Daycycle 113 [ October 23 - October 29 ]

[computerized]

daycycle 113

[Oct 23 - Oct 29]

[OOC Plotting for this Dacycle can be found here.]

[Specials can see a Specials Supporters Anonymous chat leaked onto the network in the wee small hours of the morning, here.]

Early Morning [0800 - 0900] — All Troubleshooters Report for Duty

Allison Argent and Peggy Carter, have been selected for today’s mission. Details are below:

‘There have been multiple reports of sightings of unregistered mutants near the south sewer entrance. Go investigate with caution.’

Please debrief the computer on the status of your mission by the end of the Daycycle here.

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Morning & Afternoon [0900 - 1600] — Service Firm Positions
All Troubleshooters not assigned a mission should report to their Service Firm for their daily duties, unless specifically assigned a different shift.

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Evening [1600 - 2200] — Citizen Improvement
All Alpha citizens are encouraged to better themselves through Alpha’s wide variety of educational, entertainment and cultural opportunities offered each evening. Attending these sanctioned events are not mandatory, but is highly encouraged by The Computer. Citizens choosing not to take advantage of these opportunities, have a growing number of other options available to them in how to spend their hard earned credits and free time.

Tonight’s event will be at 2000 in Warehouse 97 in the R&D Sector and will be hosted by the Alpha Fight Club. Martial Arts and Boxing are skills all Alpha Citizens should have. Join us as we demonstrate how to get started and how to fight properly.

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Alpha Curfew Restrictions
All Alpha citizens should be in their quarters within the Wagon Wheel by 2200, unless they’ve been given permission from a GREEN or higher clearance level citizen. Sleeping Aid gas is dispelled each night in the Wagon Wheel at 2200 to assist citizens in getting a productive sleeping period.

Confession Booths
There are hundreds of confession booths available around Alpha Complex if a citizen would like to communicate directly with the computer. Please use these confession booths to report mission statuses, report treason or terrorist acts, unregistered mutants, confess your trespasses against Alpha Complex, request propaganda or speak with Your Friend, The Computer, at any time.

Comments

[duelo]

He hadn't really expected her to agree to talk, but the nod of acknowledgement is enough for Derek. It lets him know that she heard and understands that the option is there if she ever wants or needs it. That's as far as Derek is willing to push, because he knows how hard it is to open up. ...he still hasn't. It's been over a decade and he still hasn't told anyone who hasn't already been a witness to the string of bodies he leaves in his wake when he cares about people. Isaac, ironically, got off easy and the irony in that is that Derek had to damage their bond by breaking the kid down emotionally; treating him the same way his abusive father had treated him before the kanima killed him Derek had taken Isaac in. To date, Katniss is the only person who knows that the fire was Derek's fault, but even then, all she knows is that he trusted the wrong person. She doesn't know to what degree and he's not sure he'll ever share it.

So he's not going to be a hypocrite and force the information out of her. He only wants it if she wants to share it, anyway. "Okay, as long as you know that, that's all I want."

He should get her back to work, he knows that, but Derek can't bring himself to separate from her when he has a feeling that she's been aching for this kind of comfort from someone — anyone — for a while and she either hasn't had access or she's been refusing to let herself indulge. She's clinging, which is pretty contradictory to the girl who physically pushed him away not half an hour ago. That, in and of itself, is an indicator that his assumptions are probably not too far off.

"Are you gonna be okay?" he asks softly, the monotonous movement of his hand over her hair continuing in an attempt to soothe her and help her calm down and relax.

[stillplaying]

She'd probably blush if she knew that he had trusted her with a secret that he hasn't told anyone else. Blush and mumble that she really isn't all that worthy of his trust. It's not that Katniss isn't trustworthy; she tends to be extremely loyal to friends and family. But her self-worth needs some serious work. She doesn't think all that highly of herself on the best of days. On the worst of them, days like today, it's practically non-existent. She doesn't know if that's something Derek would understand too but by she wants to think so. He's proven to understand so much already.

Lunch breaks only last so long and there's the fact that Katniss technically took one earlier. A lunch of water isn't much but it had helped ease the hunger a little. Sooner or later, someone's going to wonder where she is. Where they are. But there's something about Derek that makes her feel safe. Katniss doesn't want to leave that. Not now. Possibly not ever.

