crew member individually, but Aesir and Wolf were together, Otto and Nero clearly needed some alone time, as did Hesperus and Shen, and Vargas seemed to be doing just fine--Dez was having the time of her life. He realized how much he envied her and wondered briefly if maybe that was part of why he didn't like her so much right now.

Her indifference to everything was something he craved for. 700 years ago sure maybe he could've done something like this without flinching but that had been a facade and he knew it as well as Ain or Hesperus did. He wasn't the strong man people seemed to take him for; he sure as hell wasn't strong enough to fight back the anxiety and fear that felt like it was slowly consuming him as he quickly left for his room and sealed the door shut behind him as he flopped onto the floor by the foot of the bed, back leaning against the side of the mattress as he took in a deep shuddering breath and tried to let it out nice and slow.

He couldn't do this, he really couldn't. He didn't want to go back there, didn't want to force anyone else to go back there with him. He wanted to go back to the way things had been a few days ago, before they came to this asteroid belt. He just wanted life to be simple, which seemed like such a simple thing to ask--but his life had never been that way. Not once could he remember it being anything but needlessly complicated, interwoven with so many other lives around it that he couldn't take a single step without the ripple affecting someone else he cared about. Every thing he did, every choice he made hurt someone, inevitably.

No matter how he looked at it he would always be a fuck up.

If Aion were to show up at any moment he'd have no guarantee that he could protect them and keep them safe like he said he would--he would try, but he'd failed in fights against Aion already so many times before. And really, the sheer sense of utter soul-sucking, chilling fear that gripped him at that thought was undeniable. There was nothing he was more terrified of right now than him--the god of time, coming once again to fuck up his life and take everything from him he'd ever cared about.

He was the real reason why no one could stay on the ship. He was the real reason they needed to keep together as a group, where Kirkley could see them at all times.

Because if there was one man Kirkley could never evenly face, it was him.

Kirkley found himself with his knees tucked up to his chest, forehead resting on his kneecaps as all the emotions he'd been holding back during the debriefing made every muscle, bone and organ clench and shake. The anger, the helplessness, the sense of loss and the mourning and knowing who he was going to have to face regardless of whether he liked it or not. He wasn't ready to see Bifrost again.

He wasn't ready to admit to himself that he'd lost him and he was never coming back.




About six hours from debriefing he finally reemerged, calm as still waters and composed. If he let anyone feel his sense of unease and fear they would pick up on it, subconsciously or otherwise, and the last thing he needed was to sew seeds of doubt into his own crew. He found them one by one, checking in and talking with each to see how they were doing, make a joke or two and give them the sense that this was a mission like any other, minus them getting paid. He'd resigned himself to the fact that he would get this over with and whether he liked it or not it had to be done. He couldn't lose Aesir again, and while he maybe didn't have the right to make his choices for him, he could do his best to give Aesir the tools he needed to grow and learn how to make them himself.

That was what he tried to convince himself, anyways.

An hour to time to leave and Shen got off of the ship, changing back into the true form of the giant freakish bird creature that he was and allowing Kirkley to land Loveless on his back. A half hour in, every crew member was instructed to get into their void suits, because it was almost showtime. A gentle reminder that no weapons were allowed, and Kirkley did his best to make a few shitty jokes, and tried not to keep worriedly looking at Aesir, Otto, or Hesperus. Tried to treat them like normal crew members for now, so they wouldn't feel pressured or ostracized.

Once he'd gotten the affirmative that everyone was suited up and ready to go, helmets on and oxygen working properly, he pursed his lips, and opened the cargo bay doors. Down the ramp he led them, onto the softness of the massive black feathers adorning Shen's back. Shen had created an atmosphere for them that also supplied gravity, and they only felt like they weighed slightly less. They were advised not to try jumping if they didn't want to float away, of course.

Kirkley led them up the length of Shen's back until they all stood at the back of his neck, and stretching before them was the vast ever swirling, changing mass of galactic matter and space dust that was the ring of Shen's head. The gases, clouds and dust calmly floated around it in a circular motion, all purples, pinks, and indigos, and Kirkley motioned for Aesir to step forward.

"Don't worry, the portal will be waiting, for you to return." Shen thought to all of them, and Kirkley scooped Aesir up into his arms bridal style, the look on his face only a little grim as he glanced at him through the visors of their helmets.

"When we get there, try not to touch anything just yet, okay?"

He looked over his shoulder at the others, shrugging and nodding towards the hoop.

"One at a time, after me, step on in." He shoved down the nervousness that he could swear was making his bones rattle, his heart hammering in his chest and making the blood roar in his ears as he flashed them a cheeky grin and made pretend like this was all just part of the fun.

"Water's fine!"

He stepped over the edge and dropped down, the moment his boot came near enough it seemed as if the void invisibly reached out and pulled him, and Aesir, right in, the two of them disappearing in an instant, and not coming back out on the other side.

