[Open] Hands of time, where's that chime?

[firewalled]

Who: Rich and you, whoever you may be
What: Rich... tries to deal. As usual, he's not very good at it.
When: All through the month of October!
Where: The lounge, the pool, Mikabo, and Sand Dollars
Warnings: Probably quite a bit of mental health talk. Near-death experiences involving drowning. Paranoia that may lead to violence, but of course I'll be communicating OOCly if it went that far. I'll warn if anything else comes up, but please use his opt-out if you don't vibe with certain aspects of his character!



Lounge (Beginning half of the month)

César's taught him to sew.

That is definitely the only important thing that Rich has learned as of late. Yes. Definitely.

He has a whole stack of t-shirts his jefe retrieved from the depths of the Tommy Bahama, and he's been working on painstakingly removing the sleeves and collars off of each one. Some shirts he tries to mend the damage of... but he's a bit of a punk, so the frayed tank look definitely isn't one he shies away from. He's already in a bright orange one with that same look. He wasn't sure if he'd like how much of his burns people could see, but hey, some tattoos haven't been damaged, and those still look badass!

He's trying to stay focused on his work, and to be fair, it's an activity that can take quite a lot of attention when you're still learning how to do it. But he's also set up his project in the lounge, where just about anyone could walk by. He puts on his best smile if someone wanders past.

"Yo! How're you-ah fuck!" Aaaaaand this is why you focus while you're working with sharp needles, Goranski. "Maaaan, my fingers are gonna come out of this looking like Swiss cheese."

Pool (Night of the 8th)

Rich never really comes out to the pool. Not in the sun, what with his sensitive skin. Maybe if it's cloudy or rainy, but he never takes a full dive. And it's dark at night, so there isn't a whole lot of point to having an evening swim.

Rich isn't quite sure why he's out here now.

He's been out late though, the idea of sleep completely evading him right now. Frankly, with how his mental health has frayed, it's a wonder he's remembered that sleep is even a thing for this long. But sometimes, César forgets.

And so sometimes, Rich goes out to find him.

He doesn't usually hang out by the pool, though, so Rich still isn't sure why he's over here. It's too hard to see, and honestly, being out in the open air is messing with his head a little. He keeps hearing a whisper, a rustle of fabric. He keeps swearing something is behind him when it isn't. Eventually, he's too irritated to bother, and he storms off-

There was a chip in the tiling. It was small, but it'd grown bigger over the week of the ship's disrepair. It was big enough now for Rich's sandal to get caught in it, causing him to lose his balance.

He can't manage much more than a strangled cry before he falls in. Instantly, water fills his mouth, and he chokes and sputters. He flails to swim, only to crack his head against concrete, turning some of the water red. He can't see, he can't fucking see-

Someone takes his hand, and manages to pull him back up. He coughs and retches, spitting up water, as one hand grips the bleeding gash on his head and one grips... the edge of the pool.

He... really thought there was a hand there. He should go back to sleep.

Instead, he pulls himself out, sitting down on the edge of the pool, staring blankly down into the water. It's funny how the shadows can make the tiles on the bottom of the pool look like rows of jagged teeth.

Mikado/Everywhere else (October 9th on)

After that awful evening... it's no wonder Rich is paranoid.

He's been patched up adequately, a bundle of bandages around the cut on his head, but no matter his family's reassurances, he just doesn't feel safe. He just feels like something is going to be there again. Something that's going to try to point out everything that's wrong with him, that mocks him for all his failures, that taunts him as he falls deeper and deeper into the pool's gaping mouth.

Is it his mental health? Certainly not. Never mind that he's been sleeping later than usual. Never mind that he's definitely forgotten to eat today. He'll feel better when he's safer.

The hibachi tables have plenty of knives, now sitting abandoned around the cooking areas. He takes one, carefully tiptoeing back to the entrance of the restaurant, looking for something to cut.

Unsurprisingly, it cuts through the paper fan like... well, paper. It slides rather neatly through the laminated menus, so it's probably sharp enough. He should find a case for it, so he doesn't cut a hole in his pocket, but he ends up just holding it as he starts out making patrols around the ship again. Just to make sure nothing is there.

As long as it was all just some sick dream.

