And we're all adrift together through the cold mist, 'til we're lifeless together

[dokkalfheimr]

[The preparations hit differently this time.

Last weekend was at least an attempt at being festive, even with the light supplies they have; at being joyous, at giving people at least one nice thing to look back upon before things inevitably took a turn for the worse. And now two people are dead, and instead of trying to figure out structure placement and how best to keep everyone entertained and occupied and well-fed, the preparations now are given to much more practical purposes.

Large amounts of bottled water from the machine. Bagels and bread and muffins, light starchy things to avoid forcing anyone to keep meat or seafood down after seeing a corpse. Fruit for the sake of providing energy. Avoiding including bananas for any reason. Quietly pulling aside one of the first people she sees with any experience in the matter and asking them to help her make tea.

Once she's got one of the tables at the party zone set up and the tea is on its way to being prepared, she'll set around letting people know; the invitations are simple, written in Freyja's broad, elegant handwriting:

I think another gathering tonight would be beneficial. Not to celebrate, but to remember; perhaps more importantly, to ensure that no one is alone if they don't want to be.

Tonight is hard. There is nothing further to do but get through it.]

Comments

[scouserer]

Get buff and the demons-- [he’s just extrapolating from malevolence] --don’t want to fuck with you. Got it.

[Constantine does perk up a little, smirking.]

I’m assumin’ your artes are like, magic, yes?

[sivard]

Oh, no, it's not that. If I were to absorb too much malevolence, I could become a demon. [a beat] Or a dragon.

[The way he says "a dragon" makes it sound like a death sentence.]

I haven't sensed any of it around here, which is shocking, given everything that's happened.

[But as for the question about his artes...]

That's a good term for it, yeah.

[scouserer]

Oh, not a dragon. We can’t have that, now can we?

[He...has no idea what Zaveid is going on about, but it’s fine. He can adapt to this.]

Though, to be frank, it might solve more of our problems than you might think. Fly us off the ship, punch the Captain in the face, and then scoot ourselves home.

[sivard]

[Zaveid gives Constantine a look like he's just made a joke about mass murder.]

Oh, I might fly away, but everyone else would be dead. A malak who becomes a dragon exists only to destroy.

It.... it was the fate of a woman I know.

[By his tone, he was absolutely there when it happened.]

[scouserer]

[A pause.]

Oh.

[Fun fact! This is the second time tonight that Constantine has opened his mouth and said something he shouldn't have! Maybe we can get a record?]

Well, that doesn't sound pleasant.

[A pitiful attempt to, uh, make up for the fact he clearly said something wrong. His instinct here is to make a joke--'Guess she should've gone to the gym, then, huh?'--but for once, a sensible part of himself tells him to shut up.]

Someone close to you, I suppose.

[sivard]

She wasn't the sort to wish ill on anyone. She took care of people at great risk to herself.

There wasn't anything of her left, when she... [he cuts himself off] I promised I'd do something to save her, but in the end, there wasn't anything I could do.

[scouserer]

[Constantine lapses into silence for a moment--a rarity for him. Something about Zaveid's words seems to strike a chord with him. His eyebrows knit together in thought as he turns to look out towards the ocean.]

You made a promise--see, that's where the trouble comes in. [He snorts, shaking his head.] You can only control a few things in your life--the rest is left for fate to decide. If you ask me, a promise is nothin' but a lie to make another person feel better for a bit.

[sivard]

I never break my word.

[He actually looks resolute.]

Don't push your problems on me. I've lived through, and seen, a lot more than you have. I'm not some naive kid.

[He hasn't left, but he does look pretty pissed off by now, and reaches over to grab one of the assorted objects on the deck and tosses it into the sea.]

[scouserer]

[Constantine raises his arms in a defensive gesture, looking away from Zaveid.]

Whatever you say, mate. Not lookin' for any more trouble tonight.

[There goes an action figure, careening over the side of the ship.]

Sorry to hear about her.

[sivard]

[Zaveid is silent for a long time.]

I forget sometimes, that I'm the only one from my world.

When I say promise, I mean I made an oath. Oaths can't be broken without consequence. If a man makes a oath on his life not to reveal something, and goes on to reveal it, he'll die.

When Eizen told me his fate will be the same as Theodora, I made an oath on my True Name to be the one to end his suffering before he can hurt anyone.

[That sure puts his trivia in perspective, huh?]

[scouserer]

[So...Zaveid went and made a pact. Constantine raises an eyebrow, looking towards the man with a slightly alarmed expression.]

Mate, that's got to be the worst kind of contract I'd ever dream of.

[Like, seriously, do people not understand that you never agree on something you can't 100% fulfill realistically??????]

Did you go through with it, then?

[sivard]

Of course I did.

[He's back to looking pretty annoyed.]

It's an intentional ritual. Anyone who does it knows what they're in for.

[Also his name literally translates to "Oathkeeper", so]

[scouserer]

[Constantine crosses his arms.]

To each their own, I guess.

[He wants to say that it's still a stupid idea, but saying that out loud would probably result in him getting punched. Again.]

[sivard]

...I don't expect somebody not from my world to understand.

[He hesitates, like he's not sure how to put it.]

A malak telling another malak his or her True Name isn't done lightly. Theodora and I... Eizen and I. We're bonded forever.

I know humans have similar rituals that bring two people together.

[Marriage. He's talking about marriage.]