Pleiades Cabin Talk

Rose Weaver | They/He | Crew member of the Pleiades Cruiseline

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Hello...?

Right ah, hello there!

I've been a little restless as of late and remembered that a good old friend of mine used to use this site? So I figured I'd give this a try.

Okay, I guess introductions are in order?

My name is Rose, I use They/He pronouns. I've gone by all sorts of names by now, but Rose is the one that just kind of...stuck.

Anyway. I'm 26 and I work on and off on the ships of the cruiseline Pleiades. Have for years now. I rotate between them, but my main post tends to be up on the Andromeda, the largest amongst her sisterships.

They all have different routes, though most of them stay out on the sea for multible days at a time between stops and honestly it's the most peace you can find. Out in the open, with nothing but sky and sea in sight. Endless expanses of nothingness with no idea of what lurks below or above at all times. Something about that has always been reassuring to me.

I liked the ocean first, I think. Felt like it was calling to me. When I was younger I'd go on vacation often with my parents, we'd end up near some beach or another most times. I never wanted to leave. Stayed in the arms of the sea as long as I could. The stars and with it space, came later in my teens. Both stuck till now, and here we are. Couldn't have asked for a better place to work than this, to be honest.

Gosh, I am rambling again...ah.

Well, I suppose this blog is meant to serve as a sort of...not diary, but log of some of the happenings on the ships, I suppose?

There's always plenty to do here, plenty happening, incessant as the call, that tug in my chest may be.

Join me out here for a chat?

______

OCC: Hola! This is an rp blog!! Rose is an Avatar of the Vast and heavily marked by the Lonely. Slight Eye touch, but mainly because of them remembering a Timeline that doesn't exist anymore. They are calm most of the time, though can get rather excitable and even flirty at times.

He is afab, curvy and a bit chubby with dirty blonde, wavy hair down to about the middle of their back and has moss green eyes, if that info is needed? 5'8.

Rose's own Timeline kind of...hit the fan a few years back. the new one seems to be the same, but they've yet to find someone who remembers like him. They feel erased, all friends they'd tried to reach for not knowing him. Not to mention that, this time? It seems the Fears are more than fiction...

_

I've never done an rp on tumblr, so please bare with me!!

Contentwarnings for: possible mentions of falling, drowning, helplessness, isolation, legal and non drugs and abuse (verbal and in the past, it's parental)

I'm mainly aiming for sfw, but willing to do nsfw if discussed beforehand.

Flirting is perfectly fine, and if there is anything you're unsure of, just ask!

Okay I think this is it for now? May update if need be.

Update: when my text is blue, it is for rp purposes, my 'canon typical' posts and the like will be in the normal white! This is to keep things more easily separated.

Purple and cursive is for little snippits of Rose's past present and future, meant to just aid in extra info one may want to use, or just to enjoy getting to know a little bit more.

Asks are more than welcome!! I love them, always open for them! Dms are also open for rp purposes ald discussing ideas or just questions!

Edits:

18th of June 2025

- changed age to 25, as Rose has had their birthday during their hiatus!

18th of May 2026

- changed age to 26. Same reason as above. It being the 18th again is coincidental and not intended lmao

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

It's a quiet,lonely, rainy day. The café is empty, besides one person sitting there. They're sitting by the window,face partially obscured by fluffy,purple-black curls. They appear to be in thought.

Rose gently presses against the door handle, letting it smoothly open infront of him. The bell above the door does not chime, all though it very well should. Stepping inside, he let's it fall shut behind him, drowning out the rain into a distant dribble against the glass.

He eyes the only costumer inside for just a moment, takes in their lovely hair, then strides silently up to the counter ahead of him. He's wearing his thick hair down, letting the dark blond waves that blended into a foggy, oddly blurry white fall down his back and sides, face half obscured. For clothes he wore a baby blue blouse of some sort, flaring wide at the ends and covering his hands up to just before his fingertips. It has a low, straight across neckline that is not filled in with jewlerly, instead remaining barren. A few dark spots splatter about, darkening the fabric from his trip outside.

He wore a white, long skirt underneath, ruffling mildly in two lower sectionsy the bottom kissing his socked ankles that slipped into his favorite Mary Janes.

He orders himself some loose leaf tea with a dab of honey, pauses, and then orders the other person some too, paying ahead of time before seating himself on the opposite end of the café. He glances their way once after sitting down, then pulls a book out of his leatherbound bag slung over his shoulder to read.

It doesn't take too long until his tea is delivered, followed by a cup of the same drink being brought across the room to the stranger with much too familiar hair. He dares not look for a reaction, scared of what he'll find. Or perhaps moreso what he knows cannot be there for him to see.

Too many faces have seemed familiar as of late, whenever he dared to step into the world outside, and it was starting to drag at him with an invisible weight.

Trying to distract himself, he continues to read, half his hair length twisting on the table to the sides of the book.

[crownofwebs]

From what little that wasn't obscured by hair,it was evident that the stranger was wearing a baggy, yet cropped,black top.

They were fidgeting with a curl, clearly lost in their own world.

Eventually,they look up, seeing their drink get delivered. With a distracted smile,they thank the server, glancing behind their shoulder to check out the person who paid for their drink.

After a hesitant second,they grab their drink and walk over to his table. What stood in front of him was a lanky goth with bright blue eyes.

"excuse me, would you like some company?"

Amelie asked Rose with a slight smile. They had a rather "posh" sounding British accent,but some of the words carried a lilt similar to French.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose looked up when spoken to, not having registered the approaching footsteps. He looks a little startled and blinks a few times, before flushing slightly and nodding, rushing to close his book and swipe his hair off the table, looking a little embarrassed.

Catching himself a moment later, he nods again and speaks. His voice is a tad gruff, like he hadn't been using it much in a long, long time.

"u-uh.. Yeah- Y-yeah I wouldn't mind that, absolutely...!" he gives an awkward little grin, then crosses his arms over the book.

He supposes he should've expected this, in a way- buz he mentally curses himself anyway. Their face is blurry to him, just slightly, but familiar, and he hopes the fog his mind helpfully placed over their expressions never dared dicipate.

...maybe for a little while, for just a little moment, he could pretend he was sitting with Amelie like they'd done in the past, chatting about, perhaps curled up similar to how they'd been back then on the ship...

He aches.

He smiles.

Another stranger that he'd walk past the next day, losing touch with who was real and who was one of his past ghosts haunting him.

"I hope you didn't mind me ordering you some tea?"

[crownofwebs]

They sit down next to Rose,cup still in hand, though still keeping a slight distance and making sure not to touch him or his hair in any way possible

"Oh really? How sweet of you."

Amelie gives Rose a close-lipped,polite smile. Their energy was mellow, slightly guarded,but their voice reflected geniune thankfulness for the gesture.

"My name is Amelie,by the way,what about you? I have to say, your hair is gorgeous, do you have any secrets on how to achieve something similar?"

Blue eyes, piercingly bright,stare at him with curiosity, but not necessarily recognition. Staring at him as if he was a puzzle to figure out,a book to read. Her eyes trailed over to his hair, taking interest in the colour and length. It was so different from their nearly black curls, and looked so smooth and shiny. Would it feel just as soft?..

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose listens, and then nods bundling his hair into his arms and swooping over the shoulder furthest from the other to keep it out of their way.

"Thank you, Amelie" he starts, first, and the name feels still as soft on his tongue as it used to, tasting of seasalt memories spent on a discarded ship with only the two of them on board. The haze thickens, blurs the memory away and buries it so he may continue on with a just as soft smile. It's close lipped, too, though just a tad strained at the edges, as if strung up by strings.

"It's lovely to meet you. My name's Rose. I ah...there isn't a big secret to my hair, I don't think? Bit of rosemary oil or joboa tree oil and the likes, double shampooing, using conditioner and hair masks when necessary. It's mostly the standard prosedure, really. You'd need a different routine, though. I have brushed out waves, you've got pretty curls. It'd...be easier to give tips if you tell me what you usually do, if you'd like?" He worries he's overstepping some sort of like, but he does mean to help if the other is actually seeking advice and not just trying to make conversation. He can't tell the difference, though. Social cues still sometimes elude him, even when he tries his best to learn and study them whenever he can.

He looks at Amelie, but he's unseeing. He knows he's here and they're there. He looks into their eyes because he knows where they are, even when his mind fights him on it. He'd know the other blind, and he does, even now, after so long.

He breathes, careful and calculated, and tries to keep up the impression of a man just a little nervous to talk to a stranger.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Shortly after he reads through Mich's response, one of the doors in the bunker a good twenty paces ahead of Rose slowly creaks open. After a few suspenseful breaths, out comes... a single firefly.

A few breaths later, just long enough for most people's worries to fade away, about a thousand more fireflies flow from the door, forming a mass. From the mass of fireflies, steps out a relatively normal looking person. He's a Mexican man, looking to be roughly in it's 30's. She's wearing jeans and a yellow windbreaker, and they have their hands cupped together around something.

Rose perks up at the echoing creaking, glancing at his phone one last time before pocketing it and eyeing the distance as he waits.

Nothing. Nothing for a long while. Then, a firefly. Confusion takes him aback, before he decides to hesitantly approach a few steps, crossing about 10 paces before pausing once more. Perhaps it is all fine and the fellow entity would pop out any moment. But he remains a little tense. He knows not to trust other Avatars off the bat, no matter what.

And so he waits, legs apart, knees bent just enough to allow him an easier time turning and running if necessary.

Then a million more fireflies swarm out of that damned door, and surprise him enough to coax a rather high pitched squeak out of him. He takes a step back, then a second to steady his stance, and watches as a man just a little older than him emerges.

He tilts his head, trying to take her in proper before cautiously approaching, stopping only 2 paces infront of him and giving a small wave.

"...That's one way to make an entrance" he comments, then gives a light laugh, knowing his worries were larger than they should be for a couple of tiny bugs and a man holding what he assumes are the critters they had been talking about. He looks them in the eye, the looks down at their cupped hands, only to look up again. "Hope the way here wasn't too draining?" he tries.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Hey. You seem like the sort who'd have a use for trash-eating creatures, you want a fistfull of adolescent Space Raccoons I found in the fuel tank of my van?

Wuh??

Uh, I mean I definitely wouldn't mind I guess if you can't like, ethically put them back into....space?

But I do recommend you be careful with them racoons are one of the only animals that we know can hate and truly hold a grudge against people.

Coupled with sharp claws, teeth and their intelligence, that can get nasty pretty darn fast.

Time and place n I'll be there ig?

...unless I am taking this serious when it's actually a joke and I just didn't get the memo again...

[abyssiot]

Now works, where are you?

Gotta know if I can drive or if I have to 🚪

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Oh shit man I'm like uh, lowkey somewhere below St. James Park- I can make my way up though? There's a few doors 'round here so I can probably find my way up decently fast. Was having a look at the old WWII bunkers y'know?

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Hey. You seem like the sort who'd have a use for trash-eating creatures, you want a fistfull of adolescent Space Raccoons I found in the fuel tank of my van?

Wuh??

Uh, I mean I definitely wouldn't mind I guess if you can't like, ethically put them back into....space?

But I do recommend you be careful with them racoons are one of the only animals that we know can hate and truly hold a grudge against people.

Coupled with sharp claws, teeth and their intelligence, that can get nasty pretty darn fast.

Time and place n I'll be there ig?

...unless I am taking this serious when it's actually a joke and I just didn't get the memo again...

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

It's a quiet,lonely, rainy day. The café is empty, besides one person sitting there. They're sitting by the window,face partially obscured by fluffy,purple-black curls. They appear to be in thought.

Rose gently presses against the door handle, letting it smoothly open infront of him. The bell above the door does not chime, all though it very well should. Stepping inside, he let's it fall shut behind him, drowning out the rain into a distant dribble against the glass.

He eyes the only costumer inside for just a moment, takes in their lovely hair, then strides silently up to the counter ahead of him. He's wearing his thick hair down, letting the dark blond waves that blended into a foggy, oddly blurry white fall down his back and sides, face half obscured. For clothes he wore a baby blue blouse of some sort, flaring wide at the ends and covering his hands up to just before his fingertips. It has a low, straight across neckline that is not filled in with jewlerly, instead remaining barren. A few dark spots splatter about, darkening the fabric from his trip outside.

He wore a white, long skirt underneath, ruffling mildly in two lower sectionsy the bottom kissing his socked ankles that slipped into his favorite Mary Janes.

He orders himself some loose leaf tea with a dab of honey, pauses, and then orders the other person some too, paying ahead of time before seating himself on the opposite end of the café. He glances their way once after sitting down, then pulls a book out of his leatherbound bag slung over his shoulder to read.

