[ Privately she does wonder how they're ever going to find out more about this mysterious and aptly named white door if they're unable to do anything with it, but there's no hazmat suits in existence to place an effective barrier between them and whatever it is that door does to people. If they come across it, maybe they'll be able to glean something just by standing in relative proximity, but she's not going to go looking specifically. Not until there's no choice left, and not when he's made it a point to directly ask her not to.
She's up on her toes to press her lips to the corner of his without ceremony or hesitation, using his shoulders for balance, an implicit expression of her overall understanding and acknowledgment of his concern. Slowly, she moves away and occupies herself otherwise. ]
There's a good chance we won't even find one of those doors. Or anything at all, for that matter.
It'd be counterproductive to hope for that, [ he murmurs while she's still close. Severus brushes his hand against her upper arm, but doesn't grasp on to anything, instead returning to finish the table set-up when she steps away. Because nothing would be safer, but a waste of time. Of course they all want to find something or else there's no point in trying. But it's hard to hope for results when the results are bullshit. ]
I've decided to hope for nothing and just watch. And maybe that'll be better.
Edited (i forgot half the tag i guess) 2014-10-11 18:13 (UTC)
At least you won't be disappointed, taking that stance.
[ And stressed out, if her experience with running comms is anything to go by, but then he isn't exactly her so he's got that going for him. Claire finishes portioning out the food and climbs onto one of the stools, crossing her legs at the ankles and leaning with her hands in her lap while she waits for him to take his seat. No elbows on the table. ]
I think I'm paired up with Erik and Natasi. [ She hopes that she's saying that correctly. She hadn't gotten Ilde's name completely right the first time, even after hearing it pronounced. ] Any tips?
[ Severus sits down around the corner from her, table manners refined occasionally, and occasionally not. He does that slightly cheating thing of forearms angled on the table.
There's no correction on Natasi's name - he'd have to say he thinks the way it sounds in the Texas almost-accent she has sounds cute, and then he might have to kill himself. ]
They both feel passionately about the way humans have treated their respective people. Different levels of anger, and hurt. They are dedicated, but it's difficult to be trapped here and to work to help people who hate you.
[ Claire takes a bite of the pasta, which isn't amazing by her standards but is probably going to be better than most dishes prepared on a spaceship with artificial food and back-of-the-cupboard pasta. She has at least gotten a decent handle on manipulating what she finds to make it taste less like plastic or cardboard, and she considers that a success. She'll wait until she's chewed and swallowed and considered what he's said for the adequate amount of time before saying anything else herself. ]
It seems strange that they would both be so adamant about going down into the tunnels, then. Unless it's some kind of mix of curiosity and responsibility.
[ That's a little of what she feels, a combination of the two, which ultimately does boil down to doing the right thing even if it benefits people who might look at them with their noses upturned. ]
Or maybe self-preservation.
[ Since this ship is trying to murder them all anyway. ]
It's not strange. [ Severus's tone is mild, but adamant. ] Just because someone has pain, or anger, doesn't mean they're incapable of multitasking or prioritizing, or being genuine about it. I feel like that mindset is very characteristic of the people who would discriminate against mutants, or posthumans, or witches. Mistrusting flexibility and cooperation in others because they have none themselves.
[ Maybe it's obvious that he speaks from experience on both sides of the fence. He keeps his voice soft. ]
[ She always is. Every time something terrible happens as a result of or during the course of them trying to figure anything out, Claire has the sinking feeling that everyone is going to slink into some corner to lick their wounds and never come out again. They've had enough tragic setbacks to warrant any exploration being abandoned, and she appreciates that she's not the only one with an urge to persevere. More than that, it's encouraging to see people who are more like her, in terms of dictionary definition and scientific arrangement, press on. Her role models in that capacity have not been exceptionally reassuring. ]
I'm glad anyone is, really. [ She's just getting stuck on something that someone told her, which as a result leaves her fork perched along the lip of her bowl with a couple of sharp taps. ] By tips I mean... well I talked to this girl named Rogue who wasn't exactly singing Erik's praises.
