Less smutty, more depression (Wednesday night PC w/ ripley)

[imstuck]

[So thanks to Iwai, Phil got himself a nice large bottle of booze to get him through this hell resort.

And guess who ended up drinking like, the entire bottle in one night? This man!!

So around midnight of Wednesday night/Thursday morning, Ripley will hear a weak knock on her door.

Open it?]

Comments

[xenoqueen]

[Raises her hands in a mock defensive pose.]

Hey, I'm not the guy literally lying on the floor in a drunken state. I'll stay up and make sure you don't die in your sleep or something.

[imstuck]

You will, you always forget, Rita. I'm the only one who remembers any of this.

[xenoqueen]

Ripley. [It'll stick, eventually. Not tonight. But she'll try.]

Now, go to sleep. You can deal with whatever consequences tomorrow morning.

[imstuck]

Fine fine.

[...]

Thanks, I guess.

[xenoqueen]

Don't mention it.

[Seriously. Don't. She waits until Phil has dropped off before she herself goes to sleep.]

[imstuck]

[Timeskip to the next morning and Phil sounds like he's actively dying.]

Ugh, what the hell happened to me last night?

[xenoqueen]

[Who let a dying animal into her room--oh. Yeah. Phil is here. Ripley's already up and at it, sipping a cup of Wilkins coffee at her desk.]

You showed up to my door drunk and started babbling about someone named Rita. Then you just passed out on the floor.

[She continues to work on whatever she's doing at her desk. The smell of burning metal lingers.]

Feel free to order yourself a cup of coffee or whatever you use to cure hangovers these days.

[imstuck]

"Rita"?

[He rubs his temple, both because of his hangover and out of mild embarrassment of confusing anyone for Rita.]

Ugh right, I guess the hair and the, completely unjustified, mind you, hatred towards me.

Coffee's fine. [And then, to himself.] I do not miss the feeling of hangovers..

[xenoqueen]

[Ripley rolls her eyes.] Right. Unjustified.

[She points towards the phone on the bedside table.] Just pick up the phone and tell 'em to send more coffee. Maybe a piece of toast. I've got my hands full, right now.

[A pause as she resumes soldering some wires together.] Who's Rita, anyways?

[imstuck]

[He makes a quick call for breakfast and definitely orders more than what Ripley said he should get.]

A producer from the station. She was assigned to work on the Groundhog Day report, she's not that import-

[He then gets distracted by Ripley soldering wires together.]

... What are you doing?

[xenoqueen]

[uh huh. okay, phil.]

Really? If I remember correctly, you said, and I quote--"I really liked you, for a long time."

[All of this is said while she keeps working.]

I'm putting together an emitter thing. Hopefully, if all goes to plan, I'll be able to send out PM signals in the form of Morse code. [A pause.] If it works.

[imstuck]

It's an easy mistake, sue me.

[He winces at the pain in his side as he moves to examine Ripley's work closer.]

Do people still understand Morse code these days.

[xenoqueen]

Uh-huh.

[Said in an incredibly dubious tone of voice. She's not going to press further if Phil doesn't say anything, though--she's not going to get anywhere.]

I'd hope most people at least know what SOS sounds like. Hold this in place for a sec, will ya?

[Gestures to a delicate wire attached to the circuit board.]

[imstuck]

Sure?

[He says, in a tone that he's not sure why she trusts him with anything, much like something as delicate as a circuit board.

But, he does awkwardly hold the wire in place as gently as he can. He's not THAT much of a dick that he would try destroying something like this.

... At least, not when there are permanent consequences.]

Would anyone even have an idea of where we are even if they do get the signal? I have no idea how this junk works.

[xenoqueen]

[Listen Ripley only has two hands and like zero materials! (Mostly because she doesn't trust the Staff to not give her something they've probably tampered with.)

Anyways, she takes the opportunity to hold another wire in place and apply some more solder to join the two wires together.]

Of course they would. Unless, of course, the Staff messed with where the signal sounded like it was coming from. Which is very likely, but I've already started to work on this damn thing anyways.

Arrives a million years late with starbucks

[imstuck]

Or if anyone can reach us if they knew where we are.

[Phil frowns slightly, as if thinking about something.]

that's rly valid

[xenoqueen]

[Ripley sighs, taking a moment to cross her arms and just stare at the work she's done so far.]

I'm trying not to think of that possibility. Right now, it's important that we try to do something.

[She glances towards Phil.]

If you're feeling good enough to hold that wire in place, you can probably walk on out of here without falling over your own feet.