spoilers: this is gonna end terribly

[wentnuclear]

» WHO? Raleigh and Yancy (sort of) and OTA for main log, closed starters in comments
» WHEN? 9am on the 20th - 9am on the 21st (this lasts EXACTLY 24 hours only though you can tag in whenever)
» WHERE? deck 2 corridors, mess hall, gym, Raleigh's quarters
» WHAT? Raleigh got an action. For a limited time only, a big brother!!! But there are a few catches...
» WARNINGS? massive pacrim spoilers, potential for violence/injury, discussions of death via giant alien monster and severe ptsd, will update if more arises!

[ As much as he doesn't really want to admit it, Raleigh is settling into a bit of a routine. The room he shares with Mako is even starting to feel... like theirs. It's strange, considering Raleigh has lived in many places without ever settling at all, has rented apartments that might as well have just been hotel rooms for all he nested. But the station feels sort of. Not homey but maybe like Shatterdomes used to. They've got pictures on the walls and a sense of camaraderie with their fellow captives. Though he didn't expect it to be the case, Raleigh actually likes most people he's met here.

Mako headed off to poke at the command deck early that morning and Raleigh hit the gym as usual, planning to meet her for a late breakfast after. That's where he's going now, freshly showered and running his fingers through his damp hair as he gets off the elevator on the mess hall deck. It's starting to feel a little longer than he likes to keep it, but it's not like the station has a barber. He ponders maybe asking Mako to try and trim it for him, but is thrown from his thoughts as he turns a corner and spots a jumpsuited figure lying on the metal floor, unmoving, a communicator droning the usual arrival message beside them. Somebody new is about to wake up. Raleigh breaks into a little jog, boots clanging, thinking that maybe he can be helpful. Help ease the stranger into this bullshit. That extra sound is enough to cause the man -- yeah, it's a guy -- to stir, groaning and sitting up. His back is to Raleigh, who notes idly that they have the same color hair. Go figure. ]

Easy, buddy. Take it slow, you'll be okay. Everybody wakes up with one hell of a--

[ He makes it to the end of the hall, slowing to a stop as the newcomer turns to look up at him and abruptly freezing mid-sentence because.

No.

This is impossible.

It's completely fucking impossible so clearly it's just the station fucking with him again, like people's visions and the voices in the walls. But Raleigh can't tear his eyes away, just stares in shock at his big brother, sitting there looking as solid and real as anything he's ever seen. Looking alive, somehow. ]

...Yancy?

Raleigh. [ The ghost's mouth quirks, and Yancy carefully picks himself up off the floor and glances around, moving stiffly but not like he's favoring any injuries. If he were a hallucination, wouldn't he be ripped to shreds? Not in a station jumpsuit looking like maybe he just had a few too many last night and is pissed Raleigh woke him up to enjoy the hangover. But he can't be real. He's dead, he's-- ] What kind of afterlife is this supposed to be?

[ Raleigh's mouth opens but nothing comes out so he just shuts it again, at a complete loss. It has to be a trick, but he finds himself playing along. ]

You remember?

Knifehead, yeah. Got us good, huh?

[ Slowly, he shakes his head. ] No, just... just you. Yancy, how--?

[ Something dark flickers through Yancy's eyes at that news, as it settles. Conflicts. And oddly, seems to resolve. He doesn't ask how he's here now, standing tall and holding a conversation, or where they are, or how Raleigh survived. He just lifts an arm, the same one Raleigh remembers him reaching out as he was torn away. Raleigh, listen to me, you-- and then the terror, the pain, and that terrible void. ] C'mere, kid.

[ Really, he should object. He's older now than Yancy was when he died, technically he's the big brother. Does it work that way? Who the fuck knows but he'd claim the technicality if he were processing this well enough to be casual about it. Instead all he can process is that Yancy is reaching for him and Raleigh just goes, nearly falling forward into his brother's arms and holding on tight. And it sure as fuck feels real. It must be. Somehow, Yancy is here. Tears prick Raleigh's eyes and he squeezes them shut. There's a lot of ground to cover, a lot of questions neither of them are going to be able to answer but some he can. They'll get there, though. Right now... ]

There's somebody you've gotta meet.

[ Anyone is welcome to have witnessed the tail end of this encounter, to hear Raleigh speaking brokenly to the silence of the corridor. No one else can see or hear Yancy, as they're about to find out. The brothers break apart and Yancy does ask something, then, but the simplest of the possible questions. Where are they? Raleigh huffs, then starts walking again, back down the hall towards the mess. The conversation is one sided to anyone around, Raleigh explaining things about the station like he's being prompted but there's nobody there. Who's he smiling at, looking so hesitantly joyful? Has he just snapped? You know what, just go over and ask him. ]

--

(( OOC: Okay so to keep things consistent regarding other characters' perceptions, I likely won't actually be RPing Yancy/describing exactly what Raleigh is seeing and hearing outside of what he tells people he is! You can wildcard catching a different one-sided convo (they're going to start arguing soon enough) or hit me up at cuddlebug to plot a closed starter, I may add something like a semi-OTA gym scene where they're sparring and Raleigh is inexplicably taking damage. ))

Comments

[oorah]

[ frank wanders into the gym sometime in the afternoon, keen to find someone to spar with. if he can't he'll resign himself to the weight bench. his ever-present shadow max is with him this time, though he'd usually leave him behind. karen had been busy looking over footage on the bridge and he's half-expecting to find clary here anyway and they're his most consistent dog-sitters. max is getting acclimated to all the excitement around here anyway, so he's not too worried about bringing him down, at least not until he starts barking. and it isn't a playful or greeting bark but a loud, piercing, warning thing. frank grimaces as he looks out to see what max is seeing, because the dog doesn't run after anything or anyone. he just keeps barking, and it's the same way he'd acted when the hologram/ghost lady had shown up in his room. ]

Shit.

