text | un: m.cabrera

[naloxone]

[ turns out? space doesn't give a single fuck about your circadian rhythm. or maybe insomnia is just that attached to her that even the absence of a sun dictating her internal clock doesn't faze it, like an old friend you wish would just forget you already.

one night (?) late into the early hours (???) marta finds herself drifting out of the room she's come to assume will be hers for the indefinite future, passing through stark white walls with all the sterility of a hospital, but none of its familiar chaos.

she's still getting used to the earpiece. still getting used to hearing other people's voices in her head. she doesn't mean to add another in the void, but one of her own thoughts blares out too vividly as she stares out into an actual void: ]

—but where are the stars?

Comments

[droide]

That sounds about right.

[ Sometimes, being "nice" just won't get the job done. ]

[naloxone]

Just simple home remedies. But I guess I should have checked if they have anything here before offering.

[cruelyethuman]

But the rich and the nobles manage it quite well, I imagine.

I meant the alcohol.

[naloxone]

Better than most.
But it's not like they have much to worry about.

[ —oh. that's a little unfair of her to say. she can't make such broad strokes about people like that, and if harlan's taught her anything it's that money doesn't always beget apathy.

but he's the exception, not the rule. ]

You're the second person to mention that.
The stock here must be very good.

[naloxone]

[ marta wouldn't know. if being nice doesn't work for her, she usually just. tries to stay away. make less waves. ]

Have you found the people here to be very nice?

[naloxone]

For work? Or for leisure?

No, I guess not. Too busy thinking about everything on the ground, I think.

[anthropophagite]

I think it's complicated, yes.

It worries me a bit, if I'm making the right choice by being here. [ plus... is it really that simple? ]

[naloxone]

[ marta's smile eases, and she can feel a weight gradually lift off her shoulders. meeting another from a world that seems just as plain as hers — it's a comfort she didn't think she would be so desperate for since waking here. if a schoolteacher from london can make this work, then why not her? ]

The closest I got was the top floor of the Prudential Center. [ likely a building clara wouldn't recognize, but marta can still remember making the visit when she and her family settled back in boston. how new and exciting it had all been, this bustling american city full of hope.

she glances down at clara's notebook, but more than the object itself she can notice the ease with which the other woman carries herself. ]

Have you been here long?

[naloxone]

[ it had been a crapshoot, going with the name he'd used on the network. there's a 50/50 chance people would have resorted to their actual name, but marta remembers the times of instant messaging and social media. if people want to refer to themselves as doctor disco or all_the_jingle_ladies then who is she to deny them that joy?

that said, it's nice to be able to have a proper name to work with off the bat. ]

Marta. [ she's not cool enough to go by her last name, kovacs.

a polite thank you is murmured before she takes the seat opposite him, and though she hadn't been looking for a drink before all this, the night's long hours have finally begun to wear on her and with nothing else to do, with not even the stars to ground her anymore, a drink seems like a pretty good consolation prize.

(though if she were to be completely honest, it's the company that she yearns for more.)

seat taken, drink poured. marta cradles the glass in her hand for a long, contemplative second before her grip on it tightens, and she's lifting it towards him in a toast. ]

Salud.

[ and then she's tipping her head back to toss the glass' contents like the shot it wasn't meant to be, keeping her eyes closed and her lips pursed the entire time the liquid burns itself down her throat, past her ribs before settling deeply into her gut. the medical professional part of her brain reminds her she hadn't had anything substantial to eat since waking that day, but the other parts of her brain that is still working to process the day itself says that first part can gently kiss her ass. ]

audio — un: the.doctor ;

[lateness]

Well. Even if you could see them, you'd hardly recognize them, hey? Different universe, different stars, different everything.

[ Beat. ]

Hello — I'm the Doctor. Bit late to be scrolling through the network, isn't it?

[ As if he isn't also chilling out right now. ]

[naloxone]

Hindsight, right? I wonder too. Especially after hearing about all that the others here have already had to do.

