video/action

[candothat]

Who: Pavel Chekov and anyone!
Broadcast: Yes!
Action: Sure!
When: Now!(!)


[A wild (and somewhat-awkward) video appears! There are no cats, unfortunately. It's just Chekov, his ridiculously thick Russian accent, and a sad announcement.]

Ah, hello. For those of you who knew her and have not checked ship rosters recently—and for everyone else, although probably this is less relevant to your interests—Kara Danvers is no longer in the Fleet. She has a sister and friends at home that she missed and I think that, if she was in a position to remember not being home, she would be happy to be back... but the Fleet will be a sadder place without her. She has been a good friend to me, and to other people as well.

In places like this—places where people come and go with no warning, and even when they return, they may not remember who they knew or be exactly the way that they were or feel the way that you may expect them to—it's difficult, you know, having friends. Wanting to make friends. An inevitable side effect of gaining something is having something to lose...

But the alternative is being sad and alone. Even if none of us remember this or each other once we leave, it's good to do something with the time that we have together, while we can still remember.

I have become more and more talented at not trying to talk to very many people, so: to anyone that I haven't met, hello, I'm Pavel Andreievich Chekov. I would be happy to meet you or, if you knew her, to remember Kara with you.

And if I know you already, of course you never need an excuse to talk to me... or to drink with me, if you were considering a visit to the Tourist.


Action

[It's probably bad form to invite the entire Fleet over for drinks when he's possibly-sort-of working for the Space Bar, but Pavel isn't in much of a mood to leave the Tourist and drinking alone is sad.

Really, he's sad enough without actively trying to be more pathetic. Kara was one of his closest friends. While he has lost more people than he cares to count in his years away from home (and at home, although that was always a more final sort of losing), this is the hardest loss in his fifteen months in the Fleet. Kara was clever, caring, and stubbornly optimistic even when she was at her worst. No one was as quick to give hugs or listen, and she never failed to make him feel like he mattered.

The Tourist won't be home without her.]

Comments

video

[sassy_assassin]

Wait, Kara was just here? So I literally barely missed her.

Great.

[ Her face doesn't make it seem great ]

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[candothat]

You did, yes, I'm sorry. Are you her sister?

[She doesn't really look like a scientist named Alex, but...]

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[sassy_assassin]

I slept with her sister. Does that count?

No, I barely know her. We've fought on the same team a few times.

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[candothat]

Er, no.

[That is a lot of information from someone he just met, but okay, this is fine.]

Still, I'm sorry that you missed her. Being abducted by the Atroma and forced to participate in a reality show is easier when you know someone here already, probably.

video

[sassy_assassin]

Well, like I said, I barely know her. The timing is just almost comical.

Sorry about your friend, though.

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[passingthrough]

I guess that's why she didn't return my text. [She looks a little downcast about it. She'll miss Kara. And not just as her last direct connection to Winn, but because she knew her even longer. She was a good friend and Kitty probably didn't always show how much she appreciated that.]

video

[candothat]

As excuses for not replying to a text go, being out of the universe is a good one. [On the bright side, Kara probably won't remember anything about the Fleet and can't feel unappreciated. On the less bright side, it still sucks.]

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[passingthrough]

Yeah, I guess I can give her that one. [Soft smile.]

...This kind of sucks. I hope she went home at least.

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[candothat]

Generous.

I hope that too. She specifically mentioned wanting to see her sister and Winn again not so long ago, so... [So hopefully that happened. He still kind of wants her to come back though. She can even bring Alex and Winn.]

[ginger_firebird]

I know that accent from anywhere. Nice to see another actual human.

[Russian cosmonaut, meet Russian psychopath.]

She's lucky that she has people to go home to. Being stuck here might be the best thing that could have happened to me.

[candothat]

Always nice to see another Russian.

[He might not think it was so nice if he could read bracket text.]

Then I'm glad that you have a chance to be here and not at home... although you are in the minority.

[ginger_firebird]

[Technically, he's Czech, but the psychopath thing is woefully consistent.]

It's so noticeable when people speak of home. At first, I was one of them, looking to seek my fate where I at least knew where I stood. I'm guessing you're someone with people to miss?

[candothat]

[Darn! On both counts.]

At first? This changed? [A shrug.] There are people I miss, yes. But there are people here that I would miss if I left as well.

action;

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ As has been his way every time something of this sort happens to his crew, Kirk went in search of Chekov when he heard the news. Of course he had known, and there would always be something missing from the tourist now with Kara gone. She definitely had a unique energy, even when she and he were at odds.

He knocked on Pavel's door, waiting to be let in. ]</sub>

I come bearing a gift from my personal stash.

[candothat]

[He's quick to open the door. Even though Kara was one of his closest friends in the Fleet—second only to Kitty, really—Pavel is composed. A little down, but far from falling apart.]

This is an unfortunate tradition, all of this drinking when we lose someone from the Tourist. Please, come in.

[He waves Kirk into his room. It has an occupied look to it, but the only personal touches are a single Russian nesting doll on a shelf and an artistically-rendered map of the Eyuzi system on the wall. The room could belong to anyone.

There's also a cat curled up on the bed. She gives Kirk a slow, appraising look and yawns.]

[universal_charm]

Well, no one ever said all traditions were happy ones. Surely your Russians know that.

_{[ He stepped in, considering the cat and giving her a respectful nod. Cats would come to him or not in their own time, he had found. ]}

[candothat]

Of course, but Russians also drink when good things happen. There's much less of that.

[He retrieves two shot glasses from his closet (a perfectly sensible place to keep them) and sets them on the small desk.]

What gift did you bring?

[ audio ]

[signifies]

I'm a member of her family. I had a feeling, but thanks for saying it.

[ audio ]

[candothat]

I'm sorry to confirm it for you. May I ask what your relationship to her is?

[ audio ]

[signifies]

I'm her cousin.

[ audio ]

[candothat]

Her famous cousin from Krypton? [He has heard about you, sir.]

[goldenglasses]

That was really well said. I am sorry that you've lost your friend, but I think that is a really good outlook that you have.

[candothat]

It's generous of you to say so, thank you.

This is maybe more of an outlook that I try to have. I admit that there have been times when I wasn't successful.

[goldenglasses]

Well, there's no such thing as perfect, right? The fact that you have that outlook and try to stick to it is admirable. I hope you are able to keep it as much as possible.

[candothat]

Thank you, although I think it may be more pragmatic than admirable. [You're kind, Vash, but he's not about to accept compliments that he didn't earn.] I don't see a way to avoid becoming bitter or angry or distant without accepting the reality of our situation and choosing to be open to others anyway.