poly_chromatic | ( v o i c e )

Entry tags:

the infernal devices - tessa gray

( v o i c e )

I must admit that the flow of visitors may be a little overwhelming, but— if there is someone from the Institute here, if only for a day or two, I should like to make my own presence known, rather than spend all day in the library.

I only ask that— [ she pauses, clearly hesitant, before her voice comes again, stronger now and quite firm ] that whoever should wish to talk to me will not be too forward.

[ it doesn't quite express what she wishes to say (please, take care not to offend my 18th century sensibilities) but it comes close enough while still remaining polite ]

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I would not have had the patience to travel anywhere when you are from.

[wholly oblivious to any blushing going on] No? Maybe I would like it less if I were to spend a long time here, but I don't think so. At home, I have no one near my age to talk to.

[Because, you know... the younger officers on the Enterprise are twenty-two, and that's way older than seventeen.]

As I said: I read a lot during the journey. [ And before. And after. It hardly mattered where she was. ] Besides, it is not as though I had a choice in the matter.

Oh. Are you unusually young, then, for the work you do?

No, I suppose not.

Yes--I am the youngest commissioned officer in Starfleet. [And proud of it, thank you.]

[ nodding slowly. ] I could have remained in New York, perhaps, but then I did not know that Nate would betray me.

[ Oh. That gets a smile. ] Congratulations.

[Waitwaitwaitwait.]

Who is this, and how did he betray you?

[ Looking down and away. ] My brother. My aunt died, Nate killed her but I did not know that, and he sent tickets for England and said to meet him there, that he had found work and would provide for me.

Instead, the Dark Sisters took me and trained me.

[He pauses for a long moment, both taking this in and trying to think of a way to backtrack to less painful topics of conversation.]

These are things you would rather not remember? We should discuss something else.

[ They are things she would rather not remember, but that is not quite correct. They are things she would rather not have happened, but they did happen. However beautiful a lie it would be to pretend that these things did not happen, to deny them if even in her mind, it would be a lie nevertheless. But Pavel is correct, of course, in that they should talk of something else. She would not wish to bother him with her past. ]

Do they still have books in your time?

[It doesn't seem quite right to move on and gloss over anything unpleasant, but Tessa is still virtually a stranger. There is only so much information one can ask of a stranger.]

Books? There are paper books, yes, but they are old, mostly, and very fragile. I have seen only a few.

[He reaches for the PADD that he usually keeps on his person before remembering that personal effects didn't make it into the City.]

I read on my PADD, usually. It is like a small computer and can hold thousands of books.

Thousands of books, truly? [ Tilting her head a little, considering. She likes paperbooks, but it may well be only because they are what she is used to. The important thing, what matters most, that is the stories. ]

I am glad you still have books, in some form.

I have been told that some models can hold millions, but no one has time to read millions of books.

[curiously] What books do you read?

No, I suppose millions of books would be a little much, perhaps.

[ Smiling. ] The books of my time, I should perhaps say, and the poems. I love Charles Dickens.

Ah! I have heard of him, although I have not read any of his work. Poetry--I am not familiar with much poetry. What are the names of your poets?

You should read A Tale of Two Cities. I love it.

Have you heard of Tennyson?

I will look for this when I have my PADD. [Which isn't true, since he won't remember, but...]

Ah... no?

They have it in the library here. You could look it up later, or Tennyson, if you'd like.

[ Or she could show him. ]

I would like to see the library and look for these things. Is it far? The library?

No, not at all. We could take our coffee, if you would like. [ Tessa loves the library, as might be evident in her smile, the way she lights up just a little when talking about books. ]

Yes, I would--if you would? [It's silly to ask. From Tessa's expression, it's pretty obvious that she'd like to go to the library.] I will follow you.

Of course. [ Standing and, after the briefest hesitation, sliding a hand into the crook of his elbow again. ]

The library here is wonderful, truly. It has books on everything, and I think it may well be a little magical. Sometimes there are rooms which were not there before.

[Chekov is not opposed to this.]

Magical? How do you find your books if the rooms are not always the same?

It always seems simple enough. Perhaps that, too, is magic.

There is a good deal about this City that seems to operate on magic.

[Like the fact that they haven't slammed right in to Dr. McCoy. Chekov isn't sure what the doctor would think of the current lack of personal space between them.]

That may well be true. I certainly would not know how else to explain many things, but then the technology that Doctor McCoy uses seems like magic to me as well.

[ What lack of personal space, Mr Chekov? She's walked the exact same with Doctor McCoy himself. Is that not the same thing? ]

There is someone on the Enterprise who would say that all magic is nothing more than phenomena--or technology--that we do not yet know how to explain. Here, that may not be so true.

[Doctor McCoy probably wouldn't think it was the same thing, but Chekov feels that he's conducting himself properly.]

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