IC Inbox

[ss_buttcrack]

Yo! This is John Crichton. Leave a message after the beep! [Beep]

Comments

video;

[invigorates]

( Lioriley's reply came a few hours after his message was left, looking slightly worried as she face appeared on the DTF screen. )

Hello, Crichton. I do apologize for the delay, but I have found Astarion and all is well. You are unharmed, yes?

Re: video;

[ss_buttcrack]

Yeah, I'm fine. No harm done. I'm glad the two of you found each other. He looked like he was on the verge of a full melt down.

He's okay now? And you too?

Text

[konpeito_aji]

I found Winona. Where are you?

Re: Text

[ss_buttcrack]

[A reply doesn't come until three days later after Crichton has had a chance to wake up and deal with the aftershocks of dying. When he finally does get around to checking his phone, he breathes a huge sigh of relief.]

You're a lifesaver! I'm in my cabin, 127. Do me a favor and bring something to drink with you.

[tempingainteasy]

[April tastefully waits until about noon to send this one in.]

Karaoke this weekend. Drinks on me.

[tempingainteasy]

*This is April btw, across the hall

Morning after Klaus gets attacked / text

[konpeito_aji]

Klaus got targeted for his previous ghost abilities. His attacker is in the brig, SecUnit saved Klaus, and brought mystery attacker there. Do you think you can check on who it is for me? I'll try to interrogate only when I'm calmer. Right now I want to make sure no one else comes after him for same reasons.

- 😈

[ss_buttcrack]

[The first text back is immediate.]

Shit. I'm sorry he was attacked! Try to take a breath. I'll go down there and check it out.]

[Some time later.]

The possessed victim is Steve Harrington. He's a good kid, Nobunaga. He's not himself right now. It wasn't his fault. I know you're upset, but promise me you won't hurt him. You can talk to him, but I don't think you'll get much satisfaction out of what he has to say.

Text night of the wedding

[konpeito_aji]

Song of an Astronaut

My friend Crichton is very brave
He took the skies and sailed beyond the stars
Though he got a bit lost and traveled so far
He forgets he still could be saved

My friend Crichton is very strong
Though he's not a soldier, and tries to be a pacifist
He forgets and uses his fists
Because of his strong sense of right and wrong.

My friend Crichton makes other friends with ease
Though sometimes there are those who would use him for harm
And his danger prone causes great alarm
There is no situation that makes him freeze.

My friend Crichton made me try new things
I want to be as brave as him, as strong, as friendly
So I try and try ever day
So he won't be alone anymore, and as proud to my friend as I am of him.

My friend Crichton teaches me what it means to have, to be, a friend.

Re: Text night of the wedding

[ss_buttcrack]

You wrote this just for me?

December 25th, Breakfast

[crushed_pearls]

Erin rolls up to Crichton's table and sets a pipe and its cleaner in front of him. "I can't show you the movies yet, but I can still make Gandalf's pipe from memory. Peter Smith helped treat it proper for me, so if you want to use it, it's usable. Merry Christmas, Crichton."

:3

[ss_buttcrack]

"You made this by hand? Thank you." He's very impressed. And now feeling a little bad because he's not a crafty person, really, so he didn't know what to do as Christmas presents. Picking out random stuff from the shop didn't seem right.

"Astronauts aren't really supposed to smoke, you know, but can you put weed in this thing? Arthur just got some from Steve."

two days post-trial

[astrogator]

[Ari hasn't been seen in public areas of the ship much since they got back. This is her attempt at reaching out, and she's not at all sure where everything stands.]

Peace and prosperity,

I wanted to ask how you are? After everything. I thought maybe we could meet.
-Tayrey

[ss_buttcrack]

Hey there.

I've had better weeks. I've also had worse.

Feel like talking over a drink? I can meet you at the bar of your choice.

Text / After Nobunaga talks to Valdis, Jeff (ofc), & more importantly Teyrey who talked to Crichton

[konpeito_aji]

[How is he so weirdly formal and stiff despite being drunk off his ass?]

[Oh right. He only does manners at times like this. How did he forget?]

Thank you for looking after my Second-In-Command.

I would like your presence at Topy in order to renew our drinking contest. This time I will win.

Take your time.

- 😈

P.S. How is Arthur?

Or disregard. IDK.

