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

[gothchicklit]

[ She's never fully put together what they do, but she's pieced together enough to know Dean's not a fan of the non human types. Which is strange, considering his suggestion to talk to Cas - a freaking angel - about her sleeping problems. But she's not much in the mood to figure out why Dean's close to an angel while hating everything else; that's a puzzle that can wait until her head stops feeling like it's going to explode if she moves the wrong way.

Although she doesn't look away from him, October's not too sure what to say. There's the obvious and rather stupid questions, like what would've happened if she hadn't managed to get the upper hand for two seconds, but she already knows the answer. Knew it even in the hallway when he still had a hold of her. It's why she ran straight to Alex's room instead of going to her own. (That and she figured she'd be safer there, in case Dean decided to track her down.

Of course, with him being a vampire, it's hard to say what sort of abilities he had that could've led him to her, no matter where she went.)

Needless to say, the explanation doesn't really leave her any more relaxed or happy about talking to him. But she got an answer for one question, which means she's going to press on, get as much out of him as she can. ]

So, then, what? You went back home and drank some magic potion that somehow cured you and now you're all better?

[faithlessly]

That about hits the nail on the head.

[ yeah, that simple. well-- almost, anyway. he could go on about how they hadn't even known about a cure until just recently, or how it only worked if a newly turned vampire hadn't fed before. which leaves him being quite for a beat and then looking at her with anything but that normal smug attitude. ]

I got lucky. It wouldn't have worked if I'd... fed on someone back home.

[ he had here, they both more than know it. but the complexity of being podded and filled with new memories, of all the physical changes that happen in that time too, had saved him from the mistake he'd made on the ship. ]

But I didn't. I was only a vampire there for a day or so. Here... the whole thing lasted a little too long.

[gothchicklit]

[ October lets out a bitter sounding huff when he explains why it worked for him. She glances away, too, her gaze shifting to some spot on the opposite wall of lockers, not really paying any attention to what she's staring at. For someone who has been on the ship as long as she has and for someone who dealt with a ghost that was summoned by a video game killing people, October's having a pretty hard time wrapping her head around all of this. Of course, that likely has something to do with the fact that she was attacked and that she doesn't feel like she can trust Dean. ]

Why the hell didn't you tell anyone? [ They could've helped him somehow, like fed him synthetic shit from medical. Not that she'll admit it, especially to him, but the idea that he was actually trying to kill himself by not feeding makes her feel even sicker than she had before. Despite everything, she still cares about Dean; he still matters to her.

And that, perhaps more than the fact that he would've killed her if she hadn't kneed him in the groin, bothers her. ]

[faithlessly]

[ in hindsight, telling someone and asking for help should have been the obvious thing to do. but then, isn't his life made mostly of mistakes and should haves, would haves? dean ends up drawing in a tired breath. ]

Wasn't really thinking right. I figured ending it would be easier. Not like I wanted to be a vampire for the rest of forever, y'know, that's just not me. And especially not here.

[ he's a hunter. he can't be the thing he hunts, that just doesn't work. even now, the idea makes his skin crawl and that's saying something considering one of his best friends is of the blood sucking kind. ]

I made a whole lot of mistakes with that whole mess, October. I ain't expecting you to forgive me 'cause of it or anything, but at least now you know why what happened went down the way it did.

[gothchicklit]

[ Protests are right there on the tip of her tongue - Being a vampire is a hell of a lot better than being dead - but she can't quite get the words out. Whether it's because she doesn't want to argue that point with him, that she wants to forget all of this rather than dwell on it more than she already has or because she doesn't want to reveal that she still cares, October swallows it down. She finally tears her gaze off the lockers and looks back towards him, her brow still furrowed in a deep frown.

She can't forgive him (yet), she knows that, but... Well, he didn't have to tell her what happened, what led to that point. He didn't have to message her and apologize, he didn't have to come check on her. They may not have been the absolute closest in the world before all of this, but she likes to think that she knows Dean. Or, at least, knew the version of him from before the attack, so she knows that apologies don't come often from him. Neither do explanations.

So that has to count for something, right?

After looking over his face for a few more moments, October tucks some hair behind her ear and glances away again, this time towards her knees. ] I appreciate it. [ Which is the truth. She's not really sure what else to say, though. So, after another moment, she tacks on, ] And I'm glad you're back to normal. [ Not because it means things are going to be okay between them again, but because she does care and obviously that wasn't something he wanted.

There's still a voice in the back of her head, though, wondering if this is all bullshit, if it's just his attempt at getting close to her again. She finds herself wondering if it's ever going to go away, too. ]

[faithlessly]

[ dean waits for her to tell him to fuck off. waits, but it never happens, and instead he gets something much better, something he couldn't have hoped for. things might still not exactly be okay, but this is a lot better than where they'd been before.

he can work with this, with her, if she'll just let him. ]

S'the least I could do.

[ dean smiles then, it's small but a smile none the less. he doesn't step closer or anything, but he feels better now, even if just a bit. he pauses then. anyway. ]

You gonna be alright? With, uh, this-- [ he gestures at her and the lockers, at her not feeling sick. ]

Rough jump, and all.

[gothchicklit]

[ October glances up when he gestures towards her and sees the smile, but doesn't offer one of her own in return. He may be relieved, but she's still pretty wary about everything. Especially him. Just because she doesn't want Dean dead or his life completely fucked doesn't mean she's ready to be chummy with him again.

She nods - slightly - to the question. ] I think so, yeah. [ Her stomach's settled some, at least, though she's a bit terrified of moving again in case that doesn't stick. But she's not going to tell Dean that. ] I guess moving quickly is just a bad idea.

[faithlessly]

[ dean nods, stops himself from offering help he knows she won't accept. maybe later, maybe at another jump. he'll make this better again, somehow. for now though, he backs off. ]

'Kay then. Take it easy, October.

[ with that, he turns to go. ]