museboxingring | DARIA OPEN POST 2016

[Someone was up late too. Partially because of her stupid roommate, the other was...well, herself really. A lot of it was due to her just being HERE and she felt, well, bad. She couldn't quite place it but it caused her to wander the halls. She didn't feel comfortable in her room with all of that noise anyway.

She was just hoping maybe a walk through the dorms would get her to want to go back to bed.

It was probably stupid since she didn't want to interact with anyone. But her nerves were too haywire for her to remain, and pacing around in a room she didn't feel comfortable in wasn't keen either.

What a mess she was right now.

Though, she did some across Joseph eventually. On accident but it seemed to just happen by chance. Daria didn't know how to take it though, as she fiddled with her fingers in her jacket pockets.

Joseph was up at this house, and he was one of the only people she didn't hate talking to. Was the chance worth it? Maybe he was busy and didn't want to be bothered. Maybe comfort wasn't worth talking about. Maybe she should just turn back and go be a hermit again.

Maybe a lot of things. But she just kind of stood there making no noise for a few moments. She turned around.]

[Joseph sets his cigar down in an ashtray long enough to rub at the back of his neck. Ugh. He starts muttering to himself about nothing in particular. He could fix his own hand just fine, but it was a lot easier when other people did it.

Then he finally thinks to look over his shoulder.]

Hmh?

[Daria hoped to get out before he noticed. She caught him in her peripheral and she noted his shadow's head turning to her. Daria's own shadow reacted and looked at her, eyes staring right into her soul.

Her Stand. She ignored it for now.]

Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you.

[She felt really apologetic about this. Joseph was a nice enough guy that her brain went into that kind of territory. Respect? A little? Maybe.]

Continue with your self care, I'll leave you alone.

Is that you, Daria?

[Joseph blinks and shifts up in his seat. The awkward apology actually gets him to chuckle a little, and takes his cigar back and holds it up.]

I wouldn't exactly call it self care, but these things don't really affect a man like me to begin with. You don't have to go.

That would be correct.

[Very awkward, yet Daria still somewhat stood there. It was honestly an accident, her somewhat aimless wandering was stupid on her part. It felt better to not hang around people especially at night.

This was a really stupid idea.

She was going to blame her damn nerves and insomnia for her bad judgment.]

I shouldn't be out here anyway. It was a mistake.

Edited 2016-01-26 01:30 (UTC)

Wait, hey.

[Joseph beckons her over.]

What's a mistake? You being here is actually perfect, I need an extra hand with this.

[Actually, he could probably do just fine on his own, even if it was a lot easier with someone else, but the way Daria was acting was suspicious. If he got her to sit down with him, maybe she would talk about whatever was bothering her.

Hell, maybe she needed something to distract her. He could do that too.]

[Daria made a "hrm" sound as she realized she still remained. Saying "no" would be wrong, and needlessly mean. Daria was anti-social, acted mean sometimes maybe, but she wasn't selfish and cruel.

Joseph was the only other person that was genuine with her on this base. In this dump. The whole horrifying dump.

She thought hard about this. Soon enough, she decided that being here wasn't bad. Maybe she needed it. Maybe she needed to talk to a reasonable person. With a price, she helped him out. But by that logic, she was rewarding someone kind enough to offer any kind of comfort.

She realized it didn't help to be completely alone right now in her mental state.

When did being alone really affect her? When she wasn't around her best friend anymore.

Daria walked toward Joseph, a bit slowly.]

Alright, you pulled my arm, I can maybe help with yours.

[Joseph waves his hands over and gestures to the adjacent chair.]

Heh heh!

[The old man grins. For now, he opts to wait to ask her what's wrong. It'd probably help more if he got her to relax first. He lays his arm out on the table.]

Alright. The joints need greasing, and one of my fingers is loose. Take that little bottle of oil and squeeze it out between these parts.

[He gestures at the joints between his fingers. As for the loose finger, he starts to carefully twist it until it POPS! all the way off. He looks it over, looking at the inner workings underneath.]

Hmm... I've had an artificial arm for fifty years now, and this is still so bizarre to me.

I'm no surgeon or mechanic so that sounds easy enough.

[Daria was pretty sincere with this, and honest. She quietly started doing what she was instructed, making sure she was very careful with this procedure. Taking the oil and squeezing it on the joints and trying to maintain them by getting rid of any excess.

It was when Joseph tried small talk when Daria was knocked back a bit mentally. She would be dumb to assume there wouldn't be any of that, but she didn't know how to deal with it. Unless if she went back to her snarky database.]

At least you don't have to worry about breaking bones anymore, and you have a hefty discussion piece?

Neither am I, so we're even.

[He shrugs.]

Heh! True. I'm not going to thank the man who chopped it off or anything, but you got a good point.

Maybe you could be like Iron Man, have a blaster or something attached to it. Then you could thank him. He'd be grateful, I'm sure.

[She was just going to finish up here. She wasn't serious, by the way.]

Nah. Iron Man would be pretty good, but the man's not worth thanking.

[Anyway. Joseph flexes his other fingers as he sets the detached one on the table.]

