(This is part of this playable here: Wish I May, Wish I Might )
He was...?annoyed? didn't begin to cover it. Why did he keep listening to her? Why did he give in to her pestering and pleading, time and again. Come out with us, she said. It'll be fun. It'll be good for you. You need to socialize more. Pleeeeease? And she had looked at him with those eyes (eyes that could change their appearance in a blink to suit her whim) and he had given in because he couldn't say no. And dammit all! He was the Captain! She was his employee. She was not supposed to hassle him the way she did, like she was his peer, like she had the authority. She was just a pilot.
A pilot and a smart mouth and a sassy bitch and sometimes a good listener and sometimes like a friend. Sometimes a temptress, even if she didn't know it, or it hadn't been her intention. Still, he could not easily forget the way she had danced with him that night his darling ship had been rendered into a party scene. He couldn't entirely forget how she had felt against him, the way she moved in his hands. He had felt so clumsy and awkward but she hadn't seemed to mind. She'd just smiled at him and lost herself in the music. He was certain that she'd become oblivious to him at one point. He was just there, a prop for her to use as she wanted, an accessory to make her look good. He never thought that she considered him in such a way, but it was how he felt about it. And he hadn't minded. There was even a point that he'd ducked his head low near to her ear, her throat, and his lips had threatened to graze the flesh there. But then she'd moved away, maybe on purpose, and he'd regained his sense. Shortly thereafter a fight had erupted, ruining the good time for everyone -- except maybe Viska. Breaking up the conflict and then kicking everyone off the ship had been the highlight of her evening.
He'd been extra cranky for a day or two after, which had been the reason she'd dragged him out with her and at least Nymm. It was near to impossible to spend much time with Viska or Grine anywhere off the boat, so no one was offended that the duo didn't join them that evening. Some part of him wished they had, because maybe Kate wouldn't have badgered him so relentlessly if Viska had been there to tell her to shut up. Worse, Nymm joined Kate's side! "Really, Cap', you oughta enjoy yourself more. Live it up!" Blah blah blah. It'd been more of the usual tripe from both of them.
The evening did not turn really sour until Kate got in her head (and spewed it out her mouth) that he needed to get laid. ASAP. Like yesterday. Nymm encouraged the notion despite his protest. He wasn't interested and what did they care anyway. But the women were unyielding about it, taking what should've just been a joke much too far for his liking, until he'd stormed out of there because it was the only way to escape.
By the Host, I wish they'd just leave me alone! he'd thought, glowering up at the sky and at a particularly bright star that streaked through the heavens.
Little did he realize....
That night was like many others. He locked himself in a room and drank himself to unconsciousness. Waking in the late morning, he'd readied for the day per his usual routine, and then wandered the ship to take inventory of who was present. Viska and Grine were still out. Nymm was in the rec room, humming to herself as she snacked and perused a book.
"Any of that left over?" he'd asked her about the egg salad she'd made. She didn't answer. He wasn't sure if she ignored him on purpose, offended that he'd walked out on her last night, or if she just hadn't heard, too involved in her own world. It happened sometimes. He just grunted and went at his business.
Extra cranky was an understatement for his mood a few days after the party. They'd been having such a good time, he was finally starting to loosen up just at the edges and relax enough to where he could feel the music and crack the shell of that heavy goddamn sadness. A sadness that he wore like a shroud, always retreating into that goddamn tomb he called a bedroom where he just waited to die. It was too sad for her to bear at times, the air so thick around him with it that her chest felt tight and her throat closed up, making it hard to breathe when he was near. Made her own heart heavy, caused her to think of regrets that were normally kept locked away - lost opportunities, things done or not done, said or not said.
That was the motivation behind her campaign to draw him out of the mausoleum he called a ship. Injecting fun into the ship hadn't turned out quite the way she imagined so better out than in, right? Maybe...Kate shouldn't have gotten as drunk as she did. Maybe she shouldn't have told him what he already had to know. And maybe she shouldn't have canvassed the room in front of his face to get a general idea of the receptivity of his physique to those females present. Or pointed and asked loudly, "Hey, would you sleep with him?"
Hal stormed off with his usual dour expression and Kate had been left to sigh dramatically into her flaming shots while Nymm patted her on the shoulder and chattered on like her life depended on it, dispensing nonsensical advice couched in allegory and metaphor that was beyond Kate's understanding.
Kate didn't remember getting back to the ship that night and it was late morning when her stomach woke her insistently, emptying itself in the can after feet pattered hastily over the cool floor. With a groan, she scrubbed at her face and made sure that was the last of it before crawling into the shower to clean herself up and find anything that was even distantly related to coffee. A flannel that sported mismatched buttons and holes covered black leggings, her hair a mess while padding barefoot down the hall toward the mess. Her eyes seemed nearly colorless without dark kohl to line them, glancing to where Nymm reclined with a book and something...that made her want to vomit all over again. Making a face, she turned away from it and moved for the coffee maker, dosing it extra strong. "He up?" she asked over her shoulder, letting that be the crack in the dyke holding back Nymm's near-constant stream of words that needed minimal encouragement. Somewhere in there, Kate divined the answer was no, Hal was not up yet so she nodded and made a graceless noise. "I'll go bother him. After coffee," giving a bleary eyed glare to the machine that wasn't filling the carafe as fast as Kate thought it should be.
