ataraxites: (Default)
axmods. ([personal profile] ataraxites) wrote in [community profile] ataraxionlogs2015-01-08 12:01 am

thirty-ninth jump;

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: A feeling of deep dread greets you as you stumble out of the gravcouch, strong enough to hold you still for a long moment, searching your surroundings for the source of your wariness. Nothing becomes apparent, only your fellow passengers waking up. Eventually you gather the resolve to pick yourself up and start moving, the feeling fading slowly as you progress through routine.

New arrivals will find messages spraypainted across their lockers telling them not to follow their tattoo numbers, and instead to find a room on Floors 001-010.


----------------


YOU͘ ̨WAKE̢ ̧UP ́IN DA̛RKN̢E̕SS̶


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.

YÓU̴ ̧ĄRE NOT҉ ̷ALǪNE҉


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.

TH̀IS͜ ̶I͠S͡ ͘Y̵O͝UR ̕W͝E̛L̨C͡O͝M͏E P̛AR̴TY͜
traumata: (122)

kieren walker | open!

[personal profile] traumata 2015-01-08 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Kieren's gotten used to having a foggy memory. It's sort of part of the deal, these days, but even this is pushing it; he's struggling to remember the name of the ship by the time he gets to his locker.

He's just dragging an oversized sweater over his head when it comes back to him, and he smiles to himself (slightly dorky, whatever) for the accomplishment before kneeling down to check on the last few items tucked into the back of the locker. The Blue Oblivion's still there, wrapped up in a spare crew-issue shirt. He makes sure the bottle's safe and intact before hiding it away again, then pushes back to his feet and swings the door shut.

He keeps his cover-up and contact in his room, these days. There's no real point in keeping it here when everyone's going to see him right out of the jump, anyway, but he still hasn't quite shaken the habit of ducking his head slightly and avoiding eye contact as he makes his way towards the lifts.

Between that and the post-jump haze, he isn't paying enough attention as he rounds the end of the locker row. If you aren't quick on your feet, then you're about to run into a zombie (literally).
]
betterangels: (#6984223)

[personal profile] betterangels 2015-01-08 07:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yeah this is about as unpleasant as Rick dimly remembers, although nothing's quite as confronting as stepping into the stasis pod of sound mind and body and letting it take you in, not even the coming out. One cycle down, and god knows how many more to go.

But there are worse things.

His eyes are hunting for faces as he moves from point to point, anyone familiar, 'cause that much has happened before. He's between showers and lockers, hair dark and beard shaven down since last cycle to a grey-dark grain, a leanness to him, muscles long and ropey and bound steely to his bones. Injuries make various scars and indentations over his torso, and he is not a big man, just a rough one. And he hasn't decided if it'd be good or bad, to snare his gaze on something he recognises. He remembers how Daryl was here, and that woman that looked like Maggie Greene, and the pang of realisation that with the way this place works, he could one day run into Lori.

And what he does recognise is nothing like that. A sharp turn around a corner presents him with a stranger's face, its eyes milky bland with tiny points of black at their centre, necrotic undertones veining under grey-pale skin. Far more intact than the walkers that Rick has come to know, but that doesn't matter. He's seen them freshly resurrected too.

Fear, tasting of copper in his mouth, sets him into mindless motion. There's a recoil, at first, before anger blacks out the rest -- at himself, for becoming so complacent, and of course, at the disease that's dragged this young man to his feet and set him wandering.

(There are signs he should be paying attention to, but can't.)

And he doesn't have a gun or a knife or anything like that, but Rick isn't waiting. He's killed these things with less. A hand suddenly bundles up in the sweater it's wearing, his other up to drive the walker's skull bodily against the wall of lockers to his left with a slam. It may only be wishful thinking that the bone is soft enough to crack, but there is a strength to his violence, adrenalised and desperate. ]
traumata: (003)

rude

[personal profile] traumata 2015-01-08 07:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ Shit. That's his first startled impulse at nearly running into someone. It's quickly followed by the realization that he should apologize, but he doesn't get the chance to do either.

The man moves quickly, but it only takes half a second for Kieren to recognize his face. Not the details. He's never seen this man before, but he's seen that look — seen it on his sister, on Gary, on half the people of Roarton.

That's the fear. But there's something of the rabids in it, too, that feral and visceral reaction, and Kieren sees the warning in it at about the same time he registers the fist twisting into his sweater, the vague pressure of a palm at the side of his head.

His arms come up, quick, one elbow knocking roughly against the locker with a dull clang as it takes the brunt of the force. His skull still connects, hard enough to disorient but not enough to break skin.

