Fragments | Open

[beforeblue]

Who: Agent Washington and You!
Where: The gym, the bar, the grounds
When: Post-event
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Wash is not coping well after encountering Epsilon
The Story:


The Gym/Training Rooms
[If Wash was dedicated about training before, he's bordering on obsessive now. He heads into the training rooms and fiddles with the equipment until he's got a setting that presents a suitable challenge. He has to keep going. It keeps him occupied. Keeps him from thinking too much so he can almost drown out the parts of his mind he doesn't want to acknowledge.

By later in the day though, it's obvious that he's struggling. Slowing down, missing hits that he should have been capable of, taking hits that he should have been able to dodge. Weeks of barely sleeping, of pushing himself to the limit, finally catching up.]


The Bar
[There is a sullen determination to his visits to the bar. He is a man with a purpose when he heads in, and the only reason he's drinking there instead of in his room is because it feels slightly less wrong. Plausible deniability, right?]


The grounds
[His morning runs are the most relaxing time, a routine he sticks to unflaggingly. Helps him to blow off the last remnants of whatever nightmare he'd had. He feels almost normal. He stretches outside the mansion, standing on the steps and watching the morning sun spread across the land. He stands there for a few minutes, letting the sun warm him before he heads out for his run.]

Comments

Gym

[howkickassiam]

[ York's not as consistent as he once was with his schedule. He has a tendency, when left to his own devices, to stay awake for long stretches and sleep in small increments, doing things like working out at all odd hours of the day. And here, it doesn't really matter much if he gets up at the same hour every morning and sticks to some kind of routine, is it? So it's late afternoon when he pops into the gym for a workout. He sees Wash over there as soon as he comes in, and he moves to greet him, but the way Wash is acting catches his eye first and he pauses. There's something off. He watches and waits for a time. Eventually he decides to move in at some point when Wash really seems to waver, coming to catch Wash about the shoulders with an encircling arm. ]

Think maybe you need a break, bud.

Re: Gym

[beforeblue]

[He's lost track of how long he's been there. He just knows that it's still light outside and if he stops now, then he'll just be jumpy by the time he has to sleep. He keeps working, even when he sees double for a moment, vision swimming, and it's bad enough that he doesn't notice that anyone else is there until there's an arm around his shoulders.

It makes him jump, and then he turns and... it takes a moment to recognise him, lost in the dizzying sensation that he should be seeing him from another perspective.

He blinks a few times until his vision clears and then shrugs out from beneath York's arm.]

I'm fine.

[howkickassiam]

[ York draws his arm back to his side, forehead puckering with concern. ]

Wash, you look like you don't even know where you are.

[ He doesn't reach out to touch Wash again, though he's tempted to take Wash by the arm and lead him away. ]

[beforeblue]

[He actually looks around when York says that, reorienting himself. Not the MoI. Not space. Wonderland. And York is there in front of him and he is... he is... Wash. He's Agent Washington.]

I know where I am. I'm in the gym. Training.

[howkickassiam]

[ York sighs. ]

Yeah. You didn't know that until you sat here and reminded yourself, though.

[ He puts his hand on Wash's shoulder again. ]

Listen, when did you eat last? Or when did you last take a drink of water?

[beforeblue]

[That is... unfortunately true. But the last few days have been like that for the most part anyway. Waking and sleeping have not been very distinct.]

I- [He has to think about that.]

I had some fruit this morning.

[howkickassiam]

Protein.

[ He says the word firmly, and gives Wash another little nudge to lead him to the cafe. ]

You need protein and you need some water. Bacon and eggs, how's that sound? Come on, champ, don't be stubborn, all right? Something's wrong with you.

[beforeblue]

[He tries to resist the nudge, but his stomach growls and that's gonna be indication enough to York that he needs to eat so he sighs and starts to go along with him.]

I'm fine. I'm just tired. Haven't been sleeping well.

[howkickassiam]

Well then, no coffee to go with that meal then. As good as it would taste.

[beforeblue]

I don't think the coffee would make any difference.

bar; new cr yay?

[noble_son]

[One drink had turned into three, then five, and Nathaniel now felt glued to his seat glumly musing over things he had both tried to forget and actively tried not to think about. He shouldn't drink, and he knows this, but we all do stupid things sometimes.

He sets his glass down and considers another, briefly catching the eye of a man sitting nearby who has the same look about him. Hard to miss it.]

What's your poison. [The rogue asks, lifting his empty glass up and tipping it slightly.]

Yay!!! :D

[beforeblue]

[He knows that it's stupid to drink this much, and not just for the sake of his liver. Carolina isn't blind. She knows him too well. But he's got too much on his mind, and even exhausted he can't stop his thoughts. The alcohol just dulls it enough to help.

It takes a moment for him to register that someone is talking to him, and then he glances over curiously. ]

Vodka. The stuff designed to knock you out.

:D!

[noble_son]

Ah. [He nods in that slow, ponderous way that suggests he understands but also that he shouldn't have really started nodding at his current stage of inebriation. Nathaniel tops off his own glass - the bottle now half empty - and lifts it to examine the liquid inside. It appears clear at first, but an almost imperceptible bluish hue filters through it when it catches the light.]

