Here is your obligatory How's My Driving post, complete with OOC contact powers!

...Yeah, I don't think it's terribly witty either. In any case, feel free to use this post for any of your OOC contact needs--questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, plot ideas, anything!

♥

[Isaac graduated during port and made the announcement last night; Cissie posts this shortly after dinner the next day, looking calm and proud and a little sad.]

You know, I've been on the Barge for two years, two months and a handful of days. When I first came here, it was because I didn't see a future for myself at home. I didn't have a deal in mind, I didn't know what I was getting into, I just knew that I was kind of... aimless and unhappy, and the idea of helping someone get a second chance sounded like a better use of my time than going to college with an undeclared major and an archery scholarship.

Like I said: I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was turned into a man my first week here, and it turned out that was pretty tame. I've been attacked by zombies, dinosaurs, ghosts and Aztec gods. I've been tortured, beaten and killed. I've had five inmates, including three that just vanished on me--at least Beatty came back and graduated under another warden, which is something I'm grateful for. I don't want to say I graduated two inmates, because I didn't do the work; they graduated. They did the work. Isaac deserves the future he's going to get, and I'm so proud of him.

...A while ago, it felt like everyone I was close to was leaving. It was one person after another, and it was hard. It's always hard when people leave. I can admit that I have some pretty serious abandonment issues, and when people leave--even involuntarily--it hurts. I know I've held grudges and been pissed off when people went home, and it was only ever because I cared about them. So I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm trying to make sure I do this right.

The thing everyone seems fond of saying when they leave here is "this place is not a home." I have to disagree. The Barge has been home for me these two years. I've had a family here. I have a cat that I rescued in a port, and I would never have met half the people I have met and loved if it weren't for this place. It's broken me, and the people here have helped put me back together, and I'm a stronger, better person because of what I've been through here, and more importantly, because of my friends.

I guess what this all boils down to is that while this place has been my home, it's time for me to go. I can't keep hiding here, hoping that my future will somehow change. It won't. I have to change it. And now feels like the time. I can't do much at home, and there aren't that many people waiting for me, but there is somewhere I can go and someone I can help, and I plan to do it. For the first time since I was about sixteen, I feel like I know what I'm doing and where my life might be headed, and facing the future doesn't make me feel hopeless and alone. And that wouldn't have happened without this place, and the people in it.

So. I guess what I'm saying is... Goodbye, Barge. I know it's pointless to say so, but--try to behave. And try not to let the floods and ports and breaches and Admiral get to you.


[Infirmary Filter]
I'll be there for my shift tonight, but... it will be my last shift. I'm sorry. It's just time for me to go. Thank you, for everything. ...And for what it's worth, when I go back to school, I'm hoping it will be for pre-med.

[Note left for Kay in the Supply Closet]
I'm sorry I didn't give you more warning. Good luck finding someone to help with checking these; make sure it's someone who can play tic-tac-toe!

[Private to Shego]
You're my big sister. I know we don't do the mushy stuff, but I'm doing it anyway. I love you.

[Private to Tim]
You're my friend, and I love you. If you forget any of this when you go back home, I will have to beat you until you remember. Fair warning. I may not be going home quite yet, but it doesn't mean I won't harass you. Take care of yourself, and let other people in once in a while, okay?


[Cissie went to visit Tim, Shego and Kirk in person yesterday to talk to them about her plans. She's not actually going home to her world yet; she's going to Molly Carpenter's to find her and help her with the insanity that is Harry Dresden's Chicago if she can. It's possible Cissie would have visited other people as well; if you want Cissie to have visited your character, go ahead and tag into this spam thread!]

...I think it's just time for me to be grateful I didn't turn into my mother again.

[Friends Filter]

All right, guys. Check in. Who's who?

[Private to Tim... older!Tim. She hopes.]

...Are you still you?

[Private to Isaac]

For the love of all that is holy, please still be yourself.

[Originally posted: on DW]

[Hello, Barge! Cissie is out of her coma! And has escaped the infirmary and explored a bit and found the deck. She is wearing this pink snowman sweater with matching mittens. ...The mittens have made working the video function tricky, so your first shot is one of PINK COTTON and then Cissie concentrating VERY HARD. And then a grin!]

I did it! I remembered how! Hi! I was here before, and I didn't know if we'd go home, but we did, and now I'm back somehow but this time? It's snowing! Look! There's snow!

