driftfleet | Calibration Post 1, "Daytime"

Entry tags:

Calibration Post 1, "Daytime"

[ Not long after the shuffle, there's a ripple of static over the network - loud, sudden, and seemingly with no origin. It's puzzling, but there's no indication that it's going to happen again...

Until a minute later. Another surge of static comes in over the speakers, and then a voice - one some may find familiar, though not necessarily welcome, after all of this time... It's Diamond. Long time no speak, hmm?

Clearly, not all is well. She sounds very far away, for one. For another, she sounds... skeptical, almost alarmed. There may actually be real concern in her voice. ]

Again? Twice in one c--

[ Her sentence is cut short with a strangled gasp, followed by a moment of silence. What follows may be the sound of metal dragged across metal, but it's hard to place. When she speaks again, it's uncharacteristically monotonous. ]

... Bring them in.

[ A blip of lost time passes right after those words, before every passenger mysteriously wakes alone in their own unfamiliar room. The style of decor resembles that of the Marsiva's Hospitality Deck, if any passengers should remember what that's like. It sounds and smells the same as the host ship as well, all clean and chrome, but this set of rooms has only been used once, and for the very same purpose that befalls the fleet contestants now.

As for their hosts, there is no immediate sign of them, though some may recall a series of hideous, half-electronic screams before their memories begin to blur upon arrival...

Welcome back to the Marsiva, dear passengers. It's time for round two of calibrations. ]

[ This mingle will cover all non-calibration room interactions. Please continue to come back to it for the duration of the plot! You are, of course, free to post any other mingles/posts/etc. that you'd like. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The accent is familiar and draws her attention in; if not from the same place, then a version of somewhere in her world. It's a bit of a comfort. Jill's voice is neutral and mild, her accent northern; pinpointed as northeast or Canadian with ease. Her eyes are drawn to the gloves -- not the kind people typically wear unless they're being used. She doesn't ask what for, though. Her own are soft and black, fingerless for ease of use mostly when she's doing a little lockpicking but it also felt a little more on point when you pulled a trigger and didn't have to worry about fabric. ]

Here's hoping there's tea. [ She's more a coffee gal when it comes to caffeine, but for pleasure tea's not bad. Starting off out of the room and down the hall, she gazes at each name engraved along the way in an attempt to commit them to memory. ] I mean, I'd say we're taking all of this in stride, considering.

[ To put it mildly. ]

I had my moment. Hell, I'm still having my moment. [She lets out a long sigh and gestures toward the door and, well, everything outside.]

I feel better with my gloves, though. Kinda naked without them, you know? Tea will help, too, if and when we find it.

So. [She gestures with a soft laugh as they walk down the corridor.] This is a spaceship, mm, in space? Makes me want to find a window or something. Honestly, the fact that it's cold is actually what I was expecting.

[ Jill can't afford to have moments. It feels patronizing, so she doesn't voice her feelings aloud. Everyone has their troubles. For her, it's simply that taking a misstep or not being alert can be a grave error. She's already used up eight of her nine lives, she figures.

Instead, she adjusts her baseball cap again. ]

That's one thing I definitely understand. Guess hat's are a bit of a weird thing to take comfort in, but I think I'd have been more pissed if I was forced in a jumpsuit.

[ Not to say she couldn't make due with it, but she was a shorter woman with wide hips and thighs. Up top could be handled since she already wore compression tops and bras that managed to keep everything packed in tight, but her shape would either mean uncomfortably tight or awkwardly baggy in the jumpsuit department.

Beat's a bodysuit, though. As comfortable as they are and the ease and freedom of movement as it may have allowed, it wasn't something she'd like to revisit anytime soon. ]

Yeah it... it seems to be. [ Some nervous twitch to her voice. ] Don't mind finding one, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to look out it. Kind of like confirmation that I'm not going to wake up and find myself late for work, you know? ...they could've sprung for heated floors, though, considering this place already probably doesn't come cheap.

[ Heated anything, really. ]

I hear you. I had a job outside Dingo that isn't getting done. Or if it is, it'll be Aunt Lillian doing it. Hey, on the bright side of things, [She clasped her hands behind her back.] there'll be warmth in tea or coffee, though goddamn, at this point I guess we could use something harder.

[She grimaced a little.]

Heated floors really would be a good idea.

Well, hopefully someone's picking it up for you in that case. [ Though who knows how time works here? Someone has to be looking for her. Chris has to be looking for her, right? ] Well, now we're talking. I definitely haven't been awake more than an hour, but when you're in space I guess time's irrelevant, right?

[ It's an excuse as good as any, though she doesn't necessarily want her senses dulled. Anything could happen and she'd like to stay sharp... but this is too much to wrap her head around fully sober. ]

An actual blanket wouldn't be too bad, either. As much as I don't want to walk around with one around my shoulders like a cape, it beats the chill.