He hadn't left. Had, actually, been standing there throughout the exchange, increasingly baffled by their game. For a game it must be. What else to explain it? Some kind of womanly punishment, no doubt. "Ha ha," he muttered dryly. "Have your fun. But really, don't waste your time 'bothering' me, Kate. I'll be in my office." So saying, he left the multi-functional rec area and retired to the office as he'd said he would, taking with him a bite of something to eat. But Nymm's big eyes didn't notice. Her gaze just kind of...slipped right off him. Off everything attached to him. Water on a duck's back.
"I hope he's okay," Nymm murmured. She thought Kate looked a little haggard this morning and resolved not to pester her (a silent vow that had very little weight for dear Nymm!).
Kate's idea of 'womanly punishment' was a sucker junk punch. Playing the Ignore Game wasn't really in her wheel house, hadn't been since she was a very small child. Nor was it something she would use on Hal, specifically.
Coffee was finally ready and she dumped a disgusting amount of sugar in it, spoon clinking slowly while it dredged through the thick sludge down at the bottom of the extra large mug. The taste of it on her tongue made her entire body wince, was just what she was looking for to help wake her up and shake off the lingering, dull ache at the base of her skull. Hips settled back against the counter while she blew ripples across the inky surface of the steaming pool, lifting it intermittently to be disturbed by lips. Heat seeped through her palms, raising hairs on the backs of her arms as it traveled backward through her veins. With a shiver, Kate pushed herself off and headed toward the private rooms. "Wish me luck," she murmured to Nymm just before exiting the mess.
A shoulder leaned against the wall while she rapped lightly on Hal's door. Didn't call out, didn't announce herself - the rap of her knuckles was the only warning given before she opened the door and squinted inside. Stepping in, eyes swung to the bed first but those lumps of twisted sheet weren't large enough to have a body stowed underneath. Stepping lightly, the backs of fingers dusted against the sheets to gauge the temperature - cool. He'd been up for awhile. With a tilt of her head, Kate cocked an ear but these rooms were empty, there was nothing to hear. Turning, she left his room to head for his office, thinking maybe he'd taken his hangover for a walk, hoping to lose it along the way. She didn't knock this time, just pushed the door open, not caring if he roared at her.
"Captain?" She waited but there was no response, no noise. Feet took her one step beyond the threshold and then stopped. "Hal?"
"What is it, Kate?" he said with terse politesse. She didn't answer so he looked up from whatever paper he'd been staring at. He frowned at her complete lack of response. "That's enough of this game. What do you want?" More firmly, with more evident irritation.
Was Hal still so annoyed with them that he wouldn't tell Nymm if he left? Went on an errand? Or had he actually gone on such a bender that he was sleeping it off in an unusual spot, like the engine room? Kate would keep an eye out. Shifting weight to leave, whiskey bottles caught her eye and she paused, frowned at them. Stared at them for many long moments before feet carried her in that direction. As long as he wasn't here, she might clean house a little. He'd just buy more but...it was something. The bottles were gathered in her arms whilst muttering to herself about sad eyes. Then she swept from the room, hooking her toe at the edge of the door so it swung shut in her wake.
He gaped. He gawped. He stared, disbelieving, as she so brazenly collected up his bottles. And then he shot to his feet with growing anger. His frown was a thing to rival Viska's most fearsome scowl. "What in Khyber's spit do you think you're doing?" But she ignored him. Again. Still. He stormed over to her. "Kate! I swear to the Host if you don't--" At which point he reached out to grasp her by the arm but...he couldn't. His hand wouldn?t touch her, phantasmal, and this, for a moment, completely distracted him from the fact that she was stealing all his drinks. ...Well. Okay, not all of them, but many of them. He stared at his hand like he couldn't understand what it was, and then he heard the door close. It snapped his attention a new direction. "Kate. Kate!" The door closed in his face. He jerked it open. "GODSDAMNIT, ANSWER ME!"
Well, his hand didn't go through her - rather, it stopped short, just shy of touching her as if there was a barrier there which Hal could not pass. His hand was repelled as if they were made of two opposite poles that couldn't bear to touch. His voice was lost to the ether, could not reach her ears nor could she see him or his shadow as he shouted so near to her. It was as if he were a ghost on his own ship.
Kate's brows knit together as she moved away from his office, lost in thought when she heard the door jerk open behind her. Stopping suddenly, the brunette twisted to look over her shoulder expectantly but...there wasn't anyone there. The door stood open, the doorway completely empty and his office beyond that hollow. Warily did she spin around to face the door, stepping closer hesitantly, cautiously. Just short of the door, hairs raised themselves along her forearms and along the back of her neck, a shiver dancing over her as she backed up. Tension settled at the bottom of her gut and she walked away quickly, heading for the mess. "Nymm! Nymm! I think something weird is going on!"
