✧ — passionfruit green tea.

[boba]

Comments

[transmit]

I'd say it's both a good and bad thing it's getting around. They know what it means to get the captain involved. Did you know you're more diplomatic than the Señora?

[ he finally takes his hand off after worrying about being excessive… ]

It'll be easier if the books are in front of us when we talk. Let's give it… a few more minutes?

[ the night sky isn't as beautiful as it was yesterday, but he wants to cherish this moment between them regardless. ]

[oversea]

That's fine.

[ once again he's amazed at how much work elysium is putting into this, and how he'll need to figure out some way to repay him for it later.

getting elysium to accept that is another story, however. ]

... Hopefully being more diplomatic won't mean they think they can walk over me.

[transmit]

They'll just have to see what happens when they cross that thredhold, won't they?

[ he looks down over at thorns… smiles…

hehehehehehe ]

We should cook up something extra special for the first guy that does.

[oversea]

Oh?

[ thorns should not be humoring this... and yet, he is. ]

Do you have anything in mind?

[transmit]

Have you made anything fun in your lab recently? I'm talking a true Thorns-exclusive. It should be concoction no one else besides you would ever be able to make. The ones you use on people when they're being annoying!

[ he is

perhaps getting a little too excited ]

[oversea]

[ help

he just looks at him for a moment. ]

Do you want to help me tomorrow?

[transmit]

Can I?

[ purgatory did so well in managing to tear thorns away from his lab… ]

[oversea]

[ apparently the answer is to give people horrible migraines... ]

Yeah. Who else would help me? Everyone else is incompetent.

[transmit]

Right. You're so right.

[ it is never a good thing when elysium looks deep in thought. ]

Have you ever thought about adding hallucinatory effects?

[ ghost… real!!!!!! ]

[oversea]

I was thinking about it back at Rhodes, but any time I tried, Dr. Kal'tsit would just appear.

[ she noticed the weird shit thorns was ordering and knew something funky was about to go down. ]

... I guess I wouldn't have that problem here.

[transmit]

[ he grips thorns' hands. if anyone thinks it's manic it's their imagination. ]

We can do whatever we want now. But I'll still be supervising, you know?

[ it's just

his tolerance for bullshit may be exponentially higher than kal'tsit's. they may be doomed in both timelines. ]

[oversea]

[ elysium supervising is the same as having no supervisor for him... yippee.

he nods his head. ]

Alright. I'll just make sure I have everything I need first.

[transmit]

If there's anything you might need through Rhodes' channels, I can hook you up.

[ this is how they get kal'tsit smiting them through the boundary of distance somehow. ]

Let's head back and get everything else squared.

[oversea]

Yeah, let's.

[ they can return to thorns' room, since all the paperwork elysium wants to show him would be there...

he notes that it is nice to walk back with elysium instead of them splitting up though. ]

[transmit]

[ friendship is magic…

anyway, it'll just be elysium trying to suggest a more efficient system of keeping track of inventory. it pays to have your fingers in so many pies… he will be so useful and helpful thorns will never want to get rid of him. ]

[oversea]

[ OKAY. elysium solidifying his place by making himself more useful than everyone else on the ship.

thorns takes notes. he points out anything that may not work out in the long run just due to how the ship operates, but it's very few adjustments he has to suggest overall. ]

And you thought of all of that in a few hours?

[transmit]

[ when rhodes explodes and elysium is sent to russia the ely-shaped hole needs to be felt…

well. that's what he would be thinking if he were crazy. instead, he's responsible enough to document everything in advance, making sure any absence is as painless and as unremarkable as possible. if anything's missed, it should only be his winning personality and him being easy on the eyes. ]

Should we start talking about how you picked up captaincy in the span of several weeks?

[ thorns better not start this ]

[oversea]

I'm sure it's something you could have done if you tried.

[ ... ]

Or wanted to.

[ elysium does seem happier as a second in command kind of guy. ]

[transmit]

In a rallying people under my banner kind of way?

[ who is he, elysium d'arc? they are from the wrong european country for this. ]

That's so far from my style. I don't think so. We're leaving it up to you.

[oversea]

[ the thing is, thorns also would have said this wasn't his style before he ever stepped foot onto that ship. so he's very aware of just how swiftly your path can change without you even trying for that to happen.

but there's no point in pushing elysium in that direction for no reason. ]

'We're'?

[transmit]

We! You and me. I'm making the executive decision for you.

[ he stretches out with a satisfied sigh. ]

It's about time I start my rounds. Should be easy enough to slip into inventory and start a fresh count.

You should be sleeping by now, shouldn't you?

[oversea]

Is it really that late?

[ thorns is fully aware of how late it is.

he will gather all of the logs to neatly set them on the desk. ]

I'll see you in the morning then.

[transmit]

[ time slips by too quickly. but compared to purgatory, everything feels calm and almost indulgent. considering from the other thorns' timeline rhodes still hasn't exploded, it really does feel they have the time to figure themselves out. so he stays quiet, lifting a hand toward thorns' face.

he nearly cups his cheek. at the last second, he thinks better of it—and flicks his forehead instead before moving on. ]

See you tomorrow.

[ he's going to be passed out what does thorns mean see him in the morning ]

[oversea]

[ well thorns will still be seeing him. elysium won't though.

but he waits a second, then two, before moving on and heading back to his quarters. thorns still isn't sure of how long elysium can keep this up; eventually someone will notice, and hopefully it'll be someone who had already met him before so nothing awkward happens.

but time to sleep zzzzz ]

[transmit]

[ someone will notice and elysium will simply gaslight them into believing they hadn't realised he was here this entire time. impossible not to notice such an attractive man, but pirates are not known for being the most attentive bunch…

which, on the note of, he does actually run into someone who has never met him before. it's 3am, the ship is dimly lit, and the floorboards creak. he comes to face with this crewmember who just stares at him questioningly until he says— ]

Boo.

[ they run off, with elysium surprised it'd worked? wow. thorns can have fun dealing with the rumour this spawns the next day—elysium is the most peaceful mimir by the time he wakes up. honk shoo. ]