Mission Mishaps: Oh Captain my Captain [Backdated to Sunday]

[littletonoidea]

[The video is taken from behind a giant pile of rope, just visible on the camera's edge before it zooms in on Flint and Levitt. The cameraman is silent, as Levitt shoves Flint against the railing.]

--lace to run. If you try, I'll gun you down in the back. But if you cooperate and face your execution like a man, I'll allow you a few final words.

[The scene zooms in on Flint, who very pointedly doesn't look at the camera. He just breathes deep, and bellows from the chest.]

DESTROY THE GAVEL. DON'T FUCKING ST--

[And he's interrupted by the deafening explosions from the machine gun tearing him to pieces and shoving him over the edge.

Not that the camera catches most of it, because there's a sharp yelp as Eiffel flails back with a sharp yelp of-]

Holy fuck--!

[-and the camera drops to hit the deck, bouncing and landing upright, and Eiffel's hand is back in view instantly, scrambling to grab the phone, and some errant swipe from fumbling fingers-

--cuts the feed.]


Spam

[Well, at least it wasn't a hand?

On the other hand, getting his left eye removed is way more painful than Eiffel would have ever anticipated, and he ends up spending most of a full day in the infirmary, getting his empty fucking socket cleaned and bandaged and taken care of, until he stops having a dizzy spell every time he moves his head.

But after that? Straight onto the oars. For three. Days. It's not so bad at first, until the realisation hits on the shift change when he's exhausted after the regular eight hours and his manacles don't come undone.

He learns in the second shift that a hastily scarfed meal, dense as it is to make up for the energy losses, makes him vomit. He learns in the third that bandages have a finite amount of sweat they can absorb before it starts seeping into his newly made facial cavity. He stops keeping track after that.]

Comments

[littletonoidea]

"I mean, the fact you took down enough people that the only way the Judge could slow you down was literally blinding you," Eiffel says wryly, "You've probably gotten yourself a solid reputation to not be messed with."

[reformedsinner]

"That would be nice," Gonou says lightly. "We have a few other violent types on board, unfortunately, so I'm trying not to draw too much attention...."

Bane had already tried to flex at him on their first meeting, which was ridiculous, but he's less confident of his ability to beat that man in a fight blind and one-handed than he had been before his maiming.

"My Advocate actually tried to convince her to leave me an eye," he adds. He's still not sure how he feels about that.

[littletonoidea]

"Well maybe he should've tried harder," he mutters. One eye, he is rapidly learning, is rough, but tolerable. Being blind is insane, especially when he's down a hand as well.

"Well, if you need anything, you know you can always give me a call, yeah?" he offers, turning his head to Gonou so he can lower his voice a little without losing clarity. "I'm not the best at bandaging yet, but I can give it a shot. Or if you just need company."

[reformedsinner]

"I think we'd annoyed her a lot," Gonou says. His tone is still light, but there's -- an edge.

He does feel grateful not to have been executed; he wouldn't have been entirely surprised if he were, and his Advocate asking for some lenience on the eye might have distracted the Judge's urge for punishment onto taking his sight and not his life.

Still.

"...I wouldn't mind the company," he murmurs. "If our Advocates allow visiting, in any case."

[littletonoidea]

"Well, if they don't then you can put me on speaker when you're in your room and I'll... talk. About whatever. I'll narrate movies from my freakin' memory vault or something."

Anything to keep him from feeling alone and lonely when he can't see them.

"You know me, I'm good at talking. I won't shut up for days if you want me to."

[reformedsinner]

Gonou ducks his head with a soft huff of amusement. "Ah-- Eiffel, you're a good friend. But I think you should sleep first.

"If they don't, I'll call you. I promise."

Voices and plate-clinking noises ahead let him know they're approaching the mess hall; his ear flicks thoughtfully.

[littletonoidea]

He smiles, despite himself, and it's audible in his voice when he says, soft and warm, "Yeah, buddy. I'll try."

His grip shifts a little to rest on Gonou's shoulder instead, giving him a gentle guiding tug and a quick, "Mind the door frame." as he course-corrects them.

But hey, he'd at least passed out for long enough before to get back to a barely-functional level of exhausted, which means the motor-mouth is functioning at minimum capacity. So, just enough for a pretentious accent.

"And to your right you'll hear the disgruntled hustle and bustle of the disillusioned masses lining up for their midday meal of... what appears to be sandwiches," he intones dryly. "Apparently our corporal punishment meals have been upgraded to tea time, arl-bait without any evidence of actual tea." And then, in his normal voice: "Or even a half decent joe."

[reformedsinner]

Gonou almost loses his balance at the tug, but manages to shift his feet just fast enough to follow Eiffel's guidance without a full stumble. Door frame: ah, yes.

"Shame," he says lightly. "I'd very much enjoy a cup of tea. But I suppose hot liquids may qualify as weapons we shouldn't be allowed to have...."

Sandwiches are, at least, hard to spill on his shirt and easy to eat with one hand. He can appreciate that much about the menu.

[littletonoidea]

"Well, if you throw boiling water at someone, that's like- third degree burns right there. And none of us are trusted with anything hotter than tepid."

He did notice Gonou almost fall over because of him, so he shifts his hand a bit lower, holding down above near his elbow so it feels less like he's yanking Gonou around. "Come right a bit- about eight paces? That'll get us in line. I got you."

[reformedsinner]

"I'd even accept tepid tea," Gonou confesses, with a slightly mournful tone, following directions. Eight paces to the right. "Although I've never really understood the appeal of coffee."

His ears are flicking nervously, trying to follow the sounds around them.

[littletonoidea]

"Uh, hello? Beverage of the gods?" He can see Gonou's ears flicking when he turns to look at him properly, and keeps his voice low to be less of a distraction. "Who doesn't love that hot bitter bean juice, designed entirely for dragging that last crumb of wakefulness your body possesses to its limit?"

He sticks his own free hand out, groping awkwardly through ruined depth perception before he pins a hand on the canteen counter. "Here, two steps forward, if you stick your arm out the counter's about, uh- belly height, on you."

[reformedsinner]

"Tea does just as well at keeping you alert," Gonou replies, keeping his voice deliberately light as he takes the two carefully-judged steps and stretches his hand out until his claws grate on the counter.

"Without tasting vile!"

The clatter of a tray before him alerts him to the servers' work, and he finds the edge of it as it's slid out, wrapping his hand around the side of it and sliding it carefully down the serving counter.