mingle all the way

[summerschild]

Who: The crew of the SS Blue Fish + visitors
Broadcast: N/A
Action: SS Blue Fish
When: The month of April

[Come hang out on the SS Avastark, you nerds. It'll probably be alright.]

Comments

[bryces_pup]

A. Dated 4/8 or earlier

[Some may have noticed that Riona's been in a quiet, more withdrawn mood the past couple weeks. Not Zuko levels of withdrawal, mind you, but still unlike her. Her smiles have been rarer and she certainly hasn't been as talkative.

A lot of her time has been spent in her room or down in the cargo bay, practicing with her sword. And of course, in the kitchen, making tea or food. She'll say hello and make polite conversation, but little more than that unless pressed.

Something is definitely on her mind, worrying her, but she's being tight-lipped about it.]

B. Dated 4/9 and later

[...so it may definitely come as a surprise when one day, seemingly out of the blue, one may hear her squeal from inside her room before she comes hurrying out. She's bright eyed and smiling, and practically vibrating with excitement as she hurries down the hall.

And just like that, her melancholy mood's been lifted. Don't mind her if she accidentally runs into your character, still grinning as she apologizes, or if she suddenly seems extra chatty in the kitchen.

Mood whiplash, much?]

C. Dated after 4/9

[Whatever's got her excited won't keep her from doing her job. But something else, apparently, is.

She's seated at her usual spot on the bridge, but she's staring blankly at the panel. Once, she knew just what to do, even if she couldn't fully understand it. Now it's all gone, a complete blank.]

But... why can't I remember? Why isn't the augment helping?

[She sits up, nervously pacing as she tries to bring the information back. Everything was fine just yesterday. So why can't she recall?

In frustration, she smacks the wall nearest her. And out pops a drawer. Riona jumps, startled, before she turns and glares at the thing. A glare which quickly turns to confusion.]

That... was not there before. Where did that come from?

[Translation: someone's got a new augment.]

D. Closed to Leliana - future dated to after the Shuffle

[Now that Leliana's off the Marsiva, Riona can finally see her. Excitement radiating off of her, she hurries to their rendezvous point and waits for Leliana there.]

D.

[nugqueen]

[Leliana was still getting settled in the fleet, but her visit to the Blue Fish was one that left her immediately struck with wonder. She loved history and the arts and technologies but this was a wonder all its own. She'd never been aboard a structure such as this.

She might have taken a few minutes to get to their rendezvous point because she decided to sneak around and explore.]

Oh, these ships are so wonderful! How can anyone stand not wanting to explore them every day?

[That being the first thing out of her mouth as soon as she sees Riona probably doesn't surprise the Hero and Queen even a bit.]

[bryces_pup]

[Not at all, but still, Riona can't help but laugh a little.]

You would be fascinated. Funny enough, you get used to them rather quickly.

[Or perhaps it was just her.

Either way, before more can be said, Riona runs up to her and pulls Leliana into a fierce hug.]

Maker, I am glad you're here.

[nugqueen]

[Leliana returns the hug just as fiercely. She must be quite a sight, wearing her chainmail armor and cowl. It was different from the clothes she had worn on their journey together. Everything about her was much different.]

Is it any wonder? This place must have its own histories, secrets and things we don't know yet.

[But that can wait.]

Maker willing, we should have been brought together sooner. I feel as if I've missed so much while you've been here and I in Thedas.

[And there was so much Riona didn't know about either, so much she wished to tell her.]

[bryces_pup]

[Riona nods, acknowledging her words but not replying. Not yet. Yes, Leliana is older and a bit different and wearing a very interesting outfit. But at the moment, she only cares that she's here. The crew on her ship and the other friends she's made here have been wonderful. But Leliana knows her, knows what she's been through in a way few others could.

Finally she lets go and steps back, taking a good look at her friend and letting her presence sink in.]

What matters is that you're here now. And we have a lot to talk about. But first things first: tea?

[nugqueen]

[Ah, but this is what she had missed about Riona's presence in the intervening years. The way she made her feel completely at ease was something she had craved after Justinia had passed. Justinia had much of the same effect on her. Both had shown her where she belonged, where the Maker needed her most. She was grateful for that.]

Tea would be perfect. There is so much to catch up on!

[She imagined Riona had questions for her, as she did for the Warden herself.]

[bryces_pup]

[This is going to be a hell of a conversation, that much is clear. Parts of it fill Riona with trepidation; up until now, she has avoided asking about how things have turned out in Thedas from the other Thedosians in the fleet. And even if she had, those were their worlds. She could have at least comforted herself with the hope that her world would be different. But not with Leliana. What she will hear from her is how things will be.

Yet, if that's the price she pays for having her here, then she'll pay it.]

Agreed. This way. I'll have to give you a proper tour of the ship later.

[She gestures for her friend to follow her to the kitchen. It's not far from where they met up. She'll point out things to Leliana as they go, though most of the ship lies out of the way of their path.

Once they reach the kitchen, Riona waves at the galley, indicating for Leliana to take a seat.]

I'll get the tea started. Do you still take it the same way?

B

[alwayscomeback]

[Sokka has sure noticed the upturn of Riona's mood, and is glad of it. He's been getting more than a little worried, watching her slump around the place. To see her smiling again is a relief. He grins at her as she races around like a crazy person.]

Someone's in a good mood.

[bryces_pup]

[Riona slides to a stop, glancing over her shoulder with a grin in place.]

