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[mantlebearer]

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a day or so after the april event debacle—

[ashioki]

[ it's not guilt that he feels — because guilt would imply he owes silver anything, and there is still a stubborn part of him that refuses to acknowledge that he might owe anyone here any other part of himself than what's already been taken and tampered with — but it's something potent enough that when he finds himself sitting along his bed the following evening, keenly aware of the possibility of the other person sitting not too far beyond the wall that divides them, oushi finds himself feeling a sudden compulsion to — talk. no — to offer something. not necessarily something that's owed, but certainly something that can still matter anyway.

he sits, back against that wall, and speaks up clearly enough that if silver is there on the other side, and awake for that matter, he would hear it. ]

A doctor. I wanted to be a doctor.

[ an apology that isn't quite an apology. an olive branch, insofar as he can manage one. ]

[mantlebearer]

[ he's not good at letting things lie. he's never been good at that — when there is something to pursue, he will do so; when there is a question to be asked, he will do so. but he is also patient, because his success so often depends entirely on the timing of things... and so, in this case, he has let oushi be, hasn't tried to contact him, talk to him, despite wanting to. because it had been clear that oushi needed to be — if silver wants to get through to him, it'll have to be when oushi is in a better mindset.

and so, that night, when there's a familiar voice that startles him awake from the half-slumber he'd been in, the words taste almost like a victory.

almost like relief, too, though he is quick to swallow that when he answers, ]

What kind of a doctor? There's different types, right?

[ashioki]

Yeah, but it didn't really matter to me at the time.

[ he's taken up his usual position during these late-night chats. back to the wall, head turned up towards the ceiling. he's turned the light off some time ago, so he's essentially just sitting in the dark, but sleep hasn't really been on his mind — for more than just the reason of his lingering guilt. ]

Everything I ever did or was interested in... anything that actually mattered, all of it was because of my older sister. She did it first, and I always followed along. When she was twelve, she said she wanted to be a doctor. A couple of months later, I said I wanted to be one, too. It stuck with me for longer, but not long enough I actually cared to look into a specialty.

[ it is, perhaps, the most he's ever said in one go. he feels a little silly for it, like he's said way too much despite silver literally asking. maybe it's because a lot of what he's saying isn't what he should be saying. ]

...Did you make it out of the woods okay?

text • un: aemond.targaryen

[perzyssy]

Silver.

Answer me with haste should this message find you.

un: walrus

[mantlebearer]

[ well this isn't concerning or anything... ]

Of course it finds me, it is sent directly to this device thing. Like a letter but more immediate, and reliable.

But here I am, as requested.

[perzyssy]

( He’s too irritated to make some kind of sharp comment about Silver being an unlikely authority on digital messaging, and he ignores the man’s “well duh” so he can press on: )

How do you feel?

text; un: bugs

[honorism]

[A picture comes through, a picture of a dragonfly, emerald green in color, having in a rare moment taken a rest on a branch]

Isn't he lovely? I didn't know they would come near the city.

Just one on its own can eat hundreds of mosquitos per day and can fly 35 miles/56 kilometers per hour!

[mantlebearer]

[ so, hm, he's got just one question: what the fuck. ]

He is a sight to be sure, yes. Very... bright.

But if it can truly eat that many mosquitos, well, seems to be it's doing the world a very big favour there.

[honorism]

I think it's a way to ward off predators, in a way. Most won't eat something brightly colored, as it could be poisonous to them. Much how we humans avoid snakes that are brightly colored certain ways because they're dangerous.

Unlike the lion and shark, which have a success rate of 25% and 50% respectively, the dragonfly has a record-breaking success rate of 95% when it comes to successfully completing a hunt. According to my books, anyhow.

un: boltcutters

[imperatour]

Healing?

[mantlebearer]

[ he has to read the message a few times, before the brevity and the content connect into the image of a woman, strong and silent and capable. ]

Slow and steady, yes. But I'm told that wins the game, so I suppose it could be worse.

Thank you, again, for your help.

[imperatour]

Glad to hear it.