For Aesir and Kirkley, it was only about a second at most, the most jarring feeling being their sense of balance going utterly haywire. A moment ago he'd been falling down and now he was taking a step forward as if walking through a doorway, the soles of his boots crunching the grass, leaves and twigs underfoot. A purple portal was behind them, and stretched in every direction around them... Was forest.

It was utterly silent, save for the slight breeze as Kirkley paused for a moment, took in a breath and held it as he shifted Aesir in his arms to reach up with one hand and pull his helmet off, copious amounts of hair falling in a fluffy pile around his neck and shoulders as the deep brown locks were tousled by the movement in the air. The fresh sent of the foliage hit him in full force, the same time that that feeling did.

That unmistakable feeling of warmth and familiarity. He closed his eyes and he could feel those tan arms around him, the sound of Bifrost's voice murmuring in his ear as if he were saying,

"Welcome home."

He opened his eyes and tears were already rolling down his cheeks as he looked down at Aesir, stepping away from the portal to let the others through, assuming they actually followed like they were supposed to. If they didn't, Shen would take care of it and make them anyways.

"Welcome home." He said quietly, taking advantage of the moment that he and Aesir had to themselves as he shook his head a little, blinking the water from his eyes. "Feel familiar yet?"
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Marakai2.0 on January 11, 2018, 01:33:15 pm
As the others made their way off the deck or in some cases stayed put for whatever reason, Vargas lingered for a bit longer for no reason other than not quite knowing what to do with himself. Eight hours, give or take, until they were going to whatever place it was they were headed to, using Shen as their mode of transportation.

He was the last of those who had left to actually leave the deck, filing out shortly behind Nero and Otto and making his way toward the cargo hold and the Skorpion, resigned at first to eight hours of pre-action jitters, though hoping for a distraction of some kind - any kind - that would keep his mind otherwise occupied.

Sometimes, he had to wonder why he had ever decided to be a merc. After Saprus had left all those years ago for Aedolis, it had been up to Vargas to keep food on the table for him and Ma, keep rent paid up so they could have an actual apartment on the Cancer and not be forced to live out of a shipping crate for the rest of their lives. Funny, how doing every odd job he could had gradually become doing jobs requiring armaments and the ability to kill another man. Though it only made sense, he supposed, to go wherever the credits led him.

Errand boy, manual labor, thug, merc. That was his life, he supposed, and he didn't even count that disgraceful stint he'd pulled guard duty. Ma had passed sometime shortly after he'd started flipping sides in the war....her, and his only reason to do what he was doing. He'd only continued because he was good at it - good at shooting things, good at killing men when it came down to it. Knew how to follow orders, so long as their was at least a middling payout at the end. The very idea of a soldier of fortune.

And where had it gotten him? At some point, he found himself in the captains chair in the Skorpion, staring at the blast shield covering the large windows of the bridge, barely able to see his own reflection in the glass. Idly, he reached for the box of cigars on the console, sliding it open and grimacing as he discovered something else he'd need to stock up when he got the chance.

He fired it up and leaned back into the chair. It was only a few minutes later, he was reminded of his first few years as a merc...those pre-mission jitters, not necessarily dreading anything because to be perfectly clear he had no idea what to expect. Kirkley said no weapons. No weapons, and it might be dangerous. And though he'd managed to be as n9nchalant about it as he could, mentally Vargas was screaming. What was a gunner supposed to do without a gun? What were any of them supposed to do if shit hit the fan and hell travelled North to visit for the season? Rocks and sticks and bricks and boards could only do so much in anyones hands, and Vargas wasn't sure he was prepared to deal with anything more than humanoid if that were the case.

And so there he sat, worrying about the things he didn't know about and couldn't prepare for. He has to wonder if the lack of information was on purpose or accidental, but then figured that Kirkley had been around the block more than enough times to know what he was doing - if he was withholding information, then surely there had to be a reason for it.

He sat, and he stared, face grim as he inspected what he could see of his own reflection through the veil of cigar smoke surrounding him. Trusting wasn't an issue, usually, not with the Tsumi who'd time and time again thrown himself headlong into the first and bullet-filled jaws of death for nothing more than a piece of Xerox paper with numbers typed on it, a simple promise of a positive balance in his bank account. No, the issue Vargas was having here was not his ability to trust in his captain and the other crew members...

It was whether that trust had been earned. He'd only been in the Loveless for a short time, and the first part of whatever it was they were doing had turned into a shitshow really goddamned quickly, and the gunner couldn't help but continue thinking that perhaps things would have gone more smoothly (or, at least, been less shocking) if they'd been warned a little more about what they had been flying into. That shock was gone, now, but he could still clearly remember the amount of stress everyone had been under during, and even after, the events that had brought Kirkley back looking like he'd been thrown into a meat grinder.

