They’ve just returned to the station. It’s late, or at least it feels late. Most of the crew have long gone off to bed; a few disappear into the training room – probably to blow off some steam and to get the last of the tension out from their nearly failed mission.
Degar finds Viveca in the corridor on her way to the North Wing.
“Hey - wait up.” He catches up to her, matching her stride.
“Hey.” Viveca looks inquisitive, but not displeased by the sudden company.
“You okay?”
She nods. “Just exhausted.”
“Well, we didn’t lose any limbs at least.”
“Fortunately,” Viveca agrees dryly.
“Nearly lost my head for a moment there, though.” They’re walking casually into the North Wing now, the doors sliding open to let them in. He lets her pass through first before he follows. Usui waves to them as they walk past.
Degar rubs the back of his neck. “I mean, is it too much to ask to be given a little forewarning about a boulder to the face?”
Viveca raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s how these things work.” But for all that she tries to maintain her usual serious demeanor, she suddenly looks like she’s about to laugh.
“No, I guess not. I’d be the crew’s first headless crewmate though. That could be cool. Especially during that Earth holiday – what was it called again? Faro mentioned it once.”
“Hollow’s Eve.”
“Yeah. Hollow’s Eve.” Degar lifts his hands and wiggles his fingers. “I could be the Headless Bard.”
“How would you sing?”
“I’d have to use something else. I could clap.”
“Clap?”
He demonstrates. And it’s just so silly, so stupid, and Viveca is just so tired that she starts to laugh. She laughs at the image of him clapping desperately without a head, and at the way he’s successfully taken her mind off of how much danger they’d all just been in; how much she misses the way it feels to laugh like this until her eyes water and her chest feels lighter, freer.
“That’s terrible,” she says.
“I know. I’ll work on it.”
“Maybe just stick to the lute.”
As the memory fades, so does the shard of the orb; it will reappear in the North Wing, joining the other shards there, and touching it there will trigger no new memories.
no subject
Degar finds Viveca in the corridor on her way to the North Wing.
“Hey - wait up.” He catches up to her, matching her stride.
“Hey.” Viveca looks inquisitive, but not displeased by the sudden company.
“You okay?”
She nods. “Just exhausted.”
“Well, we didn’t lose any limbs at least.”
“Fortunately,” Viveca agrees dryly.
“Nearly lost my head for a moment there, though.” They’re walking casually into the North Wing now, the doors sliding open to let them in. He lets her pass through first before he follows. Usui waves to them as they walk past.
Degar rubs the back of his neck. “I mean, is it too much to ask to be given a little forewarning about a boulder to the face?”
Viveca raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s how these things work.” But for all that she tries to maintain her usual serious demeanor, she suddenly looks like she’s about to laugh.
“No, I guess not. I’d be the crew’s first headless crewmate though. That could be cool. Especially during that Earth holiday – what was it called again? Faro mentioned it once.”
“Hollow’s Eve.”
“Yeah. Hollow’s Eve.” Degar lifts his hands and wiggles his fingers. “I could be the Headless Bard.”
“How would you sing?”
“I’d have to use something else. I could clap.”
“Clap?”
He demonstrates. And it’s just so silly, so stupid, and Viveca is just so tired that she starts to laugh. She laughs at the image of him clapping desperately without a head, and at the way he’s successfully taken her mind off of how much danger they’d all just been in; how much she misses the way it feels to laugh like this until her eyes water and her chest feels lighter, freer.
“That’s terrible,” she says.
“I know. I’ll work on it.”
“Maybe just stick to the lute.”
As the memory fades, so does the shard of the orb; it will reappear in the North Wing, joining the other shards there, and touching it there will trigger no new memories.