driftfleet | time for some spring-mingling!

[ This is Elena's first ship shuffle so her first priority is exploring with an idea of getting the lay of the ship. That means she'll be all over the place. She's particularly interested in checking out the med bay, but she's going to peruse the kitchen as well as the new bathrooms.

It's definitely shiny which she's not opposed to at all, but it doesn't really impress her. She's more interested in the practical things the ships offers, as well as the people and the shuttles. After all, Stefan had promised to come see her as soon as she got settled on a ship. ]

[ This week, Stefan's been obsessively checking the crew roster and refreshing and refreshing until he sees her name pop up. That surely can't be healthy, but he misses her. No amount of late-night texting can make up for seeing her in person and knowing that they're traveling together after almost ~2 years apart (on his end) or ~6 years (on hers).

He rushes over to the Starstruck as soon as he can, hastily texting Elena to wait for him in the cargo bay. Of course she would've been shuffled there - second verse's the same as the first. He really shouldn't have tried to guess otherwise.

As he climbs out of his shuttle and re-adjusts the strap of his messenger bag, he catches sight of her and - oh. She's really here. ]

Hey. [ He swallows - fear? hesitation? sheer nerves? - and rushes over to her, immediately enveloping her in his arms and even twirling her around. Y'Allah, he'd forgotten how she could make every little insecurity and worry melt away.] Just like I promised.

Edited (i forgot the twirl!!!!) 2017-04-10 22:02 (UTC)

[ Elena hasn't been quite as obsessive, but she has been anxious to see Stefan, to affirm that he is alive and well. She writes letters to Caroline in her journal about the late-night texting, about how surreal it is, despite everything they've gone through, to know that she could be seeing Stefan again, Stefan who died as a human in her world. She writes about how she misses him and she knows Caroline does as well, how she wishes that Caroline could be here beside her to see him. She also writes to Bonnie about her unplanned adventure, knowing that Bonnie is travelling as well (though probably not in space). It fills up the time, but doesn't make her any less anxious about seeing Stefan.

Stefan did promise he would rush over as soon as she was shuffled, but she hadn't expected him to drop everything (hoped, not expected). She watches the shuttles land in the cargo bay, twisting her hands and trying to remember she is not a seventeen year old girl anymore. She is a young woman and a doctor; somehow, Stefan always makes her feel like a teenager--a little giddy, a little buzzy and so very alive.

She doesn't know it's his shuttle, but she watches it land, that excitement bubbling up in her when she sees him get out of the shuttle. Of course, he looks just the way he did before; in truth, he looks healthier, younger. He'd been so sick at the end and she is so glad to see him looking this way. She only hesitates a moment when he says 'hey', smiling at him, a smile that is filled with all the nerves she feels, but also with her happiness at seeing him here. That all melts away when he embraces her and twirls her around, nudging a laugh out of her as she buries her face against his shoulder, her arms tight around his neck. ] It's a good promise to keep.

[She has to lift her head, tilt it back ever so slightly so she can look at him. He is a little older (somehow--how) than he had been the last time he was a vampire in Mystic Falls. ] Hey.

[ Just like that, he feels seventeen again. As if they're still high schoolers, with only exams and college entrance tests to worry about, and not the young adults stranded in the middle of the universe. Stefan doesn't let go, even as he peers down at her and gives her a warm, relieved smile in return. He's certainly taller than when she last saw him (finishing puberty will do that to a guy), but otherwise? He sure hopes he feels the same. ]

I missed you. [ He feels like he's said it before, but he really, really doesn't care as he reaches out to brush back some of her hair. ] Did you get a chance to settle in yet, or uh - am I part of your welcoming party?

[ Either way, he's brought presents in his messenger bag, and he's certainly eager to present them when he's got a moment. ]

[ It's not necessarily a bad thing, is it? She thinks there are worse things than making each other feel like they're teenagers again. Elena is perfectly alright with Stefan hanging on. She's certainly not unwinding her arms from his neck. Even now, she's having a hard time believing that he's real. She'd seen him die; she'd gone to his funeral and yet he's solid and real here. His admission of missing her makes her smile softly, tears springing to her eyes. ]

I missed you too. So much, Stefan. [ For so long. She'd never gotten over missing her parents and Jenna. She doesn't ever expect to get over missing Stefan either, except here, here where he's alive. Her head tilts slightly into his touch, eyes closing in a slow blink. ] I've located my room, but I haven't unpacked. [ sort of settled. He really didn't have to bring presents, but she'll gush over them all the same. ]

[ He can only imagine how long it must've been. Even now, Stefan had always taken comfort in the knowledge that she was in Mystic Falls. While he can't say he wishes the Fleet on anyone, he's also selfishly grateful that it brought them back together. ]

Let me help you get everything squared away. [ He brightens, not pulling away just yet, ] I'm biased towards my ship, of course, but the Starstruck's got good people. No matter what you choose, you're gonna fit in just fine.