Two hours later, Kate had nearly drank her way through one of the stolen bottles from the office while waiting for Viska and Grine to get back. Hadn't answered their comms right away but once it was relayed that something strange was going on inside the ship, Viska made it a priority to get back from the opposite side of the city. Nymm had been poking around the engine room and stores to make sure nothing was missing and Kate went through Hal's room and office, looking for clues as to where he might be. He never answered any of the comm messages sent out and Kate discovered his pendant in his bedroom anyway. That made it doubly worrisome and she couldn't sit still, pacing a rut in the floor of the mess while they bounced ideas off each other. Maybe this, maybe that but no solid leads or answers. Finally, it was decided that Viska would go check in with the authorities to see if he had been arrested on his way back from the bar last night. Kate was going to go back to the bar itself and ask around, see if the bartender remembered anything.
Off she set at a rapid pace, not even caring what she looked like, weaving through morning crowds on the streets, bumping into people and barely mumbling an inaudible apology without stopping. The interior of the bar seemed shadowy and cool in comparison to the seasonal heat slowly building outside and she breathed it in, letting it soothe the worry in her gut. Approaching the bar, palms smoothed her hair and tugged her shirt straight before flagging down the attention of the tender on shift. It wasn't the same one from last night but she got their schedule and got some vodka on the rocks as a thank you.
They weren't playing a game, he realized as he sat at the gathering table, numb and as if dazed. What had happened? Why couldn't they see him, hear him? He'd considered the possibility of his death to blame for this circumstance. Had he finally drank one glass too many? But it didn't seem right, didn't feel like he was...like he was dead. Though what could he possibly know about it? He only had stories and speculations. Maybe this was death. Maybe it was hell. The possibility made him listless.
Still, he could not entirely shake the nagging feeling that he wasn't dead. That he was still quite alive. True he could not explain why anyone on the ship couldn't interact with him, but neither could he say how he was able to manipulate objects. And Kate had clearly seen him open the door to his office.
He sat, staring at nothing, until he overheard Kate mention her plans. Her concern was actually touching. But more than that, it seemed a good idea, and so he followed her off the ship, trailing at his heel with his head low as he reflected upon the previous night. What had happened...? Had there been something in his drink? Maybe their shenanigans had offended some cranky gypsy woman who'd cast a curse on him as retribution for upsetting her. Think, Hal! Think!
Following Kate into the bar, he came to stand beside her, listening to her exchange with the tender on duty. His gaze wandered as the guy got Kate her drink, and he was looking around the place when the tender spoke again. "What'll it be for you, pal?" Hal looked aside to the customer the bald man must surely be speaking to. "Hey. Buddy. You want anything?"
Stupefied, Hal regarded the tender uncertainly. "Uh...me?"
"I dont' see anyone else, do you?"
It was like the breath was knocked out of him. He caught the backs of two different stools, like he needed the help to keep from toppling over. "You...you can see me?"
"Of course I can," said the tender. Karson, who had been working at the bar for enough years to know that this city was fuckin' weird, gave Kate a strange look. "What's with this guy?" Since they'd entered together, Karson naturally assumed she knew him.
Kate's lips parted to respond that she already had her drink, the tender just gave it to her when she glanced up to see that he wasn't looking at her. She wasn't much one for people invading her space so looked over her shoulder to size up the intruder and tell them to back the hell up because she wasn't in the mood to make new friends but...there wasn't anyone there. And...the tender spoke again. To the person that wasn't there. Light blue eyes bounced back and forth between the tender and nothing and then he looked at her again. Right at her so she couldn't mistake it for anything else.
"What guy?" asked with a deep frown. "Do you...see someone next to me?" Now she felt like the crazy one, asking that question, but her curiosity was piqued and she was already having a really strange day.
Yeah, Karson decided. These two were a couple whackadoos. He nodded slowly, brows raised. "Yeees," he drawled, like he was talking to someone touched in the head. 'Cause clearly he was. He looked from her to Hal and back. "Tell her it's me!" Hal blurted. "Tell her it's Hal!" Karson looked dubious, like they were playing a prank on him. "Is this for real?" So skeptical!
Kate was looking at Karson and then at....nothing which was quite frustrating and Kate was grinding her teeth while the tender toyed with her. Maybe. Why would he do that? So help her, if this was some bullshit waste of time, he was going to get a plastic sword in his eye. "Is what for real? What does he look like? Scruffy? Kind of...rumpled, like he just slept under a bridge? Does he look like maybe he smells?" Because if that was so, they had a winner winner chicken dinner!
"Hey!" Hal protested, but Karson ignored him. He sized the guy up, then inclined his chin, confirming Kate's description. "He--" Holy hell, he felt like an idiot. "He says his name is Hal." Karson looked at Kate now, to see if this registered anything.
Big eyes got bigger, like dinner platters, before she turned to rail at the empty air, arms flailing above her head. "Hal!" yelling his name loudly, earning the attention of the other four inmates of the bar at this hour. "Are you doing this to mess with me? Where are you and why can't I see you?" Arms lowered and one hand extended to see if she could poke him, eyes searching the blank space in front of her. "Is this some sort of weird punishment or did you just want to spy on me in the shower that badly?" Pause. "Also, you're really scaring Nymm so stop it."
