Red Fish Mingle

[mortalcoil]

Who: The crew and (many) visitors of the Red Fish!
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Aboard the SS Red Fish
When: Nebulously after the Great Winter Soldier Violence Spree of '16

[it was bound to happen sometime. all three captains of the SS Red Fish are hauled back home in various stages of medical distress, and things have been a little weird since then.

one of these things is the super soldier with the busted metal arm that is brought in to be kept locked up in Coil's lab for a while. turns out those restraints he'd had installed did come in handy. that's a thing.

so, whether you're here to check on one of the various ailing people here, gawk at the guy chained up in the dungeon lab, or are just trying to live your life in relative peace and sanity, come on in!]

Comments

[mortalcoil]

→ A
[it was a few days before Coil regained consciousness at all, and he has since become a silent and dour patient trapped in his own medical bay. though he can barely move, and being awake is a painful ordeal that he tries to avoid as much as possible, it's still clear that he hates being stuck there.

whenever his eye drags itself open, it's usually to glare mindlessly at whoever is intruding in the lab, and any moments he can dredge up the energy and willpower for it, he's struggling to lever himself up into a sitting position on the table. anyone lucky enough to happen by the lab while he's awake has a good chance finding him engaged in one--or both--of these activities.]

→ B
[eventually, he manages to grit his teeth and rally himself enough to move, fetching a few very important things that he'd had stashed around the lab. and being that his chest is seizing, aching mess of pain by the time he scrounges up everything he needs, he doesn't bother trying to crawl back onto the table. he takes his book of matches, scrap bits of paper, and candle stubs, and slumps himself down to the floor in the corner of the lab. there, he can prop himself up against the cabinets, and pretend that he is somewhere with enough peace and privacy for the task at hand.

whoever happens by to see the patient out of bed, will find him surrounded by burnt bits of paper, lit candles, and spilled wax, jaw clenched as he tries to concentrate through a stupid amount of pain.]

B

[theboogieman]

[oh, hey. sorry to interrupt.

but Zhas is now standing in the doorway, bowl of something passably edible in his hand. the look on his face is blank by definition, but the subtle raise of his eyebrows and flat gaze imply that he already doesn't want to know.

he brought lunch, so. if you still do that kind of thing.]

[mortalcoil]

[interruptions really aren't something that he has the time or the energy for right now, but he also doesn't have the strength to fend them off very effectively.

besides, there has always been one exception to most of his rules, and it's currently standing in the doorway with a bowl of food.

he can't help but glance up when he sees the familiar shape in the corner of his vision... and, almost immediately, his whole frame sags as his focus slips. it only takes a second. whatever arcane words had been running through his head, they've already lost their rhythm, and the exhaustion is quick to rush in and take their place.]

[theboogieman]

[it's good that Coil is standing, he supposes.

the boy's "magic" always complicates things for Zhas, bumping up against several very strongly-held beliefs and the majority of his moral code... but Coil isn't the only one who makes an exception to his rules. for now, he gives the candles and burned bits of papery a cursory look-over before signing with his off-hand.

'can I come in?'

which is not to be polite so much as gain assurance he won't be instantly vaporized if he does.]

a

[interstices]

[All the judging one grimace, one eye, and a pair of hands on hips can give are sent Coil's way as soon as Asuka enters the medical bay. She's kept herself out of the goings-on as much as possible, not caring as long as it didn't affect her ship or Shinji, but once half the crew ended up in the medical bay, well. It's appallingly difficult to ignore. So as Coil tries to sit up, she holds her hand out in abject aggravation, as if it's not really a favor he's warranted.]

What happened, idiot? [As if she didn't know. One of these people is not like the others... one of these people just doesn't... belong. On board the Red Fish, or anywhere but out an airlock. Luckily, said person definitely isn't Coil.]

[mortalcoil]

[and that judgement is reflected right back as disdain. he hurts too much to be nice, and his pride is suffering almost as much as his body is. there's a hideous mural of bruises spreading out from the middle of his bare chest like a dark, ugly flower, but he's not letting that stop him from trying to ignore her favor anyway.

gritting his teeth and trying (and failing) to breathe through the spasms across his ribs, he continues to struggle up under his own power.

he'll answer once he's properly sitting up, one way or another.]

Winter || OTA

[reconstitution]

[ medical bay ]
[ It has probably come to the attention of the residents of the Red Fish that there is an outsider lurking on the ship. Well, not so much lurking as staying very much in one place, restrained to that one wall that doesn't fit in a medical bay.

Even if he could probably break those restraints and escape, he doesn't, because he has a guilt complex and probably deserves this. Winter's a mostly-silent guest, but if someone happens to engage him, they won't be ignored. Just.. don't expect much by way of conversation.

