Masquerade Mingle

[thespaceopera]

[The night has finally come--the Gravity Rush is nearly upon us! What normally serves as a large performance hall has been gutted, emptied of its boring furniture and rigged up into a fantastical mismatch of technology and old culture. No matter where you go tonight, you're encouraged to move around, dance, play games, whatever helps you sleep in late tomorrow morning.

If you aren't one for scurrying around a ballroom all night, there's always plenty of people-watching to do. After all, so many people are wearing extravagant costumes and elaborate masks. How can you even tell who is who? Get lost in a crowd of sequins, chatter with a sun and a moon, or try to beat the guy in the monster-mask at a game of cards. Meet your friends or make some new ones--this masquerade party has begun!]


[[ooc: All sections are up now, have fun! A related ooc post is HERE for any questions or plotting you'd like to do.]]

Comments

[universal_charm]

_{[ Thankfully Kirk had been trained in some formal dancing at the Academy on the assumption he might one day be invited to some sort of diplomatic affair. It behoved the Academy to make sure their representatives had some elegance in them. It is nothing fancy, but it goes with the beat of the music, which he thought was an accomplishment. ]}

Little girl? So you're a dad?

[neversets]

[ Apollo knows how to dance, but he has no idea where he learned. Another of those lost things. ]

Yeah, Jenny. She's nearly seven now, sharp as a razor. Takes after her predecessor, Jenny Sparks. Hopefully she won't take up the smoking like that Jenny did.

[universal_charm]

_{[ While Kirk himself is not all that comfortable with children - in fact the idea of becoming a father terrifies him - but the clear love Apollo has for his daughter is warming, and he feels himself smiling as the man describes her. ]}

Don't worry - I'm sure she's pulled only the best from Jenny and yourself. I'm guessing she's not here with you?

[neversets]

[ Apollo laughs. ]

God, no, she's not... Jenny is literally her predecessor. My Jenny is her reincarnation. I'm not her biological father, I'm very, very gay. We adopted her, my ex-husband and I.

[ Yes, Jenny is very clearly Apollo's favourite subject in the world. He adores his baby girl. ]

No, she's not. I hope what I've heard about differential time flows is true.

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ The reincarnation bit is slightly startling, if only because he doesn't believe in such a thing, but that's not anything worth debating.

He raises a brow at Apollo's insistence on his sexual preferences, the announcement not bothering him in the least. ]</sub>

Heh, where I come from, being gay isn't a barrier to being the biological. But that's great - you adopting her. The way you talk about her, I can tell she has a great dad.

_{[ He smiled. ]}

If it helps, I know such things as differential time lines are true. I'm not sure how I feel about Atroma being able to just reach through them, but evidence points to that ability being true.

Afraid she'll grow up while you're away?

[neversets]

[ Apollo doesn't expect it to bother, not really, but he likes to be clear on these things. Some people are uncomfortable with it and he'd sooner know before he starts thinking of them as a friend.

He steps confidently, clearly used to following in a dance. ]

That's cool. Well, no, she's not either of ours biologically. She was orphaned the day she was born, people trying to kidnap her for her power. When the dust all settled, we seemed best suited for it.

[ He does grin at the compliment about his parenting. ]

Well, you love them with everything you have and so long as you do that, you can't get it too wrong. But yeah, I'm scared of not being there for her. She's already had one dad walk out on her. I don't want her thinking I did the same.

[universal_charm]

Her power?

_{[ A gifted child. There's a flicker of upset at the idea that anyone would try and harm a child, kidnap them, for power, though the fact someone did is not entirely surprising either. Sickening, but not surprising. ]}

Don't worry. She'll know the difference, even if some time has passed.

_{[ For a brief second his lips thin and his fingers grip Apollo a fraction tighter. There is a certainty to those words, but those things pass quickly and he resumes his usual charm and warmth as they move with the flow of the music. ]}

[neversets]

Jenny Quantum... she's the spirit of the age. The Quantum age. We have no idea what her powers will be, but she's already floating, starting to teleport, she's caused a couple of spot fires...

[ He's very relaxed about it all. ]

I hope so. Midnighter broke her heart when he left us. I don't want to ever make her look that way.

[universal_charm]

Wow, that's... a lot of powers. I can't imagine how that's going to go over when she hits her teenage years.

_{[ Good luck, Apollo. ]}

I don't think you will - not on purpose. And no one is here on purpose, we all know that.

[neversets]

I've tried to not think too hard on it. Luckily, she'll probably never be able to outfly me and she's a very levelled headed kid. Too much hardship for such a little girl.

[ Apollo moves smoothly, an attentive dance partner. ]

I didn't get your name. I'm Apollo.

[universal_charm]

_{[ Kirk laughs quietly, doing his best to keep leading, though to be honest he had been moving more on instinct with the music than actually trying to step properly as they'd talked. ]}

James Tiberius Kirk - but Jim is just fine.

So, if you can fly - is that a normal thing where you come from, or are you like a superhero?

