eighteenth jump;

[mathematically]

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

netherlands | ota | action or prose it's cool

[handelaar]

lockers

[For once it's a normal goddamned jump. No surprises from home, nation or otherwise, no passing out on a bench only to wake up covered in markings, no waking up to find half the ship still in stasis, no running around after a bunch of escaped chickens. Which means that he stumbles out of the grav couch and proceeds to wash his rabbit, stuffs his chickens in his locker, makes it all the way to the showers and back without incident. Even gets dressed in his jumpsuit in a timely manner.

And while his first priority should probably be checking on the Gardens to make sure that all the chaos didn't happen down there, instead, well. He's not. He's camping out on a bench in the locker area with a tiny, fuzzy rabbit, a pocketful of hand-rolled cigarettes, and what would be a bored expression but for the close watch he keeps on the coming and going of foot traffic. Nothing like free advertising when everyone is forced to pay attention, so he's smoking each cigarette, one after the other. Ashing into an improvised ashtray (no need to make a mess), waiting to see who bites. Or more accurately - who has something they want to trade.



tl;dr this asshole is sitting here chain-smoking up the place on purpose]

gardens

[Not that he'll sit around smoking all day, even if he knows he's less than productive after a jump. That's lazy as hell and he's got shit to do besides. Chickens to drop off, some cursory rounds, making sure there isn't another new, strange creature lurking. Checking on Mattie's camp, just. Out of habit, or something.]

idk it's midnight leave me alone

[unsoldiered]

[what

the hell are you doing

Look, Netherlands, it's one of the people on board who are completely uninterested in your plans. Alex just stands there with a quirked brow and a straight face.]

Jesus, man. What are you, expecting?

[get it

because of that wacky image of dads smoking outside the delivery room

that's not dated at all right

it smells awful over here

what are you doing

make better life choices]

no it's 4 and you first

[handelaar]

[...

....

the slowest raising of the brows. The phrase, he gets, but the joke goes flying over his head. Except he chalks it up to Alex being a weirdo and frowns, moves on quickly enough.]

No. Can't have kids.

[ :| ]

Wasn't expectin' you, either.

[But hey anyway. He jerks his chin to the other end of the bench, an invite of sorts, and scratches Lodewijk behind the ears.]

[unsoldiered]

[He'd feel bad about the whole 'can't have kids' thing if it were anyone else but Netherlands; sorry Ned, your pokerface, casual aura can be distracting. He shrugs, but his expression is surprisingly pleasant. Both can grump, play at the same game. Be awkward. Whatever. He's not really in the mood for evening that playing field.]

I wanted to make sure you got through in one piece.

Sometimes people get sidetracked; not always at the best times, I've noticed.

[handelaar]

Hn.

[Just gonna stab out his cigarette in his makeshift ashtray; he doesn't want to have to shoo Alex off if someone comes by, curious, because he knows he would. And it's rare enough to catch the guy out and about and willing to converse. One opportunity for the other, all that.]

Got through the pirates, you mean. [A second to give Alex a once-over.] Guess you didn't end up in Medbay then.

[Because he'd assumed it would happen, had kept an eye out as he went through and visited others there.]

[unsoldiered]

[His eyebrows quirk and for a moment, he's genuinely like a dog who was just told to watch the treat on his nose.]

Yeesh. Am I really that bad?

[NOW PEOPLE JUST ASSUME I'M IN MEDBAY

WHAT IS MY LIFE]

Gardens!

[circumitus]

It's jump time and Rey doesn't linger. Fuck that shit. It isn't so much that she's busy or she has someone waiting for her. Nothing like that.

Some might call it feeling restless. Rey doesn't have a word for it.

She's already got a cigarette lit when she's passing through the gardens. Rey settles to make camp any old place for a post-jump nap. Doesn't matter where -- she tends to move around here a lot. Place is big enough to justify it.

Smoking, on the other hand... Well, smoking in a place full of plants which is their sole supply for oxygen seems like the exact opposite of what you should be doing. But here are two assholes in the same vicinity doing just that, and one had just been passing the other by when she stops in mid-step, only to retreat a step.

"Looking for something?" Rey blurts just out of habit, like her way of saying hello.

Hey, it's better than stalking the Dutchman until he notices her, at least. She's been doing that a lot to the people who come here.

[handelaar]

He figures that if he's going to smoke anywhere on the ship, the best place for it is the Gardens. If the plants can't clean the air then the scrubbers will. Not that it keeps him from smoking plenty of other places around the ship - obviously - but he doesn't feel any guilt whatsoever for smoking as much as he likes at work.

The chickens have been dumped into their coop and locked up, and he's on his way back down to the first level but paying more attention to the trees as he walks. With Lodewijk around, he has to keep an eye out for dragons, hawks, or direwolves - and that's just what he knows is lurking - so when Rey speaks it takes him by surprise.

Blink.

"You're real damn quiet."

Hello to you too. With that he makes an about-face and starts walking her way.

[circumitus]

His stance and approach is familiar, though not unwelcome. Rey doesn't regard that anyway, and instead blinks at his statement.

Because... well, duh. Shouldn't it have been obvious?

"Wouldn't be effective at what I did if I was loud and bumbling." Despite her weight, that is.

[handelaar]

"Never actually said what ya did," he grumbles, but it's not unkind. Just the usual grump that one can expect. And as far as he can recall that's true - she's told him what she is, where she's been, but there's no job that immediately springs to mind.

