[META PRP] Panic! At the Space Tower [Mera/Nucleo/Amonee]

[Gl!tch~]

I'd chime in, "Haven't you people ever heard of...closing the goddang door?"

 

[Gl!tch~]

Passing notes felt very wiggler-like, but there wasn't much else she could do. A simple O Meet me in my office when you have time O, including directions, handed off to the greenblood pair when she spotted them. She didn't want to draw attention or have to speak over all the other trolls milling around the conveyor. Now it was just a matter of waiting. And as she did, it was hard to concentrate.

For Mera, being ready for anything was of the utmost importance. Now, however. Well. Now she wasn't so sure that she could keep up with that tenet. And she didn't know what to do about it. Putting that aside, she didn't know how up-to-date the volunteers were. So making sure Amonee and Nucleo were aware of the daywalkers felt like the right thing to do.

Though, if they could also lend a spongeclot, she would appreciate that, as well.

She kept trying and failing to continue paperwork right up until they arrived. Keeping unusual track of the shadows falling on her door, she looked up immediately. "Ah. I'm glad you could make it. Please, come in. Feel free to take a seat- but first...close the door behind you, if you please?"

Doutei

Yamashii

 

[Yamashii]

Despite Hemera's best efforts, the airheaded Amonee had gotten a little lost on the way. He arrived with an embarrassed but amused smile on his face and entered the office after she welcomed them inside. It looked incredibly organized and orderly inside which suited her. This was definitely a place for that kind of level of discipline.

"Oh right, the door!" He reached to close it after Nucleo joined them inside and after her gentle reminder. The jadeblood was still in awe taking in the spectacle of this space tower. The last one he had been in had still be unfinished and had, well, kind of exploded. It was nerve wracking to be here but somehow good for him to face it. Nothing bad had happened yet after all. Things were okay.

"We got your note. Are you okay? Is it stressful?" It could not be easy transitioning into a sergeant position. He worried that maybe she had called them here because she was feeling too much pressure.

Doutei

Gl!tch~

 

[Doutei]

"Have you found something already?" Nucleo added to the questions, wondering if Hemera had called them there to share bad news or possibly good news. They were supposed to be looking into the Interweb thing Panili had mentioned. With Hemera’s promotion to sergeant, maybe she’d managed to get access to something the rest of them couldn’t. The greenblood felt bad for not joining the military to help try and get access to more information but he just couldn’t commit to it at this time. There was too much going on.

"Is there something you need us to do?" His voice lowered for this, uncertain of if she needed them to handle something discretely for her. Panili had asked her to coordinate things up top while she couldn’t. It was possible this meeting was related to some new instructions. Or perhaps, it could be Amonee’s concern, she was feeling overwhelmed.

"Are you alright?" They’d had some disagreements in the past but Nucleo didn’t want to see her suffer. If she needed someone to help keep her together, he and Amonee were both here to help out.

Yamashii

Gl!tch~

 

[Gl!tch~]

She adjusted and readjusted the paperwork on her desk while the greenbloods spoke, as if the level of straightness kept changing. Clearly, something was on her mind. Something vaguely agitating.

Eventually, Mera just had to fold her hands and look at the pair over her glasses. Deep breaths. The one time she didn't have her stress balls on-hand. Funny, in a way. "I am...hanging in there. Well. Hm. That's not fair." Her voice turned to something edging on going by rote. "I am honored to have been promoted so quickly. I am 100% dedicated to performing my duty for the sake of the betterment of Alternia. My lieutenant respects how much I abhor violence. So, I intend to see what I can do to balance my honest belief that trollkind can be better, while being given space to not have to enact violence from the get-go. In the meantime, the Lightseekers means as much to me as always." She sighed, removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her eyes squeezed shut as if with headache. "Two leadership roles...however...are a little much." Her voice shook a little. After putting her glasses back on, she glanced about Nucleo and Amonee's heads, focusing on the ceiling. "I am prepared to do my best for both...even though it is a lot of pressure stacking up very fast."

