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Who: Billy Kaplan / OTA
Broadcast: Yes
Action: On the Iskaulit
When: After all the chaos is settled!

So… all of that was horrible? I think that goes without saying. The less we have of that kind of thing going forward, the better.

Tangentially, but the personnel augment is kind of useless, isn't it? We get an office but not much in the way of marketable skills, we can't do anything with the ships in the middle of a crisis, we're not here for any big damn hero moments. It’s great if we’ve got other skills for that, but we can’t fix stuff, we can’t pilot people out of danger, we can’t arm those who don’t have powers...

...okay, sorry, I'm rambling. Getting to the point! Truth is, personnel - counselling - is meant for the aftermath. Therapy, in other words. If it doesn't exist where you're from, it pretty much means someone whose job it is to listen to you, no judgments, and offer advice if they can. Sometimes it's enough to just have somebody hear you out.

Anyway, I wanted to say that I'm tired of, like… not contributing much. So I'm gonna have an open door policy. Doesn't matter if you're not on my ship, doesn't matter if I don't even know you. You can even use the comm anonymously if you don't like the idea of coming in person. You make the rules.

If you're wondering about my qualifications… well, I've got ears. That's the most important part. But I did also grow up with this stuff- Mom’s a psychologist, I've seen her work, I’ve read some of her books. And I’ve gone to therapy. Kind of a lot. It's not a substitute for the real thing, but it's what I can offer.

Oh, and for the record, this isn't meant to call out anyone with the personnel augment, or steal your shipmates, or anything! This is more of a call to action. If you want in on this we can set up some kind of network.

I’m setting up shop on the Iskaulit and I’m gonna post active hours there. Stop by if you want to talk more one-on-one about it.

[True to his word, Billy’s in a spare room in the Iskaulit - sign on the door - and is decorating the place, though it’s kind of barebones for the moment. He can magic it pretty, but the last few months have been exhausting, so he’s taking it slow.]

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I figure if people don't like the idea, they'll just ignore it. That's how I thought this would go down- just me shouting into a literal void of space.

[IT'S KINDA EXTRA INTIMIDATING NOW]

People are...oddly supportive. Here. [ and it's not as though people aren't supportive back home, either -- but those people tend to be your closest friends, your dearest family, your trusted colleagues. your ride-or-die snapchat contacts.

but the fleet! jeez. 'it takes a village' finds a whole new lease on life here in the fleet. ]

And after what just went down? They're gonna need the chance to talk. It might as well be with you.

[ billy's good for that, she thinks. ]

Better off if it was Mom, but they'll have to deal. I'll just try to be better than nothing.

[it's as much honest as it is self-deprecating; his biggest qualification is that stupid chip in his head telling him what his job is. It's very much a work in progress.]

[ her expression stays kindly. why wouldn't it? despite his self-effacement, she's got a fierce little belief in her best friend. ]

I'd offer to be your first enrolled client but -- frankly, I'm sure that crosses about ten different ethical lines.

[ and she's already got access to the best parts of billy's support -- the kind that comes with cookie dough ice cream and pajamas. ]

Yeahhhh, probably not a great idea. You know I'd help you with literally anything ever, but Mom had a pretty strict policy of no-friend-clients for good reason.

[He lifts his comm, flipping through for a moment, and then offers it out to her, showing off a picture of this woman.]

I did get a volunteer to help with counselling, though- Kaname, personnel on the Bloodsport. I think you'd like her, she seems to have a good head on her shoulders.

Billy Kaplan. [ she leans forward, fingers gripping the edge of his desk. ] Are you trying to matchmake me with a therapist of my very own?

[ kate...won't lie. it might be working. she, like billy, has had ample opportunity to see the value in having an ear -- a professional ear, or as close as you can get to one -- to whisper in. ]

Mmmmaybe.

[he holds his poker face for all of five seconds before it shifts into a somewhat nervous smile.]

Okay, yeah. Everyone's got stuff they're carting around, right? And there's bound to be a few things you can't tell people you know. I'm just, um. Invested. In your health.

Chill.

[ she chides him with a smile. okay, yes, it's nothing she likes to talk about. but being here (meeting the people she's met!) it's only made kate realize that she has to seize these smaller moments while she can. and although she houses no intention of spilling every painful secret, she supposes it could be a good idea to tell billy exactly why she can embrace this idea. ]

I've...actually been to therapy. Before. And it was really helpful. If this Kaname person comes with your recommendation? I'll give her a shot.

