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[ISS] Blue Paste? (Ash 2.8, Mar 2.10)

RichRich
in ISS Tsiolkovsky
image

Ashlee,

In the morning, you slipped out to shower and head to the cafeteria. Mi Sun and Jace slept in a bit. When you reach the cafeteria, a few members of Pods Sixteen (Olivar and Pax) and a couple from Eight (Gams and some joker named Finn) are eating. You see Mark standing in line for paste and breakfast. He's in a Corporal trainee uni, and Corporal Rys is standing in front of him.

What do you do?

Mark,

After training and shower, you hit the cafeteria with Rys. There are a couple students from Eight and Sixteen, you're early. Rys gets in line front of you (he heard they ran out of blue paste early, wants to get it if they've restocked). As you're standing there, Ashlee comes walking in.

What do you do?

Comments

  • scottscott
    image
    That night and the long morning after left me exhausted, but oddly hopeful. Like.... a little less alone. Mi Sun saw into my head and wasn't afraid... means something right?

    ---

    Uhhh....

    Stuck in the headlights for a moment. I really don't want to run into corporal Rys. And Mark is wearing what?

    But it's too late... they've already seen me. No way to dodge out now.

    "G... good morning... uh... corporal...ssss." I make it awkwardly plural as I step into the food line behind them.
  • RichRich
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    Ashlee and Mark,

    image Corporal Rys turns around to look at you, Ashlee, and offers a curt smile that evaporates when he says, "Mark Larsen's a trainee, not yet a Corporal. Good morning, Ashlee." He moves up to the dispenser and squirts out some blue paste into his bowl. The nozzle makes a "nearly empty" churning sound. He turns to hand the bowl to Ashlee, "Hey, welcome to the Speedball team, by the way."

    What do you do?
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
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    "Hey, Ashlee." I smile at her. "How ya doing?"

    I do not like the trainee corp uniform. It doesn't have any pockets, it's a weird grey-purple colour, and the trouser legs are a weird length, like they're too small for me. Do they all look this dorky? Maybe I just got a duff set from the printer.
  • scottscott
    edited June 2016
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    Trainee, Corporal, same thing... a moment of a sarcastic expression as I wonder what's the difference.

    For the record, yeah. Kind of dorky. But I ain't saying.

    "Good morn..." ok this has gone far enough, "no... no wait... speedball? Since when am I on the team, Mark? You never said anything about me actually being on the team." A big "what the hell" shrug, "seriously... I've never been invited to workouts... never been... uh... fitted for a uniform... never..."

    I search for more clever things to say. Not great at saying clever things.

    "It's a cute Idea but I'm... look at me, I'm not exactly... built for speedball...." I realize I am actually looking up at them both. Sigh. I know I'm not the type.. I wanted to so much... I want to. But Zola...
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
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    "I said you'd be our secret weapon, right?" I say to Ashlee. "Make sure you print the change strip too, before you come to practice."

    I wait for Rys to get his breakfast and roll my eyes at the red "run out" light that turns on over the blue-paste nozzle when it's my turn. I get the green cubes instead.

    I look at Ashlee, then around the room. "Where do you want to sit?"
  • scottscott
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    I try to answer him about that secret weapon thing, "yeah... but I thought you meant," I gesture roughly towards pod eight. My little scouting mission was more what I had in mind. I'm on the spot here.

    I stand there tight-lipped as he ignores me long enough to get his food. I follow uncomfortably and get the same.

    "Anywhere..." I glance around, then deliberately avoid sitting near anyone from pod eight and take a seat at an empty table, "here... ok?"

    I sit down first, not letting Mark tell me where to be.
  • RichRich
    edited June 2016
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    Ashlee and Mark,

    Rys heads off to speak with Pax, leaving you both alone.
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
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    I sit down opposite Ashlee. I eye her blue paste somewhat enviously.

    "Yeah, sorry if it wasn't clear, about you playing. I mean, you're OK with it, right? Size isn't everything. Don't worry about that."

