voice: midnight ramble

[rickitikitarr]

[Ricki's insomnia is not getting all that much better. There isn't anything to do around during the day, exactly, either, but it's even worse at this hour in the morning. All he can think of is the library, again, and the network.

Today, it's;]

Who knows what about fruit hybrids? Did you know they've invented something called a pluot that's halfway between an apricot and a plum? I'm not an old fashioned bloke but that strikes me as a little ghastly.

[Flipping the age of his book.]

A plumcot. A pleacotum. This can't be real, it must be nonsense- here. Limequats. That, at least, is properly illustrative.

I'm pleased to see you haven't squandered the future that past generations won for you. Additionally, I think we should request all of these for the kitchen, immediately.

Comments

[tucky]

What are the last two, pleacotums and limequats? What are they made of?

[rickitikitarr]

Lime and kumquat.

And peach, plum and apricot. A pluot and a peach.

[tucky]

... The fuck is a kumquat?

[fridgetothefire]

I blame capitalism.

[She looks like death warmed over and sounds like spent the last week screaming, and also has the flu]

Private - around 6am

[formerself]

Mate, do you ever sleep?

[Eggsy's sleep patterns swing between 'basically healthy' and 'discouraged by nightmarish flashbacks'. The latter is getting less frequent with time, so, that's nice?]

[rickitikitarr]

They're little, orange and sweet. Lovely, really.

[rickitikitarr]

If my warden is a commie I'm jumping off the boat. I really am.

[rickitikitarr]

Oh, periodically.

[He's still up.]

I'm just not spending enough energy to earn it.

Private

[formerself]

[Pfff.] You need a girlfriend.

[But given the Barge as a dating pool?]

...though...can understand you not.

Private

[rickitikitarr]

Right. Got any suggestions?

[A roll of his eyes. Everyone here is nuts or mad with power, in his experience.]

[tucky]

An you really want some of those for the dining hall? I can do it; I can give 'em to you.

Private

[formerself]

[Hmm.]

Yeah, no, think you might have a point. Taken, mental or - well, you're probably too old for everyone here 'cept Iris.

[Who is taken and possibly also a bit mental.]

[demolitions]

[Boyd is just shocked, Ricki. Shocked. ]

All this time, and I never knew you had a secret prejudice against plant propagation.

Private

[rickitikitarr]

What? Iris is a time traveling alien, possibly centuries old, I'm not even forty, most of the gals here are in their twenties, and somehow the margin between her and me isn't the problem?

[rickitikitarr]

Doesn't that give you a splitting headache?

[rickitikitarr]

[Snort.]

Secret? Who's secret about it? Dreadful things, they are. I'll wear my prejudices on my sleeve, thank you very much.

Private

[formerself]

Never said she wasn't too old for you.

And you definitely need more sleep if you can't tell when I'm takin' the piss.

Private

[rickitikitarr]

I'm just making a logistical point.

[But yes. Teasing, for the most part. Maybe does sort of need to get laid, though.]

It's too late to go to sleep. I'm just going to roll through to tonight.

[tucky]

Yeah, but it's not so bad with little stuff.

Private

[formerself]

Yeah.

Shit, we'd better get the Enclosure back soon. Can only run so far on a treadmill 'til you pass out from boredom.

[A beat.]

Sorry, can't whinge.

[He did, after all, choose to be here.]

[demolitions]

We don't have to worry about you amassin' an army of horticultural zealots, do we?

[Although Boyd could give him pointers, minus the horticulture aspect.]

[rickitikitarr]

Don't bother, it isn't nearly important enough. I'm kidding.

Private

[rickitikitarr]

I'm going to go around the bend.

[He admits, because it's bad, it's really bad- and no, he can't leave, he's a prisoner here and that does make it worse.]

[rickitikitarr]

With a recruiting pool like this, do you think I could manage it? I've got nothing else to do, I might as well try.

[demolitions]

There's Ivy—she might be all you need.

[Although he only knows her by reputation.]

...on second thought, you might be wise to give that one a pass.