♚ voice;

[passe]

[ There's some shuffling and static followed by a muffled curse - too quick and quiet to make out what, exactly - and then the feed settles down. For a few seconds too long, actually, because there's an awkward pause before someone finally starts speaking. ]

Greetings. [ It's a soft-spoken but firm English accent, and the somber tone is only slightly offset by frustration with the device. ] I would like to formally request information regarding this vessel's brig - its security, the level of transgression that requires one be locked up in it.

[ A pause, then slightly more reluctantly- ]

And games. Games that do not run on electricity. Chess, dominoes - if anything of that nature is available, I would like to borrow it. Books on real paper would also be sufficient. [ In case you're wondering, he's been holed up in his room and hasn't bothered to find the library. Nor has he figured out how to research information on the network, apparently. As far as he's concerned this is a regular phone and he's making a direct call to some kind of customer service. ]

Comments

text; locked

[prima_facie]

Hal, what are you doing?

voice;

[passe]

[ Side-eyeing his phone so hard because this is a phone call, not an email; text appearing out of nowhere isn't something he was prepared for. That and he blatantly hasn't programmed Cutler's name into his contacts. ]

Who is this? How do you know my name?

text; locked

[prima_facie]

[If he could only see Cutler facepalm]

It's Cutler. Look, where are you? And see the little checkbox that says 'lock' on the phone screen? Press that before you say anything.

voice|

[wolfsmother]

Are you planning to get arrested?

voice|

[passe]

No. How does asking after the brig's security imply that?

I just want to know if the ship is safe.

[ He sounds slightly defensive, because - yeah, he totally is planning on getting arrested. Maybe. It's a nuclear option. ]

voice|

[wolfsmother]

I heard that people can spontaneously explode if they miss the jump.
I'm not sure safe's really that much of an option.

voice;

[sharp]

Don't have a phobia of electricity, do you? You might be out of luck there. [ a beat. ] Err. But I know one of the recreational rooms has got pool and darts and that sort of thing. Unfortunately, the media library is digital.

voice;

[passe]

[ Try a phobia of technology. He's not really sure how to answer that question without sounding like an idiot (because, really, hating technology and being in space is ridiculous), so he ignores it. ]

I'm looking for hobbies that can be done in the privacy of one's room. [ Anyone else would probably show some humility at the accidental euphemism, but the thought doesn't even occur to him. The news about the media library, however, does induce a small amount of stress. ]

And if it hasn't got any books, how can they possibly justify calling it a library?

voice;

[sharp]

[ Welp. Too late. Amy is already suppressing a chuckle, which turns into a bit of a snort. Be serious, Pond, please. It's not working very well though. ]

Right. Gotcha. I'm sure somebody else can lend you a hand there. [ Oh. Maybe not the best reply. He started it, really. ] I mean, with chess and ... stuff.

[ MOVING ON. ] They're still books, just on screens -- like ebooks, or whatever you want to call them.

[video]

[cargojet]

We are presently working on a law code, but right now things are judged on a case by case basis. Everything's complicated here. You have any idea how to ethically handle the crime of a werewolf eating a person when it's not premeditated murder? I don't.

Sorry, I know, I'm very cheerful. It's not been a great week. Month. Well... [ He rolls his eyes apologetically. ] You know what I mean.

text

[prima_facie]

One of the werewolves ate someone?

text

[cargojet]

Might have. Something ate someone, but who the hell knows. It was a hypothetical situation anyway.

voice;

[passe]

[ He's not particularly fazed by the ethical conundrum of werewolf crimes, though the open mention of werewolves itself is worth noting. As for that bad month, well- ]

Yes, I think I do. [ His voice is steady and polite, a slight edge of sympathy. This is also the first reply he's gotten that's actually useful, so he doesn't want to seem ungrateful. ]

The existence of werewolves is common knowledge on the ship?

voice;

[cargojet]

It is. As well as vampires, mutants, people from Star Trek and Roman Emperors and just people who honest to god really like their pet wolves. Just think of this ship as a lousy mash up of all the things that should never be in the same movie, like cowboys and aliens, only worse.

[ Nathan can be the most useful, probably. In a manner of speaking. ]

This is where you ask which I am, or cover your ass and get back to the serious topics.

( voice ) oh hey he recognizes your voice

[heroisms]

[ this is a familiar-sounding dude. ]

That's an odd set of questions to ask, don't you think? Prison and hardcopy entertainment makes it sound like you want to go to jail.

( voice ) HISSSSSSS

[passe]

[ And Hal recognizes him after a second of confusion, because yeah, that voice and accent combo is pretty distinct.

But he's still confused by the commentary, because what does hardcopy entertainment have to do with prisons? Do they allow people entertainment in prisons? What's the point of them, then? ]

They were unrelated questions. I have no intention of playing chess in the brig.

( voice ) preciouuu-- i mean

[heroisms]

The brig.

What, are you from the 1800s or something? Prison ethics have changed in the last few hundred years, you know.

[ But hey, he's from New York and he's met waaay weirder. ]

Why do you want to be locked up so bad, anyway?

video;

[goodpath]

I have a board game.

voice; HISS CHILDREN

[passe]

[ The video feed gets an intensely skeptical look, and a very reluctant reply. ]

... what type of board game?

voice.

[verylittlesugar]

I do not have any games myself, but I think I could easily make a set for Fox and Geese if you like.

It will be crudely made, though.

voice.

[passe]

[ Finally, someone with answers instead of impolite interrogations. Although the game of choice isn't ideal - it requires two people, for one; for another, the whole fox eating geese theme isn't exactly ideal when he's trying to avoid predatory instincts. ]

Thank you, but I'd prefer a game that does not require an opponent. I assume you have wood and tools for carving?

[ A pause, because hello flashbacks- ] And your accent. May I ask where you're from?

[leaps]

[ well shit, what a request. ]

I think you're the first to ask about the brig right off the bat.

voice;

[passe]

[ He doesn't even bother to sound like he's the weird one, here. ]

I find it hard to believe that I am the only passenger interested in the vessel's security.

[ text ]

[sexting]

- Discours sur l'Origine et les Fondements de l'Inégalité parmi les Hommes - JJ Rousseau
- Du Contract Social - JJ Rousseau
- Dictionnaire Philosophique - Voltaire
- Paradise Lost - J Milton
- Lyrical Ballads - W Wordsworth & ST Coleridge

One of each, all first edition. First three titles in French. Available for loan, not purchase. Enquire within.

voice;

[passe]

[ He actually made an effort at texting back, but the results were too embarrassing to let live. At least this way you can hear the genuine relief and gratitude in his voice.

That said, he's slightly confused as to who or what he's responding to. The lack of signatures on these texts is horrifying. ]

The Rousseau; both, or the Discours. How might I arrange a loan?