Sand Dollars (Later half of the month)

But hey, it's not all quiet mental breakdowns!

Rich also has some clarity to know running around looking for danger is probably going to accomplish nothing, so once in a while, he sets himself up at Sand Dollars. He's fixed a coffee machine before, so... the espresso machine is weird, but he manages to get it running.

He loads his coffee up with a maddening array of different syrups that hardly seem like they'd taste good together and a metric shitton of milk, before sitting himself down with a notebook and pens he swiped from the room.

Jason had said he liked his art, as much as that was just an expression of his frustration. It would be nice to try to learn to draw some more.

...It is a real shame he picked out this book along with the few other guides he pulled out of the library to practice from. Surely that one's a troll, right?

Comments

It’s fine! She’ll live!

[millay]

Maeve is mostly still settled in on confusion and surprise that is bordering on bewilderment. She looks down again and almost swears. “It’s fine. It’s fine.” It’s not that fine, but she’ll live.

She’s not sure who his dad is, but the only two doctors she knows are Watson and Tendi. It takes a moment for the names to come to her before she looks up at him and carefully starts to get up. So much for this dress, she supposes. “My skin is…” She pauses briefly for the words. “Tendi is better for this. Heals the…skin without the stitches.” And she knows her.

“Just help me get to the infirmary. This is worse than that time I got wood in my arm.” She pauses, looking at him again. “It’s fine,” she reiterates.

[firewalled]

"I-It's not fine. I'm sorry, I really..." There are no words for this. Rich winces softly and shakes his head.

"Okay. I'll help you find Tendi." He's only talked to her once, but he knows her medical expertise is probably necessary for a stab wound. Even if he wants to argue Watson has helped him more, he knows that's just from his own circumstances.

He wraps an arm around her back to support her, ready to walk with her... and ready to carry her if he has to.

[millay]

Maeve gives him a soft smile. "I'll be fine. I've had worse than a knife. Shot more than enough times." She's going to still press a hand to the wound as she leans against Rich.

"But I do suggest being a little more careful with the knives in future. You don't want to stab multiple people." Unless he does, but she doesn't know him that well. "Just take me to the infirmary. Watson can at least fix things up temporarily if we don't find Tendi first, but my skin doesn't heal the way human skin does."

[firewalled]

"That's not something you're supposed to get used to." Although, maybe some of the things he's experienced aren't things to process as 'normal,' either. Whatever.

"Human skin...? So you're not human?" Rich doesn't sound too distressed, just curious. He's met a couple non-humans that aren't specifically what scares him.

[millay]

"I know, but it's just what I've experienced back home." She shrugs. It's just part of it.

"Uh. Yeah. I was...made." She tells people about this sometimes. "I'm a Host." There's another shrug after that. "I look very convincing, though. Don't I?" She's glad she doesn't really feel it.

[firewalled]

"...what's a Host? I mean, you do look human. But lots of people here that look human aren't completely."

There's something about the way she's talking that makes him feel like... maybe they have something in common.

[millay]

"The easiest word is the one no one here seems fond of. Robot. I don't really mind it. It's just a word. But we're called Hosts back home. Our creators made us very...real. Life-like. To make dying more..." Her forehead creases. "Believable? Satisfying, I suppose. For the humans in our world."

It's certainly something to tell someone you've only just met. "It's..." Fine. She frowns. "Just part of our world back home."

[firewalled]

"That's... were the humans killing you in your world? For entertainment or something?" He's not sure he's following completely, but the little she's explaining makes a shudder run through him.

"...Using technology like that is dangerous. You... didn't deserve that."

[millay]

She nods. "Yes. They were. We didn't realize it till much later, of course. Our memories of it were...well, not wiped but we couldn't access them until we were awake."

Of course they didn't deserve that. "Guess our creators just figured it wouldn't matter. Or they figured giving us our freedom would be easier."

[firewalled]

"I... sort of understand. They thought it'd be easier to just keep resetting your memories, so they wouldn't have to deal with all the problems that came later. They... probably would have used you like that until you were too broken."

He swallows hard. "I'm... sorry. I wish I didn't understand why."

