[ when hermann sends out the announcement about the comms being back on, kovacs' attention on it only holds for so long before he's met with a sudden influx of messages. his mind zeroes in on hers first and foremost, old audios that had come in sometime scattered in the past several weeks. he listens to each, feeling the clenching grip in his chest in hearing her voice, in the confirmation that she really had made it through on the other side.
the last audio is ... a lot of things. but it's cut by the text that appears in front of him, fresh from this very moment. he doesn't waste a second before he's reaching out, bypassing the texting altogether. ]
[ the words get sent out before she could think to hold them back, making for perhaps the worst sort of reunion. but as flustered and frazzled as she is, hearing respond instead of that awful static proves a quick balm to the burn of embarrassment.
it's the sound of his voice that reminds her of the last message he'd sent, drawing her back to just moments prior when she'd finally gotten them all. recalling the worry in his texts, the growing urgency there, to finally that long voice message. a voice she doesn't know, spoken in a warmth she's grown to yearn for.
it's the urgency in his tone that brings her back to the present. ]
I'm here. [ her voice is a soft rasp, wrapped up in bewildered relief. there's soon a thickness to her words, giving the impression of wide, watery eyes. ] Takeshi... I'm here. I hear you.
[ the sound of her voice brings about an instant exhaled breath, relief shaking in his skin as he closes his eyes and takes it in. how long did they spend in scorpion's bend side by side with one another, getting him used to her presence always there, always filling the space?
the last few weeks weren't any different from what he's used to, of people leaving and disappearing, of getting used to someone simply not being there anymore. but it doesn't mean he hasn't missed her, hasn't felt the difference when she isn't there.]
Good. [ he'd probably be reaching for her now, if he could, tucking back her hair and looking her over, making sure she isn't hurt. ] Are you safe?
[ as safe as one can be, in a place like sedorum, but she opts not to make mention of something that would only needlessly worry him. selfishly, she wants to hold onto that relief in his voice for just a little while longer. ]
What about you? You... [ while she doubts this planet's version of heaven could be troubling, she recalls what his message had told her, how different he sounds now. after so long... certainly it would have been unsettling. ] Has it gotten any easier?
[ it's a relief to hear her, but he realizes that isn't quite the same as the reassurance that comes with seeing her, with checking her wounds or feeling more assured by having her close by at all times, the way he'd become so protective of her the last time they were together.
maybe this is all he can get for now. selfishly, he wants more, more than just a call. but kovacs is used to not having things the way he'd want. ]
Envoys are trained for this kind of thing. [ switching sleeves, adjusting to a new environment. ] Don't worry about me. As long as ... you're okay.
I'm okay. [ better now that i know you are, she thinks but fortunately doesn't say; who knows if she could ever survive such embarrassment. ] There are a number of us here. We've all come together and... we've made it work.
[ but she doesn't much care to get into the details of this hell. how lonely it's been without his presence. how even the books she'd brought along this time read dry without his constant, unprompted commentary. ]
Tell me about Taeum. [ tell me a story.
in a gentle, teasing tone: ] Have you made any friends?
[ he's heard a little about sedorum, about how much it runs differently than taeum, and while the concern remains that she's there at all, he's relieved that she hasn't been alone, that she's been taken care of, even if he hasn't been able to be the one to do it.
even now, he can't stop letting his mind spin trying to figure out how he could possibly get her out, despite knowing it isn't in his cards right now. ]
Guy like me? Everyone's been tripping over themselves to be my buddy. [ he can at least join her in that momentary playfulness, a near chuckle in his breath for a moment.
but he thinks about her question, about the world he's been stuck in. ]
It's supposed to be some kind of heaven. Supposedly, everyone's worked so hard at being good and pure while they were alive that they've now earned themselves everything they could ever want — endless drugs, booze, sex. [ he very nearly laughs. ] It's all just fake theater up here.
[ he pauses for a moment before he adds, ]
They've got all these rooms here that all look different when you walk in, all filled with places and landscapes to draw you in, make you feel comfortable. They ... have a room full of stars.
