OPEN - I wanna know who you are

[cruelyethuman]

CHARACTERS: The Darkling and YOU
LOCATION: Around the station during downtime
DATE: Every date until the next mission
CONTENT: Meh, Darkling doing darkling stuff- but in space!
WARNINGS: None? Morally grey stuff?



i. Returned. Infirmary

[The transition to the station is less smooth this time, and the Darkling stumbles away from the drop-point, letting go of Alina's hand as he takes an unsteady step to avoid the utter disgrace of falling flat on his face.

What's left of his clothes has been dried out from the heat of Alina's Light, but it's still torn and covered with plaster dust, sticking uncomfortably to his skin and the blood has dried out in to flaky maroon.

He walks slowly towards the infirmary, right hand clenched around his side to stop the bleeding. Once inside, he rummages through drawers and cabinets, pulling out clean gauze, water and alcohol. Needle and thread, in case he needs it, putting it all out in a neat row. Slowly, carefully, because most of his left side feels burned, skin pulled too tight and near-blistering from the Small Science that seared what was left of the poison out of him before the fall through the floor.

The Darkling peels off his shirt, trying awkwardly to reach around on his back where a piece of glass is sticking out.]

Excuse me? If you could just pull on that for me.

ii. The Sunlight room

[The days drag on the station. There's nothing to do, except fall in to his own mind and work on the block that Rhysand seems to think is possible. Unless that too is a trick, another lie to worm his way closer.

The Darkling sits under a tree with the false sun shining on his upturned face, letting it warm him in ways the blankets and the heating of this place never could. It might be a simulation or something equally mysterious that powers it, but the rays are heated against his skin and it's something else to look at other than Kovacs or the pale walls in their room.]

Move.

[And without opening his eyes, he adds a-] please.

iii. Kitchen

[Without a mission, or even a clear goal to plan for, the Darkling drifts through the station, watching the other orbers go about their business. The careless way they might interact, who talks to whom and which rooms people go in to.

There's an idleness to this that grate on his nerves. That makes his skin itch, and he heads off to the kitchen to find something to eat, now that most people seem to have had their fill, thus leaving it mostly empty.

Sliding in to a chair, he grabs the tray of food, stabbing it as if it had personally insulted him.]

iv. Training

[The sense of boredom grows with every day, his body unused to this life. Sitting for long periods of time without anything to plan for, or to do, makes him restless, and the Darkling finds himself in the training room again.

Trying to burn off excess energy by punching a bag that hangs from the ceiling. For once, the Darkling isn't covered from head to toe in black, but has opted for a white shirt and loose dark pants that might once have been pajamas, his hands covered with black leather gloves and sweat making his hair stick up.

Punch after punch, hitting the bag until he's breathless and panting, muscles aching and mind a little less loud in the quiet of the room. When the door opens, he glances over before nodding at the row of weapons.]

How are you with a sword?

v. WILDCARD

[Throw anything at me, as the Darkling is lurking around in the shadows on the station when he's not in his room. Or hit me up at ireth

Comments

Kitchen

[morethan084]

[He's not hard to spot when Daisy enters the room, having heard of there being food still left from someone cooking. Arms covered in braces, Daisy's half tempted to just ignore that he's even here, but that doesn't sit right with her.

Plate of food in hand, Daisy goes straight for the table he's sitting at.]

Hey.

[She doesn't ask if the seat is taken and instead just pulls out the chair.]

[cruelyethuman]

[Still stabbing at the food on his plate, lost in thought and thoroughly distracted trying to think up what the next step might be, the Darkling doesn't notice Daisy until she's already in her seat.

This stasis, the lull in action as the station works on finding the next orb. The next step of the plan and there is no reason to think that the next time will be any different from the last two - they will be given details just before the new world materializes around them, with precious little time to prepare anything but the bare necessities before a new and alien earth demands their attention.

He stabs another piece on his plate, because this is new and infuriating. Thinking in 'we' and 'us', when it's supposed to be 'me' and 'I', that subtle shift in perception that has been sneaking in during the last month and half in Braccia.]

Hello.

[morethan084]

[Well, mission accomplished. She talked to him, so…

A slew of emotions gnaws away at her stomach as she sits there in silence. Thinking of what to say next, if she should say anything else. Nudging her food around her plate, Daisy chews on the inside of her cheek.

Downtime could be nice, if it didn’t mean Daisy was left to think about everything she’s managed to push to the back of her mind during the mission. She remembers how close the two of them had gotten, how betrayed and hurt she felt when he took his aggression out on her, only to eye him so vulnerable the next.]

[cruelyethuman]

[Despite what he told Peter, and the help given freely, the Darkling is content to let the silence stretch out between them as he eats. Slowly, stabbing one bite at a time, chewing it thoroughly before washing it down with a sip of water.

He has for more experience in silence. With the way it will start of as barely noticeable only to grow, like fingers reaching up a person's throat. Pressing against the lungs as it stretches out in to infinity. He flicks his gaze between the food on his plate and Daisy's face, only to narrow his eyes at the braces on her arms.