It's nothing. Gotta stick together when we can.

text • un: aemond.targaryen

[perzyssy]

I was unkind to you, that day on your ship. It was unfair of me.

[mantlebearer]

Perhaps. But if I wanted to spend time with someone kind, I would go see your sister. And yet it was you I asked to be there, not her.

Still... apology accepted. [ no, he's not even going to pretend that wasn't an apology, even if it didn't contain a single sorry. ]

[perzyssy]

( Aemond would like nothing more than to snap that his message was no apology, and that he isn’t sorry for behaving the way that he did, and yet— )

You will inform me should your injury cause any further illness. Understood?

@lauralae

[rakta]

silver.

[mantlebearer]

Lauralae. What can I do for you?

[ not pictured: the way he sits up to respond, immediately on alert and worried for her for literally no reason. ]

@mockingbird

[totalize]

Good evening, Mr. Silver~.

It occurred to me that our recent conversations have been rather heavy (to put it lightly), so! Why not rectify that, especially since I have something fun to share?

That is, would you like to see a little sneak preview of my art gallery? I still have plenty of work to do, mind you, but I'm still inviting friends to come take a peek if they're interested.

[mantlebearer]

It is a good evening, or rather just got much better.

I can't say I'm much of a man of the arts, but I do admit to some curiosity as to what you've been up to. In other words, I'd be delighted to see your gallery before it opens to the general audiences.

a gift (dec 25)

[totalize]

[ New Eridu might not actually celebrate Christmas anymore, but the day itself is still the fun, meaningful one! So, as sneakily as Mr. Claus himself, there will be a quite beautifully wrapped gift waiting at Silver’s front door on the morning of December 25th.

Inside the box is an exceedingly soft, cozy scarf that also happens to be fashionable, but! As the note tucked into the box makes clear, it was those first two criteria that Hugo was more aware of. It also might not be obvious at first, but as it’s unraveled and there feels like a small weight in the scarf, it hides a little secret—a hidden pocket! And inside that pocket is a clearly hand-fashioned lockpicking kit that’s wrapped in a little piece of leather. ]

✦ Happy Holidays, Mr. Silver~ ✦
Your gift is one of two parts, since I was torn on which to go for, and thus, you get both!
For one, the winters here are terribly cold, and I can’t imagine that it’s comfortable for you especially. I hope that this brings you a way to ward off the terrible chill, since I was personally impressed with how warm their work was.
And the second, well. Best not to put it to writing, right~? But since we hadn’t explicitly talked about this in particular, if you happen to need a lesson or two, just let me know. It’s always a good skill to have.

delivery. post-revival.

[rakta]

[ A gift is left on Silver's doorstep, his name written in scratchy handwriting. Inside, he'll find various small presents:

› Small vials, each of which turn out to be hard alcohol in minor measures. Clearly, she didn't know which one was best to get, so she got lots of different kinds.
› One very comfortable looking sweater, in a dark red colour, that seems about his size.
› Various poultices - for healing, stemming blood loss, reducing the ache of scarring and other medicinal uses.

Left with it is a simple note: Thank you. - L. ]

text; un: bugs

[honorism]

[There's a picture of some weird bug with too many eyes and wings. She's figured out how to add emojis to the picture, so there are hearts around it.

Then:]

When you are done stealing my brother away from me, tell him to check in so I know he still lives.

[And then another picture of the bug, followed by another message]

Do you have a favorite insect? I might have asked before, but it feel like it's been years since we all arrived.

[mantlebearer]

[ oh that's very endearing, the picture that is, and then the message with its casual accusation (perhaps given in jest, perhaps not, you never know with helaena; perhaps it's just a fact to her) makes him grimace and start to write some denial of that, erase it, then type about how her brother is not an item to be stolen, erase it — ]

Well, technically he is very much not living at all.

As for a favourite bug, it had never really crossed my mind before meeting you, but now I'd say it's one of those round golden ones. Quite the shine on them.

@lauralae

[rakta]

silver.

[mantlebearer]

No message that is only my name is a good sign. I only hope it isn't quite too bad.

Well, lay it on me. What can I do for you, my dear?