[Open + closed to César] The Water Grows Cloudy

[seethesun]

Who: Eleanor Lamb and YOU (and César)
What: Guess who just arrived and is curious as hell?
When: February 1st until the event
Where: Places, Cabin 107
Warnings: The horrors of Rapture, potentially mistaking an activity for a suicide attempt, probably body image issues


1. The Reef Goes Still [Closed to César, Cabin 107, February 1st]

It's quite late at night before Eleanor finds the cabin she's been assigned; between meeting Doctor Watson, pillaging clothes from the Infinite Tommy Bahama, and doing her level best to scrub her suit clean so that it is at least laughably sanitary as opposed to a walking plague repository (more cleaning is in its future), Eleanor's been up and about quite late. This...ship phone...device is fascinating, but the menus are easy enough to grasp, and finding the unlock function only takes any amount of time because her free hand is full of clothes and she's concentrating on keeping her helmet floating around her body and away from her new clothes.

Which means the only warning César gets that someone is walking in will be the door unlocking moments before it swings open, revealing an armored teenage girl who is, at least, not wearing the helmet, and is loaded down with Tommy Bahama's warmest and most concealing clothes selections.

Those needles sure are long and sharp, aren't they? And quite shiny, since she polished them to a gleam after realizing people here can get infections.

2. Feeding Frenzy [LA FROMAGERIE CATHERINE INFINIE]

Guess who has never seen cheese in her entire fucking life? It's the smell of the place that draws her in, and then the sights before her that arrest Eleanor's exploration of it. This is food, right? The growling of her stomach says it's food, and it - this is cheese, she recognizes some kinds from pictures and more from descriptions in books, but why is there so much of it? How is there so much of it?

She might need a mentor here. Find her at the entrance to the new cheese shop, starving amidst plenty in layers from Tommy Bahama that add up to something modest in gray and white. The outfit is about as coordinated as she can make it, given that Eleanor's main goal was to cover up her skin.

3. There's Something In The Water [Pool, Decks, The Sea]

Sometimes you just need time to yourself. Visitors to the Pool might spot Eleanor suited up at the bottom of the deep end, the green glow of her helmet visible through the water; catch her sitting at the bottom thinking about her feelings, or maybe swimming through the water with an oddly fluid grace, her long legs doing the duty of a mermaid's tail. Or maybe she's just pacing, making laps around the deep end, seemingly content to not go anywhere near the shallows. She'll come up if you wave to her.

Out on the Decks, though, you might catch Eleanor similarly suited up and preparing to explore the outside of the ship. You might catch her lowering the lifeboat (to use its rope as a method of climbing back up) or in the act of clambering over the railing to drop down - or shimmying up the rope as she returns.

Spend time in the sea yourself? Find Eleanor crawling along the outside of the hull, exploring the ship with a thorough patience, or you might spot her as she breaches back to the surface to clamber into the lifeboat. People out for a flight or leaning over the deck might see the light from her helmet when she's crawling along the higher reaches of the ship.

On one such occasion Eleanor comes back up burdened. She breaches the water, flopping one hand onto the lifeboat, and then the other comes up and slaps Ebalon's whole-ass corpse into the lifeboat.

4. Dolphins In The Wake [Playback]

Videogames continue to fascinate Eleanor and while part of her knows she should be asking people for information, the stress of arrival makes it hard to avoid the siren call of flashing lights, high scores, and fond memories. While she mostly plays shoot-em-ups like Galaga, you might also catch Eleanor trying out the claw machine (she proves distressingly good at it after a few tries), playing pinball, or staring dubiously at the DDR machine. In any event, she doesn't come to this particular activity armed or armored.

5. The Lightless Depths [Wildcard]

Got another idea? Go for it or hit me up on Discord!

Comments

2.

[starfleetcleaner]

Tendi is out and about, wandering the halls of the ship, when she sees the rather tall and very skinny girl standing in front of the cheese shop, seemingly in either shock or horror.

"Um...Are you ok? Don't think I've seen you around...I'm Tendi! Have you...never seen cheese before?"

[seethesun]

The cheerful voice startles Eleanor out of her cheese-based reverie. She turns around and God in Heaven this person is green and not human. It's a good thing she didn't come armed because the way she startles might be mistaken for violent intent.

And yet there's no fear there. Just extreme surprise.

"...Eleanor," she manages, after a moment to collect herself. "Eleanor Lamb, my pleasure to meet you. I've. Only read about cheese. It seems that novels do not quite capture the depth and breadth of the cheese that is on offer in the world."

