peace, love, and sail boats [OPEN]

[manyminds]

CHARACTERS: Keya & YOU
WHERE: The Red Coast
WHEN: DAY :028 - :036
SUMMARY: A catch-all for whatever fun romps you wanna involve Keya in.
WARNINGS: None, yet. Cuteness from a very moe alien, perhaps.


DAYS :028 - :034 MEET CUTES OR MEETS CUTE ((note: if you want to have interactions with Keya between days :024 and :027, you can wildcard off of this post))

[It seems that, after the first few days at the Red Coast, the timid young farana who swore her service to the Carbauschians is finding more courage and confidence to speak. Not just with hosts, but with other envoys, much to the chagrin of her kin.]

I just don’t understand why nobody will even consider it-- [she can be overheard saying, to whomever she’s selected for the time being. It seems a fairly arbitrary selection process; really, just anyone who won’t walk away while she’s talking. Sometimes, even those unfriendly few.] --Who knows when the next time such a meeting might happen?

[Inevitably, anyone of consequence she might entreat will eject from the conversation, leaving her discouraged and frustrated.]

DAYS :035 and :036 SHIP SHAPE

[With the ships complete and the training underway, Keya can be found trying to learn to sail.

Oh sure, she hopped aboard gung-ho and ready to harpoon a big beastie, but as soon as a fisherman puts one into her hands, she becomes stricken with an uneasy pallor and pleads for it to be taken back. She’s not quite ready to be pitted against another behemoth, armed only with a spear by a different name.

So, she sticks to learning her way around the boat. Pulling on ropes, tying knots, rushing hither and thither and following instructions as best she can.

Over the course of training, on a handful of occasions, you’ll hear her yell “HEADS UP!” as something falls from above--a tool, a rope, what-have-you--and she lunges after it, trying to catch it without falling herself.

Sometimes, she actually succeeds.]

WILDCARD

[You know the drill.]

Comments

DAY :034

[wille]

[ Misato has half a mind to walk away. Of course, there must be every reason the farana is being ignored, most of which must have something to do with the contents of her entreaty, and she has no time to devote to consoling every downtrodden youth besides. But it's when she walks past that she recognizes the Descendant, a face she won't forget anytime soon.

She won't be accused of gentleness when she reaches to grab the farana by the arm, as insistent as if she were rescuing her from certain mortal danger. ]  

You know, sometimes it's less about what you're saying and more about who is saying it.

[manyminds]

[Certainly she's surprised by being grabbed, enough so to let out a yelp of surprise, but her initial tension lessens somewhat when she sees who grabbed her. Keya doesn't know this Carbauschian, doesn't recognize the voice, and as such inclines her head in a polite bow.]

I know that I'm no-one to them, but those above my standing aren't willing to do anything themselves.

[wille]

[ How familiar the sentiment, the sense of mission and the requisite powerlessness. She responds likewise, with a bow, loosening her grip to but a weight against the farana's arm before letting go entirely. ]

Well, those above your standing think they have more to lose.

[ She softens her words with sympathy, see, she isn't entirely incapable of it. ]

What were you saying to them?

[manyminds]

That we could be utilizing our time on the Pilgrimage to broker peace, instead of choosing either side.

[ She looks over at a cluster of envoys, walking and talking, headed for some activity or another. Or, maybe just walking. She doesn't know. ]

This is the first time in a long time that so many of us have convened without there being some sort of...war crime tribunal to handle or sabotage involved. Until the Hyrypians form an alliance with one of the factions, this is neutral ground; the only place anyone might actually listen to the possibility of armistice.

[wille]

[ Misato could laugh. She, who has made war her entire business, could scarcely picture a world without it. Carnage can be set aside of course, exiled to a late night segment on the television, a tiny corner at the back of the newspaper, but it has never really gone away. Not even in the face of greater enemies could humans unite, and it takes such leaps of the imagination to picture how it might be for Rabadoceans, who seem to her the same.

She offers her what she would have wanted offered to her own equally insane ideas: benefit of the doubt. ]

That would mean convincing all sides that peace benefits them more than the possibility of winning the war. Have you thought about that?

[manyminds]

[Keya knows the next words out of her mouth are likely to be met with a skeptical scoff, regardless of who she says it to, but for some reason she can't help herself. ]

Isn't the establishment of peace kind of a win for everyone? [ Yep. That was pretty bad. The expression on her face reflects that she knows exactly how that sounded, too. She shrugs, helplessly. ]

Surely any course of action that prevents the deaths of more people, be they soldiers or civilians, should matter more than anything...shouldn't it?

