[066: Spam]

[shortsightedlove]

[Rassilon is unusually pale and looks vaguely sick; his attempts to mask how unsettled he is aren't going all too well.

He's stalking the hallways looking for some peace and quiet, though he is starting to doubt he'll succeed.]

Silence. [He stops, suppresses a shudder but isn't quite able to stop a twitch at all the bugs suddenly appearing in his way.]

Of course. What did I expect. [He presses his lips together and resolutely steps on them, holding up the hem of his robes.]

I know you're not real. Be quiet.

[For a moment it seems to have worked, but then the voice -- the Doctor's -- Zagreus' -- starts again.

He rolls his eyes and starts repeating chemical formulas in his head. Of all creatures this infernal place could throw at him, it had to be this one. And of all times the Admiral could have stopped here, it had to be now. When he is alone.

"He doesn't love you", the voice whispers. "That's why he left. You are-"]

Silence. I shan't listen to you.

[He concentrates on the formulas again, hands clenched tightly around the cloth of his robes.]

[OOC: Rassilon is unlikely to turn violent unless specifically provoked (and feel free to go ahead and do that if you want a very angry Time Lord (try to) beat you up), but he will be ill tempered and more easily provoked into shouting. Primarily about things he does not want you to know, because one of those things refuses to shut up when told to.]

Comments

[love_slave]

Rassilon?

[Zev is in tears. She keeps coming across reminders of the Divine Order, and without impending death the ghosts are just leaving her in despair. She punctuates his name with a sniff and wipes her face.]

[shortsightedlove]

[His first instinct is to snap at whoever it is, but then he notices it's Zev, and she's crying, and oh no.

Still, Zagreus has no desire to shut up, so he turns and growls,]

Be quiet already!

[Before turning his attention back to Zev.]

Miss Zev? What is it?

[love_slave]

[She makes her way over to him, rubbing at her eye with the heel of her hand.]

I can't find my communicator. And I keep thinking I see people from the Cluster. [People who died.]

I'm sorry if I'm too loud. [She sniffs again, he'd sounded awfully angry.]

[shortsightedlove]

[His eyes widen.]

Not you! I didn't mean you. I... hear someone. Someone loathsome.

[He lightly touches her shoulder; there's a twitch when he sees more bugs.]

It's all right. They're not really here.

[He takes a deep breath as Zagreus continues, but forces himself to stay calm.]

[love_slave]

They're not really here? [She's curious and more than a little afraid. Frustrated too, because it's very cold outside and she hates.

She looks around to try and see what has him flinching, before giving up.] I don't know what to do. I keep getting separated from people. I'm lucky I found you.

[shortsightedlove]

They're not here any more than Zagreus or Keep are. This place seems to try and use your past against you.

[He frowns, hesitates for a moment but then takes her hand.] We won't get separated this way.

[He doesn't want Zev to get hurt. And he doesn't want to be alone himself. Maybe he'll have more luck ignoring Zagreus and Keep this way.]

I was going to find somewhere peaceful to stay until this is over, but I doubt there is any such place here by now.

[love_slave]

[She's hugging herself, half because she's cold, half because she's so uneasy. But she takes his hand to walk with him.]

What are Zagreus and Keep? [It's easier to hear about his fears than think about hers.]

[shortsightedlove]

[Oh dear.] They're... creatures that hounded me when I was... in another universe.

[Pause.] Zagreus is the one I told to be quiet. Keep could turn into insects. [He points at a spot and does his best to mask both his fear and his revulsion.] I can see them there. You can't, presumably, any more than I can see the people you speak of.

[love_slave]

I helped destroy the biggest bug in the universe, so you'll be safe while you're with me. I'm not afraid of them.

[She's afraid of abandonment and being unloved far more. She walks with him.] If there are any real bugs I'll get rid of them.

[shortsightedlove]

[He chuckles.] He could do worse things than turn into bugs. [His tone makes it clear that he doesn't wish to elaborate -- and Zagreus' constant whispering is worse anyway.]

Just concentrate on what is real. Whatever this place shows you of your past is not. [He knows it's cheap advice, but her has no idea what else to do, how to fight this. It's almost as unsettling as Keep and Zagreus.]

[love_slave]

It's been giving me toys.... [she admits.] Toys from when I was a child, in the Wife Bank. They were horrible, because they just reminded me that my parents sold me. It was a cheap replacement for love.

[shortsightedlove]

[He twitches when she mentions her parents.]

You have people that care for you now, don't you? That is what is important. Your parents never deserved to have a- [He stops. He's probably not helping.]

[love_slave]

[She looks at him, eyes still a little damp but she's mostly collected.]

No. It's fine. Sometimes I wish they hadn't.

[shortsightedlove]

[He squeezes her hand, feeling awkward. He's really not used to comforting aliens; the last time he had done this... may have actually been over a year ago, when Lady Atia had thought the strange happenings during fall were because of her.

And with Omega he had simply hugged and kissed him until it was all better again.

He really didn't want to think about Omega right now.]

...Don't. You'll be fine.

[love_slave]

[She sniffs and nods, giving up on holding together on her own for this one.] It was my fault, what happened in Wonderland. I didn't realize Jefferson would find a way to make his hat work.

[shortsightedlove]

You're not the first Warden whose inmate tried something like that. He was fool enough to do it despite the fact that it has failed every single time yet.

[Clearly, he and Omega are the only ones who could have pulled that off. It's not like they don't have experience in escaping when it should be impossible. Shut up, Zagreus, that isn't foolishly overconfident at all.]

[love_slave]

I try to trust people when I start. It's not fair if I don't. But I don't know if I can trust him again. [She's deeply disappointed by this, and it shows on her face.]

I'll try, though. Everyone deserves second chances.

[shortsightedlove]

[He smiles briefly.] I understand.

If you really can't trust him again, you can always request a new one.

[A pause.] When I couldn't trust my first Warden any more for a while, wer decided that I could request reassignment if I found working with her to be impossible.