Tayrey, who doesn't believe in an afterlife, suspects that on probability it's likely either still on that wretched ship, or gone forever, and that the latter is kinder. It's what she thinks about all their lost comrades - but she respects that Fever's beliefs might be different. She'd never want to take someone's hopes away from them.
She nods. 'May it never be forgotten,' she says, Tradeline-fashion, as the warm lantern-light shines of them. Then she looks again to Fever. 'Now you speak for another of them,' she prompts quietly, suspecting that Fever might have been closer to a few of them than Tayrey herself was.
Fever nods, and pauses for only half a moment before she decides who she'll speak on next.
"Rita Mordio was imprisoned before I was, but that length of time did not quell the passion in her to fight against it. A brilliant mage and scientist who I was happy to speak with, a kind and generous friend. She helped me in the Village - gave up supplies from her home to help preserve my health, because that's the kind of person she was. She liked cats, and bold fashion, and her heart belonged to Natsuno. Without her work, it would have never breached the cage. May she not be forgotten."
If Rita is on some distant shore, Fever hopes it's with Natsuno, or Jade, or anyone else she was close to that isn't here. She shouldn't have to face the uncertain new future alone.
She listens carefully, thinking of Rita. 'She had a kind heart,' Tayrey adds, 'and she was patient with me, and helped me to understand things that didn't exist in my universe. She was always concerned with my welfare, even when I had to put other concerns before my own health. Rita Mordio was a good person with sound values, and she deserved freedom. May she never be forgotten.'
Tayrey holds that there, waiting for a moment, and then she goes on:
'Natsuno Yuuki was never afraid to risk his own welfare - even his own life for a good cause. I didn't know him well, but I know that he was a valued friend to those closest to him, and that he and Rita made each other stronger together. I have very few memories of our captivity that aren't painful, but one of the few that I cherish is sitting with Yuuki, watching Earther movies that he assured me were terrible, but that were entertaining all the same. He was loyal, and held to his convictions. He was there when we needed him. May he never be forgotten.'
Fever nods. She hadn't been terribly close to Natsuno, but you don't go through nearly dying with someone and not come out with some respect. At the least, Rita thought well of him, which was important enough to consider him better.
"He was unwavering, standing up to our captor, and when I feared dying before being able to see everyone's liberation, he ensured there was a way that I would survive. I will always recognize that. May he never be forgotten."
She lets the same length of time pass, before speaking again.
"Arthur Lester was a man I was proud to name as my friend. Someone with convictions, who strove to be better, who did not quietly accept captivity. He was intelligent, brave - willing to stand up for his freedom. I remember, when we struck down our imprisonment in the Village, he fought at my back without hesitation. And he was kind to me, more so than I expected. It didn't ever feel amiss to seek him out to share company, to explain my world and hear about his in turn. We could talk about anything, it seemed. I found a great comfort in his presence, and he had my trust."
Fever remembers the look on his face when she had pressed the quarterstaff into his hands as a replacement for the cane of his he had lost in death, how touched he had seemed and how cheerfully she had talked about teaching him to potentially use it as a weapon as well. She remembers talking of gods, of the past - remembers noticing he avoided meat, and thereby only offering him snacks in the future without it.
Most acutely, she remembers falling asleep with him as something warm and furry in her arms. How it had been safe, even though he was vulnerable. For a little while, she had rested - and how he'd pulled her from her nightmares.
She hadn't known that Fever and Arthur were so close, but when she hears the other woman speak of him, she's glad of it. That they had each other. Tayrey does wonder what Fever means about Natsuno saving her from death before their liberation, but it's not the time to ask. Perhaps there will never be a time to ask; she's content to leave the whole ordeal behind them.
She focuses her attention back on Arthur. 'He never let his blindness hold him back, and I admired him for it immensely. He had courage and he didn't waver, even under pressure. He'd been through so much and never lost sight of his values. I trusted his judgement. And he-' she smiles, '-he wasn't afraid to tell me when I made mistakes.' This is a compliment, from Tayrey, who dismisses criticism from people whose values she considers incompatible with hers.
