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[Daisy shows up at Joric’s door late into the evening, admittedly already a bit tipsy. After finding out about Rosi going back home, it’s left her with a lot of mixed emotions. Mostly sorrow, and selfishly she doesn’t want to be alone. With a bottle of vodka in one hand, she knocks on his door with the other.

She’s back to her normal height now, and other than being banged up she’s doing a lot better than she had been when they all returned to the station.]

[ Though he's been opening up about as quickly as a man in his odd position could be, Joric isn't at a point where he heads to other peoples' quarters or they come to his, so he assumes there's some kind of problem on the station when the knock comes and he sets down the book he's reading open across the arm of his armchair before opening the door. The light level is a little dim for reading, but that's because he feels artificial light is too harsh. He much prefers candlelight or firelight.

Brow lifts at her presence and the bottle she carries. ]

Something the matter?

Hey.

[Daisy tries to smile, but the overwhelming feeling of sadness prevents it from reaching her eyes. She is relieved to see him though, having lost sight of him during the fight.]

I just wanted to check up, see if you were you okay.

[She catches him looking at the bottle and she lifts it,]

Figured you might need a drink.

Sure. I'll have some.

[ He steps out of the way to let her in with a gesture of his head. ]

I'm doing well. I came out of the final battle unscathed. And you?

[Daisy steps into the room, spotting the open book on his chair. She didn’t picture him as the type to read as a hobby, but then again she still doesn’t know much about him.]

Got bit by that stupid venomous creature, but I’m fine now.

[She’s not sure where to sit, so for now she just stands. Holding the bottle out in offer.]

It’s almost weird to see you without the tusks now.

[ He honestly would never read except he needs something to do on the station outside of just eating and spending hours in the sunlight room. The book isn't very long and makes for easy reading. He definitely couldn't handle something with a lot of synonyms or complicated language. ]

It's good you had it handled quickly.

[ Giving a brief laugh, he takes the bottle and knocks back a gulp before giving the bottle a serious look. Vodka, huh? It's a strange taste. ]

Now I have no excuse if I dribble all over the place.

[ Glancing back at her, he seems to realize they're just awkwardly standing there so he hands the bottle back and takes his book from the armchair, gesturing at it for her to sit as he takes a seat on his bed and tosses the book beneath with his dirty clothes. ]

[Daisy smiles tiredly at the look on his face after he swallows,]

Have you never had vodka before?

[She snorts softly when he mentions having drooled when he had the tusks, refraining from saying she had noticed it a few times. Taking another swig from the bottle, she steps out of hi way as he clears the chair for her.]

Thanks. What were you reading?

[Taking a seat, she offers the bottle back to him.]

No. What is it made from?

[ He takes the bottle back and takes another swig. ]

The Call of the Wild. It's about a dog.

[ He offers no more than that. A book critic, he is not. He is also not very observant so the fact that he can tell something is off with her demeanor should be commended. ]

Are you tired after the mission?

Potatoes, or it used to be I think.

[Daisy never really looked into the ingredients of alcohol. All that mattered to her was that it worked.]

Ah. Preparing for that dog you’re definitely going to get?

[She teases lightly, calling back to their conversation about pets. Her tired smile fades a little when he asks her whether or not she’s tired.]

It was a long mission.

[How’s that for a non answer?]

Hm. Doesn't taste like it.

[ But that doesn't stop him from taking another swig. ]

I'm not sure a dog would enjoy being on this station. It would never wish to leave the sunlight room, as I so often feel. But perhaps after this is all finished.

[ He trails off, thinking of the miracle it would be if he actually gets this magic reversed. ]

It was. A great deal of walking and fighting.

[ He holds the bottle by the neck and turns it back and forth in a gentle sort of shake as he speaks before offering it back. ]

Will this help you sleep?

Doesn’t seem like you mind.

[She watches him as he takes another swig from the bottle, leaning against the arm of the chair.]

Pretty sure they’d never even allow one here anyway.

[She thinks about how he wouldn’t even remember this conversation, and that feeling of sadness strengthens again. Taking the bottle from him, she takes a shots worth. She can feel the threat of tears so she hands it back to him, and scratches at the side of her face to hide her eyes from view as she looks around the room. Using it as an excuse that she’s just observing what his room is like.]