Call it a... tentative recommendation? It's not like I've sat down with her to hash it out or anything, I don't even know her. But she's got the same augment, so she's at least as qualified as I am. And she's lacking the standard Kaplan jitters.

[at least he wasn't getting the anxiety vibe from her based on her responses.]

Worth a test drive, though. I think.

Oh, I don't know. I kinda like the Kaplan jitters.

[ kate reaches for a spare paintbrush. ]

Sometimes. I mean, I think it would be weirder if you weren't feeling jittery about it.

It would definitely be weird.

[new things are always... extra jittery.]

I'm gonna end up giving out some weird and terrible advice and somehow turn somebody into an axe murderer. Good thing you can't get sued for malpractice in space.

Oh, futz off. [ she tosses the paintbrush at his head, yep. ] You will not and you won't and even if you did? We're pretty good at stopping things that are way worse than axe murderers.

Augh...

[kate how is he supposed to be sarcastically self-deprecating if you're going to take him seriously? ...okay, but to be fair to her, she's probably had enough of him saying stuff like that for real. even he finds it hard to tell when he's joking.

he tries to be joking.

with a huff-sigh he fetches a rag, attempting to clean the blue paint out of his hair. it doesn't help much- now it's just streaked.]

Okay, okay. Crises will probably be averted.

[it's said begrudgingly and is accompanied, a moment later, by a flick of paint in her direction. because he is a very mature adult and she just threw her weapon at him.]

[ and maybe she ducks, but maybe it's a touch too late, and now she's got a spattering of blue across her face. across her shirt. and although she tosses another curse in his direction, kate's got a grin on her face as wide as...well, as wide as something really really wide. the grand canyon, maybe.

kate pulls a bobby pin out of her hair -- in a flash, she has it balanced on between her fingers like a little dart. ]

But the paint can down, Kaplan. No one has to get hurt.

[His brow quirks at that, the corners of his lips tugging a bit, fighting a smile. There's a little arc of blue energy around his fingers, and he does let the paint can drop- only for it to hover beside him. Two can play at this game! ...though one slightly more cheating than the other.]

Miss Bishop, you started this fight. Think real hard on how you wanna finish it.

[ the playing field is wildly uneven. but kate doesn't mind -- never did, either. there's no jealousy or bitterness for what billy can do. only appreciation and a healthy dose of awe. and the ability to imagine him like an hard fist in a velvet glove.

he's got the fabric of reality at his fingertips and she's got a bobby pin. even so, she likes her chances -- if only because she's a cocky shit. win or lose, they're going to have fun. ]

Oh, but that's just it. I will finish it. I'm a finisher.

[ and she can do a lot of damage with a bobby pin. when kate does flick it, she doesn't flick it at billy. rather, she flicks it at the empty tin can she'd brought and gifted him. the goal, you see, is to knock the can off the desk and see the can fall into the paint bucket, splashing billy at about knee-height. pants be damned.

she doesn't miss. but that doesn't mean she succeeds, either. ]

[wow, hawkeye missed? she never miOH GOD SHE DIDN'T MISS AT ALL

billy flails, his arms windmilling as he backpedals trying to avoid the splash of blue, but to no avail. his pants now have battle scars, and only magic can fix them. meanwhile he's so busy trying to keep his unbalanced foot from kicking the whole damn bucket over that he drops right down on his ass, the blue glow around him fading away.

goddammit, bishop. all the magic in the universe and he can't win against those eyes.]

Not a word, okay? Not one word.

[ she grins. toothy and red-cheeked and while swallowing down her laughter. kate combs her fingers through her paint-splattered hair and decides not to slide another pin free. she's done enough 'damage' for one day.

and, every now and then, it's good to remember how she'd earned her place on their once-upon-a-time team. how she's continued to earn her place in a world of powers and technology. ]

Here. [ she says one word when she offers him her hand. she wants to help him back onto his feet. ]

Thanks...

[billy accepts the help with very little grumbling, fetching a couple of scrap rag from the desk and offering one out to her, using the other to try and save his pants. might have to be a magic-spell thing for later, she got him good.]

I'm supposed to be making this place look nicer, you know.

It needed a bit of a christening.

[ she makes her argument with a sly grin -- dabbing at her face with the rag, trying to avoid dragging paint across her cheek. ]

Like breaking a bottle of champagne on a luxury liner. Only -- we're breaking a bottle of good memories, instead. Leaving a little bit of good vibes behind.

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