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[blindninja]

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[blindninja]

Okay. [A pause.] You've met many people from home? Or just out of habit now?

[oorah]

There used to be more here. Some Avengers. Now I guess it's just... yeah.

[ a habit??? something like that. ]

A uniform showed up, with my name on it. Well, this name. Castiglione.

[ torture is one thing, but that's just creepy right? ]

[blindninja]

[Just as well they aren't here anymore. Matt has strong opinions about The Incident and the people connected to it, and they're not particularly pleasant ones.] A uniform? What kind?

I had a set of my clothes show up too. And my billy club.

[oorah]

A Reverie Terminal uniform.

[ it's good to know matt has his weapon. he already knows matt knows he has his kabar. why do their captors give them weapons...? what will they have to fight? ]

I don't know if you looked back at old network posts, but I was the first one Ghost showed herself to— the commander from the videos on the bridge.

[ he doesn't know what any of it means, but he wants to tell matt anyway so maybe they can figure it out together. ]

[blindninja]

[Okay. That's weird. It's not like Frank works here. Or has the kind of expertise needed to run this ship (no offence).]

As in... she addressed you directly somehow? Or you saw her? [That's-... is that even possible?] But CIRSTA said there's no one here from the original crew anymore.

[oorah]

[ marines came here, top secret op. he tries not to see the parallels himself. ]

She couldn't see me, a hologram on a loop. At least, that's what we decided made the most sense at the time. She was giving orders to the crew, lockdown.

[blindninja]

There's a big gap between what people have been reading about in the library leading up to whatever happened to the original crew. Have you spoken with CIRSTA? Maybe she can give you more information about this 'Ghost'.

[oorah]

I haven't spoken to her. What if she's a plant?

[blindninja]

She's not. I've spoken to her. [She talks back and she's surviving just fine without sunlight, water or fertiliser.]

[oorah]

And you trust what she told you?

[blindninja]

Well I can't read her like I can read anyone else. She just seems like Siri, emotionally detached and robotic. If we don't have the right 'permissions' then she's not authorised to give us information, but I don't think she knows how to lie.

[oorah]

Maybe she doesn't think she's lying. Or maybe she doesn't have to. Either way, she was made by the original crew - people we still don't know anything about.

[blindninja]

I haven't met anyone from the original crew, and she claims they're not here. Maybe she's been programmed to keep us here. I don't know. But maybe she's all we have. I'm not going to shut her out.

You know I have to trust people all the time, to tell me what time it is, to give me the right change, to sell me matching socks. [...] Sometimes you have to be the one to open up, go out on a limb, and let the other party prove you right or wrong.

[oorah]

I trust you. I trust Karen, I trust Elektra. That's it.

But if you can get something useful from this CIRSTA program, I'll listen. I'm not a total neanderthal.

[blindninja]

I didn't say that. [Might have implied it maybe but Matt would never say such a thing aloud.] I'll keep talking to her.

You could use more friends. This lady showed me how to get a men's curry out of the food synthesizer. It's a lot better than your shitty pasta.

[oorah]

I had friends, they're all gone now. Except Kamala.

[ god, only matt. ]

Sorry you don't like my space cooking, asshole. You never answered my question.

[blindninja]

[A pause. He hadn't meant to make Frank dig deep.] Sorry. She's alright though. [The marine might still not be on Matt's approved list of role models but whatever they've got going between them seems to be working.]

Yeah. Sure. Should I come over? [Frank can try and slit his throat with some safety scissors when he's sick of the nagging and bickering.]

[oorah]

She's a lot more alright than us. Not like that's hard.

[ there's a beat but then he relents, as he always does. ]

Yeah, come over. I'm here.

[blindninja]

[Matt would find something reassuring to say, but there's nothing reassuring. He was probably more together when he was her age too, trying to make it in the world alone than the shitshow that had been the past couple of years before coming here.

He's still touching his hair when he shows up, running his fingertips over his hairline on the back of his head.]

[oorah]

[ frank's door slides open and he has to shake his head at matt standing there, patting his own hair. ]

Come on, pretty boy. I haven't got all day.

[ he turns away to let max greet matt, butting his head into the man's hand as he comes inside in an unsubtle beg. ]

[blindninja]

[Matt's lips press into a thin, flat line.] Why? Busy day planned? [The dog stops him from scowling and Matt strokes the top of Max's head as he steps inside.]

[oorah]

Yep. I've got about a hundred soybeans to plant, gotta take Max for a walk, help Karen work out at the gym, catch up on some knitting... I'm a busy guy.

[ he puts his hand on matt's arm to direct him to the desk chair he put in the middle of the room before he can trip over it. ]

Sit down.

[blindninja]

[Matt snorts at the mention of knitting but doesn't comment as he moves to sit down, running his palm over the edge of the seat.] It's good to meet you too.

[oorah]

Oh, come on, Red. You know who I am.

[ he pats him on the shoulder and goes to gather his tools. he knows this is a show of trust and he doesn't intend to squander it. ]

You, uh... settling in okay?

[ it comes out lame as he sets the clippers, guards and a spray bottle down on the desk, a comb in one hand. with the other, he gently eases off matt's glasses. he's never cut a blind man's hair before, should he even ask how matt wants it? ]

[blindninja]

Yeah. [He doesn't move away when Frank touches his glasses, blinking slowly as they come off. Not like his eyes need to adjust to the ambient light or anything.]

I don't think anyone likes it here. But I'm fine with not rushing to get home either.