16. azimuth

[exnihilo]

[Public Video]

[Mira Hidalgo is broadcasting from the bathtub. Her own tub, in her own quarters, hair wet and plastered to her neck. She's not quite flashing the whole barge, but currently it's only a matter of either careful or lucky cropping, rather than any actual coy bubble bath. She is drinking champagne from a bottle and utterly pleased with herself.]

Hi, barge.


[Private to Mickey]

I was thinking, if you wanted, I could...check on things, when I go. Baby things, I mean, or...whatever.


[Private separately to Mal and Luna]

Thank you.

Comments

[exnihilo]

Way, way better than not.

[She chokes up a little, partly because of the booze and partly because of fucking Darling, may his various genital attachments wither in ugly ways unique to their construction materials. She zones out for a few seconds imagining a auto-immune type terrible virus in his nanites.

But it's partly why she made the announcement like this, too, because she's never done goodbyes before except by unexpected ax, because she needs to sidle up to the ache of it in stages. But she definitely is saying proper goodbyes, is going to hug him so hard, now that she's allowed.]

You're not getting rid of me that easy.

[patheticvillain]

Let me know when you're dressed, then, okay? I'll come by, I'll - bring you something.

[He doesn't know what. He wants to bring her everything.]

[exnihilo]

Yeah.

Do you want Rascal?

My lemurthing, I mean. I don't know if it'd be safe to take him to, you know, some planets where he'd be an alien.

[patheticvillain]

. . . I don't know if I know how to take care of him. But I can try.

[He wants to. To remember her by.]

[exnihilo]

Just feed him grapes and give him stuff to climb on and pet his fur sometimes. He's a little sweetheart.

Iris can help if you need it, she knows what planet he comes from.

[patheticvillain]

As long as he gets along with Ilia it's fine. I can bring him over and see?

[exnihilo]

Yeah. I'll text you?

[And she will, when she's wrapped up her other talks and gotten a bathrobe on.]

[patheticvillain]

[When she does, he heads over quick, with Ilia perched irritably on his shoulder like an angry, furry parrot. He knocks on her door, shave-and-a-haircut.]

[exnihilo]

[She's smiling, albeit slightly watery, as she lets him in. Rascal is sitting on the top her of head, with big adorable eyes and a little snout, golden-brown furred tentacles draped casually around her face, one looped loosely around her neck as an anchor.]

Hi, Cassel.

[Man, what do you even say, in times like this.]

[patheticvillain]

[What you say is:] Congratulations, [and you reach out to scratch Rascal on the snout. Ilia snarls, but Cassel doesn't seem to notice, and after a moment it dies down as a token protest.]

You're handling this way better than I did, for the record.

[exnihilo]

[Mira grins, a little slanted, one shoulder tipping up to match.]

How do you mean?

[Rascal coos, nudges a tentacle-tip in Ilia's direction to be sniffed or batted at.]