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[theotherright]

Cabin 127. No calls, we text like men on our disney cruise phones.

If you send Arthur a message it will be read out loud in one of a selection of friendly automated voices!

Comments

I'm doing the thing

[ss_buttcrack]

"Hey, Arthur!" Crichton practically bursts into their shared room, completely forgetting to use the secret knock again in his excitement.

"I found something in the shop. I think you'll like it." Listen to him. He's so proud. What could it be?

YES

[theotherright]

"Oh-- er, hi."

Arthur doesn't startle, which might be character development or might just be depression, the jury is out. He's sitting on the sofa with his legs pulled under him, slowly and distractedly tearing one of the banknotes that came with him -- a $10, so like, two hundred bucks -- into extremely tiny shreds. He's gotten about halfway through it and the sofa cushions are covered in confetti. This is a normal thing to do.

"Er... do tell?"

[qouththeraven]

[Mind your step, Arthur, because the doorstep is wet and slick with something, giving off a sickening metallic scent. A crumpled yellow bathrobe lies just outside the door, soaked with the same liquid.

A dripping sound can be heard, as the door is similarly smeared. Should Arthur ask anyone to describe it, it spells:]

[theotherright]

[ Arthur knows the smell of blood extremely well. He can tell what this is, and he can tell that there is a lot of it. ]

Oh, [ he says, low, shaken even without being able to see the uh, friendly little 'humans can lick too'-ass note. ] Oh jesus.

[ Okay, there's-- his cane is touching a soft lump outside the door and he really really hopes it's not a body. Impulsively, he crouches to check, and-- it's fabric? A towel?-- no, there are sleeves-- a robe? ]

Oh god, it's saturated--

[ His stomach turns over. He half intends to burst into the cabin itself and find out if this is a trail that leads inside, find out what the fuck is going on, but he stops himself-- he's reckless, but he's not that reckless. This much blood didn't get here by itself: someone's hurt or dead, and he doesn't know who but he's Worried and he needs his eyes right now--

Arthur's phone is in his now-bloody hand, and a quiet robot voice is very rapidly yelling out HOMESCREEN! SHIPTALK! RECENTS! as he hurriedly navigates to text his fucking roommate.

Crichton you need to get back to the cabin

Speech-to-text is a blessing, because he's still not used to using the weird little screen keyboard thing, and he's not about to stop and figure out the damn thing now. ]

2/2

[theotherright]

[ ...no answer from Crichton. ]

Shit. ...Shit.

[ It might be coincidence; he might have just not heard his phone. But Arthur often has trouble believing in coincidence, and he's increasing his Worry to the level of Extremely Worry.

But it might be coincidence. He might have just not heard his phone.

But...

He puts his hand on the cabin's door-handle, and he turns his head, the better to hear the corridor behind him, and he rapidly calls April, and hopes that she's nearby. ]

[inhairently]

[ Sometime after all this bloody door business, Arthur will receive a series of texts. ]

Where are you? It's Steve.

We need to talk.

It's important.

[theotherright]

[ He and Steve haven't really talked much since the day after they died. Not out of deliberate avoidance, at least not on Arthur's part -- but sometimes after a really bad shock to the system you go AWOL and drop the rope and, well, here we are.

The sudden message, the declaration that it's important, and the whole... situation going on right now combine to give Arthur a really bad feeling about this. He answers quickly. ]

I'll meet you in my cabin are you safe

Action / Room

[konpeito_aji]

It's a measure of something - the fact that Nobunaga is, in fact, trying to not act like he owns every piece of the ship as much as everything in his life to this point - that he knocks. And knocks. AND KNOCKS. Actually the patience is so low, he might as well just break the door open.

Composed. He is composed. Like ice. But angry ice. A stabby snowman of doom.

If he was more sensitive, he'd realize Arthur is probably not in a great state and could be just as worried, but Nobunaga's a little too angry and more in ACTION than methodically plot out long term solutions and slow processes right now.

[theotherright]

"Who is it?"

Arthur's voice eventually comes through the closed door. He sounds harried, stressed, and more than a little suspicious. Perhaps this is not unrelated to the bloody writing which he's still not had a chance to wash off that same door.

He'll get to it, okay? He's been busy.

Text

[iwearnomask]

[A short, simple message.]

Arthur.

[theotherright]

[ Arthur's phone reads out the message, and also the sender.

He really kind of gets how the saying 'your heart in your mouth' came about.

He shouldn't entertain this. They're separated, they're through, the relationship was transactional from the start and manipulative to the finish. But... but. Smith has... left, now, and Crichton is... still dead, after more than a day. And Arthur doesn't feel like he has been making good decisions. He doesn't feel like he has made, or will make, any good decisions any time soon.

