There's a collection of people scattered around the shipyard, in front of what you'd guess are your spaceships. Lyra, Jacamar, and Elanor stand together, chatting. Lepiot has their hands stuffed in their pockets, rocking on their heels, visibly bored. Gabe is surrounded by the dogs, waiting. Tylus is just standing still off to the side. Lepiot sees everyone coming out of the building and immediately beelines for Quin. I perk up a little when I notice them, before immediately scowling again and blowing air out my nose. "Hi," I say, shifting my weight to one foot. “Sup. I hheard you're going to a bunchha different planets, dude." They wiggle their eyebrows. "Thhat true?" Not knowing any of these people, I stand off to the side, watching my friends, new and old, say their goodbyes. "Yeah." I take my hands out of my pockets to cross my arms, and look up at them. "You... ever been? To another planet, I mean." "Ohh, deffo." Lepiot grins. "Thhat's whhat I was gonna ask ya. Word is you're going to Ku'Sorix, right? I know my way around thhat place." "You don't mind if I tag along, do you? Plus, I'd really like to get thhe hhell out of hhere, and you look like you could use someone sane on board. Ehh?" They look pretty hopeful about this. Okay, for as much of a congested little rage player I am, I can't help but break out into a big smile.Then, in quick succession, I force my mouth back into a frown and look over to the wall. "Yeah, sure," I say, trying (and failing) to keep the excitement out of my voice at having made a friend that's not related to me. "If you want to." I run over and almost hug tackle Gabe “hi hi hi hi how are you” After a short pause, my frown melts into something a little more genuine. "It's going to be dangerous," I say, looking back up at them. "Really dangerous. You know that, right?" "Duhh! Dude, don't even worry." Lepiot waves a hand vaguely in dismissal. "Danger, schhmanger. Sign me thhe fuck up." I let myself smile a little. My face has been doing cartwheels this whole conversation, huh. "Hi, kiddo!! I'm doing great!!" Gabe laughs brightly. "How about you? Everything go alright in there?" "Your head. Is it okay?" "As okay as it's ever been, so, not very." Lepiot chuckles. "Don't worry about me, I can hhandle a little pinballing." I have no idea what the fuck a pinball is, but I'm sure as hell not going to say that. I frown and walk around them, squinting up at it. "We have a healer, you know," I say. "Candra. She's really nice." They laugh again, a little incredulously this time, eyebrows raised. "Dude, it wasn't even a concussion. I thhink. Probably. I'm still hhere, aren't I?" "Okay." I stop when I'm back in front of them, and clasp my hands behind my back a nervously. "You gotta be careful, okay? Not more 'if I die I die' bullshit." oh holy shit!!!! my eyes light up when i spot tylus. i shoot over and land them in a hug that carries with it some honest solid potential of knocking them to the ground, but i relent upon impact with the ideal intention of that not fully happening. i squeeze them nigh unmercifully for a few moments before releasing and stepping back. "hey!!!!" i grin, "uh, general valentine! thanks for saving us like a hundred times earlier," i say with a slight chuckle. "Well, it's not like if I die I don't die." Lepiot frowns. "I'm pretty sure if I die, I'm dead, bro." Tylus laughs softly, patting your shoulder after they'e been released. "You don't have to call me that. It's nice to see you again, Silas!" I look up at Gabe and go “yeah watch this”. I then proceed to hover into the air a couple inches and do the heir expands thing, and I’d like to imagine at the very least my eyes going solid pink while doing this. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to stop it, instead of just..." I trail off, remembering that conversation, before rubbing the back of my neck and looking down at my shoes. "Sorry about that, by the way. I was a huge asshole." I then immediately go back to normal. “cool huh” I freeze upon seeing Lyra, but close my eyes and take a deep breath. I'm probably gonna die, right. No point in acting like a fucking coward. She's probably not here to see me, but... yeah. It's fine. Taking one more deep breath to steady myself beforehand, I walk over. Oh, I didn't plan anything to say. I'm a moron. Fuck. "Hi," I manage. "Yeah!! Parker does that sometimes too. It can get, uh..." Gabe rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Scary. Be careful, alright?" "Stop worrying so muchh, you're going soft." Lepiot chuckles again and punches your shoulder. It's playful, obviously, but they don't hit lightly. Not that they hit heavy, but it's not nothing. "It was funny!" Lyra's eyes go wide and you panic for a moment, but she hops forward and wraps her arms around your torso without hesitation. "HI HALE!!! I SLEPT FOR 10 HOURS!!!!" She full-on shouts into your shirt. Elanor chuckles. "She hasn't stopped saying that." Sorry lepiot, my family was batshit. I flinch back when their fist connects with my arm, before blushing and straightening back out. I lamely tap their own arm with my fist. "Right. I, uh, found the girl I was looking for, by the way. And- well, more importantly than that, I'm... glad you lived." I relax all the way and squeeze her back. "I slept on a roof," I reply. Holy fuck, my heart is pounding. Lepiot's eyebrows shoot up to their hairline. "Ohh my gooooood, you really hhave gone soft. Well, softie, I'm glad you found your girl, and it is pretty slick