[Daisy] Last Rites (open tag)
Mar. 9th, 2006 10:32 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
sinanju.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
crossing_lostrpDaisy found Eric just where The Doctor said he'd be. He lay by the bank of the stream wrapped in a thin airline blanket. Daisy glanced around before she sat down next to him. She saw no sign of attackers lurking nearby.
Eric had been a handsome young man. The blow to the temple that killed him had ruined his looks. Daisy shook her head sadly. He'd survived the crash only to linger for a few days with a badly injured leg and then die in a brutal assault. She knew better than to expect fairness or even sense out of the universe, but that seemed unusually cruel. Daisy sighed and stroked his hair before pulling the blanket up to cover his face again.
An instant later Eric sat upright with a gasp. "Oh god," he wheezed, "I thought--I dreamed--that I died!" He looked around, then asked, "Why are we sitting by the stream in the dark? How did I get down here?"
Daisy laid her hand gently on his arm. "Eric, this may be hard for you to hear, but it wasn't a dream. You are dead."
Eric wasn't listening. He was looking down at himself, where he was sitting up half immersed in another form. Then he had leaped up, turning to stare at the blanket wrapped human form by Daisy's side. He looked shocked at first, then horrified, and then...curious. "Daisy, right?" She nodded. "Did you say...I'm dead?"
"I'm afraid so," Daisy said.
"Is that," Eric began. He swallowed and looked a little gray. "Is that...me?" He reached down to answer his own question, but his hand passed through the corner of the blanket when he tried to tug at it.
"Yes," Daisy said. Eric continued to try to grab the blanket until she restrained him by laying her own hand on his. He looked at her with a question in his eyes. "Best you don't look," Daisy told him. "It wasn't pretty and the only thing you'd gain is a mental picture you don't need."
Eric's expression hardened for a moment, then he straightened up with a sigh. "I wasn't ready to die," he said. "I don't suppose I can make a deal? Some kind of Faustian bargain?"
Daisy smiled, amused. "Sorry, no. It doesn't work that way."
"I didn't really think so," Eric said. He smiled sadly and sat down next to Daisy. "I guess this means I'll never get to see Jaye again."
"Jay? Is he your boyfriend?"
Eric shook his head. "Jaye is a woman. A very odd woman. Back in Niagara Falls."
"Your girlfriend?"
One corner of Eric's mouth twitched. "No. Yes. Maybe. Our relationship is--was--complicated."
Eric seemed on the verge of telling her far more than she wanted to know about his relationship with this Jaye. Daisy gave him the distant smile that guaranteed he wouldn't. After a moment he looked away.
"So..." he said after a minute's silence. "What's your deal? If I'm a ghost, how is it you can see and hear me? Are you dead too?"
"No, I'm not dead," Daisy said. "I'm undead--a Grim Reaper. I collect the souls of the dead."
Eric digested this for a while. "Wow. And I thought talking to inanimate objects was strange."
Daisy wondered about that remark, but not enough to follow up on it. They sat together in silence for a few minutes. They were waiting, though for what Daisy couldn't say. Then Eric spoke again. "Will you promise me something?"
"What is it?"
"When...if...you get off this island, will you find Jaye and tell her I'm sorry I couldn't come back to her?"
"I don't know," Daisy said. Getting involved in the loose ends of a reap's life was rarely a good idea.
Eric turned to her. "Please, just look her up. She's in Niagara Falls. Jaye Tyler. Just...just tell her I'm sorry I couldn't come back. Please?"
Something about Eric's plea touched her. Maybe finding John had softened her up. "Alright," Daisy said, wondering if she would regret her decision. "When I get back, I'll tell her. Jaye Tyler, Niagara Falls."
Eric threw his arms around her in a fierce hug. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you."
Light spilled over them from above, lighting the dark stream bank. Eric looked up, releasing Daisy. He climbed to his feet and then reached down to take Daisy's hand and help her up. After Daisy was on her feet Eric released her hand and edged forward, toward the light.
He looked back once, thanked her again, and then he was gone. A few moments later the light faded away. Daisy stood on the bank of the stream in the dark with only a corpse for company.
Eric had been a handsome young man. The blow to the temple that killed him had ruined his looks. Daisy shook her head sadly. He'd survived the crash only to linger for a few days with a badly injured leg and then die in a brutal assault. She knew better than to expect fairness or even sense out of the universe, but that seemed unusually cruel. Daisy sighed and stroked his hair before pulling the blanket up to cover his face again.
An instant later Eric sat upright with a gasp. "Oh god," he wheezed, "I thought--I dreamed--that I died!" He looked around, then asked, "Why are we sitting by the stream in the dark? How did I get down here?"
Daisy laid her hand gently on his arm. "Eric, this may be hard for you to hear, but it wasn't a dream. You are dead."
Eric wasn't listening. He was looking down at himself, where he was sitting up half immersed in another form. Then he had leaped up, turning to stare at the blanket wrapped human form by Daisy's side. He looked shocked at first, then horrified, and then...curious. "Daisy, right?" She nodded. "Did you say...I'm dead?"
"I'm afraid so," Daisy said.
"Is that," Eric began. He swallowed and looked a little gray. "Is that...me?" He reached down to answer his own question, but his hand passed through the corner of the blanket when he tried to tug at it.
