so wake me up when it's all over ( open )

[ethnobotany]

Arrival

The last week was very literal hell for everyone in Zelien. Between the Eldritch horror, the rain of COMPASS monsters, and the cultists, survival was difficult for seven days. Well, survival in Zelien was always difficult, but it seemed much more so now. The days passed by so quickly and yet so slowly, to the point where each hour bled into the next, each day bled forward and Beverly fully lost all track of time. Nothing was safe and after living even a short time like that, even the most stalwart of people couldn't take it forever. So when the frantic man with white hair came through the mess advertising a serum that would take them through to COMPASS' realm where they could, theoretically, defeat the organization and get everyone to safety, if not home... to say she had jumped at the chance would be an understatement. At least, after she had ascertained that the serum wouldn't do any damage to anyone. While she couldn't be absolutely certain, she was sure enough and it would be better than their current options. With the serum in her system, she had followed the frantic man.

One side of the portal was Zelien. On the other, she found herself being tossed a good few feet and then dropped, landing on her back with a whoosh of air. With the breath knocked out of her, she takes a few seconds to recover and in that time, security is called to Ten Forward. Her phaser rifle sure does stand out. The altercation when she tries to stand is short, her surprise and a touch of fear being the largest reasons she resists so hard at first. Eventually, she relinquishes the weapon, snapping, "Okay, okay! Take it!" They like that better, leaving her to get reacquainted with the middle of Ten Forward and the stares of whoever happened to witness the scene.

Later

Once she's gotten the idea of what's going on, has dealt with something else, and has managed to accept the idea that this might not be a hallucination from the serum or COMPASS using one of her most important memories against her, she heads for the replicator and a cup of Earl Grey tea. She hasn't honestly had anything that wasn't canned pears, coffee, or creamed corn in so long. This might be overdoing it, but at this point, she's given up caring. After a moment's thought, she replicates a croissant to go with it. Both she'll take up to a table in the corner where she can, hopefully, sit in peace and get her head on straight. Looks like she can finally have a cup of coffee and a croissant tomorrow. For the first time in weeks.

For anyone who might want to approach, she doesn't look entirely unapproachable. She is tense, though, extremely so and she's noticeably facing towards the room at large with her back to the wall, watching people with the gaze of someone who has learned not to let her guard down too much. It'll pass and in time she'll be back to herself. Right now, she's just on the edge of a breakdown. Good thing she has that medical training to separate her emotions from a situation, right?

Closed

After getting more food and drink in her than she usually gets in a day in Zelien, she finally takes a deep breath and decides to go ahead with something that needs doing. This... will be difficult, but she needs to do it. For both of their sakes.

"Crusher to Picard." Pause. "Do you have a minute, Jean-Luc?"

She uses his first name in her request to show that she's coming to him not as his Chief Medical Officer, but as his friend, as a friend who needs him. Because she does. If there's anything in this universe that she needs right now, it's as many friendly faces and people as she can gather, people she can be sure of. That and she does have a lot to tell him.

Comments

Ten Forward

[dust_of_life]

Fatima was having something of a love affair with the replicators. She'd stopped hoarding food, for the most part. But she'd definitely been having more than three squares a day. Maybe it was compensation for the enormous guilt she was constantly being assault with. Or maybe it was just a way to fill the unending hours of total boredom.

Maybe both. She didn't really feel like plumbing those depths too far.

At any rate, she decided that she needed to be around people that afternoon. So instead of staying cooped up in the quarters she'd been given, she wound her way through the halls to the lounge, making a beeline for the nearest replicator.

And what culinary adventure did she want to go on today? She thought about it for a second. "Baklava," she said. And, after a second or two of consideration, "With pear compote. Uh...green. D'anjou pear. From earth. Okay?"

Maybe she hadn't quite gotten the hang of the thing yet.

[ethnobotany]

At this point, there was a part of Beverly that was convinced this was some COMPASS trick. She'd come to terms with the fact that she would be here, alone, with a bunch of people from her past, trying to discern what's real and what isn't. Maybe that was the test, the way to find COMPASS.

Either that or the serum was making her hallucinate.

