futures_of_ash | Werewolves are great crewmen!

Entry tags:

Werewolves are great crewmen!

Who: Rach and crew
When: Sometimes. IN SPACE.
What: It's an AU. IN SPACE.

She leaned her elbows on the low wall, ignoring the occasional catcall. The people behind the wall didn't matter, or the stands as long as the guards continued to not see her. Or the scalpers, because honestly, she would not handle being propositioned well right now. There'd been some rumors of Terrans that had made a splash in the ring...

Or so the fight drummers called out when she'd been walking past with the captain. "Terrans," he noted quietly to her.

"On it," she agreed, slipping away.

It seemed more accurate to say one Terran was making a splash, but viciously so none the less? Hmmm. ::They say you're contagious,:: she noted mentally when he was given a moment to rest. If he scanned the crowd he could see a red haired woman not at all concerned with leaning partially into the ring.

The usual round of security were wandering by, though one was snarling, watching a device in his hand, "Psy readings, I swear, but nothing to pinpoint, I swear if it's those damn white noise mice under the arena again..."

Rachel grinned, an expression more felt as she looked at him than anything else, ::go ahead and think at me hmmmm?:: As long as he had a mind to think with in that battle frenzy?

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His brow furrowed in doubt. "...how? With all that...?" He gestured at the window.

He shook his head and instantly regretted it as his neck twinged in protest. "I...don't know where I would even go." He took a weary breath. Like it or not, he was going to have to stay with these people for now, whatever they decided to do with him.

"I'm weird." That was her normal answer honestly. How? She was weird. "Connections are easy if I have someone with a proper anchor for what they're looking for." Yup.

Dimensional curtains were a bit different.

"You're not trapped. We can and will equip you and give you funds, as well information, if you want to go. Captain says funds are usually important," she didn't get it but hey, see her first answer.

He paused, his brow furrowing deeper. "Are you...constantly in my head?"

He was used to vampires establishing a mental bond and often using to it summon or warn (or punish) their people. But to just hear every thought at a whim?

He paled slightly.

"...no. I'm constantly open and can hear a whole planet unless I try not to. Aside from that is my Empathy which is stronger, so even if I'm not listening, I feel what you feel and that kinda spells things out." Just saying.

"Captain hasn't figured out an upward limit for my abilities yet." Just to be honest?

That was...a little disconcerting. She would be nearly impossible to fight if she could just read his thoughts. He hadn't realized how powerful she was when he agreed to leave with her.

He blinked. "You...feel what I feel?"

"Yes. And what Khem feels, and Captain, and Cook, and any other crew we have, anyone nearby, anyone we pass..." she shrugged slightly, still watching the stars. "Not as bad out here, the space helps."

"Even the implant?" he asked softly.

He hadn't imagined anyone outside of his home taking on pain to help him. There were a few other slaves in the pits that had good intentions, but when it came down to the wire none of them were willing to cross The Masters for another.

"I soaked a lot of that, else you were going to pass out, which would make you feel worse when you woke up. Khem layered in a lot of dampers as well." No reason to let someone face that kind of cruelty alone.

"Pain breaks people, that's not why we're here, so."

He studied her for a long moment. It had been bad, but she was right: he hadn't passed out. He'd never managed consciousness when they triggered that implant before.

"Thank you," he said softly, really meaning it.

Either the easy conversation, the realization that they were away with no one chasing after, or just the culmination of everything that had happened suddenly swept through him, leaving him shaking again. "It's safe, now?"

She shifted her attention from the glass to look at him at that, flame flickering a moment, "welcome." Since it seemed important to him?

Yup.

"No one anywhere near here can get through me. And even if they did that leaves the crew between anyone and you, and finally Khem who will slam people into a coma in panic."

His shoulders sagged slightly, his face suddenly dropping any pretense of strength or readiness. He was so tired and couldn't stop shaking. If even their healer had crazy incapacitating magic, it wouldn't matter if he stayed alert or let himself finally rest. He was in no position to put up any resistance even without their magic.

"I think...can I rest somewhere?"

"Yes, there's empty cabins, you can claim one as yours and set the door code yourself, or if you prefer to feel others nearby you can crash in my room or with Khem?" She slipped to her feet (making an effort after staring at said feet to make sure they touched the ground), then nodded, "and I can help you stay up for a shower?"

He considered the options. If there were door codes, he could be potentially locked in, especially if Rachel could read a code from his mind. If he stayed with one of them, it was less likely they'd lock him in with a potential hostage, but he didn't know if he could trust them well enough to sleep beside them.
He was too tired. What did it matter anyway?

"Empty if that's ok."

He started, looking over at her in disbelief. "Did you say shower?"

