dappledleaves | THE WORLD: PSL LIFE

[ Sinclair leaves on the boat trip for work that lasts several weeks. In the meantime, Oria had been incredibly busy as he got back into the swing of things. He had to make appearances everywhere, which really wore him down as time passed. He's officially appointed Iria to be his personal assistant, because he can't trust anyone else to do the work other than her. In between what little free time he had, he tried to investigate Abnormalities in every hidden corner of the internet and all that to see if it really had been thoroughly kept off the worldwide web.

His efforts remain fruitless.

Despite his busy schedule, Oria forcibly makes time to meet Sinclair at the pier, since he has one free day before they're shipped back to Seattle. He plans to make this trip brief, because he's sure Sinclair wants to rest from all that even though he doesn't know what happened on the ship. Oria planned a little cafe date or just perhaps going to the park after for a peaceful time. He didn't tell Sinclair, because he's been out of service for weeks. He can still change plans though. It'll be fine. Probably.

So he waits. ]

[ Ishmael had warned all of them in the previous weeks with frantic words and increasing agitation. But there was nothing to be done about their ocean trip, just like there was nothing to be done about their visit to Sinclair's home town.

The ocean was a liminal space, with no sense of law or order once land disappeared from your sight. Most weren't built for it. They all got to see first hand what happened when a crew lost their minds.

Sinclair had spent that time fidgeting with his earring more than he should have. A comforting touch. But even then...

Ahab and her crew were barely hanging onto their humanity when they were found.

And beyond them, the abnormality pulsed behind them, binding them to the wreckage of the deep sea fishing vessel.

They pulled through, somehow in tears and relief. But they had been stuck, moored by pirates - the kind that sailed in lawless waters and thought this fancy ship had enough money to make it worthwhile.

Then Demian appeared. He was taller than what Sinclair remembered but his face unchanged. The sailor's life seemed to suit him, even though his pale skin didn't tan once under the relentless sun.

So when they return to land, Sinclair is smiling and laughing despite his injuries. And Oria will see a tall pale boy with dark hair, with a strikingly familiar blue scarf, lean over and whisper something to Sinclair that makes him fluster before he takes his leave.

Huh?? Huh????

Then he turns and sees Oria and he brightens again, despite his exhaustion and the throbbing of his sprained wrist]

Oria--!

[ When they land, Oria sees Demian. He's seen him before, in Sinclair's memory in the hall of mirrors in Fragment and perhaps a peek in one of Michel's doors. This is the main reason why he almost narrows his eyes when he sees Sinclair flustering. It could have been just a "your boyfriend is here to pick you up", but he remembers how much Sinclair crushed on him and how he was still... hm. Oria is aware that he's feeling jealous even though he shouldn't be. After all, he's never doubted Sinclair's love for him. Just looking at his expression brighten upon seeing him despite how exhausted he must be tells it all.

But he still can't stifle the feeling brewing inside him.

...

He really should have done some stress relieving activities before he came here. ]

Emil! You look like you went on an expedition like Indiana Jones.

[ Oria laughs a little. ]

I'm glad you made it back safely. That said, do you want some time to freshen up first? Or did you already take a shower inside the ship?

I had a shower inside the ship.

[ As bumpy as it was. Sinclair closes the distance between them, feeling his anxieties drop away when Oria smiles at him. Oria had been here, waiting, even though he was busy...

He ignores Gregor and Rodya's heckling from a distance as the team splits off for their own down time. Sinclair sighs as he holds up his bandaged wrist]

If it was like Indiana Jones, I wouldn't have all of these...

[ But they're healing quickly. And he studies Oria's ears, wondering. Hoping...]

[ The usual clip-ons are there, hanging off the outer shell of his ear, and the matching earring is placed neatly on the curve of the earlobe. ]

Are you tired? I wanted to see if you were fine enough to go to a cafe or something, since you leave tomorrow.

[ Sinclair shakes his head, but he's pleased by the earring. It looks really good on Oria...]

I'm fine. I think I want to enjoy being on land for a little longer...

[ Then he pauses and peers at Oria's face in concern]

But are you tired?

I have enough for a date with my Emil~

[ His. His!! ]

We can go now. I'll wait until you let your team know that I'm gonna take you on a date.

Okay. Give me a minute.

[ If he wasn't aware of how much heckling he'd get if he leaned in for a kiss, he would. Later...

He jogs back to Dante and the others, letting them know he'd be off with Oria, which starts another round of good natured heckling, including Rodya teasing him about the increase in boys chasing him.

?

