misconceived | ( drift fleet inbox. )

[Varric using the personal communicators for this.]

Prickly. Try not to freak out, but someone just died station-side. So uh, you and Roses should stay inside for a bit.

What? What happened?

[ Hear those sounds? Those are the sounds of Chris preparing to not stay inside. ]

Where are you?

One of my friends from home attacked one of the other passengers. He had a good reason, but people are still freaking out. Obviously.

[CHRIS...]

I'm on my way out of the waystation. I had to talk to some people first. Stay on the ship. I'm coming, all right?

Which? Who? Wait. That guy?!

[ Chris is sounding more frustrated by the minute at the orders. ]

No way. In case you forgot, I can shimmer. Where are you? Call for me. I'll come get you.

Yes, the broody elf. It's a long story. But he's not going after people, so you and your dad are safe.

[He really hates the magical dwarf tossing. He considers just ignoring it, but clearly talking to Chris face to face is the only way to assuage his fears, so here he goes.]

Prickly? [A pause. He's just standing in the waystation, near a terminal.] Don't tell me I have to use your real name. That's boring.

Then why are we hiding in the ship in the first place?

[ The more you do it, the less freaky it gets so clearly this means Varric should suck it up and go shimmering with Chris more often. There's a beat of silence on the other side as he tries to listen in on the Prickly call. ]

Yeah, no, real name. That's how the magic works. Come on, Doc.

Because even non-passenger people are panicking and I'm not sure how Robin or his friends are going to react. If it helps, I've got my gun.

[Well, he tried.]

Fine. Chris?

[ There it is. Chris homes in on it quick as he can and then he's off. Hi, Varric. ]

You said Robin. Wasn't he one of the other captains?

[Varric jumps and gives Chris a glare. He's never getting used to that.]

Ah, shit. This just gets better and better. [He would definitely be pissed if someone murdered Chris. Maybe even go after someone's friend. He edges closer and reaches out to grab Chris' arm.]

Let's-- let's go. I don't want to stick around here any longer than I have to.

[ Chris gives him a simple brow raise, then he shimmers off again so they're on the bridge of the Huntress. ]

Okay, seriously. What happened?

[Varric takes a moment to make sure his feet are beneath him again. He ends up just sinking into a chair. Before saying anything, he doublechecks the consoles to make sure they're not broadcasting to the fleet.]

I'm going to preface this by saying that elves have really shitty luck on my world. If they aren't roaming the woods in clans, they're stuck in the shittiest parts of town. And if they're unlucky enough, they'll get sold into slavery and taken up to the Tevinter Imperium. My elf friend, he's from Tevinter.

I shouldn't have to give you gritty details about what they do to slaves, Prickly. I saw one girl lose her entire family-- sacrificed in a frantic blood ritual. They never did anything wrong. It was just the way it worked.

There's another kid that the broody elf was talking to. He found out the kid's a slave. Found out that the person who owns him is on the fleet. And... that would be Robin.

[ Chris has to sit down himself after hearing that. He takes the captain's chair not because of his position in the fleet, but just because it was closest, and kind of flops into it. He looks almost like he can't believe that, or as if he needs a moment to process what all he was just told. ]

He saved someone. That kid?

[Varric looks down at his hands.]

Yeah.

He seemed pretty sure that Robin would come back. And... uh... I couldn't find a body? So wherever he went, he has some explaining to do.

[ Chris shakes his head. ]

If he comes back... well, I'll help if you need it. But right now we should focus on that kid. Is he safe? I could probably whip up a protection spell, but I don't have any ingredients for potions or anything here. No crystals... no anything. [ He feels kind of like a sitting duck without any supplies. It sucks. ]

I don't know where the kid is. He probably went back to his ship, whichever one that is. [He scratches the back of his head.] I guess I'll check the network.

I don't really know what to say to him. Nel. I've spoken to him, what, twice? He's a good kid, but he's probably scared shitless. If he's been depending on Robin all this time, he probably has no idea about anything.

