31. reliquary

[orderfromchaos]

[At some point, as the sha are being mopped up, Dillon drops out of contact. It might be reasonable to assume he's just busy. But after his confrontation with Jean, he is nowhere to be found. He doesn't show up at meals, or his infirmary shifts, or his usual haunts on deck or in the 8th floor common room. His door won't open, and he doesn't answer his communicator.

In the chapel - which looks a little different now, the wood of the doors lighter and thinner-grained, some of the pews distinctly smaller, with layers of thin wood dust and the faint smells of ash and ozone. Near the pew Dillon usually visits is a dark, amorphous stain, sunk into the floor and furniture. An antique olive-pit-and-silver rosary is broken somewhere nearby.

Beckett - Dillon's blobby, levitating, excitable lavender pet, and the barge's friendly neighborhood maybe baby eldritch jellyfish - has taken up something of a guard position around the mark, making occasional sad coos and trills. It will try to hug anyone he sees as a friend, but may be unexpectedly ferocious if anyone tries to remove it or disturb the spot.]

[OOC Note: I will play interactions with Beckett if you want, or characters can react among themselves. Dillon got blasted to particles by Jean as of the conclusion of this thread, but is not tolling on account of his powers slowly reconstructing him over the next couple of weeks.]

Comments

[semifreakingnormal]

[He can't smell Dillon anywhere. Well - that's not true. He can smell old scents, but nothing living. Nothing breathing. His door is still there - Scott checked no less than three times - but the fact that he's no where to be seen or smelled has left him increasingly unsettled.

He doesn't come to the chapel much, and it's only because he knew Dillon frequented that he thinks to stop by at all. Seeing Beckett gives him hope, and he jogs toward the creature, stopping short when he sees the stain.

For a long moment he just stands there, laying a hand on Beckett's head when he's greeted. There's no escaping the location, or what he found out happened. Scott looks around, and wets his lips. He's never been very religious, only the background of going to infrequent Sunday School sessions, the occasional stop in church, but all of that stopped as he got older and his mom had to work more and more. But Dillon believed, so maybe that's all that really matters. He tries not to feel silly.]

Dillon? Are...are you here?

[orderfromchaos]

[The only answer is a sad little chrrroo from Beckett, tentacles wriggling forlornly.]

[semifreakingnormal]

[Scott looks down at the squiddle, tapping his finger against one of its tentacles because he doesn't actually know how to pet a squiddle. But he sure will try.]

Yeah, me too. [He smiles sadly at Beckett, heading over to stand just outside the stain.]

You have to come back so I can tell you thanks in person.

[orderfromchaos]

[Beckett puffs lower, drifting down Scott's side until he can start nibbling the hem of Scott's left sock.]

[semifreakingnormal]

[It tickles, and Scott let's out a breath that's mostly a laugh when he sees what the creature is doing. It only takes him a second if consideration to nudge of his shoe and peel off the sock.]

Here. It's all yours.

[Should he bring water? Hell bring a bowl of water. And when Dillon comes back - when, he reminds h8nself, not if - hell ask what the hell Beckett should be eating.]

[orderfromchaos]

[Beckett definitely eats the sock. The bowl of water he settles into like a small aquatic nest, either sitting with his tentacles draped over the edges when he's standing guard, or curled up to sleep. It's pretty dang adorable.]

[semifreakingnormal]

[Pretty dang. Scott comes to visit and change the water every day, because no one should wait - or grieve - alone.]