Mingle 'til you drop

[hearsthesea]

Who: SS Huntress and company
Broadcast: Nope
Action: SS Huntress
When: Post-Shuffle, through the month of May!

[The past few weeks have seen a few losses and a few gains, and now all told the Huntress is at full capacity! The ship itself has more or less recovered from the attack in April and the time since then has been relatively calm, but who knows what May might bring...

In the meantime, it's mingle time.]

Comments

[devilsinthedetails]

[If anyone finds themselves in the cargo hold, they'll see that's it has been temporarily turned into a training area/utter mess considering that right now, it's the demons of the ship practicing there right now. Well, it's Cole practicing with energy balls and Chris kind of helping out by tossing a vaguely person-shaped target around the hold with telekinesis. Which is going fine for a while until the target starts flying around erratically and Cole's energy balls miss, hitting the walls with a fizzle.

There's arguing and bickering galore which turns into something akin to a telekinesis fight over the target dummy with it flying around the hold with no regard as to where it ends up. Which makes it slightly dangerous since the target's not only person sized, but also has a broom for a head. So if anybody shows up, watch out for the flying dummy while two actual adults bicker like children about absolutely nothing.]

[hearsthesea]

[Shirley's come down to check on their food stocks and hasn't quite anticipated a telekinetic battle, and so she lets out a short yelp when she's nearly smacked in the shoulder with a flying dummy. Between that and the energy ball colliding with the wall not too far away she decides to duck back for a moment, only calling out when she decides it looks safe enough.]

What are you two doing?

[devilsinthedetails]

[Whoops. Cole flicks his wrist and tosses the dummy away from any unsuspecting crewmate that may walk in and directs it straight at Chris for him to deal with while he's talking. He just looks somewhat apologetic at Shirley and then grins.]

Target practice with a moving target. [He summons the dummy to his hands and shows it off. It's a bunch of pillows stuffed into a jumpsuit painted black with a broom for a head that's been given grey paint for hair and a grumpy face.] Thought it'd be better practice to hit something while moving that isn't Chris. He cheats. But it appears that he still cheats even if he's not the target.

[hearsthesea]

Does he?

[Shirley comes back out and taking a closer look at the dummy, then the two of them. She seems more amused than anything.]

Well, that's not very nice of him.

[devilsinthedetails]

Complete and utter cheater. Shimmers out of the way, blocks my energy balls with his hands, generally shows off.

[Cole looks very thoughtful for a moment.]

...Maybe I should see about grounding him for not taking training seriously. He's way more vulnerable than I am when in human form.

[He is very aware that Chris is the glass cannon magic dps to his ranged tank.]

[hearsthesea]

Grounding him? What do you mean?

[Chris...can't fly? Last she knew, anyway.]

[serves]

[Cullen's sitting in the galley (a place he's not often found because why socialize), and he seems to be busy rubbing his temple and staring down at his tea as if it were the offender. It's not, he knows it's not, but withdrawal is a pesky nuisance at the most random of times, it seems. Sometimes tea helps, sometimes it just makes his stomach churn. It's a gamble.

He's not quite sure how it's going yet.]

[hearsthesea]

[That's...an unusual sight. Shirley's most concerned about that look on his face, and so she approaches him quietly with an allowance for space.]

Cullen, are you feeling all right?

[serves]

[He wants to reply with a sharp yes, because that usually gets people to go away even if they don't believe him. But it's Shirley, and so Cullen takes a steadying breath before looking at her.]

Just a small headache.

[It takes a moment too long, but he musters up a thin smile. She needn't worry.]

[hearsthesea]

[Well, she is one of the lab support people on the ship!]

I can get some medicine for you, if you'd like.

[serves]

I've yet to find a medicine that helps. [And yet...] But I suppose I have nothing to lose by trying.

[hearsthesea]

I'll be back in a moment, then.

[Shirley heads off as quickly as she can without making too much noise - surely that would be no help for a headache, after all. She returns a few minutes later with a bottle in one hand and a pill in another.]

Here, try one of these.

[serves]

What is it? [He takes it in his hand.]

[hearsthesea]

It's medicine for pain relief. I don't think it's the sort of thing either of us are used to, but it should work.