What she hadn't expected was to see one of her closest friends walk into Ten Forward and head for the replicator like she knew exactly how to work it. Slowly standing, Beverly waited for a minute. Two. And then she moved slowly down towards Fatima. Nothing else really mattered right now except figuring out if this was her friend or just an illusion.

"Fatima?" she called softly, once she was close enough.

Later / Ten Forward

[ships_counselor]

Deanna settled her shoulders before she walked through the doors. She'd gotten use to the constant updates, sent directly from the medbay to her, the moment they got a new appearance on the ship. The new arrivals, coming from an everywhere that kept expanding, belonged in her domain as much as the doctors, and the places the ended up after some settling time had passed.

But she had never expected to see the name in the message checked after her last appointment.

Even less had she expected the update she received when she inquired into the mistake name. That wasn't a mistake. Or a trick by Q. About her appearing suddenly in Ten Forward, while the Doctor had vanished from the Medbay, herself. That was a whole other problem. But it was one she could leave to certain other people. It was not that her priority was with the threat of crew members, and especially senior staff, being vanished and replaced by someone else. It was.

The importance and the danger was in the set of her shoulders. But it was not there alone. Nor loudest.

And when she set her shoulders, it was for the latter reasons and not the prior, before she pushed forward and inward. Through the doors, and then with a glance at Guinan, who nodded toward a specific table, Deanna made her way that way without pausing. "They told me you were here." The resemblance is uncanny, and the way that strikes deep almost undoes Deanna's careful focus for caution as much as concern and confusion.

[ethnobotany]

Beverly sees Deanna coming from across Ten Forward. She has the entire time, just a few seconds or maybe a minute, to prepare herself for seeing her friend, but it's not enough. The last time she saw Deanna was before they found out the Borg were on the Enterprise, before sickbay and engineering were overrun, and all of that was weeks ago from Beverly's perspective. She's missed her friend dearly in all of her time in Zelien and a part of her heart aches to see her again after so long.

Of the emotions coursing through Beverly right now, Deanna will notice fear is at the top, fear and wariness. Beverly's doing a good job of hiding it outwardly, but there's no fooling an empath. Underneath that is resignation that's warring with her determination not to die or let anything else horrible happen if she can help it. There's also a flicker of genuine happiness, perhaps even hope, as she lays eyes on her friend. Aside from the emotional signs, Beverly's also sporting a couple of physical ones. A very small haunted tinge has crept into her blue eyes, mostly there because the adrenaline has faded sharply and took her determination with it, and she looks as though she hasn't had a decent meal in weeks. Spoilers: she hasn't. COMPASS wasn't exactly good about feeding them and she's trying not to overdo it now that she has access to a replicator again. She's tense, like she's expecting something bad and a part of her is, has learned that wariness is the key to survival in Zelien.

All-in-all she's at her breaking point. For all intents and purposes, she is Beverly Crusher, just not one this version of Deanna Troi has ever met.

Beverly glances away as Deanna nears, takes a breath to steady herself, and then offers her friend a tight-lipped smile. "They're as prepared as always," she comments, her voice sounding mostly normal with a hint of that same wariness she feels. Deciding to forego unnecessary talk, at least at first, she motions towards one of the chairs opposite her. She has a feeling Deanna won't want to leave her alone anytime soon. "I know you have a lot of questions, and I'll answer what I can, but some things I can't talk about." Some things would be breaking the Temporal Prime Directive to answer and she's not yet ready to do that.

Honestly, she still isn't fully convinced that this isn't an illusion of some kind, but more and more she's starting to believe that it could be real. Deanna's presence is a big part of that. COMPASS wouldn't give her one of her best friends like this. They just wouldn't.

Later / Ten Forward

[fishermansweater]

Victors sit with their backs to the wall. It doesn't take seeing as many of them at as many parties and functions and gatherings as Finnick has in the past then years to notice it, but Finnick knows victors. His friends, insofar as he has any, his fiancée, the person who is -- was -- all he had resembling a family, are all victors.