Hal scowled at her. "I'm not deaf, you idiot!" he snapped back, ducking and weaving to avoid being poked in the face. "By the Host, would you stop that? I'm not doing this on purpose! I don't know what's happened! I went to the ship and then to bed after leaving here and when I woke up...it was this." He gestured in a way to indicate the situation. Karson just kinda watched with a 'huh' sorta bemusement. Hal looked aside at him, did a double-take, and then swept a hand toward Kate. "Well? Tell her!" Karson held up a hand. "Hey, pal, I'm just a tender. I don't get paid for this shit."
Kate couldn't hear anything that Hal was saying so she didn't know if it was the same for him or not. How could she? "Is he saying something?" she demanded of Karson, probably at the same time that Hal was speaking so that made it harder for the man behind the bar to understand, no doubt. Kate was helpful! "What is he saying?" She huffed with impatience, leaving off the poking to stare at the bartender with hands on her hips. The raise of his hand had her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits and she climbed up on a stool to balance on one knee, grabbing a handful of his shirt and yanking him close with what might be surprising strength. "You don't get paid to get hit by girls, either, but you'll get a two-for today if you don't tell me what he said."
Oh. Whoa. That was kinda hot. At least Hal thought so, even if he'd never say it. Karson looked less pleased about the situation. "Hey take it easy! He said...said he ain't doin' it on purpose! Said he dunno what's happening. Jeez, get off me, lady!" Karson tried to tug free. Hal, not thinking, put a hand on Kate's arm-- tried to. It -- something, whatever it was -- deflected the contact the same way as before. He growled some frustration and picked up Kate's drink because he needed it more than she did, he was sure.
With a growl, she pushed him away and eased back after the message was delivered. "Not doing it on purpose? Well then how the hell did it happen in the first place? Please tell me you didn't try to get laid by a gypsy on the way back to the ship last night," throwing her hands in the air again and stomping out the door. The invisible jerk drank all her alcohol and she wasn't going to cough up for these prices, not when Hal had all that free swill back at the ship. The light made her squint and groan, rubbing at her eyes and thinking she really needed to invest in some sunglasses. "Dammit, Hal...what did you do?" she murmured, stopping at a corner to let the traffic slide by. "I need you to think about your walk home last night, think really hard." Kate expected to be looked at funny but then remembered that apparently others could see him. Or maybe just whiny metrosexual bartenders named Karson. Who spelled their name like that, anyway?
Unique little snowflakes did, that's who. Karson muttered something about good riddance, and Hal dropped an extra coin on the counter to compensate the guy for Kate's harassment. He caught up with her outside, in time to hear her giving him instructions. "You think--" He stopped, realizing it was pointless trying to talk to her. After a quick glance around, he snared a stranger by the arm. "Hey, sorry," he said to the lady he'd caught. "Look, it's a bit complicated, but can you tell her--" points at Kate, "that I already told her what happened. I left the bar, went straight to the ship, and then to bed." The lady blink-blinked and looked between Hal and Kate. "Uh..." "Please," Hal insisted. "Uhm...ah...Miss--" "Kate. Her name's Kate." "Right," said the lady. "Kate. Your friend? here says he already...already told you what happened. He left the bar, went straight to the ship, and then to bed."
A noise from a woman next to her made Kate glance up, seeing a disgruntled and slightly scared face. Yup, that looked like the Captain's handiwork. Grinding her teeth again, she waited for the message to come across, thinking she was going to put a sheet on him so she would know where he was. Or would it disappear along with the rest of him? Interesting theory, what about a bell? He'd do it for Nymm, right? Oh, there was talking, she should pay attention. "And you didn't do annnything else while walking home? Didn't stop to leak the lizard or speak to anyone in passing? Never stopped walking?"
The lady looked mildly offended by Kate's language. "No," Hal growled. "Uh...he says no," the lady reported, then took her arm from Hal's grasp. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must really be along. Good...luck, or whatever," she said, and then hastened away. "Damnit," Hal muttered in frustration.
Arms crossed over her torso as the woman huffed and puffed and pulled away to join the others crossing the street. Kate shuffled along behind at a slower pace, the gears turning. "Maybe you were cursed. And not just by that lady that escaped a few minutes ago," glancing ahead through the crowd. "Past lover? Have you even had past lovers?" muttering more to herself than to Hal, hoping she wasn't going to get docked wages for that comment. Or a smack once he was...a real boy again. There was a deep sigh and she glanced to...where she thought Hal was, biting at the inside of her cheek. "What if we can't change you back?" she said softly, finally voicing her worry since the rest of the crew wasn't around.
He just clenched his jaw. She wouldn't hear him. He needed a new interpreter, and while she mulled over the situation he scanned the nearby crowd for someone to be the next volunteer. Where she thought he was, he wasn't. But whatever. The concern she expressed resonated in him and he glanced across the faces around them more urgently. "Godsdamnit," he grumbled, running a hand back through his hair and clutching it, feeling frazzled.
