Reunion

[not_the_philistine]

Visitation Day came and went and Goliath still had not seen any of his clan in what felt like, and might have been, years. He still had not seen Elisa since she was nearly killed in his sleep, then vanished angry at him. There had been several times like these before, when the gathering of new crew members has been too painful for him to attend, knowing that his clan would come from elsewhere and at other times, and so podpops offered him only one chance at reunion with a loved one.

Disappointment had settled on him again, and he warded it off with productiveness. Elisa's car shone with the evidence of regular care, but the rest of the castle needed maintaining. He would invite more people in to work in the gardens, dispose of more of Xanatos' things - but first, he felt there was more still to gain by researching the Mayan sun amulet that he hoped could give him control over his waking and sleeping. It would be a good idea to contact Lupin again, but at the moment, it it pleased Goliath to conduct his research in solitude.

Deep in his reading in Castle Wyvern's library, he didn't hear footsteps until the door had already been opened behind him.

[EDIT: Subthreads now open for other characters to comment, starting with the Drunken Dragon]

Comments

[newyorkbynight.livejournal.com]

Finding her car parked outside the castle had been a surprise, but not as much of a surprise as finding the castle itself. She'd been told that it was there, but the ship was so alien that she hadn't been able to visualise it. As she walked through the entrance, she ran a hand over the familiar old stones. Either it was a very good replica or it was the real Castle Wyvern.

She didn't like the sound of either option.

An educated guess led her to the library were, sure enough, she found Goliath. He was intent on his reading and, for a moment, she watched him without being noticed, a fond smile playing at her lips. From what she'd heard during the little 'meet and greet' session, he'd been on a ship for a long time. It was good to see that some things hadn't changed. (She still had to find out what had changed. And what she didn't remember.)

"I was expecting more of a welcome party."

[not_the_philistine]

It had been a long, long time. Long since he'd seen her at all. Long since he'd seen her for any significant amount of time.

But Goliath would never forget that voice. He abandoned his reading with his heart racing.

"Elisa."

Once upon a time, he would have run across the room to her instantly. Just then, though, all he could think of was the last few things she'd said to him - the last time he'd failed to protect her.

He almost looked scared as he stood where he was, staring at her from across the library, uncertain and sad. How did she find her way? Was it really her? Had she been awoken after all, and he'd not been there to greet her?

What happened next?

"You're awake." He inhaled deeply, hanging onto his composure as he tried to think of what she would want from him. He still wanted to sweep her up in his arms, and feel the security of having her there, alive and safe with him. But he didn't know if she wanted that anymore.

"I - I am glad to see you."

[newyorkbynight.livejournal.com]

Although Elisa had been told that she'd been on the ship before, she didn't remember anything about it and nobody had filled her in. She came from a time when Goliath wouldn't have hesitated before sweeping her up into a hug. Especially after a long period of separation.

She frowned, a little hurt and a little confused but, most of all, very concerned.

"That's me," she confirmed, holding out her arms in a gesture of confirmation. He didn't look glad to see her. He looked lost. "I've been told it's been a while."

[not_the_philistine]

That was a cue he could take just fine. He crossed the library in a few long strides and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close in the deep embrace she'd come to know so well.

He was shaking. Very slightly, but more than enough for Elisa to feel. All he'd had to remember for months was the sight of her, pale and bandaged in a hospital bed, turning away from him, asking the question - just what have you been telling everyone about us?

And then she'd disappeared. Like every good thing that he'd had before the end of the Earth he know. How long before she disappeared again?

"I'm sorry. I wasn't there to protect you. I am so sorry, Elisa."

[newyorkbynight.livejournal.com]

That was better. Elisa took a few steps forward to meet Goliath in the middle of the room, throwing her arms around him and hugging him just as tightly. Waking up on an alien spaceship and a dozen new questions for every question that was answered had unsettled her more than she cared to admit. She needed reassurance just as much as he did.

"Protect me?" She took a step back to look at him, her hands resting on his arms. She didn't need his protection, she needed his friendship. And she'd never seen Goliath shake like before. "What happened wasn't your fault, Goliath! Mistakes were made on both sides. Jason got me out of the water in time and you stopped Demona. That's all that really matters."

She didn't have her memories. She couldn't imagine what else he was referring to. What if the memory modification had made him forget that she had been all right?

[not_the_philistine]

He stared at her in confusion for a moment.

"You don't remember - the last time you were awake, I -"

If she doesn't remember being gutted by a werewolf while he was asleep, frankly, he doesn't want to revisit it in detail. But her not remembering this at all is an issue of significance.

"Elisa. Do you remember being awake here before?"

