lastvoyages Inbox

[forensicks]

[Walter has recorded a video message from the point of view of someone who has just come through the door into his cabin and sees Walter at his desk in the chair turned around to face the viewer. He gives a little salute-wave.]

Didn't get me. But nice try.

Comments

After Walter asks John if he can talk to Ashton

[abrightboy]

Hey. So. What’s all this about you wanting to talk to the person that just murder spree’d with the warden protections keeping them from killing some more? I thought you a) wanted to avoid violence against your person and b) wanted wardens to keep killer inmates from killing? This premise seems to work against both objectives. Are you at least taking your shield and phaser?

[forensicks]

I want to talk to them without John watching, that's completely different.

[abrightboy]

Do you want me to come with you?

[forensicks]

Actually, here's the thing. I asked first if it could be Zero. He said no, that his conditions were clear, meeting with Ashton without the dancer would have to be in a non-empty cabin. Are you aware of any that would be particularly suitable for such purposes?

[He's been thinking about it since the talk with Vincent Smith - about an inmate planting something in a warden's shower.]

[abrightboy]

You can both come to mine.

[forensicks]

Oho? Do you have any conditions?

[abrightboy]

I don't understand what that means in this context.

[forensicks]

You know, conditions. Stipulations. "You can only stay for X minutes." And the like.

[abrightboy]

No, of course not. Do you want me to make hot chocolate or anything?

[forensicks]

Well, you know, vampire. Scent might throw off the mood, so no. Oh. Tomorrow. John's still gonna be busy with them today, so, tomorrow. Though I guess I'll actually ask them now? Gee, it'll be embarrassing if they say no after all this.

[abrightboy]

I hope you understand that they shouldn't cause any trouble in a werewolf's house. They'll be able to scent what we are.

[forensicks]

That's true, but John Doe is by a decent number of definitions a god, so it's safe to say that what Ashton should do and will do might be a little different.

[abrightboy]

Why? Ashton's not a god.

[forensicks]

Making trouble for a god is probably even more misguided than making trouble for a werewolf, even taking ancestral rivalries into account.

[abrightboy]

That’s why she did it when he wasn’t watching. And why he is now always watching. What do you want her to talk about that you don’t want John to hear?

[forensicks]

I know the barge has kind of rotted out brains and gotten us used to public voice chats, but wanting to have a conversation without some third party listening is actually extremely normal. It's more normal than the other thing, in fact, sine qua non.

[abrightboy]

It's not normal in a prison, which is what you think this is.

[forensicks]

No, I think that it would be far more reasonable and just for this place to be a prison. This is a cult compound where I can't avoid specific people indefinitely.

[abrightboy]

I'm pretty sure there is also no expectation of privacy in a cult.

[forensicks]

Cults don't just immediately evaporate every single pretense of common human behavior. Otherwise we'd have even more exhibitionists on the deck, given what this place encourages.

Look. I would like to know why Ashton did the thing. Is that so unreasonable?

[abrightboy]

No. Not at all. Why couldn't you just say so? That's an impulse I understand better than anything.

[forensicks]

Because I want the conversation to be private, which is supposedly such an important right.

[abrightboy]

Nobody is objecting to your request for privacy. Our concern is for your safety. When I visit my father in his cell, he's tethered to the wall and handcuffed and I'm not allowed to cross the red line on the floor. They take precautions. We want you to take precautions.

[forensicks]

Can you imagine how smug I'll get to be if it turns out vampires are too fast for drawing my stun gun to be practical, though?

I'm kidding. I don't think that's going to be a thing.

[abrightboy]

What about using your shield?