ACTION | guess who's back, back again (and sad about stuff)

[collegedropout]

Who: Sam Winchester
Broadcast: N/A
Action: SS Red Fish, space station
When: Today (3-3-16) and for rest of week in the station!

I. RED FISH - Locked to those involved in his waking up.

[The last thing that flashes in Sam's mind is pain - a sort of blinding, horrible, familiar pain. One he's endured before, both inside and outside the Cage. The last memory he has is of Lucifer -- Castiel -- Lucifer, it was Lucifer, and he had speared his hand into Sam's chest and gripped his soul there, pinched his nails into the light and was twisting it, wrenching it, pulling a scream from him before he lost consciousness. And then suddenly he's wide awake with a gasp, jumping up and staggering. He's so out of it, memory still a scratchy blur. Where is Lucifer? He puts a hand to the ache where the devil's hand had been.

He has to get Dean. Save Castiel. But he has no chance against... no chance...

His first thought isn't a space ship, and his first thought isn't being lightyears from home. His first thought is I have to protect myself, or Dean is definitely dead. He smashes a nearby mug, the glass a temporary weapon. Then he staggers out into the halls, the dreary skull decor right out of Lucifer's handbook, white glass clenched in hand.

His vision swarms in colors. He cuts his hand wide open. He's always cutting his hands open. He puts his hand to the wall and begins to paint a symbol in his blood. A sigil. Angel banishment. It will get rid of Lucifer; get him out, make sure he can't twist his fingers in Sam's soul again, give Sam time to think, wrap his pounding brain around what's happening. This isn't the bunker...? Was he teleported?

He's nearly done with the sigil. His hand is steady enough, and it's only minutely sloppy from the rush of finishing it before anything splatters him on the walls...]

II. Red Fish - OTA

[It's not too long after that his memory returns fully to him (and with it, guilt, because he kind of almost banished Cas into space). He sits in the kitchen with a troubled, thoughtful expression taking over his features, his hands wrapped around a less broken mug -- tea. His left hand is bandaged again, and every once and a while he presses the thumb of his uninjured hand into the wound. It's real. He breathes in, breathes out. He won't ask for this to be healed; he'd like it left as is.

He doesn't leave the kitchen for a few hours, just until he can... pull himself together. Something.

Castiel said yes. For some reason, he said yes. Dean is on a submarine heading for death. Sam is probably dead. Dean's vanished from the Fleet. He tries to piece together a silver lining.

Can't currently be done, turns out.]

III. Space station - Bar - OTA

[... Well, he can't just lock himself in the ship. The next day, he forces himself to return to the bar he's been working at; the main owner is surprised to see him, said that an orange-haired woman had told him he was likely not coming back in. Sam wastes no time reclaiming his place behind the bar, and he pastes on a slight smile as he prepares drinks for the ladies at the end of the bar, same as usual.

They say fake it 'til you make it, and Sam's always been pretty good at it.

(Until he's not, but whatever.)

This too shall pass. And then he can let it fester without concerning anyone else, like normal.

(There's gotta be something he can do.)]

IV. Space station - shopping - OTA

[Towards the end of the week, he goes out to see what he can afford on the credits he has. As it turns out, there's some very colorful yarn that he thinks Katie or Sansa might like, so he buys that. He also finds a new mug to replace the one he broke, because he does kind of feel bad that he shattered a perfectly good mug. Maybe he should just spend his credits buying other people stuff, because he's actually kind of feeling a little better doing that.

And that is went Sam became a temporary shop-a-holic.

One may find him traveling back with a few bags of things.

...... Just. Y'know. Things.

Maybe this is why there are talkshow specials on compulsive spending.]

Comments

[experiencepoints]

[Nightingale, having been hard at work trying to get that fox park set up, does occasionally need breaks. And what better place for a break than the bar? At least, to her credit, she's been going there a lot less lately, but still gives Sam a slight wave when she spots him. She should probably make an effort to talk to him, and do so nicely, since the last time she spoke to him was... her being depressing as fuck. Be positive, Nightingale, you can do it.]