That obvious?

[She suspects as much, but she has to ask.]

[alwayscomeback]

[He pinches his thumb and forefinger together with a laugh. ]

Just a tiny little bit. What's cheer you up so much?

[bryces_pup]

My best friend's arrived here. And she's from my Thedas, so she knows me. Remembers everything.

[Of course, she's older than when Riona last saw her, but that's a comparatively minor issue. For now.]

[alwayscomeback]

[Oh, THAT brings a big grin to his face. He understands Thedas enough by now to get how important that is, especially after Alistair. ]

For serious? That's fantastic! I'm really happy for you. I mean, sure, sucks to have someone you care about trapped here, but I'm glad she remembers you.

[bryces_pup]

Thank you, Sokka. I... still sort of can't believe it. Probably won't until I see her with my own eyes, in person.

[She bounces from foot to foot.]

I do feel a bit guilty that she's trapped here as well, but Leliana is shrewd and used to be a bard. Good at collecting information. She'd be a huge help in trying to figure out a way out of Atroma's clutches.

B

[theoniongirl]

[It's not meal time, but Jilly is taking a quick snack break between paintings when she sees the very happy-looking Riona in the kitchen. Rolling a piece of fruit between her hands, she tilts her head to consider the other woman with a smile]

I'm going with....good date? Or you won the lottery.

[bryces_pup]

[Riona pauses in her actions, which currently involve making up a nice sandwich. She shakes her head, though her smile doesn't falter.]

I'm afraid I don't know what a lottery is, but no. Neither. Someone from home, one of my dearest friends, just showed up.

[theoniongirl]

[she laughs] Then you did win a lottery. That's wonderful.

Back home, it's a competition of sorts. You pay for a ticket, along with a bunch of other people, and then one person's ticket "wins." The prize is usually all of the money that's been paid in, so the more people there are, the bigger the prize...but that also makes it harder to be the one with the winning ticket.

It gets used as an expression a lot, though, for when something unexpected and rare happens.

[bryces_pup]

It is! Thank you. And she actually knows who I am and everything. It's such a relief; I've missed her dearly.

[Huh. Sounds... odd. Yet tantalizing.]

So a lottery is... a bit like gambling? But it sounds fun.

[theoniongirl]

Less fun than it sounds, really, unless you win. It's gambling, but slow. Where I'm from, you can wait up to a month before you find out who won. It's fun to imagine what you'd do if you were the one to get the money, though.

[her smile is genuine and open] I'm so happy for you. And that's got to be a relief for her, too.

[There's a pause as a thought occurs to her, and she can't help but laugh] I can only imagine how my best friend would react if he showed up here. I'd probably have to spend the next month convincing him this isn't all a dream.

[bryces_pup]

It happens often with people from my world. Or, the versions of my world. Everyone seems to come in with a different version of events and the people involved. It's a frustrating thing, and I'm glad she'll be spared that, at least for now.

[Leliana took everything pretty well, all things considered. Riona expected a bit more surprise, but Leliana is adaptable, if nothing else.]

I could hardly blame him. Sometimes I'm still not convinced of that.

STILL A

[sandhate]

[ Anakin's waiting outside the lock and after being here for a split second, he's already out of patience. He comms her quickly. ]

I uh borrowed Stefan's chocolate chips and I'm outside, where are you?

[bryces_pup]

[Riona's surprised to see the message, but it does lift her spirits a little.]

In the kitchen. I'll come get you.

[While she's not entirely in the mood for company, she knows it's for the best if she has some. She's been brooding a bit too much. As she walks towards the door, she glances down and notes that she's not exactly dressed in her best. Her hair's in a bun on top of her head and she's in those awful coveralls. Crap. A moment of consideration passes where she debates whether or not to go back and make herself a bit more presentable. But that would keep Anakin waiting, and that's not acceptable.

A minute later, she arrives and opens the door for him, offering a smile.]

I didn't know you were coming.

[sandhate]

[ Anakin returns the smile and excitedly dangles the bag of chocolate chips in front of her. It might be the first time that they're actually meeting face to face but he's always been impatient and eager to get to the core of it; and today, that is sharing chocolates on sundaes. ]

I thought I had to pry these out of Stefan's cold dead fingers but it was just in the kitchen. We're in luck. [ A shrug, he lets himself on the ship and takes a few step before deciding it'd be better to let the person who knows where to go to lead. This time he does catch the look on Fiona's face and he paused for a second. ] It's not a bad time is it?

[bryces_pup]

[She closes the door behind him, making sure it locks before she gestures for him to follow.]

No. Not at all.

[Another smile, this one a tad more forced as she leads him towards the kitchen. Anakin's presence is not unwanted. She's simply finding it hard to keep her spirits up as she's normally able to. Perhaps this sundae business will help with that.]

Are those chocolates?

[sandhate]

[ Normally, people are a lot more excited about chocolate. At least he is. They don't have these kind of thing on Tatoonine and he had assume that Riona might not have had the pleasure of having any either. After all, they had holoprojectors in the Outer Rim that Riona seems to be impressed with.

Anakin nods, a brow raised now that it seems like his 'surprise' isn't so much of a surprise ]

It is... Don't tell me you have these in your world.

[bryces_pup]

We have chocolate, though it is quite hard to come by. But not in that shape.

[As she gestures to his chips, they reach the kitchen. It's quit and clean, affording the two some privacy to make their desserts.]