DAVE: -dave hasn't been able to forget about the night before and the girl they thankfully rescued. a part of him was nervous that the rest of the crew would see her as some sort of a threat, but with how they've taken care of her, it seems like she's still in good hands. he makes a point to come visit her today, just to see how she's doing, although he has no idea if she'll remember him or not. he walks into her room in the infirmary, careful as to not scare her- MEULIN: *she's awake, it seems, looking fairly tired and both ears covered in bandages that hide a lot of cotton. she's peering down at a sketchbook she's scribbling in, brows knit, but when she sees someone coming in, she looks up, a little more bright-eyed. she blinks a few times. she remembers him, the one that carried her out.* MEULIN: HELLO? DAVE: hey -he takes note of the bandages over her ears and realizes that she's not going to be able to hear him. so he comes up to her and sits in the chair next to the bed and waves just for good measure- MEULIN: *she sees his mouth open, and for a second she's uncertain, but when he sits and waves, she finally smiles. she's quickly flipping to a blank page in the sketchbook and offering it over to him.* DAVE: -he takes it gratefully and starts to write- sup -and then he shows it to her- MEULIN: UM... MEULIN: *boy, that's a loaded question.* MEULIN: JUST DRAWING! DAVE: -he takes the notebook and writes again before showing her- can i look MEULIN: YEAH!! MEULIN: MOST OF IT IS DIRK'S STUFF BUT THAT LAST PAGE IS MINE. MEULIN: *Meulin's page of drawings is mostly cute doodles of Dirk, Jake, and Roxy, though there is a doodle of Porrim, Eridan, and even Dave. She probably used Dirk's earlier drawings as references, with as relatively accurate as the doodles look. She's also made notes next to the shippy ones.* DAVE: -writes under his picture- its me -and shows it to her- MEULIN: H33H33 YES! I SAW DIRK'S DRAWING OF YOU SO... DAVE: -goes back to the blank pages where he writes- i draw too MEULIN: YOU DO??? MEULIN: OH I AM SURE YOU AND DIRK ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN ME, I ONLY DOODLE SOMETIMES FUR FUN! DAVE: -he writes- oh im the best -and then proceeds to draw sweet bro and hella jeff in their trademark crude fashion before showing her- MEULIN: (^･o･^) MEULIN: I... MEULIN: LOVE IT. MEULIN: OMG. DAVE: -he actually smiles just a little bit for a split second and writes- yeah? im way better than dirk for sure MEULIN: H33H33H33!!! MEOWLY CRAP, YOU ARE LIKE... A TOTAL MEME AREN'T YOU??? I AM SENSING SO MUCH MEME RIGHT NOW. MEULIN: WHO EVEN ARE YOU, MYSTERIOUS MEME MAN? DAVE: -he writes- the mysterious meme man you guessed it MEULIN: *gaaaasp* MEULIN: I'VE B33N WAITING FUR THIS MOMENT... FOR ALL MY LIFE.... OH LOOOORD. DAVE: did you just bring phil collins into this -he writes- MEULIN: (=^･ω･^=) MEULIN: (=^･ω-^=) DAVE: -why is this cat girl so adorable. it's jade's fault he can appreciate the furries now. she keeps writing- damn i got blindsided there MEULIN: H33H33H33H33! MEULIN: WELL OKAY MYSTFURRY MEME MAN, I'M MEULIN. DAVE: dave -he writes- sup meulin MEULIN: *dave!!!! she will remember this.* UM... MEULIN: SO WHERE AM I? DAVE: -he writes on the notebook some more- in the infirmary of this ship that just causes a lot of problems for itself and everyone it comes into contact with and i guess we help some people too MEULIN: A SHIP? MEULIN: *she seems to recall mr. grumpfish talking about a ship* MEULIN: SO YOU ALL LIVE ON THIS SHIP? DAVE: yeah all of us do -he writes- were kinda stuck here MEULIN: *stuck? that's an interesting word choice* YOU HAVE TO WORK HERE? DAVE: well yeah theres just not any other option -he pauses in between writing before writing again- were all wanted criminals MEULIN: ... OH... MEULIN: *but they're not bad people. she knows that has to be true, even if this is all so much to take in at once. everything she knew, turning inside-out. but then, she had always had suspicions about the life she lived before. about the memory gaps, the odd situations and behavior. she just... hadn't wanted to see it. it was still hard to see. she's quiet for longer than she means to be.* MEULIN: WHY? DAVE: cuz we have a penchant for getting on the bad sides of the wrong people -that's putting it lightly, and he knows that- were not the bad guys tho MEULIN: *she would lower her voice, if she could properly monitor it. she tries, but it's more of an effort than a success.