Private Restless

[Lief]

It had been a few days since the unknown boy had awoken in the quarantine bay of the Kiyomi SSD. His memory was tarnished, fractured, but at the very least he'd been able to give his name: Bastian. He'd been subjected to a great many shots and boosters to bring his immune system to a more Galaxy appropriate standard, so while he still remained isolated in his own small room he wasn't entirely shut off. Every now and then someone would stop by to check in on him, wearing a mask but forgoing the rest of the PPE they'd initially been instructed to use. They'd bring food, or puzzles. Prod and poke. Perform scans.​

​

Always they'd leave him, alone. The room was stark, white on white on white. Sebastian had never before seen so pure and blank a canvas, what fragments of home he could recall tended to more earthen hues. Nothing was ever pure white, it was cream. He felt overstimulated at all times, but it was more than just the colour of the walls, and the sheets, and the slightly too large clothes they'd given him. It was never, ever, quiet. Machines beeped, and a continual hum could be heard by the boy that most would never even notice. Electricity pulsing through wires... It was more of a whine. There were times when he'd press his hands to his ears just to block it out.​

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Times he'd sit with his eyes squeezed shut too.​

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He was still bedridden... Or at least, he was supposed to be. That day though Sebastian could bear it no longer. It felt as though his skin was crawling, and an excess build up of adrenaline, no doubt caused by all of the crazy new stimuli he had been subjected to, coursed through his veins. He sat up, and wrapped his arms around his knees. They bounced uncontrollably. It wasn't enough.​

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Throwing off the blanket, he hung his legs off the side of the bed and touched his bare feet to the cold floor below. Sebastian shivered in response, the hairs on the back of his neck standing to attention, then pushed up. He wasn't expecting his legs to give out.​

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It was with great frustration that the boy found himself in a heap on the floor. He felt closer to that non-stop electrical hum, his heart thumped noisily in his throat, and the machines made new noises as his pulse quickened. Overcome by it all, Sebastian slammed a hand against the floor and kicked out with one of his uncooperative legs, knocking over some sort of tray that got caught in the way. The clatter provided yet more audible stimuli, and he pressed his hands to his ears and growled in frustration.​

​

He wanted it to stop. The noises, the fake lighting, the stark, bleak white, and recycled air. He needed it to stop.​

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Thirdas Heavenshield​

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

An impatient and easily agitated Ranger Colonel stalked the bright halls, annoyed at the hours spent in bacta tanks following the operation to remove a dozen or so bullets from his torso. Convalescence did not sit well with him, nor did being left without the use of a limb. His left arm hung to his chest in a medical sling was bad enough, but to remove his entire right leg to check its cybernetics meant he'd have to resort to limping around on a crutch.

Nida Perl visited with him every day, but visiting hours were far too limited to his liking. He was just pacing now, counting down the hours until being cleared for the journey home. Then they would be together again.

Suppose he should consider himself lucky. This here beast of a vessel treated thousands of patients each day, many of whom were far worse off than him. Every once in a while he'd pass a fellow Ranger saluting a superior officer, or a nurse pushing a poor wheelchair-bound sod along.

As he made his "rounds" on this particular day... night? Time was screwy aboard starships. He overheard a clattering noise from within one of the rooms, which was unusual at this hour. There was usually silence, with only the occasional hushed voices. Finally, something worth investigating.

Hobbling over to the door, he found that it was locked. A nurse passed by just then, and once her back was turned Thirdas made use of his limited training and summoned the key card dangling from her waistband into his possession. Pressing it against the panel, the door unlocked.

He didn't know what he'd expected to find. A boy lay there helpless on the cold floor within a sterile room much like his own.

"Hey kid, you doing alright, there?"

After clumsily getting his crutch stuck against the threshold, the one-legged officer struggled his way over to where the boy lay shaking. Passing the crutch to his off-hand, a metallic arm reached down to offer the poor kid a helping hand.

"On your feet, soldier."

