driftfleet | (no subject)

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Who: Shirley, Huntress, and friends
Broadcast: None
Action: Huntress
When: May 12

[With some math and a little bit of fudging, Shirley's more or less worked out that by this point she should have hit her sixteenth birthday. This is the first time she's actually had friends to celebrate it with, so she wastes no effort in decorating and preparing food for everyone she's invited. There's sandwiches, drinks, a couple of different baked goods...she may have spent a while on this and hogged the ship galley accordingly. But now it's party time, and there's ample room for everyone to eat and hang out!]

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[Cullen reacts differently than Will does! Will mostly just gets grouchy when people call him old. Very interesting, and currently very encouraging for Shirley.]

Well...Chris is older than me, too. So you're not alone.

At least you're kind to old men like us.

It's only good form to take care of your elders, don't you think? I promise you won't have to worry.

[Pfft.]

Enjoy your youth, Shirley. It will be gone before you know it.

That's okay. I want to live a long time, and I'll have more experience when I'm older too.

You're already a bright young lady. I can only imagine how you'll be once you're older.

[Oh. That gets her to blush.]

There's still a lot I need to learn, actually. There's been a lot of change at home lately.

May I ask...?

It's no problem, but it is a long story.

[Not to mention a lot to dump on someone at once, in more than one way.]

I have the time if you do. We should get to know one another better.

Right.

[That does sound good. Shirley takes a deep breath to figure out where to begin.]

In my world there are the Ferines and the Orerines, and they have a terrible history with each other. I'm the Merines, which means that I carry out the sea's will and guide the Ferines...but I ran away from what I should have been doing, and a lot of things happened. Now I want to work towards peace between the Ferines and Orerines, but there's still a long way to go.

[Perhaps not the best conversation on her name day, but Cullen listens, brow creased. Too much for a young girl.]

Not on your own, I hope. [And then he quickly adds--]

Not because I think you incapable, but such tasks can be lonely. They shouldn't be shouldered by one person.

[It's absolutely the best kind of conversation, mostly because it's been weighing on Shirley with her birthday and another year incoming anyway. She seems fine enough talking about it.]

No, I have help from a few others, and support from many more. Their work is as invaluable to the process as my own efforts.

I'm glad to hear it. And I wish you the best, once you return to your world. [Not like he'd be able to say it later.]

I wish there was more I could do than offer you that.

That's more than enough. I really am grateful for the support, and in the meantime I want to keep improving myself while I'm here. That way I'll be better prepared, whenever I can go home again.

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