driftfleet | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Erik and you
Broadcast: Text, fleetwide
Action: the Heron
When: July 23rd

text.

If anyone - for whatever reason - wants some novelty fridge magnets, there is a sponsor crate of them on the Heron. You can take as many as you want, though there isn't that much variety.

I will note at the outset that no, there are no alphabet pieces.

[Along with this rather brief message is attached a photo of the crate's contents. Half the magnets seem to be little cartoon planets. The other half are... well... magnets.]

action.

[Anyone inclined to visit the Heron to take up this exciting offer - or just to visit - will find Erik leaning against the crate in the cargo hold. He has a number of the magnets suspended in the air above one hand, and every few minutes he flicks his fingers, sending one flying into the hull wall.

The crate itself is emblazoned with the message "To the most ATTRACTIVE guy on the Fleet! - Magnecessities". Maybe that's part of why he looks faintly irritated.

Flick goes another magnet.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He pats Erik's hand lightly. ]

I'll spread the word about your attractiveness.

That sounds a bit raunchy, Charles.

I've been told I'm a bit of a showoff.

That, I can believe.

[He quirks a smile, hard around the edges. The tension has broken a little, light as it was. This is a small incursion into his calm; an important one, nonetheless. It serves as a reminder to Erik that he has to keep on his guard, and not forget the stakes. This is not a holiday, nor a voyage by choice. The hands of others keep steering them.]

I'll try and restrain myself.

[ Charles knows, which is why he doesn't offer sympathy or any other pithy words. He's doing well because the planet itself caters to his likes enough to soothe away any qualms he might hold. ]

Considering I only came back to the ship so I could make repairs to that hole on the Iskaulit, they certainly timed this well.

They are supposed to be watching, though there have been no signs of cameras anywhere.

There never have been. [Monitoring could be done by any means. The technology level here is so far beyond their own, they may simply not be able to comprehend the methods used. Cameras might not even look like cameras anymore.]

I was talking to Wanda and I might have a theory of sorts. About this place.

[He drops the magnets back into the crate, glancing at Charles.]

Like what?

This place exists in a different time. I know, it sounds obvious, but what if our bodies and minds have been split? Like Logan was. He could travel back because he existed in two times - this one and the future. But his mind could only be conscious of one.

Apparently Wanda remembered any entire year of her world while she was unconscious here. I think that's what has happened. We're split between times but we can only recall one.

Wasn't Logan's presence in our time only possible because of a mutant's power? [To do this on such a grand scale defies belief. Then again... so does everything else, observed critically.]

We also remembered things in long spans, if you recall.

Yes, but how we did it was quite different from this. It's quite possible that the Atroma has replicated that woman's power. The one I saw in the future.

[Erik folds his arms, rolling this new idea around in his mind. What Charles is saying has the weight of possibility, only that would mean that these bodies may be false. If it was similar to the prison Kitty was in, this whole thing could be faked, a virtual reality. That could explain 'remembering' something they hadn't before.]

Not everyone suddenly remembers new events here, though.

Of course not. I imagine the "remembering" happens at the whim of the Atroma. To boost ratings, to encourage drama and the like.

[Once again, the notion that they're all playthings for an unseen audience makes his expression twist, something dark in his eyes. Getting memories purely to see how they'd react is repulsive. He shrugs tightly.]

Of course.

[ Charles looks away briefly. ]

It's only a theory.

[After a pause, he jerks his head in the direction of the doorway.]

I'm going to be minding this for a while. If you'd rather not wait, I'll meet you later.

[ Charles smiles briefly, taking Erik's hand and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. ]

All right, dear. Don't stay up too long.

Don't worry. If they're not all gone in an hour, they're going into the garbage.

[ Casually. ] Seems fair.

[ With that, he wheels out. He's not too worried, and moods come and go. Just checking up on him seems to be enough and Charles knows if it's a real issue, Erik would come to him. ]

[Regardless of real issue or not, Erik does come back to the inn, a couple of hours after Charles had left. Night has well and truly fallen by then, the insects singing in the distance. Trekking back through the forest and the villages had served to sand down some of his sharper edges on the way, though his irritation lingers under his skin.

Erik pulls the door to their room open without knocking, letting out a sigh as he puts his bag down.]

[ Charles rubs his eyes, the contact of another mind nudging against his. Still, he smiles, sleep-tinged. ]

Welcome back.

[Erik welcomes the brush of thought, a sensation he's come to associate with coming home. Pulling off his shoes, he crosses to the bed.] Hi. [He leans in to kiss him briefly, affection flaring through his skin.]

[ He runs a hand over Erik's shoulders. ]

How are you feeling?