[ss_buttcrack]

I was sorry to hear you were so distraught after what happened.

Arthur is... doing as well as usual. That's open to interpretation. I might get in some trouble with him if I drink too much since we told each other we'd try to cut back, but this is a special occasion and he still owes me one for the day after Christmas.

I'll come meet you in ten minutes.

[He'll come with an olive branch in hand in the form of some snacks and candy to go along with their drinking.]

Sometime after the 10th

[redlightgreenlight]

A folded piece of paper will be taped to the door of Crichton's room with his name written on it. If unfolded it will reveal a cartoonish drawing of him looking over his shoulder and sticking his comically large butt out toward the viewer while giving a thumbs up. The only mark is an elegant V at the bottom of the sketch.

<3

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton comes upon the drawing taped to his door and does a double-take. Is that... wow. He's not sure if he should be insulted or flattered. He's going to go with flattered. She did get his good side, after all. It's a good thing she signed her initial, otherwise he might have had to go searching the ship for the author. He only knows one person here with the initial V. He's going to text her.

I didn't know you were such a big fan. Might have to get this framed.

He's attached a picture of the drawing still hanging on the door to her so she knows he saw it.

Text, Pre-Excursion February

[crushed_pearls]

Erin here would you like to join me in witnessing the epic and homoerotic struggle between two men who have differing opinions on if it is manly to love?

Re: Text, Pre-Excursion February

[ss_buttcrack]

[He reads that. Then he reads it again. A third time. Nope. Still not a damn clue. ]

What the hell are you talking about?

AIRSHIP AIRSHIP AIRSHIP

[ablativeholopleather]

Crichton is going to get a few messages in rapid succession. They are very excited, which is obvious by the use of all caps where normally, Wayne only really seems to use small letters, small words small baby bird.

COMMANDER
I GOT KEYS
I GOT SHIP
LANDING PAD UP TOP
!!!!

RE: Gil

[ablativeholopleather]

Wayne hadn't exactly bothered to send a message ahead of himself before he'd made his way from his cabin over to Crichton's. He'd just left the bottle of that awful stuff stashed far back under one of the cupboards of the cabin that now belonged solely to Flan, and then sat down outside of it in the hallway for a long moment, then, after turning over his options for a little longer, stood and beat the familiar path to the places that he knew he could find the man these days.

He hasn't even processed that the longer he waits, the softer he's getting. Any pressure on his body from the outside leaves him dented and squished in, and those marks are staying.

By the time he catches sight of his friend, he's soft enough to the touch that too much pressure might almost feel as if it's about to break through his flesh. There's a numb sort of grief written in the way his eyes stare out, and his hands grasp at nothing, as if he's attempting to come up with something to fix what's happened. But he can't just Will someone back into existence. That's not how this works.

[ss_buttcrack]

"Wayne?!"

Crichton is immediately on alert the minute he sees his friend in this condition. He knows that look. He's seen it in the mirror too many times. No. Oh, God. Who?

He rushes forward to catch Wayne in his arms and makes a strangled noise of alarm as he notices how soft the man's body is to the touch. It's like handling an overripe peach. He immediately adjusts his grip, afraid he actually might put a hole in the guy if he grips too tight.

"Hey, I'm here. Talk to me. What happened?"

pre-event but after she knows Harvey is gone for good

[astrogator]

Commander Crichton,

I'd like to speak to you. It's quite urgent. Would you meet me in the arcade?

- Tayrey

[She's not comfortable letting anyone in her cabin right now. It's not personal. Should have followed Tradeline code properly to begin with!]

[ss_buttcrack]

On my way there now.

[He really cannot blame her for not offering her room again after what happened. Harvey really screwed the pooch on that one. He's glad Ari wants to see him at all.]

Lieutenant? I'm here.

[astrogator]

I have good news!

A package arrived for me today. It contained a beacon. A genuine long-range Tradeline beacon, far more powerful than my makeshift effort.

Everything is coming together.

[ooc: Ari is sending this to everyone in the group, feel free to chat with her or just treat it as a standalone message if we already have multiple other threads ongoing - up to you!]

[astrogator]

[sent right in the middle of this!]

MUTINY!

The ship is ours and the rules no longer apply. Try it out right now! They can't stop all of us. Start a fire! Take some goods without a pointless charade! For fun, for freedom, just because you can!