The woman he sees when he walks into the lounge is not a victor, but she sits like one. It would say something about Finnick to anyone who might happen to be watching him that though he saunters in with his hands in his pockets, his movements easy -- a little too easy -- he notices her almost immediately. Notices her, but doesn't go over to her right away. He wanders over to the bar, appears to consider the tables, and only then goes over to the replicator for a cup of coffee.

His approach would look casual to someone who didn't know they were watching a person used to making sure his every public move would stand the media's and public's scrutiny.

"Hi," he says, quietly, as he's passing her, a warm smile on his famously beautiful face. "Haven't seen you here before."

[ethnobotany]

Beverly expected to be bothered by a few people, not too many, but anyone who knew her is bound to turn up wanting to know more about why she's suddenly turned up with blonde hair. Seeing this young man approach, someone she knows she's never seen before, is a surprise. She regards him carefully, as though trying to figure him out -- things Zelien and COMPASS have done to her, honestly, especially lately -- but opts to be her normal self. Her smile isn't as easy as it normally would be, but it is as genuine and friendly as she can make it.

"You're probably looking for the redhead version," she answers, figuring a little belatedly that a good handful of people probably knew her other self, the version who's supposed to be in this timeline. Assuming, of course, that this is all real. In an effort to explain what she means, she follows that up with a brief introduction. "Beverly Crusher."

He is nice to look at, but he's somewhere around her son's age. That realization makes her heart ache more.

Arrival

[bob_fraser_rcmp]

Bob still wasn't sure of the rules of this ghost business. He knows he appears where he wants to but not why he wants to. ...He's not the most emotionally aware at the best of times.

He's even more confused about this 'spaceship' business. He has no attachment to space, though he does look up every now and again, navigate by them if he needs to, read about astronomy and space people sometimes. But no real desire to go up there.

In fact, it was only when he popped up next to a clearly distressed Beverly that any sense seems to emerge from what he's doing.

"Hello," he smiled with a friendly nod. As if Beverly was just lounging about looking bored.

[ethnobotany]

Beverly has gotten used to a great deal of things in her time as CMO of the Enterprise and a prisoner of Zelien. Having people pop up out of nowhere is, unfortunately, not one of them. Usually that's reserved for Q and would only serve to annoy her. Now, she whips around to face the person in question.

"Hi..." she says warily, looking him over to see what she can make of him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Ten Forward - Later

[whereishe]

Yuna had seen the strange arrivals this time around and was surprised to see all the commotion. Sometimes it was silent and people just arrived like walking into a room. Her mismatched gaze landed on the woman after she came back. She appeared to be calmer thought Yuna had a talent when it came to reading people.

She pushed away from the bar letting her tea grow cold as she walked over to the woman standing with her back against the way. She kept her smile friendly and her demeanor non threatening as she approached.

"You alright?"

The obvious answer was no but then she didn't really expect the woman to open up. She just wanted to show that she cared and that she was worried. Sometimes that was enough to help, wasn't it?

[ethnobotany]

Beverly glances up at the newcomer. She'd been expecting a few people who knew her or knew the other version of her and wanted to talk about why her hair is blonde instead of red. The amount of people just wanting to check on her is staggering. It's nice. It reminds her of how the people of Zelien would band together when they had to.

She manages a tight-lipped smile, an attempt at looking a little better than she feels. "Thank you, but... I'll be all right. It was just a little startling to suddenly find myself here." For more reasons than she really cares to admit at the moment.

Ten - Forward

[element_wizard]

Having shuffled about the multiverse more times than all the decks of cards in Vegas over a ten year period, Alec has seen Beverly Crushers before. He's not seen a blond one, however, any time that he can remember. It's entirely possible he has seen a blond one, but when it happened he doesn't know, so it doesn't count.

Which is possibly why he's staring at her a little as he walks by. And then stops.

"You look weird blond."

Alec (who has no tact) is someone people know they've met before. He's just too weird to forget about meeting. So, he clearly knows a her even if she doesn't know him. But considering Beverly's own knowledge about the multiverse this shouldn't be to shocking.

[ethnobotany]

Beverly might indeed be more accustomed to the rules of the multiverse than some. Having people recognize her is not uncommon, even now. Having someone walk up to her like that when she's certain she's never met him before is more than a little off-putting, especially in her current state. Her eyes narrow and she gives him a look that borders on incredulous and slightly offended.

