This crew depends on me...

[chaos_magnet]

As long as we're living and breathing, there's more we can do. We just have to be strong enough. captain . earther ACTION TEXT HANDWAVE

Comments

[chaos_magnet]

[ His possession of the bottle is a short one, just a quick sip and it's being passed back again. ] Do you have a plan in place if either of them ever shows up? Elena or Caroline?

[duderaider]

[taking the bottle back, he takes a deeper drink from it. when he lowers it again, he looks thoughtful for a moment before ultimately shaking his head]

I kinda -- I don't feel like I need to worry about Elena showing up? [or anyone from home, and that's both a relief and a source of upset, especially right now. he really wishes Sam was here, if no one else] I mean, it's been, what, almost a year since I've been here, and I haven't seen anyone from home?

[a beat]

But Caroline? [he shakes his head again] I don't know, man. [and then he barks out a laugh] I might not even have to worry about it. I mean, I've heard some shit about people not remembering this place, when they leave, so.

[chaos_magnet]

Right. And at least if someone from home shows up, leaves, and comes back without memories of Penance they'll still have the memories from before. So, you know, small favors or whatever. There's still a connection.

[ It gets James thinking, though, about how he would feel losing Bela or Gabriel only to get them back at some undetermined time with their time together omitted from memory. ]

Hey, who are you living with at the moment?

[duderaider]

[Nathan blinks at the question, if only because he can't figure out how James got to it]

Uh, Tony Stark and Wanda Maximoff. [a beat] Why?

[please, fill him in on that train of thought]

[chaos_magnet]

If you were without suitemates, I'd suggest taking one of the two rooms Wuxian and I have available. Though, there's a running joke our suite is cursed, because every new person we get disappears.

[duderaider]

[he exhales a breath of a laugh, at that]

You trying to get rid of me, man?

[he knows he's not -- and he might think about moving in with James, to be honest -- but he can't help but joke]

[chaos_magnet]

[ He winces exaggeratedly, sucking air between teeth. ]

Ack, I was too obvious, wasn't I? Knew I should have been more subtle.

[ Holden shakes his head, denying any seriousness. ]

I don't know how the living situations work; how we get moved or upgraded, how someone gets a house, so.

[ Sew buttons. When they're in the 'Burbs, Diana will suggest he keep the house they take over, what with all the work the three of them will do to it. ]

[duderaider]

[Nathan flashes him a brief smile, sobering again as he does]

I think there's some kind of weird requirements, for some of the nicer rooms at the hotel, but. [he shrugs] I figured the houses were just kind of pick one and start moving your crap in.

[maybe they should. maybe he will. it's something they can discuss, later, after]

Best headcanon, tyvm.

[chaos_magnet]

[ James dons a 'huh' kind of look while thinking it over. ]

It would make sense, but I don't know, I still feel like there will be some kind of Survivor-like challenge.

[ 24th century be damned, James has watched the old reruns of a show that is shockingly still on air. Papa Jeff is a hologram these days and just as spicy. ]

[duderaider]

[and that startles another little laugh out of Nate, despite his overall lingering melancholy]

Okay, you don't have -- whatever I referenced, that one time, but you still have Survivor?

[he probably really shouldn't be surprised]

[chaos_magnet]

It's different now, obviously, but yeah; still have Survivor. Climate change and the passage of time in general affecting the world have had an impact and Jeff is a hologram now, but it still has some nostalgia? I don't know, aren't there just some shows that feel like they'll never end?

[ In the unlikely event someone brings in a yellow cartoon character, James can't name drop The Simpsons. ]

[duderaider]

There've been a couple of those, like, weird medical dramas that Elena's mentioned, I guess.

[just because he knows Survivor doesn't mean he knows a lot about TV. he only recently started getting caught up on the last thirty-some years of it. TV wasn't something he really did much of, between prison, lost civilizations and whatever con Sully was running at the time, growing up. either way, he won't be mentioning The Simpsons, either]

Also? Kind of creepy that they didn't just find another host.

[considering he feels like Jeff has to be dead, at this point? in 20-whatever??]

[chaos_magnet]

Half of the appeal of Survivor is the host, and since we have the technology, why bother changing the recipe?

[ Oh Probst be dead, alright. But ~hologram~ magic or something. ]

[duderaider]

I guess?

[no. no, that's still creepy. he's just going to have another mouthful of their drink, that in mind, thank you. he offers it to James after a beat and regardless of whether or not he needs to wash the taste out of his mouth]

[chaos_magnet]

[ He chortles at the reaction and declines, the drink meant to be mostly for Nathan anyway. He adjusts his position, straightening legs and keeping up his weight with arms planted behind him. Observing the visible areas of Hell below them. ]

Feeling better yet?

[duderaider]

[amusement falling away in measures, Nathan takes a moment to consider that. eventually, he shakes his head, though it's not an outright no, but] I don't know, man. [a beat] A little, maybe, yeah. It's less -- less raw, now, I think?

[having talked to someone]

[chaos_magnet]

[ James reaches out to clamp a hand on Nathan's shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. ]

Good. You want to stay up here and finish the bottle? Fair warning, I don't drink much, so there will be a very drunk Holden before you know it.

[duderaider]

[Nathan flashes him a soft smile, at that touch. he glances to the edge of the roof where they came up, as it fades]

Depends. [a beat] You think you can climb down, if you're drunk?

[chaos_magnet]

I think I can fall down, but I'm not confident about safely getting down.

[duderaider]

Yeah, alright. Let's, uh -- let's get down, and then we can see how we feel about the rest of the bottle, here.

[because he really doesn't want James to land on his head or something equally horrific, on the way down]

Fade out ;

[chaos_magnet]

In which, James managed to more or less get down unscathed, and they drank more back in the comfort of a suite.