InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "careful, don't drop him"

Martha Jones (notrosesshadow) wrote in marinanova,
@ 2016-10-27 20:27:00

Entry tags:

felix gaeta, john constatine, martha jones, miranda lotto (au)

Day 399 | Open Action
Having found little to interest her in tattoos to cover up her newest scars, Martha had turned to Jack's suggestion at getting them removed. And knowing she had little to no rehabilitation points, she was willing to take whatever the wardens would give her regarding work to earn more.

Which was why she was now rolling a ginormous pumpkin through sector zero to place somewhere. It was also why she was placing hay bales in various places and hanging orange lights. None of the decorations were as impressive as she would have expected from the wardens for a big anniversary bash, but there was definitely plenty.

"Excuse me!" she called over the pumpkin.

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	notrosesshadow 2016-10-30 12:26 pm UTC (link)
	She nodded. "I'd appreciate it. Yes." Martha wasn't going to let awkwardness stand in the way of an offer to help. And anyway, working tended to keep awkwardness at bay. It was nice when there was something else to focus on. She halted the pumpkin so Gaeta could get into position. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	didwhaticould 2016-10-30 10:11 pm UTC (link)
	He stood on the other side of the pumpkin, helped her tilt it back on its side, and got it rolling again. The process might not be much faster with two people, but at least it made for less opportunities for a runaway gourd to mow someone down. "So... do you have a passion for decorating or are you in it for the points?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	notrosesshadow 2016-10-31 12:04 am UTC (link)
	Definitely fewer opportunities for runaway gourds. Martha started rolling the pumpkin again and laughed. "Points. I'm terrible at decorating. Too busy usually to remember when a holiday is coming up. And half the time I'm working anyway. Besides, I'm fresh out of points." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	didwhaticould 2016-11-01 12:33 pm UTC (link)
	"You might be terrible at it, but you're committed." He nodded at the pumpkin. Moving it across the dome took dedication, if not talent. "What would you put your points towards? I can't think of anything I'd want to ask the wardens for." Which hadn't stopped him from trying to get points. Stockpiling resources, even ones that seem useless, is important. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	notrosesshadow 2016-11-01 01:11 pm UTC (link)
	"That's me. Always willing to do the difficult tasks." She said it with a smile though the reality was she really did end up with some impossible tasks when she did things. She considered lying. Just saying she didn't know. In fact, she rolled the pumpkin in silence as she debated. A moment or two later and she did answer however. "Scar removal." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	didwhaticould 2016-11-01 10:37 pm UTC (link)
	"Someone's got to." It's possible to smile about such things when Marina is usually free of truly difficult tasks. Had she said nothing at all, he would have let it go. As it was, he glanced up at her without a pause in the pumpkin-rolling. "Scars aren't anything to be ashamed of, you know." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	notrosesshadow 2016-11-01 10:48 pm UTC (link)
	"Most people don't have the sheer number of scars that I do," she replied, not meeting his eyes. "You haven't seen them since we were in our real bodies in that other prison. Scars may not be something to be ashamed of, but for the first time ever, I don't like the way I look." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	didwhaticould 2016-11-03 10:32 pm UTC (link)
	He hummed a vague agreement. Scars don't seem worth worrying about to him--these aren't real bodies, after all--but it's understandable. Appearances are important. Instead of making further comments on a topic Martha seemed uncomfortable discussing, he asked, "How did you use up your points?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	notrosesshadow 2016-11-04 04:24 pm UTC (link)
	Seriously Gaeta. You should see them sometime and then tell her they're not worth worrying about. It's bad. She chuckled before answering his question. "Lost most of them buying hypervodka for Jack. The rest I lost in a sparring match." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	didwhaticould 2016-11-04 11:17 pm UTC (link)
	"Those sound like perfectly legitimate ways to spend them," he replied, sarcasm present but kept at a minimum. "No offense, but you don't seem like the sparring type." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	notrosesshadow 2016-11-09 06:59 pm UTC (link)
	"I haven't sparred in a while. Not here. I picked up a few things when I traveled the world. Learned more during basic training. Then Mickey taught me some things. Haven't really needed it here." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	didwhaticould 2016-11-13 06:05 pm UTC (link)
	"Basic training? Are you a soldier?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	notrosesshadow 2016-11-16 06:40 pm UTC (link)
	Martha shook her head. "Not anymore. I was Medical chief for a project back home for a while, but I had a problem following orders. Guess the head finally got tired of arguing with me." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	didwhaticould 2016-11-16 10:37 pm UTC (link)
	"I can see how that could happen," he said with a small smile. Joking, joking. "If you ever feel a need to practice, I've got some basic combat training myself." Not that he'd ever been particularly good, but. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	notrosesshadow 2016-11-22 08:00 pm UTC (link)
	Martha laughed and rolled her eyes. The actuality was much worse than she was admitting. "Well, I'll definitely take you up on the offer if I ever get the sudden urge to spar again." Likely she wouldn't. She was human again after all. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

didwhaticould
2016-11-27 11:46 pm UTC (link)

"You don't have to. Just a thought."

