GOLDSTONE OCTOBER MINGLE

[spacebro]

Who: Goldstoners and visitors and lurkers, oh my!
Broadcast: In prompts maybe
Action: Goldstone
When: October

[There have been some mysterious energy drains registering not only on the sensors but in the way the lights seem to dim for a few moments before returning to their normal strength. Maybe a non-essential computer terminal goes dark and needs to be rebooted. It's not causing any damage, but it is mysterious, no?

If you investigate through some special ability or using the ship's diagnostic tools you'll probably come to the conclusion that the energy is funneling into sleeping crewmate, Mon-El's, room and actually right into Mon-El himself. Alien cells are weird, guys.

It only lasts a day or two before he's awake and leaving the ship's energy where it belongs!

And enough about Mon-El, we have a new crewmate (Alphy) and a dead crewmate (Okita). These are exciting times!]

Comments

Jayden Price | OTA

[stormfist]

[ Jayden is... not doing so hot. She didn't realize Okita was lost in the disaster until she'd returned to the Goldstone, so that makes two people she lost. And considering the other was Aizawa...

She spends a lot of time not on the Goldstone - she looks after Ochako in Aizawa's absence, and that takes absolute priority for her. But when she is on the ship, she's either sitting in her quarters with the door closed, running on the treadmill in the cargo bay, or... sitting in the pilot's seat, not moving, barely even blinking, staring at a spot way off in the distance - probably not even real. ... Yeah. She's doing that badly.

You might catch her awake long after most others on the ship have gone to sleep, sitting in the kitchen with a mug of coffee, hair a mess and huge, dark circles under her eyes. She won't speak unless spoken to, but she's around. ]

[aetherflows]

[Alphinaud makes a soft noise of surprise as he enters the kitchen and finds someone else there. He has a small bound book beneath his arm, one that is too thin to be a scholarly tome and has the look of a journal.]

Ah—

[She doesn't look all that well and... really, he can't say he's doing much better. He glances at her mug. He remembers, a very long time ago, being in the same position and having a friend offer him a cup of something hot. It'd staved off the cold of Coerthas. It'd given him hope.]

Should I come back later? I do not wish to disturb you, [he says quietly.]

[stormfist]

[ She looks up at that startled noise, just frazzled enough to have tensed up with the motion, but when she sees it's just him, she relaxes again. She shakes her head, vaguely waves at the rest of the table as a gesture that he's fine if he wants to sit. ]

No, it's okay. You're not disturbing me.

[aetherflows]

[He glances at the table, considering, and then decides it'd be rude to turn down her invitation. It's not likely that he'll sleep, anyway.]

If you are sure.

[He sits on the other bench and sets his journal in front of him, though he keeps his hands on it for now.]

... I've never been able to sleep well after a mission. No matter how exhausted I feel, or how much of my own aether I've drained, my eyes always stay open.

[stormfist]

[ She nods, sympathetic. ]

Back home, every day is a mission. Or several. Depending. Had trouble sleeping at first too, but just because I had to, I got used to finding ways to sleep. This, though... [ She lets the sentence trail off, sighs heavily as she rests her coffee mug on the table. Should go without saying, after all. ]

[aetherflows]

I am part of an organization that handles certain... disturbances, usually of the world-shattering variety. Long breaks are rare as something is always in need of our attention. But this?

[He shakes his head slowly.]

It's... beyond the pale. We gave all we had and it was not enough. Given that a fallen 'moon' nearly destroyed my world five years ago, I cannot help but recoil.

[He lets out a breath.]

Then and now, I was woefully unprepared to see what came upon us.

[spacebro]

[Mon-El hasn't gotten to know Jayden very well, but as he moves around the ship, stretching his legs and avoiding any more of that tricky sleep stuff he can't help but notice her in the pilot's seat looking more than a little distracted.]

Are you asleep with your eyes open? Some species can do that. [Also, hi, he's awake again. No more ship draining so that's a relief?]