[anthropophagite]

Yes.

But I heard it's not all bad. That last mission they saved people. [ and maybe that will justify it ]

[blackfire]

（ pt1 was so good but a lot of things in pt2 really slapped tbh, the resolution of the pain arc and the war arc shit were so good, dang.

if you enjoyed it once upon a golden age i'd def say give it another try, idk about you but man some parts of it sure hit differently as an adult!! ）

--> audio

[naloxone]

Does it make any difference if I said it wasn't on purpose?

[ probably not. she wound up bothering a bunch of people anyway; most wouldn't care if it was accidental or not, not at this hour. whatever hour this is. ]

To be honest, I don't think I'd even recognize the ones from my own universe. [ my universe. what a strange, strange thing to say. ] I wasn't really looking for them for familiarity's sake. Just... this is space, and in space there are supposed to be stars.

But maybe this universe doesn't work that way.

[ god. she's going to get a headache soon enough, she knows it. ]

[naloxone]

[ what, you mean now that i'm more in touch with my feelings and even weaker to shit like friendship and found family ha ha ha ha ha if you see someone randomly app in rock lee the bestest boy no you did not. ]

[naloxone]

Not without a price, it sounds like.

[ the thoughts come out before she can help it, and she regrets coming off so cynical. maybe the insomnia is finally getting to her. ]

But that's good to know. That we can do some good.

[lateness]

Ah, yes. Universes have a funny way of behaving the way they want to, when it suits them. Utterly unpredictable, really, but then I suppose that's half the fun.

[ There's the sudden crack! of something sparking in the background of the Doctor's audio; it's clear that wherever he's speaking from, sleep wasn't a priority. Especially with the added, 'Ah! Stop that, you —' immediately following. ]

So. You're new then, I take it? Heard there were some fresh arrivals.

[anthropophagite]

[ uhm... ]

Do you regret accepting?

[naloxone]

You know, you speak of them like they have their own mind and I think normally I would wait for the punchline but after a day like today I'm starting to think you aren't joking.

[ is it any wonder marta is still up? if she hadn't had issues with sleep before this, she certainly has plenty of reason now. ]

Sorry, are you— You sound... busy. [ with something potentially dangerous is it really safe to multitask right now?? ]

[naloxone]

[ there is a long, long pause on her end. measured silence to keep her thoughts controlled. ]

No.

[ it's only been a day. ]

Not yet.

[ she's here for a reason— ]

If they can do what they promised to do... I believe it's worth it.

[anthropophagite]

yes.

I hope it will be for you. [ Kaneki certainly thinks it is for him ]

[lateness]

Now, why would I be joking about a thing like that?

You know, I visited a very hungry planet once. Had a mind of its own, I'd say. They called him the 'Grandfather'. [ Beat. ] Well, it wasn't so much a planet as a parasitic object. It did have its own orbiting asteroid belt, though, so who's to say.

[ Just in case you thought he might be joking, he is absolutely not joking. ]

Oh, I'm always busy. [ Another spark, quieter this time, like maybe he's got this thing (whatever it is he's tinkering with) figured out. ] Not to worry. How are you faring, then? You know, aside from missing the stars, which I can assure you, is something I can commiserate with.

[oiorpata]

Both.

Limited space travel keeps everyone pretty grounded that way. Welcome aboard.

[scarcastically]

Just enough to get by.

But I get the feeling you hold more than that.

[naloxone]

What do hungry planets even eat?

[ or does she not want to know... ]

Considering everything? Not too bad. [ she hasn't had a full blown meltdown about suddenly finding herself in space, at least? ] It's been helpful, talking to other people.

[ well. now that he says it, it makes sense, wouldn't it? from what marta's been told, from what she's been able to piece together, it sounds like their last mission had left a good number of the team injured or needing bed rest.

why wouldn't the doctor be busy throughout all this? ]

Would you like some help? It's... It may not be much, but I have a background in it.