Daisy makes him... uncomfortable. The sole witness to his loss of control and the careless way he had been willing to throw it all away because of Alina. The person it all circled back to, his wayward balance and his recalcitrant half. The Darkling doesn't care to feel anything at all, and watching Daisy...]

We're going to ignore that I said eye instead of see.

[morethan084]

[Daisy catches him looking at her arms, and it finally breaks her silence.]

Turns out keeping a building from collapsing is as difficult as it sounds.

[Because this was a much simpler thing to talk about rather than to actually talk about her mixed feelings for him. Even still, she only briefly makes eye contact with him before looking down at her food again.]

wildcard

[winscenario]

[ Back at the station, Jim has tried to resume the lessons, or at least has made himself available for them again. He still needs to do something more defined, maybe a loose curriculum of sorts, and arrange for a set schedule of classes that people can attend while they're at the station between missions.

Barring that, he occasionally lets people know when he's available, sending some reading material if anyone's interested. It's mostly the basics of space, how it divides into galaxies and solar systems, how orbits work, what kinds of astronomical objects there are. Plenty to pick at there, since he doesn't get into details, but he hopes that each person will have their own questions and they can go from there.

He looks up when the Darkling approaches him. He's taking up one of the tables in the mess hall, and he sits a little more upright, glasses propped up his nose. ]

Curiosity got the best of you?

[ Or he just doesn't have anything better to do with his time, most likely. ]

[cruelyethuman]

You made it sound interesting.

[Does he mean the lessons, or just everything about Jim in general? The Darkling strides closer, hands clasped behind his back holding a book.

Vivica would know the answer to any question the Darkling might have, about space, about the possibility of what they were doing out here in the vacuum of it and what to do in case of another station failure. But he doesn't talk to Vivica, the gentle voice in his ear. Not anymore.

Sliding in to a chair, he places the book on the table. It has stars and the moon on the cover, the title "Goodnight Moon" in big letters printed on top.]

This book is not about space.

[winscenario]

[ Jim smiles a little at that. Whatever Kirigan's referring to, he'll take it. He'll be happy to share whatever knowledge he has, or just talk about anything else. He did set this time aside for the lessons, but it's not like anyone else has shown up yet, so.

He glances at the book, reaching for it with interest. ]

No? Is it the children's book?

[ Somehow he can't picture that being to Kirigan's taste, but... ]

[cruelyethuman]

It would seem so. I found it in the- [a pause as he slides the book closer to Jim] in the pile room.

[Object teleportation, but it was still merely a room filled with random objects. Most of the them with unidentifiable purpose and placed in to groups that made no sense to him.

The book had a bright cover and a moon on it, he had, erroneously it turned out, assumed it was about space.]

That would also explain the very large letters.

[winscenario]

[ Jim isn't sure how to process all this new information, but he ends up chuckling while partly covering his mouth, leaning back as he picks up the book. ]

I have to admit, it is pretty surprising to see you carrying this book around.

[ He flips through the pages, only giving them some attention. As a kid he never had any children's books, his mom certainly never read him any, but as an adult he has a fondness for any kind of printed copy, even something like this. ]

I like books. We don't have a lot of printed ones where I'm from, [ He explains. ]

Infirmary

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel's in the infirmary, mostly to look after others, having escaped serious injury herself. So when Kirigan asks for her help, she moves forward, freshly scrubbed hands holding a pair of tweezers.]

Do you want me to heal it afterwards?

[cruelyethuman]

[Looking over his shoulder, the Darkling nods.]

If that is something that you can do.

[He holds out his left arm, besides the bruising and the plaster dust, it's red and near-blistering from the heat of Alina's Light.]

Can you heal this as well?

[bindsthedead]

My study of Charter magic was rather broad- I can certainly heal burns.

[Sickness and disease, less so. Her knowledge of healing had focused more on what was useful on the battlefield. Sabriel gets the glass out as gently as she can before she starts on the healing, reaching into the Charter and calling forth the marks for a healing spell- marks to mend torn flesh, ease pain, and speed up the body's own healing.]

Let me know if Sabriel's magic doesn't feel like this

[cruelyethuman]

[Healers can knit the skin back together, the concentration needed to mend the broken blood vessels and the nerves are tricky business, and they are highly trained professionals. They're Small Science feel like fingers stroking underneath your skin, the pain a blaze of agony in brief glimpses as the science courses through his body.

Sabriel's magic is a gentle breeze, a warmth that spreads through his limbs and the red fades from his skin as he takes a stuttering breath, unprepared for the lack of pain.]

Thank you.

[As her magic crawls through his veins, slithering over his skin. ]

That works!

[bindsthedead]

[The magic circulates, but much of it lingers around the sites of the injuries, the occasional mark rising to his skin before settling back down.]

Just- take it easy for the next few days. Too much activity will disrupt the spells, and your wounds will reopen.

[And she's healed enough people that trying to do repeat healings would be draining.]

ii.

[spacedisaster]

Hmmm....since you asked so nicely. [ Says a familiar voice above the Darkling, moving as to not cast a shadow over him anymore.