She takes a deep breath when he asks if she's going to be okay. Despite that desire to stay safely hidden against Derek's chest, Katniss pulls away enough to be able to look up at him. Her lips quirk a little to the side, the look on her face sad and knowing. "Do I have a choice?"

Katniss has to be okay. No one else will be okay for her.

[duelo]

When she finally looks up at him, Derek's expression settles into a sad smile and he shrugs a little. That question merited asking, he'll give her that.

"That depends on how you look at it," he replies. He realizes a few seconds too late that she's pulled back, but his fingers are still in her hair. Inappropriate, he tells himself, and takes his hand back as casually as he can manage.

The thing about this place is that the Specials are expected to behave like regular Alphas when they aren't regular Alphas. Katniss technically has choices, they just don't really happen to be good ones. "You have to pretend to be okay," he agrees with the implication her question laid out. "But you don't have to actually be okay. I'm not, not after realizing that the safety of the thought that my memories weren't real was a lie I was telling myself. I'm never okay, Katniss. I've just spent the better part of a decade pretending to be and I'm really good at it by now. So you don't have to be okay. You just have to learn to fake it. You'll get there."

With that, Derek sighs and looks toward his bedroom door. "We should go back…" he admits, frowning.

[stillplaying]

It's impossible to completely ignore the feel of his fingers tangled in her braid. His hand had been comforting. It's still comforting to have it there, even if he should probably move his hand from her head. Though he tries to be casual about moving his hand away, it's absence doesn't go unnoticed either. She doesn't think he's doing anything inappropriate. Or has been for that matter. The inappropriate actions that had occurred between them, the ones that had happened yesterday, those are her fault. Not his. He hasn't done anything wrong by her.

She's starting to wonder if he really is this good a person. His words have said otherwise, that he's guilty for as many horrible things as she is. His actions say more to her. The way he seems to take care of her even though he doesn't owe her anything speaks volumes to Katniss. It's going to take a lot to be able to pay him back some day.

"I don't pretend well," she grumbles, a hint of the sullen girl returning in her words and on her face. It would have been better for everyone if she could pretend well. Katniss can't change who she is, no matter how much she tries. Still frowning, she looks towards the door. He's probably right about going back. "No matter how hard I try."

[duelo]

Taking a deep breath, Derek nods. Yeah, he knows the feeling. He'd never been very good at pretending when he was a teenager, either. It was too fresh and, worse, he had the pain of his loss competing with the whole growing up thing. Derek imagines Katniss to be having similar struggles.

He reaches for her hand and gives it a little squeeze, one which he hopes is at least a little bit reassuring, before letting go again. "It'll come with time. I think you're entitled to a couple of years of sucking at pretending, Katniss."

He can tell by the way she's looking that she agrees they should go back, but also agrees that she doesn't necessarily want to. Once again, the task of being the bad guy and ending a good thing to return to work falls on Derek's shoulders. That's all right, he supposes. He's a little bit used to that sort of role, too. He sighs a little and gets to his feet, holding a hand out to her. "Come on, before we end up getting arrested for treason for bailing. We gotta get back, as much as I hate to say it."

[stillplaying]

It doesn't matter how old Katniss gets; lying will never come naturally. Everyone around her had seen it when they had attempted to film that first propos and she had failed miserably. Everyone had seen how awful she was at pretending when she tried to convince everyone that she and Peeta were madly in love. She can't even lie to herself. This is something that Katniss knows will never get better with time. Nice of Derek to think otherwise.

She shrugs in response to that comment, not bothering to correct him. He's trying to be comforting and up until now, Derek had been doing a good job. She doesn't want him to think that she doesn't appreciate what he's done because that's not it at all. It would have been easy for Derek to ignore Katniss. That's what most people would've done rather than try to get involved and make a difference. Does he realize how unique this makes him?

Probably not. If he really is like her, Katniss wouldn't be thinking much of herself either. Because of that, she takes his hand and stands. She gives it a small squeeze of gratitude. He's not being a bad guy. He's being responsible. If he leads the way again, she'll follow.