All Up In His Grill [video]

[parannoyed]

[Important intel on he and Dave's attacker has been shared, important theories have been theorized. And after Wash rested and then nearly collapsed in pain the few times today he tried to move (to get a little healthy movement going to keep the swelling down or go to the bathroom instead of dealing with the indignity of using a bedpan), Wash has been forced to take on a slightly higher dosage of pain killers, alongside being given a little alien tech device on his temple to help manage it.]

[Now after sleeping most of the day, he's awake. And loopy from the combination of tech and pain killers.]

[He's managed to get his comm on and in float mode.]

[And now he's whispering to it.]

Hey. Hi. Hey little buddy, wake up. So I can say hi to other...buddies.

[Special K, the nurse who's a better doctor than Dr. Glotfelty, is teaching a newer nurse and she smiles when she sees Wash whispering to his comm. She urges the timid-looking student nurse closer. "Don't worry, Judy. Only like two percent of the big scarred tough-looking guys on the rig are Plankers. The others like Wash here melt like buttah the second you're a tiny bit nice to them. Like buttah. Don't they, Washing Machine?"]

[Wash gasps dramatically and flings out a hand for a high five.]

It's my favorite nurse. Up top! Hit your hand on my hand. Hit my hand! Do it!

["He likes high fiving a lot when he's juiced." Special K's smile is sweet and genuine as she gives him a little high five. Then she adjusts his bed to help him sit up better. His torso is a scarred mess in the places where the bandages don't cover.]

Special K. Hey. Hey. Heeeey.

["Heey. I'm here, Wash, what do you need?"]

Hey. Can I have an extra pudding?

["What are the magic words?" she asks.]

Nurses are underpaid and undervalued.

["See why I like this one?" Special K asks the student nurse, as she gets a pudding out of a nearby fridge and a spoon, and opens it for him. "Looks like only chocolate right now, Washing Machine."]

That's fiiiine. It's all good in the hospital hood. I am unto the chocolate like the...the Mayans who were all about the - the chocolate.

["Alright, have your treat, I'll see if we can get you some late lunch since you slept through breakfast, okay? And then we're taking a crack at changing your bandages and your surgical drain."]

[Wash breathes out a low whisper.] Noooo.

[Special K whispers back, "Yeeeesss.">]

[Wash whispers back.] Nooooooooo.

["You've got a half hour of whispering to your friends on your little buddy, okay?" Special K says, with a sisterly tousling of Wash's hair. He leans into it despite himself, clearly grateful for the basic kindness from someone.]

[Wash is still whispering.] Fiiiiine.

[He turns to his comm, eating his pudding.]

Heyooo.

The nurses are so nice here. But you know, I've been in sooo many Medbays and they're usually kind of nice? Nicer? Than other...people. They were even almost nice in the Medbay in prison and nobody was really nice there.

[There are a few secrets, a few things locked up in the vault of his mind even while high as a kite, but he's definitely a little more loose lipped than usual.]

Hey. Hey, can you guys - can you see these guys floating around? [Wash swats at the air with his spoon.]

["What guys, Wash?" asks Special K.]

There's shadow people in the air, like...floating?

["Mild hallucinations are sometimes a side effect at your dose of morphine and the setting on the cortical stimulator," Special K says, showing something to Judy on his chart. "What are the shadow people doing, bud?"]

They're just like...all up in my grill. [Wash turns to the comm, to the rest of his rigmates, his voice filled with mild outrage.] Are you guys - are you guys seeing this? Rude.

Comments

[turntex]

oh my god

[Dave had been allowed to leave after the first night (with the requirement that he come back for checkups later). There's not much more that can be done for his injuries at this point besides letting them heal, and it was getting pretty crowded in the medbay.

But right now he is hurrying on back because this is an experience that needs to be had in person. He's almost forgotten that he's mad at Wash.]

[parannoyed]

Dave. Hey. Hey Dave.

You gotta tell these shadow guys to fuck off for me, they're not listening to me. You're an upstanding foul mouthed young man, maybe they'll listen to you.

[turntex]

shadow guys huh
ok tell you what
try waving your comm at them and saying the magic words
best case scenario itll straight up banish that [PROFANITY CENSORED]
and if not then itll at least summon me to deal with the problem in person
benefits of knowing a god

[parannoyed]

Okay.

What are the magic words?

[greyerrant]

I am not perceiving the things I suspect you are perceiving. Pharmaceuticals are dangerous things.

[parannoyed]

Pharmasid - suicatils...catils.

...are also necessary things when you've been stabbed many times.

[greyerrant]

For unaugmented humans, yes, I agree.

action

[bothbarrels]

[ Ever since the incident, North's been casually, or so he likes to think, hanging around medical bay—to the extent they'll let him. However, he's actually asleep when Wash's original post goes up, but a couple of hours later he's awake and aware and ready to pop in Wash's room again. He runs and brushes his teeth and pops on a fresh shirt before doing so. ]

Hey, Wash. Looks like you're feeling better.

