23 → comes the sun, out of mist and fog

[crimson_seeker]

It finally smells like proper autumn. The horses are happy, at least; though clearing their grazing of giant oak leaves is more of a chore than I'd have thought. Seems they're just falling all of a sudden. Was it this bad last autumn

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--> quicklog

[crimson_seeker]

I'll meet you at Access Point then.

-------

[As promised, Hawk is well in time, waiting as close beside the elevator doors as possible without being in the way of passersby. There is much he needs to put out of his mind before this meeting: while things have calmed down, many things remain to trouble him the moment he has any time for idle thoughts. So, he keeps busy best as he can, even with time off from his proper work.

When Stellaris emerges from the elevator, he doesn't rush to her immediately, against his own first instinct. Instead, he raises a hand in greeting, trying to smooth his expression into one as easy as he can manage.] Hey.

quicklog

[lingeringlegacy]

Hey! [Stellaris smiles and waves back. With almost two weeks having passed, her bandages have all been gone, with only a couple of plasters left covering what remains from the deepest cuts. Her steps are still relatively slower, though. She steadily comes closer at Hawk, until she closes the distance with a hug.]

quicklog

[crimson_seeker]

[He's a little slow to respond, though not hesitant: his arms rise to wrap around her back, fingers catching onto her jacket and then gradually holding her close. When he speaks, his voice is soft, muffled against her hair.]

You'll be well. [Not "you look well". Not quite yet.] It's good to see you.

Re: quicklog

[lingeringlegacy]

[She disengages to look at his face.]

I will. [To her it is simply a statement of fact. Barring abnormal situations, she will be fully healed in two days and the last scar would cease being visible in another two days. Yet if she knew him correctly, the gentle assurance is a way to tell her he cares.] Hawk, what you addressed me by in the journal, does it mean what I think it means?

quicklog

[crimson_seeker]

[Of course, he means more than her physical injuries. Reports have come back of the rescue effort to Frost Mountain, but they do not tell that which is buried deepest and thus may cut the most cruelly.

No more of that now. He pauses at her question, something at once abashed and wistful crossing his usually open expression. Can he span the gap between them, in time and in understanding, once more?]

It means if you wished it, I'd... hold you as dear to me as family. I don't know if people in your world do this. Give pledges of kinship to those they'd consider their brothers and sisters beyond the ties of blood. But I would.

Re: quicklog

[lingeringlegacy]

I don't recall being familiar with the concept, no... [Wistfulness was written all over her face, followed by an apologetic quirk of eyebrows.] And actually, it's probably strange to most people, even Lyle I mean, but I can't... quite imagine what having a sibling is supposed to feel like. B-but it's a good expression, isn't it? Like friendship, but not like the friendships where you're at friendly terms at each other but not always actively seeking to spend more time together, or things like that?

[The attempt at definition brought out an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.]

quicklog

[crimson_seeker]

[Nudging her shoulder, he steers them towards the bridge; they should not remain standing on the path, even if the topic of conversation seems to have taken them both by surprise.]

Not so strange, [he says, quirking a brow.] I... think I had siblings. It's not an odd notion. But you might have been an only child, hm?

[He looks away, but remains walking close, both in case she needs support and to let her know he's listening. It seems kinder to let her sort through her bemusement with a bit of privacy.]

Family is different, yeah. Friends are a choice; family is... a pinnacle, a given. And sometimes, you choose your family.

Re: quicklog

[lingeringlegacy]

[At the nudge, she started to walk towards the bridge.]

If one were to ask me which is more important, the given or the choice, I would have said that I am grateful for many that are given, but my choice is what I embrace. But whatever it's called, a bond is created out of both chance and choice, isn't it? It would be an honor to have you as my brother, in that concept. And in my heart.

[She smiled and glanced at him. As they reached the rope bridge, she reached to take hold of Hawk's arm. She had been declared fit to travel, but precaution never hurt. When she began talking again, though, her face turned serious.]

As for being an only child, that's a possibility. But I... well, I have reasons to suspect I might not be raised the way most people believe they were. I cant imagine what it feels to be a child either. I... haven't told you this before, but in one of my dreams, I made a differentiation between 'humans' and what I am. An Innovator. But I couldn't remember what that really entails.

quicklog ... wow, curveball. (also let's stick to the past tense then. <3)

[crimson_seeker]

[He gave a small laugh. Stellaris, or perhaps everyone in her world, was probably less bound by the concept of one's family as somehow sacrosanct, paramount. That was why he'd held out the appellation, little sister, and all that went with it. He'd chosen her as his friend, and to a friend, that was the closest, most cherished recognition he could offer.]

Then we're of a mind in this.

[He let her slide her arm through his, bracing her against the sway of the bridge. The difference to her usual smooth movements was evident; she was more tentative.

As he listened, though, he felt his own thoughts come to a jarring half. He grasped her words but not truly what she was saying. The bridge was a poor place to stop, but once they were across, he had to pause, to look at her fully, confusion writ across his face.]

Forgive me. I don't understand. You mean... a different people? Though I'd think any people would grow from children to adulthood.

Re: quicklog

[lingeringlegacy]

[She didn't fault him his confusion. The story was full of holes, even for someone who did not have vast oceans of cultural difference to bridge.]

Perhaps so... there are, um, devices inside me that made my physiologically different to other humans. Though to what extent... [She shook her head slowly.] I don't really know how I grew up, or whether I had been a child. I just know that... I can't picture how that feels like.

quicklog

[crimson_seeker]

[Devices. Machines. Something made by human hands. Hawk made a small noise, entirely confounded for a moment. Eyes wide, he stared at Stellaris: the same familiar, smiling face, the same hands and stance and bearing, yet for a moment she seemed to him alien as the empty space she had once travelled.

Then he mastered himself again, looked to the ground and gave an apologetic shrug, trying to shake a twitch of tension from his shoulders.]

I have... known something like that. But I reckon you don't mean the same way. There's... something in you that makes you other than human, then? What do they do?

Re: quicklog

[lingeringlegacy]

[She glanced in his eyes for a second, seeking. She stopped herself, thinking she ought to give him space to process what she just told him instead.]

Machines. Really, really small machines in my blood; metal strands in my eyes. I have known them for some time, but only a handful of others know. The machines worked at a deep level in my metabolism, and allegedly... suspend my aging process, among others. Though that doesn't mean much considering no one really grows here.

quicklog

[crimson_seeker]

[How strangely familiar all that seemed. What the dragon's blessing had worked in his body, human innovation had accomplished in hers. The calmly, gently spoken facts seemed to help him anchor his thoughts.]

I see. Then... maybe you know, better than I thought, what it's like when time goes more slowly for you.

Re: quicklog

[lingeringlegacy]

Maybe not. [Her face was thoughtful.] 'More slowly' implies a reference for comparison. When I think about it I have just been taking it for granted.

quicklog

[crimson_seeker]

[His laugh was airy, husky, but sincere despite its frailty.]

I meant compared to other people, Stellaris-mèi. [If something could sound both strange and right, then affixing the familial honorific to her name was that.] But... you don't know how old you are, right? So that makes a difference, too.

Re: quicklog

[lingeringlegacy]

[And that laugh made everything warmer somehow.] No, I don't. But I suppose in the end it's only as important as I make it to be.