[Yes you got this too! In case you should need a plausible reason for your involvement...]

After some time Text

[redlightgreenlight]

I meant it when I said I didn't hate you.

[About as close to an apology as she can muster when she's still not sure she's wrong.

[ss_buttcrack]

[He stares at the text for a long time. He types and deletes several messages. Goes back to staring. He needs to say something but... he's still been strongarmed into silence by the rest of the group. He can't tell her everything no matter how much he wants to.]

I know. I meant it when I said I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry I did.

This was Tayrey's project. I couldn't bring you in because it was hers. I still can't. But, whatever happens now, I want to make sure we get people out safe. For me, it was always about getting everyone away from here to safety, I swear.

Crichton's cabin, post-Siffleur (cw: injury description)

[astrogator]

[There's a low groan of pain as Ari Tayrey slowly comes back to consciousness. She's in a rough state. Stable, maybe, but that's the best that can be said for her. She lies atop the bed in the cabin. Both her eyes are swollen shut, one with a vicious cut that begins on her forehead and reaches her eyelid. Her face is covered in deep slashing wounds, and one cheek has been bitten, exposing raw flesh beneath. There's a livid red weal right across her throat. Her Tradeline jacket is bloodied and in tatters, and the body armor below it has hardened all over, an indicator of devastating impact, the kind that would have been lethal if she weren't wearing it. Her left shoulder has also been bitten, and that left arm seems to have more injured skin than clear. Her trouser legs are torn too, both ankles bloody.

Tayrey groans again, and tries ineffectually to push herself to a seated position. It's too much for her; all she does is rock a little.]

I can't see... it hurts, I can't see...

[She doesn't know who, if anyone, is listening.]

(cw: injury description)

[ss_buttcrack]

It's okay, Balboa, I got you.

[He specifically uses that name so she can trust it's really him and not an imposter. His hand finds her's and squeezes. These injuries--the bite marks!--make him so sick. His trigger finger itches to go find that fucking cougar bastard. But he doesn't. She needs someone she can trust at her side right now more than he needs petty revenge.]

Don't try to move too much yet. You're in my cabin. Arthur found you, he got you here and I helped stop the bleeding. You're very injured and you need to take it easy. Don't try to open your eyes right now, let swelling go down first.

[He doesn't want her to panic, so he's specifically playing down the injury to her eyes. They don't know for sure yet how bad it is, so no need to speculate.]

I can give you some pain medication. Think you can swallow it?

After the Ocularum meeting

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis doesn't linger, but she races to catch up with Crichton at the conclusion of the meeting.

"Crichton," she says touching his arm. "We need to talk, privately."

After the Ocularum meeting

[ss_buttcrack]

"Sure," he answers, turning at her touch with a look of concern. "How private do we need?"

Considering everything that's come to light in the last few days, that seems like a pertinent question.

"We can go grab one of the rooms at the office?"

immediately after he confirms John Doe is on the island

[howtheyshine]

[What time is it? Doesn't matter, Crichton's sending stone is gettin' metaphorically blown up by one anxious entity. As soon as he knows he has Crichton on the other end:]

You can't ask him for help. I'm the one who's going to help you.

Crichton, only half awake at 3am - Not Here

[ss_buttcrack]

"W-hat..what in the..." Crichton's voice is thick with the sleep he was trying to enjoy. "Sure.. sure... fine... whatever..."

And then he starts snoring again.

Early-afternoon, middle May.

[2onostromo]

A voice sounds over Crichton's sending stone, all manner of poorly restrained excitement. There's a faint sound of pacing, and the occasional 'mrrow' from one very hungry guest.

_{Quiet, Tig. I'll feed you in a second.}

Hey, are you busy? Let's grab lunch. It's important. My treat.

Oh, it's Ripley by the way.

Re: Early-afternoon, middle May.

[ss_buttcrack]

He hasn't heard Ripley ever sound like this before, but he still knows her voice almost instantly. It prompts a smile before he even realizes it, and he's telling himself its the fault of her cat but, really, how can he not smile when she sounds damn near giddy over the 'line'.

I knew it was you, Rip, don't worry. Got some hot news for me? I'll get my boots on. Where am I meeting ya?