Some of his weight goes lax as he struggles to stay upright, and he's left leaning against the locker, one hand pressing to his head while the other grabs hold of the man's wrist. His cold grip's hard, and he tries to forcibly drag the other's grasp loose.
]

It's— [ Okay? Not exactly. He'd struggle with the words in an ideal situation, and this is far from it. The expectation is to be passive, agreeable. Diffuse the situation. But he's fairly certain his head hurts, which is an accomplishment, and he's had such a quiet few months that something spiteful kicks up at having the peace broken. He should sound scared; and he does, a bit, but there's also a fair degree of annoyed and disbelieving. ] I'm safe. Jesus.
betterangels: (#8589777)

POLITE

[personal profile] betterangels 2015-01-08 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ The arm coming up isn't enough to keep Rick from bearing down, angling his arm so that he might press it firm against the metal and bring back his other fist with every intent to break its face, and maybe then holler for help in dispatching it. Fear and rage have resolved into something colder and clinical and diligent, fast as that.

But it's the grip to his wrist that throws him off, makes him go tharn, too sure and defensive to be the usual clammily cold grabs of a walker. His own pale eyes flash, meeting its stare again in time for it to speak. One syllable. Then more of 'em.

Rick doesn't let up, even so, deadly suspicious and ever so slightly unhinged. Studying its face unblinking. His face. There is necrotic grey staining his mouth, and Kieren's hand at Rick's arm only inspires the older man to press back, fist still ready as the only weapon in his arsenal.]


What are you?

[ Safe is not good enough. His voice is low and brooks no fucking around. The terrycloth robe he's bundled into probably takes away a little from his demeanour, possibly, bare feet set splayed on the smooth floor, hearing and seeing nothing outside of the walker he's got pinned besides white noise, a whine, blur. ]
revivalism: (76)

abhorrent

[personal profile] revivalism 2015-01-08 09:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Out in that blur there's Simon, foggy-headed and adrift in a garish sweater and looking for Kieren out of habit, not lucky coincidence. Or unlucky coincidence, maybe. Maybe Kieren had the situation in hand, maybe Kieren can take care of himself, maybe a few more annoyed but coherent sentences would have been enough to smooth things over without making more of a scene.

If so, sorry.

Simon doesn't say anything, coherent or otherwise. If months of relative acceptance aboard the Tranquility ever did anything to soften the sharp edges of his instincts, that's undone in an instant. He isn't surprised or disappointed. He's just moving. He drops his injector kit—cased, probably not broken—somewhere along the way, so both hands are free. One to seize the stranger's balled fist, the other to grab at his shoulder and to wrench him backwards and twist away.

He's aiming for torque and a shove toward the opposite wall of lockers, to the extent he has an aim at all, with his jaw set and his eyes narrowed and enough anger to match any nobler protective impulse. He'd be willing to settle for putting himself between them, but leaving a bruise or two would be favorite. ]
betterangels: (#8589786)

upstanding ctzn

[personal profile] betterangels 2015-01-08 10:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ It wouldn't be the first time that Rick might consider the possibility he has literally gone insane, which makes for two options: he's incorrectly projected some kind of undead hallucination onto two innocent men, or he hallucinated just now words out that one's mouth. There isn't a lot of thought going on, overall, by the time he's off-balance, shoulder connecting with a heavy thud of meat to metal on a shove he doesn't see coming.

His hand sets against where he hit it, tendons pulled tight in the arch of his fingers, webbed over the back of his hand, and his focus flashes quick between the two, like his instinct is to consider his odds against the both of them. This new one's bigger than he is, all carrying with him a controlled aggression that doesn't remind Rick of the mindless murder of a walker.

Instinct overrides. That pervading sense of knowing dread, when he'd come out of his gravity couch. Doesn't matter. Rick's last war at home was against people anyways.

But he doesn't strike again. His shift to defensive is tactical, visible, fully expectant of fending off further attack. ]
traumata: (127)

hm

[personal profile] traumata 2015-01-09 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's definitely about to be punched in the face. It's probably silly to think not the face — but when you don't heal, maybe it's a bit valid. Before he can react properly or even get another word in, however, the man's yanked clear by Simon's violent arrival.

Kieren moves quickly after that. He's mostly just got a good view of Simon's back now, set between him and his attacker, and he pushes away from the locker so he can grab hold of Simon's shoulder, the other hand coming round to splay against his chest and push him back.