[Cissie is SUPER EXCITED about the snow, guys. She turns the camera to show the snow-covered deck and the snowman she made. ...It has a cape on it, which is really just a red towel she took from her room. But whatever, it's a cape.]

Come play with me!

[Argh, she was going to ignore all of this, but... BUT. There are maybe some people she'd like to hear from if they're lurking around.]

All right, I'll bite. I'm Cissie King-Jones, and I was going to ignore all of this, but it's kind of hard to. If there's anyone from home out there,.. Hi, I guess.

...And Mom, if you're out there? You were right. Happy early Thanksgiving.

[FILTERED from Molly and away from Barge-people as best she can manage. SHE WANTS YOU, DRESDEN PEOPLE]

So, I think there are some of you from Chicago out there. People who know Molly Carpenter? ...Or Karrin Murphy? Molly's my best friend. Can we talk?

[Yeah, she can try interrupting Molly's conversations, but she would rather Molly not know she's snooping. ...Also she wants to know about Murphy, and man, Molly and Murphy weren't getting along.]

[So hey, Murphy lived next door to Cissie. Cissie noticed when Murphy's door reverted to normal. More specifically, she noticed when Murphy's door was randomly open and showing a view of a totally empty, unpersonalized room. Cissie knows what this means. It's possible Cissie got stuck in the empty room when she went in to look and the door... locked behind her. Damn doors. Aand now her journal is acting up and posting this audio without Cissie's notice. Enjoy the noises of Cissie throwing a fit, Barge.]

--damn it, I knew--[INSERT STATIC HERE]--he even bring her back--[MORE STATIC]--as a fucking inmate--[WHY YES. CISSIE SWORE. FZZZT]--and then just take her--[HEY IT'S NOT STATIC IT'S ELEVATOR MUSIC DOO WOP DE BOP]--always leave.

[Oh hey, and there is now a whole lot of silence punctuated occasionally by banging noises while Cissie tries to bust the door open or get someone to open it, but nope. No luck. When the audio kicks in again, there might be the muffled sound of heartbroken crying. Maybe. Hard to tell with the creepy static and stuff.]

[Death by violent head trauma leads to a death toll of migraines. But it's mostly over now, and it's been a rough few weeks, and now Cissie has Things To Say and the brains and focus to say them.]

If there's one thing the Death Toll is good for, it's that you get more than enough time to think. In over a year and a half, this is the third time I've been through that, and it sucks every time. But the alternative is clearly worse. The first time was during an attack on the dining hall. A lot of us died, and it was fast. The second time was during a flood. The person responsible wasn't herself, and while it wasn't fast, it wasn't all that painful.

This time, it was not a flood. It was not quick. It was painful. And as far as Death Tolls go, it really sucked. Migraines for days are a bit less pleasant than a bad case of anemia.

And why did I die? Because I walked down the hall at the wrong time. That's it. Maybe I've been here too long, because certain things feel normal now--floods, ports, fighting amongst each other about the way things are run... But there are routines we establish, things we get used to. And maybe one of things I got used to was that I could walk through the halls of this Barge safely. Without thinking about the fact that yeah, there are Inmates here that I don't know; hell, there are Wardens here that I don't know. I don't know what my neighbors are or aren't capable of.

But I got complacent. I felt safe, for lack of a better word. So thank you, Sexby. Because that's what you've accomplished here. I know better now. We're never safe here. And when I leave the infirmary to go back to my room, or leave my room to go to the gym, or the dining hall? I'd be lying if I said it's not going to be harder to walk through the halls like I used to.

But I'm glad the Admiral ignored you. Because essentially what you did was throw a tantrum and act like a bully. And you don't reward bullies. And that's all I have to say on that.

[Deep breath. ON TO OTHER THINGS]

In other news... We seem to be in one of those graduation periods, when it feels like there's a graduation every day. Congratulations. A lot of disappearances, too. ...I hate those. When you don't get to say goodbye? Those are the worst.

[Coyo. Hayley. Cooper. Watson. Bruce Banner. ...Sylar. Oh, screw it. That last post of his let the cat out of the bag anyway.]

