THE AURORA was once a sight to see. An impressive mining ship, home to many, it could travel across great interstellar distances while providing all the comforts necessary to those within. Its star-sailing days are over now, as it now is a terrible wreckage, with salvage and dangers for those who come near.
It’s also exactly where the new crew members just showed up. URSULA will be immediately sending the on-base crew towards the Aurora, while those who have just arrived have some time to explore. The Aurora, however, isn’t the safest place to be. There are some large creatures in the water, and they may not be friendly towards the crew…
Below is a timeline of events as they unfold, with some further information!
1000: THE AURORA
While the new crew may have arrived anywhere throughout the ship, many will have found themselves in the common rooms, surrounded by the comforts of those who once lived here. Those who choose to wander further may find many rooms throughout, often in varying states of decay. While there are smaller predators on the Aurora and the danger of a wrecked vessel, an unsettling peace pervades the crashed ship. For now, they are safe.
1030: THE BASE
At 10:30 in the morning, URSULA reaches out to all crew members with an urgent message:
”All crew members please report in immediately! Life signs detected on the Aurora! Please stop all other activities and begin rescue mission. Gather any supplies you need, use the vehicles and help any survivors you find. Devices are near the entrance to track life signals once you're on the Aurora. If they're safe, please remember we need to salvage what we can from the Aurora as well. The supplies will benefit any survivors as well.”
Get cracking, crew! Base and Biome have information on what kind of weapons and defenses your fellow crew have had.
1100: THE AURORA
Thanks to the transportation they had built, the base’s crew is able to arrive in record time. They can help seek out their new crew members, take the opportunity to explore more of the Aurora, or just sulk in the transporter. URSULA reminds everyone that salvaging is a key part of their mission, and they should gather what they can before returning to base.
1200: THE AURORA
The crew however only gets an hour to enjoy itself (?) in the wreckage. At noon, URSULA broadcasts to all present, new and old:
”Attention! Dire warning! Reaper Leviathans! According to what I've salvaged of my database, they're apex predators from the westernmost region of the ocean. One signal coming from the west, two others coming out of the Void from deep below the ship!”
The crew may try to evacuate, but it is probably better to prepare for battle or hiding instead. They won’t get enough time to get out of the way before…
1210: THE AURORA
The Reapers are here. Peering out one of the Aurora's entrances will reveal that they are already circling around the vessel, as if they realize something is inside. One even beaches, its entire, 160 foot body soaring through the air before slamming down into the water. It almost feels like a warning. A threat.
URSULA urges the crew to stay inside where it is safe, but if anyone does insist on charging forward, she advises them to split into teams and take on as many Reapers at once as possible to avoid any group being teamed-up on by multiple Leviathans.
NOTE: To fight a Reaper Leviathan, comment under the REAPER FIGHT THREAD comment below! We ask that you work in teams of two or three for the battle to keep threads organized and minimize the number of fight threads the mods will need to work through. Be mindful that these are extremely fierce, dangerous, fast, giant apex predators, and they are very likely to do damage against those who fight them! By tagging in, you are agreeing to put your characters at risk of injury from the Reapers. As URSULA advised, those who don't want to get hurt should hold back and wait.
1300: EVACUATION
Things are looking grim. While the crew's teams make a good fight of it, these Reapers are durable, and they just keep coming back for more. It seems they're on a mission, to stop the crew, no matter how battered they become.
That's when the bellowing starts. Coming from everywhere, a song like that of the cavalry that disorients the Reapers as a large pod of Reefbacks swim in. Several put themselves between the ship and the Reapers, allowing anyone on aboard to safely get into the transports and into the water.
Others begin to fight. The use the concentrated power of their songs to knock back attacks from the front, powerfully lashing their tentacles like whips to crack against the Reapers. In battle they're surprisingly agile, able to spin around in a moment's notice to alternate between confusing and attacking the Reapers.
But any crew members watching can see the toll it takes on the Reefbacks. One Reefback in particular chooses to guide the crew back to the base by swimming along aside them. Thick, dark blood trails in the water behind it but it beats off any curious smaller predators like Stalkers. But its shell is cracked, its 'face' smashed in, and it gets no further than the Kelp Forest before it settles into a dense patch of creepvines for a final rest. It sends out a final cry that somehow feels like a wish for the crew to keep going on to the base, away from the continuing battle.