'The first time I tried to escape I went alone and I hadn't prepared enough and I almost died of hypothermia. He was worried about me. I didn't think anyone cared enough about me to worry. When I got back, the usual people mocked and criticised me for trying to escape. He was different. Oh, he scolded me!' Another soft smile from Tayrey. 'But for the lack of preparation. For the stupid mistakes I made. And he and Crichton both promised me that if I came up with a real plan I wouldn't have to go alone. They'd be my team. Back me up.'
She pauses, keeping tight control of her emotions. 'Arthur Lester kept his promise. May he never be forgotten.'
Tayrey holds the silence for him, and then it's natural for her to turn to:
'Commander John Crichton. My dear friend and comrade, honorary Tradeliner, the man who stood by me despite all the battles he had to fight. He too valued freedom, and understood what it meant to miss home. I could talk to him... about anything. I felt safe with him. He was loyal, never gave up on me, not even when I couldn't see a single point of light in the sky. He worked tirelessly with me, all those days spent on wormhole equations. I remember the way he used to talk about these strange Earther things, I'd have to ask him to clarify all the time, but sometimes it made me smile when nothing else could. I remember a timeline where he fought beside me to keep my starship safe. I remember... the way we flew together. Took a helicopter from the Village. We knew it wouldn't do any good, but we loved flying.'
Tayrey pauses again, bites her lip, pushes down the grief. 'He asked me to follow this tradition of his people if I ever lost him.' With that, Tayrey straightens up, and glances at the sky before giving a well-executed American military salute. She holds her arm in place for a long moment, and when she lowers it, she says, firmly, 'May he never be forgotten.'
Copying Tayrey when she salutes feels only natural, the proper respect afforded for their absent friend. They hold it, and Fever nods once to Tayrey's words, wanting to give them the gravity they deserve for such a dear companion. She'd known Crichton and Tayrey had a bond, one deep enough that he would negotiate in her place - and Fever knows that Ari would not name someone an honorary Tradeliner lightly. How strange it is, to know them both without the other now.
"Crichton was someone with courage so great I admired it. Someone with a heart large enough that it's a wonder it didn't burst from his chest. He stood by the people he cared for, and...persevered, even through bitterly difficult situations. I called him friend, and he allowed me room to be there for him when he needed. I remember laughing with him, and spending time trying out the arcade games - he was always better than me at the ones with firearms, for all his knowledge. And I must remember seeing you in the sky in the Village, flying together."
Despite the situation, she smiles. She hadn't known who flew what crafts, but she had watched them, guarding what little vitality she'd had in that place. One of them must have held her friends.
"May he never be forgotten."
One more.
"Lady Cassandra de Rolo was a rare person indeed. Looking at her, you would hardly believe the strength she possessed. She held her ground against me, even when I was being unreasonable, and challenged me to consider my thinking. I would have gladly fought at her side, and it was her I asked to direct me, when it came to protecting our own. She refused to give up on the idea of going home, even if the world was stacked against her, even if it cost her dearly - and I was proud to call her my ally. I only regret that I couldn't do more for her, in the end."
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She nods. 'May it never be forgotten,' she says, Tradeline-fashion, as the warm lantern-light shines of them. Then she looks again to Fever. 'Now you speak for another of them,' she prompts quietly, suspecting that Fever might have been closer to a few of them than Tayrey herself was.
no subject
"Rita Mordio was imprisoned before I was, but that length of time did not quell the passion in her to fight against it. A brilliant mage and scientist who I was happy to speak with, a kind and generous friend. She helped me in the Village - gave up supplies from her home to help preserve my health, because that's the kind of person she was. She liked cats, and bold fashion, and her heart belonged to Natsuno. Without her work, it would have never breached the cage. May she not be forgotten."
If Rita is on some distant shore, Fever hopes it's with Natsuno, or Jade, or anyone else she was close to that isn't here. She shouldn't have to face the uncertain new future alone.
no subject
Tayrey holds that there, waiting for a moment, and then she goes on:
'Natsuno Yuuki was never afraid to risk his own welfare - even his own life for a good cause. I didn't know him well, but I know that he was a valued friend to those closest to him, and that he and Rita made each other stronger together. I have very few memories of our captivity that aren't painful, but one of the few that I cherish is sitting with Yuuki, watching Earther movies that he assured me were terrible, but that were entertaining all the same. He was loyal, and held to his convictions. He was there when we needed him. May he never be forgotten.'
no subject
"He was unwavering, standing up to our captor, and when I feared dying before being able to see everyone's liberation, he ensured there was a way that I would survive. I will always recognize that. May he never be forgotten."