The crew had handled it...rather well, under the circumstances. The point was, though, that those circumstances could have been avoided, or at least lessened, if they'd been more prepared.

Did he trust Kirkley? He wasn't sure. He wanted to. Hell, to be part of the crew, really, he'd have to at some point. He didn't seem as if he were willingly throwing himself and his crew into danger, but...there were some things that Kirkley wasn't telling. And Vargas intended to find out just how much of his trust Kirkley had earned. After all, if Vargas was to trust his captain...shouldn't his captain trust his crew?

The rest of that night was spent pondering those thoughts, the distraction from the next day thus found but no more comforting than the worrying would have been.

---

A few hours sleep brought a slightly tired and perhaps even surly Vargas into the waking world, suited in his own void-suit, his helmet an expressionless black, so dark and opaque his face couldn't hope to be seen behind it. The speaker affixed to his helmet would assure that it was, indeed, him behind the black reinforced glass and helmet. Idly, he reminded himself to remove the Bull insignia from the shoulder of his suit, just another sign of the group he had been in so long ago, yet existed no longer.

When he spoke, his speaker crackled to life. "So we're really doing this, then? Jumping into...that?" He turned to look at the portal after Kirkley and Aesir vanished into it, and let out a sigh. "Well, at least I know I haven't seen everything yet. Here we-"

And he was gone, as he stepped in after the first two, his voice abruptly cut off as his world seemed to twist and writhe, existence ripped apart at the seams before jarringly slammed back together.

Looking down, Vargas found his booted foot firmly planted in grass. Green, lush grass, the sort which he'd never seen before. Not even Margad could compare to the green those tiny blades seemed to possess.

He looked up and around, and found they were surrounded by trees, innumeral in such a way that he couldn't imagine that so many could possibly exist in one place.

".....Okay, okay, where the fuck is this."
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Draconian on January 15, 2018, 11:39:31 pm
Aesir gave Wolf a look of concern, reaching up to wipe the tears away and press his palm to the other mans head. The meat of his hand pressing against the temple before he carded a hand through his hair and did his best to glance at Kirkley on his way, offer a small smile and then guide Wolf to his room. Aesir went about getting him a glass of water and helping him into bed - or at least trying to convince him to sleep. Left him the glass of water and finally, yawning widely and covering his face with his hands let himself into his own room.

A glance at the apple sapling beside his bed and he finally stretched his arms high up over his head and sat down gently, wincing ever so slightly and rubbing his chest. It felt tight from anxieties and things he couldn't control and Aesir reached to the potted plant and pulled it into his lap. Looking down at it like it could explain anything. Silently begging it to.

Nothing though. Not even whispers.

Aesir tucked his green hair behind his ear, frowning that it was growing so quickly here. Frowning that almost none of his clothes fit him anymore. That he was tired all the time and felt more alone than ever. His fingers brushed over the little leaf, bursting with life and so green and he knew that he'd done that. Didn't know how. Didn't feel safe admitting he could. That didn't stop him from letting his teeth sink into his tongue though or swiping it along his palm so he could smear the blood onto the leaf.

He'd never watched it before, not really. Had never explored the extent of his abilities and now that he had a moment alone... Aesir watched as the sapling shuddered, a small leaf growing new from the top of the sapling. Just a little bit. Enough to keep it going.

His mouth hurt now and he sighed, tucking the plant back on the bedside table and finally laying down. Aesir didn't remember falling asleep, but the dreams were nice. At least in those he got to have a proper goodbye with his parents.

The morning went by in a blur. Suit up. Talk down.  It would be a lie if he didn't admit that he was glad he didn't have to go through the weird hoop thing himself. Was pleased that he got to be carried through. Though he wondered, was it because Kirkley didn't think he could do it himself? For a moment, too angry and feeling insulted to really notice exactly what happened besides a bunch of magic mumbo-jumbo he'd opened his mouth to give Kirkley a piece of his mind once he was on the other side but...

"Whoa."

Every thought left him and he could only stare. He curled up tighter in Kirkley's arms and watched him remove his helmet. Quickly following with his own because this was amazing. It smelled wonderful and Aesir's whole body was covered in goosebumps in under a second. His purple eyes wide, he stared ahead, examining the grass and the gentle breeze through his hair and... A glance at Kirkley, frowning at the tears.

Impulsively he brushed those tears away with his thumb, ignoring the brilliance of green before him for the giant scarred beast of a man that so tenderly held him. "Home?" He repeated, looking back out and away, frowning gently before he sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. Maybe he'd have dreams before. "It does," He said honestly, content to remain in Kirkley's arms. A strange flash of pain in his right arm and he rubbed at it curiously, flexing his hand and instead of wriggling to get away, simply rest his head on Kirkley's shoulder.

"I think I've had dreams of here. I remember feeling the breeze through my hair. The sun on my face. Felt the wind push at my clothing before I..." Aesir remembered the bit of whatever it was he'd stolen from Kirkley the day before from one of the boxes, how he'd impulsively tucked it into into the suit where it laid flat against his chest. In the dream his arms had been exposed. Bleeding to the earth. Making it lush and fertile.

