YSS Kaiyō
Bridge
???
0730 Hours
Eden yawned sleepily as she looked at the volumetric screen in front of her and then to Arbitrated Shan at her station. It was personal time on the ship and, yet, here both of them were, alone on the bridge. Eden decided to ask something that had been gnawing at her.
"What can you tell me about your name change, Arbs?" Eden asked.
Almost instinctively, the miniature gray-paneled, pink-winged albatross stiffened visually. She checked the inbound data on her screen for a moment before trying to keep her cool with a response, "What do you mean? It happened, really..." Her fingers tapped upon the keyboard in front of her slowly.
"That's sort of what I gathered, but there are missing details. What were you running from, Arbitrated?" Eden asked. "I'm asking as a person, not your superior."
The klackety-klack of the keyboard was put on hold. "A mistake. Something that never should have happened, and yet it did." She sunk into her seat a little, glad that her face was hidden from Eden.
Eden nodded, "We've all made mistakes. All had them happen to us, too. I understand, or at least I am trying to."
Arbles remained silent for the time being. Her fingers audibly resumed their dance upon the console, if somewhat more rapidly than before. She even straightened up again in her seat. After this moment of not-silence, she spoke again, her voice lower than normal: "Without it, I'd never get this far. I'd never have made it to this, Army of Stars."
"I'm glad you did so, then. You know, my wife used to have a different name..." Eden said, smiling and raising her brows as she adjusted her position on her chair. "Now she's Teien. You know that means garden in Yamataigo? It is a name I hold dear now that it is something I share with her. Will you change your name in the future?" If Arbitrated Shan was looking at Eden, she would see a face of intense anticipation. Yes, she was talking about marriage, yet again. This time between two other people.
"I... Might. I probably will, yes... But it would be by my own choice this time, not from the actions of another person." The little Shan closed her eyes for a moment, still almost seemingly refusing to look at her captain still. "I cannot say what to, though... Teien. Such a beautiful and fitting name for the two of you. Shan... I cannot remember its origin, only that it means 'mountain'. Not really the name I was expected to be given." There she was again, the small voice tapering down into but a whisper as its owner seemed to hide within themself.
All of a sudden, Arbitrated Shan would feel a hand on her shoulder and the captain said, "I'm proud of you for being able to live up to any name you may be given."
Lynne Abraxis jumped in her seat, caught off guard from her captain's seemingly sudden appearance behind her. she looked upwards with watery emerald and sapphire-like eyes, managing to only barely contain the rush of tears. Their voice cracked as they spoke again, "But what have I done? I've only been running this whole time, running from what was behind me. The only difference is... Now there's people around me. And even they are running."
Eden patted Arbitrated a bit on the shoulder and crouched down so that she was level with her.
"What you have to run from does not define you. Where you go when you're done running does. Find a place where you don't need to fear your past catching up to you and you'll find yourself able to look back without fear," Eden said evenly, though inside her heart was ripping in two.
Shan blinked a few times. She turned bak to her console for a moment, waiting. She sent a message with her mind, surprisingly guarded in tone; Is the door closed? I don't want this to be spread around the crew, that I'm just a false name. People don't like thing being this close to them.
Eden stood as Arbitrated Shan turned back to her console and patted her on the shoulder as she did, looking behind herself. She asked Boss to lock the bridge doors.
"The door is closed," Eden sent back.
"I don't think that most people's mistakes get them and those around them almost killed, or captured. Sure we're in the army, but we have the soul transfer system. Sign the right places and the worst you get is a bit of amnesia when you screw up. Maybe you see yourself. But that's it. Even if you get tortured and the body is never found, we just get a new one, and we don't know what happened to the old. But some of us weren't so lucky to have that." The was a pause as the little one took a breath, her voice steadily filling the bridge. "We make mistakes still, yet we rarely are forced into the consequences firsthand. Even Meissa hasn't gone through what I made those around me experience. I'm sure if you looked up Lynne Abraxis, your status would take precedence over a small amount of personal security. Sure it'll be antagonistic to the others even when unearthed to its roots, but they weren't the ones to start it. They just happened to be in the right place, at the right time..."
"Arbitrated Shan is the name I know you by now and until that changes, I don't need to know what name to think of when I think of you," Eden told her. "You are strong for what you've gone through, know that."
Silence permeated the bridge. After what felt like an age, a simple, two-word response: "Thank you."
Eden nodded and replied, "I am not happy you feel this way, but I am happy to be able to help you through it. Anything you need, anything at all, just ask." She moved back to her command chair and told MEGAMI it was alright to let anyone else in if they so desired.
