ship mingle: february is for starstruckers.

[mucked]

Who: Crew of the Starstruck
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Y, aboard the ship
When: All month

[ welcome to february. y'all know the drill. ]

Comments

[mucked]

Don't be ridiculous. [ a shake of her head. ] I can make tea, Kubo.

[shamisens]

Okay, but everything's kind of . . . heavy right now.

[ Kubo turns, trying to show the cup which he has to hold with both hands. ]

[mucked]

[ a scowl. ]

-- You've noticed it, too, hm? [ peggy gives her head a shake. ] How bothersome.

[shamisens]

[ Kubo is not sure bothersome is the word for it. ]

Uhm. Can we . . . fix it?

[mucked]

We can try. [ a puff of her cheeks. peggy shakes her head -- almost rueful. it doesn't help the situation. ] I'm afraid it's my fault.

[shamisens]

How is it your fault?

Is this your magic?

[ Magic is 99% why things go wrong. ]

[mucked]

Haven't got any. [ magic. ] Except the sort where I'm very good with patterns -- and I've noticed one. The surlier I get, the heavier objects become.

[ bothersome. ]

[shamisens]

[ Carefully, he puts the mugs back. ]

Are you angry at something?

[mucked]

Angry? Heavens, no. [ but the dishes aren't any lighter. ] I'll admit to a feeling a little frustrated.

[shamisens]

Do you . . . [ Kubo trails off, unsure. Peggy is an adult and Kubo is just a kid. Still. ] Want to talk about it? I'm a good listener.

[mucked]

There isn't much to talk about -- [ she might be harbouring plenty of secrets, but not any she's about to spill now. rather: ] It's a rather vicious cycle. The aberration bothers me, and therefore me being bothered makes it worse.

[shamisens]

Can't you break the cycle?

[ Kubo doesn't get why it might be hard. ]

[mucked]

I try. And to something's credit, it does break. But the opposite emotion starts to make everything float -- a wicked little reminder of the problem.

[shamisens]

We could put weights on things . . . is it only you though?

[mucked]

There could be more. It's true. [ ... ] Have you been feeling alright?

[shamisens]

[ Kubo shifts on his feet awkwardly. ]

I think so?

[mucked]

No strange urges? No sudden shifts in mood?

[shamisens]

[ He relaxes slightly. It was clear now that Peggy was looking to see if he was under the same effects. ]

No, nothing like that.

[mucked]

It's been happening on a handful of ships. [ she lapses into thought. ] If anything changes, I hope you'll tell me. The more we know about what might be happening to our augments, the better prepared we can be.

[shamisens]

[ Kubo nods immediately. ]

Sure, but . . . are we going to do anything about this right now? I can't even wash up.

[mucked]

Oh, why don't you leave them? [ she aims for impish -- trying to trick her mood into improving. ] They'll keep until the morning. And it's hardly your fault.

[shamisens]

But who will do it?

[ Kubo is the cook and hasn't gotten the memo that he's not in charge of cleaning everything and making sure things are okay. It's an unconscious habit to tidy up and get ready for the next day. ]

[mucked]

Someone else. Me, perhaps, if I'm feeling more -- buoyant. Or Steve when he comes in for coffee. Hell, I bet we could even talk Max into scrubbing up. If we're lucky, it might get some of the grime off him too.

[shamisens]

It's not his fault. He's just not used to it.

[ Kubo couldn't help feeling a little defensive for Max. ]

I'm still not used to it.

[mucked]

-- Whoa, now. Meant nothing by it. [ her tone turns shrewd. careful. ] Believe you me, Max wouldn't have minded me saying it. It might be tough to picture, but I'm no stranger to muck myself.