thhat I'm still kickin', if I do say so myself." I frown, worried. “oh” "I slept UNDER a roof!!" Lyra exclaims, pulling away, grinning up at you. "I was so tired!!! I've never been that tired before!!! I fell asleep before I was in bed!!!! It was so cool!!!!!" “yeah ill be careful uncle gave done worry” *gabe "That's... yeah." I furrow my eyebrows, a little worried. "How did you get there." "I'm not worried! You've got my idiot of an older brother to look after you." Gabe shoots a grin and a wink across the shipyard at Parker. "I'll be taking care of the dogs while you're gone. And I'll really miss you. We all will." Cinnabar takes this opportunity to shove her head into your chest bluntly. "My g-" my face goes from a normal blush to very, very pink. "She's not- it's- oh my fucking god, what is WRONG with you?" I glance over my shoulder to see if Sam heard, before glaring back up at them and shoving a finger in their chest. "It's not fucking like that, okay? We're- well, I mean. I guess it..." I lower it slowly. "We're moirails. I don't have any oth-" I am once again reminded of the conversation we had, and my face goes from "very pink" to the color of my fins. "I mean- I don't-" I lower my hand, before throwing them up in the air. "Whatever! I need to go talk to my fucking boss! Go meet the other crewmates" I huff, turning on my heel and stalking off towards Gabe. Lepiot barely contains their laughter as you rant, and once you walk away, promptly loses it, folding over. "it's nice to see you too!!!" i say, and i mean it, really! i find it is somewhat difficult not to associate them with everything they've done for me. knowing what i know from my long-time friends and inferring some things from the general way that a solid majority of my new friends are, i think i've started to realize how lucky i am to have had someone like them to protect me my whole life. i also start to realize that i have just kind of been standing here and wordlessly zoning out for a few moments. i shake my head slightly, representing a fresh return to lucidity, then adjust my hat a little, looking up at them. "so uh.. how's the town doing? everything back to normal over there?" "With my legs!!!" Lyra pauses. "Oh. In the bed? Jackie carried me!!" I squint. "Who?" Lyra points behind her to Jacamar. Jacamar doesn't move, just leaning against a ship, arms crossed, watching you two interact. "Not quite." The Ba- Tylus chuckles gently. "Most of us are here helping the Mountain Sun, and the rest are picking up at home." i nod with a fairly quiet "ah," breaking eye contact for a moment before looking back. "so are you gonna be helping mountain sun or going back?" I try to compose myself the best I can and walk up to Gabe and Finn. I clear my throat awkwardly. "Hi, Gabe," I say simply. "I hope I'm not interrupting." I hug Cinnabar real tight and don’t let go. I stroke her fur for a bit. “you be good for uncle gabe here ok” "I'm going to stay here as long as I'm needed, but I want to return as soon as possible." Tylus admits, sighing. "I really wish I could come with you." “oh hey quin whats up” I stare at her for a moment. "Okay," I say. I shake my head. "I have to, uh, go. Soon. So." I stop. "Sorry for yesterday. Use--use bandaids. So you don't get infections. I learned that." I rush through the apology, stumbling over my next words. I nod, satisfied. "Hello, Quin!" Gabe grins at you, straightening. "Good to see you again." "My favorite are the pink ones!" Lyra grins even wider, gently grabbing your band-aided hand. "I hope you have fun, Hale! And stay safe! I'll really, really, really miss you." "I... need to take a work absence. For a while." I wring my hands nervously, eyes wandering down as I try to gather my words. "But please don't fire me, I- I'm sorry for just leaving the other day, there was this assassin. And." I gesture abstractly. "I promise I'll work extra hard when I get back to make up for it. I'll- I'll clean the whole building. And the glasses. And sweep the outside. I really, really don't want to lose this job." I squeeze her hand gently back. "I won't, I think." I pause. "I'll miss you too." My face softens. "Should- I know business might be a little... hard... like this. People raising questions. Should." I grimace. "I can saw them back off, and uh, wear a hoodie. If you think it would help." Gabe slowly moves a hand to rest on your shoulder, smiling gently. "Quin, the bar is gone. You don't need to work anymore, alright? You have all of us now. If you really want a job once this is over, I'm sure I'll be back on my bullcrap soon enough. But you do not ever, EVER," He takes on a more serious expression, "Have to do that to yourself again. Okay?" I look up at him in point blank horror. "The bar is gone?!" I take a shaky breath, starting to tear up, and put my face in my hands. "Where am I going to go?" I mumble quietly, half to myself. "Oh." Lyra's smile fades. "Well, I wish you luck, then. May-" She frowns. "Um. Yeah. Good luck." After a few long seconds of just standing there, her expression twists and she hugs you again, squeezing as hard as she can. She's crying. You're pretty certain of that. "I- I have a house, you know." Gabe smiles hesitantly. "And so do your mothers. And Sam, and Pythia. All the people who love you and care about you." "Finley, even," Gabe adds at a near-whisper. I take my face out of my hands and look up at him, confused. "But you... you said I wouldn't have to work again. How would I live there?" "For free. Because