[ lúthien has built something resembling a routine for herself: the mornings, she spends practising self-defense or reads up on different worlds, magic and technology; the afternoons and nights, she walks under the trees in the sunlight room... but evenings, she varies: sometimes she seeks out people she knows to spend time with, other times she can be found in the kitchen, trying out recipes she has heard people speaking about.
this is one of those days, and as the stew she is cooking is bubbling away merrily on the stovetop, she looks around and notices a boy sitting around one of the tables, head bent over a sheet of paper.
curious, she makes her way closer, her footsteps night-quiet. when she sees it is a drawing, and a very good one at that, she exclaims, ]
[ truth be told, iris could probably benefit from a routine. you'd think he'd crave that kind of structure, someone so fond of science and invention, but maybe it's offset by the more artistic side of him, creativity too spontaneous to be contained.
or maybe he's just an 18 year old boy who's never had anything resembling structure in his life.
at least not the healthy kind.
all this to say, he's taken to the station life as one might expect a restless teen might — wandering around aimlessly, poking his head into every open door he comes across, trying to both situate himself in the space but also not get in the way. it's awkward, walking into a space that so many others have already made into their homes... but of the two times it's happened, at least this time he isn't getting crucified for it.
heh.
he'd been aware, of course, that he wasn't alone in the kitchen. the delicious smells coming from the stove can't exactly be ignored, after all, nor the beauty of the woman behind it. but iris is getting better about not staring at every new person he comes across, so he's since hunkered down with his sketchpad. the combination of his being lost in thought and lúthien's quiet steps have the wonderful effect of causing iris to jump in his seat when she speaks up, his startled shout swallowed up by the loud bang of his knee against the table. it hurts, yeah, but not nearly as much as his pride. ]
Th-Thanks... Ah.
[ he's gripping his throbbing knee with one hand while the other tries to unclench around his pencil. he looks down at the drawing she's referring to — a rough sketch of one of the flowers he'd seen in the sunlight room earlier that day. ]
[ he's getting the sense that iris maybe isn't so technologically savvy... ]
That's good. Though it looks like this places has a lot of systems in place to fix things if you break them. And if you think you've broken something with wires, bring it to me.
I'm OK. Trying to get a sense of things, training and waiting for the mission file. [ which is really depressing, let's not think about that yet.
but that's to say he's been a hermit this whole time anyway. ]
what up, bro! i hope you're stomach's feeling better and you're settling in okay (sorry again, by the way....)
but listen, i have this party i'm throwing tonight if you want to come? if you can't no worries, but maybe you could swing by after anyway? I have the sim room reserved like, all night for the party, so. I was thinking we could scope some of those places I wanted to show you once I'm done cleaning up? you better not have checked it out without me, dude!
no worries either way, though. see you soon, maybe? :)
[ in case you may have missed it, “no worries” is the vibe Finn is hoping to project here ]
[ not shown: the absolute euphoric surprise on iris' face at the very first mention of that invitation. there's no way finn can know, though maybe he already has something of an idea, but iris isn't exactly mr. popular back home... or if he is, it's more in the infamous sense. and that kind of reputation doesn't exactly beget many invitations, especially for social gatherings, so to have one extended to him from someone who's only just met him? it means a lot more than finn will probably ever know.
but, you know. GOTTA BE COOL ABOUT IT. ]
a party? me? you want me to go to your party? yeah! i'm not busy at all! i can be there right now i mean if you need help with it the party not that i think the party's happening right now haha
[ So very cool. Maybe he should've hit that 'no worries' vibe a little harder? ]
haha nah man, I'm just setting up. party doesn't start until 7. but if you want to help though, you totally can, the more the merrier! it's just me and jake over here.
I apologize for the intrusion. Are you able to explain to me how your powers work? There is a piece of technology from Doctor McCoy's world, the duplication of which would be invaluable for this mission. I am not certain if this falls within your abilities or not.
My powers? [ hmm. it's been odd having to find himself needing to explain his powers. the last time he tried, the other person couldn't really fathom it, so now he's sort of self-conscious he's not doing a good explanation for it. ]
It's... I can make illustrations come to life. Most of them. Kind of. [ GOOD, GOOD START, FANTASTIC. ] It has to be complete, and I'd have to be able to understand it on some level. [ like, does he understand the composition of water? heck no. but can he still pull it from a painting? yes, apparently. ]
（ almost exactly like the boy sai, his brother's replacement on team seven, and one of danzō's sorry pawns. itachi makes a soft, speculative noise driven more by comprehension than confusion. then: ）
Are you limited in scope or scale by the size of the paper?
