[ Video] In an unlocked place the only time I feel safe

[mightbeconcussed]

[Lucy comes into view of the screen, bottom lip caught between her teeth. She's got the device propped up on the island in her kitchen]

Morning [She is all giddy smiles. She scoots out of the screen, pans it around a bit to show breakfast prepared and laid out on the island: waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, grits, bacon and eggs. She bends to the side back into the frame.]

Come on. We're going to wake up Pavel.

[She pads barefoot through the house. She's wearing one of Chekov's shirts. It's not terribly loose on her and only hits the tops of her thighs. There's the squeak of the door as she nudges it open; the lights are dimmer here and the bed, at first glance is a muddle of blankets, pillows and a body. She carries the device over to the side of the bed, placing it carefully on the nightstand before she bends over and presses a kiss to Chekov's cheekbone.]

Come on, Slick. Breakfast is getting cold.

(ooc: Chekov and Lucy are cursed with Family Day. They think they're recently married and possibly on a reality show. Or maybe that's just Lucy. Replies to come from both parties.)

Comments

[candothat]

I think so, too. After studying and charting the stars and dreaming about flying through the night sky, it's an honor and a great privilege to live as I do.

[Don't be envious! Chekov would be more than happy to talk about space and what it's like to work there!]

[a little laugh] One of my commanding officers is half-Vulcan, and I was very in love with an Andorian when I was fourteen. I have not taken part in a first contact mission yet, but the Federation is composed of many planets and their people. You and I--we would be called Terrans at home.

There are other races, as well... some that dislike the Federation, others that attack it, and many, many others that are indifferent and have no interest in joining or maintaining relationships with others. The Klingons have been at war with us for a time; I fought a mad Romulan. Not personally, I mean--I am passably good at combat, but not so good. I was a member of the crew that defeated him.

Oh! [Yes, Chekov is talkative once he gets on a roll. He also tends to bounce between topics and moods, serious one moment and joking the next. Being a genius doesn't make him a great conversationalist.] There are the non-sentient off-world lifeforms, as well. I have seen a Sehlat, once, and I hope to see a Denobulan lemur soon--preferably one with two heads, but one head is fine.

1/? Lol

[mortemscintilla]

[ Congratulations Chekov. You have broken Li's brain. ]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Except not. He shelves the details away meticulously. Different species. A Federation. Political instability. A hierarchy of teammates. Could Chekov be from a future version of Earth? Or a different dimension entirely? ]

[ Questions, questions. ]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Outwardly, he affects a dim squint. As if straining to absorb the details. ]

Um... [ Blink Blink. ] Wow. That's ...I'm not sure where to start. It seems like such an advanced world. And the fact that you charted stars when younger... Wow. [ He's been an avid star-gazer since before the real stars vanished. He still is. Even here, where the constellations are unlike any he's seen. ] This City must seem so backward to you. Primitive, anyway.

[mortemscintilla]

[ ...Urk... ]

What's a Sehlat?

Or a two-headed Denowhatsis lemur, for that matter?

1/2

[candothat]

According to the standard calendar used here, I am from the year 2258. Far more advanced, technologically, but it is not so hard to modify some things here to make them more usable. [And he's always happy to do the same for others, because what could possibly be harmful about sharing advanced technology with relative strangers?] I thought this place very primitive at first.

And I chart stars still! Are you interested in cartography? I have tried to chart the stars here, but they are very frustrating and don't move as they should, which makes me suspect that the sky is possibly a hologram and the City is an artificially-created environment.

[candothat]

[He hops from one topic to the next without so much as a pause.]

A Sehlat is a large animal that Vulcans keep as pets, although there are feral Sehlats, and those are very dangerous. My commanding officer had one as a child--a tame Sehlat, not a feral one.

The Denobulan lemur... I have seen images and it like a dog, in a way? They live on Denobula--their name is not creative at all, and I do not think that they look like lemurs--and most have one head, but there is a recessive phenotyptic variation with two. I want to know if the two heads are both conscious and, if so, if they are always in agreement as to what to do with their body.

[pause] Also, they are cute.

1/3

[mortemscintilla]

[ 2258? Hard to wrap his brain around. But in this City? Not the strangest tidbit he's heard. He's learnt to adapt, like a good Contractor. ]

That's such a long way off. [ Wide-eyed. ] You modify things? [ Interesting. He wonders if that extends to weaponry and surveillance equipment. ] Incredible. I mean -- not everyone from the future would know how. You must have a knack for technology.

[mortemscintilla]

Ah! [ He brightens up. ] I tried some uranography when I was younger. But I didn't have the patience for it. Mostly I'm into what they call backyard astronomy. My equipment is pretty unimpressive. Just a telescope and a plainsphere. I originally wanted to get a GOTO telescope, but that's way out of my price range. [ The enthusiasm fades. Artificialy-created? That strikes rather close to home. ] I wouldn't be surprised if it's a hologram. The stars ... [ He shakes his head. ] The ones in my world are fake, anyway.

[mortemscintilla]

[ fghjkl! Give slow-witted Li a moment to catch up. ]

What do these Sehlats look like? [ Gulp. ] They're not here too, right? I was chased by a scary Polar-Bear Dog once. It sort of put me off animals. [ pauuuuuuuuuse. ] Are Vulcans aliens? Or just a different nationality, like Americans? [ Jesus, Li. ]

.... Well, I guess a two-headed dog would be a curiosity anywhere. I saw a two-headed snake once in Tokyo. But it wasn't too coordinated. The heads seemed to be fighting each other. [ Disconcerting. Sharing your body with another mind. Little does he know he shares one with his 'missing' sister ]

1/3

[candothat]

It seems very distant here, yes, and I like modifying equipment. [This does include weaponry, although he has little personal interest in making it easier for people to kill each other here.] I have studied engineering--I thought I would be one, once--but I am not so good with technology as an actual engineer.

