[video/action]

[candothat]

Enterprise? Do you read?

[A curly-headed boy, almost certainly not out of his teens, frowns at the screen. His words are rendered somewhat incomprehensible by a thick Eastern European accent in spite of his obvious attempts to annunciate.]

Ensign Chekov to bridge. Uhura? Sulu? …Mr. Spock? Chekov to engineering. Mr. Scott, can you hear me? There may have been a... ah, a malfunction with the teleporter.

Can anyone hear me?

[He sighs and fiddles with something on his device. The video feed distorts momentarily before returning to normal. When the teenager speaks again, his tone is low and words less painstakingly produced as if he’s speaking himself.]

Ai, what is this? There shouldn’t be interference this far out from the magnetic anomaly. Eto piz`dets…

Comments

[candothat]

[Chekov doesn't get where Tessa's coming from, being more of a doer than a dreamer and more likely to read something informational than something strictly amusing, but he goes along with it.] What is it that you get from books and stories? I am not talking about words or the stories themselves.

[likeboudica]

They take you away from wherever you are, allow you to live other lives than the one you have, if only for a little while. You learn to understand others, not only the fictional characters of course but also the writers, in some way. And words have power, they can change the way you think.

[candothat]

[He thinks about this. And then thinks about it a little longer. Chekov finally gives Tessa a sheepish smile.] I need to read more, I think. When I think of going away from life, I think of leaving to go to a new place, and understanding others? I think, "Read about their society."

[He makes a face.]

And words, I always think of how badly they come out in Standard when they sound very good in my head.

[likeboudica]

Perhaps leaving to go to a new place is just as good or even better than reading, though if you lack the opportunity to simply go elsewhere, I think reading is a great comfort. [ she, for one, would not have survived her time with the Dark Sisters had it not bee for the comfort of books, of that she is certain ]

[candothat]

Is travel dangerous when you are from? I forget how different it must be.

[likeboudica]

Dangerous, certainly, though also very slow and quite expensive.

[candothat]

I wish you could visit the future! Travel is fast and inexpensive. I could go from the Academy to Novgorod on weekends--on student allowance, as well.

[likeboudica]

I am already visiting the future, right now.

[candothat]

Nononono, the future that is the future here--the one that is my present. At home I can hold a thousand libraries in a single device. Maybe you would like that.

[likeboudica]

A thousand libraries? [ That seems— impossible. ]

[candothat]

[He waves the hand that's not attached to the arm that Tessa's holding dismissively.] As many books as you would want, anyway. How many libraries is variable--the size of the library collection, the length of the books...

[likeboudica]

[ the concept is still utterly foreign and equally amazing to tessa. ] Truly? I should wish for countless books.

[candothat]

You would fill a device up, maybe. I have never heard of anyone filling it to its maximum capacity--except for Mr. Scott, perhaps, and his technical manuals--but you are determined.

[likeboudica]

Who is Mr Scott? [ ever so curious. ]

I simply enjoy reading very much. I have been here for months and yet have not come close to even knowing of every book that this library contains. Perhaps one of your devices would keep me for a lifetime.

[candothat]

[He's more than happy to talk about his shipmates! Or anything, really, since Tessa has yet to tell him to stop talking.]

He is the Enterprise's chief engineer and a very clever man who is revolutionizing the use of transporters and their--but no, you would not be interested in that. Scotty can fix anything. He is also the only one on the ship who will talk about transwarp theory and new transporter theories with me, and he lets me work on engineering projects with him, sometimes. You would like him, I think. [pause] Or you may be offended by him. Sometimes he is rude, but never in a mean way.

You would need more than one lifetime. The library here--surely it is large enough for most of a lifetime?

[likeboudica]

[ Tessa likes listening to him talk. It's almost like one of the books from the science-fiction section that she recently discovered, which to her seems far more fantastical than the fantasy section. But then, all of those worlds she is reading about may well be real, in some way or form, since there clearly are more than just the one she lives in. ] He sounds a little like Henry, perhaps, only with actual talent. [ The thought makes her grin. ]

Yes, I do think you are right.

[candothat]

Henry is from your home? I am sure he has some talent.

[He likes being right. He also realizes he's been doing most of the talking.] Tessa, tell me anything about you, please?

[likeboudica]

Yes, he is a Shadowhunter from the Institute in London that took me in. He is always inventing things and very enthusiastic about it, but so far none of his inventions have worked, truly.

[ It is a little strange, because she has told him about herself, very much, but now he remembers none of it. ] I— I have lived in New York with my aunt and my brother for most of my life, but then my brother went to England and a little later my aunt died [ she pauses, swallowing dryly. She told him before, but it does not get any easier regardless. ], my brother had sent poisoned chocolate that he knew I would not touch it. I do not like chocolate, you see. So she died and I went to England where I was kidnapped by the Dark Sisters and I learnt that I am not human at all.

[candothat]

Enthusiasm, I think, can be as valuable as talent.

[Chekov takes his time processing this information.] Your life has been very difficult.

[likeboudica]

In that case, he is very valuable indeed. [ Smiling a little at that, but her expression quickly grows serious, dark, as she thinks of everything that has happened. ]

There is a man obsessed with me and what I can do, and he would stop at nothing. He has built an army of clockwork men, and he has killed to get to me. He wishes to marry me so as to control me. [ she doesn't tell him that she would sooner die than let it happen. he did not like the thought when she told him last time and though it still holds true, she would do it, she doesn't wish to upset him. ]

[candothat]

[That's all rather worrisome regardless. Chekov pats Tessa's arm reassuringly.] That will not happen. Even if it does not seem possible to escape from this, you will. Someday, then, you will be safe and you can live in a library and read.

And for now, you are in the City. This man is not.

[likeboudica]

[ allowing a small smile. she wishes— she wishes that what he says will come true. wistful: ] That sounds nice.

No, he is not. For that, I am very grateful.