driftfleet | i - action/video

Entry tags:

i - action/video - open

Who: Eugene Woods, back again!
Broadcast: yes
Action: SS Wonderduck
When: August 5th, evening

action

[It's like that moment when you walk through a door and forget what you were about to do. Except replace walk with 'teleport', and replace what you were about to do with

'what possible course of events could move you instantly from your bunk to the bridge of a completely unfamiliar ship'. Surrounded by confetti. Back in the standard jumper.

Oh, and minus both crutches and leg.

One undignified topple to the confetti-strewn ground later - one made infinitely more comical for the festive music playing, probably - Eugene has the opportunity to take stock of his situation. Definitely not the Vanquish. Or any other ship he's been on. Too lost and put-out to be afraid, he sits up, finds his communicator, and stares at it flatly.]

What the hell, guys.

[No response. He's not sure why he expected one. Stare still vaguely accusatory, he opens up the network, grabs a cup of pudding, and settles in to dig for some information himself.]

video

So . . . epic mystery nap, huh.

[Eugene's managed to get to the kitchen, but he hasn't moved much since then, scanning his communicator and continuing his long, slow descent down the rabbit hole of what the hell happened. It's been months since he had to play the new-kid-in-town role, and he can't say he's feeling any more fondly toward it now than he did the last time, although for completely different reasons. Last time it was loss, outrage, disbelief. This time, it's just untethered, pure disorientation.

At least with anger, it has a direction. This is just nothing, icy-black as the vacuum of space on the other side of the hull. Dozens on dozens of voices on the communicator, and still, in every second they're quiet he doesn't think he's ever felt more profoundly alone.

He's made himself marginally presentable, finger-combed back the curly chaos of his hair and straightened his shirt. Probably should get up and make something to eat, but the gnawing unease won't let him stand just yet. Standing means looking away from his communicator, and he's still holding out hope that if he studies it long enough, it'll spit up some answer, something to make him feel even a little less lost.]

Shame on Atroma for not even giving a guy a recap episode. Can anyone tell me if I missed anything big?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well, well. Now there's someone he didn't think he'd be seeing again.]

Eugene, welcome back. We've visited several planets recently, but nothing as major as the Calibrations has occurred.

Vision, hey!

[If there's anything that can brighten Eugene up right now, it's a familiar face that Knows All The Things. Or at least, Knows Most Of The Things (And Is Unfailingly Honest About The Rest Of Them).]

I guess it's good to know I didn't miss any of the really weird trips. How have you been?

[He does try.]

Overall, fairly well. I do still have your sourdough starter in the freezer of the Windrose, if the original has been lost. And the planet we were most recently at had an excellent supply of fresh foods as well. I presume you've retained the cooking augment?

[Oh, no, his starter. A pang of guilt hits Eugene at the reminder that he'd abandoned what was basically the closest thing he had to a pet, though it's mixed with the relief that it's all right, and he smirks crookedly at that question and taps his temple.]

All volumes of The Joy of Flavored Protein Manipulation, present and accounted for. Even with the insight, I think I'm going to prefer the bread. Thanks for taking care of the starter for me.

[It's not like the abandonment was by choice - and besides, perhaps someone on his crew would like to make sourdough some time.]

You're welcome, of course.

May I ask if you spent time at home?

-no? Just a whole lot of lost time. Why, is that what usually happens?

You're back!

[She missed youuu. And your mac and cheese.]

Heh, looks like I am. Though someone missed the memo and dropped me back in on the wrong ship.

[Kind of funny, how one lousy ship being just like the other turns into one ship being his specific lousy ship, once he gets stationed somewhere else.]

How are you and the rest of the Vanquish doing?

Edited 2016-08-06 20:42 (UTC)

Wha... Whoa, hey! Eugene!

[It sounds a lot like he remembers this place, too. It's rare for a person he knows to come back, and rarer still for them to remember.]

[Oh god it's a reunion episode. By the third familiar face cropping up Eugene's on the verge of laughing, though he does manage a straight face as he holds the communicator out to pronounce as grandly and solemnly as possible.]

Oh Captain, my Captain-!

[He cracks a grin.]

Sorry for not standing on a chair there. I have to go hunting for my leg sooner or later.

It has for some. [And Zhas had asked the Vision specifically if he'd heard about anything like that, so it had aroused his curiosity.]

