(Open) The Stranger

[tasha_yar]

Tasha hadn't want to scare anyone - or worse - have their pity. She'd been here on some nights before, but always in disguise and making it a point to watch, but not interact, with anyone. Also, she didn't like to admit it, but she loved make-up. Not the kind that Deanna or Beverly wore to bring out their features. That kind of make-up wasn't for her. It didn't feel right on. She didn't like extra attention regarding her appearance; a holdover from Turkana IV, she supposed.

But make-up to disguise? To conceal who and what you were and be able to become someone else? She had an incredible love of that. She justified her enjoyment by its usefulness as a skill, but it was more than that. It was a chance to be someone without the burden of duty or a past. Someone more normal - unless the part called for something else.

The risk of discovery also played a big part in both the thrill of the challenge and the growing irritation at her self-imposed isolation. Tasha justified it easily. She might disappear at any moment - or maybe even drop dead - because "dead" was still her official status, though Picard had assured her the wheels of bureaucracy were getting a firm push regarding all that. Starfleet's reluctance was understandable with all the strange happenings onboard the ship, but it gnawed at her patience. She didn't want to upend anyone's life, but she missed them! It would also mean opening herself up to stacks of unfinished business, too, but she was tired of avoiding her friends - even is she still thought keeping her distance might remain the best course of action.

At least her insistence on isolation had gotten her caught up on as much security information and protocols a civilian had access to. Well, a civilian and a cadet. It turned out the Academy hadn't cancelled her alumni access. There wasn't much dangerous in that, but "not much" wasn't "nothing" by a longshot. She'd have to talk to them about that.

Tasha's tired of keeping to herself and making Aggie feel like she's rooming with a crazy hermit. Tonight, she's keeping her "disguise" to a hooded sweatshirt. It's time to go Ten Forward, to stop being someone else, face what, if anything, comes of it.

Comments

I spy with my little eye someone I used to game with in a DC game

[element_wizard]

Alec is sitting in Ten Forward by one of the windows, his feet up on the table and talking to thin air. Or at least having a conversation with it. As he talks, he waves a pencil around in the air, drawing things in some sort of short hand notation understood only by him. But they appear as glowing lines, rather like what is seen when a photographer takes along exposure of light. Except these don't fade away.

"Of course the first thing that needs to really be done is to see if he can get rid of the head crabs. Sure that'll take away some of his ... power... but he'll stop getting his memories eaten," he says.

There's a pause as if he's listening to someone. "Yes. Having memories eaten is bad. Just because you don't remember things that happened six minutes ago doesn't mean everyone else should."

So much for clever masks. :)

[tasha_yar]

Tasha starts watching the man. He's either crazy or - more likely under the circumstances - there's more going on then she understands.

She has to wince at the idea of losing her memories though. Even if she wishes she could erase the night terrors and the horrors she'd seen and done, what would she become?

Oh well, I'll live

[element_wizard]

As if noticing he's being watched, Alec turns his head after jerking the pencil at some empty space, "Shut up."

He then tilted his head briefly, giving her a look over. Ah yes. He's seen that look before. "I'm not crazy..." He paused. "Alright... that's a lie. I am crazy, but in this particular instance I'm not."

[fallaces_sunt]

Has Natasha seen the blonde woman around? Perhaps. Perhaps not. She's not telling, at least not yet.

What she is doing is sipping some coffee while idly flicking through pages on her PADD, her dog napping on her feet under the table.

The other woman gets a nod, a quick smile of greeting as Natasha catches her eye. If close enough, there might be a murmured 'evening' as well.

[tasha_yar]

There's a nod. There's even a murmur back before she crosses to the side of the other woman and orders black coffee from the replicator.

[knight_2000]

Kitt spent a lot of time in Ten Forward. As a civilian, he was restricted to certain areas of the ship, and this one was the most familiar to him, as well as being his best bet for some socialization with a wide variety of... beings. Not to mention that viewscreen. He could stand in front of it for hours, being utterly captivated by the expansive view before him. He was doing that right now, actually, just standing there, hands clasped behind his back, looking towards the stars. Still, his sensors were, as always, on the alert, aware of everyone coming and going.