Aesir didn't hear Vargas enter behind them. He was too busy staring at his hands and then staring out at the grass. "Are there others like me?" He asked curiously, looking up at Kirkley before curling his arms around the big mans neck, afraid of the answer either way. Yes meant he wasn't unique, wasn't special beyond behind some weird brand of Whatever He Was. No meant that he was alone and that was a lonely prospect.  "Can you hear that?" He suddenly said, eyes falling closed, giving his legs little wiggles to be put down when he'd been so determined to remain high up in Kirkley's arms just moments before.

"Kirkley," His voice was soft and he turned his head to catch the voices better, so faint and hard to understand, "Kirkley I can hear them talking." Aesir was, of course, talking about the plants. Whispering the stories they had to tell - but it had been so long and their voices were so weak. "I need to help them talk louder, you have to put me down."
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: GoblinFae on February 22, 2018, 02:01:18 pm
Time passed and Hesperus pulled the broken pieces of himself together enough to play the role expected of him. Nothing was better. Nothing was fixed. It never was and perhaps never could be but now was not the time to worry about such trivial feelings as love and desire. Survival was key and right then the demon could not help but feel an oily pit clench within his belly at what hell Kirkley was going to drag them into this time.

Everything from then on felt mechanical. Into his suit, out into space, onto Shen's back, why it was as simple as 1, 2, 3. Right? His skin still felt like it was crawling despite how still and tall he stood. Hesperus wanted nothing more than to run. All it would take would be one jump and he could float away into the void. Only his loyalty, if it could even be called that, to Kirkley kept him firm and sure-footed.

Shen's voice was a reassurance though and so even as Kirkley broke his own rules, scooping Aesir into his arms and popping off with him, Hesperus was kneeling to gently pat his friend's feathers in thanks. The demon wasn't sure if he did it more for Shen or himself though he was sure it was little comfort to either of them.

He snorted and rolled his eyes at Vargas's exit. There was always one in every group that had that false sense of bravado. The Incubus sighed and squared his shoulders. No time like the present to face the next shitstorm life was ready to throw at you. He knew the longer he waited, the easier it would be to turn back and abandon everything. He had done it enough with others before, but never to Kirkley. No, if anything it was the old skydog who had turned his back on Hesperus. Those wounds always festered but in times like this, or Shen's earlier distress Hesperus knew where he had to stand. Like the pathetic child he always was and always would be, he would stand at Kirkley's side until the story's end had been reached.

A wordless nod to Otto as he passed him and Hesperus was stepping through the portal. He had no plucky comments to add and wanted this over with as much as the next man. His stomach flipped with the disorientation and then he was through, stepping out behind Vargas and placing a hand on the man's shoulder as he nudged them both a few steps forward and out of the way.

He tugged his void helmet it off, tucking it under his arms as his eyes slid to Aesir and Kirkley. Gold eyes took in that closeness and the strangeness of the young man's actions as if intent staring would provide all the answers to his endless questions. It didn't of course, nor did the pure earthy scent in the air that spoke of primal things his instincts understood far better than his mind did. There was something about this place that sent a singing in his veins. He could only compare it to the heady sensation of luring partners to him with his scent and this was so much more than that. There was old magic at work here, old powers, and older memories. Hesperus was glad he was not a psychic like his father. He could only imagine how much overwhelming it would be if he was.

"The Meeting Place," he replied to Vargas, though the answer meant as much to him now as it did when Kirkley first uttered it: not a damn thing. "Though perhaps The Dying Place might have been a more appropriate name. Seems we're the only ones here," he grumbled, his morbid bite coming to the forefront with his discomfort at facing the unknown.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: nephero on March 21, 2018, 11:04:17 pm
   Otto did not go through life expecting to be hoisted up and carried off bridal-style. It was one of those things that, if you gave him a list of things that could potentially happen and asked him to list them in order of most to least likely, being carried like such would be at the bottom of the list at the bottom of a pile of other lists.

   Didn’t mean it wasn’t funny.

   Also, didn’t mean the expression Nero was wearing wasn’t funny. Otto snorted, pretended he knew what Nero meant by ‘cowboy’ (what was a cow, again?), and settled down in a comfortable sitting position. The touch to his hair was… infinitely comforting. It was weird, what little gestures just got right into your bones and eased everything that could ever go wrong ever.

   Maybe it was just the familiarity of it. The world— well, galaxy, if you wanted to get technical— was nothing like GR3. Close, full of family and a kind of intrinsic camaraderie that let you know even if you had just lost everything and had to slink back home you had family in your fellow colonists. And when GR3 collapsed, that camaraderie just… vanished. The galaxy didn’t care to call you family. There were pirates and murderers and thieves and liars and sociopaths who didn’t care if you were another human being or not.