[That's not entirely true. Chekov tends to give others too much credit and himself too little; while his primary academic focus was physics-oriented, he's quite technologically-inclined and knowledgeable on the subject.]

[candothat]

Uranography! I have not heard that word outside of old textbooks--ah, not to offend you. It is universally referred to as stellar cartography when I am from, and we typically work in three dimensions when charting. It has been difficult here. As for planispheres... I have heard of them, but I have never seen one.

[Look, he doesn't care what Li knows about stars. He's just excited that someone else is interested.]

I have a very nice telescope--for its age--that a friend left to me. You may borrow it, if you like.

[Aaaand Chekov's enthusiasm fades as well.]

They are? How...? May I ask what your world is like? I cannot imagine a world without stars, outside of this one. Even being here, knowing there is no way to reach the stars if they exist, is unpleasant. Claustrophobic, almost. I am sorry.

[candothat]

[Just as quickly as his enthusiasm left, it returns.]

Bears, a little, and I have not seen them here. I haven't seen a polar-bear dog, either... now I am jealous. [Teasing, teasing.] Yes, Vulcans would be considered aliens from a strictly Terran perspective. They look very similar, but their ears are pointed, their blood is green, and they are different physiologically in ways that cannot be seen. Their culture is also very different.

[Chekov has enough going on in his mind for several people; no extra minds here, please. He chooses to fixate on only a part of Li's statement.] Are you from Tokyo? Japan?

1/4

[mortemscintilla]

Stellar cartography, huh? I guess the terms would change over time. [ Sheepish. ] If I had my stuff from back home [ More sophisticated weapons and chemical explosives included. ] I'd show you what a planisphere is. They're not too complex. It's why amateurs prefer them. Plus they're cheaper.

[ Space-bros for life. There's a flash of genuine, almost boyish delight. Well done, sir. You found his weakness. ] Really? You wouldn't mind? [ He misses his own telescope. The City's stars, holographic or no, would be fascinating to observe. ]

[mortemscintilla]

[ At the mention of his world, he deflates again. It isn't entirely feigned. ]

It's a ...normal world. Or as normal as any, I guess. People are still people. [ With a minority of emotionless Contractors in the mix. ] But the stars disappeared a decade ago. We have new ones. But they're ...simulated. Fake. [ Contractors each have a corresponding star and a messier code. Hei does too. Not that civilians like 'Li' are privy to the info. ] It's not a big deal for everyone. Unless you're an astronomer. Or NASA. [ He hesitates. ] But it is ...claustrophobic. [ Another reminder of past disaster and prevalent artificiality. ] Not that it's stopped me from stargazing.

[ For an emotionless bastard, he's sentimental. ]

[mortemscintilla]

[ It's like mood-pingpong. A mighty weapon to distract foes. ]

Jealous? [ GAWP ] Don't be! It was the most horrifying thing! [ Sobsob Naga-Trauma. ] Green blood? [ Is that even possible? ] Are they like plants? What sort of culture do they have?

[ At the question, he nods. ] I was. Before arriving in the City, anyway. I'm originally from China. I was in Tokyo for studies. [ More like situated there for assassinations. ]

[mortemscintilla]

Ah! I'm sorry. I just realized -- I didn't introduce myself.

I'm Li Shenshung. It's very nice to meet you.

1/whatever so sorry for all of the comments

[candothat]

I would not have offered if I minded.

[They can has bonding?]

May I ask... how did the stars disappear? And do the simulated stars imitate the original stars perfectly?

[candothat]

Have you recovered from this trauma? [Chekov likes polar bears (or the thought of them--he hasn't seen one) and dogs; combining the two can't be bad.]

No, no--Vulcans are not plants or like plants at all, and their culture places great importance on logic and the control of emotions. I had a Vulcan tutor once and it was sometimes surprising how little emotion he displayed.

[candothat]

No, I am at fault, also! It is a pleasure to meet you, Li Shenshung. I am Pavel Chekov--originally from Russia, but I have been to a number of places to study. Never China or Japan.

1/3 But I love Checkers comments * ^ *

[mortemscintilla]

[ All the bonding!!! ]

It's still very nice of you. [ He wouldn't share his beloved telescope with anyone. At the question, a moment's hesitation. ] I'm not really sure. That's to say, there's no explanations on the news. Mostly just theories and rumors. It's still something scientists are figuring out. [ But if not for that incident, there wouldn't be Contractors. ] They aren't quite the same. Some constellations have changed. But to the naked eye, nothing seems different.

[ Seems. Keyword. ]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Wait till Checkers learns it's Korra's pet. ]

Not entirely. [ sweatdrop.gif. ] I still have nightmares about its teeth.

Logic and controlling emotions? [ They sound like Contractors. ] That's a merry bunch. Do they at least have a sense of humor? Personality?

[mortemscintilla]

The pleasure's mine, Mr. Chekov. Never been to Russia myself. [ Liesssss. ] But I imagine it's pretty different from the one in your world. Well, expect maybe the part where it's really cold?

[candothat]

Then the City will not be so different. Perhaps you and I can learn what the sky here really is like.

Yes, that is the Vulcan way, but they can be very funny, in their way. And of course they have personalities.

[candothat]

If you ever go to Russia, Petersburg and Moscow are both very nice. I do imagine they have similar climates in all worlds, yes, although it's only cold for... half the year, maybe, or five months. Relatively.