And he's been thinking, a little, since that disaster encounter in the Spirit Halloween, of descriptions of the world delivered with unprompted, poetic detail. ]

How did you get this number

text

[midnightroads]

you kist him?

[theotherright]

[ Arthur is in Tauva when he gets that text, and he actually gets up and does a full circuit around his chair with one hand on his head. There's a muttered "you told people?" in incredulous and suffering tones. He gives serious consideration to just running off and building another raft. ]

If we're going to discuss this can we please do it in person and not this these things

[ Bash... Bash does know his phone reads texts out loud, right??? ]

weed party, obvi

[inhairently]

[ At some point Steve hears Arthur's phone say something along the lines of "Arthur what the fuck are you talking about" and a genius idea is formed. If Arthur's phone reads texts it must have a way to describe the little pictures too, right? This is how he can prove to Ryan that he's right actually and that one picture is ice cream and not shit. ]

💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩🍰

[theotherright]

[ From Arthur's chair comes a robotic TEXT FROM STEVE HARRINGTON!, and then the following, in a rythm you could really beatbox to: ]

Pile of faeces pile of faeces pile of faeces pile of faeces pile of faeces pile of faeces pile of faeces pile of faeces pile of faeces shortcake

[ And then a couple of long moments later, Arthur's baffled response: ]

What??

November 23rd, evening

[businessorlibation]

Arthur,

In case you notice someone's hung a few fliers in the next couple of days, that's just me. I'm offering lessons in how to wear a suit to the 'young whippersnapper' population of the ship. You're welcome to come if you find the time. I just didn't want you to be frustrated by fliers you can't read.

Johnny

forward-dated to December 24th

[inhairently]

[ at some point on the evening of the 24th, if arthur returns to his room he'll find a small package just outside the door. it contains a tommy bahama brand candle. sort of. someone's painstakingly dug the candle out of the tin and replaced it with a little bit of weed.

there is no note attached, but he will receive a text as follows: ]

i left a christmas present outside your door

i hope you like it

merry christmas

steve

A Very 420 Christmas [In Person]

[ss_buttcrack]

"Hey, Arthur, I just had the best idea for how we should spend today." Uh oh. Crichton has another plan. This could be dangerous.

"Erin carved me this really cool pipe that's supposed to look like Gandalf's from the Lord of the Rings movies." Yes, those do exist apparently, Merry Christmas. "And I was thinking... there's no Friday here to police if we smoke in the rooms so what do you say to combining my gift with the one you got from Steve?"

And a High-py New Year

[theotherright]

Oh, well, the merry and festive traditional Christmas depression was closing in, but this sounds like much more fun. There's a slight smile on Arthur's face as he answers: "I say I can't think of anybody else I'd rather smoke an illicit substance with."

"And... I'm sorry, like whose from the what?" Those books were published in the fifties, my dude, and there's no Muppets adaptation of them, so Arthur doesn't have a clue.

a couple of days after terrible excursion ends

[astrogator]

Can we meet?
I want to tell you something but I'd rather do it in person.

- Tayrey

[She'd actually rather do it by datanet message or whatever this is, but that would be both cowardly and not fair to Arthur if he has to get someone else to read it out to him, she doesn't really know how this ancient alien technology works.]

[theotherright]

Of course when and where

[ The answer comes promptly. Arthur rather hopes this isn't about another escape attempt. ]

Post-Trial, text

[iwearnomask]

[It's a risk to text Arthur given how his phone works, but this is important, and not something he wanted to talk about in earshot of others.]

Arthur, I'd like to talk about what we saw in the trial. What is a good time and place for you?

[theotherright]

The drunken sailor is typically quiet

[ Arthur would be delighted to know that his phone is finally, finally starting to consistently understand what the fuck he's saying for the sake of speech-to-text. ]

There are no pressing demands on my time today are you available in an hour

post erin alert.

[decrypter]

Mr. Lester, this is Helena Adams. Erin informed me you were kind enough to ask after my condition, and I thank you. I'm going to be completely all right, I merely need some rest.

[tempingainteasy]

Hey as a concerned friend and karaoke buddy: What the fuck is going on with you and Crichton right now? Did you break up or are you 'on a break' or what happened and who's fault was it?