you're ou- their kid. And friend." He squeezes your shoulder lightly. "We care about you. You don't need to fight for basic needs anymore." Shit. Fuck. Damn it. FUCK. I stumble temporarily, then catch myself and hug her back, suddenly very sad for reasons I can't quite explain. "Thanks," I whisper. I'll need it. "If I d--" I stop. "Stay safe," I say instead. My face morphs into a sort of humbled awe. I hesitantly take both of his hands in mine after a short pause. "Our? Are you... are you my human donor, Gabe?" "No-" Gabe responds immediately. "No, no- No, I just- I didn't mean to say that. I didn't. Whoops. Haha." He ducks his head down. "I guess over the past few years I've come to really care about you two- you and Sam." "i wish you could too," i say, frowning. "but i- or, we won't be gone too long!! i think. i don't think we ever actually got an estimate on time," i pause for a moment, then shrug. "it's probably for the best that you get back there anyway, in case anyone still needs help. or baked goods. plus i'm going with a bunch of my friends and we all have cool powers!! like uhh," - i mentally list my token group to myself - "oh, i've told you about hale! he's got rage powers now! which is.. fitting! and i have healing powers!! and so does my mom! she's also coming!!! lotta people. so uh.." i scratch the back of my head. "not that you being there to help us too wouldn't be appreciated!! i'm gonna miss you and everybody at home a ton, but i think we'll be okay with what we have," i say, smiling warmly. "I will. I promise." Lyra mutters between breaths. "Promise you will too?" She peels away just enough to look up at you, eyes red and watery. "Please?" My expression morphs from confused to surprised to a soft understanding. "Oh. Like Pythia," I say quietly, before stepping forward and hugging him. I press my face into his shoulders so nobody sees the few stray tears that fall. "Thanks for everything, by the way." "I'll..." I look away, unable to meet her eyes. "I'll do my best." "Of course you'll be okay." Tylus places their hands on your shoulders with a gentle and sincere smile. "I'm proud of you, Silas. You've come so far and done so much. I never doubted for a second that you had it in you. Stay safe, please. For everyone." "Yeah. Like Pythia." Gabe rubs your back as you hug him, sighing. "Don't mention it. I'm gonna miss you, kid." Lyra stares up at you for a few more seconds before she realizes that's the best she's going to get, and promptly goes back to crying into your shirt. I draw back, bringing my arms back to my side and stepping back next to Finn. A wave of self consciousness crashes over me. "I'll see you again," I tell Gabe firmly, nodding. "Me and Sam. We'll be back before you even have time to miss us." "If I come back, um," I frown, gut twisting. It's suddenly hit me that I don't want to die. I clear my throat again. "If I come back, you have to teach me about your cakes," I say firmly. That's a lie. My voice wavers. "Because I've never had one. And I want to." "You better be!" Gabe scowls playfully. "I'm counting on you two." "Of course!!!" Lyra steps back and attempts to scrubs her tears away hastily. She fails. "I will!! I'll show you. We can make- we can make a cake. Together." I nod stiffly. "I don't think I'll be very good at it. I tried to make a bomb once, and, uh--" I snap my mouth shut. "Never mind. Cake. Yes. Later." I bite the inside of my cheek, nod again, and spin on my heel to walk off. I roughly wipe my eye with the heel of my hand. Just in case. A shout echoes across the shipyard, from the entrance to the city. "HELP!!!" A medium-small sized human person, whose main defining trait is "filthy as all hell", is barreling across the pavement at a full sprint. Someone much cleaner is chasing them from a distance. The person bolts up to Hale and stops dead, huffing. "Yo=ou- yo=o. Hale? Hale. You're blue now. Oh- shit." The junkrat scampers behind you, hiding. "I'm no=ot here. Yo=ou didn't see me." "You fucking asshole!!" The mountain sun helper-worker-person hisses, marching towards Hale. "Get back here you mangy bitch! I'm not done with you!" "FUCK O=OFF!" Junkrat yells, lightly touching Hale's shoulders from behind to steady himself as he peeks around him. "Why are yo=ou peo=ople so=o o=obsessed with trying to=o CLEAN ME???" "IT'S SOAP. IT'S NOT GOING TO KILL YOU." The helper throws their hands into the air. "What the FUCK?" I yell. "Hale- HaleHale-Hale. Listen. Buddy." Junkrat circles in front of you. He looks desperate. "Pal. Buddy. Friend- o=okay, maybe that last o=one's to=oo=o far. Yo=ou're leaving right? Getting the hell o=out o=of this place? Co=oming here was a mistake. A big o=one. Take me with yo=ou." "I can't STAND it here. I can't take it anymo=ore. PLEASE LET ME CO=OME WITH. I CAN BE QUIET." "HUH?" The helper crosses her arms, frowning, just watching. "I--what--how--?" I take fistfuls of my hair and twist. "WHAT? No, hold on--" I put a finger up. "Don't--okay." I take a deep breath. "Fine. Fine. Just don't fucking touch me until--one condition. Get fucking clean." I rub my face with both hands. "What the fuck," I whisper to myself. the following events decidedly occur prior to the entrance of junkrat im so sorry. tylus' hand on my shoulder is a pretty good cue for me to just kind of sink forward and wrap my arms loosely around them. i smile into their shirt and stay like that until it has been several seconds since they stopped talking, at which point i draw myself back