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[according to the scanners, the fleet is hitting some kind of anomaly today... or is it? the electronics have all been acting very strangely today. it's hard to tell which readings are real, and which are errors.

like this reading here that says the temperature is plummeting into the negatives. it doesn't feel cold, does it? and this one saying that life-forms are popping up all over the ship is very strange.

though, then again, maybe you're seeing things. if there is something going on with the electronics, maybe it's affecting the augments as well... because some of these things that you're seeing just can't be real.

or maybe you're feeling fine (you're sure of it) and that crewmate of yours--the one who is sitting in the corner and meticulously wadding up an entire roll of toilet paper--he is the one obviously having problems.

either way, between the electronics malfunctioning and the crews' questionable grasp on reality, it's impossible to tell if the strange broadcast crackling through waves of static is even really happening.]

TEN. NINE. [--the voice is digital. robotic. nothing like the boisterous man's voice that follows]

Am I calibrated? I don't feel calibrated... [more static. hissing and buzzing.]

EIGHT. --No, I can't do that. Just get it done, and-- SEVEN. SIX.

Ha! [he laughs. and a woman laughs along with, somewhere deeper in the interference.] Like that would ever happen. FIVE. ...Yeah, get a load of this guy, right? Classic.

Don't forget to smile, darlin'. FOUR. ...Okay, okay. I got it.

[the buzzing rises. and he suddenly sounds much more serious.] Sure. Whatever you say.

THREE. TWO.

--I hate this part--

(ooc: happy april first, floots. these effects only last ICly for today, but feel free to backtag and whatnot if you come to the party late. feel free to use this post for all reactions, hallucinations, confused broadcasts, checking on your crew, or any other related hijinks. have fun!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Of course not. Atroma's just starting to have fun with this. If the good doctor refuses to play the ratings game, well then, we'll just have to ... encourage her a bit, won't we? Rest assured that for the most part, while the meaning behind Hawke's words will remain intact, the particular word choice will sound as Picardlike as possible to Beverly.]

[Beverly laughs softly and steps in just a little bit closer to Picard!Hawke. For a while, she is content with simply dancing in silence. For once, the expression on her face is completely unreserved and it's painfully obvious how much she loves this man. Eventually, she speaks.]

I've been thinking.. about the future that Q showed you. About us. [She takes a deep breath.] And I think it is worth the risk, don't you?

[ Maker's bloody breath. This is ...somewhat delicate to navigate, and Hawke is unbelievably bad at delicate navigation. ]

Ah--maybe for the sake of humoring an old man* you could remind me what he showed us exactly.

*yes, this is a joke he is making with absolutely no indication as to who she is really seeing, he's just absurd

[Looking offended here now, she steps away. It's the first time in hours that she's stopped dancing, but she appears not to register that fact. Her arms are crossed angrily.]

Jean-Luc, how can you... if this is your idea of a joke, I don't find it very funny.

[ Well, at least if she's going to punch him it won't be while waltzing. He holds both hands up, curled closed with forefingers extended, as if he's two points in tandem, or just one very emphatically. ]

I'd really like to reiterate the part about sitting down.

[ Andraste watch over us all. ]

You're ...right, yes. Terrible idea. You know me, always letting my mouth run ahead of my face.

[ Hawke, that is you you are talking about, not Picard. Oh, well. ]

[She marches over to the weight bench, which she is seeing as the sofa in Picard's quarters, and sits down forcefully, still glaring at him.]

By all means, let's sit. We'll have some tea - maybe even some wine - and we'll talk and we'll skirt around the subject and nothing will ever change!

[Her expression softens ever so slightly.] I know... I know before that I was the one who said we should be frightened, but I'm tired of being scared.

[ Well, this is awkward. Has he observed that before? It bears repeating. He also sits, less forcefully. Wine sounds excellent, why do they not have that.

...Maker. All right. He presses his hands together in consideration, brow furrowed. ]

What changed?

[ Standing desperately on neutral ground here. ]

I've always told myself I had long ago come to terms with Jack's death. And in many ways, I had. Yet, there has always been this underlying certainty that it would happen again, if I got too close.

[She smiles and takes his hand.]

But you came back, you saw the future, you saw what could be and it wasn't what any of us would want, but even so you were ... [frowning slightly, searching for the right word] invigorated by what you saw. I want a part of that, to welcome all the possibilities of the future, not hide from them.

[ For as much of an unabashed ninny as Hawke sometimes presents itself, he does occasionally listen; what this tells him is that she, like Aveline, is a widow; maybe like Aveline she's been alone for a very long time. Out of fear, of things that make an unfortunate amount of sense to him. That closeness means vulnerability, mean carving your own wounds and handing salt to other people. It never stops him, but he's...well, the joke he'd make is that he's a slow learner. ]

Anyone's future would be a little brighter with you alongside, I'd think.

[ And this is going to be ...awful, but he would rather she was angry with him, rather than keep telling "Jean-Luc" things he has no business hearing. He squeezes her hand, very gently, then puts it back on her own knee. ]

But you don't want to be telling me this. I'm Hawke, Beverly. We're crewmates. Your augment is malfunctioning, and you're prooobably about to hit me in the nose.

[ He braces! Why is he doing this again, he could have just played along. ]

Edited 2015-04-24 11:11 (UTC)

[With her brow furrowed, she stares at her hand on her knee for a long, agonizing minute. This isn't right. This isn't how this conversation was supposed to go. She slowly clenches her fists. However, when she looks back up at Hawke, the expression on her face isn't one of anger, but of sadness, and exhaustion.]

I don't understand.

[The image of Jean-Luc begins to flicker and Beverly struggles to fight the rising panic in her chest. Not this again. Standing up, she starts to pace silently in an attempt to calm herself.

It's clearly not working.]

[ Hawke volleys through a number of responses that seem trite, unsubstantiated, or unhelpful, then eventually just folds his hands together and gives her time, being more or less just a presence ready to be there if needed. Sometimes the best he can offer is--well, what seems like nothing, but isn't. ]

[Frustrated beyond words, Beverly abruptly stops her pacing, right in front of Hawke, and begins to cry instead. It isn't a bawl or a sob, though in some ways it's much worse: it's that sort of silent, don't-know-what-else-to-do sort of crying. Slowly, she sinks the floor, sliding against one of the exercise machines and covers her face with both hands.]

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crying achievement unlocked!!