[ Actually it rang pretty true to some other psycho that she knows, so she just wants to be sure if she needs to bring a two by four to knock him out with if he starts getting a little intense. ]
[ Oh. That. Only fractionally mollified, Severus considers as he gives the pasta a shot. (It's good.) ]
Rogue is one of my patients. I've worked with her quite a bit since she's arrived. [ Just so that's out there. She doesn't hide her powers, and has been receptive of him talking to people to try and further treatment, so he doesn't feel a need to be silent about it. ] I've heard about what Erik is like in her time. Charles, too. What she says about Charles makes me wonder if it's the same world at all but Erik..
[ He shrugs, exhales through his nose. More pasta. ]
I understand men like him. He's dangerous. Probably brilliant.
[ But dangerous. ]
He wouldn't do anything to endanger this operation. And I'm confident in your ability to observe him.
[ She hadn't outright agreed with the assessment regarding Charles either, and she did just decide to give him a puppy. Still, that and the nature of his ability are pretty much all she knows about him. Not a solid list of pros and cons but better than the blank slate that Erik affords.
Dangerous continues to stand out in her mind. Claire remains unafraid. She smiles, a little tight-lipped, right before taking a drink of water. ]
I didn't think so, since he was the one who contacted me in the first place about it. [ Per his recommendation, she hasn't forgotten. ] But it's nice to be prepared. [ She shoves something green into her mouth and chews thoughtfully for a minute. One arm has crept up onto the counter, unbidden and unconsciously. Claire leans on it, a little. ] It's kind of... cool, honestly. Doing this kind of thing, with people who are kind of... like me, sort of. It's refreshing that we aren't all trying to kill or use each other. Nice change of pace.
[ She shrugs a shoulder and makes a noise that is vaguely I dunno in admitting as much. ]
There are arseholes and lunatics in every population and culture, [ Severus says. More experience talking. But-- ]
It's good. You deserve to not feel like an outsider.
[ He has no other worthwhile advice, for dealing with identity. He hates the outside world and the wizarding world hates him. Severus knows he can't properly understand, being who he is. ]
Just as long as Erik doesn't try anything fishy, I think we'll be okay. [ This punctuated by a particularly artful twirl with her fork, which results in her not dripping onto the counter top, as if to demonstrate her skills. ] But I'm perfectly capable of bringing a two by four in with me, just in case he gets mouthy.
[ For the record, she would actually hit someone with a wooden plank if she needed to, though her tone is not immediately suggestive of this. Maybe not a wooden plank. Maybe more like a canteen since carrying giant boards into small, potentially haunted areas doesn't seem like the best plan of action, but Claire appreciates the image so she goes with it.
Well. Nothing metal. [ Wryly. Maybe a two by four would be a good idea; a better one would probably be getting someone to fashion a wooden shiv.
Thinking pleasant thoughts as always. ]
I'm hoping if this isn't a complete disaster that it can be cut down to one team per jump. Rotating, maybe. Minimizing anyone's exposure to the heart of the ship.
[ Claire doesn't outright understand but after a beat it catches up to her. Which is. Interesting. Claire is sure there is some scientific, psychological study detailing why people who possess both great and dangerous power also almost always turn out to be unrepentant assholes. Then again, she would probably rather deal with an unrepentant asshole over someone who is clearly still a psychopath trying to pretend to have reformed. At least everyone is honest in that dialog. ]
It's not gonna be a complete disaster. [ She is sure of that, or at least her tone of voice is, working so hard to convince the both of them. It's not like they're going to get down there and find nothing and spend twenty minutes listening to David Bowie or anything. ] I just want us to find something. Not more murals or voices or shadow people. Just something. It has to be out there. We can't just keep running in circles and into and through locked doors forever. Eventually something's going to give.
Mm. [ Eventually. Hopefully. Severus is neither optimistic or wandering around under rainclouds about it-- he knows for certain, however, that the quickest way to ensure their failure is to stop trying. Whatever ends up happening, at least there's that. ] 'Something' could be the smallest detail. It could be the ship turning inside out again. We'll have to see.
