twenty-sixth jump;

[ataraxites]

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: Your average, run-of-the-mill jump—except some characters don't seem to be waking up from stasis like they should.



Don't worry.




THEY NEEDED THE REST.

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

belle french ; lockers ; ota

[braverys]

[ if belle was less accustomed to waking up without knowing exactly where she was she might have panicked a little more - the only thing that had really caused her real concern was the feeling of discomfort down her throat and the twisting nausea in her stomach. dropping to the floor, it takes her a moment to gather herself enough to actually lift her head and look around, to take in her surroundings -

because this isn't storybrooke.

she might not have adventured far, but she knows enough that this, all of this, cannot be part of the place she'd read and learned about, which had to mean she was elsewhere, surely? looking around her doesn't really give her any answers, either; the faces are strange and she can't see anyone - or anything - familiar. the discomforting feeling of being lost and alone creeps over her again, a weighted pressure on her shoulders, and she forces herself to stand and start to find a means out of this place: she had to be brave.

it's then that she notes the numbers on her arm and she touches them, curious - no pain, and they're not rubbing off no matter how hard she tries. doing her best to ignore the people around her, belle stumbles out to the lockers and follows the numbers. the logical conclusion is that the number, mysteriously appeared on her arm, must link to these boxes, surely? so she tries it and finds, inside, something that actually makes her smile amidst all this confusion.

anyone stumbling across belle, still looking tired and a little lost from falling out of her pod, will see her touching the rip of a chipped teacup fondly, a soft smile on her lips. ]

[boogiewoogiebugleboy]

[He's just getting his trumpet out of the locker when he sees her, just out of the corner of his eye. Blue is always drawn to that sort of thing - the fond memory of a single item, maybe because he understand the necessary nostalgia involved with strange, eccentric mementos. It is something he uniquely recognizes, something he engages in all the time, at least recently.

He steps a little closer, as he ties his trumpet to his belt loop.]

Something nice from home?

[He says it with a tilt of his head, a smile on his lips. He would say she looks new but the truth is, how can he know, when he's only been here for a single jump himself?]

Hi, I'm Blue.

[braverys]

[ The voice behind her has her jumping and Belle holds the teacup close against her chest. She wasn't expecting anyone to talk to her - for good reason, this was a strange place and she was used to watching and learning from the sidelines, really - but she's appreciative of it. ]

Yes, it's - it's my chipped cup. [ She turns back to the locker and puts it back inside carefully, making sure there's little chance of it ever falling out and breaking again before she offers another smile to the stranger. ]

It's very nice to meet you, Blue. I'm Belle.

[boogiewoogiebugleboy]

You should probably take it with you up to your room. It might be safer there.

[Although the truth is that it's not as though anyone else can open her locker, but other things may get deposited there later, from what he understands of the jump.]

It's nice to meet you too. Are you new?

[thatsaflaregun]

[Emily had been the first person Desmond had mistaken for Claire- but she'd had blonde hair and had been a bit hard to miss. As such, he almost walks past the brunette girl and her teacup before he realizes he recognizes the face and has to turn around.

It never gets easier- seeing faces he knows from the island. Like every other gnawing feeling of deja vu that comes from this ship. Luckily for her, he doesn't launch immediately into the HI I KNOW YOU craziness, but that doesn't stop him from being friendly.]

Did the ship short you the rest of the set, sistah? [He nods at the cup.] Don't fancy it'll be much of a tea party with just the one cup.

[braverys]

[ The voice knocks her from her thoughts and Belle smiles, enjoying the friendliness already. Admittedly, she hadn't expected it, but she's not going to turn away from a friendly face in a scary new situation. In fact, she intends to embrace it - it's the best way to find a way home, if she can. She doubts she'll be able to find a magical bean or a flying ship to help her get back to Storybrooke, after all.

So, instead, she shakes her head and holds the teacup up, tilting it a little as her smile brightens. ]

No, I don't really need the rest. This one is special. [ And she holds it like it is, her finger tracing the little blue marking on the side before she pulls it back close to her chest. ]

[thatsaflaregun]

[Her accent knocks him a bit for a loop. Emily had been American, so she had that going for her, but hearing her sound exactly like Claire disorients him for half a second, before he shakes it off.] Well, I'm glad the ship was kind enough to oblige you something nice from home- fickle thing, that it is.