Lief

 

[Lief]

With his hands pressed to his ears, the only sounds which passed through, beyond the pulse which thudded through his palm, were the louder ones. Those with more intent behind them. Beeps and whirring and whines could be pushed from existence, but the door opening and a limping footstep echoed through the floor. He felt the man's approach more so than he heard it.​

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The words which accompanied his appearance though? They cut through his hands as if he'd never even tried to block it out. Admittedly with a muffled tone, but clear enough that he could make out what was said. The accent not so much.​

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It was rare that he was verbally engaged in such a fashion. Most came, did their tasks, then left. He needed his rest, they always said. Needed to save his strength, not waste it on conversations. Certainly wouldn't approve of the mess he'd made.​

​

But the man who crossed the threshold wasn't like the others who had come. Didn't have the uniform of a poking, prodding nurse. With his limited knowledge though he couldn't rightly differentiate him as having martial origins, he just recognized him as being different from the rest.​

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That he was missing a leg certainly didn't help. He gawped with wide eyes, as though he'd never seen anyone with just one leg before (well, he supposed, he hadn't), and when the metallic hand was offered out he shied back some. Was he a droid, like 5CR-4P? Didn't speak like 5CR-4P... He looked fleshy, like him. Minus the arm of course.​

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His eyes shifted from the man's arm, to his missing leg, to the strung up arm, and then his face, unable to keep his attention on any one of those things. Slowly he lowered his hands from his ears, gritting his teeth when the mechanical noises in the room came rushing back to life, and reached out toward the offered grasp of the stranger.​

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"I... I'm Bastian..." the boy said, as he struggled to his feet on weak legs. "Not, uh... Soldier." If the stranger had any knack for accents, he'd find the boys utterly unlike the standard ones most commonly found throughout the Galaxy. It didn't belong to the Core, or the Rim.​

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His chest rose and fell rapidly and his free hand clutched over his heart. He expelled a huff of hot air, then strained his neck to look up at the much taller man.​

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Thirdas Heavenshield​

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Lifting the boy to his feet with little to no effort, it would seem they both lacked the proper balance to stand; one on wobbly legs, the other missing one altogether.

"Bastian," he found himself having to rest his hand on the little guy's shoulder. "Do you wanna... just sit down for a moment? Kinda losing my footing here." Taking a seat on the bed, Thirdas let out a deep breath as his crutch rested against the bedside.

"Thanks. Idiot scientists thought it a good idea to remove my leg. For 'examination and testing', they call it. Bunch of eggheads."

Realising what he just said probably didn't make much sense without proper context, he made an effort to untie the empty pant leg to show the kid he wasn't being morbid.

"Here, check it out," he pulled up the pant leg past his knee to showcase the black metal thigh sporting a hole where a kneecap would fit perfectly. "That's phrik plating, right there. Top-of-the-line, prototype stuff. Even a lightsaber won't make a dent in these babies," referring to arm and leg both.

"I'm Thirdas, by the way," he offered his cybernetic hand a second time, this time for a handshake. "Where you from, Bas?"

Lief

 

[Lief]

He was lifted to his feet with more ease than expected given how not-together the man appeared. A hand was set atop his shoulder, and in response Sebastian reached out to the bed for support of his own. In that moment they were like a precarious set of upright dominos, just waiting for a gust of wind to topple them.​

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Thus, the suggestion that they sit had him nodding his head sheepishly. He waited for the man to sit first, after all he'd been using his shoulder for support, then pulled himself up onto the edge of the bed with a groan. Some medical tools had fallen to the ground, and he stared at them for a moment. More than that though, his tumble had dredged free some of the food he'd been squirreling away beneath the sheets. It lay tarnished on the floor now, and the sight of it made the boy pale.​

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He should have just eaten it... At least then it wouldn't have gone to waste.​

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Sebastian tore his eyes from the ground and back to the man as he spoke of things he barely understood. Not for the first time his gaze drifted to the spot his missing leg ought to have been. If he was pale before, now he might well have been a translucent ghost. "Remove... Your leg..?" Was that a little hint of green coming into his skin? "I... I like my legs," the boy then hastily added, going so far as to move to a cross-legged position as though that would somehow keep them in tact. "Please... Don't let them take mine..."​

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That the man loosened the empty pants leg and revealed the socket meant to house his missing leg did help, but it also brought with it more questions, and fresh confusion. With a timid hand the boy reached out toward the metal which made up not just his arm but apparently the rest of his leg too. "Are... You" he tried to think of the correct word. It was there in the back of his mind, but some things had been harder to grasp at than others since awakening. "Um... Droid..?" He'd never known any beside 5CR-4P.​

