mental link, day :039

[polyphonos]

[The soft, rhythmic hiss of cards shuffling. Something honeyed on the tongue. The tang of citrus in the air. Cathaway's mind is an irregular, wavering thread picking crooked stitches through the Station.]

( Ilde and us were hard at work while you all were gone. We'd like to treat you to dinner tomorrow. )

Comments

[adamance]

( Is the meal the fruits of your labor, or is there something more? )

[Meals like this usually have some great importance attached to them ... where she comes from, anyway. Because Lexa likes Important Events.]

[polyphonos]

( We thought it would be pleasant to sit down together as a group without the obligation of work. )

[And why not celebrate their success on Shril? It's a vague shape at the edge of the more clearly transmitted thought. The meal is a simple gesture, but gestures mean things all the same.]

[adamance]

( Everything here is an obligation. )

[Like it or not. But she does add:]

( I intend to join you just the same. But we can't pretend that this is anything more than an attempt to maintain the morale boost we've already accomplished. )

[Of course, not everyone needs Lexa's unnecessary brand of pedantry.]

[polyphonos]

( Would you prefer we uninvite you so that you're obligated to stay away? )

[Dry as summer grass or a river bed in a drought.]

[adamance]

( I said nothing of that sort. I think I've made my position here clear on where we stand. Maintaining morale isn't a bad thing. )

[She's just pedantic as fuck.]

[polyphonos]

( Then it seems we're in agreement. )

[It might just be better if Lexa didn't show up to tell anyone who would listen that this dinner is a ploy to keep their spirits up. It might be true - is it? Difficult to say; she likes the idea of companionship all the same -, but that didn't mean it needed to be said.

No matter. Those with a predisposition toward being suspicious would likely continue to be regardless of what Lexa says or doesn't say, what Cathaway does or doesn't do.]

[redheadcarrier]

( Really rolling out the red carpet for us, huh? )

[polyphonos]

( It's a good excuse to remind ourselves how to prepare a meal. )

[And for conversation that isn't so weighed by anxiety or paranoia or what the Nest is. The Station is too big a place for this small group of beings and it may be best to occasionally consolidate them into a single place as a reminder that they aren't alone here.]

[redheadcarrier]

( I never really learned how to cook. )

[ This feels like the weirdest thing to be talking about with a voice in her head. She's not sure how comfortable she is with it. ]

[polyphonos]

( We could teach you if you cared to learn. )

[Clearly Cathaway doesn't mind the mental small talk.]

[redheadcarrier]

( Aren't we in the middle of a war? )

[polyphonos]

( Does the require us to be nothing but weapons? )

OTA

[erbier]

[ Bemusement, almost dry, ]

( All are welcome. )

[polyphonos]

[That anonymous good temper in the shape of her thoughts blooms like a flower turning to grow towards the sun.]

( Thank you again for your help. The extra hands were essential. )

[erbier]

[ She still doesn't think this is going to turn out the way Cathaway hopes, but she also knows that hope is a fleeting, distracted thing now that they are in the void again... She expects nothing by way of disappointment if the other hosts act to their nature. ]

( A harmless craft. It was no trouble. )

[polyphonos]

[She is used to disappointment; her recovery from such things is remarkably quick.]

( Should you ever need a favor from us, all you need to do is ask. )

[erbier]

[ As if she hasn't imposed upon Cathaway often enough before. Hah. ]

( Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. )

[futurewitness]

( Thank you. That's very kind of you both. )

[ Semi-pleasant family dinners are exactly the kind of thing she remembers just well enough to miss, once the world went to zombie hell. ]

[polyphonos]

( Think nothing of it. )

[The thought is laced with an easiness parallel to a dismissive sweep of the hand.]

[wille]

[ Her mind is a puny fan, its uneven blades betraying a rhythmic clicking as it frantically spins in a muggy room. The air remains unmoved, too thick to breathe in. Manic energy meets a futile endeavor. ]

( Is this your way of saying we succeeded? )

[ She hasn't heard as much from Prince. ]

[polyphonos]

[A blooming flower with a bee inside it. A wolf with all its teeth. The sensation of Cathaway smiling. What a shit heel.]

( Something like that. It was a little more explosive than strictly necessary, but we can't fault results. )

[wille]

[ You're one terrifying old woman, Cathaway. Maybe it's a good thing that Misato has made a habit of staring into the gaping maws of all her demons, flowers, wolves. ]

( No, you can't.

You promised me something when we first met, do you remember? )

[polyphonos]

[There in the darkness: the shape of something focusing. A mirror turning to reflect some forgotten light.]

( To help you win your war. )

[A simple answer to a simple question.]

[wille]

[ At least. At least she can't accuse Cathaway of being evasive. Somehow that blunts her anger. ]

( Yeah, that. Never mind. I'll think of a different prize. )

[polyphonos]

( Did The girl Asuka say something that upset you? )