#arcade. ic.

[nuclearspring-a]

“arcaaaaaaade.” and that is the exact sound of a certain medic being bored. they fling open the flaps of the tent and drop themselves in the free chair next to his desk, all with a certain amount of drama. in reality, ellison has been alone with her thoughts for longer than five minutes, which now makes it his problem. they lean over to sit their elbows on the desk and puts her face in her hands. after seconds of no acknowledgment, “i’m sure whatever you’re doing isn’t that important that you can’t spare me a witty remark.”

no witty remarks are immediately forthcoming. arcade holds out for a brief spell, but ellison has something of a loud presence, figuratively and literally, and sometimes it takes more energy to ignore people than it does to simply cede territory.

arcade shuts the tome he's been poring over. another man might shut it with more force than necessary, in the interest of making their feelings on interruptions known, but arcade is arcade. he shuts the book gently, tiredly. "insert witty remark here," he deadpans. shifts in his seat so that he's angled toward ellison and offers her a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "maybe we should find something for you to do."

[nuclearspring-a]

@lerevers / "that doesn't seem healthy," says arcade pointlessly. the statement's futility becomes plain even before he's finished. "never mind," he says, passive aggression shining through. "by all means, go ahead. i'm sure you'll survive longer than i will."

he sits down somewhat miserably and places his plasma pistol gently on the table to pore over it. "well, this may not entirely be a lost cause." this vault hasn't been raided thoroughly enough that arcade thinks he won't find the tools necessary to make this fix.

the problem is getting to it.

"i don't suppose," he begins, "that you'd be willing to expend your ammunition so that i might have a working weapon again?" he blinks. "we're going to ignore the- never mind. uh. look, this is as much for your benefit as it is for mine."

[nuclearspring-a]

@blcsscdson / "i'm not here right now," says arcade, for he has recognized jack out of the corner of his eye and has decided to opt out of whatever is to come on principle. "and feel safe operating on the assumption that if you were dying, you'd have collapsed into someone else's arms on the way here. probably julie's. she's got quite the reach."

he doesn't manage to stand his ground for long, because here he properly looks at jack, standing in the doorway of the tent, and this is enough to wrestle his conscience out of hiding. "what do you need?" he asks tiredly. "if it's just a rest you're after, feel free to take advantage of the beds. i won't stop you. but i need the light to read."

[nuclearspring-a]

@mojavc / "is that a-" it is. small, four legged, allergen to sheila, predatory. this one looks less mangy than arcade would expect of common or garden wasteland fauna, but that doesn't endear him to it. "stop petting it," he says. he hasn't rolled his eyes yet, but there's a thin line between his countenance and the action.

"i'm almost positive there's no antihistamine access here. you're going to be stuck like this." he sighs. there is a beat, and then he turns on his heel, waving a dismissive hand as he begins to walk away from sheila and feline. "well. hoc illud est quod est. don't say i didn't warn you."