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Who: Beverly Crusher and you!!!
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Nominally beach but really anywhere! Feel free to tag her with a place of your choice!
When: July 26th until the end of the glitchiness

[Beverly woke up this morning feeling strangely... invigorated. Looser, more carefree, and dare she say it? Happier than she's felt in months, ever since she first arrived on the Marsiva. To celebrate, she decided to head for the beach.

Which is where you'll find her now, lounging on a towel and reading a book that looks suspiciously similar to the ah... literature Dorian was so kind as to read out loud to the network a while back. At the very least, there's a ridiculous picture of a shirtless burly man in a plaid kilt on the front cover. As for her, well, she's wearing a very stylish green bathing suit and a big white sunhat, thoughtfully provided by a fan (who has thankfully saved you all from seeing her in some 1980s sparkly gold monstrosity instead). No doubt if you approach her, she'll flash a blinding smile your way and cheerfully engage you in conversation. Or better yet, some fun activities! Right now, she's up for almost anything!]

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Well... I mean, a staff's a staff, but I was hoping for one more magically-inclined than that.

I'm pretty sure they don't have anything like that here. At least, when I've talked to the Nunnalis, they haven't mentioned anything magical.

Yeah, I know. And no dungeons to try to find my own, or anything.

I still need to set the Atroma on fire for taking away the staffs I got from a dragon.

[...ah. That's... Plenty of people are mad at Atroma of course, including Beverly (or well, normally including her, sans augment glitch), but setting them on fire hasn't really come up before. Despite her personal dislike of Atroma, the thought makes her very uncomfortable. She's killed in direct self defense, but ultimately, she's dedicated to preserving life, not taking it away.]

I don't know that you'll need to go that far. Sometimes we get things from home back through various events. Or if not, there are plenty of people familiar with magic in the fleet. Someone might be able to help you figure out how to infuse some magic in a regular staff?

For the staff? No. For every single other thing they've pulled? Uh, yeah, as soon as I find one, I will shove enough Fire 3 down their throats that they will shit napalm for a month.

[Her voice has absolutely no malice at all in it as she says this, it's like she's just stating a fact of what will be.]

... That might work, but the materials for a staff like that might be hard to come by. Even if I knew how to craft one.

[Malicious tone or not, the violence of Nightingale's words throw Beverly and actually breaks through her augment-induced contented calm. Her jaw tightens and her eyes narrow as she speaks.]

Look, I don't like Atroma anymore than you do, but you're talking outright murder here!

Please. Mind telling me how well killing someone here sticks?

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

[Only one person has died to her knowledge and Tek is immortal so...]

It means I'm already dead, and that didn't stop the Atroma from dragging me here. And where I was before, I've died twice- I can't think of anyone but Lark who jever died. And even before that, at my home, I've died more times than I can count.

The Atroma are way more powerful than a single mage like me. I could spend days killing them, and I am certain it wouldn't even inconvenience them.

Well we don't make a habit of killing one another here. I'd like to keep it that way and not make the assumption that Atroma will bring us back or that they won't retaliate if by some miraculous chance someone finds a way to attack them. Not all of us have your apparent luxury of immortality.

Edited 2015-08-11 00:00 (UTC)

They're gods. I'm just as mortal as anyone else here, you know? But it's not like reviving the dead is hard. There's no way they can't do it, even for themselves.

You're getting it wrong. The only ones I'm interested in attacking are the Atroma, since they're directly blocking me from saving my world.

[It's not like reviving the dead is hard.

While there is so much wrong with what Nightingale is saying, both ethically and practically speaking, that is the phrase Beverly gets stuck on. At any other time, she would be extremely upset with Nightingale, but the glitch keeps her from accessing those emotions of grief and anger and indignation that she intellectually knows she should be feeling. Instead, all she feels is an overwhelming urge to get away, remove the source of negativity, so without another word, she begins to stuff her book and towel in her bag.]

[Well, unfortunately, that's a reaction Nightingale recognizes. Now that Beverly's stopped responding, allowing Nightingale's brain to catch up with her emotions, she's going to take a step back.]

... I said too much again, didn't I. Sorry. Thanks for the information.

[Beverly picks up her bag, stands, and studies Nightingale for a moment before speaking.]

You know, in my universe, death is very much a permanent state. There aren't any gods or magic, just our own mortal capabilities. With proper healthcare, we can stave off death for a long time and people are much less likely to die of diseases and injuries that would have killed them in the past, but ultimately, we cannot reverse death. As a doctor [... and a widow and an orphan...], I know that better than almost anyone. For you to speak of death as if it is something inconsequential and even worse, to talk so casually of taking anyone else's life, even Atroma's, is disturbing. If nothing else, you should be damn careful who you say these sorts of things in front of.

Edited 2015-08-11 03:38 (UTC)

...

[She lowers her head, accepting the scolding, but she can't let it go with just that.]

In my world, Life was an intermediate spell. My best friend could use it, and if I had seriously tried for it, I could have gotten it as well. But... That isn't quite relevant.

My world had billions of people in it. I can't remember how much... But that world got destroyed. Out of that entire world, only I was left, and only I was in a position to do something about it. To fix things. And I was doing it... until I got brought here. Now, the Atroma have me trapped here- it's dooming my world, and all of those people, to be gone forever. I won't even be able to recover any more memories like this.

I'm sorry for upsetting you. If the Atroma would just send me back, this entire thing wouldn't be a problem. But while they're doing this, I can only see them as an enemy.

[Beverly's expression does soften at that. No one should have the burden of saving an entire world alone. And...]

Has no one told you then? Time passes differently for us here than for those at home. When you go back, nothing will have changed there.

I've heard a few different takes on that, actually. Sometimes you don't even remember, sometimes you do. Sometimes, no time has passed. But no one has an answer that I've heard if it's the same when you're two worlds removed from home. Hell... Have the Atroma ever even said if the people who vanish here are sent back where they came from? Has there ever been proof?

Well, you seem willing to assume they will revive us if one of us dies, and we have no proof of that. Atroma has not said anything about death or returning home, but Dr. Bashir remembers me, and he was brought from my future, so I know at least some version of me exists beyond the time I was taken by Atroma.

They must have the power, and they can't use us for ratings. Letting us stay dead is unprofitable after the resources they must have spent getting us here. There's logic to it.

We have very different circumstances.

That's not -

[No, you know what? This is not what she wants to be doing right now, standing on a beach arguing with someone she just met. The breeze is warm and the sun is shining and she's not going to let this interfere with her enjoyment of the day.]

Never mind. I'm going to go.

... Right. Sorry.

[She'll turn around and head out herself, too!]

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