If you want to come give him a peace of your mind, or see how he's doing, he's not going anywhere for a while. ]

[mortalcoil]

[waking on the ship, dipping agonizingly in and out of consciousness, allowing the soldier that had attacked him to be installed into the same space that he's currently occupying, has all been a bit of a blur. he remembers the important parts, he's been aware enough to answer and make decisions and run on auto-pilot when needed. but most of his mind has been set on healing, and powering through the pain.

it isn't until he can hoist himself up into a sitting position without being wracked with fiery spasms through his chest that he finally actually looks at the soldier with any amount of clarity in his eye. he's actually awake now. it has been a few days, but he can finally pick up where he'd left off and address the problem left chained up in his lab.

so, once he's caught his breath from sitting up, he turns to dangle his legs over the edge of the bed and just look over at the man for a minute--making sure he's seeing something familiar, and not the creature that had nearly killed him, before making another move.]

[reconstitution]

[ The past few days have been.. awful. Number one, healing is a goddamn process, even with the serum pumping through his veins. He's never really had much opportunity to heal outside of cryo after an injury. Everything hurts, and his head is pulsing with the sound of his blood pumping between his ears. Most of the deep bruising is mottled yellows and greens, disappearing completely in another day. Scratches have inched their way closed, though the wound is still angry and dark.

The only thing that's been giving him trouble is his damn leg-- The deep gouge out of his thigh is mending, but if he so much as moves, it threatens to tear anew. It's still not as bad as the severed tendons. They simply aren't healing. The remaining strands are probably trying to gain purchase and fuse back together, but it's an agonizingly slow process. He'll worry about that one later.

Winter is a light sleeper, and the sounds of the unfamiliar lab and the extra life in the room wake him. His eyes are open when Coil finally sits up, he's been watching the kid, his brow furrowed in worry. He did that. Clumsily, he brings his uninjured arm up, the restraints clanking at the movement.

It's a little difficult to sign with only one hand, but dammit, he's going to try anyway. 'Sorry.' At least that one only requires one movement and not spelling out the letters. ]

for realsies this time

[theboogieman]

[his visit to the medical bay is inevitable. he walks in with a full face of skull-makeup, stops just past the doorway to regard the person chained up against the wall... and turns, walking to the still-sleeping Coil to check on him instead.

he does normal things, checking readings, making sure his chest isn't dented in and sticking to itself like he last remembers. he quietly runs his fingers through the air in front of Coil's mouth, as if he could glean something out it... but if he does, he doesn't share or react to it beyond turning away again.

which means he's back to looking at Winter, though he's doing so from a distance. he doesn't seem particularly on-edge, or angry, or guarded... if anything, he's leaning back against one of the counters, posture slumped in unspoken exhaustion.

he's tired and he's watching, maybe even thinking--but that's all.]

[reconstitution]

[ Whether he was asleep before Zhas enters the medical bay or not, he watches him move to where Coil is. He'd seen that the other was back in the roster, but hadn't gotten the chance to really say anything to him. Not that he talked much with the skull-faced guy before. He does remember meeting Zhas before he was stationed on the Caprine, though..

In either case, he's sitting up when Zhas turns around to watch him. He offers the other a nod, though doesn't make any sort of motion to break the silence. ]

i'm so sorry at how late this is WOW, i lost track orz

[collegedropout]

[Sometime after Sam and Syeira talk about this, it's clear Winter's staying put. Sam's not pleased exactly by the restraining, but he also isn't the one who gets to make that call. It's Winter's. If the guy gave him the word to cut him loose, he would, no question; as far as Sam's concerned, the Atroma could mess with anyone the way they did him. The fact that he already had some issues from the past only made him a good target to perpetuate some hysteria, if anything.

He wanders over to bring him something to eat; nothing too heavy, since he figures the guy doesn't feel that great anyway. It's a shake, the kind he made Coil, full of the necessary ingredients to keep a guy healthy.

And also an exported candy bar he has left over from the prior planet.

Hey, everyone needs simple pleasures.]

Hey. You awake?

[Let's talk, man.]

there is no time limit, you're good!

[reconstitution]

[ People are assuming that he's upset with his current lodgings, but he's really, really not. Even if he could break out with his current strength, it's a safety net- it gives the illusion that people will be safe. With his head still unchecked, no one is. It isn't likely he'll relapse again, but he's not sure. His head still aches, throbbing at the temples.

Someone entering the medical bay causes him to stir- he's a light sleeper anyway, but being in a place that's eerily reminiscent of HYDRA, any unfamiliar noise has him alert. Winter keeps his eyes closed, trying to recognize the footfalls, but he's not familiar enough with anyone on the Red Fish to have their steps memorized.

A voice- (Sam?) comes from to his left, and he eases the tension in his back and looks up at him. ]

I am.

