milliways_bar | (no subject)

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(no subject)

[OOM: There's only one more Needle to go. And it's someplace lively and filthy.]

Somehow in the hustle and bustle of Milliways, Lucas returned to the Nowhere Islands and evened the score. It was strange, not even bothering to stop in Tazmily. Lucas barely noticed, however, finding the same comfort he would expect from his former home in Ionia's shell cottage.

He means to go back there, sometime after whatever awaits him in New Pork City. Out of all of the Magypsies, Ionia is the one who stayed with him the longest and he can feel the weight of knowing she's gone now pressing down on his very being.

And if all of that wasn't enough, he's still feverish.

But that makes opening the limousine door and finding Milliways instead of the promised luxuries within the car even better. So he's found himself taking up a bar stool, nursing an apple juice and looking over some literature about New Pork City.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh sure. Mom taught me. And I've picked up some things here, like how money works."

Right. So it's not formal, but the boy is learning things regardless.

"So who teaches you all the other things? The skills you need for whatever thing it is you need them for?

"Anything like your PSI abilities?"

Lucas tilts his head downward, the hand holding the spoon for his ice cream suddenly stilled.

Ionia's gone.

His hands go to cover his nose and mouth and he shakes his head a little.

" 'msorry," he says from behind his hands. "I just....someone like that just....."

"Oh. Oh... I'm sorry there. I didn't mean... I didn't know..."

Pause.

"Are you okay there... Er...

"You can call me Rabastan from now on."

He lowers his hands.

" 'sokay. It just happened. And it... I knew it was gonna happen. It-"

He shakes his head again. There's so much to explain.

"I...my name is Lucas."

"You knew?"

That cannot be good for anyone to know something as weighty as this.

"Doesn't make it easier, does it?"

Do you want another scoop of ice cream, Lucas? Sprinkles? Fudge?

"When they're someone special."

Lucas nods.

"She was a Magypsy. They're not like humans, Magypsies. They don't die, they just kinda fade away when they're done with their job. But Ionia, I knew her better'n any other Magypsy."

He presses his palm into one of his eyes.

"But I pulled the Needle she was protectin'. She wanted me to. But now that she doesn't gotta protect the Needle anymore, her job's done and she..."

He sucks in a breath through his nose.

"She's gone."

More ice cream then.

Comfort foods are good for you sometimes.

"Physically. But some part of her is with you. In your head. Your heart. I know that sounds a bit silly, but they are. They don't really go away.

"Sometimes I think my mama's still with me, when I'm by myself, or feeling low. Keeping an eye on me."

With his mother, it's more true than Rabastan realises.

Lucas takes his hand away from his eye.

"You lost your mom, too?"

"Yeah. But I was already grown when she died."

Pause. He asks for fudge on his own bowl.

"I miss her sometimes. But she's never far from my mind, and neither is your friend."

"Oh. But that- that don't make it easier."

He pokes at his ice cream with his spoon.

"It happened four years ago an' it still ain't much easier."

"No. It doesn't."

Knowing that he and his brother were largely to blame for her early demise doesn't make it easier to bear.

Lucas doesn't really need to know that right now.

"Whether it's four years or almost twenty."

"People call me a crybaby about it," he admits. "They have since not long after she died. Not people here, people on the Islands. What's- what's so dang wrong about crying when your mom dies anyway? It don't matter if it happened a week ago or a year ago or a- a hun'red years ago, it still hurts."

"Nothing, Lucas. Nothing is wrong with crying. You cry because you care, and because she meant something to you, and seeing her go made you sad, whether you knew she was going to leave you or not.

"The ones who say that there is, are the ones who are wrong. Don't listen to them."

He nods his head a little.

"I got a lotta friends here and none of'em have said it's wrong t'cry. I like livin' here."

Lucas finally starts digging in on his ice cream.

"An' I think, whatever happens in New Pork City, I'll like comin' back here better."

"If you like, maybe we could be friends as well."

Pause.

"I like Milliways too. It's like having a second home."

Lucas chuckles faintly.

"Well, we should get started on bein' friends if we've got the same home."

"First off, I'd like to know how you like your ice cream.

"You know. Whenever you're feeling like you want a treat, or when it gets hot out."

"It's good. I us'ally have ice cream in my soda but this's nice, too."

A strawberry is plucked out for eating by itself.

"I don't eat a lotta sweets for th' most part."

"Hmmm think I've had that once."

It was very bubbly.

"Just not enough sweet things to eat?"

"Well sure there are. There's cookies an' cake an' stuff. I just like other stuff better."

He smiles a little sadder now.

"I like omelets the best. The ones Mom made. Everybody liked'em the best, me, Mom, Dad, Claus, Grandpa, everybody."

Awwww... Poor kid.

"How does your mom make omelets, anyways?"

This sets Lucas prattling, mentioning this ingredient and that way she would make them for any meal and how there's always a fight over the last ones and all these other fond memories pouring out.

"-and Claus would always hog the ketchup, so we started passing it around the other way..." he eventually trails off.

And that sets Rabastan to laughing. And feeling good that Lucas has something happy to think about, instead of something sad.

"Good thing you're here in Milliways," he says conspiratorially, "then you can get as much ketchup as you want on yours."

Bittersweet is still bitter.

"Yeah. It's the best food here, better'n when I try t'cook. I can hunt an' cook some animals but it's easier here."