( you wake up, alone in the dark. )

[habitformed]

CHARACTERS: EVERYONE.
LOCATION: The Medbay, the Locker Room, the Passenger Quarters. Pick your poison.
WARNINGS: I didn't write this. The wonderful wonderment that are the mods did. I'm only borrowing so we can get this party started.
SUMMARY: You wake up. Now choose your own adventure. (Start a new thread, tag someone else's. Whatever, people.

Comments

[memorymodus]

The first thing she notices is the breathing tube. It reminds her of home, of sterility and a space in a mind not her own. But it's quickly replaced by fear -- in her real home, Jade knows, breathing tubes mean life or death situations. They mean medical emergencies, which generally mean…

Hospitals.

She recognizes that she's in a hospital and panics, hands scrabbling out in the dark to meet glass before she also recognizes how dark it is. Whoever's been planning this must know, she thinks. They know she's afraid of the dark, know that she hates medbays and places that force her into things she can't control. Surgeries and operations are terrifying procedures, and Jade doesn't even notice that the tube is being pulled from her throat until she's stopped choking and fallen on the hard floor. There's a sob as she scrabbles at her throat, fingers finding the scar from the needle of nannies. She still can't see, but at least she can breathe again -- maybe She'll be gentle this time, to the girl who loved her so much that she followed her willingly into deception. But maybe not. As her vision returns, she gasps, glad to be able to see her surroundings. She's not strapped down; there are no voices in her head, no commanding figures ready to tell her to brainwash her friends, to bear down with scalpels and cut out their insides. And even though she's shaking, she knows that she'll be okay.

As long as she can get away from the damn medbay.

Jade crawls away from the tube, as far as she can. She's still a little dizzy from the entire experience, tears still running down her cheeks. It'll be okay, She's not going to get you! She attempts to reassure herself. Well, at least it's kind of working. There's a figure ahead, so she figures she should speak-- before it disappears before her eyes.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

[habitformed]

The first thing Mouse thinks is: shit, it's a girl. The second thing he thinks is: shit, I'm naked.

Which is more or less the first thought only with the notes rearranged to form a slightly more relevant tune. In actuality, he likes girls just fine - likes people just fine as general practice - but naked means skin and Mouse's skin, plus people, makes for a nasty combination. So despite the fact that he'd like to go over there and help - she's crying, for christ's sake, and Gideon's dad didn't raise an asshole - he keeps his distance, his head still peeking out from behind the doorframe as he tucks the rest of himself out of site.

His hair, platinum blonde with bright ginger roots, is plastered wetly down onto his forehead making him look younger than he actually is. He should say something, he gets that, but Mouse isn't really big on talking. Which means when he finally does speak up, his voice is rough with disuse; it cracks in an awkward ugly way mid-sentence so he makes a face the girl can't see.

Gross, he thinks. Lame.

"Um. Hey?"

[memorymodus]

She hasn't even realized she's naked yet. The first order of business is to stop crying, and she wipes at her eyes with the palms of her hands, both robotic and human. That's a mistake; she winces at the amount of pressure she puts on her eye, but at least she can see now.

Oh, and someone's talking to her! That's always good. It means she isn't alone, and since she can't hear any thoughts other than hers in her mind, she's probably safe from the hivemind for now. At least, Jade thinks so -- there's no SHODAN standing behind her, so she's okay. Yeah, she'll be fine. Jade looks up and cracks a small smile, trying to put a cheerful face on.

"Do you know what happened? This doesn't look like any part of the station I've ever been in..."

[habitformed]

Mouse doesn't realize that the girl's been crying until she actually stops. When it finally hits him, he feels like a complete douche; the one-two punch of shame and guilt sends him reeling forward onto his knees so that he's sprawled onto the floor in front of her, both hands braced on either side of him, still far enough away from her and out of arm's reach.

"Hey," he says again, even though he's already got her attention. Back home nobody asks him hard questions like this, in fact nobody asks him questions period beyond hey, Mouse, pizza or take-out, sushi or chinese, beer or shots. The word 'hey' isn't an answer, but it is something to say, and Mouse's verbal vocabulary has never aimed to win any awards. Making a face, he shrugs apologetically with both shoulders and then shakes his head emphatically.

