forty-second 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: There's a strange sense of contentment that greets you as you wake from the jump. Deep and certain, it doesn't warm you or cloak the unpleasantness of the stasis fluid on your skin and the disorientation spinning in your head. It feels disconcertingly distant, instead, a sense as though an answer has been decided on - and that you won't much like to experience it coming to fruition...

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.


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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.

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Comments

[foundafamily]

Guess that makes sense. I know even my Family'd frown at somebody pourin' two drinks into their mouth at once...

[And the Martillos could be pretty heavy partiers.

It doesn't take a genius--which Firo certainly isn't--to guess why the he's looking away. Belatedly, he offers an apology.]

Sorry. Makes you feel any better, you're definitely not the wierdest person I've met.

[glacius]

[That causes something of a wry grin. In the interest of steering the conversation away from his physiology, the alien laces his fingers together and looks back to Firo.] So tell me, then--if not a giant ice alien, who was?

[foundafamily]

[Firo hopes that this'll at least start to make up for him going and making Glacius uncomfortable. He smiles as well.]

Huh. That'd be a toss-up between... either the insane robber couple I know who wear costumes to every job and haven't been caught despite havin' no brains... or the cannibal covered in dragon tattoos who likes his food live.

[glacius]

[Glacius makes a face at that, the icy flesh of his nasal cap wrinkling up.] You humans keep such strange company. I hope said cannibal was stopped.

[foundafamily]

Well, he was in prison when I met him, so... kinda.

[Firo tilts his head to one side, then concedes:]

But he still chewed up some people there.

[glacius]

You are making me suddenly appreciate my icy armor anew. [If a human tried to chew on him, they'd likely find themselves suffering from a bad case of broken teeth!]

[foundafamily]

[Firo laughs. He's a little surprised to hear something that sounds like a joke coming from this guy.]

Yeah, you look like you'd break his teeth. ...Which would probably do a few people a favor, though I only ever saw him go after real jerks.

[glacius]

[He hadn't really meant it as a joke, but more as a statement of fact--even if his blunt way of speaking about his capabilities certainly made it sound that way! Anyways, the alien settles back somewhat, thinking all of this over.] ... This is... odd for me. Not in an uncomfortable way, just... strange. I do not usually find myself in casual conversation with a human, let alone sharing a drink with one. [He can't deny that it's helped him take his mind off of things at least a little, though!]

[foundafamily]

[Firo tilts his head to one side, both surprised at the content of that and to hear it voiced in the open.]

Yeah?

[He nearly thinks better of it, but genuine curiosity drives him to ask.]

Why's that?

[glacius]

[Glacius bites back the 'why do you think?' sitting near the edge of his gills, pulling his head up a little in consternation as he tries to think of how to answer.] Because prior to being here, on this strange ship, all the humans I had met only wanted to fight or imprison me. The people here seem... very different.

[foundafamily]

Ah.

[Firo's pretty dense, but even he knows right away that he's overstepped here.]

Yeah, people here are... they're different, that's for sure.

[A bunch of goody two shoes, really. Not in the way of the fierce and brutal law and order cops he's known, but kinder.

He sets his jaw firmly.]

Listen, if you do meet anybody like that here, I'll back you up.

[Firo doesn't need too much to make a decision about somebody and he's decided he kind of likes this guy. Besides, they've shared a drink, which is supposed to mean something.]

[glacius]

[Glacius wasn't sure what he was expecting the human to follow up with, but it certainly wasn't an offer for help. It almost, almost makes him feel a little bit bad; he'd been so skeptical, so wary of everyone around--him including Firo--and here he is, promising to back him up so easily.

He's not sure if that's because Firo simply hasn't had to face the same sort of hardships as him or if because he just is that selfless, but either way the alien has to give voice to his confusion.] You... barely know me. You would offer your help without reservation like this..?

[foundafamily]

[Firo shrugs.]

Of course, if it turns out you're just a jackass, I won't hesitate to do what I need to.

But I've met a lotta jerks in my time who treat people like shit just 'cause they're different, so... I'm willin' to take a gamble on you.

[This is the guy who took a former enemy into his home without even really knowing her--this move seems pretty obvious and harmless to him.

Besides, he's had people attack him and he's been in prison--even if he deserved both to some extent, he can't not feel a bit of sympathy for a seemingly-decent person who's also been through that.]

[glacius]

[Glacius has no idea what a 'jackass' is but given the context, he can pretty much figure out that it's insult. His cheekbones lift a little in a display of amusement.] I would expect nothing less.

I promise not to betray that trust... unless you attempt to harm me, or those I care about. But given the nature of this conversation, I think that at least is something I will not have to worry about.

[foundafamily]

[Despite the fact that they're both agreeing to hurt each other if necessary, Firo smiles. He's pretty sure it won't come to that, but he's happy to hear this guy speaking in terms he understands.]

I think that all sounds fair. And, yeah, I think we'll be fine.