trans_9 | Teatime of the Soul

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Teatime of the Soul

Clef had known that he would eventually feel better, but he hadn't been expecting it to be this sudden. He had woken up feeling as though he could breathe after more than a week of being mentally suffocated by his grief over the apparent destruction of his homeworld. It had colored his mood and interactions with others even when he hadn't particularly been thinking about it, making him come off a little crabbier than normal, and he didn't really like being that person. He didn't like being the kind of person, either, who could think only of his little planet when there was an entire universe in danger. At least now he could think of other things.

There was hope, too - suddenly the thought that the lost worlds could be restored didn't sound so hollow or far away, nor the idea that people from home might still be sleeping in the pods. Anything was possible, and it was worth helping to make sure it happened or that those people woke up. So that's why he was taking a walk in Hydroponics, thinking and making plans. It was quiet here, and the parts that were forest reminded him of the forests of Cephiro no more or less than any other group of trees should - enough to serve as a pleasant background to his thoughts, but not so much as to evoke nostalgia.

Did I mention it was quiet?

It was very quiet.

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Quiet aside from the gentle rustle of leaves nearby. Hydroponics were the closest thing Nanaki had to being around nature - the feeling of life. Even though Stacy herself was alive, it was a different feeling, like being in the belly of some giant creature.

He was always quick to pick up on the presence of others, so he turned his head, spotting Clef through the trees. Curious, because he didn't seem familiar, Nanaki went to get a closer look to greet him.

So quiet, in fact, that a rustling noise from above would sound rather odd.

Another person had taken a liking to tree-climbing here, settling in the bend of two comfortable branches. He was enjoying a rather relaxing day. That is, until he heard noise underfoot. The other person turned over on the branch, scrambling to keep his hold as he peered down. Yes, someone was there!

"Oh, hello! Sorry about that."

Quiet, but there was some appeal to the silence. Only little noises of the fauna wandering around amidst the plants, as well as the soft footsteps of another person admiring the surroundings. It reminded him a little of the abby, though many of the outlying worlds didn't have the most forgving soil for growing. Any gardening was a challenge.

His hand briefly reached up to touch an errant leaf.

"Usually don't see a sight like this on a ship. Even one so large."

Hydroponics. The word put Fuu in mind of blue light and laboratories where trees were grown from pools of water. There were those, yes, but this area reminded her more of the garden in Cephiro's last castle. She'd only seen it briefly, of course... it seemed that she had been whisked away just after the Rune Gods had called them again.

She'd been trying to settle in, as much as that was possible, but the crew quarters were both small and seemed to have breathing walls, the food was extremely minimalistic, and she hadn't found a comfortable adjustment to her plantsuit yet. None of these were major things, nothing that Fuu would ever complain about aloud. But they did serve to keep her feeling ill-at-ease.

Hydroponics was nice, though--somehow it felt soothing to see plants growing. She was thinking about sitting under a tree to peruse the omnicomm when she spotted a friend walking about. "Hello, Clef-san."

Clef was pretty good at picking up on others' presences, as well, and noticed Nanaki approaching him. Being new, he didn't know whether Nanaki was a crew member or one of the fauna that lived in this area, but it didn't matter one way or the other as far as he was concerned.

"Hello," he tried, his voice soft even in the quiet of the forest.

Was hanging out in trees just a thing kids did nowadays? Maybe it had always been a thing, but Clef had kind of missed it because he was so short. Either way, he couldn't help but smile a little - plenty of people liked to sit in trees, but there was one person in particular he associated with the behavior.

"No need to apologize," he replied. "I hope I didn't wake you up or anything."

You don't? Clef wondered reflexively. He usually didn't see ships.

"That's a shame. All ships should have forests."

"Hello, Fuu." Somehow he wasn't too surprised to run into her. The chances of running into any one person on a ship this size - even someone you know - were very small, yet they kept bumping into each other by chance. They must have had more in common than he had realized.

"I see we had the same idea."

"Not at all," Cedric called down, carefully starting to turn on the branch. This was going to be a tricky affair. "I was just resting my eyes. It's not the most comfortable of places, but I like the view."

He eased himself down once he had firm footing, branch by branch. "You were on a walk, right?"

Not quite as graceful as a cat, Clef thought to himself, amused. He nodded. "I wouldn't mind company, if you're offering."

"I don't see why I shouldn't," Cedric offered once he hit the ground, smiling at his companion. "I just didn't want to disturb you. It's not a bad place to think."

He studied the other man, wondering what skills he might be offering to the ship. There was certainly a way to find out! "I don't think we've met before. I'm Cedric, I've only just arrived. Have you been here longer?"

"Mm. I've read about hydroponics, so I wanted to see what this area was like. But this section is more like an arboretum than a laboratory." She smiled faintly. It had been coincidence to find Clef here as well, but she wasn't surprised. "It seems very nice here."

"Hello," he greeted back with a quick bow of the head. "It seems as though many people enjoy coming here as much as I do."

Book shrugged as he reached up to idly touch a leaf gently, "Something about trying to maintain a biosphere. Don't have the right mix for air and humidity. Makes it tricky on most. Usually can only manage a few plants here and there."

"People feel the pull of nature whether they admit it or not," Clef replied, settling with his back against a tree. "Even just a relatively small imitation of it."

Clef shook his head. "No, I've just arrived, as well. My name is Clef."

He let a moment of silence pass between them, but not for too long. Quiet was nice and everything, but he did actually want to get to know this young man a little.

"How do you like it here so far?"

An odd question, perhaps, but hopefully one that encouraged conversation without being too personal.

Clef's hand hovered near a leaf, feeling the faint life energy rolling off of it. It wasn't much, but it was a life and it awed him every time he felt it. It was difficult to contemplate crossing entire planetary systems without that kind of contact.

"Is space-travel common where you're from?" he asked.

"That was what I had expected, as well." It was kind of a pleasant surprise, finding both a forest and Fuu.

"Perhaps I'll set up a tent and just live here."

"It's not quite what I expected. Everything's uncertain, isn't it? We have a massive war to fight, but we don't know how or when---or if we'll get our worlds or our people back. I've been learning all I can in the meantime, but I've had to make my way through."

It was lonely work, and frightening. He could always ask Professor Lupin for guidance, and he was grateful for that, but...he missed his father. He missed his friends. And he always would.

Book gave a nod before finding a comfortable stone to rest. Old joints after all.

"Pretty common I'd say, or at least easy to find a ship to travel if you have the means to do so. Now where to go is another story. Some places are easier to get to than others."

Clef wasn't feeling the effects of age - never did, much as he acted like an old man sometimes - but he found a low tree branch to settle on just the same.

"As with traveling over land, there are mountains?" he asked, "Or are some worlds merely protected by a barrier?"

His was - it was reasonable to think that others might be.

"Really?" Fuu looked around again, remembering the 'tent' that Mokona had conjured for her, Hikaru, and Umi. "It would be much less strange than the crew quarters. What sort of tent do you think you'd have?"

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Teatime of the Soul

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Sorry for delays, was away for some days.

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it's cool, I'm slow myself

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