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

[killarevolution]

That's what I'm counting on. [One of these days it'll occur to Haymitch that not everyone understands his weird view of the ship, even the ones who've been there in the actual Games.]

I can tell them what to do, but I'm not that good in practice. I'm a mentor, not a fighter.

[ironsights]

I can show how to use a gun, basic information. Close-quarters combat's harder. You might want to find someone else.

[ pause. a small tilt of the head and he adds a little more cautiously, ] Why, all of a sudden? [ he's not sure if haymitch will give a straightforward answer, but he might as well ask. ]

[killarevolution]

Prim won't use a gun. Effie might be convinced. I'm asking you, because you're the only one who's been in the Games before.

[He scratches at his unshaven face, grimacing, as if he's debating on being shirty about it, but then decides against it.] I've been thinking ever since the pirates that if this is anything, it's either the Hunger Games or the Battle Royale or similar enough. And whether it is or not, I owe it to them to keep them alive.

[ironsights]

[ he doesn't know about the hunger games, but he knows for sure that this isn't battle royale. not publicized enough, far too prolonged, not enough of a focus on terrifying the passengers into backstabbing each other. but -- what haymitch chooses to believe is none of his business.

what kazama does give a slight frown at is the fact that he's being asked to go far out of his comfort zone in what to teach prim and effie. still, he feels obliged to at least try -- maybe he'll ask reaper or russia to give him a few pointers he can absorb before trying to relay them to the others. ] ... I'll see what I can do. [ pause. ] Have -- they ever used weapons before? Been in any dangerous situation?

[killarevolution]

Not Effie. [Not yet, anyway.] She's Capitol. She think it's all spectacle with little substance. Put her in this sort of situation and she'll probably just freeze without some guidance. She's the one I'm worried about.

[He frowns at his shoes, grateful for the assistance and the lack of questions. He's aware it's not a popular (or even logical) theory, but if he thinks like it is, there's a better chance of people not dying.] Prim was a nurse when we finally took the Capitol down. She can handle herself if she has to.

[ironsights]

[ kazama grimaces slightly. while he's not particularly surprised to hear this about effie, it certainly makes the task of teaching her combat sound more difficult. it's uncomfortable enough just interacting with civilians, but teaching someone combat -- ]

... I'll do what I can. [ a small sigh before he gives a firm nod. he doesn't go back on his promises, and he respects haymitch enough to at least make a good attempt. ] Do they already know about this plan? Or should I explain? [ obvious enough from his stiff posture that he'd rather not do too much talking himself, though. ]

[killarevolution]

No, we discussed it. [He shakes his head.] Effie thinks I ruined a perfectly good dinner party bringing it up, but they both agreed to it, so it didn't go as badly as you would think.

[He eyes Kazama, almost as if he knows exactly what the boy's anxious about.] I'll do the talking if you do the demonstrations.

[ironsights]

[ he breathes a tiny, silent sigh of relief when haymitch seems to understand his discomfort. while he can generally handle as much talking as is necessary, he never enjoys it, and it's certainly not his forte. ]

I'll leave the talking to you. [ now that that's been confirmed, he's a lot less apprehensive about these lessons. ] Just tell me when and where to be.