SHUFFLE/WAY-STATION/ILLNESS/WHATEVER MINGLE POST

[save_the_souls]

Who: You! Me! Him! Her! Them! Everyone!
Broadcast: If you want!
Action: On your respective ships, or the Waystations!
When: After the shuffle over the next couple days! Whenever man!

[It's been nearly a week since the fleet's said their goodbyes to the planet full of skull face folks, and another Shuffle has come and gone. Despite what was mentioned on the last week's Shuffle about cannibalism, it doesn't seem like any crews has resorted to that, so maybe some of you have begun to relax.]

[Or maybe not. In fact, maybe you should do a crew headcount just in case1.]

[By now, some of you who handled any red stones from the planet natives may be feeling under the weather or even downright shitty. But hey! What's that to stop you from visiting the way-stations? These way-stations may be in the same crappy condition as the last way-stations - but at least they're people on these ones! Really...shady looking people! But that's not about to stop you from making friends right2?]

[Essentially, this is a game wide mingle post for this week's shuffle, November's way-stations anyone getting ill, or anything else you want to do but too lazy to make a post about! Please feel free to tag in and tag around! Just make sure to put your characters' location and communication methods (action/network) in the header and/or in the prompts!]

1. - This recommendation goes double for the SS Blue Fish.
2. - Warning: Attempts to make friends with extremely shady characters on the Way-Stations may result in heartwarming musical numbers, or much, much more likely - being kidnapped. Please use your own discretion.

Comments

action | waystation

[catamite]

[he'd known the shitty drugs from the machines weren't worth much and weren't going to keep his system very satisfied... but he was feeling way worse than he expected to be. he's interpreting his symptoms as withdrawal, so... of course, he goes ahead and spends all his money on more drugs. because that makes sense.

which means he's got nothing left for the things he needs.

and this means that there is now a sick-looking little elf scumming around the stations, slinking on up to whoever he can find to try and make friends.

he's a little mooch and he's everywhere. he could be haunting around the station and sidling up with a smile, even peeking into open doors for those who don't want to leave the shelter of their ships. or maybe he's nearby and just trying to make friends with the wrong sort of strangers. this kid is totally going to end up kidnapped if he keeps it up.]

[payback]

[this little airhead...

Rin is in one of her invisible spates when she catches him nuzzling up on a bunch of greasy space pirate types. It's all very nostalgic but she actually has to do a double take here - because - is that Nel? Is it really? It sure looks like him, with the strung-out face, the dye-damaged hair, and the pointy little ears.

All they need is a flaming barrel for her to shove over on some lowlifes. She'd love one of those. It's missing from the scene, alas... so she drops her disguise and goes over to scruff him away by hand if she can at all manage it. Prepared to throw the mother of all fits if necessary.]

Nel?

[catamite]

--Huh?

[the confusion hits him from several different directions--suddenly pulled away from what he'd considered a promising situation, confronted by a face that he recognizes but doesn't fit with his current world, and a haze of discomfort and weakness laid over the whole thing.

the lowlifes they're attempting to abandon bark a low 'hey' after them as they start to move away, and Nel is stuck just staring at her. pretty much just as helpful in a confrontation as the last time this had happened to them]

[payback]

Are you trying to get killed?

[Being exasperated with him is a safe fallback, so she hisses at him while she walks a little faster. Her head is kind of spinning with the desire to pinch him and see if he's real, pinch herself and see if she's dreaming, and shake him hard for a while for no concrete reason. She does none of these things and instead calls back sweetly:]

Sorry! I have to take him back to my ship, important meeting!

[And then she walks him faster as a few scrubs actually come strolling after them. God in heaven. Or something. NELLLLL...]

[catamite]

What's happening...

[his alarm is quiet but sharp, rising up in his throat like bile. It feels like his brain or his world or reality is collapsing a little bit.

he shoots a glance behind them, and he shouldn't have.

he looks back to her afterward, eyes wide and stressed]

Rin...?

[payback]

Yeah... God! How long have you been here?

[She slides her hand down his arm to take his hand in hers.]

Let's just run, okay?

[catamite]

O-okay...

[run. he can do that. it's easier than thinking.

so he just bolts, because he can hear the footsteps behind them getting closer. maybe if they run, they'll at least cause enough of a scene that they'll seem like more trouble than they're worth, banking on the fact that they're still pretty much in a public space]

[payback]

Ah-!

[She said let's run but she wasn't expecting him to take off right then just like that. She stumbles and his hand actually rips out of hers -

That said, she's immediately hot on his heels, with much the same idea. So to top the whole thing off she also starts screaming, projecting as much fearful hysteria as she possibly can into her voice:]

Robin! Robin! Michael! RIKU!

[MAN ONE OF THEM HAS TO HEAR HER RIGHT man she HOPES one of them is out there to hear her and not drunk, or something.]

[catamite]

[she's doing a great job of screaming her lungs out, but Nel has a much more direct goal in mind. his ship isn't far, and it's one place that he knows he can lock people out of.

so, as they bolt down the avenue of parked ships--both Fleet and foreign--Nel darts in to slap the access pad on the outside of one of them. the door unseals and begins to lower with a pneumatic hiss]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[he's kind of got a knack for knowing when his friends are in trouble... but the shrill screaming doesn't hurt, either. what in the nine thrones is all that noise about?

he hurries out to the parked ships to see Rin and--wait, what?]

