video/action

[sos_pilot]

[Video]

[ Della's face pops up looking... well, like everyone else - exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. She smacks her beak a bit, before speaking. ]

... So. That sucked.

[ Fully aware that's the understatement of the century, Della draws a breath, and tries again. ]

I think we could all use a nice, long breather after everything... and, gosh darn it, as Train Mom, that is my sacred duty. Hugs? Head on the lap? Head-pats telling you that you did a good job? A shoulder to cry on? Venting out all your feelings without judgement? I'm right here.

[ She slaps her chest, then slaps a small sign on on the sports/gym car. It reads

EXHAUST PILE WITHIN

But as she does this, Tidus enters the scene - Della jumps, surprised, almost forgetting his presence.

He just smiles, holding up two cups with steam coming off them, then addresses the video feed as well. ]

We're also making big batches of cocoa too. Any of you that're gonna stress bake? There's room for that room - s'long as you don't need a nap first.

[ It's a small chide though, his smile small but sympathetic. ]

I've gotten out some incense pots from the supplies - you guys who got your head thrown into a blender by that aash-- uh, that jerk, [ he takes a swift glance at Della, then back ] --it'll help you relax. Just some, but better than nothin'. I'll set some off in Momma Duck's air nest, but if you're not doing great and you think you need a pot? Tell me. Raven made a lot of good stuff for good nights sleep if you need any in the medcar, too.

... So, yes. Cocoa. Incense. Hugging. And if you want to sleep with friends for a couple nights, we got air beds and extra pillows in here. Nobody has to get up and go until they feel ready.

And if that's not enough, that's fine too. Maybe next month we do something a little more organized, if you have any suggestions - movie night, sleepover night, big eat night, whatever, I'm listening. And I'm here for you.

[ Action ]

And inside the sports gym, the pair can be found. They have a few airbeds blown up, but there's more that still need airing up if you pop in straight after their message. There's also a tremendous amount of pillows. If you want to help, get blowing, and make these airbeds look nice and comfy!

The transgate from the standard coach has mysteriously been moved to the sports gym's outer hallway. Who did that? But it makes it easier to bring in the cups of hot chocolate from the kitchens, and for anyone who wants to bring snacks to do so. Take a seat, remember to bring your sleeping bag and whatever else you want. Plushes, your own musical instrument to offer some de-stress medication of your own with a melody.

And there's an area where small incense pots burn away, a gentle mist rising up. It won't heal the mind completely, but it will offer it some peace. And if you're worried about nightmares, a few of Raven's sachets and teas are available.

So come get a mom hug. Come and offer hugs. Just come and get something out of the company, whatever it is. Tidus and Della - and others - will be here to give a hand.

The life you had might've been fake, but the people around you aren't.

((OOC: consider this a mingling post, where everyone is free to tag everyone else! be the comforter, the one offering comfort, both, whatever!))

Comments

[consider8]

"Neither did we." Eight confessed. "Chocolate was a rare treat, and whenever we had some we would only get a small portion and were expected to eat it right then and there." The only time they would be able to share chocolate was when a surface recon force was able to get hold of a large quantity. It would only sometimes be given to kids, and when it does, any hesitation was viewed as disrespectful.

"Abundance that can be shared so openly and freely would astonish my people."

[hoardsrealestate]

Can't relate, that expression says, though he is courteous enough not to say it aloud. "My vanguard were rather fond of it, but I did not try any myself until -- well, I began traveling like this."

[consider8]

"That was one topic I was curious about." She confessed. "You seem to carry yourself with the bearing of a commander or a leader. Am I correct in that observation?"

[hoardsrealestate]

"Yes," he answers. "Though I have maintained that whatever position I hold back in my own universe has very little bearing here."

[consider8]

"I am still curious to find out more." She admits.

[hoardsrealestate]

With no fanfare and zero bluster: "I am Emperor of the Universe."

[consider8]

Oh.

She wasn't expecting that.

"That's a bold claim." No argument, but... I mean what else can you say to that?

