Calibrations Waiting Room Mingle

[trpmods]

WHO: ALL HE ROWS
WHERE: The Secret Tunnel, which has become the Calibrations Waiting Room (or was it always...?)
WHAT: Mingle log for literally anything you'd like to take place in the waiting room between sleep cycles during the event
WHEN: June 3 - July 10
WARNINGS: Please mark individual threads with warnings

For those that have heeded Ga Re's warning, the door within the secret tunnel - which looks suspiciously like the hatch to one of your shuttles - is wide open, waiting for you. You walk through... and the door behind you disappears. You’re now standing in a cavernous, cold, white waiting room. There are hallways leading off the main corridor with names above each. One of them has your name and will draw you toward it, inevitably.

And on the wall, in pink, running letters is written this single greeting:

‘Welcome to Calibrations’.

The secret tunnel has become a large waiting room with chairs, tables, and the same food dispensers available in the shuttles. There are also communal bathrooms - one for each gender - with several toilet stalls and shower stalls in each, including basic shampoo and soap dispensers, like you might find in a hotel. The water isn’t hot, so hopefully you don’t mind lukewarm showers. Somehow, at least, it never goes cold.

Branching off the main waiting room room are the labeled hallways. At the end of each short hallway is a door, with the same character’s name written on them. Anyone can enter any room, regardless of the name written on it. Everyone has their own room, though of course people can share. Each room has a simple bed (approximately queen-sized) and a set of drawers.

You can opt to spend time in your room or in the larger, common waiting room. (And if you do, you can thread it out here!) But every 16 hours, you'll feel a compulsion: You need to sleep. Right now. You find yourself going into your room (or someone else's, if you really want). But you’re drawn to the bed. You can’t help but lie down. And then, you fall asleep.

Comments

[doubled_speed]

At least one of them was unmarked by the mess of the rage. Tommy wasn’t, he still had a rather obvious scar, like lightning, in silvered flesh along his right arm. It was enough of a fresh memory that he even flinched at the sight of BD-1. Which of course wasn’t fair to the droid.

“Cal, Beads. Uh... Hi.”

Fuck fuck fuck how was he so much more confident in brain spaces?

[out_of_order]

The worst of the bruises are hidden under sleeves, the collar of his poncho keeping most of the ones around his neck in shadow. Cal manages to keep from frowning at Tommy's response, but behind him, BD-1 ducks down, just a touch, antennae drooping. The padawan gives him a little bounce with his shoulder, barely masking a wince from the movement as he tries to give the droid a reassuring look.

"So... Between being stuck in here for who knows how long and being out there, which would you rather deal with?" Cal asks as he looks back at Tommy.

[doubled_speed]

The injuries are horrible and he hates it, because he knows it was his fault. Will always be his fault. He tried to kill one of his few friends in the world. Perhaps he forgave Billy for what Billy did to him, but could he forgive himself for what he did to them?

“Fuck man, could you ask an easy question, please? I’ve got serious issues with being locked up in concrete structures, but... Powers. I hate losing them.”

He finds his value in what he can do, and it’s stupid and he knows it, but he still hurts from it.

[out_of_order]

Cal does wince at that, scratching at the back of his head with a sheepish look. "Sorry, sorry. I just didn't want to..." He trails off with a weak laugh, shaking his head. "Didn't want to make things more awkward, but I'm failing pretty badly at that."

He sighs. "Let's try this again. For what it's worth, I remember that dream." It had been a step in the right direction. But even Cal was surprised at how different it was to address things when you were awake.

"...I told BeeDee about it." He glances over his shoulder at the droid to prompt him, BD-1 peeking out again before beeping and hooting softly. "He's sorry for scaring you with that. He didn't mean to. It's...the only thing he can really do, defensively, but he didn't want to use it on you." Cal smiles wryly. "Because you're a friend."

[doubled_speed]

The dream. Well, at least there's that. Some people seem not to. But Tommy nods. He remembers the dream too.

"That world was beautiful," Tommy says, just to reinforce it. "I... wasn't acting friendly. But my arm was... I was fucked up by some lightning, so..."

Fear.