He was...?annoyed? didn't begin to cover it. Why did he keep listening to her? Why did he give in to her pestering and pleading, time and again. Come out with us, she said. It'll be fun. It'll be good for you. You need to socialize more. Pleeeeease? And she had looked at him with those eyes (eyes that could change their appearance in a blink to suit her whim) and he had given in because he couldn't say no. And dammit all! He was the Captain! She was his employee. She was not supposed to hassle him the way she did, like she was his peer, like she had the authority. She was just a pilot.
A pilot and a smart mouth and a sassy bitch and sometimes a good listener and sometimes like a friend. Sometimes a temptress, even if she didn't know it, or it hadn't been her intention. Still, he could not easily forget the way she had danced with him that night his darling ship had been rendered into a party scene. He couldn't entirely forget how she had felt against him, the way she moved in his hands. He had felt so clumsy and awkward but she hadn't seemed to mind. She'd just smiled at him and lost herself in the music. He was certain that she'd become oblivious to him at one point. He was just there, a prop for her to use as she wanted, an accessory to make her look good. He never thought that she considered him in such a way, but it was how he felt about it. And he hadn't minded. There was even a point that he'd ducked his head low near to her ear, her throat, and his lips had threatened to graze the flesh there. But then she'd moved away, maybe on purpose, and he'd regained his sense. Shortly thereafter a fight had erupted, ruining the good time for everyone -- except maybe Viska. Breaking up the conflict and then kicking everyone off the ship had been the highlight of her evening.
He'd been extra cranky for a day or two after, which had been the reason she'd dragged him out with her and at least Nymm. It was near to impossible to spend much time with Viska or Grine anywhere off the boat, so no one was offended that the duo didn't join them that evening. Some part of him wished they had, because maybe Kate wouldn't have badgered him so relentlessly if Viska had been there to tell her to shut up. Worse, Nymm joined Kate's side! "Really, Cap', you oughta enjoy yourself more. Live it up!" Blah blah blah. It'd been more of the usual tripe from both of them.
The evening did not turn really sour until Kate got in her head (and spewed it out her mouth) that he needed to get laid. ASAP. Like yesterday. Nymm encouraged the notion despite his protest. He wasn't interested and what did they care anyway. But the women were unyielding about it, taking what should've just been a joke much too far for his liking, until he'd stormed out of there because it was the only way to escape.
By the Host, I wish they'd just leave me alone! he'd thought, glowering up at the sky and at a particularly bright star that streaked through the heavens.
Little did he realize....
That night was like many others. He locked himself in a room and drank himself to unconsciousness. Waking in the late morning, he'd readied for the day per his usual routine, and then wandered the ship to take inventory of who was present. Viska and Grine were still out. Nymm was in the rec room, humming to herself as she snacked and perused a book.
"Any of that left over?" he'd asked her about the egg salad she'd made. She didn't answer. He wasn't sure if she ignored him on purpose, offended that he'd walked out on her last night, or if she just hadn't heard, too involved in her own world. It happened sometimes. He just grunted and went at his business.
Extra cranky was an understatement for his mood a few days after the party. They'd been having such a good time, he was finally starting to loosen up just at the edges and relax enough to where he could feel the music and crack the shell of that heavy goddamn sadness. A sadness that he wore like a shroud, always retreating into that goddamn tomb he called a bedroom where he just waited to die. It was too sad for her to bear at times, the air so thick around him with it that her chest felt tight and her throat closed up, making it hard to breathe when he was near. Made her own heart heavy, caused her to think of regrets that were normally kept locked away - lost opportunities, things done or not done, said or not said.
That was the motivation behind her campaign to draw him out of the mausoleum he called a ship. Injecting fun into the ship hadn't turned out quite the way she imagined so better out than in, right? Maybe...Kate shouldn't have gotten as drunk as she did. Maybe she shouldn't have told him what he already had to know. And maybe she shouldn't have canvassed the room in front of his face to get a general idea of the receptivity of his physique to those females present. Or pointed and asked loudly, "Hey, would you sleep with him?"
Hal stormed off with his usual dour expression and Kate had been left to sigh dramatically into her flaming shots while Nymm patted her on the shoulder and chattered on like her life depended on it, dispensing nonsensical advice couched in allegory and metaphor that was beyond Kate's understanding.
Kate didn't remember getting back to the ship that night and it was late morning when her stomach woke her insistently, emptying itself in the can after feet pattered hastily over the cool floor. With a groan, she scrubbed at her face and made sure that was the last of it before crawling into the shower to clean herself up and find anything that was even distantly related to coffee. A flannel that sported mismatched buttons and holes covered black leggings, her hair a mess while padding barefoot down the hall toward the mess. Her eyes seemed nearly colorless without dark kohl to line them, glancing to where Nymm reclined with a book and something...that made her want to vomit all over again. Making a face, she turned away from it and moved for the coffee maker, dosing it extra strong. "He up?" she asked over her shoulder, letting that be the crack in the dyke holding back Nymm's near-constant stream of words that needed minimal encouragement. Somewhere in there, Kate divined the answer was no, Hal was not up yet so she nodded and made a graceless noise. "I'll go bother him. After coffee," giving a bleary eyed glare to the machine that wasn't filling the carafe as fast as Kate thought it should be.
