tentacruelest | 8th Wave

8th Wave

Th' next time this Barge feels like poking around in my head, I'll be keeping to my quarters. The lot of yeh - useless dregs not fit to scrub a floor. It's bad enough I'm locked in here with you, I don't need to call any of yeh friends.

[Private to Bush]

Was dealing with me yerself so difficult that you sought to work through less offensive channels, Captain?

[Private to Arthas]

A word, my king.

[Can you feel that heavy sarcasm, Arthas?]

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No. But he hates, proper hates that no-one is afraid.

I will try to distract him. We could all use that.

I've seen you speak to him before. Lord, I have been grateful most times, you have been so sensible. But I've got to try to be his warden. To keep him from murder, and murder from him. I'll own I ain't good at it, but I've got to try.

I hope you're too much of the sea for it to send you trudging up onto land after a shore battery.

Seeing as how I'm cursed not to step foot on land save once a decade, I can't see why it would.

And you're not nearly as petty or stupid as you'd like everyone to think.

If you hurt my inmate, I'll stop you.

[Which is not a threat but a promise. She hangs up.]

If you don't come to my cabin in the next three minutes, I'm coming to find you.

[A cold look back at the empty screen before Jones shuts off his end as well.

No. He's not near so petty or dumb. But to be so would have made his life at least easier if truly torturing others gave him any measure of deeper satisfaction]

So what you're saying is you want to pick on old women and children. Since we're all so young -- except Iris.

[ It is so easy to twist these words around. ]

And Iris willnae fight me.

But she's got so many boys who will. We'd love to take you to the crab boil: just say the word.

First, I was highly affected by this latest flood. You should be aware of that.

Second, the only difference it made in your case was giving your Warden an ounce of acknowledgement, and touching you without permission to do so.

I will still inquire about more sheet music if you truly want it.

-S

What.

[All the fight's gone out of Iris. She's not even in her own room - she can hardly bear being where she can see that huge gap, and Dean crashing in there was a welcome excuse to stay away - but the dead space in her mind, where the bus' affectionate purr has been as long as she can remember, is impossible to ignore.]

You're so sweet. Everyone's been so kind.

[She hates that she needs it so much. She's never felt this old before.]

There's nowt anyone can do. Not really. I just 'ave to 'old me 'ead together long enough to graduate Victor. And you're already 'elping with that.

I've got it in mind to invite you and Miss Gordon to dinner in my cabin, and a few other people you should like to attend, and perhaps it would help a bit?

That's what me bus was for.

[Because this is Marsh, because he is everything he is and has been, she touches him - the most careful surface contact - and shows him what it was. A TARDIS isn't exactly alive, but it's very far from simply being a thing. It's more of a process, Iris' own personal golden needle that could thread her into the tapestry of any reality. Its existence was part of hers and vice versa; without her it would lose cohesion, disperse its essence back into the fabric of wider existence. Without it, she's lost and stranded, an unbalanced fish out of water.]

...That would be lovely, Captain. I'll be on best behaviour.

[She will, too; she doesn't drink around Barbara much, and she's always a steadying influence.]

Promise.

I don't ask that of you. There'll be nobody needs impressing--this is all between friends.

Good luck with that. It pretty much never works that way.

And good luck with that whole friend thing. You get to control you, not anyone else.

I should say I will be the one to dictate whether I am friends with someone or not.

You gravely injured the Lady Sylvanas.

I understand it was not your intentions.

Apologize to her and we will forget the matter.

[He freezes up at the first part of Sylvanas' message, wholly ready to clam up and disavow ever having feelings for her.

But then the second half of the message comes in, and he melts. He's entirely hers again]

I would not have taken offense to the touch, even if it happened to be out of character.

If you would. I would be indebted to you.

You're a fine idiot, Dent. A very fine one. I can see why she keeps yeh around. Not good for much else, are yeh? Just one more boy in her trophy case to collect.

[Sorry, pause a second while Arthas laughs at this hilarious joke.]

You have no idea, do you?

I had a heavy feeling that'd be your answer, Menethil. Yeh are woefully predictable.

Do you know what she is? How she came to be that way?

It's less about her, and more about... justice, Captain.

We are very keen on justice. And when we watched the two of you, listened to you snip and snipe we flipped for it. And I win. There is no justice in letting you continue, holding everyone on edge with the will you or won't you, go after who she cares about.

Well, I'm calling you out. Fool that she is, she cares about us. An we will gladly meet you the field.

Put your money where your mouth is, Captain.

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8th Wave

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