The rest of the pod manages to drive the Reapers back, though they too have their casualties. Still, the Aurora and the crew are safe for now.
Perhaps that was their only wish.
Direct any questions and plotting to the OOC post and have fun!
[ The use of one of her many typos makes her smile, which in turn allows her to finally relax... for a short time, at least. She settles against him nicely, musing to herself how nicely she fits against him... and it's fine. It's totally fine that she's entertaining ideas of ROMANTIC DESTINY by noting how their bodies just seem to fit like this. But it's fine. It's totally fine...
It's actually comforting, moreso than she cares to admit. The one time she wishes she wasn't such a touchy-feely person, man. The one time. ]
I think I got the jist of things down pretty well. Telepathy's gonna take some gettin' used to but uh...
[ She looks uneasy, hot pink eyes looking at the window-- and the deep abyss beyond-- but it is not the ocean itself that worries her. ]
Since we got here, I've been wonderin' if I made a huge mistake...
[Dirk's comfortable with her snuggled up against him, or at least as comfortable as he can get. Some part of him keeps worrying that he's making her uncomfortable, but he worries more that he doesn't know how to guide that sort of thing. He has to trust in her.
He does tilt his head back down, trying to catch her expression, when she speaks.]
[ Roxy tells herself she'd back off or control herself if his affections got particularly intimate, but to be honest, when it came right down to it, she's not sure how she'd react to things like hair nuzzles and the like. She's been trying not to think about it!
Their situation is a good distraction. Yes, think about Batterwitches and oceans. You're good at that. ]
I mean. I should be back at the meteor tryna make the Mardiborb-- [ AGAIN. She lost it, coming here. She's so ashamed of herself that she doesn't mention this bit. ] --and we should be preparin' for the big boss battle. And...
[ She Dirk in the eye, frowning with concern. ] This is an ocean planet, Dirk. What if it's one a' Batterwitch's? I ain't worried 'bout us, we can handle whatever that jankass bitch dishes out, we always have, just-- there's like an assload of other people here.
[ Ok so there isn't quite an assload's worth, if "ass" is even a unit one can measure loads with (Roxy says yes), but there are still a lot of people here and Roxy doesn't like the thought of anyone else getting caught up in the awful shit they have to deal with. ]
[For a moment, Dirk is quiet. He watches her, listening. Roxy isn't a prankster. She doesn't fuck around like this. She would never fuck around about the Matriorb or the Batterwitch, not like this.]
Rox, this might sound like bullshit, but play along with me here. What's the last thing you remember?
Actually, who am I kidding? Our lives are that level of bullshit. [Why bother being coy? She isn't Jane, who is herself now much more credulous. She'll believe him.] The last thing I remember, we had already won. You gave Kanaya the Matriorb. You—[He stops himself.] Everything was done, and we were all at the Victory Platform.
We should talk to Dave to be sure we're not screwing up anything in the timeline by telling you more.
[ John said it was probably going to feel really lonely, even when you're surrounded by them. He warned her. Her denizen warned her, as well. She thought she was prepared for this, but the differences between them, the things they'll never know happened, the different things they experienced... The idea that she's not remembering something because she wasn't there for it, that they're from different points in time, only exacerbates her feelings on the whole thing.
Is there something Roxy isn't telling him? Oh, lots. But how do you even begin to tell your friend you saw everyone you have ever loved or care for cease to exist with no hope of revival? ]
'Kay. Yeah, let's def talk to Dave then. Wouldn't wanna... mess things up more'n they already are, ha ha.
[ That laugh was so forced. Kill her now and spare her from these feelings she'd much rather be internalizing instead of making apparent all over her face for the world to see! ]
[Dirk sees the look on her face and it hits him that he has to do something, so he grabs her hands in his again, both of them, and he gives them a squeeze.]