[ one of the last days before the mission, there's a note taped to iris' door with -- well -- an iris attached to it. the note reads: ]
did you know, in the language of flowers, your name means 'hope'? you probably did since it's your name. someone once told me that there's always hope if you keep fighting. so, uh, keep fighting and cheering.
- cal
p.s. that probably needs water, right? i couldn't find a vase and i'm not so good with keeping plants alive outside of a terrarium. but it probably needs water and a vase.
[ no one's ever given him a flower before. plants, in general, weren't all that common in the tower, and all his time spent outside of it had been filled with such anxiety he hardly hard time to (quite literally) stop and smell the roses. a vase and water is quickly procured (the former one of his own creations, black glass with his signature swirl of blue-green smoke etches deep into its surface). he places it on the sidetable he'd created for his bed, looking it over fondly as he reaches out to the other man to text him back. ]
1) it definitely needed water, remember that next time you want to try keeping plants alive
2) thanks cal
3) do you know? i never actually looked up what irises meant. it's dumb but i guess a part of me was afraid to find out in case it was something weird [ or terrible... ] hope's nice, though. i like hope.
naephus i don't care what you say, i'm not getting on another spaceship
[ someone did not enjoy his trips to and from nuhiri... while they never did get the chance to test if the ship he and yzak worked on was space-ready, he's almost positive it would've made for a smoother ride! ]
[ Clearly he'd touched a nerve, and without even really meaning to. Jake swallows the uncharitable part of himself that supplies good, transitioning that thought into a grin instead. ]
wouldn't dream of it, buddy. i was just curious if you finally found a place to stay or not. last time i saw you, you seemed a little 'between' houses.
the whole thing is weird and lillium doesn't like it. but, he has Plenty Of Regrets ( some bigger than others ) and if he's getting a for real free chance to undo one of them? yeah, sure. why not take the chance? what could it hurt?
but, it's weird. being in space is weird. being in this place is weird. as he walks through the halls canvasing the place to learn all the ins and outs and escape routes and hidey-holes just in case he needs them, he briefly wonders if iris felt like this: trapped. yeah there are fun rooms like the armory ( he got a really cool knife that's tucked into his belt ) and the sunlight room, but it's not the outside. and he doesn't even have the option of going outside. he already felt bad for him and the others stuck in that shitty tower, but this is... something else.
he's in the kitchen scrounging up some ingredients to make himself some pancakes when he sees a familiar shape come into his periphery. at first he ignores it, but then he double-takes and winds up dropping an egg on the counter and it splatters all over everything. )
[ the thing about growing up in the tower is — it's hard to feel like you're missing out on something you've never had. sure there was a time there, when he'd been much younger, that his insatiable curiosity had panned outwards, wondering about the world beyond the tower's thick walls and educational books. but that curiosity and yearning soon turned inwards as he grew into his teen years, and his world became much, much smaller and his priorities narrowed. yes, he felt trapped in the tower — not because of his inability to leave, but because he simply wasn't allowed to even be himself.
it's different, on the ximilia. here, no one knows what a demiflora is, or the gravity of being an iris one at that. in some ways, it's lonely... but it's a freedom he's never had before, so it's one he's not taking lightly.
that morning there'd been some chatter on the network about new crew members showing up. since his own arrival, he'd only been present for one other batch, yet that was apparently all it took to put him into a false sense of security, because the absolute last thing he expects to do when he enters the kitchen that morning is see someone he knows standing right there, covered in egg. ]
...Lillium?
[ his voice sounds far away to his own ears. for a few seconds, all he does is stand and stare. he's all too aware that it had only been two weeks ago when a shattered orb on the station threw them all into vivid memories of the past, and though none of the ones he'd been subjected to involved this particular person in his life, a part of iris still feels hesitant to believe what his eyes are really seeing right now.
before too long, he finally moves. his steps are quick, light. barely a soft rustle of fabric before he's suddenly there, in lillium's space, reaching up so his hands come to rest on either side of the older man's face to hold him still, make sure he's flesh and blood and real. the sticky egg goop on lillium's cheek makes his palm slip and slide against it but there's no denying it — this is really lillium. he's here. ]
( so, alright. he's not hallucinating. that's... good? he guesses. it's a little odd to see him here because it's unexpected — and not simply because he's in space on some station, but because iris never shows up where lillium wants or expects him.
and speaking of not expecting something: he doesn't expect iris to come over to him like this and get all in his personal space and touch him like that. he blinks several times before looking down at him quizzically. )
Uh—
( awkwardly he pats iris' head and then rests his hand on his shoulder. this isn't the weirdest behavior iris has ever done, so he's not going to hold it against him. yet. )
I know eggs are good for skincare, but I don't really want it on my face anymore. Are you done?
