Just Keeping Swimming | March Planet Mingle

[thespaceopera]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: If you want!
Action: Anywhere on Mafik
When: The month of March



[Welcome to Mafik, the water world! Hope you brought your best swimming gear and don't have a paralyzing fear of water, because that's all that's here! So get out those wet suits and enjoy life under the sea!

In other words, it's a mingle! ]

> System Information

Comments

[bi_otic]

[Kaidan connect the mental dots easily enough, and it says more than the her few words do. A violent, resource-scarce world. He isn't surprised those qualities co-exist.]

Home was...good. I lived in Vancouver. Big city by the coast up north. Crowded, but beautiful. I got pretty lucky, all things considered. [It feels arrogant to not admit that much.]

But if you consider Earth as a whole home? That's a little more complicated.

[But that does give him a thought] Is it? Earth, I mean? Is that your world?

[kill_switch]

[Her brows furrow in thought for a moment,] I think so, or what's left of it. The only thing I know about outside the wasteland is from old books and stories and our History Woman Miss Giddy. The past wasn't really a concern. Reading wasn't really a concern. The books were really only available to Immortan Joe, his family, and his Wives.

[Another pause. This was the first time she'd really spoken his name here, or really thought about him in any passing fashion.] Immortan Joe controlled ... everything. Strictly. His wives - breeders - water, mother's milk. He had an army of half-life warboys who were diseased from the broken world and who's best hope was to die on the Fury Road. He fed them stories that if they died in his service they would be exalted and live again by his side in Valhalla.

[There's no hiding the pain and bitterness in her words, and she stops to reach her flesh hand up to press against her temples. It's more information that she'd wanted to let go of, but once she started talking it just sort of fell out. Things she hadn't ever voiced, had tried not to think about. Nux and Angharad and the Wretched caught under Joe's heel. He was done now, dead and gone, and hopefully those remaining would be able to shape a better world, but he'd left his scars.]

[bi_otic]

[Kaidan draws in a breath as the picture Furiosa paints starts to sharpen in his mind, even if he doesn't quite understand every word. This story has played out in some fashion in every corner of the universe - the rise of tyrants. And Kaidan pauses to remind himself that her maybe-Earth could have easily have been his, if the human race hadn't found the tools to reverse some of the damage they'd done.]

Sounds a bit like a cult.

[He glances at her, face sympathetic but...wary. He has a feeling he's treading around the edge of conversational quicksand but he'd meant what he'd said: sometimes it did help to talk about it. Sometimes]

And where did you fit in to all of this?

[kill_switch]

Just another tool of his. [She turns slightly and taps at the brand on her neck.]

As a full-life, I was able to fight my way up to Imperator, something of a General, I think? So I got a certain amount of power among the warboys and other Imperators. They called me 'bag of nails'.

I was able to use that position to steal a War Rig and smuggle the Wives out. It's ... a long story.

[And that's where she'll leave it.]

[bi_otic]

I'm sure it is. Maybe another time. [A small smile, showing her he wasn't going to press her for more of the details if she didn't feel like it. It was a good start to understanding who she was, beyond his tight-lipped crewmate.]

Either way, it sounds like you earned it. You're tough...maybe not entirely by choice...but that doesn't change anything and nothing can change that. Even not knowing how to swim. [His smile turns lightly teasing]

[kill_switch]

[Yes, this was definitely a step up for her, but it's a baby step and she's more than happy to let the conversation turn elsewhere, crossing her arms and closing off a bit but smiling at his last comment.]

Still, wouldn't hurt to learn. [Especially if there's someone willing to teach her.]

[bi_otic]

No. Unfortunately...I don't think the Dasioe make anything like water wings. [His smile sharpens just a little more, as he tries not to picture her wearing them]

[kill_switch]

Water wings? Is that some sort of - arm flipper? [She's not sure what else it could be, but she's thinking about the flippers she's seen some people put on their feet.]

[bi_otic]

[He can't stop himself from letting out a tiny, breathy chuckle]

Not exactly. They're flotation devices...for beginners.

[kill_switch]

So then, something I should use?

[Look what you did, Kaidan, she cracked a smile.]

[bi_otic]

[Well, it wasn't his goal necessarily, but it's nice to see regardless. A little bit of levity to shake off the shadow of the past.]

Well, it might help you learn, yeah. Tiny inflatable arm bands won't help with the tough image, though. But maybe that's what we're going for.

[kill_switch]

No, but ... maybe that's a good thing? [It's worth trying, at least, if she needs to make herself more approachable for the rest of the crew.]

[bi_otic]

[A soft laugh] Couldn't hurt. Maybe I can find some in the shape of little ducks.

[He grins for a second at the mental image that's been kicking around in his mind since he'd said it.]

We'll probably have to settle for hanging off the side of the shuttle though.

[kill_switch]

Ducks. [vague idea what those are.]

I'll just have to settle for you being a good enough teacher I don't drown.