(001) Video

[voluntaryapnea]

[Well here we go. He is on a ship and he thinks for the briefest of moments about making a joke about calling it the Ship of Dreams because Lydia has made him watch Titanic a few too many times. But it sounds lame even to him, and he's still not feeling that great about...anything, really.

After a long moment of hesitation, he turns the camera on and gives a small smile that looks a bit more like a grimace than anything. His tone is light and friendly, even if his expression is tired, his skin a bit too pale, and there are bags under his eyes that indicate it's been awhile since he's had any decent sleep. He's still cold, still achy and nauseous, but he knows he's going to get better from that eventually. In theory.]

So I have to admit that the irony in this is kind of hilarious. I mean, my dad's a sheriff and I'm not even out of high school and here I am on a ship about to be a warden.

[He pauses. Warden definitely beats being possessed, so he's rolling with it. It's what he does.]

Can't say this is exactly how I figured things would turn out, buuuut. [He shrugs, looking down for a moment.] It sort of does beat the alternative, so I guess I'm happy to be here.

I'm Stiles Stilinski.

Comments

[neverfeltbetter]

Welcome aboard Stiles.

My name's John Crichton. Warden too, to save you asking.

[voluntaryapnea]

Thank you.

Been here long?

[keeps_a_cool_head]

There is, as far as I'm able to determine, no prerequisite to being a warden. One needs only the desire and to catch the interest of the Admiral.

He does enjoy his humans.

[voluntaryapnea]

See, I wasn't even aware I had that desire. I guess as career options go, though, it does make sense.

[He pauses at that, wondering who else is aboard the ship.]

[mightthinkthat]

[Francis' tone is deceptively pleasant.] How delightful to find a warden aware of his shortcomings right off the bat.

[He relents, though, because he's just a child.]

I'm Francis Urquhart.

[voluntaryapnea]

[He arches his eyebrows a bit both at the tone and the comment. Obviously Francis is not a warden.]

Nice to meet you, Francis. [Is it weird to say that to an inmate? Like, hey, you may have killed people or done terrible things, but so glad to make your acquaintance anyway!]

How long have you been on the ship?

[routemistress]

'Ey cutie, welcome aboard. Don't fret, we won't 'old a law enforcement background against you. Some of me best friends are coppers.

And one or two of our best wardens are your age. You'll be fine. I'm Iris Wildthyme - transtemporal adventuress, intergalactic darts champion, massage therapist and warden. Nice to meet you!

[voluntaryapnea]

Oh good. Hate to have a strike against me right off the bat.

[He's kind of relieved to hear he's not the only teenager around.]

That's a pretty colorful resume you've got there, Iris. Nice to meet you, too.

[semifreakingnormal]

Stiles!

[He's grinning outright, at least at first, because Stiles, but - but. He looks like hell and the grin fades.]

When did you grow your hair out? [Important things first? No, okay, important things later in private.]

[voluntaryapnea]

[And he freezes because this is a face he really, really hasn't anticipated seeing here. His eyes go comically wide, mouth hanging open just slightly. It actually takes a moment for Stiles to process the fact that Scott's hair is longer, too. And curlier. And he looks younger -- wait, what?

It takes him a moment to respond.]

I -- the summer after our sophomore year. Dude, what -- how old are you?

[logistical]

[It's rare that the Admiral brings aboard one so young, and Esther's fooled them all before.]

Greetings. I am Commander Spock, of the USS Enterprise. Welcome aboard.

[Warden Filter]

If you are able to view this message, kindly respond under the same filter.

[voluntaryapnea]

[He blinks a couple of times. Spock? No, he definitely looks like Spock. Or Stiles is losing his mind.]

Thank you, Commander.

[Warden Filter]

I can see the message.

[shakenandlimp]

[Bush is suffering from the death toll and really not at his best, pale and propped up in his bed. But he summons up a smile.]

Not too young to go to sea, Mister Stilinski. It is a rough service here but I hope you will do well.

[voluntaryapnea]

[Bush looks about as good as Stiles feels and he smiles back faintly.]

Thanks, man. Me too. Been here long?

[ichoosefight]

Hey, I got my crime-fighting start when I was fifteen. At least you're getting a diploma. [ She's working on a GED! It's totally legit. ]

I'm Stephanie Brown, recently graduated. Sort of. Depends how you count. Nice to meet you, Stiles.

[voluntaryapnea]

[He manages a small smile at that. If he manages to survive the rest of high school he'll get a diploma anyway. Another name that gives him pause. Stephanie Brown? As in Batgirl? Holy crap.]

Nice to meet you, too, Stephanie. Uh, so if you were fifteen when you got started crime-fighting, how old are you now?