[ Right now, Elena is glad to be here as well. She'll probably change her mind eventually; she'll miss her friends, her house, her home, but right now, she's very grateful to be here with Stefan. ]

You don't have to do that, but I will let you sit and talk to me while I get things squared away. [ Totally okay that he doesn't pull away; in fact, she's glad of it. ] Mmmm, well it's possible you could talk me into a transfer.

As much as I would love for you to transfer, you're in very capable hands. [ He trusts Peggy with his (immortal) life, after all. Trusting her with Elena, in turn, is a natural extension of a years-long friendship. He couldn't have asked them to shuffle her onto a better ship, save his own. ] Stick it out for a couple of weeks, see what you think.

[ Reluctantly, he pulls away, only to hold onto her hand and intertwine his fingers in hers. ]

If - and only if - you decide you'd rather be with me, then we'll process the paperwork.

[ She nods a little. She likes Peggy too, and really his plan is what she's mostly decided on already.

Their hands fit together so naturally, fingers twining just like breathing. She's forgotten this, how easy this is with Stefan. It's comforting, especially right now.]

Something to talk about later then. I met Peggy earlier and I like her.

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[Most of the people on board are entirely pleasant and nice people!! So very social and open to new company.

Max is not one of those people, though. He's the resident grumpy guard dog.

He sits with his bad leg propped up at a desk in the cargo bay, his leg brace clutched in his lap as he carefully eyes one of the compromised screws where the knee bends at; it's lasted a damn good amount of time, even after one of those space raids, but everything needs maintenance, whether it's people or things. His old mutt, Rock, lays near him; he's seen better days, gray in his hair and nose a bit crooked, as if it had been smashed a little earlier in life, perhaps an old broken nose.

He -- Max, that is, not the dog, contrary to how there's not a huge difference -- doesn't seem to pay Elena much attention, but he is pretty engulfed in his work. Just don't go poking around his shuttle.]

[ Elena dated Damon for years. She's a pro at grumpy people. In fact, grumpy guard dog is a cinch in comparison.

Honestly, it's the dog that gets Elena's attention more than the grizzled older guy working on...something mechanical. As she gets closer, it becomes apparent that the 'something mechanical' is a sort of knee brace. As novel the idea of a dog on board a space ship is, the knee injury trumps it. She approaches, hand slightly extended toward the dog, wariness (but not fear) in her body language. For all she knows, it could be a completely unfriendly dog. ]

ACL, PCL or something else entirely?

[ Max's knee, she means and the reason for the brace. ]

[Not a problem, Elena. Rock's a good dog. He just sniff-snuffs at her hand but makes no attempt to move or growl or what have you. Perhaps he's just a lazy old bastard. The other lazy bastard looks up at the new face, eyebrow raising. The new person, maybe? Probably. He looks back to his work, twisting out a screw with a screwdriver.]

Kneecapping.

[Such a poet, such a speaker of the house. Truly.]

[ When the dog doesn't growl or move, Elena smiles and scritches behind his ears a moment. Elena frowns a bit at his explanation. It's not much by medical means but...]

So you wear a brace all of the time?

[ She's curious. ]

I'm sorry. I'm new here. Elena Gilbert. I'm a doctor. Orthopedics aren't my specialty, but it's an interesting subject.

[Elena, alright. He'll try to remember that.

Don't care about your last name though. It's whatever.]

Mm.

[He's not much of a conversationalist, and he hates talking about his leg (because Beverly and Peggy both drive him nuts with it), but he's gotten better. Much better. In fact, when he's about to turn back to work, as if that hum of a response was just enough, he does stop himself. Right, right. Talking. New crew. Hn.]

Had it for a long time. Nothing new to me.

