IC Contact
Jan. 21st, 1990 04:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pluggedintheoverlord
"Hey, this is Joker. Leave a message and I might get back to you. Unless you're trying to sell me something or I really just don't feel like talking to you-- in that case, take a hint and quit calling me."
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-18 09:33 pm (UTC)That's stupid.
[Over the past close to a year, Gunny's come to realize that lots of things the Alliance does is stupid.]
[Oh wow]
[It's really been that long, hasn't it?]
[The sudden realization hits hard, and she covers up the involuntary shudder with a huff, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her face. It still doesn't do anything to stop the all too familiar clenching in the center of her chest or the subsequent flashback to the pain of her ribs bending under the weight of far too powerful biotics]
[She can't stop that particular shudder from running down her spine]
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-20 10:20 pm (UTC)[If he tried to count all of the ways he thought the guys in charge had their heads up their asses, he wouldn't have time for anything else. But what else was new?]
[He saw that shudder and figured it must have been from cold; he did just pull all the blankets off of her, after all. Leaning down, he snagged one off of the floor and tossed it over her head.]
Here, cover up a little. You're making me cold just looking at you.
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-20 10:38 pm (UTC)[Gunny pulled the blanket back over her head so her face was visible before tossing it back behind them and shooting a righteous glare at her brother]
Don't be a jerk.
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-21 03:01 am (UTC)[He's trying not to be a jerk, cut him a break.]
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-21 03:14 am (UTC)[She's pissy, moody and all around teenagery, but not cold]
[Although she does have the presence of mind to realize that she's not exactly being very fair, either. And Jeff does deserve some sort of explanation]
I kind of... started thinking about Dad and home and stuff. And everything that might happen in, you know, in case I got sent back too.
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-21 03:34 am (UTC)[Well, shit.]
[Looked like it was time to broach the subject that they'd both been avoiding like the space plague. He knew that they'd have to talk about it eventually, but... well, he hadn't wanted to know. If he never asked, then he could get away with thinking that maybe she was on the shuttles, maybe she escaped.]
[He took a breath.]
What happened on Tiptree, Gunny?
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-21 04:50 am (UTC)Well, um, we didn't know what was happening, really. A bunch of asari commandos sort of showed up on our doorstep, and they looked tired, so we brought them in.
One of them, Aeian, she was really nice, and her friend Neaira, sat down with us. Had some food. We spoke a lot. It, um, it really didn't feel like we were being invaded or anything, but they were obviously going through a lot, so we tried to be hospitable, you know? Do the right thing and all? I asked Aeian if she wanted to use our shower and she did so she went upstairs, and I went to get her some fresh towels and stuff, so I don't know what happened, but, um, I heard screaming and then all of a sudden, Dad grabbed me and threw me into a pantry.
[And this is where it starts getting hard to talk. Gunny needs a moment to compose herself before continuing]
When I asked him about what was going on, he said that we were under attack. That, that Neaira went crazy or something. He told me to stay there and not leave, and, and then he closed the door. And... and I didn't move! I really didn't, but then Aeian found me and started dragging me out of the house and I couldn't say no because there were all of those things screaming and running after us.
So, so, um, so we ran out into the woods. You know, the ones that trail off behind the house? And those things followed us, but she took care of most of them. I-I kind of helped. With a stick. Which is stupid, I know, but it sorta worked.
Anyway, we actually wound up out there for a couple of days, and she said she needed to go back for a radio to call for help. So, so we went.
And... and when we got there... they'd rounded up a whole bunch of people, our neighbors and Dad and... and I went to go set them free, but... but something was wrong with them and they started screaming and then more things showed up. And... and I think it was Neaira, she looked like she'd started mutating or something, but she, she, lifted me up with her biotics and threw me into the wall in the other side of the room. I think I blacked out when I landed or something, but it was only for a few seconds, and my leg got all messed up and I heard... I heard her and Aeian just... just tearing everyone and everything up and it was awful, Jeff. It was really awful. I mean... I mean Dad was in there, too, and I didn't see him when she started dragging me out, and...
[and cue the borderline hyperventilating because this is where it gets EVEN BETTER]
...Anyway, she dragged me into the barn and, and, and... she tried to get me to be quiet, and I really tried not to make a sound, I really, really did, but I couldn't help crying. And at first I thought she was using this biotic thing she did to freeze those things from before. But then... then... then it got hard to breathe and... and everything started hurting like I was being crushed or something, and the last thing I remember was getting thrown again. On the floor, and... and things got really quiet. I didn't see Aeian anywhere, and I couldn't move... and... and then that's all I remember.
