EVENT: MELPOMENE ▒ HOME

[ataraxites]

CHARACTERS: Ensemble production!
LOCATION: Corridors in the belly of the Tranquility
WARNINGS: Creepiness, disturbing imagery, violence, etc.
SUMMARY: Characters discover slices of sanctuary deep in the maze.
NOTES: Open to all! Covers Stage Four of the plot & Escape.

You've been running and fighting for what feels like weeks now. Exhausted and desperate, you find another door, stumbling through into— You're home, finally, far away and safe from monsters or spaceships. You're not alone, someone here who's been waiting for you, and they're so happy to see you. Relief overcomes you; you just want to rest, and there's no reason to believe anything here isn't what it seems, is there?

Comments

[dissociable]

[ it isn't hard to work out that something is a memory and not real when he knows for a fact that buddy is dead.

and he doesn't want to leave, but he forces himself to his feet regardless. she is his superior officer, or at least that is the pretence. ]

Yes ma'am.

[brainsqueeze]

( She'll tip towards the conclusion that he worked it out himself. He's going with her, not fighting on the issue. She'd rather not have had to drag him out of there )

Come on.

( He was up, and she was turning back in the direction that she'd come from. Hopefully they could get out easily enough )

Just be careful. There's worse out there than here.

[dissociable]

[ he won't have to drag him out of there — he takes a step, two, to follow her — and stops because buddy is following him, whining and looking at him sadly the way only a dog really can.

he crouches down again.

he's done this before; said goodbye to buddy. ]

Go on, Bud. Off you go.

[brainsqueeze]

Not keeping him?

( Clearly that dog loves you, Ward. Something has to. But she's also not entirely serious about keeping that dog. It's not safe out there, they don't need to keep an eye on a stray dog too. And do you really want a dog on a ship, Ward? Can you even look after a dog? )

[dissociable]

He's dead.

[ said harshly; he can't manage to smooth out the edge in his voice. it just proves that he cares about buddy, but it's — weakness. he shouldn't be revealing weakness. ]

[brainsqueeze]

( Well shit. And this was a memory, of course. The dog might be very real here but could it even get out of the hallways? Damn it )

You've got two minutes.

( He can have a goodbye in private, just in case he never got one before. If he wants this one. Either way she'll step away to give him privacy before he can say no )

[dissociable]

[ it's a kindness he shouldn't need, but he does and that rankles — but he still draws buddy near, after checking that hill isn't looking, and hugging him close.

two minutes are a long time and not at all long enough to hold on to this dog.

after ninety seconds, he gets up, picks a branch, flings it far for buddy to run after. the dog does, if more hesitantly than expected.

ward turns and joins hill again. ]