She lets the same length of time pass, before speaking again.
"Arthur Lester was a man I was proud to name as my friend. Someone with convictions, who strove to be better, who did not quietly accept captivity. He was intelligent, brave - willing to stand up for his freedom. I remember, when we struck down our imprisonment in the Village, he fought at my back without hesitation. And he was kind to me, more so than I expected. It didn't ever feel amiss to seek him out to share company, to explain my world and hear about his in turn. We could talk about anything, it seemed. I found a great comfort in his presence, and he had my trust."
Fever remembers the look on his face when she had pressed the quarterstaff into his hands as a replacement for the cane of his he had lost in death, how touched he had seemed and how cheerfully she had talked about teaching him to potentially use it as a weapon as well. She remembers talking of gods, of the past - remembers noticing he avoided meat, and thereby only offering him snacks in the future without it.
Most acutely, she remembers falling asleep with him as something warm and furry in her arms. How it had been safe, even though he was vulnerable. For a little while, she had rested - and how he'd pulled her from her nightmares.
"May he never be forgotten."
no subject
She focuses her attention back on Arthur. 'He never let his blindness hold him back, and I admired him for it immensely. He had courage and he didn't waver, even under pressure. He'd been through so much and never lost sight of his values. I trusted his judgement. And he-' she smiles, '-he wasn't afraid to tell me when I made mistakes.' This is a compliment, from Tayrey, who dismisses criticism from people whose values she considers incompatible with hers.
'The first time I tried to escape I went alone and I hadn't prepared enough and I almost died of hypothermia. He was worried about me. I didn't think anyone cared enough about me to worry. When I got back, the usual people mocked and criticised me for trying to escape. He was different. Oh, he scolded me!' Another soft smile from Tayrey. 'But for the lack of preparation. For the stupid mistakes I made. And he and Crichton both promised me that if I came up with a real plan I wouldn't have to go alone. They'd be my team. Back me up.'
She pauses, keeping tight control of her emotions. 'Arthur Lester kept his promise. May he never be forgotten.'
Tayrey holds the silence for him, and then it's natural for her to turn to:
'Commander John Crichton. My dear friend and comrade, honorary Tradeliner, the man who stood by me despite all the battles he had to fight. He too valued freedom, and understood what it meant to miss home. I could talk to him... about anything. I felt safe with him. He was loyal, never gave up on me, not even when I couldn't see a single point of light in the sky. He worked tirelessly with me, all those days spent on wormhole equations. I remember the way he used to talk about these strange Earther things, I'd have to ask him to clarify all the time, but sometimes it made me smile when nothing else could. I remember a timeline where he fought beside me to keep my starship safe. I remember... the way we flew together. Took a helicopter from the Village. We knew it wouldn't do any good, but we loved flying.'
Tayrey pauses again, bites her lip, pushes down the grief. 'He asked me to follow this tradition of his people if I ever lost him.' With that, Tayrey straightens up, and glances at the sky before giving a well-executed American military salute. She holds her arm in place for a long moment, and when she lowers it, she says, firmly, 'May he never be forgotten.'
no subject
"Crichton was someone with courage so great I admired it. Someone with a heart large enough that it's a wonder it didn't burst from his chest. He stood by the people he cared for, and...persevered, even through bitterly difficult situations. I called him friend, and he allowed me room to be there for him when he needed. I remember laughing with him, and spending time trying out the arcade games - he was always better than me at the ones with firearms, for all his knowledge. And I must remember seeing you in the sky in the Village, flying together."
Despite the situation, she smiles. She hadn't known who flew what crafts, but she had watched them, guarding what little vitality she'd had in that place. One of them must have held her friends.
"May he never be forgotten."
One more.
"Lady Cassandra de Rolo was a rare person indeed. Looking at her, you would hardly believe the strength she possessed. She held her ground against me, even when I was being unreasonable, and challenged me to consider my thinking. I would have gladly fought at her side, and it was her I asked to direct me, when it came to protecting our own. She refused to give up on the idea of going home, even if the world was stacked against her, even if it cost her dearly - and I was proud to call her my ally. I only regret that I couldn't do more for her, in the end."
For a second, Fever bows her head.
"May she never be forgotten."