fandomhigh | Detention, Depths of the Castle, Monday

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detention

Detention, Depths of the Castle, Monday

Morning had broken in Fandom, and another day in detention was about to begin, the same as every other day.

For the moment, things were as quiet as they probably ever got, while everyone was still resting on their cots, women on one side of the magical black cloth barrier, men on the other. Soon, those who had managed to sleep would be woken by the ever-cheerful voice of Dolores Umbridge coming from the loudspeakers, ordering them to rise. The barrier would disappear, and whatever bland, tasteless substance they were calling breakfast today would appear instead. After that, those in detention were free to do whatever they wanted ... if they could find anything to do that didn't break one of the island's rules, or that could be done while trapped away from everyone else.

But really, the days of those in detention weren't that slow. Soon enough, visiting hours would start, and there wouldn't be nearly as much boredom then.

[OCD is up, have at it!]

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//Nothing lasts forever, Sunshine.//

This was, in fact, Jonothon's idea of a pep-talk. You're welcome, Liara, for that disembodied voice in your head, courtesy of... possibly the guy on fire halfway across the room, not quite taking his eyes off of you. Or not. Who knew?

//You know, I've been down here... Lord, at least three bloody years? I've got a map in my head of the cracks in the ceiling. And the one thing I've learned is that, so long as the number of us keeps growing in here, that means there's probably still some sort of resistance out there. I refuse to believe that this is going to last forever.//

The disembodied voice would have startled her more if her species wasn't already telepathic; it was just the lack of touch that Liara found curious, if not terribly off-putting.

She blinked around until she caught the eyes set on hers. Her mouth formed a wordless O, but only briefly.

"I think you might be right," she spoke. "When I came here... there were a number of us. Several I haven't seen since."

He gave an approving nod as she found him. The look of him might have startled her some, but she'd recovered well enough. She was a bright one, this girl.

//I imagine it wouldn't be terribly reassuring if I were to tell you that you might get used to that,// Jono replied, managing something like a sigh along with that statement, even if it was only in their heads between them. //Were they at least putting up a good fight out there?//

Liara crossed the distance to him now that she was sure she had found the right person. "I... do not know," she admitted. "I was too busy trying to fight them off to pay attention to what any of the others were doing."

He would have to settle for that, Jonothon supposed. He nodded to a spot of ground nearby. She was welcome to sit, if she wanted.

//But you were fighting. Props to you for that one, luv. Even if fighting is what gets us tossed down here in th'first place, at least they know we're not about to roll over any time soon.//

She sat down next to him with a smile. "For a moment I thought they might be pirates," Liara admitted. "I... had been out on my very first dig, and I had heard of pirates attacking archaeological digs looking for easy credits."

She curled her arms around her legs and pulled them towards her. "Did you fight?"

//I fought,// he agreed, his voice softening between them as he nodded, looking at her thoughtfully. //Might've incinerated a few in the attempt. Took me a while to wrap my head around that one.//

Or what was left of it.

//And then... I suppose I was just too angry to tame. You... were especially new to this hellhole of an island, then, when they came across you?//

"I had not even been aware of the existence of the human species, let alone Earth, before I came here," Liara admitted. She tilted her head at Jono. "You don't look like an average human," she added, "but I have to confess most of you look alike to me."

So the fire was a handy identifier.

//Th'fire is a mutation. You'd be hard-pressed to find another human that looks anything quite like me. But for what it's worth, I'm sorry your introduction to humanity as a species had to come like this. Most of us aren't quite that mad.//

He actually almost wanted to believe that, too. Except the world he'd come from before this wasn't all that great, either.

"Your people seem..." Liara paused briefly as she tried to think of an unoffensive way of saying it, but, being Liara, she wasn't terribly good at it, "...aggressive. As a species."

//That would be because they are,// Jonothon murmured. There was no point in denying it. He'd seen the worst in people time and again even before coming to this place. //Though if most of them had any say in the matter, I wouldn't be considered one of theirs. I'm quite alright with that, I think.//

Liara frowned. "I am not a geneticist," she said, "but I would assume that you only have a slight variation in your genes to account for this mutation. There is no reason to assume you aren't human."

//It's variation enough. The difference between homo sapien and homo superior,// he replied with a shrug. //Either way, it's different. Humanity doesn't handle different well, whether that difference comes in appearance, or opinion.//

He reached a hand up and ran it through his hair.

//Sorry you had to find yourself surrounded by the lot of us, whatever we are.//

"I suppose it could be worse," Liara said quietly. "I could have been marooned in a colony of angry krogan."

//Perhaps I'll have to take your word for that one, luv,// Jonothon replied, barely a murmur somewhere in the back of their minds. //Unless you're feeling up to explaining to me what a krogan is, of course.//

"A species of large reptilian sentients, known for their bloodlust and love of battle," Liara said. She turned her head and studied Jonothon's face. "Is the telepathy also an aspect of your mutation? I have not heard any other humans communicate that way."

//It is,// Jonothon confirmed as he tried to form a mental picture of these krogans that she was talking about. He suspected they probably didn't look much like any of the reptilian species from his own reality. But then, maybe he'd be surprised. //Fortunate for me, I suppose. It'd be bloody difficult to carry on a conversation without it.//

Liara laughed - a bit awkwardly, but that was more because she was awkward than because of anything to do with the situation. "I imagine so," she said. "My species is naturally telepathic, but we cannot speak to each other over such distances. We need contact and closeness."

//I never really had the chance to get to know what my limits are with my telepathy,// Jono admitted, tilting his head thoughtfully. //I'd only had this ability for a matter of months before I was dragged in here, and that was well before I really understood it. I was afraid of what I could do. And now, with their barriers up...//

He shrugged.

//I can speak across the room, or pick and choose who hears me when I do. That's about the extent of it. Maybe someday I'll get the chance to learn more.//

"Perhaps I could see, at some point..." she trailed off. "No. I haven't had enough training," she corrected herself. "Sorry. I am... thinking-- no, babbling out loud."

//Babble away, luv. Yours is at least th'product of a curious but sound mind. It's a welcome change, down here.//

He imagined that she might have noticed, by now, just how out of touch with reality so many of their fellow inmates were.

"I was just wondering," Liara said, pausing awkwardly on half the words, "if maybe I could... try to unlock more of your potential strengths...? If... it might help."

Now there was an interesting prospect, and the thought of it had Jono tilting his head at her, almost birdlike, as he mulled it over.

//How would you go about that, luv?//

It was tempting.

"Our... telepathy--" She was using the word because she'd heard humans use it before, but it still sounded awkward and unwielding to her own ears. "The melding," Liara corrected, which sounded much better. "It allows us to explore thoughts, emotions, memories... including genetic memory. I don't know how your mutation works-- and I am not very experienced-- but it could drag up something, at least."

She fiddled with her hands.

//And anything would be better than... than nothing, I suppose,// Jono allowed, nodding faintly. //Though there are some memories you wouldn't want to stumble across, tucked away in my head, luv. Would that become a problem?//

Detention, Depths of the Castle, Monday

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