Beam me up

[thespaceopera]

[The weekly Shuffle doesn't happen quite as it should. No new passengers appear on the ships, and no message is sent in from the hosts. The usual day comes and goes without a stir.

And then, on the second day, another one of those surges of static comes in over the speakers, breaking apart for a voice in the background. It's Diamond, and she sounds too far away from the receiver. She also doesn't sound quite like herself-- her tone flat and cold. Disappointed.]

--I know. I can't. [A pause of empty air, before a short, decisive sigh.] ...Yes. Bring them in.

[A blip of lost time passes right after those words, before every passenger mysteriously wakes alone in their own unfamiliar room. They have never seen this room before, but those familiar with the Hospitality Deck of the Marsiva might recognize the style of decor. It sounds and smells the same as the host ship as well--clean and chrome--but this set of rooms have never been ventured into before.

Welcome back to the Marsiva, dear passengers.]

ooc info:
Happy belated birthday, Drift Fleet! This is the first official mingle for the Season Finale event. As always, this is very backtag friendly-- including the Hosts section below. Take a look at the event information, then jump in and enjoy!

Event information → Here!

Comments

Stefan | open

[stefanged]

[The kitchen has real, honest-to-god black tea! With milk, even! Stefan might be spending a lot of time here, with a mug that almost never seems to run out. Don't mind him; he is a tea addict and he happily knows where his priorities in life are.

Still carrying that mug around, Stefan also spends a bit of time in the living space, curling up in one of the reading nooks with various books and totally taking the entertainment for what it's worth. He's especially fond of anything by Malcom Gladwell, as well as some long-running series about teenage demigods, but when he's not reading, he's writing in one of his diaries, with a pen he snagged from who knows where.

He'll also be curled up on a couch in the main area, this time with his ever-present tea mug as he catches up on Earth TV (and tries, in vain, to hide the broadcasts of him that somehow made it onto this ship).

He does, however, wander to the gym a few times when he's truly restless. He doesn't stay long, but he does get a few punches in before he heads back.]

[delincuente]

[Incoming wizard. Alex gives exactly zero warning before she rolls over the back of the couch and lands next to him, her eyes immediately on whatever the screen is showing.]

Oh my god, I haven't watched actual TV in years!

[stefanged]

Alex!

[Instinctively, his reaction is to groan and shake his fist at her for her terrible timing - but as his book falls to the ground, it hits him all at once and he flips over to hug her, with almost all of his strength.]

You had me worried for a moment there.

[delincuente]

[Alex is a little stunned by the force, but she grips him tight as soon as she gathers herself.]

I'm fine, it's alright. I was just looking around.

[stefanged]

You could've checked in.

[He's not letting go of her so easily, though he does loosen his hold on her as he rests a head on her shoulders.] I mean, you're you so I knew you'd be fine, but... [sigh] don't do that to me again.

[delincuente]

[She makes a small noise in her throat at the closeness, a little rattled that he's shaken enough to actually hold her like this.]

Sorry. It just... It reminded me of Paradisa, waking up somewhere all of the sudden. Kind of unnerving.

[stefanged]

This's happened to you before?

[That certainly doesn't sit well with him. Stefan reluctantly lets her go, finally picking up his book and holding it carefully in his hands.] Or well, it happened in Paradisa?

kitchen

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka herself is drinking a cup of tea when Stefan walks into the kitchen. Immediately his presence pings her Force senses as strange, and she drops the cup in her surprise. Fortunately her reflexes are fast enough-- she reaches a hand out almost instantaneously and stops the cup mid-air mere inches before it hits the ground. The tea is lost to the floor, but at least the cup is safe. She levitates it back up to her hands before narrowing her eyes at Stefan curiously.

He doesn't feel like a Force-user. But he doesn't feel like a baseline normal human, either. What's his deal?]

[stefanged]

[At this point, magic - at least it looks like magic - is a common occurrence for Stefan, so he instead rushes to grab some paper towels and clean up the mess. He could wait for the cleaning bots, sure, but this'll be faster.

As he's cleaning, he glances up at her with furrowed brows.]

Everything okay? I uh, I didn't mean to startle you.

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka is a little subdued when she replies.]

Yes, I'm fine. Thank you.

[Belatedly, she puts aside her cup and grabs a paper towel as well to help, but it seems like Stefan's got most of it.]

Sorry about the mess. ... Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?

[stefanged]

No problem.

