iselldrugstothecommunity: (My default state is mild paranoia.)
Howard Bassem ([personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity) wrote in [community profile] trans_92011-12-30 06:57 am

And We're Gonna Pull Through [Bendytimed to After System Shock]

It's probably a solid two weeks before Christmas is due, assuming that their Thanksgiving dinner was on schedule which, given the nature of the ship, it presumably wasn't. But the robot attack was terrifying and disheartening and exhausting, and Howard wants a holiday, so according to him, it's Christmas. A nice, relaxing break from things trying to kill them.

Aside from this strand of Christmas lights doing its damnedest to strangle him, that is. Howard's managed to get it around his neck, and if it weren't for the fact that finding light strands is hard enough on Stacy, would be cutting it off with scissors.

He's still a bit beat-up, bandages around his head and his knees and one looping around his torso, under his shirt, but thanks to the healers and medical technology on Stacy he's not in much pain. His foot being in a brace is the worst of it.

He's managed to salvage an old plastic tree from a run-down building. A few packets of hot cocoa from the Warehouse sit on the table. Flossy Raptor is downstairs and dressed in a Santa hat and bizarrely, a feather boa in a shade of green too lime-ish to be Christmassy. A clunky-looking dog-sized gift for Zouichi is by the couch, wrapped in tin foil and newsprint, and another is on the table for Karis, although it's unwrapped. No one else quite makes Howard's list this year.

He pulls his way out of the tangle of lights. Christmas numero dos sans his family. Christmas numero uno on Stacy. He finds he's less okay with the former than he was last year, but more okay with the latter than he'd presumed.

Anyone who walks into the kitchen of the Susono Inn will be greeted by the rare and unusual sound of Howard humming. Go Tell It On the Mountain, actually. He even sings the section of the first verse that he vaguely remembers under his breath.

"Go tell it on the mountain, up over the hills and everywhere, go tell it on the mountain, tell them something, I don't care."

[identity profile] kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com 2012-01-04 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
"You're far from being the only person that feels that way, trust me," Kaya said. "Goody two shoes or not, the moment I got here I wanted to be an asset to this ship. It was why I started the Outsiders, why I trained my butt off to become stronger, why I was trying to be a nurse for a little while."

She sighed. "When it comes down to it, the longer that we go without proper training and seriousness, the less prepared we'll be when the actual Ohm come for us."

[identity profile] kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com 2012-01-04 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
"Feeling safe isn't even something I feel comfortable with," Kaya said, rolling her eyes. "Usually when there's a lull, that means that something worse is coming. But there are places on the ship to take your mind off that for a little while, I guess."

[identity profile] kaya-waterwave.livejournal.com 2012-01-04 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
Sadly, Kaya wasn't exactly in the forgiving mood. She may have understood why people wanted to pretend things were better after the fight, but actually DOING nothing about it just seemed to make a mockery of all that had been fought about to begin with.

"It's not the best way to live, but its a way to survive," she said quietly, thinking of Zhin. "In the end, its that basic part of us that wants to live, so expecting the unexpected doesn't leave us defenseless."