[mistconduct]

Oh shit; Scotty-dog found a friend. Fuck yeah, I needed more puppies in my life.

[voluntaryapnea]

[His expression is neutral because he's not sure how to take that. Do people here know that Scott is a werewolf? It certainly seems that way from this guy's comment.]

Scotty-dog?

[hearrrtofgold]

[Oh God, another cop's kid - Duke can't turn around on this boat without bumping into someone tied to law enforcement. It's enough to make a crook edgy, but hey. If he can get past Nathan, he can get past this.]

The Admiral doesn't seem to care much about age. We've got a couple other wardens in their teens too.

I'm Duke, hi. Is Stiles a nickname?

[voluntaryapnea]

Yeah, that's what I keep hearing.

Hey, Duke. Yeah, it's a nickname. No one calls me by my actual name. Not even my dad.

[givessweetness]

I'm Tungwynterestemont. But, ah, call me Wynter, please.

I... don't know what level 'high school' is but I'm six months out of the Academy, myself. And a Castellan, so perhaps we'll have something in common?

[Wynter... fairly doubts this, actually. He feels more of a Time Lord here than any place else and that means it's apparently easy to alienate people.]

[voluntaryapnea]

[He's pretty sure he can't pronounce that even if his life depended on it. And it's possibly comparable to his own real first name for hard to pronounce and what the hell were my parents thinking? kinds of ways.]

I'm not sure what a Castellan is. [But he's interested in finding out.]

But it's nice to meet you, Wynter.

[surfaceshine]

[Anyway, Stiles, that ship wasn't a great one to begin with; it didn't end all that well.

Maybe this one won't either but no sense going in further behind than strictly necessary. Dean raises an eyebrow.]

That's a really calm assessment for the newbie. Did your parents know what your last name was gonna be when they picked your first?

[voluntaryapnea]

[It really didn't. He won't be surprised if that's what happens here, either, really.]

Which is ironic because calm is usually my genetic opposite. [Seriously. Ask anyone. Okay, well. Scott, anyway.

He smirks faintly at the question.]

It's a nickname. And trust me, it's about a billion times better than the real thing.

[bodilesswarrior]

You know, I think this is starting to be a theme. [It's easier to focus on that, on their fathers, than the fact that there is another teenager on this boat.] My dad's a commissioner.

Welcome aboard, Stiles.

[voluntaryapnea]

[His eyebrows raise at that.] Oh. Okay so that's three of us now with ties to law enforcement that I've heard from. Are there more of us?

[He offers her a small smile.] Thanks, Miss...?

[strangehistorian]

Hello, Mr. Stilinski! Welcome to the Barge!

[voluntaryapnea]

Thanks. Stiles is fine, though.

[myresponsibility]

High schoolers tend to do just fine around here. As long as you're not like, four, I don't think the Admiral cares that much about driver's licenses and whether or not you can vote.

Peter Parker. I'm a friend of Scott's. [And he has mentioned you, so hello. c:]

[voluntaryapnea]

Well that's good to know. I do have my driver's license, but I kinda doubt I'm gonna need it here.

[Yeah, Stiles knows who Peter Parker is. And he's not surprised that his superhero best friend has befriended actual Spider-Man. Awesome.

Nice to meet you, Peter. Scott mentioned you.

[diealone]

What's the alternative?

[voluntaryapnea]

More high school.

[He smiles faintly and shrugs. No, not really. He's pretty sure he's going to be dead back home, and if it was just him there he wouldn't care who knew it, really. But it's not really something he wants Scott to find out and worry about.]

[patheticvillain]

Dude. You look a little dead.

[Coincidentally, Cassel also looks a little dead. That's because he just was a little dead, and is now recovering from being a little dead. He waves, though. That has to count for something.]

I know you. You're Scott's friend. Why so dead, Scott's friend?

[voluntaryapnea]

[Well, that's a bit more blunt that he was expecting. Impressively blunt even.]

You too, man. No offense. Serious bout of the flu, apparently. [He shrugs a little, nonchalant.] What about you?

[sssiiiiirrrrr]

Choosing the lesser of two evils has often been the surest path followed in life.

Welcome aboard, Mister Stilinski. May I ask what the unfavorable alternative to coming here was, or is that a private matter?

[voluntaryapnea]

I suppose that's true, yeah.

Thanks for the welcome. [He pauses.] Death by boredom thanks to high school?

[fridgetothefire]

You have a low threshold for irony.

Anya Lehnsherr. Welcome.

[voluntaryapnea]

Also a low threshold for pain, expectation and withdrawal from Call of Duty.

Thanks, Anya. Nice to meet you.