Lights Go Out and I Can’t Be Saved

[redlightgreenlight]

Who: Valdis and Open with Some Closed
What: Valdis does stuff around the Serena Eterna, feel free to join her
When: September
Where: All over
Warnings: In each starter



Confusion never stops | Crichton | CW: None

Valdis hasn’t seen much of Crichton since she tried to remove Harvey last, but with her and Cassandra’s suspicions, she knows she needs to talk to him. He appears to be in his room on this particular evening, so she gently knocks on his door.

“Crichton?” She calls softly, trying to find the balance between worry and rage.

It’s not his fault that Harvey took over and started targeting people, but if he’s losing time again, she felt that he should have told her. Or at least somebody.

“Are you there?”

Closing walls and ticking clocks | Siffleur | CW: none

The one person she’s been avoiding is also the one person who she needs to see and it was only a matter of time before the two predators ended up in the same room by accident or on purpose. There’s a tightness in her chest when she sees Siffleur at one of the tables in Sand Dollar, anxiety perhaps. She’s been refusing soul energy again for fear of killing someone. She’d managed for awhile last time, but she knows she’s weakening herself by not having any backup.

But she still tries to ignore him, making some coffee and heading to a table with lots of room for escape should it be necessary.

Gonna come back and take you home | Open | CW: none

Valdis is struggling, but trying to keep her schedule as normal as possible. Meditation in the morning sunlight, sword practice in the afternoons. Reading a book from Cassandra in the spare quiet moments. Sometimes she practices what she’s reading, but mostly it seems frustrating for her and she’ll shut the book firmly before grabbing something else.

She’s doing her best to not withdraw from her friends, but she is less outgoing than people are used to, spending hours in the library or drawing people she knows on the ship.

Event Starters | Open | CW: The flowers are dangerous

Red Rose:
A rose by any other name is still as sweet and the red roses growing on vines in the library smell sweet. So sweet that anyone who smells them falls in love with the next person they lay eyes on. Valdis is wearing a makeshift mask and trying very hard to avoid getting too close to the flowers as she searches the shelves for a specific book.

Angels Trumpets:
Valdis sits in Sand Dollar reading, and another of her sits across the table, the one clearly trying to ignore the bookless one as she smirks and says in hushed tones:

“It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t gotten so weak. Trust is so human.”

Purple Hyacinth:
If her past self following her around hadn’t been bad enough, the purple hyacinths growing outside her door decided to make her day even worse. Faces of the people she’s killed, the ones in the village, keep coming to mind. People she knew. People who didn’t deserve it. People who had once been friends.

She’s back at the bar and drinking as much as she possibly can, making sure it’s not the non-alcoholic stuff. She needs the real stuff and anyone who sees her can clearly see that she has probably had too much, even if they know it doesn’t affect her.

I could not stop that you now know | Wildcard | CW: As Necessary

PM to discuss or just go for it!

Comments

Confusion never stops

[ss_buttcrack]

"Valdis?" He opens the door for her immediately. "Yeah, I'm here. Is everything okay? Do you want to come in? Arthur isn't here."

[redlightgreenlight]

"I hope so, but I wanted to check on you."

There's a tiny scuttling noise that rushes past her right after Crichton opens the door. It's Ody and he seems to have acquired another knife. Before she can stoop to grab him he's run straight into Crichton's foot.

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton backs up when he hears that scuttling. Come on, not again! Jab. The knife gets stuck in the toe of his boot.

"Oh yeah? Did you bring backup with you, too?"

Everything in him wants to send that crab soaring with a shake of his foot, but he doesn't think Valdis would appreciate that much.

"Can you call off the attack crab, please?"

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis gently pulls the knife out of Crichton's boot and picks up her wayward pet.

"Sorry. I don't know how he keeps getting out."

Ody flails around in her hands, but soon settles down and she sets him out in the hallway where he just scuttles away again.

"Something happened at the excursion that I wanted to discuss with you."

The scuttling seems to be coming back so she quickly steps inside the room and shuts the door in time for a tiny crash to occur as Ody bounces off the door.

[ss_buttcrack]

"Maybe you should put a leash on 'im." Crichton is pouting about the fresh nick in his boot. What the hell does that crab have against him, anyway? Is it because he's from Florida?

But he sobers when she explains her actual reason for being here. "Oh? What happened? It seemed like a relatively mild one. Giant gladiator bloodbath aside..."

[redlightgreenlight]

She takes a breath, knowing that Harvey is listening and he will know that she suspects him that moment she asks her question.

"Have you been losing time at all? Ending up in places and you don't know how you got there? Been unable to account for hours or minutes that you know you were awake for?"

