geonomy | Drift Fleet Inbox/Appointments

Oh, uh... [Wow, and here he thought Allen had a plan and everything. Welp. Time to think!] I don't know, maybe... My room? Nah, someone might come in. Then... somewhere ooon... the Iskaulit?

[He considers...then his eyes light up]

Hmm...The Iskaulit would work! I think I know just the spot too.

[You get to know a ship pretty well when you spent a lot of time on there taking out the previous crew!! I mean- surveying the damage]

[Clay knows the ship, but probably not quite as well. He's been focusing on his own ship and trying to upgrade it for his crew, after all.]

Alright. Then lead the way!

[He can't help looking a little excited. Leaving a planet's atmosphere and going up into space was always one of the best parts of this whole thing to him.]

[He'll find himself smiling at Clay's excitement. Right, this was starting to look like a real plan! Sure, there were holiday parties probably going on in the Iskaulit- but he was sure they wouldn't be near those]

Great! [He'll gesture at one of Vanquish's docked shuttles] Will you fly us there?

Of course!

[He is the bEST FLIER OK, he'll never turn down an offer to fly. With that settled, he takes Allen's hand, then leads him to the shuttle he'd gestured to.] Onward to the Iskaulit!

[He'll follow along, holding onto Clay's hand and letting out a small amused sound. Man, it really was hard to not be in good spirits when Clay was around]

Yeah! Onward!

[AND SO. It doesn't take long for them to get there, with a quick countdown from Clay before lifting off. Honestly, as thrilling as it is to study a new planet like this, Clay is so glad to be away from that frigid cold. Landing at the Iskaulit and climbing out feels like a blessing, as it's not nearly as cold up here as it was on the planet, or even the Vanquish itself.]

So? Where to?

[Even for Allen, it's nice to be away from the frigid air. He was more used to the cold than Clay, but that didn't mean he loved it like Katara and Sokka did.]

This way.

[He'll take Clay's hand again, and start to lead him with a manner of purpose. He seems to veer away from the public area- the part of the ship that was housing the various venues or venues under construction. Instead, he starts heading into the part of the ship that hasn't been renovated yet, the part that hasn't really been repaired or touched all that much since the original clearing of the ship.]

It's not the easiest spot to get to. You don't mind that, right?

[It's not surprising that Allen's leading him away from the more public areas, seeing how he wanted a private spot in the first place. Still, he hasn't really been this way before, so he glances around at his surroundings as he follows his boyfriend.]

Nah, I think I can handle it. Or you can help me out if I can't.

[There's no denying Allen's stronger than Clay, and he has no qualms at all with getting help from him if he needs it. Heck, it's honestly really cool.]

Of course.

[He'll keep leading the way. It's a bit of a walk. Sometimes they have to turn because a passage is blocked, and sometimes they have to step over some rubble (which every time Allen hops over and offers his hand to Clay like a gentleman). Eventually, they'll come to what seems like an elevator shaft, with the door to the elevator pushed open. Allen will lean into the shaft to look around.]

Ah...looks the lift's still out. [He pulls back and smiles at Clay.] Okay we're almost there, but I'll need you to hold onto me.

[And every time Allen would hop over and offer his hand, Clay would take it, though also hop over it with just as much ease. He may not be a super strong person like Allen, but he's still more so than the average person.

But with the elevator shaft, that's a different story. He can't do it and he knows it, and so he returns that smile while moving to Allen's right side, where he wraps his arms around his neck and shoulders.]

Got it. Do your stuff, Starlight.

[It's okay it's not that Allen thinks Clay is weak when he does that. He wouldn't have brought Clay along if he was actually worried he couldn't get over some rubble. He's just well, a gentleman.]

[He gives a nod at Clay's words, wrapping his right arm around Clay's waist. Looking back into the shaft up Allen looks up, up and up a specific spot. When he finds it- a pipe that hangs above an ajar door several stories up- he holds up his left hand and activates his powers just enough to shoot out a ~~spiderman web~~ white ribbon that goes up high and fast until it reaches the pipe, wrapping around it while still attached to his left wrist on the other end. He tugs on it a couple times to make sure it's secure. When he seems satisfied:]

Okay, hold on tight!

[And that's the warning Clay gets before he jumps and the ribbon starts pulling them rapidly up the elevator shaft to that ajar door]

[Omg... this is totally Spider-man. And since Allen's commented on it before and thus knows what it is:]

So now you're Peter Parker -

[And it's about all he gets out before they're being pulled through the air by the webbing - er, ribbon. Clay lets out a surprised sound and holds on a little tighter, but lord, there's a huge grin on his face as he faces forward. It's faster than he thought it would be, but that's what makes it so great. It's like flying, but in a totally different way, and this time with his loved one at his side.]

[Allen doesn't answer right away, what with making sure they don't slam into something or slip. He was very used to doing this by himself, but with another person took a bit more concentration. But when they get high enough, he'll use the momentum they're going to kick and swing into that open door.]