The person who enters now might be in a hoodie, but he recognizes her anyway from their previous encounter. Every being had a unique signature to his sensors, and it wasn't hard to distinguish her, though he does wonder why she's intent on hiding herself. With a frown and a tilt of his head, he watches her for a moment before making the decision to approach.

"Tasha?"

[tasha_yar]

"Hi, Kitt." They had met before, but she's a little embarrassed by the circumstances. He got to see her in full security chief mode until her disorientation settled. Poor man. She's just glad the crew didn't see much of that.

She flashes him the PADD she's reading from. "I swear I'll behave myself."

[walfordpsychopath]

"Good evening," Comes a voice from behind the bar, from a bartender leaning against the wall. He doesn't look like one of Guinan's normal staff and, in truth, he wasn't really. If you looked up the ship's manifest, the name "Sean Slater" doesn't show up.

It does, however, show up on the list of "visitors." That is public knowledge.

Right now, he's on the wall closest to Tasha, arms folded, smiling directly at her.

"Can I get ya anything?"

[tasha_yar]

Some sense of danger flares within her. She's guarded, but remembers that everyone is trapped here and making the best of it. Tasha is about to order her usual black coffee when she changes her mind. She can't remember when she last ate. "Grilled Swiss cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Wheat toast."

Let's see how he moves.

[notalwaysstrong]

And she's going to bump into someone, literally.

Mack was on his way to the replicator to finish off his dinner, when he got distracted... something that's been happening way too often for his liking, but, hey. Brand-new environment. He's still getting used to everything.

It's entirely his fault that his right shoulder clipped into Tasha on the way past. He stumbles a bit.

"Woah... hey. You okay?"

[tasha_yar]

Her grilled cheese sandwich goes flying onto the floor. She recovers with an athlete's grace, but her hoodie comes off, exposing her blonde hair and familiar feature to anyone present in the ship's lounge who might know her. Still -

"I'm fine."

[tanteiotaku]

Oh here was a new face. And she was pretty too, even if she didn't seem to have put a ton of effortin today. He . Ought to at least introduce hhimself. He gave her a light wave when she camepast her table. "Hey there," he stsrted. "Would you like to join me?"

[tasha_yar]

The mage has gone back to having an animated discussion with himself. Too bad. He gave her a lot to consider. Maybe later. And it's getting busier in here.

"Sure." She sits down, soup and sandwich in front of her; and hoodie back over her head.

[mr_laforge]

He knew she was here, but he still couldn't believe it. Not until he saw her with his own eyes.

"Tasha?" he asks, and boy does it feel strange coming off his tongue. Not 'Lt. Yarr', not 'sir', but a name he hasn't used in two years. He figures she's not looking for too much company given the disguise, but he hopes she'll make an exception for an old friend. "Is it really you?"

[tasha_yar]

Tasha's eyes widen. While she's always been expressive with her body language, she generally doesn't touch anyone - especially not men. And yes, she wasn't looking to be discovered or to disturb anyone because she knew she could disappear at any moment under the circumstances. But, one look at Geordi and the dam just breaks. She pulls him into a tight hug before it even registers what she's doing out of sheer, unmitigated relief. The only thing she can compare the feeling to is the grip of the transporter taking her away from hell and up to the stars so many years ago.

[ships_counselor]

Deanna keeps tabs and gets reports on the new arrivals rather regularly, as they aren't expected to know Starfleets rules or even, in some cases, the common sense and general knowledge of the universe they've been transported in. She calls on a lot of them. They have mandated sessions to check on their adjusting, because while she might still be Senior Staff, she is the least threatening and the easily understandable requirement.

On top of her normal appointments, walk-ins, and bridge duty, she can be found busier this last year with the constant influx of new crew members, civilian and otherwise, than normal. But rather than finding it overly challenging, she finds it exhilarating. New minds, emotions, stories of worlds and history's she's never heard, imagined, read or dreamt of.