This is whiskey. Legacy White Shear. Rare in Thedas, but.. that doesn't seem to matter here. [A small sip. He grimaces.] It isn't advised to drink it in large amounts.

Re: :D!

[beforeblue]

[Wash peers at the liquid, frowning slightly. He has no idea what kind of booze has that sort of colour.]

Probably not. This place likes to play fast and loose with the laws of reality so getting rare alcohol shouldn't be an issue.

[He grins and raises his shot glass, downing the vodka in one go.]

What would the fun in that be?

[noble_son]

[It comes in handy that this place has no issues with particular 'laws of reality' when a regular alcoholic drink just won't do it. Nathaniel hadn't even been all that unhappy when he walked in here, but the drinking has done nothing for how pensive he feels.

He raises his own glass in turn, but only sips again. The liquid burns white-hot down to his stomach and it shows in his face, even as he can't help but idly nod in agreement.]

There are certain benefits to not going blind, but I doubt I could drink so much that I would reach those circumstances.

[beforeblue]

[He's not sure if he'd be able to die of alcohol poisoning here, or how it would affect him. Would he come back like people claimed? Or was death by alcoholic idiocy not covered?]

At least you have something to aim for if things really get bad.

[noble_son]

Something to aim for?

[He sets his glass down and almost misses the edge of the bar. Concentrate, Nathaniel. The rogue's brow furrows.]

What do you mean, saying that?

[beforeblue]

[Wash shrugs and takes another shot.]

If things really suck you can see which happens first. Blindness or death.

[noble_son]

I'd just as soon see neither.

[Grim topic, but there must be something in it. He tries not to think about his death too much. Knowing how it's going to happen really takes all the fun out of it.]

When I meet death, it shan't be at the bottom of a liquor bottle.

[beforeblue]

You never know what this place will bring.

[He isn't planning to die. But he just... isn't doing everything he can to avoid it.]

Noble ideas are a great way to get yourself killed.

the grounds

[coverme]

[ Her last proper interaction with Wash is still burned into Carolina's mind. She feels at fault for it, even if it had been Epsilon not telling her what he was doing and ultimately complete accident that the two had even run into each other. Still, she can't help but think that it might have ended better if she'd told Wash that Epsilon was here sooner.

Much like Wash, she goes for a run every morning around the grounds. Sometimes she sees him out there, though he's usually much earlier than she is. She doesn't sleep well, but he must be sleeping ten times worse, and seeing him up and about at such early times in the morning only seem to prove her theory. This morning, however, Carolina is up no too long after Wash is. Early enough that she's just exiting the mansion as he's starting his run. Though she's sure she'll regret not stretching first, getting a chance at conversation with Wash is more important. She takes off after him, not requiring long at all to catch up and fall into step next to him. ]

Morning.

[ Best to try to go about this...normally. Leaping directly into sensitive topics is dangerous. Besides, she mostly just wants to know if he's been doing all right. The fact that he's outside and functioning is, at least, one good sign. ]

How are you?

[ Though she fights to keep the deep amount of concern she has over him out of her voice, she fails to mask it all. ]

Re: the grounds

[beforeblue]

[Running helps to clear his mind. It's something that he sorely needs. He can focus on the rhythm of his body, his breathing, minute changes in tempo. There's no space in his head for anything else for that short time.

He's settled into a good rhythm by the time Carolina reaches him. Not too far, but enough to make him sweat even in the cool morning air. He doesn't spare her a glance when she speaks, concentrating on his steps.

That's a loaded question to ask, and for a second his pace falters before he throws himself back into it.]

I'm fine.

sORRY THIS IS SO OBNOXIOUSLY LATE

[coverme]

[ Of all the things he can answer with, he chooses fine? After everything that happened? Sorry Wash, she's not buying it. That much shows in her expression, even as Carolina's head turns back to focus on what's ahead of her. ]

You're not fine.

[ It's a statement made with no room for debate. She's not going to argue about whether he's fine or not again, and he shouldn't expect her to buy that he is after last night anyway.

Falling silent for a few moments, Carolina seems to focus on running. In reality, she's thinking, choosing her words carefully. ]

Look, we don't have to talk about it. And I figure you weren't planning to, anyway. I just want to say that it's okay.

[ A beat. ]

...And to apologize. I didn't... think things would come out that way.

Re: sORRY THIS IS SO OBNOXIOUSLY LATE

[beforeblue]

[His answer comes through gritted teeth.]

Then why bother asking?

[If she's not going to listen to him, there's no point in asking him things.

Running in silence he can do, and he's almost relaxed by the time she speaks again.]

What? You mean me finding out you're best friends with the AI that-

[The words stick in his throat, because some part of him doesn't want to admit it, exactly how fucked up he is. Or exactly what Epsilon had left him.]

Doesn't matter. I'm fine. Not the first time I've argued with someone at a bar.

[coverme]

[ To see if he'll finally be honest with her, that's why. ]

That wasn't just an argument, Wash. But yeah, that.

[ In her opinion, the more he says that he's fine, the less he actually is. But that's still not what she's going to get into here. ]

I was going to tell you, I've just been trying to figure out how to do it. I knew it would be weird, but... Obviously you deserve to know.

[ Although it's not actually something she would have told him about if Epsilon wasn't actually here with them. That's not important though, he doesn't need to know that part. ]