It doesn't quite put Kieren between the two of them, but it does negate the effort of getting Kieren out of the line of fire. He's well aware, and he doesn't particularly care.
] Simon, it's fine. I'm fine. He's just—

[ Psychotic, maybe. Kieren looks towards the stranger, and despite his best effort to sound encouraging, his expression's guarded, wary. ] It was a misunderstanding.

[ Which is sort of bullshit, frankly. He's mostly assuming the man was startled by his appearance, but plenty of people have been startled without trying to murder him. ]
revivalism: (40)

[personal profile] revivalism 2015-01-09 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Whatever incorrect assumptions are behind them, defensive is a good call: Kieren's hands catch Simon halfway through a forward step, with his hands in fists at his side. This isn't the Legion. There's no one standing ready to shoot him in the head if he doesn't let off.

But they do catch him, Kieren's hands. He stops. At first he only looks delayed—attention and energy still aimed forward, like a dog barely restrained by the command to stay—but it bleeds out of him when Kieren talks. He glances sideways to check if Kieren looks as fine as he says, and his shoulders ease back and his feet settle flat. Still tense, still furious, but static, for now.

A misunderstanding. ]


Was it?

[ It's flat and cynical, same as the look he scrapes over the man, head to toe and back up to meet his eyes. ]
Edited (don't mind me) 2015-01-09 22:09 (UTC)
betterangels: (#8606393)

[personal profile] betterangels 2015-01-10 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ When it comes to human-like coherence, Rick is probably losing out; while the kid -- because he is just that, now that Rick gets a proper look behind just milky eyes and grey flesh -- settles down the other one, he just remains silent and defensive, breathing shallow as his heart slowly ekes towards an even beat.

Simon, he said. Names. Open confusion takes over combative assessment at the sheer dissonance of it, but trying to shift his frame of mind feels like it requires heavy lifting he might not have the heft for immediately. Like it'll take a crowbar to open up his world view, between the dead and the living.

Slowly, Rick settles his posture into something less like a stand off. ]


Yeah. [ The word sounds like its produced by a stone grinder. ] It was.

[ And maybe he should apologise, but there's still something coldly guarded in stare from Simon to the kid. Uneasy. A misunderstanding implies an inherent lack of understanding. He doesn't repeat his question. ]
traumata: (025)

[personal profile] traumata 2015-01-10 08:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ Kieren watches as the man settles, keeping his eyes on him for a few cautious beats even after he speaks in agreement. When his focus shifts to Simon, it's an uncomfortable mirror. Thinly controlled violence, civility held together by a thread.

Or by him, more likely. It doesn't feel unlike being at the end of a gun barrel.

There's a reluctance to the way he eases back from Simon, and even as he tries to adopt a more casual stance, one hand remains on his shoulder. There's a quick glance between the two of them, then he makes a valiant (and incredibly awkward) attempt at segueing into something less hostile.
]

We're partially deceased. [ Simon doesn't like the term. Something gives him the impression this man won't find it charming, either, so after a pause to hedge his bets: ] Undead.
revivalism: (89)

[personal profile] revivalism 2015-01-12 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Redeemed, [ Simon adds, glancing sideways—and there's a hint of good humor mixed with more than a hint of earnestness, the tone of a man who knows how he sounds to other people and just doesn't care. Kieren can roll his eyes if he wants to. That might even be the goal.

But any friendliness that found its way onto his face for that moment evaporates before he's even looked away from him, back to the stranger. Maybe they're done fighting for now. As long as Kieren's hand is on Simon's shoulder and the American is staying back, he'll stay put. But they're still trapped here together. He can only be so little of a threat.

His gaze would be icy even if he weren't death-pale and white-eyed, but it helps. ]


What did you think he was?

[ He could guess. ]
betterangels: (#8589778)

[personal profile] betterangels 2015-01-13 11:09 am (UTC)(link)
Different.

[ Despite the chill in Simon's regard, Rick is slowly relaxing.

Or.

Not really. Getting better control over his own tension, maybe, a roll of his shoulder setting robe cloth back into better place, making sure balance is in equal distribution on either foot, downgrading Kieren's threat level and reassessing Simon's in another look up and down.

He elaborates; ]


To this. [ He gestures by way of a hand at his side opening to them, little else. As if not to reignite the situation with sudden movements. ] Where I'm from-- some call 'em the dead. My group called 'em walkers. They don't talk. They don't think.

You look like 'em when they first turn.

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axeyou: (snide - bitch bend over)

pre Rick obviously

[personal profile] axeyou 2015-01-08 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Watch it.

