Draft Log #3: During v. 2.0

[lucetimods]

Who: Everyone on the draft
What: Day 3-5
When: August 27th-August 29th
Where: ONCE MORE INTO THE-- ...BEACH
Summary: Like it says above. The draftees reach the beach.
Rating: V FOR VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR!!


Once again, That Handy Useful Information Link. Also a link to the previous draft log!

Comments

[herotypical]

She brought the water back to his mouth. "I saw it from the shore. What...what even happened out there, Jack?"

Asking a question seemed like an excellent way to control his drinking; Buffy deprived him of the mug long enough for him to answer her.

[all7seas]

Jack licked his lips, eyes on that mug. "The storm took us closer than we'dve liked to one of the Third Party gunners. He blew enough holes in her hull and killed her flying clockwork, and by the time we hit the magazine was in flames."

It was a long sentence for a wounded, weary man, and Jack leaned forward to get a sip before continuing.

[herotypical]

And she acquiesced, meeting the tin to his lips once again. But she didn't say a word.

[all7seas]

"Tried to get them out," he continued after that sip. Evacuating the crew had been the first priority for the captain of the Elizabeth.

"And I did, Annie. I did."

[herotypical]

"What do you mean -- tried?" An edge to her voice. Did that mean that he didn't succeed? Who died? That crash -- it looked horrible. And the wrenching of her guts over Jack had been enough to shut out the possibility of further casualties.

But now she felt sick all over again.

[all7seas]

"Tried. Meaning---tried." How had he been unclear? "And succeeded."

[herotypical]

"Oh thank God. Sokka and Suki were on that airship, weren't they?" And others. She slumped against the side of the cot and propped up her head with a loose fist.

The water was gone. She shook the mug sadly. "Do you want more?"

[all7seas]

"No. Sokka and Mrs Sokka were not aboard when she went down." They'd performed brilliantly during the hijacking operation, however.

Jack shook his head at her offer. He didn't feel quite up to drinking anymore. He felt like he wanted to be unconscious again, except this time sans the horrible nightmares. "Ought you to rest that--" a nod at her bleeding arm--it hadn't gone unnoticed---"before you return to the fight?"

[herotypical]

"She's not Mrs. Sokka yet. We haven't even had the party..."

Buffy waffled over this bit of gossip for a moment before finally admitting: "My plan was to grab some bandages and run, Jack. This? Nothing. I wasn't even feeling it."

Too busy feeling something else.

[all7seas]

"Weddings," the pirate grumbled. Another pause. "I married a couple aboard Beckett's Mum, you know."

[herotypical]

"But you weren't..." The Captain. It had to be captains, didn't it? And did it still count if one was just one in general and not the specific one of a particular ship? Buffy had no sweet clue.

"...Good for them," whoever they were.

[all7seas]

First Mates, Buffy, have that privilege if they act in the Captain's stead.

Jack closed his eyes after that and leaned his head against her chest. "Head hurts," he explained. "A bit."

[herotypical]

She carefully eased herself more steadily onto the edge of the cot and gathered Jack a little more fully into her arms. Ever gentle, though. It looked as though almost any part of her she thought to set herself against was injured. Wrapped up. Her poor, clipped Sparrow.

"Bones has you on meds, right? M-morphine, or the wacky future equivalent?"

[all7seas]

"Weird dreamy meds. Worse than the salamander." Oh this was pleasant; more of Buffy around the body that didn't feel quite like his own. If he'd known about those pity-thoughts, though, well...it would have rankled.

"But they make it better---no worries, Annie. Just a headache now. Sleep, likely, is required."

[herotypical]

Weird dreamy meds. She laughed a soundless, breathy laugh through her nose and when that threatened to shake them too much, she stopped. She knew the type; although, her last brush with a medically-induced mental weirdness was that one time where she and Faith somehow managed to share a dream. A little, rarely-used Slayer side-effect.

She wanted to ask him about his dreams. About that name, again. Angelica. But even Buffy Summers had a sense of when was the wrong time to ask someone something like that and the top-most scenario on her list was probably when they are bandaged up and hospitalized.

"...I can stay a little longer, if you like. It's dark out. The attacks seem to have slowed down." She wouldn't be as needed then -- and even so, with the sun now set, Angel would be coming out. The balance of heroes maintained.

[all7seas]

"If you can stay, stay. If not? I'm well looked-after, Annie." McCoy and that blighted Hornblower-loving Kennedy had seen to him, and Jack did not want to deprive the front of Buffy Summers.

[herotypical]

"I think I did more damage in the past few hours than I would in the next day, if I go back out there now." She had been fueled by the imagined loss of him. And now she found that she was quite weary.

"I can stay."

[all7seas]

The pirate tried to nudge over a bit so she'd have room. By "stay," of course, he took that she meant stay close.

"I've escaped more sinking ships than have taken me down, you know. The odds are always in my favor."

[herotypical]

A click of her tongue -- there was no need to be moving so much, Jack. But she takes the given ground and settled her head back on whatever makeshift rest the cot had been provided with.

"Always until they're not. That's the problem with believing in things like favour and fate and luck. You also have to believe that they're gonna change."

[all7seas]

"Mmmmm." Not agreement, that. "There's always a way out. Usually. Mostly."

[herotypical]

"...So why didn't you take it sooner?"

And if she heard one whiff of captain goes down with the ship then she was kicking him on the foot. And not playfully.

[all7seas]

"I made a promise to Norrington, Annie. No casualties. I had to get them all off."

The pillow felt so soft and comfortable against his cheek. He had no idea where McCoy had procured it from; the other cots only had rolled-up blankets.

"And the captain should go down with his ship."

[herotypical]

One swift kick.

"Whoever came up with that should be bought a pair of cement shoes. See how they like it."

[all7seas]

There was a rather pathetic nyaahhaaahowch as foot met pirate.

"Can you do the kicking and punching and slapping later-like? Leg hurts."

[herotypical]

"If you're alive enough to complain then you're alive enough to get all the comeuppance you deserve for me thinking you weren't alive at all. It's just logical."

There was no logic anywhere to be found in that sentiment. Nope. But Buffy eventually softened because -- hey, getting everyone else to safety? Not a bad way to potentially go. She herself had been one of the very last to leave Sunnydale before Spike's sacrifice and rendered it concave.