It doesn't take too long until his tea is delivered, followed by a cup of the same drink being brought across the room to the stranger with much too familiar hair. He dares not look for a reaction, scared of what he'll find. Or perhaps moreso what he knows cannot be there for him to see.

Too many faces have seemed familiar as of late, whenever he dared to step into the world outside, and it was starting to drag at him with an invisible weight.

Trying to distract himself, he continues to read, half his hair length twisting on the table to the sides of the book.

[crownofwebs]

From what little that wasn't obscured by hair,it was evident that the stranger was wearing a baggy, yet cropped,black top.

They were fidgeting with a curl, clearly lost in their own world.

Eventually,they look up, seeing their drink get delivered. With a distracted smile,they thank the server, glancing behind their shoulder to check out the person who paid for their drink.

After a hesitant second,they grab their drink and walk over to his table. What stood in front of him was a lanky goth with bright blue eyes.

"excuse me, would you like some company?"

Amelie asked Rose with a slight smile. They had a rather "posh" sounding British accent,but some of the words carried a lilt similar to French.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose looked up when spoken to, not having registered the approaching footsteps. He looks a little startled and blinks a few times, before flushing slightly and nodding, rushing to close his book and swipe his hair off the table, looking a little embarrassed.

Catching himself a moment later, he nods again and speaks. His voice is a tad gruff, like he hadn't been using it much in a long, long time.

"u-uh.. Yeah- Y-yeah I wouldn't mind that, absolutely...!" he gives an awkward little grin, then crosses his arms over the book.

He supposes he should've expected this, in a way- buz he mentally curses himself anyway. Their face is blurry to him, just slightly, but familiar, and he hopes the fog his mind helpfully placed over their expressions never dared dicipate.

...maybe for a little while, for just a little moment, he could pretend he was sitting with Amelie like they'd done in the past, chatting about, perhaps curled up similar to how they'd been back then on the ship...

He aches.

He smiles.

Another stranger that he'd walk past the next day, losing touch with who was real and who was one of his past ghosts haunting him.

"I hope you didn't mind me ordering you some tea?"

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

It's a quiet,lonely, rainy day. The café is empty, besides one person sitting there. They're sitting by the window,face partially obscured by fluffy,purple-black curls. They appear to be in thought.

Rose gently presses against the door handle, letting it smoothly open infront of him. The bell above the door does not chime, all though it very well should. Stepping inside, he let's it fall shut behind him, drowning out the rain into a distant dribble against the glass.

He eyes the only costumer inside for just a moment, takes in their lovely hair, then strides silently up to the counter ahead of him. He's wearing his thick hair down, letting the dark blond waves that blended into a foggy, oddly blurry white fall down his back and sides, face half obscured. For clothes he wore a baby blue blouse of some sort, flaring wide at the ends and covering his hands up to just before his fingertips. It has a low, straight across neckline that is not filled in with jewlerly, instead remaining barren. A few dark spots splatter about, darkening the fabric from his trip outside.

He wore a white, long skirt underneath, ruffling mildly in two lower sectionsy the bottom kissing his socked ankles that slipped into his favorite Mary Janes.

He orders himself some loose leaf tea with a dab of honey, pauses, and then orders the other person some too, paying ahead of time before seating himself on the opposite end of the café. He glances their way once after sitting down, then pulls a book out of his leatherbound bag slung over his shoulder to read.

It doesn't take too long until his tea is delivered, followed by a cup of the same drink being brought across the room to the stranger with much too familiar hair. He dares not look for a reaction, scared of what he'll find. Or perhaps moreso what he knows cannot be there for him to see.

Too many faces have seemed familiar as of late, whenever he dared to step into the world outside, and it was starting to drag at him with an invisible weight.

Trying to distract himself, he continues to read, half his hair length twisting on the table to the sides of the book.

[itspronouncedcalliope]

Someone walks into the Institute, glancing around the entrance. The front desk does not hold a face he recognizes anymore, but he tries not to grimace at that fact, instead keeping his expression schooled and level, which ends up making him look a little cold, maybe even a little threatening.

He wears black, thick plants that flare at the bottom just enough to make his legs look a tad longer than they really are. A deep blue dress shirt with white fine lines, crossed over to form a pattern that reminds of the bottom of a pool, sits nest tugged into the waistline on top. His shoes are shiny, slightly banged up dock martens with the yellow stitching along the side of the sole and his dark blonde hair that faded into a hazy white was half tied up into a bun, the rest below it cascading down his back in gentle waves like a waterfall plummeting into the clouds.

His shirt is shirt sleeved, ending in wide cut cuffs just above his elbows, chest beneath bound tight to appear as flat as he could make it.

Right. He was here for a reason. Sort of, anyway. Now that he knew that... Someone, was actually real and here, he had some investigating to do, and what better place than the Institute.

He'd tried to avoid this place for the most part, safe for that one time, and then Eli...but still. He'd sworn off visits if he could help it.

Problem was he couldn't help it any longer.

Thus, he strided down the path to where he knew the archive would be, quiet on his feet.

He was hoping to catch...who, out of the bunch, would be the best for this? He wasn't sure, really. But he supposed either Jon or Sasha would do best, if he was lucky. Neither would believe and stories he told, most likely, and he wasn't intending on getting any of the crew involved in this business too early, but he did also want to ensure that the story he knew did not play out as it did for him. If that was something he could control at all, that is. He doesn't know.

Still. A hint. A warning. Maybe two or three, were in order in his opinion. That, and he needed some files...

He takes a sharp turn around the corner without checking first.

@pleiades-cabin-talk (hii! I've come to pester you...hehehe don't feel pressured to match my length!)

[It's not often that Sasha finds herself lost in thought-- but today has been rather uneventful, and with so much filing and organizing to do, it's easy for her mind to wander from the monotony of her work onto more engaging topics, such as whether to invite the others out for drinks today, or what she's going to wear to the annual Institute Christmas party. She's completely spaced out when she rounds that corner; it's not surprising that she collides with the newcomer, barely keeping her box of files in her grasp as she staggers back. She yelps in surprise.]

AH-- oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there! Are you okay?

[She examines him curiously, as if she can discern their intentions just from looking. Maybe he's a statement giver..?]

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose lets out a surprised gasp when he bumps directly into a body, arms moving forth before he can even truly process what he's doing. One hand lands on Sashas forearm, seemingly in a firm attempt to steady her, the other on a corner of the box filled with files upon files to steady it, too.

He blinks at her, eyes round and wide, then schools his expression into an easy smile, giving a light squeeze before letting her and the box go, taking a step back to reestablish personal space for the both of them. He gives a light bow with a small theatrical flare, one leg falling behind his over in the smooth motion. A good sized portion of his hair falls over his shoulder in the motion, remaining along his front when he staightens back up.

"I'm alright, thank you, but are you?" he looks her over to assess whenever she was fine or not. She seemed to be, at least at first glance. His eyes lock back onto hers.

"If anything, I should've been paying more attention, really." a glance to the close corner to his side. "...and perhaps should've taken a wider turn, too."

Rose doesn't look like he's searching for anything, anyone or anyplace, carrying an air of confidence to him that might make one believe he's been here before and knows his way around. Fear doesn't cling at all to his expression like it does to many incoming statement givers, instead looking calm and tranquil, just as fluid as his motions and silken hair.

He decides that the box looks rather heavy, and so motions towards it with the wave of a hand. "Perhaps I can make it back up to you by carrying that wherever it is that you need it to go?" It's a genuine offer, even if he does hope to get some more time to converse through it, too. "Under your supervision, of course. Wouldn't want to cause any trouble after all."

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Would be crazy if a whole Cruiseship with hundreds of people on it just dissapeared in the middle of the ocean, right?

Sure glad that totally doesn't happen, didn't happen and won't happen ever. At all.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Ooc post!!!

Heyyy guyyzz.... Uh... Cough... I'm back? Maybe?

Tumblr isn't showing me any of the old rp replies though, so if we still have a thread open that you'd like to continue, pls repost again and tag me in it!! (if you can even find them anymore, it's been over half a year again-)

I am so, so sorry for dipping for such a long period of time yet again. The world keeps throwing bricks at me and they don't do well for walls it seems. Life keeps getting a strike on my towers of discarded bricks it left behind and I have to start over again.

But anyway! Aside from wanting to apologize, I want to just say hi again! I am open to interactions once more, but I'm going to take things much, much slower this time in an attempt to keep at least part of my sanity...

Please, take care of yourselves. Drink water that isn't salted by the sea (unless you need the salt I guess? Been there man), eat enough food to sustain yourself if you can and remember to take things slow when you need to. Even when it seems like there is no time to do so. Make the time. You can and will always find a way to catch up when you're actually recharged, I promise

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose is on shore, getting coffee from some hole in the wall coffee house that feels older than the cobbles. He was on their way to leave when he spots a familiar white-haired man, who perks up upon being noticed.

Jackson waves to Rose, gesturing for them to come over and take a seat.

He's wearing a very similar outfit, but his hair is styled differently. it's now braided, with the same green band securing it, but also a familiar purple cord braided in...

Rose hesitates, only barely managing to bite back a grimace at the familiar sight. Too soon. This was much too soon...

Still, he smiles, if only to keep the corners of his lips from pointing down instead, and approaches Jackson. He takes a seat across from him.

"Jackson." he greets. "It's been a while. I didn't expect to see you around here."

He himself is dressed much more masculine than during their last meeting. The top section of his hair is held back in a bun, the rest of his hair falling down his back in light waves, two tiny braids made up of hair as well as blue and white fabric amongst them.

For clothes he's wearing a Grafic tee that's a little big on him with wide sleeves. It's a deep, desaturated blue with different kinds of whales printed in white on the back, organized by size. At the front, just about where a little picket would be, is instead a humpback printed on. Beneath it, he's wearing a rather tight binder, making him as close to flat as someone with his build can get.

For pants he's wearing black shorts that stop just above his knees. He wears white ankle socks and black shoes lower from there. Amelie's Bracelet is still around one of his wrists. The one that is circled by faint fog like markings, other arm pulsing with white bolts of lightning that reach up the side of his face.

[abyssiot]

Jackson grins widely, gesturing for Rose to sit down across from him. Upon a closer inspection, something has definitely change. His dress shirt has subtle (and quite pretty) fractals roaming it, and his hair seems less tame.

"So it has! I do hope the eternal sea was not too rough in its embrace?"

He holds such a cheerful lilt in his voice, and just generally seems happier and maybe even healthier. Unbeknownst to Rose, this is carefully constructed, as all his disguises are, but he does like to see them again.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose sits, just as wordlessly requested too, and gives the other another, much better once over now that they sat so close.

They smile sweetly at the other. "No, it's quite gentle to me most days." It was never the problem. It tried to keep him as safe as it could, blurring memories with long slumbers and dark folds to hide within.

He had been the problem.

But no matter. Here and now, it seemed Amelie was going to continue haunting their mind, too.

He doesn't trust the other is as happy as they seem. Not with how Amelie is now. Perhaps that was just a selfish thought. Not wanting to be alone in the hurt it wrapped in tight ribbons around his heart. But the again, he didn't know the other very well, either. And so he wasn't going to believe everything at first glance.

A part of him hoped Jackson was feeling good, anyway. He couldn't help but want and long for the people around him to be okay.

He looks Jackson in the eye. "How has life been treating you? Solid ground remains unshaken beneath your feet I hope?"

[abyssiot]

Jackson giggles slightly at their response, a smile on his face.

"Oh, it has been quite well, ground's as firm as ever, though it holds me less now."

It's a lie, the ground nor much co- Play the character, you faggot.

It's been freeing, ever since they swapped chains. In spite of his worry, anyways...

"How's you feeling? Meet anyone new and fun?"

He leans towards Rose slightly, cradling his tea just as he had his rye. If they recall correctly, that is. The night's fuzzy, both from time and booze.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose nods, slowly. Somethings not right about that statement, but he doesn't think he should be pointing that out. Not now anyway. And besides, perhaps he's just paranoid. After...

Instead he smiles back, cupping his face in his own hands and tilting his head to the side just slightly. Just enough to show interest, warm curiosity.

"I'm glad to hear the world is treating you well, then. As well as it treats anyone that is." he glances out the window to the waters, then back at the other. "I've been alright. Fairly busy, still, but when am I not?" it's not really a lie, though it skirts around a lot of details and carefully hides them under the rug, heel digging into the details to keep the flapping little thing beneath in place, throat constructed just enough to ensure not a sound escapes its metaphorical beak.