"Empty is perfectly okay," she nodded simply. "No one here will invade your territory without good cause like hull breach....which shouldn't happen either," she admitted.

"And when you've had the emergency drill training not even then!" So hey!

"Yes, shower. This is a larger ship than we had, you have a private shower, recycler and heater unit in each. This way." Back down the hall! "Any of the doors off the air garden here that show green are unclaimed." So his choice!

He followed, taking note of which doors showed green and which were occupied. He wasn't sure which one to take and his mind was getting fuzzier as the moments passed. Should he make sure he is far from the others or keep close enough to hear?

Screw it, he thought.

"This is fine," he said as they came to a green-lit door.

She poked the door button and leaned in to look around, "clean sheets on the bed, should be basic ship suits in various sizes in the drawers for now," she nodded. "I'll get your good blanket from Khem."

His good blanket may be somewhat soiled, but he didn't comment. He was taking in the room. An actual bed. Sheets. Blankets.
A shower.

He stumbled dumbly into the room, almost afraid to touch anything. What looked like a glass shower stall stood opposite the bed, and he opened its door and glanced in at the panel. He tried a button and a spray of warm water filled the stall.

He didn't even notice if Rachel was still there. With shaking hands he pulled off the rough-made, shapeless pants he was wearing and stepped out of them, never taking his eyes off the inviting spray. Almost reverently he stepped inside, closing his eyes as the water hit him. He let out a shaky breath, fumbling for the controls on the wall and dialing the water temperature as high as he could. Within seconds, steam began rising around him and he turned slowly, letting the scalding water run over him.

It was the most amazing thing he had ever felt.

His hair was longer than it had ever been, which was good as it covered the mostly-healed wound in his neck as it plastered down past his shoulders. He reached up, wiping his hands over his face again and again under the constant stream of water. His shoulders began to shake with silent, rhythmic sobs.

His good blanket was easy to fix honestly and would be clean and warm on his bed when he got out. After all, the medbay was across the garden and a teke could get crud off without breaking a sweat!

It filled...barely any time at all in comparison to the religious event going on in the shower yes. It was a private affair that so she set the blanket on the bed and went to go lean on the wall outside his room. She was just hanging out to make sure he didn't collapse in there.

And probably to make sure he didn't scrape his skin off honestly. Everyone had moments of 'must be clean' so deep they got bloody, best to try to head that off?

Yup.

He could take his time.

Edited 2021-12-12 07:16 (UTC)

He let himself continue to sob silently, not even trying to compose himself as he found a small bar of handmade soap as he began to lather it between his hands. It smelled herbal and clean, and he scrubbed at himself under the endlessly scalding water until he was nearly raw.

And still he couldn't bring himself to turn of the water. He braced himself against the wall, still making small hiccuping sounds and silently promising his body he would lie down in just a few more minutes...

Ah, yeah, that was a point he needed a polite knock right? "Jason? Water will be there any time you want it but your legs will probably buckle before too much longer and then Khem worries." Just saying?

She did a lot of her 'watching people's health' based on 'makes Khem worry' more than because she understood it!

He closed his eyes, letting the water run over his face once more before reluctantly pressing the button. Blinking through the dripping water and steam, he smoothed his hair back and wrung the excess water from his hair.

He was glad that he'd listened to Rachel as he practically stumbled out of the stall door, throwing a hand out to brace himself. There were towels on a stand between the shower and the toilet (Jesus, a real toilet...) and he half-heartedly patted himself dry as he began to eye the bed.

Rachel was still leaning at the door, outside, not inside, but she offered him a nod? "Want a hand combing your hair out fast or just forget it until you're conscious again?" Either was a valid option really, she could feel the creepy exhaustion, it was making even her yawn and she really didn't sleep...

It barely registered where she was or what she was saying. The bed looked so warm and inviting.

"No, I just...just gonna lie down for a little first."

The heat from the shower, the partial shift, the fights, implant...escape...it was getting more difficult to hold focus. He began stumbling towards the bed, knees starting to give out.

He didn't ask for help so she let him stumble; she'd step in if he hit the floor. ::Door open or closed, Jason?:: What would be more reassuring as he slept?

He barely made it to the bed, but the lack on control caused him to land roughly. The bed was soft and he collapsed into it, crawling awkwardly until he was sprawled face-down across it.

He gave a muffled, contented whimper and pulled blindly at the blanket. His thoughts were hazy, but the whisper of fear at being locked in gave him enough of a mind to form the word ::open:: At this point, nothing they could do to him would be as bad as waking to find himself locked in.

Everything was so warm and soft as he spiraled into blackness. And it was all ok.

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homeless_pard - 2021-12-12 07:55 (UTC) - Expand

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