The Drunken Dragon [Open]

[not_the_philistine]

The Drunken Dragon was a good social hub, and Goliath had a feeling he owed Kang his thanks (again). He lead Elisa there first, on the principal that she should know where the crew's main social hub was.

This was the first time (that wasn't Halloween) that he'd been able to walk down the street with her without worrying about causing a commotion. When he opened the door to the tavern for her, it was also the first time they'd been able to go anywhere populated by other people before, together, for no other reason than that they both simply wanted to go, where they would both be welcome.

There were so many things about sharing time on this ship that were going to be different. Things he hadn't considered before, that didn't look like they were going to get old fast.

All the antisocials to the left! XD

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae didn't mind the Tavern, it had been a nice place for many and a great place for people to meet. She just didn't drink... Well she had drank alcohol before but she just didn't handle it well. But considering that they had just gotten a new load of crew members, she decided that the least she could do would be to make her presence over at the Dragon, if at least for today.

With that in mind, the young, half orc girl was tucked to the side with her laptop on the table, a spread open schematic and a few rolled up ones as she tapped her chin in thought. If she was going to hang around, she might as well get some work done. She was just as bad a workaholic as Billy sometimes, she was just a lot shyer and often stayed away from public view.

As the new people entered, she always greeted them with a timid smile and a lax wave before going back to work, regardless of new or old crew members. They all deserved a smile right?!

[newyorkbynight.livejournal.com]

Elisa returned the smile and the wave when she entered the tavern and, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, headed across the room to greet the green skinned girl properly. (She wasn't phased by her appearance, which was unsurprising given that she'd been brought to the tavern by an eight foot gargoyle with wings and talons.)

"You look like you're at home here," she said, noting the laptop and the schematics that covered the table. "I'm going to guess that you're not another new arrival?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae looked up at Elisa curiously, offering a timid smile.

"Ah, y-yeah, sorta. I don't usually come here, but I figured it'd be nice to see some of the new arrivals mingle and such."

A small laugh escaped her lips as she moved one of her bangs behind her ear. "Nope, been here for a long while now. You sorta lose count after a while, but it's not that bad once you get used to everything really."

It also helped to have people around who you've grown to care about.

[not_the_philistine]

Goliath could say the same, if that last thought had been spoken. He came up behind Elisa, resting his hand on her shoulder and nodding back to Ronnae.

"I would introduce you, but we have not met yet." Though he's seen this young female around before.

[governorkang]

Kang had been hoping that he'd be one of the few to have his person come back, but no luck. He hated that it was only one day, but at least he did know that his mate and two out of four children were alive; that was something.

So, after assisting with questions in the Observation Deck, he'd gone down to the tavern to keep himself busy. Kali was running around on the ship somewhere, probably off playing with Age or practicing her archery, and if his cheerful human barmaids were in the immediate area, he hadn't seen them.

When Goliath and Elisa came in, he smiled, and moved from behind the counter, "I see you managed to drag him out for a while."

[newyorkbynight.livejournal.com]

Elisa wondered, briefly, how you were supposed to greet somebody who had saved your life during an attack that you couldn't actually remember. There wasn't exactly a lot of precedent. In the end, she settled for a warm smile and waited for a better chance to thank him for what he'd done.

"Actually, it was Goliath's idea," she corrected, "He's giving me a tour of the ship."

She'd been so eager to see her friend that she hadn't paid enough attention on her way to the castle. From a practical point, she was going to have to get to know this place as well as she knew New York in order to protect it. And getting to know her crew mates was probably even more important.

[not_the_philistine]

Kang's snideness gets a dry smile. "The need has passed, but I wanted to introduce you formally. Elisa, this is Kang. Kang has been a friend to me for much of my stay on this ship. I trust him more than any other member of the crew. Kang, this is Elisa."

It was more of a challenge to introduce her, with so much about their relationship still deliberately unspoken to them, much less anyone else.

Goliath settled for, "she is one of my clan."

His deeply contented smile as he looked at her said the rest.

[governorkang]

That got a look of pleasant surprise from Kang. It was good to see Goliath happy and being sociable. He didn't miss that smile, either, though he didn't comment on it. At least, for the time being; teasing could come later. He'd let his friend have this day. "We met earlier."

Later

[not_the_philistine]

Goliath had never made a habit of using the Sensoriums to revisit Manhattan. He'd never had the resources in Manhattan to look back on his home in Scotland, and he hadn't wanted to use them for either now that he had them. It just felt too much like dwelling, and he was already having trouble not doing that.

Elisa might like to know she could still get a glimpse of her home, though, so he lead her to the Sensoriums first, explaining how they worked along the way.

