i hear the voices getting louder

[resleeves]

» WHO? takeshi kovacs + ota
» WHEN? throughout the weekend and next week
» WHERE? chapel, fitness area, bar, and various others
» WHAT? causing trouble
» WARNINGS? language but nothing else as of yet

001. chapel

[ he's not here to pray.

he's not here to do anything but sit in the quiet and think. it's been a few weeks since the arrival of the backpack (which sits on the bench beside him) and he'd thought, for a few hours, that maybe more things would arrive. maybe a gun or an oni or fuck, he'd take ortega herself showing up. but nothing else familiar arrives.

he's even started seeing less of quell. she's still there when he sleeps but the glimpses of her he used to catch from the corner of his eyes are happening less and less. he's not sure if that means his fragged mind is healing or getting worse.

maybe it seems she's alive somewhere. yeah right, what a fucking miracle that would be. he'd seen her explode and he'd probably walked on the ashes that had been her body as he'd tried to get off harlan's world.

while he's alone, he reads a few of the quotes off the wall and then reaches into the backpack to physically throw garbage at the ones he doesn't like (which is all of them). he knew that some of this shit would come in handy and making a mess was juvenile but he had fuck all else to do.

it wasn't like anyone would notice. this place was a mess anyway. ]

002. fitness area

Well, this is just fucking boring.

[ ever since the new sleeve, he's never really done a lot of solo training. quell's training two sleeves ago had stuck and from then on, a life spent being hunted and taking out those he'd been paid to kill had left him in decent enough shape.

then, there had been the life sentence and over two centuries spent on ice doing absolutely nothing. ryker's death had left a physically capable sleeve behind even if it was a sleeve that she had a fucking attachment to, unbeknownst to him until he'd been wearing the sleeve for awhile.

he drops the backpack on the ground and circles the room, staring down at the pool and making a face. didn't look like any place he wanted to take a swim in. plenty of people had probably pissed in that.

these facilities were a long way from even carnage's shitty little spectacle. at least he'd had a cheering section and some competition. ]

Ain't none of that here.

[ of course he'd think that. of course. ]

003. bar

[ even kovacs could tell the alcohol was running low. he kept expecting to stop in (during one of his daily walks through the station) and see more of it. but, that hadn't happened yet. bottles were half empty, knocked over and collecting dust.

kovacs spends some time behind the bar, remembering the one time he'd had a bartender who made some decent drinks before she'd up and disappeared. lucky fucker. if she wasn't here, she had to be somewhere better.

and yet, he's still here, stuck. one of the bottles he picks up and brings up to sniff is filled with something so strong that it burns the lining of his nose and actually makes him blink. ]

Smells like fuel.

[ which meant it was fucking perfect.

kovacs made his way over to one of the booths and laid down, long legs dangling over the side. the backpack was placed on his stomach and the bottle on the table. he stared up at the ceiling, wondering how plausible it would be to just kick his way out of this place.

answer: not plausible at all.

where was poe and his arsenal when you really needed him? ]

004. wildcard

[ got something else in mind? feel free to make it happen. hit me up at spoonishly to plot! ]

Comments

001

[possidetur]

( vanessa doesn't feel like she belongs here. she'd stepped away from god -- her god. though she had to question whether in space he still listened. whether he still could.

vanessa didn't know what it mattered, whether anything could change, but it had still brought her here. that feeling of being lost, of having what she'd thought was true almost shattered. the future was a strange place. here was a strange place.

she'd come in wondering if being there would offer any clarity or some sort of feeling. kovacs display changed that and she wondered briefly if there's always be trouble when they met each other.

vanessa's steps are light as she approaches, her arms wrapped around herself )

I'm not certain that He would approve.

( it's said in jest, whether or not kovacs believed. vanessa wasn't certain anymore but what she'd learned couldn't easily be forgotten )

Re: 001

[resleeves]

I'm not certain I care what He thinks.

[ had he ever been religious? maybe, once. maybe he'd prayed over and over again while his father hurt his mother. maybe he'd asked for help and guidance and protection and when he'd never received it, he'd taken matters into his own hands and protected himself, his sister. ]

I'm not certain I believe He exists.

[ religious coding was a big thing on earth but kovacs had never understood why people put so much faith and time into someone who never gave you anything back. you died -- permanently -- for him and you got nothing. ]

This is some pretentious writing though.

[possidetur]

( vanessa doesn't comment on his belief, not when she's as equally uncertain as to her own. she takes a step forward, looking towards the writing that he'd been throwing things at )

It seems that it was built for all in mind.

( judging by the writing at least )

I'm not certain what some of these say.

[resleeves]

You're not missing out.

[ there are some that he can't decipher either but he's not exactly rushing to find a translation either. it's probably a bunch of shit about helping the poor and opening your heart and what a bunch of fucking bullshit. ]

You think whoever was here before us used this place?