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He tapped his fingers curiously against the metal thigh, lines forming upon his brow as he frowned in thought. More words he didn't understand streamed from the man's mouth. A slow blink as he tried to pull apart the sentences into individual words. Some still stood out as nonsense words though. "Phrik..?" It didn't even sit right on his tongue. "Light..saber..?"​

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The boy only looked up from his inspection of the metal limb when a name was given and the metal hand offered once more. "Thirdas" he echoed, "I'm... Oh, yeah, Bas..." He'd already told him his name, hadn't he? Sebastian just stared at the hand which was held out, and rather than shake it he did as he had with the metal thigh and inspected it. More than simply tap it though, this time the boy tried to turn it over so he could look at the palm and fingers more readily.​

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Thirdas' question was answered with a less than helpful "Home..?" Then he peeked up at the man. Despite the strangeness of his surroundings, the stark white, the beeping machines and excess of, well, everything he'd never really had, Sebastian only then seemed to realize that where he was, well, wasn't exactly home. "Wait...Why..." He released the hand, and shuffled back slightly on the bed. His eyes held a touch of suspicion. "Where are we..?"​

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Thirdas Heavenshield​

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

"Oh boy," he rubbed the back of his neck. This kid wasn't all there, was he? He'd yet to hear him utter a full sentence. Better take things one step at a time or risk upsetting him.

"This," he gestured to the room they were in, all the while letting Bastian inspect his hand as he saw fit. "This place you're in? It's called the Kiyomi. It's a medical vessel, like a... big hospital out in space. People come here when they're sick or injured."

Considering the state the kid was in, this sterile environment seemed to be all he knew. "Guess you've been here quite a while, huh."

Taking pity on the poor thing, Thirdas reached into his pocket to pull out a candy bar he'd saved up from lunch. Putting the end between his teeth, he ripped the wrapper open to expose the chocolaty goodness within. Taking a bite out of it to show it's for eating, he offered the rest to Bastian.

"Bet you haven't tasted chocolate before. Here, you can have it." When the kid hesitated, he urged him on. "Go on, try it. It's good."

Allowing him the time to appreciate the snack, Thirdas would go on to explain things further.

"As for me, no I'm not a droid. I'm a human being, just like you. Flesh and blood. I just... had an accident, several years ago. I hurt my arm and leg real bad, so I had to replace them with these. So, Thirdas - no droid. 'Kay?"

While Bastian snacked away, Thirdas ran his metal fingers through the boy's brown mop of hair, patting his head.

"What say you and me get out of this room for a bit, see what else this place has to offer?"

Lief

 

[Lief]

"... Space?"​

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No. No no no.... He shook his head. "Stars" he whispered. He'd always seen them, named some... With his father. His father. Sebastian's gaze frantically shifted around the room. Where was he? How did he come to be among the stars? They'd been so far from reach, just dots in the blanket of night. "Papa..." He looked back at Thirdas accusingly. "Where is Papa..?"​

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The scent of the freshly opened chocolate bar seemed enough to distract him, his mind having too many things to focus on at once and struggling to latch on to any one thing at a time. His accusatory glance softened, thoughts of home and his family drifting away as quickly as they had arisen. His stomach grumbled noisily. The wasted food on the floor hadn't helped matters, but the almost sickly sweet scent of the candy was intoxicating.​

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"Chocolate..?" It was offered out to him, once Thirdas had taken a bite, and the boy looked from it to the man and back again. Then timid as a squirrel he hastily took it before it could be snatched back. The boy listened to the explanation of what the man was, not a droid, as he took his first bite of the candy bar. Eyes widened in surprise, he'd never tasted anything like it.​

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He'd eaten half of it by the time Thirdas had explained, and showed no signs of slowing down. The hand in his hair felt... strange. Not uncomfortable though. Soothing almost. Yes, it definitely helped to quieten his frantic mind. "Not droid" the boy echoed, with a nod of understanding. "What, erm... Happened?" An accident, he'd said. An accident bad enough that he'd lost limbs and gained metal ones? It sounded... not nice.​

