Zhautas (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zhautasmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sexyspace2018-07-03 08:30 pm
zhautasmods) wrote in sexyspace2018-07-03 08:30 pm
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE MEME #2.5 (OVERFLOW EDITION)
Awakening
The multiverse is sick. It’s dying. And it’s up to you to save it. Or, at least, that’s what the Zenith Corporation had told you when they announced their search for a cure across the multiverse. They hand-picked individuals to be "volunteers" for the next stage of experimentation. Maybe they made it sound dire, maybe you already had your mind set to help, or maybe the specifics of how you could help was vague. Considering the alternative was wasting away on your home planet with no promise of when this cure might actually come to fruition, it ultimately wasn’t much of a choice either way.
Everything comes to life the more awake that you start to feel. "Good morning, volunteer," sounds a synthetic, feminine voice in your ear. That must be one of the fancy features they advertised about the chip that was injected just beneath your skin. A projected HUD above your torso displays and scrolls through several readings about the state of your being. "A scan of your vital signs show that everything is functioning as normal." There’s a small pause. "Wait-" The spike of alarm that should follow that single, distressed-sounding word is accompanied by a light chime. "Emotional responses are still accurate, too. Thank you for your cooperation!" Without any further explanation or allowing for protest, she continues on. "I hope you enjoyed your nap! We’ll be descending to planet #05031941 - common name designated as Zhautas - in approximately three hours. There will be a brief orientation for all volunteers exactly one hour before landing. Due to potential unnatural stress levels upon awakening from stasis, I suggest a relaxing trip to the garden beforehand."
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
My name is R.O.S.I.E. and, on behalf of all of us at the Zenith Corporation, we’re happy to have you aboard.
Code CreditMy name is R.O.S.I.E. and, on behalf of all of us at the Zenith Corporation, we’re happy to have you aboard.
Say Aloe (Prospective Players Only)
Red lights lead the way to the gym, green will be your path to the gardens, ostignuh is- Wait, what do you mean the color ostignuh is burning your eyes? Huh. They must have over-corrected for your species. Oh, well. They’ll fix that for the next trip. For now, don’t worry about it. It probably didn’t lead to anything important anyway!
- The staff is much more attentive this time than they were with the first wave of volunteers. Poor feedback and the threat of losing their jobs if they don't improve their standing will do that! Unfortunately, it isn't just the colors that have been over-corrected. Despite how many times you tell the very helpful staff member that you're fine, they won't leave you alone. Are you sure? They can walk with you if you'd like. They can even hold your hand if you're overwhelmed! If there's anything you need, they're here for you.
Maybe if you find a buddy to walk you to your destination they might divert their attention to a different volunteer. The buddy system is pretty fool-proof, after all. - As you draw closer to the gardens, the lights in the hallway begin to dim. In fact, the only available source of illumination for a small distance is the thin green line across the floor guiding your way. Careful not to trip! There's handy railing to hold onto or maybe you accidentally grab the arm of that (hopefully) cute person nearby. It's kind of hard to tell and green isn't really a flattering color anyway.
Suddenly, you're stepping into a wide open space of twilight. Iridescent flowers dot the landscape for as far as the eye can see. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and glow softly in this simulated night-scape. Trees of shining magenta leaves and blue bark wind up to the stars. Or, at least, the viewing panels that allow the stars to be seen from inside the ship. Not to worry, it's entirely safe and beautiful!
The featured flower of this month is the Nykt Blossom. Be warned, however, that inhaling its pollen causes increased levels of oxytocin. This will cause you to feel compelled to bond socially with others. That is, you might find yourself a lot more friendly than usual! Maybe a little too friendly, even, if you're especially susceptible to its effects. - It's very easy to miss the warning signs in this dark as you step into the section of the garden that houses the more alien plant-life.
They'll fix that for the future, of course, but for now many volunteers are likely finding themselves subject to the same unfortunate circumstances. Coitendrils are in abundance here; they're a pretty touchy feely species.
It's a plant that thrives in warm conditions and grows at an incredibly fast rate to seek out these cozy spots. As it turns out, your body warmth is the highest temperature around and exactly what it's looking for.
Before you know it, long green tendrils are suddenly growing around your arms or legs in speedy spirals. They get everywhere in a matter of mere seconds. Their growth is aggressive, finding ways beneath the fabric of whatever clothes you happen to be wearing and to the skin below. The only way to reverse their growing hold is to cool yourself off and fast. Maybe someone can grab you some ice?
