our feelings will tingle, it's a vanquish mingle!

[geonomy]

Who: The crew of the Vanquish and any visitors!
Broadcast: Maybe? Nah?
Action: On the awesome Vanquish ship
When: Now through July

[Just arrived? Don't like nature, or do you just not have feelings and don't want to hold hands? Come on in!]

Comments

[geonomy]

[Arrival]

[Now, see, Clay's been flying planes for several years now, has been sufficiently trained to pilot space ships, and has been flying the Vanquish for more than a year now. But trying to treat the ship like a boat? That's a lot harder, but he does his best. The rocky water of the ocean makes the landing a little weird, and Clay ends up accidentally bumping the pier a little too hard and making a few boards crack. But at least the locals are nice about it! He'll just have to fix it later.

After that less than smooth landing, he'll open the door and get out first, only to turn and give everyone else a hand with crossing over to the peer if they need it.]

Careful now!


[Note taking]

[He'd been so busy landing the ship and making sure his crew made it out okay that Clay didn't have the time to really take notes beyond the quick little things that probably only he understood. So now he's in the kitchen at the table, expanding on the notes - like the fact that the planet had a shine around it, indicating that it was close to whatever it was orbiting, or how much greenery could be seen, an estimate of how far away the moon they saw was - and several other things.]


[Hanging out]

[Now, even though the planet weirds Clay out a fair bit, he'll be spending a lot of time off ship, as he's already spent a lot of time there on the previous moon and has also rented a treehouse with his boyfriend. But he does come back every day, not only to check on his crew, but the ship itself, making sure that it's fine and hasn't sprung a leak (and, if it has, do whatever he can to fix it, or ask for help). He'll also take care of Cosmos the fox, feed Apollo the fish, and do his daily exercise in the rec room, lifting weights, running on the treadmill, doing pull-ups on the bars he made, and so on.]

[brainiest]

[ There's a lion on the ship, but most people knew that already.

The thing is that the lion really, really likes just lounging around, especially when she can find people to lounge with. It's a little awkward, given her size and the fact that her wings often end up shoved down and a little smothered, but she does her best all the same, trailing along until she recognises someone she knows and huffs a noise - one that sounds enough like a growl for it to be completely worth it.

It's then that she flops down beside Clay, resting her head against his leg and closing her eyes, tail flicking behind her. Sometimes being a lion was easier than being a person, and this might well be one of those times, especially when coming to a new place always reminds her of what she's left behind. The fact that this new planet is a forest that reminds her far, far too much of the Drabwurld, of the Seelie lands...

Sometimes it's nice to turn your brain off for a little while. ]

[geonomy]

[Now, when Clay first saw the lion that was Hermione, he... well, not necessarily freaked out, but was very cautious in trying to figure out what was going on. The difference between then and now shows when the huff makes him blink, then set his notes aside as Hermione flops down and rests her head on his leg.

It's still a weird to make the connection between Hermione and the lion in his head, just like how it's weird to do so for Katie and the kitten that sometimes appears on the ship. Nevertheless, he wraps an arm around her head and strokes the underside of her chin, recognizing that she's probably feeling down about something - though he's not sure how he realizes that just yet.]

Hey. You okay?

[He doesn't expect an answer, her being a lion and all, but he does want to show that he's being attentive to what's bothering her.]

[brainiest]

[ Is she alright? Technically speaking, of course she is. There's nothing strictly wrong, of course, and it's not as if the new planet is as dangerous as the last one had been - there's no fighting and no poisoned air for them to worry about - but it has reminded her of her own isolation. She feels a little as though it's self-inflicted, and the fact that she has someone else in her mind now (not that she's complaining, she formed the Contract from choice) means that she has to be a little more careful when it comes to her own thoughts and... Well, that's exhausting.

It's easy, in that case, to tilt her head into Clay's touch and relax against him. Being around someone regularly makes things like this easier, and Hermione has always appreciated a bit of casual touching when she was in her alternate form; there's a kind of protective, affectionate warmth that settles in her mind, more instinct than anything else, and her wings open a little to wrap around Clay in return, almost as if she can cocoon the two of them together.