[Clay will find them landing (on their feet even!) in what looks like an abandoned observation deck. It looks like it's been gutted and trashed, but from the looks of it, it looks like it was perhaps a fancy lounge or maybe a restaurant. Though those observations may be easy enough to miss due to the windows, which currently has a fantastic view of Arslae's auroras from orbit.]

Ha, I might have picked up a couple tricks from watching his movies, I'll admit...

[Because having powers doesn't stop you from being a nerd. But he'll deactivate his powers, making the ribbon glow green as it fades away.]

Anyway, we're here!

[At first, Clay's attention is on making sure he's good and balanced, laughing at what Allen said, and watching the ribbon fade. But then he turns to look at where they are, and...

Wow. Wow. Clay's jaw drops slightly at the sight, and he's immediately drawn towards it. He first walks, then jogs a bit to the window, where he presses his palms to it and looks out at the planet below them.]

Check it out...

[He says it quietly, as if he were talking to himself more than anything. Before this planet, he'd never seen an aurora outside of nature documentaries and pictures. So to see it in real life - like this, blanketing a planet while they're in the space that he loves so much... It's amazing. It's completely and utterly breathtaking.]

This is incredible.

[He'll follow along, keeping at a walking pace towards the window. It is a beautiful view- Allen's always appreciated coming up here. Not that he knew they'd be by the aurora when he decided to bring Clay up here- that was by pure lucky chance]

[Still, even if it's a beautiful view, Allen's more drawn by watching Clay's reaction to it all. The dropping jaw, the hushed tone, his wide eyes. It's just the sort of reaction that he wanted. He loved seeing it on him]

I thought you'd like it.

[He doesn't want to look away; he's not sure how long this aurora will last, whether it's minutes or hours or days. Still, he does look away briefly to give Allen a thrilled smile and a small huff of laughter before he turns his gaze to the aurora again, his hand reaching out a bit to blindly search for Allen's.]

You know how auroras happen?

[Clay's searching hand will get taken by Allen, intertwining his fingers with Clay's]

Not really. How do they happen?

When the charged particles of a star's upper atmosphere get powerful enough, it escapes its gravity and gets released into space. That's called a solar wind. And if that solar wind stays strong when it hits the Earth's magnetic field - or in this case, Arslae's magnetic field, it causes an aurora. You know how you drop a stone into water, and the surface ripples? It's like that, only it shows with an aurora.

[It's way more complicated than that, but Clay's all about simplifying something so that those who don't have a science degree can understand and appreciate it.]

[And he listens, trying to wrap his mind around that. Which yes, he deeply appreciates him simplifying it because let's face it- even if Allen's reading up on space he's still very much a guy who never attended school]

So they're caused when a strong wind from a star hits a planet's magnetic field....

[Huh okay, he could get that. He knows what magnets are so...magnetic field must be an invisible force field that has to do with that]

But then why do they only happen at the poles?

[Clay squeezes his hand; he's always so passionate about teaching others, so seeing the gears turn in Allen's head is thrilling to Clay.]

Because the poles are where the magnetic pull is the strongest. Think of it this way...

[He takes his eyes off the aurora again, lifting their entwined hands and turning them so that the back of Allen's hand faces them.]

This whole part - [He runs the fingers of his free hand over Allen's,] is a magnet, but the strongest pull is here. [And a tap to the top of Allen's hand, then his wrist] So whatever gets caught in the field? Would get pulled to here and here. [Another couple of taps, to the same spots] The same thing's happening out there. [He gestures outside again, to the aurora.] The charged particles of a solar wind gather at the poles, hit the atmosphere, and make the aurora.

[He watches and listens to Clay's demonstration, taking it all in. He knows Clay is passionate about teaching, he can see it every time Clay gives one of these explanations. And that passion? Well, it sure makes for an easier lesson. A lesson that would probably go over Allen's head if someone less skilled at teaching had said it]

[But still, he watches and tries to imagine the planet in that manner...trying to imagine this magnetic field that is strong enough to pull winds from a star to create such a light show]

Is that really...

[Possible? But then, something clicks]

Oh- wait! Is that the same reason compasses on Earth always point north? Because of that magnetic pull?

[And that click is why Clay loves doing this. It's the way the eyes light up in understanding, that oh that's visible throughout the entire body. He gives a big smile, then moves his hand up to give a pointed gesture, as if to tell Allen that he's got it.]

Exactly. Compasses are aligned to follow the magnetic field, and that's why they always point towards the North Pole.

Wow, I had no idea they were connected...

[The lights and the compass. It really wasn't something that ever crossed his mind. And wouldn't have, if it wasn't for Clay]

[He smiles, giving a squeeze of his hand]

I always learn so much from you.

[He squeezes his hand in return, a light blush of pleasure and happiness on his cheeks. This whole thing is just making his entire Christmas already.]

And I love teaching you. You always listen to everything and really take it all in.

[He reaches his free hand up to cup Allen's cheek, turning himself away from the view ahead to face his boyfriend]

I'm really glad you took me out here. Thank you.

[And with that, he leans him to give him a slow kiss on the lips, the aurora's light still shining enough to be noticed even from behind his closed eyes]

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