   But the Loveless was different. The Loveless wasn’t as crowded, didn’t have the same sounds, didn’t have the same smell of oil and ventilated air passed from lung to lung to lung, but it was… close. It was new, and it was different, but it had the same base feeling of being a part of something. Of being family.

   And wow, there he went. Otto sniffed, hard, and pretended to rub a fallen eyelash out of his eye. Luckily, the moment was fleeting, made all the more fleeting by Nero kicking open the footlocker beneath them and opening a treasure trove of narcotic delights the likes of which Otto had never seen assembled in such quantities in one single place.

   “Holy shit,” he said, and shot Nero a wide, knowing grin.

---

   It said a good deal about how potent Nero’s dandylion was that Otto needed to take far longer to sober up than he was used to. His skin still felt just this side of oversensitive, the ex-Aedolian very aware of the lining of his voidsuit and rather liking how it felt to touch at the palm of his gloves. The tactile sensation was calming, which was kind of handy considering the excursion they were about to undertake.

   At least Kirkley seemed calm. Otto moved his fingers along his forearm as he watched Kirkley scoop Aesir up, the motion catching Otto off guard as his boarders came back online colony fragment by colony fragment. Vargas followed them, after, and then Hesperus. The swirling of the portal was captivating, the colors mixing together so quick and so fine he couldn’t help but follow it around forever and again.

   Luckily, Otto had had some time to sober up, and so this residual visual captivation by bright, shiny colors only lasted about two turns before he was jogging forward and leaping through himself.

   Which was potentially a bad idea and Otto stumbled a bit trying not to run right into everyone else, a (not terribly graceful) little pirouette swinging him to the left just in time to start listening again and hear Hesperus say, quite kindly—

   “—Though perhaps The Dying Place might have been a more appropriate name. Seems we’re the only ones here.”

   Otto frowned, unclipping his helmet and pulling it from his head. The native air hit his face like a soft touch, and Otto took in a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out again. It was… different. Something. A little bit off and a little bit different and a little bit… calming. Like a whiff of familiar perfume or the smell of your laundry fresh out of the dryer. But the kind of perfume that you knew shouldn’t have been there and you don’t remember starting the dryer.

   Either way, the boarders were… confused. Intrigued. But not on edge. Just alert. It was perhaps the first time Otto and they had been so in sync; like a conversation versus two idiots in a room screaming their favorite song lyrics at the top of their lungs.

   “—them talking. I need to help them talk louder, you have to put me down.”

   Them? There was a them? Otto took another breath, but it was the same deep strange odor as before. The boarders remained politely interested. Ooh, wait, what was that smell?

   Otto turned his head, frowned, and took a few more steps to the left, following the interest from tree to tree to… somewhere just ahead of where Kirkley and Aesir stood. He touched at the ground ahead of himself with the toe of his boot, testing the give of it and taking another breath of air. The soft pressure on his bones, the musk of the breeze, the feel of the ground.

   “Are we… this is not planetside, is it?”
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Zero Undead on March 22, 2018, 05:32:17 am
No one had ever done that before. Why would someone wipe his tears away? How often had he even felt tears on his cheek? Not frequently enough for a human. Maybe if he had been allowed to cry he would know better what he should do about it. That was a pointless line of thought that helped him not at all now.

The fingers pushing through his hair felt comforting, so Wolf leaned his head gently into Aesir’s touch. It was strange and new, this being comforted by physical contact. Nero had done it too, although in a somewhat different way. He wasn’t sure why it brought him comfort or felt good to have them touch him, but he was sure they understood it far better than he did. If he remembered later he would have to ask about the correlation between the contact and the feelings.

For now he simply let Aesir lead him away. Wolf didn’t argue or resist being put to bed by his young friend. He drank the water and lay down without complaint, turning to face the wall and curling up with a heavy sigh. Obeying orders was comforting in a completely different way, the AI liked following directives, which was what it was designed to do.

If an AI could be said to like anything.

Eight hours later was awake, not that he had actually slept, and suited up just like everyone else. Wolf watched the others go through the strange hoop one by one, until it seemed it was his turn to step into the unknown. He felt himself shudder, but knew resistance was futile. Kirkley had said they all had to go, and if he didn’t walk through on his own he would be forced through by the giant creature beneath him.

It was stupid and he didn’t know why he did it, but Wolf closed his eyes and did his best to cover them over the visor of his void suit helmet as he took a hesitant step forward. The sensation was unpleasant and strange, but once he felt it stop he dropped his hands and looked around, mouth going slack as he took in everything. It looked alien to him, who knew only the metal and glass of space stations and ships, he had never been to a true planet or seen anything green and alive quite like this - certainly never on this magnitude.