[hoardsrealestate]

"But no less true. However, as I said before, it means little here." Unless he decides he's been disrespected enough by someone that they need to use his title or get out of his face.

[consider8]

Whether true or not, Freeza definitely believed himself to be emperor. The bigger question on her mind is what sort of emperor he was. Such a position would command a lot of respect, yes, but also a lot of responsibility. Not to mention the fact that his claim needed to be recognized by the people whose dominion he claims as his -- which she does not recognize him as her universe-ruling emperor. But there was no reason for her to doubt that claim, either.

"...I would imagine, then, that with such a vast empire you would very rarely have a chance to relax." Which was the topic of the question she had in mind. "What do you like to do when you and your people have a chance to rest?"

[hoardsrealestate]

"Probably die in glory," he returns with a touch of sourness, but it is clear he is probably joking. "I will have to let you know if such a time ever comes."

[consider8]

She gets that, but even the most serious-minded Octarian knows the value of taking a moment to rest. Even if its performative than for actual recreation.

"...I suppose that means you keep yourself busy while on the train too." Even though this was not his realm or dominion, such a busy schedule would be a difficult routine to break.

But, hmn... if relaxation isn't his forte... "What is your universe like?"

[hoardsrealestate]

"I do my best, though the rotation of team duties certainly helps."

Freeza has largely been keeping his head down, but performing as well as he would expect one of his own soldiers to in similar circumstances.

The question catches him, though, and he takes a moment to consider. "Large and diverse, simple to comprehend and manage when broken down into numbers and spots on a star map, perhaps, but more complicated and, frankly, silly when gazed upon up close."

He has a problem with the divines and the afterlife, after all.

[consider8]

That makes sense. Taken in its totality, a universe would be a very large and diverse place. A singular emperor would have quite the task to know everything everywhere.

"Are there any places that you especially enjoy going to? What are those places like?"

[hoardsrealestate]

"It is not a matter of enjoying or not. My chambers are mine and therefore where I go to." He understands how that sounds. It's all his; he doesn't go anywhere but his separate chambers if he means to take in anything alone.

[consider8]

"That's it?" How... surprising!

"You could go anywhere in the universe, and the place you most enjoy is your own personal chambers?" Forgive her incredulity, but that seems so very... small.

[hoardsrealestate]

"As I said before, it is not a matter of enjoying or not." That remains, in itself, very foreign to him. "It is mine, and where I go when I am not actively working or training."

[consider8]

Mmm... She looks down at her mug of cocoa. In many ways his disposition and demeanor reminded her very much of her King. Like him, he was proper and charismatic, but also had a way of closing off avenues to explore when those walls shouldn't really exist.

"As emperor, you have every right to do as you please." She stated more to acknowledge his sovereignty than to grant him permission. "Perhaps it is my narrow view, but as I see the stars in the sky I can't help but think of the cliff sides, nebulae, sunrises and sunsets, flora, fauna, and everything else that could possibly exist. Perhaps it would be mundane to one used to such things, but I would find it all... fascinating."

Her gaze turns to Freeza, to gauge his reaction. How he chooses to respond would say a lot of many things. In some ways it would even describe how he sees her and this conversation. Was he someone drawn to the novel, like her, or would he desire to keep things simple and familiar? Despite the fact that it was not her place, how often do you get to ask the emperor the universe how they see their domain?

[hoardsrealestate]

This is absolutely not the first time anyone has implied that his way of living is less than ideal to some, especially since he was on the Barge before this, and while it is always simple to brush these things off as the wild imaginings of the underprivileged, the terrestrial, more than that has crossed his mind before. Some tinge of the thought that he is in some way pitiable. Limited.

Unhappy.

"That is very sentimental way of viewing it," he observes, after a moment.

[consider8]

Her fingers steeple over her mug of coffee. "The place of my birth had a total area of 5 kilometers cube. It was also under the ground. I was 16 when I got to see the sky for the first time."

In other words. "If we did not have sentiment for anything good or for our future aspirations, we would not have anything worth living for."