[ Winter pushes himself awkwardly into a sitting position. ]

[heavenonearth]

[ cas awakes like a bolt.

that's, uh, well, kind of literal. anyone currently milling about on the red fish this quiet early morningish time (for however much one can really track time while floating aimlessly in space) will be subjected to the ear-piercing whine of electric white noise, and a blinding white flash that fills the entirety of the ship for a good three to four seconds. it's fast, but violent, the sound and light both fearsome and pure in the same breath, and when the phenomenon passes, it leaves behind a humming energy, and a living scent like ozone and electricity, and it hangs in the air like a veil, all but tangible.

cas doesn't really remember falling asleep. he doesn't remember much of anything. fancy clothes and glowing moths, that.. polluted moon, right? it all feels distant, like an old memory, but in fact it's been all blackness since the moment he shut his eyes and didn't open them again. he didn't dream, doesn't think he even thought, like he was suspended, frozen in time and space. there was no going home, like sam had. no returning somewhere familiar. he only hung in the void, without consciousness and without sentience, until this very moment.

it's been a long time since he's felt so whole.

eyes wide and heart hammering against his ribs, cas sits up like a shot, breath rattling in his lungs, his body veritably buzzing with an energy that is at once so foreign and so familiar. shocked speechless, he lifts his hands and stares uselessly into his palms. ]

[collegedropout]

[HOLY FUCKING FUCK.

Okay, Sam kind of almost loses it at the familiar feeling of light, of sound, of angel. He should know better than to lose his breath and let his heart beat wildly like it is, because it's not Lucifer's light; he would know Lucifer's light. Jesus. But that was an angel, which is freaking him out still because... aren't you supposed to be primarily human? That's concerning, Cas. Really concerning.

But he doesn't want someone else to get splattered first if that wasn't you, so he's quick to investigate.

And he finds... Uhhh...

Well.

He stands awkwardly in the doorway, a bit disheveled by the surprise.]

.......

Cas?

[heavenonearth]

[ yeah sorry sam, for all this angelic snoring or something, didn't mean to surprise you, brush.

.. but from the look of it, cas is just as surprised as the rest of you red fishians, and when he lifts his eyes to sam's face his mouth drops open like he's going to speak, but damn if he just can't find the words. so he shuts it, opens it again, shuts it, like a stupid flopping fish. ]

Uh.

Hey, Sam.

[kickingand]

[ Dean is more than well acquainted with this particular noise.

It's the first time he's clapped his hands against his ears because of it for what feels like a millennia, the angelic ripchord of a screech pelting the Red Fish with its enormity. It immediately strikes a chord in him, a remembrance of a moment in a gas station in the middle of nowhere, a time where things had been different, where he'd been someone else, someone who was broken in freshly scorched ways. But that's of utterly no importance now, because Dean is practically falling off of his bed in the urgency to react, to do something, to find the source of the eminence that he already's intimately familiar with.

At least he can be thankful that his head is mostly on straight for the time being. He's done no better, functioning no easier, but he's running before he can stop himself to the dim resonance of the light coming from Cas' room, booking his way on over because there's an utter absurdity in this that he can't quite fathom yet. Because what it means can't be true, can it? It could mean a million and one things and yet the likelihood that it means a specific one is ridiculous.

... Stranger things have happened, he supposes. The inexplicable is their goddamn life, and yet he's still in a rush because if it means Cas is awake then really, what else does it matter?

Slamming to a halt in front of Cas' room, Dean does the best he can manage for the time being, which is to stare, watching the now awakened Cas curiously, as if he might evaporate on the spot, go up in flames, do something cataclysmically terrifying. He doesn't know. But he's watching because Cas has been down for the count for damn near two months now and Dean has long since run out of words for what that exactly means to him. But maybe that doesn't matter either when Cas is staring at himself as if he's come back to a body he lost forever ago to the minefield of their lives. ]

[heavenonearth]

[ cas hadn't exactly been entirely conscious for the flash and the shriek of white noise, but given dean's sudden tumble into his bunk, and the flabberghasted look on his face, he's guessing that it must've happened. it only makes sense, right? the power of his grace is coursing through his body like an electric current lighting him up, and it's.. strange that it feels more unnatural than it does normal, like it's something foreign and clumsy and not at all usual, even if it feels familiar, and sweet, like a breath of fresh air after living in a suffocating cave for too long.

cas swallows thickly, glances up toward dean with a cocked brow and.. can think of nothing at all to say. ]

Um.

[ okay, good start. ]

Mornin'.