* IS IT BECAUSE OF THE WAR? DAVE: yeah its got somethin to do with that -he writes- a lot to do with it but what the fuck can you do MEULIN: YEAH... MEULIN: UM. MEULIN: AM I GOING TO STAY HERE? DAVE: -he shrugs as he writes- probably. would be kinda weird if you didnt MEULIN: WHAT DO YOU MEAN? MEULIN: AM I... A PRISONER? DAVE: nah i dont think so DAVE: youre actually just safer with us MEULIN: *she's quiet again for a long moment.* MEULIN: THAT'S GOOD. MEULIN: I DON'T REALLY... HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE TO GO. MEULIN: DIRK TOLD ME... HOHEPA IS IN YOUR CELLS. DAVE: who the fucks hohepa -he has no idea who this hohepa is- MEULIN: *MY TERRIBLE CLOWN (EX) BOYFRIEND JEEZ* MEULIN: I THINK... MEULIN: HE WAS THE ONE EVERYONE WAS FIGHTING. DAVE: oh yeah that guys a dick -he writes- the dickest of dicks MEULIN: .... MEULIN: YEAH. MEULIN: HE IS. DAVE: i didnt even know we still had him but ok thats cool got a crazy clown guy on our ship thats awesome we could use more of those MEULIN: *she just reads it quietly. she doesn't seem to respond much, though it's clear enough the life in her expression was fading quickly. she curled her knees up, nodding slightly.* DAVE: so how do you know that guy anyway -he notices her discomfort and decides to tone it down a bit- MEULIN: HE'S... MEULIN: HE WAS. MY MATESPRIT. DAVE: ...oh -he says that out loud before remembering that he needed to write- sorry MEULIN: DON'T BE. *she's not certain what else to say, because it's suddenly very hard not to think about it. if she thinks hard enough, she feels like she can remember why she feels so bruised and achy. why she must feel a lot of things. especially stupid.* DAVE: how are you doing with everything -he writes and then shows her, feeling a bit weird about getting so personal but feeling like maybe she needed someone to talk to- MEULIN: *he shows her that, and it's... not really a question she's been asked before. certainly not in the past couple sweeps. being asked now, at this strange moment when she happens to be at her most vulnerable, does something to her. she doesn't mean to, but while she's trying to think of what to say, she can't help it -- the tears well up to bursting, and she curls up more, burying her face in her knees.* DAVE: -oh fuck, well, dave strider, you did it now. you made a deaf girl cry. he can't communicate with her if she's not looking, so he has to get creative. creative means that he carefully just places a hand on her shoulder, not sure if this is helping or making things worse- MEULIN: *she's not sure, either -- it seems to make the crying worse, even if it makes her feel a little better. just to know that someone seems to care, even if she feels awful about burdening him, too. after a minute or so, she finally reaches up to rest a hand over his, and she's not sure whether it's for him or herself anymore.* DAVE: -what a moment to share with a total stranger. this is going far past his comfort zone with even close friends. so he's just going to sit there with his hand on her shoulder and her hand on his hand and wait- MEULIN: *it's a minute or two, but when that time passes she relaxes her hand on his and lets it fall, very aware of how strange this situation must be for both of them.* I'M SORRY. DAVE: theres nothin to be sorry about -and then he realizes that she still can't hear him or see him, so his hand remains where it is. he doesn't want her to think he's bothered by this or anything- MEULIN: *she finally looks up at him, and she looks just as worried as she sounded, though she's glad he isn't running off. after another moment that look fades.* YOU'RE NICE, DAVE. DAVE: -he finally has a chance to write stuff down- thanks so are you DAVE: youre gonna be ok here MEULIN: *she considers this for a moment and nods* MEULIN: CAN I LEAVE THE INFIRMARY? SOMETIME? DAVE: i dont think youll be here forever so probably -he writes and shows her- MEULIN: HAHA! OKAY. DAVE: -he draws a picture of sweet bro making what appears to be a hang loose sign- MEULIN: *omg* MEULIN: *casually just makes that back at him* MEULIN: (=^ω^=) DAVE: -WHY IS SHE SO CUTE THIS IS ILLEGAL- MEULIN: I'LL S33 YOU LATER THEN? DAVE: -he nods and gives her a thumbs up before standing- MEULIN: BYE DAVE! DAVE: -he gives her back her sketchbook after almost taking it with him and waves, heading out the door- MEULIN: *omg thank u*