[That or she's been led very astray by her augment as well as the reading she's done...well, maybe the books can be trusted more anyway.]

[serves]

[He'll try anything at this point. He knows it'll get worse before it gets better, of course. He takes the pills.]

Thank you, Shirley. And how are you doing?

[hearsthesea]

I've been fine. It's been a quiet month...although I don't think that's anything to complain about, after how it began.

[serves]

And your magic?

[hearsthesea]

I didn't tell you? I'm sorry, I got it back a little while ago. Somebody took it, and then they returned it.

[serves]

That's good to hear, though I'm.... hoping the whole matter was some mistake, if someone has the ability to take magic away entirely.

[hearsthesea]

It wasn't a mistake, but it's nothing to worry about. I don't think it will happen again.

[She's satisfied with that, anyway. Call it karma.]

[serves]

Who was it?

[JUST WONDERING...]

[hearsthesea]

I don't know their name, but they're able to change their appearance. Apparently they need to borrow others' powers, but they'll be asking people to volunteer theirs temporarily from now on.

[Sorry, Cullen.]

[serves]

You seem very relaxed about all of this. [Cullen doesn't trust it. Or maybe his head just hurts.]

[hearsthesea]

Whoever it was, they were in need and desperate. I don't want to fault them for that. Besides...

[And she sighs.]

I've taken away people's power, once before - but I did it to many more than just one person. I don't feel right getting angry at him when he's only done the same thing to me.

[serves]

[She's too kind. She's also a young girl, and Cullen reels in anything else he might have to say. But you bet he'll be keeping an eye out.]

If you're sure.

[hearsthesea]

I'm sure. If it becomes a problem, I can take care of it myself.

[She is a young woman with serious responsibilities, okay! Even if she is the youngest on the ship.]

[serves]

I believe you. [But if he can help, he would. In a heartbeat.]

You're a kind young lady, Shirley.

[hearsthesea]

Ah...

[Stop embarrassing her, Cullen.]

I want to be fair. That's the best way to go about things, isn't it?

[serves]

[Even with the pounding in his head, he manages a chuckle.]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you.

[hearsthesea]

It's fine.

[Don't do it again, though!]

...In any case, thank you.

[serves]

And thank you, for your kindness. Don't lose that.

[He rubs his temple. Maybe he's feeling a little better, it's hard to tell.]

[hearsthesea]

I hope to.

[His action catches her attention, though, so she changes the subject.]

Do you want to lie down?

[serves]

[He wants to say no, that he's fine, but what use is there in being stubborn when she already knows he's ill? After a moment of consideration, he sighs.]

I suppose I should.

[hearsthesea]

You should get to your bed then. If you need medicine again, I can give you more later.

[serves]

Thank you, Shirley. I'll be sure to remember that.

[Even if it might not really help, he's grateful.]

[devilsinthedetails]

[Normally, Cole doesn't really...interact with the rest of his shipmates unless it's Chris or if Chris is around in any capacity. Today isn't really different except for the fact that Cole's hungry and Chris is elsewhere for the moment, probably acting like a captain or something. Who knows, Cole doesn't keep track of him that much. So when he gets to the galley, he doesn't really say anything until he's seated and looking over in boredom.]

So what did the tea do to deserve that much of a glare, insult your family? Declare war upon your insides?

[serves]

It's losing the battle with this headache. [He can play that game. Cullen grimaces, though, as if the attempt to be conversational hurt. It probably did.]

[devilsinthedetails]

Ah, well that explains the headache. [There's a quick moment where he looks sympathetic to his plight, but then he turns his focus to his food. Thankfully, when he finally speaks again, it's not with food in his mouth.] You sticking to tea or did you try the medicines that are stocked in the med lab?

[serves]

I've not much experience with them.

[Pills are strange. He's used to teas and herbs and things mixed and mashed together. Not that any of it has ever really helped him.]

[hearsthesea]

[Since the attack Shirley's been ever more determined to pull her weight given that she's a kid among a bunch of adults, and so she's been doing a lot of reading lately! She's in the galley seating area with a couple of books; currently she's reading something about physics and space with a frown, with a couple of other books about physics scattered around her for reference because they sure never taught this in her little hidden childhood village.

Yeah, it could be going better.]