[ in the center of the mat where he usually boxes raleigh, and there's the man in question - but he's alone. alone and yet fighting for his life, seemingly, or at least getting a really serious fight sesh on. his eyes widen, hanging back to try to get a gauge of what's happening, but he has to wonder not for the first time on this station if his eyes are telling him the whole truth. ]

Raleigh? [ a belated call as he tries to hold max at his side. whatever it is the dog doesn't want to approach anyway, and frank's shushing eventually gets him to quiet some, though a persistent whine takes up its place. he turns back to the scene just in time to see raleigh's face snap back. fuck. there's someone really fighting him. his adrenaline is already spiking, not sure whether to reach for his knife or just go in with his fists. ]

[wentnuclear]

[ The brothers do notice Frank's entrance, thanks to it being marked by Max's barks echoing off the inside of the tin can they're all in. But they're so into this fight that... whatever. Frank and Max can wait. They're honestly not trying to injure each other, but each want to win. Each has a point to prove.

Yancy used to be better than Raleigh at everything, but that was five years ago and Raleigh's motivations have shifted. Besides, this particular argument? Is over Yancy and Mako's lives, therefore too important to lose and words hadn't done the trick. Frank can just watch, if he can get Max to chill out a little. The dog's distress is actually encouraging, anyway -- at least someone besides him can tell Yancy is there.

But he is aware that Frank can't, and when the other man calls out he reluctantly takes a step away, only for Yancy to press in and hit him with an uppercut that snaps his head back. He scowls at his brother and holds his hands up in a cross in front of him ]

Quit it, man, give me a minute.

[ As much as he'd like to drop to the mat for a break, he won't give Yancy the satisfaction. So they both stand there breathing hard, Raleigh wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. ]

Frank, meet my brother. Except you can't, actually. Fuck if we know why... Max, you see him, right?

[oorah]

[ the timeout gets frank to calm somewhat, or at least to not immediately go in swinging. though he's taken a few long strides towards raleigh anyway in concern. he finds himself holding his breath until the other man explains. his brother. his dead brother. his heart picks up speed, eyes wide with fear now. first he gets a strange visit from hologram captain, then alex is seeing ghosts, and now... what? at raleigh's question, frank looks down at max as if to try and capture his answer. the dog tilts his head to the side and starts whining again. he definitely sees something. and frank saw something hit raleigh alright. ]

Uh. [ fuck, what does he do? he turns to the spot max and raleigh are staring at and nods once. ] Good to meet you, Yancy. This guy loves to flap his gums about you.

[ does he feel weird talking to open air? YEP. but if that were maria he'd want people to pay her the same respect, right? except for one minor catch: what if it isn't yancy at all? ]

[wentnuclear]

[ Raleigh seems pleased with Max's response, as the dog is clearly reacting to Yancy and that's a huge relief. He knows this is real, but everyone else's blatant denial of it really had him shaken for awhile there. And he's braced for Frank to act the same way, to go on about station tricks and how Raleigh needs to get his head checked, until... he blinks in surprise as Frank seems to decide to trust him and Max instead, and addresses Yancy directly.

No one's done that yet.

Yancy looks shocked for a moment, too, then grateful for just a flash before he turns to Raleigh with a knowing smirk. Uh oh. Gotta nip that in the bud. ]

Don't get so smug, he's exaggerating. [ Raleigh rolls his eyes at his brother, but there's a hint of a smile on his face now too. ] He does that a lot.

[ A beat, then he's shaking his head at whatever Yancy just asked him. ]

Frank was the first person I encountered here. Mako's the only one from home.

[oorah]

[ he shrugs as if to say am i though?? but he's taking a few steps forward now until he can join raleigh and (invisible) yancy. ]

I'm a dramaqueen, it's a character flaw.

[ max barks once as if to confirm it, but he's really just giving one last warning before advancing towards the weird disturbance in the area himself. soon man and dog are beside raleigh, looking at the blank space he calls a brother. ]

Yeah, my world's not cool enough to have Jaeger... things. We do have a bunch of dickbags who call themselves superheroes though.

[wentnuclear]

[ This is probably the most comfortable Yancy's looked all day, at least since he first woke up. It hadn't taken long, after all, for people to start denying he was there and Raleigh's incredibly grateful that some of that tension is lifting now. Maybe they can get past their shit without beating each other into pulp. Maybe.

Playing interpreter between Yancy and the rest of the station is going to get old fast, but for now it's all they can do, and they're on the same page here anyway. Just glad someone's speaking to him. Raleigh quirks an eyebrow at Frank. ]

You never mentioned superheroes. I know there are people around with powers but do you mean like comic book shit? Tights and capes, the whole deal?