[ A beat. ] Well, you.
[ He's managed to reel it in, but Severus feels slightly frustrated at not going himself, still. ]
[ She arches an eyebrow, letting some of the pasta plop down back into the bowl with a soft sound. ]
Can't wait.
[ Actually she has been dying to know since the moment that she stepped on board and was no longer so disoriented that she could piece together the fact the Tranquility was not the end product of every dumb decision she had ever made on behalf of her entire culture of people with powers. So that's half-sarcastic and half-genuine. Claire gets caught somewhere in between and gives him a empathetic look. ]
Running comms when everyone else is submerged in the thick of things is frustrating. [ Speaking from experience, especially if things go wrong. ] Why did you decide to be the one who stays behind?
I'm a department head now. I have things that can't be attended to by anyone else, I have patients. [ Pragmatic, but not thrilled about it. ] If our story for moving without involving security is that it's an unfair strain of resources to involve them, then sending department heads in there would be just as much of a strain.
I'm already frustrated and you haven't left yet, but I'll endure.
[ Claire makes a face like she very much would like to say something about security's involvement but refrains. ]
We have been going through department heads like Kleenex lately.
[ So don't die or anything, Severus. That would suck. He might be frustrated at staying behind, but as is her instinctive desire to place herself directly between anyone she's willing to make pasta for and the next oncoming disaster, Claire is admittedly relieved he's not going once more unto the breach or anything, at least for right now. Granted, something terrible could happen back in the ship proper and cut them all off in a reverse play, but she's trying not to think about that. She can't be everywhere at once, and it's a crazy kind of paranoid to get hung up on the what-if's under these circumstances. ]
It'll be fine. [ She agrees. ] You know, you could frustrate yourself even more by letting the dogs come roll around comms every once and a while, while you're up there.
I'd resigned myself to babysitting. [ .. Is possibly the most domestic boyfriend-y thing he's ever said, which is sort of weird, but also maybe sweet. He doesn't like them but he had automatically planned on looking after them for her in her absence. ]
[ The look that she gives him is level, but she's shit at keeping the grin off of her face even as she tries her best to chew it with more dedication than she's shown the food. It means a lot that he would even consider without her asking, just decide that was something he was going to, but of course she's not going to say that. Bringing it up might mean that he never does it again. The horror. ]
I'll pay you. I'll give you one space dollar.
[ That's got to be worth at least one hundred Earth dollars. ]
Currency aboard this this monstrosity sounds like a surefire way to actually make it worse. [ Mild teasing. He doesn't want any compensation for it, anyway, he'd feel too strange about it. ] Though it'd be a good motivator for everyone to finally get a bloody job.
Or we could just start telling everyone that they'll be fed to manticores if they don't contribute in some way. [ Says the girl who didn't contribute in some way other than the shuffle her feet for however many months. ] That way everyone's happy. Except the slackers, since they'd mostly be kibble.
[ Money is a non-issue anyway when you're operating on the barter system. In that respect, the witches and wizards might be king, considering their ability to turn a napkin into a couch. ]
People who don't work are using limited oxygen, if something does happen, anyone not contributing will be on the bottom of the list to escape.
[ Thanks, Severus, what a nice thought. But it's a practical one and one he's been trying to impress on people, because seriously. ] All can take heart in the fact that I'm sure no one would agree with me.
[ For as much as he considers xenogen as a non-vital department on the ship, being in the position that he's in and the person that he is, he obviously has some sway in some capacity. Outside of their relationship, she does respect his opinions, even if she doesn't agree with them all the time. That being said, Claire is pretty sure not many people would accept that as an exit strategy.
She makes a noise like pffft. Very ladylike. ]
So that was the real reason you were so adamant about me getting job. You just didn't want me to get trampled in your master evacuation plan. Thank you, Severus, that's very sweet.
Well it is a limited resource. [ Awkwardly but. But!! ] It's sort of frustrating. I mean, there are plenty of people who contribute without being in a department. Nill takes care of a number of animals in the gardens. But even more do absolutely nothing. Usually they're idiots, though. You're not.