quickly and rub my eyes with my arm, sniffling slightly. "thank you," i say. "thank you. i will!! i promise i'll stay safe. and i'm coming back to see everyone the second i get the chance," i add, rubbing my eyes again before smiling to them. i look around, noting that it looks like everyone's just about finishing up, then turn back to tylus, my hands in my pockets. "well! i guess i should probably, uh, get going now. thank you for... everything," i chuckle, taking a step back and waving. "i'll see you again soon!!" once again, the above events decidedly occur prior to the entrance of junkrat im so sorry. "See you soon, Silas." Tylus holds out their hand, offering you what looks like some sort of green amulet on a brown cord. "Here. You'll need this more than I do." i tilt my head curiously. my eyes widen as i hold out my hand to take it, with a quiet "whoaaaa"; if the brown cord is such that the amulet is to be used as a bracelet or a necklace or something of the sort, i put it on myself as that, otherwise i inspect it briefly before captchaloguing it. It takes me probably an embarrassingly long time, and if it was humanly possible, you could definitely see the buffering icon over my face. “wait hold on you mean your boss Gabe is my uncle gabe who is also” I look at Gabe with just a mask of confusion. “how connected are we” My eyebrows shoot to my forehead. “Wait- he’s your uncle?!” The amulet is meant to be worn as a necklace, yes. Tylus grins at it, then at you. "Good luck. I'll always be with you if you ever need me- we all will be." Junkrat's expression goes from desperation to joy to some sort of mingled dread. "Alright. Yeah. O=okay." He steps away from you, begrudgingly, and towards the mountain sun worker. The helper grins smugly and pulls a sponge out of their sylladex, grabbing Junkrat by the collar and scrubbing at his face. Gabe laughs. "Yeah! I'm Finn's uncle- Parker's brother. Seems like we all know one another, don't we?" “i gotta take a sec hold on” I recross my arms nervously, glancing at Finn while trying to pretend that I'm not looking and trying to gauge his reaction. I cross my arms and just watch the whole scene go down, half in shock, half in awe. Then my face falls. What the fuck did I just agree to. I do some mental math, drawing a picture in the air with my fingers. “so quin worked for my uncle who is the brother of my dad who lead an army with pirines mom both of whom were friends with cavalls mom who was best friends with the empress who” “i give up trying to understand this” *baroness I turn to Quin. “anyways glad to see you were in good hands” I give a short nod. "Yeah. Thanks." I dwell on this for a moment, before frowning. "Wait, did I just run into you by chance, Gabe? When I. You know." I gesture with my hand. "Came to town and... met Sam." "No, we knew you'd end up there." Gabe shrugs. "It worked out." I frown. "What? How? Who the fuck told you?!" "Sam did." Gabe smiles fondly. "She was keeping tabs on you." i hold the amulet out in front of myself with my eyes sparkling and my mouth slightly open, temporarily entranced by it. i am, in fact, a big fan of jade green lately. i lower it slightly, then look up to tylus, attempting to figure out what to say. "always be with all of you? uh," i stare at it again, somewhat confused. i squint. "...how?" "That's how Metra works, Silas." Tylus chuckles. Their eyebrows shoot up after a moment. "Oh! I almost forgot." They hold out a brown paper bag to you. "Wait, she-" I take a hesitant step backwards. I hate not knowing how much people know about me. "She knew about... you know. Where I'm from? Before I told her?" i release the amulet and grab the bag, opening it and looking inside. It's full of s'mores implements. "Just let Cashel handle whatever fire you decide to cook those things with, alright?" "Yeah, she did. She mentioned sleeping next to you on Derse occasionally." Gabe glances over at Sam, who's taking with the rest of the adjuvants. "Don't tell her I told you that." The helper moves on from his face to his arms. Junkrat sighs and pulls his goggles off his head, begrudgingly letting her clean him. Jesus. When I say I'm running out creative ways to say "I blush", I really fucking mean it hhahahhsHAHAHSNSNDH I blush. I flush. My face colors. Etc etc, I've said it all before, take your pick. I open my mouth hesitantly, before glancing back up at Finn and then back to Gabe. "Okay," I say bluntly, before stuffing my hands right back into my pockets, where they belong. "Bye." Once again, I turn and beeline off towards my next target - the woman with short hair I saw fighting the assassin earlier. "How are you HERE," I finally blurt out. Jacamar doesn't notice you approaching. (This is a lie. She just doesn't care.) Don't worry! I'm used to these strange types of people. "Spaceship." Junkrat spits out some soap. "Ugh. They carted a to=on o=of us here." "Hey, you. You were fighting that assassin lady that was... dead... but not really. Uh. Are you okay?" Jacamar raises a single eyebrow at you. "Just peachy. She shouldn't be bothering anyone again." "Okay. Thanks." I pause. "Glad you're okay." "...Yeah. I thought you were all dead for... uh, a bit." i close the bag, captchalogue it and move to hug tylus for what i think is the third, maybe fourth time this conversation. tighter this time, though, cause i'm not really crying or anything at the moment. i have dignity and all that. i kind of instinctively laugh about their choice of gift for a