Orientation (Prospective Players Only)
Around an hour before landing, an announcement is made to everyone aboard the ship. It’s time to find your way to the amphitheater for orientation. If anyone gripes, they are reminded that it has mandatory safety information that the Zenith Corporation is legally required to cover. In fact, there's even a quiz at the end to make sure you understand all the technical ins and outs! The Zenith Corporation only has your best interests at heart. They also can’t afford another lawsuit or PR nightmare but who can, really? It’s only a half an hour long and R.O.S.I.E. reassures everyone that it will go by faster than they think.
- Are you way too cool for school? If you try to play hookey, the crew members of the spaceship are already on guard. You're not the first one to try this and they doubt you'll be the last. Try as you might to super sleuth your way around, there’ll be someone at apparently every single turn and twist you try.
It’s also very likely that in scrambling to find a place to hide you’ll run into someone else breaking the rules! Perhaps great minds think alike and you decide to try to defy the system together. Or maybe they’re totally just getting in your way and you decide instead to throw them to the wolves to give yourself a better chance at escaping certain boredom that is an informational seminar. The choice is yours, volunteer! - Whether you come to the orientation willingly or are dragged in by one of the staff, you’ll quickly realize just how bad R.O.S.I.E. lied. A half an hour feels almost like ten hours instead. The last time you checked your watch, it was somehow later than when you check it now. Is time going backward? It sure seems like it the longer you listen to the monotone voice read over colored flavor text clearly meant to engage but missing its mark stupendously. Even the motivation of a quiz at the end that needs to be passed in order to disembark seems to do little to nothing for your dwindling attention span.
Finally, there’s a break in the bureaucratic monotony. The faceless, droning voice introduces one of the staff currently on Zhautas, Jeneviere. He's assistant to the head scientist, Professor Quintalian, and freshly assigned overseer of new volunteers. He also looks like he absolutely doesn't want to be the one doing this seminar.
"Come now, Jenny," says a masculine voice off screen. "You promised."
"I know what I said," he snaps, glaring off camera and not seeming to care much for the fact this is a live feed nor that these new volunteers are expecting something a bit more professional.
"Then what's the problem?" the voice asks again. As it does, a tentacle wiggles into view and gives a reassuring pat on the deerman's shoulder. "I know for a fact that you like being filmed, Jenny, so really this shouldn't be so daunting-"
As he speaks, Jeneviere's cheeks suddenly burn red hot. He stands forcefully out of his chair and uses one of those hoofs to kick harshly at the source of the tentacles. There's a very undignified squawk at the attack before the video feed cuts out and a technical difficulties sign is displayed.
"... Right," the narrator from before says to break the undeniably awkward silence. "Just give us a moment, volunteers, and we'll get a pre-recorded seminar ready for you instead. In the meantime, let's open up communications with the facility and allow you to discuss with those already on the planet about what they've enjoyed most about their time on Zhautas so far?*
- Hopefully, you didn't forget about the quiz! The staff certainly didn't. After the pre-recorded seminar is run, papers are handed out. A quiet shuffle carries through the room as people pass them to and fro down the aisles. It all seems rather arbitrary and tedious but remember! You have to pass in order to disembark.
It isn't too hard. Or maybe it is. Perhaps it's just the pressure that you only have fifteen minutes to complete it. What was the professor's first name again? How many research facilities are there on the planet? Staff are scrutinizing your every move now, it feels like. Do you take the risk and try to whisper for help to the person next to you? Pass notes? Do what you must to succeed! ...Or you can just shamefully take the quiz again and again and again until they're legally obligated to let you off board. - Hopefully, you didn't forget about the quiz! The staff certainly didn't. After the pre-recorded seminar is run, papers are handed out. A quiet shuffle carries through the room as people pass them to and fro down the aisles. It all seems rather arbitrary and tedious but remember! You have to pass in order to disembark.
Welcome to Zhautas! (All Players)
Finally, it's time to disembark at the research facility. This time they have the right coordinates so it's as easy as stepping off the ship and to your new home away from home. Or, at least, it should have been that easy...
There's an awful lot of construction going on around here. Several beings with hard hats, power tools, and ridiculous amounts of glue are rushing about. They're shouting orders and saying "excuse me" where they remember to. Still, it can be hard to get a word in edgewise about the fact that you're new volunteers here to check-in. In addition to the construction, there's also an awful lot of important-seeming people walking throughout the facility as well that staff are far more attentive to than you.
In short, it's borderline chaos as you try to get your bearings.
