video ✗ 001

[chaineddog]

[The feed is a bit shaky at first and it’s difficult to tell what is actually being shown. There’s some one sided muttering on one end, as if the owner of the device is speaking to himself and it continues for several moments. Finally though, there’s a heaving sigh followed by some grumbling before the video swings around to show an albino with startlingly red eyes.

He’s holding out the device with one hand, the other obscured from view. If he had use of his other hand, he probably would have been facepalming or rubbing his face because clearly the last thing he wants in life right now is to do this.]

...So, uh.

[A pause and then he speaks to someone off screen.]

Do I really have to do this? Who gives a shit if I do this anyway?

[From behind him, a small hand reaches forward to touch his cheek. There might be a bit of blonde hair visible further back, but the hand is forefront, as if to say yes, he really has to do this, according to the girl he’s piggybacking around the ship.]

[He sighs and gives her another look before turning to address the camera again.]

So...I guess this has to be said to everyone that I, uh may have had a run in with the other day. [The look on his face is one of extreme discomfort and he pauses again. He knows what he has to say, it’s all a matter of him not wanting to say it so he casts a glance back at the person on his back.]

[Nill pulls her hand back so she can rest her head on his shoulder. She lets the side of her head fall against his; it’s meant to be a comforting gesture. The blonde smiles almost apologetically at the camera, wings fluttering behind her before settling. She just felt bad that he’d been looking for her so hard and that others might have been hurt or upset by it. So this is sort of an apology from the both of them. And to anyone who has met her (any male, specifically), they’ll probably notice that she doesn’t seem scared of him at all.]

[The gesture seems to make him soften slightly and he stops fidgeting if only for a moment. Nill was honestly the only person who could even make him consider doing this and for anyone who had run into him before would be able to see the difference having her around made.]

Look. Whatever happened the other day. I guess, I’m trying to say - [He pauses again, wincing before,] sorry?

[Nill leans back and gives a little nod. Yes, he was sorry, and so was she. Besides the fact that she hadn’t seen any of her other friends since the jump, she hadn’t meant to inadvertently cause any trouble. She takes one hand from his shoulder so she can gently smooth his hair forward. She was happy that he’d agreed to an apology.]

[He sighs and rolls his eyes but there’s a slight quirk of his lips. After a minute the video feed is turned away from his face and there’s a bit more shaky footage before it finally ends.]

[Heine and Nill will both be replying to posts! c:]

Comments

[chaineddog]

[Heine has to slow his own pace when he holds her hand. His legs are longer than hers after all and he's so used to walking at a faster pace as if he were walking towards something or as if something were chasing him. At times it seems like that the latter could be the case especially as of late.

As they walk the silence almost calms him, and the tension in his shoulders dissipate. They're the only two in the garden for the time being, but from the guide that he had read, it was one of the few places that was deemed safe and therefore probably a popular spot for people to pass the time in.

He stops at the vegetable patches before and drops her hand to inspect the large leafy greens that pop out of the dirt.]

Do you spend a lot of time here? [Few words had passed between them during the several days that they had spent waiting for Nill to become stronger but silence was comfortable for the two. But he needed to know as much as he could about her time here.]

[culver]

[Nill hadn't seen any of the "critters" Davesprite had mentioned yet, but she didn't really mind. If they were quick, they might startle her or, worse, Heine. And she knew that he was a fast shot, especially when surprised. So for the animals' sake, she hoped they stayed away for now.

The blonde pauses to watch him, glad that he's sort of getting involved. Things on the ship were definitely different, and would take some time to get used to. But this was a start.

Stepping up beside him, she runs her hand over the top of the plants, letting their leaves tickle her palm. She nods a bit; yes, she liked it here, and it was easy to get to from her room. She didn't have to pass by much or see many people, and that was always a plus.]

[chaineddog]

I can see why.

[He looks briefly to her before looking away again at the plants. If people were growing things then that had to mean there was some kind of acceptance, a feeling that they were going to be here for a while no matter what they tried to do.

Heine did his best to shove down the feeling rising in his throat. He didn't want to think about the feeling of being trapped because it was the gravity couches all over again. He didn't want to worry Nill anymore than he usually did so the only sign of discomfort was a slight flicker of his facial expression before it returned to its neutral state.]

