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

[poetontheinside]

[He's starting to fidget again, the more Vanyel mentions things he has no idea about. The cool metal curves inside his hand, and it's an odd comfort.]

So you're uh, in the crown's service and all that, and you spent all that time in Paradise [sic] but you ain't never seen a car before?

[peacockherald]

_{[ A shake of his head, coming a little closer now, idly looking over the bits and pieces Ray had been toying with. ]}

No, I am afraid not. I have heard the term, but I never fully understood it. Cart, horse, and one's own two legs are the main form of transportation where I hail from.

[poetontheinside]

[He scoots over a little, bends down to pick up some more stuff: clunkier, bigger stuff, with cogs and gears that he doesn't have the tools for right now but understands. He puts it all in a row, in order, like his dad had taught him when they worked on cars: you lay it out that way, you're not gonna be able to mess it up.]

That's messed up. Nothin' better in the world than hearing that hum, feeling a well-oiled car fly over the road... [He shakes his head, grinning a little.] Ain't nothing like it. C'mon, a cart and horse?

[peacockherald]

_{[ He understands, on a shallow level, what the parts are, but not really what to do with them. He kept his hands to himself for now, not wanting to interrupt Ray's organization. ]}

Well, horse for me in the beginning. Then a Companion - creatures that look like horses, but are so much more. There is nothing quite like feeling their muscle between your legs, rocking your body in time with theirs, traveling as one.

_{[ What? He liked horses. He had been around them since his birth, more comfortable with them sometimes than he had been with his own family. ]}

[poetontheinside]

[He scoots a little more, inviting Vanyel to at least stand next to him and watch what he's doing-- pick up a little technology, or something, right? He's satisfied that the man isn't gonna mess up his organization, so he figures it could work out.]

That's, uh... [Pretty graphic, man. He can't help giving Vanyel a little weirded-out look, but ends up shaking his head in disbelief.] You like that, you're gonna love cars. Or, well, I guess you won't-- are there cars in space? Can we do that?

[peacockherald]

_{[ He takes the invitation, watching his work curiously.}

He notices the look, a faint touch of red running across his cheeks. ]

Perhaps not on the ships, but I am told we visit other planets, so perhaps there we shall find one of these cars, and you can show one to me.

_{[ A small smile flickered across his lips, turning his gaze back to the bits and pieces. ]}

[poetontheinside]

[He methodically starts putting whatever he'd been taking apart back together, piece by piece, and he's obviously delighted by the way it just makes sense, grinning down at the loose parts. He's just a Chicago flatfoot who knew something about cars, and now he's doing this. It's pretty great, and he's starting to relax even more.]

Yeah? That'd be pretty sweet, right? Hey, what kinda chip they put in you?

[peacockherald]

_{[ Vanyel watched with interest, something very pleasing in the way Ray took such pleasure putting pieces back together. ]}

A security one. It seems they think I shall make a fine protector, but that is ever what my magics were for.

[poetontheinside]

Whaddya mean, 'were'? That blue chick, Lioriley, she said she'd die if she didn't have her magic anymore. Ain't it the same for you? [For someone who only learned about magic and stuff a couple of hours ago, he seems pretty cool with it.]

Anyway, plenty of ways to do security. Guns, for one. [He holds out one hand and pistol-shoots Vanyel with his fingers. Bang!]

[peacockherald]

No, I would not die. I did not always have them, actually. They came to me late in my life.

_{[ If sixteen could be considered late, and 'had your talent blasted open' counted as coming to him. A soft chuckle at the motion, shaking his head.}

Rather, he raised his hand, sparks of lightning flickering across his fingers. ]

I've always favored lightning.

[poetontheinside]

Shit-- [he says, totally mesmerized by what Vanyel is doing, and then--]

Shit! [brought to you by Ray Dropping Metal On His Bare Feet. He curses when he picks it up, but if Vanyel is still doing that, he'll go back to watching it.]

Crap. I could do that, I'd never stop doing it.

[peacockherald]

_{[ The cursing almost amuses him, though he was not one such coarse language, and he tried his best not to feel proud of creating such awe in the other he dropped his bits and bobs. He let the little flickers of lightning go on a moment longer before dismissing them. Such a display was not a terrible drain on his reserves, but no sense in emptying himself. ]}

It takes energy, and from what I understand now, shocking things left and right is not particularly wise on this ship.

