voidtreckernet | Backdated

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((Backdated to a couple of days after the arrival log, at which point Lapis has been poofed into her gem and has re-emerged.))

[There's silence for a moment -- the kind of tangible silence of someone there, but not yet saying anything. Then the video flicks on. The woman on the screen is blue -- hair, skin, eyes. One arm tucks close against her. The other lingers on the console, fingers arched, as though unsure whether or not she wants to be seen.]

[She doesn't speak for a moment, arm tucking a bit closer, then, quiet:]

I wanted to say . . . I'm sorry.

If I fought you, if we didn't fight, but you were hit . . . I'm sorry.

[The hand resting on the console shivers slightly.]

I didn't understand that you were real.

[A pause.]

To whoever fixed what I broke . . . thank you.

[Her head dips, and the feed ends.]

((For context in case you missed it, Lapis did not do well with finding herself on the platform. She broke pipes under the train with hydrokinesis, draining out quite a bit of water. She attacked several others, caused property damage, and overall made things quite wet. For reference, the full ooc explanation is at this link, and the ic thread is at this one. The latter is currently ongoing, but I wanted to get this out before things got too far out. If you want to say your character got caught in the crossfire, please feel free! If they merely saw it happening, that's fine too.))

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Hello,

My name is Guri. I have some experience with fighting when, were I myself, I would not have done so.

If you need someone to talk to, I'm willing to meet at a time and place of your choosing.

[She's genuinely not sure what she thinks of the offer. This other person has no reason to give it. They should be upset.]

[Though . . . in Vista City, they did the same thing too, didn't they? They made offers like this, found her to talk.]

[Still such a strange and mysterious thing . . . and somehow miraculous.]

[It's only for that reason that she replies:]

I was myself. I thought . . . someone was making me see things. But I was myself.

[Therefore, she's to blame. The other person should at least know what they're dealing with when making such an offer.]

[The reply is oddly prompt. She calculates very quickly, and does not suffer overmuch from doubt.]

I am fairly certain nobody will blame you, not in the long run. If you responded based on past events, especially.

The offer still stands, regardless. I am an outsider to humanity, so I can offer sympathy and maintain an objective perspective. Though I understand that such things, such thoughts, are often considered too delicate or vulnerable to share.

Thank you . . .

[Because she recognizes the kindness and good intention in the offer. Asking for such a thing for herself, though, even when offered directly, remains a mystery. This isn't something that happens at home . . . and for so long, she's had to be dependent on herself. The others where she's been before have sneaked up on her with it.]

[If Guri runs across her, she'll remember the kindness, and probably be open to an approach.]

I'm sure that everyone would understand. Arriving at the platform from a different world altogether is never easy. I can assure you that you aren't the first person who had that sort of reaction and I'm sure you won't be the last.

[Though maybe it was the first time there was so much water flying around...]

Are you doing better now? Do you need to talk? I'm always willing to listen.

[There's a stretch of quiet at that. As with the reply before this one, an offer to talk is a mystery to her -- the extension of a hand when there's no reason to give it. She's no one to anyone here. Why does it matter?]

[She doesn't turn on the video again, but slowly flicks on the option for voice.]

I . . . understand better now. Even if I don't understand why I'm here.

[Harder to address is the offer. She's never been prone to reaching out to anyone else. She's used to retreating . . . or maybe, when what she feels hasn't affected them, to the small group of people she's grown to care for -- and even then only by lingering in the same space, warmed by their presence.]

You don't . . . have to offer anything. To me.

[He has every right to be angry. She acknowledges that.]

[That was fine with him if she didn't want to put it on video; whatever was more comfortable to her since she'd had a hard time]

Unfortunately, that's one of the things I can't help with. I know the train goes out on missions and we help the people there, but there's not really an answer to 'why me?'. I admit I've probably spent too much time wondering about it, but my friend Duo says I worry too much.

[Understatement of the year]

I don't have to. But I am. Everyone needs to be able to talk to someone sometimes. Doesn't even have to be talking. We could always get a cup of tea if that helped too.

[Sure, Quatre had gotten wet with everything that has happened, but honestly, water was the least of his concerns since it could dry]

[Another little stretch of quiet. Again he's surprised her. There's genuine kindness in the offer; she's come to recognize that, and appreciate it, even if she's not sure how to take it. Those words have never come easily. She doesn't ask for things for herself. The others in her past have usually sneaked up on her with them.]

Thank you . . .

[There's a small bloom of warmth in the words, uncertain and tentative, but there.]

I wouldn't . . . mind company sometime.

[That's probably as close as she can manage to acceptance -- no expectation of timing or investment on the part of the other. But sitting with someone . . . sounds okay.]

[Quatre smiled]

Of course. Would you like to meet now? If not, we can meet at a later time.

[He was flexible and really had nowhere he had to be, but he had also learned from his friends to ensure he respected the space others needed. Duo was more social, like him, whereas Heero and Wufei preferred their space]

[Hesitation.]

It's okay if you come.

[This could be a horrible mistake, she isn't sure yet. She's not even sure why she's agreeing to this.]

[But. Having someone present has helped before. And this person doesn't seem to expect the world from her.]

I'm in the spa.

[With water, naturally. As much as she seems to be able to get.]

I'll be there shortly.

[True to his word, it didn't take him long to get there, having come straight away. He walked in, glancing around the spa for a moment as he didn't spend much time in there]

Miss?

[She won't be too hard to find. She's the one with bare feet trailing through the spa's small pool. It's not enough water; she'd prefer something she could immerse in entirely, somewhere she could hide away. For the moment, though, this seems to be the best she can find in this place.]