[ she lets out a soft exhale in response — something tinged with disappointment, but she cuts it off quick before it can become anything that lingers. ]
When I realized where you'd gone, I had hoped... You hear so much how Heaven is supposed to be some endless peace. I thought maybe you finally got some rest.
[ maybe he had. but something in the dryness of his tone has her doubting it.
but it's not something she wants to dwell in. not now when she's finally got him here, to herself. she tries to keep the small smile out of her tone when she continues, but she'd never been very good at hiding her feelings. ]
You don't really see the stars here. Even though I'm pretty sure it's always nighttime, but the entire city looks like it's under some red light that never goes away.
How did they look? [ she chews on her lip a little. ] Happy for your company, I bet.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text > audio
the last audio is ... a lot of things. but it's cut by the text that appears in front of him, fresh from this very moment. he doesn't waste a second before he's reaching out, bypassing the texting altogether. ]
Marta ... ? Marta, you there? You — you hear me?
no subject
it's the sound of his voice that reminds her of the last message he'd sent, drawing her back to just moments prior when she'd finally gotten them all. recalling the worry in his texts, the growing urgency there, to finally that long voice message. a voice she doesn't know, spoken in a warmth she's grown to yearn for.
it's the urgency in his tone that brings her back to the present. ]
I'm here. [ her voice is a soft rasp, wrapped up in bewildered relief. there's soon a thickness to her words, giving the impression of wide, watery eyes. ] Takeshi... I'm here. I hear you.
no subject
the last few weeks weren't any different from what he's used to, of people leaving and disappearing, of getting used to someone simply not being there anymore. but it doesn't mean he hasn't missed her, hasn't felt the difference when she isn't there.]
Good. [ he'd probably be reaching for her now, if he could, tucking back her hair and looking her over, making sure she isn't hurt. ] Are you safe?
no subject
[ as safe as one can be, in a place like sedorum, but she opts not to make mention of something that would only needlessly worry him. selfishly, she wants to hold onto that relief in his voice for just a little while longer. ]
What about you? You... [ while she doubts this planet's version of heaven could be troubling, she recalls what his message had told her, how different he sounds now. after so long... certainly it would have been unsettling. ] Has it gotten any easier?
no subject
maybe this is all he can get for now. selfishly, he wants more, more than just a call. but kovacs is used to not having things the way he'd want. ]
Envoys are trained for this kind of thing. [ switching sleeves, adjusting to a new environment. ] Don't worry about me. As long as ... you're okay.
no subject
[ but she doesn't much care to get into the details of this hell. how lonely it's been without his presence. how even the books she'd brought along this time read dry without his constant, unprompted commentary. ]
Tell me about Taeum. [ tell me a story.
in a gentle, teasing tone: ] Have you made any friends?
no subject
even now, he can't stop letting his mind spin trying to figure out how he could possibly get her out, despite knowing it isn't in his cards right now. ]
Guy like me? Everyone's been tripping over themselves to be my buddy. [ he can at least join her in that momentary playfulness, a near chuckle in his breath for a moment.
but he thinks about her question, about the world he's been stuck in. ]
It's supposed to be some kind of heaven. Supposedly, everyone's worked so hard at being good and pure while they were alive that they've now earned themselves everything they could ever want — endless drugs, booze, sex. [ he very nearly laughs. ] It's all just fake theater up here.
[ he pauses for a moment before he adds, ]
They've got all these rooms here that all look different when you walk in, all filled with places and landscapes to draw you in, make you feel comfortable. They ... have a room full of stars.
no subject
When I realized where you'd gone, I had hoped... You hear so much how Heaven is supposed to be some endless peace. I thought maybe you finally got some rest.
[ maybe he had. but something in the dryness of his tone has her doubting it.
but it's not something she wants to dwell in. not now when she's finally got him here, to herself. she tries to keep the small smile out of her tone when she continues, but she'd never been very good at hiding her feelings. ]
You don't really see the stars here. Even though I'm pretty sure it's always nighttime, but the entire city looks like it's under some red light that never goes away.
How did they look? [ she chews on her lip a little. ] Happy for your company, I bet.