It had to happen eventually, so why not now?

[cauchemal]

Who: Mal Cobb, Billy Costigan
What: It's not like Mal can avoid Cobb's clone forever.
Where: Somewhere in the Barge.
When: Early in Day 2 of the outage.
Warnings: Unlikely

Comments

[lost_undercover]

Costigan was returning from the dining hall. The severe rations had him worried and he had opted to only take half of what was offered in order to save some food for longer. This whole place was getting to him and the withdrawals from his medications only made it worse. Since he had been trying to limit their consumption, he hadn't been carrying more than one pill around with him at a time. When the contents of everyone's rooms disappeared, so did his pills. Sometimes he wasn't certain if he was hallucinating or if his severe fears and paranoia were rational

[cauchemal]

Mal let out small, frightened gasp, instinctively backing up against the nearest wall. The glimpse of the face in the flicker of light was brief, but it was just enough for her to recognise-

"Dom?" Her heart was in her throat. As soon as she said it, she realised it was much more likely that it was that other man, Costigan, but she couldn't stop herself from hoping.

[lost_undercover]

Costigan let out a small sigh when he realized who it was, the question familiar to him from their last conversation. His hand fell away from his weapon, running through his hair instead. His normal accent, when not actively angry, was that of north Boston -- subtle and nearly indistinguishable; when he was angry, his tone took on that of South Boston, the traditional accent associated with the area. Despite not being angry right now, the inmate pushed a little more of Southie into his accent to help her distinguish him from his twin. He could only imagine what it was like.

"It's Bill. Again." He was almost apologetic for that fact. The woman clearly loved her husband, in a way he had probably never really experienced. "Mal, right?"

[cauchemal]

Her shoulders slumped a little. Of course, of course ... but knowing what the likeliest outcome would be didn't take away much from the sting of disappointment.

"Mal, yes. I'm sorry, I don't mean-" To keep mistaking you for my husband? Feeling foolish, she trailed off. Then cleared her throat, and with some attempt at friendly conversation: "Is everything-are you all right?"

[lost_undercover]

"I told you, don't apologize," he responded evenly. After a pause, his lighter jumped to life again to provide some light for them. He moved slowly closer to her, ready to stop or move back again if she seemed to look worse for it. It was one thing having a clone here on the Barge, it was another to have someone know someone who looked like him in their own life -- especially her husband.

"Yeah, sure. I'm alright. Just trying to keep some order around heah, you know? Keep people from killing each other just because they've got the dahk to do it in." He offered a tentative sort of expression, wondering if she would ever get used to him being here and feeling guilty for it. "Is there any way I can help you? I mean, I've got a weapon and a light.. if you need protecting or anything.."

[cauchemal]

She kept her back to the wall, but didn't pull away as he approached. She couldn't help staring at him; it was fascinating and faintly nauseating how much he looked like Dom. A little younger, perhaps? But the shape of the nose, the curve of a cheekbone ... She wanted to look away, but couldn't.

"I'm trying to get to the infirmary, to meet my warden," she admitted. "I know my way, but in the darkness, and who knows who is out here ..." Her gaze dropped for a moment. "I confess I would just as soon not go alone."

[lost_undercover]

"Yeah, sure," he nodded. Costigan gestured a thumb back the way he had come with his free hand, lighter still illuminating them for now. "Have you eaten? You should get your rations while they're still giving them out for this meal if you haven't. We can find your warden after that, but.. it's important to eat something."

It was mostly important to keep up ones strength and focus. When one was hungry, their attention was divided and they were that much more likely to die. Though it could be considered hypocritical, given that he didn't eat much himself, his mind was already fucked from the withdrawals and he had a hard time focusing on much of anything. Really, he roamed the halls looking for a distraction. In the dark, it was easier to read into his hallucinations and turn them into something more important to him.

[cauchemal]

When the power had gone out, she'd just returned to her room with her breakfast, but she hadn't eaten since then, and just then her stomach grumbled loudly enough that she couldn't imagine that Costigan hadn't heard it. She smirked a little, embarrassed. "You're right; I suppose I really ought to eat first. Very well, then."

[lost_undercover]

"Are you alright if I turn the light out? I don't have too much fluid left. I can.. keep a hand on your shoulder or something, if it helps." Costigan was trying to be sensible and delicate at the same time, something he had never particularly succeeded in. The closest he had come to sincere happiness had been with Madolyn those many months ago--years now and that had ended as poorly as everything else in his life. Though the man held many Catholic and traditional values related to women and his respect for them, that didn't mean he was any better at dealing with them.

[cauchemal]

"Of course. I'll be all right." She started to hold her hand out to him, but halfway there the gesture seemed to run out of energy, and she let her hand fall back to her side. She was suddenly unsure if she wanted him to touch her or not.

[lost_undercover]

Costigan caught sight of the gesture and its retreat with an even sort of expression. He might have grimaced if he hadn't trained himself through the years to stay as even as possible in situations like this. Thinking of the best way to possibly go about this, he let the light vanish and tucked the lighter back into its place in his pocket. Then he reached forward to where he remembered her hand to be, taking his hand in hers only for a moment. Costigan gently lifted her arm and twisted his own body until her left hand met the back of his right shoulder.

"Stay close, alright? Just in case." He still pushed the accent a little, but sometimes it was lost in normal words and he was half-panicked trying to help this woman he didn't know just because he looked like her lost husband. "You okay?"

[cauchemal]

She let out a the breath she'd been holding and nodded, then remembered that he probably couldn't see her. "Yes. Thank you." And for all her anxiety about touching him, she found now that they were closer, it was almost easier. He smelled different to Dom, and if she'd been the sort to give credence to that kind of talk, she might have said that his aura felt different. Between that and no longer being able to see his face, she felt that she could talk to him like a normal person now.

"Well. Lead on, Mr. Costigan," she said, almost lightly.

[lost_undercover]

Costigan nodded and didn't give thought to the notion that she wouldn't witness the gesture. It was more for himself than for her sake anyway. The former undercover moved evenly to avoid troubling her and with a decent knowledge of where things usually were. They had been trained, in the Academy, to move through gas and other sight-hindering obstacles and to know the distance of the places they frequented. He had never given much credence to it on the Barge prior to the blackout, but was surprised to know he still had a good feeling for where things were and how many steps it took to get from point A to point B. It made him reasonably decent as a guide

[cauchemal]

She noticed the movement of his hand as they entered the dining hall; she'd seen enough of weaponry and the like in dreams to guess that there was something concealed there. Still, she chose not to comment on it; it was his business, she felt. But it was an interesting piece of information.

"All right. I'll be right back." She went and collected the food and water, putting what she could in her pockets, and returned to Costigan. "Are you getting anything for yourself?"

[lost_undercover]

Costigan nodded to her as she left, waiting precisely where he said he would be. The kitchen and the dining halls were lit considerably more than most other areas of the Barge, some with abilities helping out, lanterns cast about, and fires in the kitchen itself providing additional vision.

When Mal returned to him, it took him a split second to realize that she wasn't just walking past him, having been keeping an eye on the general populace. His gaze returned to her as soon as she spoke, however, and his mind caught up quickly. "I already ate. You sure you don't want to eat here?"

[cauchemal]

She looked around the hall, hesitant. "I-no, I think not. I keep to myself and my own room as much as possible, in any case." And it was, perhaps, plain on her face that she distrusted the vast majority of the Barge's inhabitants. The infirmary, at least, contained people she was reasonably comfortable with.