come_sailaway | Freedom's the answer, what is the question?

Who: Arilanna Tayrey + You (plus closed prompts for CR)
What: Astrophysics, plotting, swimming
Where: Various places
When: Early/mid February

i. Gifts from home (Closed to Crichton)

[Ari Tayrey has had some interesting packages from Sundries before, but none that meant as much to her as the latest arrivals. It's doubtful that anyone has ever been so excited over astrophysics textbooks as the young astrogator was when she unwrapped them. There's only one problem. She's knowledgeable. She could certainly pass an advanced degree on Earth in the subject, despite her age - but Ari has her limits, and in what is a rare occurrence for her, she's struggling to understand the very advanced material she has been given.

There's only one person she thinks might be able to help. She seeks out Crichton, in the lounge. There's a large, spiral-bound book under her arm. Its pages are thin plastic, not paper.]

Commander Crichton? I have something from home. I have quite a lot from home, really - [She's smiling broadly at this] - but I want to ask your help with this. If you don't mind.

ii. The beginnings of an idea (Closed to CR)

[[This is for existing CR who Ari is certain support her efforts to escape from the ship and won't betray plans to the Captain or his supporters. If she likes you but isn't sure, you're not invited. If you're an acquaintance but she is sure, you are. Characters will have been invited via text.

See starter in top comment below. I'm going to try doing this as a single conversation thread, no tag order, but if it naturally breaks into separate conversations at some point that's fine.]]

iii. Friendly competition (Open)

[When she came aboard the ship, Ari didn't know how to swim. She's now a strong, confident swimmer, having put plenty of effort into practicing. She's also slightly more at ease with being seen in her Tommy Bahama swimwear. It still feels a little like standing about in her underwear, but others wear less, and nobody seems to care about any of it.

Always looking for a challenge, she has moved onto diving - in particular, retrieving objects from the bottom of the pool. Often she's alone, but today there's someone else there, and they've noticed what she's up to. An idea occurs to her, and she waves in their direction.]

You interested in a competition? I've got a handful of coins here. Say I throw them in and we see who can pick the most up? One at a time, swim over and put it on the side before we go for the next.

iv. A disappointment (Open, February 9)

[When the fair visit had been announced, Ari had expected they would be travelling by tender, and that between them, she and the other would-be escapees would be able to carry out the necessary recon to make their escape possible on the next trip. Alas, it was not to be.

Here she is, standing and staring at the metal detector as if it's some alien object - which, to her, it may well be. She's seen a person step through and simply disappear. Ari's hand goes to the energy weapon at her belt, as if for security.]

Well. I'm not going near that.

[The words are addressed to whomever happens to be nearby.]

v. Fun with printers (Open)

[Are you passing by Ari's cabin at the end of the corridor? You may hear a loud sound. It's not entirely unlike this.

The door is ajar, so she might not mind a visitor. The door also looks to have a little sign on it. It's made of a thin plastic, and has Lieutenant Arilanna Tayrey printed on it in solid letters. Want your own door sign? Or anything else printed? She may be able to help...]

x. Wildcard! (Open)

[Find Ari in any of her usual places. She's had deliveries from home and is wearing a new lapis lazuli bracelet and may offer you a cinnamon biscuit. She's also now training with a practice sword. Other ideas are welcome - PM, message on Plurk, or just throw up a surprise starter!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No. You don't. You...Ari.

[He reaches for her, a stab of guilt lancing through him because he knows he's disappointed her. He knows she looks up to him and he's just rejected her.]

It's not like that. You aren't troubling me. Please... please trust me that this is... because I care too much about you to put you... [In that much danger.

[He brings his hand back to his mouth, covering it like he's too afraid to even let the words escape.]

What did the letter say? If you... want to share it?

[There's a little flash of hurt in her eyes. It's not care. Anyone who truly cared for her would understand what going home meant to her, and the risks she was willing to take, and support her right to decide. And it isn't as if he'd agree to teach her if he cared less about her. It's an excuse.

He's leaning into care, into over-familiarity, because of some emotion - guilt, is it? Regret? But what to do with that?

Ari Tayrey reaches over and touches his arm, a gentle pressure, as if he's the one in need of comforting.]

I accept your decision, Commander. Don't make it more difficult than it has to be.

[He might not be her commander, but she needs to keep that barrier of courtesy in place, now more than ever. She tries again to refocus on brighter things.]