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The metal fingers moved his hair enough to reveal some of the lingering burn scars previously covered along his hairline. There were more here and there, dotted across his flesh, but most was covered by the lightweight, white, sterile clothes he wore.​

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As he neared the end of the candy bar, Sebastian seemed torn. Should he eat it, or save it for later? Who knew when he'd next have something like it... His meals thus far had been simple, small even. Most nutrients were given through alternative means, the food itself had been to help him adjust.​

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He closed the wrapper over the remnants of the candy and hid it up his sleeve. It disappeared along with the boys hand, which bunched up the fabric at the cuff of the sleeve. The suggestion that they leave the room was met with first confusion from the boy - he'd been told he wasn't supposed to leave this room, under any circumstances - and then eagerness.​

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"Yes... Please, yes." He'd seen enough of this stark white room to last a lifetime.​

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Thirdas Heavenshield​

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Upon being asked what happened to his arm and leg, Thirdas lowered his gaze to the artificial limb at his side. He barely recalled a time when he was all flesh and blood. He did remember the event that took them from him in vivid detail, however.

"A long time ago, my homeworld came under attack by these... horrible demon-looking things. There was a huge battle; my father, my mother, my siblings and I all partook in it. I was separated from the others, having to fend off I-don't-know-how-many by myself. In the end, I was overrun. Sliced me up pretty bad. By the time I was rescued and taken to the healers, they discovered a rot had taken root inside my arm and leg, so they were forced to remove them or... Well, I wouldn't be sitting here with you today," he turned to the kid by his side and smiled. "So I'm glad they did."

Ruffling the boy's unkempt hair, Thirdas reached for his crutch to pull himself up on his remaining foot. He then turned around, back towards Bastian while waiting for him to catch on. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'll carry you until you feel well enough to walk."

His balance may be shot, but his immense strength was still intact. A scrawny thing like him wouldn't bother him any. Once the lad had climbed onto his back and found a comfortable pose, the large man took a couple of wobbly steps to get his bearings. "Alrighty, let's see what we got."

Leaning his head through the door, he checked for any nurses or medical personnel that might recognise the kid and attempt to hinder their little excursion. Coast was clear. With crutch in hand, Thirdas absconded with the sickly child clinging to his back little a baby monkey.

Following the long, white hallway, there was finally a change in scenery as the pair entered a huge waiting room, beyond which he spotted a cafeteria.

"Hey, you still hungry? I could eat a wild boar right about now." He smiled, thinking of Uncle Bors from back home. He'd have slapped him behind the ear for that one.

Lief

 

[Lief]

Sebastian listened to the story without interruption. There was the odd word or phrase he didn't rightly understand, but for the most part it was surprisingly easy to follow even with the boys somewhat fractured mind. It gave rise to a memory previously lost, of the boy around a fire with others, stories being told... As soon as he tried to grasp at the memory for more information though it drifted out of reach, leaving him with a dour frown in its stead.

"Then... I'm, uh, glad..." he said, realizing it was metal limbs or death, "Do they... Hurt..?" He was still observing the metal leg that was present, specifically focusing on the empty joint where the lower leg ought to have sat.​

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His hair was ruffled, and Sebastian's gaze lifted from empty socket to the man's face. He got only the briefest of looks before Thirdas' back was turned to him. The boy stared at him, clearly confused, until clarification was given. He wanted him to climb on his back..? Well that was one way to get around, and if the choices were that or stay cooped up in this bed well... It stood to reason he'd chose the freeing one.​

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As such he clambered up, legs wobbling for the time he was stood, and clung on, careful not to accidentally choke the poor man. "Thank you" the boy mumbled in sincerity as he was brought from the room and out into the hallway beyond. More stark white, it was unnerving. After a moment he buried his face down into the man's back, and waited for some sort of change. Hopefully it wouldn't all be so sterile.

He didn't lift his head until the question of food was made. Was he hungry? "Ravenous" he responded, a little less meekly than he'd previously been speaking. There was an eternal hunger which had set into his gut, even with the nutrient dense fluids they'd been pumping him full of. Maybe it was psychological, the boy didn't rightly know or care. His stomach growled, and that was enough of a response for him.​

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Sebastian didn't even care that he'd likely get in trouble for this. In that moment he just wanted to live, not simply exist...​

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Thirdas Heavenshield​

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

"I thought so," the soldier smiled.