He hadn't left. Had, actually, been standing there throughout the exchange, increasingly baffled by their game. For a game it must be. What else to explain it? Some kind of womanly punishment, no doubt. "Ha ha," he muttered dryly. "Have your fun. But really, don't waste your time 'bothering' me, Kate. I'll be in my office." So saying, he left the multi-functional rec area and retired to the office as he'd said he would, taking with him a bite of something to eat. But Nymm's big eyes didn't notice. Her gaze just kind of...slipped right off him. Off everything attached to him. Water on a duck's back.
"I hope he's okay," Nymm murmured. She thought Kate looked a little haggard this morning and resolved not to pester her (a silent vow that had very little weight for dear Nymm!).
Kate's idea of 'womanly punishment' was a sucker junk punch. Playing the Ignore Game wasn't really in her wheel house, hadn't been since she was a very small child. Nor was it something she would use on Hal, specifically.
Coffee was finally ready and she dumped a disgusting amount of sugar in it, spoon clinking slowly while it dredged through the thick sludge down at the bottom of the extra large mug. The taste of it on her tongue made her entire body wince, was just what she was looking for to help wake her up and shake off the lingering, dull ache at the base of her skull. Hips settled back against the counter while she blew ripples across the inky surface of the steaming pool, lifting it intermittently to be disturbed by lips. Heat seeped through her palms, raising hairs on the backs of her arms as it traveled backward through her veins. With a shiver, Kate pushed herself off and headed toward the private rooms. "Wish me luck," she murmured to Nymm just before exiting the mess.
A shoulder leaned against the wall while she rapped lightly on Hal's door. Didn't call out, didn't announce herself - the rap of her knuckles was the only warning given before she opened the door and squinted inside. Stepping in, eyes swung to the bed first but those lumps of twisted sheet weren't large enough to have a body stowed underneath. Stepping lightly, the backs of fingers dusted against the sheets to gauge the temperature - cool. He'd been up for awhile. With a tilt of her head, Kate cocked an ear but these rooms were empty, there was nothing to hear. Turning, she left his room to head for his office, thinking maybe he'd taken his hangover for a walk, hoping to lose it along the way. She didn't knock this time, just pushed the door open, not caring if he roared at her.
"Captain?" She waited but there was no response, no noise. Feet took her one step beyond the threshold and then stopped. "Hal?"
"What is it, Kate?" he said with terse politesse. She didn't answer so he looked up from whatever paper he'd been staring at. He frowned at her complete lack of response. "That's enough of this game. What do you want?" More firmly, with more evident irritation.
Was Hal still so annoyed with them that he wouldn't tell Nymm if he left? Went on an errand? Or had he actually gone on such a bender that he was sleeping it off in an unusual spot, like the engine room? Kate would keep an eye out. Shifting weight to leave, whiskey bottles caught her eye and she paused, frowned at them. Stared at them for many long moments before feet carried her in that direction. As long as he wasn't here, she might clean house a little. He'd just buy more but...it was something. The bottles were gathered in her arms whilst muttering to herself about sad eyes. Then she swept from the room, hooking her toe at the edge of the door so it swung shut in her wake.
He gaped. He gawped. He stared, disbelieving, as she so brazenly collected up his bottles. And then he shot to his feet with growing anger. His frown was a thing to rival Viska's most fearsome scowl. "What in Khyber's spit do you think you're doing?" But she ignored him. Again. Still. He stormed over to her. "Kate! I swear to the Host if you don't--" At which point he reached out to grasp her by the arm but...he couldn't. His hand wouldn?t touch her, phantasmal, and this, for a moment, completely distracted him from the fact that she was stealing all his drinks. ...Well. Okay, not all of them, but many of them. He stared at his hand like he couldn't understand what it was, and then he heard the door close. It snapped his attention a new direction. "Kate. Kate!" The door closed in his face. He jerked it open. "GODSDAMNIT, ANSWER ME!"
Well, his hand didn't go through her - rather, it stopped short, just shy of touching her as if there was a barrier there which Hal could not pass. His hand was repelled as if they were made of two opposite poles that couldn't bear to touch. His voice was lost to the ether, could not reach her ears nor could she see him or his shadow as he shouted so near to her. It was as if he were a ghost on his own ship.
Kate's brows knit together as she moved away from his office, lost in thought when she heard the door jerk open behind her. Stopping suddenly, the brunette twisted to look over her shoulder expectantly but...there wasn't anyone there. The door stood open, the doorway completely empty and his office beyond that hollow. Warily did she spin around to face the door, stepping closer hesitantly, cautiously. Just short of the door, hairs raised themselves along her forearms and along the back of her neck, a shiver dancing over her as she backed up. Tension settled at the bottom of her gut and she walked away quickly, heading for the mess. "Nymm! Nymm! I think something weird is going on!"
