driftfleet | the white noise is deafening silence

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the white noise is deafening silence

[In the very early hours of January 20th, as the Marsiva and her captives drift nonchalantly through the depths of the universe, there is a call. Every single personal communicator and console springs to life, spitting out a stream of indecipherable static and showing only gray snow on screen. It continues like this for a few seconds longer, going black and then going staticky, and then the signal switches to the encrypted channel generally used for speaking to the Interceptors when something big goes down.

This is a little more successful. The voice may be familiar to some, at least through the static.]

Zhade here! I trust I ███ your attention? I'm having some ██▓▓ble ██tting through. Some of the ░▓██▓█ are missing. I can't ░▓▓▓ read on their loc█████ns. [A particularly long burst of static.] ███stening. I'll s█▓▓█ more inf██▓▓▓▓▓█ I get it.

Stay sharp! [There's the sound of someone actually doing the fingerguns wink noise, and then static.

Any messages sent back won't get through, and Zhade isn't there to answer.]

[ 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.

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

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Music is Good for the Soul
[The mood on the Marsiva can be summed up quite neatly in two little words: total shit.

And because of that, Taako has decided to do himself and everyone else on this ship some good and find some entertainment. It isn't hard to do - they do have actual entertainment systems set up for this exact reason. The Atroma probably didn't mean for it to be abused like this, but, well? They put Taako on a ship with the ability to find any music available and an surround sound system that could blast the entire living area if he so chose.

And he deeeeefinitely so chose.

So one day, people will begin to hear What's New Pussycat start to play. Is it just once? Twice? No wait, that's definitely three times, right? Is it...four? Or two? How long is this song? Seriously, how long is this song?

Why is it still going?

How many times has this been put into the system?

The song just keeps going on endless repeat and if anyone gets the idea of going up to stop it? They'll find Otiluke's Resilient Sphere blocking their way to the control panel. No amount of punching or attacking will do anything to damage the sphere and nothing can reach the control panel or the song that still continually blares loud and proud over the loudspeakers.

And somewhere in the room is Taako, smirking like the pussycat in the song as he watches people slowly lose their minds.]

But So is Food
[And when he isn't being a total jackass to everyone, he's in the kitchen. Taako finds the lack of real ingredients here a real affront to his senses, but he's making due because he's a transmutation wizard and he will die a cold, cold death in a hot hot hell before he ever resorts to eating the provided food gel.

Taako has several bowls of them out though, and as he goes over the recipe he wants in his head, he touches the bowls. The gel inside reforms into actual food and he sighs. Not as good as the real thing, but good enough. Better than actually eating the gels and how else is he going to find farm fresh eggs in freaking space?

The moment he sees anyone within venting range, he lets out a loud sigh and complains.]

I still cannot believe these idiots expect us to subsist on paste. Only kindergartners do that.

Edited 2019-01-22 15:26 (UTC)

[Oh, Natasha recognizes this. She recognizes it and she hates it.

For the most part, Natasha keeps to herself during calibrations; she stays in her room as much as she can stand, and when she does venture out into the common areas, she spends the better part of her time finding private corners. Reading stirs up bittersweet memories of her last round, mostly spent with James while he read her books that she refused to read for herself.

Despite her general antisocial behavior, though, she does keep an eye open for her friends, her teammates, to check in if they seem to be having a rough time with it. Just a glance, a few words to make sure they're hanging in, that it's not too bad.

But oh, oh, does she hate it.]

[Only a few days in and Bucky hates this. He hates the dreams — are they dreams? — he hates the captivity, he hates the lack of privacy. About the only thing Bucky doesn't hate is the sterility of everything, and that's only because it's familiar. He doesn't like it, but he acknowledges it.

Still, the idea that the setting is designed to force social interactions does not sit well with someone who believes — strongly so! — that he is ill-suited for it. With the forcing of sleep cycles he cannot even retreat into the solitude of a nighttime workout and the frustration has him on edge. At least there are books, ones he brings back to his room to read in solitude, returning them to the common area the next day. It's on such a foray to return a book that he runs into Natasha, tucked up in what passes for privacy in one of the reading nooks.]

Didn't mean to disturb you. [He'll just leave the book and retreat from her space; it's for the best.]

[Natasha can't entirely suppress a flinch when he speaks up. It's both the first and last voice she wants to hear right now.

She's quick to tamp down on the reaction though. It's not Barnes's fault she's uncomfortable. This whole situation is just designed to make her feel uncomfortable—but that means he's probably feeling it too.]

It's all right. [She closes the book she was reading, tucking it away beside her hip.] I wasn't really doing anything.

[After a quick pause:] You doing okay?

( video killed the ___ star )

[ people were popping in and out of his head and even though loki has no idea what memories they were picking apart, he had enough of a sense to realize He Did Not Like It. so he strides into the living room and squints at the video titles. none of them make much sense to him, but that doesn't matter. with a flick of his fingers, they all rise out of their positions and he turns on his heel, heading back to his room, the dvds/various paraphernalia following him. good luck to anyone who needed their fix of "Love Actually". or you can try stopping him.

if you approach his room, his door is closed, but you can hear the loud noises of a movie being played. and if you open the door, loki is curled up on his bed, knees locked together as he's riveted to his screen. ]

[That flinch doesn't go unnoticed. After the tension in their first meeting, he supposes he's not surprised. And with what's apparently been happening, Bucky is sure they're not the only two on edge.

