driftfleet | It's all over but the crying

Who: Psycho Mantis and you.

Broadcast: Yes

Action: SS Bishop

When: Today

(Video – Fleetwide)

My god, it’s full of stars.

[He wandered around the ship in a bit of a daze. First came the larger ship, then the small celebration welcoming him to the second, and he is just as confused as he was when he first woke up. It’s been a long couple of days for him and he finds his way to the bridge of the ship. Stars. So many stars, He slumps in one of the many chairs nearest the window looking out onto space. There’s a cup of tea in his hand and his head turns between the feed he managed to open and the view.]

It’s a dream, isn’t it? It has to be. I remember what happened.

[He’s still dressed in his leathers, not quite trusting himself to wear the ship standards just yet. It’s so clinical. So real… He curls up more in the chair, lifting his mask a little out of the way to have a sip.]

This ship is called Bishop. Like the clergymen and the chess piece. If…anyone is out there, where is here?

(Action – Bishop)

[Still on the bridge of the ship, Mantis decides to make use of the music system to play something classical in the hopes of soothing some of his confusion. The tea doesn’t hurt either, and he sighs heavily as he tries to count the stars he can see. His malaise is such that someone could reasonably sneak up on him if they were so inclined. He is making good company with the chair he singled out.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Thank goodness I am not the only one who has dealt with shadow organizations and the things they do. When two or more people can agree on this kind of thing, it cuts out so much time others might waste trying to reason with those who imprisoned them.

Our captors don't give themselves much opportunity to be reasoned with at all. I believe we've heard from them once since I've been here.

[It sounds a little like Mantis is hinting at other avenues of action that are less friendly than using reason. But Sayid isn't sure that he doesn't agree.]

[Mantis is in fact very used to completely unfriendly venues of getting what he wants. You don't get what you want by hoping that's what will happen.]

Only once? This system must have been going for a long while if they're so confident that we'll stay alive.

I haven't heard of anyone dying. I'm not sure exactly how long this has all been going on, but it seems to have been for a while

Dammit. [He whispers the word, then sighs.] Too many unknowns with this. You can't really do anything but wait for new information.

[Sayid smiles a little at the whisper, though it's small and also slightly grim.]

That appears to be the case, I'm afraid. It's frustrating.

[But...you know, he's curious about Mantis. There's...a lot to be curious about. Hoping to potentially get some answers, Sayid changes the subject.]

I hope they didn't take you away from anything pressing.

[You always hope against hope that the bad situations are merely bad dreams, at least in the beginning.]

Frustration is the least of what I'm feeling right now.

[The question catches him off guard. He sits up a little and one hand goes up to cover his chest. There was a burning sensation from bullets still lodged in his recent memory.]

Very. [He winces at how much he can hear sadness creep into his voice. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.] But it's over now. Or it should be.

[Very telling. Sayid's eyes drop to where Mantis' hand is placed before he looks back up at his face. He isn't positive, but he thinks he might be able to understand the significance of that gesture.]

They can have very inopportune timing.

[Mantis knows a great deal of the human mind, but that doesn't stop him from being victim to classic gestures of phantom pains and remembering things he would rather not think about.]

Possibly the worst in the world- [He looks up and out into the stars.] In the entire universe.

Overall, they're not particularly considerate.

[It seems too indelicate to travel along that path of inquiry, especially considering what Sayid thinks he knows. At a later date, maybe. He can think of other questions to ask.]

Forgive me if this seems rude, but your name is very unique. At least to me. Is it more common where you're from?

[Who knows about the naming conventions of mysterious other cultures.]

[Mantis knows full well he's not making a very good attempt at maintaining his indifference. Too much changed all at once, too much lost all at once.

So he shakes his head at the statement and then again at the question.]

A code name. My legal one is only that. The meaning of it was lost a long time ago, but my code name is who I am now.

It's all over but the crying

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