[She's also quite blue -- blue hair, blue skin, and blue eyes that flick-dart up at the sound of the voice, shoulders stiffening, before she resettles. The movement is almost like a startled bird deciding whether or not it needs to fly, then resettling its feathers.]

Hello. [Her voice is soft, a touch uncertain. Again, she's not quite sure if this is a good idea or not. He is a stranger, and she's only gotten used to doing anything like this recently with people she knows.]

[Quatre smiled once he spotted her. It wasn't that hard as there weren't many in here. He's at least gotten used to passengers on the train being what he would have considered odd colors back home. Here it was normal.

He could tell that she was still nervous so even though he came closer, he didn't get too close, leaving just enough space that hopefully she felt more comfortable, but not so much that it looked like he was avoiding her]

I apologize. I didn't introduce myself before. My name is Quatre Raberba Winner.

I'm Lapis . . . Lapis Lazuli.

[She can tell that he's trying to offer some space. She's not sure if she should feel thankful or guilty. He's smiling, though, so maybe it's all right?]

You . . . really didn't have to come.

[Genuinely, she couldn't blame anyone for staying away.]

It's nice to meet you, Lapis.

[His expression didn't change at all when she said that]

It's true. I didn't have to, but I wanted to.

[ Kitty had heard a bit of what happened with the pipes bursting from other people, but she didn't know all of the details. She had some idea of what the woman must have been feeling when suddenly arriving on the train. ]

...How are you doing now?

[Again, why are people being kind? Didn't she destroy part of their train? Endanger their water supply? Why aren't they angry when they have every right to be?]

[There's a small stretch of quiet before she flicks on the voice option.]

I don't understand why I'm here . . . This isn't where I need to be.

But I'm not going to hurt anyone.

I just . . . need to go back.

That's...gonna be a bit difficult. I'm sure you've noticed, but we don't really get much of a choice about when we're brought here...or when we leave.

[ Not exactly the most reassuring thing, she knows, but it's not fair to sugarcoat these things either. ]

I'm sorry if it's a bit overwhelming, though. Um...what's your name?

[ Hopefully just getting her to talk about some things would help. ]

[This is what people keep telling her, but Lapis can't accept it yet. She has to go back. There has to be a way to do it. She got here somehow, didn't she?]

Why are we here?

[A flicker of hesitation. But the other voice seems friendly enough. And she's not where she was before, so she's not endangering anyone by giving it] I'm Lapis. Lapis Lazuli.

Edited 2021-04-23 00:20 (UTC)

Well...from what we're told, we were brought here to the train in order to travel to other worlds that are in trouble and need help.

[ There's also a lot more going on than just that, but she doesn't want to confuse or frighten the other more than she already was. ]

Lapis...that's a pretty name. It's nice to meet you. My name's Kitty.

I volunteered for another world . . . someone else -- others -- who need help. What makes these other ones more important?

[There's genuine question in that, somewhere between upset and a plea. Why should she care about these other worlds that she's never even seen when there are people she cares for in danger?]

[She's not fully sure what to make of the compliment.] Thank you . . . It's what I am.

[The other's name is absorbed, remembered for later.]

[ Kitty sighs a little. ] To be honest, I'm not really sure. I don't know if they're any more important than other worlds...it's just that they need help.

[ It's not really an answer, she knows. But it's really all she's got.

She hesitates for a moment, not sure if it was rude to ask. ] What you are?

[Of course she wants more of an answer, but actually, the honesty and the empathetic openness of the words are refreshing. It sparks a worthwhile realization: They're all prisoners in a way, held at the mercy of this place. None of them may have any control.]

[. . . Is it better to have company in a prison?]

[She'd ask if Kitty has people she's left behind as well, but she holds off on that for the moment in favor of the question that has been asked.]

I'm a Gem.

[Normally she would let that stand as it is, and she does pause a moment before she prompts herself: People don't usually know what that is. She should probably explain.]

It means . . . there are others who were born who are the same type of Gem.

[She almost says "who were made for the same function," but that would likely mean explaining her function, and people tend to find that alarming.]

So everyone who is my type of gem is called "Lapis Lazuli."

[ Kitty is only a bit surprised; while learning about a living gem is new, it probably wasn't the strangest thing she's heard. ]

Oh wow...So that means that there are other gems in your world too?

[ Kitty is equal parts curious and hoping that maybe talking about herself, even a little, might help her calm down a bit. ]

[Pain. Like the twist of a small knife.]

[Kitty couldn't have known. The question was innocent. But it takes Lapis a moment to answer. There are Gems. A multitude of Gems. Planets of them. An entire Homeworld. More -- if they can be counted -- on Earth.]

[Just not for her.]

Yes. [The words come out at last.] Mostly off Earth. But there are are still a few on Earth too.

[Again, not that those are really worth counting except for Steven. But they're technically Gems, even if they're not good ones.]

I'd . . . rather not talk about them.

[ So Gems like Lapis aren't natural to Earth. Noted. ]

Okay...we don't have to talk about them. [ She doesn't want to make her any more upset. ]

Do you think you'll be okay? I know this is a lot to take in.

[Will she be okay?]

[Honestly, it doesn't feel like it right now. Right now it feels like she keeps losing -- home, then Steven, then the connections she'd managed to attain. Everything is sifting through her grasping fingers like smoke.]

[It might even be her fault.]

[So she hesitates again at the question.]

I . . . don't know.

[She isn't sure yet how to be okay. She's never been good at this.]

It doesn't seem like I have a choice.

Well...it's true that we don't really have a choice being here. But whether you're okay or not can take time.

[ Also not very helpful, she knows. ]

...would it be better if someone sat with you for a while? Or would you prefer to be alone right now?

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