( text | un: sweetie )

[retrorsum]

Has anyone found a pod containing someone that was supposed to be dead? That they knew to be dead.

( river asks more out of curiosity than anything, out of trying to understand and gain more knowledge on the pods, on who and how they were brought here. she also can't deny that small piece of hope that comes with the question, of wanting to see someone that she couldn't (shouldn't) be able to see again )

Comments

text; UN: J.SHEPPARD

[impavid]

It wouldn't surprise me, given that death seems to be a relative thing here.

[retrorsum]

How relative?

[impavid]

In the sense that people die and get shoved in a tube and then come back like nothing happened.

[retrorsum]

Were they dead or close to death?

( feels like she's gonna hate this )

[impavid]

Pretty solidly sure it was a dead situation.

[retrorsum]

( fuck )

I'm going to need to take another look at the pods.

( she says as if she wasn't planning on doing that anyway. one day she'll make sense of the readings she has )

[impavid]

If you're hoping they come with a manual that explains this you'll be disappointed. There is a slightly grating ship AI though that is about as helpful as 'slightly grating AI' sounds.

[retrorsum]

I try not to rely on manuals. They're not always reliable.

[impavid]

Also boring.

[retrorsum]

It makes trying to stop a crashing spaceship very interesting when you don't have one.

[impavid]

I've never needed a manual for that before.

[ ... I mean, they've never. Had manuals. Ever? ]

[retrorsum]

Well, if I ever end up in a crashing spaceship with you I'm just going to sit back and watch.

( honestly river has never needed a manual for it either. she's very good )

[impavid]

You wouldn't be the first to do that.

[retrorsum]

But I'd probably be the best looking one.

( river please )

[impavid]

A confident assumption. I'm gonna need some data to back up that claim.

[retrorsum]

( river debates for a moment or two before flicking the feed over to a video. she's not doing anything better at the minute )

How much would you like to see?

( though even if he says everything it wouldn't be everything )

[impavid]

[ River Song you are the worst influence. His feed snaps on after a second in response, and John is currently sitting on the floor of his tiny, incredibly worn apartment trying to restrain a long haired German Shepherd puppy. He gives his phone, balanced just out of reach, a mock-innocent look.

There's a slight air of mystery, perhaps, to how he turned it on while having it out of reach but also maybe he just has a voice command set up. Who knows, this is the future! All things are possible. ]

I'm afraid I can't answer that question in front of such a young audience.

[ This man is terrible. ]

[retrorsum]

( river chuckles. she likes that answer more than anything else he could have given )

If we're being honest I don't think I'd be able to sit back and watch in a crashing spaceship.

[impavid]

[ He quirks a grin at that chuckle, twitching back a little as the puppy attempts to climb his chest before gently turning her around again and trying to distract her with a toy. ]

Yeah? I bet you're a backseat driver too on a good day.

[ He's still smiling though, and it's not really much of an accusation because so is John. You can absolutely bet he'd argue with someone over how to fly a spaceship, especially if it was crashing. ]

[retrorsum]

Who, me?

( so innocently said. and absolutely true -- the number of times she tells her husband he's flying the tardis wrong. or just takes over?

she's always right though )

[impavid]

[ So is John, according to John. ]

Yeah, you.

[ Like recognises like, River Song. He gives up and drops the toy, drags Seren into his arms and ruffles her thick fur until she struggles. She squirms valiantly against the indignity of it. ]

What kind of ships did you crash?

[ Or, you know, fly. Whichever. ]

[retrorsum]

( wow, she resents the implication. she'd tried to stop them from crashing )

A cruise ship. And a category four starliner.

( although the latter she hadn't tried to stabilise and the crash hadn't been due to her. she's also purposely leaving the tardis out of this )

[impavid]

[ Oooh, sounds fancy. Seren squirms enough to be free while John pulls an exaggeratedly impressed face, and he skids her toy across the room. ]

So what's a category four starliner if it isn't a cruise ship?

[retrorsum]

That depends on what they want to use it for. Some would be cruise ships, others are colony ships.

( basically it just meant the type and size of ships rather than its purpose )

[impavid]

Big civilian vessel then?

[ Huh! ]

I don't have a whole heap of experience with civilian ships, but I imagine anything that big steers like a truck.