[video]

[wallcrawler]

Who: Peter Parker
Broadcast: Video
Action: SS Huntress
When: Now!

[Good evening flooters, have a clearly distressed yet refreshingly well-rested teenager looking anxiously at the network for some sort of reassurance.]

So, is it normal for people to just black out around here? Last thing I remember, we were all stuck on that big welcome ship.

I mean, I know occasionally people go to sleep for a while, but don't they come back feeling like they spent a bunch of time back home? I've got squat.

[You know, aside from the lingering embarrassment and a strong desire to forget that people were in his head.]

Comments

[nomirage]

That's what I've heard too. I'm sort of glad I can't remember a lot.

[wallcrawler]

Huh... y'know, you're actually the first to say that. I just thought it was normal for everyone to remember all of it.

If only to wake up and wonder if it was all some crazy dream, like in some bad daytime show.

[nomirage]

It's all very fuzzy for me. I'm not sure why of course but I imagine I may remember some more things with time.

[And part of it is probably just her blocking out things she heard or shared.]

[wallcrawler]

Maybe. Or it could be because you were like, this big, and that's throwing it off.

[He is definitely holding his hand up level with his head, then appropriately lowering it to Bitty!Mirage size. For illustrative purposes, of course.

And also because he'd rather not try to ballpark that age and find out she's one of the pointy-eared people who live for so long his guess would end up being so inaccurate it's an insult or something.]

Or hey, maybe you just lucked out and got a room that didn't want to overwhelm you after?

[nomirage]

[Oh! She looks a little wide-eyed for a brief moment and then it sort of hits her all of a sudden.]

Ah, you caught me sneaking around, didn't you!

[She shouldn't get flustered but there's still a part of her that recalls her mother's wrath in those moments when she would sneak onto the VF unites, okay.]

[wallcrawler]

And even interrupted some quality playtime in the cockpit, yeah.

But I got the distinct impression we'd have both gotten in trouble if I said anything about it. Still getting that same vibe!

Just how many times did you get busted for that, anyway?

[Because Mirage didn't seem like the sort of person to have been the Problem Child, but judging books by covers and whatnot...]

[nomirage]

[Mirage looks thoroughly sheepish... at least for a little bit. Then she huffs out a little laugh before spiraling into a more proper laugh.]

Just a few times.

[She gives him a big grin after that.]

My grandfather vouched for me every other time.

[If Grandpa Max loved anything, it was recklessness to some degree. And little Mirage had been a fair bit more reckless than big Mirage. Not Problem Child material exactly but more a Jenius through and through.]

[wallcrawler]

Can definitely see why you'd keep doing it, then. Always easier when you've got someone ready to cover for you.

[Not that he'd ever had a jet to play around in. But Uncle Ben always made it a little easier for him to mess around with electronics or run experiments in the house.]

So, did that mean you got a pilot augment when the Atroma brought you here? Or did they stick you with something else?

[nomirage]

Surprisingly the Atroma gave me the pilot augment here. I've heard that's not usually how it works out. Or rather is someone is good at something it seems to be the last thing the Atroma give them.

[wallcrawler]

Is it? I've seen it match up pretty well for a few. Guess I've only seen the success stories.

[Which was entirely possible, given he didn't really get out much those first several months.]

At least they're not handing out augments to people who'd be the worst at using them though, right? Ratings boost or not, all the kitchen fires from bad cooks would probably get expensive to deal with.

[nomirage]

It certainly would make running the ships... or what little we do run them... more challenging.

[wallcrawler]

I could do without "challenging." I've had more than enough "challenging."

I'll take boredom over dealing with a pilot playing Chicken with the other ships or an engineer blowing up part of the ship every other day any time.

[Even though he may or may not be the engineer in that hypothetical scenario]

[nomirage]

That sounds very. Specific.

[wallcrawler]

Aren't all worst-case scenarios? They kinda have to be, otherwise they can't be the worst.

[nomirage]

I suppose so, yes. Somehow that sounded more like experience speaking than something hypothetical.

[wallcrawler]

Okay, that first part was, a little. But definitely not the rest of it.

I just didn't want to give you the wrong idea about the rest of the crew. They've all been pretty cool so far.

[nomirage]

[Ah, that explains that. She smiles a bit.]

I understand. I've had no problems aboard my ship either, now that we're back on them at least.

[She hadn't been around that long before being swept off into the whole Calibration mess after all. She's only now really getting to know members of the Starduck's crew.]

[wallcrawler]

Well, hey, at least you wound up with a good crew! Not that there's any bad crews- I don't think- but still. Not like many of us are enjoying our time here, so having good people with you helps.

Which ship did you get put on, anyway?

[nomirage]

I'm on the SS Starduck.

[wallcrawler]

Ah. I think that's one of the few ships I don't know anything about.

[He's...pretty sure that's the one Escha was on? But it's not like they really knew each other. Even calling them acquainted would be a stretch- they'd just both been two of the people working on trying to study the black mist from several systems back.]

Not that any of these ships are really comfortable, but is it upgraded at all? I heard the bunks and stuff can start off pretty cramped.

[nomirage]

I'm not sure really. I believe the rooms must be upgraded, mine at least has a fairly large mattress.

[She's also used to more cramped conditions though, even when she doesn't necessarily enjoy them.]

And I have a small desk.