Carpathia V: Episode 7 - Femboy
Space, NCCS Chrono Blade, Canteen
One day spent cleaning up wreckage. Another day attending the memorial service and paying respects for fallen crewmates. Only now did it feel like the general melancholy was starting to lift. If nothing else, a little rest, a little food, and a little shower made a grand difference in the overall mood. The ship still stank, but at least the people didn't.
What could not be ignored was the structural damage, and Sena, sipping his coffee at a grimy table in the canteen, couldn't help but notice. No atrium. No pleasant location to relax around shops and trees. On a normal day, the canteen was decent enough, with oak veneers on the walls, warm lighting, and all manner of seating arrangements, from upright chairs for those who want to eat and run, to comfy, squishy couches for those who wanted to linger.
Now, half the lights were out. The once stately veneer walls now singed and split everywhere. The furniture had been tossed around the room like lego in a tumble dryer, leaving far fewer options, with the most comfortable selections having taken the brunt of the damage. Sena, nevertheless, managed to find a couch for lounging, although it was now more of a crooked chaise, since the arm on one side was missing. He arranged himself luxuriously, with his back on the arm, one foot on the floor, and the other on the cushions. It was enough for relaxing and he also, by good fortune, got his coffee in one of the few cup and saucer types that hadn't been shattered.
Though it was early morning, Sena didn't have a shift for several more hours, so he could rest comfortably in the canteen with the few other early-risers, teacup in hand, clawed pinky finger at a jaunty extension every time he took a sip. With a tablet in his other hand, he read Operations reports from the night shift and did not notice when Atsuo walked up.
Atsuo: Hey, Sena. New outfit? I don't think I've seen that one before.
Sena looked up at Atsuo, with his big grin and tea mug, and then glanced down at his outfit with a delighted smile on his face. Starting with his pleated, red tartan skirt, he absentmindedly reached down and spread it across his legs. As he did, he kicked his leg to the floor, the knee-high leather boot landing with a thump on the carpet. Then he sat up straight, adjusting his crop top to land just off the shoulder as it should.
Sena: It is! Noctus and I finished it just before the war started and I never had a chance to wear it. After everything, I wanted to dress in something that might cheer me up.
Atsuo grinned and shifted his weight onto one foot.
Atsuo: Is it working?
Sena: It is! Despite...
Sena's voice faded as he looked around, holding his hand high and waving it in circles.
Sena: ...well, all this, it kinda makes me feel normal again. Normal and pretty.
Atsuo: And you look super cute! For me, normal and pretty is a gorgeous engine core that sounds exactly like it's supposed to.
Sena set his tablet on the table and scooched himself even closer to the armrest, patting the cushion next to him.
Sena: Sit with me?
Atsuo responded with a flamboyant bow, twirling his gold cybernetic hand all the way down.
Atsuo: But of course, mademoiselle!
Sena gasped in faux indignation, making a big show of almost spilling his coffee.
Sena: That's "Monsieur" to you!
With a snicker, Atsuo sat on the cushion next to Sena and took a sip of his green tea.
Sena: Is your shift starting soon?
Atsuo: In about an hour. I already had some fish and rice in my quarters before coming here to relax a bit. Also...
Sena watched Atsuo's eyes shift to the side, followed by his head, before lifting his hand to wave at something.
Atsuo: Oh, hey, there's Phobos!
Sena followed the direction Atsuo's head turned to see Phobos just entering the canteen, limping along with a cane in his hand. He joined in the wave with Atsuo.
Sena: Over here, Phobos!
Phobos turned his head, an unusually robotic herky-jerky movement not typical of him. With a slight, yet sad smile, he started to hobble in their direction. Atsuo jumped from his seat and fetched a chair for him.
Phobos: Thanks.
Atsuo held the back of the chair while Phobos slowly turned and plopped his bum in the chair like an old man in a retirement home. Sena sat up straight on the couch and leaned forward, placing his cup back onto its saucer.
Sena: How are you feeling?
Phobos: Like all my joints are made of sandpaper. Dad is meeting me at Andrast Shipyard to give me an overhaul.
Atsuo, confident that Phobos was comfortably seated, resting his hands on his cane propped up between his legs, returned to his own seat.
Atsuo: I wish I could help. Kerith is teaching me and Sena about your anatomy, but we're still beginners.
Phobos: It's okay. It would take a few weeks to synthesize and properly calibrate new parts anyway. I'll get along. What's really gnawing at me is the Shadowdancer. I hope they're okay. Especially Baal. If they're still alive, he must be a wreck.
For an awkward moment, there was no reply, until Sena had the sudden realization.
