[OPEN] January Catch-All

[ghostbullet]

Who: Melanie King (ghostbullet), Daisy Tonner (hadnoright), Alice Dyer (closureisformovies), CT (liesdontfindyou) & you!
What: Catch-All for Blue's character
When: January, and some backdated December stuff
Where: All over! See character prompt headers.
Warnings: In specific headers where relevant.



Melanie, Daisy, Alice and CT all have open prompts in the comments. More may be added, depending on if anything gives me reason to/I think of anything else worth putting up. Closed starters are also available upon request if these prompts don't work but you want to do something!

Ruby Rose and Gwen Stacy have their own open top-levels at the links that I'm also still very open to tags on.

Comments

[ss_buttcrack]

"Could always zap you out the window while you and Rip spar," and this is how he tells on himself for watching, "but, yeah, point taken." 

He can't help but feel sad that she had to go to such lengths that even rationing kinds of drinks, and when, became a new concern. They have got to get her to unwind somehow. Her back must be made of more knots than a knitted sweater by now. 

"I don't have any easy answers for you about it. Wish I did. But I'm here. Anytime you need to talk it out to someone, I'm here. I'm your backup, now, so make sure and use me. You can't say I don't know what I'm getting into, either, can you?"

[liesdontfindyou]

CT laughs—not put off nor all that surprised that he's been paying that much attention. "Somehow I feel like that would constitute an unfair advantage. I'm hard enough on her as it is."

Ripley's learning, but she can't learn if CT doesn't make the fight worthwhile and that means CT's experience is already an advantage.

"No, you're right, I can't. And I appreciate it. I really do. These last few months have been— they've been kind of a lot."

[ss_buttcrack]

"She seems like a fast learner from where I'm standing. And you're doing a good job teaching." She can't argue with him about that, either, since he's been keeping watch.

"I'll say they have. It's okay, you know, to admit it's been overwhelming you. These long hours you're pulling on top of it all can't keep going, CT. You gotta delegate it out or you'll crash and burn. I'm telling you this in my professional capacity as a former mission commander." Yes, he's pulling the rank card, but it might be the only thing she'll listen to easily.

"Tired minds make tired decisions. Soon, even coffee ain't gonna cut it."

[liesdontfindyou]

"How is it you people keep making my never getting past E-4 relevant? Apparently this is what I get for not being ambitious enough to go the command route."

It's a deflection, really, buying herself a moment's extra time to think. It's funny, in a way: this isn't all that far off something Carolina said to her, in the final weeks before she had to leave and her odd behaviour was all recontextualised in the eyes of her friends. Everyone had noticed how tired she was, they just thought she was only working on official things. Sanctioned things.

"...I know my own limits, Crichton. I can promise you that much."

[ss_buttcrack]

"We had to have something we could use to get you to listen," he says with a wink. She knows by now that he doesn't actually hold it against her. Classical training couldn't have prepared her for the reality of things anyway.

"That's got the makings of famous last words, but... all right. I'll take your word for it."

[liesdontfindyou]

"I'm not going to pretend I've never pushed beyond them before, but I wouldn't have gotten this far if I didn't know when I was at risk of total collapse. Even I know that I'm no good to anyone at that point."

She's never taken as many breaks as would be ideal, whether out of stubbornness or genuine lack of time to do so, but she's come to recognise a lot of the signs of losing all coherency.

[ss_buttcrack]

"Good. Just had to make sure, you know? Wouldn't be a good friend to you if I didn't."

He's still going to pester her to take more rest, and send in his secret weapon about it (Ripley) too. There's no escaping care this time, CT. For now, at least, he's not going to try and lock her out of the constabulary building.

"I'll stop harping on it for now. Deal?"

[liesdontfindyou]

"Deal. If I don't keep my word you can call me on it. You can keep checking me and I'll keep checking you."

They can look out for each other.

okay to go ahead and wrap here?

[ss_buttcrack]

"You got yourself a deal."

wrap!

[liesdontfindyou]

She smiles. "Right, then I better actually get to eating this so we can get back to the job we're being paid for."