Text

[velocityraptor]

Type: Text
Sender ID: velocityraptor (Hawks)
To: Everyone
Subject: Hitchhiking
Warnings: Talk of severe bodily harm and maybe a bit of murder.





[ Anyone who happens to have one of Hawks' feathers, either because he gifted it, or they just happened to pick one up, will find that three days ago they darkened a shade or two as the connection to the man himself was cut off - they are now disconnected feathers, and would need to be replaced sometime in the future, if one still wanted one. ]

Hello! Sorry to trouble everyone, but I need a favour.

I'm on Eltrut, and I need a ride to either my crew's island or out to their ship, or something. It's not a rush, but if someone's willing to make the trip I can help out with chores on board, or even pay you if you get me back to my place.

[ Hawks has never, outside of MANTA board requests, set foot on a ship willingly for any length of time, in fact, usually he's flying where he wants to go.]

I appreciate it, thanks.

Comments

[velocityraptor]

[ There's still hesitation and uncertainty there, because the name still sets off internal alarm bells. He's been conditioned not to answer to it, or at least he was when he was little.

And yet, just being Hawks isn't going to be a thing going forward is it? Of course not. Dabi told the entire world about his family, what he's been up to...any semblance of privacy he had, which was already virtually nonexistent has already been stripped away from him again. ]

Keigo's fine. I'd really rather not go by Takami.

[withermarked]

Doesn't sound to me like they deserve for you to go by their name.

[ He ditched his own surname a long time ago, he doesn't really intend on ever telling it to anyone. And that's not even one that would mean anything to people. He just doesn't feel like being associated with it.

He works on the bandages a little more, before looking Keigo over. ]

Alright... I think that ought to be good for now. Do you know how often they'll need to be changed?

(CW: Talk of nasty medical stuff, specifically debridement)

[telepathicignorance]

They should probably be changed every day. If the wounds get infected they'll likely have to be debrided. That probably already happened while you were unconscious if you saw actual modern doctors in your homeworld, but here it may not be an option to sedate you while they scrape all your healing skin off and you have to be put on whatever antibiotics exist here in a desperate attempt to keep you from going septic and dying, Keigo.

(Hopefully, they can scare him into taking care of himself properly.)

[velocityraptor]

[ He's not in a hurry to die or anything, so he just holds up his hands in a placating gesture. He'll behave. And yet, he'll still make a quip. ]

That would be a new one. [ Incorrigible.

As for Richie's words, he considers his thoughts for a moment. ]

I still need a hero name. I might be free, but I can't afford to retire now. I'm still number two and I think it matters more than ever what I do.

[withermarked]

[ He doesn't enjoy Chris's description at all, but he's glad if Keigo isn't arguing about getting care, if nothing else. The rest makes him pause for a moment, trying to decide how to phrase what he wants to say. ]

Is there... is there that much point in thinking too much right now about what you'd do if you go back again? Did you... remember anything from here?

[ Because he's been told people don't. A fact which he is deeply existentially bothered by. ]

[telepathicignorance]

(The bit about the hero name gets their attention.) Could still pick one to use here. I had a hero name before I picked a new normal name. (Let Faulkner assume the normal name change was due to being trans.)

Forgot everything about us, right? (They work hard to keep their voice steady and nonchalant. Faulkner just had to ask, didn't he?)

[velocityraptor]

[ His mind racing about the things in his world is a reaction to having been there, but Richie has a point that it doesn't apply here. That's both good and bad. He's back to being an exhausted, stressed mess, with additional injuries. He bows his head a little bit. ]

That's right. I didn't remember you while I was there. I didn't know what was going on here while I was there. I wish I did.

[ He's not going to lie about it, but at the same time, he knows it's painful. It's something he'll process over time, the fact he could lose all of this and never even know it. It's a lot. ]

As for my name, I don't know.

[withermarked]

[ He had to ask, he couldn't help it, but he's not happy he did.

He doesn't want to talk about this anymore, he doesn't want to think about this anymore. He doesn't want to think about Keigo going home and forgetting them and possibly getting hurt again or worse.

He doesn't want think about losing all the progress he's made, of being scared and alone and choking on black water, stripped of even the cold comfort that there are people in this world who would care if he lives or dies. ]

Then you can't plan so maybe you should just... focus on being here. And letting us fix you.

[ He moves to sit next to Keigo. He just wants to be close. ]

You should have a name you like, though. Whether that's making Hawks or Keigo your own or finding something new that suits here.

[telepathicignorance]

...It sounds like you want to keep Keigo and ditch Hawks.

(Which, given he's been calling himself Hawks since he arrived, will likely be an awkward and drawn out process even if everyone here is the sort to respect something like that.)

I ...it's probably not a good idea to talk about now. (Eyes flick over, briefly, to Faulkner.) But I know a bit about the hero naming process.

[velocityraptor]

I don't know.

[ Keigo will shift slightly and drop his forehead onto Richie's shoulder, leaning against him. He's uncomfortable, sure, but still he's kind of glad he's not alone in his apartment, tending to his wounds alone. ]

I've been Hawks a hell of a lot longer than I was ever Keigo.