[ Severus is just going to aggressively believe in Claire and there's nothing she can do about it. ]
[ Claire is just going to ignore high praise until she's more comfortable accepting it. She does actually know that she's pretty smart, but when you're frequently hanging out with someone running a science-based department, it puts things into perspective. ]
I don't know how those people aren't dying of boredom. If we didn't have an unmitigated disaster every few weeks, I don't know what they'd do with themselves. Plus, we're on a spaceship, in space. Every job is automatically interesting. [ She adopts a deeper, exaggerated sort of voice. ] What are you doing? Oh, nothing, just on my way to adjust space... tuners in my space jumpsuit in space. No big deal.
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She's up on her toes to press her lips to the corner of his without ceremony or hesitation, using his shoulders for balance, an implicit expression of her overall understanding and acknowledgment of his concern. Slowly, she moves away and occupies herself otherwise. ]
There's a good chance we won't even find one of those doors. Or anything at all, for that matter.
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I've decided to hope for nothing and just watch. And maybe that'll be better.
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[ And stressed out, if her experience with running comms is anything to go by, but then he isn't exactly her so he's got that going for him. Claire finishes portioning out the food and climbs onto one of the stools, crossing her legs at the ankles and leaning with her hands in her lap while she waits for him to take his seat. No elbows on the table. ]
I think I'm paired up with Erik and Natasi. [ She hopes that she's saying that correctly. She hadn't gotten Ilde's name completely right the first time, even after hearing it pronounced. ] Any tips?
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There's no correction on Natasi's name - he'd have to say he thinks the way it sounds in the Texas almost-accent she has sounds cute, and then he might have to kill himself. ]
They both feel passionately about the way humans have treated their respective people. Different levels of anger, and hurt. They are dedicated, but it's difficult to be trapped here and to work to help people who hate you.
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It seems strange that they would both be so adamant about going down into the tunnels, then. Unless it's some kind of mix of curiosity and responsibility.
[ That's a little of what she feels, a combination of the two, which ultimately does boil down to doing the right thing even if it benefits people who might look at them with their noses upturned. ]
Or maybe self-preservation.
[ Since this ship is trying to murder them all anyway. ]
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[ Maybe it's obvious that he speaks from experience on both sides of the fence. He keeps his voice soft. ]
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[ She always is. Every time something terrible happens as a result of or during the course of them trying to figure anything out, Claire has the sinking feeling that everyone is going to slink into some corner to lick their wounds and never come out again. They've had enough tragic setbacks to warrant any exploration being abandoned, and she appreciates that she's not the only one with an urge to persevere. More than that, it's encouraging to see people who are more like her, in terms of dictionary definition and scientific arrangement, press on. Her role models in that capacity have not been exceptionally reassuring. ]
I'm glad anyone is, really. [ She's just getting stuck on something that someone told her, which as a result leaves her fork perched along the lip of her bowl with a couple of sharp taps. ] By tips I mean... well I talked to this girl named Rogue who wasn't exactly singing Erik's praises.
[ Actually it rang pretty true to some other psycho that she knows, so she just wants to be sure if she needs to bring a two by four to knock him out with if he starts getting a little intense. ]
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Rogue is one of my patients. I've worked with her quite a bit since she's arrived. [ Just so that's out there. She doesn't hide her powers, and has been receptive of him talking to people to try and further treatment, so he doesn't feel a need to be silent about it. ] I've heard about what Erik is like in her time. Charles, too. What she says about Charles makes me wonder if it's the same world at all but Erik..
[ He shrugs, exhales through his nose. More pasta. ]
I understand men like him. He's dangerous. Probably brilliant.
[ But dangerous. ]
He wouldn't do anything to endanger this operation. And I'm confident in your ability to observe him.
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Dangerous continues to stand out in her mind. Claire remains unafraid. She smiles, a little tight-lipped, right before taking a drink of water. ]
I didn't think so, since he was the one who contacted me in the first place about it. [ Per his recommendation, she hasn't forgotten. ] But it's nice to be prepared. [ She shoves something green into her mouth and chews thoughtfully for a minute. One arm has crept up onto the counter, unbidden and unconsciously. Claire leans on it, a little. ] It's kind of... cool, honestly. Doing this kind of thing, with people who are kind of... like me, sort of. It's refreshing that we aren't all trying to kill or use each other. Nice change of pace.