Just so I know who to invite next time we hit chatterbox

[tempingainteasy]

[And, remembering how british and emotionally open he is,]

If it's weird/stupid drama, don't even worry about it, I've seen the full human range of relationship catastrophes, try me

[teethoftherisk]

Hello Arthur. This is Siffleur. I do not get involved in things, but when we spoke, it was clear you are a very private man. Crichton is drunk and trying to get someone to kill him. Do not seek him out. He told me things about his past, and that the memory he invaded included your daughter. This is not a request for more information. You should know that he is sharing your personal information when he shares his own. Again, do not seek him out. Harvey will not let him die, so he is safe. I have agreed to step in if Harvey hurts anyone. If you are in danger, contact me and I will take care of things.

Sorry for the long message.

Almost Immediately after Crichton dies

[redlightgreenlight]

[the death rolls over her, making her feel sick, but also excited at the same time. Which of course makes her feel even worse. The nausea comes next.

Someone close dying always feels painful, but this is mixed with fury and sorrow and acceptance and something darker she can’t name.

After a few moments, she pulls out her phone]

Arthur

Crichton.

What happened?

[theotherright]

[ At first, Arthur is too tunnel-visioned to notice his phone buzzing. Then he isn't checking it because he's, well, cleaning up.

After that, he isn't answering because what the fuck, how does she know.

He's just going to stay in his cabin, which is a bad hiding place but at least has a lock on the door, and... figure out what the hell he's going to do next. He has until 6am tomorrow at the latest. But probably, judging by Valdis's text, much less time than that. ]

[qliphoths]

[ a new friend has found its way to arthur's cabin! it sits in wait
outside the door to meet him. :) ]

[theotherright]

[ There's a soft thing outside Arthur's cabin.

After initial examination, he can tell that it's some sort of plush toy -- but a confusing one, because these protruding shapes must be its legs, yet the mass they're attached to seems to have two button eyes??? Or are those buttons on clothes? But then why does this side have a hat... And is that a tie? A doll after his own heart, then...

He holds it right way up, or maybe upside down, and says quizzically: ]

Hello?

[ The soft thing has no answer for him.

A brainwave occurs. Instead of ears on its body and legs on its head, maybe it's supposed to have long ears and little feet. ]

Are you a rabbit, little thing? How did you get here?

[ He'd almost guess Crichton, but in the very unlikely event that Crichton tried to get back into his good graces with a doll, Arthur doubts that it would arrive without some sort of sickeningly heartfelt letter. (Is there a letter? He feels around and he can't find one.)

Uh...

Arthur holds a quick internal poll. Results are strongly conclusive. He lifts the doll to face level, and he's fairly sure he's got it the right way around this time. ]

Are you looking for somewhere to stay, then, rabbit? Well. You're not supposed to feed strays, but for you, I will make an exception. I'll... I'll try to find out if anybody's lost you.

[ But he kinda hopes nobody did. He likes this little guy. ]

sometime post sharky's birthday.

[abhorrently]

just checking to make sure you have no lingering side effects from the fairy drugs
since you were already messed up when i met you and that wasn't exactly fixed
you make a very cute dog but i expect you don't wish to be one all the time

[theotherright]

[ Depending on how much we were joking about the direction of that thread, you can read this response as actually chill, or as head-in-hands, I'll-never-smoke-again, I-have-to-look-these-people-in-the-eye,-sort-of, thank-god-text-doesn't-carry-tone chill. ]

Thank you for thinking of me. Bit of a hangover but nothing on drinking and unless I am mistaken I have all my human features.

[ He had a godawful hangover, but his bar is pretty high, so he doesn't consider that a lie. ]

I hope you were likewise untroubled was it your first time

[redlightgreenlight]

If you want the daggers, you have to go through the Captain now. Good luck with that.

[theotherright]

[ okay okay okay he's cool. he's calm. he's breathing. he's zen. he's in his lane. he's thriving. he's ]

How much clearer did I need to be that I do not want your fucking daggers
Do you need it in writing to get it through your head

[abhorrently]

i owe you a new cane after what happened to the last
i have something that may work, very sturdy
come by my room when you can, i'll keep a lookout for you so it will be easier

[astrogator]

[sent right in the middle of this!]

MUTINY!

The ship is ours and the rules no longer apply. Try it out right now! They can't stop all of us. Start a fire! Take some goods without a pointless charade! For fun, for freedom, just because you can!

[This is not strictly true, but Ari would love it very much if you caused as much chaos as you possibly can at this precise moment.

Replies to queries or complaints may be limited; Mission Control is very busy right now.]

this is what, november? whenever siffleur was his mom

[iwearnomask]

[[Hurriedly texted while he walks away from a harrowing conversation,]]

Jesus christ arthur this woman has a fucking shard in her head shit shit what the fuck

[theotherright]

Hold on what John where is she who is it does Watson or somebody know? Author

[ dude you know how concerning that sounds out of context right!! ]