[ had they prayed before whatever fucking catastrophic shit had happened? had they asked for some guidance and been denied? wouldn't have surprised kovacs. ]

[possidetur]

I believe so.

( someone would have even if it wasn't used by everyone that had lived here. particularly if things had started going disastrously )

Even so far home they may have felt the need for guidance.

» 002

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ The man who walks into the gym is one she's seen in passing but not yet spoken to in person. There's something about his voice that she recognizes, though, and she wonders if he's one of the people who'd responded to her message on the network after the Accident. She watches him for a moment from where she's been lifting small weights, her eyes following him as he moves through the room, and it's when he passes the pool that she makes her decision. Setting the weight aside, she takes a deep breath before heading over to him, the top of her jumpsuit undone and the sleeves tied around her hips to expose a black sports bra, barely toned torso, and long strips of dark pink scars down her back. If he's paying attention, he might notice the tattoo on her left forearm reading M4827 or the silver cuff bracelet on her right wrist, though she doesn't much care if he does or not. ]

Hey there, sugar. You look like this is your first time in here.

Re: » 002

[resleeves]

[ even though he's not looking at her, the voice is familiar, niggles at the back of his mind until he remembers she'd been the one talking about dying and death and blindness.

what a pleasant conversation that had been. ]

It's not. But, I've never really looked around.

[ he'd come in here once, just to fight with ricki, and then he'd left. it hadn't seem very desirable to just hang out in here but with the alcohol running out, guess he's going to have to find something to outlet his tension in.

he pulls his attention away from the equipment and looks over at her. she's not what he pictured when they'd been talking but he takes in the scars, the the hips, the torso and the tattoo. he takes it all in quickly and then looks back at her. ]

How's the sight?

[ she seems to be doing better with that, at least. ]

Looks like it came back, huh?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Look, if she'd been able to avoid having that conversation, she would have. He's the one who brought up expectations of waking up to a bloodbath on the station.

The once-over doesn't surprise or bother her. She's used to it, and used to not being what people expect. It's something she's learned to embrace over the years, and sometimes she even enjoys thwarting those assumptions of who and how she should be. ]

I've still got some peripheral blurring, but it's getting there. Thankfully. I was worried for a while that it wouldn't.

[resleeves]

[ kovacs doesn't actually know what he'd do without his vision. he has to assume there are some sleeves like, blind or deaf, and if you're inserted into one of those, you just have to figure out how to live or you had to kill yourself.

and that was generally frowned upon. only meths had the ability to pick and choose their bodies. if you weren't a rich prick, you got what you were given. ]

Good for you.

[ neutral tone, blank expression. but that was just his way. it was good to know, just for future deaths (that would more than likely happen), that any side effect would go away with time. ]

Guess that means you haven't died again, huh?

[ very sensitive. now that he thinks about it, he eyes the pool and then her. ]

No lingering fear of this place?

001

[holyhalone]

[Aymeric, on the other hand, had been praying - knelt at a bench with his head bowed and his hands clasped, elbows resting on the seat. He'd been mouthing scripture to himself when the sound of something lightly hitting the wall made his long and pointed ears twitch. And then it happened again, pulling him out of his focus and putting a frown on his face, though he tried to ignore it. The third time, Aymeric finally opened his eyes and glanced at the perpetrator, who was deliberately tossing random objects at the words written on the walls.]

... What exactly do you think you're accomplishing?

Re: 001

[resleeves]

Pissing you off.

[ that hadn't been exactly what he'd been going for but now that the guy had spoken up, it's easy for kovacs to act like that had been his intention.]

Is it working?

[holyhalone]

[Aymeric opened his mouth, though he looked a bit lost for words, furrowing a brow at the man.]

... I'm rather more confused than angry. Is this how you treat with all strangers or have I done something exceptional to garner your ire?

[resleeves]

Oh, you're not special. I treat everyone like this.

[ he smiles placidly before going right back to what he'd been doing. how dare someone interrupt his very busy trash throwing activity. ]

I don't even know who you are.

003 - we really have to stop meeting like this

[lightduties]

[It's more habit and an itch to scratch than anything that has Rhea'li returning to the bar. He knows the alcohol is running low, and the two bottles he's taken when he first went to the bar he never got to drink, having gotten smashed on the floor when the gravity generator turned off and on again.

At first, he thinks he's the only one here when he steps over the threshold. But he spots the pair of legs sticking out. It's more out of concern that there might be someone passed out at the bar that he approaches, but once he enters the booth his eyes widen slightly in surprise, the tips of his ears perking.]

There are better places to sleep than here.

Re: 003 - we really have to stop meeting like this

[resleeves]

Who says I'm sleeping?

