This is the reason why no one on the Red Fish should have hobbies outside of punching people...

[blindoptimism]

Who: The motley crew of the SS Redfish
Broadcast: None
Action: Boarding area of the Red Fish
When: Backdated to Part 1 of the June Bug plot

[On tonight's episode, Coil and Zhas return to the Red Fish with a squirmy live bug in tow. Coil intends to perform untold experiments on the living specimen. But it seems like trouble is brewing on the once peaceful ship... Will the other crew members be okay with these morally questionable experiments taking place on board? Tune in tonight to find out!]

Comments

[theboogieman]

Stop!

[which one is he shouting at? might as well be everybody--Syeira's panic, Cassandra's sidearm, Coil's 'talking' in his peripheral. with an angry snarl he grapples up one of the limbs that keep twitching away from him.

Coil's the only one who's heard him argue like this before. that voice of his gets scary when there's actually feeling in it--frustration, in this case.]

We won't get another chance at this! It's barely even sentient, what do you care about it!

[he would not hold onto this thing solely for the chance to pick apart at a living creature. this thing is an ant to him, invading a home it doesn't belong to.]

You've seen them. They attack us without hesitation, without reason, with full intent to kill. They are dangerous to anyone who comes across them. Everything we learn can be used to prevent them from spreading to other worlds and causing more destruction!

[child_of_bhaal]

[Ah but, Syeira has been that ant. And she starts shouting now too.]

I don't care! It's one thing to kill when you're attacked, but this is wrong! You can't cut it apart while it's alive, and fighting and screaming and begging-

[At some point, there were tears, and she is suddenly looking up at them because her knees gave out, since she's not breathing enough. She feels tinglingly numb up to her wrists and ankles. Her lips feel cold. She can't breathe. There's not enough air.]

[openhands]

[Cassandra is torn. Simply put, she doesn't trust Zhas and Coil enough not to exploit her moving over even a little to comfort Syeira. But she cannot remain there impassively either. After a few brief seconds, she moves down beside Syeira on the ground and wraps an arm around her shoulders. She rubs at Syeira's arm, anything to keep her physical sensations here and in the present moment. She tells Syeira quietly that it's alright. It's not, technically speaking. It won't be until Coil and Zhas stand down from this. But nothing and no one is going to hurt Syeira.]

[She has not raised her voice yet and she will not start now. She speaks evenly and calmly, but not without a cold anger behind it as she looks up at Zhas and Coil. There is a slight curl of disgust to her lips.]

You speak self-righteously and of a higher cause, and yet all I see is depravity. If these creatures are barely sentient, what makes you think they are such a threat? They are easily killed and they only mean to protect their territory or else they would have made attempts to infest the entire fleet by now.

[She narrows her eyes at Zhas in particular.]

I would have expected something like this from him, but I thought you an honorable man, Zhas. I see now that I was wrong. You are little more than a mad dog off its leash if you truly think what you are doing is just.

[theboogieman]

[see, this is why Zhas says he isn't supposed to be around normal people.

he's somewhat taken aback by Syeira's shouting and consequential meltdown on the floor--the way he edges towards her almost makes it seem like he wants to help or do something, but he can't surrender his captured bug to do it. it's obvious that she's somewhere else right now. if he can just get her to stop, maybe--

but Cassandra moves in first, berating him. were he a better person, a more patient person, he might stop to consider anything that she's saying--but her words just fall on him as empty nonsense. things that don't matter. things that are getting in the way.]

For fuck's sake.

[which, somewhat ironically, may be the most human thing that Zhas has ever said.

if he gives up, he loses. trouble with Coil. trouble with the balance of things--his carefully structured territory isn't his anymore. but if he tries to push past them, it'll escalate--and they'll lose anyway. they cannot tactically make it past Cassandra and expect to take their live subject with them.

in a way, this fight is already over. he just has to decide which bullet to take.

seething, letting out a tight breath, he turns back to his friend.]

Coil, drop it.