[Kieren Walker, today is not your day.

Johanna's hair has been chopped to chin length. The edges hang unevenly. Someone else has done the back, which lays a little flatter. If the whole thing looks like it was done with a knife, while her hair was still wet... that's because it was. She's only wearing Tranquility issue underpants and sports bra, and nothing else, but carrying herself like she's dressed to the nines. And she's carrying her axes, of course, one in her hand, one on her back, the strap bisecting her breasts. (They're pretty nice breasts, even if that doesn't matter to Kieren.)

And her knife is in her hand, its blade still flecked with little pieces of hair. She doesn't stab Kieren, or anything, but the way she's holding the knife sort of suggests that she could, or still might. Her glare is cutting enough on its own.]


You're not actually blind, are you? [No--she already knows the answer to that. She met and made fun of Simon.] Just the way God made you. I've heard that one before, don't say it.

Just get out of my way.
traumata: (059)

obviously

[personal profile] traumata 2015-01-09 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ Kieren stops abruptly, narrowly missing running into her. The sorry is on the tip of his tongue when she beats him to it with the harsh chastisement, and then he's too distracted by the sight of her to follow up quickly. The state of relative undress isn't really a thing, but the weapons certainly are.

He thinks of Jem's gun. The weapons his parents had hiding in the shack out back. Crude weapons, all of them, completely overkill; axes definitely qualify. His gaze is caught on the knife when she speaks again, distracted by those flecks of hair, but then his eyes lift to meet hers.
]

What? No. I'm not blind, I'm just... sorry.

[ The apology's lacking gusto, now, absently tacked on as a matter of formality. He does go to step back, though, only to hesitate, face crinkling up in bemusement. ] The axes are a bit much, aren't they?

[ Bold move, questioning the point of weapons that are prime for zombie-killing. But between the leniency of space and the terrible influence of one Simon Monroe, the idea of just being bullied out of the way doesn't quite sit. ]
axeyou: (glare - some some i murder)

[personal profile] axeyou 2015-01-09 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, you sure are.

[Sorry, that is. The motion that he makes suggests that he's going to step back out of her way, and so Johanna moves forward, into his space--but then he doesn't actually get out of her way, he hesitates, and Johanna makes a noise of intense irritation that's so close to being a growl. Ugggggh.]

No. They aren't. [She practically spits out the words, one at a time.] There's no such thing as 'a bit much' with weapons.

[Like are you stupid. And they're stepped in quite close to one another right now, close enough that the rage coming off of Johanna probably feels like heat, like standing close to a bonfire or an open oven. Seething is the only word for it. She's seriously considering putting a knife into one of Kieren's creepy dead eyes when she puts it together.]

You're the dress guy.

[Definitely what you want to be known as.]
traumata: (039)

[personal profile] traumata 2015-01-10 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, actually, some people would argue that any weapon's a bit much...

[ Maybe a little stupid, yes. Or just very optimistic. The gentle tirade's derailed by her sudden realization, though, catching him completely off guard. ]

I'm the... ?

[ He stares at her for a moment, trying to put two and two together. It's probably a little unnerving between the cloudy iris and pinprick eyes, but then his brows raise in sudden recognition. ] You're the girl with the tree dress.

[ See: other things you definitely want to be known as. And this would possibly make more sense if he'd seen her hair to begin with, but now that he's looking at her instead of her axes, it's difficult to miss the jagged edges that accompany those bits of hair all over her knife. ]

Did you cut your hair?
axeyou: (yeah ok - they can't stand besides me)

[personal profile] axeyou 2015-01-11 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
[The start of the argument against weapons actually annoys Johanna more than being 'the girl with the tree dress'. Her image in Panem is more developed than that, thanks to her own efforts and memorable round in the Games--but when it comes down to it, she's used to being known as Tree Girl. Thanks, selective marketing and industry hallmark of District 7.

So her eyeroll is a little exasperated, but not as disgusted as it might be otherwise. Also, stupid question--]


Wow, good job.

[She shifts her knife a little, pinches the hilt against the palm of her hand and the curve of her thumb, so she can run her other fingers through the short length of her hair.]

Don't you like it? It won't look bad with your design, will it?
traumata: (103)

[personal profile] traumata 2015-01-14 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
With my— [ Oh right, his design. The dress that isn't a tree. ] Yeah, well, I haven't actually started on it. So I'll just take that into account, shall I?