[out_of_order]

"It's called Kashyyyk," Cal says. Of his memories, he's glad to be able to have shared that one.

Tommy fills in the missing pieces of information to what he'd gathered from the speedster's response during the fight, and Billy's response when he'd recounted what had happened later on. He nods slowly. "I see. I'm sorry it happened. But we were running out of ideas in how to keep you back while not trying to hurt you in the process."

[doubled_speed]

"Kashyyyk," Tommy repeats. But then he's shaking his head, because of the other thing.

"I... just need him to never do that again. It's, well, it's stressful. But you're both okay, right?"

[out_of_order]

BD-1 whistle-beeps a response as he comes up over Cal's shoulder, and Cal nods.

"He won't. I never gave him the upgrade with the intent of hurting people. He'd use it to jumpstart or turn off machinery." The padawan offers another nod then. "But yeah, we're both okay. We're glad you are too. I'm...sorry I wasn't able to be more help. I figured out what was wrong, but I didn't what to do about it." Not that he could do much when he was already exhausted from trying to keep the speedster at bay.

[doubled_speed]

"It was bad. I just... I'm glad my explosions aren't here. Because then I'd have made things really bad."

Tommy sighs, fingers going through his hair. "I can do that, normally. Booms."

[out_of_order]

"Explosions?" Yeah, that just sounds bad. "I'm...going to say that I'm kinda glad you weren't able to either," Cal admits.

[doubled_speed]

"Yeah, me too," Tommy admits, hands tucked under his arms. "I'm just... glad Beady was there, because otherwise I think I might have... you know."

Killed him.

"I haven't killed anyone in a very long time. I didn't want to start."

[out_of_order]

Cal grimaces, understanding the unsaid. Which is said anyway, but he shares the sentiment, nodding.

"I'd rather avoid it too." He hasn't had to fight for his life since coming here, not counting his bad encounter with Tommy.

[doubled_speed]

"So... can we maybe pretend this didn't happen?"

Please. He wants to be friends. Not a threat.

[out_of_order]

He wouldn't be here talking to Tommy if he didn't want to try to paving things over. A lopsided smile tugs at Cal's face, and he holds out a hand.

"I think I can live with that."

[doubled_speed]

Sorry, he's not ready to shake hands yet. But he looks relieved. And then he's grinning stupidly. Because fake confidence is needed.

"Good. Because I'd be impossible otherwise."

[out_of_order]

Cal waits a moment, but he lowers his hand with a light laugh and a nod, and even BD-1 offers a happy chirp from over his shoulder.

"You mean you're not already?" the padawan grins, arching a brow.

[doubled_speed]

"Wow, you wanna go?" Tommy asks, smiling and clearly teasing. It's silly that he goes there as his affectionate behavior, but it is jst words, which is why it's okay. He hopes.

[out_of_order]

That's more like the Tommy he knows. It's a big step in the right direction, and chases off any lingering awkwardness. The tone alone makes Cal laugh again, and even BD-1 gives a hooting titter.

"He didn't deny it though, did he?" he asides to the droid, even as he looks at the speedster, his smile quirking on one end. Hey, he can tease right back.

[doubled_speed]

"Wow, I thought you loved me, Beady," Tommy pouts at the little droid. "I already knew Cal didn't."

[out_of_order]

The beeps from BD sure sound like protests. Having clambered onto Cal's shoulder, the little droid hunkers down with drooping antennae as though trying to out-pout Tommy. Which is difficult to do when you can't frown but aw, look at him, you can't possibly be mad at that!

Cal meanwhile tries very hard to keep from laughing.

[doubled_speed]

"Dude, you agreed that I'm impossible," Tommy points out, waggling a finger at Beady. "That means you're on his side."

[out_of_order]

BD-1 starts tipping to the side so that Cal has to catch him when he inevitably tumbles off his shoulder. "Heh, okay you two," he says, shaking his head. This can go on forever, he feels.

[doubled_speed]

"Yeah, that's better," Tommy smiles. "You guys wanna find something fun to do?"

[out_of_order]

"Now that sounds like an idea," Cal nods. "Let's do it."

[doubled_speed]

Tommy grins and pats him on the back.

"The question is what fun can we even have?"