045 ☣someone at sunrise be distraught

[fridgetothefire]

[Public, Video]

[Anya is sitting at the desk in the maintenance office. Dean's jacket is thrown over the back of the chair - she couldn't leave it behind, couldn't quite wear it either. Her eyes are red-rimmed, but her cheeks are dry, and she smiles.]

Hi. For all you new kids, I'm Anya Lensherr, former crazy inmate, and current head of maintenance.

[That was a little harder to say than she expected. But she mostly doesn't let it show.]

I'm in the market for some minions. Any inmates who know basic carpentry, electrical wiring, or plumbing should come talk to me. Any inmates who want to learn any of that should come talk to me. I'm a good talker, I'm a good listener, and I make great cookies.

You don't get to use the cool power tools until I'm convinced you'll use them according to the factory guidelines, but it's a pretty good gig, lots of downtime in between wall-shattering catastrophes, independent projects generally allowed. Preference goes to people without other jobs yet, I get final say, this is a benevolent hardware and transistor dictatorship, et cetera.



[Private, to Alec Trevelyan]

Did you ever talk to Dean before he left? I don't know if you're even still interested, but we'd be happy to have you.



[Private to Sylvanas, later, from her room]

You sing, right?



[Private to Debra Morgan]

How are you settling in?

Comments

[maced_eggs]

Here, you're not going to conscript me into mopping your fuckin' floors day and night, are you?

Because I don't think inmates would appreciate life under your dictatorship.

[fridgetothefire]

[She laughs.]

Oh, lord, no. You are banned for life. You are an exile from my realm. I would give Lecter a power drill before you, Mason, at least he knows how to be thorough.

[maced_eggs]

What?

[Cue abrupt switch from obstinate to deeply offended]

Well, why the fuck not? I'll have you know I know how to use a fucking power drill, Anya. That is how I died. The first time, not the...time with the whole Barge thing.

Anyway, it isn't bloody rocket science. I don't see why I should be banned.

[fridgetothefire]

One, because you can't work, two, you complain too much, and three, apparently you killed yourself with a drill.

I'm just not okay with that kind of liability.

spam

[myresponsibility]

So does that make me your faithful sidekick?

[Says Peter who is sitting on the ceiling of the office, apparently arranging the pens he and Dean have thrown up here into DNA helixes because why not.]

spam

[fridgetothefire]

[She grins and leans back in the chair.]

You're my loyal captain of the guard or something. You should have a spiffy uniform.

spam

[myresponsibility]

I do have a spiffy uniform. It's red and blue.

[So there.]

[deshabille]

[She notices that Anya's been crying. She doesn't say a damn word.]

Me. [Gods, pick her, she has such a headache and needs to be doing something.] It's medically advisable.

[fridgetothefire]

Medical, huhn? It's supposed to be mostly inmates.

But if I get a few bites you could help shout at them.

[deshabille]

How did you know one of my primary talents is shouting?

[private]

[sickjoke]

Hey, Dean was handling making sure Gary went to work with maintenance. With him leaving, I'm not sure if Gary's going. You want me to handle the buttkicking or do you want to take over?

[private]

[fridgetothefire]

Talk to me about why you want to make him do it.

[private]

[sickjoke]

[ ...you are a much different brand of crazy than Dean's. ]

He's never held a job in his life, for starters. He's a drug addict that bounced from con to con, and he needs something that isn't basically leeching off his friends until he accidentally gets half of them killed.

This seemed like a good fit, considering. He refuses to consider education and works only under duress and because he earns privilege that way.

[Private-Handwritten Text]

[forsaken_queen]

[The reply doesn't come quickly. She's busy. But it does eventually come. Short, terse, even in text form.]

Why?

[Private-Handwritten Text]

[fridgetothefire]

[She replies in text as well.]

Bea gave me a guitar for Christmas, before she left. I'd told her I didn't really know anything about my own world's music.

I know a lot of songs now but I can't actually sing much at all.

[Private-Handwritten Text]

[forsaken_queen]

And?

[Where are you going with this, Anya?]

private

[godsays]

[ A little snort. ]

Any you don't trust, you can send to me. They can water the plants.

private

[fridgetothefire]

No poaching my minions.

[But she grins. She'll probably take him up on it.]

private

[godsays]

They left us in charge.

[ wth, man ]

Private;

[halfofeverything]

Hello, my dear. I reached out to him, but a week later he was gone; that was enough time to see he was the sort of man I'd have liked to know better, but not enough time to get anything done.

Private;

[fridgetothefire]

He was a good guy.

[Understatement of her LIFE. But she's not dwelling, okay, she's not.]

It's like that a lot around here - things come up, things get derailed, people vanish. You're probably getting a feel for it. Still interested in pitching in?

Private;

[halfofeverything]

The only difference between the disappearances here, and those I was surrounded by at home, was that here, I'm less likely to find a body in a river, riddled with holes and burns.

So, yes, anything that helps keep this ship afloat is something I'm interested in. Emphatically.

Private

[fuckton]

[For a moment, Deb doesn't know what to say; she's been keeping her head down and trying to avoid contact with people. It's been a fucking pain in the ass, because she's going through withdraw and not telling anyone.]

I'm fine.

Private

[fridgetothefire]

Alright, alright. You don't know me yet, I'll pretend I believe you.

[Magnanimous as heck.]

I know you've probably had other offers, but seriously, if you need anything - sometimes new inmates slip through the cracks until they get a warden of their own in their corner. And I know what it's like to be a human in the middle of all the crazy trying to keep my head down.

[Cw: alcoholism if it's not okay let me know and I'll change it.]

[fuckton]

[For a minute, Deb just considers the offer, and then she takes a breath.]

I need some booze. Something. I... I just need it.

[She doesn't explain that she's got the shakes without it, or anything like that.]