(no subject)

[pain_train]

Who: Wrath (and maybe you?)
Broadcast: Entire fleet
Action: Windrose medlab, she ain't goin anywhere
When: June 11 (four days after this mess)

[Text]

extra large protein lovers pizza
++ spicy soypperoni
+ red chilies
++ mazer beer ipa or equivalent 1 6pack

5 strippers
pref male
++ purple body glitter
++ portable sound system
+ boa constrictor

deliver to: lt wrath, windrose



[Audio]

[She doesn’t quite know how bad she looks, but she knows how bad she feels. There is no way the people in the fleet need to see this. So it’s audio only. Wrath’s words slur faintly, like someone who is profoundly tired rather than drunk. Chems do that to her.]

Hey everyone. Um. I had an accident and I’m gonna be… down for a little while. I know I wanted to do a coffee thing for all my brother soldiers but… that’s gonna have to wait. Til I’m on my feet again. Really sorry, guys. But it’ll happen. Just a little later.

Anyway like last time I was in traction I just ordered pizza and strippers, but I tried to do that here and it doesn’t work? And there’s no pudding or nurses. So I’m kind of super bored since I can’t move around right now. So anyone want to like… watch vids or play games or something? I could maybe figure out how to do chess on the network. Or ask someone for help. Or tell stories. Or like. Visitors would be nice? Yeah.

Officer Snuggles says hi, everyone. [The fox yips.] And. Um. Bye~


[Action]

[Wrath, almost completely immobilized in traction to keep her spine from crumbling completely, occupies the Windrose’s medlab for the timebeing, Officer Snuggles normally curled up on the corner of the bed when he’s not out patrolling. Wrath herself looks like hell, nasty bruises and stitched up head and facial lacerations, her left eye’s sclera still crimson. But she’s doing her best to maintain a positive attitude. There’s not really anything else for her to do.

Visitors are what she really, really wants. Being stuck in bed and unable to move around and really touch anything is starting to eat at her badly. It’s a vague sort of unease, blurred out by the drugs, but it’s definitely not doing her anxiety levels any good. Before the ports are removed, nothing feels right anyway, which is another sort of alarming. She's got the painting frame for entertainment beyond staring at the ceiling, but her fine motor control is terrifyingly lacking, and she doesn't think she can blame it all on the drugs.

And Winter… she’s not thinking about what actually happened if she can help it. That wasn’t Winter. He wasn’t at home when that all went down. It was a fight, she survived, everything is okay now. She’s tough as hell. She’s not going to think about how it feels like falling. She’s not going to think about how last time, Compliance showed up and tried to take her right out of her hospital bed. She’s not going to drive herself crazy with worry about how Winter is doing and if everyone is treating him okay and if everyone gets it wasn’t his fault. And she’s sure as hell not going to think about how next time, it might be her turn.]

Comments

Re: action

[pain_train]

It is? Oh, that's bad. I thought you were from somewhere safer. Does Compliance come and get people too?

action

[thebestseller]

Oh, no, we don't have anything like that. But still... sometimes people need to vanish. Criminals, mostly. I've known my share of them.

Re: action

[pain_train]

People need to vanish?

[Well, that sounds super sinister.] ...do you make that happen?

action

[thebestseller]

Only in my books. I've had one of my protagonists need to fake his own death before, so he could catch the bad guy.

Re: action

[pain_train]

Oh, okay. That's less creepy. And... kind of cool? Writers are weird. But I don't mean that in a bad way.

action

[thebestseller]

I think a certain weirdness is needed in this profession. You need to have a big imagination in order to keep coming up with new ideas.

Re: action

[pain_train]

That's really cool though. I don't know how you do it, but it's a special talent. Are you still writing a lot now? You should read some stuff to me!

[thebestseller]

I have written a few things, but I feel like they're not ready to share yet. Not up to my usual standards.

[pain_train]

Aw... that's sad. But I understand how that is, a little. I draw a lot of crap I don't show people. And you're like an actual real artist...

[thebestseller]

And I want to make things that will make people happy. My murder mysteries aren't everyone's cup of tea, of course, but I want to write good stuff.

[pain_train]

Guess you just have to keep working at it until you have something good to share!

Oh, I have an idea! Maybe some time you can write a story and I'll draw pictures for it?

[thebestseller]

Oh, there's an idea. I don't think I've ever seen any of your art before.

[pain_train]

Oh, you haven't! Well, I'll show you.

[The digital frame is already clipped to the bed at hand, so she turns it on and calls up some pictures. A few landscapes of various sorts -- including a weird and disturbing one of a city with holes punched through the buildings -- and then sketches of her crewmates. And a few silly cartoons, like Erik sporting his #1 Baker hat. She's pretty good, actually.]

[thebestseller]

Whoa... [Castle sounds genuinely impressed.] A teamup between us could be truly epic.

[pain_train]

Do you think so? We should definitely do something, then! That would be great for morale.

[thebestseller]

What kind of story should we tell, then?

[pain_train]

Hmmm. Well, you like telling mysteries, right? Or do you want to try something totally different? I think it'd be fun to do something with lots of action!

[thebestseller]

I think I should shake it up sometimes. Of course, I've never tried to branch out, either... not since I was in elementary school, anyway. I liked to tell stories even then.

[pain_train]

Yeah, we can do something new! It would be good for both of us. I normally do landscapes or still figures, so drawing stuff with lots of motion would be a real challenge for me.

We should do something funny, maybe?

[thebestseller]

Hmmm, a comedic tale involving the Fleet members... we can use Atroma glitches as an excuse. Everyone gets radically different personalities, or feels compelled to start a prank war between the ships.

[pain_train]

Oooh, I like it. And that gives me references for drawing the characters, so that makes it easier!

[thebestseller]

I do always find it easier to create characters when they're based on people I know.

[pain_train]

Oh, so you get good inspiration that way. And I guess you can kind of tease them a little too?

[thebestseller]

In a loving fashion, yes.

[pain_train]

Well yeah, that's how you let people know you like them!