Do you recall anything at all?

{Eugene sighs, resting his chin on his palm.]

Wish I did. One minute I'm reading in my bunk, the next I'm on the bridge of a completely different ship and faceplanting into confetti because someone thinks it's cute to beam people up when they're not wearing all their limbs.

[He doesn't hide the look of surprise on his face.]

Your prosthetic is gone?

[Oh, gone is a prospect he's not quite ready to entertain yet, and he hems and haws a moment.]

Well. . . . it wasn't on the bridge, and it's not here in the kitchen. So I'm kind of regrouping before I go on a big scavenger hunt of the rest of this ship and the Vanquish.

Eugene!

It's super awesome to see you again.

Um. So. Like. I guess nothing that big happened? Other than I had an. Uh. Accident. And broke my back again. But Beverly fixed it and took out the ports so now I can walk okay again!

Oh! And I have my kitten from home! A giant tree gave her to me because I held hands with Winter, isn't that nice? [She picks up Jellybean to show on the camera. Jellybean lets out an annoyed little mew.]

[Yeah guess who never saw that movie

But Clay can recognize it as a reference, so he can't help laughing. It's both humored and relieved, that Eugene's come back and actually recognizing him. Though he can't help but notice that the decor is not the ship Eugene used to be on.]

Well, I wouldn't say I'm your captain anymore! But you can come back over to the Vanquish any time; we've still got your leg over here!

[In case he came back, or in case someone else arrived who needed a prosthetic leg.]

[As usual, Wrath has all the subtlety, grace, and offputtingly menacing cheer of a bubblegum wrecking ball, and Eugene blinks his way through the barrage of information, cracking a belated grin at the end. The kitten is an excellent cue.]

Oh my gosh, that's so cute. And, uh. Condolences-slash-congratulations? [His grin turns teasing.] Guess I lucked out on having to send you flowers and a get well card, anyway.

[In a second, all the grinning and bravado and ego deflates out of Eugene like a balloon, and he slouches down in his chair, releasing a breath and a rush of words.]

Ohthankgod. I am getting so sick of hopping.

Well, once you get over here, you won't have to do it at all. Just tell me when you'll be over, I can meet you in the cargo bay!

Well, if you'd been here you could have made me a pizza and found me some strippers, but it worked out okay.

[He nods.]

Then I would suggest checking the Vanquish first, if it wasn't with you when you arrived.

Pizza and strippers, right. The action hero get-well gift. Where are my manners.

Yeah . . . yeah. I'll give them a ring once I get settled in here. [HE gives a slightly preoccupied nod.] I wonder if they still have the moonshine still too . . .

I'll let you know when I make it down to one of the shuttles.

[Soon. Honestly, he's already wondering if he can't re-purpose one of the galley chairs as a makeshift walker. He's itching to have his balance back, but even with that antsiness, he's more relaxed just knowing there's a solution in sight.]

Thanks, Clay. You're the best not-captain a guy could ask for. How's the rest of the crew doing?

[He sees Eugene's face on the message and the urge to immediately punch on his video function is...strong. Followed very quickly by the feeling that just using audio would be best, because he has no idea if this is the same Eugene - it probably isn't the same Eugene - and facing a Eugene who doesn't know him...he's not sure that's any better than facing the Eugene that does again. He's still not sure Cosima wasn't lying to him when she told him, after visiting Eugene back home, that he'd said he missed him. It had all just ended so weirdly.

The point is....he has a lot of emotions about Eugene. Which is frustrating because he's still pretty certain that this probably isn't his Eugene, and dumping all that on an alternate version would be shitty.

In the end, he doesn't do either right away. He takes a little bit of time, fiddles with some useless course calculations in the helm, and then when he's a little calmer, he switches on the video function, sitting back in what Eugene might(?) recognize as the pilot's chair on the Vanquish.]

Considering that they're supposed to be filming it, you'd think they'd at least be able to provide that. Probably asking too much, though.

[He doesn't have an answer, he just has mild sarcasm. Which is how he's used to communicating with Eugene anyway. The face on screen is largely neutral, though there's a sense of him waiting for something.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 6

i - action/video - open

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

no subject

no subject

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

Video

video;

Video

video;

video;

Video

video;

Video

video;

video;

video