driftfleet | video/action

Who: Pavel Chekov and anyone!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Tourist and/or Iskaulit
When: From the Great Shuffle through July

[video]

It was kind of our hosts to give us gifts after keeping us on the Marsiva and making us share far, far too much with each other, but...

[The Russian pulls his lovely gift basket into view. In addition to the candies and fudge and pickled herring (he is grateful for all of these things, thank you space hosts), there are a few additional items that he is less amused by.]

Did anyone else find their choice in gifts, er... slightly insulting?

Although it was thoughtful of them, I admit, to provide a shirt [it says "I <3 bad boys," for the Russian speakers out there] for my girlfriend to wear once I grow her.

[Sarcasm. That was definitely sarcasm.]

[action]

[If Pavel isn't poking around his quarters on the Tourist, then he's going for a run on the Iskaulit. In either case, he is making no real effort to be sociable. It's not that he doesn't want to talk to people, it's just that there are a lot of things that he doesn't want to talk about. Everyone knows that the only sure way to avoid certain topics of conversation is to avoid talking entirely.

Any attempts on his part to keep quiet will fail miserably if he's approached. Being a person who likes other people is so hard sometimes.]

[ooc: If you, like me, wanted to do ALL of the Calibration things but grossly overestimated your ability to do so, you're welcome to browse Chekov's memories and handwave your character seeing any of the unmarked ones.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This is good to know, thank you. Once I stop being entertaining, I will need to make a living somehow.

[Drama is the kind of thing that happens without cultivation, sadly. Like a weed. Weeds of drama.]

...Why would you do that?

Much better to earn your own coin, than have it made from what people find entertaining

[Screw you, Atroma, he'll do this his way! ]

Because apparently it will help me with them.

[He does not sound convinced. ]

Much saner as well. What they find entertaining is usually unpleasant.

[You know, just going by what he can tell by the correlation between his pay and his mental and emotional suffering.]

Your feelings seem fine to me.

[Controlled and repressed, just like feelings should be.]

It is almost consistently unpleasant, yes.

[Fenris manages a smile at that comment, giving a firm nod of his head. Good lad, Pavel, you get it. ]

Precisely. There is no need to spout them all over the place like a needy teenager.

[Russians are experts at burying their feelings. Repression was practically invented there.]

As someone who was until recently a needy teenager... yes, I agree.

But the captain is only concerned, probably. His concern sometimes manifests in unhelpful ways.

[Fenris would probably enjoy Russia. Well. Except for the snow. That can go swing.]

Ah, that is true. I forget how young you are.

[You make him feel like an old man, Pavel. ]

Ugh, yes, I have noticed that particular personality quirk of his. [He doesn't sound half as annoyed as he's making out he is. ]

[Fenris would find kindred spirits in Russia. He'd even find plenty of other people who hate the snow (but are too resigned to their fate to go someplace warmer).]

I'm not that young.

[The young man says, youngly.]

There are worse quirks to have. That is something about him that I wouldn't want to change.

[Sound like his kind of people. ]

Uh huh.

[He does not believe. ]

Me either, I would not change it for this or any other world.

[Pavel will let Fenris hold on to his disbelief. He's super mature that way.]

For an entire world, I would maybe change it. [Joking, probably.] I'm glad that you care for Kirk. It's good to have people here for him, especially now that the doctor has left.

[He smiles, a little sad. ]

Yes, that hit him hard. I cannot imagine it was any comfort to you, either.

It was... not unsettling, but something like that to see the captain so upset. For me, this is the third time that I have found the doctor in a prison universe and the third time that I have seen him leave. This is nothing new.

Ah, I see. You become...used to it. Kirk, he is not so unfortunate. He has come right from your home universe. It is something I hope he does not become so used to. Losing people. He does not deserve that.

Are you implying that I do deserve that?

[He smiles a little halfheartedly, knowing full well what Fenris is getting at.]

But no, I hope for that as well. There is enough time to learn to cope with loss at home and it would be nice if he was given a break from that. ...Not that loss can be avoided in places like this.

No. I am not.

[It's ok, Fenris will get better at joking with you soon, buddy. Give him time. ]

It cannot. When your time is up, that seems to be it. People just...vanish. And so many are from other worlds, the chances of finding one another again is nigh impossible.

Not so impossible. I have found two people again after losing them... although the first left once again soon after, and the second doesn't remember all that I do. Er...

[He frowns at himself. He was going for encouraging and ended up with even when the impossible happens it still kind of sucks. Anyway.]

Please do what you can to not vanish, Fenris. [They need time to acclimate to jokes and Chekov needs to throw a snowball at him.] I can't help the captain alone.

Hm. From what I understand it is difficult for yourself and Kitty. There are few people I know here who also came from Exsilium. Though some people know me from other worlds, which I myself do not remember. It is a complicated system, it seems.

[He tried and that's what matters. He offers a small smile. Even after years, he will never really get used to people actually wanting him around. ]

I promise you I will fight them tooth and nail. I have no intention of leaving either of you.

Difficult is... a word for it, yes. All of it is very strange and sometimes uncomfortable, but that is inevitable at the intersection of multiple universes and timelines.

[He smiles back, sincerely this time if a little sad. Sorry Fenris, you're wanted.]

If only it was a matter of intention.

Edited 2017-08-06 03:11 (UTC)

It is something we just have to adapt to as best we can, uncomfortable as it may be.

[It is both nice and worrying that this is the case. ]

True, chances are, we will have no power over this.

[There's so much resignation and acceptance of futility going on here. It's almost like being back home.]

Have you been told before that conversations with you are often discouraging?

[Fenris is the most cheery being in existence to spend time with, did you not notice this already, Pavel? Gosh. He huffs out a laugh.]

I have been told that on several occasions, yes.

Good. Try not to change, please; I find your directness and realistic expectations refreshing.

[Do you know how much baseless optimism he has to put up with most of the time? It's a lot.]

[He can guess. Baseless optimists need to stop. ]

You need not be concerned about that. I have no plans to change on that front.

[New goal: rid the Fleet of the baseless optimism that plagues it.]

That is something that I'm confident that you can do regardless of what the Atroma have planned for us all.

[It's a noble cause! ]

It is one of the sureties in my life, true. I enjoy having something to fall back on.

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