[neversets]

[ When Jim struggles, Apollo nudges him, never taking over leading but definitely confident in supporting the steps. ]

I'm a superhero, on an Earth.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He appreciates it, Apollo, really. ]}

You're the second one I've met since coming here. Is flying your only super power?

[neversets]

[ Apollo gives a warm smile. ]

No, not all. I'm stronger, faster, tougher, I have laser eyes, I charge on solar energy and can explode and direct it from my body. I'm immune to heat and light and eating and drinking and breathing are technically optional for me, but I enjoy doing all of them.

I was made to be the superhero other superheroes look up to.

[universal_charm]

Made?

_{[ He cocked his head, that last bit the most curious part, though he would circle back around to the drinking and breathing part. Besides... that seemed an odd thing not to need to do. But it was a curious and vast universe, wasn't it? ]}

[neversets]

Mm.

[ Apollo follows for a couple more steps before actually replying. ]

I was made. I don't know how. The information and technology is all lost now. My ex-husband and I were both made as part of a covert post-human strike squad. Post-human is the term in my world for anyone with, well, superpowers.

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ He is quiet, letting Apollo take his time to tell if he wishes, or to refuse. Kirk would have understood if he did. They had only just met, after all. He hardly expected the man to spill all his secrets to him, much less confide one in him, if secret it was.

He was quiet a moment when the other finished speaking, turning it over in his head and thinking that it sounded perhaps a bit to much like what Khan had told him, humans created to be better, stronger, more perfect. Nothing like what Apollo was, with the lasers and the flying. But it still rang to close for comfort, not that he thought Apollo was anything like Khan.

He very sincerely doubted Khan could glow with pride at the mention of his child. ]</sub>

I'm guessing you're not part of it anymore?

_{[ A guess, based on the past tense. Concern flickers through those bright blue eyes as he gazed slightly up at Apollo. ]}

[neversets]

[ It wasn't a secret. After so many years, it isn't even raw anymore, he doesn't see their deaths when he sleeps and he sleeps easily knowing Bendix was fried to a crisp at Jenny Sparks' fingertips.

He nods, confirming the assumption. His own bright blue eyes catch and hold Jim's comfortably. Eye contact doesn't threaten him. ]

Midnighter and I were the only survivors. It was a long time ago, twelve years? Thirteen? My entire lifetime.

Anyway, tell me about your world, Jim.

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ He nodded, accepting the change of subject for what it was. He was surprised that Apollo had told him as much as he had, but he was appreciative of it too. He thought it showed how strong Apollo was.

He hummed as he considered what to say about his own world, especially now that he had come to the conclusion that the Prime Directive just couldn't be applied here. ]</sub>

My world... well, we don't have super heroes, sad to say. But we're getting out into the universe. I'm actually a captain of a star ship in Star Fleet - an organization in my world whose mission it is to explore the universe.

[neversets]

[ Apollo was very used to being an open book about his life and the hardships that had happened. But he listened to Jim attentively, nodding slightly and then picking up. ]

Oh wow, that sounds amazing. Humanity has made contact with quite a few aliens, but we're not so good at travelling out into the solar system ourselves. We're basically limited to inside the asteroid belt at the moment and by that, I really mean that exploring the moon and mars is about the best we've managed overall.

What's it like? Do you have a mixed species crew? You seem very young to be a captain.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He perked up at the questions, glad he was not boring Apollo. Compared to the other's own life story, he thought he was rather banal by comparison. ]}

We've gone quite a bit further than the moon. We're well into other systems now thanks to our warp engines. We can reach the furthers reaches of the Federation within a day or two now. It's just... fantastic, really. You think it'd make you feel small, but it just makes me wonder how much else there is, what else out there we can learn and discover. It's comforting, kind of - knowing that there will always be something new.

And yeah, I do. My First Lieutenant is a Vulcan, which was the first race to contact us after we achieved warp. The majority is human, still, but that's probably because the Federation is based on Earth. But I do have a good percentage of my crew as non-human.

You would also be right about my being young. I'm twenty-seven now, but I was made captain at twenty-five. Youngest in Fleet history.

_{[ Don't mind his chest puffing a little at that, Apollo. ]}

[neversets]

[ Far from boring, he was clearly actually interested, not just feigning it.

It sounds wonderful, to be out there with them, rather than all too often victims of alien predation and breeding programs.

He gives Jim a flirty wink. ]

You're definitely toy boy age compared to me, then. Youngest captain, in charge of a starship before thirty... what are you going to do next to top that?

[universal_charm]

_{[ The wink makes him grin, his own blue eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief. ]}

I think stealing a kiss from a super hero would be pretty noteworthy event in my no doubt long and lustrous career.

[neversets]

[ Apollo pretends to consider this and then offers his cheek. ]

Go on then, you cheeky boy.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He raises his brow and then laughs, leaning in and pressing a kiss - though perhaps he strayed rather close to Apollo's mouth, almost catching the corner of his mouth. It was, perhaps, being a touch forward, but he thought he could risk it given their current rapport. ]}

I'll make sure to note that in my captain's log tonight.