[ She shrugs a shoulder and makes a noise that is vaguely I dunno in admitting as much. ]
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It's good. You deserve to not feel like an outsider.
[ He has no other worthwhile advice, for dealing with identity. He hates the outside world and the wizarding world hates him. Severus knows he can't properly understand, being who he is. ]
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[ For the record, she would actually hit someone with a wooden plank if she needed to, though her tone is not immediately suggestive of this. Maybe not a wooden plank. Maybe more like a canteen since carrying giant boards into small, potentially haunted areas doesn't seem like the best plan of action, but Claire appreciates the image so she goes with it.
Belatedly, something occurs to her. ]
I'm not really sure where I'd get a two by four.
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Thinking pleasant thoughts as always. ]
I'm hoping if this isn't a complete disaster that it can be cut down to one team per jump. Rotating, maybe. Minimizing anyone's exposure to the heart of the ship.
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It's not gonna be a complete disaster. [ She is sure of that, or at least her tone of voice is, working so hard to convince the both of them. It's not like they're going to get down there and find nothing and spend twenty minutes listening to David Bowie or anything. ] I just want us to find something. Not more murals or voices or shadow people. Just something. It has to be out there. We can't just keep running in circles and into and through locked doors forever. Eventually something's going to give.
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[ A beat. ] Well, you.
[ He's managed to reel it in, but Severus feels slightly frustrated at not going himself, still. ]
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Can't wait.
[ Actually she has been dying to know since the moment that she stepped on board and was no longer so disoriented that she could piece together the fact the Tranquility was not the end product of every dumb decision she had ever made on behalf of her entire culture of people with powers. So that's half-sarcastic and half-genuine. Claire gets caught somewhere in between and gives him a empathetic look. ]
Running comms when everyone else is submerged in the thick of things is frustrating. [ Speaking from experience, especially if things go wrong. ] Why did you decide to be the one who stays behind?
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I'm already frustrated and you haven't left yet, but I'll endure.
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We have been going through department heads like Kleenex lately.
[ So don't die or anything, Severus. That would suck. He might be frustrated at staying behind, but as is her instinctive desire to place herself directly between anyone she's willing to make pasta for and the next oncoming disaster, Claire is admittedly relieved he's not going once more unto the breach or anything, at least for right now. Granted, something terrible could happen back in the ship proper and cut them all off in a reverse play, but she's trying not to think about that. She can't be everywhere at once, and it's a crazy kind of paranoid to get hung up on the what-if's under these circumstances. ]
It'll be fine. [ She agrees. ] You know, you could frustrate yourself even more by letting the dogs come roll around comms every once and a while, while you're up there.
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Comms isn't too far away. [ I guess. ]
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I'll pay you. I'll give you one space dollar.
[ That's got to be worth at least one hundred Earth dollars. ]
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[ Money is a non-issue anyway when you're operating on the barter system. In that respect, the witches and wizards might be king, considering their ability to turn a napkin into a couch. ]
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[ Thanks, Severus, what a nice thought. But it's a practical one and one he's been trying to impress on people, because seriously. ] All can take heart in the fact that I'm sure no one would agree with me.
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She makes a noise like pffft. Very ladylike. ]
So that was the real reason you were so adamant about me getting job. You just didn't want me to get trampled in your master evacuation plan. Thank you, Severus, that's very sweet.
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[ Severus is just going to aggressively believe in Claire and there's nothing she can do about it. ]
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I don't know how those people aren't dying of boredom. If we didn't have an unmitigated disaster every few weeks, I don't know what they'd do with themselves. Plus, we're on a spaceship, in space. Every job is automatically interesting. [ She adopts a deeper, exaggerated sort of voice. ] What are you doing? Oh, nothing, just on my way to adjust space... tuners in my space jumpsuit in space. No big deal.
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