Finally, underfloor heating! [OTA]

[burstingstars]

Who: Friendly CR (or whoever wants to show up)
What: Space watching picnic, just chilling
When: Day 77
Where: Observatory



It’d taken him two days to recover from the ship being attacked – not because he’d gotten hurt in a serious way, but because having to fight had shaken him up more than he imagined. Perhaps because he hadn’t needed to fight in over a year (the Wendigo didn’t count, Benny took care of that). Hadn’t helped that it stayed cold. So he threw himself at gardening, clearing a patch in the jungle, putting headphones in when the vents whispering threatened to derail his mood further.

But now the floors were actually warm, like they hadn’t been in a month. It gave him an idea, a message send out to everyone he knew:

“Anyone up for a picnic in the observatory? The view is really nice right now.”

Whoever shows up will find Day there with some non-meltable snacks, plenty of drinks, pillows and blankets. One of which he’ll be sprawled out on, wings stretched far to soak in the warmth, an arm thrown over his forehead as he stares up into the sky outside. Relaxing or trying to and just wanting to spend a bit of time with friends. He’s also wearing a skirt for once, layered strips of green-brown and a tank top showing off his tattoos.

Comments

[faceguy]

The observatory is Leo's favorite place on the ship, because it has an unobstructed view of space. He hasn't gotten to spend nearly as much time here as he'd like, though, since he's been here.

Day's message comes after Leo has had a bit of time to recover, himself, though he still needs to take it easy. He shows up wheeling his chair and with his own pillow settled back behind him.

"Hey, man," he greets as he comes in. He sounds a little tired, but he's smiling.

[burstingstars]

"Hey cousin" he replies, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. Though his is more a mental tiredness than a physical one - it's why this here is so important to do. Even if he is afraid to ask others about the fight, how it went. If they are alright. "Make yourself comfortable. If any of the stuff is in your path, I can move it." Easy enough to do with some blankets and such.

[faceguy]

"Thanks, but it's alright."

He wheels over, parking himself where he can see Day easily but won't disturb his cozy little setup. He notices the exhaustion in Day's eyes, and while he doesn't want to pick at any newly scabbed wounds, he has to ask a little.

"How're you doing?"

[burstingstars]

There's a bit of hesitation, Day not used to people asking. Or caring to hear an honest answer. But for once this is something they all experienced, not just one of his personal problems (for all that those play a big part in his reaction).

So he'll sit up, just so they are somewhat closer to being on the same level, cross his legs and pick at the hem of his shirt, not quite looking at Leo. "It's been over a year since I had to fight. I... I don't think I should do that again."

[faceguy]

Leo shifts his own posture as Day does, already feeling the vibe shift. His face falls when he hears Day's answer, feeling sympathy for the guy.

"Yeah. That was... intense." Leo gives a little shudder in his chair. He hadn't enjoyed that like he'd thought he would in the beginning.

"But you don't have to fight, if you don't want to. Or if you can't." Leo gives a little shrug. "I can't either, anymore."

[burstingstars]

It'd been far from the worst fight he had been in, but that didn't make it any less devastating. "I can. Sometimes I worry it's the only thing I'm good at." Being a soldier, the best Republic ever produced. "And if Aen'kae had gotten hurt..." Day trails off, blushing a little. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of his feelings yet, but that attack had proven clearly how much it mattered to not loose any other friend.

[faceguy]

Leo gets that: fighting to save a friend, or a loved one. He'd do anything to protect Donnie, if it came down to it.

But still...

"Well, from what I know of you, you haven't tried to do, like, basically anything." Leo gives a more exaggerated shrug at this, lifting his hands in the air. "So how would you know fighting's the only thing you're good at?"

[burstingstars]

It's not like he had a choice in the matter until recently. "Because that's what the Trial tests for and I'm the only one to ever get a perfect score. Because I evaded Republics elite soldiers for six years." his reply sounds hollow, Day rubbing a hand over his face, letting himself fall backwards again. Back to the comforting warmth of the ground.