Two hours later, Kate had nearly drank her way through one of the stolen bottles from the office while waiting for Viska and Grine to get back. Hadn't answered their comms right away but once it was relayed that something strange was going on inside the ship, Viska made it a priority to get back from the opposite side of the city. Nymm had been poking around the engine room and stores to make sure nothing was missing and Kate went through Hal's room and office, looking for clues as to where he might be. He never answered any of the comm messages sent out and Kate discovered his pendant in his bedroom anyway. That made it doubly worrisome and she couldn't sit still, pacing a rut in the floor of the mess while they bounced ideas off each other. Maybe this, maybe that but no solid leads or answers. Finally, it was decided that Viska would go check in with the authorities to see if he had been arrested on his way back from the bar last night. Kate was going to go back to the bar itself and ask around, see if the bartender remembered anything.
Off she set at a rapid pace, not even caring what she looked like, weaving through morning crowds on the streets, bumping into people and barely mumbling an inaudible apology without stopping. The interior of the bar seemed shadowy and cool in comparison to the seasonal heat slowly building outside and she breathed it in, letting it soothe the worry in her gut. Approaching the bar, palms smoothed her hair and tugged her shirt straight before flagging down the attention of the tender on shift. It wasn't the same one from last night but she got their schedule and got some vodka on the rocks as a thank you.
They weren't playing a game, he realized as he sat at the gathering table, numb and as if dazed. What had happened? Why couldn't they see him, hear him? He'd considered the possibility of his death to blame for this circumstance. Had he finally drank one glass too many? But it didn't seem right, didn't feel like he was...like he was dead. Though what could he possibly know about it? He only had stories and speculations. Maybe this was death. Maybe it was hell. The possibility made him listless.
Still, he could not entirely shake the nagging feeling that he wasn't dead. That he was still quite alive. True he could not explain why anyone on the ship couldn't interact with him, but neither could he say how he was able to manipulate objects. And Kate had clearly seen him open the door to his office.
He sat, staring at nothing, until he overheard Kate mention her plans. Her concern was actually touching. But more than that, it seemed a good idea, and so he followed her off the ship, trailing at his heel with his head low as he reflected upon the previous night. What had happened...? Had there been something in his drink? Maybe their shenanigans had offended some cranky gypsy woman who'd cast a curse on him as retribution for upsetting her. Think, Hal! Think!
Following Kate into the bar, he came to stand beside her, listening to her exchange with the tender on duty. His gaze wandered as the guy got Kate her drink, and he was looking around the place when the tender spoke again. "What'll it be for you, pal?" Hal looked aside to the customer the bald man must surely be speaking to. "Hey. Buddy. You want anything?"
Stupefied, Hal regarded the tender uncertainly. "Uh...me?"
"I dont' see anyone else, do you?"
It was like the breath was knocked out of him. He caught the backs of two different stools, like he needed the help to keep from toppling over. "You...you can see me?"
"Of course I can," said the tender. Karson, who had been working at the bar for enough years to know that this city was fuckin' weird, gave Kate a strange look. "What's with this guy?" Since they'd entered together, Karson naturally assumed she knew him.
Kate's lips parted to respond that she already had her drink, the tender just gave it to her when she glanced up to see that he wasn't looking at her. She wasn't much one for people invading her space so looked over her shoulder to size up the intruder and tell them to back the hell up because she wasn't in the mood to make new friends but...there wasn't anyone there. And...the tender spoke again. To the person that wasn't there. Light blue eyes bounced back and forth between the tender and nothing and then he looked at her again. Right at her so she couldn't mistake it for anything else.
"What guy?" asked with a deep frown. "Do you...see someone next to me?" Now she felt like the crazy one, asking that question, but her curiosity was piqued and she was already having a really strange day.
Yeah, Karson decided. These two were a couple whackadoos. He nodded slowly, brows raised. "Yeees," he drawled, like he was talking to someone touched in the head. 'Cause clearly he was. He looked from her to Hal and back. "Tell her it's me!" Hal blurted. "Tell her it's Hal!" Karson looked dubious, like they were playing a prank on him. "Is this for real?" So skeptical!
Kate was looking at Karson and then at....nothing which was quite frustrating and Kate was grinding her teeth while the tender toyed with her. Maybe. Why would he do that? So help her, if this was some bullshit waste of time, he was going to get a plastic sword in his eye. "Is what for real? What does he look like? Scruffy? Kind of...rumpled, like he just slept under a bridge? Does he look like maybe he smells?" Because if that was so, they had a winner winner chicken dinner!
"Hey!" Hal protested, but Karson ignored him. He sized the guy up, then inclined his chin, confirming Kate's description. "He--" Holy hell, he felt like an idiot. "He says his name is Hal." Karson looked at Kate now, to see if this registered anything.
Big eyes got bigger, like dinner platters, before she turned to rail at the empty air, arms flailing above her head. "Hal!" yelling his name loudly, earning the attention of the other four inmates of the bar at this hour. "Are you doing this to mess with me? Where are you and why can't I see you?" Arms lowered and one hand extended to see if she could poke him, eyes searching the blank space in front of her. "Is this some sort of weird punishment or did you just want to spy on me in the shower that badly?" Pause. "Also, you're really scaring Nymm so stop it."