moment, actually. "you know me so well," i say, wrapped around them still. "thank you!!!" I turn to leave, before pausing. I stand there for a solid thirty seconds or so before sighing and turning back around. "Sorry, you- this sounds fucking stupid, but you feel really familiar. Have we met before?" "You're welcome." Tylus hugs you back, tightly. "Just- something to remind you of home." "I tho=ought I was go=onna be to=oo=o. But then I wasn't." The helper finishes with the sponge and pulls out a towel. She's practically attacking him with this stuff. "Jegus, lady, chill o=out," He mutters. "Yes, I do remember spearing you." Jacamar narrows her eyes at you. "You were trying to touch Lyra. In the void. That was unacceptable." "What?" I frown. "Fuck you. I've never even seen her before today." "Or you, for the matter. So you've got the wrong guy. Somehow." "Okay. Picture this. You're in the void, there's a bright light. Maybe it's singing too. You go towards it, and then this black thing kills you." She taps her chin mockingly. "Wow, does that sound familiar?" I narrow my eyes at them. "Sure. It adds up, except for how I didn't fucking try to touch her. Wait-" I bristle angrily. "You killed me? For THAT? Why couldn't you just fucking talk to me instead, you asshole?!" Her* I love it when I accidentally misgender cis sguiders out of reflex of using 'them' Oh just kidding. Sorry to say something like that about you Jacamar x I frown, shake my head, and put it out of my mind. "Do you even know where we're going." "Listen, kid. If there's someone I want to protect, I'm not going to ask nicely." Jacamar shrugs. "Nobody touches Lyra. End of story." I glance over my shoulder. "Seems like Hale was touching her an awful lot." "I do=on't care. We co=ould be getting a ticket straight to=o the gates o=of hell and I'd be o=on bo=oard." The helper finally finishes, stepping away with a satisfied nod. He could still use a change of clothes, but this is probably the cleanest he's ever been. Definitely the cleanest YOU'VE ever seen him. Jacamar scowls. "An unfortunate side effect of Lyra being attached to him." "Whatever, edgelord. Just don't fucking kill me again or we're going to have a problem." My frown deepens as I remember how she felt in the void. "You... are you a Katanalosi worshipper, or what?" "Used to be. It doesn't exactly wear off." She waves a hand. "Useful abilities, at least." "Oh. Is that why you know Finley?" "Not at all." Jacamar chuckles, glancing over at Finley. They're inspecting one of the ships. "We grew up... together. More or less." I scratch my head. "Yeah okay," I mutter to myself. Sure. Whatever. My life is already so goddamn weird. Assuming that the worker is done with him, I turn around and wave for him to follow me. "You-" My eyes widen. "Oh. I. Are you...? A?" I nod my head. "You know. One of them?" Junkrat follows after you closely. He looks like he would rather walk beside you, but settles for behind you instead, sending the occasional glance at your hair. "A DuBose? No. I just lived there. No parents, no rules. You know how it is." Jacamar crosses their arms. "No nothing. Just an annoying ass kid called Lygari to steal my shit." My tone becomes a little more hostile. "How the fuck do you know that I know how it is." I quickly realize I have no clue where the fuck I'm going, and stop dead in the middle of the yard. "Shit," I say quietly, and then shoot Junkrat a look. "Fuck do you keep looking at me like that for." I scan the area for Cashel. I think he's the only member of our group that's not occupied, knows what's going on, and isn't Candra. i smile again. "oh! i, uh.." i check my pockets and look through my sylladex, noting that there is in fact nothing here that is unnecessary enough to give as a keepsake. i mutter a nice, gentle "fuck" upon realizing this. "well... oh! uh, you have clerihew to remind you of me back home! especially now that i, y'know" - i take a step back and swoosh my tail out a little, grinning - "bear such resemblance to him" "You lived there. That means you know. Really, do I have to explain everything to you?" Jacamar deadpans. "I meant how you fucking knew I live there. Here, let me hold your hand if you're going to make me lead you through this whole fucking conversation." "Why do=o yo=ou have blue hair." Junkrat frowns. Cashel is occupied, talking with the other adjuvants. You know, the tightly knit friend group that is about to be split apart, maybe forever? Jacamar grins and reaches out, grabbing your hand and holding it up. "Finley told me, idiot." They coo. They're fully aware of how uncomfortable this makes you. Oh, fuck you, buddy. You want to play that game? I lace our fingers together and squeeze. "Why'd they do that. It's none of your fucking business, now is it?" "Oh yes, why would you two share a last name if you had nothing in common?" They twist their hand around, further than yours can turn. It hurts! "I'm sure I never would have put two and two together, Lygari." "I don't--I died and it was like this when I woke up." I reach up and run a hand through it, somewhat insecure. "It, uh, yeah. I also got this," I say, and hold my hand out, showcasing my arm, all cracked and fucked up as it is. "I don't know why it's like that." I am going to die before I let myself even give a wince at that. I keep looking at them straight on, expression unchanging, and fight back against their hand as hard as I can. "You shouldn't have even known my name to begin with. I'm tired of all these