Whether she pauses or not, he continues on his path toward the first level.

[circumitus]

"You never asked." Or did he?

No, Rey's certain that she would've remembered it if he had. Her memory's better than most, she would say. (All things considered.)

Either way, she follows, having nowhere in particular to go to. That's the beauty of not assigning yourself to simply one location.

lockers deeeeeal with it

[sweetmotherofgod]

Hello, handsome.

[Directed, of course, at the one who won't make a face like something smells bad at a greeting like that. Lodewijk gets a hello-kiss, and she dithers a moment over trying to lay one on Netherlands too, decides hell with it and busses his cheek. Maybe she should take a moment to congratulate herself on finding it through the haze of smoke, which is really why she's over here. Hadn't blinked an eye the first time she'd passed and seen him there, but he's gotta be on the third by now. He's either upset or up to something, and while she's more use if it's the former and hopes it's the latter, she wants to know either way.]

So I thought maybe there was a fire over here or something. I'm not usually pleased to be wrong.

dealt!

[handelaar]

[There's a moment where he flicks his eyes back and forth between her and Lodewijk and his expression is probably comically frozen in an "uh", cigarette hanging in the air, as he tries to decide just who she's talking to. No hesitation at returning her gesture, though, even if he still looks slightly puzzled over it all.

Her answer isn't really an answer, so he tilts his head to the side and scoots so that she can sit between him and the rabbit if she wants to. Maybe she was worried the jump took him back, or something.]

No, you're not.

[The snark is followed by a brow raise. So what's different this time?]

[sweetmotherofgod]

[Okay, that look on his face is adorable. Almost makes her wish she had been talking to him just so she could've seen the reaction. But yeah, she'll slip in there - and then basically defeat the purpose of it by scooping the little guy up and cradling him to her chest.]

Not a big fan of fire.

[Heather that does absolutely zero to explain why you'd come over here to investigate. She nods at the ashtray, the cigarette in his hand.]

Everything okay?

[handelaar]

[Another blink and he follows, tilts his head slightly toward the ashtray and then the smoke in his hand in turn before he gets it. For some reason the thought that she'd notice when he smokes is strange to him. Shouldn't be. He nods and taps his cigarette against the makeshift tray.]

Advertisement.

[At that he gives her a sidelong glance, takes a drag, maybe looks a little too pleased about it all.]

[sweetmotherofgod]

[In all honesty she's so used to seeing him with a cigarette that she very nearly doesn't notice. It's really that he's doing it there and in rapid succession that gets her attention. That explanation should have been obvious, really, and for all she shakes her head at him it makes her laugh - maybe a little huskier than usual. Crying'll do that to her.]

Enticing people over when they're all stressed out and feeling like they really need one? That's... kinda genius.

[Maybe they've known each other too long, because that is straight-up admiration for a cunning plan. Good thinking, Ned.]

[tumbleweeds]

[ Jaye shows up in the gardens after Ned, no matter how many people he stopped to chat with or smoke at in medical. She's simply juggling too many things today, Howly invisibly herding her chickens, as usual, but also the cow and horse as well, their leads gently tucked around the backs of their necks. The reason for this becomes clear rather quickly: she's carrying plants. ]

C'mere and grab some shit. [ aka hi, nice to see you're still around ]

[handelaar]

[Traditional hellos are overrated anyway, at least the verbal sort. His vision latches onto the plants, first, then the Jaye behind the jungle, and he's over in no time at all to both grab for as much as he can possibly carry and to attempt the usual one-two-three of cheek kisses. Might've gotten more plant than face, but at least he doesn't end up kissing a cactus.]

Shoulda taken a cart up there, come back down. Easier.

[And then he sees the cacti.]

The fuck're you gonna do with those.

[tumbleweeds]

What, and trust those assholes not to swipe 'em? There's tobacco in here, Ned.

[ She knows how you feel about tobacco, boss-man. Either way, she gives him a grin, clicking her tongue at Howly to make sure he keeps the livestock moving with them. ]

No fucking clue, but I need them, so you're going to help me think of something.

[handelaar]

[Tobacco, what. His face lights up - not a grin, nothing near a grin - but there's a bit of excitement in his step as he picks up the pace. And he's not sure where Jaye is intending on going but he's making a beeline to potting area (does it count as potting when it's weird-ass space rockwool) the whether she is or not.]

If you don't take away my business, I will.

[tumbleweeds]

You can have all of the business. This shit's mine unless you need some, and even then... still mine.

[ She means that, too -- she always does, with Ned. She also follows him, for now, letting Howly do what he will with the others. ]

It's all got purposes. Home remedies and ceremonies and shit.

[blue_satin_shoes]

[Leliana almost missed seeing the cute rabbit, with all that smoke in the air. She frowned at the man but moved closer anyway, coughing just a little bit at the sick smell.]

The smoke can't be good for that adorable animal.

oh gosh poke me if I accidentally switch tenses halfway

[handelaar]

[Annnd cue his expression falling into something completely unamused.]

He's got a name.

you're good ^_^

[blue_satin_shoes]

Oh good, I would hate for a pet to go without a name. So what is it?

[handelaar]

He's -

[He snapped his mouth shut, twisted it a bit - wanted to shift in place but maybe half of that was irritation. But while saying he's not just a pet in this place might not sound crazy, it might also lead to a lot of conclusions that weren't true.]

His name's Lodewijk.