Nel? I think I spoke to him, too. [ Beat, head tilts a bit guiltily but it's nothing he's going to talk about. Druggie acting useless on the network. Still what he is, but it's kinda shitty in hindsight. ] So... what, we just try to let him handle himself while we wait for Robin to come back?

No, I think someone should check up on him. The broody elf might, but that could upset him more. Maybe his friends on his ship? If he's made them.

[UGH WHAT IS HIS LIFE.]

I'll talk to him, but... I'm not very good at this kind of thing.

Neither am I. Sympathy isn't exactly my thing, especially... [ When it's such an uncomfortable subject. He doesn't know how to do uncomfortable when it's not him. ] Well, I'm better at taking action than sitting around and talking.

A man of action. I'm not really surprised.

[He manages a slight smile, then gets up.]

If you hear anything, let me know. I need to... do some reading. [SOME SNOOPING, YOU MEAN.] Make a few calls.

Sure. But hey, return the favor? Anything else happens, give me a shout.

[ Which has a much more literal meaning where Chris is concerned.

but yeah once Varric is gone Cole will show up and then Chris is off to the Wonderduck gdi dad stoppit ]

hey

[ that's it, that's the message. ]

[ huh??? ]

Hey?

[ Abort mission. She knew this was a terrible idea. Maybe not trying was the better option, but she was also too stubborn for that. And bound to message them both sooner or later. There was more important things than whatever... feelings she was having. Or at least she could convince herself of that.

But, boy, did it sound easier to just go 'nevermind, sorry' and never text back again. Her fingers might have actually typed it and sent it if she wasn't her. Not. That she knows any better what to say. So it's a while later before: ]

Doing alright?

[ For all of the misgivings, Chris can't help but feel a pang of painful hope that Piper's reached out. He doesn't know what to do about all these differences between them, but the idea of them not being close in some capacity... that hurts.

He wants to fix this, whatever it is. ]

Doing fine. Is something up?

[ Fix and hurts aren't in Piper's vocabulary-- at least not a vocabulary she allows herself to use often. It was easier to just confront things. She wasn't able to take lies and hated more than anything to be treated like she was dumb. It's why she scoffed, rolled her eyes, and snapped at people so much at times. Beyond the fact that she was the fusser and not the fussy, of course.

But this isn't something she knows how to confront. It's not as if the idea of alternate universes escapes her-- because it doesn't. When you can create an entire world for games in Aather or find out your husband is an angel (among other things) it's not difficult. Especially when you know there's an entire world reversed but exactly like yours.

This is a different kind of reversal, though, and it's one that's infinitely more difficult to stomach and accept. And it changes the whole dynamic of a relationship that she just barely had a chance to come to terms with. And so she's not sure if it's something that can be fixed since it's something different, but she refuses to admit it hurts to anyone else. Even if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Still, the tacked on 'is something up' comment feels a little stinging. Like something has to be to talk to him and for a moment she thinks about not trying-- but she remembers when he ignored her and she pushed on. So she can't, even now. ]

Good. Glad to hear it.

[ . . . ]

Does something have to be up?

[ It doesn't make sense in Chris's worldview. Nothing about this whole thing does, really. Piper is expecting a son and Chris doesn't really know how to give her that, and it only serves to further twist him up inside. He can't stand to be a disappointment to his family, some kind of beacon to all the naysayers who he's incapable of doing anything right or good.

This difference is so out of his control, yet he feels an intense need to make it right somehow. He can't help it. Piper's got every right to avoid him for being wrong, and here she is. ]

No! Of course not. I just figured you wouldn't want to talk.

[ Strangely, she's trying really hard not to have any expectations about things. That's not to say it isn't difficult and conflicting--- because it is. And there's a want but this Piper-- the one who was more Peregrine than Piper-- had to learn that expectations weren't fair. Expectations were what Amethyst had of her and, worse, what she wasn't for them.

It's difficult to be something you're not. ]

Technically, this isn't talking.

[ It's meant to be a sarcastic remark, at least. Which is a good thing??? ]

[ It helps, Piper acting normal even if he knows this is anything but to either of them. It helps, and even that is enough to keep him off guard. ]

Got me there. Still, you avoided the question. Everything okay?

