paradisa | Welcome home [dictated]

Welcome home [dictated]

[Church made it back to his room to find his old body and a large crate in the middle of the cramped space. His first reaction was to be annoyed because the shit was in the way. His second reaction was to be annoyed because this meant that Harper actually did do house calls and he fought to get his old to him for nothing. After those two reactions ran their course a niggling doubt crept into the back of his mind. Harper didn't do deliveries. He was adamant on that point.

There was something on the crate... a repair manual.
“Just do your homework. You never know the next time you'll get stuck without me. “

Fuck...

He made his way to Harper's room. Not hurrying. Hurrying would look stupid and Harper would be there. They would trade smart ass remarks, he'd poke around Harper's work area and pester him for a while and everything would be the way it was supposed to be.

Except Harper's name wasn't on the door.
Harper's name wasn't on any of the doors.

Harper was gone.

It took Church a few minutes to process it. This... this is exactly why he doesn't have friends. Stupid fucking genius, stupid goddamned fucking castle! He wasn't going to miss the fucking idiot. He'd been a total pain in the ass... always gushing about his stupid warship/AI girlfriend. Always calling him an AI when he's a motherfucking ghost.

Fuckin' asshole... ]

York... I have an update for that room list of yours.
Harper's gone.

[God damn he misses being able to get drunk already.]

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Damn. Sorry to hear that.

[He'd only spoken to the guy a couple of times, but anyone who could "surf" the CastleNet like that was someone York would rather have around in case of a technical emergency.]

Shit happens.

Figures that asshole would leave now, fuckin' inconvenient.

[Because obviously Church is going to deal with things with his usual grace... which means being full of bullshit and misplaced anger. That's clearly the best way to deal with things.]

[Well, it's not like Church has many other coping mechanisms.]

It happens, and sometimes it hits us hard. I know.

But if you want to talk about it, you know I'm here.

[And right now, this one is probably the best option.]

I don't need to talk about it, I'm fine. The guy was an asshole.

[He's quiet for a while, considering his next move. It would be the easy thing to just leave the castle again. But he's not sure Aradia would welcome him back after what happened during the invasion. He's got to do something productive.]

Is that offer to help me figure out how to use my armor better still on the table?

Uh-huh. You say that like it doesn't describe most of your friends.

[Yeah, yeah, tough guy Church doesn't want to admit he has friends. Doesn't make it any less true.]

Sure, no problem. You want to meet up tonight, or first thing tomorrow?

What can I say, I've got great taste in company.

[Yeah well, shut up York.]

Whatever is more convenient for you. It's not like I've got a lot going on.

[Like worrying about eating or sleeping.]

I'm free tonight. We could at least get started.

Sounds good.

Where should I meet you...at the hangar or something?

If you want. Or your room, or mine - wherever we have a little bit of space.

I'll meet you at your place. My room is kind of cramped right now.

[Church will work on figuring out how to make his room bigger later. He heads for York's room, secretly glad for the company right now.]

Just knock first.

[Because of course his room is locked by arguably the most complex locking mechanism in the entire castle. It's also been rearranged significantly since his return from self-imposed exile: Delta had suggested the new arrangement would help keep his mind off what was missing, i.e. Carolina, and it seems to be working fairly well. So now there's a long, broad living room with a pair of couches and a large monitor on one wall, flanked by a pair of identical doors on either side. On the opposite wall is a bookshelf and a few pieces of art, including a strangely vibrant painting of New York City. The door on that wall has a padlock on it, which isn't actually effective at keeping anyone out who can make it into his room in the first place but is a good way of saying "private". There's a small kitchen at the far end of the living room separated with a breakfast bar, though the bottles of alcohol on it suggest it's used more as a traditional bar.]

Sure, I'll be there soon.

[Church decides to take his old body out. Leaving the Harper built one sitting on the edge of his bed. Then makes his way to York's room, reminding himself along the familiar path to slow down he's not in a hurry.
York and Delta aren't going anywhere and neither are any of the other people he's started to give a shit about. If they had, he would have heard about it by now. Everything is fine.
So why does he feel so anxious as he knocks on the door.]

[This place either likes York too much to let him go, or hates him too much to let him go. York's opinion on the matter tends to swing between the two depending on recent events.

In any case, the door clicks open when Church knocks and opens to show York sitting down at the table near the kitchen with Delta projected as if standing on it.]

Come on in.

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