Not bad.

Not what I'm saying. You seem like a scratch my back, I scratch yours kind of guy.

I know if I had a limb missing, I'd think smacking a sadist with my new one specifically might be good enough thanks.

Or getting those Iron Man blasters.

[She let out a shrug. Though she thought in her head a bit, about what she said and what she just saw. This...couldn't have been easy. But pity fifty years down the road seemed in bad taste. Joseph was used to it after all. It would, uh, be pretty disrespectful. She didn't want to be disrespectful.]

Nothing slipping is there?

Edited 2016-02-01 00:09 (UTC)

[Joseph goes quiet for a moment at that. Then, suddenly, he shrugs. His face stays neutral. It's a long story, and he doesn't feel like telling it yet.]

Something like that.

[Anyway. Now that everything seems right, he looks into the wiring where his detached finger should go. Nothing seems out of place... he supposed it was just loose. He shakes his head, takes his finger back to start screwing it back in place.]

Doesn't seem like it now. Suppose it was just loose.

[Pause.]

So. You're out pretty late.

[That was fine. Whenever Daria didn't make for good small talk, which was almost always, she tended to just crack her own weird sense of humor.

But she didn't expect anything in return for it, which was why she didn't ask for specifics.

So when Joseph asked, it made her lock up a little. Figured he would ask. It was in his nature, she was sure. To be curious why young folk were out unsupervised in a rather detestable setting.]

I'm in my teens, we adapt to having garbage sleeping schedules.

[Which was...true for her actually. While there was truth, there was a clear avoidance of really anything he could imply.]

Oh, I may be an old man, but I remember what being a teenager is like.

[He says, not quite looking at her. Eventually, Daria might realize that Joseph is more observant than he lets on. Not that he doesn't brag about himself all the time.]

Any other reason?

[He was prodding her, and she didn't know if she was willing to let go. Her problems were hers and hers alone. She didn't feel comfortable talking yet, she honestly didn't.

But she didn't want to lie to him.

And she didn't want to shut him down completely either.

What a dilemma.

Daria looked at her feet for a moment before talking. She had to remember how helping Joseph was so far, and he wasn't the person she wanted to turn away for it. She could seriously trust no one else yet. In a way, she wanted him to know that it was difficult. Joseph seemed smart, so she could maybe give him the benefit of the doubt.]

Look, I'm not good at talking about these things. I'm not going to say I'm not upset, that would make me a liar. But not many people have given me reason to trust them, moreso than normal for me.

[Joseph, for once, was patient, listening to her quietly as he finally screws his finger back on.]

Do you want to talk about it?

[His expression, still not looking at her, looks casual and matter-of-fact, but his tone is gently. Not pushing it. He's trying not to prod too hard.]

I don't know.

[She could only answer a seemingly genuine question with a genuine answer. As uncertain as it was, it was really knocking Daria back a bunch of pegs.

She felt kind of awful, but he wasn't forcing anything.

Any allies, especially here, she had to be choosy. She didn't want to get hurt, and that risk was around every corner. Almost literally. Which really begged the question why she was out, wasn't it. She either didn't want to talk to people and felt like she could be mostly alone out here when supposedly any normal person was asleep. Or she was...secretly hoping to bump into someone to help her out. Maybe just a little bit.

There had to be someone out here she could believe wouldn't kill her...right?

Daria bit her lip.]

I already feel like a hypocrite for being out in the first place.

A hypocrite for being outside?

[Joseph keeps it casual, but he gives Daria a glance.]

Why's that?

[Maybe then...it will be good like this. Maybe then Joseph could at least understand why it was hard. Then maybe, they can go from there? Joseph listened so far and seemed rather curious. Daria just wanted to make sure. She wanted him to know the stakes she was placing on this and to trust him at all.]

You might've noticed this but I'm not a people person. At all. I avoid people, purposefully. I'm fine with that lifestyle. It worked for me.

So my brain goes to a certain place when I'm upset, stay in my room and wait for anything to blow over before I even seek help.

But here it's a different story. That's not what I'm doing.

No place to wait 'til it blows over, I'm guessing.

At least no where safe.

[Joseph seemed to get it. Piece by piece, then. Piece by piece...]

So yeah, I'm not quite in my element anymore. People I was around are still home. My old life as I knew it no longer exists. Now I'm made to live here.

I don't trust anyone.

... Ah.

[Ah. Finger properly back in place, Joseph flexes his hand a few times before he sets it down and gives Daria his full attention. Not that he wasn't listening before -- now it just looked like it.]

It's not easy, being in a place like this against your will. [He starts gathering all his tiny tools, sorting them through a small box nearby.] ... Hmh. Did I ever tell you about the time I had poison in my heart?

Not yet. But then again, we've only been here a few days.

[Meaning that time wasn't so graceful for Daria to even think about wedging in and getting to know someone.

But, again, she got this far and Joseph was...kinda helping her so far. Still yet, how much excitement does a man have to go through.

She was rather curious, and seemed to pay him fullest attention.]

DARIA OPEN POST 2016

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