Hey. Hey, it's okay. We're gonna work it out. Okay, Roxy? You and me, and Dave and your Seer of a mom. [A second squeeze, like the pulse of a heart.] We've got everything we need to work this out.
[ Roxy looks back at him and blinks a few times, as if he just pulled her out of some serious reverie. She smiles. ]
Oh yeah! Definitely. We got this, I know we do...
[ She trails off, her smile beginning to fade. She kind of wishes she could tell him. Were there any rules saying she couldn't? But talking about all that awful stuff would just get the both of them down. Where is John when she needs him? She misses the way he could make her feel better with only a knowing look, or a squeeze of the hand--
Dirk's squeezing hers. What's weird about it is that her heart doesn't do The Thing it does when John does it. However, that doesn't mean it doesn't have a similar effect. ]
I ain't worried 'bout us goddamn Strilondes, believe you me, D-strizzle.
[ Even if one of them is from a doomed timeline AGAIN-- or something-- and one of them won't be around anymore when things are straightened out... this Dirk that she's kind of sort of made amends with...!
Goddammit, why does her brain keep opening up new cans of emoworms to deal with. Back to the void with you! Shoo, shoo! ]
[He doesn't let go of her hands, and he doesn't stop looking at her. His worry is itching at his skin, making him want to do something. Making him want to find any way to help. But he doesn't understand the problem, and he can't figure out how to solve it.
With growled gentleness, he calls the bluff.] Rox, I know what your bullshit looks like.
[He isn't going to push her. He doesn't know if he can. But not talking has been one of the biggest problems they always had, all of them. He at least needs to let her know he knows.]
[ God, she needs a drink now more than ever. He might feel her hands getting a little shaky from the anxiety she feels having a mental battle with that thought. No, you go back to the void too, go, go! ]
Dude, chillax. It's chill. I'm chill. It's just--
[ There is always a "but", even if in this instance she didn't say "but. ]
I don't know how happy I am with the idea that one a' us is doomed now, if and when we go back? That's hella dark to think about I know, and shit, maybe-- maybe things work differently now outside of that shitty game that I never wanted us to play, for the record, but here we are. I probs never should have agreed to come here. Actually, I'm pretty sure I woulda said no under any other circumstance all things considered.
[ Something about this just isn't adding up. Now that she's sober, she doesn't much like the idea of not remembering something important. She thought her days of hazy, alcohol-induced memories were over. ]
Bulge-blistering fuck I need a drink. I dunno if I can deal with this all of a sudden.
[ She's worried about the other thing too, being from probably the worst deadend timeline and all, but she's not kidding when she says she's worried about this thing, too. She just can't bring herself to get into that other thing right now. It's too fresh in her mind. ]
[He isn't going to fuck up. He isn't going to roll his eyes and let her wander off to get the drink she's thinking of. He is going to keep holding on, and he is going to help her. He is going to be her friend.]
You might be right about being doomed, but we don't know that yet. We can talk to Dave about it. I'm pretty sure his aspect will clue him in. [And he hopes that if one of them is doomed, it will be him. He thinks he couldn't live with seeing Roxy die.]
Tell me what you mean about agreeing to come here. [He isn't going to let her go. There's a chant in his head, an incessant demand. They won, they won, it's over. He gets to have his family now. No one is going to take Roxy away from him. No one is going to hurt her.]
[ Right now, all that's going through Roxy's mind is how she can separate herself from him, and hide, and partake in the poison that will surely make it all better. Even if she can forget things momentarily, Roxy considers that a win-win.
But there's also the fear of disappointing Dirk, which is nearly as strong as the addiction. Not quite as powerful, but there, and keeping her from leaving him in search of a drink. ]
URSULA came to me, I think, and told me this planet needs me. And I knew at the time that saying yes was stupid... I had to get the Matriorb to Rose's hot troll girlfriend, and all the other stuff we had to do... but I agreed to it because I wanna help, you know? No matter how badly I wanted to tell her no, I just... couldn't.
[As long as she stays here. As long as she stays with him. His cavalier attitude about ending up here feels twisted by what Roxy is telling. Something else has happened.]
It just happened out of nowhere. We thought that we'd done something wrong with the door, or someone's powers had malfunctioned. No one asked us about arriving.
