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Who: Tekhetsio and YOU!
Broadcast: Fleet-wide!
Action: Way-station!
When: Nebulously sometime after they're all back on their ships

→ network etc.

[aside from antics within the calibrations, Tek hasn't been seen much. on the Marsiva, he'd mostly holed himself up in his room, hiding from the rest of the Fleet as much as he could. and upon returning to his ship, he had slept for several days. but, apparently all of his hermiting has not been enough of an escape. so, after waking up and doing a little bit of spontaneous redecorating, he boards one of the shuttles (which he normally avoids touching) and wordlessly sets off into the darkness of space.

he flies far, and he flies without explanation. he gets as absolutely as far away as he can from his own ship and from the Marsiva. and while he does so, he logs onto the network and sends out a broadcast, calmly reciting something that has been haunting him for several weeks--]

--To see an almost certain horrible death... you know how crowds all sit at the edge of their seats, praying subconsciously for a spectacular accident--and then to be whisked away from it so suddenly--brought to the edge of tragedy, and then to have their better natures win out, showing them how much nicer they always knew they were... that was the supreme thrill.

→ and then on some way-station

[when he finally lands, it's on some nameless way-station. out here, he can at least pretend to be somewhere else. and to complete the illusion, he is wearing a completely different face and form when he exits the shuttle.

today, as Tekhetsio spends hours wandering the way-station and pretending to be interested in the automated shops, it is done as a woman. just as unnaturally flawless as Tek's male form is, the woman perusing the way-station's wares and lounging with a book in the plastic park is built to be gorgeous-- with long dark waves of hair and curves in all of the conventionally desirable places.

and she seems friendly, at least. she offers polite smiles to anyone who happens to glance her way, and slightly more inviting expressions to anyone who seems to be appreciating the view. because this girl likes being looked at, and isn't shy about making that fact very clear.]

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[Needing her own break from the fleet, Beverly has come to the way station to explore a little. There's nothing much to see here, just the usual, but at least every thing is clean and there are no signs of looting or destruction like there were before.

Nothing to see, that is, until she spots Tek lounging in the fake park. Tek's in female form, an older version of the girl Beverly saw in the calibration. As soon as Beverly sees her, her jawline hardens and she makes an immediate 180 degree turn in the other direction, hoping Tek didn't notice.]

[someone must not remember much from the calibrations, because her eyes light up a little when she spots Beverly, and identifies what she is assuming is a great opportunity for some fun and mischief-- because, really, toying with people that don't recognize your face will always be one of the funnest petty games in the whole universe.

...though, the way that Beverly abruptly turns around to head the other way is pretty odd.

so, it's for both for amusement and curiosity's sake that Kett turns to catch up to Beverly, flouncing over to fall into step at her elbow.]

--Hey there~

[Beverly slows her walk ever so slightly and glances at Tek - or whatever she goes by in this form - sidelong, wondering if she doesn't remember what happened in the calibrations or if she's simply taunting Beverly in some way about it. She really hopes it's the former.

She takes a step sideways, putting distance between them.]

Tekhestio.

[her smile disappears fast.

first off, being immediately recognized when she's expecting some amount of fun first is always disappointing. and secondly, Beverly has never given the cold shoulder without the dragon having done something to deserve it first.

so, she scoffs a little.]

...Well, someone seems to be in a bad mood.

[Finally, Beverly stops. It's clear she's not going to get out of having to talk about this right now. Maybe that's for the best anyway. She studies Tek for a long, careful moment before responding.]

You ... don't remember, do you?

Remember what?

[and as sharp and short and skeptical as her voice is, there already is a spark of apprehension growing back there somewhere--eyes ticking to the side while she tries to hastily rake through her memory for something that fits.

all she finds is this distant seed of dread, which grows the longer she can't recall anything more than that.]

[Beverly's voice goes very quiet, very flat, as she tries to steady herself and keep her emotions in check.]

Your calibration. I was there. I saw you, in many forms. [Her eyes flicker over Tek's female form.] Like this, but also as a child and in your true form.

[There's a slight bite to the way she says "true form," but she stops there, to see how Tek reacts. Despite everything, she wants to give her a chance.]

[for a moment, there is clear surprise, and the rare expression of something akin to real alarm.

being seen through, especially in ways that he can't even remember, strikes something very deep--far, far under the armor and defenses he always wears.]

[in a brief flutter of light, he's standing there in the form he usually wears, and his expression has carefully hardened over. every defense mechanism is being tripped in his head, and he is quickly reigning it all in as tight as he can.]

...And I assume you saw something that you didn't like?

[Before he changes back to his more familiar form, Beverly catches that look of... Fear? Alarm? It is hard to say for sure, when it is not an expression she is used to seeing on Tek's face.

But this hardened one, giving away nothing... That is more expected. Unfortunately, she is having a harder time maintaining her own calm at the moment. The sight of him flying over battlefields as death incarnate burns with a terrifying brightness in her mind. She balls her hands into fists in a failed attempt to keep them from shaking when she speaks. To her credit she doesn't turn away from him: she keeps her gaze locked on his as she speaks, wanting, desperately hoping, to see something there to redeem him. For she also saw him lonely and beaten and lost, and it isn't in her nature to give up completely on anyone. ]

You were ...slaughtering thousands of people in a war you didn't even truly believe in and I ... [The shaking is getting worse] I felt every single one of them. Every death, I felt it with you. And you...

How could you do it? Do you really value mortal lives so little? And considering what you said to me on the Iskaulit...

[Finally her gaze drops.]

I just can't. Do this.

[he smiles, but it is anything other than a friendly expression. it's aggressive and unkind--more of a sneer than anything else. his teeth are sharp; the tangible cold static-feeling of his aura gathers defensively up around him, as she takes her jabs at him.]

What did you think I was? ...Had I really done something to convince you that I was something else?

[She looks back up at him sharply.]

I'm sorry, was there something in going shopping and lounging on the beach and gossiping that was supposed to tell me you had the ability to leave a trail of death in your wake? Go on. Tell me exactly what the hell it is that I missed.

[he laughs-- short and sharp.]

If you're going to trust that someone couldn't possibly be a monster just because they're nice to you, you are going to find yourself very disappointed.

Do you realize how many of us there are here? Do you ever even wonder?

[What was that you were looking for again, Beverly? Some sort of redeeming sign, even the smallest bit of remorse? Because it's clearly not there.

So then... she actually finds herself laughing too, a laugh as mirthless as his.]

You're unbelievable, trying to turn this on me. But it's just another mask because that's all you are now isn't it? Layer upon layer of masks. And you're terrified of someone seeing behind any of them.

[She knows she could be going out on a limb here, a very dangerous limb. Perhaps she misread his earlier expression but somehow... she doesn't think so.]

Edited 2015-12-07 04:37 (UTC)

[--dangerous limb indeed.

she stabs right for exactly what has already been cracked open and exposed, exactly what he is actively coiling around to protect.

in an instant his face contorts into a monstrous snarl, dropping all of the pretty human details that he smooths over it every day. his teeth are bared, slick needles, and a growl seethes out of him as he looms forward at her. with a short lunge, he gets right up in her face, and his volume abruptly rises.]

Just because you dug around for a few scraps in my head-- don't think for a second that you know anything about me!

[When he lunges for her, Beverly does not flinch, does not back down. It's not that she isn't scared - she would be stupid not to be - but she's angry too. More than that, his reaction has proven to her how right she is. Her voice loses that unnatural quiet she's been maintaining until now as she shouts back at him.]

I didn't ask to be there! And you clearly don't know me very well either if you actually think I "dug around" for anything! Lash out at me all you want, but I'm not the enemy here.

[Her nostrils flare as she continues to glare at him.]

I am. I'm the monster, right?

[she's just the foolish mortal who happened to stumble upon the knowledge. and it has already been established between them what he apparently thinks of mortal lives.

he won't defend himself. in his rage, he'll just pick up that mantle--donning it as armor and brandishing it as a weapon. just like she'd seen in the vision, his aura reflexively coalesces in his rage, until it becomes a visible thing. that feeling of death gathers, until wisps of dim light begin to flick and crawl over the surface of his arms]

[This time, she does take a step back, her eyes going wide with fear. It was bad enough to experience it in a memory, but to actually feel his aura of death and to see his power coalescing right in front of her is something else entirely.

Still, she is Beverly Crusher, and she is nothing if not defiant in the face of death.]

Your words, not mine.

[and things had been going so well, too.

the last time he felt that aura flare up, he couldn't get to it in time--which resulted in the death and near total-destruction of the single most important person in his universe. so of course he hurried right over, this time, already docked at the station from an earlier visit.

he shows up out almost out of nowhere, a sudden body approaching the danger and sticking his arm right in the middle of it.]

Hey, hey. [as he puts himself between the two of them, bodily facing Tek even though he's trying to glance back at Beverly too.] Break it up.

[he lashes out before it really even registers who is getting in his way or why. he's just primed and ready to snap, warring in his head over several conflicting, violent thoughts, and then something is just there in front of him.

with a snarl, he grabs the interrupting arm and throws it out of his way, and luckily continues in Robin's direction instead of going after Beverly--lunging and hitting the center of his chest with both hands to shove him back.

and it may only be the way that his augment tends to have certain dampening effects on his powers that keeps him from loosing all that pent-up energy at him as well.]

[When Robin jumped in, Beverly was willing to step back, but when Tek lunges for him, she stops, yelling out in shock.]

Robin!

[Instinctively, she reaches for him as he's shoved back, the doctor in her shutting out her own fears to make sure he's alright.]

[and Robin stumbles back several steps, looking a little surprised--but otherwise unharmed. he was expecting something much worse. that's why his breath out is almost a laugh and he's looking almost normal a second later, turning to Beverly again.]

You need to get back to your ship. Come on...

[if no one decides to hit him with death magic, he'll put a hand on her shoulder and try to guide her in a direction that is not Tek.]

[all things considered, it should be going much worse-- and the fact that Tek is limited here is doing nothing to calm his rage.

he's still riled up and ready to vent his anger, but Robin's presence is just enough of a stopgap measure to keep it temporarily at bay. he would have to go well out of his way to get around him or go through him if he really wanted to escalate the violence here... and at least some part of his mind realizes that it's not worth it.

so, not much about his aggressive body language changes... but it doesn't get any worse. he just follows them both with his eyes and a low, animal growl, while he works on pulling his composure back together.]

[She isn't exactly resisting, as she lets him push her away from Tek, but she keeps glancing over Robin's shoulder at the enraged dragon. There isn't much she can do against Tek, she is well aware of that, yet she can't just stand here and let him hurt someone else either. Her eyes flick back to Robin.]

But you - do you need me to get help?

No, no. I'm fine, don't worry.

[he cannot believe his luck, not being struck down where he stands. Beverly's fine, Tek is simmering, and they're still moving.]

Just let him be, all right? Where'd you park your ship?

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