Sometimes the more challenging part is that she can't share any of it.

Free nights are still a blessing, and she's glad to find herself headed in the door of Ten Forward for herself on this one, instead of to help mitigate a situation that's arisen or to check on someone who hasn't made their way to her. Deanna was just about to head straight for Guinan or the replicator when she spotted a familiar, if very reclusive thus far, face.

Even shadowed and tilted down, to avoid recognition, she would have. Always.

She stood considering, before headed to the bar to place an order.

Then, back in that direction. Stopped a few feet clear of alternating chair at Tasha's table. She could not say her heart was not beating faster than normal, but she tried as best she could to keep her smile beatific and her tone pleasantly calm.

"It's good to see you out."

[tasha_yar]

Tasha visibly jumps in her chair before she bothers with eye contact. There's Deanna. Still as beautiful and graceful as ever, and her she is...for now.

What Deanna senses primarily is guilt.

"Hello," she manages to sputter out. The guilt feeling spikes.

What do you say to the woman you died trying to save anyway without making a big deal out of it?

[rikered]

Riker knows she is onboard, he's been helping Picard wrestle with the bureaucracy which is blocking them at every turn. There is a lot less time for personal matters, or even for a quiet drink in Ten Forward. So he's sneaking into the bar when he should be going through the regulations for the fiftieth time, looking for loopholes. He reckons he'll have a fresh perspective on them after a break.

The hooded sweatshirt does little to disguise her. He slides into a seat beside her. "Penny for them?"

[tasha_yar]

"Come on, Will," she grimaces. "They're not worth that much." She moves back the hoodie. "Earth mythology had something called, 'purgatory.' Do you know the concept?"

[lucie_bleeding_miller]

"Don't think I've seen you around here yet," Lucie offered, coming to her side. "New arrival, aye?" She gestured to the bartender to get them both drinks.

[tasha_yar]

"Something like that." Tasha normally isn't a social butterfly, but today seems to be, "meet & great," day. With as many people as there are from as many different realities, she feels this is as good as any to see how things truly are down here and report whatever she finds to Picard.

"You, too?"

Edit: If you don't want her to have caught on, let me know on plurk.

[kaylinneya]

Kaylin might have only met Tasha the once, so wouldn't recognize her as soon as she walked in. Even a Hawk wasn't quite that good. However...

However Kaylin did know the look of someone trying to hide, and in her experience? That usually meant trouble. Reluctant to leave her food, she watched her carefully for a moment as she gobbled down what was left, then she slid from her seat and approached Tasha.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked coolly, hands on her daggers, familiar around her neck. Then she blinked. Good thing about being short? Hoods don't hide all that much.

".....Tasha?" she asked, then to be sure, she threw out a creative curse, watching for the reaction.

Running with it

[tasha_yar]

The other woman smirks and throws something back at her in her own language. Sure, she mangled the hell out of it, but the idea of what her mother did with that dragon is still pretty well conveyed.

She then offers Kaylin a seat.

[didnotwant]

Marion could totally sympathize with not wanting to come off as a crazy hermit. She has a really bad habit of hiding out when things get tough. It's something Marion got into the habit of after she was bitten.

It was easier to run from her problems rather than face them head on.

Marion is staring at the PADD she has been carrying around with her almost constantly these days. Writing is a good buffer for dealing with the world. It gives her the chance to look at things from a very different perspective.

Seeing Tasha enter catches Marion's attention. She gives a slight head tilt and cranes her neck looking curiously over at the woman. Given she has to lean back slightly in her stool to do that makes it pretty obvious she had been looking but Marion is not going to look embarrassed about what she was doing. Instead she just smirks and shrugs.

[tasha_yar]

Tasha self-consciously returns the smirk, shrug, and even adds a raised glass in toast.

Ten-Forward doesn't close, but it has it's lulls, and this is one of them.

The day has given her plenty to digest.