Calibration Post 1, "Daytime"

[thespaceopera]

[ Not long after the shuffle, there's a ripple of static over the network - loud, sudden, and seemingly with no origin. It's puzzling, but there's no indication that it's going to happen again...

Until a minute later. Another surge of static comes in over the speakers, and then a voice - one some may find familiar, though not necessarily welcome, after all of this time... It's Diamond. Long time no speak, hmm?

Clearly, not all is well. She sounds very far away, for one. For another, she sounds... skeptical, almost alarmed. There may actually be real concern in her voice. ]

Again? Twice in one c--

[ Her sentence is cut short with a strangled gasp, followed by a moment of silence. What follows may be the sound of metal dragged across metal, but it's hard to place. When she speaks again, it's uncharacteristically monotonous. ]

... Bring them in.

[ A blip of lost time passes right after those words, before every passenger mysteriously wakes alone in their own unfamiliar room. The style of decor resembles that of the Marsiva's Hospitality Deck, if any passengers should remember what that's like. It sounds and smells the same as the host ship as well, all clean and chrome, but this set of rooms has only been used once, and for the very same purpose that befalls the fleet contestants now.

As for their hosts, there is no immediate sign of them, though some may recall a series of hideous, half-electronic screams before their memories begin to blur upon arrival...

Welcome back to the Marsiva, dear passengers. It's time for round two of calibrations. ]

[ This mingle will cover all non-calibration room interactions. Please continue to come back to it for the duration of the plot! You are, of course, free to post any other mingles/posts/etc. that you'd like. ]

Comments

[collegedropout]

Huh? Oh, uh. Sure thing. [He stares at the door for a moment like a turkey out in the rain before he steps in. Just one step, just enough to be in the door. Must have to do with something like... you know. Germ fear. Or something more ominous than that. He'll leave it be.] Usually they send you in with your stuff, yeah. I mean, I had a few things on me, but things this month are...

...

Complicated.

[darksmokerising]

Complicated? Wow.

[She lets out a soft exclamation of joy when she finds her clove cigarettes and eventually does find her gloves. Her jacket gets stuffed with the rest of her things and pulled on, though there are some things missing. Like her Tarot cards.

The gloves feel better on her hands. Much less like she was naked.]

Alright. [She offers a gloved hand easily, now, her hazel eyes bright as she grins.] Hi, Sam, I'm Merlan, and it's really nice to meet you.

[collegedropout]

[Ah, got it. There it is. He gives her hand a short but firm shake.]

Likewise.

Now, um... you're on a space ship, and you're not in your universe.

We should probably start there.

.........

Any questions?

[darksmokerising]

[She reaches to touch the augment questioningly.]

I know this is an augment and that I'm security, which surprise, surprise means weapons, but exactly what are we all doing out here? It's probably a question you have to answer way too often, yeah?

[Her expression's apologetic.]

Ah, and, are people gonna miss us back where we came from? I guess that one's an important one.

[collegedropout]

First — [He holds up a finger, as he starts walking a bit slowly; casual walk-n-talk, you know.] — time should in theory be in the same state it was when you left it. Which is really handy. Secondly... I'm still trying to parse deeper motives, but, uh. We're currently trapped in a reality show set in space.

...

Apparently.

[darksmokerising]

Okay. That first one is good to know. It means I don't have to worry about the, um, shit I said earlier. The second, however... [She gives Sam a long look lets out a slow sigh as she follows him.

Just her luck.]

Great, so basically, Big Brother in Space.

[Merlan wrinkles her nose.]

Please don't tell me there's folks being voted off the ship via airlock.

[collegedropout]

[Not yet, no, is what he thinks. His filter (that Dean tragically failed to inherit) stops him though.]

No, no. It's usually pretty mild, actually. We visit different planets, mostly. You're paid depending on how well-received you are... I guess. But I don't recommend causing trouble for cash, because then everyone'll probably give you the stink-eye.

[He's joking a little, but really, don't do that.]

[darksmokerising]

I'm not usually in the business of trouble causing, especially for cash. That sort of stuff usually finds me, though. [She lets out a soft, bright, laugh] Stink-eyes, too.

Honestly, I'll take some exploration. Visiting other planets sounds like it's my jam. Alien life, plants, people? Now that's some fantastic stuff.

[She grins up at him.]

So, what's the coolest place you've been so far?

[collegedropout]

Oh, good. Stink-eyes.

[But he's pleasant enough, as if he's had his own fair share.]

Crazy, but fun. I mean... not all fun. There's some pretty nasty crap conspiring under the surface. Luckily, the community here is pretty great — everyone looks after each other, you know?

[The kitchen isn't too far away from them; he leads her in to let her do some of her own exploration.]

I really liked the underwater world; we could actually breathe in it.

Really out there, you know?

[darksmokerising]

That sounds absolutely amazing. I have the dreams, the ones where you're underwater breathing it and just exploring. But you've lived it. Quite a thing to have done.