[He does have most of it, but he appreciates the help! Stefan gets up, throwing away the towels in the trash.]

Um, I guess not. What do you wanna know?

[resnipstance]

You don't feel like a regular human. And you're not Jedi.

What are you?

1/2

[stefanged]

[That is a loaded question - and one Stefan isn't quite ready to answer truthfully. Not in a public space like this. For a couple of seconds, he takes a deep breath and glances towards the door, as if he's going to run---]

[stefanged]

I'm your average superhero.

[Which isn't quite the truth, but it also isn't a lie either. As far as his homeworld's concerned, anyhow.]

Or well, you said Jedi, so - you're from a world like Vima's, right? I'm not sure what you'd call me there.

[save_the_souls]

[When Allen had started to relax about their surroundings and was becoming pretty sure they weren't going to all get murdered...he began to explore the commmon area and what media the place had to offer. The amount of stuff they offered reminded him a bit of Paradisa, albeit just with Earth things.]

[At some point through his searching, he'll approach Stefan whose reading some fiction book in oe of the nooks. He's still wearing the Atroma-issued pajamas (yeah, he probably still hasn't figured out where his room is), but at least he's got a a blue coat over it that looks suspiciously like Clay's. But most importantly, he seems to be hiding something behind his back]

Hey. I found something you might like.

[stefanged]

[Stefan sets down his book (#7 of that teenage demigod series!), sitting up a little straighter as he looks over at Allen. He has to grin at the jacket, but he's not gonna call extra attention to it at the moment.]

Hey. [He glances over behind Allen, as if it'll reveal the great mystery. It doesn't.] What exactly is it? Because I don't think a lot can beat the tea.

[It's got milk! The little things in life.]

[save_the_souls]

[He grins at Stefan.]

Ha, I'm not sure about that. [But fine! He'll remove his arms from behind his back to show him. It's two copies of the Qur'an: one in English, and one in Arabic]

Ta-dah!

[stefanged]

[Holy shit.

Stefan doesn't have to stare at those long to know exactly what those are - he immediately rises to his feet, tentatively reaching out to them as if they'll disappear on him at any second.] H-how did you...?

[It takes him a second, but he reaches out for the Arabic one first, flipping through it quickly for little mistakes since he's memorized the damn thing and-- right. Manners.]

Thank you. For uh, taking the time to even find this.

[save_the_souls]

[ Yeah. That's the reaction he was hoping for]

It was luck, mostly - or, as if God wills, I suppose.

[That's how that expression goes, right? He'll lower his hand with the english one. He only grabbed both since he wasn't sure which language Stefan had studied it in]

[stefanged]

His will was pretty great today.

[If Allen wasn't holding a holy book, Stefan would've hugged him, because holy shit. Stefan can't honestly remember the last time he's smiled like this - it was definitely before the Fleet. Had to be.]

Think we can arm-wrestle Atroma into letting us take these back?

[forgetyourusedtobe]

[Stefan may be addicted to tea, but Elena's still faithfully married to coffee. She comes into the kitchen and flashes him a smile, but it's not until she's got a mug of her own caffeine that she approaches him to talk. She's also got a pill in her hands that she pops quickly. Gotta keep that blood craving under control.]

I almost wish this was an Irish coffee.

[stefanged]

If you think you'll want some later, I saw some whiskey in the fridge.

[He can't come outright and say that he's not allowed to handle alcohol, considering how much Salvatore drank on a regular basis. Instead, he takes another sip of his tea, trying to rack his brains for someone he can trust to make it for him.]

I mean, it won't be the same, but it'll hit the spot until whenever we get out of here.

[forgetyourusedtobe]

[Elena laughs a little.]

I'll keep that in mind for later. Although maybe I should put it in my room. God knows how long it'll last with everyone here in one place or if Atroma will even do any refills with supplies on the ship.

[stefanged]

They'd better. I've seen how much this fridge can hold, and it's nowhere near enough.

[He gestures toward said fridge, though he now holds his mug with both hands.]

How're you holding up, now that we've got a decent coffee stash?

[forgetyourusedtobe]

I'm doing alright, [Elena says with a small nod. It feels like a normal thing in an otherwise completely abnormal situation, so there's that. Gotta hold onto those anchors like that as tight as possible, she thinks.] I never thought I'd say this and mean it, but I'd feel a little better if I was back on my own ship instead of the Marsiva though.

What about you with the tea stash?