hard times / open!

[tarakan]

Hilbert is fine. He is just fine. He has to be just fine because the alternative, getting angry about this, won't be of any use. Push it all down, deal with feelings later, just focus on the here and now for the moment. He has a specific end date for his crimes. He will get out of here eventually. He is fine.

He's not fine, but considering he honestly has no idea how to deal with that, repression is the name of the day.

It's no big secret that Dr. Nerd doesn't have much experience with manual labor. Whenever he does his shift at the oar bank, at the end of it, he leaves without hesitation, but then spends the next few minutes in a nearby corridor, out of the main flow of traffic, inspecting the blisters on his hands. He'll try and grab the attention of anyone else who looks beaten up or not used to this sort of work before rather rudely trying to manhandle them in the corridor, away from prying eyes as well.

The yard is Hilbert's place of choice, especially as there's a few chessboards set up. And Hilbert is annoyingly good at chess. Most days you can find him sitting at a chessboard, thinking to himself, while also scanning the yard for anybody who might give him a good game as well as just looking for someone in particular. If he spots an Advocate, however, he'll walk up to them and ask two questions. One, is there any way for Prisoners to request or purchase certain items? Two, have they seen a young man, smaller than he is, who goes by the name of John Mandrake?

It's not that Hilbert's worried about Mandrake or anything. Certainly not. That would imply sentimentality and he has no room for that. It's simply that he'd rather the young man not be on this ship. That's it. Nothing more.

Comments

Oar Banks

[shamebat]

Nadja, a whole lifetime and several centuries ago, was a peasant girl. She had worked very, very hard to leave that life behind her and establish herself as an upscale, beautiful woman of means and power.

So to be stuck, at human strength, fucking rowing for four days straight, is not only exhausting but intolerable. She starts to cry around day two, teeth gritted, only doing the bare minimum. She's running on a terrible lack of sleep and every time she rows she thinks about how much she misses everyone she had loved and how much she despises this fucking ship.

She hadn't had much opportunity to meet with Hilbert before, and is so concentrated on how much she aches that she barely notices him when he's placed beside her.

[tarakan]

It's a good thing that Nadja is concentrating on her own pain because when Hilbert is sat down next to her, he immediately starts to mentally diagnose her. Because it is very obvious she isn't handling this well. Red-rimmed eyes, the sort of dazed nature one gets when they're tired but don't want to admit it, poor rowing form compared to others here...

Diagnosis? She's out of her depths. But, to be fair, so is he a little bit.

When there isn't an Advocate directly breathing down their neck, Hilbert says, in a tone low enough for Nadja to hear but hopefully not loud enough that they get fussed at for talking instead of working, "Drink more fluids. This is not work you are used to, yes? You are sweating more. If you do not properly hydrate, you are more likely to pass out."

He also hasn't had much opportunity to meet with Nadja. That's why he's wrongly assuming she's human.

[shamebat]

She hisses, but it's a tired hiss more than an angry one; a cat whose only defense left is to make noise and hope the larger predator goes away. Her fangs are long and sharp.

"Do you think that matters to them?" She mutters, not even looking up to see Hilbert beside her.

"I cannot drink water. It will kill me."

[tarakan]

Nadja can't drink water. There is a vampire on the ship that attacked Doug Eiffel. Nadja has fangs.

"Are you the vampire that attacked Officer Eiffel?" It's phrased as an honest question, no judgement here. Because if she is...well, it's not like Eiffel is his research project any more. But a part of Hilbert still feels intensely possessive and still views Eiffel as his research project.

[shamebat]

At that, Nadja at last looks up at Hilbert, as incredulous and outraged as she can manage, given her exhaustion.

"You realize he has put us all here." She retorts. "He has led to my demotion. To my husband's and inmate's disappearance. To every fucking soul trapped on this piss stain of a ship."

The Yard

[somekindofmeta]

There is a man dressed all in black, walking the ship and watching the new Barge residents.

He is pleasant, and polite, and will answer questions mildly, but there's something flickering in his gaze that has people feeling uneasy and off-balance.

No matter. He sits down opposite Hilbert and settles his long fingers together, eyeing the chess board.

"I have not seen your friend." Vetinari says, without being asked. He's heard Hilbert's questioning of other Advocates. "And I do not entertain idle requests without payment in turn."

[tarakan]

"That is expected," Hilbert points out, with a shrug. "Simply asking because back home, there was a system for prisoners to buy items using funds they might have earned. Commissary, I believe."

Hilbert goes first, moving a pawn out as the chess game starts. Vetinari sat down, they are playing chess. No questions asked, no deciding who's first, let's just start the game.

"As for my requests, iodine, needle, and thread. What would you consider acceptable payment for those?"

