driftfleet | A Rose by any other name...!

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A Rose by any other name...!

Suddenly, the SS Three Twins and the SS Windrose begin to move on their own... slowly, calmly, they drift to into the same direction, away from the other ships of the fleet. Slowly, they move until they side by side.

Over the two ships' intercom, an old song begins to play. And that is all the warning there is before the engines engage -- full speed ahead.

Like a pair of rockets, the ships torpedo forward. As they move, they start circling around each other, like a synchronized dance. They move with incredible grace and skill, far more masterfully than the average pilot augment. Except, each time that they pass each other, they clearly get closer to one another.

And closer...

And closer...

No matter what buttons the crews press, no matter how much they might panic, nothing is going to stop the inevitable. On the final pass, it becomes clear there's not enough room between them to avoid a collision. Any impact alarms on the bridge are blaring at full blast. Any other ships watching will not have time to attempt any sort of interception.

CRASH!!

As if to shield spectators' eyes from the horrors of ships colliding in space, there's a blinding light upon impact -- and once it gradually fades, the results can be clearly seen by all: There is no wreckage. Nothing is broken. But where there were once two ships... now there's only one.

One ship that is looks completely new, but yet is reminiscent of both the SS Three Twins and the SS Windrose.

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On the bridge, the crews of the SS Three Twins and the SS Windrose arrive, along with the usual pop! of Atroma confetti and ridiculous jingle music upon a successful shuffle. Sitting in the captain's chair is a round cake, just large enough for everyone to have one slice. There's a single candle, and the following message scribbled on top in yellow icing:

"Congratulations - SS Twin Roses!
Happy Fusion!"

... What, did you think you were going to die? Sorry about that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Winn and I were having the best threesomes with the big bed. [The bed itself was the third, but she doesn't explain this.] That was way too brief. [She has every confidence in herself to kick people out of the room and make it hers and yet, she doesn't really want to do something that might divide the ship that started as two ships. And since they are also a couple that lives there all the time it probably is a bit more fair for them to have the big bed nightly, but it also sucks a lot.]

Oh yeah? [The corner of his mouth tips up into a smirk.] Well, I can help you find a third if you really need it. [Although there's a tone to his voice that suggests that he's not at all serious.]

Although Anders has a friend Hermione who can make rooms bigger on the inside I think. Maybe he can talk to her about making the rooms big enough for another bigger bed.

That, or we can keep putting in requests to upgrade the bedrooms.

[Have an eye roll.] I just meant with the bed not another person, but if you know where to get a bigger bed... Hermione can do what? [It's not surprise or disbelief, just excitement.]

I had a request for an upgrade in already. And Winn and I can make a bed. How hard can it be?

[Vash shrugs.] Anders made it seem like she could make a room bigger. He suggested that about the spare room we had for our plants.

Which I found! They're also still healthy and good too!

And making a bed isn't going to be the hard part. It's making the room hold more than just a bed if you put a bigger bed in those rooms.

Right. Well, shouldn't be too hard once things are upgraded. Might need to get rid of the extra furniture they give me if that happens, but we have some extra rooms. I don't do much in there other than sleep [and the stuff that makes her the big bucks with the audience] anyway. And maybe talk to Hermione. I really should have gotten in to the the witch business.

Yeah. Making a room bigger on the inside seems like a very useful talent! So, do you have witches where you're from? And is that the right thing to call her? I thought it was wizard.

I don't know. It might be. It seems like everyone who uses magic that I meet is from an entirely different universe so I'm sure the terms change.

And back home...I don't know. If we did they weren't exactly standing up against Apocalypse with us. Not that I noticed anyway.

Apocalypse? As in an event or is someone actually named Apocalypse?

[Given Vash's typical nature it could be assumed that he's joking around, but he is asking it in a serious manner. Those are two different situations after all.

And really being named Apocalypse isn't as bad as say naming a kid Knives.]

Name. Name he went by anyway. [Tipping her head slightly.] Kind of both though. Less biblical, just as horrific.