The AI hummed in his mind, he could almost feel it whirling and twirling and buzzing as it tried to process this new place. Wolf cautiously took off his helmet since it seemed safe to do so, and took a deep breath, the AI immediately set about analyzing the air. It smelled unlike anything he knew up to that point. He still could not triangulate his position in the universe, which was disconcerting, and he scowled at that whatever had been affecting him before the portal apparently had not been completely resolved by stepping through it. As far as the AI was concerned, they were nowhere, and maybe also everywhere. It simply could not tell.

“I do not like it here.” Not that it mattered what he liked.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Lion on March 28, 2018, 12:17:32 am
This wasn't his place. He didn't belong here. He belonged nowhere, and that was just the way that story went. Would always go. Nero shrugged it off and fitted the helmet back over his head before he jumped in through the loop. Going places he thought he'd never see, meeting folks he'd never meet if he'd been stuck on that rock. Yeah, it wasn't about the destination, it was the journey, the adventure. Maybe there couldn't be good times to be had by everyone all the time, and time was fleeting no matter how much of it you had or thought you had.

The point was now as the time anything. Now was all that mattered.

Nero stood took up the rear, observing in the background just as they passed to a place of complete verdant green, vaguely reminded of a place called home, Edanith. There were no rocky reds, but he felt less weirded out than the rest of the crew it seemed. No it wasn't planetside, not that it was anything he felt.

But it was close enough for him to think of home. Even if, no, there was no more home.

No observation required. All that was needed to be said, would be. Seemed the plants had plenty of that to do on their own.

Nero took off his helmet, no reservation. No fear. Just being. It was nice for a change. The little itchiness in his blood subsided for a time. It was good to be 'home'.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Cheesigator on March 31, 2018, 07:29:52 pm
For a very brief moment the roles were reversed; Kirkley closed his eyes as he felt the pad of Aesir's thumb so gentle on his cheek, brushing away the warm wet tears that slid down there. He grit his teeth for a moment, steeling himself before he opened his eyes to look at the sweet young man he held in his arms, and his heart throbbed. It pounded in his chest, working its way back up into his throat while his stomach did flips and turns; if he did this, he could lose him. If he didn't do it he could lose him.

"Yes and no," He said quietly, glancing over his shoulder as the others appeared through the portal, purple glittering mist puffing behind them in clouds, suspended in the air like smoke before disappearing or mixing into the next entrance.

The tension in the group was clear; they'd never experienced anything like this, and that was a common reaction--or he'd guess it was. The times he'd come here he had never personally encountered other persons. He dropped his helmet on the ground and started to walk, leading the others through the trees, some of which bore the gnarled scratch marks of a great beast on their trunks, slashes ripping apart otherwise unmarred wood. But despite the lilting noise of the leaves rustling, there wasn't a sound to be heard. Not a bird chirp, nor a wavering branch from a squirrel's jump. Nothing.

If there were animals here, they were unaccustomed to intruders, and they most certainly could be considered trespassers.

He threw a glare at Hesperus over his shoulder. "Dying shouldn't be something anyone will be doing today, if I have a say about it." He growled, the sound of it rumbling up through his chest.

"'Planetside' isn't quite the term I'd use to describe it. It was at one point, a long time ago. Back when this covered the entire planet." He nodded to the trees, hesitating a moment in a step as his fingertips dug slightly into Aesir where he held onto him, no, clung to him, as if letting him go might mean his death. It just might.

He stopped in a throng of trees, a clearing stretching before them were the remains of some ancient stone ruins barely peeked out above the earth, the ground having started the process of swallowing them up thousands of years ago. He remembered when they had just been built, and to see them like this now made his heart ache.

Two slabs of stone stuck out from the earth, inscribed in an ancient dialect next to each other. The one on the left far more worn, with chunks missing from it, and its mate on the right less marred--but the grass and earth that stretched out before it was indented into the earth, curved and bowing as if a large weight had sunken there for centuries only to have been removed not so long ago.

Kirkley's heart lurched at the sight of those two stones, and his grip tightened on Aesir a little more still as he fought back more tears unsuccessfully. They just kept streaming down his face and there wasn't anything he could do to stop them, or the memories that kept trying to flood back and cloud his vision. Made him think of Bifrost's smiling face, of the stillness of him when he was laid to rest in that earth he was staring at dead ahead.

Slowly, gingerly, he set Aesir down to the ground, hands on his shoulders lingering there a moment longer before he let go and let him run.

"If any of you spots movement, hears anything, anything at all, don't try to speak or put it into words. Just yell." He looked at the crew assembled behind and around him, jaw clenched. "And stay here. You're not in danger, I promise--just on lookout."

If he showed up he wouldn't be after them. Could care less about them. And trying to reassure himself with that, particularly with a lingering look at Otto, Kirkley tore himself away from the group to follow Aesir to the two gravestones. They'd just have to wait to get their explanation until this was done, and then there would be no more secrets. No more darkness.

Just as long as this went according to plan.