[So why does Roxy think someone asked her? Did someone ask her?]
We'll talk to URSULA about this. She'll have records. [Probably. Either way, it's a next step. It's part of a plan.]
[ So there's more to this than either one of them originally thought. And it's the not knowing that has her now more anxious than ever, even if Dirk has the beginnings of a plan cooking in that brain of his that never seems to shut off, even when he's sleeping.
Roxy squeezes his hands. Tight. Because he's seriously the only thing keeping her from flying off the handle and licking the beer up from off of the floor. ]
Sounds like a plan, Strider my man. [ She doesn't sound as confident as she'd like to, thanks to her inner struggle. Were it not for the fact that she's squeezing the life out of his hands, they'd be shaking uncontrollably. ]
Jesus cock-suckin' Christ, we need a pile.
[ The remedy? Humor. Crack jokes, even if she's half-serious about that pile. They grew up in trollocalpse, after all! The idea of palebros isn't a foreign concept to her and, well, all she's thinking is she's not exactly averse to the idea of sitting on a pile with him right about now, you know? ]
[For a moment, he doesn't say anything in response. And then.]
Okay.
[Dirk pulls Roxy to her feet with him. He doesn't let go of those hands.] What do you want? We have video games, some toys and board games, and some stuffed animals. No Cal, though. [WHICH IS TERRIBLE.] But I have a couple smuppets.
[He's doing this, brosis. He is making a pile happen. For Roxy.]
[ Roxy can't believe either one of them are going along with this, but sure. Okay. Let's make this shitty pile... transpire. ]
Let's just throw 'em all together. One big pile a' all the things we like. [ Well, except the smuppets. Goddamn, the smuppets. But she's okay with them if it's what Dirk wants...
As long as it's not Cal. Which he also wants, but Cal isn't here. ]
Let's see...
[ She'll let go of Dirk if he'll do the same. It's okay if it's just to gather the things with which to make said pile, right? So she'll do just that, plucking stuffed animals and video games and magazines from various spots in the commons area. ]
[Don't even think mean things about Cal! Dirk allows for released hands, as this is for the construction of their stupid pile. He studiously assembles the numerous plushes about, intending to ensure that, for all the more awkward things, there will also be proper cushioning for them. Gotta be comfy or what's the point? He's always keeping a watch on her from the corner of her eyes; he's worried. The dread that hit him seems to be really taking a number on her.
When he's gathered as many of the plushes as possible, he yanks out Geromy and a blue smuppet and also drops them into the pile. The Hello Kitty remains tucked away in his sylladex. Can't spoil Roxy's birthday gift.]
[ Very gladly, Roxy does just that, and even does him one better-- she wraps him up in one of her monster hugs again. The tension leaves her shoulders almost immediately, her mind stops racing a million miles a second, and her hands stop shaking. ]
Thanks for this.
[ Not the first time she's thanked him for all he's done for her, but that doesn't mean she's any less grateful. She'll thank him a thousand times a day if she has to. ]
... You're okay with the pile...?
[ She doesn't think he'd do this just to humor her, but... one never knows. Even if she knew for sure, she's in dire need of some damn reassurance, whether he is okay with the pile or not. ]
{He sees the hug coming, and maybe that's why it's easier to accept it this time. Maybe the fact that they're on a pile of old games and plush toys is awkward enough to give his social skills a freebie. Either way, he shuts his eyes behind his glasses and holds her to him. They are going to be okay. She is going to be okay. They have Rose and Dave here, and they have each other.]
You let me add my puppets. It'd be pretty unfair if I decided this wasn't okay after that.
[It's an oblique statement, he realizes. Not a direct confirmation. Maybe saying it right out would be better?
He makes himself try it out.]
Yeah, Roxy. I'm damn happy to be in a pile of abandoned junk with you. [Dirk's voice is not famously expressive. His face isn't famously emotive. But in the notes and cadence of his speech, he offers a soft sincerity. He is glad to be with her here.]