...And no. I don't want to talk about Sylar.
[MOVING ON:]

The thing is? Those graduations? They make it worth it. That's proof we're here for a purpose, and it's a good one. Discounting all the people here I wouldn't have known if I was at home, all the people who mean something to me and who I stay here for? Even when people I care for leave every day, there are still people here I care about. But more importantly--Cooper got to go home to his family. His kids get their dad back. If that's not worth all of this shit, what is?


[Private to Tim]
...That said--what are you going to do now? [Translation: ARE YOU LEAVING ME TOO?]

[Private to Rhade]
I saw what you said to Sexby. ...Thank you. Really.

[Infirmary Staff]
When Murphy wakes up from her coma, will someone tell her I'm all right?

[Private to Isaac]
Are you all right?


[ooc: SORRY, I know I am behind on tags and everything ever; my time management sucks right now, and Cissie is going to be VERY FLOOD AFFECTED tomorrow, buuuut I wanted to get this up and out there before said flood hits. She would not let these things go without commentary. My timing, it needs work.]

[Private to Jane]

It was Sexby.


[INFIRMARY SPAM WELCOME! This is private and text for PLOT PURPOSES but also because she is tiiiiiired and has a killer headache (ha). And does not realize this is not an isolated incident. Come visit! She is probably sleeping. Or sulking. Or both. Skillfully.]

[Cissie's using text today, because she is cranky and wants some privacy.]

This flood sucks. The last one was better. [And yes. She was stuck with O'Brien for that one.] And Admiral, this had better be temporary. I don't need two inmates.

[Filtered away from Sylar. Sorry Sylar.]

So, Barge. You like discussing things ad nauseum. Here's a topic: forgiveness. What's the one thing you can't forgive? Would you ever make an exception? Why or why not?


[SPAM for Sylar]

Cissie is not any happier tonight than she has been since the flood started. She has basically been wearing headphones and hiding under hoodies for this entire flood. Silent treatment is still go.

[OOC: Or if you'd rather spam something else Ang, go for it!]

[Friends Filter-this is generous, you are probably on it]

[Let's pretend it is the middle of the night. Cissie... looks like crap. Like she hasn't slept since the flood ended, which hey! Happens to be true. She's hollow-eyed and pale and just not herself. ...That lack of sleep might have turned off her usual brain-to-mouth filters.]

I guess this is the stage of post-flood-trauma where we deny we're not perfectly okay, or else go ahead and admit we've been totally emotionally screwed, but either way, we're all sick of hearing about it or talking about it, or dealing with it at all, and we want to pretend it never happened. Except we can't pretend it didn't, because it's always right there. Just waiting for us to stop being on guard for two seconds, that's all, two seconds. And then BAM. There it is.

...I had a point. I don't even remember what I was getting at.

[PAUSE]

...Or it really isn't bothering some of you, and hey, that's awesome. Maybe apathy's the way to go. Is that like something you can learn? Or it's all faking it, and that'd be cool too, except it catches up with you eventually.

[LONGER PAUSE]

What do you do when you can't sleep?

[Infirmary Filter]
I need something to do. Please. I know I can't--I shouldn't do things with patients right now. I know that. But I can do something. I can't sit here and think anymore. I can take inventory? Count supplies? Disinfect things, file paperwork? I don't care, just--anything. Please.

[Private to Kirk]
...I'm sorry.

[Private to Arthur]
[...Yeah no never mind, she has no idea what to say LET'S PRETEND THIS ISN'T HERE]

[Private to Isaac]
Are you back yet? I'm... so glad you missed that. Please come back.

[Private to Sylar]
We should probably talk. I don't know what to say, but... I don't even know.

[Private to Tim]
...He's not you. And she's not me. [PAUSE] And I'm pretty sure neither of us believe that right now.

[Useless Private for Molly]
...You'd better come back, damn it.

[Cissie is so completely affected, and it shows; she's not even bothering to try to smoke out those acting strangely, because she's already spotted a few, and really? What does it matter? They'll be back to normal in a few days. ...This doesn't mean she can't still have some fun.]

Oh, Barge. This flood isn't nearly fun enough. I kind of wish we were having a port instead; the last one was entertaining, wasn't it? Nothing ever quite lives up to the zombies or ghosts, though. It's a shame.

In any case, I'm feeling a little... restless. Who wants to play a game? It's been far too long since we had a round of William Tell. My inmate seems to have vanished for the time being, so send yours.

[Private to Molly]
Care to help me find some volunteers? Since we both lack inmates, I think we need some new ones.

