On the Prowl

[beholding_archivist]

WHO: Jon & OTA
WHERE: Around the Agrii Ship
WHAT: The Archivist is hungry and prowling an alien space ship on the hunt for wild tape recorders and your fear
WHEN: Late September
WARNINGS: None yet.

Ever since the Agrii have been rescued and the Graq returned to their own home planet, things have calmed down more or less around the large ship the Agrii have been staying on and that is still on its way back to Agra 10, where, in all likelihood, they are expected to resume their rebuilding efforts.

And yet way too many questions remain, at least for Jon. The Archivist has spent a lot of time asking their alien captors all sorts of questions and not always has received satisfying answers. But as the weeks pass by and he finds fewer things to ask, Jon’s curiosity is slowly replaced by something equally nagging: Hunger.

It’s not an unfamiliar feeling for Jon, though it’s also not one he finds himself entirely able to ignore. He has lost enough weight as it is and while the turtlenecked poncho-like piece of clothing he has picked up on their brief stop and has come to wear around the ship to feel less cold makes these things less obvious, Jon at least remains aware that it’s not entirely healthy.

And so he is wandering the large ship, eyes and ears open for the familiar sight of an outdated tape recorder or the unmistakable whirring noise of one.

A - Mess Hall

The mess hall is a place for food, right. Not quite the food Jon consumes anymore, but he has tried a few of the offered items - Only to be met with an atrocious taste.

Though the mess hall is also a place where people met. And talked about stuff. So chances are that one of those curious recorders might be around, quietly recording away one conversation or another. Which means Jon is more or less prowling around between the tables, head cranes forward to peek under the various tables and benches and counters.

“Excuse me...” He mutters distractedly while moving past someone with their tray of food.

B - Medbay

Another place Jon suspects, or at least hopes, to find a recorder in is the medbay. It may not be as much of a social place as the mess hall, but people still pretty much talk in there. And that’s not rarely important talk. And probably quite to the liking of those curious little devices.

So he pushes the door open cautiously and peaks as well as listens around for a moment before stepping inside and into the center of the room, simply letting out a sigh at the lacking presence of a tape recorder.

C - Engine Room

The engine room is an unusual place for the Archivist to show up in, and it’s not entirely intentional to begin with. He just finds himself wandering in, then notices the large core set in the middle of the large room and stops short, staring for a couple of moments in blinking silence.

“.....Jesus Christ.” Is all he utters before slowly backing towards the exit again.

D - Anywhere Else?

[[ Basically your wildcard if you want to hit me up on Plurk or Discord. ]]

Comments

[beholding_archivist]

Letting out a sharp exhale, Jon casts an icy look over at Reeve. "I don't find it very hard to understand that I can only trust you as long as you don't feel the need to feel something."

And that's as much as Jon feels necessary to say on the matter.

[plate_builder]

Really? Reeve turns his full attention on the man, and there's a pitying look on his face.

"What part of Tony lied to me can you not fathom? Have we not known the same man? Must you make this a willful and deliberate action, committed with malice of aforethought? Have I wronged you so strongly when it's you that he looks to and worries over and dedicates himself to? I do not want to be with him, Jon. I feel guilty for even being his friend at this point. Is that not enough? Or is there some penance I must offer you, some lofty quest to earn forgiveness for an act I didn't know would hurt you?"

[beholding_archivist]

Jon all but snorts. "Right. Tony may have lied to you, but it has been your decision in response to this misinformation to deem the information I foolishly entrusted you with as irrelevant in light of your physical urges. Despite knowing how I felt about Tony, you didn't care about how I would feel regarding your selfish actions and this betrayal of my trust in you as a the friend you presented yourself as."

He pauses there, then crosses his arms. "Just to spell it out again: I feel betrayed by you, Mr. Tuesti. I trusted you, but obviously that didn't matter to you. I didn't matter. If another man's wrongdoings are enough to justify being inconsiderate of a supposed friend's feelings, I'm afraid you don't get to try and portray yourself as the victim."

[plate_builder]

Was this man actually kidding? Reeve was on his feet, practically vibrating with anger.

"So, I was never to touch a man who I cared for after I was informed that you weren't involved? I was supposed to completely ignore my own feelings for him forever because I tried to support you and he, to my best knowledge, rejected that?"

Where in the world does that come from? How is that fair?

"I was unaware that supporting someone, believing their efforts rejected, and then two months later allowing myself to be seduced by him was a betrayal of your trust."

This man was maddening.

"I don't know what the deal with Tony and you is at this time, but perhaps you two need to consider the words 'commitment' and 'exclusivity'. Until such time I don't know what to do. I cannot just forsake my friendship with him, no matter your demands. We need work together for any number of ends. But if you need, we can have someone else, Cayde or Cal perhaps, chaperone any meetings I ever have with him. If that will at least serve to assure you that I would never touch him again, then I will do it. Because I cannot stand the thought of being with him again. Would that I had never met Tony Stark on Risa, would that we'd not talked the night that the power went out, I would do it. But I'm only mortal. And unlike you, I cannot force my will upon others to enact change. I can only offer what I can offer."

[beholding_archivist]

Jon's jaw clenches and the grip he has on his own arms tightens. So it was Reeve who caused that delay to restore the power during the blackout. Just why isn't Jon surprised about this selfish man only having his own interest in mind while others are trapped and terrified.

If only he could inflict that terror he felt during that night on Reeve, Jon would.... Yes. He would feel better. But doing so would be wrong. It would leave him no better than this self-centered person.

He swallows a low growl. "Being mindful of your friends’ feelings isn’t something people value in your world, is it." Jon says flatly before his tone sharpens and his eyes flick over to Cloud for the briefest moment. "Unless that's just you. Maybe this callousness is what keeps people away and you as lonely as you like to whine about."

With that, Jon turns away and heads for the door, any intention to find that tape recorder gone. And while Jon certainly could use his powers to force his will on Reeve if he chose to, that's not an option. Not for him, anyway. It's not like he trusts Reeve's words to not make any further moves on Tony either. He most certainly will, being as depraved and needy as he obviously is. The thought makes Jon as angry as it makes him sick. At least he's not hungry anymore...

[plate_builder]

Arrogant fool of a man! Reeve curses. Jon cannot fathom how important the feelings of others are to him. And clearly the man has no intention of ever listening. Great. Bridge burnt, and for what?

For nothing. For fucking nothing. Dammit.

"The callous one is you," he grumbles into the silence as he returns his attention to Cloud. "Hurry up and wake up, Strife. I might need to bribe you to at least act as a chaperone to me from now on."