Mm. Lillian's been doing this longer than I have. [She makes a face and shrugs.] I can't remember going to sleep in the motel I was at. It's just weird.

[She pauses and cocks her head, eyebrows raised.]

A blanket? There's one in my room, I found it when I was digging around. If you want it, we can jog back. I don't mind. It is pink and fluffy and has flamingoes on it. Kinda cute?

Your job where you come from, you mean? [ She doesn't want to pry and ask what it is. That kind of information should be given freely rather than coaxed out. ] Just a gap? I was getting ready for a flight, but I don't remember stopping what I was doing or pausing but it's not like I have a... cut-off, either? It's like it kept going on and I can't recall.

[ She reaches for her neck now. Vulnerability makes her anxious, but there's nothing she can do about her gap in memory. At least it doesn't feel like she's been hit on the head or anything. ]

Oh, yeah, I woke up beneath one. [ But she raises hes eyebrows and her eyes widen minutely with the questioning gesture. ] Nah, I'm good for now. Offer's appreciated, especially if it has flamingos on it. [ More than she's willing to let on, even. It's an extremely kind and generous offer considering the situation. ] Hopefully it doesn't get any colder or warmer. I'm not sure I can double-down with this and a jumpsuit, though I bet it'd be fun to try.

Yeah. Mostly, I help folks with, um, unusual problems. Dingo had some missing kids I was looking into. [Merlan shook her head and wrinkled her nose a little as she saw the anxiety in Jill rise.]

Hey, now. For the moment, we're both safe, if a little cold. Blanket offer totally stands. Open door if you need company, too. I honestly figure we gotta be safer together. [Her smile is bright and genuine. Gotta share what you got, even if it's not much.]

I know I've got an extra sweater, too. Nice and roomy.

You a therapist or social worker? Not that you need to answer if you feel I'm prying. [ Some people don't like to talk about themselves or their work in great detail and she's happy to indulge in chit-chat in its stead. Her job is most of her life, it dictates everything she does and it's something she enjoys immensely, so it typically boils down to work for her. ] Hope that work carried on regardless, in that case.

[ Consideration is still something she is adapting to. Almost foreign after three years, but she'd like to think she's easing back into life with normal people again pretty well. She tilts her head in Merlan's direction with a ghost of a smile present. The offer is so genuine that it honestly touches her (but she's not that much of a sap). ]

I'll keep it in mind, assuming you know the offer stands on my end. I'm a little ways down from you, opposite side of the hall. I'd say you can't miss it because of my name on the exterior, but when it's a blur of the same door and wall for who knows how many rooms... [ It's unnerving in and of itself. Sci-fi suburbs, huh. ] Hey, I'm gonna start thinking you want to give it away when you're selling it like that!

Neither, just someone protecting the land I love and all the creatures in it. Although honestly, I do have a doctorate in abnormal psychology, so I guess I could be a therapist if I wanted. That's the new one, like within months, so I'm not used to the title change.

[There wasn't anything dishonest in there but coming out and saying she's a Hunter wasn't really kosher right now.

She screws up her face a little and laughs.]

Some people collect stamps. I guess I collect knowledge and that doctorate was absolutely fascinating. I mean, human beings are pretty messed up.

[She tilts her head a little and grins at Jill.]

I just figure it's hard enough being on some spaceship in a galaxy far, far away. When you have next to nothing, it's either easier or harder to share depending on who you are. I guess I'm on the easier e--

[Merlan broke off, her expression turning to one of delight as they hit a familiar area. That was totally a kitchen. In her excitement, she linked an arm with Jill's and let out a quiet but totally gleeful sound and whispered.]

Please have tea.

Then I guess you and I have something in common. [ Her smile is tight, if not somber. There's only so much you can do to protect it all and more and more, it's become foremost about preserving and protecting things for the people she loved. Even if it meant her life. ] That so... might be one of the things you should keep as an ace up your sleeve, then. I mean, we're being held in space in some kind of station or ship, right? Chances are that you might find some use out of that degree on a more personal level.

[ Jill kills monsters for a living in an attempt to eradicate using them for bioterrorism. Biological warfare isn't just releasing a virus and killing people anymore, it's using the virus to transform people and animals into something that can be manipulated at times and others, just spread like a wildfire. It's become standard; why use mercenaries when you can grab a kid and turn them into a hulking beast or mutate insects? Even Hunters, created in laboratories with spliced genes were some of the cheapest to manufacture on the black market -- and they could eviscerate with a single careless swipe.

Without thinking much on it, Jill shrugs and replies in a way that she immediately figures probably wasn't the best. ]

Guess it's better than collecting guns like I do. [ She realizes that it makes her sound like some nut, but for her it was more about personalizing them and familiarizing herself with what she'd use on the job. Still. ] ...but uh, yeah.

[ Honestly, she's thankful for the kitchen to pop up. A little uncomfortable with touch still after everything, there's a split second of complete blankness before she falls in step, eventually unhooking herself to start looking around. ]

If we're doing hoping, I guess I'll hope for a nice steak while we're at it...