["Protected" Filter: the people Cissie keeps an eye on, if only to piss off other wardens. This includes Beatty, Shego, Sylar and anyone who might be a "friend."]
How's this flood treating you?


[NOTE: let's please pretend she posted the previous messages earlier in the day? And it's safe to assume Cissie plays William Tell fairly often; she IS good enough to hit the apple every time, so if she plays and misses and puts an arrow through a shoulder or occasionally more vital body parts, it's totally on purpose. FEEL FREE TO ASSUME YOUR CHARACTER PLAYED A PAST GAME. And if you'd like your character to play this weekend, just let me know how you want it to go!

Also, Molly is dead and then vanished from the Barge, but Cissie didn't know that. And so, a few hours later, she adds:]


[Private to Snape]
Have you seen Molly? She was meeting Martha earlier. I haven't heard from her since this morning.

[Private to Martha]
[Cissie is irate, but sounds TOTALLY CALM. That is dangerous:]

Where is Molly. I know you had plans today.

[Good morning, Barge. Have the most adorable pout ever.]

I was ninety-one last night. And now I'm two. This is so unfair! At least I could still reach stuff when I was old. [MORE SCOWLING.] This is not exactly how I was planning to spend my birthday. Isn't it time for this to be over?



...Beatty, not a word.


[OOC: Yeah, I'm doing the horrible post-and-run thing, but I wanted this in before the flood ends and I have work and BIRTHDAY STUFF tonight (as it is MY birthday too!), so--posting now! SORRY. ...But seriously, a two year old's birthday. I couldn't resist. Someone throw her a princess party.]

[So, Cissie has not exactly been Ms. Social lately. She's basically been doing her shifts in the infirmary, doing the inventory thing she shares with Howie, and, of course, spending some time in the gym with her archery. Otherwise, she has not been going out of her way to be social or to be out and about, with the notable exception of the rum ball/baking adventure.

To put it frankly: she's been moping. Stuck in a rut. Ignoring drama because her give-a-damn broke. This is Cissie trying to snap herself out of that. Those who know her well can probably tell she's still kind of out-of-sorts.]


So, I got to thinking. It's been a few months, but once upon a time I offered to teach some basic archery if anyone's interested. Archery's not much help in close quarters, and it won't be very useful as a defense if you don't have any equipment on you, but it is mostly about aim and precision and focus, which are never bad things. Plus, it's really good for building upper body strength. It's also pretty relaxing and kind of... zen? It's good for focusing. So if anyone's interested, let me know. I will need warden permission for inmates to participate, though.


[Friend Filter, minus Isaac--if you think you're on it, you're on it]

I have kind of a favor to ask. My inmate is Isaac Mendez, and he is... really quiet and a little anti-social. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but in Isaac's case he's sort of using it to hide, and I think it's a step he needs to overcome in order to graduate. And when I ask him to go be friendly and get to know people, it... kind of results in him making lists of names. So I'm wondering if any of you would just say hello or strike up some casual conversation with him here and there. He works the lunch shift in the kitchens, if that helps. I mean, if you want to try to be friends with him, that'd be awesome--and he is a really great guy--but at this point, I'll be happy if he just got some practice at friendly conversation and eventually can work his way up to making friends.

...And it kind of goes without saying, but telling him "your warden wants me to be friendly at you" sort of defeats the purpose. So--please don't do that.


[Private to Isaac]

Hey. How'd you make out with that last flood? We haven't really talked about port yet, either. ...Thank you, by the way.


[Private to Sylar]

...Sorry. About the whole... post-baking meltdown I had. Did the flood get you?

[Forward-dated to tomorrow morning, before Port starts; someone's pulling her head out of the sand to be a good warden!]

Hey you. It's a port! Put away your paints, we're going.

[Friends Filter, double and triple-checked to make sure Nygma and Beatty will never see this. Also filtered away from Isaac. Sorry, Isaac.]

I am not complaining, I swear. No water balloons. I'm just saying that I feel a pretty strong desire to get ridiculously drunk, and they say drinking alone is a bad idea, so--volunteers?



[OOC: YAY for a new working modem! I'm back and will get to those tags I owe shortly. Many, many apologies for the Cissie-spam, but she's having a significant reaction to Beatty's new Warden assignment, and so here we are. If you think your character can see this, they probably can! Except Isaac, because she doesn't want him to think she cares about Beatty more than him. ...And O'Brien. He's not welcome right now either.]