"None of it is real, but it is very convincing. I go there when I have not had a chance to use my wings in the city."

The rest of Stacy, with her mostly still air, did not make for the best gliding.

Without a mental command, the Sensoriums didn't look like much - just featureless, grey rooms that otherwise had the same unnerving sense of being ALIVE as the rest of Stacy. The walls pulsed slightly, as if driven by some distant heart.

"Eating here is also preferable."

The Sensoriums didn't look appetizing yet, but perhaps once they called up a scene -

[newyorkbynight.livejournal.com]

When Elisa had settled in, she'd probably reach a similar decision regarding Manhattan. (The only way that they could get that world back was by working together and concentrating on the present.) For now, however, she was fascinated by the technology available on the ship and eager to learn everything she could about her new home.

"So it's a sort of virtual reality," she mused. "Lex would love this place."

She wasn't sure that she trusted the technology yet, but she trusted Goliath.

"Is the food that bad? It can't be worse than the canteen at the precinct."

[not_the_philistine]

"It is only food in the technical sense."

Lex WOULD love this place. Goliath had thought that many a time.

"There is much here that they would enjoy."

Being able to talk to people outside their immediate family without causing a panic, for example.

"I hope they will have a chance to experience it, at least for a short time."

But then, they have a world to restore. A world that hates and fears them, but their world all the same.

[newyorkbynight.livejournal.com]

"Sounds great," she said, grimacing slightly. She might not have had much time for cooking back in New York, but she still had an appreciation for food. Real food, which you ate for pleasure as well as necessity.

"One day," she said, giving his arm a comforting squeeze, "For now, we can let them sleep."

They were safe - as safe as they could be - in the pods. That was the main thing. Even if the members of the clan that were awake missed them terribly.

[not_the_philistine]

Letting them sleep made him think - but not before he had cast through his memories, considering the places they'd been that were more appealing to look at than the unaltered inside of the Sensoriums, and peaceful, starry night of the Australian Outback unrolled around them. It was absent of life except for them, familiar, yet not so familiar that it made Goliath melancholy to be there.

But her comment about his sleeping clan had made him think of other things.

"Elisa - would you have rather have stayed asleep?"

It's a very serious question, one he's personally considered several times.

"This is not a good reality to wake up to. And I know that there are few things worse than to be without your family."

They were part of each others' families - but she had another that was also missing.

[Engineering]

[not_the_philistine]

Goliath was not an unfamiliar sight in engineering. He damaged his communicator too much in the line of duty not to be.

Since Billy was as much of a workaholic as Ronnae had joked, Goliath was certain he would find the boy working. He lead Elisa through the department and, sure enough, spotted the young human quickly.

"I am interrupting you." That was a declaration, not an apology, but hopefully Billy wouldn't mind. "I want you to meet a friend."

[morphitudinous]

For the first time in a while, Billy considered himself very lucky to be working on paperwork. It was boring, it was tedious, it was repetitive, but it would not run away, melt down, explode, or cause any other sort of disaster if left unattended. If either of the visitors looked closely, they might even see a smile on his face as he set his pen down. Breaks were preventative care for hand cramps!

"So you are," Billy said lightly, rising to his feet and walking around the table. "That's new for you, Goliath. Who do I owe the honor to?"

He thought he might recall the answer, but it was best to ask.

[newyorkbynight.livejournal.com]

It was difficult to measure the passage of time on the ship, but you'd definitely been working for too long when you started to be grateful for paperwork. Report writing had always been Elisa's least favourite part of police work. Especially when she had to work out how to deal with the involvement of her gargoyle friends.

She appeared from behind Goliath's shoulder with a smile, holding out her hand to greet Billy.

"Hi. I'm Elisa Maza."

[not_the_philistine]

Goliath was not aware that Billy and Elisa had met before, but neither was she, so the two were still on the same page.

"Elisa is part of my clan." That was always the easiest explanation for what she meant to him. "Billy has been a good friend to me for a long time now. I hope the two of you will become friends in time."

It could not be clearer that Goliath was happy as he had not been for a long time. He rested his hand on Elisa's back, comforted by the contact with her.

[morphitudinous]

Billy could see their happiness. He was more aware of such things now that he knew Kaya and Ronnae, and it was most definitely a welcome sight. As clan-mates, or whatever term they preferred to use, they had each other to rely on. Goliath could use that in his life.

"It's good to finally meet you properly, Elisa. I'm Billy Cranston, co-chief of this department. We'll build any tools or weapons you need, and we'll repair anything that breaks."

He tried not to look at Goliath and smile as he said that. "And I'll also do paperwork, apparently."