- "Bad news, new volunteers," says R.O.S.I.E. in the midst of all the commotion. "We have your housing assignments but there have been some... technical difficulties in preparing the new rooms." There's actually been a lot of technical difficulties, period. Maybe you've already noticed with the lights randomly changing color or dimness, the vending machine that launched your drink at you, or R.O.S.I.E. herself glitching out periodically when responding. The problem with the rooms is that the doors won't open. Or they won't stay closed. Or that they open and close constantly and forcefully so it's a safety hazard. As if everything else going on with all the construction isn't.
"We're working on it as fast as we can, but for now, we've set up a temporary sleeping situation until its resolved." Everyone will be directed to one of the larger common rooms in the east wing of the facility while the rest of the volunteers are still awaiting their new housing as promised.
Mattresses are laid out in rows on the floor. There's plenty of blankets, pillows, and even some LED lights strung around the room to provide some nice ambience.
Additionally, there's a screen covering one of the walls for a movie to be projected on before bed. R.O.S.I.E. has chosen a thematically appropriate film that was approved by Professor Quintalian himself. Snacks are provided too! It's an old-fashioned sleepover, volunteers. Make a blanket fort, enjoy what's on for your viewing pleasure, and have - most of all - have fun. - What's a sleepover without scary stories? Flashlights have been provided and it's time to get spooky. Here's your chance to share that real thriller that you know from back home. Maybe another world has a similar tale! Either way, there's nothing like bonding over a little healthy fear. Right?
Or maybe terrifying strangers isn't your idea of a good time and you'd rather make shadow puppets instead. That's also an option! In fact, some people are trying to start a contest out of it to see who can cast the most creative shadows around. - The night staff comes around for one last security sweep. Get some sleep, they say. It's been a long day. Tomorrow might be even longer if they still can't figure out the rooms or where to put all these new volunteers for the time being.
As nice as that sounds, it's a little easier said than done. Whether it's the construction noise, the person next to you snoring, or late night existential thoughts it's difficult for sleep to find you. Maybe talking to someone might help? Or maybe you just need to go to the bathroom. Good luck crossing the swath of bodies, in the case of the latter, and who knows! You might find someone else having as much trouble sleeping as you that you can commiserate with.
Or maybe you're the one snoring. Do you happen to kick in your sleep? How unfortunate for the person assigned to the mat next to you. They might be courteous or they might tell you just how obnoxious it is. Whatever the case might actually be, you're likely in for a long first night here at the research facility.
Network/Bangr (All Players)
During all the goings-on, R.O.S.I.E. will prompt you to set up your presence on the network. Pick a username, a profile picture, and commence to shitposting immediately if you so desire! Additionally, if you want to get a headstart on your contribution to the volunteer program, why not set up your Bangr? R.O.S.I.E. even has an icebreaker question ready for you! They change every month. This month's question is:
(*Despite what you might actually put, know that R.O.S.I.E. is a little glitchy. What you wrote might not actually be what's displayed! I.E., you can totally use this as a misfire type deal in case your character wouldn't answer this question.)
bangr
Professor Quintalian | 35
Wake-up sex is the best, in my opinion. Hormones are more haywire first thing in the morning; it's just scientific sense to get your bang in during wake-up time.
| ✓ | ✕ |
| YES |
NO |
Extra Notes
- The BANGR code only works in comments, there is a separate code for entries!
If you're testing this code before posting it here please do so in a comment to an entry for accuracy! - TDM top levels are allowed for current characters and/or new characters!
However, current characters can ONLY interact with the following prompts:
WELCOME TO ZHAUTAS where new characters are on the planet AND/OR the network options available if they want the thread to be considered game canon. - THIS IS AN OVERFLOW POST FOR NEW TOP LEVELS
feel free to add a link to your previous top level if your threads reach captcha
no subject
Hell no, after traversing that great expanse you more than deserve it. [ He shifts a little, scooting over to make enough room for Arthur to sit down in the pile of cushions and pillows leaned against the wall, and holds out a bottle of what he's pretty sure is bourbon - or something like it, at a really high proof. ]
I'm pretty sure I've heard a half dozen people going at it in here tonight, so nah, not crass at all. Might even take a raincheck when we're done with our incredibly deep conversation.
