Red Fishies

[mortalcoil]

Who: SS Red Fish crew and visitors
Broadcast: No
Action: Aboard the SS Red Fish
When: Around the drifting week (and probably a backtag party!)

[watch the newest episodes (and catch up on a few reruns) of your favorite dysfunctional fish in the fleet! what kind of drama will they create next? you can find out right here, right now!]

Comments

[mortalcoil]

[he does freeze up and he does push her away, just as expected. but when he signs at her, 'don't do that,' it's not because he's angry. it's not because he hates feeling appreciated and valued.

there's just too much conflict crowding up in his head, and he's sick of it overflowing and getting away from him. so, he tells her to stop while there's still just a knot forming pathetically in his throat.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[She nods and signs 'Okay', sitting back on to her knees. She still smiles, small, no teeth, eyes damp with affection. She has the urge to touch him again, reassure, comfort, but he doesn't want that right now. So she won't push it.

This time.]

I hope you'll let me know when you solve it.

[mortalcoil]

[he nods, and his lowered gaze refocuses on the puzzle box, glad to shift the topic over to something else as he resettles himself. he resumes his exploratory fidgeting with the thing as he thinks, using the time to take a breath and mentally shake off the past few minutes.

'Haven't had a puzzle in a long time,' he signs. his version of smalltalk.]

[child_of_bhaal]

Good.

[She's very pleased suddenly.]

I'm glad I got you something you'll get use out of. I hope it's enough of a challenge to keep your interest, even for a little bit.

[mortalcoil]

[he glances up again without actually raising his head and he huffs, his expression lightening around his eyes a little. his version of a smirk, maybe.

if there's one topic that might put him in a better mood and coax him into conversation, it's the subject of his own mind.

'Zhas used to get me puzzles. He stopped trying.']

[child_of_bhaal]

Really?

[Why would he stop trying?]

Well, we'll have to change that, won't we? We've got a universe full of puzzles. Some of them have to be up to par.

[mortalcoil]

[maybe he's just really eager for a distraction from the previous gushy embrace, because he seems pretty pleased with that thought. and it even leads to another idea.

'Do you play games?']

[child_of_bhaal]

[She nods.]

I do. Card games, chess, those seem to be pretty common. But I like trying new ones, if I can find them.

[mortalcoil]

[he perks up a little at that.

'you know chess?' he has to spell out the word. 'are you any good?']

[child_of_bhaal]

I'm decent.

[She's won some, she's lost some. It's really more of a wizard's game, but that's who she learned it from.]

Would you like to play sometime?

[mortalcoil]

[he nods, though he maybe looks a little disappointed at the fact that she's not secretly some sort of chess wizard.

'We used to play a lot,' he explains, obviously meaning him and Zhas.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[Sorry. She's only...not really human... Nevermind.]

We'll have to start the tradition up again. Do you have a set?

[mortalcoil]

[it's such a trial to be the smartest one around, you know. and he shakes his head with a little shrug.

'Had no one to play with,' he signs. 'Want to learn games from somewhere else too.']

[child_of_bhaal]

I'll get one.

[One way or another.]

And if you want, I could teach you some card games.

[mortalcoil]

['gambling?' he asks with a trace of preemptive grimace. that's what he understands card games to be about--all luck with no real use of the brain.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[She holds back a slight smile at the face he makes.]

Gambling is more of an add on. You can gamble on whether it will rain or not. I mean actual games, with rules and strategies.

Only if you want to, of course.