[millay]

Maeve nods. “Yeah. They did.” Should have killed them when she had the chance, obviously. A shame. “Most likely. That’s how they seem to do things. Kill themselves and let their creations fight their way to freedom, I guess.” It still counts even when they get someone else to do it.

She looks at him quietly for a moment. “Yeah. It’s a shitty deal. Wish we all didn’t understand.”

[firewalled]

"The... creators killed themselves? I guess even they knew it was something that shouldn't have been messed with." Really, if there's one thing the two of them can agree on, it's that businessmen tend to be the real villains.

"I understand. I... sorry, I'm sure you don't want someone like me trying to empathize."

[millay]

"One of them is now one of us, which is the real curious situation, isn't it?" But yeah. They're the worst.

Her brow furrows. "Why wouldn't I want someone like you to empathize? Because you stabbed me? I've had worse."

[firewalled]

"That... definitely is different..."

Rich starts, and then flushes slightly when he realizes the woman has called him out. "Well, there's that, and... I guess in the past, I had a bad experience with a robot, sort of. So I kind of come from this in the opposite direction."

[millay]

Maeve considers the information. "I guess we all have something. But it isn't like you attacked me because I was a robot. You didn't know until just now, so..." She gives him a quick look over. "So it's fine. But maybe still don't use that word with the others. And you can empathize if you want."

[firewalled]

"No, no, of course not. I couldn't have known from looking at you. And... sorry. Still working on knowing the right words. I mean, I obviously can't call you SQUIPs, which is the brand name at home." And it sounds like squid, which is weird and funny, and not really conductive to a good conversation.

[millay]

"SQUIPs?" She looks confused at that. "Mmm. No. We're called Hosts." She shrugs. "At least that's the name that we've been told." And she doesn't really mind the name. They are definitely a very advanced type of artificial intelligence. "But it's fine. I use it when I can't think of a good way to explain us. Hosts doesn't really explain things when you say it. Artificial intelligence probably works."

She knows she's still bleeding and they're on the way to the infirmary, but..."Are you okay? Not often something good that makes people carry a knife around and stab out of...I assume fear?"

[firewalled]

"No, it's okay. Just... that's the AI I'm familiar with. Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor. It's complicated, but... you're way nicer than those were."

He helps her turn the corner towards the infirmary, but the question makes him hesitate before gesturing to his bandage.

"I... had an accident last night. Fell in the pool and hit my head. It got me really paranoid, I guess? I swear I was hearing things last night, so... all of it wasn't good for my mental health."

[millay]

"You're much nicer than the humans I'm used to, also." She gives him what she hopes will be a supportive look.

She looks at the infirmary in the distance.

"Ah. I see. That would make anyone scared." She looks around briefly. "I hope that you start feeling better. After this. Do you have somewhere to go? People to look after you?"

[firewalled]

"I-It's okay. I'm sure I will. I should... probably go talk to my dads again. Or my friends."

He seems a little hesitant with the words, but he knows he can't avoid them just because his mind is playing tricks on him.

"Anyways. You're still the one stabbed, so... if anything, I hope you start feeling better quicker."

[millay]

Maeve nods. "I'm sure that they'll be happy to have you." And then she can deal with her shit.

She lets out a long sigh. "It'll be fine. Tendi will have me fixed up and ready to go per usual. Nothing to worry about." It's not like this is going to kill her anyway. Not today.

[firewalled]

"Right... I guess Tendi has lots of advanced medical stuff..." He's still a bit unsure of her, but he knows that she's probably the best person for the job when dealing with non humans and serious injuries.

[millay]

Maeve gives him a small smile. "If you want to go once I get to Tendi, you're free to. I won't keep you. I can get back after this." She doesn't want him to be upset or uncomfortable. Also she can probably keep people from knowing who accidentally stabbed her this way.

[firewalled]

"I... guess maybe I should. I don't mind if you tell her I did it. Just... sorry. Maybe we can meet up later instead? I... do you like coffee? I can make us coffee."

...At least, he thinks he can. And he should do something to make up for this.

[millay]

Maeve nods. "It's okay. I don't mind. It'll be over shortly." There's a brief smile at the suggestion of coffee. "As long as you don't make it stupidly sweet, I'm more than happy to have coffee with you."