"I should just stop talking about any of this. If I upset you, Donnies bound to be angry with me." he mutters. "How are you?"

[faceguy]

None of that contradicted what he said! It just proves Day is good at fighting, not that he's not good at anything else.

"...So at least I can assume you're pretty good at hide-and-seek," Leo mutters.

At the suggestion that Donnie will get angry, Leo snorts.

"Sorry. My bros can be overprotective." Especially with him, since the incident. At the question, he sighs.

"I'm fine. Just had to take a few days to rest up."

[burstingstars]

"Staying in one spot is too dangerous." It's an answer out of reflex, out of ages of habits where hiding wasn't a game and the seekers out to hurt you.

"He has a point that my... everything has a way of pulling the mood down." Day just doesn't know how to avoid that. "Yeah. Me too." Only for different reasons.

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Spending time with a lot of people was hardly Æn'kae's idea of relaxing (not that the entirety of the population of Noanga quite qualified as a 'a lot' by most definitions, but that was beside the point.) But spending more time with anyone who showed up would go a ways in building trust, and if anyone hadn't made it to the medbay for him to treat injuries, well, he was ready. He had his medical bag on him, supplemented with supplies they'd found as they traveled.

He offered those who'd responded to Day's invitation a small smile, and his customary, "Jolan'tru," before he took a seat on the floor, taking full advantage of the warmth it emanated. Neither of his animals followed, they'd found a particularly warm spot of floor in the medbay and would not be moved. This lack of Targ to lean against meant he picked a spot by the wall and used that instead. The view of the atmosphere they passed through really did make this a good spot right now.

He smiled to Day. "This uh, this was a good idea."

[burstingstars]

Day smiled at seeing Aen’kae here, though they sure spend plenty of time together already. Still he got up to sit by his friend, given Roj and Hwoinch hadn’t come along. “Hope so. I think we all need a bit of company right now.” To feel united, to have a positive experience that’d make it easier to get over what had happened.

He’d purposely waited two days, so everyone could come down from the fight first, rest, get treated. Admittedly he had needed that too, barely speaking, just sticking to routines. “Now if only we can convince the ship to keep the floor heating...”

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Æn'kae chuckled and nodded to the exterior view. "Pretty sure it's more the planet than the ship. But I know Hwoinch is sure enjoying it." He was too, but not quite to the same extent. The small, once again feline, had spread out as much as possible on the warm section of floor he'd claimed. He hadn't attempted to move Hwoinch, but he was pretty sure he'd have just melted back to the warm floor instead of being moved.

[burstingstars]

"You'd know more about that." Day still tried to not think too much about being in an enclosed space, floating in an hostile environment. At least the view was nice. "Still, it's nice to not be a little cold." Could wear something without sleeves, show off the curls of plants covering his scars. They were pretty, a good compromise between wanting to keep them and not handling it well to see them.

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Æn'kae nodded, still taking in the view outside. He didn't spend much time in here specifically because the view of space made him homesick. But it wasn't that bad when he had company.

"Ie, it is," he agreed softly. Especially since just heat from the floor might be uncomfortable for some of the others, but wasn't dangerous the way it had been when it had gotten so warm for a while earlier, even in people's quarters. Worry had dampened any enjoyment being comfortable might have granted.

[burstingstars]

For anyone still uncomfortable, he'd brought the blankets to dampen the heat. And plenty of drinks, as well as snacks, so no one had to leave. "Might sleep here. Just a night, while this lasts." If it really was just the outside influencing the ship, the warmth would be gone soon.

"Do you have a favourite view? In space?"

[under_the_raptors_wings]

He chewed his lip as he considered. "I. Huh. I don't know. There's some nice nebulas, but if I were to pick a view, I prefer forests and mountains to anything I've seen in space." For someone who preferred being planetside, he'd been living in space for a very long time. He shrugged then. "And those look so different even within one world, much less multiple. Different flora and different atmospheres change so much." He paused and ducked his head. "I uh, I'm not sure if I have a favorite one though."