"I guess I've been a little too preoccupied to meet many new people. Though I have met one. She was quite sweet company." a pause. Just enough, just the right length meant for a casual conversation such as this. "But what about you? Any new pretty gents and dames found, helplessly smitten in bars?"

[abyssiot]

Jackson narrows his eyes slightly at how Rose dances around the question. Though She may not guide his hands anymore, he can still see a cover up. Such things are his birthright, after all...

Still, he holds a smile, leaning back in kind.

"Oh, quite many! Less as of recent, though..."

He trails off slightly, both for dramatic effect and to summon up a further question.

"How has your work been? I know work out there can be quite lonely and hard."

He says, still cheerful. About this time, a worker walks over, setting a coffee in front of Rose and smiling in a slightly confused way. Jackson rather casually pushes some money into the worker's hand, and they go back to where they were. The coffee is made just how Rose likes, because of course Jackson kept that little trick.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose listens, looking momentarily started and confused when he's given a cup of coffee. He eyes both the waiter and Jackson suspiciously, then let's his gaze fall into the cup of swirling, dark liquid.

Rose...doesn't like coffee.

Not usually, anyway. He's had some about three times in his life that he actually liked. Truly liked. But he has had them nonetheless, even if it didn't make him seek out coffee on the regular.

But he supposed he might as well be polite. Jackson wasn't someone he worried was going to poison them.

...well, at least he tried not to worry too much. He'd misjudged before and gotten hurt as a result. But the color looked fine, the smell was as it should be, and he didn't see any odd grainy-ness that shouldn't be there either. It was probably fine. It had to be fine. Rose couldn't handle losing more of the lacking trust he already had in the world. Especially not when the Vast kept pulling him into hibernation, making him miss who knows how much of the world as it moves on without him.

Unintentionally, it keeps proving, again and again that the world will keep spinning and that, eventually, no one would remember his name. His face would be lost to time and no matter how close he held the few good memories he had to his chest, he's more than likely to one day be the only one holding them at all.

He was always destined to be a librarian of sorts, it seems. With memories of friends and family filed away that had already forgotten who he was, as well as ones that never got to know him in this lifetime.

The Lonely waits patiently on the horizon. It needs not do anything to lure him in. He was paving this path himself and he was aware of it. Still, he continued to drift...

Rose blinks, returning his attention to Jackson while warming his hands on the nice, deep red mug.

"Work has been fine, kept me plenty busy at the very least. Can't really be lonely on a ship stacked with hundreds, thousands of people." Both knew that wasn't entirely true, but he moved on away, "Plus, some of the guests turn out to be pretty nice company every once in a while. Y'know- obviously, usual protocol, we're not supposed to get too close or attached to costumers and all that, but at the end of the day we are also meant to interact and entertain. So sometimes things slip through the cracks and you get to know one person or another a little bit more than perhaps strictly necessary." He shrugs, pulling the mug up to finally take a sip. The hot liquid slides down his throat like the molten core of a sun, warming his chest from the inside out. He hums in content. He's incredibly suspicious thag Jackson knew just what to get him, there was no denying that, but there was equally no denying that it had been a while since he got to enjoy an actual, nice, good coffee to his liking. He could still taste the hint of hazelnut on his tongue, the richness of cocoa heavy chocolate that was mixed in. It was nice. Undeniably nice, and Rose allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment to take the feeling in.

It takes a moment before recollects himself and smiles at Jackson with a much more genuine warmth, though the true smile couldn't hide the tiredness that clung to him. While reliefed, it seemed even now something stirring deep within him pained him anyway. A constant companion through his life. And perhaps...the only true one he'd ever known to stay true.

"It's definitely hard work, though, I won't deny that. There is definitely harder jobs on the ships, in my opinion, like the engineers and more crafty type on our vessels, but costumer related services are also...much, sometimes. Especially in my position, where I handle a tad bit more than most regular crew would."

He shakes his head. "I don't mind, though. I get to be out on the sea and inhale the salty breeze, feel the wind in my hair and watch the endless blue unfold before me." Rose talks about it like someone helplessly in love would. A genuine fondness for the ocean and the Vast clear in his tone. "I get to be at home" he explains. "I could never ask for more." and there is truth to that.

But, deciding he's talked more than he should about himself, he tries to turn the conversation back on Jackson. "But that's enough of my ramblings, I believe." He fidgets absent-mindedly with the bracelet he'd once gotten from Amelie.

"What exactly have you been up to in the time that we haven't seen one another, if I may ask? Surely not only work, eat, sleep and repeat? I'm curious to hear of any interesting events."

[eyes-that-decieve]

Rose strolls along the shoreline late, when the sun has long dipped behind the waves of the dark sea. It's blown empty, devoid of people and feels much larger than it truly was.

He finds a good spot to place his things down. A towel, a backpack, and takes off access clothes until he's on more befitted clothes, a bathing suit and a shirt, for the sea.

He steps away from his things, then, not too worried about anything being taken, with no person in sight and more precious items floating around in his personal pocket Void.

He approaches the rolling waves that wet the sand, sinking his now bare feet in as he enjoys the cooling breeze, the gentle caress of the waters and the smell of salt in the air.

It doesn't take him long before he slowly steps in deeper, slipping beneath the waves the moment he is deep enough to do so, making no sound as he dissapear from sight as if he'd never been there.

Further into the sea, he enjoys the sensation of water running along his sides and all over, letting it carry him on his search for something. Someone. Perhaps two people even, if he is lucky enough.

It'd been much too long since he'd seen Kelpie and Selkie, and he was trying to see if he could find them again, wondering how the two kids have been.

- @pleiades-cabin-talk

There's a disturbance in the water around what might be a sandbar? It's different from just the waves lapping over it. Someone is likely splashing around. Or some unlucky fish got stuck, flapping on the sand. Whichever makes more sense in the moment.

Looking up at the surface of the water shows that there's quite the intense play fight on the sand. The smaller kid, Selkie, seems to be winning. Or Kelpie is just letting himself get pushed around. It isn't clear.

Both kids look mostly the same. Selkie has some kind of stuffed animal tucked under one arm. Kelpie looks to have some new scars on his chest and neck, but if they hurt or mess with his movement, he doesn't show it.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose stays submerged in the waters a while. Swimming lazy, slow circles beneath the surface that does not ripple and give him away, similar to the loops sharks might do in shallow waters. He keeps his eyes trained on the two figures that are playfighting on the stretch of sand that surfaced from the lapping waves of the sea, taking them in. He takes note of the few changes that he finds, eyes narrowing with concern and upset when he finds Kelpie more scarred than he remembered.

Brushing that detail off for now, he studies their movements, tries to decern why exactly Selkie was winning, as pleasantly surprised as he was about it.

But eventually, eventually, when the two are heaving and surely getting tired, he carefully emerges, letting his head breach the surface. Water sliding off his sides in gentle trails that sooth aching skin.

New scars mark his body from last time they'd talked, and the Vast was much less hidden now, etched into his skin with razor sharp definition, glowing simply, pulsing a very soft blue and white.

The pattern follow up his left arm from his hand, crawling up his side like vines, along his jawline and onto his face. It's much larger than he has ever shown it previously.

His other arm has very vague, faint curling patterns that remind of smoke or ribbons of fog spiraling up his right arm only, leaving the rest of his body untouched.

With his neck and shoulders exposed, you can see some sort white dotted scarring along the junction of his left shoulder and his neck. Deep bite marks that healed over with a lack of color, similar to the stretchmarks that touched his body all over from way before the fears ever dared touch him.

Upon his back sit claw marks just as stark and white as the bite location.

The last visible marks are the small little scars that have always littered his body, mainly bundled upon his fingers, forearms and thighs. They remain old and in the grand scheme of things, unremarkable.

His green eyes may be faintly duller, grayed out and his hair a little longer, but those could easily be a trick of the light of the burning sun that shone down upon the three of them.

He steps onto the sand, making his way out of the water and approaching the two kids slowly, not wanting to scare them buz also not wanting to announce his presence too soon.

He's missed these two.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Judging by how Kelpie is dramatically pretending to fall over whenever she pushes him, his losing is likely on purpose. He doesn't seem hurt or weak at all, just letting a sibling have her fun.

Once their game is done, both flop to the sand to rest, half in and half out of the water. Kelpie sees Rose first, sitting up and baring his teeth as if that will scare him away. He recognizes him after a moment, breaking into a smile instead. Selkie lifts her head up and freezes, eyes wide. She doesn't bolt, at the very least.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose stops a good length away (atleast two average humans of space) and gives a small wave, smiling back at the two warmly.

"Hey you two." He starts, brushing some hair out of his face, dropping down into a crouch. "Didn't mean to spook you again, Selkie. I've ah...missed you two. I'm surprised I managed to find you...suppose the Sea is lenient with me today. How have you two been?"

[eyes-that-decieve]

Kelpie waves enthusiastically, getting up and charging at Rose across the sand, doing his best to bowl him over. He's all scaly, minus the patch of scars, his tail flicking back and forth with excitement.

"Hi! Good!!"

Selkie sits up, slowly getting to her feet. She isn't sure if she wants to go closer or go hide in the water. She settles for just standing there. Staring.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose only barely manages to get back to his feet when Kelpie reaches him. The boy manages to get Rose stumbling, having to take two steps back to steady himself, rooting his feet in the sand with more pressure to keep himself from being toppled over. Still, he laughs, which sounds much rougher around the edges than it did last time they met. It sounded...dry, in a way, like his throat was nothing but a desert. It crackled oddly, as well, and it was hard to tell if it was the sound of electricity, or his voice breaking.

Still, he seemed more than overjoyed to see the two, and to be received with this much excitement as well. It had been a bitterly long time since someone seemed so overjoyed to see him. He wasn't quite sure what to do with that, but found himself glad nonetheless.

Instead of dwelling on it too long, he wraps his arms around Kelpie and pulls him tight to his chest, smile sharp and wide. He gives the two of them a spin or two, before gently placing the Fishboy back down, looking over their shoulder at Selkie at which his smile softens slightly. At the very least she's not running. Not yet. That is plenty enough progress in his eyes.

He focuses his gaze on her. "I'm not gonna touch you without permission, Selkie. I promise you. But you can stay over there if that makes you feel safer."

That said, he looks back down at Kelpie, a much more mischevious expression gliding onto his face. He teases. "Have you grown at all? I can't tell, you seem just as short as before~"

[eyes-that-decieve]

"Where you been?"

Kelpie squeaks as he's spun around, kicking his feet and little and letting them dangle. Not as used to being on land, he stumbles a bit when he's put back down. He hits the sand with a quiet 'oof.'

Selkie watches the exchange, staring to make sure Rose didn't hurt her sibling. She knows him, but it's been a while. After a moment of deliberation she creeps closer, still keeping some space between them.

"What?! No!! I'm bigger! I'm tall and scary!!"

Kelpie squawks, hopping up again to compare his height to Rose's. He startles Selkie a little, but she just goes transparent for a moment. He isn't any taller that Rose can tell, but it's kind of hard to make sure when he's bouncing around trying to prove his claims.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose snorts with a look of amusement clear in his expression. The corner of his lip twitching up into a lopsided grin showing only a glint of teeth. His nose scrunched up just a tad, lines under his eyes growing more defined with the motion as he squints just a tad at the Fish boy turned bouncy ball.

He shakes his head, deciding he might as well tease the kid a little. "I'm almost concerned you shrank, actually.." he muses, putting on some theatrics flare by very playfully making a mock concerned expression, letting his eyes drift over Kelpie, then towards the skies to his right. "Worrying indeed... Scrawny little thing.." he looked down, crouched to the boys level just to really push his point. "Have you been eating your daily dose of Kelp, luv? Do you need someone to pack you your daily lunches?" his voice pitches to something akin to an overbearing mother, sarcasm thick on his tongue.

[eyes-that-decieve]

"No!!"

Kelpie squeaks, glancing down at himself to check if he's magically scrawnier than usual. His ribs are always clear to see, but he isn't any smaller! How dare Rose!

He pushes Rose's shoulders, trying to prove that he's strong enough to do so. These lies won't be tolerated! Selkie giggles from a few feet away.

Surprisingly, with the addition Kelpie's scars, both kids have a little more meat on their bones. It's not enough to be really noticeable, but it's there.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose laughs. It's a sharp sound, and he does not budge one bit when Kelpie tries to push him, heels dig in and muscles pulled taut enough that the boy hits hard muscle, just barely cushioned by the soft layer of fat around them.

Rose had grown noticeably stronger, it seemed, having perhaps lost a bit of weight as well. But it was still far from being a very showy strength unless he intentionally flexed, which he wasn't the type to do.