[ Despite his teasing grin, he does sound genuinely looking forward to discussing this. He's curious about Arthur's thoughts - probably would be even without the hive mind, but with it, he has an even more vested interest. ]
no subject
[ Arthur takes the invitation though, sits inelegantly next to Sam, uncaring that this will undoubtedly leave his suit crumpled. Who cares? That's what irons are for. With a quick smile, he takes the held out bottle, tilting it in an airy kind of cheers motion. The first sip it strong, the second less so, and he's immensely grateful. ]
I feel like I should be weirded out by that, but I'm surprisingly adjusted. [ Or he just has less shame and scruples than he previously thought. Hmm. ]
Hey, cash in whenever. [ After all, he likes Sam, with his easy smile and relaxed personality. It's weird how fast that happened. ]
So hey, you never answered the question. What'll it be, dreaming or waking up?
no subject
Looks like the most important person made it, and that's what matters.
[ Teasing aside, he's glad Arthur came over. It's a much better way to spend the night than being on edge trying to sleep with so many people around him, which is what he was looking at before. Now he's got good company and good conversation and an excuse to drink his bottle of bourbon, so it's a win in his book.
His knee presses up absently against Arthur's as he takes the bottle back, pulling a long drink and then handing it over again while he considers his response. ]
I've gotten to know my dreams pretty well. Had to, if I wanted to change them, and when you add other people into the equation... [ In more ways than one, really. Sam'd been working with people on how to keep their nightmares from controlling their lives even before the hive mind, but after having an up close and personal encounter with more than one person's - well, it'd gotten even more important. ] If this is a dream, it's not one I've encountered before. And I guess - if you can't tell the difference, if you don't even know what's real and what's not anymore, does it matter?
no subject
[ And not just with his words, because he caught that look. The drift of his gaze from head to toe that said volumes.
Arthur might have given him a similar one, when he walked up.
But now they're nearly pressed together, knees bent and just barely touching. He's taken his sips from the bottle and passes it back to Sam, who takes a long draught. It's hard to tell in the dimmer lighting, but Arthur watches the swallow, the line of his neck, and greatly appreciates the chance to wet his mouth with drink again.
Even if it's a sip, not to show his full hand. ]
Had to? [ That's a curious phrasing, one he latches onto immediately. ]
It matters. If you don't know what's real or what isn't, there are still people around you who will know the difference.
[ Shit, that hits closer to home than he thought it would. His hand is steady when he takes another drink, passing it over, but it feels like he's been tilted on his axis. Mal had lost track, she'd forgotten what was reality, and sometimes he thinks of her eyes warm but distant, telling him come now, Arthur, let's wake up. ]
no subject
[ Very, very true - but not the reason they're sitting together, not right now. Still, he's going to enjoy the view while he can. He quirks a little half smile at that - files away the way Arthur'd caught onto the phrasing - and answers easy and honest. ]
Night terrors. Not a lot of fun getting stuck in 'em on repeat, whether they're mine or someone else's.
[ Arthur's speaking from personal experience, here. Sam knows what that looks like, and for a moment, he's almost frustrated. He wants that connection between Hosts, wants to be able to curl his wings around the edges of Arthur's mind, staying out of it but being within easy reach all the same. He wants to be able to open the door to how about you show me your reality and I'll show you mine - not now, not yet, but maybe, maybe, he wants the possibility.
He wonders how Arthur would do in the Nest.
But he can't know, and he lets it go as he takes the bottle back from Arthur. It could be an accident, the way his fingers brush a little more of Arthur's than they have to, but for once it's more about support than appreciation. Sam's speaking from personal experience, too, and he rolls the bottle between his hands. ]
How would you even believe them? They've have to be able to prove it, have to be real damn good talkers. [ He takes another drink, because he feels like he needs it right about now, and offers it back over. ] Or you'd have to be able to trust them more than you believed in your own version of reality.
no subject
When he takes the bottle back for a drink, it only makes sense. ]
Can't imagine getting stuck in that. Was it like sleep paralysis as well? And how do you mean "someone else's"?
[ Because headspace isn't shared. Not unless they're both talking about PASIV technology, which is the closest to getting stuck in someone else's dream. Someone else's head. Even then, one is only trapped there for the duration of the timer. Or until they blow their brains out to wake up. Never the most elegant way to do it. ]
There's— [ Arthur hesitates for a moment, not sure how much he wants to get into this. But maybe this will be helpful. ]
—there's a simple solution to keep track, which I can explain. It's not foolproof, though. Not if someone has convinced themselves that reality is a dream and the dream was their life.
no subject
Sometimes. I use to work at the VA, lead support groups, talk about my shit and about what worked for me. Help people through what might work for them. A lot of that was showing people how to pull themselves back into reality, not get caught up in what used to be or what could've been.