[lan sizhui knows that when it comes to missions, they all must do their best to blend in with the natives of whatever world they're visiting. his first couple of times, it wasn't so difficult to figure things out, but when it comes to pirates of this sort, sizhui's realized he knows very little on how to make himself look presentable.
sure, he could reach out to someone from his homeworld for help, but giving it some thought, it felt a little silly to bother nie-zongzhu or wei-qianbei with something frivolous like figuring out how to dress himself.
when mulling over his options, however, it became more apparent: he had already asked iris for something sort of clothes related! it would make sense to ask for his help again, right? iris had been kind and genuine to him too, after all, so he seemed the perfect candidate for a situation like this as someone who would consider sizhui's sensibilities.
so, while he waits for iris to arrive at their designated destination on-world at kellir, nibbling some dried fruit he'd brought along, he considers a few things he passed by, pondering about what looks comfortable compared to what actually is; linen and cotton are nice and simple, but they can't only choose those, right? not when they're supposed to make certain they can fool the people (which sounds bad, except it's truly for a good cause: finding that orb).]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
during station downtime, before march mission
this is one of those days, and as the stew she is cooking is bubbling away merrily on the stovetop, she looks around and notices a boy sitting around one of the tables, head bent over a sheet of paper.
curious, she makes her way closer, her footsteps night-quiet. when she sees it is a drawing, and a very good one at that, she exclaims, ]
Oh! How beautiful!
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or maybe he's just an 18 year old boy who's never had anything resembling structure in his life.
at least not the healthy kind.
all this to say, he's taken to the station life as one might expect a restless teen might — wandering around aimlessly, poking his head into every open door he comes across, trying to both situate himself in the space but also not get in the way. it's awkward, walking into a space that so many others have already made into their homes... but of the two times it's happened, at least this time he isn't getting crucified for it.
heh.
he'd been aware, of course, that he wasn't alone in the kitchen. the delicious smells coming from the stove can't exactly be ignored, after all, nor the beauty of the woman behind it. but iris is getting better about not staring at every new person he comes across, so he's since hunkered down with his sketchpad. the combination of his being lost in thought and lúthien's quiet steps have the wonderful effect of causing iris to jump in his seat when she speaks up, his startled shout swallowed up by the loud bang of his knee against the table. it hurts, yeah, but not nearly as much as his pride. ]
Th-Thanks... Ah.
[ he's gripping his throbbing knee with one hand while the other tries to unclench around his pencil. he looks down at the drawing she's referring to — a rough sketch of one of the flowers he'd seen in the sunlight room earlier that day. ]
text | un; 20/20
Are you settling in OK?
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[ yes, iris, he probably knows that considering he's the one reaching out to you... SMH. forgive him, he's not used to people checking in on him. ]
i think i'm doing okay... i mean i haven't broken anything yet, heh!
how about you?
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That's good. Though it looks like this places has a lot of systems in place to fix things if you break them. And if you think you've broken something with wires, bring it to me.
I'm OK. Trying to get a sense of things, training and waiting for the mission file. [ which is really depressing, let's not think about that yet.
but that's to say he's been a hermit this whole time anyway. ]
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text; forward dated to the day of the mission briefing
but listen, i have this party i'm throwing tonight if you want to come? if you can't no worries, but maybe you could swing by after anyway? I have the sim room reserved like, all night for the party, so. I was thinking we could scope some of those places I wanted to show you once I'm done cleaning up? you better not have checked it out without me, dude!
no worries either way, though. see you soon, maybe? :)
[ in case you may have missed it, “no worries” is the vibe Finn is hoping to project here ]
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but, you know. GOTTA BE COOL ABOUT IT. ]
a party? me? you want me to go to your party?
yeah! i'm not busy at all! i can be there right now
i mean if you need help with it
the party
not that i think the party's happening right now haha
[ so very cool ]
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haha nah man, I'm just setting up. party doesn't start until 7. but if you want to help though, you totally can, the more the merrier! it's just me and jake over here.
oh wait actually!!! you draw right?
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audio ↪ un: うちは
I apologize for the intrusion. Are you able to explain to me how your powers work? There is a piece of technology from Doctor McCoy's world, the duplication of which would be invaluable for this mission. I am not certain if this falls within your abilities or not.
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It's... I can make illustrations come to life. Most of them. Kind of. [ GOOD, GOOD START, FANTASTIC. ] It has to be complete, and I'd have to be able to understand it on some level. [ like, does he understand the composition of water? heck no. but can he still pull it from a painting? yes, apparently. ]
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Are you limited in scope or scale by the size of the paper?