No matter why that all may be as it was, he was glad that Selkie was enjoying the show. He decides he might as well add on, grabbing the scarred boy around the hips and picking him up again, only to toss him over his shoulder not unlike a sack of potatos, leaving the poor thing dangling upside down against his back. He holds him securely of course, knowing we'll enough the fiend mind start wriggling around.

"What a shame, it looks like I have to take you with me to make sure you eat more. Aaaaall the way back to omw of the ships. Aaaaall the way across the seas, away from this lovely little sandbank... Shame shame..." he gave Selkie a little smile and then turned around with one big motion, making a show of trudging towards the water with long steps.

[eyes-that-decieve]

That's mean. He should be allowed to push Rose over. Meanie.

Kelpie shrieks, slapping at him and doing his best to wiggle out of the hold. He doesn't use the sharp little claws at the ends of his webbed fingers, since he isn't in any real danger.

Selkie waddles after the two, just happy to sort of be included.

"Selks save me!"

She smiles at that, shaking her head and patting Kelpie on his upside-down head. She thinks this whole thing is funny, funny enough to not rescue her chosen sibling.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose barked another laugh, almost enjoying the uneven drumming of Kelpies hands against his back, even if only for the way it rippled with life through his body, like pebbles thrown and skipping over a lakes surface until sinking deeper and underneath his skin.

He steps into the water and wades in until he's deep enough that Kelpies nose almost dips into the water when the gentle waves lap upward towards him.

Then, with a sudden movement, Rose hauls the other one back over his shoulder, letting him flop into the water with just enough force that the boy would make quite the splash, but not enough to hurt. He wouldn't dare.

"I think fish belong in the water, no? I was just saving you, clearly~" he chuckled, turning to look Selkies way and crossing his arms. "You agree, don't you? He needed the help."

He's still not entirely sure he's doing this whole talking to kids and playing with them right, but he supposes he'll never know unless told he was doing it wrong.

[eyes-that-decieve]

The fishboy squeaks, coming up from the water and sputtering. He levels a glare at Rose, spitting a stream of water at him for the slight.

Both of them seem to like the game, even if Kelpie is trying to hide his smile. Maybe Rose isn't doing it right, but they don't seem to mind.

Selkie nods and smiles, running over in front of Rose with her arms reaching for him as if asking to be picked up. She does a little hop, just to make sure the message is clear.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose grins a sharks smile and laughs when he's blasted with a stream of water from Kelpie, seemingly not bothered at all.

When Selkie runs up and hops infront of him with her arms high up, he can't help but let out a rolling sound, somewhere between thunder and a pseudo purr in adoration and affection, picking the little girl up under the arms, at her sides, and spinning her high up in the air a few times before just looking up at her with an incredibly fond expression.

Maybe kids really aren't so bad to be around. At the very least these two.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Selkie makes a delighted "wheee!" as she's spun around. She's okay with just being there for a second, before promptly wiggling until Rose puts her down again. Her social battery still drains dreadfully fast, and that's about all she can manage.

Kelpie watches her duck beneath the water. That's okay. She'll be back! He tells as much to Rose, before plopping down on the sand and letting out a big sigh.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose lets Selkie down the moment she starts wiggling around, gently sliding her back into the water and watching her dissapear beneath the waves. He doesn't feel hurt by it, a soppy soft smile on his face instead.

After a moment of looking into the glistening waves, he turns to look at Kelpie when talked to, nodding and instead watching him as he flops down into the sand.

He gets an idea, then, approaching Kelpie in such a way that he stands in the way of the sun, letting it halo around the edges of his form, but casting a shadow over the scarred, shorter boy.

"...you ever gotten to divebomb from the sky into the ocean?" he asks, smile replaced with a mischevious smirk.

[eyes-that-decieve]

". . . No?"

He awnsers, with a little bit of suspicion laced through his tone. Not in a 'he's gonna hurt me' way, more of a 'waiting for the offer' way. Kelpie sits up again, pushing Rose aside so he can stand. No one gets to loom over him. Bleh.

Selkie still watches the exchange from the water, from a bit longer distance than earlier.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose's smirk splits into a grin, and he showcases his shadow-stepping. Taking a step to the side, he dissapear into a little void that splits open and consumes him, leaving only momentary blobs of black behind before those fade, too. But before Kelpie can question it for long, Rose reappears out a gap just the like the one he stepped into, on the other side of Kelpie. He then points a finger up into the sky.

"Wanna find out~?" he assumes Kelpie gets the memory that he can do these steps into just about anywhere. He's a smart little kid after all.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Kelpie startles as Rose disappears, his eyes wide and mouth forming a little 'o' shape. Woah! He doesn't remember if he could do that before!

"Yeah!"

The little boy seems to accept his bouncy ball form again, though it's out of excitement this time. His tail wags like a dog's.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Happy to finally have someone he can allow into his personal sanctuary again, he doesn't waste much time before grabbing Kelpie around the waist and letting the both of them fall backwards, only to instead of hitting the ground, fall into the Void. Rose laughs and it crackles with electricity, echoing just slightly in the floaty space of nothingness around them.

He looks happier than anywhere else, here, smiling bright and seemingly lighting up the space around them, despite there being no light source. Like a single, glowing star in the night.

He let's them both float for a little moment, before tilting backwards again, letting the world around them rip apart at the seams and deposit them well above the deep waves, seabank to the far left of them to ensure they don't get hurt. He allows Kelpie to fall, reshifting his own position to be a little while to the others right before he too, falls.

It's far enough for them to get into position, though Rose dives with his arms extended forward instead of readying himself for a canonball. He hopes Kelpie enjoys this. He knows the Sea will catch them both gently in her arms, so he doesn't worry about the height too much, though it wasn't much more than maybe roughly 13 meters or so.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Kelpie squeaks in surprise, as is his custom, looking around with awe on his face. He hasn't been somewhere like this before. And quickly as they arrived, Rose brings them back again. Kelpie curls up in a little ball to avoid smacking his face against the water, landing with a big splash.

He surfaces again quickly, shaking water droplets off his fins with a big smile. A few of his scales glow under the dark water.

"Woah!"

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Resurfacing, Rose laughs and smiles at Kelpie, glad to see that he seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed it. He knows that many people can find his little 'pocket Void' scary, but to him it's the safest, most comfortable place there is. Directly in the arms of the Vast, in the belly of its endless reaches. A dark cradle to take away his fears and worries.

"Cool, right? I may not be able to fly like some others, or swim as well as you and Selkie, but I think I've still got a pretty cool gift." he sometimes wishes he could fly, but he makes do with whag he has. And besides, being able to step in and out of the shadows is pretty cool, even he has to admit.

[eyes-that-decieve]

"Yeah!"

He did find it a little scary, but that's just because he hadn't been anywhere really like that before. The deep parts of the sea could be similar, maybe.

With the rest of him turning scaly, his scars are more stark than before. They're around his neck and chest, somewhat jagged as if someone was attempting to be precise but had quite shaky hands. Something was cut out, then patched back up as best as it could be.

Kelpie grabs Rose's wrist and tugs him back towards the seabank where his sibling still lurks.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose smiled, trying not to stare too much or too long. He really does want to ask...but then again they're all having a pretty decent time, and he can't bear to ruin the mood. Though if he finds out who or what it was that had done this to them.. Well.

He lets himself be pulled along by Kelpie, kicking his own legs to take some of the effort off of the kid. He scans the seabank for Selkie, wondering if she'd decided to come out and be seen again just yet.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Selkie is there, kneeling in the sand and drawing little shapes in it. With zero prompting whatsoever, Kelpie begins to entertain Rose with random details from an adventure he tragically missed while he was gone.

"They could control the rain! I'm not fibbing! Turn the spinny and whoosh!! Rain box!"

What he seems to be describing is a shower. Both of them had stayed with someone while he healed from whatever happened to him. And discovered the wonders of what is found inside a house. Rediscovered, in Kelpie's case, but it had been a while.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose stays standing to dry off, only later sitting down once the sand wouldn't stick to the whole of his body so much.

Listening to Kelpie definitely was entertaining, even if they worried about the fact these two genuinely didn't know of those things. Then again, they did seem to really live in the ocean, however the hell that worked, and so maybe he shouldn't be surprised.

...did they just sort of nestle between rocks and seaweed and float around while they slept like seals did?

They try to focus on the two. Well, mainly Kelpie, figuring Selkie wouldn't want to be observed too mu h or too long. She seemed happy drawing her little patterns for now.

"Must've been absolutely crazy to learn, huh?" they asked, looking at the scarred kid. "yknow, there's even bigger ones. Whole rooms can be rained into. They're for safety. If there's a fire" they suppose playing along a little doesn't hurt. It doesn't really matter if it's rain or something mechanical. This way is how Kelpie understands it.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Kelpie doesn't have the same foresight as Rose when it comes to the sand, sitting next to Selkie and immediately having his legs covered in sand.

"Whole rooms?? And people say they can't control the rain."

He shakes his head in a disappointed way, sighing as if he deals with this often.

Selkie is drawing little spirals in the sand, occasionally humming a little to herself. Whether she's listening or not isn't clear, but she's at least okay with being nearby.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Giving a sharp-toothed smile that was somehow not threatening at all, Rose nodded. "It's not real rain, but I guess it has the same effect anyway, so I don't think it matters what you call it." He shrugs a little, glancing at Selkie but deciding to not talk to her yet, giving her a little more time.

Instead he reaches up into a small rip of darkness that opens with the movement and pulls out a semi-see through, thin sheet of fabric that is just as black as his swimsuit, wrapping it around his hips to cover up his bottom half a tad. The fabric moves pleasantly in the breeze, waving and fluttering gently.

"Where...exactly have you two been? If it's okay to ask. Clearly not the ocean, by the sounds of it." The question is more so directed at Kelpie, since he was the mouthpiece of the duo, but he wouldn't mind Selkie jumping in to talk, if she wanted to. But he wasn't going to make her feel pressured to.

[eyes-that-decieve]

"Lucy's house!"

Kelpie scoots over and practically velcroes himself to Rose's side, looking up at him with big yellow eyes.

"She let us stay after I got hurt so I could get better."

Selkie nods in agreement, backing up what he's saying. She glances at the fabric he has, appearing slightly confused, though she doesn't voice it. She doesn't voice much.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

He doesn't think he knows a Lucy, though, with his memory being as frazzled as it was....

He nods, letting the kid lean on him, supporting his weight with his own, pressing back just slightly. They look down at Kelpie. "Lucy, hm? What are they like? I don't think I've met that friend of yours yet."

He didn't miss Selkies look, but ignores it for now. His void was used for much more than simple travel. It was technically an infinite pocket, after all. So...storage was a bonus.

"How long did you stay for anyway? I doubt either of you willingly stay away from the Sea longer than needed."

[eyes-that-decieve]

"She's really nice. Let me have hydrox! She didn't like me eating the worms in the garden tho."

Kelpie frowns, and Selkie gives him a quite exasperated look. He sticks his tongue out at her, as if a silent exchange had been had. She creeps a closer, leaning on Kelpie in turn. Both are half curled up with their knees up to their chest, Selkie letting her eyes fall shut.

"Uhhh. I dunno."

He shrugs. He hated being away from the water, true, but didn't pay too much attention to how much time went by.

"I'm good now tho! See? Fightin scars."

He points to the scars enthusiastically, tilting his head back a little.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

He supposes it was a good time as any to finally ask, now. It almost sounded like Kelpie wanted to tell him about it, if anything.

"Worms aren't the best snack for anyone who isn't a small little fish, I suppose. I'd also give you a look for that." he tilts his head to look down at Kelpies scars once more, doing his best not to frown. Instead he gives a little smile. "You've won, surely?" he tries, then adds. "What even happened anyway? It's been a while, sure. But I come back and you look like you've battled multible beasts."

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose is on shore, getting coffee from some hole in the wall coffee house that feels older than the cobbles. He was on their way to leave when he spots a familiar white-haired man, who perks up upon being noticed.

Jackson waves to Rose, gesturing for them to come over and take a seat.

He's wearing a very similar outfit, but his hair is styled differently. it's now braided, with the same green band securing it, but also a familiar purple cord braided in...

Rose hesitates, only barely managing to bite back a grimace at the familiar sight. Too soon. This was much too soon...

Still, he smiles, if only to keep the corners of his lips from pointing down instead, and approaches Jackson. He takes a seat across from him.

"Jackson." he greets. "It's been a while. I didn't expect to see you around here."

