( open ) december catch-all

[ettersberg]

Who: Thomas Nightingale (ettersberg) & various
What: piloting, mistletoes, everything else
When: december
Where: thesa, wyver, olympia
Warning(s): none yet



drift compatibility

[ he's flown in planes before, of course — even british wizards had to cross the channel somehow and anyone who'd have suggested broomsticks would have been the laughing stock of the entire folly, because it doesn't work that way. even before the war, he'd travelled as part of the foreign office, sometimes by plane and sometimes not.

no plane he's ever been in can compare to the ship he's in right now, strapped into one of the pilot seats and glancing at the controls in front of him with a somewhat sceptical expression. ]

I'm afraid I'm not quite sure how this is meant to work.

mistletoe

[ nightingale returns to olympia and settles into a routine in as much as he can. it hadn't been close to any holiday period when the world had ended for him, but it seems to be growing colder here and there is an increased air of festivity to everything.

every now and again, nightingale will find himself beneath a mistletoe at the same time as someone else, though never by design. if he notices the plant, he might try to simply ignore it, but if his companion notices as well, he'll speak: ]

Were there any traditions attached to it in your world?

wildcard

[ write your own starter, hit me up at abiosis for one, whatever floats your boat. ]

Comments

[ettersberg]

[ the notion of two men together being too scandalous is something that nightingale is all too familiar with -- he'd grown up in a time when that sort of thing was still a criminal offence in england and while he's tried not to let it shape him, he can't deny that it has, when he lets himself think about that sort of thing at all.

but ocelot continues and nightingale finds that the words make interest spark in his chest.

very mildly: ] Oh?

[shashka]

[ a light chuckle. if there was one thing Ocelot particularly enjoyed, it was throwing others off their game, just a little. ]

Seeing as we're both familiar with the tradition, if you're fine with kissing complete strangers...

[ which, given the state of things in the Soviet Union, is something that he's been more than familiar with throughout his life. ]

[ettersberg]

Well.

[ nightingale clears his throat, standing a bit straighter, almost reaching to fix his own cufflinks. then he makes a decision and, slowly, smiles. ]

We are standing under a mistletoe. I suppose we should.

[ he takes a step closer. ]

[shashka]

[ he laughs at that, punctuating his words with a slight hand gesture. ]

Can't go forgetting all of Earth's traditions, can we?

[ and finally, he leans in, giving the stranger a surprisingly light kiss on the lips. ]

[ettersberg]

I don't think we should. [ nightingale says, not without some humour in his tone. they could, of course - but it would be a pity. it would mean the loss of more than just the planet. still, he won't bring that grief into this conversation if he can help it, so he focuses on the amusement to be found in the fact that the mistletoe and old traditions are providing an excuse for a kiss instead.

it's a short kiss; nightingale's lips move briefly against ocelot's, eyes barely closing before they break apart and he opens them again. ]

[shashka]

[ a hint of a smirk still plays at Ocelot's lips, as he observes his newfound... friend? ]

Not bad.

[ although... ]

It's usually customary to buy someone a drink before you kiss them, but I could make an exception for you, if you're willing.

[ after all, he was always looking to meet new people, be they refugees or otherwise. ]

[ettersberg]

[ nightingale considers it, for a moment. does he want to get a drink with someone he barely knows, someone from behind the iron curtain, a stranger he's kissed under the mistletoe?

the answer is yes, of course. ]

Lead the way.

[ but instead of moving, nightingale holds out his hand. ] I suppose that means introductions are in order. Thomas Nightingale, a pleasure. [ he finds that so far? he actually means that. ]

[shashka]

Excellent.

[ he takes that hand and shakes it, with a gloved one of his own. ]

You can call me "Ocelot". [ not his actual name. but then again, practically no one, here or back home, ever used it. ] The pleasure's mine. You know, there seem to be a lot of English here that are awake.

[ he'd been particularly close with one Englishman back home, and he really wished that he hadn't been. the ones he'd met here so far? all intelligent, but none of them show any signs of megalomania just yet. ]

And unfortunately, only one other Russian that I can think of.

[ though, Byerly was enjoyable enough company. ]

[ettersberg]

Like the animal?

[ nightingale thinks to ask whether that's coincidence or design, but he swallows the question. instead, he inclines his head in acknowledgement of ocelot's next comment. ]

I've noticed, yes. Though I can't say that I mind.

