[come_sailaway inbox]

[prince_of_beasts]

A synthesized woman's voice picks up the call.

"Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system. Two - Zero - Two - Nine - One - Eight - Two - One - Three - Two -- is not available now. At the tone, please record your message. When you've finished recording, you may hang up or press the # key for more options."

Dimitri hasn't figured out how to customize the thing yet.

Comments

[goodweather]

He's not sure why it's stopping him that Dimitri, of all people, is asking after Phil before he asks after Darcy.

...

Anyway.

Physically, fine, nothing worth worrying about. Darcy's fine. Demona's run off to lick her wounds or something. At least a few people have had decent encounters with her so she's not entirely unreasonable, but keep your guard up. Hopefully she evens out in a week or two.

[prince_of_beasts]

Dimitri has, between texts, sent his own rather panicked message to Darcy.

I'm glad you're not seriously injured.
I've texted Darcy
And I'll warn who I can.

Genocidal?

[goodweather]

I think so, but again I also don't think we're necessarily in imminent danger of another massacre. Erin is apparently working on it, which I trust that work to her more than some other people here. I certainly won't be doing it. I don't advise overt aggression right off the bat because apparently this behavior is something about humans being major assholes first, like on a racial scale, but you know, she's probably also going to just reinforce her own biases anyway.

[prince_of_beasts]

Likely.

I trust Erin with it more than anyone else.
After all Daisy hasn't caused any further problems.

[goodweather]

Yeah.. I really hope she keeps a lid on things. I don’t exactly have many eyes left.

This is a joke.

[prince_of_beasts]

Perhaps practice echolocating just in case.



That was in poor taste I'm sorry

bird facts mode

[goodweather]

No, I laughed, it’s okay

I do have very good locational accuracy with my hearing. Owl ear canals are actually asymmetrical so they can tell when a sound is coming from above or below them too, and they’re really good at it. You can see it on their skulls that one is higher than the other. I have no idea if my skull is also like that. But if you snapped your fingers from a distance behind me I’d know immediately where you are.

I don’t think I can echolocate though

1/2

[prince_of_beasts]

Interesting
!

I'll keep that in mind.

It is going in the part of Dimitri's brain with everything else he's learned from his documentaries.

2/2

[prince_of_beasts]

...

I am
Tired.

Excursions are bad enough.
When the ship itself goes mad and there are monsters among us I
I would like some time and place where I don't have to fear for the people I love

[goodweather]

I hear that. I never thought I'd have to pick up any kind of weapon. The worst fights I'd ever been in were bar fights. Here I am, walking with a sword at my hip every day everywhere I go just in case, and it's barely enough.

I can't say I'm not jealous of people like Ossie or Erin who have places to run to. Even if it's not a lot of room to go and they're still as trapped as the rest of us and they have to leave some time

I don't think I'm going on the next one, by the way

[prince_of_beasts]

Dimitri was always going to be a soldier. Still, the drop from 'strongest person on any given battlefield by a country mile' to 'solidly middle-of-the-pack, unless there's a gun' has been unpleasant and unwelcome. That seems like the wrong thing to say here, though.

It is always
A tragedy.
When a civilian is pressed into service.
More so in a place like this where there is never any safety or respite.

I told Ruby this some time ago but in war we have rules of engagement for a reason.
And that reason is to minimize the suffering inflicted especially on infantry and civilians.
When a soldier is at war they are a soldier.
And when they are at home they are a farmer or a potter or a weaver or a smith.
Here there is no distinction.
There are no rules of engagement.
There is no safety.

Not that there's ever any safety, really -- Dimitri knows that all too well -- but there isn't even any peace.

Darcy mentioned you wouldn't be going.
We did speak of taking turns and I do not blame you for needing time after all of this.

[goodweather]

[ Rules of engagement. Civilian casualties. Dimitri’s ever a soldier, and the closest Phil really knows of any of it is conversations he’s had with vets and… a show he’d watched while growing up.

… ]

Maybe it’s not war. I think this is just disaster. And disaster relief, over and over again.

I’ve been on every single trip since I got here. Frankly I’m surprised I didn’t stop earlier.

[ Not like he could’ve predicted getting a kid with a death wish on the way. ]