But it doesn't mean they have to like it.]

I hate this place. [It's not really an answer and it's really giving anything away, given that most people probably share the sentiment.] The sooner we leave, the better.

[She laughs dryly at that, soft. It's not all that surprising he says that, or that they agree about this.]

It's high on my list of least favorite things that happens here.

[Very high on the list. Not on the level of seeing worlds destroyed, but honestly? She'd prefer cannibals.]

It shouldn't last long.

[This place sucks and is super creepy, but also not the worst place she's been stuck, so Lup is pretty quick to gravitate towards the various forms of entertainment that's available to them as well. Some are familiar, others not so much, and rather than trying to parse that she follows Taako over to the music system to see what shenanigans he's up to. She watches him select the same song over... and over... and over...

...hah.

Leaning in, she gives him a poke.]

Hey, hey. Check this: toss a different song in the middle of 'em.

[He was so in the zone with the music selection, he'd barely paid attention when someone had come up. Lup's familiar voice brings a smile to his lips and it widens when he registers what she's saying. He pauses before selecting the same song again, and then starts scrolling through the discography of this particular singer.]

Yeah, you think? What should we put in then?

[On the one hand, an enforced sleep period every night has ensured Thor actually does sleep a solid number of hours every day. On the other hand, that sleep is made up of mad ventures into other people's souls, or them into his, and that is far from a relaxing thought. While he looks and feels better physically, it does nothing for the restless frustration burning in him.

It leaves him pacing the hallways sometimes. On this occasion when he passes by Loki's room, he can hear - something. Some kind of media. Thor slows to a halt and stares at the door for a few minutes. He knows it's Loki's room, having seen him emerge from there before, but he hasn't really spoken to his brother much since this begun a couple of days ago. And definitely not since last night ...

Rather than knocking, Thor just shoves his hand on the touch panel to open it and steps inside.]

What are you -- [He pauses, squinting at the strange dog-creature on the screen] ... doing.

[ loki hisses, shushing thor. he definitely looks very invested, emotionally so. ]

Be quiet, he's being adopted!

[Thor looks affronted at being hushed, though it's probably lost on Loki given his being glued to the screen. Looking at the screen again with uncertainty, Thor steps into the room and lets the door shut behind him. He's vaguely familiar with animated movies, having caught advertisements for one or two while watching television on Earth. Never sat through one though.

... he can't help himself, he interrupts again.]

Is it a dog?

[ loki shoots thor a deadly glare. ]

He is not a dog. He is part of the family and he's accepted.

[Oh-kay, he does wince at that look. But it was still a valid question.]

Uh, right, of course.

[Though Thor is a little dubious on that point, given the older sister's reaction. He sighs after a moment, regretting his decision to come in here already. Pointing to the door, he follows up with:]

I'll just -- leave you to it.

[ loki bites on his lip. ]

Wait.

[ he pauses the film. ]

You can come watch if you like.

[His hand was ready to smack the panel again so Thor's eyebrows go up. Loki had not seemed that pleased to have another person in the room.]

You'll have to tell me what the start was.

[ loki has certainly secluded himself. he's shared too much with the fleet. also wrestling with the ramifications of his sacrifice hasn't been easy either. but loki doesn't want to mope as much as he rather ignore everything about what's happening. ]

An unwanted alien crash-landed on Earth and was taken in by some sisters.

Huh.

[That's at least more interesting than Thor would have first thought. Apart from the sisters part, it might as well mirror his own banishment from a few years ago. Deciding to stay, Thor moves to sit on the metal chest in the room, resting his chin in his hands.]

And that's why he's being adopted, is it.

No. They found him and it . . . clicked. He learned to care about them.

[ loki's eyes flicker to thor before returning to the screen. ]

Apparently there is a story among the mortals. Called the Ugly Duckling. Where all the ducklings grew up perfectly except for one. And he wandered, trying to find his family. Eventually, he turned into a swan and found himself.

[It isn't hard to guess what Loki is thinking about, watching a movie like this. Thor meets Loki's eyes before his brother looks away again. He watches Loki's profile for a few moments longer then returns his gaze to the movie as well.]

I haven't heard that one. Maybe there's a copy on board.

There might be. It seems to be popular.

[ his shoulders hunch briefly. he wonders if thor remembers what happened in his heart. mind. whatever that place represented. ]

Doesn't matter, I figure, so long as it's something new. Like the eye of a tornado.

[That delicious calm in the storm before the real chaos returns. She points to a new song completely at random.]

That one? Not like I know any of 'em. Unless you've heard of Fantasy Tom Jones.

[Thor's attention is on the movie for now. He hadn't had much of a plan when he walked in here, and now he's delaying that inevitable conversation about his dream - soulscape - whatever he experienced. Because Loki was there too (he thinks?) and while he doesn't recall what it looked like, he remembers enough otherwise.]

I'm going to look at the books later. I'll let you know if I see it.

Of course.

[ loki hears it for what it is. he's no fool in such things after all. but he's not keen on deflecting and pretending nothing happened. at this point, he's quite sure things can't get worse for him. ]

Thor. I am sorry.

[Thor shifts, sitting up straighter and looking Loki in the face once more. Despite the rest there's still something tired in his expression.]

You're speaking about the dream.

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the white noise is deafening silence

Taako | The Adventure Zone

Natasha Romanoff | MCU | OTA

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loki (mcu) | ota

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music;

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