[ nightingale is the least megalomanic person. with his magic, he could do a great deal more, garner more respect than he has. instead, for decades, he's been quite content to only fulfil his duty and nothing more. (content is the wrong word; he hadn't been content so much as too depressed to do otherwise.) ]

Another Russian -

[ for a moment, his brows crease. ] Mr Vorrutyer? I was under the impression he wasn't from Earth. [ or perhaps ocelot means someone else entirely. ]

[shashka]

Exactly so.

[ Ocelots are proud creatures, after all. ]

Byerly? He isn't personally from Earth, but his ancestors were. So, as far as fellow countrymen go, he's the closest thing to another Russian that I've got.

[ and now, here's the question of the day. ]

You know him well?

[ or does he know him like everyone "knows" him. ]

[ettersberg]

I wouldn't say that I do, no.

[ he knows byerly in precisely the way that everyone "knows" him. for nightingale, it had involved a night filled with wyver moonlight and magic (in the literal, not the figurative sense - nightingale knows magic well enough to be able to tell the difference) and a very thorough seduction.

and thus far, that has been the extent of his acquaintance with byerly. hardly unusual, likely, though nightingale doesn't even know enough to say that for certain. ]

It must be difficult, having no one with a similar cultural background. [ not to mention the loss they've all faced. ]

[shashka]

[ Ocelot shrugs. he would likely count Byerly among his closer friends in El Nysa, for any given measure of the word. they were similar enough in the fact that both of them were fond of wearing masks to hide their true intentions.

even if he was basically a living representation of Imperial Russia, while Ocelot was a "proud" Soviet patriot. ]

There are worse things. [ like being stuck up in stasis. ] If nothing else, it's given me a little bit of freedom to do what I want.

[ettersberg]

[ nightingale considers those words, for a moment, before he inclines his head in acknowledgement. ]

Quite.

[ there are certainly worse things. in a way, despite the many other english here, he is in the same position: no one knows newtonian magic. of course, he is not surprised. even in england, he had been the last of his kind in many ways. the last sanctioned wizard, at least.

until peter, at any rate, but peter is still only an apprentice and years from mastery. ]

And what do you want?

[shashka]

[ a laugh. ]

Oh, this and that.

[ a man has to have some secrets after all. ]

Mostly, I am enjoying some of the freedom of being here all by myself. I'm sure when others from my world wake up, things might change.

[ and it would definitely depend on who wakes up, be it one of his Soviet comrades, old friends from other organizations, or one of his (many) enemies.

but, he'd make it through. cats are famous for always landing on their feet. ]

[ettersberg]

[ nightingale gives the words some consideration, before nodding — not in approval, necessarily, but in acknowledgement. understanding, even. ]

One's set roles can be a burden.

[ at times. he wouldn't go so far as to say that his own role is a burden because the sense of duty had been all that had kept him going for a long time, but — he won't say that it's never been one, either.

without it, without the expectation and the responsibilities he's had, he's not always sure how to go on. ]

[shashka]

[ Ocelot returns the sympathetic expression with one of his own. if it doesn't quite reach his eyes, maybe that's to be expected. or, maybe not. one can never really understand with Ocelot. ]

What year was it for you, when the Storm hit?

[ that's been one thing he's noticed, after all. so many different variations of Earth, with tiny little changes that became bigger and bigger. ]

i'm not 100% sure what year actually....... whoops

[ettersberg]

2016.

[ perhaps a surprising answer for someone who seems as old-fashioned and old-timey as nightingale. ]

[shashka]

[ a laugh. ]

It was 1984 for me. Not to worry, though. I've heard enough about the so-called future that never was.

[ the real question is, would he have survived that long? ]

[ettersberg]

Your future may have been different from the one I experienced.

[ nightingale remembers 1984 all too well. he may look like he might have just turned into an adult then, but the truth is, of course, that he's far older than he looks. ]

[shashka]

Oh, most certainly. If you believe what the Orbiters say about the Storm.

[ he knows enough now to know there's numerous versions out there. ]

[ettersberg]

You don't?

[ nightingale hasn't questioned the veracity of it. not really. ]

[shashka]

I didn't say that. It's just, if the Orbiters have as much power as they say that they do, is it really so far outside the realm of possibility?

[ just something to think about. ]

[ettersberg]

I suppose it isn't. Though there do seem to be limits to their power.

[ needing to recharge, that kind of thing. ]

[shashka]

Small limits in the grand scheme of things.

[ it... raised a lot of questions. ]

It also makes you wonder what we might be up against. That they've been preparing us for.

[ettersberg]

[ that it does. ]

Quite. [ he considers, for a moment. ] Do you have guesses?