[Yeah, at least his real name was En Sabah Nur.]

Man, I don't even know the guy, but that sounds pretty awful if he named himself that. I'm sorry. [He's not really sure what to say or what to ask. Was there any point to bring up bad memories like that when getting to know a new crew member? It wasn't to say he wasn't interested in hearing more.]

He still causing trouble back in your world?

That does tend to be a bad sign. His son went by Holocaust. Also appropriate.

[Definitely the best getting to know you chat. But to be fair most of Kitty's memories are bad ones. Even the good ones generally end with "and then the worst possible thing happened."] From what I've heard about the world after my death [yeah, sure, why not. Throw that in too.] he was killed, and things got better for a little while and then they got a lot worse. Didn't sound like there'd be any life left.

[She looks at Vash for a moment.] I guess I could have just said no, huh? [She's pretty calm about talking about it though. It's broad strokes and it's the life she knew. It's terrible, but it's also a comfort zone because it's familiar. None of it is a secret. What stops her from talking about it when she does stop is just the comfort of others which...too much?]

Holocaust. [It takes a moment as he recalls the word. He had learned of what happened, but it's not something the rest of his planet knows a lot about so it's been awhile since it's been mentioned to him.] Ah, well, a family of really bad names then.

[His eyebrows lift a bit in surprise at the mention of her death. He had heard that people can come here from after their deaths, but it was another thing to see it first hand.]

No. That's fine to say. I-um, I'm just sorry that you died. [Wow. That was really weird to say.] But I am glad that you are here and getting a second chance now.

[Maybe then... people he knows?]

Thanks. And I'm not really dead. I mean I would have been if I wasn't here, but the last place that kidnapped me pulled me out a few seconds before that could happen so I've already had [pausing] a confusing and indeterminate amount of bonus time. [Time was confusing in the prison and she didn't realize it until she'd left.] Just nowhere to go back to.

Oh. [He debates saying how maybe she'll be saved back home at the last second, but feels that may be rude. He doesn't know how she's about to die after all. Still, not a great future to think about being sent back to one day.]

Well, at least you're here now. You have all kinds of places to move forward to.

[Just so much downside with going back even if she does survive it in the moment.]

At least there's that. The plan, in as much as we can have plans, is finding a way to get out of here of our own choosing and going back to Winn's world with him. [It always sounds like such a fairy tale when she says it aloud to someone else.]

That sounds like a pretty good plan. What world is Winn from? An Earth one? [Vash doesn't actually know for sure, but as it seems about 80% of the fleet seem to be from some sort of Earth it's a safe bet.]

[Nodding.] An earth one. From a place called National City. Known for their generic city naming abilities. He thinks they have the best pizza. He's right about so many things, but not that one. [Little smile.]

[Vash laughs at the pizza. He remember the pizza day he went to that Kitty and Pinkie put on. He went mostly for Pinkie, but it's pretty clear now why there was a pizza party.]

Oh yeah? I think I remember hearing something about a deep dish pizza?

Chicago's specialty was deep dish. It wasn't even my favorite back then, but... it reminds me of home now. The good parts of it.

I think I can understand that. There was this type of... ah, well, it was called food but it was more like eating a rock that people would sometimes eat. Never thought I'd want to eat that again, but you know what? If I found it on a planet I would probably buy one for that taste of home.

Okay, deep dish is definitely better than rock food, but I get what you're saying.

What was it called? The place you landed after leaving earth?

You know, I'm not sure we've given it an official name. Most call it Gunsmoke. Although I've heard No Man's Land used now and then.

Gunsmoke like the TV show? Not a hospitable place? [No Man's Land isn't the most welcoming, nurturing sounding name for humanity's home away from home.]

I can't say. Never seen a show of the same name.

And no, not at all hospitable for humans. You were around for the moon covered in poison, right?

It's an old one from Earth that ran a long time. It was a western. Which, maybe doesn't mean anything to you under the circumstances. [She doesn't know how much people older than him spoke of earth.]

I was there. It was like that?

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