01: I turn this corner, get on this spaceship...

[poetontheinside]

Who: Ray Kowalski
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Marsiva
When: 16/4, pre-Shuffle

[A]

[It's not like Ray's graceless-- he's a dancer, right, he can be light on his feet, one-two-three-end-up-in-space, but right now it looks like he's mostly forgotten how to move at all. You can laugh at him (and you could, because in the kerfuffle he's managed to turn on the communicator) but only as soon as you figure out that there's a person underneath the sheer amount of winter clothes currently on the Marsiva. There's a mostly-empty backpack, a hideous parka, a warm (holy shit too warm) middle layer, and a suffocating base core layer. Then there's the hat, the weird-ass circular scarf-thing, two types of gloves, snow boots, sunglasses--


There's some muffled cursing coming from underneath all of this, but eventually there's a frustrated groan and a thump as about half of the aforementioned layers fall to the floor. All through the process, there's muttering.]

Look, Frase, not that I'm callin' you a liar or nothin', but all this time you been bragging about how freakin' cold it gets up North, but I'm kinda disappo-- [He pokes his head out of his last layer, hair mussed, eyes big.]

Fraser?

[B]

[However things get explained to him, he suddenly knows a shit-ton about space. And spaceships. A lot about space ships, actually, so much that his hands get a little itchy. It's weird to be here, without Fraser, when they've spent so much time together since starting his undercover assignment-- especially after they'd left for their Northern Adventure. It makes him feel a little anxious, like he's not sure how to behave without the Mountie at his side.

And when Ray gets anxious, he has to find something to do. So he starts walking around the Marsiva, and he finds things to do-- because he's a Detective, more than anything, and Finding Things Out is his gig, his jam. Specifically, he finds things to take apart, carefully, decisively. With the world of knowledge now inside his head, it all makes sense, and he settles into the work, seeing it, feeling it. It's cool. It's really cool.

The communicator's with him, on a table or on the floor, and despite the whole 'Engineering Augment' thing he keeps turning it off and on accidentally. Feel free to tell him not to take the ship apart.]

Comments

video;

[poetontheinside]

[Look, Glowing Elf Lady, The Northwest Colonies or whatever are like, 80% ice, he was preparing for the worst! And also, he didn't move a lot, there's dogsleds for that.

It takes him a while to figure out where the voice is coming from, but when he finds the comm he just stares at it for a while before visibly snapping himself out of it.]

Yeah, he's my uh, my partner, back home, like-- stop, police, that kinda-- [His head is obviously not in it. He ducks out of view for a second as he roots through the pockets of his parka, and comes up with a pair of thick glasses, fitted with little sunglasses attachments. He puts them on and squints at the screen. Nope. Still blue. Still glowing.]

Look, lady, I don't wanna be rude or nothin', but are you blue?

[It's totally weird.]

[invigorates]

[ she cocks her head to the side, trying desperately to follow along with his odd, jumbled train of thought. something about police, his partner and -- okay, you lost her. she blinks owlishly as he returns to the screen with sunglasses on.

and then suddenly everything makes sense when he asks that question about her skin color. except... it doesn't make sense at all. ]

I am. Does that trouble you? [ she can go. ]

[poetontheinside]

[That'd be kinda cute if she weren't blue and glowing, which, he's kinda still getting over.]

Trouble? No, it doesn't trouble me, it's not like you're gettin' in my way by being blue and lightin' up like something outta Tron, which, actually, now that I think about it, looks kinda cool-- how're you doing that?

[That sentence kinda got away from him. Sorry.]

[invigorates]

[ he'll get used to it, surely.

she has so many questions about what he just said, but instead of asking them she's left to answer another one of his. which is fine - she gets that a lot. ]

The glowing is caused by the magical energies within my body. [ totally not weird. ] I am not certain if that is the same as this Tron of yours.

[poetontheinside]

[He got used to the Mountie and his deaf wolf, so yeah, probably.]

I dunno either, the 80's, right? Long time ago. [He squints again, then takes off his glasses and hangs them around his neck.]

So magic, you mean like, card tricks, that kinda stuff?

[invigorates]

[ that is at least the fourth time someone has said something about card tricks when referring to magic. she's going to have to look into this, because she has no idea what the hell that even entails. ]

Not quite. Healing magics, defensive and offensive - elemental. [ she waves her free hand in a vague motion, wisps of color following in an arc. ] Ah - like in storybooks. That is where creatures such as myself are often found, yes?

