the white noise is deafening silence

[thespaceopera]

[In the very early hours of January 20th, as the Marsiva and her captives drift nonchalantly through the depths of the universe, there is a call. Every single personal communicator and console springs to life, spitting out a stream of indecipherable static and showing only gray snow on screen. It continues like this for a few seconds longer, going black and then going staticky, and then the signal switches to the encrypted channel generally used for speaking to the Interceptors when something big goes down.

This is a little more successful. The voice may be familiar to some, at least through the static.]

Zhade here! I trust I ███ your attention? I'm having some ██▓▓ble ██tting through. Some of the ░▓██▓█ are missing. I can't ░▓▓▓ read on their loc█████ns. [A particularly long burst of static.] ███stening. I'll s█▓▓█ more inf██▓▓▓▓▓█ I get it.

Stay sharp! [There's the sound of someone actually doing the fingerguns wink noise, and then static.

Any messages sent back won't get through, and Zhade isn't there to answer.]

[ A blip of lost time passes right after those words, before every passenger mysteriously wakes alone in their own unfamiliar room. The style of decor resembles that of the Marsiva's Hospitality Deck, if any passengers should remember what that's like. It sounds and smells the same as the host ship as well, all clean and chrome.

Welcome back to the Marsiva, dear passengers. It's time for round three of calibrations. ]

[ This mingle will cover all non-calibration room interactions. Please continue to come back to it for the duration of the plot! You are, of course, free to post any other mingles/posts/etc. that you'd like. ]

Comments

[shroudedsecrets]

... In these circumstances, there is a high demand for... distraction. You were quicker to take the course of action that I was intending to follow, myself.

[So she is not surprised by a similar inclination. Save that he actually seems to be taken with what he's watching.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki relaxes a little. ]

It is also easier to sequester myself without having to deal with any questions.

[shroudedsecrets]

And likely more gratifying, to retain some control in a more physical space.

[Despite the unfortunate limitations on that aspect as well.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ he nods. ]

That is certainly an aspect of it. I've never liked ceding control to anyone.

[shroudedsecrets]

That is... understandable.

[Granted, she had seen how he had reacted to the mere mention of someone helping him with the ship, so it wasn't as if it hadn't been clear.

Still, aside from the offering of the tray she has made no moves to make herself more comfortable. It is his space, so she waits.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ she reminds him a lot of himself. and loki isn't sure what to make of that comparison. ]

You're welcome to stay.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ Her features soften, and she nods, looking for an unobtrusive place where she might seat herself so that she could still see the screen without encroaching too much on his personal space. ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ geez. he simply gestures to the space next to him. ]

I don't bite.

[shroudedsecrets]

... I know.

[ There's just a very long list of particular things she's not used to and making a move to sit directly next to someone was on that list.

She does sit next to him, at his actual invitation. ]

How fares your... distraction of choice?

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki shrugs loosely, rolling his shoulders. ]

It is entertaining. I am unfamiliar with this kind of medium to be honest. I much prefer plays.

[shroudedsecrets]

I am more familiar with the coliseum.

[She doesn't find that she misses it, though.]

I have not had much experience with these movies, but I do not know if I have been ... entertained before.

[Just... distracted, but barely.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ that is so odd that loki stares a little. ]

Then how did you spend your time?

[shroudedsecrets]

[She's quiet for a moment in thought, shifting her legs under her as she adjusts to her seated position.]

In the times that I was not occupied with tasks or experiments, I would... search the stars.

[dothelokimotion]

[ curious. his voice softens. ]

What were you searching for?

[shroudedsecrets]

[ It's a harder question; even separating her tasks from it, her mindset had changed so much since then. There were gaps, even there. ]

... something I could never find. It had no true importance, so I could not... waste time upon it.

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki always asks the hard questions. ]

True importance is not much of a concept. Or at least I've found it highly derivative.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ Again, she's quiet. ]

Perhaps. My tasks and my service were always the priority. Idleness... was out of place, but time felt differently then. Any capability I may have had to understand such things... were not as they are now.

[dothelokimotion]

[ that's fair. ]

It was the same for me, long ago. Though I suppose time is strange for me as I am.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ Time was such a complex subject. ]

As you are?

[dothelokimotion]

As a God. Time moves differently for us. And living among mortals does not make that strain any easier.

[ it's certainly difficult to adapt when you know you'll outlive literally everyone else. ]

[shroudedsecrets]

... No. I suppose it would not, if there were those that you would rather not be parted from.

[ It's an uncomfortable thought, for varied reasons. ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ he chuckles. ]

In the end, we part with everyone.

[shroudedsecrets]

[ One way or the other. ]

... Perhaps we should return our attention to your... distraction.

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki rolls his shoulders. ]

If you like. You might enjoy it too.

[shroudedsecrets]

I know better than to anticipate that.

[It's said with slight amusement in her tone, at least.]

But it does look different from what... Katie has shown me before.