His blonde hair flops limply back and forth across his forehead. He wants to help her up or do something but his hands-

Looking around the room quickly, he finds nothing immediate with which to cover his skin to offer a hand. When he looks back at the girl Mouse makes a face at himself and ducks his chin.

"Sorry. No go."

[memorymodus]

"Are you okay?" She notices the fall, but doesn't try to move closer; he might not want her help, she thinks, or he might be a little embarrassed. There's too much to take in to be embarrassed right now, at least in Jade's mind. Still, she's worried that he might be injured.

"This is so weird..." she continues speaking, undeterred by the lack of conversation from one end. She's spent months practicing the art of interpreting mute facial expressions with Chell, so she's used to silence on the other end of the line by now. "First I was at home, and now I'm in a space station! Or I think, anyway. There aren't any medbays at home home." A shrug, and she realizes she hasn't introduced herself.

"I'm Jade. Do you think they have clothes for us somewhere?"

[habitformed]

More muttering from Mouse as he draws himself up to sit back on his haunches. "M'cool," he murmurs, trying to reassure her as he tips backwards. The floor is covered in goop so he goes sliding off a little to one side. "Cool, cool."

He's not really used to hearing his own voice and he decides he doesn't like it, so he leaves most of the talking to his face. With one hand he points at himself and has no real choice but to chirp out the words: "Mouse. Jade, hi." His other hand thumbs towards the room behind him, filled with lockers all in tidy aisles and rows. "No dice. Not yet." Then Mouse lift his eyebrows as if to follow that assertion with:

Mouse-Jade search party?

[memorymodus]

She grins now -- this is better, the steady ease of a conversation. They might want to cover themselves shortly, though. It's starting to get a bit cold sitting around with nothing on, and Jade shivers, looking at the lockers.

"Do you want to come search with me?" She looks down at her arm for the first time and realizes that there's a number there. "Also, what does 152 mean?"

[habitformed]

Grinning is good, he decides. Grinning is decidedly better than crying or being scared shitless or whatever it was that Jade was feeling when she first got spat-up by the big goo-filled tube. Mouse is a friendly boy by nature - unruly, yes, but never cruel and unkind - and so when she asks about going to searchy he nods once, enthusiastically, his hair flopping about across his forehead again.

Mouse doesn't give the tattoo on his arm consideration until he's pushed himself back up to standing. When he does, he twists in a way that makes it obvious to Jade that the number newly acquired on his arm isn't the only ink that he's got. There are little tattoos here and there - a skull and crossbones on one of his shoulders, a homemade bullet on the rise of his hip. The biggest tattoo is on the small of his back, the words 'THE CALLING' done up in bright neon green and blue graffiti lettering. He flashes it at her as he scrambles to standing, then shrugs, lifting his own arm above his head so that she can read his upside down. 169, his says.

"Dunno. Totally new."

[memorymodus]

She thinks they're pretty awesome, to say the least. While she's never had a tattoo before, she's got scars all over -- the gunshot wound on her foot and needle scar on her throat. The circuitry of her robotic arm gleams in the light as she wipes her eyes once more and stands herself up.

"I wish I'd gotten a tattoo before coming here! Those look so cool." She holds her hand out to him, completely oblivious that this might not be proper decorum for someone who's completely naked.

[habitformed]

It might not be proper decorum but Mouse is a gutterpunk who's used to seeing some pretty wild and grossly inappropriate things. He's made a really big effort in trying to not stare but it's hard cause he's sixteen and a dumb boy. Whenever he does peek he feels a giddy rush of embarrassment in his stomach that makes him look away again. The room's cold and sterile around them but his cheeks flush pink and he makes a face at himself but then glances warily down at Jade's hand.

It's obvious that the arm isn't real, not the way the rest of her seems real - which is to say squishy and human and full of bad things waiting to happen if Mouse touches her there. But the hand offered seems like an okay bet. Experimentally he reaches out and pokes her once and then stares at her face, as if waiting for some kind of reaction.

As he stares, he chirps out a: "totally hurt".

[memorymodus]

She's completely oblivious to any staring or ogling that might be going on. The thought hasn't even crossed her mind that she's got a chest, and it might be a little weird -- mostly, Jade's concerned with finding clothing, or even other people if possible. When he takes her robotic hand, she looks at him curiously. Was something supposed to happen?

"I bet! The arm kind of hurt too. Maybe that's enough of a scar for one lifetime. Do you think they have clothes for us?"