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( A tl;dr about the development that Iago has made, including his redemption and reasons for being a warden. )

How cruel it is, this month. It's as if the cold has taken the very breath from our bodies, laying it out for everyone to witness. I watched you, oh yes. You scurried around like so many ants, confused and wary, but still so very trusting. Like every flood before this. Like every breach. Every port. You slide into the trusting hands of the Admiral, who gives not a shit for you.

Oh, some of you might keep that displaced loyalty. But what does it serve? What is the purpose of it?

What do you get out of it? [His voice rises in volume at that question, but then he goes back to a volume barely above a whisper.] A few more months of hiding away? That's what I have. A few months to stay here in an attempt to learn what it is I might do with my life. What's after the barge? You go home, try to be normal, but you have seen so much. You have learned so much. Those people, those people at home, they won't be the same. You will see them as a solider back from war does. With skeptical eyes and a wary glance. Because what if they aren't real? You have had your perception twisted so much now. What if it is just a trick of the Admiral?

Don't fool yourselves into thinking you will know. How many times have you "known" reality here, only to learn later that you were under the effects of...something?

That's why I never went home. For how can I trust what is true and what is a lie?

( Private to Admiral Santa )

[He is...strangely normal. At least in tone. The only indication that something is off is a slight slurring of his words.]

This cannot be hell. I came to that conclusion a long, long time ago. And yet, [A humorless chuckle] it seems only to test and taunt you. Dear, dear inmates, you know not what you have here. I had...my second chance. Do...you squander yours?

I...fuck. [He descends into drunken Italian before cutting out.]

[Warden Filter]

Someone take Crane for a while.

[OOC: Iago's been chilling in the pub almost all night and day today. Also, anyone who would notice, there was a lot of loud noise and things being thrown yesterday. Anyone near his room - level 7, room 8- might have heard it.]

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparell'd in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of yore;—
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

I'll admit I have been feeling more than slightly nostalgic lately. And that nostalgia has affected my mood. Whether it is the atmosphere or the events of the past few weeks, I cannot be sure. But whatever has brought on this fit of partial melancholy has caused it to continue, despite my best efforts to counter it. Hence the poetry. Perhaps I simply needed to write it out. Cast it from my mind like some sort of unwanted parasite.

But I do adore poetry. And I have noticed that there are some who are willing to share without prompting. But here is my prompt. Lighten the mood with words.

[Private to Lucius]

It didn't take long for you to test his patience, did it? What a pity.

I almost wish there was blood to smear on the mirrors.

[A long pause]

Apologies, T'Pol.

For the first time in a long time, I can say that I have never really encountered anything like that before here. Nor do I wish to again. It is rare that the things that happen here are...surprising.

What a welcome to those who came in and never knew the barge as she should be. [He sounds a bit bitter about that.]

[Private to Crane]

Dear God, please tell me you're alive and not injured.

[Spam for Rex]

[Iago neatly arranged the corner of his bed and stared hard at the floor. He was tired, but...at least this gave him something to do. The guilt was eating at him a bit, but he still hadn't actually revealed where he had been. To anyone. Even Rex. As far as the barge was concerned, he had hidden away in his room.]

I still don't understand how it took us this long to do anything about this.

[Iago sounds pretty chill. A little too chill. Maybe even drunkenly chill.]

Of all base passions, fear is most accursed.

Isn't that what they say? Or what he says? Why do you suppose that is? Since we're so focused on analyzing literature lately, shaming those who call the worlds inside those books home, I simply thought this would fit in with the recent mumbles. It's certainly better than the various new symptoms that plague the barge lately. And it seems to follow the theme.

Or perhaps...perhaps it isn't. I've never seen hallucinations that leave marks. [That drunken voice is a bit quieter now, showing slight fear.] And I've never felt what I feel on deck. [And a long pause here while he tries to regain some senses.]

So, do tell. Why is fear regarded in such a way? Go ahead. There shouldn't be any shame in revealing it.

[Private to Rex]

You were right.