Hal scowled at her. "I'm not deaf, you idiot!" he snapped back, ducking and weaving to avoid being poked in the face. "By the Host, would you stop that? I'm not doing this on purpose! I don't know what's happened! I went to the ship and then to bed after leaving here and when I woke up...it was this." He gestured in a way to indicate the situation. Karson just kinda watched with a 'huh' sorta bemusement. Hal looked aside at him, did a double-take, and then swept a hand toward Kate. "Well? Tell her!" Karson held up a hand. "Hey, pal, I'm just a tender. I don't get paid for this shit."
Kate couldn't hear anything that Hal was saying so she didn't know if it was the same for him or not. How could she? "Is he saying something?" she demanded of Karson, probably at the same time that Hal was speaking so that made it harder for the man behind the bar to understand, no doubt. Kate was helpful! "What is he saying?" She huffed with impatience, leaving off the poking to stare at the bartender with hands on her hips. The raise of his hand had her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits and she climbed up on a stool to balance on one knee, grabbing a handful of his shirt and yanking him close with what might be surprising strength. "You don't get paid to get hit by girls, either, but you'll get a two-for today if you don't tell me what he said."
Oh. Whoa. That was kinda hot. At least Hal thought so, even if he'd never say it. Karson looked less pleased about the situation. "Hey take it easy! He said...said he ain't doin' it on purpose! Said he dunno what's happening. Jeez, get off me, lady!" Karson tried to tug free. Hal, not thinking, put a hand on Kate's arm-- tried to. It -- something, whatever it was -- deflected the contact the same way as before. He growled some frustration and picked up Kate's drink because he needed it more than she did, he was sure.
With a growl, she pushed him away and eased back after the message was delivered. "Not doing it on purpose? Well then how the hell did it happen in the first place? Please tell me you didn't try to get laid by a gypsy on the way back to the ship last night," throwing her hands in the air again and stomping out the door. The invisible jerk drank all her alcohol and she wasn't going to cough up for these prices, not when Hal had all that free swill back at the ship. The light made her squint and groan, rubbing at her eyes and thinking she really needed to invest in some sunglasses. "Dammit, Hal...what did you do?" she murmured, stopping at a corner to let the traffic slide by. "I need you to think about your walk home last night, think really hard." Kate expected to be looked at funny but then remembered that apparently others could see him. Or maybe just whiny metrosexual bartenders named Karson. Who spelled their name like that, anyway?
Unique little snowflakes did, that's who. Karson muttered something about good riddance, and Hal dropped an extra coin on the counter to compensate the guy for Kate's harassment. He caught up with her outside, in time to hear her giving him instructions. "You think--" He stopped, realizing it was pointless trying to talk to her. After a quick glance around, he snared a stranger by the arm. "Hey, sorry," he said to the lady he'd caught. "Look, it's a bit complicated, but can you tell her--" points at Kate, "that I already told her what happened. I left the bar, went straight to the ship, and then to bed." The lady blink-blinked and looked between Hal and Kate. "Uh..." "Please," Hal insisted. "Uhm...ah...Miss--" "Kate. Her name's Kate." "Right," said the lady. "Kate. Your friend? here says he already...already told you what happened. He left the bar, went straight to the ship, and then to bed."
A noise from a woman next to her made Kate glance up, seeing a disgruntled and slightly scared face. Yup, that looked like the Captain's handiwork. Grinding her teeth again, she waited for the message to come across, thinking she was going to put a sheet on him so she would know where he was. Or would it disappear along with the rest of him? Interesting theory, what about a bell? He'd do it for Nymm, right? Oh, there was talking, she should pay attention. "And you didn't do annnything else while walking home? Didn't stop to leak the lizard or speak to anyone in passing? Never stopped walking?"
The lady looked mildly offended by Kate's language. "No," Hal growled. "Uh...he says no," the lady reported, then took her arm from Hal's grasp. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must really be along. Good...luck, or whatever," she said, and then hastened away. "Damnit," Hal muttered in frustration.
Arms crossed over her torso as the woman huffed and puffed and pulled away to join the others crossing the street. Kate shuffled along behind at a slower pace, the gears turning. "Maybe you were cursed. And not just by that lady that escaped a few minutes ago," glancing ahead through the crowd. "Past lover? Have you even had past lovers?" muttering more to herself than to Hal, hoping she wasn't going to get docked wages for that comment. Or a smack once he was...a real boy again. There was a deep sigh and she glanced to...where she thought Hal was, biting at the inside of her cheek. "What if we can't change you back?" she said softly, finally voicing her worry since the rest of the crew wasn't around.
He just clenched his jaw. She wouldn't hear him. He needed a new interpreter, and while she mulled over the situation he scanned the nearby crowd for someone to be the next volunteer. Where she thought he was, he wasn't. But whatever. The concern she expressed resonated in him and he glanced across the faces around them more urgently. "Godsdamnit," he grumbled, running a hand back through his hair and clutching it, feeling frazzled.