Hey, haven't seen you in a while.

[collegedropout]

[Ah. Sam's demeanor switches up -- the uneasy, quiet contemplation becomes a thin-lipped smile, where it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He's used to it, having to sort of make things okay just through grinning and bearing it. He misses Dean already. He's worried about Dean infinitely, back home. Seems hard to imagine a good ending scenario to what just went down in his world.

But fuck it, he's gonna be positive toward the person he told to be positive.]

Oh, yeah. You know how it is. Awake one moment, knocked out for a few weeks the next.

Someone even painted my nails.

[experiencepoints]

... A few weeks.

[well, now she just looks alarmed.]

Are you all right?

[collegedropout]

[He doesn't want to alarm her; that's kind of one of his issues, really. He doesn't want to worry anyone with anything at all whatsoever. So he just offers a small shrug, trying to keep the tone light.]

I'm fine. Guess my augment decided to go a little haywire.

Heard it does that, sometimes.

I. I guess pile in here!

[namisan]

[Nami's visiting is a constant, usually swinging past the Red Fish after a bar shift, checking in, noting no change; his crew looks after him plenty fine, so there's not much for her to do except sit for a while and carry on half a conversation sometimes and then leave again, an hour after she'd come.

She's grown used to it, and the reassurance that he will wake up is only half helpful, because that reassurance came hand in hand with the idea of future memories. It's the reason she still visits, hoping that maybe he'll choose to wake up while she's there. Maybe it's needed. Maybe it isn't.

Used to it. So yeah, when Sam surges up out of bed like that, it's kind of a shock, and she recoils on her chair in surprise as he stumbles around the room.]

Sam...?

[He's white, shaking, and paying no attention to her at all. But maybe that's to be expected, considering. She's slow to move after him, not at all sure she should intervene. Up until the point he breaks the mug, at least. Then her voice is sharp enough to ring down the corridor of the Red Fish.]

Sam!

[What the hell are you doing?]

Dog pile on Sam

[child_of_bhaal]

[It's blood that catches her notice first. Blood always calls, signaling suffering, potential death. But she's not yet a slave to the thrill of death, and she calmly starts walking in search of the source. Thinking perhaps someone was just careless and hurt themselves.

And then she hears the shouting and picks up her pace. Rounding a corner, she sees Sam, and his friend -Nami? Isn't that her name? She needs to get her head back in order. She's missing all sorts of important things- and there's the blood being painted on the wall.]

What's going on here? Sam, what are you doing?

Sounds normal

[collegedropout]

[Sam looks back in startled confusion for a moment; he doesn't seem to be all there, not even when Nami and Sye call out to him -- but he tries to see through the mental fog as his mind and augment catch up. What are they doing here...? They shouldn't be here. Think. Think -- is this a fever dream? Is this Hell? Has he been dragged back down, after his soul's been used for whatever Lucifer's needs are?

His throat feels dry, and he speaks hoarsely -- breathlessly -- as he puts out a bloody hand to stop them; that hand is always bloody, always has a reason to be sliced into.]

Don't -- stay back. I need...

I need to make it safe. Stop him from getting in -- staying here. He's too strong to fight... It's almost done, I just...

[namisan]

[She didn't even see him cut his hand open, but it's across the palm and not the wrist so let's not panic just yet. Instead Nami glances up as Syeira enters the corridor with a small shake of her head. Sup, Captain-type.]

He just woke up. I don't think-- Sam. [She tries to catch the bloody hand-- lightly enough, not exerting force, mainly just to draw attention, hi, hello, I'm really here.] You're on the Red Fish. You're back on the Fleet.

[And given how he woke up, she swallows uneasily and says:] He's not here.

[Whoever he is. She can make a couple guesses, though.]

II

[interstices]

[Asuka pops in the kitchen a lot these days, mostly because it's generally peaceful there. Sitting around by her bed is too much like being back at WILLE and waiting on the next sortie. The station... it's okay, but overall too flashy for her preferences.]