[burstingstars]

Day laughs softly. "I can see why." Space could be pretty, but you couldn't truly be in it. There were no sounds, no smells to go with what you saw. "Don't think I could pick one either. My forest contains multitudes and I haven't even seen it all yet." He missed it all terrible.

"I want to see a mountain up close someday. Walk it all the way to the top." The closest he got were the hilly districts at the outskirts of L.A., but he'd never really ventured into nature there.

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Æn'kae grinned at that. "It may be more than that depending on the mountain, but uh, if you find a guide I think it'd be fun." It wasn't an idea that had ever particularly caught his interest, admittedly, but he certainly understood it.

[bestbrotherever]

Why not? Loki sends in reply, but it's a good half hour before he actually shows up. Trotting alongside him is a walking ottoman, and riding on top of it are his two flerken kittens, the orange-yellow Meor and tortoiseshell Precious Car Payment. Meor jumps off as soon as he sees Day and starts batting at his wings, while Miss Precious sits primly, waiting for the ottoman to come to a stop and lower its cushion to the ground before stepping off daintily and heading for the snacks. Loki shakes his head at them and starts pulling picnic supplies out of Lokispace, handing them to the former-ottoman-now-mini-Loki.

"My apologies for the delay," he says with mock regret. "My guests had some disagreements about who had the privilege of riding on me."

[burstingstars]

There's no time pressure attached to this invitation, Day having set up to stay here for as long as the warmth will last. Who knows what weather will await them after this. "It's alright. Not like I set a time."

He will sit up, carefully draw his wings in to get them out of the immediate kitten reach. "Please don't." While he got out of the fight without notable physical harm, he still wants to keep his feathers whole. How else could he fly, eventually?

[bestbrotherever]

Meor meows in protest at his new toys being taken away. He's been a very good kitten and deserves to play! The boy's words are no deterrent, but Loki fixing him with a stare makes him pause. "Meor. Behave yourself. Do you wish to return to banishment?" The kitten ducks his head and backs away, then runs off to chase spots of light as if he'd never intended to do anything else.

Loki spreads a blanket of his own, scatters some cushions on it, and sits down among them, the mini-Loki following suit. "How long do you expect this to last?" he asks quietly.

[burstingstars]

Aen'kaes pets don't really do this and at the gas station there was only Luna, who'd been smart enough to be talked to like any other person. Not many experiences with pets in his life beyond that and he is glad the little one listens to Loki at least.

"The ship finally having proper heating? Not being in danger from outsiders? Being here?" One thing to be abducted by fae, but having to fight for his life had rattled him more than expected. "I don't know. However long it's going to be."

[silverhealer]

Ferlarys didn’t make a habit of checking the network. After the pirate attacks, on top of the suspicious timing of that speech curse, she’d nearly ignored or taken as a threat the sudden chiming. But then she’d seen someone else answer theirs and realized it was a personal message. Like a sending stone if one were to combine it with a magic mouth spell somehow to store a sent message. (She’d have to ask about that at home, actually)

But with her fears allayed, she gathers up a bowl of dried fruit and…well, getting there without spilling any is easier said than done, forced to move a few feet at a time by playing leapfrog with two folded towels to protect her from the hot floor.

She does eventually make it, though, and tucks her movement-aiding towels under her legs as she settles on a pillow pile.

She hadn’t seen him during the entire attack, but then, she’d taken up a defensive patrol around the occupied quarters and hadn’t strayed from it, so she could have easily missed him. So getting here and seeing him well was a relief.

“Hello, there, Day. How are you doing?” She sets the bowl down. “I brought more snacks.”

[burstingstars]

"Ah, that's nice. Don't think I'll move from here soon." he replies with a smile. The blanket he is lying on is more there to pad the ground a bit, but he is clearly enjoying the warmth.

"I'm... handling it." 'Alright' would be a lie, when it took him till today to reach a balance that let him interact with people. But he avoided larger physical harm, hides everything else behind a smile.