Missing Home

[itsyagirl]

Who: open to all
Broadcast: no
Action: Iskaulit
When: Jan 12 or whenever...time doesn't matter

Veronica has been rather absent this holiday season. While she's made an appearance at the festivities, she hasn't really seemed all there, and has left early from most of them without talking much. For a girl whose life has changed so much so fast, even before the Fleet, one might think it would be easy for her to roll with the punches, but eventually, Veronica tires out, and she's hit that point.

She misses home. She's lonely. Sure, she has Lance here, but much of his time is dedicated to Keith and his team, and Veronica isn't about to take that away from him. He's happy. She isn't going to get in the way of that. While she's befriended people here, it just isn't the same, and she finds herself growing homesick and depressed.

She's spending a lot of time these days just sitting by the bay windows of the Iskaulit, looking out into the deep abyss of space. It's beautiful, and she really does love it, but...it's so cold and isolating. It makes her think of everything that she's lost, all the people who have died for a war that they were never even meant to be a part of... Veronica hugs her knees to her chest and just watches.

Comments

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ Kirk has seen Veronica on his trips between the ships. He has largely left her alone, as she seems to be deep in thought most of the time, but today he decides to make a change. She seems - sad. He doesn't know her well enough to say much more, but it seems that way. No one hugs their knees to their chest, after all, because they're feeling warm and fuzzy.

He walked over, tapping a book on his shoulder. ]</sub>

Amazing, isn't it? You never really quite understand the term 'star sea' until you're out here.

[itsyagirl]

[Veronica is vaguely aware of his approach, but she doesn't give any indication of it right away. Her focus is drawn away from her thoughts, however, and when Kirk speaks, she turns her head to look up at him. There's dark shadows under her eyes, and a heaviness in the lines of her face that is more pronounced now than before, but she does smile tiredly.]

Yeah... I understand now why it was so hard for other people to describe being out here. There's really no words for it.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He takes a set close to her on the window, not missing the dark circles and the heaviness that seems to surround her. ]}

You look like you could use a nap instead of star gazing.

[itsyagirl]

[That makes her chuckle softly, rubbing at her eyes. Her smile is a bit sheepish.]

Maybe. I haven't been sleeping well lately.

[universal_charm]

Anything you want to talk about? I know a thing or two about sleepless nights.

_{[ He looked out at the dark expanse. ]}

Or I could tell you the names of the new constellations I've made up. I'm pretty sure that'll get you snoring in no time flat.

[itsyagirl]

I don't know. [Veronica looks back out at space, shrugging.]

I'm homesick, mostly.

[universal_charm]

Lance has told me some of what's happening, on your Earth. I imagine it's difficult being away from it, with all of that happening.

[itsyagirl]

[She nods absently, looking rather distant again. Her thoughts are clearly back home.]

That, and I've never been up here before. Or been away from my family for very long.

[universal_charm]

I want to tell you that it gets easier. But the truth is that it doesn’t. You just - learn to live in the moment. It’s hard in the quiet, like this, but that part at least gets easier.

_{[ He gives her a wry smile. ]}

And then you start making up constellations with terrible back stories and then there’s really no hope for you.

[itsyagirl]

[She looks back at him when he starts to joke, unable to resist a sheepish laugh and a smile. It's hard to stay pensive when you make her laugh, Jim!]

How can you even pick a constellation when we're moving?

[universal_charm]

Oh, when we slow down enough you just connect a few, say it's whatever animal you want - or person, or object - and just go from there. I can't say any of them are very good, but it's fun. Or I remember ones I saw before and expand their stories.

[itsyagirl]

[She glances back out at the sea of stars, resting her head on her chin. They are moving quickly, but that doesn't make the stars move particularly fast. They are incredibly far away, after all.

If anything, she's learned more about the sheer vastness and emptiness that is space.]

Tell me one?