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[deferences]

lan.sizhui

TEXT • AUDIO • VIDEO • ACTION

XIMILIA

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action; before the mission

[hindsights]

[ it feels like a lifetime ago that cal kestis walked the halls of the ximilia. it's been years for him, he knows, but others have said it's barely been days since they last saw him.

or at least a younger version of him.

it's hard to really wrap his head around it, even if the force affirms that this is reality and not some sort of break after -- after nova garon, after bode. after everything seemed to slip through his fingers and all he wanted was to make someone pay for the loss of it all.

cal shakes his head.

he's headed toward the kitchens when he spots a familiar figure walking opposite of him; it's some one he knows. it's sizhui, of course, and he can't help by try to push his own whirlwind of thoughts down to focus on the young man approaching him. last they saw each other, cal was younger than him -- he could even tell without asking the other's age. now he's not so sure.

what he is sure of is the wave of sadness, as if something isn't quite right and cal's sure that's the force and it's coming from his friend. ]

Sizhui? [ he calls out. just in case -- he doesn't want to startle anyone else with the way he's grown. ] Are you alright?

[ and what a loaded question, kestis. when you're about to give the guy a surprise! ]

[deferences]

[best believe, cal's not the only one with thoughts that are going a million miles a minute; it wasn't unknown to him that people leave, return home, whether their regrets were fixed or not, but it still doesn't hurt any less to have lost someone he'd felt like he was forming a bond with.

sizhui, of course, is trying his absolute hardest not to let it get to him, despite the fact it's more and more difficult with each passing day. perhaps it's fortunate, he hadn't been given a chance to realize cal was missing those few days during this situation, but it also means he's definitely in for a shock once he lifts his attention from where he's halfway dragging his feet across the ground on his way to the kitchen.

the sound of his name draws his attention first, has him pausing mid-step and glancing up at the familiar sound, his lips initially quirked on one side when he says,] Ah... hello, Cal, I'm— [then he gets a whole eyeful of cal and astonishment overtakes his features, his brows lifted and mouth faintly hanging open. wow, he looks so... different? yet also the same. (there's no mistaking that red hair, after all!)

rather than continue standing there, gaping like a fish out of water and possibly offending his friend, lan sizhui shakes his head, exhales a laugh then raises a hand to cover the even wider smile that's come across his face now.] Goodness, look at you! I almost didn't recognize you. [maybe he's overexaggerating a little? it's fine, don't worry about it.]