[mortalcoil]

[the fact that he recognizes the soul-deep fear that is ruining Syeira does anything but drum up sympathy in Coil. maybe it might have in some other instance, when he'd be capable of seeing past his all-important goal, but right now... all he sees is the same uselessness and paralysis that grips him at all the worst moments, and it just makes him angrier.

she isn't present, grounded, and it's all because she's being blinded by fear. they're all blind. they aren't even looking. why can't they just see...

Coil can't yell, but he can argue. he only stares open-mouthed at Zhas for a moment before he shakes his head, begs him with his gaze. don't do this.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[No, Syeira is not present. She hadn't expected this to happen and the flashes of knife edged memories are drowning her in fear.

They say you can't remember pain, but what was done to her wasn't just steel and fire on flesh and bone. Irenicus had gone inside her being and ravaged and ruined for the sake of his all-important goal.

Her eyes are open but Coil's face is replaced in blinks and flashes by Irenicus'. She was a bug to him. A means to an end. Calling it torture had drawn no more sympathy from him than a spider has for a fly.

He'd do it to you too. The voice in her head isn't hers. The Taint coos and promises safety. Just kill him, kill them both and she'll be safe. Everyone would be safer.

Yellow creeps into what's left of her irises, shines and falters briefly. Syeira leans against Cassandra heavily, fighting an internal battle on two fronts. But she'd rather pass out from hyperventilating than let the Taint rise up. She wins one field, and the yellow glow is gone as fast as it came. Maybe Zhas and Coil would see it. Maybe not. It's incidental to her at the moment, because her head is swimming, and the numbness from lack of air has crawled up into her chest.

She's going to faint. That's okay. It's better than the alternative.]

[openhands]

[As Syeira begins to weigh down heavier on Cassandra, she's forced to shift her position in order to keep the other woman a little more upright as well as herself. She doesn't notice the flash of gold in Syeira's eyes as she's more focused on the exchange between Coil and Zhas. She doesn't understand nor really care why Coil continues to fight the battle when it's already been lost. They just need to have this conversation some other time and deal with the problem at hand.]

Zhas, dispose of it. Now.

[As Syeira appears to be passing out, Cassandra turns her attention back to her. She curses softly and expects she will need to carry Syeira back to her room. But not until this bug is dealt with. She still (albeit reluctantly) holsters her sidearm once more.]

[theboogieman]

[Zhas notices. he only catches Syeira's change out of the corner of his eye, but he doesn't need to see more--he's tense and subconsciously running through how quickly he could drop this thing, spin around, and shoot her between the eyes. he doesn't have time to be relieved when she faints, but it will probably catch up with him later.

at least it quiets things down. he grimaces when Cassandra says the second worse thing she could have said--and snarls back over at her with a venom she doesn't deserve.]

Shut up.

[don't ruin this, don't make this worse. don't align the two of them when Coil's already going to have his faith shaken. he turns back to Coil quickly--and at least when he caves, he caves with steadfast determination and the same, terrifying authority he always has.]

Drop it.

[mortalcoil]

[at least Coil isn't looking at Cassandra at all during those moments. he's visibly full of hate, but he's focused on Zhas, just like he should be.

and even so, he still stares hard for several moments too long before he finally acts. it is a conscious, deliberate rebellion--however small it is.

and then, setting his jaw against everything, he finally throws his half of the bug to the floor, and firmly steps on whatever limb is most convenient, holding it still. it continues to thrash and fight, but at least it isn't going to writhe completely out of control and catch one of them in the leg.

this is as much cooperation as they're going to get, and it's already a stretch for him.]

[theboogieman]

[he knows it's deliberate. they went through this already. this is going to be a much bigger mess than any of them bargained for.

he drops the bug and draws his gun before it's even hit the floor. he shoots it twice without blinking, and doesn't take his eyes or his gun off of the twitching corpse until it finally goes completely still.

he holsters his gun again in the silence, turning to Coil again with that same intensity--just quieter, now.]

Off the ship.

