Meanwhile on the loveboat (mingle log)

[destinyembrace]

Who: Crew of the Blue Fish, anyone who's been invited, and any visitors! So basically everyone
Broadcast: Nope
Action: On the Blue Fish, mostly probably in the kitchen and the mess hall because PARTY
When: Today~

[If there's anything this freaking ship loves, it's food. Somehow, a dinner got planned to welcome the new member. And then other people got invited. And then the dinner pretty much turned into a party with a lot of food. Needless to say, Kairi has been very busy preparing food all the day for this.

There's a lot of meat, per the captain's request. But there's also veggies, some fruit, pasta, and even brownies! There are also two pizza pies. Basically, Kairi just cooked a bunch of food and hoped it would be enough, as she had no idea how many people were coming.

SO DIG IN, BLUE FISH AND GUESTS. Also mingle and be social and all that jazz!]

Comments

[dancingmd]

Of course, we don't even know if they're humanoids or not. Maybe they don't know any better.

[forsometimenow]

Hmm... I didn't even think about it that way. If they're not human, it could explain a lot about why they find us so entertaining to begin with.

[dancingmd]

It seems highly likely to me. In my universe, there was a species of energy-based lifeforms that became very interested in humanity.

[She takes another sip of wine.]

They were a complete nuisance if you ask me.

[forsometimenow]

Energy-based lifeforms usually are. I wasn't on Atlantis at the time, but apparently Rodney and some of the other members of our crew once got caught up by some who gave them very realistic hallucinations- made them believe they'd gone back home. The beings wanted them to be happy, so they made everything perfect or even better than it had been when they left, so it wasn't out of malice, but still... I'd hate to have something like that happen to me.

[dancingmd]

[Shuddering, she thinks about Atroma's April Fool's "prank."]

Finding out what you've been experiencing isn't real is an awful experience.

[forsometimenow]

I can only imagine. I have yet to experience something like that, and I'm kinda grateful- being taken over by an alien entity was bad enough.

[dancingmd]

[Beverly's jaw tightens as she stares into her cup for a minute. Being reminded again of Ronin...it's difficult.]

It's hard for me to say which is worse.

[When she looks back up at Jennifer, her expression softens sympathetically.]

I'm sorry you had to go through that too. I know what a horrifying experience that is.

[forsometimenow]

[Jennifer actually looks visibly relieved- someone else understood. It had happened to most of the others at some point, and Carson could understand a bit about how she felt thanks to the whole "I almost destroyed the city and killed my friends" thing, but still.]

It was awful. This particular one made these... tentacles grow out of me... they started consuming the city. I was unconscious for most of it, but my friends had a hell of a time trying to figure out how to get me out of it.

[dancingmd]

[Beverly nods her head emapthetically.] To lose control over your actions... it's terrifying, especially if those actions end up hurting others.

[Ronin at least didn't make her physically harm anyone but god, the look on Jean-Luc's face: it's not something she's likely to forget.]

I wasn't myself when he was with me.

[forsometimenow]

Yeah... and when you're helpless to do anything about it... that makes it worse. The organism did quite a bit of damage to the city and hurt two of my friends... though not badly.

[Jennifer traced a finger around the top of her glass.]

I saw evidence that something was wrong a few nights before it got that bad, but it was like every time I thought to run a scan on myself, I'd get distracted by something else and forget about it. It was already affecting me before I realized it. It was creepy.

[dancingmd]

I know. I didn't... I thought everything was perfectly fine. The worst part is, this entity had been doing this to generations of women in my family, and I had no idea.

[She makes a scoffing noise, not directed at Jennifer, just at the situation in general.]

Just some lighthearted party talk, huh?

[forsometimenow]

[Jennifer gave a half laugh at that.]

Hey, at least "alien entities and the humans who were possessed by them" is interesting conversation. It's... not something everyone can understand, so in a way I'm kinda glad to have someone to discuss it with.

[dancingmd]

[She nods.] It's good to talk it out.

[She says this next part only half-seriously.]Maybe we should make a support group.

[forsometimenow]

That would be handy, wouldn't it? Makes you wonder how many people here have had similar experiences... [She took a sip of wine.] Back home, we did have therapists as part of the expedition's crew, but... there are things school just doesn't prepare you for.

[dancingmd]

We have counselors and psychologists too, and Starfleet Academy prepares us well, but you're right... we wouldn't be explorers if we weren't facing the unpredictable and the unknown.

[forsometimenow]

Yeah- it's part and parcel of the whole exploring new frontiers thing. I faced the same problem a few times myself, especially because the Stargate program isn't exactly public knowledge, so it's not like med school could have given me pointers on how to diagnose diseases I'd never heard of before.

[dancingmd]

No training in extraterrestrial diseases at all? I can't imagine... it's already hard enough sometimes and I was trained very well before I entered Starfleet.

Out of curiosity, what's the strangest thing you've ever had to do in your job do you think?

[forsometimenow]

Yeah, and I got recruited fresh out of med school then stumbled sideways into being chief of medicine. I wouldn't trade the experience for the world, mind, but it kept me on my toes, to say the least.

[Jennifer thought for a moment, trying to narrow down just one. It was surprisingly difficult.]

I'm trying to choose between the memory-wiping fever and the unknown entity that gave everyone it infected terrible nightmares. [There was also the time Rodney had had the parasite that degraded his mind and memories, but... that one was still very painful for her to think about.]

[dancingmd]

... it's a bit scary how similar our experiences seem to be.

[forsometimenow]

It really is. But it kinda makes me glad we found each other, too.

[dancingmd]

[Beverly smiles warmly.] Me too. I would say it's fortunate that we arrived here at the same time, but I have a suspicion that was no coincidence. I can't say I begrudge Atroma this one though.

[forsometimenow]

Yeah, seriously. I'm not happy about being kidnapped, but if it was for the purpose of helping people... I can't say I entirely dislike that.

[dancingmd]

[She snorts a little.] Surprisingly - or maybe not - it's not the first time this has happened to me. Granted, the last people were more ... straightforward about it.

[forsometimenow]

... wow. ... It's actually not all that surprising to me, given what we've been discussing.

[dancingmd]

True. I'm only now beginning to suspect how... unusual my life at home really is.