[She did a pretty good job of holding herself together up until that last part, but now that recounting her Excellent AdventureTM is over and done with, she can't help that inevitable breaking down.]
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-26 08:33 am (UTC)[The further she went into the events, the more his stomach twisted into cold knots. He could tell by her pale face and the strain in her voice and from every tense inch of her that this story wasn't going to have a happy ending. Everything that he'd been afraid of since he'd heard that Tiptree had been invaded was going to be revealed as truth, right now. No amount of psychological resistance training or ruthless calculus could have prepared him for this.]
[His baby sister had been dying on Tiptree, crushed by the biotics of a woman she'd thought would save her. Probably had died there of her injuries.]
[And it was his fault.]
[She was sitting here, in front of him, curled in on herself and shaking, but only because of whatever bullshit had brought Mordin back when he was supposed to be dead, and Thane. If she ever left-- if she was ever wormholed like Shepard just was-- then she would be right back to dying, to dead. And it was all because he put his duty over his family and didn't say a word when he heard that Tiptree was attacked; if he had only said something, he knew as sure as fucking breathing that Shepard would have gone to help. But he had decided that it was too dangerous, that they had too many more important missions to do to risk Shepard's life and the lives of the squad and the ship itself to go save a few colonists on an ass-backwards planet.]
[She'd been right when she blamed him for their father's death. He was responsible for hers, too.]
[Joker's face was a blank slate. He had the horrible urge to leave, to get up and get out the door because he was fairly certain that knowing that he was the reason his family was dead was going to make him crack, and he couldn't show that in front of Gunny. He was her big brother, he was supposed to take care of her and make things right, except that he had so completely fucked this up that there was no possible way for it ever to be right. Everything was wrong and that one hope that he'd been holding onto throughout the whole goddamn war, that at least his sister would be okay, was gone. He wanted to hit something until his hand broke, because he could deal with that kind of pain; he couldn't deal with the kind that was squeezing like a vice in his chest.]
[He should say something. He just doesn't have any idea of what could possibly be said to this, or if he could even get any words out considering the fact that it felt like his throat had closed up. This wasn't okay, and she wasn't okay, and nothing at all about this was okay, and Joker didn't know what he was supposed to do.]
[He reached out and hesitated a few inches away from her, then put a hand on her back and could feel her shaking. He had to do something, something.]
[His voice came out in a tight, hoarse croak.] Gunny.
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-26 08:47 am (UTC)[The hand on her back was all the invitation she needed to half crawl, half stumble forward into Joker's torso, her arms wrapped around his middle and her face pressed into his chest. Gunny let herself cry harder-- there really wasn't any reason to try and seem brave anymore.]
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-26 08:58 am (UTC)[Joker held her, tight enough that the bones in his arms ached from the pressure, tucked his face into her hair and just held on.]
I'm sorry, Gunny. I'm so sorry.
[He could be as sorry as he liked; he knew it wasn't worth jack or shit, nevertheless jackshit. Sorry wouldn't make anything different.]
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-26 09:12 am (UTC)[A while passed until Gunny trusted herself to speak, and even then it was through hiccups muffled by Joker's shirt. Her eyes were sore, no doubt red and puffy as well, so she kept them closed and focused once more on the rhythmic, if not somewhat strained thumping]
Don't be sorry.
Dad said... Dad said that the Alliance wouldn't have let you come get us. That they wouldn't tell you because you'd be on a mission involving family. S'not your fault.
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-26 09:24 am (UTC)[Joker closed his eyes when he heard that lie-- they stung-- and wasn't sure if he hated his father for putting that lie in his mouth or was glad for it. It was an excuse, a way out, and even if it wasn't true, who cared? The truth was shit and she'd been hurt enough already, so didn't she deserve the merciful lie?]
[Could it really do any more harm?]
Yeah. [His voice was tight, and it was hard to get words out still.] I hadn't even heard about it yet. They never told me.
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-26 09:41 pm (UTC)M'Sorry you had to find out like this.
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-27 01:46 am (UTC)[That came out sharper than he'd meant; she shouldn't apologize to him for this. For any of it. Not when it was really all his fault.]
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-27 02:11 am (UTC)[Outside of the occasional sniffle, she fell silent, counting on her brother's closeness to keep her calm for the time being]
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-29 03:16 am (UTC)[Goddamn war.]
[For lack of anything better, he held onto her.]
[ACTION]
Date: 2013-01-29 05:33 am (UTC)I'm scared, Jeff.
I don't want to go home.