✧ — passionfruit green tea.

[boba]

Comments

[oversea]

[ it would definitely not be the same. it's the gap where all of one person's firsts isn't the other's first, despite being the same people. the shared trauma of being in purgatory together no longer binding them... it's tricky.

thorns just grumbles a response, closing his eyes again before opening them. ]

You looked comfortable.

[transmit]

[ look

they're abnormal but they have never been this abnormal. there is only so much elysium can dissociate when it comes to their relationship, and platonic spooning puts him right at the edge of it. still, he does his best to ignore it. thorns is going through a tough time. ]

Plenty of things are more comfortable than the hammocks you used to have. I had to mentally prepare myself every time I visited.

[oversea]

If you annoy me I can put them back.

[ AND PUNISH THE REST OF THE CREW. ]

[transmit]

You'd do that after I've been keeping you warm…?

[ why is thorns so mean…

he is tempted to put his balance to the test and shove him off. ]

[oversea]

I think I've been keeping you warm...

[ warmth works both ways, idiots.

but he will try to sit up so they don't have to awkwardly hold onto each other while both fully awake. ]

[transmit]

[ this is how thorns gets elysium to hold him closer. this is more than cuddling, it's embracing. ]

I'm warmer than you.

[ WHY DOES THIS MATTER ]

[oversea]

[ this is beyond stupid. thorns isn't even feeling a doki from this he just wants to beat u elysium. ]

Absolutely not.

[ objectively speaking, elysium is, but thorns will not give up. ]

[transmit]

[



this is so ridiculous that elysium also gives up arguing and just stands up. okay. no arguing with a mourning man… no arguing with a mourning man……

… ]

You said you had a few things to do in the morning, right? Is an hour enough to finish up?

[oversea]

[ HE'S NOT IN MOURNING not that he is aware of what elysium is thinking about. thorns will simply accept this as his victory because elysium yielded first. ]

I can try. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?

[transmit]

[ THORNS IS ACTING SO WEIRD (WEIRDER THAN USUAL) what is he supposed to think? he's not in mourning?? ]

If an hour's too tight, you can always get more time. But yeah, in the canteen probably's easiest.

[oversea]

... I'll make it in an hour.

[ he has no reason to believe this other than pure stubbornness. ]

I'll catch you later then.

[transmit]

[ :)

he will go check up on his fellow operators before going out to socialise with the crew. he is going to subtly ask around about thorns' lover without outright saying he had a lover… what does he find out…

has he exhibited any strange behaviours recently? this is important. ]

[oversea]

[ some of the crew says he's been normal and they haven't noticed anything strange. some note that around the same time he started wearing the feather, he'd wander off to be by himself more often...

someone adds that for some reason he is suddenly much closer to nene seemingly overnight? ]

[transmit]

[ NO… ALL THORNS HAD FOR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT WAS NENE?

after the investigation, he ends up day-drinking to take the edge off the stress. and when the crew asks if he's okay, he tells them he is. he really isn't planning on getting drunk…. ]

[oversea]

[ elysium imagining thorns venting to nene at night in tears...

thorns, meanwhile, is making his rounds. since they're not traveling at sea at the moment, he doesn't have to do the entirety of his usual check, but he needs to at least make sure no tomfoolery happened overnight that might have damaged the ship or the contents in it.

it takes slightly over an hour, especially considering he gets stopped by his crew multiple times to chat, but he hurries to the meeting spot when done. ]

[transmit]

[ if he's not venting, he's clutching nene to his chest through the darkest hours of the night. his emotional support creature.

but, when thorns finally finds elysium, he isn't doing anything particularly notable. he's roped a few others into day-drinking, but it’s still early enough that nothing too unhinged has come of it yet, lifting a hand in a lazy wave toward thorns. ]

Ready to go?

[ for whatever reason, everyone is watching this interaction very, very closely. the others whisper amongst themselves as elysium's back is turned to them. okay. ]

[oversea]

[ this is kind of weird, but thorns will just assume that everyone is really bored and elysium is a fresh face to lighten things up. ]

Yeah. Did you drink water?

[ this is so much drinking two days in a row ]

[transmit]

[ he picks up a glass of water and presents it like it's the greatest gift known to man. of course he has water? and of course he's drinking it? a little sloshes over the rim, but that's fine.

after downing a big gulp, he immediately presses the glass into thorns' hands. ]

Yeah! You too! Stay hydrated.

[oversea]

[ okay he is holding this glass then. thorns does not need it because he has not been day drinking.

he sips the water. ]

Did I miss anything interesting?

[ what's with the stares ]

[transmit]

Not really. [ but give it a moment, and… his eyes widen. ] —Oh.

[ getting to his feet, he slings an arm around thorns' shoulders, already steering him away. he can put away his glass on their way out by the dirty dishes. there are things to be done that don't involve an audience, a collective sigh trailing after them. elysium pointedly ignores the peanut gallery. ]

They were telling me Nene's taken my place as your best friend. Is that true?

[ he sounds faintly huffy. ]

[oversea]

[ out of all the things elysium could have said, thorns was not expecting it to be this dumb. ]

Nene the saltfin?

[ there is so much disbelief in his tone. ]

Yeah.

[transmit]

[ isn't it funny that they're having this conversation twice. some things never change. ]

Why are you adding its species like that bears any relevance to how you feel about it?

You probably feel more of a kinship towards it than some of your crew members…

[oversea]

[ BECAUSE THE IDEA OF IT REPLACING ELYSIUM IS INSANE ]

Well, yeah. Some of them are annoying.

[ thorns would risk his life for them but that doesn't suddenly make them all pleasant to be around.

[transmit]

[ elysium doesn't know that… he essentially annoyed his way into thorns' life. others could do that too? he can't just rest on his laurels. ]

It doesn't give you access to your chemicals…

[ is he seriously building a case right now

perhaps ]

[oversea]

[ thorns is realizing that this is not a bit and elysium is actually competing against a creature without thumbs. ]

I can probably teach it to.

[ don't egg him on... ]