Sidestepping the waiting area, with its receptionists and the potential trouble they might get in if someone were to recognise the boy on his back, Thirdas hopped his way towards the cafeteria area; an inviting, open section far removed from the sterile white, enjoying a vast array of what must seem strange characters to the seemingly sheltered Bastian.

"Hi there," he approached one of the many cashiers, a middle-aged man with tattoos covering every inch of his naked forearms. "Good morning to you, Colonel," the man replied, clearly well-versed in Ranger rank insignias. "What can I get you and your... little friend, there?"

"My little brother came to visit. We're celebrating, so why don't you give us the biggest chocolate cake you have, as well as a large cup of black caf for me and some hot cocoa for the kid?"

"Coming right up, sir-- Oh, no," he interrupted himself upon seeing Thirdas reaching for credits. "Please, sir. It's on the house. For your service."

As the cashier turned over his left arm, the sigil of a familiar regiment adorned his skin, mixed in with all the other tattoos. "Rangers lead the way, Bro."

"That they do, Brother," a grateful Colonel shook the man's hand, skin against metal. "That they do."

Finding an empty table, Thirdas reached behind him with his one good arm to effortlessly pluck Bastian from his back and lower him into his seat, then sat down at the opposite side of the table.

"This is nice, isn't it? Makes you forget about those cold rooms for a bit, huh."

Before long their order arrived; a big, round chocolate cake with fluffy cream and sprinkles on top, along with a tall glass of hot cocoa and a cup of caf. A saucer was placed before the young teen with an accompanying spoon. Surely, the little guy knew how to use cutlery, he could help but think to himself.

"There we go, one big piece for you, and one for me," he cut the cake for him. "And now, we feast!"

Lief

 

[Lief]

Sebastian buried his face back down into Thirdas' shoulder until such a time as the air around them seemed to shift. The bright, fluorescent lights gave way to something much more natural, and voices quietly chattered among themselves. There was even music lost in the background, which had him curiously looking around for the source. Any music he'd heard before was made by someone. Certainly nobody was playing, or singing... Sebastian was wholly confused.​

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Not so much as he was when Thirdas spoke to the stranger though. Bastian peeked from behind his shoulder, and his eyes widened in fear at the sight of the tattoo covered man. Of course, Sebastian didn't know them to be tattoos... He couldn't find his voice to ask about it, he just sort of stared. And when he turned his head enough to look around the rest of the room he spotted quite a range of species.​

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Sebastian had never seen a non-human before. He trembled against Thirdas and this time when he hid his face down against the man's shirt he kept it there. Even when Thirdas stated that he was his brother.​

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Was he his brother?​

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Sebastian didn't rightly know. He knew he hadn't been alone before, but his memories were hard to grasp at. He kept that thought to himself until he was plucked from Thirdas' back and set into a seat. "Warmer" he agreed, it definitely felt warmer than where they'd been keeping him. Brighter too, but not as harsh. Warm, like the sun. His hands fidgeted in his lap, before he peered up at the man across from him.​

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"I am... Brother..?" he asked, brows knitting together. Clearly Sebastian hadn't figured out it was all a ruse to keep them out of trouble. He wasn't left to his confusion for long though, before the order Thirdas had made was set before them. Sebastian looked at it dubiously, quizzically, then sniffed the drink. He could feel the warmth radiating from it, and smell...​

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"Chocolate..?" It smelled similarly to the candy bar he'd been given earlier, only it wasn't solid. Sebastian swirled it in the mug for a moment, watching its viscosity, then took a meek sip. "Hot, hot," he sputtered, but when the heat subsided the flavour was undeniably rich. Not as rich as the cake looked, though. He was offered out a large slice, and Bastian stared at it in amazement. More chocolate?​

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For a boy who'd never ever had such before, he was definitely being thrust into the deep end. He glanced over the various pieces of cutlery, then picked up the spoon. "Thank you!" He took his first bite, and practically melted back into the chair. By the stars, that was good...​

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Thirdas Heavenshield​

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

"I am... Brother..?"

Taking a sip from his cup caf, Thirdas chuckled watching the kid at the opposite end of the table, seeing how Bastian delighted in the taste of chocolate now in various forms.

