[log] Fresh Poison Each Week [closed]

[rubikscomplex]

Characters: House, Wilson, Hannibal, Will, Ecks
Location: Building 317
Date: Morning 356
Summary: Post-event recovery
Warnings: Hannibal-related warnings, plus event-related: fingernail horror, toothloss, cannibalism, vomiting, forced feeding, PTSD, mental instability, hallucinations, are possible to come up.

[Judging from the outside, this was definitely a house, but going inside, it seems to have been converted into something like an infirmary. There are a lot of metal tables neatly arranged in the living room and kitchen, and the bedroom has a mattress lightly-stained with blood: it seems like someone at least tried to clean the thing up as best they could, and even flipped it over so the cleaner side is on top. The toilet and shower still work: the shower even has hot water. Makeshift shelves have been attached to one of the walls.]

Comments

[rubikscomplex]

[House's expression darkens for a moment as he goes quieter.]

I'm outta rehab. Things are going great, doc.

[onlytwothings]

[ Well, that's telling. ]

On a scale of 1 to 10, how great is great?

[ Because he's not sure he's buying this. ]

[rubikscomplex]

[To be honest or to be glib? The question is always there. But after having Wilson save him from those cells... Glibly honest?]

Crank it to 11, I am that high. [To emphasize, he pulls the pill bottle from his pocket, pops the top and pulls one out to dry swallow.

House sobers a little after taking it, and glances away from the other man.]

They help me sleep.

[onlytwothings]

[ Wilson wouldn't know what to do if House didn't respond glibly. Well, he'd ask what was wrong, because clearly that indicates a problem. ]

I see.

[ It's unsurprising, of course, because House and drugs are like sunshine and rainbows; an imperfect comparison, but it works. ]

So who gave them to you? And I'm glad they help you sleep.

[ Because he looks like he needs it. ]

[rubikscomplex]

They're scripts from Gray. He still has a regular one going to the pharmacy that I wrote for him, like, half a year ago. Got a bottle from him and one from Graham. This whole bullshit place was supposed to fall apart before now. [One hand balls into a fist.] They gave us more time. Aren't we special?

[onlytwothings]

Huh. Well, at least you're well-supplied. [ For now. ]

Yeah. Really special. I don't really want to think about what it's going to be like when things actually start falling apart.

[rubikscomplex]

[For now.]

I'm well-supplied if I manage to get to the pharmacy before anyone else gets there to take it after a restock, which happens... I dunno. Maybe every month? [To match the month's supply. That makes sense to him.]

It's already starting to fall apart, though. Whatever's eating away at the databanks in this town is getting bolder.

[onlytwothings]

And how's that been going for you? [ If it were him, that would get annoying, but he's not the one with the addiction. ]

I know; I just mean I don't want to think about how bad things could potentially get. [ And considering they've already had quite a few things happen that could be classified as bad, he really doesn't want to know. ]

[rubikscomplex]

[Wilson earns an annoyed 'how do you think?' look for that first question and House doesn't answer.]

Best case scenario, we're all still mostly sane when they flip the kill switch, turn off the nanos and let us died from radiation poisoning. Worst case, we slowly lose control of our bodies and minds, lose our memories, and turn into anomalies before getting kicked up to the cloud with the rest of the dataghosts.

[onlytwothings]

[ House just gets a flat stare in return. ]

Total win/win, either way, huh? I guess being a dataghost beats the alternative.

[ Not to make a depressing conversation even more depressing, of course. ]

[rubikscomplex]

[House's brows rise slowly upward.]

You think having your mind degraded, broken apart, mixed with other people, and forced to stick around in some server until it physically breaks down is preferable to just dying and there being nothing?

[onlytwothings]

Well, when you describe it that way, no. Of course not, because no one in their right mind would.

[ Honestly, House. Of course, Wilson wasn't thinking about all the potential horrifying implications of being a dataghost when he said that. ]

[rubikscomplex]

You seriously should've watched more horror movies. [Seriously.] Or played more video games. Think about things before you say them. Evie might be listening. [He points to one of the nearby vents.] And might take it as 'consent.'

[onlytwothings]

Why, so I can be up half the night afraid to close my eyes? [ That's sarcasm, by the way. ] I do have some sort of imagination; it just isn't as active as yours is, apparently.

[ He shrugs. ]

My mistake.

