007 ✫ Voice

[useofaswhat]

[Is there a reason Mal is hijacking the network to publicly ask something he could just bug the Avengers about? Why yes, yes there is, and once again it comes down to the fact that he is a terrible warden. He doesn't know Natasha's room number, he can't reach her by communicator, he's hardly met half the Avengers, and thanks to reading through the logs he knows some serious shit went down that he was and remains helpless to deflect. She's given him no choice; he needs to get in touch with her, so he'll do it. He'll call her out.]

Anyone seen Nicole lately? You might know her as that crazy redhaired Russian killing machine? If anyone's talked to her or knows where she is, let me know.

I'm kinda worried about her.

[Private to Tony]

Hey you, loudmouth. What happened with your friend?

[Private to Simon]

Saw what you looked like as a kid. [Note the barely-hidden amusement. To his childlike mind, young Simon had registered as a sentient punching bag.] How bad didya get worked over?

Comments

[useofaswhat]

Wait, back up. You're saying that a hat drove him crazy? Because it ain't magic? [He still has trouble accepting the stuff, although after Merlin's treatment of his coat he can't help but believe. Still, people going mad over the lack of magic is, where he's from, impossible.

There's a lot that Mal still has to learn. Quite a lot, actually.

The request takes him by surprise, but it's not unreasonable at all. Just odd.] Sure, can't say I'd mind overmuch. [He flashes her an awkward smile.] There somethin' I can help you with?

[love_slave]

He kept trying to fix it. Over and over. [That part isn't too stange at least.]

I just want to take my mind off things. I wanted to ask you about some of the good parts of your universe.

[useofaswhat]

Because it lost its magic? Or was he just driving himself off the edge trying to do spells on a hat?

Uh, okay. ["Take her mind off things". He can't even tell when she's flirting and when she isn't. Zev, you are such a puzzle to him.] But it ain't – I'm betting mine ain't the happiest one to hear about.

[love_slave]

[Hey, she promised! If she is she doesn't know about it.] Nobody's is. But there must be something that makes it home. You would go back to it, wouldn't you?

[useofaswhat]

[Fun fact: Zev's wiles are so powerful they emit low levels of flirtiness radiation even when inactive.] Course I would. I got a crew and a ship and if we get lucky some work waiting for me back home.

[love_slave]

[It's the love of short skirts.]

How big is your crew?

[useofaswhat]

[Everyone loves short skirts.] Six, plus a couple of lodgers. The stuffed shirt runnin' the infirmary is my medic.

[love_slave]

You've known him a long time?

[Infirmaries make her nervous so it's good to hear about.]

[useofaswhat]

For a spell. The boy's a good doctor, knows just what he's doing. And he ain't a bad fella either.

[love_slave]

[That lessens her suspicions a little bit.] I'm going to go to the pub for a little while. [Which is a loose invitation to join her.

If only she knew about the ship crash about to happen.]

[useofaswhat]

All right. Might see you there. [After he conducts another cabin-wide search for his warden item, of course, he's up there with notable speed.]

[love_slave]

[She has Jefferson's hat when he reaches the bar, 790 sitting beside of it like a noisy little guard. She's nursing a bright blue drink and still spares Mal a quick grin despite feeling a little solemn. Hey, he showed up.]

[useofaswhat]

[Mal returns her smile and retrieves a glass of whiskey before heading over to join Zev. He glances at the hat, which looks like something Badger would favor, and wonders briefly how anyone could go insane over it.] This seat taken?

[love_slave]

790 had it a little while ago but I don't think he'll mind. [She stirs her drink with the straw.] Thank you for making the time. Did you ever find Nicole?

[Being a warden is hard, Mal. :| She liked Vegeta better, though.]

[useofaswhat]

790 – that his name? Awful decent of you, 790, xie xie. [He's not altogether sure the robot is online but hey, he can be a politeish sort of guy sometimes.] No. Had no luck with her, an' I don't think I will till she decides she wants to talk.

Your inmate ever shut down on you? Just – won't tell you anything?

[love_slave]

She moved me. [The robot says with a heavy lidded pixelated gaze. She ignores him as she usually does until she needs his help. He can be ill-tempered and snarky, even as an imitation with limited capacities.]

He shut down before he even came to me. He didn't know what he was doing but refused to ask for help for anything, or even reason anything out. He never responded to a question I asked more than a sentence at a time.

[useofaswhat]

[When 790 talks Mal jumps before settling down in the seat. He wasn't expecting a three-sided conversation.] Shénshèng de gāowán, I didn't know you were on!

How d'you deal with it? This ain't the kind of thing you can wait through or order outta somebody.

[love_slave]

I don't really think he can turn off. Just ignore him. I think he's not even the same 790 I knew. He talks less.

[She sneers slightly, which is a little odd looking on her dainty face.] I don't really know. He made me pretty angry before he disappeared, so this time I am wondering if the Admiral took him because I was impatient.

[She is going to be livid later.] I didn't like how he thought his kidnapping was justified.

[useofaswhat]

Whoa, you don't know that. Sounds like this hún dàn don't inspire a lotta patience in anyone.

[He stiffens as well, going stony-faced.] What was it, ransom? Did he kidnap someone here or before he got here?

[love_slave]

The reasons weren't bad. The method was just really, really stupid. There was a woman that could help his daughter remember him- she recently just arrived here. But she didn't believe in magic which is a real thing where he's from.

So he thought kidnapping her and convincing her that a young girl who doesn't know him and has no memory of him should remember him as her father would actually work. The woman is a mother herself, by the way. [She rests her chin on her hand.]

And I looked for help for him. Real help, from people with magic. He wouldn't listen to me at all and dismissed me outright.

[useofaswhat]

[Mal settles his elbows on the table and scowls down at his drink, obviously thinking.] How'd the daughter not know him? Did his wife take her away as a rugrat or is this a magic forgetting thing?

...Does this new lady remember being snatched up? [Questions you never think you'll have to ask.] I'm guessing if you got your inmate and her in the same room, they ain't gonna solve their problems by talkin'. He wouldn't let anyone else help?

[love_slave]

It's a curse. Like when the ship makes us forget who we are? It happened to everyone where he's from but him. Including his daughter. The woman is the only one who can break it, but she's just come around to the idea of magic because of other people.

No. I don't think so. He seemed to want to go back to threatening her and talking badly about her and she says even though she believes now she couldn't have helped even if she wanted to. He won't listen to anything else.

...I suppose if his hat's still here he might come back.

[She will probably end up setting it on fire though, when she learns the truth.]

[useofaswhat]

There's another place out there where people forget things all the time 'cause of magic an' change at random? Guess it's too much to hope they have some kind of memory magic too, huh? ...There any reason to break this curse besides making your inmate happy?

Yeah. Well.

In my experience, any man buys a fancy hat like that ain't gonna let it go easy. You mind if I give him a good clip when he comes back?

[love_slave]

I don't know if he'll come back or not. I suppose we'll see. I've never actually seen a hat like that. [She moves the robot head to get a better look at it.]