Katanalosi freaks knowing more about me than I know about them." "I'll take good care of him. He really does miss you, you know." Tylus sighs, smiling at your tail. "Oh. Yeah. And, uh." I lower my voice. "The br--they're gone. The bracelets." "Oh, Skyssa, it's worse than you could ever imagine." Jacamar grins dangerously, twisting your hand further and further with every passing second. "You're an off note, a blaring siren, a raging wildfire. You can't ever hide. Not from one of them. You're lucky you have Finley." i sigh too. "i'm sure you will! and.. oh, you should get him one of these metra necklaces!!" i say. i miss clerihew a lot, but i know he's in good hands. "to remember me by and all" "Oh." Junkrat replies quietly. He stands in silence for another couple of seconds, floundering, looking down at the bracelets on his wrists. "Guess dying isn't all bad, huh? You get cool hair, and a co=oo=ol arm, and all that shit." My face contorts in pure, unbridled anger. A few purple sparks pop around me. "My name is Quin," I hiss, still pushing back and trying not to let the pain get to me. "Say it right, motherfucker." "I know your name is Quin. I'm just making a point." Jacamar rolls her eyes. "Trust me, I've gone by more names than a gambler on Ku'Sorix." In one fluid motion, she twists your arm further than it can physically move. You swear you hear a crack from somewhere in your arm the moment before she lets it go. "You're pretty stupid for someone so obvious." I let out a small hiss of pain, but don't budge. "At least I don't hurt people who don't deserve it," I spit, and clench my free hand at my side, trying to grab some of their rage. Tylus laughs. It's nice to hear again, hearty and full of life. "I will." "You got that goin' for you, sure." Jacamar shrugs again and leans back against the ship. You can't seem to get a grip on their rage. It feels like their entire form, their whole being, is constantly shifting and sliding around inside their shell. It's really fucking weird. She let go of me, yes? "Yeah. Well. I got a little tortured. I think? I don't know. And it's b--fuck." I break off, and stare blankly into the distance. "Been two days. Uh. I can do other stuff. Look." I step back and hold up a hand, lifting him half a foot into the air, and then set him down lightly. "So." Yes, she did. How's my arm feeling? i am also full of life! that is why god wants to eat me. i chuckle a bit too and smile at them before turning to scan the rest of the group. upon seeing the latest quin lygari events, i promptly decide to turn back to tylus silently with a slight newfound resemblance to :monkey1:. "WhOA FUCK." Junkrat kicks his legs helplessly in the air, freezing in a sort of crouch once you set him down, just in case you do something else. "Shit. Ho=oly fuck. What in the go=oddamn hell HAPPENED to=o yo=ou?" He frowns and stands up straight after a second or two of recovery. "That's fucking wild." Your arm hurts like a bitch. Something in there is broken. I'm able to move it, though. Right? Tylus snorts at your expression. "At least you aren't getting your arm disjointed by an assassin that's been a gardener for the past seventeen years." You are, but it hurts like a bitch. Great. I slap her. Or... try to. Probably don't succeed. "wh-" i tilt my head and squint. "you know her????" In one swift motion, Jacamar grabs your wrist, pulls you towards her, braces against the ship and sends her foot square into your chest as hard as she can, releasing your wrist at the same time. The result is you hurtling several feet backwards, stumbling, desperately wheeling your arms around, then falling flat on your ass. "I know everyone, Silas!" Tylus laughs again. "I'd bet I know everyone you do." I spit in their direction and storm off to some corner of the room. Preferably out of their sight. You're outside! Good luck. God fucking dammit "A lot. I kill people now." I grimace. "We should go," I say firmly, and start walking again, now over to the ships. Is there any place in the area I'm standing where I am out of their sight? If so, I go there. I am big mad and don't want to look at them anymore. You go and hide behind your ship like a big fucking baby. Yes I do! Yes I do. "Ohalright." Junkrat breathes out, still following you, without hesitation this time. "So=o, uh, which o=one's o=ours?" "That," I say, scowling, "Is the problem." Junkrat squints at the ships. "Hmm. They all have their benefits. That o=one's fast," He points at one, then moves to another. "And that o=one's pretty sturdy. And that o=one is the mo=ost inco=onspicuo=ous, and that's a well-ro=ounded cruiser." "at this point that... somehow makes sense. i'd bet you do too," i say. not in a bad way, in case it's listening, but metra is so fucking weird. i turn to watch quin, who seems to be hiding for both fun and shame, and consider going over there and healing him. he does seem to be in rougher shape than usual. After I calm down enough to not attack them on sight, I sigh and stalk back out from where I was definitely-not-hiding. For as spiteful as I am, I'm not going to leave here with an arm I can barely move. I spot Candra and walk over to her. i cease considering that. "How the fuck do you know that." I regard him strangely. I don't know much about ships, do I? Are any of them yellow. Candra is currently talking with Sebastian. They're both grinning. Candra says something and Sebastian laughs just as you walk over. Oh god I didn't mean to interrupt the m/fs Oh god. This is