[ Roxy's so worried about forcing a relationship of any kind on him again, she has to question him just to be sure. He'd tell her if he was uncomfortable with this, in that roundabout and vague way of his. But he hasn't shown even the slightest hint of not wanting to do this (the awkwardness she sensed before the hug doesn't count, obviously).
She rests her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. ]
Can I make a suggestion? Just totes throwin' it out there in hopes it'll stick, but if it doesn't, that's fine! No pressure from me here for a damn change...
[Oh. Oh, her head against his chest. It doesn't bother him, exactly; actually, it's kinda nice. Dirk may be awkward, but it doesn't mean he doesn't like physical affection. It's very much the opposite. But he still worries about upsetting her. He still worries about what she wants and needs, and what he can't give.
He doesn't open his eyes, and he doesn't move her away. He holds her close. His heart is steady. A calm, reliable beat.]
Throw me that idea-ball, Ro-Lal.
[Dirk. In most sports, the balls do not stick. This metaphor does not work, and you don't understand sports.]
tw: alcohol addiction feelings beyond this point, just in case!!
[ If he's confused about what Roxy needs, she's going to set him straight right the fuck now. ]
Let's make this a regular thing. With the pile?
[ Why does it feel like she's asking him out on a date, though? This is really stupid, and she's stupid for even considering it, but it's nice being with him like this talking about their feelings and oh god, she's turning into a troll. She is seriously sitting here with Dirk Strider on top of a pile asking him if he wants to go on a paledate with her in the future, what has her life become. Why is she like this.
Seriously, though, this distracts her from her cravings, from the anxiety that damn near cripples her when things don't go as planned, which they almost certainly never do. ]
Not to force your hand or nothin', it's not like that I swear, I'll never try manipulate your feelings ever again and you gotta believe me, Dirk. But I...
I don't think I can beat this thing without you.
[ Not anymore. Not when the addiction is so strong, you've considered forfeiting it all for just a goddamn sip, even though you know you'll regret it later but you just don't care. Nothing matters at that point. Not Janey, not Jake, not Dirk, and that brings tears to her eyes. That she'd go so far as to hurt the ones she loved because she just. didn't. care.
Piles do crazy things to people, like make them word vomit their most intimate thoughts and fears. ]
[How did he ignore this for so long? God, she looks so awful (beautiful as always, he always thought she was gorgeous and that her smile was a goddammed shining diamond of a thing but he never wanted to tell her, was worried about making all of that mess even worse) but there is a vulnerability, a tragic fragility that will never convince him she isn't the strongest of them all. She is strong, he still believes that. But she shouldn't have to be strong on her own.
He holds her tight and still holds back on the affection he wants to show her. Can't push it. Gotta let her set the pace. But this is good.]
We will be all up in these piles. There will be more mounds than in a collection of plush, bulbous rumps. Every time you are worried, a jutting half-moon of soft, miscellaneous objects will be waiting there for you to slip straight into their deep cushioning crevices.
And I'll be right there with them, ready for more feelings jams than there is mayo to pair with. Or peanut butter? The condiment you put on a sandwich with jam.
I'm with you, Rox. Like jam is with that other thing.
[ Normally, Roxy would counter with some sort of rambling tangent (it's the Strider in her), but she's actually at a loss for words. He's rendered her speechless, unable to believe he'd do all of that for her. Maybe, she thinks, it's time to at least try to forgive herself for her past mistakes. Like all things it won't be easy, but she's willing to try, at the very least.
She presses her face against his chest and releases a heavy sigh. With the sigh went the last bit of tension from her body, and with that, the last of the anxiety that had been rattling her nerves.
God, she probably completely fucked up her eyeliner when she started crying. That was really stupid. At least the idea of having off-point makeup in the presence of Dirk Strider doesn't horrify her like it would have once upon a time. He's already seen her at her worst.
Lifting her head to look up at him, her makeup is a right mess, but whatever. She knows she has to say something, but what else can she possibly say besides "thank you"? That would require opening her mouth and speaking, however, and she's not so sure she trusts herself to do that without sobbing like an idiot.