_{[ He glanced down at Ray's foot, now feeling a little abashed. ]}

Is your foot all right? I have a touch of the Healing Gift as well.

[poetontheinside]

Uh, that's alright, buddy, you just-- [He gestures vaguely at Vanyel's hand, eyes wide. He may be alright with displays of magic for now, since it pretty much looks really cool, but it's another thing entirely to let some guy you only just met magic your hurt foot.]

Teach me to be more careful, huh? [It clearly hasn't worked in the thirty-something years he's been alive, but who knows! It could still happen.]

[peacockherald]

_{[ A breath of a laugh, slight nod of his head. There's a slight pause, Vanyel glancing down at the dropped pieces... only to have them abruptly disappear and reappear back in place beside their siblings. The shadow at the corner of Vanyel's mouth betrayed his smile, surprised at himself for showing off, but reasoned it was only good practice. ]}

It was my fault really. I had no intention of startling you for a second time so quickly.

[poetontheinside]

[He jumps a little when that happens, because he just has no idea what to expect from this whole magic thing. When he gets what just happened he's grinning again.]

I'm thinking it won't take a whole lot to startle me right now, so maybe don't worry about it. Hey-- maybe you don't even need to work any security, just can do a little magic show and distract the fuckers, right?

[peacockherald]

I can only pray it will be that simple, as I have no idea what I would be guarding the ship - or ships - against, much less the people.

_{[ A light shrug of his shoulders, reaching up to brush the silver lock behind his ear once more. ]}

[poetontheinside]

[His eyes stray to that lock-- looks like you got a bit of a vain streak there, Vanyel. It looks kinda cool, though, Ray has to admit that. Maybe he could get it dyed like that next time?]

Space age, right? Little green Martians, Wookiees, alla that stuff? [He grins a little- he's joking, obviously, but there's also some part of him that would be pretty psyched if there were actually going to be Wookiees.]

[peacockherald]

_{[ Oh yes, he was quite the peacock, though the streak was not from age or from dyes, but from the use of magic. Inescapable. Had he been more powerful, been raised Tayledras and begun his training sooner, his hair might well have been full silver.}

He cocked his head slightly at Ray, the smile he gave apologetic. ]

I am afraid you have lost me again, Ray. What, pray tell, is a Wookie?

[poetontheinside]

[Alright, now you're starting to remind him a little of Fraser. Which, actually, gives him an idea: treat all these space-time-other-world-magic people like they're Canadians. Don't talk about American stuff like they should know, because they won't, because they're Canadians.

That suddenly makes it a lot easier for him, which probably tells you a lot about his life.]

It's a, uh, fictional movie-type thing, big, hairy-- [he shakes his head] Never mind.

[peacockherald]

_{[ Probably not a bad way to go about it, all things concerned. Vanyel had been introduced to some modern concepts throughout his time in Paradisa, but they were few and far between. Everyone had lived in a Castle after all, that magically granted wishes. ]}

Oh, you mean it is a creature in the movie pictures?

_{[ See? He understood movies! Some he found entertaining, others he did not quite understand, and stiff preferred books. But it was fun watching such escapades played out. ]}

[poetontheinside]

[He literally perks up, smacking Vanyel on the shoulder like he's giving a dog a pat for good behavior.]

Hey! Yeah! It is a creature in the movie pictures.

[peacockherald]

_{[ Thankfully time around soldiers had adjusted him to such acts. Even his own sister did it, and she was a captain in the royal army. ]}

I confess I have not watched many of them, but the few I have seen I have enjoyed.

_{[ Don't ask him to name titles, he cannot. ]}

Perhaps you can show me the one these "Wookies" come from?

[poetontheinside]

Don't know if there's a big VCR collection in space, but if I figure out a way, buddy, you are invited.

[peacockherald]

_{[ The smile he has now is actually quite delighted. ]}

I would enjoy that very much, thank you.

...But what is a VCR?

_{[ Sorry Ray, you lost him again! ]}

[poetontheinside]

[The smile has Ray looking a little bashful, and he goes back to tinkering for a second- before that question makes him snort again.]

Baby steps, huh? It's what you use to watch movies. Little... recording-thingies. [Alright, so he now knows a lot about how technology works, that doesn't mean he can explain it.]