001;

[privateeyed]

Who: Ben and you folks
Broadcast: Yes
Action: SS Huntress
When: now

action; SS Huntress

[Ben doesn't take teleportation well. In fact, if the confetti and the music didn't tip the ship off, the loud cursing probably does - there you go, Huntress, your security officer is here]

What the fuck—give a guy some fuckin' warning next time, geez! God damn teleporting bullshit.

[once he's calmed down, though - and picked up some of the pudding because far be it from him to turn down free food - he's wandering the ship, peeking his head into rooms to see what's what]


broadcast;

[once he's somewhat settled in and found a place to sit and digest everything going on, Ben decides to set up a broadcast to get some Shit Done]

Anyone here good with cybernetics? Or - I don't know, computers? Advanced stuff, can give you the specfics if you're interested. Don't need you right now, I'm just covering my ass just in case.

[he pauses, and maybe realizes he should . . . introduce himself. Like a normal person would. You know, instead of just getting down to business]

Uh - anyway, name's Ben; if you don't know shit about cybernetics . . . I don't know, come tell me about the weird crap going on here. Or stuff I should know. I like being informed.

Comments

[passingthrough]

My nerdiness normally gets pointed out in other areas first, but I'll take it. [She tips her head, looking at him curiously.]

What was your war about?

[privateeyed]

Yeah? Like what other areas?

[he makes a face, rolling his shoulders] It started out as a few rebellions overseas, and then it escalated when everyone else decided to go in and try to fix things their way. [...] It was supposed to be about helping the local folks, but instead it escalated into a full blown war. And then that escalated.

After that it didn't matter what it was about originally. No one really came out a winner.

[passingthrough]

Escalating past full-blown war doesn't sound like a good thing. [Though a familiar thing.]

And I am nerdy about science. Physics mostly. Tech. Languages. Sometimes fiction. [Winn inspired a lot of that.]

[privateeyed]

Yeah, it wasn't. I won't get into it too much, but I'll put it this way - LA and New York areas just opened back up less than a year ago. The coasts are still shit.

[the nerd conversation is a good distraction from all that though] Huh, that is pretty nerdy. Not like I can talk, though. I'm into antique shit and nature documentaries.

[passingthrough]

[It would be nice to have cities going again.] That's good that there's some progress.

Nature documentaries where someone British would talk over video of animals stalking prey and such? [At least that's what she remembers.]

[privateeyed]

Some, yeah. I won't lie, I was really glad that most of my family lived in the midwest. Feel bad for the coastal folk, though, having to deal with us landlocked heathens.

[that's . . . really specific] Uh - there's one show that has a British dude narrating, yeah. Are you thinking about the real popular guy from way back when? 'Cause they do specials and shit with him.

[passingthrough]

That's good that some areas escaped it. [A normal person would see it as more horrifying than positive, right?]

I'm not even sure. I just remember watching them with my Mom sometimes when I was young. They probably weren't all British. It's been a long time. I feel like I've lived several lives since then.

[privateeyed]

Yeah. Gotta look for the positives in all that shit, you know? [no he sees that as perfectly normal. At the very least, that's how he is about it all]

Huh. Only some of 'em got the British guy. But they're all - I don't know, soothing voices? Calm and quiet. They make for good filler noise or for something to watch at night to de-stress. [a snort] I understand that feeling.

[passingthrough]

[To being on the same page with tragedy!]

Soothing voices are good. I can see why you'd nerd out for them.

[privateeyed]

[that earns a brief grin]

Usually people think I'm an animal enthusiast.

I started watching them after I was sent home - think someone recommended it to me, actually. Couldn't watch the news, so . . . nature docs. [he shrugs] Keeps me calm and makes me a genius when it comes to animal trivia.

[passingthrough]

I feel like I should quiz you, but I don't think I know enough about animals to know if you're right or not. I do keep a small zoo in my room though.

[privateeyed]

Yeah, there's no way to fact-check stuff here, is there. [...] How do you keep a zoo in there? Isn't it - you know, crowded?

[passingthrough]

It's a direwolf pup and a special tree slug. There was also a cat, but my friend Pavel is taking her. So, it might not exactly meet the qualifications of a zoo, but they are small rooms. Even with the captain's quarters. [Especially if you're keeping all your boyfriend's stuff for if he comes back.]

[privateeyed]

I don't know what a direwolf is but it sounds cool. Slug, not so much - no offense. [he can't help but make a face] My room's crowded with just me being in there. But I might be a little biased.

[passingthrough]

I'm not really sure either. I think probably 10% more dire than a regular wolf though as a pup he mostly just seems pretty sweet. The slug is actually more interesting than he sounds. If you hold him you get this weird, peaceful sort of feeling. Unless he doesn't like you. It doesn't happen that often but I've seen some weird reactions.

Rooms are definitely small. I spend a lot of time on the planets or traveling from ship to ship to feel less...contained.

[privateeyed]

A slug that . . . gives you weird peaceful feelings. Yeah, that sounds fuckin' weird as hell. [watch it not like Ben because he's too grumpy for this world]

I might have to do that. I'm not big on the whole - small spaces thing. Makes me twitchy.

[passingthrough]

I think it's a little weirder than hell. [She liked them when they were on the planet but shied away from actually taking one. But Winn did, so she has a slug named Pixels now.]

I don't mind the smallness so much, but I don't like feeling so trapped in general. I'm not really used to having barriers. Okay, correction, I wasn't used to it back home. [The prison was surrounded by a dome she couldn't penetrate and now the vacuum of space lies beyond the ships and it has been A MINUTE since she's been home.]

[privateeyed]

Weird as shit? Weird as fuck. [he can adjust the level of weirdness]

What are you, a free spirit? [he is totally calling her a hippie] I don't know how you can stand the smallness, though. I'm not thinking about feeling trapped.

[passingthrough]

Also good options.

I'm intangible. In a literal sense. And I guess the smallness just feels cozy? Secure? As long as I can still move through the walls whenever I want.

[privateeyed]

[move through the - what. Did he hear that right?]

. . . yeah I'm gonna need proof of that before I open my mouth to call bullshit.

[passingthrough]

Well, do you want it over the network or in person?

[privateeyed]

Which is easier?

[passingthrough]

I suppose network is easier, but you lose the full impact.

[privateeyed]

Well, if you want to come over and demonstrate, I'm cool with it. Doubt anyone else would care either.

[passingthrough]

I appreciate that kind of confidence in the face of barely knowing your crewmates. Huntress, right?