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

text ↪ un: 朱

[blackfire]

There are stars visible in the Sunlight Room during the station's night cycle should you wish to see them.

( he assumes both newcomer and nostalgia — and of course provides the utilitarian response. )

[naloxone]

[ newcomer, nostalgia, melancholy... pick your poison. she'd never been big on stars before, but suddenly they're gone. suddenly she's learning to miss them. ]

They're not real there though, right? Nothing in there is...

[blackfire]

No. The room is （ discomfiting. he prefers to circumvent it when he can. ） the result of illusory technologies.

[naloxone]

I guess if you told me it was, I would have believed you anyway.
If they can bring me — us — here like this... why can't there be a real meadow in the middle of a space station.
Why not, right?

[blackfire]

Would you have preferred the lie?

（ some people do. he understands the allure of living in one's own reality, perhaps better than most. ）

The amount of water required to maintain a nonessential natural space would likely be considered frivolous. We are not here to enjoy ourselves.

[naloxone]

No.

[ that much, she can answer without hesitation. ]

But they're still trying to offer some kind of comfort.
Whoever brought us here.

[blackfire]

（ clear-minded, then. ）

We will perform better on missions if our needs are met and our stress mitigated. It may be altruism, or it may be simple utility — it is difficult to divine a motivation with the information we have.

[naloxone]

...What information do we have?

[blackfire]

（ she gets an extremely succinct Summary of The Story So Far (very conspicuously not set to 'carry on my wayward son') that the writer, for reasons of their sanity, will not be describing here because they are not a perfectionist nerd like this asshole thank u.

notable information includes:
  the three missions up to this point, the basic conflicts, what was needed to get the orbs to cooperate
  what's known about said orbs, viveca, the station, etc.
  all the information he does share is publicly known, so there's nothing Spicy, alas.

this is absolutely not done out of the goodness of his heart, but with the coldly utilitarian view of one accustomed to military command — people cannot be useful in the field if they lack relevant information, and itachi is a pragmatic man.

then: ）

If the pattern holds, we will have a brief reprieve before the next mission. （ someone has not yet been told about christmas shenanigans. ） Any useful skills you may have, I would recommend ensuring they are sharp.

[naloxone]

[ sad about the like of Juicy Gossip but otherwise very impressed and grateful for the rundown.

even if her eyes kind of glaze over a few pieces of information, but that's more to do with aforementioned insomnia than itachi's delivery. she didn't even know people could think in bulletpoints... ]

I'm — a nurse. I have medical knowledge but that — would that even be useful here?

[ because it's thought to text, because she still hasn't got a handle on how to control it, her next words come out less delicately than she'd like: ]

How many of you are even human?

[blackfire]

（ if u think the bulletpoints are impressive u should see his tsukuyomi, ayy. ）

A significant enough portion that your skills will be of benefit.

Are you experienced with traumatic injuries?

[naloxone]

[ gonna pass on more psychological trauma for now but idk ask me again in two months. ]

I did my residency in an emergency room.
Are the injuries from missions usually that severe?

[blackfire]

（ a little genjutsu, as a Treat^TM.

also: that is the funniest possible question to ask a ninja and if he had even an ounce of humour in any cell of his body he might have laughed. ）

Our last mission was largely uneventful. （ in terms of physical injuries, at least. he's not counting the exhaustion — medical care will help accelerate the recovery process there, but he doesn't see it as mandatory. ） The ones preceding it were markedly more dangerous by the accounts of those that were there.

（ mr. know-it-all wasn't there himself, but, u know how it be. ）

[naloxone]

[ "largely uneventful"... cuz what's a little psychological torture to mr. psychological torture. ]

I understand.
I don't know how much help I can be in the long run, but I'll do my best.

[ a pause. ]

Can I ask what it is you do?

[blackfire]

（ 'is mental trauma really even trauma?' - danzō shimura, age 69^1/2 ）

I'm a shinobi.

（ does he expect she knows what that is? probably not.

is he going to explain unprompted? also no. ）

[naloxone]

[ he just likes talking to her, it's okay, i Get It. ]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with that word.

[blackfire]

（ Then Perish. ）

Ninja.

[naloxone]

[ o. ]

I imagine your particular skillset's been very useful.

[blackfire]

No more or less than anyone else's.

（ deflect deflect deflect ）

[naloxone]

You're very good at giving information, at least?

[ is she. does she think itachi needs... a confidence boost? oh darling. ]

[blackfire]

（ ❝ 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 ❞ ）

It's nothing.

（ banned, banned, banned, none of you are free of sin ）

You should speak with McCoy-sensei. He's the ranking doctor on the Ximilia, doubtless he will have questions for you.

[naloxone]

He'll most likely be in the infirmary, right? I'll see if I can run into him sometime.

Sorry, I don't think I got your name. I'm Marta.

[blackfire]

Itachi.

（ he's so good at this conversation thing. so good. ）

[naloxone]

[ to be fair, she's not expecting much idle chatter from a literal ninja. ]

Thanks for your help, Itachi.
Maybe I'll see you around.

[blackfire]

（ wise beyond her years, perfect, flawless, i bet her medical bag is insured for a million dollars, etc. ）

Perhaps.

（ and thus he makes his Great Escape from conversation. byeee. ）