fierybluebird | 3 - [Video] ((In which phoenixes plot for their own amusement))

[Disoriented Marco is snapping out of his post-chip removal coma and mild bird after affects with his eyes blocked off by one of Nami's bras, an egg safely bundled where he thought the communicator would be, and he's spread out on top of Ace's chest where once a fiery blue phoenix was. You can still still some of the fiery down and sparkles left all over the couch and pillow fort that looks like a nest. After some more scrambling, Marco gets the bra off his head and stares at in his hand, still eternally deadpan even about that.]

Well, must have been one hell of a party. [There's a small burst of blue flames about his arms, as he checks something much to a relieved sigh. Then he notices the egg. And that he's straddling Ace. This one's going to take him a while.]

No, even drunk I'm pretty sure I can't lay eggs. [Carefully inspects it for signs of cracks or life, but really it's just a normal hen egg so he wraps it in a scarf and rubs his chin, back to the mystery of the bra.] Now if I can just figure out who you belong to before Ace wakes up, maybe I can bluff knowing exactly what we did. Or make up something more dramatic.

[And THEN he realizes it's been a couple of days and there's some decorations up.] Shit... how long have I been out? I hope I didn't miss Christmas, I didn't get to ask the scientists for pictures or bounty posters of the crew. [That said, Marco gets distracted with an evil grin and apparently devising a plot to put the bra on Ace. With luck, they were both drunk and Ace remembers even less. Doing SOMETHING with the bra, he finds the communicator and shuts it off.]

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[Holds it up from inside the scarf.]

I think it's just a regular hen egg. I don't hear any life from it, actually I think it might be cooked. So the better question is why it's here.

[ Ethan shrugs, winces, and manages a flickering smile that dies almost instantly. ]

Late night snack? Early breakfast?

[Pales a little.] Not for me. I'm not a fan of eggs unless they're cooked in something.

Oh. [ He swallows, looking confused. Did he say something wrong? ]

[Waves a hand and grins cheerfully.]

Mah, maybe it's Ace's. Although I can't imagine him eating just one. Maybe it's a practical joke, eh.

[ Ethan looks relieved, he's so inexperienced these days in dealing with people. He tends to avoid them whenever he can. Now that he can't - he's doing his best not to offend those he's getting to know. ]

Maybe that's the only one left.

[ The smile is again brief, barely there. ]

[Laughs cheerfully.]

That sounds like a possibility.

[ The smile flickers again, for a bit longer this time, encouraged by Marco's laughter. Then his brow furrows, and he looks down and recalls his sorrow. He swallows, and looks ashamed for having smiled. ]

[Hesitant pause.]

You all right there?

[ Ethan shakes his head, shrugging painfully. ]

It's...nevermind...

You sure about that?

[ He swallows, not meeting his new friend's eyes. ]

Just...the usual...

[ His brow furrows and his jaw tightens. ]

It takes time.

[ He nods jerkingly, pushing down the lump in his throat. ]

R-right. Time.

I'll let you know when it stops hurting, but they wouldn't want us to not move on, eh.

Move on... [ His voice is bitterness, directed not at Marco but at himself. ]

I can never forget...

They're not one and the same, eh. You're not meant to forget those kind of things, just reach a place where it doesn't feel like someone reached inside your stomach and pulled out all your guts in order to twist them into knots every time you think about it.

[ He swallows, very familiar with that feeling. He can't find words at the moment. ]

It happens. When the fond memories stop hurting.

Eve with... some of the darkest of circumstances. [Closes eyes and looks away, taking a moment himself.] So I'm told.

[ Ethan nods, still barely controlling his emotions, but also unable to conceal his feeling of kinship with this other man. So...they have both suffered the same kind of pain. ]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[ He manages to offer, voice coarse. ]

Likewise, eh.

It's strange. That your son liked birds and flying. I'm not usually much of one for coincidences.

[ His brow furrows. ] It's strange?

I lost my father, just a month ago in a war.

And I, myself, have a certain... knack with birds. And flying. Sorry if that's unsettling. Just something that stuck with me, it's just... well strange.