Revenging Angel - The Rise and Fall of Harvey

[ss_buttcrack]

Who: Crichton (Harvey), Lt. Tayrey, Dr. Watson, Arthur, Cassandra, Erin, literally anyone is welcome to jump into this mess
What: Here's what you missed last time.
TL;DR: Harvey stole some revenge-loving daggers that were in Tayrey's care and used them to murder Valdis. He made Crichton watch. This is the place to play the fallout directly after.
When: Sep 30 for the murder, Oct 1, and forward for the fallout. Will include later dates in Oct, as well.
Where: The Brig + Various locations stated in the starters posted below
Warnings: Blood, Death, Gore, Violence, Mind-control, mention of Drugs/Alcohol Addiction, will warn for more as necessary


This is a nightmare. This is his worst nightmare come to pass. Valdis...frell. Is she going to come back in three days? After watching her die like that, he's terrified she might not. It's his fault. It's all his fault. He should have known Harvey would still be plotting behind his back. Why did he ever let himself believe it could be safe? He should have stayed locked in the brig.

God... help him.


In The Brig - Guard Duty - Open
This is where he belongs. This is where he should have stayed in the first place. This time, however, he can't stand to be alone. He's begged anyone and everyone he knows to, essentially, play guard duty on shifts. He can't let himself fall asleep unless there's someone there to watch him. Even then, it's hard. The dark circles under his eyes grow more purple by the day as he constantly starts to nod off, only to jerk himself awake again in a panic.

It will go on like this for days. He'll refuse to take one step out of this cell, not even to go get food. Not like he has much of an appetite anyway. Besides, he knows if he walks out of here the first place he might wind up is in front of a bar. He's let Valdis down enough already... he can't risk it.

Find him huddled up in the corner of the brig under a blanket once again like a sick case of deja vu. If it's your turn to watch him, he'll point to his pulse pistol sitting over on a chair outside the cell and say, "Use that on me if I try to leave."

[ooc: feel free to handwave Crichton asking for your character's help.

Rise & Shine
Harvey is dead. Crichton had to die with him. Now, three days later, only one of them is back alive.

At 6:00 a.m. sharp, Crichton takes a deep breath in. His eyes fly open and he sits straight up in his bed. Is it done? Is he gone? Is Harvey really gone?

Crichton searches his mind, trying to access that place where he and his mental clone used to meet. He can't. It isn't there. Harvey isn't there!! The weight of him is lifted. For the first time in so, so long, Crichton is alone in his own mind.

"YES!!" He jumps out of bed and dances in place right there on the carpet, with a few more excited whoops and hollers for good measure.

"He's gone! HE'S GONE!"

Crichton might be so distracted by his own celebrating that he may or may not notice if he has company in the room with him. But, the more the merrier today. He's finally free!

----

The celebrating doesn't stop there. Good God, he's so hungry. People brought him sandwiches while he was down in the brig, but he'd only picked at them half-heartedly. Not much appetite. Well, guess what's back now?? He could eat a whole cougar.

Find him spread out in the buffet later that morning with five plates in front of him, greedily shoving every type of breakfast confection into his mouth like he's worried they're going to vanish off his plate. They are, but they're vanishing into his stomach! Food has never tasted this good.

Wildcard options open: Let me know what kind of starter you want and I'll make it happen. Keep in mind this will be the last chance to participate with Harvey. He'll be perma-dead at the conclusion of this plot.]

Comments

[ss_buttcrack]

"It's containment. If you really do know what this is like, then why can't you understand that? I can't trust myself enough to live and I can't actually die. What do I have left?" As far as he's concerned, this right here is the punishment. Living the rest of his endless days in a cage with his own demons. This is hell.

"Oh, ha ha. You think that's funny? Harvey is the cloned personality of the guy who tortured me for days and has since spent the last frelling two years chasing my ass across space, killing my friends and leaving a trail of destruction behind him large enough to form a new constellation. And I got him whispering in my ear every damn day trying, deliberately, to break my sanity. Do you think you could make nice with that?"

[professionalriot]

His laugh is sad and he shrugs. "At this point it's laugh or cry and I'm fucking sick of crying...so...sorry, you get jokes." He really needs another drink. His head tilts back to rest against the wall behind him. "Look, pretty sure we're both adult enough to see that I'm just pissed and I want someone to blame. To hurt. I wanted it to be you and now...fuck... you're basically a shitty computer with a nasty virus. And now I feel like I'm an asshole who is kicking a puppy."

[ss_buttcrack]

"I'm sick of laughing to cover for it all... when I'm not drugging myself up enough to numb the pain." Because he's been operating that way for, well, years.

"Yeah, I can see it. I'm glad you're honest enough to admit it. Look, there's probably nothing you can say or think about me that I haven't already told myself. But... talk to me, man. We're both drowning in it right now. You haven't been here that long, have you?"

[professionalriot]

Ash shakes his head. "Thought we just established that you're a puppy with a defective brain...but not a bad person. I want you to be a piece of shit. But you're not." So he was just left with his bullshit feelings and nothing to take them out on. No way to fix anything.

