15th jump;

[learnedtosmile]

CHARACTERS: any and all
LOCATION: Gravity Couches and beyond
WARNINGS: maybe some swearing, or even some violence, and more than likely some implied (and possibly explicit) nakedness.
SUMMARY: Another month, another jump, another round of new faces.
NOTES: Keeping up with the tradition and copy pasted like always from the last one


You wake up in darkness.


There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

You are not alone.


There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. Others have much less amiable plans. Some are merely alien and inexplicable, but there are always those who might mean you harm.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Comments

Scarecrow | prose or action!

[notmydiagnosis]

[ Crane moves rapidly and only takes his time when he's at his locker with his things, staring at something inside it.

It's been there the whole time, of course. Not mocking him or anything, merely existing--merely sitting there, along with the empty case he worked so hard to fill that long, long time ago. He needs to send Tate for some supplies eventually, if the teen says yes.

For now, he merely straightens his tie and keeps his gaze on it. A ballpeen hammer that had meant so much such a short time ago. ]

..Death...or Exile?

this cannot possibly end badly

[tumbleweeds]

[ Jaye's walking by, cowbell clanking around the neck of her cow as it and her horse follow her, the chickens having been pawned off on someone else. Her hellhound is behind her as well, though he's invisible to the human eye, and she hasn't put the collar on him yet; that's in her hands, her thumb idly resting against a spike.

The man speaks and she raises a little bit of an eyebrow. The fear toxin had been her first jump, but the fact that they'd had a suspect hadn't meant much to her, as she hadn't known who the man was -- couldn't even remember if they'd given his name or his number. So instead of ignoring him, which might be the smart idea, Jaye just idly responds. ]

Oxygen Gardens, actually.

nope not at all all fine

[notmydiagnosis]

[ Cattle. Cattle! His mind flicks from the girl to the cow and all he can think of is how similar they are. Being lead hopelessly, not thinking, not feeling properly. Not feeling proper fear.

His face twists into a small smile as he takes the hammer out. Holds it in his hand and resists the urge to bang it along the wall. Shout something like 'order!'

Small man on a big, big desk. ]

With your pets?

[tumbleweeds]

[ Sounds like you're compensating for something, doctor. ]

Somehow I think the neighbors would bitch if I left them next door.

[ Which is less of a concern for her than the comfort of her animals is, to be quite honest. ]

[notmydiagnosis]

Why the animals?

[ Ignore the hammer, Crane. Just slip it into your pocket. Pretend nothing's wrong. Calm down. ]

[tumbleweeds]

Someone left the horse behind, but I like milk and eggs.

[ Not that the chickens are with her, but he should be able to infer. ]

Turns out so do a lot of other people on the ship.

[notmydiagnosis]

Resourceful. [ He's snapped out of it--or it looks like he has--and his lips curl into a suddenly polite smile. ] I don't believe we've met?

[tumbleweeds]

A girl's gotta eat. [ She shrugs a little, but smiles back. ] Doubt it. Jaye.

[heltersskelter]

[Crane's still here.

Tate isn't sure what that means, because he knows something's been off since he came back. he doesn't know what happened to him back in Gotham, what's made him lose some of his filter, but it's made him pliable and needy, always wanting. he hasn't been around as much as he could have been, but he's had other things on his mind.

Hayden, for one.

still, he stops in, abruptly at Crane's shoulder.]

I don't think it bites.

[notmydiagnosis]

[Of course. Tate has always been pushing his boundaries, has always been gently reminding Crane of his weaknesses but Crane has always, always seen it nothing more than a friendly gesture. A protege.

Being snuck up on scares him. Tate, he knows, knows this. In that way it's a familiar greeting. He looks down at the hammer. Holds it up. ]

I don't think I ever told you how much I could have used you back in Gotham.

[heltersskelter]

What do you mean?

[he asks, and he doesn't look at the hammer, just at Crane's face.]

[notmydiagnosis]

It was better than what I did. He did better than Ra's al Ghul and I ever could have. There was panic, and there was fear, and Tate--Tate, it was beautiful.

And I was there. I was there and a part of the grand scheme of things. [ He's shaking, now. Doesn't realize it, but he's excited. ]

[heltersskelter]

[Tate watches him for a second, and his gaze lowers finally, hands reaching out to cover his shaking hands with his palms]

I'm sorry I missed it.

[notmydiagnosis]

There was court. And the look--the look in their eyes, Tate.

[yellowroses]

[ There's a little girl covered in goo hanging about the lockers, leaving blue slime wherever she goes-- because Mary's not about to bathe if no one makes her. She overhears him and decides to investigate, completely clueless that this is the stranger she spoke to on the network prior to this jump. ]

What's eggs-ile?

[notmydiagnosis]

Exile. [ He recognizes her--the voice, at least, and looks down. Kids. He's never done well with kids, but this girl is quite the charmer with her talk of colours. ]

It means you'll get sent away to a very bad place.

[yellowroses]

Away? Alone?

[ The second word has more weight. "Away" means little to a painting born in an abstract dimension full of evil artwork. "Alone," though. Mary knows what being alone means very well. ]

[notmydiagnosis]

Yes, Mary. Away. [ Crane smiles. It's soft, but he's smiling. ] It's going to be alright, though. Do you know why?

[yellowroses]

Why? [ She tips her head to the side. The fact that he knows her name is a little puzzling, but oh well! Maybe he's just smart! ]

hope this is okay?!

[shoyu]

[ crane probably doesn't notice, but there's someone squinting at him from down the row of lockers. not out of suspicion or dislike, but out of equal parts confusion and curiosity.

because soysauce -- is so sure that the person over there seems familiar. but not someone he's seen in a while. someone that he's spoken to before, but hasn't been on the ship for a while. that's -- ]

Ah! Doctor Crane!

[ immediately, soysauce trots over to where crane is, giving a chipper little smile. like an excitable dog. ] You're back on the ship once more? I hadn't realized!

SOYAUCE screech yes i love this tradition

[notmydiagnosis]

[ His brow twitches and he snaps out of it--grabs the hammer, and looks down to-- ]

You haven't bumped into me. [ He sounds almost surprised, looking confused. He recognizes the other fully, now, instead of 'that annoying brat'. ]

It seems this ship has deemed it appropriate to bring me here again, yes.

[shoyu]

[ he gives a confused little blink at that first comment before things click together, and he gives a small 'ah!' in understanding before laughing. scuffing a shoe against the floor a little shyly as he chuckles. ]

I haven't! Suppose I've learned a few things over the past few jumps.

Still! I know it's always unpleasant returning here, but -- it's good to see you safe again, sir! [ there's something disgustingly sincere about the way he beams at scarecrow. ]

[notmydiagnosis]

[ Crane's smile is a match for Soysauce's--he's smiling but it's certainly not as genuine. There's a very, very thinly veiled attempt at not scowling. ]

More than safe--sound, as well. Though I'm beginning to think this ship was going to be the end of me.

[shoyu]

[ if there's any facetious or false about crane's smile, soysauce doesn't seem to notice at all -- just beaming wider and grasping crane's hand to give it a firm shake. ]

Well, if there's anything I could do to help get used to this strange place once more, please let me know?

[notmydiagnosis]

[ And now Soysauce is touching him. Crane's smile presses thin, thin, thin. ]

Thank you. I'll certainly keep it in mind.