video;

[iceboxed]

[the feed opens on a shot of (a slightly sweaty looking) isaac stood in one of the corridors of the ship. he isn't quite in the unexplored areas yet, but he's close. after spending the past month seeking out a certain familiar face from home (and failing so far), he's debating whether it's time to head further afield yet or not. it's the temperature changes that're the issue here, rather than the potential threats those corridors hold. what if it hits either extreme and he's stuck without supplies to combat it. what if the pack stuffed with sweaters isn't enough to keep him from freezing to death in the next cold patch]

So, engineering is too hot for anybody to head in, and some of the rooms here have ended up pretty cold. [UNDERSTATEMENT. though thanks again, hayley]

Are there any other places that've gotten too- [his sentence cuts off there suddenly, his attention shifting further down the hallway. fixing on something off-camera. taking a shaky breath, he glances back at his device briefly, debating whether or not he should be calling for derek now. but by the time his gaze if back down the corridor again, his reasons for the pause are over. whatever it was is gone.

there's another few moments of silence as he makes a move of his own, doubling back a little further in to the explored areas. a strategic retreat, for now]

...uh. Right. So, like I was asking, what's the likelihood of someone getting stuck somewhere that...I don't know. Burns them up or something?

[he may not have found anywhere like that yet, but that doesn't mean the possibility isn't there. but with that question out the way, isaac takes a moment to change the settings of the feed. to lock the rest of this from those from his world (and hayley/ric/jenna). it's a call he should have made weeks ago. months, even. but that hadn't been an option before. not with derek there helping him. now though-

when he speaks again, his voice is far quieter. he knows the others aren't going to take this well. that even though the people here from beacon hills may have never met the man, they undoubtedly know of him. the problem with going to a high school is that rumors spread far quicker than you'd expect.]

...dad, please. I know you're here.

[a pause, and a final-]

I'm sorry.

[because obviously he's staying hidden for a reason. considering just how their last conversation went, just how it ended up. it's with good reason. he just needs the man to understand that this time won't be a repeat. it can't. for all that went wrong, they're still family.

and with that, the connection is finally cut.]

Comments

[iceboxed]

I feel like I should be quoting the Cheshire Cat right now.

[it's an off-handed comment because his focus is mostly on the question. on trying to work out how to answer without making it sound like he actually cares]

You're not the only one who has questions.

[it's about as truthful as he's going to get]

[arrowheads]

I really don't want to feel like Alice.

[ mostly because it's too accurate of an anecdote to her life at times — falling down the rabbit hole, always chasing after something, always befriending people she should otherwise distrust. ]

Oh. [ try not to sound disappointed, allison. but that's only a fleeting moment before she smiles, faint. ] I'll let you know if I decide to head out. Just... don't tell anyone. There are people who would follow us even if we tried to lock them in their rooms.

[ the implication is simply that she doesn't want to involve them in this, mostly for their own safety. ]

[iceboxed]

Between your dad and the other wolves- Yeah, I think I get that.

[for the same reasons he'd been so hesitant about telling derek about his father. it limits how far out he can go searching, both because he doesn't want to put the former alpha in danger, and because derek's attempting to do the same in return.

for a long moment it seems like he's done, his gaze fixed on the disconnect button. he's made his offer so what else is there to say? too bad he can't keep his own curiosity at bay.]

What do you want to find out?

[arrowheads]

[ she expects that to be the concluding sentence of their conversation, truthfully. she's prepared for the inevitable disconnect, but the question hits her and the flash of surprise and hesitance is an instinctual reaction she doesn't try to withhold.

there's a noticeable lengthy pause; while she trusts him, even without inspiring the same trust in return due to the circumstances, the topic is understandably one she hesitates to broach. ]

I keep seeing Kate. [ and chasing after her and winding up in places she shouldn't be, but she doesn't mention as much. ] I want to know why.

[iceboxed]

[of all the things she could possibly have answered with, that is definitely the least expected. he'd never met kate, of course. but he knows about her. he saw the papers, has heard the stories. and the idea of her being here now-

he should be telling derek. he knows that. but the fact allison's even told him is enough to keep him from sharing it with anyone else. she's seeing kate, but that could mean anything here.]

Has anybody else seen her?

[arrowheads]

No.