"Couple months...almost three, I think. Long enough but not you know?"

Shit. His eyes were burning. Flooding with tears. Fuck. He could not cry in front of this guy. He blinked fast trying to chase it away.

"I think I fucking love her, man. Who wouldn't right? Duh. But I think I do. So yeah, I'm drowning right now and at the same time feel like I don't deserve to be, because they have all loved her longer."

[ss_buttcrack]

"I wouldn't be too sure. Just ask my ex." Arthur would be the first to say how little credit Crichton deserves, and he's right.

"A lot happens in a short amount of time here. Each month feels like a lifetime." It was like that on Moya too. Maybe that's why it didn't hit him as hard as others.

Crichton catches that blinking. He knows what it means. God, Ash really didn't deserve to get brought into the middle of this shit. Poor bastard.

"So what? This ain't a contest, dude. She ain't a car you got temporary tags on. They love her. You love her. Hell, so do I. Not in the same way, but you bet your ass I love her like she's my own family. After all the time she's spent alone in the world, she deserves to have people cry for her. So stop trying to pretend like your feelings about her aren't good enough. She'd hate that."

[professionalriot]

"Don't really like second hand information. Why would your ex not agree with that?"

Okay. He has a point. She would hate him feeling like that. It's still a hard thing to shake off. Ash stops trying to fight the tears though and let's them fall.

"Even knowing people don't stay dead here doesn't really help." How would he ever forget how her dead body felt in his arms?

"I know it will be a lie...tell me anyway. Tell me this will all be okay."

[ss_buttcrack]

"Man... I do not have the energy to get into that nitty gritty with you maybe ever, but trust me when I say I did bad by him and he's got good reasons not to trust me. I don't have any excuses for it; I was a piece of shit to him." He's trying to just... not be anymore. He and Arthur are still rooming together and he's... trying to do better. That's all.

"Hey," Crichton says gently, scooting closer to the bars and reaching out a hand. "Come here. It's okay, I won't bite. Take my hand."

[professionalriot]

"Do you have a hot date that I'm making you late for?" He shakes his head at Crichton. "Are you trying to fix it?"

Ash turns his head to look at him. His eyes drift down to his hand. The back of his hand is drug over his eyes to wipe the embarrassing tears away.

"You just told me there is a crazy dude in your head you can't control. If you grab me and pull anything I'll be the one who bites. Fair?" With that statement made he did scoot closer and maybe very cautiously touch his hand. Only a little bit.

[ss_buttcrack]

"Fix?" He shakes his head sadly. "No. There's no fixing. Atone, maybe. Up to Arthur if he ever wants to forgive me, but we'll never have what we had again." Crichton's sure of that, no matter how much it hurts. It isn't fair to Arthur to expect any different.

"Fair enough. If Harvey tries something, I deserve to get bitten."

Crichton curls his fingers around Ash's hand, moving to place his other one over the top to fold him better while looking right into the man's eyes. "Ash, it is going to be okay. Valdis is strong. She's wise. She's lived through more than you or I could ever begin to imagine. That was before she had people to help her in the fight. She's going to win this. Keep the faith."

[professionalriot]

"Shit. I'm sorry to hear that." He actually means it too. It's impossible to miss the sincerity in his voice. Maybe Ash is just gullible. He hopes he's not.

This is not what he came here for. He came here to be mad. To have a target for his anger. To throw a sandwich at this guys face and now? NOW? Ashley can't hate him. Hell, he might even feel bad for him. He wants him to be okay too. Seeing the certainty in Crichton's eyes he takes a deep breath. He knows what he is saying is true. Ash just needed someone else to say it to make it feel more real, like it wasn't just wishful thinking in his own head. "Keep holding my hand like that and you're going to have to take me to dinner."

[ss_buttcrack]

"Thanks. I appreciate it." The sincerity really is nice. It's a shame they are meeting like this. He's really liking Ash. Seems like a stand-up guy. Good for Valdis.

"I'll take ya out for anything but Italian." Is he joking? Maybe he isn't. He hasn't let go.

[professionalriot]

Ash leans in. He licks his lips. Then he plants a wet, sloppy kiss on Crichton's lips. "Eat your fucking sandwich."

He lets go of his hand and stands up. And sways. Cause he's drunk.

"Quit fucking around and figure your shit out. Ever hurt my girl again and I'll...I won't kill you cause," he flails his hands at everything. "This fucking place. But I'll make you hurt, even if I like you."

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton sputters and shakes his head as if in disgust, but he's laughing. Laughing and laughing. with an expression on his face that screams: "What the hell, dude?"

Whoa, uh oh, Ash swaying like that is a little concerning. Hopefully he'll uh... make it upstairs okay?

"Love you too, Sunshine."

[professionalriot]

"I don't fucking know! You have pretty eyes."

He's going to go crash on the pool deck. He's fine. It's fine. Everything is fine.

"See you later, Princess."

He pauses and looks back. "Don't fucking give up, okay? Don't give up."

[ss_buttcrack]

"I do, don't eye?" He bats his lashes for Ash.

Despite the playful banter, his voice is very serious as he says this last, "I won't if you won't. Deal?"