[ss_buttcrack]

The last bit of mirth drains out of his expression. "You think Harvey has been up to his old tricks again? If he has then, no, I haven't noticed. I wouldn't keep it to myself if I did."

[redlightgreenlight]

"I know you wouldn't."

Another breath.

"I trust you Crichton, but I...I didn't sign up for that bloodbath and if it wasn't Harvey that put my name down, then I have another enemy on the ship that I don't know about."

That idea is frustrating and one she hopes isn't true.

[ss_buttcrack]

"You didn't?" His eyes go wide. "Shit... Valdis, I'm so sorry..."

He paces away from her and sits down heavy on the bed, reaching for a pillow to hug.

"It wouldn't have taken him long, if he did it. What, a couple of seconds? I've had a lot on my mind I... I can't say for sure if I'd notice a blip that small."

No. No, he can't go through this again. He can't...

[redlightgreenlight]

"It will be ok, Crichton. If it was Harvey, I have received his message loud and clear."

And that message is that she'd better get him before he gets anyone else.

"And if it wasn't, then whoever did will make themselves evident to me sooner or later. Perk of being an empath. There will be some kind of shift in their interactions."

She walks over to sit next to him.

"I don't blame you."

[ss_buttcrack]

"I could ask him. Point blank. We could know for sure," Crichton says, hugging the pillow closer to his chest as she sits down beside him. "Maybe you'd sense that..."

She doesn't blame him... but he does.

[redlightgreenlight]

"Would he tell you the truth?"

Valdis thinks he might if it could hurt their relationship, or make Crichton withdraw from people again. But he also might deny it and turn suspicion onto someone else. She's fairly certain she has her man, but Crichton would lose time, so she's not sure how Harvey is managing it.

[ss_buttcrack]

"He might." If he thinks it will gain him something. "If he was lying, could you feel that?"

[redlightgreenlight]

"I can sense a lie, but it would have to be him at the forefront, not you."

And she doesn't trust Harvey to not harm anyone if Crichton willingly lets him take over.

[ss_buttcrack]

"I don't... love the idea of letting him drive on purpose..." But they really need to know.

"He's scared of you, though. You could probably force him back. Or just drop me if you have to."

[redlightgreenlight]

"I don't like 'dropping' people, Crichton."

It hurts her to do so anyway.

"But I do want to know."

[ss_buttcrack]

"I don't like getting dropped, so it's mutual." Still better than letting Harvey have free rein.

An idea occurs to him, then. He has that lightbulb look in his eyes.

"When you're in your wolf form, you can hear him can't you?"

[redlightgreenlight]

"I can, yes."

Though Harvey had been very upset when she had first done it and then Crichton had yelled at her. She's pretty certain it's her fault that Harvey decided to start messing with Crichton's life.

"Do you want to try it that way?"

It would certainly accomplish all their goals.

[ss_buttcrack]

Want may be a strong word. He doesn't want to do any of this, but he needs to.

"Yeah. I do. I know I didn't take it well the last time but things have changed. I know I can trust you in there." And he doesn't give a shit what Harvey thinks.

"Let's get some answers."

[redlightgreenlight]

"I'll be right back."

She slips into his bathroom, making sure to shut the door so she can take her clothes off, she doesn't need Harvey leering. Her Hound form won't fit in the bathroom, so she does open the door right before the shift, slipping out as black fur flows over her body and she grows and rearranges herself into the wolf. Valdis shakes off once the transformation is complete.

Alright, Crichton. Let's ask your demon some questions.

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton winces at that transformation. That sounds... not great. But now he has a wolf large enough to ride like a horse staring him down. It doesn't stop being scary just because he knows it's Valdis. He hopes Harvey is feeling the same.

"Front and center, Harvey! I know you're listening." He says it out loud because it's easier that way.

"Oh, yes, John. I'm listening. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, again, Valdis, but you could tell it's a lie so why bother?"

[redlightgreenlight]

Oh, I think we are far past such trivial lies, Harvey. We've met often enough to know we dislike each other. I'm simply wondering if you dislike me enough to risk everyone on this ship just for a petty, short-termed revenge.

[ss_buttcrack]

"Dislike? No, no, no, no. I hate you. Almost as much as a scarran."

"That's saying something," Crichton interjects. "But you didn't answer the lady's question."

"Perhaps the lady isn't asking the correct questions?"

[redlightgreenlight]

You know exactly what I'm asking, Harvey. You listened in on the entire conversation I just had with Crichton, you are simply trying to exert authority that you don't actually possess.

Damned parasite. She curls her lips back to show her teeth.

Did you put my name down for the Melee?

[ss_buttcrack]

"What if I did?"