Sena: Oh, your boyfriend! I met him on Polaris once. He's a nice guy.
Atsuo: Well, I'm keeping hope. If there's any crew that can kill Lazmaedia, it's Shadowdancer. I'll bet they're already on their way back.
Phobos: They are surprisingly capable. If they ended up at the Vashta homeworld, that's a year away. If they ended up somewhere else... who knows? I don't know if I can take the waiting.
Sena: Hey, we're with you, Phobos. I don't know what our future will be, but I'll always have some screen time available if you need it.
Phobos: I might take you up on that.
The conversation did not proceed further, for, without anyone noticing, Revenant quietly walked up and softly greeted them.
Revenant: Good morning.
Sena jumped, hitting his knee on the table, and it was only by virtue of his cat-like reflexes that he caught the coffee cup before too much of it spilled. Now standing, ignoring what was surely a bruise forming, he blushed bright red.
Sena: R... Revenant! Hi!
The others turned to look as well, spotting Revenant standing close with a glass of milk in one hand and a plate piled absurdly high with food in the other. Uncountable numbers of bacon strips, eggs, sausages, hash browns, and assorted fruits and vegetables. It appeared that there was a very real possibility that the rim of the plate might break off in Revenant's hand, heavy as it looked.
Confused, he cocked his head and replied.
Revenant: Hello.
Without another word, Revenant stepped to a different table, the most isolated one in the room, and set his plate and milk down, ready to eat.
Atsuo: I never get used to how much demons eat.
Phobos had something else on his mind, and turned to Sena, who was now sitting back onto the couch, rubbing his leg.
Phobos: I think it's clear enough that you like him, but are you able to do bridge duty together?
Sena: You know, it's weird. When I'm in uniform, I can comport myself just fine. Somehow, I lose it when we're off duty. It doesn't happen often. He doesn't come out of his quarters much.
Atsuo: He's a very good science officer, but, yeah, bit reclusive.
Sena: I haven't known him long, but I'll find out what he likes eventually. Let's talk about something else, okay?
Phobos: Happy topics, please. I'm looking forward to seeing my sister. She's coming along with Dad to Andrast to meet me.
To happier topics the three remained, keeping their minds off memorials and missing friends, focusing on the future.
Corridor, Deck 4, NCCS Chrono Blade
Kau plodded down the corridor on Deck 4 in no rush to get to his shift. He was already early and was in no mood for haste. Over an hour early, in fact, and he stopped halfway to the lift to wonder if he should detour to the canteen to get a proper breakfast. Would a few sticks of jerky be enough to sustain him for his entire shift? Perhaps not, he thought.
Kau turned around, a change of course to the canteen rather than the bridge, and suddenly found himself face to face with Riku.
Kau: Riku!
Riku: Sorry. Didn't mean to surprise you. I was just about to get alongside.
Kau: Not a problem. I was just...
Kau didn't have a chance to finish as Riku leaned in close and rubbed his cheek down the sides of Kau's face. For a moment, Kau was nervous, keeping a close eye on Riku's chin spikes, but he deftly kept his head turned so that they wouldn't scratch.
Kau: I didn't know that you knew the nekomi greeting.
Riku grinned.
Riku: Tools of the trade. I know every species traditional greetings! Anyway, I was hoping to see you today. You seemed more down than most at the memorial and I didn't get a chance to ask how you were doing.
Kau hesitated, his mind racing, wondering if he should tell Riku about how much the thought of death affects him. Or, perhaps, the nightmares about drowning that he has at least once a week if not more often. He'd just had the same dream last night, in fact. Instead, he chose the safest of answers.
Kau: Yeah, I was down. I guess that was the moment everything we went through really hit me.
It was the truth, at least, without any extra information that he didn't want to discuss. With a nod, Riku wrapped his arm around Kau's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
Riku: I understand. Do you want some food? You have an hour and nine minutes until your shift and you can join me in the canteen. I'd like your company.
Kau's ears flicked up on his head.
Kau: How do you know my shift time?
Riku: I know everybody's shift time! I like to know when people are coming and going.
Kau: Oh, turns out that's less creepy than I thought.
Kau smiled, perhaps the first time in weeks.
Riku: That's a date then! Let's go. I'm going to get ice cream.
Kau: For breakfast?
Riku: What's the difference between that and a glass of milk and a doughnut?
Kau thought until he was forced to admit the obvious.
Kau: Aside from the wheat, not much.
Riku: See? Have whatever you want!
With Riku still clutching Kau's shoulder, both strode down the corridor to the lift that would take them to the canteen.
Commissioned art in Carpathia from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Colourbrand
Falke2009
Nalaxa Art