[He offers a hand, reassuringly, trying to cover from his disorientation.] Welcome to the Tranquility. I'm Desmond.

[onsilksheets]

[ bela never really understood the sentimental value that objects could have until she came on board the ship. the things that clint had left her when he departed the Tranquility had now become her most treasured possessions and while bela was making good progress in moving on from a broken heart by finding happiness with someone else, she hadn't let go of the love she had for him.

so something like a chipped teacup could carry a lot more weight and bela would understand completely, even if she couldn't see what the other woman was touching right now.

she closes her locker and turns in belle's direction, watching her for a moment or two before speaking up quietly. ]

I hope you got a good gift from the locker fairy. [ it's a joke, despite the weariness in her voice. ]

[braverys]

[ Belle is shocked out of her reverie at the voice and she looks around the door of her locker a little before she turns back to the lockers, eyes wide and looking almost comically entranced all of a sudden. ]

There's a fairy? Is this how we were brought here?

[ You'll have to forgive her; she lives in a world of faries and magic where having a locker fairy wouldn't be too far-fetched. She places her teacup back inside before she peeks in, looking around before stepping back. ]

I knew it had to have been something to do with magic, that's how travel like this is even possible.

[onsilksheets]

[Pretty, Bela thinks when she is able to get a better look at the other woman. She smiles a little.]

No. It was meant as a joke, the comment about the fairy. Science is the explanation for us being here.

[But now Belle has her intrigued about the kind of world she comes from so she decides to stick around for a little while longer and see where the conversation goes.]

Magic exists in your world? I'm assuming so because you just spoke about it.

climbs on you here too :E

[doggedly]

D'you happen to have another one of those?

[Shameless is a word that has been applied to Sirius Black, on more than one occasion. The world might have standards for who it is and isn't appropriate to flirt with--married, otherwise taken; older, a bit younger--but Sirius loves to ignore standards as it is. When faced with a cute woman, he's even quicker to ignore said standards, all for the thrill of flirting with her.

So this is a very charming smile. She's older than he is, but that hardly matters. She's holding a teacup, and maybe this is an inappropriate time to flirt with her at all, given that she's just had a terribly rude space-awakening--but she's not screaming her head off. He can get away with a bit.]

can i keep u c:

[braverys]

[ Well - she jumps a little, because surprise voice, but she offers a soft smile before she shakes her head. ]

No, I don't. This one is special. It's my most prized possession.

[ Which might seem strange, given that it's a broken teacup, but she still holds it tenderly for a long moment before she dares to turn and place it back inside the locker, making sure that it's nuzzled safely between some clothes. At least the people here are nice, she thinks to herself, turning back to offer Sirius another smile. ]

Do they not sell teacups here? I'm sure you could find one.

that's all i've ever wanted c:

[doggedly]

Good luck, is it.

[It is a bit mental, when it comes to that. Who gives a damn about an old chipped cup? But, of course:

1) girls are a bit mental. Growing older doesn't change that.
2) people get weirdly nostalgic about the strangest things
2a) especially girls (see 1)

So Sirius just nods, like yes, this is perfectly logical.]

Oh, yeah, I could find one right now, if I wanted. Right out of thin air. But I thought, if you happened to have a second--that would be a tea party.

climbs into this thread

[conspiracytheory]

This place break your teacup?

[ there are probably more graceful introductions. but hyde's not much for social graces, despite jackie's intense efforts to inspire him otherwise. ]

That's messed up.

[ offering sympathies to his fellow kidnappees in this trying time? hyde's on it. ]

offers tea and scones

[braverys]

Hm?

[ Belle shakes her head with a soft, quiet laugh. ]

No, it was chipped a long, long time ago. This city had nothing to do with that.

[ She touches the edge of the chip gently. ]

It was my fault. I dropped it, you see.

omg how lovely

[conspiracytheory]

You're lucky it didn't break worse. Foreman and I smashed some of his mom's tea cups once, they break easy.