[mortalcoil]

[another pointed, tight-jawed delay--just a little thing to someone who doesn't know him, but the fact that he is fighting with anger is not usual for him at all.

when did this become a thing that happened? this didn't ever used to be a problem, and now he feels maddened by it.

he still has the presence of mind to obey, however. his jaw tightens, but he doesn't argue, and he doesn't sigh. it all manages to stay frozen under a very thin sheet of ice. and eventually, he only turns to march off in the direction of his bunk.

it isn't the most direct route to obeying his orders, but he wouldn't look so angry if he wasn't intending on leaving as instructed. he'll move past whoever is in his way without a glance, without even the barest acknowledgement.

he just needs to get a few things, and then he'll be gone.]

[blindoptimism]

[In the tense silence that follows, everyone can probably hear the whirring of Nunnally's chair as it rolls their way. Her breathing sounds a little heavy, the motor wasn't running fast enough and she was trying to push her chair to go faster. But it didn't work, and by the time she got there the fight was over. She was only able to hear bits and pieces of the argument, the loud ones that rang against the metal halls. But as Coil storms off to gather his things, Nunnally's eyes flick between the remaining crew members. The look on everyone's faces... she wasn't fast enough.

She takes a deep breath to slow her own breathing, and tries to push out a feeling of calm over the group. But she's never attempted to use her Lull augment powers in a tense situation like this one, there's no way to know if her efforts will have any effect. But after her attempt, she sits up straight and looks at Cassandra.]

Cassandra, could you please help Syeira to her room? Or, if she wakes up the kitchen might be best. Some water and light food will help. [she rolls her chair forward, and even though Syeira is out for the count at the moment, she squeezes the woman's limp hand gently, and then moves her chair aside so that they can depart. And, before they have the chance to leave, she looks back at Zhas. She signs something to the effect of--]

I'd like to speak with you. [and Coil, but she wants to initiate that contact herself, not treat Zhas like some middle man. And, because she wants to be precise in this part, she speaks the next sentence] But if you need a moment to collect yourself, or dispose of this creature, I understand.

[openhands]

[Due to both her changing opinions about her crew and the simple fact she is unaware of the fracture that has occurred between Zhas and Coil, Cassandra feels little sympathy when Coil runs off. She thinks he is acting as little more than a petulant child right now, and even that feels too generous a description.]

[When Nunnally arrives, Cassandra straightens some from where she is on the floor next to Syeira. She opens her mouth to say something, but Nunnally speaks first and so she closes her mouth. At the order, she nods.]

Yes, Captain.

[Cassandra shifts her hold on Syeira, hooking an arm beneath Syeira's knees. The woman is by no means heavy and so Cassandra is able to simultaneously lift her and get to her feet in a fluid motion. She has no idea what Nunnally is signing and looks for a moment as she silently communicates to Zhas. Frankly, she doesn't like it and finds it frustrating, but there is little she can do about it. So, she leaves without so much as another word to place Syeira in her own bed. She will fetch some water from the kitchen and leave it at her bedside, but otherwise will leave Syeira to recover on her own. Either way, she is done talking to anyone about this for now.]

[theboogieman]

[he finally feels a twinge of proper human regret when Nunnally appears in the hallway--because this is exactly the kind of thing he's always been worried about her having to deal with. he is well aware that he does terrible things that "normal" people don't like. he doesn't like acting like a monster around people who don't deserve to see it.

which at least brings him to the "maybe I didn't think this one out very well" conclusion. about time.

he glances over at Syeira and Cassandra both as they start moving--though Nunnally's orders are what finally keep his attention. it takes him a moment to answer. if he's still infuriated, something about Nunnally's being there makes him keep it pretty far under the surface--but he still has to think.

his eventual answer is to nod.] A minute.

[yeeeeah, he's just going to haul up the bug-corpse by the anatomic equivalent of a shoulder and take it outside, first. it's heavy, but a lot easier to carry when it's not twitching and struggling.

he's got to go sort some shit out in his head, first. he'll be back.]