[ Or at least not feeling much, which is probably just as good. ]

Re: action

[parannoyed]

[Wash is looking upward, occasionally flicking his fingers at the ongoing mild hallucinations he's been having. He's got a lot going on neurologically, so the combo of cortical stimulator and pain killers is doing some weird things.]

[But they're manageably weird. So far all the hallucinations have been mild.]

Thassa strong, strong word.

The hallucinations got weiiird earlier. There was a giant yellow amoeba trying to eat my face.

[bothbarrels]

[ North pulls up a doctor's stool that happens to be nearby and cranks it to its highest height before sitting in it. ]

I'd say something about how you managed to keep your face but I don't want to confuse you about what's real and what's not.

[ It's a good thing Wash recognizes that the weird amoeba thing trying to eat him wasn't real. ]

some more later action

[garmr]

You're drunk.

[Well. The infirmary's gotten a lot more crowded as of late, but that doesn't mean he's going to quit keeping an eye on their injured when he has a chance. Him and whichever volunteer he'd dragged over to pair up with him for a shift or two.

Guts must've been silently standing there up against the wall for over an hour now, mostly staying out of the way of all the nurses. He's kind of a shitty guest. Sorry Wash.]

[parannoyed]

No, I'm high. There's a difference.

[He points to the IV in his arm.]

It's like alac-alhacol they put directly in your blood.

[garmr]

What’s the difference? You sound the same.

[Don’t ask him to comprehend modern medicine]

[bringinghopewithme]

[It's no secret that Bunny and Wash got immediately on each other's bad sides and, once in that territory, bravely forged on deeper into dislike.

It's also no secret (at least among the New Hires) that Bunny's been bringing all the injured people gifts to brighten their convalescence. Flowers and a few fruit, left where Jorgmund can see, but also another secret packet of candy that's easily hidden under a pillow.

It's not that hard to figure out why Bunny's bringing someone he publicly dislikes a big bouquet of daffodils, red barberry, and coral azaleas blending the colors together, and a big bunch of sweet red grapes. But he's not explaining to Wash that Wash bled out for a kid, and that does so much to erase a bad first impression as he does. He just plunks the bouquet in its gourd vase and raffia basket of grapes down on Wash's bedside table, fluffing up the flowers to cover the sleight of hand as he slips something under Wash's blanket.]

Don't let the suits see that. Open it under the covers.

[The something is a triangular packet of woven sweetgrass, inside which is a peanut-butter-centered chocolate egg, a hot cocoa bomb, several chunks of candied ginger, and three more small milk-to-dark chocolates on a bed of candied apricot slices. Wash already saw the kids receiving similar packets, so he doubtless realizes what's already inside.

The kids all got a little doll made of a woven blade of grass, but that struck Bunny as possibly patronizing to give to an adult. They're not his target audience.]

[parannoyed]

[Wash peers around the Infirmary and sees they're alone, opening it under the sheet next to him.]

Why?

[The fogged over look is the drugs but it's also a natural suspicion because of his current memory point. And people never giving him nice things.]

Did you put something in the food?

[bringinghopewithme]

[The look Bunny gives him is as incredulous as it is insulted.]

Are you on so many drugs you don't remember who I am? Say 'thanks' and keep it where the suits won't confiscate it or just don't eat it, it's no skin off my back. [he snorts.] Ever heard of gratitude in your life?

[zerofield]

It may be a very good thing that our access to the wider orbal n--sorry, internet is restricted.

[ You would make a great meme, Wash. ]

[parannoyed]

Noooo it's bad. How will we pirate movies?

[zerofield]

Movies are too much to ask for. But every now and then I get enough of a connection to save a cat or two.

action;

[heterochrocatic]

I'm suddenly glad I'm not on whatever they gave you. Or at least not as much of it.

[ Catra's mood has been amazingly improved the last few days. Probably something to do with the fact that Adora loves her. Still, that doesn't stop her from making a few sarcastic digs here and there. ]

Re: action;

[parannoyed]

[Wash nods.]

There's also the underlying gratitude you can have over not getting stabbed this many times.

[Wash holds out his hands like he's physically handing off the gratitude through the air.]

You holding up okay? I know she got a few of us in one day.

Re: action;

[heterochrocatic]

Yeah I just got gassed and nearly had my head cracked open like an egg. Lucky me.

p She rolls her eyes at his gesture, but smiles. ]

Getting there. My throat still hurts like hell.

[fuckcable]

[ Those are some heavy duty painkillers. ]

How are you going to keep them from eating your extra pudding cup?

[parannoyed]

[Wash gasps with the realization that this might in fact be a thing the shadow people can do.]

You're right.

[He holds his hand over the top of his pudding cup and glares at the hallucinations with deep suspicion.]

[fuckcable]

[ He was trolling with the pudding question, but Ric actually is taking it somewhat seriously. After all the quasi-religious talk of the Virgin Mother, Cain and Abel, and stigmata, spirits don’t sound that far-fetched. ]

What are the shadow people doing? And don’t say floating.