So, instead, Roxy stands on the tips of her toes and presses her lips against his cheek in a tender kiss. Enjoy the black lipstick mark, best bro. ]
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subnautica2016-05-01 12:35 am
no subject
It's actually comforting, moreso than she cares to admit. The one time she wishes she wasn't such a touchy-feely person, man. The one time. ]
I think I got the jist of things down pretty well. Telepathy's gonna take some gettin' used to but uh...
[ She looks uneasy, hot pink eyes looking at the window-- and the deep abyss beyond-- but it is not the ocean itself that worries her. ]
Since we got here, I've been wonderin' if I made a huge mistake...
no subject
He does tilt his head back down, trying to catch her expression, when she speaks.]
What about?
no subject
Their situation is a good distraction. Yes, think about Batterwitches and oceans. You're good at that. ]
I mean. I should be back at the meteor tryna make the Mardiborb-- [ AGAIN. She lost it, coming here. She's so ashamed of herself that she doesn't mention this bit. ] --and we should be preparin' for the big boss battle. And...
[ She Dirk in the eye, frowning with concern. ] This is an ocean planet, Dirk. What if it's one a' Batterwitch's? I ain't worried 'bout us, we can handle whatever that jankass bitch dishes out, we always have, just-- there's like an assload of other people here.
[ Ok so there isn't quite an assload's worth, if "ass" is even a unit one can measure loads with (Roxy says yes), but there are still a lot of people here and Roxy doesn't like the thought of anyone else getting caught up in the awful shit they have to deal with. ]
no subject
Rox, this might sound like bullshit, but play along with me here. What's the last thing you remember?
Actually, who am I kidding? Our lives are that level of bullshit. [Why bother being coy? She isn't Jane, who is herself now much more credulous. She'll believe him.] The last thing I remember, we had already won. You gave Kanaya the Matriorb. You—[He stops himself.] Everything was done, and we were all at the Victory Platform.
We should talk to Dave to be sure we're not screwing up anything in the timeline by telling you more.
no subject
[ John said it was probably going to feel really lonely, even when you're surrounded by them. He warned her. Her denizen warned her, as well. She thought she was prepared for this, but the differences between them, the things they'll never know happened, the different things they experienced... The idea that she's not remembering something because she wasn't there for it, that they're from different points in time, only exacerbates her feelings on the whole thing.
Is there something Roxy isn't telling him? Oh, lots. But how do you even begin to tell your friend you saw everyone you have ever loved or care for cease to exist with no hope of revival? ]
'Kay. Yeah, let's def talk to Dave then. Wouldn't wanna... mess things up more'n they already are, ha ha.
[ That laugh was so forced. Kill her now and spare her from these feelings she'd much rather be internalizing instead of making apparent all over her face for the world to see! ]
no subject
Hey. Hey, it's okay. We're gonna work it out. Okay, Roxy? You and me, and Dave and your Seer of a mom. [A second squeeze, like the pulse of a heart.] We've got everything we need to work this out.
no subject
Oh yeah! Definitely. We got this, I know we do...
[ She trails off, her smile beginning to fade. She kind of wishes she could tell him. Were there any rules saying she couldn't? But talking about all that awful stuff would just get the both of them down. Where is John when she needs him? She misses the way he could make her feel better with only a knowing look, or a squeeze of the hand--
Dirk's squeezing hers. What's weird about it is that her heart doesn't do The Thing it does when John does it. However, that doesn't mean it doesn't have a similar effect. ]
I ain't worried 'bout us goddamn Strilondes, believe you me, D-strizzle.
[ Even if one of them is from a doomed timeline AGAIN-- or something-- and one of them won't be around anymore when things are straightened out... this Dirk that she's kind of sort of made amends with...!
Goddammit, why does her brain keep opening up new cans of emoworms to deal with. Back to the void with you! Shoo, shoo! ]
no subject
With growled gentleness, he calls the bluff.] Rox, I know what your bullshit looks like.
