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]

"Yeah," Tommy agrees after a bit. Yeah, he can agree with that. Even if he's not sure how much it will work. "Can we find somewhere quiet?"

[wearingthestars]

Billy's not sure either, but he has to try. He nods, looking around before gesturing back to his room.

"We can go in here."

[doubled_speed]

Well, there's that. Tommy sighs and moves to join his brother in his room.

"We're not, uh, close to sleep time, right?"

[wearingthestars]

"Not for a bit," Billy reasons, "We've got a time."

"...Does it still hurt?" he asks, going to his bag, "I've got some meds with me, it should help with the pain- Tony's still pretty bad..."

[doubled_speed]

"Yeah. But it's more an itch," Tommy admits. As he says it he almost moves to scratch at his arm.

"Don't waste meds on me."

[wearingthestars]

"It's not a waste-" Billy corrects immediately with a stern look, "And I'm one of the doctors now, so...you need to let me do my job."

[doubled_speed]

He is. Tommy stares in shock. But then nods along.

"Yeah, you are. But my metabolism, B. It's a literal waste. It eill either not affect me or not do it for long."

[wearingthestars]

Right. Billy frowns. "I can...I can try to make some that's...slow acting?" He doesn't sound entirely confident in his ability to do so, but...he wants to help.

[doubled_speed]

"Unless your magic can do that, my metabolism is just a mess," Tommy shrugs. "Medication hasn't worked on me since I got my powers."

[wearingthestars]

"I know. My magic can do a lot of things. I can try..." He's conjured up half of what he's given to Tony, and it seems to be working correctly, despite not knowing a whole lot about actually pharmacology.

[doubled_speed]

At least trying Tommy can live with.

"If you're cool with medical experiments, go for it."

[wearingthestars]

"A little less cool when we call that," he counters with a small smile, but he nods, sitting down so he can focus better and starting a murmuring chant to conjure up what he needs.

A small bottle of pills eventually appears, and Billy offers it up for Tommy to inspect. "...Is my working at the hospital going to be okay with you?" he asks carefully.

[doubled_speed]

Oh it's absolutely less cool when he calls it that. It's him underlining that it really wasn't remotely cool at all.

"I'm not your keeper, B. You can do what you want. But if you're doing this out of guilt over Tony and it's just going to make you unhappy, I'm going to be disappointed."

He wants the best for his brother, not... complacency.

[wearingthestars]

"It's not. I mean...it might be part of it, but- I agreed to help there before any of that, I just-...I'm really liking it. I feel like I can actually help people, but...I know doctors can be a rough thing for you..." He doesn't want to add to any of that.

[doubled_speed]

“Just... be careful, okay?”

And Tommy isn’t really that great at hospitals. So he doesn’t intend to go there. At all.

“I’ll see you when you’re at home.”

[wearingthestars]

"I'm always careful," he promises, giving a nod of understanding, "Okay, let me see what I can do magic wise for the scarring, if that doesn't work, there's some other stuff we can try."

[doubled_speed]

“Yeah, that works for me,” Tommy sighs, settling down on his brother’s bed and holding an arm out.

[wearingthestars]

Billy gives it a ginger inspection, features laced with guilt, and then his hands over just over the skin, chanting softly, trying to mend what he can.

[doubled_speed]

“Stop it,” Tommy says. His uninsured hand flashes out to curl under his brother’s chin and lift his face. “Stop blaming yourself. You can’t forgive the Scarlet Witch for tearing apart the Avengers and mutants while under the influence of other forces, and then not forgive yourself.”

[wearingthestars]

"Nnn-" Billy pauses, looking up at him and blinking in surprise, glow fading from his fingertips. His cheeks flush, not really able to deny Tommy's point.

"...sure I can. I'm a huge hypocrite," he counters with an attempt at a smile.

[doubled_speed]

“Fuck. That. Shit. If you’re a terrible person while literally being controlled by something, then I’m WORSE. A lot worse. Are you going to call me irredeemable?”

[wearingthestars]

"Of course not," he's quick to counter, "I know- ...I know I didn't mean to. And I know we're going to be okay. I just...I feel bad. I still feel bad, I can't help it. I never wanted to be one of the people that hurt you. Even if a stupid bug's the one that made me do it."

[doubled_speed]

“The bug hurt me.”

But Tommy’s going to wear a scar from his brother. The brother that has literally and metaphorically pushed him away before. It leaves its own sort of mark. And he hates that it does.

[wearingthestars]

"You know what I mean. I'm allowed to feel guilty still. Even if it doesn't make sense. Just like you're allowed to be mad about it. Or scared or...anything else you need to be."

It's a complicated thing. One they're probably going to have to face again some day in their line of work.

[doubled_speed]

Well, yes, he supposes his brother is ALLOWED to feel guilty, but... But Tommy doesn't want that. Not on his behalf.

So he's silent, looking away from his brother.

"I don't blame you for shit, B. You're good."