Harlock's Palace - The Endless Orbit of Loneliness Deux

[freearcadia]

Who: Yor, Nikkolaus
When
What: Palace time
Content Warnings: same as the first.

In the same ruin-filled wasteland, Yor and Nikkolaus would find themselves some distance away from where the other group had landed, the darkness that momentarily blinded and tried to choke them them receding.

The featureless void is not so featureless now, as the dimmest of stars struggle to make themselves known, still and not twinkling as stars should - the spaceship Arcadia hovering, unmoving on the northernmost horizon.

The winds still howled, alternating between the blistering heat and arctic chill, carrying a faint melody in the air from the east and a vague shape surrounded by a localized sandstorm, and low groans from the west with what looks to be a withered tree in the distance.

The ground shakes as the Arcadia fires - debris and dust flying up as it attacked something too far away to see - hopefully no one got hurt.

Comments

[badsunrising]

This is Harlock?

[freearcadia]

Baby-?

[Whatever he was expecting, it's certainly not that, his eye looking around, falling upon Mayu. His already ashen face went stark white]

My... darling girl - Why.

Why did you bring her here?

Please listen, they're not here to hurt you!

[briarliar]

Because something happened back in the prison! Something is making it so you, Mr. Hunter, and Mr. Inui fade away and your monsters are the only things left in your body. We're trying to keep that from happening. Please listen to us, if you don't wake up you'll never get to see Miss Mayu again!

[badsunrising]

[Oh. I guess we're not stabbing this guy yet.]

We needed to find you so you don't disappear and leave her.

[freearcadia]

[Yet is probably the operative word here.

The edges of his being flickers and trails off into wisps, as he held himself gingerly - as if he's been through some fierce fighting before showing up. He finally speaks, his face shrouded in unnatural shadow]

She... she is likely better off without my presence.

How many times has she been put in harm's way because of me...?

[briarliar]

[ please don't make me stab a family figure in front of their child for the second time today :/ ]

You told me you don't let her stay on the Arcadia all the time to keep her safe. You do all that you can to keep her out of harm's way, even if...even if it makes you sad because you can't always stay with her!

[badsunrising]

[Hard gaze wavers at that...]

... you think she'll be happy with you making that decision for her? She hasn't told you that she wants you to leave.

[freearcadia]

I don't want you to disappear-

...She's my memories of her. Those don't hold with reality.

[briarliar]

You don't think your memories of her are important? You're just content to let them fade with you, and not even think about making new ones?!

[badsunrising]

What do you mean they don't hold with reality?

[freearcadia]

[The man visibly flinches, for a moment seeming to dissipate before gathering himself. As Mayu clings to Yor fretfully]

Memories... are fallible, time changes - people change. The memories are of course precious...

[He seems to sag in place]

[briarliar]

[ Yor is trying to simultaneously be as comforting as possible to the young girl and also resist dragging Harlock by the scruff so he can apologize for making Mayu sad ]

Of course people change, don't you want to see her grow up? Don't you want to give her a world where she can turn to you when she needs to?!

[badsunrising]

So what if everything changes? You just keep making new memories. That's why you're alive.

[freearcadia]

[There's a desperate edge in his eyes, a flicker in his form, his gaze never leaving Mayu]

But... her safety - she -

[He groans, clutching his head]

Harlock!

[briarliar]

[ Yor is still very much hovering over Mayu, but in a way that is pleading for him to join them ]

Mr. Harlock please listen to us...

[badsunrising]

[Tone goes distant and his gaze seems far beyond Harlock]

What good is being safe if she can't be with you?

[freearcadia]

...I can't.

[His voice wavers]

I can't leave her.

[The ship seem to groan under their feet, the floor tilting as the man collapses onto his knees, black ichor pooling around and away from him]

[briarliar]

[ taking a tentative step forward, looking back at Mayu to see if she wants to follow ]

Then please stay. When you get back, you can tell me all the stories you want about Miss Mayu. You know I feel the same way about Anya...

[badsunrising]

[Just studying that ichor and making sure it doesn't get close to Mayu]

1/

[freearcadia]

[Mayu breaks from Yor, nearly stumbling as the ship tilts, as Harlock half-crawls, half-stumbles to her as well, embracing her tightly]

...I can't go yet, there's too much -

2/2 done

[freearcadia]

[The slow tilting lurch suddenly became a sharp swivel, the ship suddenly turning completely upside down - for a moment the sensation of falling is there until the Arcadia's artificial gravity took hold, making "up" "down" - papers, books and bottles that had started to drop towards the ceiling now hits the floor.