[ and that's enough to instill doubt within her, questioning the nature of it. first her mother's voice echoing in her head, and now kate's fleeting image; either she's crazy (or the ship is making her insane), haunted by ghosts, or deaton hadn't been lying when he had mentioned possible consequences for what she, scott and stiles had done.

maybe all of the above, but keeping still isn't going to help her figure anything out. she fidgets, only slightly, and bites back a sigh. ]

I know how it sounds.

[ really, really crazy. ]

[iceboxed]

[not as crazy as she might think. not while he himself is still so adamant about his father being there too. the difference is, at least allison has seen kate, whether she's real or not. he has nothing more than the words of a faceless entity to rely on. it's enough to keep any possible judgment from his tone when he speaks. and perhaps more importantly, enough to keep it solely between the two of them.]

You're a hunter on a spaceship talking to a werewolf who's friends with a vampire.

[in other words, there's no such thing as crazy here. anything's possible]

This place isn't exactly normal.

[arrowheads]

[ he's right; it isn't normal, making crazy relative. gauging what is and isn't a lapse in sanity on this ship is up for discretion, but that line of thought doesn't curb her from feeling as though she's steadily walking down the path to losing her mind. ]

Isn't there supposed to be some weird werewolf versus vampire gang war? That just sounds like a set-up to a supernatural West Side Story.

[ which.... isn't the important bit here, but at least it's a brief distraction from kate. ]

Neither is home. [ just saying. ] But I'm starting to think this has less to do with the ship and more to do with home in general, but we'll see. It's kind of hard to distinguish our brand of crazy from the ship's.

[ either way, the first step is investigation, the second step is actively, physically searching for any confirmation. ]

[iceboxed]

You've never met Jenna.

[while the words could seem almost defensive, the look on his face says otherwise. he cares a lot about jenna. far more than he probably should. so the idea of them ever turning on each other seems almost ridiculous.

but even with that response, even with a possible out and a way to avoid the more difficult topic, it's all brushed off with that statement. he may not have lived through those memories yet, but he's seen what's to come. what allison and the others have been through. it's enough to put a little perspective on the situation.]

Did you see her back home?

[arrowheads]

I haven't met any vampires yet.

[ aside from damon, perhaps, but his less than human qualities are something she's still unaware of. it's mostly an aside, an admittance that her vampiric knowledge is limited to what she's reading in books, and even aside from that, she's not about to judge the friendship he has with jenna.

especially when the other topic holds so much ( too much ) weight, her own demeanor shifting to more solemn easily. it feels... odd, explaining other aspects of their life he's yet to experience, like confessing some deep dark secret despite knowing he'll one day come to experience it himself. ]

No, but Scott and Stiles and I — remember when we needed to find our parents?

[ of course he doesn't remember; they're her memories, not his own, but isn't it one and the same now? ]

Deaton had us perform a ritual. Submerge us under water, let us drown, and we'd find the place where our parents were being held.

[ the nemeton, the source of all of beacon hills' new problems. ]

But he did say there would be consequences. There always are.

[ but it had been a price they had all been willing to pay. ]

[iceboxed]

[he may not have been there for the conversation, but he still remembers it. remembers the fear that came with deaton's warnings, overpowered by her own resolve. her need to save her father. scott's memories are there too. but those come with a different set of emotions. ones that he isn't in a position to share.]

A permanent darkness around your hearts.

[it's gentler than it should be. shows more concern than he wants to share. but he doesn't regret it once it's out in the open. not when he still has those memories of just what she went through in order to save her father. to save melissa and the sheriff. the three of them are alive, and now allison and the others are left dealing with the consequences.]

Deaton never gave you any ideas on how to manage it?

[because they may have shared memories, but that doesn't mean he knows everything]

[arrowheads]

[ she's glad she doesn't have to fill in all of the gaps her memories might have left once they'd imprinted on his mind, and merely gives a small nod in response. a permanent darkness around your hearts. they'd never been told what, precisely, that would entail — but, if given the chance, she doubts any of them would make a different decision, even with their current knowledge. even so, solid, concrete answers would have been nice, but there's little they can do about it now that they're confined to a spaceship.

she laughs at the question, though it's more exasperated than outright amused. adults in beacon hills always, always keep their secrets, deaton especially. ]

Deaton is almost as bad as my dad when it involves sharing information that might be important later.

[ sorry, chris. ]