[Private to Crane]

My item says you haven't died yet. I trust that's still truth? I don't trust anything the Admiral's given us now.

[This is all relatively late at night.] All of this looks familiar. All of it can be related to something before. All of this looks similar to something that happened a long time ago or just recently. It's rare that something this big is repeated. Especially after we've already had a repeat of that other barge. So it must be something new.

And-fuck. [Silence stretches on for a moment. He's listening to something, but it doesn't come on over the audio. He turns off the audio, but instead...it just shows the camera. He's by himself in his room at the moment and approaches the door. He opens it, revealing a corridor that is raining. Yes...raining. He shuts it quickly and opens it again. It's still there and he walks out for a moment. He runs back inside, dripping wet. There's a burst of static as his wet hands grip the camera and it turns off.]

[Private to Crane, earlier in the day]

Finished ranting with Dawsey, Crane? We might as well get this started.

[Iago stands up on the rusted deck, runniing his hands carefully along the railing. No sense in getting hurt with it. He’s in pretty modern clothing, which isn’t really unusual for him. But what is unusual is the metallic glint of a dagger half concealed in his jacket. ]

I said I might see you again. [He smirks a bit.] I can’t exactly stay away from the barge, now can I? Not when I’ve invested so much time here. It seems that you’ve let the place fall into a tragic state while I’ve been gone, though. [He moves his hand away and then brushes it off, leaving the black hint of ash on his jeans.]

But I’m a warden now. Not that it really matters much. My change in status doesn’t really change anything else about most of you.

[He runs his fingers through his hair, giving the camera a tiny, thoughtful frown.]

I’m still a member of this place. Coming back here, even after spending so much time…away…this doesn’t seem unusual. When do we really become complacent, anyway?

[There's another long pause and he ducks back inside the barge itself.]

I suppose the Marquis left. How long has he been away?

[Private to Claire]

I never really apologized, did I?

[Private to Crane]

I’ve read this phrase before in books, used by children. I thought it would be appropriate for you. What was it…ah yes. I told you so.

[Private to Rex]

I'm finished with that walk. This place is a wreck, but it's basically the same. Meet me in my room? The door's unlocked.

[Private to Rex]

Can you meet me in my room? I need to talk to you there.

[And PUBLIC. Posted later, after talking to Rex.]

What happens in the span of two years? Or five? What can a man accomplish with nothing but time? When you can see nothing but eternity stretching out in front of you, do you cling to the past or move forward? Do you dig in your heels and resist the pulling of the tides towards that inevitable end? Perhaps that's what this place is. A river with a current constantly at your feet, dragging you to a destination you cannot predict.

I was once afraid of that destination. It was a terrible place of my nightmares. A place where I would no longer be myself. A place where my life meant absolutely nothing.

That's not exactly true.

Two years. Twenty four days. That's how long it took to get here.

[His tone changes to something lighter. More playful.] And you thought I never would. Graduate, that is.

Maybe we'll see each other again.

[OOC: OH YEAH! Sometime after this post, he's going to leave and be off barge. His room will return to barge normal during that time. BUT HE WILL RETURN. I'll throw up an OOC post about it when he does. I have no willpower, so it probably won't be long.]

A long time ago, I spoke on spiderwebs. How lies can branch out and become more and more complex until they are a web. A tangled mess. What good does it do to try and fight your way out of it? You have to wait. Time eventually will wear it down. Every time that someone is caught in it, the web breaks just a little more. Every time the wind blows too hard, small threads shatter and break.

Soon, holes appear and, while they seem small, they will eventually grow wider. You have two options. You can cover the holes with new lies, potentially weaker lies, or you can continue to wait. Wait until nothing stands there but a few strands of thread and a new start.

( Private to the Marquis )

[Iago is FULLY CLOTHED TODAY! Be thankful. :c]

I didn't mind being a fox. In fact, I quite enjoyed it. But being that age? I was- am- a soldier. A sword to the gut, looking like this, is preferable to a permanent sleep like that. Parts of me ached that really shouldn't have been aching.