He himself is dressed much more masculine than during their last meeting. The top section of his hair is held back in a bun, the rest of his hair falling down his back in light waves, two tiny braids made up of hair as well as blue and white fabric amongst them.

For clothes he's wearing a Grafic tee that's a little big on him with wide sleeves. It's a deep, desaturated blue with different kinds of whales printed in white on the back, organized by size. At the front, just about where a little picket would be, is instead a humpback printed on. Beneath it, he's wearing a rather tight binder, making him as close to flat as someone with his build can get.

For pants he's wearing black shorts that stop just above his knees. He wears white ankle socks and black shoes lower from there. Amelie's Bracelet is still around one of his wrists. The one that is circled by faint fog like markings, other arm pulsing with white bolts of lightning that reach up the side of his face.

[abyssiot]

Jackson grins widely, gesturing for Rose to sit down across from him. Upon a closer inspection, something has definitely change. His dress shirt has subtle (and quite pretty) fractals roaming it, and his hair seems less tame.

"So it has! I do hope the eternal sea was not too rough in its embrace?"

He holds such a cheerful lilt in his voice, and just generally seems happier and maybe even healthier. Unbeknownst to Rose, this is carefully constructed, as all his disguises are, but he does like to see them again.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose sits, just as wordlessly requested too, and gives the other another, much better once over now that they sat so close.

They smile sweetly at the other. "No, it's quite gentle to me most days." It was never the problem. It tried to keep him as safe as it could, blurring memories with long slumbers and dark folds to hide within.

He had been the problem.

But no matter. Here and now, it seemed Amelie was going to continue haunting their mind, too.

He doesn't trust the other is as happy as they seem. Not with how Amelie is now. Perhaps that was just a selfish thought. Not wanting to be alone in the hurt it wrapped in tight ribbons around his heart. But the again, he didn't know the other very well, either. And so he wasn't going to believe everything at first glance.

A part of him hoped Jackson was feeling good, anyway. He couldn't help but want and long for the people around him to be okay.

He looks Jackson in the eye. "How has life been treating you? Solid ground remains unshaken beneath your feet I hope?"

[abyssiot]

Jackson giggles slightly at their response, a smile on his face.

"Oh, it has been quite well, ground's as firm as ever, though it holds me less now."

It's a lie, the ground nor much co- Play the character, you faggot.

It's been freeing, ever since they swapped chains. In spite of his worry, anyways...

"How's you feeling? Meet anyone new and fun?"

He leans towards Rose slightly, cradling his tea just as he had his rye. If they recall correctly, that is. The night's fuzzy, both from time and booze.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose nods, slowly. Somethings not right about that statement, but he doesn't think he should be pointing that out. Not now anyway. And besides, perhaps he's just paranoid. After...

Instead he smiles back, cupping his face in his own hands and tilting his head to the side just slightly. Just enough to show interest, warm curiosity.

"I'm glad to hear the world is treating you well, then. As well as it treats anyone that is." he glances out the window to the waters, then back at the other. "I've been alright. Fairly busy, still, but when am I not?" it's not really a lie, though it skirts around a lot of details and carefully hides them under the rug, heel digging into the details to keep the flapping little thing beneath in place, throat constructed just enough to ensure not a sound escapes its metaphorical beak.

"I guess I've been a little too preoccupied to meet many new people. Though I have met one. She was quite sweet company." a pause. Just enough, just the right length meant for a casual conversation such as this. "But what about you? Any new pretty gents and dames found, helplessly smitten in bars?"

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

"Does it still hurt~?" he muses, practically purrs with that picture perfect grin of his, eyes narrowed, lidded, looking down at me. His hand upon my chin, tilting up my heavy head, forcing me to look at him. Look. At. Him. Look him in the Eyes. And all I feel besides the exhaustion and spasms of pain wracking through my body is static. Loud, bright static that distorts the corners of my eyes.

He laughs, drops my head, and let's me crumble to the ground when I can no longer take it anymore. I let the darkness take and consume me. I pass out.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Rose strolls along the shoreline late, when the sun has long dipped behind the waves of the dark sea. It's blown empty, devoid of people and feels much larger than it truly was.

He finds a good spot to place his things down. A towel, a backpack, and takes off access clothes until he's on more befitted clothes, a bathing suit and a shirt, for the sea.

He steps away from his things, then, not too worried about anything being taken, with no person in sight and more precious items floating around in his personal pocket Void.

He approaches the rolling waves that wet the sand, sinking his now bare feet in as he enjoys the cooling breeze, the gentle caress of the waters and the smell of salt in the air.

It doesn't take him long before he slowly steps in deeper, slipping beneath the waves the moment he is deep enough to do so, making no sound as he dissapear from sight as if he'd never been there.

Further into the sea, he enjoys the sensation of water running along his sides and all over, letting it carry him on his search for something. Someone. Perhaps two people even, if he is lucky enough.

It'd been much too long since he'd seen Kelpie and Selkie, and he was trying to see if he could find them again, wondering how the two kids have been.

- @pleiades-cabin-talk

There's a disturbance in the water around what might be a sandbar? It's different from just the waves lapping over it. Someone is likely splashing around. Or some unlucky fish got stuck, flapping on the sand. Whichever makes more sense in the moment.

Looking up at the surface of the water shows that there's quite the intense play fight on the sand. The smaller kid, Selkie, seems to be winning. Or Kelpie is just letting himself get pushed around. It isn't clear.

Both kids look mostly the same. Selkie has some kind of stuffed animal tucked under one arm. Kelpie looks to have some new scars on his chest and neck, but if they hurt or mess with his movement, he doesn't show it.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose stays submerged in the waters a while. Swimming lazy, slow circles beneath the surface that does not ripple and give him away, similar to the loops sharks might do in shallow waters. He keeps his eyes trained on the two figures that are playfighting on the stretch of sand that surfaced from the lapping waves of the sea, taking them in. He takes note of the few changes that he finds, eyes narrowing with concern and upset when he finds Kelpie more scarred than he remembered.

Brushing that detail off for now, he studies their movements, tries to decern why exactly Selkie was winning, as pleasantly surprised as he was about it.

But eventually, eventually, when the two are heaving and surely getting tired, he carefully emerges, letting his head breach the surface. Water sliding off his sides in gentle trails that sooth aching skin.

New scars mark his body from last time they'd talked, and the Vast was much less hidden now, etched into his skin with razor sharp definition, glowing simply, pulsing a very soft blue and white.

The pattern follow up his left arm from his hand, crawling up his side like vines, along his jawline and onto his face. It's much larger than he has ever shown it previously.

His other arm has very vague, faint curling patterns that remind of smoke or ribbons of fog spiraling up his right arm only, leaving the rest of his body untouched.

With his neck and shoulders exposed, you can see some sort white dotted scarring along the junction of his left shoulder and his neck. Deep bite marks that healed over with a lack of color, similar to the stretchmarks that touched his body all over from way before the fears ever dared touch him.

Upon his back sit claw marks just as stark and white as the bite location.

The last visible marks are the small little scars that have always littered his body, mainly bundled upon his fingers, forearms and thighs. They remain old and in the grand scheme of things, unremarkable.

His green eyes may be faintly duller, grayed out and his hair a little longer, but those could easily be a trick of the light of the burning sun that shone down upon the three of them.

He steps onto the sand, making his way out of the water and approaching the two kids slowly, not wanting to scare them buz also not wanting to announce his presence too soon.

He's missed these two.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Judging by how Kelpie is dramatically pretending to fall over whenever she pushes him, his losing is likely on purpose. He doesn't seem hurt or weak at all, just letting a sibling have her fun.

Once their game is done, both flop to the sand to rest, half in and half out of the water. Kelpie sees Rose first, sitting up and baring his teeth as if that will scare him away. He recognizes him after a moment, breaking into a smile instead. Selkie lifts her head up and freezes, eyes wide. She doesn't bolt, at the very least.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose stops a good length away (atleast two average humans of space) and gives a small wave, smiling back at the two warmly.

"Hey you two." He starts, brushing some hair out of his face, dropping down into a crouch. "Didn't mean to spook you again, Selkie. I've ah...missed you two. I'm surprised I managed to find you...suppose the Sea is lenient with me today. How have you two been?"

[eyes-that-decieve]

Kelpie waves enthusiastically, getting up and charging at Rose across the sand, doing his best to bowl him over. He's all scaly, minus the patch of scars, his tail flicking back and forth with excitement.

"Hi! Good!!"

Selkie sits up, slowly getting to her feet. She isn't sure if she wants to go closer or go hide in the water. She settles for just standing there. Staring.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose only barely manages to get back to his feet when Kelpie reaches him. The boy manages to get Rose stumbling, having to take two steps back to steady himself, rooting his feet in the sand with more pressure to keep himself from being toppled over. Still, he laughs, which sounds much rougher around the edges than it did last time they met. It sounded...dry, in a way, like his throat was nothing but a desert. It crackled oddly, as well, and it was hard to tell if it was the sound of electricity, or his voice breaking.

Still, he seemed more than overjoyed to see the two, and to be received with this much excitement as well. It had been a bitterly long time since someone seemed so overjoyed to see him. He wasn't quite sure what to do with that, but found himself glad nonetheless.

Instead of dwelling on it too long, he wraps his arms around Kelpie and pulls him tight to his chest, smile sharp and wide. He gives the two of them a spin or two, before gently placing the Fishboy back down, looking over their shoulder at Selkie at which his smile softens slightly. At the very least she's not running. Not yet. That is plenty enough progress in his eyes.

He focuses his gaze on her. "I'm not gonna touch you without permission, Selkie. I promise you. But you can stay over there if that makes you feel safer."

That said, he looks back down at Kelpie, a much more mischevious expression gliding onto his face. He teases. "Have you grown at all? I can't tell, you seem just as short as before~"

[eyes-that-decieve]

"Where you been?"

Kelpie squeaks as he's spun around, kicking his feet and little and letting them dangle. Not as used to being on land, he stumbles a bit when he's put back down. He hits the sand with a quiet 'oof.'

Selkie watches the exchange, staring to make sure Rose didn't hurt her sibling. She knows him, but it's been a while. After a moment of deliberation she creeps closer, still keeping some space between them.

"What?! No!! I'm bigger! I'm tall and scary!!"

Kelpie squawks, hopping up again to compare his height to Rose's. He startles Selkie a little, but she just goes transparent for a moment. He isn't any taller that Rose can tell, but it's kind of hard to make sure when he's bouncing around trying to prove his claims.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose snorts with a look of amusement clear in his expression. The corner of his lip twitching up into a lopsided grin showing only a glint of teeth. His nose scrunched up just a tad, lines under his eyes growing more defined with the motion as he squints just a tad at the Fish boy turned bouncy ball.

He shakes his head, deciding he might as well tease the kid a little. "I'm almost concerned you shrank, actually.." he muses, putting on some theatrics flare by very playfully making a mock concerned expression, letting his eyes drift over Kelpie, then towards the skies to his right. "Worrying indeed... Scrawny little thing.." he looked down, crouched to the boys level just to really push his point. "Have you been eating your daily dose of Kelp, luv? Do you need someone to pack you your daily lunches?" his voice pitches to something akin to an overbearing mother, sarcasm thick on his tongue.

[eyes-that-decieve]

"No!!"

Kelpie squeaks, glancing down at himself to check if he's magically scrawnier than usual. His ribs are always clear to see, but he isn't any smaller! How dare Rose!

He pushes Rose's shoulders, trying to prove that he's strong enough to do so. These lies won't be tolerated! Selkie giggles from a few feet away.

Surprisingly, with the addition Kelpie's scars, both kids have a little more meat on their bones. It's not enough to be really noticeable, but it's there.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose laughs. It's a sharp sound, and he does not budge one bit when Kelpie tries to push him, heels dig in and muscles pulled taut enough that the boy hits hard muscle, just barely cushioned by the soft layer of fat around them.

Rose had grown noticeably stronger, it seemed, having perhaps lost a bit of weight as well. But it was still far from being a very showy strength unless he intentionally flexed, which he wasn't the type to do.

No matter why that all may be as it was, he was glad that Selkie was enjoying the show. He decides he might as well add on, grabbing the scarred boy around the hips and picking him up again, only to toss him over his shoulder not unlike a sack of potatos, leaving the poor thing dangling upside down against his back. He holds him securely of course, knowing we'll enough the fiend mind start wriggling around.

"What a shame, it looks like I have to take you with me to make sure you eat more. Aaaaall the way back to omw of the ships. Aaaaall the way across the seas, away from this lovely little sandbank... Shame shame..." he gave Selkie a little smile and then turned around with one big motion, making a show of trudging towards the water with long steps.

