auroraexpress | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: anyone
When: day 57, afternoon
Where: anywhere it's a mingle

[This is a mingle but there is a comment in a Chain Chat to the whole train!]

Rean: A while ago some of us were discussing a festival where every team puts on a production, game, booth, whatever, maybe based around team bonds or interests.

What do people think? Maybe it's a good time to to talk about it again?

[Feel free to discuss with each other! Or just mingle as usual.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[His life is a fucking mess and there's a reason why he has Terrible Skills ]

[And he jerks away sharply at the touch, looking at him with wild eyes.]

[Lifts both hands in "surrender", look, harmless.]

Hey. It's just me. Sorry to startle you.

[He's braced against the edge of the seat, watching Rean, eyes on him, but not quite focused on 'him.']

Who-? Who is-?

[Breathing still harsh and far too quick.]

Not sure if you're asking who you are or who I am.

Hey, can I touch you? It might help ground you. I know it's not your thing but... You really look like you need some human contact.

[Close enough to human contact.]

[To be honest, he doesn't know either.]

Touch....? [And his eyes is looking over Rean, but there's a sharpness to his eyes, looking for....weapons?]

[Or syringes.]

[He seems weaponless and also syringeless.]

Yeah, or you can touch me. Or neither.

You just remembered a lot, anything that makes you feel... Present right now, is probably good. If that's touch, talking, drinking a glass of water, I'll help any way I can.

[Present. He needs to be present because memory is Bad, why is memory bad, what did he remember, what does he know-]

[His hand shoots out and grabs Rean's arm.]

[It's....it's a very tight grip, sorry Rean. He doesn't have his self control.]

[He's solid and real and doesn't wince. He puts a hand over Dusk's.]

I'm right here. You're right here too. I'm Rean, you go by Dusk right now. I consider you a really dear friend. It's okay to freak out. Because as long as I'm here, next to you, you're safe.

Dusk? No, no, that's not....whose....I don't know who....

[Hard to say if he feels safe, but that grip isn't going away anytime soon.]

[Epsilon can't touch. He's not Epsilon. He knows that. Who is he?]

[He's sturdy, thankfully. A bruising grip doesn't bother him much. He strokes his thumb over Dusk's knuckles.]

Take your time. Look around. You're on the Aurora. All that happened a while ago, that stuff. Right now you're a sweet guy with some issues who belongs to the team Clover. Your cute sister is my teammate.

The...the....I don't...sister, I don't...do I?

There was...Cindy...? Was that mine?

I don't know if you're actually related, but you're important to each other. Don't worry about that so much though. Try to focus on now, you can sort out "then" when you're back in the present.

Breathe, and feel your body. If thinking's too much just start there.

Body-

Touch-he can't touch...can't be him. [His grip shifts, but it's still not loosening. His breathing is still far too close to hyperventilating.]

Body is-is-

Breathe in. Hold it. Breathe out. Breathe in. Slowly. You have a body. You're touching me with it.

[He had a body.]

[Leonard Church has a body.]

[Agent Washington has a body.]

[Who who who]

[He's trying to breathe in and hold it, but just ends up coughing.[

[Oh no. Reaching to pat his back.]

Okay, nothing fancy, just keep breathing.

[Easier said than done. He is trying though. Breathing in. Trying to hold it. Coughs and then tries again, managing a few breathes before it happens again.]

[Why is this so hard, why is everything muddled, why is there screaming, why does it-]

[His free hand is scratching at the back of his neck, idle, but there.]

Don't hurt yourself.

[Stepping a little closer.]

Lean on me a little. Feel that I'm here and so are you.

[He's still scratching.]

[He hesitates, but then he starts to lean against him. This...this is different. New.]

[Much as he wants to he doesn't wrap his arms around Dusk, but he does return to the lean a bit.]

You can lean more than that. I know you're heavy but trust me, you won't knock me over.
Okay, can you try to hear my heartbeat?