quince: ghosts. backdated to thursday, accidental on the video.

[iam_aghost]

[Video clicks on. The communicator is on the floor, in an open bag, and you can see Caesares struggling with a door handle for a moment, then giving up and leaning against the door, and he speaks softly and quietly, in Spanish

Comments

Spam

[raisedinabox]

[Jim felt vile. His arms ached from the stiffness that came from being pinioned in one place for almost forty eight hours straight, and from the rings of bruises that he'd brought on himself by struggling. Where his arms and back had been pressed together, he could feel the damp of sweat having seeped through his shirt.

He didn't quite know how to take the last two days, so he just followed Caesares wordlessly back to his room, and followed him into his room. When Caesares told him he was sorry, Jim glanced at him, not... surprised exactly, by the expression of sympathy, but not sure what to do with it either.]

It's fine. These things happen.

Re: Spam

[iam_aghost]

It's not fine, and these things shouldn't happen.

[He frowned and turned to the rest of his room,] Take a seat. I can get you a drink, if you want.

[Although, on reflection, he'd probably had someone getting him drinks for the past few days.]

Or you can help yourself, it's up to you.

[Damn, he was worried.] Can I check on your injuries, if you've got any?

Spam

[raisedinabox]

Water would be really nice. Thank you.

[Jim would worry about exercising his ability to find his own food and water later, when his arms were a little less stiff, and he felt like pouring himself water wouldn't be a slightly painful enterprise.]

I don't think the injuries are anything serious. Just bruises and stiffness. It's nothing you should be worried about, Doctor.

[He rolled his shoulders, trying to work out some of the stiffness, while at the same time letting his shirt sleeves ride up high enough to show the rings of bruises around his wrists. He held his arms out for Caesares's to review them.]

Just a little rope burn. It's nothing severe.

Re: Spam

[iam_aghost]

[Caesares disappeared for a minute, and returned with a large glass of water, which he put down on a nearby table whilst he had a quick look at Jim's wrists,] Nothing that won't heal on its own, true enough.

[He looked at both sides of the wrists before putting them back down,] I'd wear something looser fitting over them, if anything.

[There was a very telling pause as he stepped away,] Did you get any sleep at all during that? [His guess was no, as he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep whilst tied up for no apparent reason, but it was worth asking.]

Spam

[raisedinabox]

Mm. [Jim agreed, noncommittally. He could wear a t-shirt or a sweater for a few days if needed. Once his warden released his wrists, Jim reached for the water.]

No. They weren't exactly the ideal circumstances for getting a good night's rest. [He shrugged idly.] I have been sleeping though. Before this. Chromie gave me that sleep sand she mentioned, so I've been using that.

Re: Spam

[iam_aghost]

Well, that's good. So it works? [He nodded, a little impressed it did, and sat back down opposite him.]

I suggest the first thing you do is try and get some rest. [He paused] I'd like to know what happened, though. If you feel prepared to tell me at this point.

Spam

[raisedinabox]

[Jim nodded.] Almost instantly. I applied it before getting undressed, the first time I used it. I woke up eight hours later still in my shirt and slacks.

[He paused at the request to know what happened, then gave a quick, controlled shrug.] You already know what happened. Someone knocked me out on Wednesday morning, tied me to a table for two days, then Doctor Lecter broke in and found us. The rest is just... [another helpless little shrug.] ...details.

Re: Spam

[iam_aghost]

That's... impressively effective, actually.

[He frowned a little,] The details matter to me, and given that you experienced them, they probably matter to you.

Spam

[raisedinabox]

[Jim nodded, frowning.] She's said that if I graduate I'm free to take it with me, but I'm hoping that I won't be reliant on it indefinitely.

[He took a sip of the water, glancing down towards the table.] He approached me from behind, and put their arm across my throat, then pressed down on it. I must have blacked out fairly quickly after that, then, when I woke up, my arms were tied behind my back, at the wrists and the elbows. Doctor Lewis was just waking up beside me as well, and for a little while I thought If I could lift the table up a bit, he might be able to get his wrists out from under it, but we didn't get the chance to try in the end.

[This was strange. Having to talk about it felt a little like... giving a statement to the police, but he didn't feel like arguing about it just then.]

There was someone on the bed, lying there, the whole time. Rhade talked a little, Drake talked a lot. The man keeping us there kept saying that we'd be grateful to him later. He was talking about taking something out of us, about

Re: Spam

[iam_aghost]

Did you ever find out who the person on the bed was? Or what had happened to them?

[He looked across at Jim, then considered what questions to ask,]

How do you feel towards him now? How did you feel towards him at the time?

Spam

[raisedinabox]

It was the warden whose room we were in. Will Graham, I think? I think he was in a coma, but I didn't really take the time to check.

[Jim shrugged a little wearily.] Well, I'm not thrilled with him, but... I don't know. I don't really think anything about him. He's just like... this unpleasant event more than an actual person.

Re: Spam

[iam_aghost]

Are you... not interested in knowing who he was, why he did it?

Spam

[raisedinabox]

[Jim paused for a moment, then shook his head.] No. Unless he had a specific reason for targeting me? I don't feel the need to know. It was just... one of those things that happens. Just like everything else that happens here.

Re: Spam

[iam_aghost]

Except it shouldn't be accepted like that. None of it should.

Spam

[raisedinabox]

But it is like that. You don't have to accept it if you don't want to, but that doesn't change it. Things happen. People do things. Sometimes you see them coming and sometimes you don't. That's all there is.

Re: Spam

[iam_aghost]

It might not, but accepting it will never change it. Thinking it's wrong and wanting to do something about it at least has the possibility of change. Kidnapping is not a fact of life. Not even here.