Please Bifrost, please let this work.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: Draconian on April 02, 2018, 01:36:14 pm
Aesir ran.

There was something inside him that made him move. Something old and primal and urgent and he needed to be there and everything was whispering to him. Every tree and leaf and blade of grass had a story to tell and they were all being told at the same time and it made his head hurt and his fingers itch and Aesir didn't even realize he'd moved until his hair was in his eyes and his fingers were digging into the dirt.

Tears pricked his eyes when the urgency didn't fade. When the whispers got worse and pounding in his head. Aesir squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath for a moment. There was so much pressure. Too much and... His eyes popped open when he remembered what he'd pilfered from under Kirkley's bed. The gloves were wrong, too. Everything was wrong and he needed to just close his eyes and fix it. Quickly, Aesir unzipped the void suit to the waist, peeling his arms out of it and pushed it down far enough to get to his pocket.

A sigh of relief before he shifted to tuck his feet under himself and sit back on his heels.  Aesir looked up at the tree tops, everything a little blurry and messy but familiar. Comfortable. He watched more than participated when he took the pointy edge of the... Shell? Knife? Rock? It dug into his palm like butter and he sighed in relief when the blood welled up around it, slowly dripping down his wrist to hit the ground below. Each drop fed the ground and the grass shuddered. The next palm.

Aesir discarded the make-shift blade and looked down at his bleeding hands.

"I need to..." He shook his head, not really knowing what he needed to do.

The land was so thirsty though and Aesir slowly pressed the side of his face to the spot in front of the right gravestone. "It's here," he said more to himself than anything. Something to get words out and make his throat move.  He was confused and his heart was thumping and he had no fucking idea what was going on but he knew he needed to do this. Now that it was his flesh and he could feed the earth.

Drops of blood had set it in motion but there was no true relief until Aesir dug his hands into the earth. The forest shuddered. A sigh. A breath. A drink. The forest was starving and all it had had to sip was a thimble of whatever power remained here in the ground. Still, giving the ground his blood was a relief and he sighed, let his head fall forward when the pressure from the whispers went away.

"Kirkley," Aesir panted, pulling his hands up out of the ground, covered in bloody mud. Fingers trembling. He'd only had his hands in the ground for a few seconds but it'd felt like an eternity. It wasn't enough though. The ground was still thirsty and it wasn't afraid to get what it wanted. It was like the earth came alive, tendrils with rocks and shards of bone and thorns. They curled around Aesir's wrists in an instant, climbing up his arms and digging in to get more of the power. More of the blood. They dragged him down to the grave and he cried out at them digging into his flesh.

"Kirkley!" His voice picked up in panic, pain laced in his voice. They were so hungry. So thirsty. The daze went away and all that was left over was panic and pain. "Otto!" He didn't want to be eaten alive by vines and he looked over his shoulder, pain on his face. He knew this was all wrong but he didn't know what to do about it.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: nephero on April 22, 2018, 01:53:42 am
   It was hard, dealing with all of this. Otto could sympathize, genuinely, especially when Wolf sounded so damn miserable. He didn’t want to be there, and he’d made that abundantly clear. It had been hard going, and while Otto had his own motivations for seeing all of this through, well.

   He couldn’t exactly blame Wolf for not wanting to be dragged through this. It was terrifying, the unknown, and this was a whole lot of unknown. Even more so now that they were actually through the weird goldfish portal and somehow magically on solid earth. Otto was sure it was solid earth. It pulled on his bones the way solid earth liked to do, and he was sure by the time they got back to the Loveless he’d have some seriously creaky knees.

   Especially once they started moving. Holding still was one thing, but gravity did not favor moving, and after some distance it was all Otto could do to pay attention. There was still the unnatural quiet of the place, at least— it kept the boarders from getting excited and making his already strained attention span from becoming more so. Still, no manner of aches and pains could have him miss the ruins, fixating on this latest newness instantly, the difference between the natural and the made almost painfully stark in the overgrowth of everything else.

   Something in the way Kirkley spoke made Otto consider that wasn’t the only thing painful here. He chewed at his lip a bit, meeting the taller man’s gaze before taking a deep breath and turning to the rest of the crew, trying for something close to an assuring smile.

   “Well. Lookout it is…”

   
   It was, of course, easier said than done. Aesir had shot off like a bolt and there was the sudden, violent instinct to go running after him. But Kirkley had wanted them to stay put, and despite even the boarders hissing in Otto’s ear, he stayed perfectly put. They had a job to do, all of them, they were the lookouts. As concerning as it was that such a “peaceful” place needed someone sitting on lookout in the first place. As concerning as it was that Kirkley had thought they’d needed to sit on lookout in the first place.