[ he'd just been resting his eyes. sleep, when it did come, was light and bothered and sleeping in a place as busy as the bar would have just been stupid. ]

But thank you for looking out for me. I'm very touched.

[ touched right in the heart. he put a hand over said heart and patted it. ]

[lightduties]

[A smile.]

You're very welcome.

[Is it sincere or is it sarcasm?? . Rhea'li points at the bottle on the table.]

Do you plan to drink that?

[resleeves]

Yeah.

[ even if he didn't, he probably would have said that just because he was who he was. ]

Why, you have a hard on for it or something?

3

[rickitikitarr]

Oh good, you're literally under the table.

[Says Ricki- he'd been just passing by by he recognizes that backpack. He's got a glass, and an eye for that bottle. He sets the first on the table, and reaches for the second.]

And cuddling that thing like it's your long lost child.

Re: 3

[resleeves]

Fuck off.

[ hew as a kind, expressive soul when he wanted to be. ]

I'm not hugging it. I'm making sure no one takes it.

[ there were a lot of people that had designs on his backpack and he was making sure no one got sticky fingers. ]

It's a popular item.

[rickitikitarr]

Sure. My daughter has one just like it, and she loves hers, too.

[He finishes his pour, and leans into the edge of the table, giving him a thoughtful look.]

It makes her the envy of her entire first grade class.

[resleeves]

You actually have a kid or you just trying to make a connection with me?

[ had he asked this before? he doesn't know, he'd had a lot to drink recently and now that the alcohol's pretty much tapped, he's starting to sober up and he's unhappy about that fact. ]

She's got a shithead for a father.

1

[pampa]

The heavy click of magboots heralds his arrival, and when Miller spots a familiar face (well, the back of his head) he approaches without asking if the man wants his company. He's going to get it, either way, so why give him the option to back out. He takes his hat off as he lowers himself to the bench beside Kovacs and his iconic backpack, glancing over at the pair. There's a low, sad energy in the room and he isn't sure how to pierce it. Or, more relevantly, why he wants to.

Without any prompting, he removes his gun from his pocket and unzips the bag before slipping it inside - like it's a normal thing to do. It's a respect thing, sort of. He feels weird about having a firearm out in the open in a "chapel." Even a space chapel with no preacher. He zips up the pack and places his hat on top of it before leaning back and crossing his arms over his slight chest, folding one slim leg over the opposite thigh. It makes him look even smaller, somehow, not that he seems to internalize that in any way whatsoever.

"Didn't take you for the religious type," he says after a long beat of total, palette-cleansing silence. It's quieter than Kovacs has ever been and it's almost jarring in a way. He's thinking about the Mormons himself - the Nauvoo. His grand plan that failed not for lack of perfect planning but because that protomolecule shit didn't know when to give up. He heaves out a long, weary sigh. God, being sober is bullshit.

Re: 1

[resleeves]

Someone's coming. Kovacs doesn't stop what he's doing, listening to the heavy thud of boots on the floor and wondering if whoever's coming is just going to walk right past or if they were going to get curious and step inside, try to engage him in conversation.

As the boots draw closer, it becomes apparent that they've changed direction and are headed his way. Kovacs mutters a curse under his breath and then looks over, eyes falling on the lanky frame of Miller, behatted (that fucking hat) and making himself at home.

Kovacs watches him go through the weird ritual of showing respect for the fucking dead chapel they're sitting in and just manages to hold back a snort of amusement. He doesn't know if it's automatic or if Miller really is some secret prayer junkie but he's not going to be following suit.

"I'm not," Kovacs says, rolling his eyes. "It's all bullshit."

[pampa]

He grunts, once, trying to suss out if that's resentment or if Kovacs is simply an atheist like himself. He supposes it doesn't matter in the end.

"There were lots of Mormons on Ceres. I used to hate when they'd stop me in the street. I thought they were stupid, to believe in something they couldn't see." Before Julie, Miller had never felt something like that. Something that awakened his soul without needing evidence. He just knew that he was on the right path. He thinks that's how it is for the Mormons. He found a respect for them after stealing their spaceship too... Thanks, buddies.

[resleeves]

Kovacs scoffs and doesn't answer for awhile, eyes fixated on the wall. Eventually he shifts, stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing his arms, almost mirroring Miller's position except his arms were much, much bigger.

"I don't know what the fuck they worshiped but we had a lot of religiously coded people back on Earth," Kovacs says, lips twisting, "which meant when they died, they were gone. Didn't get resleeved into a new body. Ultimate death sentence."

Fucking waste of the tech, if you asked Kovacs. The stacks were there for a reason, fucking use them. "Guess they saw potential immortality as a sin against whatever they put their faith in. But I doubt that fucker cared. He's dead. You dying at the age of sixty instead of two hundred and sixty isn't noble. It's dumb."