[eyes-that-decieve]

That's mean. He should be allowed to push Rose over. Meanie.

Kelpie shrieks, slapping at him and doing his best to wiggle out of the hold. He doesn't use the sharp little claws at the ends of his webbed fingers, since he isn't in any real danger.

Selkie waddles after the two, just happy to sort of be included.

"Selks save me!"

She smiles at that, shaking her head and patting Kelpie on his upside-down head. She thinks this whole thing is funny, funny enough to not rescue her chosen sibling.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose barked another laugh, almost enjoying the uneven drumming of Kelpies hands against his back, even if only for the way it rippled with life through his body, like pebbles thrown and skipping over a lakes surface until sinking deeper and underneath his skin.

He steps into the water and wades in until he's deep enough that Kelpies nose almost dips into the water when the gentle waves lap upward towards him.

Then, with a sudden movement, Rose hauls the other one back over his shoulder, letting him flop into the water with just enough force that the boy would make quite the splash, but not enough to hurt. He wouldn't dare.

"I think fish belong in the water, no? I was just saving you, clearly~" he chuckled, turning to look Selkies way and crossing his arms. "You agree, don't you? He needed the help."

He's still not entirely sure he's doing this whole talking to kids and playing with them right, but he supposes he'll never know unless told he was doing it wrong.

[eyes-that-decieve]

The fishboy squeaks, coming up from the water and sputtering. He levels a glare at Rose, spitting a stream of water at him for the slight.

Both of them seem to like the game, even if Kelpie is trying to hide his smile. Maybe Rose isn't doing it right, but they don't seem to mind.

Selkie nods and smiles, running over in front of Rose with her arms reaching for him as if asking to be picked up. She does a little hop, just to make sure the message is clear.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose grins a sharks smile and laughs when he's blasted with a stream of water from Kelpie, seemingly not bothered at all.

When Selkie runs up and hops infront of him with her arms high up, he can't help but let out a rolling sound, somewhere between thunder and a pseudo purr in adoration and affection, picking the little girl up under the arms, at her sides, and spinning her high up in the air a few times before just looking up at her with an incredibly fond expression.

Maybe kids really aren't so bad to be around. At the very least these two.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Selkie makes a delighted "wheee!" as she's spun around. She's okay with just being there for a second, before promptly wiggling until Rose puts her down again. Her social battery still drains dreadfully fast, and that's about all she can manage.

Kelpie watches her duck beneath the water. That's okay. She'll be back! He tells as much to Rose, before plopping down on the sand and letting out a big sigh.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose lets Selkie down the moment she starts wiggling around, gently sliding her back into the water and watching her dissapear beneath the waves. He doesn't feel hurt by it, a soppy soft smile on his face instead.

After a moment of looking into the glistening waves, he turns to look at Kelpie when talked to, nodding and instead watching him as he flops down into the sand.

He gets an idea, then, approaching Kelpie in such a way that he stands in the way of the sun, letting it halo around the edges of his form, but casting a shadow over the scarred, shorter boy.

"...you ever gotten to divebomb from the sky into the ocean?" he asks, smile replaced with a mischevious smirk.

[eyes-that-decieve]

". . . No?"

He awnsers, with a little bit of suspicion laced through his tone. Not in a 'he's gonna hurt me' way, more of a 'waiting for the offer' way. Kelpie sits up again, pushing Rose aside so he can stand. No one gets to loom over him. Bleh.

Selkie still watches the exchange from the water, from a bit longer distance than earlier.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose's smirk splits into a grin, and he showcases his shadow-stepping. Taking a step to the side, he dissapear into a little void that splits open and consumes him, leaving only momentary blobs of black behind before those fade, too. But before Kelpie can question it for long, Rose reappears out a gap just the like the one he stepped into, on the other side of Kelpie. He then points a finger up into the sky.

"Wanna find out~?" he assumes Kelpie gets the memory that he can do these steps into just about anywhere. He's a smart little kid after all.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Kelpie startles as Rose disappears, his eyes wide and mouth forming a little 'o' shape. Woah! He doesn't remember if he could do that before!

"Yeah!"

The little boy seems to accept his bouncy ball form again, though it's out of excitement this time. His tail wags like a dog's.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Happy to finally have someone he can allow into his personal sanctuary again, he doesn't waste much time before grabbing Kelpie around the waist and letting the both of them fall backwards, only to instead of hitting the ground, fall into the Void. Rose laughs and it crackles with electricity, echoing just slightly in the floaty space of nothingness around them.

He looks happier than anywhere else, here, smiling bright and seemingly lighting up the space around them, despite there being no light source. Like a single, glowing star in the night.

He let's them both float for a little moment, before tilting backwards again, letting the world around them rip apart at the seams and deposit them well above the deep waves, seabank to the far left of them to ensure they don't get hurt. He allows Kelpie to fall, reshifting his own position to be a little while to the others right before he too, falls.

It's far enough for them to get into position, though Rose dives with his arms extended forward instead of readying himself for a canonball. He hopes Kelpie enjoys this. He knows the Sea will catch them both gently in her arms, so he doesn't worry about the height too much, though it wasn't much more than maybe roughly 13 meters or so.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Kelpie squeaks in surprise, as is his custom, looking around with awe on his face. He hasn't been somewhere like this before. And quickly as they arrived, Rose brings them back again. Kelpie curls up in a little ball to avoid smacking his face against the water, landing with a big splash.

He surfaces again quickly, shaking water droplets off his fins with a big smile. A few of his scales glow under the dark water.

"Woah!"

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Resurfacing, Rose laughs and smiles at Kelpie, glad to see that he seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed it. He knows that many people can find his little 'pocket Void' scary, but to him it's the safest, most comfortable place there is. Directly in the arms of the Vast, in the belly of its endless reaches. A dark cradle to take away his fears and worries.

"Cool, right? I may not be able to fly like some others, or swim as well as you and Selkie, but I think I've still got a pretty cool gift." he sometimes wishes he could fly, but he makes do with whag he has. And besides, being able to step in and out of the shadows is pretty cool, even he has to admit.

[eyes-that-decieve]

"Yeah!"

He did find it a little scary, but that's just because he hadn't been anywhere really like that before. The deep parts of the sea could be similar, maybe.

With the rest of him turning scaly, his scars are more stark than before. They're around his neck and chest, somewhat jagged as if someone was attempting to be precise but had quite shaky hands. Something was cut out, then patched back up as best as it could be.

Kelpie grabs Rose's wrist and tugs him back towards the seabank where his sibling still lurks.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose smiled, trying not to stare too much or too long. He really does want to ask...but then again they're all having a pretty decent time, and he can't bear to ruin the mood. Though if he finds out who or what it was that had done this to them.. Well.

He lets himself be pulled along by Kelpie, kicking his own legs to take some of the effort off of the kid. He scans the seabank for Selkie, wondering if she'd decided to come out and be seen again just yet.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Selkie is there, kneeling in the sand and drawing little shapes in it. With zero prompting whatsoever, Kelpie begins to entertain Rose with random details from an adventure he tragically missed while he was gone.

"They could control the rain! I'm not fibbing! Turn the spinny and whoosh!! Rain box!"

What he seems to be describing is a shower. Both of them had stayed with someone while he healed from whatever happened to him. And discovered the wonders of what is found inside a house. Rediscovered, in Kelpie's case, but it had been a while.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose stays standing to dry off, only later sitting down once the sand wouldn't stick to the whole of his body so much.

Listening to Kelpie definitely was entertaining, even if they worried about the fact these two genuinely didn't know of those things. Then again, they did seem to really live in the ocean, however the hell that worked, and so maybe he shouldn't be surprised.

...did they just sort of nestle between rocks and seaweed and float around while they slept like seals did?

They try to focus on the two. Well, mainly Kelpie, figuring Selkie wouldn't want to be observed too mu h or too long. She seemed happy drawing her little patterns for now.

"Must've been absolutely crazy to learn, huh?" they asked, looking at the scarred kid. "yknow, there's even bigger ones. Whole rooms can be rained into. They're for safety. If there's a fire" they suppose playing along a little doesn't hurt. It doesn't really matter if it's rain or something mechanical. This way is how Kelpie understands it.

[eyes-that-decieve]

Kelpie doesn't have the same foresight as Rose when it comes to the sand, sitting next to Selkie and immediately having his legs covered in sand.

"Whole rooms?? And people say they can't control the rain."

He shakes his head in a disappointed way, sighing as if he deals with this often.

Selkie is drawing little spirals in the sand, occasionally humming a little to herself. Whether she's listening or not isn't clear, but she's at least okay with being nearby.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Giving a sharp-toothed smile that was somehow not threatening at all, Rose nodded. "It's not real rain, but I guess it has the same effect anyway, so I don't think it matters what you call it." He shrugs a little, glancing at Selkie but deciding to not talk to her yet, giving her a little more time.

Instead he reaches up into a small rip of darkness that opens with the movement and pulls out a semi-see through, thin sheet of fabric that is just as black as his swimsuit, wrapping it around his hips to cover up his bottom half a tad. The fabric moves pleasantly in the breeze, waving and fluttering gently.

"Where...exactly have you two been? If it's okay to ask. Clearly not the ocean, by the sounds of it." The question is more so directed at Kelpie, since he was the mouthpiece of the duo, but he wouldn't mind Selkie jumping in to talk, if she wanted to. But he wasn't going to make her feel pressured to.

[eyes-that-decieve]

"Lucy's house!"

Kelpie scoots over and practically velcroes himself to Rose's side, looking up at him with big yellow eyes.

"She let us stay after I got hurt so I could get better."

Selkie nods in agreement, backing up what he's saying. She glances at the fabric he has, appearing slightly confused, though she doesn't voice it. She doesn't voice much.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

He doesn't think he knows a Lucy, though, with his memory being as frazzled as it was....

He nods, letting the kid lean on him, supporting his weight with his own, pressing back just slightly. They look down at Kelpie. "Lucy, hm? What are they like? I don't think I've met that friend of yours yet."

He didn't miss Selkies look, but ignores it for now. His void was used for much more than simple travel. It was technically an infinite pocket, after all. So...storage was a bonus.

"How long did you stay for anyway? I doubt either of you willingly stay away from the Sea longer than needed."

[little-watcher]

He is quiet. Nervous. And has been standing before the door to the apartment for...a while now.

They keep reaching for the doorbell, then pulling their hand back as if the mere air around it burned their fingertips.

He's dressed in a black bodysuit that tightly clings to his body, covers his arms and loops around his middle fingers for hold, neckline climbing up his throat. Still, it cannot cover the lightning climbing up and onto his face, glowing persistently.

Over the bodysuit, he wears just as black, high waisted pants that flare out at the legs. A white crop top is thrown over his top, black stripes like a Tigers swirling around in a flowy pattern.

His hair is let down, falling down his shoulders and back loosely, semi covering one of his eyes.

It's been about a week since Liza payed a visit to Rose on the ship on accident and...well. He made a promise. So even with terror wafting off of him in a way it hasn't in a long while, he finally manages to ring the doorbell, taking a step back as he waits for a response, perfectly in sight of the little peep hole.

He looks down, rubbing at one of his arms nervously, static palpable in the air.

He's sure Ellery will be angry. He's sure that even if the door opens, it'll be slammed right back in his face.

A storm rages outside.

@pleiades-cabin-talk

ellery opens the door, eyes wide with shock. it had meant to say something about being here so late, but the words slip away. everything does.

the salty air fills his lungs. he doesn’t know what to say. tears prick his eyes. what could he even say?

it throws himself at them, hugging them fiercely. he cries softly, gently. he’s changed. but not that much.

“i missed you.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose holds him close the moment he's in reach, pressing the boy, his little brother, into his chest, afraid he'll dissapear, dissapate, if his grip slips just a little.

"I missed you too" he murmurs, and for the first time in a long time, his voice cracks. It's an ugly, choked up sound. Gutteral almost, overwhelmed with emotion so much that his hair cannot seem to stay still, strands floating and thrashing in a breeze that does not exist. Ellery gets pricked with a little bit of static here and there just from being so close to Rose. Like he's a lightning rod and they're standing in an empty field, storm imminent.

"I'm so sorry Ellery.. I'm so.. So sorry.." His voice shakes, wobbles, breaks. In years, he'd made sure no one bears him, sees him, perceives him, so very vulnerable. But here with Ellery back in his arms he's overwhelmed, and as much as he may try, the desperation of his mind is far too much to be confined to only his insides.

