driftfleet | Calibration Post 1, "Daytime"

[ 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. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh. Oh no, please. Don't get up on my account, I'll get it. I can make you some more as well, if you like?

[He's not going to be so rude as to expect someone to accommodate him. Or interrupt her reading.

Technically, I'm still up and my cup's had only a sip. It'll keep. And, mind you, I offered first. [She grins at him.] Let a gal get you a hello, niceta meetcha tea, mm? It'll be but a moment. Milk, sugar?

[She's nice, he has to admire that. Still, he feels a little wrong to expect her to make him tea.]

We could... make it together? To be fair. Sugar is good though.

Hmmm. [She gives him an appraising look. Merlan's voice is gently teasing. Well, I guess I can compromise. Teatime teamwork never made a bad cup, well unless someone puts way more sugar in, and if we can find a proper tea set, we could share a pot.

It hasn't in my experience at least. Or hasn't yet.

[That's something to look for in the next system they visit. If they ever get off the Marsiva.] I'm not sure what we'll find on this ship but when we get back to ours and reach another system, we'll find a nice set. My treat. I... haven't done much of anything with my credits since I arrived except buy clothes.

Mn, why thank you. Honestly,I never turn down a tea set. [She grins at him.] You should see my auntie's house. Storage room?

[Merlan wrinkles her nose. Yep. Yep. There's a tea room down there.]

I've never owned a set of my own so we'll both have a nice treat then.

[He can at least imagine what she's talking about.]

It really will. [Her smile is bright and wide.] So, whole other worlds? That actually sounds pretty amazing.

[He beams.]

If my world hadn't been invaded, I would have had a much harder time of handling the fleet. And even with that? This is still probably one of the most amazing things possible.

I guess good things come out of bad. [It's bewildering, really.] I feel...kind of fine about this but my world is full of angels and demons and things that go bump in the night, so it's not really a stretch to other worlds and a spaceship. I do keep thinking this is a really vivid dream now and again.

We have demons, where I come from. They don't originate from Azeroth though. At least, I don't believe they do.

[There's a very brief, very soft, chuckle.] Wake me up with you if you find out it's a dream. I'd like to wake up back on Azeroth.

I've tangled with more than a few, myself. I'll go ahead and guess they're probably pretty different on your world, then.

[She hums a quiet, affirmative response to that.]

I'm going to treat this like the vacation I've never gotten around to taking.

I had to deal with one, hopefully it'll be the only one. It possessed someone I looked up to.

[A faint, sad, smile.]

That's a good way to look at it!

I can very much relate. Two demons took my parents when I was ten. I went to live with my aunt and uncle after that. I guess they're still out there and one day I'll find them but I've always found it's best to keep as busy as you can.

[She lifts her book a little, though she is long longer quite as interested in it.]

Learning kept me sane.

I understand that feeling. I keep moving, studying, I help where I can. I don't let my training go to waste if I can help it.

That's it, exactly. That and I truly do enjoy learning. [Three doctorates later and she might as well have become a professor.]

It feels satisfying. Training does as well just in a whole different way.

[He can't blame here. And entirely understands.]

You're probably one of the few people in the fleet then that will understand how excited I was when I found some of the Kirin Tors books in a temple, a few systems ago.

Well, that sounds like it was quite a treat.

Finding the books was but the Twin Roses captains... they had some fun after.

Oh? [She leant in a little, interested in where his story was going. Being a Hunter as well as an academic meant there was a double interest in anything with a story attached to it.]

I fell asleep studying. Vash drew one me and Kitty woke me up by telling the ship was on fire. [Probably lower than the least exciting thing she was expecting.]

Quite rude.[Merlan laughed softly. These were things she had probably only read about since all of her focus had been solely one academics with a little side quest now and again.] What did Vash draw on you?

[A soft chuckle. No hard feelings towards Vash, not really.] His face on my cheeks and a star on my forehead.

Tch. Terrible. I suppose boredom on their part causes ill manners.

[Khadgar just gives a carefree smile.]

I suppose but I can't hold it against them. At least, not for too long.

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