Nudging her nose into his fingers, she lifts her head and nods.

She's still technically a person, after all. ]

[geonomy]

[Ah. Well, all right. Clay glances at the wings covering him, but it's nice, too. There's something protective, something affectionate in the air, and Clay mistakes that for his own feelings, because that's how he always feels when he's interacting with his crew like this. He gives a half smile as a result, then boops her nose with a couple of his fingers before he rubs the bridge of her nose with the heel of his hand.]

Okay. Then we can just hang out here for a little while.

[You're all so important to me. It's generally how he feels right now as he goes back to stroking her chin. There's probably still something up, but if Hermione doesn't feel like talking about it, then he won't pry too much. He respects his crew's wishes, after all.]

[brainiest]

[ Hermione can't help the little huff of noise that comes when he literally boops her nose, and she wrinkles it, baring her teeth - but she's soon pressing into his fingers, the wrinkle nothing aggressive and more playful as she chases the touch. It's still a little odd for her to show affection when she's not herself, since she can't exactly hold hands or cuddle people, but she imagines this might be enough. It's not too awkward, and she feels a gentle warmth that settles over her shoulders, chasing the negative feelings away and to one side before she leans down, closing her eyes.

There's a lot of things she could talk about, but it doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel as though she should be allowed to air her loneliness and her upset when, really, she is generally very happy - and the people around her are all wonderful.

Instead, she pushes herself up a little and then - flops. On Clay. Because if you're going to go for lion cuddles then you might as well go all the way, especially when she's careful not to crush him. ]

[geonomy]

[Oof.

Okay, Clay's a buff, broad guy. You gotta train intensely for a long time when trying to be an astronaut, and he still trains to this day to keep himself in shape.

But lions are huge and heavy. He can actually support her weight, could even lift her up and carry her around in this form if she wanted, but the flop is still enough to make him lean until he's on his back, taking her with him. He's not crushed in the slightest, but it's still a bit of a surprise, and he lets out a huff of laughter as he lifts up both arms to scritch behind her ears.]

Wuh - Whoa, hey...!

[He's grinning though, and with his arms around her, it's pretty clear that he doesn't mind one bit. Along with that protective affection he's feeling, there's also a bloom of that love he feels for his crew, the familial sort of connection that makes him love being the captain and caring for them all.]

[sonofgold]

[Once they'd arrived on the new planet, the first thing Al had done was take Cosmic for a run, since the fox was eager to get out of the confines of the ship, having not been able to stand the poison planet's atmosphere for long.

However, it wasn't long before Al was back... with multiple fluff slugs in tow.

They were too cute for him to resist.

Or is there anywhere else you'd like to run into him? Name a time and place.]

[brainiest]

[ It doesn't take Hermione long to spot the fluffs, her eyes widening as she moves forward. She's seen a handful already, thanks to her own adventures, but she can't hide her delight as she moves around to step in front of Al, grinning. ]

Look at them. They're so precious.

[sonofgold]

[Al set the slugs down, watching as they curiously began to explore the cargo bay.]

Aren't they? You know how I am with animals... I couldn't resist bringing a few home. I'll probably put them back after a while, but they seem to be used to people, so I figured there wouldn't be any harm.

[brainiest]

They're definitely magical. I saw a few of them around with some of the natives, but I hadn't had a chance to get close.

[ She reaches out, letting her hand stroke over one gently. ]

They're... Like the planet, aren't they?

[sonofgold]

[Al nodded as the slug appreciatvely moved into the touch.]

The way they just... make you feel more in tune with your emotions, right? They make me feel at peace.

[brainiest]

It's empathy. I wonder if they're magical, or if they were just made that way. I can't really feel anything, but...

[ And her mind wanders, considering the choices. ]

+1 cat?

[flickerflash]

[Yeah Katie took off out of the ship at a rate of crazy when they arrived and has barely been back since.