[withermarked]

[ He can't help glancing at Chris a little curiously; he's not sure what secret aspect of 'hero naming' would matter here, especially when Keigo isn't likely to have more than one identity going as far as he knows. Or why it would matter for him to hear about it. But he won't pry right now.

He can't hug Keigo since he doesn't want to touch his back, but he'll stroke his hair. ]

Well... you don't have to decide right now. You can try things out, if you want. And I'll call you whatever you prefer me to.

[ It did make Faulkner feel special to be told Keigo's name, but it also sounds like that information was used to hurt him back home, so he'd understand being soured on it. ]

[telepathicignorance]

(It's less a secret aspect of hero naming and more not wanting to tell Faulkner about Sidestep. TBH, they're not even sure they want to tell Keigo: a part of them is worried he'll start trying to call them by that name.

...That part of them is dead. It's not a wound they're keen to revisit.)

Yeah.

[velocityraptor]

[ It was, for some reason, thrown in his face to hurt him and it's not like Keigo is even surprised by this. He doesn't really know what to think about it. His brand is equally tarnished too, but all the same he's just tired. ]

I appreciate that, but I might just stick with what I have. I have to think about it, and that's weird enough. I've never really spent time thinking about my name except to give it to Richie. I don't get to make those decisions.

[ He does now, though that hasn't sunk in. ]

[withermarked]

They're in your hands now... here if nothin' else. But you don't have to change anything you don't want. Just get some rest, for now, yeah?

[ He doesn't want Keigo to get overwhelmed with decisions on top of everything else. He just wants to try to make sure that he'll actually be alright. ]

[telepathicignorance]

You do now... but Faulkner's right. It took me two years to pick out a normal name, you've got time to think on it.

(After a moment or two longer, they get up.)

I'm gonna clean up. (Put away or discard leftover supplies. Sweep up the shards of glass that didn't stab their hand. Wipe up the blood they dripped onto the floor.)

[velocityraptor]

[ He's tired, it's probably obvious in the way he's leaning even heavier against Richie, which is probably not fair of him. He just nods in Chris' direction. ]

Thank you.

[ Keigo doesn't think the electronic voice is doing it justice though, he's really grateful to them for helping him out. ]

[withermarked]

Thanks, Chris.

[ He might normally offer to help with that part, but right now he's busy letting Keigo lean on him. He really doesn't seem to mind, though he'll shift a bit to make it more comfortable before going back to petting his hair sort of absently. ]

I'm sure the professor won't mind you staying here for a little while, or... with me, if you want? Once you're a little better. Whatever you like.

[ Well: whatever Keigo prefers within reason. He'll be insisting that it's somewhere people can help easily. ]

[telepathicignorance]

Turo won't mind. Just don't push yourself and die where he can see you, it'll freak him out.

(Looks like they're back to asshole humor.)

Can also call your crew.

(They'll go take the unused supplies back to storage. It'll be less than a minute before they're back.)

Think you can help get him to bed? (They ask Faulkner, because it looks like Keigo is about to nod off.)

[velocityraptor]

Come on, if I was gonna die, I'd have done it already.

[ Hey, he can serve it back to Chris if need be. He doesn't know what he's going to do, he's too tired to think really. Their perception is correct. ]

I need sleep for awhile.

[withermarked]

[ He'll try to take that as comforting, but he's not entirely convinced. Even if Chris was joking. ]

Yeah. C'mon, let's get you to a bed in the infirmary for now, okay?

[ And he'll offer to help if Keigo needs someone to lean on. Letting him rest does feel like the highest priority, they can worry about everything else later. ]

[telepathicignorance]

It only usually works that way, Keigo.

(More serious now. Just because he survived immediate death and is stable doesn't mean things can't go wrong.)

He'll probably be pretty hungry once he's rested a while. (To Faulkner.) I'll check in on him later. (For now though they'll clean and take care of other stuff.)

[velocityraptor]

[ They're probably right, his hunger will kick in eventually. Although he doesn't really need to be he drapes his arm over Richie's shoulders to lean against him, to let himself be led to a proper bed at least.

He's doing okay, as far as he thinks he can be at the moment. Things will seem more clear after he sleeps. ]

[withermarked]

Okay. I can go for food whenever. Got... plenty of other stuff to do around here, in the meantime.

[ He's pretty sure he'd lose his ability to keep holding it together if he went home or stopped doing things. So he's just planning to do tasks around the conservatory and hope that staves off panicking.

But for now, he'll lead Keigo to a proper bed and try to get him settled down. ]

[telepathicignorance]

Fridge here is stocked.

(It always is.)

I've also got pemmican. (They know Keigo likes that.)

[velocityraptor]

[ Although he's on his feet and leaning, he's still moving pretty slow by his standards and obviously he can't really keep forcing his voice to work.

In the infirmary, before Richie can escape he'll wrap his other arm around him to give him a little squeeze. He really is glad to see him, even if he hadn't remembered in the moments at home, he's always happy to see him, and he's appreciative of his help right now. ]