✘ | 018 | VOICE + SPAM

[wecanavenge]

[Private to Tosh]

You've been quiet.

[Or at least he thinks so, he doesn't actually look for her on the network.] Didn't care for the underwater wonder? [The sarcasm is strong with this one.]

[Open Spam]

[The pub, the CTS, the spa, a dozen amenities are gone from the ship, and Erik knows what's happening. The Barge is finally becoming a real prison.

He walks down the halls with his head high and his chin up, but underneath the facade, his skin is crawling. The halls are narrow, but the common rooms were the worst shock yet. It was chance that he discovered the bolts at all, but when he couldn't move one of the chairs by hand, he reached out with his mutation. He could see the metal, the magnetism was malleable, but it wouldn't move.

For one long, horrible moment, he thinks it's gone again, that Toshiko has stripped him of the only thing that makes him himself - but a tense, furious moment later sees the walls around him rippling and trembling under the force of his mutation. It calms him, at least, and the muted trembling stops, for now. The room gets one long, sweeping look before Erik turns on his heel and leaves.

The Admiral can nullify his mutation as he likes, so how long, Erik wonders, before they're all limited and locked in at night? How long before they march down the halls in double lines, to do progressively worse jobs? How long before they're being told, arbeit macht frei?]

Comments

[wecanavenge]

[He pauses his brisk walk when he sees her, and when he starts forward again it's slowly. Barbara Gordon; he still remembers the other Barbara, the inmate - though he remembers her best in a foggy haze as a student in a magical school. And he remembers this Barbara in a city called Redemption. His lip twitches, though there's no smile.]

Fine, [he says curtly, then waves his hand back toward the common room.] An experiment. [But there's a bitter twist to his words.

Glancing down the hall behind her, he spots the books.] Are those yours?

[bodilesswarrior]

[She gazes at him silently a moment, before nodding. She has no qualms about prying when it's needed, but she doesn't see a reason to now.

Her lips twist into a rueful little smile as she nods.]

Yeah, they are. I should stop doing the book tower thing.

[She waves a hand irritably.]

Especially when I've got this to work with.

[wecanavenge]

I can't imagine it helps, [he says quietly, and though he hesitates for a breath, he steps carefully around her, stooping here and there to gather the books.]

Here, [he says when he's done, not Sorry I startled you, but it's close enough. Sort of.]

[bodilesswarrior]

[There's a variety of subjects in there, in several languages - history, botany, anthropology - but chief among them is astrophysics.

Barbara accepts them with a faint smile.]

Thanks.

[She's not sure what to say, after that. I know this must be hard, Hang in there, We'll find a way to make it stop.]

The common rooms aren't much better, then?

[wecanavenge]

[He bites back a frustrated sigh, and glances over her shoulder at one of them. He could offer an explanation, but that would be like admitting to a tantrum and he doesn't really want to do that.]

Not what I'd call comfortable anymore, I'm afraid.

[bodilesswarrior]

[It's no surprise, but a faint scowl curls her lips all the same.]

This isn't what I signed up for.

[wecanavenge]

[He arches both eyebrows at that, giving her a cool look.]

Then consider those of us who didn't sign up for anything.

[bodilesswarrior]

[A slight incline of her head.]

I wasn't counting on that, either, and I'm sorry.

[wecanavenge]

So are we all. [He hesitates a moment, then checks a sigh.] Do you need help? [He gestures vaguely, at the halls, at her chair, at the books.]

[bodilesswarrior]

[She bites back a No, smiling slightly.] Yeah, thanks.

[wecanavenge]

[He could understand, wanting to be able to do things for herself; a no wouldn't have bothered him in the slightest, though he might have arched an eyebrow at it. He reaches out for the books.]

The library?

[bodilesswarrior]

[She nods.]

Always was my second home. [A beat.] If he takes that away, I'm finding him and tearing something off.

[wecanavenge]

[That, at least, earns a little smile.] Be sure to find me first.

[bodilesswarrior]

[She grins up at him.] Of course.

...We probably shouldn't tell Charles.

[wecanavenge]

We absolutely shouldn't tell Charles.

[bodilesswarrior]

He'll probably figure it out anyway, though, he's annoying like that.

[wecanavenge]

He does have quite the talent for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. [But he probably could not have said that more fondly if he tried.]

[bodilesswarrior]

He's so polite about it, though, you can't even get angry at him.

[wecanavenge]

You can. It just takes effort.