The vaguely conflicting jobs did add to it; everything they found was technically owned by the military, but her organization was pulling some table scraps from the trash bin, as it were. And her lieutenant expected her to come in for heart-to-hearts even though they barely knew each other...outside of said lieutenant raiding the facitilies during the space race and damaging equipment...there was so much that baffled and confused and worried her. And she didn't even know how to put most of it into words. If she even could.

Another big shaky sigh. "And I don't know what they're telling the volunteers...but apparently there are daywalkers in the ships. I really, really don't know what to do with that. I try so hard not to fight others physically, and even though I'm not always perfect at it...I renew my promise to myself to be better than that, and then we're put in a position where there might not be any other option." Her face then, finally, dropped down into her hands. Hemera was, for all intents and purposes, overwhelmed.

Doutei

Yamashii

 

[Yamashii]

"Don't worry, you're not alone. The Lightseekers are all here to help each other." She was clearly stressed and Amonee put a hand over his biscuit to calm himself. It was always hard to watch people suffer when you didn't know how to help them. The jadeblood didn't know what kind of workload the military was putting on her but it seemed like it was too much. All he could do was offer support in her Lightseeker duties.

"Daywalkers in the ships? I suppose that makes sense." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure how much cover from the sun we'll be able to find on the ships but I've found leading them away from sunlight helps." He glanced at Nucleo, knowing the other greenblood did not particularly like the fact that Amonee faced daywalkers on a frequent basis. But maybe that knowledge and experience would be the only thing that kept him alive through this mission.

"Hemera, Panili wouldn't want you to fight but she also wouldn't want us to die. Our non-violence pact isn't a hard rule but a 'do what you can' situation." He thought about reaching out to hug her but the tealblood was not a particularly touchy-feely person, it might upset her to be touched.

"If it helps... you don't have to think of them as trolls anymore. They're dead already." It was horrible to think about but it helped to distance himself emotionally from the parasitic monsters that had nothing but malicious intent for them all.

Doutei

Gl!tch~

 

[Gl!tch~]

Hemera listened to Amonee's words, soon shifting from face in hands to hand cupping her forehead, elbow on the desk. She was clearly still distressed, but looked more exhausted than anything else. She sighed.

"We're all here for each other, and I'm glad for it. Well. I hope at least that everyone thinks they can rely on me, too, despite having a foot in two different spheres." Hopefully no one had thought she basically jumped ship, or at least would be a whole lot less available because of signing up for the military.

Mera considered what Amonee had to say. Or, really, she parsed one thing and let the other parts sit for a moment.

"Amonee...how have you found leading them away-?" She paused. The wheels in her head turned. Brow furrowed, she looked at him dead on. "Are you being literal?"

Doutei

Yamashii

 

[Doutei]

Nucleo watched Hemera as she wearily confessed to feeling overwhelmed. He felt bad to see her look so stressed. Her promotion in the military was concerning, not because he worried she would leave the Lightseekers, Hemera had shown great interest in their work, but because she was very obviously an overachiever. She seemed the type to spread herself too thin. Add fighting space zombies to an overworked thinkpan and she was bound to get hurt out there. His chest clenched at the thought.

"Hemera, we all know we can rely on you." Nucleo replied slowly, clearly thinking of how to phrase what was coming next. He didn't want her to think him calling her weak or incapable. That was far from it. Nor was this some sort of good-intentioned but useless feel-good statement.

"I hope you know you can rely on us too." As Amonee had said, the Lightseekers were all here to help each other. He gave her a stern but not angry look.

"If you need to focus on the military right now, we understand. It's in our best interest for you to gain what traction you can with your new post. Don't feel guilty for it, please." He added, genuinely meaning it. If the Lightseekers could gain information from Hemera later from this position, it would be a great asset for them. He couldn't offer much on the topic of the daywalkers, however, and fell quiet to let Amonee answer that line of questioning.