[Cissie is a wee bit hungover today, but it's mostly worn off now, so she has an important Thing To Do here. The camera's turned on, and is poorly positioned to point at... a book. Wait, she has to adjust it. A bit of maneuvering and the Barge is treated to a video of this book, Monsters Eat Whiny Children. Cissie herself isn't visible beyond the hand holding the book, because she's behind the camera.]

All right, Barge. I think it's been too long since we last had storytime. So today, I'm going to read you Monsters Eat Whiny Children, by Bruce Eric Caplan.

[Cissie clears her throat, opens the book up and shows everyone the inside cover pages, which can be seen at the "look inside" link above; they're basically a cute little map from Henry and Eve's house to the Monster's Lair. She turns to the title page, and... Cissie's tabby cat steps over her arm to check out what's up with this book thing. He's curious, okay? Cissie tries to push him away, and he rubs his head against the side of the book instead. Cats.]

Tibs, no. You're in the way. [And storytime is interrupted while Cissie puts the cat on the floor. Ahem. She picks the book back up so you can all see the illustrations, turns to the first page and starts reading.]

Once, there were two perfectly delightful children... [PAGE TURN]
who were going through a TERRIBLE phase, which is to say they whined ALL day and night. "I want to go outside," whined Henry.
"Outside! Outside!" whined Eve.
"Where's my phone?" whined Henry.
"No grilled cheese!" whined Eve.
And so on.

Their kindly father warned them that monsters eat whiny children.
They didn't believe him. So they whined and whined until finally one day... [PAGE TURN]
A monster came and stole them away...

[And yes, Cissie proceeds to read the entire book. It is terribly cute, and I recommend it, but quick summary: the monsters can't decide how to cook their whiny children, argue about it and finally decide on whiny-child cucumber sandwiches, but Henry and Eve escape and never whined again. Except for when they did. There is a point to reading this; O'Brien and Beatty beat each other up thoroughly, and Beatty called Cissie to take him to the infirmary. As he's still unassigned, Cissie still feels like his warden. ...That may never change. And so, the Barge gets storytime.]

[Private to Isaac]
So. How's that list of neighbors coming?

[Private to Molly]
...You disappeared last night. [Please tell her you didn't do what she thinks you did. She hasn't seen Biff's post yet. Aaaand then she saw it and talked to Biff and SHE KNOWS WHAT YOU DID LAST NIGHT. Or rather, who.]
So. Biff, huh?

[Public, Added an Hour or Two Later]
Has anyone seen Rhade?

[So, Cissie's been awake for a little while, but she hasn't had a chance to look back over the network yet. She's a little flustered and frustrated with herself. ...And she has no idea that Beatty or Wichita are back. THAT WILL BE FUN.]

When I said I was going to take a nap, I didn't mean a two week nap. What the heck. How much have I--of course I've missed a lot, this is the Barge.

Anyway. Isaac? Still around? Everything okay? Everybody else?

What's--oh. New people. [Have a little wave and distracted smile, new people.] If you're new, I'm Cissie, I'm a Warden and... I think I have a lot to catch up on.

[Private to Hayley, added after talking with Wichita]
Hey you. How're you doing?


[SPAM for Sylar]

[...Yeah, before this post is made. CISSIE WOKE UP. Sylar was there. Look, Sylar. Sleeping Beauty wakes up! ...I will maybe edit this into something better later.]

[Sometime after dumping a letter to her mother over the side of the Barge, Cissie posts. It's a text post as opposed to her usual video, because she's just not quite stable enough to let the whole Barge see her right now.]

I don't actually really know what to say about this weekend. Anyone want to do something? Go to the pub, go swimming, camp in the CES, watch a movie? Distract ourselves?

[Private to Rhade, Bruce, Shego, Una and Parker, individually]
I feel like I should be apologizing. ...Thanks, for what you said.

[Private to Isaac]
I am really sorry. What are the odds we can pretend that didn't happen?

[Private to Molly]
I'm kind of sad I missed meeting your mom.

[Private to Tim]
How're you doing? Like, actually doing, not default-I'm-fine-doing.

[Private to Andrew Wells]
Exactly how much do you know about me?

[Private to Sylar]
My mom's opinions aren't mine. For the record.