[ nailed it. ]

[mortalcoil]

[he's first wondering if he's actually awake... and then, right after that, is hit with a distant pang of terror that he has died. the horror of light and the feeling of something monumental looming feels strangely familiar. had this been what it was like when he'd died before? he can't quite remember.

it's only when the agony of sitting up on the medical bed wracks through his chest that he realizes he really is awake and exactly where he expects to be--alive and on his own ship, still crippled and struggling to heal.

but that realization doesn't clear the fear away. that feeling of purity still grates against every nerve he has; the raw worldstuff lingering in the air gets stuck in his battered lungs when he breathes. it makes his skin crawl. if he'd ever tried to imagine what something completely opposed to the dark teachings in his head and in his blood would feel like, this would be it.

so, even though he's still grievously wounded, he manages to crawl out of bed and onto his feet. lightheaded and reeling, he creeps his way through the halls of the ship until he reaches the doorway of Cas' room and peers inside.]

[heavenonearth]

[ given the din of noise at his waking, cas isn't surprised that he's attracting visitors here - it's only a matter of time before the whole of the red fish comes running, he thinks, but ah well. he's more concerned with figuring out what the hell happened than he is about startling people; at least no one was around to get their eyeballs burned out of their skull. that's a plus.

he spies coil there, though, peering around the corner, so he cocks a brow and drops his hands into his lap. ]

Hey. Uh.. sorry about the noise.

[child_of_bhaal]

[She has not been privy to what angelic power actually feels like, since Cas is the first celestial she's ever met. So getting blinded by not just overwhelming light, but light that feels like there's power behind it, that deafens her a few moments as it sustains, makes her react instinctively. She puts her back to the nearest wall, draws her knife and uses her other arm to block her vitals. She doesn't try to attack anything, but she's prepared in case this is meant as a way to disorient before an ambush.

Then then light fades, and she's seeing spots across her vision, but that's all. Everything seems to be unharmed around her, even if there's a residual hum of energy in the air, that makes the hairs on her arms stand on end. But that means little, until she sees for herself that everyone is safe. And she's past quota with people on the ship she needs to check in on.

It's Cas she goes to first. She's hoping he's safe and sound, unruffled in his bed. That the books she's been bringing in and reading to him are still in their piles against the walls, where no one will trip on them. She's not expecting him to be awake. Hopes yes, always, but not expects. So when she gets there and sees him sitting on his bed, she's about as dumbfounded as he is for a moment.

And and instant later it clicks in place, and she's half rushing across the small space to throw herself at him in a hug.]

You're awake!

[heavenonearth]

[ when he sees it's sye coming around the corner, he really should expect the leaping hug, but he's still a little too addled, a little too disoriented to prepare himself for it.

so when she's all but throwing herself onto him, he's so not ready for it, nearly tumbles back onto the rumpled bed entirely - but then he's laughing, one of those good, eye-crinkling laughs, and reminding himself to return the hug, to clap a hand gently between her shoulderblades. ]

Looks that way. Was I, uh.. out awhile?

For Bucky, Coil, Sam, and Syeira

[child_of_bhaal]

[Syeira doesn't like the lab. The lab freaks her out, because Coil had chains installed. And who needs chains in a place meant for medical healing? Crazy evil scientists, that's who.

But she goes there, because that is where Coil is, and Coil is still badly injured. Syeira had pushed her magic to it's limits on the Iskaulit, trying to stabilize him, but her cure all was a nap and some coffee, and she's back on her feet like it never happened. Which means she's there to toss a few more heals at him. Even if he scowls at her.

Of course, that's how she finds out about Bucky being chained up in the lab. It pretty much puts her mother henning on instant pause, because:]

What the hell, Coil?! [Cue a sharp gesture over at the Red Fish's enforced guest.]

[mortalcoil]

[breathing hurts. moving hurts. being awake hurts. so, he comes around with a full-body wince as some voice goes shooting through his head.

from where he's collapsed like a corpse in bed, there's a long moment after he drags his eye open in which he doesn't quite grasp what is happening. he sees Syeira, he turns his head with a worried pang toward their captive because at least some part of his brain is on edge about something going wrong there, but he doesn't see anything amiss.

it takes him a long, bleary blink before the pieces suddenly fall together.

Syeira. in the lab. with a captive.

suddenly, he's a little more awake then. 'no,' he signs, lifting a weak arm to wave toward the door. 'leave,' and 'fine.' come next.]

[reconstitution]

[ The lab has been relatively quiet, which has been almost perfect conditions to try sleeping to expedite the healing. His body still feels like one giant bruise, and his reactions are sluggish. Winter drags his eyes open, though doesn't move from his spot on the makeshift bed.

There's a girl he doesn't recognize, but she's yelling and it puts him a little on edge. She's yelling at Coil. That's backwards, he's even more corpse-like than himself.

He moves to sit up, though it's more of an effort with only one working limb, and the other about twenty-five pounds of dead weight hanging off his shoulder. God, his shoulder hurts. ]

He's not done anything wrong.

[ It comes out gravelly and low from disuse. Way to sound even more pathetic, Winter. ]