[He isn't going to push her. He doesn't know if he can. But not talking has been one of the biggest problems they always had, all of them. He at least needs to let her know he knows.]
no subject
Dude, chillax. It's chill. I'm chill. It's just--
[ There is always a "but", even if in this instance she didn't say "but. ]
I don't know how happy I am with the idea that one a' us is doomed now, if and when we go back? That's hella dark to think about I know, and shit, maybe-- maybe things work differently now outside of that shitty game that I never wanted us to play, for the record, but here we are. I probs never should have agreed to come here. Actually, I'm pretty sure I woulda said no under any other circumstance all things considered.
[ Something about this just isn't adding up. Now that she's sober, she doesn't much like the idea of not remembering something important. She thought her days of hazy, alcohol-induced memories were over. ]
Bulge-blistering fuck I need a drink. I dunno if I can deal with this all of a sudden.
[ She's worried about the other thing too, being from probably the worst deadend timeline and all, but she's not kidding when she says she's worried about this thing, too. She just can't bring herself to get into that other thing right now. It's too fresh in her mind. ]
no subject
[He isn't going to fuck up. He isn't going to roll his eyes and let her wander off to get the drink she's thinking of. He is going to keep holding on, and he is going to help her. He is going to be her friend.]
You might be right about being doomed, but we don't know that yet. We can talk to Dave about it. I'm pretty sure his aspect will clue him in. [And he hopes that if one of them is doomed, it will be him. He thinks he couldn't live with seeing Roxy die.]
Tell me what you mean about agreeing to come here. [He isn't going to let her go. There's a chant in his head, an incessant demand. They won, they won, it's over. He gets to have his family now. No one is going to take Roxy away from him. No one is going to hurt her.]
no subject
But there's also the fear of disappointing Dirk, which is nearly as strong as the addiction. Not quite as powerful, but there, and keeping her from leaving him in search of a drink. ]
URSULA came to me, I think, and told me this planet needs me. And I knew at the time that saying yes was stupid... I had to get the Matriorb to Rose's hot troll girlfriend, and all the other stuff we had to do... but I agreed to it because I wanna help, you know? No matter how badly I wanted to tell her no, I just... couldn't.
... Isn't that what happened to you too?
no subject
It just happened out of nowhere. We thought that we'd done something wrong with the door, or someone's powers had malfunctioned. No one asked us about arriving.
[So why does Roxy think someone asked her? Did someone ask her?]
We'll talk to URSULA about this. She'll have records. [Probably. Either way, it's a next step. It's part of a plan.]
no subject
Roxy squeezes his hands. Tight. Because he's seriously the only thing keeping her from flying off the handle and licking the beer up from off of the floor. ]
Sounds like a plan, Strider my man. [ She doesn't sound as confident as she'd like to, thanks to her inner struggle. Were it not for the fact that she's squeezing the life out of his hands, they'd be shaking uncontrollably. ]
Jesus cock-suckin' Christ, we need a pile.
[ The remedy? Humor. Crack jokes, even if she's half-serious about that pile. They grew up in trollocalpse, after all! The idea of palebros isn't a foreign concept to her and, well, all she's thinking is she's not exactly averse to the idea of sitting on a pile with him right about now, you know? ]
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Okay.
[Dirk pulls Roxy to her feet with him. He doesn't let go of those hands.] What do you want? We have video games, some toys and board games, and some stuffed animals. No Cal, though. [WHICH IS TERRIBLE.] But I have a couple smuppets.
[He's doing this, brosis. He is making a pile happen. For Roxy.]
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Let's just throw 'em all together. One big pile a' all the things we like. [ Well, except the smuppets. Goddamn, the smuppets. But she's okay with them if it's what Dirk wants...
As long as it's not Cal. Which he also wants, but Cal isn't here. ]
Let's see...
[ She'll let go of Dirk if he'll do the same. It's okay if it's just to gather the things with which to make said pile, right? So she'll do just that, plucking stuffed animals and video games and magazines from various spots in the commons area. ]
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When he's gathered as many of the plushes as possible, he yanks out Geromy and a blue smuppet and also drops them into the pile. The Hello Kitty remains tucked away in his sylladex. Can't spoil Roxy's birthday gift.]
Are we good?
[IS SHE READY FOR THE PILE.]
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[ Roxy studies the pile, and she puts on her most scientific face to do that, whatever that looks like. Hmmmmmmmmmm. ]
It could stand to be taller... but short of raidin' peoples' rooms for all their junk, we'll just hafta make it work with what we got.