[ And he could leave it at that. It's the easy explanation, and it's an honest one, even if not entirely. Since Sam first signed up for the EXO-7 project, most of his life has been about being as honest as possible while keeping secrets, telling people everything he can while hiding what he needs to. It's damn near an art now, and often no one suspects the guy who's so willing to be open might have things he's not saying.
But there's more Arthur isn't saying, too. Sam kind of gets the feeling they're both sensing each other out, here, trying to figure out how much to reveal and what the other person's experiences are before they admit to something a little out of the ordinary. No one needs something to keep track of reality unless they're frequently exploring places that aren't real, and he knows there's something more there.
Sam's okay with being the first person to take the jump. Put his shit out there, start with some more honesty and open up the floor. Make it okay. ]
I've been in people's dreams before. I've got my own tricks to remind me of what's real, to pull us both back, but hell yeah, if you got a simple solution, I'll take it. Nothing's ever foolproof, but it can't hurt to have something else in the toolbox, you know?
no subject
Sam doesn't surprise him, not exactly, but he's pleased all the same. By how easy the conversation carries, despite the subject matter. It's clear they're both invested and the have history behind them, experience unfurled in a long road at their backs. ]
VA? That's tough work. Being haunted by a memory and reliving it; trying to get someone to know how to handle that when it happens.
[ While that isn't the work he's used to dealing with, he's done his stint in the military. Knows what shellshock looks like. Knows that horrible glazed over gaze, when someone goes from living in the present to hearing bullets whizzing by, a cold sweat breaking out on their skin. He'd gone through it, himself, on a different landscape than usual. Waking up from dreaming an active warzone, the ghost of missing limbs clinging to his skin for weeks at a time.
Project Somnacin had been great in theory, dangerous in practice. ]
Been in a dream before?
[ He doesn't sound incredulous, just curious, wanting clarification. After all, it's rare for someone outside of dreamshare to have that knowledge. At Sam's gentle urging, he reaches into his pocket, pulling out the red die he keeps on his person at all times. The acrylic catches the dim light in an odd way, making it look more purple, the white pips a bit luminescent. Arthur holds it pinched between a forefinger and thumb, just out of reach. ]
We call them totems. Some small piece that you can carry around, one that only you know the weight and texture of. This one– it's loaded, always lands on the same number. The important part is to never let someone else touch it.
no subject
[ He's not saying it to be humble - it's true. And he wonders if Arthur is talking from personal experience here, too. Sam's good at recognizing fellow soldiers, at noticing when what he says resonates in a way more familiar than just something seen on TV or read in a book. But he also isn't going to push for an answer Arthur might not want to give, so he doesn't ask. Not yet.
Instead, Sam shoots him a look, sly and playful. ] It’d be real damn easy to say something like I don’t know, why don't you let me send you off to bed right and you can tell me in the morning, but - yeah. I have. Usually not good ones.
[ And then he leans forward a little, intent. He's always ready to learn more, especially about stuff like this. ]
Shit. [ He huffs out a soft laugh, knocking back a long drink from the bottle before handing it back. His fingers slip into his own pocket, and he pulls out a gold coin, with a pair of wings etched on the back. ] I use this for flashbacks, haven't tried it with dreams. Used to use one of my challenge coins, but. Gave it to someone who needed it more than I did.
[ He rolls the coin over his fingers, absent and practiced. ] What happens if someone else touches it?
no subject
[ He knows it, in a similar fashion. His relationship with Cobb over the past two years had been a lesson in grounding. In how much pressure a person could take before they cracked. Dom had slowly unraveled, the shade of Mal getting darker and more violent every time they went under. Arthur had held the both of them together, hands desperately trying to keep the pieces from flying away.
Eventually, he'd hit a wall, shut out from his friend. And he'd tripped up, missed the bit about militarization, nearly got them all sent to limbo; they would've fallen asleep on a plane ride and never woken up.
Shaking his head minutely, he shrugs that away. This isn't the place to dwell on paths already worn in. ]
How?
[ Because that's easier to focus on once he's pulled himself out of a blank space. Fuck. Get it together. Sam holds out the bottle and he doesn't refuse, takes a long pull and feels some of himself come back to the present. ]
Basically, the objective is to be the only one who knows the specifications. Then you know that no one else could replicate it in a dream to trick you into thinking it's reality. Even if they've seen it, you'll know if the dimensions are off immediately from the touch.
no subject
But he still knows what it looks like when someone's getting caught up in the past. Maybe later, he'll ask Arthur who he'd had to be strong for, and if there'd been anyone there to remind him to take care of himself. ]
Nah, it isn't. But it helps if you've had someone show you how to shore yourself up a little. Helps even more if you've got people willing to stabilize you, and you're able to let yourself lean on them. [ He quirks a little smile, wry. ] Easier said than done.