[poetontheinside]

[He'd opened his mouth, predictably, to talk some more, but when she does that he stops. He's wide-eyed, almost childishly so.]

How'd you do that? I mean, how'd you-- [He mirrors her motion, but no color comes out. Disappointment!]

[invigorates]

[ she can't help but chuckle. she's not laughing at you, we promise. ]

These leylines are hardly for decoration, [ she motions again, lets the image of the curved lines along her fingers linger before she flips her palm upward. slowly a tiny ball of light begins to form in her hand, ] They direct the flow of my magic, and allow me to create whatever I wish - well, within reason, of course.

[poetontheinside]

[You wouldn't be the first one it's okay.

He fidgets with his hair for a second, then deflates a little as he sort-of realizes he can't learn how to do that. But then she-- does that, and he is so back on board.]

So you're tellin' me it's real, for-real magic? [Skeptic but... it sounds like he'd like it to be true.]

[invigorates]

[ skeptical as he might sound, he's still one of the few that actually seems excited to hear about her magic instead of being weirded out. it's nice. ]

For real magic, yes. [ she laughs again, louder this time - causes the lines across her cheeks to flicker faintly. ] Were it not, I fear I would not be here speaking with you!

[poetontheinside]

[He's definitely still weirded out, but one thing he's learned: you gotta roll with the punches, otherwise you're just gonna get hit.]

How's that?

[invigorates]

[ since when did this become all about her, though? not that she can really blame him for being curious - it seems most people here are when they see her. ]

Magic is the force that keeps me and my people alive. Like blood in your veins and air in your lungs, that is what magic is for me.

[poetontheinside]

[Whatever, he's just some guy, and she's a blue elf with glowing skin. There's no contest as far as he's concerned.

He takes some time to parse that, still half-convinced he's dreaming, and then he gestures at his torso-- lungs, heart, the works.]

So you don't-- got all that? Seems pretty convenient.

[invigorates]

[ she shakes her head, ] No, I do. I suppose I should have said I still have all of those things - they just work a bit differently than yours. [ you bleed red, she bleeds glowing blue. its science. ] I've still a heart that beats, blood in my veins and air in my lungs - but magic is my center, and without it none of those things would work.

Ah... does that make sense? I have never explained it before, truthfully. [ it's just kind of a thing?? ]

[poetontheinside]

Can it go? I mean, you shoot me, I die, but uh-- [it's a little weird to ask about how a lady can die, Ray. He seems to realize this, and backtracks.]

Uhh-- never mind. You got people like me where you're from? Where is that, anyway?

[invigorates]

[ she would have answered him, but he's already posing a second question so maybe they can get back to that later. maybe. ]

I am from a world called Kilarria, and if you are asking whether we have humans - non-magic inclined or otherwise - yes, we do. I have known a great many in my lifetime.

[poetontheinside]

[She's still girl-shaped, he has some manners. He just... takes his time remembering them, usually.]

'Humans', heh. [He snickers a little, apparently finding the idea that he'd be a separate species where she's from pretty funny.]

So uh... [He finally looks up and around him.] Where the fuck am I? It ain't Killa-- Kel-- your home, is it?

[invigorates]

[ she just gives him a quizzical look, obviously not understanding what's so funny about the word humans. okay, weirdo. ]

You are currently upon the Marsiva, a large spaceship hosting an intergalactic reality show that we have all been forced to participate in. [ that is probably the weirdest thing she has ever said in her five hundred years of life. ]

[poetontheinside]

[Hes surprised at what Canadians can do sometimes, elves is top tier weird.

No okay he takes it back in the narrative, that's weirder. So weird that he's not sure how to react.]

...and you are...?

[invigorates]

Another unwilling participant forced from her home and into the outward reaches of space. [ she's not helping, is she? ]

[poetontheinside]

Yeah, but like, where? [Obviously the most important question here.]

[invigorates]

Upon the Paisley. You will likely be placed upon a ship, with a crew of your own, in a few days.

[poetontheinside]

[He's starting to look more and more desperate as he listens to her and tries to make sense of it. He's completely out of his depth and it's obvious-- especially when he has all these ideas about space ships that he never had before, just popping up in his head.

He notices that he's sort of... staring at the screen, and then he pinches himself, hard.]

Ow! Jesus!

[invigorates]

[ and she's staring back, just as confused while he pinches himself what are you doing?!? ]

Ah! [ she yelps in surprise, eyes wide, ] A-Are you alright?

[poetontheinside]

I'm not dreamin'. [That... ought to explain that. Maybe.]