Peter had come to the sunlight room less out of boredom and more because he was well aware of the importance of getting some vitamin D when you lived in a spaceship. His mood had lifted immediately when he spotted the Darkling there, sunbathing like a big, black cat under the fake sun.

There's a pause, and then a warm body is pressing against the Darkling's side. Peter has sat down next to him, apparently ignorant to the vast area in the room to sit, choosing to do so next to his 'friend'. ]

Cozy. Have you been here for long?

[cruelyethuman]

Time is meaningless in a place such as this.

[Which is to say, he has no idea. There is no sunrise or sunset to guide him, and the rhythm of the station is far removed from the life he used to live. It's unsettling in ways he has no words for, but he feels it deep inside his bones. The wrongness of it.

Of living in the blank space between the stars.

The sunlit room made things... bearable.]

And, had I not asked nicely, you would have stayed to block the sun.

[spacedisaster]

Ah, that. [ See, any other person might not have been able to get what the Darkling meant, but Peter has lived the last 3 decades traveling the galaxy. ] When I was first taken to space, I had trouble adjusting too. I couldn't tell day hours and night hours apart, and often lost track of time and forgot to sleep. But there are tools that help with that. You could use a wristwatch to keep track of the hours. Do you have those in your world?

[ It's comfy staying like this and if the Darkling isn't inclined to kick out Peter, he's happy resting against the other man and letting the fake sun warms them up. ]

I would have moved eventually, I just wanted to check if you were okay after the mission.

[cruelyethuman]

A pocket watch.

[But the time is still meaningless, when they're waiting indefinitely. There's nothing to do and no way to plan for might come next, when the missions are random and the orbs so hard to find.

The universe is infinite, or so the saying goes. The universe and the greed of men, but floating in space makes that a little harder to believe in. It might just be something told to the youth, to keep them on the narrow path already selected for them by those who think themselves better. Wiser.

His own mother was like this once.]

I will adjust, thank you for your concern.

[There's no reason to be kind, except for the fact that Vivica spoke of team work, and the Darkling is less than willing to go against her word. She knows too much, and there has yet to present a way to guarantee her silence.]

I am always fine. [And after a small silence, he opens his eyes to look at Peter leaning so close against him and closes them again, letting the false sun shine on his face. The only part of him not covered in dark materials.] And yourself? You survived.

[spacedisaster]

Hm...sort of, yes. Pockets watches are what my people would call vintage. But they look fun.

[ The universe is infinite, that much Peter had discovered himself while trying to discover it all. Infinite mysteries and infinite adventures, countless people to meet. And while all things die, that doesn't make going out there and discovering as much as you can about them any less worth it. Quite the opposite, in Peter's opinion. ]

If you are sure. [ Peter still has his eyes closed, but his eyebrows go up a fraction, disbelieving of the Darkling's last words. He has used the mantra 'I am fine' fair too many times for them to no longer have meaning. He finds them hard to believe. ]

You know you are allowed to be not fine, right? [ Peter makes a humming sound after that. Yes, he survived. He usually always does. Is the people he cares about who always end dying. After a moment, Peter opens his eyes, resting his head back and looking up at the three over them. ]

I've met Daisy during the attack at the Loretta's. She tried to kill me.

kitchen

[bossily]

[Clara's in the middle of quietly eating down at the dark, shadowy end of the kitchen. She's leaning up against the counter, quietly observing him. She doesn't think much of his being there until he starts stabbing at his food. Either he's having a rough day, or he just is a really aggressive eater.]

Try stabbing harder. I'm not sure the food knows you're taking whatever's wrong out on it just yet.

[It's a casual suggestion, one that's made in between bites of the apple she's snacking on. ]

[cruelyethuman]

If I stab it any harder - [the Darkling says back, eyes still on his plate as he stabs another piece of food] I will likely break the plate.

[With that, he looks up with a small smile, fork raised with the prize he managed to stab on to it.]

I see you've made it back from yet another mission.

[bossily]

And so have you.

[Which is far less surprising in his case, given the powers she's seen him use. The fact she's managed to survive the two missions she's been on so far have far less to do with any specific skill set she may have and far more to do with pure luck.]

But it's probably not that bad of a thing if you break the plate. They're too worn and ugly to let live.

[It's a joke, one that has her smirking as she pushes away from her spot leaning against the counter to go join him sitting at the table. She sits across from rather than next to him, minding her distance so she doesn't completely crowd his space.]

[cruelyethuman]

Unlike some people - [The Darkling smiles softly, watching Clara] I tend to not use myself as bait.

[He blinks, frowning at the plate in front of him before he looks back up.] And then what will happen. If we break all the worn and ugly things, half the station will be naked and eating out of the colorful packages.

What a mess that would be.

[bossily]

Yeah, but then things would be a lot more exciting. It's a shame to let the missions have all the fun.

[She teases, both eyebrows arching and waggling. The idea of half the people here being naked is both hilarious and disturbing.]

Speaking of - anything exciting happen for you on our last outing?

[Besides the big fight scene there at the end, she means.]