Come Sail Away IC Inbox

[crushed_pearls]

Erin's voice mail message is in a weary voice: "Erin Peters. If you called in the middle of the night and I didn't answer, I'm dying. If I pick up and someone on your end isn't dying, they will be shortly. Text otherwise."

Comments

Text

[serialskiller]

There is something you can do that will help me. Can I meet you somewhere?

-SecUnit

Re: Text

[crushed_pearls]

Faster than I expected but I'll take the win. What can I do for you? Send. Send. End message. Deliver. Done. FUCKING how do I - there it is

A second message follows.

My mom didn't raise no bitch but it seems she definitely raised a fool. Sorry about that.

[serialskiller]

I'd rather discuss it in person. Can I meet you somewhere?

[crushed_pearls]

Right you said that and I just walked right past it. I don't know the ship well yet. Where's private enough to be comfortable? I remember you said lots of conversation isn't ideal.

My cabin is right out. Yours could work?

[serialskiller]

My cabin can work. 119.

What's wrong with yours?

[crushed_pearls]

I can't have anyone in my space right now. On my way.

And thus does Erin set off, on a journey to Knock Politely.

[serialskiller]

"It's unlocked, come on in."

Murderbot's inside, sitting on the bed. On the dresser is a small media player, some show playing until she steps inside (when it pauses the serial and turns toward her).

[crushed_pearls]

Erin finds a corner to put her back to once she shuts the door. She's shaking, a little; face still a bit red, amorphous hair particularly stormy and unsettled. But she's got her best game face on.

"Thank you for thinking of me," she says by way of greeting. "...'cha need?"

[serialskiller]

"...if you're not up for it, that's okay."

It may not be good at reading emotions, but humans aren't supposed to be vibrating.

[crushed_pearls]

"Nah, 's fine. Well no, but this kind of thing helps. It's...hard to find the balance between being alone enough to work on my shit vs. self-isolating until I can't tell all the voices apart. I've just been..."

Crying.

"Working. On that. I'm a big girl, I'll turn you down if I have to."

[serialskiller]

How to start with actually articulating its needs.

"Sarge vanished. He'd been doing it for me. People here vanish sometimes. We don't know where they go. Maybe back home? Probably not."

[crushed_pearls]

Well that's fucking ominous.

Erin takes in a breath. "Alright. I'm gonna walk past that part for now: doing what?"

[serialskiller]

"I don't sleep. I completely shut down to recharge. And I won't do that here unless someone's guarding my body. I need someone who's willing to sit with me when I'm down for a few hours. Otherwise...I can go without for a while, but my performance reliability drops steeply after a few days."

[crushed_pearls]

"Me?"

A whole lot of feelings well up in Erin's chest at this casual expression of trust. Immediately they form an alliance with her panic and depression; a sob escapes her throat, and she holds out a finger in the universal 'give me a minute' gesture. She fights down the tears she can't cry, armor tinkling with the shake of her body.

The gunpowder in the air around her sizzles wetly.

"I - I mean, I accept obviously, but. Why me?"

[serialskiller]

"Because you told me that you need something to do to help. And I believe you're actually competent. I saw you at Darcy's little fight club. I was watching."

Its drones were watching, more closely than it. But it was watching, before Dimitri beat it up.

[crushed_pearls]

Erin gives a weak "ha!" and shakes her head. The ghost of a smile flickers on her lips. "Better class of work than I'm used to, and I'm happy to help. Let's talk details. Any set time you prefer to shut down? Anyone in particular after you at the moment? And uh." She pauses. "What amount of dead do you want intruders turned to?"

[serialskiller]

“The timing doesn’t matter, and if need be it can be every other day instead of every day. Sarge and I were doing afternoons. I watched over him as he napped, in exchange. People after me? Not actively. Max and I don’t get along, but he wouldn’t come after me recharging, I don’t think.”

The last question needs a moment of thought.

“People are fine when they come back from the dead. Leave them in pain.”

[crushed_pearls]

That ghostly smile solidifies into something vicious. "Loud and clear, SecUnit. I'm fine with daily but I do have fight club. Can you swing mornings, say at eight?"

[serialskiller]

"I can do that, yes. Usually my roommate isn't in here at that time, but if she does enter, don't hurt her unless she becomes a threat to me. She's...okay."

[crushed_pearls]

Erin nods thoughtfully. "I'm picking up, then, that you want me posted inside the room. Couple other questions: what does your roommate look like, and do you make sudden noises during the boot process?"

[serialskiller]

“Jinx is shorter than me. Long hair, blue, usually worn in pigtail braids. Clothing that shows off her skin. Pink eyes. She’s loud, energetic. As for my boot process, no. I boot silently.”

Surprise, it’s living with that particularly dangerous youngblood who’s prone to blowing herself up.

[crushed_pearls]

"Oh!" Erin brightens up Fucking Considerably. "I met Jinx on the beach and again playing Never Have I Ever. She's cursed me with a need to try hair dye for uh, witchcraft reasons. She...seems like she's been going through some things."

Like me.

"Last relevant question, though I suspect that I know the answer since security is your day job: the times of your rest are secret, yes?"

[serialskiller]

“Jinx is definitely going through things. It’s hard for her, here. I mean, it’s hard for everyone, I know, but. She seems to feel things a lot more intensely than some people.” Like it.

“As for secrecy, in theory. In practice, I’m sure people realize that if my drones aren’t active, I’m probably inactive somewhere.”

[crushed_pearls]

"Ahh, that's those little fragments that have the light behind your eyes. I'd wondered how you got so small and airborne."

[serialskiller]

“...what.”

She’s going to need to unfold that a little bit...