[rubikscomplex]

Only half? You clearly haven't been traumatized nearly enough. [Have some sarcasm right back. House sobers again and reaches into his bag to pull out a pair of cigarettes. He offers one to Wilson.]

Not as good as Cubans, but you work with what you got.

[onlytwothings]

You can call me naive or too idealistic, but I'd rather stay as untraumatized as possible. And given where we are, I know that's not very likely.

Who'd you deal with to get those?

[ He accepts one. Smoking is how some people unwind, and Wilson could use some of that right about now. ]

[rubikscomplex]

Rhys. The one with a tail. [There really should be a one-Rhys limit in a place like this. It's a weird name to begin with.] He gave 'em up for gel pens, if you can believe it. And I got some instant coffee and a couple of matches. [One of said matches is produced, and House lights his cigarette before holding out the precious little flame to light Wilson's.

Once they're both going, he flicks the match out and tosses it to the ground. He takes a long, slow drag off the cigarette and blows it up into the air, relishing the taste and scent of something that isn't anything he associates with Norfinbury.]

Guy's a sucker.

[onlytwothings]

Oh, I see. [ Rhys is a complicated individual, and Wilson feels bad for him. He seems to be having a rough time; not that he's the only one, but he's become something of a friend. Not that House is going to care overmuch about who Wilson has as friends (in theory). ] Well, some people place more value on certain objects than others.

Maybe he just wanted to build up some karma points with you.

[ He takes a drag off his own cigarette, noting that it is rather nice, even though he rarely smokes. ]

[rubikscomplex]

[House snorts loudly at the 'karma' comment.]

Yeah, sure. You know me. I'm all about that karma. The universe is balanced. It's not a one-sided kick in the teeth on a geological timeframes basis. You ask me, those dinosaurs are gonna own us in the end. Meteor wipes 'em out? Hah! They'll get us asshole mammals back when the sun goes.

[onlytwothings]

Of course. It's your life ambition's to reach the top tier in the karmic universe.

[ Whatever that is. ]

So, do you have any big plans before this place decides to knock us down a peg or two again?

[rubikscomplex]

Get through that damn bunker. [It's a small goal. It's probably a petty goal. But by spider gods, he wants to see what's on the other side. It's ridiculous it's taking them so long to get through. Ridiculous and frustrating.]

I wanna check Sam's old house, too, after finding that SD card with her death on it. [Cheery as that had been.] People like Sung and Xu, when we found evidence of their deaths, their houses went empty.

[onlytwothings]

How many times has that been attempted so far? [ If there's one thing that Wilson's picked up about the people here, it's that they are very determined. ]

Sounds like a plan, then. [ And since he currently has a lack of plans, he might as well go along with House's, if he'll have him. ]

[rubikscomplex]

I know Vanitas and Thomas have been over there. No idea who else. If they've been there, they haven't mentioned it. [Which would make sense if they weren't able to find anything useful or open it.

House takes another drags off his cigarette and eyes Wilson from the corner of his eye. He weighs the benefits of pushing a little bit. Pushing because when Wilson was here last time, House hadn't pushed and a part of him feels like the other man hadn't been prepared to really deal with Norfinbury.]

You realize you're dead back home, right? Or virtually dead. You don't have to keep following my lead. I appreciate it and I'm right and all, but if you wanna do something else... speak up.

[onlytwothings]

[ That reminder is enough to get Wilson to take a few drags of his cigarette as well. He shoots his friend a flat look. ]

No, House, I hadn't realized that. In fact, I forgot all about the fact that if I ever get to leave here, I'll be going back only to die.

[ Too harsh? Well, this is one thing he doesn't feel like sugarcoating. ]

I'm going along with you because sometimes you have some good ideas.

[rubikscomplex]

[He's brought the bitterness on himself, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to hear. And that he doesn't resent Wilson just the tiniest bit for it. Wilson is getting the easy side of things. He just has to die! House is the one who has to keep living!

Before his time here, House might have lashed out with that, pointed out that Wilson is getting borrowed time, that whatever he's feeling now is nothing compared to what House will feel when he's gone. Again. Because he's already gone through losing Wilson once here. But it's nearly a year of hell, of making confidants against his better judgment and having them die, of watching little kids be traumatized constantly, of having the foundation of many of his convictions ripped out from beneath him.]

I'm sorry. [House's voice goes quieter, the way it does when he's actually being sincere, rather than faking it.] For what it's worth... I don't think any of us are leaving alive. [Cold comfort.]