Fine. We just lost half our crew. Again. But I'm used to that by now.

[ Which she is, because it's a fact of life she's known for months now given the team system in Aather. One day someone would be there, and someone else would be there to replace them the next day. At least she wasn't as unlucky as some people regarding thing. But definitely put things into better perspective of maybe you should talk to people.

So she goes with blunt. ]

We just can't keep not talking forever.

Lost as in disappeared, or lost as in something happened?

[ He doesn't comment on the "used to that by now". He's used to it, too, in a lot of different ways. Varric and Komaeda are the only ones to disappear from his ship thus far, but that's already two too many. ]

Maybe not forever... but I figured you'd want time.

Regular lost. Probably. Whatever that is here. It doesn't look like anyone seems to know what that is.

[ Which makes her wonder if that's preferable to what they knew in Aather. If someone was lucky, they were kidnapped to do grunt work for a Persona. If they were unlucky they were attacked by the Darkness and shoved in a book. Not a fun thing-- from personal experience. ]

We've got nothing but time up here.

Edited 2015-06-11 05:15 (UTC)

Which isn't very soothing. I just wish someone would talk to us.

[ On the other side of the line, Chris is actually kind of laughing. ]

It's funny. I was against the clock so much back home... I don't really know what to do with having so much time. But I figured you deserved it.

Maybe we're lucky they don't.

[ She'd much rather certain captors DIDN'T talk to them after all, but. Well. It's weird when you begin thinking that traveling in space isn't the worst captivity. But it kind of is because she has kids and she still can't take care of them here. ]

Nah, we tried that once. Turns out you give a witch too much time and she goes a little crazy.

Lucky for our peace of mind, not really for anything else.

[ The lack of talking is a lack of clues, a lack of understanding, a lack of... hope, really. It's hard to see a way out when you can't even see which way you're looking. There's a pause. Chris is at a loss how to deal with all this. How Piper wants to deal with this. It isn't normal, even for them, and it isn't like they aren't still family. Yet... ]

Maybe you don't deserve time, but you do deserve your son here. I'm sorry.

Maybe. Depends on how you look at it.

[ It's a lack of something, but maybe they were just missing something right in front of their face. It seemed too easy like this, but maybe that was the whole point.

There's a definite pause in response at that part of the response, somewhat longer than his own. Since to her it's sons and the singular is another sign this is all wrong. Atroma must be having fun with this, but that's not something she tries to think about. It's not like alternates didn't happen-- but this was too close to home. Still, she swallows it back and responds. ]

You've done more for him than I'd say some people have, so it's not like you have anything to be sorry for. I don't want to hear it.

[ There. She's sure that's not something he can deny, from what little she's pieced but. It's important. ]

Trying to spin our perspective on it isn't really going to help what's happening.

[ They're locked out in the cold in a terrible situation with no idea of how to get out or otherwise change it. Lack of communication is lack of information. It frustrates him.

He doesn't know what to say to that part, since it's true, but also not what he meant. Wyatt's obvious. Anyone sane would want Wyatt here instead of Chris, no matter what universe. Well, maybe not Chris's own, personal-timeline Wyatt, but that's splitting hairs. ]

What's he like? Your Chris.

I just mean there's worse scenarios. At least they're being quiet and not bothering us otherwise. The opposite is being talked down to and forced to do something.

[ Which is to say, she kind of prefers the void of interaction to being turned into a cat again. Or having someone else all up in her head for someone else's fun. But she's not going to go all up in that.

Still, she can guess. But to her rather or not Chris is her son he's the same person in a lot of ways. Their demeanor, at least, regardless of who or what he is. It's just a different history and that's what she's going with. ]

Not much different. I don't think who your parents are changes who you are that much. They're not the one to make the decisions for you.

...Well, to an extent.

Edited 2015-06-18 23:02 (UTC)

( drift fleet inbox. )

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice;

voice/action????

voice/action... almost...

voice/action?!!?!?!!?!?!?!?

ACTION.

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

text

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

Re: text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;

text;