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]

[Sorry, he's going to be bluescreening for a minute]

[freearcadia]

[Harlock quickly scoops Mayu up, still holding onto the glasses. He's noticeably quiet after that proclamation as "Tochiro" struggles like a caught kitten in Yor's grasp]

The end of my voyage is a grave... That much I knew. My life was never meant to be long or peaceful.

[He holds the girl tightly to his chest]

See-owowow... I wasn't lying! Put me down!

...That's not Daddy. He wouldn't want you to die... right, Harlock?

[briarliar]

[ she is not putting him down but she is trying to keep her arm steady ]

You're mistaken, and you tried to harm us just a few minutes earlier.

[ she turns her attention to Harlock, giving a flat but considering look ]

So? However long or short it is, what does it matter as long as you can give Mayu as many peaceful days as possible? Wouldn't you want that? Wouldn't you do anything to eke out as many hours or moments with her as you could?

[badsunrising]

[Trying to shake himself from his fugue]

You... don't have the right to die. Not when people need you.

[freearcadia]

['You don't have the right to die.'

Once those words echoed in the air, the man's wavering, lost expression vanished - and his wispy, almost immaterial form solidified.]

I promised to protect her, to protect the world Tochiro loved that she lives on.

[He flung the spectacles right back, clattering near Yor's feet, right below Tochiro]

I may be wrapped in the shadow of my dead friend - but you are not him. He would never want me to abandon his daughter.

How dare you use his face!

Shiii...! You - you meddlers! It would've been peaceful, Look what you done!

["Tochiro" hisses, writhing like a snake in Yor's grip]

[briarliar]

[ Yor just holds on tighter to the collar as the figure writhes, and none too gently. but she's quiet, her attention on making sure it doesn't escape from her grasp. ]

[badsunrising]

[Glares at "Tochiro"]

All we did was help remind him of what he's fighting for... to protect what those most important to him held dear...

[freearcadia]

[Harlock whispers to Mayu, she gives a quiet nod as she slides down from his grasp and onto the bed, then under it as he steps forward, the form of "Tochiro" evaporated into black mist reforming as a vague man-shaped shadow, hissing like a wet cat]

...I should thank you both. I was about to make a mistake I would not have lived to regret.

Imposter.

[He unsheathes his sword, pointing right at the figure]

Get the hell off of my ship!

[briarliar]

[ maybe slightly ruining this moment by looking around in confusion for where the "off" direction might be ]

Which way is that?

[badsunrising]

If it materialized, it can de-materialize.

[freearcadia]

[A low smirk crosses the pirate's lips]

That's right - you better do so before you're forced off.

Hiiisss... damn you all.

[It lunges like a tiger toward Yor, attempting to plunge its hand through her chest - Harlock pulls the trigger of the gravity saber, attempting to shoot it before it gets close to her but the movement was so quick that his shot went wide]

[briarliar]

[ that's fine, Yor can take care of herself. she deflects its strike by grabbing the arm, then, with a firm grip on both arm and neck, slams the shadowy figure into the deck with enough force to break a normal person's bones. ]

[badsunrising]

[Does not intervene, having seen Yor fend for herself enough times by now]

[freearcadia]

[And it slammed against the floor with such force that the others no doubt felt it as it let out a keening, ear-piercing scream that faded into desperate gasps of air.]

Fi-fine... you... you win.

Then leave.

[briarliar]

[ looking up with a silent "please just tell me where there's an exit or else I'm going to have to use this shadow to mop up the mess with its face" but her voice sounds much more intimidating than her expression ]

You heard Mr. Harlock.

[badsunrising]

[Is also very curious to see how this figure will exit]

[freearcadia]

[It twists and writhes, coiling for a moment, seeming to consider trying for a last-minute lunge towards Harlock but deciding this was a very stupid idea with Yor so close as it dissipates into smoke and drift away.

A few minutes later, everything is bright as the emergency lights gave way to regular lightning, the chandelier above them glinting]

It's gone.

[briarliar]

[ dusting off her hands in case of...possible shadow residue? ]

Is everyone okay?

[badsunrising]

[Looking around them]

That's it?

[freearcadia]

Seems that way - Miss Forger certainly gave it the fear of a higher power.

[With that, he slowly looks around at the mess as if noticing the state of his room for the first time]

[briarliar]

[ briefly glancing up to see if the ceiling is where she was supposed to show the shadow figure the exit...it is in space after all? ]

...oh! I-it really wasn't me, I'm sure Mr. Nikkolaus would have taken care of it very handily too but with a sword. He's been a wonderful companion this whole time, I couldn't have done it without him!

[badsunrising]

There's nothing wrong with admitting you did the real work.

[briarliar]

But you came all this way to help Mr. Harlock and you hadn't even met him yet! Especially since that awful shadow thing had been giving you such a bad first impression!

[ turning to Harlock and doing a more subdued Will Smith "look at this fabulous person" gesture at Nikkolaus ]

I hope you two get to become good friends because I can say he's been a very caring and considerate person this whole time! And wonderful with Miss Mayu!

[badsunrising]

I was just trying to wake him up...

[freearcadia]

[He just quietly shook his head at the exchange, trying hard to stifle a grin]

And for that, I thank you both.

What you said, Nikkolaus was what I needed to hear.