Red Fish Pond

[mortalcoil]

Who: Anyone aboard the SS Red Fish
Broadcast: Probably Not
Action: SS Red Fish
When: Through the end of May

[as usual, all is friendly smiles and laughs on the most lovable ship in the fleet!]

Comments

[theboogieman]

He cried on me too.

[probably not the first thing that should come out of his mouth when it comes to Coil, but he's had a weird day. he's despondent to being cleaned up, but seems to be gazing towards the kitchen table... considering sitting in a chair, perhaps...]

He's... [oh, what's the word for this...?] ...Upset.

[child_of_bhaal]

I think you mean he's relieved. I can't imagine he'd be upset to get you back. Losing you wrecked him.

[She fusses about his shirt, in the overly focused fashion of the inebriated, when they're trying hard to be sober. If he sat, she'd probably be grateful.]

I've been taking care of him, as much as he'll let me. But I'm no substitute for family.

[theboogieman]

Oh.

[what else does he say to that? he finds it hard to believe that anyone could miss him that much, even Coil. that's why this whole thing is so confusing.

after a sluggish pause, he looks down at her again.] Are you drunk.

[child_of_bhaal]

[His taciturn nature does him credit sometimes. Because if he'd said any of what he was thinking, she'd have launched into a lecture about just how important he is to Coil, and to herself, and that he was very much missed.

Instead, what he gets is a wave of her free hand.]

Not as much as I was a few hours ago.

[theboogieman]

Oh.

[maybe that'll just be his phrase for the night. with an uncertain tilt of his head, he gives up the standing game... and drifts to go sit down at the table instead.

he says nothing when he's there, but he's bothered and tired-looking all the same.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[Ooh sitting. She drags a chair over, not even once letting go of his sleeve -she told him she was gonna hold on for a while, and she meant it- and sets down angled across the corner of the table from him. And then she kind of half sprawl/leans across the surface, because it's been an up and down kind of day. She's wrecked.]

Did you get shuffled here? I kept your shuttle the way you left it.

[theboogieman]

[she can lean all she wants. Zhas isn't feeling much better, evidenced by his slowly slumping further down in his chair and running his hand distractedly through his hair.

silence follows. he's... touched, to hear that she kept his shuttle the same. flattered, maybe. he doesn't have much right to things or space where he's from, so he'd assumed that most of his "worldly" belongings would have been tossed into a void by now. but to hear that she kept his little space the same hits him harder than hearing that he was missed. words are just noise to him; actions have a heavy weight.

after a stretch of silence, he finally shakes his head.]

Staying here anyway.

[he didn't like the Marsiva and he doesn't really like his other ship. he liked his stupid shuttle and his crew.]

[child_of_bhaal]

Transfer. We'll make space.

[He doesn't ask, so she doesn't make the excuse of doing it for Coil. To give him stability, something familiar with all the change going on. It's true, but it's not everything. She did it for herself too.]

[theboogieman]

[he nods. he'll do it. and after the exhausting week he's had, it's nice to know he doesn't have to be the one to make it happen, just this once.]

Thanks.

[it's quiet, but he means it. he pushes his arm forward on the table a little, to make it easier to hold onto.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[It's good that she's had her cry, because otherwise that tiny offer from him would have made her tear up again. She loops her hold a bit more around his arm, and smiles a not at all watery smile.]

Glad you're back, Zhas.

[theboogieman]

[he's not glad to be back in the Fleet in a general sense--this still isn't where he belongs, and there are dire matters that need attending to at home. but all the same, he'd much rather be here than anywhere else in this "program" they're running... so he's kind of glad that he's back too.

after a moment of reflection, he brings up something that'd been glossed over a minute ago:]

You took care of Coil.

[he draws a question mark with his finger--since he knows she understands that, now.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[It's okay, they can go back to this.]

I was there for him the day you disappeared. I make sure he eats, and we spar, so he has someone who he can beat the tar out of. I give as good as I get, don't worry. I wouldn't patronize him like that. Patch him up after, and we've gotten into arguments about healing up things like split lips.

[She rolls her eyes thinking about it. Coil is such a pain in the ass sometimes.]

Ridiculous, right?

[She pauses in her recounting here, because now she's back to more serious things.]

He had a really bad day recently. I generally give him his space...mostly, but this was a bad bad day for him. It's selfish, I know, but it's good that your back. I missed you, but he really needs you.

[theboogieman]

[okay, he's listening to all of this... and his gaze has been getting narrower and narrower the more she's been talking... to the point that he's practically squinting at her in skull-facey skepticism.]

...Willingly.

[...as in, you've been doing this with Coil willingly. and Coil's been sparring with her... instead of trying to throw her out an airlock. like, on purpose.

...he glances around the kitchen again. this is the right ship, right?]

[child_of_bhaal]

Yes, willingly. Quit making that face.

[ :| ]

[theboogieman]

[he does not quit making that face. in fact, he slowly twists forward with his other arm to... set his hand down on top of her head.

and just kind of. keep it there. skeptically.]

That bad, huh.

[child_of_bhaal]

[Is it really that bad? Does she seems so upset/drunk that the idea of her and Coil coexisting without thoughts of murder is a signal of everything having truly imploded?]

For him, yes, I think so. Is it really so strange that we're getting along?

[theboogieman]

Yes.

[WITHOUT A SHRED OF HESITATION.

though he finally removes his hand, and stops giving her quite as much of a look.]

What about the others.

[child_of_bhaal]

Well, it's the Red Fish, so we get all the fun people. There's Cas. He's asleep and it's worrying, but he's charming, and funny, and taught me sandwiches. Arthur like ties and art, and he's sweet. Sam and Dean are brothers, but they're from different versions of their world, so it's confusing for them. Sam is a reader, very positive. Dean is gruff and reticent, and you'd like him. Asuka likes to do her own thing, but she's nice, I think. There's another one, Laura, and she's reclusive and quiet.

[This may or may not be what Zhas meant, when he asked about the others, but it's what he's getting.]

[theboogieman]

[no, that's. kind of exactly what he was hoping for. considering he can already match a face to each of those descriptions, she's on the mark...]

Sandwiches are good. [in the same way that coffee is good. she's making progress!] Not much trouble, then.

[child_of_bhaal]

I like them.

[And the memory of going out with Cas that time is pleasant, so that's nice to think about.]

Aside from both Sam and Cas having fallen asleep almost back to back, and after Sam woke up he was really disoriented, bled himself over half the ship doing some kind of banishment, which I and Nami -she's a friend- stopped, no it's been fairly quiet.

[theboogieman]

[a part of him really wants to protest, but... no, for this ship? that's pretty normal. one socket-painted eyebrow is slightly raised.]

Magic...?

[child_of_bhaal]

Pretty sure. Looked like some kind of sigil. I ruined it before he could finish.

Zhas...you're talking an awful lot.

[Which if she was sober, would be really flattering and meaningful. Because she knows he doesn't like talking. While drunk, it just seems really odd.]

[theboogieman]

[he makes a disgusted sound in the back of his throat--he knows, and slumps down even lower in his chair. he brings up his not-held-onto arm to point at her and then finger-spell.]

Practicing?

[child_of_bhaal]

[She lets go of his arm, because you need both sometimes for the signs.]

Yes. A lot.

[theboogieman]

[...was that a smile? no, no. probably just a coincidentally timed facial tick. he is certainly not pleased that she's been practicing, or that she'd bothered keeping up with it after he'd left. no sir.

but now he's free to sign back.] Good. Maybe I will stop g-o-i-n-g e-a-s-y on you.

[the bit in there is spelled out, since that's much easier than trying to figure out how to sign the specific phrase.]