[starfleetcleaner]

"It's nice to meet you Elenor! D'vana Tendi, Medical officer. And Orion, heh, if you're confused about the green. In any case, you've only read about cheese? Well, we need to change that, come on in!" Tendi would go for her arm to bring her inside the cheese shop, but seeing how Eleanor has a good foot and change on her, it's a bit awkward, but Tendi tries anyway.

"Well, do you have any flavors you like, or do you want to start with the basic stuff? Maybe some nachos or something?"

[seethesun]

Eleanor pulls away from the arm anyway, taking a step back; still no fear, not as such, but the body language is Unwelcoming; tense, unsure, and unwilling to make that kind of contact. But she goes into the shop with Tendi once that happens.

As to the questions at hand...

"I..." Is there a polite way to say 'everything I have ever eaten has come out of a can?'. "I'm. Used to heavily salted foods, if that helps?"

There you go Eleanor, perfect guideline! Local girl does not understand that cheese was invented as a way to combine salt and dairy.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Huh, Ok. Lets try something....lighter? Maybe fresh mozzorella? Ooh, we can try it with Pesto! I love that stuff!"

Tendi quickly gets a small plate, with disks of cheese, topped by the green pesto. "Try it! It's really good, the pesto gives it a nice kick, but you can still taste the cheese!"

[seethesun]

There's no polite way to say that pesto is new to her as well. Briefly Eleanor wonders if there might not be some incompatible physiology she's about to learn about - if pesto is, say, an alien dish highly toxic to humans - before she remembers she has enough ADAM in her body to start a full-scale civil war over and is therefore immune to being poisoned.

She takes a bite of the disc.

There is a long and silent moment before a single tear runs down her cheek. "...It's so...it's so fresh..."

[starfleetcleaner]

"Um...heh, yah, it is! It's really good...Um, where are you from?" Tendi looks rather confused, by the sheer emotional reaction from cheese. What is she gonna do if she tries lobster macaroni with the crumbs on top?

"I'm from Orion, but spent most of my time recently in space, onboard the Cerritos."

Damn canon characters and their one liners

[seethesun]

The cheese eating stops entirely. "Space? The space in the sky?"

Re: Damn canon characters and their one liners

[starfleetcleaner]

"Um...yah! Up in space, on a ship. Where..or rather when are you from? Did you not have any space exploration in your time?"

[seethesun]

"I...may have some difficulty answering that question, Officer Tendi." Guess whose navy was shit even though it was underwater, leaving Eleanor unsure of how ranks of military address work? "The planet and year I left were Earth in nineteen sixty-eight AD, as we measured time, but my particular home had been built far under the sea for many years and forbade contact with the outside world. For all I know the people of the surface have long fled it for Venus or some other exotic locale."

Local woman from bubble kingdom does not understand how much harder it is to build things underwater than to go to space.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Huh! I've never heard of a underwater city, not back then! Very interesting! Anyway, I'm from 2380, heh, so people on earth have spread out! But not till 2063, that's when first contact happened. You must have had some amazing technology to build underwater cities like that though! I'd love to hear about how you made them!"

Tendi has moved on from the Mozzarella and has produced a plate of Welsh Rabbit, the toasted cheese on bread. "Ok, this is a bit hot, temperature wise, but it's quite good! Also, there's more food in this place than just cheese as well, if you want something after this!"

[seethesun]

Food that is hot??? Eleanor looks doubtful, but she blows on the cheese and bread before taking a bite. Thankfully the pesto helped inure her to the shock of something this fresh and good but she still has to just Stop for a second and process both the emotions and the sensation of this experience.

Eventually she chews and swallows, staring directly at the Welsh Rabbit in her hand. "I may need to um, disappoint you on many of the technical aspects. I knew the architect responsible for much of the building but by the time he was in my life he had abandoned architecture for a life of faith and spoke little on his accomplishment...but I do know that the devil is in the details here, Officer Tendi. Corners were cut everywhere on materials and techniques, and the city beneath the sea was leaking by my time. If it stands another five years I should be quite shocked."

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh, that's too bad. But really, being able to survive for any time at all is very impressive! Water is really rough to build in, no doubt. And saltwater? Even worse. When I was at the Academy in San Francisco, even in 2380, salt water was always a problem." Tendi takes another bite of the cheesy bread.

"But please, call me Tendi, heh, I'm not an officer, just a medical ensign. But what do you think of the cheesy bread? Good?"