Sinclair looks a little blank but dismisses their comments, hoping Oria was too far away to see their signs and jogs back in his direction]

Okay. Done. I need to be back at the airport at 1000 at least but I'm dismissed for the rest of the day.

[ Oria watches Sinclair go and waits again in silence. He thinks he can hear some of them, since they're not exactly being quiet about it and Oria sighs. When Sinclair returns, he smiles at him. ]

Okay! Assuming you left all your belongings with someone else, the deadline won't be a problem. Let's go!

[ To Oria's car, because of course he drove here alone. "Alone". There are hidden guards who scope around the place as always. Out of sight, out of mind. ]

[Sinclair grins, reaching for Oria's hand with his good one.]

Mm. It's going to be offloaded with the cargo. Anything important is in my bag.

[Which has the kindle. Very important!! Also Sinclair is going to become very used to being the passenger princess, huh...]

[ Oria would allow Sinclair to drive his car if he really wanted to, but Oria also likes driving. Oria is the one who's always sitting in the back when there's a chaffeur. Let him drive!!

He holds Sinclair's hand and turns on the engine. It's smooth driving from there on. ]

I'm still surprised you guys don't have as much luggage, considering you stayed here for a longer time than expected.

[Sinclair thinks. Was it that strange? He'll keep holding on Oria's hand]

They stocked the boat with supplies pretty well. But we've always been told to keep our packing light.

[He's so glad he managed to keep a fresh set of clothes untouched by the weather and sea for his return]

I was mostly thinking about clothes...

[ Anything else is a surplus. ]

Packing light is always ideal though. I heard lots of stories about planes losing the passengers' baggages all the time.

...honestly, most of our clothes were unsalvageable by the end. Only good for cleaning rags...

[Ahaha...ha...Let's not think about it]

[ ... ... ...

Oria has so many questions, so he's struck by decision paralysis for the first time in a while. ]

... What?

Um. They kinda got torn up a lot? Oh, and when we tried hanging them out to dry after we cleaned them, sometimes we'd lose them...

[Yeah. Yeah]

... Are you guys that poor that you can't afford clothespins?

[ Bruh. That's so sad?? ]

I'll give you an entire box's worth when you leave.

The clothespins weren't the problem--!

[Sinclair flusters, shooting Oria a look. HONESTLY]

We...just encountered a lot of trouble out there.

Do you guys not have a dryer? Or are your clothes air dry only?

[ Since their clothes seem. Well. Special. ]

Either way, I hope you go shopping for clothes when you go back to Seattle. You're probably gonna need it.

[ He parks next to the cafe and there they go! Into the cafe. It's pretty cozy here with a warm ambience. It's also pretty small, and it looks family-owned. There's no other cafe with the same name. The seats are pretty cushiony too. Oria goes up to the counter to order a caramel macchiato and four portions of lasagna. ]

Mmm, those suits needed to be handled more carefully. [Sinclair sighs a little as he quietly mourns his lost wardrobe. He didn't have a big one to begin with either...

Sinclair will get a chocolate frappe and a toasted chicken sandwich.]

I'll probably have to do some shopping anyway.

[ The food doesn't take that long to be prepared, so the two get their respective tray of their orders. Oria has his drink and stack of four disposable containers. They're all lasagna... He makes his way to a seat, furthest from the entrance and where the employees generally work. The place doesn't echo either and the seats? Plush and comfy. ]

Want some spending money?

["Spending money". Oria, you're making it sound like Sinclair is your sugar baby]

I do get paid you know...

[PLEASE. Sinclair will take a seat and try not to be alarmed by how much lasagne there is..]

Edited 2024-01-23 00:06 (UTC)

Yeah? I know that! Just saying that you should buy a lot of clothes you like and some other things too, like for your hobbies. More books.

[ Speaking of which, it reminds Oria of Demian for some reason. He gets his fork and knife to cut out small portions of the lasagna and nom. Into his mouth they go. ]

By the way, I saw Demian get off the ship with you. Was he related to your work?

[ Small world if so. ]

Ah--you recognised him? [Sinclair brightens a little at the mention of the name. He picks up his toasted sandwich and takes a small bite. Nom]

Mm, I...guess so? The ship he was on came by and helped us out of a bind during a freak typhoon. He seemed familiar with what we were fighting.

[Keeping it vague in public]

[ Oria continues to shovel small portions of lasagna that he cuts. He doesn't make it too obvious, but when he uses the knife, it starts cutting at the bottom of the container a bit. ]

Did you get his contact information? Since you mentioned that he just kinda disappeared back then.

the voyager of the stars

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