[wille]

[ Her response, first, is an extended silence. A member of the Nest might have been able to sense the activity on her mind, the concentration and due consideration given, rather than boredom or ridicule. But she gives away little to Keya from behind the veil, until she speaks a few beats later. ]

Not if it means the deaths of people on the other side, the ones who aren't theirs. Not if it means losing out on what they thought they could win by coming here.

[ That is the no, but here is the yes. ]

How far are you willing to go for brokered peace?

she's too precious i'm adopting her ( :035 )

[incinerates]

[ He catches her, when she's pleading to be relieved of the spear. The fisherman who's handed it to her has already turned aside, and it's Bakugo who tips it from her hands and into his own. Standing on the dock alongside the craft he's been training on, having coerced a salty old grandfather to teach him the way-about. ]

Not a fan of weapons?

[ Some spark of recognition, along the nest-lines. She's important to them all? ]

Tell you what. I can handle this part, if you handle the lines. I'm shit at tying knots.

she tries her best

[manyminds]

[She lets out a relieved breath when the harpoon is taken away, and offers an unsure smile.]

Thank you. It's not so much the weapon itself, but... [A nervous chuckle, and she shuffles her feet.] I think I'm better off not going up against another large creature, wielding a sharp stick.

[The farana nods, taking another steadying breath and purposefully picking up a rope, regardless of whether or not she's meant to pick up that specific rope at this moment.]

But I can handle knots, absolutely.

too late i've reached through my screen and stolen her

[incinerates]

I think you'd be fine. Fear can only keep you down for as long as you let it.

[ He holds the spear in his own hands; his fingers are not as nimble as he'd like them to be, but he gives it an experimental spin around the flat of his forearm and gets the point wedged softly between the dock slats, as though aiming for the imaginary space between the garstall... uh, plating? ]

We can tag-team, if you like. At least for training, I don't know if you've already been, like, assigned a boat.

welp sorry everyone keya's been stolen

[manyminds]

Tag-team, [she repeats, nodding the way one nods when they can sense they're supposed to agree, despite not knowing what they're agreeing to.]

I don't think I've been assigned a boat, not yet.

[She extends her hand with the confidence of someone who's been practicing how to shake hands. Because that's exactly what she's been doing.] My name is Keya, by the way. It's...nice. To meet you.

[Smooth.]

[incinerates]

You know, like-- [ Nevermind. ] It's just a fancy term for team effort.

[ UM NOT REALLY BUT??

She puts her hand out, and he cautiously slips his into hers. If this is how she's been greeting the other members of the team, he shouldn't -- fuck up anything they've established. He points over his shoulder with his free hand, towards the boat he's been working on. A small, sleek little thing with an equally small, but experienced crew. At the forefront is the "salty grandfather" he'd mentioned, and a few other sea-worn Rabadoceans of various genders and origins.

( His favorite is the farana in violet and gold; a tricky, dour-voiced dockhand who's practically raised the crew like her own. When she cusses, he follows suit. Mostly because he wants to learn the proper curses for a sea-hunt. ) ]

Bakugo. [ Might as well, it's easier than coming up with some code name that someone else forgets to use. ] Stick with me, and you'll be fine.

[manyminds]

[ Keya clasps Bakugo's hand in both of her own--nobody's corrected her, so... ]

Thank you! It's nice to meet you, Bakugo. [ She smiles, releasing his hand and nodding. ] I'll do my best!

[ That she will. Whether or not she succeeds is up in the air at this point, but she will stick with Bakugo like...like...like something determinedly sticky! ]

:29

[adamance]

[There are a number of angles that Lexa can explore here, but taking on the role of the adviser seems best. Naturally, she knows something that Keya does not: that the Enemy is here, and calling for peace is the last thing anyone wants. Otherwise, this pilgrimage would be something more worthwhile. It would be about selling the various different nations on that concept.

But more importantly: she has bridged her people before. They also had reason to want nothing but war. Her knowledge can help here ... so long as she manages to utilize it without revealing it.]

It's because they think little of you. Of your motivations, and of what drives you. One death to save another means nothing, even in a ritual like this. And the death was of someone with little weight or control, from a culture of the same circumstances.

[It's a sharp beginning, but then she goes on:]

Which isn't to say that your idea is incorrect. But your methods may have to change.

teach me ur ways, sensei

[manyminds]

[A sharp beginning indeed. Keya seems to deflate a little, aware enough of the truth in Lexa's words to feel how much her futile attempts weigh.

