005 ✫ Video

[useofaswhat]

Looks like someone decided it's autumn, even though it ain't autumn 'cause we're not spinning round a sun and don't have seasons. Anyone got an idea why the Admiral thinks we all need t'be showered with dead plants?

The way I see it, there ain't any use for raining down magic leaves outta nowhere except to crunch when you walk on 'em. Seems we might as well get some use outta them. Any of you folks ever build bonfires back home? Wouldn't be too hard to rake up a pile and light it in the CES. Don't sound like a bad time, specially not if someone saved any of the rotgut from that last history-time break. [Duo? He's looking at you.]

Comments

[yeahscience]

I did. Last year. [October was even worse for Jesse than for some of the other inmates last year; it's amazing how much scarier a haunting can be when you're having psychotic hallucinations all over the place.]

[maxwells_demon]

I have a little bit left, actually. Two bottles ended up in my room.

Guess your little farm hand was paid well.

[buildindreemz]

This is so much better than last year.

Last year, some seriously scary stuff started happening.

A bonfire might be fun. Assuming you could manage it without making Ivy mad. [Ivy mind-controlled her, once. It wasn't pleasant.]

[scarlet_discord]

Fozzie Bear is his name. He's an Earth breed of dog called an Ovcharka. Domesticated, trained, and...well, actually mostly a big friendly lovesponge.

[useofaswhat]

Good. [He still looks shocked by her universe's social standards. It's worse than the go se Saffron fed him about Triumph.] Though a world like that shouldn't be so hard to find.

Yeah, well, I'll pride myself it's accurate then.

[useofaswhat]

Then you can show us all how it's done. [It would be, and if anything like that happens again this year Mal will be thanking his lucky stars that River isn't here.]

[useofaswhat]

Never heard of that kinda dog. Do I just throw him a stick?

[useofaswhat]

When you work for me, kid, you get perks.

[useofaswhat]

Seriously scary like how? Are we talking person-stalking-you-home scary, or is this the ghost and goblin type?

I keep hearin' about this Ivy woman, what's the big deal about her? Ain't it enough to build a fire away from her?

[yeahscience]

...yeah, that's not a good idea. [Self-awareness sucks sometimes.]

[buildindreemz]

The ship itself got really creepy. Rusty, rotted, scary. Then the visions started happening. Hallucinations, or whatever.

People started seeing things that had happened - bad things, scary things.

And there were other things, too. Entities, shapes you would only see out of the corners of your eyes. It got progressively worse as the month went on. It was really terrible.

[Her mouth twists a little.] Ivy - she's obsessed with plants. Kill or threaten to kill any plant and she'll try to torture you, mind-control you, whatever. Pretty nasty stuff.

[useofaswhat]

[Oh, Mal can tell there's quite a story there.] Did you barely make it out alive or barely make it out?

[yeahscience]

Uh, it's a long story... I shot a ghost with an invisible gun, that tell you anything?

[useofaswhat]

So the Admiral thought it was a good idea to let everyone on board go all paranoid an' crazy. Do I got this right? [Excuse his incredulity. He can understand the floods. He can wrap his mind around breaches. But this sounds like making things spooky for the sake of spookiness, and with less-than-stable folks around that was as bad an idea as giving a baby a butcher knife: it might have started with good intentions but it's guaranteed to end in a bloody mess.]

And how's she do that? I met plenty of women who do some torturing on the side but messin' around in someone's head's a different story.

[useofaswhat]

Tells me something, yeah, but it's bringin' up a lot more questions than it answers.

[yeahscience]

Like I said, yo, it's a long story.

[buildindreemz]

Nobody really knows what he thinks, or if he thinks anything at all. [It was her first experience here, and it still gives her the shivers thinking about it.]

I don't know. People here come from all kinds of crazy places. People here can do magic, have superpowers, whatever you want to call it.

[useofaswhat]

Pretty sure he thinks, considern' he finds wardens to come on board an' pairs people up. But I dunno if he thinks about anything else.

Yeah, and I'm trying real hard to get used to it but that don't mean I understand any of it.

[useofaswhat]

Forget it. I'll be living it in a coupla days anyway.

[yeahscience]

Jesus. I really, really hope not.

[buildindreemz]

Sure, though I think it's debateable how much control he has over things.

If I remember right, last year the Admiral wasn't in charge at all for the month of October. It was... complicated. [And fuzzy. She tries to block it out.]

I know, I don't get it, either. Nobody can do things like that where I come from.

[useofaswhat]

And that brings up an interesting question. Is it better if he does control everything and is a sadistic bastard or if he doesn't control a gorram thing? 'Cause I'm not too hopeful about him either way.

So what was in charge that month? What happened to the Admiral? [They really ought to include stuff like this in the welcome briefing.]

We got some people can do things others can't, but far as I know, nothing like that. [River was just uncanny, occasionally managing to stay this side of creepy.]

[love_slave]

This ship has been the best I've found so far. I don't like that it's a prison, but comparably it's been the best.

[useofaswhat]

[For a second he just stares, then shakes his head.] Now that just ain't right.

[love_slave]

I'm hearing it more often, but I'm still pleasantly surprised when I hear someone say that they what's happened wasn't right. Thank you.

[It's the strangest thing to say and mean. And look! She's not even used wiles in a whole minute!]