[ though she already knows that, probably. hyde shrugs a shoulder, like the whole thing is easily swept aside. ]

You just get here?

[uncurse]

[ emma's approaching her locker when she spots belle from behind, dressed and ready. as emma approaches the wall of lockers, she spots something in her hands. some kind of cup. her brow furrows. ]

Uh. Belle? [ she feels like she isn't quite sure, mostly because somehow rumpelstiltskin hasn't managed to attach himself to her hip yet. ]

[braverys]

[ The voice startles her, mostly because it's familiar, and Belle turns with wide eyes - and she wasn't mistaken, it is Emma. Putting the teacup back, she shuts the locker and steps closer almost instantly. ]

Miss Swan! [ Because that's all she's ever heard Emma referred as. ] You're here too? Did you manage to save Henry - and is Rumple with you? Is he alright?

[uncurse]

[ emma blinks back her surprise, because somehow, even though it'd been the last time she'd seen belle, she realizes she hadn't expected to share that memory - and she's the first person aboard this ship to know what emma did about what was going on. so, it winds her for a moment, and she has to search out a response. ]

I - No. No, I was on the ship, and then I was here. We never made ground in Neverland. [ she turns to look back at the pods. ] But Gold should be around here somewhere. He - [ she whips her head back around to fix belle with an imploring look. first thing's first. ]

He doesn't know. Either his memory's been screwed with, or ... Hell, I don't know. He doesn't even remember Mary Margaret and I getting back from the Enchanted Forest. [ which would seem like not such a big deal, except that they both know what's happened since then. the dire tone remains, but the edges of her voice soften. ] I haven't told him about Neal. [ not because she doesn't think he deserves to know (now that he knows who neal was) but because she doesn't know how to say it. ]

[inspirited]

[chuck is just walking past the lockers after finishing up with her usual post jump routine and although she is just on her way back to her room, that doesn't stop her from being friendly and striking up conversation with people she does pass by. when she sees belle, she looks almost curiously in her direction before approaching her] Is that something you found in your locker?

[braverys]

[ she's nodding as she turns, eyes bright and fingers tracing the ridges on the cup, the golden lining and the small, blue symbol on the side. ] Yes, I didn't - when I woke up here I didn't think it would be here with me.

The latest to the party oops

[childofthemoon]

[No.

Well. Okay, actually, part of her is seriously happy about this because it's Belle - a friend, someone who rapidly burrowed into Ruby's heart and made a space there for herself, and having a friend back by her side is, theoretically, good.

But then... no. Belle, here... on the ship...

Ruby licks her lips, looks around, because she can't help herself. But Gold... isn't here. Oh, so sue her, she's still paranoid around him, now more so than ever. And then... well, Ruby would rush in for a hug, except she really doesn't want to startle Belle into dropping something important - remembers how wobbly she was, too.]

Got something good in the lockers?

kidnaps and twirls

[braverys]

[ The voice is almost enough to startle Belle into dropping her teacup but she's far more focused on it's safety than anything else - she puts it back, hidden amongst her clothes, before she turns to the voice - that very familiar voice. ]

Ruby!

[ And then her arms are around her friend, holding her tightly as she beams. ]

[rancorously]

[ seeing people smile after the jump is strange, not just because no one really should be happy upon being whisked away to this ship, but because the idea of being happy when you get out of those pods is strange. as it stands, nico is a bit tired when he sees belle and it shows in how he's dragging a bit as he walks by. he's dressed completely, a sword at his hip and he almost thinks about ignoring her but— the happiness is just really weird to him. it prompts him to ask just why she's happy looking at a chipped tea cup. ]

What's so nice about the teacup?

[ he could stand to tone down the judgment a little but seriously. ]

[braverys]

[ Belle blinks, glancing at the cup before she looks over at the newcomer. She doesn't feel judged, despite what his intentions might be; she's just glad that in this strange new world she's managed to find something wonderful to treasure, something that reminds her so strongly of home that it's almost heartbreaking. ]

It's a reminder - of home, and the power of true love.