notthatkindoforion

Lucy's so good. Tendi knows it's not just about losing - or potentially losing - so many of the Narrenschiffers who wanted to escape, though that is difficult. It's not just about the violence she witnessed or that her friends had suffered, either. No, the worst part is actually the relief. It's over. She doesn't have to think like a pirate every waking moment. She doesn't have to try to strike a balance between being effective and being herself. She doesn't have to fear what might happen if the Barge doesn't come back, that looming threat of resigning herself to be the version of herself she never wanted to be, or risking abandoning her friends here to try to go 'home', not trusting that the Cap'n can even do that.

Maybe that relief should make her feel happy, but right now? All she wants to do is cry until she passes out and then maybe sleep for a week. She's not going to, but it's a tempting thought. She imagines a lot of people probably feel similarly, right about now.

But she doesn't want Lucy to worry any more than she already is, or to think she's mad about anything, so she does respond. It just doesn't say as much as she'd like to. Later. They can talk later.

♥️♥️

Did you survive the conflict?

[She came pretty close to death during the last disaster, and he hasn't seen her buzzing about the infirmary or cybernetics, so there's one immediately obvious explanation.]

Yeah sorry been exhausted.

[Which is true enough. Having a meltdown for most of a day is exhausting, and she hadn't exactly slept the entire time the battle had been going on. Even her breaks to eat, drink, and caffeinate had been brief.]

You're in good company, then. Everyone on board seems to be some level of exhausted. [Including himself, but he's quick on the recovery.] Do you need anything brought to your cabin?

Yeah it's been a long month. I'm okay. Have my replicator mostly working. I'll be out soon to help with cleanup, okay?

You can take your time. The essentials are accessible, so the general mess can wait a few days.

I still want to help. The sooner this place is feeling... kind of normal again, the better. How did you make out?

If it helps, cleaning up messes on the Barge seems to be part of its normal. This is my second mass clean-up, and it's already starting to lose its punch.

I crossed over shortly after the masts fell. I felt the Cap'n had been sufficiently cowed, by that point.

Oh I don't mind cleanup duty. Reminds me of home.

Glad you're okay Durge.

I always am.

I've revitalised the infirmary stocks if you're in need of anything. Take care, Tendi.

["Always" seems unlikely. She assumes he's blustering to cover for fear or uncertainty, or maybe it's just a pride thing.]

I was keeping on top of my injuries as they happened so I'm in pretty good shape. Hard to haul people to the infirmaries with a knife in your bicep you know?

You take care too.

I'm still annoyed.

[ He's not going to explain fully, but he figures she could guess. He's not use to feeling responsible or shadowing someone to keep their skin in place. ]

[She actually replies with voice, since she's not actively in danger of breaking down into tears anymore. She sounds a little hoarse, maybe, but otherwise like herself.]

Thanks for having my back out there. Do you... at least feel a little better about my ability to handle myself?

[Because it's not like she constantly needed help or anything. There were a couple close calls, especially towards the end when she was starting to tire and had exhausted the stronger magical abilities she'd borrowed from John, but there was really no question about whether she could handle herself on a battlefield after seeing her in action, even if she avoided actual fighting as much as possible.]

I suppose. When it comes to fighting.

[ He makes no comment about how hoarse she sounds - he has ideas what might be causing it, but it's not something he would find any reason to poke at. ]

You still work a little too hard.

I promise to keep practicing so I don't get too rusty.

[She went into all this pretty rusty, but he doesn't need to know that.]

And I like working hard.

You doing okay, after everything?

Let's go for a round or two. When you're rested enough.

[ Yeah he can hear the exhaustion in her voice. And he kinda does like her enough to want to test her fighting skills. ]

Like shouldn't mean coughing up blood.

Vincent wants to take away Souba. [ It annoys him that his sword will be handed to whoever Vincent thinks it should go to. He can keep it just fine himself. He's not a child! ] I hate getting stuck in human form, but fine. I guess.

Sure. But- you're right, it's going to be a few days. And I want to focus my energy on the cleanup until things are a little more under control. [It's hard to focus when there's so much work to be done.]

And I'm not that bad! I promise I'm not planning on working myself sick. Or injured. My work doesn't usually involve getting swept overboard by a rogue wave, you know? [But it's kind of sweet that he worries.]

Souba? Your sword? [There'd been a lot going on during the fight, but she thinks she remembers something about that.]

At least this place isn't so lacking.

[ The other ship was, not the cruise one but the one that the Cap'n had. ]

Oh? Better keep that promise. [ Is he joking? Maybe? ]

Yeah. It's special.

Yeah. It's good to be back. [The Barge isn't quite 'home' yet to her. Maybe it never will be. But it's a lot more comfortable than the Narrenschiff.] And I promise, I don't like getting injured any more than anyone likes seeing me injured.

I'm not familiar with the design, but I could tell it was well made. Did you promise to give it up after everything had calmed down?

It was too much injured. [ A flat look because honestly he did not like how wrong it felt watching her slowly die like that. But still he accepts that it wasn't a normal kind of injury and it shouldn't be occurring that much. ]

Souba is unique. She's made from another weapon that had been broken and then reforged. I did, but he says he wants to give Souba to whoever is going to be my Warden, and I don't like that idea. What if they can't take care of her right?

Yeah. Yeah, it was. [She hadn't meant to put him through that. She should've thought things through- or thought at all.]

Well, keeping your word is important. But a good blade also needs to be taken care of. [Spoken the complete earnestness that comes from being raised in a culture where they held deep significance.] Could you compromise? Agree to leave her in the custody of a warden you trust to take care of her, and Vincent trusts to be responsible?

[ He nods once because she at least was aware at how much that sucked and how much it sucked for him. She just better not do it again because he actually had feelings about that. ]

Maybe he can keep it himself. He at least knows how to keep weapons even if he's a gunman. But if I were to say, would you also be someone who can hold onto it? In case?

Oh! [She hadn't been intentionally hinting for him to pick her for this, but... well, she does fit the bill, doesn't she?]

Of course I could do that for you, if Vincent agrees. I promise I'd take good care of her.

Than I will ask him. He seems to think well of you so it should be fine.

[ He's not use to this. At all. But he was still trying. ] Thanks.

I do owe you one. [She'd do it even if she didn't, but maybe it'll help to feel like this is more of an equal exchange.]

Just let me know if he wants to talk to me about it, okay?

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