What the--?

[payback]

Robiiiiiin!

[Rin gives up on waiting for help to arrive, turns around from the door, and launches herself like a human bottle rocket to try and headbutt some tall dude in the chin.

It kind of works but it's also kind of the worst idea ever and she reels away from the guy. Also, that's definitely Nel right there.]

[catamite]

[that was Nel right there. as soon as the sluggish door lowers enough, the jittery elf springs up and latches onto the edge of it. pole-dancing can be thanked for the upper body strength needed to pull himself up and over.

he doesn't forget Rin though. he hangs an arm down in her direction once he's safe.]

C'mon!

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[what... what... no no no! hey! that's not fair!]

Hey!

[you know what, he's just going to shove those greaseballs aside, waving his arm like he's swatting off a fly. they get dragged off their feet by their circulatory systems; really stings, that.

he, on the other hand, walks towards the door to catch it before it closes.]

[payback]

[Rin blunders back for the door, vaguely registers that Nel is offering her a hand up, and leaps for it. She registers that someone is walking towards them before she registers that it's Robin, so she tries to kick him, still dangling from Nel's grip.]

[catamite]

[Nel just uselessly yells... because Rin is either going to get yanked back out of the ship by whoever is catching the door, or the door is going to close on her and Nel really doesn't want to see what will happen if that ends up being the case.

so yeah, yelling. that's what he has to contribute to this.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[o...kay. he catches her foot, but lets it go pretty fast.

but he reaches over, slaps his hand on the access pad, and then yanks the door down with a horrible, groaning whir.]

Can we all stop yelling for a second!? [he yells rather pointedly into the opening...]

[payback]

Gyahhh! [NO MORE YELLING. She flounders in midair, lets go of Nel, and hits the ground hard on the ass.]

Ah-ahhhh... [That hurt OAQ the tail under the Q is a single welling tear]

[catamite]

[and without Rin to hold onto, and the door moving even more now... Nel loses his grip with a yelp and falls.

he slides and hits the ground inside the ship, also on his ass.

owww...]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

All right, all right, come on.

[he sounds kind of mad. he walks past everyone into the ship, gets ready to close the door.]

Everyone in before I close the door.

[siegel]

[ though he's been busy trying to squeeze into the the bunks every night and sorting through the piled up containers on his ship, chris recognizes a crew member when he sees one. while he'd be disappointed to find out about the cheap drugs; the crowd nel sticks to is enough of a reason for chris to move towards the lot of 'em. ruffling the kid's hair and nudging his head down in a slight bow as he leads the both of them away from the gangsta's paradise. ]

Nice try, but you're not sliding away from your post that easily. And I could use your help on the ship.

[ a flimsy front he gives in front of the other guys in an effort to break off and find a quieter place to get the skinny on this kid. ]

[catamite]

What, I--

[he's a little slow on the uptake at first, shuffling and confused as he's suddenly ruffled and escorted in the other direction. but once he glances up and actually sees who it is there, he catches on pretty quick. at least considering how spacey and sick he looks.

he's pretty used to hopping into a quick lie when needed.]

--Ugh, okay... yes sir...

[and the guys he'd been hanging around don't seem too happy about their kidnappable new friend being carted away, so they're almost looking like they're going to follow... but Chris doesn't exactly look like a pushover. so they reluctantly hang back.]

[siegel]

[ chris does a good job of not paying the thugs any mind, outside of keeping the group in his periphery and being aware of their immediate surroundings. easy enough to manage that it carries through his motions, all thanks to his job back home and bouncing in koriko. while he might not be the best at negotiations, diffusing potential scuffles or fights is something he feels like he excels at.

plus, he's had to hold back a certain partner from potential fistfights on more than one occasion. good times. ]

Save that for our captain, though I don't think she'd be too keen on it. [ the joke is light in face of their odd situation, moving to rest his arm more comfortably on the boy's shoulders. hand loose just in case he needs to throw it up and defend. ] What was that about, anyway?

[catamite]

[Nel is at least smart enough not to glance back at the thugs, but one ear flattens back a little as he listens to keep track of where they are.

it's mostly a subconscious move, though. the majority of his attention is focused kind of sheepishly up at Chris as he's ushered away. starting to wonder if he's in trouble for something, so he's got an automatic, defensive smile despite feeling like crap]

What was what? I was just talking to some guys...

[siegel]

[ nel's reply garners a no-nonsense response out of him. as serious as a guy can get with a gross beard and pink yukata, but same difference. they continue to walk uninterrupted for now, and he's fine with that. ]

Is that right? [ his arm is more snug against nel's nape, getting a feel of a slight flush and wetness. he'd chalk it up to sickness, or withdrawal, if he know about the drug use. ] The bit of sweat from your neck tells me otherwise. You looking to start trouble.. or are you coming down with something and going a little stir crazy, too?

[catamite]

[an awkward laugh because... he's not used to anyone paying that close of attention to him. even his handlers from back home tended to gloss over the details.]

No, I wouldn't cause trouble... [getting into trouble is a different matter, but] ...I'm just. Yeah.

I don't feel great and sick of being on the ship, I guess.

[because it's true enough, even without the withdrawal]