Work Text:
so, things have been quiet for a while.
after they had solved the mystery surrounding Starship Iris, and the truth about the actions of the regime had been leaked to the general public, the Rumor crew had decided to lay low for a little while. that little while had turned into months of deep space exploration, wherein they all hoped for different things:
Jeeter:
- finding speakers of long lost, long dead? languages - languages he’s been obsessed with decoding but of which he could never find enough evidence [how are there only three recordings and barely any texts??! what about all those inventions they brought to us??!!!]
- finding more comfortable places to sleep in [hey Violet… uhm.. could I maybe have that blanket back after all? I got you a new one so you’d have your own, and uh.. Arkady said you should have this pillow, too. not really sure where she got it from, but.. she definitely made sure to tell me that I was under no circumstances to keep it for myself, so..]
- teasing his friends for having crushes and being awkward about them
- and of course all the quality time with his favourite spouse Krejjh
Krejjh:
- quality time with crewman Jeeter//SPOUZZZ extraordinaire
- more opportunities for risky and exciting flying manoeuvres
- finding new foods and beverages to try out [MORE SAUCE!!]
- winning ALL the games at game night (and leaving behind more traces and evidence of themself on the ship)
Sana:
- finding a place to land and buy new ship parts/make repairs and improvements [improving upon perfection? I think not. but maybe we could use some more safety harnesses and a proper hammock? what do you think, guys?]
- catching up with Campbell [<someone has a cru-ush!!> like you’re one to talk, Arkady.. talk to Violet yet?]
- checking in with her crew and making sure everyone is still comfortable/adjusting well to being on board her ship [her crew. her ship. sometimes that still took her breath away. family was something you could never predict, but it was oh so beautiful when it came to you]
Violet:
- resting. just.. time to dethaw and catch her breath. blankets. [you just don’t realise how cold it gets in those chambers, and how long it takes for the cold to go away. now I really wish I had picked up some other courses back in the day. <I could access the servers if you wanted to, get you some reading materials next time we land?> really? you’d do that for me? <it’s no problem.. uhm. kay. see you later>]
- more tea with Arkady [with leaves from your private greenhouse?!! why didn’t you tell me? <well.. you know *awkwardly scratches the back of her head*>]
- letting her family at home know she’s safe, possibly getting teased by her little brothers about falling for Cpt. Kay Grisham, who [//isn’t even real, Vi. that’s hilarious// \well, you just be safe, dear, alright? and let us know what you’re up to when you have the chance? we’re all very proud of you\]
- belonging for once, and feeling like she truly is part of a whole and appreciated for being herself. all of herself
- having a heart-to-heart with Krejjh [I just wanted to apologize for assuming the worst when we first met. you really are a wonderful crewmate to have, and a brilliant pilot!! who taught you how to fly?]
- finding a pair of scissors and some clippers and dye to finally get rid of the regime-imposed haircut; maybe sewing her old, worn down patches back onto the new jackets and shirts [they’re just not really me without them, you know?]
Arkady:
- Violet. Ghost Squid. trees. in that order
- she’s not necessarily looking forward to the vulnerability of expressing feelings, but also strangely excited about liking somebody [.. like like, you know, Sana?] for once
- not having to fight or hurt people for a while/as long as possible
- getting to reread her favourite plays/books
- having a moment to herself to hum some of her favourite songs and revisit some more recent memories [I took all of his money and it was a pretty penny, I took all of his money and I brought it home to Molly.. she swore that she loved me, no, never would she leave me..]
- inquiring with Sana as to find some more space to expand her greenhouse into [well, you know the mint doesn’t really grow quickly enough to keep up with the demand for tea.. -right. and this has nothing to do with the fact that I’ve seen you sneak a pot of violets from the market back on Arborlon, I’m sure… -]
All of them:
- breathing some actual, unfiltered, unprocessed planet air again
- walking barefoot on the beach, feeling the warm sand and the water brushing up against their toes -or in Krejjh’s case - their webbed feet
- good drinks and proper food while sitting around a camp fire looking up at the nebulas and bright stars visible on the night’s sky
so when they pass through a field of space debris [-jeez, Krejjh, slow down a little, would you? I haven’t installed the new harnesses yet, and the shields are still powering up after that latest update to the matrix-], a few months out of Arborlon, and Brian catches a glimpse of something white slowly making its way alongside them through the field of debris, seemingly unaffected by the sharp edges and the solidity of it.. well, let’s just say they all get a little bit of what they were hoping for:
Brian gets to notice Violet with her newly dyed blue hair and her sweater with her ace patch on it beaming at Arkady and excitedly pulling her towards the screens by her hand, Arkady blushing a little, but otherwise completely transfixed by the tentacled being leaving behind a ghastly looking trail of white, translucent ink.
Krejjh, now even more motivated to keep their evasive maneouvres up, slipping through even tighter spots to get closer to the ghost squid [A GHOST SQUID, SANA, I TOLD YOU IT WASN’T JUST A STORY!! THAT DRUNK BASTARD WAS RIGHT!] and finally slowing down a little to drift beside it for a bit.
Sana, knowing she’ll never hear the end of that one, stepping aside after a moment to settle down in the hammock and take a well-deserved nap, while Brian sneaks away to hang out with Krejjh and celebrate this fantastic moment kissing his favourite being and the light of his life.
(and if Sana finds them snickering over Arkady and Violet cuddled up asleep together in front of the windows, presumedly having watched the ghost squid until it inevitably slipped away into another dimension yet again, well.. of course she takes some pictures of them to use as blackmail later)