ic contact.

[brainiest]

"Hello, Hermione Granger here. I must be busy, so please leave a message. Thank you very much!"

ic contact for hermione granger at drift fleet.
(text, voice, video, action;)

Comments

text > action

[exothermia]

[Erik arrives in due course, stepping out of the shuttle into the cargo bay. He looks a bit better than the last time Hermione saw him, a little more rested. When he sees her, he raises a hand in greeting.]

action

[brainiest]

[ She perks up as soon as she sees Erik - she'd been waiting, of course she had - and she goes over. Her first instinct is to go and wrap her arms around him, but she hesitates as she stands in front of him, hesitating instead. ]

Hi, Erik. Welcome.

[exothermia]

Hello. I'm glad you told me the ship - I wouldn't have remembered it otherwise.

[brainiest]

That's alright, it's been a long time for you. It's just nice to have you here.

[exothermia]

Yes, well. I can't deliver this over the communicator.

[He fishes in his pocket and pulls out her gift, holding it out on the palm of his hand. It's a miniature sculpture, made from some of those brass gears he collected all that time ago. The shape is rough, given the spokes and rings of the material, but it's in the form of a seated lionness, wings held aloft from its back.]

[brainiest]

Erik!

[ Hermione steps forward, reaching up to take the lion with wide eyes. Her fingers stroke over the metal gently, her thumb brushing over the head of the beast before she looks up at him, delight colouring her features. ]

This is incredible.

[exothermia]

Happy birthday.

[brainiest]

Thank you, so much. [ This time, she doesn't hesitate; she leans forward and wraps her arms around Erik, squeezing him gently. ]

[exothermia]

[He accepts it, much easier than he would have done in the past. He pats her back briefly, appreciating the gesture.]

I'm glad you like it.

[brainiest]

It's so beautiful.

[ She steps back but is still close, even as her head tilts down to look at her present again. It's obvious that she's in awe of it. ]

Your skill is amazing, Erik.

[exothermia]

[All he does is smile faintly in response.]

[brainiest]

You should - I mean, you should come in and have some tea, something, please. [ She's doing her best to be polite, but it's obvious that she's still completely captivated by his gift to her. ]

[exothermia]

... all right. [He never thinks far enough ahead to assume he'll be invited into a place, these days. Somehow he thought this would be a quick trip.]

[brainiest]

Just down here. [ She wanders down the hall towards the kitchen, holding the lioness carefully in her hands. She puts it down as gently as she can when she gets there, moving around to get some cups for the tea. ] How have you been?

[exothermia]

Well enough. [He takes a seat, looking around the kitchen. He had been here before, of course, years and years ago. Or months. It still feels like both, and he has to shake his head slightly to dislodge the jarring sensation.]

[brainiest]

[ It's easy for her to putter around and prepare things, and when she turns back to look at Erik her expression softens. ]

I'm glad to hear it. I was worried about you, you know.

[exothermia]

[Everyone is. He looks away for a moment, studying the wall panels.]

It wasn't an easy transition, coming back here.

[brainiest]

I don't think anyone expected it to be easy. [ She doesn't force him to look at her, just pours the tea without hesitation. She knows enough to give Erik some space. ] And as comforting as having your friends around might be I'm sure it was smothering, too.

[exothermia]

[It's an unexpected comment, and it rings true. There's an uncomfortable few seconds of silence, before he turns back and takes his cup in hand.]

I was on my own before coming back here. It's what I had expected for the foreseeable future, so... it was difficult.

[brainiest]

[ She understands, and she tilts her head back over to look at him. ]

Do you feel a little more adjusted now?

[exothermia]

I have to be. [He sips at his tea, knowing that answer is maudlin. It's also the truth. He's here until he gets removed again. He has to adjust. The only other option is withdrawing from all contact, and that's not possible. Not least because a certain amount of people wouldn't allow it, but because he also doesn't truly wish to be alone like that for long.]

[brainiest]

Not necessarily. You could pretend, I suppose, and say that you're fine and adjusted when you're not - I know certain people might not let you get away with anything else - but I don't know how healthy that is. [ She moves, sitting down opposite Erik before she breathes out. ] You don't have to magically be okay. You deserve to take as long as you need, I hope you know that.

[exothermia]

[--he laughs, a short bark that's mostly without humour.]

What about being on a spaceship prison is healthy, Hermione? [Which isn't at all the point, he knows.]

[brainiest]

The part where some people can see their friends again. Or the part where people can have a job, and a life, where they didn't before. It might be a prison, but if you spend your entire life thinking of it as just a prison then you're definitely going to struggle.

[ She frowns, staring down at her tea. ]

Being in worlds like this - it's not good. I know that, I've experienced it myself, and not just here. But if all we do is look for reasons to be miserable then we're damning ourselves, and what's the point in that?

[exothermia]

[He can feel it, those 'reasons for being miserable' bottling up behind his throat and choking him. She doesn't know, any of it. Erik's fingers tighten around the cup and he stares hard at the table.]

It doesn't matter to me, being here. [Not so much as it used to. Everything he has is here.] I'm not missed back home. But it is what it is. I won't look away from that.