[stormfist]

[ It takes her a full second to realize she's actually being spoken to, admittedly. fjdskl She makes herself focus, looks up at him, and snorts. ]

Can't decide if that sounds like a good thing or a bad thing. [ She shakes her head, presses the heels of her palms to her eyes. ] Mm, no. Wasn't sleeping. Just... not all here. [ She drops her hands and looks up at him again. ] Welcome back, by the way. You okay?

[spacebro]

Thanks. I'm feeling pretty recharged. [Sorry, ship.]

And I'm glad I didn't wake you which I realize now I would have done if you were someone who sleeps with your eyes open.

I feel like I should be the one asking if everyone is okay though. Kara told me what happened with the last planet. [She didn't mention any deaths in the fleet or on this ship though.]

[stormfist]

[ SHIP'S FINE. Seems like. Probably. ... As fine as a ship in this raggedy fleet can be, sure. djkfal POINT IS, no problem, bro. ]

Yeah, the meteor. [ She takes a deep breath, gaze dropping to the floor. ] We helped evacuate. Unfortunately, some fleet people were still on the planet when the meteor hit. [ Beat. ] So it's... pretty rough right now. Hate to be the bearer of bad news.

[spacebro]

[Good, good!

Okay, this last part is less good. He assumed people didn't make it, but he assumed those people were inhabitants of the planet.]

What? [No, he heard.] Who?

[noprophecies]

[it's because everyone frequents the kitchen late at night that she has started avoiding it, but sometimes even she's a creature of habit, and sometimes a cup of tea is necessary. She isn't all that surprised to find Jayden already, and she considers what to say as she goes about making herself a cup.

Finally, she settles on the only thing that comes to mind:]

Should you not be asleep?

[sayeth the hypocrite]

[stormfist]

[ Jayden doesn't mind people coming and going. She even nods when Tempest walks in, though she doesn't say anything. Well, until that question comes. ]

Probably. Shouldn't you?

[ Not at all snippy - a genuine question. ]

[noprophecies]

[tea made, she settles into a seat nearby, but giving both their space]

Probably. [her lip twitches, a there and gone expression] I don't sleep well, so I am often up late like this.

[stormfist]

[ She nods, understanding. ]

Sorry to hear that. Been a while since I've had insomnia this bad. Don't really know what to do about it.

[noprophecies]

[a sip of tea, and she forces a less grumpy expression on her face]

Do not be sorry, I've not had a normal night of sleep in years. [she tilts her head] I've some tea you could try. Or I could use a spell, if you are desperate.

action

[lord_wizard]

[If Jayden is paying any attention at all...which is doubtful...Felix actually strides into the kitchen once, pauses to notice her, then fixes himself a snack without attempting to engage her in conversation even once. Normally he's a talkative man himself, but the fixed expression on her face gives him pause.

However, not long after disappearing the first time with a speculative frown between his eyebrows, he reappears and slides into the a seat opposite her at the table, where he immediately starts to sort a deck of cards.]

I think it says something about me that I have not bothered to procure a more regular set of playing cards, but these fortune telling cards do the trick, provided one takes the time to sort out the trumps first. It all amounts to the same in the end. These are just a bit more interesting to look at...

[There is of course no nicety like a greeting, but the blandness of the statement, outside of it coming out of nowhere, is his way of testing the social waters]

[stormfist]

[ She notices his first entrance, actually, just... doesn't really move - can't really bring herself to. It's when he comes back the second time that she finally looks up, especially as he's sitting across from her, deck of cards in hand. And then he's just talking about playing cards versus fortune telling cards like it ain't no thing and she's not just sitting here being some down-in-the-dumps lump of a human being right now and... Okay. She appreciates that.

She scrubs at her eyes with the hand not holding that coffee mug. She's still sleep-deprived, after all. ]

So, what, suits line up and everything? Same number of face cards?

