( 003 ❱❱ VOICE )

[coarse]

Wasn't an eleven before. Guess that means someone sent me back.

[Didn't really feel like it. One moment he was fighting off the hunger, the other he was as good as new, and a couple of months late.]

I expected a better welcome back than that, [CAT] But it sounds like I got off easy.

What else did I miss?

Comments

[raffish]

You missed the orgy.

[coarse]

Ah.

Now I know why I was out.

[raffish]

There was some talk about a dead body being used, it may have been yours, yes?

[ What a dick! ]

[coarse]

[Axel pls.]

Doubt it. Think I should double-check?

[raffish]

I think you should. The more you know and all that shit, yeah?

[coarse]

The less you want to know.

[Pause. On a more serious note,]

People have been talking about monsters.

[raffish]

[ Oh ho. That makes him shut up (for once), although he recovers quickly with a scoff. He would rather not get involved with anything to do with monsters giving his background. ]

People talk about a lot of shit around here. What of it?

[coarse]

You didn't come across any of them?

[raffish]

[ There's another long pause, before he scoffs, brushing it off: ] Probably. But I was too high to give a shit.

[coarse]

Were you high back where you came from, too?

[majestyofthethrone]

Bass?

[coarse]

[There's an audible exhale behind the communicator, accompanied by a smile.]

Sera.

[He was hoping she'd be here.]

[majestyofthethrone]

You came back.

[coarse]

[Whether that's a good or bad thing remains a mystery.]

Where are you?

[majestyofthethrone]

My room.

[coarse]

[Same number, he assumes.]

Want me to come over?

[majestyofthethrone]

Yes.

[coarse]

Okay. [The feed clicks off after a beat, and he leaves his new room to go find hers.]

[majestyofthethrone]

[When he gets there, her door is open: her room is a mess, it looks like a hurricane blew through. Papers are everywhere, a huge math equation scrawling over the pages, one to the other. Seraphim is sitting in the middle, staring at the door.]

[coarse]

[He walks in carefully, scanning the room with some bewilderment in narrowed eyes. The memory of the last time he was here (how long ago was that? Four months?) doesn't come anywhere close to this chaos. Finally his eyes settle on the girl.]

Hey.

[majestyofthethrone]

[She looks up at him, and her eyes water, and then her chest is moving like she's crying, and her face is all screwed up. She missed him, that much is clear, and it takes her another moment to get up and hold onto him like she's afraid he'll disappear.]

[coarse]

Hey, [He mutters again, closing the distance between them with his best attempt at a hug, one hand on her nape.] I'm here.

[It might be too soon to say he's not going anywhere, so that's the best he can do.]

[majestyofthethrone]

[Her arms go around him and she clings on. I thought I would never see you again-

Bartleby left me too-

I couldn't sleep-

You're back Imissedyoumissedyoumissedyou

There are definitely tears on his shoulder, and she calms down after a minute and looks up at him, and touches his face, like she wants to memorize the texture.]

[coarse]

[It isn't pleasant, skin affected by years under the sun and confrontations, unshaven and rough. Bass doesn't quite know what to do (does he ever, when it comes to Sera?) so he looks down at her, waiting.]

Are you hurt, Sera?

[majestyofthethrone]

[She shakes her head and looks around, and finally reaches for her slate, and scribbles something on it.]

I thought I would never see you again.

[coarse]

[He puts his hand against the slate, speaking in a different tone after a beat.]

You don't have to write, Sera.

[majestyofthethrone]

[She looks at him, confused, clearly confused. Of course she has to write. If she doesn't, she can't speak.]

[coarse]

I can hear you.

[After another pause:

Like this.]

[majestyofthethrone]

[The only voice she's used to hearing isn't quite a voice, so when she hears his there's a sharp intake of breath, and silence where a gasp should be, her eyes widening.

Howdoyou

You can hear me?

How can you hear me?]

[coarse]

[It's just something I can do, he continues, shaking his head softly with a shrug. I can't explain it.

Don't tell anyone.]

[majestyofthethrone]

[She looks up at him, her eyes wide, but there's a smile just barely on her lips.

I won't tell, I won't tell, oh, oh you know what I sound like, you're my favorite, I'm so glad you're back, I love youIloveyouIloveyou.

It's not romantic, it's fraternal, what she would feel for her twin, if her twin didn't treat her so badly.]

[coarse]

[That earns a crooked smile. There's still a lot you don't know about, Sera - but he's not going to think about it now.]

You wanna tell me why your room's such a mess?

[majestyofthethrone]

[She beams for a second, then her smile disappears.

Bartleby left-

You left-

It's just a math problem I had to think about something, I couldn't sleep.]

[coarse]

[There's silence as he lets go and takes slow steps around the room, picking out no specific piece of paper to look at.]

Still working on it?

[majestyofthethrone]

[She nods, tiptoeing to a corner of the room.

You can look, you won't get me mixed up.]

[coarse]

How long?

[majestyofthethrone]

[She's just sitting there for a minute, staring at the papers.

A month.

ManiccrazyIcouldn'ttalktoanyonenotru-

I'm all right.]

[coarse]

[Silence.]

You came up with it yourself?

[majestyofthethrone]

[She nods again.

I'm not crazy, Bass. I'm not crazy.]

[coarse]

Did someone say you are?

[majestyofthethrone]

[She looks up at him, and it's heartbreaking, she looks so afraid.

Not to my face, but someone has to be thinking it, I know they are. Are you? Please don't think I'm crazy.

It's been so long since she's spoken, since every thought wasn't parsed out on paper first, that she doesn't quite remember how to censor herself.]

[coarse]

I don't, [He says, no room for hesitation. On the same note,] But I do think you could use a break.

[majestyofthethrone]

[Her thoughts buzz down, they go quiet for a moment, and he curls her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed for a minute.

Stay with me, please don't leave.]

[coarse]

[He looks at her for a moment, like he's searching for something in her expression. Bonnie never wanted to move, either. All she could bring herself to do without him was run.

Without being too insistent,] It will do you good. The gardens are a good place.

[majestyofthethrone]

[The shuttle bay.

The garden means wolves and wolves mean bites and she doesn't want to get bitten again.]

[coarse]

[A beat, brows arched noncommittally,] You've been there before?

[majestyofthethrone]

[She nods. She went there after everyone came back from Strela.]

[coarse]

Okay. [He nods once, lips pressed softly. Tipping his head to the side,] Let's go.