(no subject)

[flickerflash]

Who: Katie and anyone!
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Vanquish
When: Today!

[So ever since a couple of weeks ago when she spent a couple nights off ship (for reasons she still hasn't explained), Katie has remained basically shut up in the personnel office instead of getting underfoot or sticking her nose out of the ship and making faces at the moon, a quieter shadow of herself. She's hiding. She also feels guilty for hiding, because she wasn't raised to hide, but she's at a complete loss of what to do about what, to her, is a critical and terrifying problem. What she'd really like to do is just tell an adult about what she saw, because that would be the simplest and wisest thing for any other child. There's something terrible. Make it go away. But with how much honesty would have to be involved she'd be a wreck on the floor within minutes.

There's a brief few days in there where her mind shies around the idea that she may have to kill someone on the Fleet. Which makes her shut down on multiple levels, because she's just a kid and kids shouldn't have to think about that, and it's a horrible act, and nobody would understand at all why she did it, and on a very base level she doesn't want to, she's not made that way. But not going through with it just means she's letting the problem roam free and he's hurting people just by existing. Any older fae would have dealt with this by now. Ignoring the problem is equally a terrible option.

So there's a third choice. She's just terrified of making that one, too. It's never ended well for anyone. Sam and her mother are testament to that.

In short, Katie is hiding because she can't make a choice and getting more and more frazzled and withdrawn because in not taking action she's letting things get worse and this suuucks--

Sometimes it might be nice just to be, in fact, a little girl.]

---------

[By the second week she starts making dolls. Simplistic blue yarn dolls at the base. It's just something to do with her hands and mind at first. Then she makes one in which her blue wool is dipped sporadically into black ink as she makes it, so the doll looks rather like it got thrown in a tar puddle when she's done. She attaches five or six pieces of loose, spattered wool to its shoulders, closes her eyes, and blows gently on its darkened face.

Don't ask why she does creepy things.

Then she stares at her little collection, swallows... and goes to watch Princess Bride instead.  It's video courage!  (Which small children have to make do with instead of liquid courage.)  Which leads to this post on the network twenty minutes in, very grumpily:]

[Video]

If we're in space and everything's so very future and all, why don't we even have television? [Petulant, pale child alert. Please ignore the spattered bits of ink on her chin.] Aren't we allowed to watch alien TV?

...I don't suppose anyone can make a TV with magic, can they? I don't think you should have to watch movies on this thing. [She taps the screen and accidentally turns it off. OH WELL. Question stands.

...but now that it's off, after a few minutes there comes an addition in text:]

[Text]

If it would make everything better, would you do something terrible so that nobody else had to?

[Hopefully, that part's anonymous. Right?]

Comments

text.

[paraclete]

[Kaworu's a flaky shipmate, he'll never deny that, and he doesn't spend a lot of time just hanging out with the crew of the Vanquish. (He doesn't, in fact, spend a lot of time hanging out with anyone but Shinji Ikari, but let's just gently say that he has somewhat of a one track mind...) Anway, regardless of his ... all-around mysteriousness, he's found Katie to be charming, and it really seems like she's wrestling with something.]

"Everything" is sure a lot. So, the things that "everything" encompasses, are they important to you?

text.

[flickerflash]

[Oh, hmm. Then she runs into her other dilemma. She chews over her answer for a moment, wondering how clear she can make it.]

I think they're important to everyone. But lots of them can't see that.

text.

[paraclete]

I see.

[Let's try a different angle: ]

Then, "everyone" — is that important to you, too?

text

[theboogieman]

Of course.

[which is not a very helpful answer, but Zhas is not a very helpful person.]

text

[flickerflash]

[S'alright, Zhas, you've got plenty of company in that regard.]

Terrible like everyone else would think you're terrible?

text

[theboogieman]

it's not easy. but if I don't do it, who will?

I'd rather do something worthwhile with my life than live in fear of things I was too cowardly to change.

[Video]

[goldenglasses]

You know, you have a point there! Why don't we have television! I want to know what I look like on this television show we're supposedly on!

And I suppose for your second point. I don't know, I suppose it depends on what everything is and how terrible.

[Video]

[flickerflash]

[Stop. Wait. Why are you answering both--

...well she might not know how to turn it to anon properly but Katie's not stupid. She cringes a little. And then... pointedly only addresses the first part. :D]

I wonder if they make us look prettier on TV than we really are. They do that at home.

[Video]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash won't force Katie to talk about something she doesn't want to. So he doesn't point out she only addressed one thing.]

They do? I've actually never seen a television show before. I didn't realise they could do that.

text.

[astrobleme]

What's your definition of 'terrible'?

text.

[flickerflash]

You could go to jail for a very long time and people would never look at you the same again.

[Jail, hah.]

text

[residu]

probably, yeah
why?

text

[flickerflash]

Why do you think?

text

[fuga]

I have often done terrible things even when no one else needed to.

text

[flickerflash]

[That doesn't sound ominous at all.]

Why did you do them?

[kickingand]

yes

[ Is that a good answer? That's definitely a good answer, right? ]

[flickerflash]

[That is the opposite of helpful Dean, god.]

Really? No exeptions at all?

[Why is this fleet filled with people who commit horrible actions for the greater good, I swear. Also excuse her spelling, she's pretty good but she's nine.]

text;

[geonomy]

[Oh, Katie...]

depends on waht the terrible thing is

text;

[flickerflash]

[Shh no I'm totally anonymous
or not
of course she can't quite say what the terrible thing is it's very annoying]

everyone would think you were a horrible person and you probably are a horrible person
also you might go to jail I don't know

[action]

[bb_wolf]

[Given what happened and how terrified Katie was... Bigby can take a guess that she's not handling it well. He can also try and help her get out whatever she's scared of by asking backwards and convoluted questions, even though he threatens to smash the mirror when it does that to him.

He gets on board and follows her scent–feardistressanxiety–to the door and then knocks firmly.]

It's Bigby. Everything awesome and good in there?

[action]

[flickerflash]

[Bigby.

She doesn't blame him for what happened. It's pretty clear he doesn't know. But he also wanted her to meet the 'vampire', and it's just as clear that Sascha is his friend.

Pretty sure of all people, Bigby's gonna be angry if she tries stabbing his friend.

If she doesn't say anything, he'll go away, right? Nobody's in here, it's just your imagination.]

video;

[huaaaaagh]

A TV might be kind of tricky without tearing apart the existing tech - you know, the stuff we need to keep the ships running - but... a projector would probably be doable.

video;

[flickerflash]

[Kirito by this time she's relieved someone is talking about television all her answers on the other thing suck hard :| Welcome distraction, seriously.]

Projector? Like in the theatres?

text;

[nerdeology]

[You know what's pretty anonymous? A blank screen. He could use his augment to erase his name, too, but that would be weird.

Either way, this seems serious.]

If it's something that important, you shouldn't try to carry the burden alone.

text;

[flickerflash]

[...:c]

I don't know how to share it