Soooo it's probably a surprise to see her turn back up again a week or so later covered in dirt and grass stains and looking extra happy, which is so much better than all the :cc faces she's been giving people lately. Purring in her arms is a curled up ball of black fluff, eyes as green as Katie's and apparently quite content to be lugged across town and onto a spaceship, sure, whatever, tiny human.

Meet Licorice. Katie's cat from home.]

[castrationfist]

[When one is a spirit, normal rules don't exactly bind them as much. Rules including the laws of physics, of course. So now that she's getting used to the ship, one might just hear a voice from an invisible source giggling or making commentary on just about any subject, before moving on, often just vanishing through a wall.

Alternately, you can find her planetside, visible and solid, playing with some of the animals down there.]

[outstandingbalance]

6/25

[Whoever said everyone likes surprises must not have known a lot of spies. Not even twenty-four hours after she woke up on the hospitality deck of the Marsiva, Natasha is transported in a puff of confetti and tinny music.

She's not even mad. She tenses briefly, half pulling into a combat ready pose, but before she can even find a defensive stance, she's already taking in the scene on the bridge of the Vanguish and realizing there's not a fight waiting for her.

No, she's not mad. She's just about 110% done with all of this.]

Hey. [Her tone is even, with just a little rasp.] Hope I'm not interrupting anything?

[geonomy]

[You know, it's pretty rare that Clay happens to be in the same room as a new person showing up. That'd just be too convenient and all. But he's here now, aaand his mouth happens to be full of food while he stares at Natasha.

Natasha.

It's been months since he's seen her. She'd left so suddenly, just like all the others who leave, and Clay always wished he got to say goodbye. And now she's here?

When she speaks up, Clay blinks, then swallows his food - a bit too big of one, and he coughs a little at the end of it, then gives a sheepish smile.]

Uh - No, you're fine! [He eyes all the confetti on the ground.] III take it you just showed up?

[outstandingbalance]

Here? [Her brows draw together slightly, because the answer to that question is pretty obvious.

She's not completely unprepared for that kind of reaction, though.

Her frown evolves into something a little more reserved, a little more regretful.]

I woke up on the Marsiva yesterday. So yeah, more or less just showed up.

[geonomy]

[Ah. The fact that she doesn't recognize him clues him in that this one doesn't remember the fleet. It makes him pause for a second, looking a bit lost, before he shakes his head, sets down his plate of food, then gives a big smile.]

Well, hey, welcome aboard the Vanquish! [He crosses his arms, if only to stop himself from reaching out to shake her hand, which he'll explain:] I would shake your hand, but you probably want to know who I am and what's up with this place first, huh?

[outstandingbalance]

Seems like a good place to start. Not to be rude, but... [She gestures inclusively with an open handed shrug, somehow indicating the bridge around them in a relatively minimal motion.] I got the short version already. We show up, we get put on a ship.

Looks like I'm on this one.

[That about sums up what she knows, though.]

[sonofgold]

[Cosmic found the new arrival before Al did; the white fox came to inspect Natasha, sitting down and tilting his head, looking her over with a critical eye. A gold-haired teenage boy soon followed, giving Natasha a friendly smile as he scooped the fox into his arms.]

Hey, are you our new shipmate? Don't mind Cosmic- I hope he hasn't bothered you.

[outstandingbalance]

No, he's fine.

[She looks at the fox, brows puckering slightly, before she shifts her attention to Al.]

Is he yours?

[sonofgold]

[Al nodded.]

Well- half mine and half Clay's, but he's really the ship's pet. Oh, and I should say who I am- I'm Alphonse, your security officer.

[outstandingbalance]

You're a security officer?

[She largely tamps down on her skepticism, but a little surprise still comes through in her tone and on her face.]

Well, it's nice to meet you Alphonse.

[Natasha extends her hand to shake, respectful, pushing past her initial reaction.]

Natasha. Nice to meet you.

[sonofgold]

[Al accepted the handshake, quite used to the surprise in her voice. Most people weren't members of the military in their teens like he and Ed had been, after all.]

Glad to meet you, too. And that's what my augment is for, at least... the technology here is way, way ahead of what I'm used to, though, so I'm still learning things a bit.