It's a letter my father wrote to me after we talked. It has news from home, and he said... he said he was proud of what I'd accomplished. And he sent me coffee, and food from home. I don't know, maybe it'll sound silly to you, but when I was in training the others used to have their families send parcels to the hub stations. Little reminders of their homeworlds. I never had one. I didn't even mention it to him when we talked, so I don't know how he got the idea - and how it ended up here instead of at Siduri Station waiting for my ship to come back up the line I'll never know. But it was... [no, she mustn't get emotional over it, she's already done that once!] It was a very pleasant surprise.

[He closes his eyes because he can't handle the hurt in hers. Deep breaths. He has to stick to this. No matter what she thinks, this is the only right call to make. This knowledge is forbidden fruit and he can't give it to her.]

Thank you... Lieutenant.

[He can feel the walls going up on both sides. It hurts. But, she has a right. He's not anything more to her than a friend and crewmate. And only until she manages to leave.]

It doesn't sound silly at all. Not at all. I would have given anything to get a package like that from my dad while I was out there. But, trust me, that's just something a dad would know. You didn't need to tell him; that's how much he loves you. I'm happy for you. I hope it gives you some comfort here.

[To her, 'friend and crewmate' is as close a connection as she ever expects to have with anyone, and so it matters. It's never said lightly. She's resolved to prove her worth to him, one way or another, but she knows it won't happen today. Slowly, she takes her hand away, but she keeps watching him as he speaks.]

That's... it really does. To know he was thinking of me, that he cared that much. Let me show you...

[Ari reaches into her pocket and pulls out a flat disc, about the size of her palm. She presses down on the centre, and a holographic image pops up. There's a dark-haired man, about fifty, dressed in a smart if very oddly cut black business suit. Next to him stands Ari. She's about twelve, her hair in a long braid pinned around her head, wearing an equally formal long dress with a matching cardigan. The two of them look straight ahead, serious expressions on their faces, as if they were in a very old-fashioned photograph. Then the image shifts, and they're looking at each other, smiling with obvious warmth and affection.]

That's him.

[His smile softens as he looks at this image of the. How different she looks in that dress. And it isn't just that she's younger. She seems... softer. Especially in that second shot.]

These are wonderful. I can see how much you love each other. He adores you.

Thank you for sharing that with me.

[Ari can't help but smile, but it's bittersweet, because less than a year after that image was recorded, she'd run off to the Tradelines without a word. She'd listened too much to other people, let other concerns get in the way.]

I wanted to. After what you told me about your own father, I... well, I'm glad that you see what I do, there.

I know he never wanted a daughter on the Tradelines, but he's supporting me anyway. He understands, I think. Much more than I deserve.

If I ever get a picture of my old man, you'll be one of the first I want to show. I know not everyone gets lucky enough to have the support of their fathers, but you and I both know what an honor it is.

And, just for the record, you do deserve it. Parents can have dreams for what their kids might become, but the good ones know when to step back and let us choose for ourselves.

[She nods.] I don't regret the choice. I do regret how I went about it, but I can't do anything to change that now. [Running off and staying out of contact for three years was... not great.] He told me that if I'd asked he'd have made me wait a couple of years, but not minded if it was what I really wanted. I'm not so sure about that, but it hardly matters now...

I hope you do get something from home. It does make a difference.

Would it have been better if you went about it his way? Yeah. Obviously. But you're right, what's important is you haven't lost each other over it. You can forgive a lot of things for the people you love.

[His smile turns melancholy.]

I hope so. I'd give anything just to know how they're doing. I don't even have a picture of them. I'm half afraid one day I'll wake up and I won't remember their faces.

You're right, about my father. And you won't forget.

[She tells him that firmly, because she never did, because she doesn't think she ever could.]

They matter to you, so you won't forget. Don't worry about that. [And ordinarily she'd say something about getting home to them before long, but that's a sensitive subject right now, so Ari refrains. It's enough that they understand one another, and the sense of longing for home, for people far away.]

[His shoulders relax back and it's only right then that he realizes how tense he'd gotten.]

Thank you. That does bring me some comfort.

[Okay. Enough of that or he's going to be in danger of crying. He clears his throat and pulls himself up slightly.]

Hey, do you mind if I look a little closer at the rest of that text book? I'm interested to see what else might be the same or different.

[It's getting a little emotionally intense for her too, so maybe that's why she doesn't object to his request. It's an easy change of subject, and it's not as if the book contains the Lorentzen equations or any other sensitive information.]

Sure, no trouble. Tell me if anything surprises you, alright? [And with that, she hands it over for him to study. It's a thick book; it'll take some time, but she has others. He can borrow this one.]

Freedom's the answer, what is the question?

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good end?

perfect <3