just this once, everybody lives!

[sageprincess]

Characters: Everyone.
Setting: Anywhere.
Format: Party style.
Summary: Post-Ex Machina catch-all mingle.
Warnings: See individual threads.

[After a long, drawn out battle, the infiltration team returns to the residential portion of the Tower, weary, battered... but victorious. Some catching up is in order.]

Comments

[wegotlucky]

[Neal gives another exasperated look.]

I don't know. It was a good portion of the people left, though. Maybe twenty? Could have been less.

[He shrugs. He honestly doesn't know and like hell is he going to say who he knows left.

At the question he stares for a moment. The answer is actually pretty simple: he's not a fighter. He knows enough to survive, but he knew that if it came to a battle he was going to be useless so he stayed behind in case things got bad on the surface.]

I don't know, why weren't you?

[doctor_dismemberment]

[Wow, guy whose name he currently doesn't know or care about. WOW. Rude. As. Fucking. Hell. Richtofen gapes at Neal like he's just been slapped across the face. He takes the question as a personal jab at his competence.]

Because...! Because, I had things to do! [Abruptly, his expression shifts to a vicious glare.] Do you think I was not capable enough to go down there? Hmm? I could have done the job all by myself!

[In reality, he couldn't have, and what remains of the rational part of his brain knows this. He can't even remember what the mission was, specifically. All of his days and nights are blurring together, and he can't tell what happened yesterday from what happened last week. It's infuriating and terrifying and he needs it to stop, even if that means stabbing anyone who could possibly point his flaws out to him until they drown in their own blood.

At least he hasn't gone so far as to pull out his knife yet, Neal.]

[wegotlucky]

[Okay he didn't expect that strong of a reaction let him back up here a bit.]

I didn't say that!

[And he raises his hands up in an attempted gesture of peace.]

Look, we've all been through a lot here, right? And everyone who's returned looks pretty shaken. We've got so little time left and Riki and Ruana would be much happier if we all dropped dead right now but we've still got to stick it out.