♻ 010 | audio/spam

[tucky]

[warden filter]

So, uh-- when I first got here, Dr. Cambridge put an implant in me, so I wouldn't have to deal with periods and stuff. But it was a birth control thing too, so that means if I'm having sex I don't have to bother with condoms or nothing, right?

[She sounds hopeful. Please give her the green light to be irresponsible, guys!

(Just kidding, please don't.) ]

[spam]

[Little-known fact: the deck kind of freaks Tiffany out. Out there, space is right in your face, and there's so much of it-- it's impossibly big, and it makes her feel impossibly small. She's never even seen the ocean from the deck of a ship; seeing the entire universe from one is infinitely more overwhelming.

But it's also nice and peaceful, in a way-- not to mention beautiful. So sometimes when she's feeling particularly brave (and right now, post-port, she definitely is) she goes out onto the main deck. She almost always stays away from the railing, opting instead to stick as close to the side of the ship as possible. Sometimes she walks, but it makes her feel a little dizzy. Mostly, she can be found sitting down-- not on a bench, but on the floor, her back pressed against the solid, reassuring Barge wall.

It doesn't matter where she sits. Either way, she can still see the stars.]

[filtered to Mason; dated to after her conversation with Barbara]

This is the kind of message you aren't supposed to respond to and in fact you should delete it off your phone once you have read it and pretend you realized it all on your own. I know guys don't pick up signals sometimes but if I'm real honest girls are the same way even though we're supposed to be better at this stuff so don't feel bad. So in case you didn't already know the signal coming from me is this, I like how things are and will not be unhappy at all if nothing changes but if you asked me out on a date someday I would say yes.

[Look at her, using spellcheck! It doesn't help with punctuation issues, but still.]

Comments

[tucky]

[She gives him a glance of her own, but looks away quickly. She still remembers that he'd suggested they just stay away from each other, and even though she doesn't feel particularly antagonistic towards him anymore (she thinks he's a dick, but he's a familiar dick-- the kind of dick that's a dime a dozen back home; the kind of dick that she herself is, really), she isn't sure if that agreement still holds.

When she realizes he's watching her, though, she shifts uncomfortably. His expression doesn't look particularly hostile to her, but she's still wondering if this is supposed to be some kind of challenge.]

... Ain't you worried you're gonna fall over the edge?

[Though for all she knows, there's some kind of force field there to stop that from happening. She hasn't ever been close enough to the railing to know for sure.]

[americasdirtiest]

[Well, whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. He squints at her, then over his shoulder at the railing.]

...not unless I decide to jump the fuck off, not really.

[tucky]

What would happen if you did? You think the Barge would pick you up?

[Call her morbidly curious.]

[americasdirtiest]

I dunno. Probably. D'Amico tried to, like, windsurf off the back of the fucking thing once and I think they said if it wasn't a straight-up death toll he'd just be stuck out in space until we swung around to get him.

[tucky]

That sounds...

[Tiffany winces at that mental image. She's done reckless and dangerous things before, but nothing as (in her mind) insane as windsurfing off the back of a spaceship.]

... That sounds fucking terrifying, and I ain't afraid to say it. He's crazy.

[americasdirtiest]

[The word makes something shift in his expression, though it's impossible to tell what it is, or even if it's good or bad. He shrugs lazily and turns back around to tap his cigarette over the side.]

Mostly just stupid and totally fucking lacking in impulse control.

[And Mickey's the one who got demoted, so that's saying something.]

[tucky]

But he's a warden. He must be doing something right.

[At home, she'd accepted the idea that sometimes the people in charge don't deserve to be. But she has a lot of faith in the Barge right now, and in the Admiral, and feels confident that an incompetent warden would be demoted.]

[americasdirtiest]

Something, yeah. It's not like the screws are fucking saints, though. If anyone oughta know that, it's me.

[He turns back around, eyeing her skeptically.]

[tucky]

[She shrugs.]

You ain't as terrible as all that, I guess. You're a fucking dick, but... I don't know. You took the high road with me instead of fighting. You voted for Mason in Chris's betting pool.

[americasdirtiest]

Why the fuck does everybody think if I say I got demoted it's 'cause I'm looking for a fucking hug or some shit? Jesus Christ. Yeah, I bet on Mason -- he's fine, he's not gonna be here that long, it's a good bet. And I told you, I don't hit girls.

I'm just saying, don't act like the wardens are all made out of communion wafers and fucking holy water, 'cause they're not. There are plenty of twisted assholes on that side of the fence, too.

[tucky]

You think I wanna give you a hug? I ain't just saying shit to make you feel better, okay, I'm saying what I think. Calm the fuck down.

[americasdirtiest]

Good. Please fucking don't.

[tucky]

Why the hell would I want to?

[americasdirtiest]

[He snorts and rolls his eyes, dismissing the topic.]

What's got you so scared of the railing?

[tucky]

I'm not scared.

[Yes she is.]

It's just that... it's so big out there. There's so much of it and it's all around us.

[americasdirtiest]

...Yeah?

[Not getting it. At all.]

You know that's true back on Earth too, right? It's fucking space. That's what it's there for.

[tucky]

[She shoot him an annoyed look.]

It's different when you're up in it.

[But she pulls away from the wall a little, sliding herself-- still in a seated position-- a foot or two closer to the railing.]

... You really think Mason's gonna leave here soon?

[americasdirtiest]

[He shrugs, conceding the first point.]

Guess that's true. You can't see shit from up here in Chicago.

[The question... that takes him a moment to answer. He looks away again, flicking ash.]

I dunno. Maybe. Like anyone knows how the Admiral actually fucking decides on anything.

[tucky]

I mean, he could graduate and then stay. He'd be a good warden, I think. He's nice and sweet.

[Another experimental scoot, just a few inches this time.]

You from Chicago?

[americasdirtiest]

South Side, born and raised.

[He turns back to her, raising a brow slightly -- why would she want to know?] You're not. [Not with that accent.]

[tucky]

Nope. Never been.

[She doesn't even know what the "South Side" is, other than-- she assumes-- the south of the city.]

[americasdirtiest]

The fuck is it to you, then?

[Despite the profanity, it's not particularly belligerent. No more than his usual air of ground-in misanthropy, anyway.

Then he scoffs quietly and smirks as it clicks.]

Trying not to ask too many questions about your bangbuddy, huh.

[tucky]

What? No, I was curious, that's all. Wondering where you was from.

[He reminded her a little bit of people from home, which was why-- even though she didn't like him much-- him calling her a redneck in Chris's post had bugged her less than it would have if it had come from someone else.]

[americasdirtiest]

[Yeah, he doesn't get that. He doesn't have a lot of innate curiosity.]

Well... Chicago. Me 'n' Ian both.

[tucky]

Cool.

[She slides close enough to the railing that she could reach out and touch it if she wanted to; she almost does, but at the last second she gets spooked and changes her mind, skittering back to the comfort of the big, solid Barge wall.]

-- And I ain't ashamed to be asking a question about Mason.