ataraxionlogs | [CLOSED] And I woke up with a song 'cause I had a dream

CHARACTERS: Bardo (

tailcrook )
LOCATION: Catboy’s room 001 » 088
WARNINGS: Probably cute things, also sad feels and idk what else.
SUMMARY: Once upon a time there was a cat who slept for a very long time, and only true love’s kiss could wake him--No, I’m mostly kidding. Sleeping Beauty wakes up from his coma and visits some ketboys, brings some food along the way.
NOTES: I’m really bad at summaries, guys ;n;

Jumps come with a certain amount of hide and seek, of looking for friends and seeing what’s changed among the cadence of the ship. And certainly, a month’s absence in the blink of an eye does little to change that fact. But Bardo’s always been one to throw himself in the middle of a storm and work his way through it with a smile at his lips and a friendly twitch of his ears, so though it takes a bit of time he catches up on work and friends, sends ~~terribly smashed together~~ texts out to those he hadn’t spotted in the Med Bay and moves on.

But there are a couple of cats who deserve to be tracked down and talked with face to face, rather than over the tinnying little box of their communicators. So though it’s getting later in the day, shipwise, Bardo rucks his hair up in a ponytail and takes over his floor’s kitchen.

In the end he shows up with a basket at his hip and knuckles rapping at their door, waits in the comparative quiet of the 001 hallway for it to open.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

To hear that people were waking up again was enough to take a little bit of the stiff tension out of Asato's gait; it meant he no longer needed to go check on people who never woke, console those who waited for them with awkward gestures and even more stilted words, or stand there in front of occupied stasis pods, staring in silence that lasted sometimes for minutes, sometimes for hours. When the ship returns to its normal post-jump procedure, with everyone out of their pods as they should be, he's relieved.

It's especially strange to no longer see someone from his own world for a whole month, missing his home-cooked dinner and friendly, chuffing laugh. He'd warmed up to Bardo quickly, certainly not one to distrust those who are different--stripes and tiny little ears and everything combined, Bardo meant only to help them.

He missed him. Truly, he did. Bardo's eagerness may have made him uncomfortable from time to time, but in a complete absence of his presence, Asato learned very quickly that Bardo was a part of their daily lives. And he was missed.

Messages through the communicator were fine, enough to get his spirits up, but when he answers the door and sees Bardo standing there, his ears perk up and his tail gives a flick, his eyes brighten and he steps back to let him in without another word, catching a glimpse back at Konoe.

"Konoe, Bardo's here."

Konoe had fewer responsibilities, so more free time to linger and sit with Bardo and others. It wasn't so eerie eventually, watching them float peaceful and sound for a while. He was only hopeful, every day, that something would change (for the better please for the better). Hearing there was even the possibility Bardo was awake and well was quick to draw him out of his usual post-jump haze.

It was a shame he got lost that day, or he'd have seen him sooner, then and there....

Missing Bardo has been like missing a part of home. Not just someone to talk to - there were still plenty of friends awake while so much of the ship slept. But Bardo was a cat like them, with good food and stories of things he and Asato never got to learn of Sisa, of living.

It can't be surprising that Konoe's quick to stand at the announcement, bright and excited after such a long time.

"Bardo! Come in!"

Just like old times.

They're all a mass of perking ears and flicking tails, eyes bright like moonshine on water. It's oddly like coming home, this little gathering of theirs, but while both of the young cats before him have had a month between their meetings---for Bardo it feels as if he simply stepped between jumps. The familiarity hasn't faded in anyway, faded under worry and the haze of stasis sleep.

But even then he can tell there's something different in the air, and certainly it lies in the month long sleep Bardo and others had been stuck in. And Bardo had always been one to dwell on things and hide behind a smile, so here is a hint of that chuffing laugh of his as he steps through doorway and settles the basket he'd carried in the usual place. Then comes the fond bumps of shoulders and a smile, a warm greeting.

"Hope I didn't keep you two waiting," he'd really not specified when he'd be up to their room, and anyway Bardo's never been one to strictly adhere to schedules. "Figured you'd be hungry though."

Asato is quick to nudge back against Bardo in carefree greeting, moving back to let him come in and sliding the door closed behind them. He moves back to Konoe, shoulder to shoulder with his Sanga, and watches with eyes just as eager, tail just as high and wriggly, but still somehow more mellow than Konoe, more subdued.

"I'm hungry," he answers, and his expression brightens just a little more towards hopeful. Bardo's home-cooked food? Yes, please. Even better is the experience of sharing it, and of watching with fond eyes while Konoe eats beside him. Bardo knows how to bring them together, he feels.

"Ah--we didn't wait too long," he adds, trying to remember at least some semblance of manners. "A month. But, if you're awake, then it's okay."

Konoe's headbutt is a harmless dig of his forehead against Bardo's arm, since he's not tall enough to aim it any higher. A little surprising compared to his usual attempts to keep his head around the elder, but it's just that good to see him well and alive after such a long time of watching him sleep.

"Not that we haven't eaten in a month!" He adds, even if it's obvious. (They both might have scrambled for what he's brought before any sort of greetings could happen, if so. Maybe. They're good boys.) "But we've missed it with you...."

He ducks his head saying so, a soft weight in his words as he admits so. He didn't tell Asato, but it might have shown once in a while when they talked about it. That he tried hard not to think their last night like this was their final, too, as the days passed by.

He'd been about to worry, truth be told, because he knows how Konoe gets around food when it's hinted at being rationed aboard the ship and though it's a logical reaction, it still worries Bardo. So instead, Konoe and Asato get a relieved sort of nod, tail curving happily behind him at the company.

"Well I made enough, in any case." A soft gesture towards the basket, a grin Asato's way because he sees that bright little expression mister!!! "Let's enjoy, hmm?"

They can talk about heavier topics once they've enjoyed a nice meal, right? That's Bardo's philosophy, because food usually makes things better and home-cooking after a month without certainly will help.

"Yeah," he chimes in to agree with Konoe. "We missed seeing you." The possibility is always there; they might wake up after one jump and find themselves one cat short of what they stepped into the pods with. He knows it could happen this jump or the next, and no time would ever be fit for something like that, but it's difficult to prepare for. If it felt so strange and...empty, in a way, to not see Bardo for a month, then he can't imagine what it'd be like to not see him ever again.

Or Konoe. But that thought is such a heavy burden on his heart that he tries not to consider it and to cherish the days they do have. To hope, with all his strength, that there will be another when they wake in the morning.

But Bardo's return is a reassurance. It means not everything needs to be permanent, and Asato's relieved to feel things easing back into their usual daily rhythm again.

For now, his curiosity gets the better of him the longer he looks at that basket, so he steps away from Konoe and back towards Bardo so he can start nosing through it. "What did you bring?"

[CLOSED] And I woke up with a song 'cause I had a dream

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject