driftfleet | (no subject)

[Beverly comes in a few minutes later. Unlike Vima, she is completely at ease - no calibration talk will compare to what she went through with Tek. No one here is a deeply paranoid death dragon. Even if things don't exactly go swimmingly, she's confident they can work through any issues that come up in a sensible manner.]

Good morning! [Beaming at the both of them, she spies the pumpkin spice drink dispenser Nomi is poking at.] Oh, I didn't know some ships had that flavor!

[For her part, Nomi wasn't all that worried about the conversation but Vima's unease was troubling. What had happened, to make her obviously rambunctious child so unsure of all this?

The focus on the drink was just a distraction though, and with the assurance that it was not in fact a dangerously addictive hallucinogen Nomi pressed the button with some finality. Worth a try.]

Apparently so. I'll give it a try. Can't hurt, I suppose.

[She'll sip it. Frown. Take another sip. And then shrug.]

Different. Are you a fan, Doctor?

Sometimes I get in the mood for it but... I prefer chamomile tea or just coffee with cream usually.

It's all right. I'm still trying to find stim-tea on the waystations, though.

[No, it doesn't taste nice, and it's not for connoisseurs, but it's one of those things she grew up with.

Since Dr. Crusher mentions it, though, Vima fills a cup for her--and oen for herself, why not.]

So. We all wanted to talk about the calibration rooms, right?

[BETTER TO JUST GET RIGHT INTO IT....]

[Nomi directs her attention towards her daughter and has a seat. She'll finish the pumpkin spice, sure.]

We did, yes.

[Particularly for Beverly, since Vima seems quite alright. The rubberband nature of youth and all.]

[Beverly takes the proffered cup of tea with a nod of thanks towards Vima before taking her seat as well, across from Nomi.]

I think it's probably best if Vima tells you what happened first.

[This is mostly about them, not her, and she thinks it's important to let Vima have control of the narrative.]

[Hmmm... Vima sits down, putting her thoughts in order. She'll start with her own 'room' first, she thinks--let Dr. Crusher explain what happened on the not-Enterprise.]

Well, I told you about how we ended up in each other's minds--mine looked like the Library on Ossus. [Which, for Nomi, would be recently painful.] And I was the age you last remember me being. Most of the memories people found were from that time... I actually didn't remember a lot of things so clearly, because I was so young. But after that, it's a lot sharper.

Dr. Crusher managed to find something from closer to my present, though. Only... [Vima glances at the doc.] I know we supposedly don't remember anything from here when Atroma sends us back. But I don't know if that'll hold true for Jedi.

[Nomi nods at Beverly, focusing her attention on Vima as her daughter talks. It's not easy thinking about Ossus, but she's made her peace.

She remains quiet, letting the other two talk, just listening. Their story, their chance to talk.]

[Beverly meets Vima's glance with an encouraging nod, then turns her attention to Nomi.]

It's difficult to know what to tell you because if you do remember when we go home, that knowledge would in all likelihood change your timeline, whether you wanted it to or not. [It's just the way these things work.] But... I think this is important for you. For both of you.

[Now, to Vima again:] I don't know what all you've told her yet... About what we discussed earlier?

[You know, the Jedi thing.]

[Vima nods. The tension between her and her mother hadn't been fun--being ignored and doing some admittedly stupid things in reaction to it, endless forgotten promises, but also looking at things only from her own point of view.

But if it hadn't been there, Vima never would have gone to Ulic Qel-Droma. And that was important... important for all of them, herself, Nomi, Ulic, and Sylvar. Nomi had said as much, when all was said and done. That Vima had been right.

But Nomi, sipping pumpkin spice flavored beverage, has only just severed Ulic from the Force. Seen him murder Cay.]

And I think... some things that happen with us as I grow up aren't pleasant. Anyone would want to prevent themselves from making a mistake if they see it coming. But I think without the mistake, things would end up for the worse.

On the other hand, I don't want to keep secrets, and I have it on good authority that they don't keep anyway.

[The tension there is troubling, as are the significant glances. Nomi's focus turns entirely onto Vima, and she closes her eyes and nods. This was probably going to be unpleasant. Extremely so, if the feelings she was getting were any indication.]

Vima, whatever it is, you can tell me. If you want to. [She huffs a soft laugh.] But the secrets don't keep well, no.

Still, I understand that some things happen that I probably won't like, but I'm prepared to listen anyway. If you're ready to tell me. I trust your judgment here, Vima.

[Really, she does. Just seeing the kind of person her child grew into is astounding. She's proud of her, and she trusts her implicitly.]

[Well, having danced them to the edge with the allusions... if Vima doesn't say it, it's probably going to eat at her mother until she does. And though Vima had told Dr. Crusher she was planning to say it when they were on their own, this is just how things have happened.

Plans don't always work. They all know that pretty well. This may get interesting, though.]

It's better to say it now than later--I wouldn't want you to hear it as an interesting historical fact from someone else.

What with you being the Grand Master, my own training kept getting put off. So I went to find another teacher--Dr. Crusher saw me talking to him. Ulic Qel-Droma.

[No hesitation, no half-truths, no dramatic pauses. Just say it out loud.]

[Studying Nomi's expression carefully, Beverly waits to see her response before saying anything. It's hard to say how the other woman will react, but at least it's out now.]

[Nomi's expression goes completely blank, her face a total mask of carefully contained emotion. She doesn't really know how to take that. Rationally, she knows Vima's not lying but the words sting. They also don't make total sense. Ulic? How could he train Vima, at all? He couldn't touch the Force.

No. That wasn't true. He had been able to, before she'd taken that from him. She'd seen what it'd done to him, though, and in some strange way she felt like that might be...frankly...the best thing for it. For Ulic, anyway, to be able to do something meaningful again instead of remaining a broken husk. But that wasn't the point. This was how things were going to be, and how Vima believes they should have been. She trusts that, really. But it's still a stinging blow.

She'd neglected her daughter, clearly, if Vima had gone to Ulic. And that was not right. It wasn't wrong, she could say, to put the needs of the many ahead of the needs of the one, but it wasn't right either. She knows herself better than that, knows that she'd probably ignored her child in favor of a dozen other problems. She couldn't say what those were, but hearing it? Made things click in her head.

An intense feeling of guilt wells up in her, but she crushes it down by closing her eyes and taking several slow breaths.]

I'm sorry, Vima. For...what I did. Or...will do. I...cannot refute that, and I was wrong. I probably had what I thought were good reasons, I admit, and that's a hard thing to hear. But Ulic Qel-Droma is not a poor choice for a teacher. Unorthodox...but...when has our family ever gone with the orthodox method?

[It's not an explosion, not an outburst of shock or horror or anger--Vima watches as her mother goes completely still and then shuts her eyes, clearly trying to digest this revelation.

But now she remembers particularly the conversation with Dr. Crusher, in that recreation of Ossus... how Vima had said she came to find me right away, as though it had surprised her. And Dr. Crusher's response, that any good mother would do that.

Vima reaches out and puts her hand on Nomi's. It's hard to put her mother through this, knowing that she had, would, did feel guilty. That Vima had been compelled to leave just to get the most basic training in the Force. But it was what was best to happen.]

It's all right. I think it was what the Force meant to happen. [She smiles.] And I certainly follow in your footsteps, that way. Orthodox isn't always the best way to live life.

[Nomi smiles fondly and nods, just...accepting those words. Yes it was a bitter pill but if it was the will of the Force, then it was the will of the Force. And it meant a lot to hear, hearing that it was Ulic. Ulic deserved far better than his fate, and that was...at least something.]

Hardly. I...do promise though, that I'll train you to the best of my ability. Now, and after...whenever this happens. I think it's alright to make promises for my future self, yes?

[Beverly allows herself a tiny sigh of relief and smiles, first at Vima, then at Nomi. Vima was already on a path to understanding her mother better, and now, Beverly is glad Nomi has the opportunity to do the same for her daughter.]

[Vima's sigh of relief isn't so restrained. Now that this bombshell has turned out... not to be one... she feels much better, and she can finally relax.]

I know you will. You said the same thing back--well, back home, I guess. [timelines, doc, how do you deal with the grammar.] So in a sense, I already have a promise for your future self. And I want to learn as much as I can from you.

[She looks from Nomi to Dr. Crusher.]

That's probably worth a few ratings points, I think. [...] I'm glad you aren't angry, Mom.

[Nomi dips her head and laughs lightly, supposing that yes, if they were being watched then this was the sort of drama an audience would enjoy.]

Of course not. I'm sure you'll do plenty to make me angry, but looking for ways to improve yourself and your training is not one of them.

[Oh, you know that thing you did, where you knocked over a lamp or something on a bad day? Yeah, that probably made her mad but this? This was alright.]

Now, what other proton-bombshells do you have for me?

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finally gets my ass in gear

And ofc dw doesn't give me a notification

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skipping order a bit!

no problem

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