so embarrassing. "Sorry," I blurt out, glancing from Sebastian to her. "I can- Silas. I will go ask him." You don't know much about ships. "I kno=ow a bunch abo=out ships. They'e co=oo=ol. I can identify mo=ost stuff and fix mo=ost o=of it to=oo=o." Junkrat props his hands up on his hips, nodding at the spaceships proudly. One of them is painted dull yellow and black, yes. "Your arm is broken." Sebastian says matter-of-factly, before you can leave. Candra gasps and frowns. "Oh no! Come here, let me fix that." "Not broken," I lie through my teeth. "It's not that bad. Just gotta take care of it before we leave." I point at that one. "That one's ours. Which one is that." "No, it's broken." Sebastian nods at Candra. "I can feel it all the way over here." "That o=one?" Junkrat walks forward and around it, inspecting it. "No=ot bad. This is the well-ro=ounded o=one. It's the mo=ost no=ormal o=one, and the seco=ond sturdiest. Decently fast." "Don't say it so loudly," I mutter, walking over to Candra. "I don't want to give her the satisfaction." Sebastian glances past you at Jacamar. "Right." Candra hovers her hands over your arm, giving you a bright smile. "Never be afraid to ask for help!" "How," I mutter. I narrow my eyes at him. "Did you have a book too." Candra heals it with minimal lightshow, only a faint glow to tell where you were hurt. It fades in a second or two. "Yeah." Junkrat scratches the back of his head absently. "I did." "I don't-" I cut myself off with a sigh, letting her heal me. I suddenly feel very sheepish. "Thanks, m- Candra" I say, glancing at Seb quickly again. "And you too, Sebastian." "Of course!" Candra exclaims happily. Sebastian just nods. "I'm going to miss you, Quin." She frowns. "But Seb and Finley will take care of you. All of you." My face falls a little. Oh, yeah. we're doing the whole "parting ways" thing, aren't we. I've never had to say goodbye to anyone before. Well, besides the Watcher worshipper, but they don't count right now. "Oh. Yeah," I say, rubbing the back of my neck for the third time in 20 minutes. "I... yeah." I mentally kick myself. This is my mom, I need to say SOMETHING more. Even if Sebastian is right there. I stick out my hand for her to shake. I stare blankly at the ship. "What..?" Who the fuck. I furrow my eyebrows. Fiddler just gave that shit out for free? That doesn't make any sense. I decide that I will think about it later. Candra doesn't take your hand. She spreads her arms, offering you a hug instead. "Well, so=orta a bo=oo=ok. It was eno=ough. I scro=ounged up so=ome designs and stuff to=oo=o." Junkrat shrugs uselessly. I glance at Sebastian AGAIN. This feels so... strange to do in front of someone else. "Sorry," I say to him quickly, before stepping forward and hugging Candra tightly. I rest my head on her shoulder and squeeze. Sebastian looks away while you hug her. He was friends with Finley. He knows how you people are about hugs. Candra squeezes you back. "Oh." I'm a little jealous. I trail off, racking my brain for anything else to say. "Uh... you ever heard of bandaids." Junkrat frowns. "What's a band-aid?" I hold up my hand and show him. "It's so fucking weird. Apparently people put them on injuries. Like, small ones." I shrug. The last bit said with a great deal of disdain. "Really? Why?" He squints at it. "She said it was to keep it from getting infected." I frown. "I think it's a more like a sport." "O=oo=oh. I see." He leans back. "Yo=ou're winning." "These outside people are so fucking weird," I continue, pointing in a random direction without looking. "You think I know what a fucking simore is?" I let out a frustrated huff. "Well. I do now." "Simo=ore??" Junkrat glances to wherever you pointed. "The fuck is that? So=ome kind o=of animal?" "It's like..." I frown and mime a little box with my hands. "A... food sandwich. With these squishy white things. You set it on fire." Junkrat frowns in concern. "Why wo=ould so=omeo=one ruin fo=oo=od by lighting it o=on fire??" I shrug. "I told you. Outside people are fucking weird." "So=o..." Junkrat glances from your hair, to your wrists, to the ground. "Ho=ow lo=ong do=o yo=ou have to=o be o=out here to=o be o=one o=of the o=outside peo=ple?" "...Uh. I don't... know. I guess there technically aren't outside people anymore. Considering it's all bombed." I look away. He looks away too. "It was pretty co=oo=ol. Scary. But co=oo=ol." I cough awkwardly into my fist. "Sorry I told you to, y'know. Die. I was kind of stressed. At the time." "O=oh yeah, I fo=orgo=ot abo=out that." He glances back at you. "I tho=ought I was go=onna die fo=or sure anyway." I shove my hands into my pockets. "Cool." I give the gathered descendants, ancestors, adjuvants, and others one last sweeping look before jerking my thumb behind me, at the ship. "I'm getting on." And then I do that. Junkrat follows. So, are we going to take bets on when you'll ask him his name? I pull back from Candra and take her face between my hands. I press a kiss to her forehead. "Stay safe," I say simply, before taking my hands back and turning away without another word. I look for my next victim - sibling, ancestor, adjuvant, I don't care. I'm on a mission. I give Gabe one last hug, then go to inspect the Yellowbird. I snap out of whatever the fuck trance I’ve been in for the past several minutes, and glance around. Any indication of which of these ships is the Solance? Might as well go check it out before we leave. Oh god damn it... I forgot I had friends that aren't