[lord_wizard]

[On one hand, he struggles still with empathy, given that fellow-feeling was something that could become a weakness back in the halls of the Mirador. But not only had it been years since he'd been a part of that, but the ability to at least read the emotional climate of others was a useful skill he'd honed regardless of whether he used it for good or ill.

He isn't sure why she's taking this all so hard, but he has a number of guesses, none of which make for a good opening to a conversation. Best to ease her into it, if she gets there at all.]

There are equivalencies, yes. Not all cards of this sort have the same symbology, of course, and most of that has to do with the culture from which they originate. But as far as I have been able to determine, it's wands to clubs, spades to swords, cups to hearts, and pentacles to diamonds. The face cards are largely the same, though there are four in this sort and only three in playing card decks. You can honestly use either, but the knight seems a better substitute for Jack, and we discard the Page with the trump cards.

[Demonstratively, he places a Page of Wands on the growing pile of discards, then smiles tightly]

Not that any of this matters when a game is the goal rather than divination. Speaking of which, what games are you familiar with? I'm sure Long Tiffany isn't one of them, but perhaps solitaire? I've found it's roughly similar.

[stormfist]

[ She watches, and listens - finds herself thankful for the distraction, honestly. And when he asks, she shakes her head. ]

Yeah, never heard of Long Tiffany. Heard of solitaire. Poker, gin rummy, couple of others. Been a while since I've played any of them, though.

[lord_wizard]

It was popular in my own world, but I'm used to the lack of recognition at this point.

[He shoves the discarded trumps asides and starts to shuffle the remainders. He isn't terribly good at it, but practiced enough to get it done without making cards fly all around the room. The stiffness in his fingers, largely disguised by his large rings, are mostly to blame for this]

Well, lucky for you I don't intend to play for money. Double solitaire, then?

[And again, he's not really waiting for her to answer in the affirmative, he's already dealing]

[throwsdown]

[Takeshi had lost one crewmember, so... he doesn't want to fail the others.

He keeps track, quietly, watching each of the team and trying to follow there they're going or where they've been. He knows from studying that Miss Jayden's having a really hard time of it, but really, if you've got eyes and you're in the vicinity you can see as much. He goes one day to her, giving her a warm little smile.]

Miss Jayden? Do you think you can help me out?

... Umm. Hoi Hoi needs a bath, and he's kinda like a hyper kid, so help's nice.

[Really, he always bathes Hoi Hoi on his own without too much frustration. The bear hasn't gotten any bigger than a bulldog, really, which he thinks has to do with the Atroma. After all, panda bears are a lot bigger than that when they reach a certain age...]



[The panda squirms, heavy in Takeshi's arms. And he yelps in discontent, not pained, but huffy over being carried about.]

[stormfist]

[ While Jayden's always fine with helping, especially since he's the captain, but she's hardly expecting a request like... that. ]

Uh... I...

[ The panda yelps, and it does startle her a little bit, but she gets over it quickly enough. ]

Sure? I... don't mind. Can't say I've ever bathed a panda, but... yeah. Sure.

[ This is DEFINITELY one way of taking her mind off things?! ]

[throwsdown]

Oh, don't worry! It's like bathing any kinda' baby! Or a clumsy dog.

[But really, he's already excited; anything to help!

He hefts Hoi Hoi up and starts toward the bathroom.]

I took his toys in there and stuff, too. He's pretty cute when he's not complaining.

[stormfist]

Oh. ... Okay.

[ She has never bathed any kind of baby. Or a clumsy dog. Or a panda. How is this happening. ... Because she knows she shouldn't say no to her captain, and it's rude to say no to a kid. That's how. Hoo boy.

She follows him toward the bathroom. ]

Are pandas okay with water? They're not like cats, right?

[ Not that she doesn't like cats! She just does not ever, ever want to have to bathe one. Ever. For hopefully obvious reasons. ]