But then, a spark of hope.

She looks at the Carbauschian, unconsciously leaning closer, propelled by interest.]

Change how?

[adamance]

You have to have the ear of someone that matters. Beginning with your people. Can you think of someone?

[If not, this will be a greater struggle than Lexa even imagines. Still, it's better to begin this way. Lexa hopes that Keya is only ... desperate, which is leading her to not think, rather than merely without connections to start with.]

[manyminds]

[Well, there goes that hope.]

Unfortunately, no. I've already tried to speak to my aunt but she thinks I'm naive.

[Almost as an afterthought, Keya extends a hand.]

So sorry, what is your name? I'm Keya.

[adamance]

Lexa. [She doesn't bother to point out that people are well aware of who Keya is by now. Her plaintive appeals to everyone haven't gone unnoticed. It would be too much to begin there, and ... it would be unfair to begin there.

She does take her hand, knowing the custom by now. (It wasn't among her people.)]

Was your appeal similar to what you've made elsewhere? [A beat.] And I assume you've no experience in affairs like these?

[manyminds]

[Keya's knowledge of the custom is still in its infancy, and she clasps Lexa's hand in both of hers, shaking it once and holding it for a moment before letting go.

Nobody's corrected her so far, so...she must be on the right track.]

It was similar, but more...conversational, I suppose. [She considers making a joke about being well versed in such matters, but decides against it.] You assume correctly.

DAY :035.

[deployed]

[ Sailing isn't part of Bellamy's skillset, but it's going to have to be. Misato's hunch had panned out correctly, and they'll have to adapt to the water the way they'd adapted to hunting on mechanical horseback. Bellamy's resigned himself to that. But not to ropes falling from above. Or small aliens.

The rope tangles in his robes. He doesn't so much catch Keya as much as he breaks her fall. It's not very graceful, but at least there's not injuries. (Or unfortunate reveals.) He keeps hold of her, looking for any obvious signs of injury and ignoring the rope still dangling. ]

You okay?

[ A beat, then— ]

What happened up there?

wheeze-laughs like an old bulldog

[manyminds]

Oof, yes I'm fine. I think I only managed to damage my pride--

[ She's trying her best to untangle the rope that looped around her foot, while also checking that her headscarf is still on, her body is all intact...and in her self-assessment she notices his hold on her.

After a moment of stammering, she manages to say: ]

I was retying a line that had been tied wrong and it got stuck on something so I pulled and dropped it when it came loose and tried to catch it and lost my hold on the mast. [ A deep breath because that sentence came out fast and loose. ] I'm so sorry, are you alright?

[deployed]

[ Bellamy doesn't remember ever having encountered someone like Keya. Plenty of things on aliens planets have caught him off guard, but Keya's a whole other story. She seems unspoiled. Her hope isn't tinged with the same exhaustion that Bellamy knows so well. He holds onto her a moment longer to be sure she isn't going to topple before he lets go and starts carefully unraveling the length of rope from his head and shoulders. ]

You knocked the wind out of me.

[ Compared to the usual assortment of injuries he normally exists with. ]

Just lucky you weren't holding something heavier up there, or we might have had a real problem.

[ He's teasing, trying to put her at ease, but who knows how that's going to go over? ]

[manyminds]

[ Mortified is the only adequate description for the look on Keya's face as she blinks at Bellamy, then looks away and hides her mouth behind her fingers. A study in embarrassment, this farana is. ]

That would've been much worse, you're right! I really am embarrassed, I'm usually a much better climber, I cannot apologize enough, Bellamy.

[ She does, however, refrain from bowing, despite it being her gut-instinct. Instead, she nods once...and continues fretting. ]

Are you sure you're not hurt?

[deployed]

Nothing I can't walk off.

[ Which is coincidentally how Bellamy handles all injuries. ]

You need a hand up there?

[ Not to give the impression that Bellamy knows what he's doing (he doesn't) but because he wants to push the conversation along and hopefully alleviate her embarrassment. He shakes his head over the apology, deeming it unnecessary. Falling out of a high place is hardly the worst thing anyone on this pilgrimage has done. After a double murder, slight infractions are barely worth commenting on. ]

[manyminds]

Oh, no, no! [ She assures, collecting the length of rope that had fallen with her. ] It's fine, I can do it. Your um...attire, gets easily caught up as I understand, so...

[ Keya looks to the rope in her hands, and then up towards the mast. ]

Actually...If I climb up, could you toss me the rope? It'd be easier than trying to loop it over my shoulder securely.