one ➵ video / spam

[versusnurture]

Who: Abigail Hobbs and u
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Starstruck
When: 9/23, eveningish

[All things considered, this is actually a pretty good witness protection program. How are the police going to find her in space? And she didn't even have to die this time. It's probably the best kidnapping she's ever experienced.]

[Admittedly, she did spend some time wondering if this was the same thing again, if, somehow, doing what needed done had sent her back to the Barge, qualified her as an inmate again. But those were very fleeting concerns - first, because she knows what she did was just, and second, because this is nothing like the Barge, which looks disorganized on the surface but pulls together in crisis. The Fleet looks quite organized, with its shiny ships and perfect synchronization, but she has a suspicion that when shit hits the fan, everything falls apart.]

[That remains to be seen. The point is that she's learned from the last two times; she neither presents a face immediately nor gives herself away immediately, choosing instead to spend her time on the Marsiva and her first few days on the Starstruck settling in, going over the comms, gathering what information can be gathered. Only then does she step out into common spaces.]

[She pays particular attention to the cargo hold, where she deliberately and conspicuously practices some of the flashier moves Harvey taught her - although flash does not preclude precision, because she is very good at what she does. She also spends a lot of time in the kitchen, hanging out but also inspecting; she doesn't like the processed nature of the food provided, and she spends some time looking for an ingredients label before giving up.]

[When she eventually sets up a broadcast, it's in the kitchen, as well, futuristic cabinets lined up behind her head as she seems to focus somewhere slightly off-camera. For the record: the giant scar on her neck is totally visible, as is the fact that she only has one ear.]

It's sort of funny to me that when people come to a place like this, they either introduce themselves with a lot of questions or a lot of yelling. If anybody wants to answer my questions, that would be pretty hospitable of you, but I got tired of answering them after a while, so. It's not compulsory.

If anybody would rather perform an exchange, I can do that, too. Quid pro quo. My name is Abigail Hobbs. I come from Earth - Bloomington, Minnesota, originally, which I bet none of you have ever heard of - and I spent a couple of years in a place sort of like this, only not at all. My hobbies are hunting, fishing, cooking, and reading poetry. Once I wanted to be a psychiatrist.

The rest of it, you have to earn.

Comments

video.

[truthvalue]

Minnesota ... that's America, right?

[Souji's at least heard of that.]

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[oh, this is different. it's not all that unusual to find smart people in the fleet, but it is rarer to find someone who presents their wits as a game... so he shows up on the video feed, leaning forward in his captain's chair in quiet excitement.]

Welcome to the program, Abigail Hobbs. My name is Robin Redbreast, just like the bird.

[he's very pale, handsome, but has kind of a funny smile. it's not dishonest--maybe too much of the opposite.]

I'm from a place called Gratia, though I doubt you've heard of it either. I spent a couple years in places very different from this--but also sort of the same.

My hobbies are gathering stories, writing music, and people-watching. I once wanted to be a King. [he tilts his head, copies her syllables like they're unusual to him:] What's quid pro quo mean?

[video] im.... sorry

[noncriminal]

[Quiis- Squid proque k- Quiproko-

Yep, those are definitely words that probably have some kind of definition. But he doesn't really care about answering her newbie questions because he barely knows the answers himself. There's other people for that, and anyway she's been on a ship before. Ino said most of the people here wouldn't have seen one before this fleet, so it does make Abigail pop off the page.

Among other things. The scar's one, but. His fingers play innocently (or vicariously, who knows) at the cuff of his ear.]

Warm welcome and a sneak peek at the bio, wow. We're just so... happy to have you 'ere.

[Despite the dryness and the fact that he was just pronouncing H's a second ago, it's not untrue.]

action

[lord_wizard]

[Quid pro quo is a sentiment he's heard before, though it makes more sense when applied to more concrete subjects like math and science. When it comes to people, there's always a way to lose more than you were counting on, because how did you really quantify them? Besides, it was an exchange that could always...always...be manipulated.

And while it's tempting to ignore her based on that uncomfortable thought, she is in his kitchen, and giving crewmates the silent treatment is hardly the way to make friends.

I see you're a fan of cutting right to the point.

[Video]

[misterprongs]

[ -- hm.]

James Potter. Earth, England, currently residing in Scotland. I have heard of Minnesota, though I've never been. I abhor hunting, poetry is beautiful -- but as for my own hobbies, I prefer sports, hiking, and the occasional death defying leap. I haven't graduated school yet, but when I do, I expect I'll join ranks with the government.

[That translates Quidditch and becoming an Auror into muggle language, more or less, right.]

Mind sharing with a psychiatrist does, exactly?

video;

[geonomy]

Ooh, quid pro quo! Awesome. And classy sounding. [Very Silence of the Lambs, too.]

I'm Clay Terran. I also come from Earth - Los Angeles, California. I've definitely heard of Minnesota - do I win anything for that? I'm an astronaut, so I've been trained for this kind of life, only... you know, not this kind of life. My hobbies are stargazing, building things, flying ships, drawing, and bike riding. I've wanted to be an astronaut all my life, but when I was a kid, I wished I could turn into a bird.

[video]

[pain_train]

[Bright pink hair, sunny disposition.]

Hi, Abigail, my name is Wrath! I come from the planet Zeus and I lived in the city of Proles. And not, never heard of anything but plain old Earth. My hobbies are painting, watching movies, and sex. I used to punch people and do sword work but I'm not allowed to do those any more. I was a soldier and I was really good at my job but I guess I'm an artist now?

And. Um. I have a pet fish! His name is Maine. [Brief view of the fish in its little bowl. The fish is white and glows.]

[forgetyourusedtobe]

[Elena stops short in the doorway of the kitchen, hand on the frame to stop herself from stepping in too far because she's noticed that Abigail is talking over the network. She glances back into the hallway, like maybe she should head back and come in again later, before looking at Abigail again. Elena's eyes trace over Abigail's scars briefly before she steps in. It's her ship, too, and it's not like she's really interrupting, right?]

[Abigail can just as easily ignore her.]

video;

[heresyandlace]

[and, oh... just when he'd begun to pick up interest in not sleeping weeks of his life away at a time, a shiny little reward dangles in front of him. he likes what he sees, finds it interesting... but likes even more what he hears in the undercurrents of what she's not saying.

it's lovely, really.

and she'll have a smiling face appearing on her feed-- just a little bit too pretty, and not quite colored right for something human.]

...Is it a trade that you're offering, or is it a game?

text;

[mortalcoil]

[he used to talk like that, back when he could, and it was always to those who were smart enough for it. family, usually.

and though he hasn't thought about it for years, he very suddenly finds himself remembering exactly when the last time he'd had such a conversation was, and who with. and this fact is upsetting.

he thinks about it for a long time before he answers. there will be quite a long delay, with the other replies rolling in and out, before she finally receives a text--]

is the rest of it interesting?