    I pick up a single green cube with my chopsticks and taste it tentatively. Not so bad, today. No minty aftertaste.
  • scottscott
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    I watch the green cube go into his dirty mouth. Yeah... the bed thing still burns. I don't take a bite yet as he's watching me so closely.

    "It's... not everything. But it's something..." I wanted to play, but after the Zola thing I do look legitimately concerned, "I kind of gzve up on the idea. You know? But..." I glance at the other speedballers around the room. "Not like I have anything to lose... worth a shot, right?"
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
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    I nod.
    "That's what I like about speedball, you know? There's something everyone can do. I mean, every shape of person. You get other sports where if you're not super tall, you may as well not show up. Or where if you're big, you can't play. Or whatever. But in speedball..." I'm warming to my theme now. "... it's like, I mean yeah, there are things you can do to get better at playing, and tactics to learn. But everyone on the court has a bunch of things they can do and no one else has that same combination."

    Uh. I'm talking too much. And Ashlee is just kind of looking at me, not eating. I look back down at my food and poke at a brownish spheroid of unidentified protein.

    My jaw starts to itch. Great. Incoming message from the voice in my head.


    Mark gives the voice a string.
    Ashlee, tell me one of your secret fears, secret desires, or secret strengths.
  • scottscott
    edited June 2016
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    He's kind of going on about... nothing. I probably look a little dubious.

    "I'll just... have to give it a try, ok? I know the drokking rules," a little dry humor there, "just have to get the feel of the team. And uh... practice. A lot."

    A secret fear? So many... but something on my mind right now. If I join the speedball team, what happens if I hurt someone? What happens if I go all out and lose control and someone gets... damaged?
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
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    Strange that Ashlee should be so worried about hurting someone else. And not herself. I look at the shapes of her bones and wonder which part of her will break first. A cracked rib, maybe. A fractured metatarsal. Something more permanent.

    People break, that's just how it is. They get reassembled. That's one reason we don't get helmets or pads like adult players do. We're easy to knit back together. And people on the upper decks want us to feel pain. So said Haladay, once. He might've just been trying to wind me up but it had the ring of truth. More so than the official explanation that the junior game is "lower impact".

    "You're afraid you'll lose control," I say to Ashlee. Quietly, so no one else will hear. "Why? What would happen?"
  • scottscott
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    How did he... he's looking at me. At my body. He whispers something surprising, though. I reply in whispers.

    "What?" he can probably tell that got to me, "no... why would you say that? I'm not as... strong as someone like... well... pretty much anyone..."

    Lose control? He doesn't know. No way Mark understands the first thing about me. I try to laugh it off. Change the subject, but I suck at that and say exactly what I don't want to.

    "Pfft, it's not like I'm going to hurt someone," stomm why did I say that? "I n... never hurt anyone... how could I?"
  • RichRich
    edited June 2016
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    Mark,

    You have hit your fifth string with the Voice In Your Head.
    You can’t get what you need, anymore. Your Soul Debt has come due. The Voice in Your Head will now make open-ended demands of you.

    Whenever you fulfill those demands, remove a String it holds on you. You regain access to your Soul Debt when the The Voice in Your Head has no more Strings on you, or when you agree to an even worse bargain with an even more dangerous dark power.

    "Mark Larsen," you hear through your comm link, "Bring Ashlee to Corporal Eff. For processing."
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
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    "Right, so don't worry about that. Unless there's something you're not telling me?"

    I turn my head when the comm message comes in. I'm silent for a while. I look up at Ashlee. No, she didn't hear it. I am filled with an empty feeling.

    I slurp the last of my soy milk from the carton, push back my chair and stand up.
    I could do this more gently, but she'll have to learn some time. There is no point in fighting.

    I could wait till we're outside, keep the other children calm. But no.

    "Ashlee. Come with me."
  • scottscott
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    What? That's sudden. A sharp change in his attitude. Did I say something wrong?

    I've barely touched my food but I don't feel hunger... it's another feeling in my stomach. Unsettled.

