video » un: rogue

[theycalledmeacurse]

CW: CHARACTER DEATH


[ The woman in the video is in her 30s, her distinctive hair loose around her shoulders, the white stripes making her pale skin quite noticeable. She shifts nervously as the message begins to broadcast, her expression uneasy while her eyes don't quite focus on the camera. Sure, she's looking in that general direction, she's just... not actually seeing anything. After a few moments, she finally speaks, southern drawl thick with nerves that make the words waver slightly. ]

Has anyone... Has anyone died recently? Here, on the station?

[ A pause. ]

Has anyone else died and woken up again?

Comments

[warfares]

As are they, I'm sure. Hypoxia is a terrible way to die.

[ Time to address the glowing pink bantha in the room, evidently. ]

Are you well? [ then, adds: ] Considering.

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ She's quiet for a moment, wishing she could manage a smile and brighter tone for that familiar voice. ]

I'm alright. I've been through worse than this.

[warfares]

There's a breadth of difference between " all right" and "well."

[theycalledmeacurse]

Most people who ask that question don't want the real answer, sugar. Physically, I'm just fine except for my sight.

[warfares]

[ ㅡ ah, and there it is.

In retrospect, it makes a certain sense. The uneasy shifting had been less due to nerves (though, he imagines, there had been quite a bit of that, at least initially) to the fact that she was adjusting to the absence of a rather crucial sense. ]

It's been that way since you woke?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ At least, now that the cat's out of the bag, she can be clinical about it. Approach the situation from fact rather than speculation. Somehow that just feels easier. ]

Yeah. I can't perceive any change in light; I've been testing it for days. And I can't find any injury that could account for it.

If there were other problems, then perhaps a prolonged lack of oxygen could explain it, but it's only my eyes, everything else feels fine.

[warfares]

Did you experience any head trauma?

[ He's no expert, of course, but if it's localized to a specific area it stands to reason that there would be some deeper cause. ]

[theycalledmeacurse]

Not before, and not that I can tell after.

[ She's had a lot of time to think things over the last few days. ]

[warfares]

[ ㅡ well, that's his admittedly short list of potential causes reached.

He chews on the inside of his cheek. ] I might be able to help with the pain if there is any.

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ She smiles, now knowing whether or not he can see it. Part of her hopes that he can, because he's earned it. ]

There isn't, but I really appreciate the offer. It's awful sweet of you.

[ A pause, then she tentatively adds ] I could use some company though. If you're free sometime.

[warfares]

[ Rogue seems to be the sort of person that smiles with her whole being, so even if he were unable to see the smile he would certainly hear it. ]

Where are you now?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ It's true, she doesn't hide her emotions unless the situation absolutely calls for it. If she's happy, you know it in your bones. ]

In my room. I was thinking of going to get a cup of coffee, but it takes a while for me to get to the mess hall.

[warfares]

I'll come to you.

[ It would be faster, easier ㅡ pragmatism over kindness. ]

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Pragmatism has just as many uses as kindness, as she certainly appreciates it as much. ]

Thanks, sugar. I'll see you soon.

[ Though, not literally. ]

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[warfares]

[ The journey to Rogue's room isn't a particularly long one, regardless. Deck four is filling up rather quickly, he's noticed. This brings with it another thought: What will they do when there is no longer space?

He pushes this aside for now as he draws up on room 4.03, wrapping his knuckles against the door lightly to announce his arrival. ]

I believe you called for an escort.

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ The voice following that knock makes her smile - they hardly know each other, but he's someone she thinks of fondly, and there aren't many of those here. Not yet, anyway. She opens the door seconds after his announcement, having been waiting just behind it for him to arrive. ]

I called for someone to keep me company, sugar, not just lead me around the station. The former requires a bit more conversation than the latter, if you're up for it.

[warfares]

I'm sure I can manage both, [ there's a lightness to his tone that belies any uncertainty. Small talk has never been his strong suit so it's fortunate that they have plenty to discuss. ]

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ She can small talk with the best of them, but it does tend to get fairly tedious. So yes, it's a very good thing they have lots of topics they can cover - discussion of the weather gets a bit old in space. ]

Well, I sure am glad to hear it. It's been a while since we got to chat.

[warfares]

[ Unsure of the protocol for these sorts of situations, he hesitates over whether or not he should offer her his arm. ]

Tell me more of this book you'd been reading, [ Dickens. The name comes to him after a moment's thought, recalling how fond she'd been of it. It seems as good a place as any to start. ]

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ As if sensing his hesitation, she carefully reaches out, pausing when she feels a brush of fabric on her fingertips. If he doesn't want her holding on to him, then he can pull away, but this would be much easier while trying to walk together. ]

Oliver Twist. It's the story of an orphan boy in London who joins a group of pickpockets. [ She'd have been more excited to find something by Alexandre Dumas, her favorite author, but she's still grateful for what she does have. ]

[warfares]

[ — oh, no this is good. This at least bypasses him having to actually ask, which would only compound the awkwardness. ]

London is a city on Earth, [ he asks, guiding her out of the room and into the corridor. He puts himself between her and any passersby. ]

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Oh sweetheart, just wait until she's feeling better and can purposefully make him feel awkward. With affectionate teasing, of course, all in a good nature.

She follows his lead without hesitation, trusting him to keep her and everyone else safe while they walk. It's not as difficult as it would have been in the first days after her Accident, but she's a bit used to walking without her sight now, so instead of leaning on the hallway wall, she just leans on him slightly instead. ]

Yes, it's the capital of England and about two thousand years old. It's a really famous city, and the story was written at a time when conditions weren't the best for lower-class folks in the city.

[warfares]

Sounds like Corellia, [ he remarks, thinking of the stories he'd heard. His father had grown up on the streets, much like the boy in her story, falling in with one of the street gangs until he'd been old enough to sign on with the Imperial military.

The planet was still a dive by all accounts. ]

And what is it about this story that appeals to you so greatly?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Corellia. The name isn't familiar, but then why would it be? He's not from Earth. If it's similar, though, then she'll have to remember to ask him about it later. She'd like to get to know him better, and the universe he comes from. ]

There are a lot of things, really, but-- I suppose at the heart of it is that I'm an orphan too.