The Last Voyages: Inbox

[makingitworse]

Hi, this is Bob. Leave a message if you want to.

Comments

Action - post-flood

[musicdied]

The flood's been over for just over a day - most of which she'd spent holed up in her cabin, away from anyone else - when Yelena sets out to look for Bob. The forced proximity immediately after arriving on the Barge would be a lot for anyone to handle, but given his power and what seems to trigger it, she's concerned.

Since he'd taken an interest in the library on their little tour, she starts there, and extends her search outward if he's not in residence. If she can't find him at all, she'll use the communicator to get in touch.

Re: Action - post-flood

[makingitworse]

He's not in the library, but he is in the common room on the same floor, curled up on the couch with a book. Shouldn't take her long to find him.

He looks up when Yelena pokes her head in, positioned where he can see the door, and smiles a bit. "Hi."

Re: Action - post-flood

[musicdied]

"Hey," she says, offering him a little smile in return. "There you are. I just wanted to see how you were holding up after the..." She traces a circle in the air with one hand, encompassing the Barge. "Nonsense."

Text, shortly after Archer's disappearance is announced

[musicdied]

Doing okay?

Re: Text, shortly after Archer's disappearance is announced

[makingitworse]

of course

[And, whether guiltily or just uncharacteristically, he leaves it at that. He knows why she's asking. He saw the message, too. (At least that explains why he never saw him.)]

Re: Text, shortly after Archer's disappearance is announced

[musicdied]

All right.

If you need anything before the 15th, John can help you.

And if you need anything you don't want to track down a warden for, let me know and I will see what I can do.

[deuceoftears]

I was being so good but I did just get an invitation to meddle literally with my name on it, so.

Did you ever decide anything about your cabin?

[makingitworse]

[Bob chuckles a bit when he finds the message. He sticks to audio, but he does at least do that.]

Hi Jedao.

I did. I'm keeping it for now. I want to try and remember what happened there.

[deuceoftears]

Okay.

[A soft rueful-somber; he gets it more than he'd perhaps like to.]

You want a bean bag chair or anything? Storage cubbies?

[Just to make it a little more livable.]

Text, the day after the breach

[musicdied]

So that was our thrice-yearly identity eroding adventure.

How are you holding up?

Re: Text, the day after the breach

[makingitworse]

[Bob is not really sure how's he's doing. Depressed, maybe. Even alternate reality versions of him were pretty worthless, it seems.

Yelena checking in on him is nice of her, though. He texts back the very obviously fake:]

im fine

are you okay?

Re: Text, the day after the breach

[musicdied]

Where are you?

They have the good coffee in the cafeteria today, and I need some company.

[That - isn't exactly true. She'd really rather hole up for a little longer, until she doesn't feel so much like setting the entire Barge on fire for shoving her into a cloyingly candy-coated version of her actual shitty adolescence. But she doesn't need to be a spy to know he's lying.]

Text, mid afternoon October 25

[musicdied]

how ru doing?

Re: Text, mid afternoon October 25

[makingitworse]

[It takes him longer than usual to reply. Because he's still a depression lump hiding in one of the spare cabins, and then he has to stare at it for a long few minutes in mortification when he remembers the last time she saw him.

But he does answer, it just takes him about two hours.]

kinda want to die a ltl but kno it wont help bcs we just come back

Re: Text, mid afternoon October 25

[musicdied]

ur nto death tolling are you?

[She doubts it. The flood was rough enough on its own.

But he'd been pretty damn out of it the last time she'd seen him, and she knows all too well how vicious some of their fellow passengers can be.]

[musicdied]

When Bob rouses from his Barge-inflicted coma, he'll find a bottle of water - cool, though no longer cold - a granola bar, a little pack of trail mix, and a folded note in Yelena's handwriting at the bedside.

You're safe. Nothing bad happened. You've been in one of the Barge's comas for a few weeks now. You're in Steve's cabin, because we didn't want to leave you in yours, or in the infirmary. He says you should feel free to use the shower while you're there, and I've left some fresh clothes so you can change if you want to.

You haven't missed much. We should be making port soon, and if you still are sleeping then, I'll rewrite this to let you know what to expect.

The temporary pairings have rotated again, and your current temp is Kylar Stern. He is new, so I don't know what you can expect from him.

When you have had a chance to get your bearings and feel up for some company, let me know. I'll bring some coffee.

-Y

[makingitworse]

He definitely takes a shower.

And eats the snacks.

And then sits on the bed in the not-his-room for about fifteen minutes staring at her note before he texts her.

hi im up

thank you for th note

it helped

[musicdied]

Several floors up, she slumps a little in relief when she sees the text. He's awake, not vanished while unconscious, like people occasionally do.

How are you feeling?

After pairings (sorry this is late!)

[neverwaitslong]

Hello, Bob.

We haven't talked in awhile. Would you like to come over for tea?

no worries!

[makingitworse]

Hi Ulla.

[He sounds a little shy, but not displeased. The couple days they'd spent stuck together hadn't been terrible. She'd been nice.]

Yeah. Yeah, we can do tea. Same cabin as before?

Re: no worries!

[neverwaitslong]

Yes. Although my wife [yes, she got married recently, and her face lights up when she says it] can hear what's discussed here, so if you want privacy I could bring tea to you instead.

Action - post nightmare plot

[musicdied]

Bob is second on the list of people Yelena feels the need to check on, in the aftermath of the shared nightmare that had swamped the ship. Here, too, just sending a message seems insufficient, and so she sets out looking for him. She tries his cabin first, rapping lightly on the door.

Re: Action - post nightmare plot

[makingitworse]

There's a moment of silence, then the sound of the bed creaking as Bob climbs off it and shuffles to the door. He opens it, still scrubbing his hand through his hair to put it into order.

"Yelena," he says, blinking a few times. "Hi."

Re: Action - post nightmare plot

[musicdied]

"Hi," she says, the corners of her mouth twitching upward slightly as she takes in the bedhead. "I did not wake you up, did I? I just wanted to check if you were okay, after - all of that."

The thought that anyone might willingly go back to sleep so soon after the curse ended hadn't even crossed her mind.

right after pairing annoucments (v sorry thought i had tagged already)

[dogwizard]

Hello, this is Robert Reynolds, right?

I'm Antryg Windrose.