It's quiet.

[culver]

[Her thoughts had run about the same course once she'd stumbled into the gardens. Just having a few plants would have been one thing--for aesthetics and such, just to have something to take care of. But so many plants (some of them for food) meant that... they were stuck here and they needed to provide for themselves.

For once, Nill doesn't see his face change. She's too busy with the leaves. But she does nod at his comment, smiling. She liked the silence. It kept her safe, made her comfortable. She could think in the silence, even if there was always the chance that her lack of an outlet for those thoughts would make her a little bit crazy. She usually didn't mind, though.]

[chaineddog]

[His thoughts are thankfully broken away when a rather large bug suddenly flies up in his face. He lets out no noise of surprise, but his eyes do widen and he falls backwards onto his behind, startled by the bug. His hands had already gone for his guns but the insect was already flying off.

Once it was gone he let out an irritated sigh, moving to cover his face with his hand in irritation. He was way too on edge for his liking if he was going to be startled by a bug.]

[culver]

[Nill watches the but fly towards him, and wonders what he'll do. The last thing she had expected was for him to fall down. Her hands fly to her mouth to hide the laugh that he can't hear, but her shaking shoulders give it away. It takes her a moment to recover, but once she does, she offers him a hand up. Not that she could really... help him, but the offer was still there.]

[chaineddog]

[Heine only groans when he sees Nill laughing at him out of the corner of his eyes. He buries his face in his hands for a moment because lord, he's glad that she's laughing but she's laughing at his reaction and just...

He looks up when she extends her hand to him and after a minute he lightly takes it but using most of his strength to stand back up again. If he put all his weight into her, he's pretty sure that she'd topple right over.]

It wasn't that funny was it?

[culver]

[Yes, there is no way Nill could hold him up on her own. But hey, she was still helping (sort of), and that's what mattered. She manages to stop giggling long enough to nod at him; yes, it was that funny. Heine was usually so graceful (when he fought, anyway), and seeing him fall like that was hilarious.

But he's up and she's still smiling, giving his hand a light squeeze. She wouldn't tell anyone, don't worry.]

[chaineddog]

[He doubts that she would tell anyone of it and for a moment he's glad that anyone from isn't here. Not because he doesn't miss them (in his own way of course because he would never admit that out loud), but because he doesn't have to suffer worse taunts. He can only imagine what kind of things Badou would say and that makes him grumble internally.]

What else is in here?

[culver]

[Nill knew that Badou's ribbing was good-natured, but she didn't want Heine to have to suffer through it, either. Especially not right after coming to this place. It had been stressful enough. The smoker's grating sense of humor would have just made things worse.

After pausing for a moment, she gestures towards the lift; one floor up, there were some small trees. Some of them had fruit. She thought he might like to see those--and she could definitely do with an apple or a pear.]

[chaineddog]

[The ride in the elevator is a quick one and he holds lightly onto her hand the entire while even after the doors have slid open. He has to admit that he likes the feel of this floor better although he's still wary about keeping an eye out for bugs.

When they arrive at an apple tree, he crouches down to allow her to climb on top of his shoulders before straightening up slowly so that she can reach the fruit in the branches overhead.]

[culver]

[She's extremely pleased that he's holding her hand. He seemed to be calming down, adjusting to the ship. That was good. It had only been a few days, of course, but if this was any indication of how the next few weeks (or months or years, who knew how long they would be there), then things might be okay.

Nill obliges, sitting on his shoulders and tangling small fingers in his bird's nest of hair to keep herself steady. Not pulling, of course, just making sure she doesn't fall. And once he's standing up (he was so tall), she lets go of his head with one hand so she can reach for a particularly red apple near the top. She's leaning forward quite a bit, so hopefully he's steady.]

[chaineddog]

[Heine knew that the only reason that he was this calm was because he was around her. The sights and sounds on the ship were enough to throw him off, reminding him too much of his past and the things that haunted him in his sleep. It wasn't something he wanted her to know because she didn't deserve to worry about him like that.

The shift in her weight is something he's prepared for and he even takes a few steps closer to the tree so that she doesn't have to strain to reach it. There's an apple near him though and after ensuring that she's steady, he reaches out with a hand to pluck it from the branch.]

You got it?