related to me, too. SIGH. Anyone. Come get some. Etoile is talking to Parker. The adjuvants are still talking. Pythia is nowhere to be seen. Lirium is talking to Seth. Etc etc. Oh fuck it. Sorry sunless fable, I don't have time for all of you. I will pick favorites, and two of them are away right now, so it looks like we're doing family first. You have no idea which one is the Solanace, but if you had to guess, you could manage. The bigger, blocky one is probably the Harbinger, and the sleek one is the Nimbus, and the yellow and black one is the Yellowbird. That leaves a smaller black ship to be the Solanace. I'll hit the adjuvants last. I have some special things planned for them. In the meantime, I approach Etoile and Parker. Might as well get through the moms first. The Yellowbird definitely doesn't look new or anything, but it definitely looks like it'll blend in. The paint is faded and worn off in places, but the engines look just dandy. Cool, makes sense. Alright, I begin to walk in the direction of the Solance, but don't go inside just yet, checking out the outside of the ship first. After watching everyone say their goodbyes, both pleasant and....unpleasant, I make my way toward the ship! I don’t really have any people to say goodbye too, since my family will be coming with me, but I wave at every friend I see along the way. I don’t want any sad goodbyes with my parting friends. This isn’t goodbye, and we’ll see each other again as soon as this mission is completed successfully. I know we’ll all make it back in one piece. We have to. For now, though, I stop thinking about that, and walk onto the dreaded ship. Not a lot of good memories in space, but I am going to try and block those out per usual. Just rogue things! Etoile waves at you. Parker does too. "Hi Quin!" The Solanace isn't a new ship by any means, but it looks like it's had lots of various upgrades tacked onto it. Should do the trick. "Hi. Just coming over to say bye." You know, in case this is the last time we meet and all. I smile and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really happy I was able to meet you and everything." "You too, Quin." Etoile smiles at you sadly. "I'll see you again soon, alright?" She pulls you into a hug without warning. I hug her, patting her back. "Please take care of Pirine for me," I say quietly. "I will. Make sure Parker comes back in his one supertherial piece, alright?" "That's not a WORD, Etoile." Parker strains, barely containing a laugh. "I'll be fine." I frown nervously, unsure of what she's asking me to do. I turn and point to parker menacingly. "Don't fucking die," I warn him, before turning back to her and checking for her approval. Etoile frowns. "Uh... right." "Etoile, I'm not going with Finley." Parker reminds her gently. "OH. Haha! Right." Her face turns bright red. "Right. I knew that. Thanks Quin." I nod, satisfied. "Take care of Silas, too," I tell Parker. "And Navy and Finn. And hale, for the matter." I grin a little. "Good luck with him, by the way." "I'm sure it'll be just fine." Parker rolls his eyes. "I've dealt with one Lygari for years. What's two more?" "Hey. Watch it." I give him and Etoile a nod before turning and walking over to the adjuvants. Last stop. Satisfied with my quick inspection of the ship, I pause for a moment to look around at my assorted friends and family. I nod, to no one in particular, before adjusting my goggles and heading inside. The adjuvants all stop talking and turn to you as you approach. "Hey, Quin." Sam greets. "Hi," I say, and glance behind me quickly. Looks like we gotta get a move on here. "I just wanted to say bye, and all. In case. Uh." I clear my throat. "Anyways... it was really cool to meet you guys. I'm sorry we couldn't hang out more before I had to go. And." I touch my pin. "Thanks for being understanding, and everything." "Of course," Cashel replies first. "No prob," Echoes Ryker, giving you a thumbs up. "Yeah, Quin! We're always here if you want to talk to anyone. Well, I am, at least." Flo grins, nudging the boys. "We can all hang out afterwards. It'll be fun. Sleepovers with the five of us instead of just four!" Sam grins around the group. Oh boy. I've never had one of those before. Well... I have, I guess, but we didn't call it that. Anyways. I nod firmly. "Right. I'll- yeah. I'll see you guys then," I say, determined, before giving a short wave and heading back to the ship. Time to GO. Sam turns back and hugs all her friends, saying her final goodbyes, then follows Quin to the ship. Lanval follows onto the Solanace. Sebastian and Cole do as well. Parker hugs Etoile. Etoile leaves to the Harbinger. Parker runs over to Finley and hugs them one last time too. Cavall was just finishing up saying her goodbyes to Lirium and wishing her luck. She grins and wraps Lirium in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground for a moment before setting her back down with a wave and rushing off to join Levett. i turn back to tylus. "well! i should probably get going now, but it was really nice getting to see you," i chuckle, glancing in the direction of the yellowbird, then looking back. "thank you for everything!! i'll be back home soon!!!!" i grin, before walking to and getting in the ship, stopping several times to turn back and wave goodbye. Lirium flounders, face pink, for a moment, then looks around for her brother. Silas has already gone, unfortunately. She leaves for her ship after waving to her mom. FUCK. I do believe that's everyone.