He doubted they'd be sparring any time soon, not after the vampire thing. Even if he could overcome habitual and residual skittishness, what where the odds that Martha would be willing to do something that, while harmless, isn't a far cry from attacking?

"How many points do you think you need, Martha? Months upon months of good behavior's worth?"

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notrosesshadow
2016-11-28 03:45 pm UTC (link)

"Whichever AI I talked to at the kiosk told me not to worry about it. I figure I'll just keep bugging them until they say I have enough. Maybe I'll just go with a little bit at a time. I'm not sure. One bullet hole here. An inch of vines there. I suppose it all depends on what the process is for removing virtual scars from a virtual body."

She deliberately keeps her tone light as she talks. Yes, the scars bother her, but in the grand scheme of things they're not important. She knows that. Even though she refuses to look herself in a mirror anymore.

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didwhaticould
2016-11-29 04:14 pm UTC (link)

"It can't be a difficult process. These bodies are just part of their program." And the point system is just part of the wardens' game--a means of attaining rewards through good behavior where the cost of the rewards and value of desirable behaviors aren't disclosed. It could all be entirely arbitrary.

That's annoying.

He almost offers to give her whatever points he has accumulated during his stay here, but he checks himself. Martha has been nice to him and they've slept together once. She isn't a close friend like Dee. As meaningless as the points seem, shouldn't he save them instead of handing them over to someone he likes but still hardly knows?

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notrosesshadow
2016-11-29 09:46 pm UTC (link)

"For them I imagine it's probably very easy. I just don't count on them making it easy for me."

Other than the fact that she was sure they would take the scars away, Martha had little faith in it being anything other than a hullabaloo. The wardens, so set in the idea that all the inmates were actually dangerous criminals, didn't allow much in ways of niceties.

And yes, he should be saving his points. Had he offered them, she would have declined. But he hadn't, so that wasn't even an issue.

"Pumpkin goes here," she said as they reached a flat expanse of ground. Once they tipped it on their side, she rolled her neck and then came around to the side to sit down, her back against the giant gourd.

"Feel like I deserve a bit of a break after that one."

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	didwhaticould 2016-11-29 11:58 pm UTC (link)
	"No, it wouldn't be like them to make anything easy." With the pumpkin in its new home, he sat down next to Martha. "Maybe go for a less ambitious decorating task next. I doubt that the wardens give bonuses to overachievers." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	notrosesshadow 2016-11-30 10:56 pm UTC (link)
	Martha chuckled. "I was just following what they told me to do. No overachieving here. But maybe I'll ask for running streamers or hanging lights next." She began absently picking at the grass as she gave him a side-eyed glance. "How've you been Felix?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	didwhaticould 2016-11-30 11:27 pm UTC (link)
	He was beginning to question his decision to sit. It was difficult for him to tell if Martha was uncomfortable around him or if he was assuming she was because he's uncomfortable. Too late to leave without being an ass now. "You know, same old." Which is about the answer he would have given regardless of the state of his existence. "How about you?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

notrosesshadow
2016-12-01 12:18 am UTC (link)

Martha shrugged. "Other than pushing gourds of unnatural size around the dome, life has been fairly normal. Not something to complain about here."

Her feelings towards him were primarily that of disappointment in herself. She had enjoyed what they had going back when they first met, and she had been willing to explore it. She assumed any reticence in talking coming from him was due to the vampire. How could it be anything else? She goes back to the discussion at hand.

"Though I suppose fairly normal here means there's little to say."

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didwhaticould
2016-12-01 01:03 am UTC (link)

If only talking about feelings was easier! He could tell her that the vast majority of his discomfort had more to do with the baggage he came in with than her foray into vampirism. (Except that would never have happened since it would've involved admitting that said baggage existed. Newly-arrived, fresh-from-almost-being-executed Gaeta was far more eager to confide in someone than as-settled-in-MarinaNova-as-can-be-expected Gaeta.)

"I almost prefer the wardens' tricks to fairly normal," he sighed, not entirely convinced that he means it. "Do you ever get tired of having nothing to do when things are fairly normal?"

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	notrosesshadow 2016-12-01 09:16 pm UTC (link)
	Martha throws him an almost alarmed look. Because, as far as she's concerned, things didn't go well for her with the wardens' tricks. "The library has a decent sized medical text collection. There's plenty there for me to study." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)