(no subject)

[anewlanguage]

When I first got here, and I figured out that no matter what I did I wasn't going to die permanently, I thought the rest of the ship was nuts for panicking every time some worthless psychopath got bored and turned murderer of the day.

I'm rethinking a lot of the shit I thought I "learned" when I graduated, but one thing's the same: I was wrong about that. It matters. And the first person to parrot back what I said when I was an inmate can take a bullet between the eyes, got it?


[Spam for IRIS]

[He does a quick patrol, not because he expects anything to be more wrong than what has already happened, but because he needs to work off some energy before he settles in where he feels he really needs to be.

Which is with his girlfriend who, he's pretty sure, will be at the center of a shitstorm. He goes to her room and knocks, for once.]

Comments

[anewlanguage]

No. No, it's not. And even a good plan isn't foolproof.

Some inmates come in and all they need is their one warden. Took me a while, but I came around to Dean. With someone like Victor, though...hell, I don't know.

[tucky]

Maybe we should all be his wardens.

You know how before I said I was scared of him and kinda wanted to avoid him if I could? I been thinking. I'm still scared of him, but I don't think it's right for me to avoid any of the inmates.

[anewlanguage]

[He had been thinking the same thing, honestly. But still, hearing it makes his heart sink.]

He'd better not lay a goddamn claw on you or he'll have the whole Barge thinking up how to get payback.

[tucky]

But if he does I don't want you doing payback.

[anewlanguage]

[Oh. That's going to be much more difficult for him.]

Tiffany...

[tucky]

I ain't saying he should get away with it. But punishment and payback ain't the same thing.

I been hurt by inmates twice since I became a warden. It didn't feel right, having other wardens get mad for me, or having 'em come in and fix it for me.

[anewlanguage]

[Dammit. Stop being right.]

...Fine. Okay. If he hurts you- you get to tell me what to do about it. Fair?

[tucky]

Yeah, fair.

I just can't be a warden if I keep acting like an inmate, is all.

[anewlanguage]

You're no inmate.

[A slow sigh]

But I guess the rest of us need to start remembering you don't need us to protect you either. It's not that I think you can't handle it, you get that?

[tucky]

Yeah.

But it's confusing, 'cause there's a lot of stuff I'm worried I can't handle. And I like people trying to protect me, 'cause I never had that before here. It's nice.

But with inmates, it probably ain't right.

[anewlanguage]

Well if I see someone trying to stab you, I'm not gonna be able to just stand aside. And if you need help or something and I can give it, I'm still offering. That's not gonna change.

But you've got better instincts than me and I maybe ought to stop trying to get in your way.

[tucky]

... I got better instincts?

Are you sure about that?

[anewlanguage]

Well, mine tell me to go out shooting. To go in shooting, too. So if yours are more thoughtful than that, I'd trust 'em over mine.

[tucky]

I've had those instincts sometimes, too.

[anewlanguage]

What are your others like?

[tucky]

I'm still learning that.

[anewlanguage]

Seems you're on the right track to me. Since they're tellin' you to give people a chance, and all.

[tucky]

They don't tell me to give everybody a chance. Sometimes I'm working against my instincts.

[anewlanguage]

I can't do that yet. I try, but they're stronger than I am sometimes, know what I mean?

[tucky]

Yeah. I have that problem sometimes.