Just wear this and keep it moving.

[aka a terrible way to treat what is terribly osteoarthritis]

[ Back home, her last name had been important, but she doesn't really care if he remembers it or not. She nods a little bit, getting the idea from his words and his tone that he doesn't want to talk much about it. She can understand that. Her brow furrows a little. She wants to protest that there has got to be a better way. They're a space ship. How can there not be a way to fix this? However, she has to remind herself that she is not Max's doctor. ]

Did you pick up your dog somewhere here or is he from home?

[ The dog is sure to be a better subject, right?]

[There are ways to help him with his leg; he's just a paranoid old bastard who doesn't let anyone touch him. Alas. He glances at Rock, thoughtful, letting his brace settle in his lap. If she looks carefully at the dog, she may see he has an old scar on the same leg as Max; twins, it seems, though only by the silliest of coincidences.]

... I hit him with a shuttle on one of the stations we visited.

Been with us on the Starstruck ever since.

[ Elena's brows go up at that, a surprised look on her face.] Wow. [ She crouches to pet the dog again. ]

I'm glad he's okay and it's nice to see a dog around.

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[ -- peggy carter makes a point of stopping by the med bay. she's got her device in hand, and it'll be easy enough to write off her familiarity as an attentiveness to the ship's roster. the starstruck's captain (at times) looks more like she'd stepped out of a '40s office building than a space-traveler: starched blouse, pin-curled hair, red lipstick.

she knocks her knuckles gently on the inside of the door. ]

Miss Gilbert? Welcome aboard the Starstruck.

[ Elena is quite busy checking out the medbay and envisioning how she's going to arrange it. The lab augmentation provides her with the skills to use medical technology and medicines that she's not familiar with from home. She's filing all these bits and pieces away in her mind, making a mental list of the things she'd like to get some practical experience with when the click of heels grabs her attention. She turns just as Peggy knocks, smiling at her. ]

Dr. Gilbert [ She says it almost automatically then starts toward Peggy, hand out to shake. ] Thank you. [ She tries not to make assumptions about people because her life has taught her that first assumptions are often wrong, but she is curious who this woman is--the welcome wagon perhaps? She's beautiful, but she definitely looks like someone from another time period--a vampire that got stuck in a decade. ]

Doctor.

[ she's quick to correct herself. the assumption had been made, of course, on the back of peggy's experience with a previous iteration. but she manages to take the correction with grace. after all, she's been in elena's shoes once or thrice.

peggy takes her hand and gives her a good, warm shake. ] Peggy Carter. You'll let me know if you need anything, won't you? It's not every day we get new faces aboard our ship.

[ perhaps because their numbers had once been higher. but once the twins had left... ]

[Oh it's fine. Elena didn't even mean it so much as a correction as she meant it as informative. It was also a justification for her poking around the med bay. When Peggy introduces herself and extends her welcome, Elena's eyes go a bit wide with recognition. ]

Oh! You're the Captain of the ship. Captain Carter. I remember seeing your name. It's nice to meet you.

[ -- her smile is bright. warm enough, certainly, and utterly sincere. after their handshake, peggy places her hands loose upon her hips. ]

Please, just Peggy'll do. [ such informality never came easy to her -- at her heart she'd rather be called 'captain' by anyone just meeting her. but the truth of the problem is that the majority of the crew has fallen into calling her just peggy by default. might as well allow the rookie to do the same. ]

[ Honestly, Elena likes her already. To be fair, there are very few people Elena doesn't like. ]

Then I'll have to insist you just call me Elena. [ informality is what Elena prefers (she's a child of her generation in that way) but it makes people feel better when their life and health are in her hands if they call her doctor. ] It's nice to meet you. I was just scoping out the med bay here. It's impressive. Is someone in charge of it?

Mister Aizawa has been tending to the lab for the time being -- and he has a bit of a steel fist when it comes to the consoles. However, he can't argue with your augment. You'll have access to them before the end of the day. I promise. [ peggy pauses. ] I'm assuming yours is for the lab. That's why you're 'scoping' it out, yes?

[ a good guess. but she's also basing it on the previous time elena had been here. ]

[ Elena nods. She certainly doesn't want to mess with anyone's lab set up. She knows how people can be. ] Yes, but also because I wanted to be familiar with it if a need for a doctor arises.