#tentatively ready for NaNo already lmao

[artdecosupernova-writing]

Find the Word Game XXVII

tagged by: @oh-no-another-idea!! my words: deliver, drive, death, dog tagging: @drippingmoon, @drabbleitout, @space-writes, and open tag your words: basic, ground, bed, after, before, during

deliver (Eternal)—

"I suspect he may still be harboring resentment toward me." Thrive sounded strangely casual, as if he were relaying information pertinent to their route and destination. "Resentment for what?" a familiar voice chimed in. It took Warren a minute to realize it was Varussa. Thrive didn't answer at first. "I've been distant lately. He deserves a level of presence from me that I'm afraid I can't deliver at present." "Is it that you can't deliver it, or you won't?" Guetry asked with an edge. "Because likely unbeknownst to our great and powerful leader, there is a difference." Warren blinked, his blood running cold at the callousness slithering around Guetry's question. He could imagine Thrive's face, the venom in his glare as each second of silence ticked on. Warren shook his head, ignoring the chill that bolted through him.

drive (Warpath)—

Warren looked around wildly for an answer. Scot was utterly lifeless beside him, still as a board and just as expressionless. The only signs of life in him were his flashing face seams, as if he'd begun to overload or compartmentalize his own emotions onto an external hard drive previously unseen. "Please," Warren choked. "No. This…this isn't real." "I didn't want it to go like this," ——— said. "I didn't want you to find out like this. I wanted to tell you sooner but I was told to ease you into it—" "How," Warren demanded, backing up until his shoulders hit the bulkhead. "How is this possible? How…?!" "I'm not me." ———'s eyes shone apologetically, with sorrow. "I'm not…I'm not the ——— you know. I'm not even supposed to be here. And especially not for long." The floor warped beneath Warren's feet. "I watched you die. I…I watched you die." "You did." The corners of ———'s mouth turned downward. "And I watched you die, too." Jasper was as lost as he could be. "...Is this a ghost?" "Yeah," ——— said, strained, looking at Jasper for the first time in a while. "You have no fuckin' idea, pal."

death (Meridian)—

Upon approaching Veneve's star system, Thrive stood at the front window of the Rodedra, a deep scowl of concern on his face. Warren stepped up beside him and got a look at the view—the star appeared to be a lot further along in its death than anticipated. Even from their temporarily safe position near Veneve's orbit, the sun looked different, more compact and bright blue. "Not good, guys," Thoeala said. "That thing could go off at any moment." "If it supernovas while we're evacuating the planet, there's no time to get away," Thrive muttered distractedly. He passed a hand over his chin. "...And I'd say the odds are astronomical in favor of that happening." Warren narrowed his eyes at him. "You sound okay with that, which is giving me more anxiety about the steadily rising possibility of you eventually becoming a supervillain." Thrive lost himself in his head for a few seconds. "Do you think I could stop it myself?" "You becoming a supervillain? Absolutely not. That's gonna be inevitable and not even you could stop that."

dog (Meridian)—

"Do not go after him." Warren's blood turned to ice. "What?" He shook his head. "It sounded like you said...it sounded like you said not to go after him. But that would be ridiculous, because we all need Thrive back, and we need him back in one piece." He regarded the orb with a hard look. "Right?" The messenger ceased its gentle bobbing in mid-air and became concentrated light near the viewscreen. "His capture by beings beyond our realm of knowledge has been—" "I don't know if you realize this," Warren interrupted, "but I've been around a long time. I've seen things I never should've seen and yet I've forgotten more of my trauma than half of my species has ever lived. I've got nothing but time, my guy. If you don't wanna help me, that's your prerogative, but I'll be damned if you think I'm gonna let you tell me not to find Orthrive'poliea because it's 'too dangerous.' I'm not scared of you or them, so fuck your entire selfish, righteous people for the big pile of dog-shit nothing you've done for me and him." The orb exploded outward, its light intensifying along with a window-rattling roar, like the scream of a blazing comet, filling bones with dread and ears with pain. It sent a chill down Warren's spine, injected him with necessary rage. When the onslaught of light and noise finally ceased, he did a visual sweep of the room to assess everyone's status, then turned back to the orb. "...Did you not hear what I just fucking said," he said darkly.