[ Sam settles the coin between thumb and forefinger as he considers how he's going to answer that question, traces the pad of his thumb over the wings etched into its surface, the grooves in the side. It makes sense - it's very similar to what Sam does when grounding himself, covering every inch of the coin in all its bumps and places worn smooth, the weight of it between his fingers that feels like nothing else. ]
It reminds you of what's real, and what isn't. [ He lets the coin slide into the palm of his hand, and looks back up at him. ] I've got some - I don't know, loosely psychic shit? I can connect with other people, sometimes. Especially in dreams, if they're really pulling hard or I know 'em well. And I can help heal, that one's a little more obvious. Back where I'm from we've got aliens and robots and a hell of a lot of scientific breakthroughs that may or may not look like magic, so I'd say it's not as out of the ordinary as it sounds - but if you're going into people's dreams, maybe you know something about that.
no subject
But this isn't pity and it isn't sympathy. Sam understands, on some level. Knows all the signs of someone getting stuck in their heads and he appreciates the gesture. ]
Military taught me that first part. And some of the second– teamwork and all. My career isn't exactly the best for trust, though.
[ Or for letting people in to see the vulnerable parts. Baring ones throat could be the easiest way to have it slashed, an early retirement. ]
Psychic shit? Like, mind reading? Or does it have more parameters?
[ He's simultaneously intrigued and worried. Though Sam doesn't seem the type to just mentally barge in. ] Something like that, yeah. There's this technology, where I'm from. It facilitates shared dreaming through a chemical. Science, but it could easily be mistaken for magic.
no subject
It's not about anything more than understanding right now. Doing more than scratching the surface - that can come later.
And he already knows there's gonna be a later. He's interested, now, in Arthur and the dreams and his life, and hearing him confirm military only makes him think he's on the right track. That Arthur hasn't had all that many people he could trust. That he hadn't felt like he needed to be strong for, needed to hold them together. ]
Yeah, I know how that feels. [ But he isn't going to think about the Raft, or about how easy it was for them to forget everything he's done and see exactly what they wanted to.
Instead he's gonna take another long drink, letting the alcohol hum pleasantly under his skin, and pass the bottle back. ]
Way more parameters. Pretty much the only thing I know works well no matter what is the healing, so, you know. Feel free to come knocking if you ever get hurt, let me kiss it better. [ His smile is easy, flirtatious, but his tone is genuine. And then he leans in just a little bit more, listening closely. ] Huh. And you know how to use it?
no subject
There's an understanding here, unspoken, between the lines. And they both know how to read it.
Arthur doesn't think he's clicked with someone this fast since– well, since Mal. She'd taken a different track, one that was full of badgering and provoking. Gentle teasing to get under his skin, where she stayed and stayed until she became a ghost.
(But that isn't true, he still hasn't flushed her out of his system. Can't, not with the ease in which he floods the IVs on the PASIV in the aftermath of dreaming, water washing the chemical traces away).
When the bottle is passed back, he takes it gratefully, tipping it back in a long swallow that numbs. ]
Just kiss it better? [ There's a smirk in his voice, one that only sort of reaches his mouth. But he's considering Sam's words, thinking of where to start. ]
Yes. I have one with me here. Maybe it'll just collect dust, but it seemed useful to bring.
no subject
He doesn't think anyone looking at Arthur would see it. Arthur seems to breathe cool confidence and self assured-ness, and it's - it's pretty damn attractive, all right, Sam will admit, and there's a part of him directly connected to the symbiote that wants badly to find out if his mind works the same way. But it also makes him wonder if Arthur ever lets himself crack.
Sam'd be lying if he said he didn't want to see it. If he didn't want to know what - or who - Arthur's ghosts are, the things he can't shake. And, well. Maybe he wants to see him crack a little in a different way, too, which he's reminded of in the way Arthur's throat works as he swallows and the smirk in his tone. That's secondary at the moment, but he gives a slow grin anyway. ]
Start with kissing, see where it ends up. [ He should know by now where he's probably headed when thinking that Arthur'd had too many people he needed to hold together and not enough people to lean on is followed up by the vague desire to be one of the second, but that doesn't stop him from just going on deeper. ]
Yeah? You wanna stay in practice, let me know. Wouldn't mind trying it out.