"Sure you are, little man," he reached across to place his hand upon Bastian's head, practically fitting his entire skull within his metal palm. "Long as we're stuck in this place, we'll look after one another. Keep each other company, that sort of thing. You know, as brothers do."

A faint beeping noise came from the medical wristband he wore, indicating it was time to set his tied-up arm free for the next hour so it might rebuild its strength, as painful as it was sometimes.

"Right, almost forgot..." he pressed a button to silence the alarm. Using his one good hand, he undid the sling in which his left rested, and slowly but surely fingers of flesh and blood were brought to life, having been balled into a fist for hours on end. Carefully Thirdas extended his arm, stiff as it was, flexed his muscles for a bit, then rested it on the table between him and the young teen. An engagement band of gold adorned his ring finger.

"See," he harkened back to their previous conversation while turning his hand until his palm faced up, leaving it there for him to check out should he wish to. "I'm just like you."

The mention of brotherhood got him thinking of his own brother. No doubt Théo was back home, making babies and being the good lord to his people. The Crown Prince of Midvinter; chosen successor to the throne. And all it took was for their beloved father to pass on. A horrid thought, enough to make even the grizzled veteran feel uncomfortable.

Idly clinking a metal finger against his cup, he found himself looking out towards the stars. Towards home. As much as he tries to keep up appearances and act all casual, he can never deny the call of Mother Midvinter.

Lief

 

[Lief]

When Thirdas confirmed that they were brothers (at least, in a sense) Sebastian's eyes widened further. "Brother" he whispered beneath his breath... Yes, that felt right. He'd had a brother before, hadn't he? The hand set atop his head felt heavy, but it was a comforting weight in truth. Helped to anchor him down. With all the sugar he was ingesting that would no doubt be needed shortly to keep him from bouncing across the walls. For now though he seemed stable, still somewhat sedate.​

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His eyes shifted around the room as he once again sought to make sense of all that he was seeing. Men with two heads, or giants covered in fur, some had scales like a reptile and others were completely hairless. Blue, and brown, and pink, and green... He paused in the middle of shoveling a second spoonful of cake into his mouth and gawped at one who looked remarkably like a fish.​

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If not for the beeping of Thirdas' watch he might have stayed that way forever. The noise, muted as it was, sounded sharp to his sensitive ears, and all at once he dropped the spoon and set his hands to his ears. He waited a few moments longer than it took for the sound to disperse before lowering his hands and watching in surprise as the man unslung his weakened arm and set it into view. "Skin" the boy remarked, reaching out with his left hand to shakily touch Thirdas' tender palm. Yes, definitely not metal. "Like... Me? Not a droid." They had already established that much of course, but it felt good to see a physical manifestation of such all the same.​

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As Thirdas glanced out to the stars, Sebastian followed his gaze and became transfixed with awe at what he saw. Never had he felt so close to the stars before, never had they felt within reach. They were not stars he recognized, though... He couldn't pull a constellation from it that he and his father had once named.​

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His father... The stars reminded him of that man, brief flashes of a face brought the prickling of tears to his eyes. He hadn't seen that man during his time here; Hadn't seen anyone he recognized.​

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"Um... Brother Thirdas..?" Sebastian slowly lowered his gaze back down, a ruminating expression set upon his face, "How do I get... Home..?" Having looked out among the stars, the boy wasn't even sure he knew where home even was.​

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Thirdas Heavenshield​

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Bastian's question caught Thirdas mid-sip, after which he found himself idly swirling the caf inside its cup. He wasn't really sure what to say that could comfort the kid, and he definitely didn't want to add to his distress by speaking harsh truths.

"Well... I'm sure they'll let you go home once you get better. They wouldn't keep you here if you didn't need their help."

Unsure as to the truth of his statement, he just then realised he still knew very little of the sickly teen.

"Hey, where are you from, anyway?" He shoved a spoonful of chocolate cake into his mouth. "Your homeworld, what's it called? I've been to my share of planets, maybe I've heard of it."

Maybe he even knew how to get there.