"Yes," Daisy said. Eric continued to try to grab the blanket until she restrained him by laying her own hand on his. He looked at her with a question in his eyes. "Best you don't look," Daisy told him. "It wasn't pretty and the only thing you'd gain is a mental picture you don't need."
Eric's expression hardened for a moment, then he straightened up with a sigh. "I wasn't ready to die," he said. "I don't suppose I can make a deal? Some kind of Faustian bargain?"
Daisy smiled, amused. "Sorry, no. It doesn't work that way."
"I didn't really think so," Eric said. He smiled sadly and sat down next to Daisy. "I guess this means I'll never get to see Jaye again."
"Jay? Is he your boyfriend?"
Eric shook his head. "Jaye is a woman. A very odd woman. Back in Niagara Falls."
"Your girlfriend?"
One corner of Eric's mouth twitched. "No. Yes. Maybe. Our relationship is--was--complicated."
Eric seemed on the verge of telling her far more than she wanted to know about his relationship with this Jaye. Daisy gave him the distant smile that guaranteed he wouldn't. After a moment he looked away.
"So..." he said after a minute's silence. "What's your deal? If I'm a ghost, how is it you can see and hear me? Are you dead too?"
"No, I'm not dead," Daisy said. "I'm undead--a Grim Reaper. I collect the souls of the dead."
Eric digested this for a while. "Wow. And I thought talking to inanimate objects was strange."
Daisy wondered about that remark, but not enough to follow up on it. They sat together in silence for a few minutes. They were waiting, though for what Daisy couldn't say. Then Eric spoke again. "Will you promise me something?"
"What is it?"
"When...if...you get off this island, will you find Jaye and tell her I'm sorry I couldn't come back to her?"
"I don't know," Daisy said. Getting involved in the loose ends of a reap's life was rarely a good idea.
Eric turned to her. "Please, just look her up. She's in Niagara Falls. Jaye Tyler. Just...just tell her I'm sorry I couldn't come back. Please?"
Something about Eric's plea touched her. Maybe finding John had softened her up. "Alright," Daisy said, wondering if she would regret her decision. "When I get back, I'll tell her. Jaye Tyler, Niagara Falls."
Eric threw his arms around her in a fierce hug. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you."
Light spilled over them from above, lighting the dark stream bank. Eric looked up, releasing Daisy. He climbed to his feet and then reached down to take Daisy's hand and help her up. After Daisy was on her feet Eric released her hand and edged forward, toward the light.
He looked back once, thanked her again, and then he was gone. A few moments later the light faded away. Daisy stood on the bank of the stream in the dark with only a corpse for company.
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(frozen) [George] Shop Talk (no tags...intentionally)
Date: 2006-03-10 10:49 pm (UTC)George sat by the fire Tara had started, alternately watching the fire or observing her sleeping companions. Scott and Ami were snuggled up together. George glanced at Tommy and sighed wistfully. He was sleeping solo. (So much for what might have been,) George thought.
She'd lain down briefly but, as she'd expected, she couldn't sleep. Now that the excitement had passed, she felt as tired as everyone else, but sleep remained stubbornly out of reach. Elsewhere in the camp George occasionally saw glimpses of other insomniacs. Ripley and Kenzaki prowled around and The Doctor occasionally stepped out of the infirmary, perhaps to take a break and get some fresh air, perhaps to check on everyone.
Movement to her right caught George's attention. She glanced up to see Daisy returning. Daisy stepped carefully over or around several prone forms to settle down by Locke.
"You get Eric taken care of?" George asked quietly.
"Yes," Daisy said just as quietly. George didn't think she was going to say anything else but she continued. "Did you know him, George?"
"Not...really," George said. "I helped Dr. Pierson with this leg that first day, but after that--" George shrugged. "The doctors were treating him. And I had other things to do."
Daisy nodded, eyes downcast. "Yeah. I didn't really know him either. He had a girlfriend."
"Really?" George felt a little uncomfortable about this conversation. It wasn't like Daisy to talk about her reaps this way. Or in front of other people, even if they were asleep. (Fuck it,) George decided. She wasn't going to worry about any of that for the rest of the night.
"Yes," Daisy said. "She lives in Niagara Falls. Jaye Tyler. He made me promise to go see her and tell her he was sorry he couldn't come back."
George's eyes widened. "And you did it?"
Daisy looked down, avoiding George's gaze. She touched John's shoulder and George could see her relax, as if just that touch helped. "Yes, I did." She looked up suddenly. "I want you to promise too, Georgia."
"What?" George studied Daisy for a moment. "You want me to promise to find Jane--"
"Jaye," Daisy said.
"You want me to go find Jaye and tell her Eric wishes he could have come back? Why? I thought you promised him."
"I did," Daisy said. "I want you to promise me, Georgia. In case...something happens."
George frowned. "What could happen? We're already dead."
A frown flickered across Daisy's face, as if she didn't have it in her to remain angry. "I don't know, Georgia. But this island--" Daisy fell silent for a moment. "There's something strange about this place," Daisy said.
"It was important to Eric that Jaye get his message," Daisy continued. "And it's important to me. Will you promise me, George?"
"Fine," George said. "Whatever. I promise."
"Thank you, George," Daisy said. She yawned abruptly, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Excuse me, George. Time for my beauty sleep," she said. She rearranged herself so that she was lying spooned up behind John. "Goodnight, George."
"G'night, Daisy," George whispered. Daisy settled down and very shortly George was alone again.