driftfleet | Twin Roses Mingle

An idol--ah, the performing kind? [...Look, he deals with weird things on a regular basis. Someone actually being worshipped as an idol wouldn't be out of the question.]

Yes, I suppose the only substantive audience is the one we're assured actually exists but never see evidence of. The Fleet population is really too small for an ongoing career.

[He tilts his head to one side, curious.] Do you miss it?

Yes, the performing kind, though I suppose some of our fans do take it a bit to the other type.

[Vision, ask someone from Japan about "idol culture" there.]

I don't doubt that we're actually being watched. I've received letters after our weekly shuffles, but that doesn't really mean I want to appease them as I did the crowds back home.

[She caresses a finger down the soft leaves of one of the plants as she considers his question.]

I haven't been here very long, but I suppose the answer to that is both yes and no. I miss performing to the larger crowds on the different planets, but I don't miss some of the other things.

[Like being kidnapped by megalomaniacs and being used against the entire system to control them all.]

[Humans. So strange, yet so delightful.]

Ah, yes. Between the letters and the sponsor drops, there is at least the appearance of an audience. Whether we're being watched by one entity or many, though--I haven't been able to determine with any proof.

[He nods. Much like his work at home, he suspects - there are bits and pieces he misses, and others that he's glad to leave behind.]

So you traveled to different planets even at home? I admit, I was more or less confined to the Earth in my timeline. Though I knew several persons from other worlds.

[Humanoids, Vision, are weird.]

You know, I would like to maintain that there is an audience. Otherwise, the Atroma's dedication to faking it is.... chilling.

[She is willing to believe that multiple people are writing her a lot of letters and offering marriage. Otherwise, there's a really dedicated stalker and she would like Major Johnson here now.]

Yes, the planets in the system all had their charms and deficiencies, but I enjoyed interacting with the people while singing the most.

[No argument there.]

With no definitive evidence either way, I don't see why you couldn't assume the audience is real. Perhaps you'll make more money than I do that way.

[Aside from upgrades - most of which the ship has, by this point - he's never really used his credits for anything but buying plants from the planets they visit., so pleasing the audience for money is not exactly a priority.]

Which system did you come from, if I may ask?

I doubt that making money is really something people here are worried about. Or there would be more interpersonal drama. [She gives him a faint smile.] And since I don't see anyone coming over the devices to cry about how their boyfriend, K-kun, cheated on them with B-ko, I think you're in good company.

Besides, there are jobs down on the planets and systems from what I can tell. I worked as a bodyguard in the last one.

[Actually, what she did was annoy Messer, but she did look out for the cargo they were guarding.]

I don't know if you know the name it, but it's called the Globular System. It's quite a few light years from Earth.

[He gets a distant look for a moment.] I always had more money than I could use, the first time I was here. But it did end up funding several of the improvements to the ship, so I suppose it went to good use. [Which is what happens when you don't feel the need to collect personal belongings or buy food for yourself.]

I'm afraid I haven't heard of it, but considering the general lack of faster-than-light travel available on the Earth of my time I can't say that's surprising. There are several habitable planets? Was there terraforming involved, or were you extremely lucky?

[She looks at him fully before laughing.]

That's because you're not a girl. And I assume you don't have a girlfriend. Most of my money is usually spent on the planets to get different clothes and hair goods.

[And when you have hair like hers, it costs a lot.]

Well, there were humanoids in the Globular System long before humans from Earth arrived, so the planets were all inhabited. At least 500,000 years or so. Perhaps closer to 700,000, what with the level of technology we've found in the ruins on some of the planets. And it's hardly the only system in the universe with life.

[An expression crosses his features that's half regret and half guilt, with a nice dash of pain in there for good measure.] Ah, no. That is, I do not have a girlfriend here. [And then his face lightens a bit.] And, as you perceive, I do not have hair at all. Aside from a general need for "shampoo" and "conditioner", I find hair care a very opaque science.

[Because of course it's a science.]

Oh, that's wonderful. In my own timeline there are many inhabited planets as well, though Earth has only come in partial contact with them and under extreme circumstances. Humans are largely planetbound at this point, I'm afraid.

[Now that is a curious flash of emotion there. Something she can put aside for a later time's perusal.]

Oh, no. A woman must take care of her hair. Especially when she is in front of others that will judge her. Hours of proper care is needed to keep a beautiful head of hair.

[She should know.]