[ She smiles and hops on, ushering in a chorus of squeaks as the pile settles underneath her. Her hands reach for him. ]
Good pile. Best bro. Ca'mere.
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[He extends his hands towards Roxy. Obligingly, without hesitation. Yank him into the pile, you big nerd.]
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Thanks for this.
[ Not the first time she's thanked him for all he's done for her, but that doesn't mean she's any less grateful. She'll thank him a thousand times a day if she has to. ]
... You're okay with the pile...?
[ She doesn't think he'd do this just to humor her, but... one never knows. Even if she knew for sure, she's in dire need of some damn reassurance, whether he is okay with the pile or not. ]
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You let me add my puppets. It'd be pretty unfair if I decided this wasn't okay after that.
[It's an oblique statement, he realizes. Not a direct confirmation. Maybe saying it right out would be better?
He makes himself try it out.]
Yeah, Roxy. I'm damn happy to be in a pile of abandoned junk with you. [Dirk's voice is not famously expressive. His face isn't famously emotive. But in the notes and cadence of his speech, he offers a soft sincerity. He is glad to be with her here.]
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She rests her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. ]
Can I make a suggestion? Just totes throwin' it out there in hopes it'll stick, but if it doesn't, that's fine! No pressure from me here for a damn change...
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He doesn't open his eyes, and he doesn't move her away. He holds her close. His heart is steady. A calm, reliable beat.]
Throw me that idea-ball, Ro-Lal.
[Dirk. In most sports, the balls do not stick. This metaphor does not work, and you don't understand sports.]
tw: alcohol addiction feelings beyond this point, just in case!!
Let's make this a regular thing. With the pile?
[ Why does it feel like she's asking him out on a date, though? This is really stupid, and she's stupid for even considering it, but it's nice being with him like this talking about their feelings and oh god, she's turning into a troll. She is seriously sitting here with Dirk Strider on top of a pile asking him if he wants to go on a paledate with her in the future, what has her life become. Why is she like this.
Seriously, though, this distracts her from her cravings, from the anxiety that damn near cripples her when things don't go as planned, which they almost certainly never do. ]
Not to force your hand or nothin', it's not like that I swear, I'll never try manipulate your feelings ever again and you gotta believe me, Dirk. But I...
I don't think I can beat this thing without you.
[ Not anymore. Not when the addiction is so strong, you've considered forfeiting it all for just a goddamn sip, even though you know you'll regret it later but you just don't care. Nothing matters at that point. Not Janey, not Jake, not Dirk, and that brings tears to her eyes. That she'd go so far as to hurt the ones she loved because she just. didn't. care.
Piles do crazy things to people, like make them word vomit their most intimate thoughts and fears. ]
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He holds her tight and still holds back on the affection he wants to show her. Can't push it. Gotta let her set the pace. But this is good.]
We will be all up in these piles. There will be more mounds than in a collection of plush, bulbous rumps. Every time you are worried, a jutting half-moon of soft, miscellaneous objects will be waiting there for you to slip straight into their deep cushioning crevices.
And I'll be right there with them, ready for more feelings jams than there is mayo to pair with. Or peanut butter? The condiment you put on a sandwich with jam.
I'm with you, Rox. Like jam is with that other thing.
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She presses her face against his chest and releases a heavy sigh. With the sigh went the last bit of tension from her body, and with that, the last of the anxiety that had been rattling her nerves.
God, she probably completely fucked up her eyeliner when she started crying. That was really stupid. At least the idea of having off-point makeup in the presence of Dirk Strider doesn't horrify her like it would have once upon a time. He's already seen her at her worst.
Lifting her head to look up at him, her makeup is a right mess, but whatever. She knows she has to say something, but what else can she possibly say besides "thank you"? That would require opening her mouth and speaking, however, and she's not so sure she trusts herself to do that without sobbing like an idiot.
So, instead, Roxy stands on the tips of her toes and presses her lips against his cheek in a tender kiss. Enjoy the black lipstick mark, best bro. ]
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