[ He doesn't sound particularly apologetic. He sounds more feisty, actually, like he isn't even a little bit sorry that he hasn't started on her dress. He might care a bit more if she did — or if she wasn't so generally unpleasant.

Probably best to cut this conversation short. Instead he eyes her hair for another second, then:
]

It's a bit rough, though, isn't it?
axeyou: (crazy - i'm a motherfuckin monster)

[personal profile] axeyou 2015-01-14 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[And Johanna's smile flicks across her face, quick and sharp. Her appreciation for feistiness in others is tempered--like every aspect of her personality--by her temper. She runs her fingers through her hair again, her eyes fixed on Kieren. The smile hasn't done anything to soften her face, and it hasn't reached her eyes.

The haircut is a bit rough, hacked off and then patched up by volunteer hairdressers. She knows that. And it's not like she's going to make everyone pretend that it does look good--they can dislike it if they want, whatever--but she's also not going to let remarks go by without answering them.]


Sure is.

[She says it through her smile, and as she drops her arm to her side again, her hand twists to grip at the knife. Not a threat. Just there.]

And since you've got such an opinion on it, you can fix it. Or you can bend over and I'll shove this knife up your ass. [To explain:] Since you can't actually shove an opinion up your ass.

What's it going to be, smart guy?
strayed: (Default)

[personal profile] strayed 2015-01-11 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[Cora is quick on her feet, werewolf senses and all. But the jump tends to mess with that, slow it down a little, muffled at the edges. Where she might have just avoided colliding with Kieren at all, she runs into him rounding a corner on a row of lockers, immediately reaches out to brace him, as if there was chance of actual falling over from walking into a 5'4" werewolf.]

You're awake.

[Stating the obvious, but she'd spent enough time at the pods over the last month that seeing him out and walking again is almost bizarre. Especially with everything else that had been happening with it.]

Are you okay?

[She frowns slightly, looking him over, as if she might be able to tell if there were any further adverse effects of an undead guy being bottled for a month. Like wandering into people.]
traumata: (059)

[personal profile] traumata 2015-01-14 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ To be fair, he's not quite as graceful as he used to be. He keeps his balance, though, giving her balancing grip on his arm a curious look — most people aren't usually so quick to touch zombies, but then again the passengers here aren't most people.

Recognition settles in a moment later, the answer to her question automatic.
]

Yeah, I'm fine.

[ A little dizzy, sure. Disorientated. But that isn't abnormal. Side effects of the medication, and the jump can't be much help. It's only then that her first observation sinks in; his brow furrows, confusion obvious in his voice. ]

Sorry— shouldn't I be? Awake, that is.
strayed: (Default)

[personal profile] strayed 2015-01-26 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
[She looks up at him a little sceptically, like she doesn't quite trust him to be honest about it, or maybe even know. He's hard to read, his heartbeat off, scent wrong, and she wonders how willing zombies would be to admit they needed any help.]

You were in stasis for a month. A lot of people were.

[Including Derek, which brings the urge almost immediately to go check for him, brow pinching slightly as her attention turns to looking over the crowd back in amongst the lockers.]
traumata: (127)

[personal profile] traumata 2015-02-03 06:08 am (UTC)(link)
A month.

[ It's on the verge of offended rather than upset. He's already missed enough time. Another month seems unfair, though that's tempered somewhat by the fact that it was a month on the ship, not at home — the ship's something he could do without, frankly.

He seems caught up in the thought for a moment, brows furrowed, but then his expression relaxes as he looks at her, catching that concerned distraction as it crosses her face.
]

You too? Were you stuck in stasis, that is.
strayed: (Default)

[personal profile] strayed 2015-02-03 01:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[The question pulls her attention back to him better than the offended statement had, the look she gives him pretty clearly communicating how would I know you'd been in stasis for a month if I had been too?]

No. [A beat, like she's going to leave it there, but then adds:] My brother was.

[So she was down here checking the pods regularly, is the part she doesn't say. She glances back to the crowd, but without Derek readily apparent, looks back to Kieren. Maybe she can do this quickly.]

How much do you know about what's happened here?
traumata: (133)

[personal profile] traumata 2015-02-07 06:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, right. No shit.

Although in his defense, he was just in an extended coma, and he thought maybe she could've gotten an update before him, but—
]

Is he awake?

[ She's offering to fill him in. That much is obvious, but the mention of her brother is distracting, gaining quick priority — and it seems fairly obvious that she's distracted by the thought, too. ] If you need to go check on him, it's fine. I can find Simon.

[ "A friend" might've been more useful. He doubts she knows Simon, but inferring should be easy. ]