reach the residents

[ximilian]

● ● ● REACH THE RESIDENTS

For any questions you want to ask Viveca or Degar and receive an IC response, please direct them here. Please indicate in the subject line who you are trying to contact.

// VIVECA

Hi, what can I help you with?

// DEGAR

Today was gonna be the day, but they'll never throw it back to you. And by now, you should've somehow realized what you're not to do.

▶ NAV

Comments

[stationmaster]

He'll say that. [ how many times had the party smoked pipeweed before a tough mission? a battle? just for the hell of it? ] I think maybe he just wanted you guys to relax a little.

[ there's a soft exhale. ]

You know what? Yeah. Yeah, I could use some.

[tochnyy]

I'm glad we didn't. That stuff will knock a man to the floor. [ maybe the great mulgrowe just had a really high tolerance and he and mccoy were uprepared, though.

there's a soft chuckle in response. ] I'll leave it at the door to your secret lair, yeah?

wow i'm so sorry for the delay

[stationmaster]

Hope he told you about taking small doses with that stuff.

[ because yeah that's kind of exactly what it sounds like ... boys, you didn't go overboard, did you? ]

Yeah. [ he breathes out a mirroring chuckle. ] Better idea, though: how about I teach you how to take the right dose? If you're willing to try it again, I mean.

no worries!

[tochnyy]

No… he didn’t mention anything about doses or the strength. [ then again he did say it would make you see things that weren’t there, they should have known.

there’s a pause on the other side before mal laughs again. ] I am willing if there’s an expert present. Where do I report for training?

[stationmaster]

Probably assumed you already knew.

[ there's a small exasperated (endearingly) sigh to that. ]

Training? [ degar chuckles despite himself. thanks for that mal. ] Come on, man, don't take the fun outta this.

[tochnyy]

Probably. [ and that's why they were so doomed!

he laughs too and shakes his head, already on his way to meet degar at the entrance to the north wing. ] There's fun in some training. I bet training for a food eating competition is a dream!

[ he laughs again, even if the words sounded incredulous for a moment. mal's never trained for such a thing, not sure they're actually something that would happen in ravka. the common folks might revolt. he's heard of it though, amongst the crew. lucky bastards.

it's not long before mal's reached his destination, standing outside the locked doors with pipeweed and a pipe in his pocket. ] I hope you have a lighter in there, Captain.

[stationmaster]

[ degar makes a sound of protest, like he really isn't sure he can agree with 'training' having any positive connotation. of all the rooms in this station, the training room is probably his least favourite.

stick a whole banquet of food in there for 'training' purposes and it's sure to put him off eating for a while too. ]

It's Commander— [ said teasingly, but also like, it's kinda true okay. he earned that title, however much it does or doesn't mean. ] —and of course I do. I didn't offer to teach you without coming prepared.

[tochnyy]

[ mal laughs at that and dips his head, deference that's playful even if it'd give way to seriousness were the situation to call for it. after all, degar hasn't betrayed his trust thus far and has shown to keep them safe. ] Well, then, we're all set, Commander.

I have the goods. [ he lifts the pouch from his pocket, giving it a little shake. it's less full than it was when the great mulgrowe gave it to him but there's plenty left. he's not giving it all away. mal's a soldier used to rationing, after all. ]

[stationmaster]

Great. Come on in, take a seat.

[ all the paraphernalia has been set up — by which to say there's definitely a lighter and the commander has dragged in some cushions from the old sleeping quarters.

best to learn in comfort after all. ]

Wow. I have not seen that stuff since —

[ well, since he was back in alydhion himself. ]

The GM really did give you the good stuff.

[tochnyy]

[ mal walks over toward where degar has his paraphernalia laid out, the cushions ready. he appreciates it. last time, he made close friends with the floor of an inn and no cushions could be found.

he sits down, sets the pouch down between them. ] Sounds like it's the best.

He wasn't stingy with it [ he chuckles, shaking his head. ] Rest of it's yours.

apologies for the long delay!

[stationmaster]

[ oof, that's rough, bud. whenever you get into something like this, comfort is always a priority.

this and other wise pearls of wisdom will be a part of your lessons today. ]

Really? [ that's very generous of him. but degar shakes his head, already prepping the lighter. he doesn't waste any time. ] This is meant to be shared. We'll share it.

no worries at all ♥

[tochnyy]

[ mal watches degar for a moment and then smiles, nodding. ] Alright then. Deal.

Might be good to save some until after a particularly hard mission anyway. [ and he doesn't doubt there'll be more like that coming. ]

cw: drugs

[stationmaster]

You know, you're not wrong. This stuff can really come in handy after a hard mission.

[ he feels like he should say something about using this stuff responsibly, some kind of 'stay-in-school' PSA. buuut that's not his style, so he accepts the bag and starts to prepare a couple of very nice, very fat little rolls to smoke.

one of which he passes now to mal. ]

The trick here is to fill just enough to get a nice relaxing time, but not to stuff it. See this? This is the perfect dose for a calm mind and a really great sleep.

[ in other words, you won't be lying on the floor drooling and babbling nonsense. ]

[tochnyy]

Hopefully we get lucky and don't need to ration for the next few. [ the psa would be lost on him, honestly, so it's good that degar saves his breath.

mal watches the man roll the pipeweed, taking that piece of knowledge in for another time. he's sure that he'll need it. he'd thought there would be a pipe involved but he'll take this. it's way more efficient. he reaches out to take the pipeweed cigarette. ] So we did this wrong when we packed as much as we could into the end of a pipe, then?

[stationmaster]

[ this is the bare-bones, this-is-how-we-do-it-in-elindes style, a little different from the great mulgrowe's preference to be sure but equally as effective.

the two of them may have traded smoking secrets during their time together too. ]

If you weren't with the G-M, then yeah. A little, probably.

[ he chuckles. ]

But hey, as long as you had a good time, that's really the point, isn't it?

[tochnyy]

Just Doctor McCoy and I. [ he offers as an answer. which is to say, they had no idea what they were doing between the two of them.

mal nods, waiting for degar to light the pipeweed cigarette and pass it between them. ] We did. Even if we both felt like we were becoming one with the floor.

It felt like the sort of night I might have had with Dubrov and Mikhail before we were stationed near the Fold. [ and there's a smile on his lips, even if there's a tinge of sadness in his eyes as he thinks about it. ]

[stationmaster]

Yeah? Just hanging out with your friends, feeling like nothing in the world could burst that silly, stupid bubble?

[ degar can relate.

how many campfires had the brigade sat around, telling jokes and stories and lighting up pipeweed and drinking ales?

it was almost ... fairytale. ]

let's also ignore how long this took...

[tochnyy]

Exactly like that. Like there were no battles to be fought, no mythical creatures to find. [ then he frowns, looking up at the ceiling and wishing he could see ravkas stars. ] A simpler time we didn't realize was running out.

If I could go back, I'd give Dubrov less of a hard time each time he insisted on one last round of cards. Each time he lost whatever money we'd won in the fights because he was too drunk to see straight, let alone tell he was being conned. [ pass that joint, commander. this soldier is in need. ]