[That being said, she has gone out there a few times, securing silly tourist-trap treats. She's munching on what at least looks and tastes somewhat like pastel macarons as she walks into the room, bag of the confections in her hand. At his presence, Asuka blinks once, then sort of shakes her head.]

I thought you weren't coming out of that.

[Another crunch and then she pulls up a chair in front of him, mild, usual frown on her face. He'd been all right to talk to earlier, and though she doesn't seek out too many people's company, he seems a bit too lost and weird for her to just abandon him in the kitchen alone. It's too much like ditching Shinji.]

You look like hell.

all these redheads on this post aw yea

[collegedropout]

[Ah — Asuka. He smiles up at her quietly from his place at the table, hoping she didn't hear him causing a ruckus earlier... Probably on the station, during that whole fiasco, which is one small mercy. Last thing he needs is knowing other people saw his little episode. But it's true, he looks terrible. Tired and beat-up in every way but physically, though his bandaged hand is another matter.]

Sorry. Didn't mean to check out like that.

[He appreciates the check-in. He'll give her his best energy, which isn't much, but it's better than a dark cloud over his head.]

Guess if you sleep for a few weeks, you look pretty messed up.

sob yes

[interstices]

What happened to you?

[After grabbing a few more of the sweets for herself, Asuka shoves the bag of macarons across the table as if in gruff payment. Her eye roves briefly over the bandage on his hand. He definitely didn't end up with that in his sleep, but she figures if he really wants her to know, he'll tell her.]

[If anything, he looks like he could use some more sleep. Hopefully this doesn't happen often, isn't just some bizarre, depressing quirk of the Fleet when there's not enough drama going on already. She eats her next pink macaron in silence, waiting for his response.]

[collegedropout]

[Ah... He's not one to flat-out reject any sort of offer, so he takes exactly one macaron to keep a hold of while he considers how to explain what happened. Telling truths and just omitting things here and there seems like an alright way to go. Right?]

Well... It's kind of weird, but I went back home for a little while.

It was a little, uh. Exhausting, is all. But I'm back now.

And II like the greedy person I am

[namisan]

[Nami doesn't follow him to the kitchen. Give him time to get used to the idea of being back, nurse a drink... she helps Sye clean up the bloody print on the wall and the glass fragments from Sam's room.

But she isn't leaving the Red Fish without talking to him. Not after the fiasco in the hallway. And they're crew, right? Crewmates just don't let crewmates brood on their own.

When she does enter the kitchen, it's to lay a line of credit chips on the table next to him, scattering them very slightly with a slide of her fingers.]

Here.

[collegedropout]

[Sam snaps out of his small trance when she lays down the chips, flinching and glancing up before he relaxes again; he's on edge, but that much was obvious not too long ago. He'd offered to clean his mess, but you know how it is. You get shooed away to tend to yourself, to lick your own wounds.

He reaches out with his uninjured hand, slowly scooping up the credits.

His brow furrows.]

What're these for...?

[namisan]

When it was obvious you weren't waking up any time soon, I swung by to let the bar know. [She slides into the seat opposite, glance flicking to the bandaged hand.] That's the last pay they owe you. I wasn't...sure you'd wake up again before we left the station.

Dean helped me get you back here. He was worried. Though he thought you were just drunk at first. [Said with a small quirk of the lips.] He was here a lot of the time.

[...just so, you know. He only vanished a couple days ago.]

I'm sorry, Sam.

[She still doesn't know the details of your home visit, but missing Dean's exit from the place... well. That's shitty as hell.]

[collegedropout]

[He looks at the credits with a slight twitch of his lips.]

... Thanks.

[He appreciates it. She'd been keeping an eye on him, he's assuming, which at the very least soothes his very turbulent mind right now. He's somewhere safe, with people who care about him. He needs to remember that moving forward. Whatever 'forward' entails. But Nami'll want to know, won't she? The details. Why he was the way he was...

The mention of Dean leaves him very quiet, but he closes his eyes and accepts it.]