Yamashii

Gl!tch~

 

[Yamashii]

"Yes, I mean it! It's very effective. I don't understand the relationship between daywalkers and sunlight in full but they are much more active during the day hours for some reason." Amonee chattered on, happy his experience might be able to actually help someone. He had spent plenty of time in his life carefully avoiding or dodging daywalkers during his trips down to visit Xavier in the forest. It was always dangerous but over time, he'd found it easier and easier to handle.

"Why wouldn't I be lit- Oh! I see." He gasped at the realization of Hemera's confusion over his words. "I'm sorry, I'm so used to it I forget to tell people sometimes." He bowed his head slightly in apology to the tealblood. He tended to surround himself with people that already knew of his blood status, like Nucleo and Xavier, to the point where it wasn't something they consciously thought about. It was just another part of life.

"I have jade blood. Sunlight doesn't bother me." He explained with a smile. In the past, he used to be wary of disclosing this kind of information as not everyone had found it to be a positive interesting fact. But several sweeps had passed since the last uncomfortable comment on it. It was nice to see that attitudes on Alternia were changing. Maybe someday their race would evolve to the point where everyone could enjoy the cozy warmth of the sun.

"That's how I have so much experience with the daywalkers. They're scary but nothing we can't handle together!" He reached to take Nucleo's hand in his to emphasize the point. The other greenblood had a way of keeping him calm and relaxed while talking about these scarier topics like fighting and zombies. He was trying to put on a confident face but in truth, the jadeblood did have some doubts about these ships. He could talk their ears off about planet-side daywalkers but would the ones in space be different somehow?

Doutei

Gl!tch~

 

[Doutei]

"I keep telling you to be more careful." Nucleo sighed, lightly knocking Amonee's head in a playful manner. He tried to be nice about it but was truthfully always a little scared Amonee might get himself into trouble during the day when Nucleo couldn't go out and save him. The greenblood had refrained from stressing the point too strongly in order to keep the peace. He knew there was no way he could ultimately stop the painter from going out and enjoying the sunlight. He'd shown him some paintings he'd made of the sights and they were truly beautiful. No power in this world was strong enough to keep an artist from chasing after more.

"But it's true. I can confirm his blood." The barista added, in case Hemera wasn't convinced. He knew she wouldn't doubt Amonee for no reason but that it was also a bit much to accept at first. Jadebloods weren't exactly a deep secret in their society but they were also far from common.

Yamashii

Gl!tch~

 

[Gl!tch~]

She took a slow breath in at Nucleo's reassurance, then back out. "Yes. Thank you, Nucleo. I don't want to step away from my role in the Lightseekers if I can help it. I just might not be as available as I would have assumed. It will be fine." With the support of others, she could start to believe that. She wasn't failing anyone, or making them feel jilted. And if she had Panili's blessing before.....she would now, still, yes?

Mera's thinkpan switched over quickly, adapting to what Amonee had to say next. "Jade...blood." A hue almost a myth in and of itself. "That's amazing. I'm sorry I did not pick up on it; I suppose I have difficulty telling jade from green." Soft, sweet Amonee, of all trolls, adapted to dealing with daywalkers. If he did not worry from his own experience, maybe these missions wouldn't be too bed. ...Although. A wide planet with undead here and there was a bit different than smaller spaces with undead army troops.

But she had to sit back and sigh. "Yes, I suppose it would make sense then that if they're active in the day, being trapped in space with no day or night cycle would have them be active full time. And if they were in ships not facing the sun, it would be pitch dark. A rock and a hard place, I suppose. Amonee, your knowledge will be most valuable. If you can share with not only me but fellow Lightseekers going into space, it will make the experience much less painless."

And she couldn't help but notice Amonee taking Nucleo's hand. One had to wonder at what exact sort of relationship they had, but also, it was none of her business. Maybe just casual touch, something trolls did apparently do, but...likely more often trolls with lusii that could foster physical affection to begin with.

Doutei

Yamashii