I need to do something to feel better. Does anyone feel in the mood for a run? I need to run.

[Private to the Marquis]

Talk to me. [Someone's being needy.]

( Backdated note for Angelica )

[Marvel, Barge, at the shirtless wonder that is Iago, complete with the very rarely seen curls around his head. He doesn't look happy, though that's not really unusual for him. His wardrobe is empty, which he shows to the population. And then he holds up a shirt. It's not a shirt that Iago would ever wear in his lifetime. It's a t-shirt with the periodic table on it. He steps back enough to show the whole thing, plus the tight black GOTH PANTS that he's squeezed into. Guess whose clothes they are, Barge. GUESS.]

This does not belong to me. [He drops it to the floor. He would spit on it, but he's in his room and doesn't want to spit there. Ew.] The person it belongs to is nothing more than indulging in petty pranks. Petty and childish pranks. Taking my clothes, replacing them with these? Taking everything that I use for my hair!

[Yeah, Iago's just outed himself here as a bit vain but THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS AT HAND.]

Rex. Where are my clothes? If you have done anything to them, I swear I will find someone to turn you into a woman again.

And for the record, you do look like you've not seen a comb in years. I'm sure your snakes could find themselves a nice nest in there.

[You get a very nice view of the ceiling in the corridors, as Iago's carrying his communicator in his mouth. He managed to be out of his room when the flood hit, which was fortunate, as he really had no actual way of opening doors. But now he's bored and roaming. He accidentally turned on the video function on his way down the stairs.

The communicator drops and Iago finally notices that it's on. A big fox nose snuffles at the screen and he then laughs. What he says can be heard by other animals, but not people.]

Just fantastic, really. I do remember enjoying this flood the last time. Though under...different circumstances.

The loss of the ability to open doors is certainly a blow, but...it will pass, as most things do. So calm down, all of you. Really.

After all, if you get eaten, at least you'll have some dignity of dying the way nature intended you to.

[Pause.] Marquis, a request, please?

[OOC: Iago the fox is still roaming the corridors. Any level. He's bored and looking for something to ~~play with~~ do. Feel free to run into him.]

[Iago sounds...tired. He's in the second floor common room, for anyone who sees, and he's trying not to bleed on the furniture. TRYING.]

I killed Crane. [He couldn't sound more gleeful if he tried.] Someone gave the idiot coward a knife and he stabbed me.

[He sighs.] So before I go to zero, I might need someone to look at this.

[OOC: This comes after this log. It's still in progress, but...to keep the timelines going, I'm throwing this up here. Iago's probably not going to respond much or for very long to people he doesn't trust. He has a habit of going quiet after he's done bad things. :C ]

[For once, he's not just recording himself. He shows his feet beside the larger track of some kind of carnivore. For those who are knowledgeable about such things, it's from a velociraptor. But it's old, half washed away by time and rain.]

These creatures. I'd never known of their existence, not really, until today. [The camera goes back to him. And he is totally in his element. Aside from the dirt and mud covering his clothing, he's happy. Excited. These sorts of ports usually bring out the best in him.] What a way to learn about them. Up close and personal, of course.

And - merda! [There's silence as he stumbles up into a clearing and turns the camera back around. It shows a Brachiosaurus herd, moving to another location.]

What is that? [Another pause.] Marquis...tell me that I'm not dreaming. [And it clicks off.]

One hundred posts and I have been here for one year and ten months, I think. Time gets a little difficult to think about when you take a three year break to be a general in a wasteland.

Hm. No matter.

Have you ever talked to a man in a mirror who demanded blood? Or been one of only a handful of sane people on a ship that was full of wardens who insisted on turning their inmates evil? Have you ever had to shoot your own warden because another inmate had injured him beyond all repair? Maybe you've returned from a long time at home, after being tortured, only to find that your betrayer is still aboard the Barge. So you kill him. [A gasp.]