[little-watcher]

“i know.” he chokes, on the static and on the wind and on the sadness of it all. “i forgive you.”

how could he not? he Understands they’ve been through so much. he missed them more than the sun misses them moon, but he Knew they would touch again eventually. it always comes back around.

it loosens his grip just a hair, pulling them inside.

“come, s-sit. we- we have a lot to talk about, huh?”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose makes a sound, strangled and wet, like the notion of forgiveness genuinely shattered something in him. He shakes his head, as if already denying himself it. Denying himself forgiveness. He does not deserve it, not anymore. Not from Ellery. One of the only people he actually wanted, craved to be forgiven by. For his sins. For his mistakes. For all he's done. But that's exactly why he knows he can never have it.

Rose lets himself be pulled inside, lightning pulses up and down his arm, puts light to the face that is twisted and contorted as if in pain from the intense emotions alone.

Like the moon pulls the tide, he lets himself be drawn inside Ellery's home. His cocoon, maybe.

Like the lady on the moon his insides weep, rocking waves into cliffs and ships until they no longer glide but scrape and splinter. Hands clinging to all that is in reach of the ocean in his mind like the dead, forgotten souls grasp for anything that breathes in the underworld. Suddenly there is no nightsky above and his waters are blood red. He becomes the Styx and the ship and the most souls and the crew all at once. He'd brought no coins for safe passage.

"w-we do.." he forces himself to say through a mouth gone numb with trembling, focusing I seeing eyes on Ellery until they find a place to sit together. His vision is clouded. By clouds or fog he cannot tell. Milky and swimming like the eyes of the dead. His heart beats so hard that it thunders and ripples through his bones, racing against time, running the way his legs beg to. He denies himself the relief of kicking his legs as fast as they would allow, rooting them instead to the ground as if encased by concrete.

Then, a thought. Did Ellery Know? Did he Know he'd come back? Did he See it? Did it See what he'd done? Did it See what was done to him? Please.

Please. He can neve know. Never and never and never again all over and over and over again. No one could know.

[little-watcher]

it holds them like he’s holding the sun, cradling it like the sky holds the sun up each day.

“breathe, breathe.” he whispers like a prayer. “in and out, you’re okay, you’re safe.”

he doesn’t Know. he hasn’t Looked. he can’t say the he had any good reason not to.

but he was scared. terrified to find that rose had abandoned him on purpose. that he hated it, stopped loving it.

but its clear that wasn’t the case.

“rose, what’s going on?” it asks softly. “please talk to me. i’m worried. it’s been so long, but nothing’s changed, you can still talk to me, i promise.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose felt pathetic, here. Having to be held by what he was meant to protect. To be so...Vulnerable. He wasn't meant to be.

He listens anyway, trying to even out his breathing. If only to show that he still cared. Trusted. Believed.

It takes him a little, but eventually he manages to ge a grip on himself just enough to breathe shakily, but much more evenly than before.

He pulls back just enough to look at Ellery. Properly look at him. Green eyes swimming in wetness, squeezed in strain not to spill anymore. It doesn't matter, a few tears still escape him.

He's not cried infront of anyone in years, he feels so very ashamed. He wishes he could turn back time. Make this never happen.

But he can't do that, so he instead looks away, unable to keep his gaze on the other as he tries to speak around the lump in his throat.

"I'm...Im sorry, I didn't mean to just... D-dissapear like that, I promise, I.." each and every word sounded like a desperate plea, as if the standard for him was not to be believed, even if he was telling the truth. As if his hurt had never before been real to anyone.

I can't tell you what happened, he thinks. If you knew, everything would fall apart.

Instead he says. "I tried to come.. Come back for you, I promise.. I.. I tried.. I tried Ellery..."

[little-watcher]

“i know, i know honey.” he whispers. he’s got practice at this now and he’s gotten pretty good. “just keep breathing with me, it’s okay, you’re okay. i forgive you, rose, i forgive you.”

it’s strange to be comforting them like this. but it doesn’t mind. he’s used to strange.

he loves them like no other, it doesn’t matter who’s comforting who.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

His lip quivers and he squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head and scooting further away. He takes a breath, forces himself into a false calm, clamping a maw shut around the throat of the frantic little bird inside of his ribcage. It twitches a few times, then goes limp.

He rubs at his eyes, and when he opens them again he avoids Ellery's.

"...Stop. This... This isn't your job. Please..." his voice lowers, straining to keep itself level. "...Dont forgive me." The words feel almost practiced, though Ellery might just Know that they don't align with Rose's wants and needs. Perhaps it can just tell as is. It knows Rose well enough, after all.

[little-watcher]

“rose, please.” it murmurs, the most familiar argument in the world. “you’re not okay, but that’s alright, love. you don’t need to be. and i’m not sorry for forgiving you, nor will i stop. you are a kind and caring person. and you came back. that’s what counts, rose.”

it holds his hand, rubbing it gently.

“i know you probably aren’t exactly used to this, but i want to help you. siblings go both ways, love. i get to help you too.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

He wants to pull his hand away. To flinch, to bare teeth and bite but he doesn't. He's instead only stiff and still, expression hardened only to keep himself aware of every single one of his muscles, focused on telling himself.

He shakes his head, it clicks in the movement instead dif being smooth like he so often seemed to be. All grave forgotten, making him resemble a broken, rusted mechanism that chugs along in jolts.

Stop. Stop. You are already fucking this up. Fucking bitch. You don't deserve this and you know it. You're tricking him with your big tears. You know that, right? You're making it forgive. It pities you. Look at yourself. You're supposed to be better than this. It wasn't that bad. It was your own fault. You deserved it. You deserve to be abandoned like you've done to them. Look at how pathetic you are, crying infront of a child. A child you were meant to be strong for. Look at what you've done.

And then a quieter, bittersweet voice singsongs to him.

He sounds just like you.

It sounds just like you.

"Ellery...I'm sorry." the words feel a bit forced, like he has to hold a weapon to his own heard to make himself squeeze them out at all.

[little-watcher]

it cringes at rose’s thoughts, loud and difficult to ignore. he doesn’t want to hear them, they’re personal, but the eye doesn’t care. it never has.

“i forgive you.” it says easily. “rose, i- listen. i don’t know what happened to you, love, but whatever it is, you can talk to me. you know i would do anything for you. it’s- whatever it is, it isn’t your fault.”

how many times has he said that in its lifetime?

how many times has it needed to hear it?

none of it matters right now. he sees their tenseness and removes its hand from his. it recognizes all the signs. that only makes him so much more concerned.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. It should've let you die that night. The Vast should've never taken you into it's gentle embrace.

And he should've killed you.

But he has a plan for you~ And no matter what you do, you cannot escape your fate twice.

He looks down at his now empty hand. Mentally traces the many little nicks and scratches between his calloused fingers.

"Of course it is, Eli.. It's..." You can't tell anyone.

"...I shouldn't have left. Should've tried to check on you. Should've... Should've some sort of way to do the right thing. I.. Please... Please understand that this was never because of you. I..I didn't want to leave. It.. I didn't want to lose you. It wasn't you, please, please understand it was never... It could never... Please... I... "

His voice trials off, faint yet heavy at the same time.

[little-watcher]

“i know, i know. i didn’t think you would do that to me, ever, love. i knew there was something else going on.”

that’s not true. but this lie he doesn’t mind telling.

it keeps hearing his thoughts. it hates that it does.

“please talk to me. i don’t- i don’t mean to listen, rose, but something happened to you. i’m scared for you. please tell me what’s going on, love. please.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose bites his lip, continues to think.

It might happen again.

He sighs

"..I'll...be fine. I can handle it. I'll.. I-I'll manage. But.. It's why I was gone for so long..but I've dealt with it this long...I can keep going." I have to.

"Thank you for...for not hating me yet."

Focus. Focus. Here. You're here and now and not on the skip and he isn't here.

He tentatively reaches his still up facing palm towards Ellery. A silent request to hold onto it again.

Confliction still plays behind his eyes, scanning side to side down at his hand but remaining unseeing, scowering his own mind instead, though it slowly grows dark, like the blanket of night was laying itself upon his thoughts, taking them far away and taking the pain with them.

"...I can't tell you..." Will that make you hate me, then? Keeping knowledge from you..I know it's a thing no Eye Avatar enjoys. Not seeing out of own will is one thing. Being denied knowledge however...

[]sp[]c[]ll[]f the[]n[]er.

[little-watcher]

it takes their hand reassuringly.

“that’s okay.” he murmurs. “you don’t need to. i just wanted to know how to help you better.”

it needs to know it needs to know it needs it needs-

he shoves the urges aways and focuses on rose.

“what can i do to help? a hug? a glass of water, maybe?”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

The man starts to not so mindlessly trace patterns into Ellery's hand. Suns. Moons, little spirals. Flowers. Clouds. Anything he can think of.

"...Please just stay..."

Ah. Perhaps he should add who sent him. He wishes he would've come upon his own accord but... Well. He'd already figured Ellery had given up on him. And besides, would've been better off with him around. He couldn't have continued if he'd had to see the dissapointed expression on his face. Or one of rage.

"...I met Liza." he says. "She... Showed up on the Andromeda one night, unintentionally. We... Promised eachother we'd visit you."

[little-watcher]

he nods, scooting closer to them and resting his head on their chest.

“i suppose that would explain why she told me we should totally hang sometime.” he murmurs, a small smile on his face. “how did that go? i’m sure you were as good to her as you were to me.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose adjusts himself so he can pull Ellery properly against him with his free arm, nuzzling into its hair.

"Pretty well, all things considered. She...was very scared, at first. But I think...i think she trusts me now. At least a little bit." he smiles into the crown of Eli's head, plants a small kiss and continues, closing his eyes as he takes in a breath. "...I ended up reading her a bedtime story, actually... It.. It was... Nice."

[little-watcher]

it smiles, melting back into it all like it was yesterday. it wasn’t. he aches a bit.

“that sounds very lovely.” he smiles, playing with their hair. “i’m glad it went so well. it sort of makes sense you would get along. she seems like… well, like me, but younger.”

not entirely. but in all the ways that matter. it’s deeply glad she has him already. he needed someone like them when he was her age. he’s forever grateful she gets that.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

If he didn't still have his shoes on, he'd circle his legs around Ellery, too. Envelop it whole. He doesn't.

He can't help but let out a hum of contentment when his hair is being played with, sighing and melting like honey in the sun into the other.

"She's sweet. Talks like you a little bit...remimded me of you. A... A lot." the Vastling mumbled into the others hair.

He can feel the scars littering his body. Even if they are hidden. Scars he couldn't bear for Ellery to know about. If he knew...no.

Eye Avatars suck. He agrees with Amelie on that. At least for the most part. But not this one. His little brother. No, he was good. Always would be in his eyes.

"I missed you so very much, you have no idea...I thought I'd never get to see you again. Hold you again..."

[little-watcher]

he bites his lip, trying not to cry. not right now. that’s not what rose needs right now.

“i was scared for you.” they admit, voice cracking a bit. “i was scared something hurt you, or- or god forbid killed you. i’m so glad you’re alive.”

it was most scared that he left them. hated them. but rose doesn’t ever need to know that part.

“i- i know- i know you don’t want to talk about it, but i’m not going to judge you. i never would judge you. i’m trying not to let it show me, i know you don’t want go talk about it, i just… i want you to know you can lean on me too. you know i get it.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

He didn't die this time. That was worth something, at the very least. Or rather, that's what he convinced himself of anyway to make up for all the hurt and agony that had befallen him in the past six months. Right after...

He sighs instead. "I...know I can lean on you. I know you understand.. You've been through hell and back. Much worse than I have if anything." It's not a competition, he mentally chides himself. Still, he can't help but be convinced, through and through, that everyone else has had it worse than him. Though, he can no longer imagine something that is worse at all...

"I'm alive.. As alive as any of us Avatars are, anyway. And that never changed. I promise Ellery." He squeezes around the other a little.

"I'm sorry that I worried you so much..if I'd known you would...still want me, wouldn't move on I... I wouldn't have..." But he'd had no choice. But...perhaps. He would've tried harder. Even harder than he already had. Even if it wouldn't have mattered in the end.

[little-watcher]

He is quiet. Nervous. And has been standing before the door to the apartment for...a while now.

They keep reaching for the doorbell, then pulling their hand back as if the mere air around it burned their fingertips.

He's dressed in a black bodysuit that tightly clings to his body, covers his arms and loops around his middle fingers for hold, neckline climbing up his throat. Still, it cannot cover the lightning climbing up and onto his face, glowing persistently.

Over the bodysuit, he wears just as black, high waisted pants that flare out at the legs. A white crop top is thrown over his top, black stripes like a Tigers swirling around in a flowy pattern.