It's okay. I think... he's at least going to be safe, at home. I think he is.

[Lucifer had said himself. He wanted to keep Dean alive.

But... what happens, when Dean gets back?]

IV

[flickerflash]

[She... actually follows him for a while without saying anything. Katie has absolutely no idea why he slept for so long, but she thinks maybe it was kind of bad for him.

Your echoes are just a little darker, Sam. And while she's relieved to find you up and on your feet again, she's hanging back to make note of the differences before she gets distracted by other things. Just in case.]

[collegedropout]

[Sam's so lost in the clouds, he's even more useless at judging where she is around here than usual. He just sort of ends up standing in front of a crafts section where he just... sort of stares at the colorful display of different supplies. It's easy to see, he's had a hard time having any kind of focus.

How's he supposed to? He's restless, but there's nothing he can do.

It just. It just stinks, Katie.]

[flickerflash]

[.... :c

After a while she steps up to his side at the crafts stall, slipping her small hand into his tentatively.]

You should pick a colour you like seeing at night.

III. Space Station Bar

[nostraightlines]

[ Ramse's low on the credits he's earned hauling things around on the space station, but what better place to blow what he does have at the end of the day than at a bar? He could certainly use a drink.

This is the first place he found, not being terribly familiar with the space station yet, and he takes a seat at the bar, a modest distance from everyone else. He learned some bar ettiquite back in Eudio, and raises his hand when he catches the bartender's eye. Over here, yeah.

He looks tired and stressed and just a little worried, though the latter might be a permanent expression considering his life in general and their current state.

Nevertheless, it's time to drink it away. ]

[collegedropout]

[Well, what a coincidence — Sam's tired and stressed and a little worried, himself. But Sam's pretty good at trading it out for something more neutral. For a smile, even, which he offers when he approaches the man.]

Hey, you needed something?

[He considers the man's stature and expression.]

Having a rough day, or are you one of the usual bar hoppers?

[nostraightlines]

[ Ramse manages a smile back, though it looks strained. ]

A series of rough days, man. Ever since I got here... This is me hoping you've got something earth-y in this bar. Whiskey?

[offline] the bar!

[flameandpassion]

[ being here has been an odd mixture of joy and awful. alphonse doesn't remember her, and is apparently off ... being dead, or something? she doesn't even know anymore, and she's trying not to think about it. she can't find castiel to bother him into hanging out with her, and so she finds sam instead -- and takes a seat at the bar, a grin instantly in place. ]

You're alive.

[ warmly, and she puts her chin in her hands ]

Free drink?

[collegedropout]

That's me. Mr. Alive.

[Though, he might very well be dead right now.

He doesn't like to think about it, and that's not what matters most, but...

Well, Lucifer may very well have killed him just as he got here.

... Rei, you missed out on all the horrible shit. Sam offers her a small little smile, though his aura is likely nothing at all synonymous with contentment or happiness. More like stress and concern and weariness. He doesn't want to worry her. He knows she'd want to know — that's just how she is, always wanting to know, especially when it comes to Lucifer and Castiel, but... how does he even explain it?

He pours her a glass of juice that tastes tropical, and slides it over to her.]

I've had to play catch-up a little, being out for as long as I was.

You been okay?

[flameandpassion]

[ it takes about two seconds for rei to realize something is off, and her smile immediately melts into a cautious frown as she accepts her juice. instantly, there's a ball of anxiety in her stomach, because sam not telling her immediately what went on means some things.

one. sam went home during his passing-out-stint, and something awful happened to him, and he doesn't want to tell rei.

two. sam went home during his passing-out-stint, and something awful happened to dean, and he doesn't want to tell rei.

three. sam went home during his passing-out-stint, and something awful happened to castiel, and sam would probably rather go back into a coma than tell her. or him.

her gut is telling her door number three. possibly door number one and two are involved too, but especially door number three. ]

I'm surviving.

[ finally, though it's obvious by her tone what she's going to ask next. ]

What happened?