Harlock starts, pulling Mayu against him to protect her as the ichor that pulled away from him reshapes to something vaguely man-like]

Y̴̩̓̿̌o̶͍͉̚̕u̵͍̮͕͆̅̚ͅṟ̸͚̅̾ ̵̫̀̋̈́̄͑j̴̧͙̊̓͜ȍ̵̧̬̗̃͛ü̸͕̪̯͂̅̚r̶͕̩͍͖̠̆̆̔̔̍n̶̖͎͋͌̈́̐͘e̷̬͔̣̘̼͋͝y̴̡̜͓̘̏̿̍ ̸̯͕̘̥͇͋͗͋ȩ̶̦̍̆̔͜n̶̬͇̬̅̈́͋́d̸̝̮͝s̸̞̗͐̌̊ ̸̡͙̝͈͓́͛̉́͒ẅ̷͇̠̰́͘͝ḯ̵͙͐͝t̸̛̤͕̣̩̝͗͌͠h̸̜͇̞̾̋̉̋͜ ̷̧̂d̸̜̬͐̕ẽ̸̥̼͍̈͘͘a̸̪̲̝̓̅t̸͔̺̰̞̓̌̎͝h̸̖̋́̂̀͆ ̴̻̠̯̱̐-̴̳͎̩̒ ̴̮̏̽̂͘d̵̞̱̤̓͐̀o̵̙̞͋͜͝ ̴̧̛͈̹̤̌͝ͅn̴̨̞̲̾ơ̴̦̤̣̩̹̍͗̕͝t̵̫̯̖͑͋̓͗̃ ̸̖͒̑ŕ̴̢̩̪̦̏͝e̸̥̭͗̔́͒̆ͅs̵͓͆͗̂̊ḯ̶̘̥̽s̷̐̃͜ṭ̷̜̑ ̵̻͛̓͝͝y̷̡̻̘̳̹̒̆̈̾o̷̫̻̲͊̐͘ũ̶̬̏ȑ̴̨̗͍͑͘ ̶̲͉̙̱̇ģ̶̌r̵̛̦͚̲̣̈̍̋̆͜ǎ̴̝̅̾v̶̟̦̫̼̠͗̒̎̚e̴͚͓͖̝͌̂̅̂͂ͅ

[briarliar]

[ trying to reorient herself from the fall, getting into a fighting stance. she's not trying diplomacy this time, her voice is calm and full of a resolve that if this ichor creature wants to threaten death, she'll oblige ]

Get away from them. Now.

[badsunrising]

[Nah, not waiting around this time. Harlock has Mayu. So. Just going to lunge at ichor creature and slash with sword.]

[freearcadia]

[The pirate still didn't look completely solid, but he gives a curt nod to the two as moves to hide her under the bed before putting himself between her and the dark mass as it hisses and recoils from Nikkolaus' strike - condensing and reshaping]

Ć̴͙̲̣́͂͆o̵͚̥̓͝ḿ̷̰̯͓̎͒̀͂é̴̢̜̰͉̒̀̕ ̶͑͊,̷̫̅̈́̊̇͝ ̴͓̘͐̈̏̇̅t̸̝͗͋͋͋̚h̷̤̭̔̏͑͐̚ĕ̷͉͙̲̤͝ŕ̴̥̰̓̓͑͌e̴͔̲͌ ̵͎̊́i̵̖̾ş̷̮͖̂ ̵̛̝͉͉̅̈̇s̶̻̰̋ͅõ̷̧͕̜̰͔̇͑̕͠m̷̤̋ȩ̶̛̦̤̉o̵̻͕̅̆͒̕͝ņ̵̓͐e̶͖͆̌̓͝͝ ̸̛͉̿̽͂̑c̶̢͈̟̄͒ͅȁ̵͎͐͑͋̊l̸̫̪̘̏͐͘ͅl̷̠͖͛̏͊̇ǐ̵̞̏̒͐n̶̢̩̦͖͇̾̓g̵̤͇͕̬͗ ̶̘̍f̶̻͚̘̺̖͌̄̀̕o̶̰̮̓ŗ̴͖̙̀͊͠ ̵̢̧̩̈́̌̀͊ȳ̸̺̳o̷͕̞͙͆̉͜͝͝ü̸̜̙̳͔̞̽ ̷͈̠̰̫̅́̔͘f̶̖̾͌̅r̴̻̰̺̠̰͌o̵̪͋m̴̢͓͌̓͜͠ ̴̜̖͖̝͗̄̅̋b̷̈̅̈́͝ͅë̵̮́y̶̗̪͙͓̍o̸̠̥̰͗n̷̫͋̈́d̷̢̢̯͎̋̃́̓̉ ̴̹̰͍͉̓̆̋͋̑d̶̟͉̭̜̼́͌̈́e̷̻̊̊́ä̶̹̼̭̤͍́t̶̡̞͉̗̑͆̇͠h̶̻͈̙̃̐̽'̵͓̘̒̐̈͘ș̸̘̑̍̄̚̕ ̵̟͔̼͉̌́͊v̵̢̫̘̝̜́e̴͚͔͎͌͗̃i̸͕̩̼̊̏̌͑l̶̲̥̣̃̂̈́̋̈́.̶̧̰͕͚̃͠ ̷̮̬̓͊́̅

[the ichor-like substance had the appearance of a very short man in a tattered poncho, unsheathing a blade made of the same substance]

[briarliar]

[ while Mayu was being kept out of the way and Nikkolaus did the first strike, Yor was trying to yank the top of the wooden desk free. her experience with Belos is still fresh and gooey in her mind to think: instead of stab let's try swatting. so she'll attempt to just chuck a giant piece of furniture at the figure like this is a larger than life bug. ]