Yeah. I can imagine people might get a little stir-crazy in here. I did a rotation at a mental facility and things got pretty dicey around a few of the more violent patients. As far as my study went, though, that did really well.

[Merlan's peering and poking around, her soft ah ha! bright as she finds a hot water dispenser - which she tries to make sure it is - and some tea.]

I kinda collect knives myself, but guns, we've a-plenty back home. All sorts. I'm missing all my weapons, though, the ones I had on me. Makes me feel a bit naked. Oh, try the fridge over there?

[She neatly folds the tag and string of her tea bag around the handle of her cup and sets it down to steep, a small plate over the top of it for good measure.]

Might get lucky with a steak.

Trap anyone anywhere, they're going to start getting pissed. Hopefully this rotation will be a little less painful? Can't say I've ever been to a mental facility, but I'd like to keep it that way.

[ Hospitals, though... she'd been to her fair share between her injuries and those she cared for having been hurt. She'd barely gotten out of one before coming here, but she's thankful regardless so long as she's afforded freedom. She wants to be angrier or bitter about it all, but it's hard to be when the worst of it is being apart from the people she cared about.

With any luck, she'd see them all soon enough. And she'd better have one hell of a welcome home party. ]

Hmph, yeah. I typically keep a survival knife on me, mid-sized and closer to a diver's knife. Usually have a small pilot's knife or an injection knife on me, too, but I was just gearing up. At least I've got my packs. [ She pats at her hip to the waist pack there, a large one at the back and small ones scattering the sides. Beneath her arms there are more, attached to a makeshift shoulder holster. On her front is a small communicator that she's tried to no avail. Not even static. ] Got some stuff in it, but most of it's useless -- ah, roger.

[ She doesn't offer any information about what they hold. No weapons, unfortunately. She does as directed, however, and frowns at its interior. Juice and alcohol isn't too bad, but she'd rather remain sober for now and water seemed more appealing. For the sake of curiosity, she opens the freezer next and is surprised by the stock of meat. ]

Guess you're right on that one. Though I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to give it a go just yet, as much as I like free food.

[ Caution didn't matter much if she was going to be her for a while. You either had to give the food a go or starve. Water, though, she'd have to cave in to already. Hopefully there's nothing wrong with it... though it doesn't feel like it can get much worse than being lost in space. ]

Mm, true, I suppose so. Getting stuck somewhere is bound to get someone up in arms. I don't think it'll be me. Too curious to be pissed.

[Mental hospitals, definitely not fun for anyone except those too far gone inside their minds to care. Merlan tilts her head and smiles as Jill finds the meat. That was one.]

Looks like there's coffee. [She swirled the pot, wrinkled her nose, and went to wash it out before making a fresh pot. She measures everything carefully but quickly.] Old coffee, now soon to be new.

I'm pissed, but it's not my number one feeling right now. Frustration might be a better word? I'm with you on curious, though. Anger -- at least so far -- isn't going to get me anywhere. Curiosity might.

[ She hopes it might be rewarding, but she's not going to hold her breath on that one. It always seems to backfire on her when she goes exploring, even when it's not job-related. Jill leans against the close fridge only to rock forward and nudge off of it. ]

You think too highly of me if you don't think I wouldn't have drank that old sludge. Sometimes you just gotta live a little.

[ Although she might've held off on that previously, things change. You learn to appreciate a lot of things when you don't have them. But she'll wait this time, albeit eagerly. ]

So, you think all the other rooms are occupied? Or maybe just ones with the names on them?

Frustration and curiosity, yeah, I get that. Together, they do bring a driving need to poke around.

[Merlan looks amused and shrugs a little.]

Mmh, sometimes you need to indulge yourself while you can. Things can get awful shitty awful fast. [Her eybrows arch.] I figure if it has a name on it, it's probably occupied. It wouldn't hurt to see if there were doors without names, though.

Just afraid I might open a door and it'll lead me out an airlock or something...

[ This is far beyond the technology of her world and her only experience with it would be movies -- bad ones at that. ]

That's one thing I've got experience with. [ She still wouldn't have done anything different; honestly would've killed him more for those three years and honesty would've let Wesker escape and spread his virus globally. He might've died. It was better to just stay quiet and bear with it all, even if she'd regret staying silent and keeping a distance. Words didn't come, but she knew he knew. ] That... yeah, probably is the only way to tell about anything. Seems huge as hell. Wonder what else is here?

Here's hoping we don't space ourselves, then.

[She watches the coffee pot fill and then pours her companion a cup before offering it to her.]

I'm going to probably say there'd be instructions, safety checks, and probably a big switch that initiates an airlock purge before anyone actually gets spaced. That seems like the best way to go about engineering safety protocol for people new to this whole environment.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Calibration Post 1, "Daytime"

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

This got lost! Apologies.