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text; un: jtd (a few days post-ciraiwei)
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[ see, look — he's making jokes and everything. everything's totally fine, see? ]
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delivery (station time)
did you know, in the language of flowers, your name means 'hope'? you probably did since it's your name. someone once told me that there's always hope if you keep fighting. so, uh, keep fighting and cheering.
- cal
p.s. that probably needs water, right? i couldn't find a vase and i'm not so good with keeping plants alive outside of a terrarium. but it probably needs water and a vase.
text
1) it definitely needed water, remember that next time you want to try keeping plants alive
2) thanks cal
3) do you know? i never actually looked up what irises meant. it's dumb but i guess a part of me was afraid to find out in case it was something weird [ or terrible... ] hope's nice, though. i like hope.
4) no really, thanks a lot
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hope's really nice. hope's important. what were you worried it would mean? something like clumsy?
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text; set on naephus, sometime before the gala
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i don't care what you say, i'm not getting on another spaceship
[ someone did not enjoy his trips to and from nuhiri... while they never did get the chance to test if the ship he and yzak worked on was space-ready, he's almost positive it would've made for a smoother ride! ]
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wouldn't dream of it, buddy. i was just curious if you finally found a place to stay or not. last time i saw you, you seemed a little 'between' houses.
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the whole thing is weird and lillium doesn't like it. but, he has Plenty Of Regrets ( some bigger than others ) and if he's getting a for real free chance to undo one of them? yeah, sure. why not take the chance? what could it hurt?
but, it's weird. being in space is weird. being in this place is weird. as he walks through the halls canvasing the place to learn all the ins and outs and escape routes and hidey-holes just in case he needs them, he briefly wonders if iris felt like this: trapped. yeah there are fun rooms like the armory ( he got a really cool knife that's tucked into his belt ) and the sunlight room, but it's not the outside. and he doesn't even have the option of going outside. he already felt bad for him and the others stuck in that shitty tower, but this is... something else.
he's in the kitchen scrounging up some ingredients to make himself some pancakes when he sees a familiar shape come into his periphery. at first he ignores it, but then he double-takes and winds up dropping an egg on the counter and it splatters all over everything. )
Iris!?
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it's different, on the ximilia. here, no one knows what a demiflora is, or the gravity of being an iris one at that. in some ways, it's lonely... but it's a freedom he's never had before, so it's one he's not taking lightly.
that morning there'd been some chatter on the network about new crew members showing up. since his own arrival, he'd only been present for one other batch, yet that was apparently all it took to put him into a false sense of security, because the absolute last thing he expects to do when he enters the kitchen that morning is see someone he knows standing right there, covered in egg. ]
...Lillium?
[ his voice sounds far away to his own ears. for a few seconds, all he does is stand and stare. he's all too aware that it had only been two weeks ago when a shattered orb on the station threw them all into vivid memories of the past, and though none of the ones he'd been subjected to involved this particular person in his life, a part of iris still feels hesitant to believe what his eyes are really seeing right now.
before too long, he finally moves. his steps are quick, light. barely a soft rustle of fabric before he's suddenly there, in lillium's space, reaching up so his hands come to rest on either side of the older man's face to hold him still, make sure he's flesh and blood and real. the sticky egg goop on lillium's cheek makes his palm slip and slide against it but there's no denying it — this is really lillium. he's here. ]
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and speaking of not expecting something: he doesn't expect iris to come over to him like this and get all in his personal space and touch him like that. he blinks several times before looking down at him quizzically. )
Uh—
( awkwardly he pats iris' head and then rests his hand on his shoulder. this isn't the weirdest behavior iris has ever done, so he's not going to hold it against him. yet. )
I know eggs are good for skincare, but I don't really want it on my face anymore. Are you done?
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action; shopping montage time
sure, he could reach out to someone from his homeworld for help, but giving it some thought, it felt a little silly to bother nie-zongzhu or wei-qianbei with something frivolous like figuring out how to dress himself.
when mulling over his options, however, it became more apparent: he had already asked iris for something sort of clothes related! it would make sense to ask for his help again, right? iris had been kind and genuine to him too, after all, so he seemed the perfect candidate for a situation like this as someone who would consider sizhui's sensibilities.
so, while he waits for iris to arrive at their designated destination on-world at kellir, nibbling some dried fruit he'd brought along, he considers a few things he passed by, pondering about what looks comfortable compared to what actually is; linen and cotton are nice and simple, but they can't only choose those, right? not when they're supposed to make certain they can fool the people (which sounds bad, except it's truly for a good cause: finding that orb).]