His hair is let down, falling down his shoulders and back loosely, semi covering one of his eyes.

It's been about a week since Liza payed a visit to Rose on the ship on accident and...well. He made a promise. So even with terror wafting off of him in a way it hasn't in a long while, he finally manages to ring the doorbell, taking a step back as he waits for a response, perfectly in sight of the little peep hole.

He looks down, rubbing at one of his arms nervously, static palpable in the air.

He's sure Ellery will be angry. He's sure that even if the door opens, it'll be slammed right back in his face.

A storm rages outside.

@pleiades-cabin-talk

ellery opens the door, eyes wide with shock. it had meant to say something about being here so late, but the words slip away. everything does.

the salty air fills his lungs. he doesn’t know what to say. tears prick his eyes. what could he even say?

it throws himself at them, hugging them fiercely. he cries softly, gently. he’s changed. but not that much.

“i missed you.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose holds him close the moment he's in reach, pressing the boy, his little brother, into his chest, afraid he'll dissapear, dissapate, if his grip slips just a little.

"I missed you too" he murmurs, and for the first time in a long time, his voice cracks. It's an ugly, choked up sound. Gutteral almost, overwhelmed with emotion so much that his hair cannot seem to stay still, strands floating and thrashing in a breeze that does not exist. Ellery gets pricked with a little bit of static here and there just from being so close to Rose. Like he's a lightning rod and they're standing in an empty field, storm imminent.

"I'm so sorry Ellery.. I'm so.. So sorry.." His voice shakes, wobbles, breaks. In years, he'd made sure no one bears him, sees him, perceives him, so very vulnerable. But here with Ellery back in his arms he's overwhelmed, and as much as he may try, the desperation of his mind is far too much to be confined to only his insides.

[little-watcher]

“i know.” he chokes, on the static and on the wind and on the sadness of it all. “i forgive you.”

how could he not? he Understands they’ve been through so much. he missed them more than the sun misses them moon, but he Knew they would touch again eventually. it always comes back around.

it loosens his grip just a hair, pulling them inside.

“come, s-sit. we- we have a lot to talk about, huh?”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose makes a sound, strangled and wet, like the notion of forgiveness genuinely shattered something in him. He shakes his head, as if already denying himself it. Denying himself forgiveness. He does not deserve it, not anymore. Not from Ellery. One of the only people he actually wanted, craved to be forgiven by. For his sins. For his mistakes. For all he's done. But that's exactly why he knows he can never have it.

Rose lets himself be pulled inside, lightning pulses up and down his arm, puts light to the face that is twisted and contorted as if in pain from the intense emotions alone.

Like the moon pulls the tide, he lets himself be drawn inside Ellery's home. His cocoon, maybe.

Like the lady on the moon his insides weep, rocking waves into cliffs and ships until they no longer glide but scrape and splinter. Hands clinging to all that is in reach of the ocean in his mind like the dead, forgotten souls grasp for anything that breathes in the underworld. Suddenly there is no nightsky above and his waters are blood red. He becomes the Styx and the ship and the most souls and the crew all at once. He'd brought no coins for safe passage.

"w-we do.." he forces himself to say through a mouth gone numb with trembling, focusing I seeing eyes on Ellery until they find a place to sit together. His vision is clouded. By clouds or fog he cannot tell. Milky and swimming like the eyes of the dead. His heart beats so hard that it thunders and ripples through his bones, racing against time, running the way his legs beg to. He denies himself the relief of kicking his legs as fast as they would allow, rooting them instead to the ground as if encased by concrete.

Then, a thought. Did Ellery Know? Did he Know he'd come back? Did he See it? Did it See what he'd done? Did it See what was done to him? Please.

Please. He can neve know. Never and never and never again all over and over and over again. No one could know.

[little-watcher]

it holds them like he’s holding the sun, cradling it like the sky holds the sun up each day.

“breathe, breathe.” he whispers like a prayer. “in and out, you’re okay, you’re safe.”

he doesn’t Know. he hasn’t Looked. he can’t say the he had any good reason not to.

but he was scared. terrified to find that rose had abandoned him on purpose. that he hated it, stopped loving it.

but its clear that wasn’t the case.

“rose, what’s going on?” it asks softly. “please talk to me. i’m worried. it’s been so long, but nothing’s changed, you can still talk to me, i promise.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose felt pathetic, here. Having to be held by what he was meant to protect. To be so...Vulnerable. He wasn't meant to be.

He listens anyway, trying to even out his breathing. If only to show that he still cared. Trusted. Believed.

It takes him a little, but eventually he manages to ge a grip on himself just enough to breathe shakily, but much more evenly than before.

He pulls back just enough to look at Ellery. Properly look at him. Green eyes swimming in wetness, squeezed in strain not to spill anymore. It doesn't matter, a few tears still escape him.

He's not cried infront of anyone in years, he feels so very ashamed. He wishes he could turn back time. Make this never happen.

But he can't do that, so he instead looks away, unable to keep his gaze on the other as he tries to speak around the lump in his throat.

"I'm...Im sorry, I didn't mean to just... D-dissapear like that, I promise, I.." each and every word sounded like a desperate plea, as if the standard for him was not to be believed, even if he was telling the truth. As if his hurt had never before been real to anyone.

I can't tell you what happened, he thinks. If you knew, everything would fall apart.

Instead he says. "I tried to come.. Come back for you, I promise.. I.. I tried.. I tried Ellery..."

[little-watcher]

“i know, i know honey.” he whispers. he’s got practice at this now and he’s gotten pretty good. “just keep breathing with me, it’s okay, you’re okay. i forgive you, rose, i forgive you.”

it’s strange to be comforting them like this. but it doesn’t mind. he’s used to strange.

he loves them like no other, it doesn’t matter who’s comforting who.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

His lip quivers and he squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head and scooting further away. He takes a breath, forces himself into a false calm, clamping a maw shut around the throat of the frantic little bird inside of his ribcage. It twitches a few times, then goes limp.

He rubs at his eyes, and when he opens them again he avoids Ellery's.

"...Stop. This... This isn't your job. Please..." his voice lowers, straining to keep itself level. "...Dont forgive me." The words feel almost practiced, though Ellery might just Know that they don't align with Rose's wants and needs. Perhaps it can just tell as is. It knows Rose well enough, after all.

[little-watcher]

“rose, please.” it murmurs, the most familiar argument in the world. “you’re not okay, but that’s alright, love. you don’t need to be. and i’m not sorry for forgiving you, nor will i stop. you are a kind and caring person. and you came back. that’s what counts, rose.”

it holds his hand, rubbing it gently.

“i know you probably aren’t exactly used to this, but i want to help you. siblings go both ways, love. i get to help you too.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

He wants to pull his hand away. To flinch, to bare teeth and bite but he doesn't. He's instead only stiff and still, expression hardened only to keep himself aware of every single one of his muscles, focused on telling himself.

He shakes his head, it clicks in the movement instead dif being smooth like he so often seemed to be. All grave forgotten, making him resemble a broken, rusted mechanism that chugs along in jolts.

Stop. Stop. You are already fucking this up. Fucking bitch. You don't deserve this and you know it. You're tricking him with your big tears. You know that, right? You're making it forgive. It pities you. Look at yourself. You're supposed to be better than this. It wasn't that bad. It was your own fault. You deserved it. You deserve to be abandoned like you've done to them. Look at how pathetic you are, crying infront of a child. A child you were meant to be strong for. Look at what you've done.

And then a quieter, bittersweet voice singsongs to him.

He sounds just like you.

It sounds just like you.

"Ellery...I'm sorry." the words feel a bit forced, like he has to hold a weapon to his own heard to make himself squeeze them out at all.

[little-watcher]

it cringes at rose’s thoughts, loud and difficult to ignore. he doesn’t want to hear them, they’re personal, but the eye doesn’t care. it never has.

“i forgive you.” it says easily. “rose, i- listen. i don’t know what happened to you, love, but whatever it is, you can talk to me. you know i would do anything for you. it’s- whatever it is, it isn’t your fault.”

how many times has he said that in its lifetime?

how many times has it needed to hear it?

none of it matters right now. he sees their tenseness and removes its hand from his. it recognizes all the signs. that only makes him so much more concerned.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. It should've let you die that night. The Vast should've never taken you into it's gentle embrace.

And he should've killed you.

But he has a plan for you~ And no matter what you do, you cannot escape your fate twice.

He looks down at his now empty hand. Mentally traces the many little nicks and scratches between his calloused fingers.

"Of course it is, Eli.. It's..." You can't tell anyone.

"...I shouldn't have left. Should've tried to check on you. Should've... Should've some sort of way to do the right thing. I.. Please... Please understand that this was never because of you. I..I didn't want to leave. It.. I didn't want to lose you. It wasn't you, please, please understand it was never... It could never... Please... I... "

His voice trials off, faint yet heavy at the same time.

[little-watcher]

“i know, i know. i didn’t think you would do that to me, ever, love. i knew there was something else going on.”

that’s not true. but this lie he doesn’t mind telling.

it keeps hearing his thoughts. it hates that it does.

“please talk to me. i don’t- i don’t mean to listen, rose, but something happened to you. i’m scared for you. please tell me what’s going on, love. please.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose bites his lip, continues to think.

It might happen again.

He sighs

"..I'll...be fine. I can handle it. I'll.. I-I'll manage. But.. It's why I was gone for so long..but I've dealt with it this long...I can keep going." I have to.

"Thank you for...for not hating me yet."

Focus. Focus. Here. You're here and now and not on the skip and he isn't here.

He tentatively reaches his still up facing palm towards Ellery. A silent request to hold onto it again.

Confliction still plays behind his eyes, scanning side to side down at his hand but remaining unseeing, scowering his own mind instead, though it slowly grows dark, like the blanket of night was laying itself upon his thoughts, taking them far away and taking the pain with them.

"...I can't tell you..." Will that make you hate me, then? Keeping knowledge from you..I know it's a thing no Eye Avatar enjoys. Not seeing out of own will is one thing. Being denied knowledge however...

[]sp[]c[]ll[]f the[]n[]er.

[little-watcher]

it takes their hand reassuringly.

“that’s okay.” he murmurs. “you don’t need to. i just wanted to know how to help you better.”

it needs to know it needs to know it needs it needs-

he shoves the urges aways and focuses on rose.

“what can i do to help? a hug? a glass of water, maybe?”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

The man starts to not so mindlessly trace patterns into Ellery's hand. Suns. Moons, little spirals. Flowers. Clouds. Anything he can think of.

"...Please just stay..."

Ah. Perhaps he should add who sent him. He wishes he would've come upon his own accord but... Well. He'd already figured Ellery had given up on him. And besides, would've been better off with him around. He couldn't have continued if he'd had to see the dissapointed expression on his face. Or one of rage.

"...I met Liza." he says. "She... Showed up on the Andromeda one night, unintentionally. We... Promised eachother we'd visit you."

[little-watcher]

he nods, scooting closer to them and resting his head on their chest.

“i suppose that would explain why she told me we should totally hang sometime.” he murmurs, a small smile on his face. “how did that go? i’m sure you were as good to her as you were to me.”

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

Rose adjusts himself so he can pull Ellery properly against him with his free arm, nuzzling into its hair.

"Pretty well, all things considered. She...was very scared, at first. But I think...i think she trusts me now. At least a little bit." he smiles into the crown of Eli's head, plants a small kiss and continues, closing his eyes as he takes in a breath. "...I ended up reading her a bedtime story, actually... It.. It was... Nice."

[little-watcher]

it smiles, melting back into it all like it was yesterday. it wasn’t. he aches a bit.

“that sounds very lovely.” he smiles, playing with their hair. “i’m glad it went so well. it sort of makes sense you would get along. she seems like… well, like me, but younger.”

not entirely. but in all the ways that matter. it’s deeply glad she has him already. he needed someone like them when he was her age. he’s forever grateful she gets that.

[pleiades-cabin-talk]

If he didn't still have his shoes on, he'd circle his legs around Ellery, too. Envelop it whole. He doesn't.

He can't help but let out a hum of contentment when his hair is being played with, sighing and melting like honey in the sun into the other.

"She's sweet. Talks like you a little bit...remimded me of you. A... A lot." the Vastling mumbled into the others hair.

He can feel the scars littering his body. Even if they are hidden. Scars he couldn't bear for Ellery to know about. If he knew...no.

Eye Avatars suck. He agrees with Amelie on that. At least for the most part. But not this one. His little brother. No, he was good. Always would be in his eyes.

"I missed you so very much, you have no idea...I thought I'd never get to see you again. Hold you again..."