I don’t know, maybe. I’m kind of a night owl.

[Once she’s pretty confident that she’s not actually about to cry, Daisy turns her attention back onto him.]

What about you?

[ His room doesn't give much insight into his character. Besides the dirty clothes peeking out from under the bed, he has a knapsack propped up in a corner and a bottle of whiskey on his bedside table along with a plain, white pill bottle. There are some empty food wrappers and perhaps through the open closet door she can make out the shine of more silver foil packaging from the food he's hoarded in there. Purely out of a need to be prepared should the station get taken over by a rough AI again and they're deprived of supply drops.

But in the time she's looking around he observes the state she's in and takes an interest in reading the side of the vodka bottle. Joric really doesn't know what to say to crying women. He lives under the assumption that anything he says in emotional situations just makes things worse, so he never says anything at all. And when she turns the conversation back to him? Well, he's thinking maybe she's not ready to talk about it, whatever has her feeling upset. ]

Hm?

[ Looking up from the bottle, he needs a moment to digest what she's said. ]

Oh. No, not really. I tend to awaken early.

[Daisy notices the pill bottle and is quick to look away from it, feeling as though even just glancing at it is an invasion of privacy.]

I didn’t take you for a morning person.

[She doesn’t reach for the bottle yet, instead choosing to wait for the rest of what she’s drank to sink in. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Daisy looks towards the ceiling for a moment. Blinking away the tears before they can fall.]

I can go, if it’s late for you.

Edited 2023-02-16 06:07 (UTC)

I was a soldier. We always had to awaken early to do chores around camp, or break it down and march.

[ He doesn't answer right away. The normal thing to do would be to ask if she wants to talk about what's upsetting her, but Joric is about as emotionally constipated as they come. You would have to drag his feelings out of him at knife point for all he expresses. But he recognizes she's hurting and he sets the bottle on the floor beside the leg of the chair. ]

Do you want to go?

[Frowning, Daisy looks down at her hands that she’s twisting in her lap. She wasn’t great at talking about her feelings either, but even just choosing to be here instead of alone in her room was an improvement to how she usually handled things like this.

She shakes her head no in response to his question.]

I don’t want to be alone right now.

[An honest answer, that definitely wouldn’t have been as easy to say if she were sober.]

All right.

[ So now two people that don't know how to talk about feelings are just hanging out together while one of them is upset. Joric is just going to stare at spots around the room like he thinks he'll find answers there. ]

[Chewing on the inside of her cheek again, Daisy sits in silence for a few minutes until she finally brings up the subject of why she’s so upset.]

Did you hear what Newt said? Over comms.

[ Oh. That makes sense. He really only recognized two names on that list and that was from only one interaction with them. He can see how that would hit harder for those who have formed bonds here. ]

I did. You are feeling the loss of them?

[Daisy nods, looking up at the ceiling as if that will keep the tears from falling. It doesn’t and she’s quick to wipe at her cheeks when she feels them rolling down.]

Do you know what happens when we leave?

Well, we must recover all orbs and have done our personal goals to have the power to undo our regrets so I suppose they go home without their regret undone.

[Daisy shakes her head,]

We forget everything and everyone from here.

[ He's silent for a long moment before he ventures to ask: ]

And you wish to be remembered by them?

I’ve—

[Daisy swallows thickly, pushing the knot out of her throat.]

I’ve been here almost two years. I don’t want to forget that, or all of the people I’ve met here. People I’ve come to care about.

[ It's honestly not something he's considered before. Since he hadn't known what happened to those who went home, obviously this hasn't been a topic to dwell on, but on the other hand, he didn't think much about what he'd look back on once he was home. Maybe he's lacking in sentimentality, or maybe he's just being dumb. Either are just as likely for him. ]

I can see why, but if nothing can be done to prevent it than all you can do is enjoy what you have while you have it.

[She’s seen the other side of this all. How her father just forgot her, and while she knows he’s a happier person because of his memory being wiped, it doesn’t prevent the hurt she feels.

That was going to be her one day, just forgetting the people she cares about exist. She won’t even search for them because she won’t remember them. And she can’t enjoy what she has because there’s something she can’t have.

Someone, specifically.

It’s a selfish thought, and so is her next thought as her eyes fall to his lips. That maybe she can have a short lived distraction from the pain.]

Is that your plan?

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