[seethesun]

"It is. A revelation!" She seems far more excited about the cheese than engineering. "And so many kinds to try - but I'm being rude." Eleanor stops herself mid bite. The cheese will wait. There's so much of it. "Ensign...a naval term, adapted for space. You're a doctor?"

[starfleetcleaner]

"Well, kinda. Not yet, but if I may brag, I have some pretty good skills in medicine! Not to mention technology, that helps a bit. Heh, I've been working as the doctor along with Doctors Watson and Watson, no relation."

"And very clever, figuring that out, yes! Starfleet has a sorta naval command structure. What about you, what did you do back in...what was your underwater city called?"

[seethesun]

There's a deer-in-the-headlights look and suddenly finishing the cheese is very important. On the one hand Tendi seems very friendly and on the other hand, does Eleanor roll the dice on trusting a doctor again?

She says she's not a doctor yet...

Hrm. She swallows the last bite. "I didn't have much of a career. For most of my life I was a...medical experiment. If we really are stuck here I suppose I might be looking for the work that calls to me."

[starfleetcleaner]

Tendi looks both shocked and very sorrowful, as she reaches over to try and take Elenaor's hand. "Oh my...That sounds just awful! A medical experiment? That is...Aaah! Just horrible! I'm really glad you got out of there, I mean, the boat has some downsides, but much better than that."

Tendi looks a bit flustered, and heads off to get a more diverse cheese platter, a wide spread around the plate with crackers, and even some meats. "Is there...anything you're passionate about? Painting, writing, anything like that?"

[seethesun]

Eleanor shies away from the touch, scooting back just far enough to send the message of 'please don't'. She's not entirely certain how to handle Tendi's sympathies either. Of course it was horrible, that's why she tried to escape...

...But if it's so obvious to this stranger from the future, a literal alien, why wasn't it obvious to anyone else?

Tendi's return with a plate (the meat! Is also! Well no not fresh but that is a different breed of salted and Eleanor's eyes go to it Immediately) and question makes Eleanor shake it off. "I - well, I suppose..." A faint color touches her cheeks. "...I have been spending a great deal of time in Playback."

[starfleetcleaner]

"Ooh, the arcade? I love that place, it's really fun! Super retro, heh, I'm used to a holodeck, but still! Hey, video games are a viable passion, really! Don't feel like you have to be..." Tendi pauses for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Useful here, if that makes sense. You obviously came from somewhere rather...awful, and you don't have to do work here."

Tendi takes one of the cheese slices and meat and takes a bite. "Really, one of the upsides here. If you want to lounge and play video games and eat cheese? Go for it!"

[seethesun]

"Useful..." Eleanor turns the word over in her mouth before taking a slice of salami to try (GOD IN HEAVEN HOW IS EVERYTHING SO GOOD -). "I've been told this place is dangerous. I made a trauma kit already, to help; I can be useful that way, and with medical issues to the best of my ability. No, use isn't my concern, more...I think I might like to learn how to make such games."

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oooh, that's fun! Hmm...I know a bit of programming, but it's from the 2380s, so not really applicable. There may be some books on how to program in the library, but I think that's almost all fiction works."

"What kind of games do you like playing? I mean, the stuff in the arcade is old, heh, wish I could show you the Holodeck!"

[seethesun]

"I - if there's a name for the...genre, I don't yet know it, but in my former home I watched my father master a game called Spitfire." Eleanor's voice waxes nostalgic. "Quite primitive in comparison to the games here; one plays a fighter plane represented by a diamond in dogfights. I've grown enamoured with the games like it, such as Galaga. I like the way they test my reflexes!"

[starfleetcleaner]

"Ooh, that's fun! Those kind of old school run and gun games, I think I've seen some other ones like that around the arcade. Heh, if you want to test your reflexes too, I've been practiceing over on the tennis court, with the auto-server, with my phaser, trying to get them out of the air and things like that. Quite fun really!"

[seethesun]

"...I'm gathering from context that this phaser is a weapon. I may join you sometime, I've never been sport shooting."

Subject Delta had been quite the shot, however.

"Actually...since you seem to know the arcade..." Eleanor leans in whispers as only the terminally embarrassed can, "What is Dance Dance Revolution? I see the machine but I do not understand it."

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oooh, well, there's only one way to really explain Dance Dance Revolution, we need to go and play. Heh, maybe I can get you some proper gaming snacks as well!" Tendi gets to her feet with a smile. "You want to go check it out? Trust me, it's a lot of fun!"