[She finds hot water and some plain old English breakfast tea, thinking as it steeps. Afer awhile there's a soft sound.[Forgive her if she looks as if that's a wonder.] That's how it ought to be, really. Everyone watching out for each other. And honestly, if it were all fun, the lot of us would get bored.

[collegedropout]

Yeah, it's pretty crazy. I mean, for most people.

[He settles down in a chair, letting her do her thing. See, now he's shorter.]

I've gotten used to this whole... other world idea. This place isn't the first I've been to.

Last place was a little different, though; less technology, more supernatural.

[darksmokerising]

I guess it would be crazy for most. Not so crazy for people who've seen some very strange things already.

[A little milk, some sugar and she joined him in her own chair.]

Supernatural? [Her eyebrows lift as she blows to cool her tea a little.] That sounds kinda cool, actually. And probably dangerous.

[collegedropout]

Oh yeah. Definitely dangerous.

We were being kept in another universe by grumpy gods. I mean, that's not really... that crazy, for me, but — they were too powerful to combat for a long time. Either they or the enviroment... I'm still not really sure, but... one of those two would cause a lot of weird shifts. Like. People would suddenly be afflicted by weird crap.

One time, I grew, like, six stories high. [He sips his own drink.] Just because.

[darksmokerising]

Grumpy gods with a sense of humour. You're like almost two of me stacked as it is. Six stories is like some [Merlan had to set her drink down to laugh for a moment] really shitty angel joke.

[She gave him a long, frank look and took a measured sip of her tea.]

I sure hope they were kind enough to make your clothes grow with you. Something tells me the local department store woudn't be having your size. [Her tease is a gentle one.] Bit rude, that.

[collegedropout]

Yeah, they were at least that merciful.

[ehem]

So, you're a psychic, huh? Pretty upfront about that kind of thing.

[Sam never was. It was something that was... y'know. A source of concern in a hunting community. Psychics like Missouri were one thing, but Sam's powers were sort of a source of danger and misery; after all, Dean was more than pissed to think Sam had started using them again, even for good.

But that was a long while ago, and Sam's changed a lot.

Hopefully, Dean, too. He only hopes Dean wouldn't shun him quite so vigorously these days, though Sam's not too keen to ever see if he still has any of that Dumbo magic. Traumatic, okay.]

Is that what the gloves are for?

[darksmokerising]

[She stifles a soft laugh and glances away for a moment, colouring a little, but a second later her hazel eyes are back on his.]

I know you're not going to take me down for being [There's a beat as she gestures at her spoon and it rises to stir her tea.] like this.

[collegedropout]

[His brow quirks and he smiles as he leans on an elbow and watches the spoon move.

Sometimes he almost wants to try himself.

Almost, but never quite enough.]

Oh, are you sure about that? I could be all black and white.

One of those shoot first types, or whatever.

[Not that he particularly sounds it, right now.]

[darksmokerising]

[She laughs and the spoon stops stirring. Merlan picks it out of her tea and sets it to rest on the counter.]

Ah. Right, now. All you'd have to do is kick over my chair and I'd be down some strange corridor. Lost for years, me.

[collegedropout]

[Ha.]

Lost in this place? Well, at least it's clean.

[He shakes his head.]

You'll probably find a lot of good company here. On the powers front, I mean.

There's no shortage of, uh... interesting characters here.

[darksmokerising]

True to both, I suppose. If there are people from other worlds, other places, I don't doubt it.

[She sips her tea and lets out a sigh of relief.]

As far as good company, I think I this works well enough, [She offers him a slightly crooked smile.] powers or not.

[collegedropout]

Yeah. It's a big universe, I guess.

Any immediate questions on your mind about being taken captive? Or the fleet?

[Oh, right.]

... Usually, you're only here for a short while, then you're teleported to a smaller fleet ship.

[darksmokerising]

What exactly is normal operations like? [Her nod is slight.] Since this is rather unusual and I'm just lucky enough to get caught in it.

[collegedropout]

Ahhh, well. Usually you're on the marsiva until you're shuffled out onto a ship.

Usually, people are placed based on their augment. From there, you get your own room, and any time you do anything of 'interest' to the Atroma and the 'audience', you get paid for it in credits.

[darksmokerising]

[She nods thoughtfully and then quirks an eyebrow.]

Something tells me my studying habits aren't going to make fabulous ratings, even if I have conversations that are of interest to me. [She laughs quietly, just once.] I guess I could always telekinetically juggle silverware and engage in mock fork and spoon battles.

[collegedropout]

Yeah? I mean, I wouldn't knock it until you gave it a shot.

[He's sorta kidding, sorta not. Whatever gets you paid, right?

Not that he's used to being paid; this is a new thing for him, making money from something. Even when he worked maintenance, he didn't make money for a while — until he moved in with Amelia, anyway. The room and board at the motel had been enough.]

There's a lot going on behind the scenes, though; we haven't figured it all out yet, but... It's hard to say if there's even really a 'reality show' anymore.