driftfleet | video/action

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You have? What brought you back?

[ there are so many possibilities... it's important for her to know if anyone else has had a similar experience and is suffering the effects ]

The Deities, but this was a different universe. The rules were different.

Back home?

No, no—there are no gods at home, no real ones. This was the first universe that I was abducted to.

Got it. Were there any lasting effects to being resurrected?

Generally, yes. It was like being only half-alive: cold, no heartbeat, dulled senses. That could all be fixed, but at a price.

It wasn't like that for me. When we died as a direct result of the Deities' interference, as I did, then we were brought back fully alive. Maybe as a strange apology.

Got it.

I'm sorry that happened to you, but you got lucky.

Yes, I did. [Being stabbed in the back by his best friend and dying slowly was extremely lucky, yep... but he knows the aftermath could have been worse.]

Is this something you know about from experience? People being brought back from the dead, I mean?

I've... dealt with it once or twice.

I'm sorry.

I'm also sorry for bringing it up. These things are probably better topics for a second, third conversation.

It's fine. Probably not something you expect to be a shared experience.

I have met more people who have shared the experience than I like. Death should only need to be experienced once.

A definitively so.

What's a good first conversation topic? Do you have pets?

[He brightens considerably.]

Yes, I was recently given a cat that belonged to Kitty who inherited her from Laura who I never met. And you? At home, I mean, unless you were very quick to find a pet when you came here.

Not unless you count Ray as a puppy. The Wave Rider isn't a good environment for pets.

Ah, I can see how your profession and living situation would discourage pet ownership.

...Is Ray a person?

Yeah, he is. He's an inventor and engineer. I think you two would be friends, actually.

If he finds his way here, I hope that will introduce us.

...I also hope that you'll never be tempted to count me as a puppy. [Like, she wouldn't be the first to do that, but.]

Of course not.

[ not in front of him, anyway ]

Thank you. I will aspire to give you reasons to not do that.

[Spoiler, he probably won't do a great job.]

You'd like my crew. They can be hard to get to know, but they mean well.

That sounds familiar. I think that you would fit in with mine.

Yeah? What are they like?

Brave and loyal. Intelligent. Good at finding bad situations to get into, and also good at getting out of them. Sometimes intimidating, but always well-intentioned.

Sounds very familiar.

Well, exceptions might include intelligent and well-intentioned. Rory doesn't always try very hard.

video

candothat - 2018-06-29 17:14 (UTC) - Expand