   Otto chewed at his lip and tried to focus. Kept his nose to the breeze and his ears open. Felt the presence of the rest of the crew at his back and the quiet void of the greenery ahead of him. Nothing but dirt, and moss, and green, and some sweet smelling flower somewhere beyond the brush. That was nice— like something Margad would grow, though certainly nothing Otto had ever smelled before. It’d been a while since he’d been to that dome, certainly. Years and years ago, well before he got really good at picking out different scents. But the perfume was similarly soothing. The boarders certainly liked it, no doubt some similar holdover from their own genetic past before they became the hellish parasites they had once been.

   Hell, maybe they’d even started in a place like this. Otto didn’t know, and it wasn’t like they were telling him their life story. Still, it was enough to lower his guard even by that much, the breeze calming in a way that Otto hadn’t realized he’d missed his entire life. The natural air. Not pumped and recycled and refiltered between panes of glass and ventilation systems. But real air. It was enough to make you feel whole, in some prime animal kind of way.

   Or at least, it did. Because Otto’s skin chose that moment to crawl, something on the breeze catching his attention as his head snapped up, fixed on the stone ruins where Kirkley and Aesir had run off into, and the hairs on the back of Otto’s neck stood straight on end even as he heard it. The distinct sound of yelling, fearful yelling, and then the sound of Otto’s own name mixed in.

   It didn’t even register to him that he was moving, he just moved. His boots thudded over exposed stone and tree root as he bolted toward the sound of Aesir’s voice. It didn’t matter that Otto was woefully unarmed. It didn’t even matter that he had no idea what he was running into. All that mattered was that Aesir sounded scared, and in an instant the scenery changed.

   Metal halls instead of tree trunks. Hissing pipes instead of vines. The clank of grated metal beneath his feet instead of soft, fragrant earth. But the sound was the same, the sound of fear, the sound of terror in the face of something new and awful, and for one sharp panicked moment Otto very nearly expected to turn the corner and find Aesir swarmed by hideous stinging insects.

   Not that the reality was much better than the memory, Otto’s eyes widening to saucers at the sight of vines dragging Aesir into the dirt, and he didn’t even consider anything else before he was running forward. What could he even do? The vines were wrapped so tight, were dug in so deep in so many places, but the idea of standing back and doing nothing very nearly made Otto sick.
Title: Re: Point of No Return [Crew of The Loveless]
Post by: GoblinFae on July 14, 2018, 09:27:23 pm
Hesperus dropped his gaze, shivering slightly at the rough quality of Kirkely's voice. He hated so much about this entire situation. He hated how he didn't know what was going on. He hated the dread that sunk in beneath his skin, spreading its poison through his entire system until he was tense and on high alert. He hated that Kirkley was one of two people who could simultaneously obligate him into obedience while also quelling some of that wildfire fear. He hated all of this.

No one asked him how he felt on the matter though. No one ever did nor would they ever. It didn't matter though. He'd voiced his opinion anyway. They all were going to die someday. Who was Kirkley to say that it wouldn't be today? That it wouldn't be right here, right now?

Yet, deep down despite the fear and disgruntlement, Hesperus trusted him. The Old Sky Dog may have gotten the demon into galaxies of trouble in the past but he always got them back out in the end. If you couldn't trust Kirkley, then who could you trust?

"No one," he gritted out under his breath. A roll of his shoulders, a glance to Otto and the others, and Hesperus shook his head in frustration. Lookout. Fine. He could do that, wouldn't be the first time he'd been made to watch their backs. His arms crossed tightly over his chest, shoulders hunched, ready and poised should he need to become the weapon he was not permitted to bring.  He just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Aesir was off like a shot from a gun and Hesperus found himself looking to Kirkley again. He knew that boy was not his but he could not help have the knee-jerk reaction to want to be close to him, to hold him, and to protect him. He shook his head harshly though. Aesir was not his to feel such over. Kirkley could deal with his wayward green-haired bea-boy.

Instead of dealing with his wandering thoughts, the demon dug his nails into the arm of his flightsuit and tried to ground himself. He cast gold eyes out along the green around him and tried to keep focused for even the faintest hint of movement from potential shadows. The demon completely missed what Aesir was doing until his screams reached his sensitive ears.

Horned head snapping to the side, he didn't even have a heartbeat to process the horror before them before Otto was bolting off. Hesperus shouted for him, lunging and missing his arm as the human ran faster than the demon would have guessed possible for him.

Rather than take chase though, Hesperus turned to the others and held out a warning hand. "Don't move! Kirkley said to stay put. He's got this under control," he ordered of the others even as he moved to stand in front of Wolf and Dez as the perceived weakest. Kirkley's shouting in a language he did not understand did nothing to put the demon at ease though.

"Damn it, Kirkley you said no one would get hurt!" he found himself shouting out in frustration. Every muscle in his body burned with the coiled fire of anticipation. It would take one signal from his lifetime captain and Hesperus would be at his side. The call to action was singing in his blood, demanding complete attention. There was no time in his mind for more of his quips.

But gods damn what he hated most of all was being right.
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