Lief

 

[Sebastian Sorrel]

Once he got better?​

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"Oh..." Sebastian's expression crumpled slightly, and even as he picked up his spoon to resume the shoveling of cake he seemed a little more.. lackluster. "I thought I was being a good boy" he said with a soft pout. "What can I do to be a better boy, Brother Thirdas?" Was he being grounded? Only in... space? Had his parents sent him here because he'd forgotten to do a chore?​

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He coughed, and remembered that he wasn't feeling so good physically either. Was his body angry with him for not being good too?​

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Unable to figure out any answers, he bit into the next spoonful of cake and soon found most of his worries fading away once more. A short attention span seemed to be more than beneficial to the boy right now, he couldn't seem to linger too long on any one thought.​

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When asked about his home Sebastian shrugged slightly. "Just home" he said, they'd never had a name for it had they? "We have, erm, poru's, and roose, and scary ridgeclaws..." Little did the boy know that all of these creatures had been named at random by the family. "Big fields, and woods, and..." He scrunched up his face as he tried to think of more. Tried to think of home, draw upon as many memories as he could. Faces flashed before his face, names just out of reach, and then-- "Fire" he gasped breathlessly, as it all hit him at once.​

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Dropping his spoon once more, Sebastian tried to stand and ended up floundering down to the ground again. "Scrap!" he yelled out, looking this way and that for the droid, "A-Ari? Tobin..?" Had they made it out? Even the ridgeclaws had been moved to fear, and they weren't afraid of anything! "I... I gots to go home, I gots to find them!"​

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Thirdas Heavenshield ​

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

"No, that's not what I... It's an expression, okay? 'Get better', like 'get well'?" He tried to remedy the misunderstanding. It became clear the kid wasn't quite used to common expressions which seemed to suggest his homeworld wasn't the most visited of systems.

When speaking of his home, Sebastian listed what Thirdas assumed to be a few native creatures and some of its geography. He stroked his beard. It wasn't much to go on, and he'd never heard of a "poru" or "ridgeclaws" before. They may well be common beasts but given a different name on his homeworld.

Things took a drastic turn as the boy uttered the word fire, throwing him into another fit. "Seb? Seb!" He flew to his feet, shoving the heavy cafeteria table so hard it fell over, spilling their desserts. It was immediately followed by Thirdas himself as the missing limb made itself known. "Ahh, son of a bikkja!" He used his one good arm to pull himself towards Sebastian.

Pushing himself off the ground, he knelt over the panicked kid, debating what to do. Sebastian flailed his arms about, hitting furniture and even tripping another patron, so Thirdas grabbed hold of his wrists and fought him for control of his limbs. Given he was twice the size and possessed enhanced strength, it wasn't a difficult task.

"Hey hey hey, Little Brother," he tried to calm him down. "It's okay, I got you. I got you. Nothing's on fire, see?"

Though the finer motor skills were difficult, demanded great concentration and caused greater pain, Thirdas caressed the boy's cheek with the palm of his hand until he would calm down. Once the situation was somewhat under control, he got off him and plucked him off the cold floor into his arms. There he sat, missing a leg, cradling a lost and confused child. How many civilians had he witnessed doing this exact same thing in the immediate aftermath of a battle?

"I'm here, Seb," he comforted the boy. "Big Brother's here. I'm not going anywhere. We'll find your homeworld, I promise. You just rest."

As people flocked to see for themselves what had caused such an abrupt ruckus, Thirdas growled at them to get the eff out of there. He'd taken on the aspect of his house sigil; a fierce predator protecting their young.

Sebastian Sorrel

 

[Sebastian Sorrel]

There on the floor, he could hardly make sense of anything that was happening. Each breath he took made it feel as though he was inhaling smoke, like he was choking, and his body seemed to react that way too. He was heaving between the sniffles and the sobs.​

​

Thirdas' first attempt at calming him down went in one ear and out the other, but the second time he found himself curling up on him instead, seeking comfort. He clung to the man, reminded that it was his Brother, and slowly but surely came back to the present, back to himself and the room around them. ​

​

The growl surprisingly helped matters. It was protective, all consuming, and reminded him that he was not alone.​

​

"B-Brother Thirdas" he whispered, trembling, "W-Where... Where are we..?" It wasn't a planet, definitely wasn't his planet, so where? "Where's Ari and Tobins..?"​

​

Thirdas Heavenshield ​