    Once we get near the hall I ask, "what's going on? We going to the court?"

    Just a little confused why in the middle of meal time. If he wants me to play he should drokking let me eat.
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
    edited June 2016
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    Sure, the court, whatever. "Yeah, come on."
    I start off in the direction of the speedball court, but slowly.

    I ping Eff and leave a message on her Navi, but I'm careful not to say her name out loud. "It's Mark. Larsen. I'm with Ashlee Rai. We're in hall 122."

    I walk on, trying to put my hands in pockets that this stupid cadet uniform doesn't have.

    "Ashlee, are you in some kind of trouble?"
  • RichRich
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    Ashlee and Mark,

    You hear Corporal Eff's voice clearly come back through the Navi, "Understood. Good work, cadet. I'm on my way, there in five."
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
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    I stand close to Ashlee and look up and down the hallway. Looking for Eff. Looking for trouble.

    "What's the deal with this 'processing' thing anyway, Ashlee?"

    I ask like it's no big deal because it isn't, really. We're all going to get "processed" within the year. Maybe Ashlee is first.
  • scottscott
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    Wait did I hear that?
    I suddenly turn pale, tense, look up and down the hall.
    "What's going on, Mark? Are you really doing this?" Is he leading me into a trap? Why the hell did he ask if I'm in trouble then?

    "Are the corps after me? Are you one of them?" He can tell I'm ready to run if I don't like the answer. Five minutes, huh? Plenty of time to get lost... and I want to hear what Mark has to say.

    "Well?"
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
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    Of course I'm one of them - I gesture at the uniform with a yes, duh expression on my face.

    "I think you know more about it than I do," I reply. "What do you have that needs processing?"

    I can see Ashlee eyeing possible exits.

    "I don't know why you're eyeing possible exits. There's nowhere to... well, OK, there's like one place you can hide but there's no food or water. And you'd have to avoid the cleaning robots in the vents."

    Huh. There's an access hatch right there. I try not to look at it.
  • scottscott
    edited June 2016
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    I'm becoming even more hateful of Mark with every moment. He's dressed like one of them, but that doesn't mean he is one, right? Why did I even ask?

    But...

    Is he helping me? Is he offering to let me get out of here? Giving me a moment?

    "Someone's been sending the corps after me... Mark... if you didn't know..." I say quietly, seriously, and slowly step away from him towards that vent he's trying not to look at. He gave me the idea, of course, the other day when he slipped away with Nadja to drokk in some dark corner of the ship.

    It's clear that's what I'm doing, and I'm keeping an eye on him I sort of ask without asking if he's going to try and stop me, "if I stay here... it's gonna be bad for everyone..."
  • RichRich
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    Ashlee,

    You certainly seem to be Running Away right now. Let's see some dice on that!
  • scottscott
    Not sure I'm running away as much as seeing if Mark will let me go. If no, then certainly running.
  • CoalhadaCoalhada
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    "I don't know anything about that, I only signed up to get Tabitha out of iso," I say. "But look, the corps always know where you are. If they were looking to grab you before, they would have."

    More of that dark hinting about bad things happening. I step forward to keep Ashlee within arm's reach.
  • scottscott
    image
    Real fear. He's not being aggressive, but he's part of it. Now he is.
    "N... no... I have to go..." a panicked look up and down the hall. has it been five minutes? No... not even close, right?

    Running away: (+volatile)
    (Rolled: 2d6+2. Rolls: 4, 1. Total: 7)
  • scottscott
    I choose to leave something behind.
  • RichRich
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    Mark,

    Ashlee bolts, heading for the ducts. You watch her go, Eff doesn't make it in time, of course. There's a glint of something shiny on the floor, a silvery chain or something. When you look at it, it's a locket, a half-heart locket. You've seen this in Nadja's room, she showed it to you once, in a curio box. She didn't tell you about it, though.

    Ashlee,

    You get the drokk out of there, ducking into the vents and crawling as fast as you can.

    End Scene
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