Earth had no choice but to make contact. When a group of aliens attempts to take over your planet, contact is the least of things.

[He nods slowly, thinking of his friends that change their hairstyle more often compared to those that don't.] And it can be an indicator of one's emotional state. That you put great care into yours is an indication that you value yourself, isn't it?

[After all, there are no audiences they can see here. Who else would she be taking care of her hair for, besides her friends and herself?]

Oh, I agree. Aside from a few isolated incidents, an attack on one of the largest cities was my Earth's first experience with extraplanetary civilization. It's made us quite defensive, as you can imagine.

Hm, yes, that's true, but I don't really have much of a choice in the matter. Back home, I'm an idol. If my appearance is anything but perfect, well, that would make my fans very disappointed.

[Besides, she would be disappointed in herself. There is never a reason to go out and look anything less than beautiful and ready to be in front of a camera. For herself or any of the other girls.]

Yes, well, I've found that people don't really know who and what they are until they're pressed to the absolute limit. An attack from outside forces usually is what makes that come to fruition.

There's always a choice - you could choose to be a bad idol, for example, but I concede the point that you'd face greater consequences than someone with a different career might.

[He nods.]

Though it can also happen with internal stimuli, an external attack is certainly efficient at doing so.

What sort of choice is that? My job is incredibly important. Not only do I get to sing, which I love, but I get to save people who have been made ill with the power of my voice. The other option is to not do those things and....

[She shudders at the thought. She's literally been made to sing and to not do so just sounds anathema to everything she is.]

Well, efficiency is all that matters, you know.

It's important to like what you do. I've thought many times about giving up the responsibility that comes with being an Avenger so I could live a normal life, and yet--[He shrugs, smiling wryly.] Yet I'd be betraying everything I stand for if I didn't help when I could, if I let people suffer when there was something I could do about it.

Though you say you can heal people? Is that some sort of magical ability, or is there a science behind it?

[Yes, yes, it's all energy manipulation in the end, but he likes hearing the different explanations people have.]

There is a lot of science behind it.

[She knows a great deal of it as well.]

However, I'm not a scientist. It's enough to say that music has been variably weaponized to fight against the Var epidemic that our system is under.

[He nods, looking satisfied. Science he can always eventually understand, given enough context. Granted, the context is sometimes missing....]

That is fascinating - I'd love to discuss it with you some time, if you're up for it. Two of my fathers were research scientists, so I've something of a curious bent.

I hope your system is winning its fight?

[If you like that sort of thing, yes, it can be fine, but...]

I suppose I don't mind talking about it.

[What's the worst thing that can happen? He doesn't believe her? Well, she can prove it if Messer has another attack.]

Mostly, yes, a great deal of the concerts that the Tactical Sound Unit, Walküre, that I belong to are preventative instead of curative.

Excellent. Do let me know when you've some free time. I'll bring plenty of questions.

[Neeeeerd.]

I'm glad to hear that, and I hope things continue to go well for you.

I have a great deal of free time. So, bring your questions when you're ready.

[She might not answer them all, but that's just how she is.]

So do I. I only hope that the problem doesn't spread to this system of ships. It is very dangerous.

[Many people seem to be dealing with dangerous things at home that shouldn't ever come to the Fleet, but at least in this case if it does, they have a way to combat it.]

Are there particular warning signs we should be on the lookout for, in case it does?

It's difficult to really quantify. The sufferer will find themselves incredibly angry and unable to stop themselves. The veins in their face, head and neck will begin to bulge.

[She hums softly under her breath to try and get the vision of Messer like that out of her mind.]

They can do the most damage while in their planes and mecha, but there are enough cases of civilians falling victim and harming friends and family that the preventative concerts are held frequently enough. Here, however, I think there's only been one outbreak by a known victim.

[...He wonders, briefly, if they would also start to turn green. And also if it's possible to keep that thing as far away as possible from Bruce Banner.]

That's good to know. I hope it doesn't happen here again, though I'm glad to know we have those with the ability to treat it, if it should.

[They all go red. Sorry.]

Well, I'm not sure that it's contagious here. There's no proof of that, as of yet, but I would like to think that it's not. [Helps that there are no Windermereans to spike their food and water with agents.] You're right that if it is, you already have the best means of treating it.

[No, no, that's better. The last thing anyone needs is a Hulk virus.]

Excellent. And I suppose if it does not end up being a threat, you still get to perform your music, then?

Twin Roses Mingle

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