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]

[Stares at the tree and fresh grass. To Mayu, slightly softer:]

What do you have there?

[freearcadia]

[Mayu brightens at the question]

It's an Ocarina - Harlock gave to me for my birthday, he said he'll be able to hear me no matter how far away he is!

[Hidden the grass and the blooming flowers are photographs]

You need to get up there - in the ship my daddy built.

[briarliar]

[ Yor recognizes that paintings were important from Hunter's heart palace, so she glances at them, even though most of her attention is still on Mayu. ]

I've heard him play it before. I'm sure he thinks of you every time he does, Miss Mayu.

[ to her and to Nikkolaus ]

Do you think if she played it, we might be able to reach him? T-to at least tell him we're coming?

[badsunrising]

[To Mayu, back in that slightly softer tone:]

It sounds pretty important. And we were thinking the same thing. We want to find a way to reach your father's ship.

[To Yor:]

I think it's as good an idea as any.

[To Mayu again:]

Mayu, is it? Do you mind if we look at your flowers before we leave?

[freearcadia]

Okay, I'll try my best! And of course, you can look... the cherry trees always bloom around my birthday.

[The photos seem to be from various ages - from a stringpole of a kid with reddish-brown hair with another boy that's stout with cokebottle glasses goofing around - from elementary school to teenage - the taller boy having bandages and the distinctive facial scar in late teenagehood. An eyepatch covers the tall boy's right eye in his early twenties, but the playful, impish smile still stayed on his lips the entire time along with the short man.

Other photos showed the two men with a woman with long ginger hair pulled back with a skull barrette. It's clear the woman and the man with the glasses had gotten together at some point, with Harlock still maintaining a friendly closeness. The last one they would find depicts the three - the woman and short man sitting, and Harlock clearly trying and didn't quite beat the camera's time, in the woman's arms is an infant]

[briarliar]

[ Yor picks up the last one to look at in particular. She hopes this isn't intrusive because there's a rule that infant photos are usually everyone's "show off" pictures. ]

Thank you, Miss Mayu. We would try but...u-unfortunately neither of us know how to play the ocarina.

[badsunrising]

[Is more curious about the pictures of the age progression and passing through them carefully... Is regarding the other set with a much darker expression and pointedly keeping his distance]

[freearcadia]

It's okay - I just need to be somewhere that I could be heard clear, I'm sure that's it.

[The youngest looks like they're about a little younger than Mayu, the skinner boy hanging upside down from a branch while the one with glasses is struggling to get up, another around the same time of the two sleeping on a balcony next to a telescope.

At one point the two were the same height, but Harlock quickly shot up like a weed in his teens while the other boy stayed the same height, leading to a lot of awkward kneeling or the latter being picked up to get them both in the shot. The last of the ones before Harlock lost his eye showed them both in what looked to be military uniforms]

[briarliar]

[ to Nikkolaus ]

Do you think we can find some place high up so she can play the tune? One that isn't dangerous to climb?

[badsunrising]

I was going to suggest the tree actually since I didn't see any other high options around. If one of use got up there, the other should be able to just pass her up to them without her needing to do anything.

[turns to Maya:]

Unless you know of a place.

[freearcadia]

That could work!

[She's willing to try anything]

[briarliar]

As long as it's this cherry tree and not the one we...

[ cut down Harlock's ancestor down from ]

...left behind. Miss Mayu, would it be all right if I picked up up? Then Mr. Nikkolaus could take you to the top of the tree.

[badsunrising]

[Nods]

If she's all right with it.

[freearcadia]

Of course! I'm sure you can easily pick me up.

[She held her arms out.]

[briarliar]

Th-that's not what I was worried about... but, yes, thank you!

[ but very gingerly picking up Mayo and looking to Nikkolaus if they can arrange a handoff where she can lift her up to wherever he's waiting up in the tree ]

[badsunrising]

[Making his way up the tree and then, once he's situated on a sturdy branch, extending his arms for Mayu]

[freearcadia]

[Mayu holds still as Yor held her up, and grasps for Nikkolaus' arms once she's able to reach, making a smooth transition]

[briarliar]

B-be careful, please, Mr. Nikkolaus!

[ Yor doesn't mean to fret so much but she does, and stands positioned underneath just in case she needs to catch someone. ]

[badsunrising]

I know what I'm doing.

[Holding Mayu carefully so she can play her ocarina]

You good?

[freearcadia]

Uh-huh, Thanks for helping me up.

[Mayu beams before she starts playing, the melody much clearer now, the vault walls around them starts falling away, crashing to the ground - they may vaguely hear a cowboy yelp in alarm from a little ways away.

The distant spaceship slowly starts to move]

[briarliar]

Oh! Sorry Mr. Harlock Jr.!

Please keep playing, Miss Mayu! I think it's working! A-and you're doing a very lovely job!

[badsunrising]

[Might be glancing in the direction of that yelp... But then the moving spaceship steals his attention]

[freearcadia]

[Franklin looks more nonplussed than harmed, as the Arcadia starts turning towards their direction - it seems oddly sluggish in it's flight as Mayu continues to play]

[briarliar]

It's coming around. That's good, isn't it?

[badsunrising]

Keep playing! It can hear you.