[somekindofmeta]

Vetinari examines the board, and moves his own pawn out to begin.

"If you can win a game, I will consider the entertainment alone payment enough." He says, and eyes Hilbert over his steeped fingers. "Provided you answer my questions as we play."

"You are a surgeon." This is not a question.

[tarakan]

Hilbert nods. As far as he's concerned, those terms are acceptable. As for Vetinari's guess about his job, that's not a hard deduction to make. His hands aren't those of a laborer's and he requested items that could be used for rudimentary surgery. Surgeon is a sensible guess.

"Background specifically is in virology. But previous job was acting as chief medical officer for exploratory space mission."

[somekindofmeta]

Vetinari bends over the board to consider his next move. "And you are from Earth originally?"

halls

[mandrakeroot]

Nathaniel wouldn't say that he's looking for anyone, and certainly not that he's concerned about anyone. He's an Advocate - after all, it doesn't count as murder if you win the Prime Minster's approval - and while it's not the job he wants, it's better than being a Prisoner. He just has to get through the trial period and maybe then get home.

He doesn't have any ties to the Barge. Well, he might have one or two but they're unimportant and just the fault of being locked up with people and having to make use of the situation. So his only feelings on seeing a face he recognizes is objective observation of fact.

"Doctor Hilbert?"

[tarakan]

Oh. So there he is. Hilbert pushes down the look of relief that almost flitted across his face as he gives Mandrake a little nod, looking the man over.

...ah, and Mandrake is an Advocate. Different than Hilbert's prisoner status. Wonderful, he thinks sarcastically.

"Mandrake," he says, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. "I am glad that at least one of us is doing better now than we were before."

[mandrakeroot]

It's pretty obvious that he's an Advocate. For one thing, an hour trying to move an oar would probably take him out. These are not the spindly arms of someone who can standup in the face of manual labor.

"I am fortunate in my position." He doesn't like it, but if he's forced to be on this ship, it's always better not to be Prisoner. "It's a more straightforward way to 'earn' my life back. You're a Prisoner?"

It's a little more obvious than he likes his questions, but he can't say anything like 'how are you' or 'are you okay'.

[tarakan]

Hilbert nods. "Could be worse," he shrugs. "The situation is obviously not ideal, but I will make do."

It's obvious from the callouses and blisters on Hilbert's hands and the way that he walks like someone who exercised too much and is regretting it the next day what the 'not ideal' portions of this are. He's good enough at manual labor to pass all his 'let's get you into space' exams, but it's not something he would say he's amazing at.

[mandrakeroot]

"At least here they give you a sentence." The lack of an end date hadn't been his least favorite thing about the Barge, but it had been up there.

"Is there anything you need?" A practical question, because Hilbert is a useful person.

[choosetoforget]

"I haven't seen him," Daniel says as he sits down at the chessboard with him. He is rather good at the game, and this is an easy activity that he requires he not think about the outside world.

"And I - don't do trades or barters."

[tarakan]

"Understandable," Hilbert says, as he plays his opening gambit: moving his pawn out. "Still, there is no harm in asking."

[choosetoforget]

Daniel does the same. "No, especially if it is someone you care about."

[tarakan]

"I do not care about him," protests the man who obviously protests too much. "He is more of...a student. My world is more advanced in the realm of biology and I offered to teach him more about the subject. He agreed and we have been working together since."

Hilbert moves his knight out.

[choosetoforget]

He counters that, building a defense on his side, though there's something about his response that seems - disturbingly familiar.

"Are you from a more advanced time or place?"

yard!

[lefttoburn]

Mei Changsu is lingering by one of the doors, hands tucked inside his voluminous silk sleeves and fur cloak pulled tight around his neck and shoulders. It's not particularly cold out, but he's pale, moving with a care that speaks of chronic pain when he moves.

"I haven't met anyone called Mandrake," he replies to the question, inclining his head slightly. "As for the other, it depends what items you may be looking for."

Re: yard!

[tarakan]

"Basic medical supplies," Hilbert answers. "Mostly gauze and bandages."

He holds up his very calloused, very blistered hands before continuing. "Fully expect one of these to pop any day now."

Re: yard!

[lefttoburn]

"You are aware that you can visit the medical facilities," Mei Changsu says, eyebrow rising as he considers the blisters. "You won't be let off your rowing shifts, but you may have your injuries treated to allow you to continue."

Re: yard!

[tarakan]

"Only medical advice I trust is my own," Hilbert points out, with a little shrug.

Re: yard!

[lefttoburn]

Mei Changsu laughs, a soft, dry sound. "Well. Too bad, then. Perhaps I could get you some gauze -- what is your name?"