No. I don't think you have. Because if you had, you would probably realize that this...what's happened here in the past month, two months, however long that you've been here...is going to keep happening. And it will probably get worse.

No, this isn't a story meant to inspire pity, as I know there are some with better stories of their barge life. I don't care about them and I'm sure no one else does. In fact, I'm also quite sure that no one really cares about what I just said.

You know why I know that? [Chuckle.] Because nothing on this damn ship can surprise me anymore.

So yes, tell me that I am boring, or that you don't care what I say. Or do something surprising, get some perspective, and just shut up while you wait for the next port or flood.

That's when things are really interesting, after all.

The relationship that we had was false. He never really cared for the things that I did because he never really cared for me. And yet I returned to him time and time again, hoping that he would give me something I could never get for myself. I was trapped in his web, you see, and I had no idea about that confinement.

And all he did was wait. Pulling different strings, watching me twist, while I thanked him for helping me. [A light chuckle.] I’m sure you see the madness in it now.

And yet, there I sat, doing his bidding when he doesn’t have the decency to be present. Trying to impress a man who neither cares or even knows. Dragging a woman through the mud who did nothing but risk herself for me.

I’ve washed my hands of him. I can stain them with blood just as easily on my own, and I don’t have to endure the shame of feeling like a puppet.

[Private to Claire]

Thank you for taking me into port. I can’t and I won’t apologize for what I said before. Not now, at least.

[Private to the Marquis]

Apologies without being asked. And I didn't misbehave at port. Tell me that is worth something. [Pause.] What's it worth?

Also, I have your…souvenir.

[Private to Prefect]

A drink?

[Private to Sexby]

When your wife wakes and if she is in a good enough mood, I’d like to speak with her. Two minutes.

If you must be present, I won’t object.

[Private to Wichita]

Should we talk or continue to ignore each other? I don’t mind either way, but I would like to know if I may be on the same level of the barge as you. To be quite honest, I’m never really comfortable with the unknown.

((OOC: SO. I have a bit more time than I thought FOR RIGHT NOW, so I figured I'd take advantage of it while I could! YAY!))

AS OF MONDAY MORNING, THIS POST IS DELETED. THE COMMENTS STILL APPEAR, BUT THERE IS NOTHING BUT SILENCE HERE.

( Cut for the curious... )

[Hey Barge, it's ~~the Ninth Doctor~~ ~~Major West~~ ~~Destro~~ Commissioner Ben Jago. In Iago's clothing. In Iago's room. He's monologuing like nobody's business, turning every so often to address the camera.]

Love. I spoke on love once. About how it could twist a man's soul. About how we would do anything for love. About how I could do anything for love.

Is there love any longer? Real love?

No. All the lovers kill themselves with wanting.

[And now he changes a bit, starting to pace faster.]

Then what are we doing here? I have heard rumours of a prison. A prison ship. And these...hallucinations outside? Are those to be believed? No. No, they're not. This is some plot, isn't it? Some plot to take down Ben Jago. Because of Lulu. Because that bitch spread lies about me. [More pacing.] I LOVED HIM.

John killed himself and Dessie...[He chuckles a bit. He can't help himself.] Well, she did it to herself, didn't she?

[A bit of maniacal laughter.] Doesn't matter now, does it? This dream...or whatever it is...won't last. It won't last at all. [And he cuts off the feed.]

[And he's in a much better mood now. Not that he's happy, but he's stopped being so angry now. He just...reeks of arrogance, mainly.]

Tell me where the justice is here, wardens. What am I to learn here other than...if a warden does something, nothing happens?

That is a beautiful incentive to graduate. Become a warden and all your dreams can come true. [Scoff.] Zero is not a punishment. Anyone who has spent time there should know that.

[Private to Buffy]

You owe me an answer to a question. Unless you've already forgotten your debt? [Chuckle.]

[Private to Prefect]

Do you still have a vast collection of...various objects?

[Private to the Marquis]

Your item? Might I use it to take Renate to the CES? Or do you not trust me to do that much? She's restless and I would only require an hour.