Bridge
???
0730 Hours
Eden yawned sleepily as she looked at the volumetric screen in front of her and then to Arbitrated Shan at her station. It was personal time on the ship and, yet, here both of them were, alone on the bridge. Eden decided to ask something that had been gnawing at her.
"What can you tell me about your name change, Arbs?" Eden asked.
Almost instinctively, the miniature gray-paneled, pink-winged albatross stiffened visually. She checked the inbound data on her screen for a moment before trying to keep her cool with a response, "What do you mean? It happened, really..." Her fingers tapped upon the keyboard in front of her slowly.
"That's sort of what I gathered, but there are missing details. What were you running from, Arbitrated?" Eden asked. "I'm asking as a person, not your superior."
The klackety-klack of the keyboard was put on hold. "A mistake. Something that never should have happened, and yet it did." She sunk into her seat a little, glad that her face was hidden from Eden.
Eden nodded, "We've all made mistakes. All had them happen to us, too. I understand, or at least I am trying to."
Arbles remained silent for the time being. Her fingers audibly resumed their dance upon the console, if somewhat more rapidly than before. She even straightened up again in her seat. After this moment of not-silence, she spoke again, her voice lower than normal: "Without it, I'd never get this far. I'd never have made it to this, Army of Stars."
"I'm glad you did so, then. You know, my wife used to have a different name..." Eden said, smiling and raising her brows as she adjusted her position on her chair. "Now she's Teien. You know that means garden in Yamataigo? It is a name I hold dear now that it is something I share with her. Will you change your name in the future?" If Arbitrated Shan was looking at Eden, she would see a face of intense anticipation. Yes, she was talking about marriage, yet again. This time between two other people.
"I... Might. I probably will, yes... But it would be by my own choice this time, not from the actions of another person." The little Shan closed her eyes for a moment, still almost seemingly refusing to look at her captain still. "I cannot say what to, though... Teien. Such a beautiful and fitting name for the two of you. Shan... I cannot remember its origin, only that it means 'mountain'. Not really the name I was expected to be given." There she was again, the small voice tapering down into but a whisper as its owner seemed to hide within themself.
All of a sudden, Arbitrated Shan would feel a hand on her shoulder and the captain said, "I'm proud of you for being able to live up to any name you may be given."
Lynne Abraxis jumped in her seat, caught off guard from her captain's seemingly sudden appearance behind her. she looked upwards with watery emerald and sapphire-like eyes, managing to only barely contain the rush of tears. Their voice cracked as they spoke again, "But what have I done? I've only been running this whole time, running from what was behind me. The only difference is... Now there's people around me. And even they are running."
Eden patted Arbitrated a bit on the shoulder and crouched down so that she was level with her.
"What you have to run from does not define you. Where you go when you're done running does. Find a place where you don't need to fear your past catching up to you and you'll find yourself able to look back without fear," Eden said evenly, though inside her heart was ripping in two.
Shan blinked a few times. She turned bak to her console for a moment, waiting. She sent a message with her mind, surprisingly guarded in tone; Is the door closed? I don't want this to be spread around the crew, that I'm just a false name. People don't like thing being this close to them.
Eden stood as Arbitrated Shan turned back to her console and patted her on the shoulder as she did, looking behind herself. She asked Boss to lock the bridge doors.
"The door is closed," Eden sent back.
"I don't think that most people's mistakes get them and those around them almost killed, or captured. Sure we're in the army, but we have the soul transfer system. Sign the right places and the worst you get is a bit of amnesia when you screw up. Maybe you see yourself. But that's it. Even if you get tortured and the body is never found, we just get a new one, and we don't know what happened to the old. But some of us weren't so lucky to have that." The was a pause as the little one took a breath, her voice steadily filling the bridge. "We make mistakes still, yet we rarely are forced into the consequences firsthand. Even Meissa hasn't gone through what I made those around me experience. I'm sure if you looked up Lynne Abraxis, your status would take precedence over a small amount of personal security. Sure it'll be antagonistic to the others even when unearthed to its roots, but they weren't the ones to start it. They just happened to be in the right place, at the right time..."
"Arbitrated Shan is the name I know you by now and until that changes, I don't need to know what name to think of when I think of you," Eden told her. "You are strong for what you've gone through, know that."
Silence permeated the bridge. After what felt like an age, a simple, two-word response: "Thank you."
Eden nodded and replied, "I am not happy you feel this way, but I am happy to be able to help you through it. Anything you need, anything at all, just ask." She moved back to her command chair and told MEGAMI it was alright to let anyone else in if they so desired.
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Also, @Ametheliana .
