[come_sailaway inbox]

[prince_of_beasts]

A synthesized woman's voice picks up the call.

"Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system. Two - Zero - Two - Nine - One - Eight - Two - One - Three - Two -- is not available now. At the tone, please record your message. When you've finished recording, you may hang up or press the # key for more options."

Dimitri hasn't figured out how to customize the thing yet.

Comments

[pineapplesalmon]

César chokes on a laugh. It shouldn't be funny, and it's only funny for a split-second. But he needed that.

"Well, that works, too." César breathes. "... honestly, I cut up the towels rather regularly to make rags for things since we can get more." A complete sidetrack, but.

[prince_of_beasts]

The sidetrack's not unwelcome. "That's sensible. I know they're replaced, but. I just don't ... I'd rather not."

Dimitri's careful about folding the towel into quarters before setting it on his lap. He can't get the corners to line up -- Dedue can, Mercedes can, Sylvain of all people, but Dimitri's never had the knack.

" ... this is -- the first time someone close to me has vanished," he says, muted. "On the ship. I spoke to Undine and Stede once or twice -- that's as close as I've been to anyone else we've lost. So it's ... it's a shock."

[pineapplesalmon]

César nods to Dimitri's preferences, completely understanding. The young man's too tired of breaking things.

"It is." César agrees quietly, his gaze turning back to his ring as he fidgets with it. "It's the same for me. He's the dearest person to my heart that we've lost."

[prince_of_beasts]

"It never gets easier."

"It shouldn't."

"You can only hope you'll never have to feel it again."

"And you never learn."

[pineapplesalmon]

"... Life is about loss, to some extent. Even if we get off this ship, people will die of old age eventually. But life wouldn't be precious if it could never end. We'd never have children. I'd be an only child." César hates going philosophical, but it's part of what helps him continue on. "But it still hurts in the end."