"Excuse me?"

Not the best first impression she's ever had, by far.

Arrival

[atadiscoverer]

"Dr. Crusher?"

The voice from Beverly's right is accented Scottish, and sounds incredibly confused. It's coming from a man in a white lab coat, combadge pinned to the left side. He's looking concerned, confused and wary all at once, a PADD in his hand. He just left Sickbay ten minutes ago, and Beverly was in her office.

He's marking it down to Q weirdness, and taking another step forward.

"Are you okay?"

[ethnobotany]

Beverly glances over at the sound of her name, a look of wary confusion on her face. Apparently more people are recognizing her than she'd originally thought. That could be good or bad. He has a combadge but she doesn't recognize him. She's leaning towards bad, but she'll let time be the judge.

"I'm fine." She's decidedly not fine, but she's not about to actually say that to a friend, let alone a stranger. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

[imaginary_wife]

"I see you've dyed your hair."

Dr. Yewll comes over to her table, holding a cup of coffee as she settles down near her. "It looks good." She pulled out a PADD, started going over some more history, and cast a sideways glance at Beverly.

You know what? More of her looked different.

"So what did the Q do now?" Meh sighed, setting the PADD down with a clatter and turning to face her so that her arm was draped loosely over the back of her chair.

[ethnobotany]

By now, Beverly has gotten the run-down of what's going on. Even so, the sheer number of people who somehow recognize her and care to stop her is staggering. It's nice, even if it's strange and will take getting used to.

"Thank you," she says hesitantly, by now slightly less wary and more willing to listen and interact. "But I think you might be looking for my redheaded other self."

That only sort of answers the question.

Later

[pronounsarehard]

Ezri was trying something new. It involved not fighting with the replicator. Or herself. She could do this, and she really didn't have a choice. Unless she wanted to be ordering blood wine for the rest of her life. There was a good possibility that Ezri wasn't even compatible as a host. Was it her lack of training or something intrinsic in here that was causing these problems?

Ordering some hot ginger tea to settle her stomach--not that she didn't love seeing Julian and all but the Trill was pretty sure living on antiemetics wasn't that great for you. She was going to have to get this under control or cashier herself out of Starfleet.

Looking over, Ezri saw Beverly. But not quite her. In fact, Ezri was pretty sure that wasn't the Beverly she had seen earlier in sick bay. Ezri walked over to Guinan, got a shot glass filled with something and promptly walked over to Beverly and poured it in her tea.

"Maybe that will help. You don't really seem in a tea kind of mood. Ezri Dax." She introduced herself, sticking out her hand if Bev felt up to shaking it. Or throttling her. Both were perfectly acceptable responses, really.

[ethnobotany]

Beverly had been expecting a few people to recognize her or at least come see what she was doing. What she hadn't expected was to find someone pouring a shot of... something... into her tea. Glancing up with a furrowed brow, she fully intended to ask what the hell that was about -- even if she really could use the alcohol -- but she's stopped by the sight of those spots. For a moment, her entire body language changes, from wary to completely confused. It's a different sort of tension in her now and her face pales with wonderful and painful memories.

This woman is a Trill. Just like Odan.

Beverly hasn't thought about Odan in so long. Doing so now brings a whole host -- ha ha -- of questions. Ones like where he is now, what he's doing. She knows which host Odan is right now and that sends a flutter of... something coursing through her. As much as she had known at the time that breaking off their relationship was the best thing for her own mental stability, she couldn't help the part of her that would always love Odan. A part of her missed him.

Eventually, she managed to push past the shock, taking the hand and giving it a firm shake despite her surprise. "Beverly Crusher," she replies wryly, "though I have a feeling you already know that. Are you someone else my other self knew?"

Arrival

[captainproton]

"And they didn't even say pretty please." Tom said smoothly, from his seat at the bar. "That's awfully rude. It was quite a nice phaser rifle." And he was pretty sure it wasn't from 2367. "Think you'll have DTI knocking on your door if one of those security officers gets curious?"

That little voice inside him Tom thought was his conscience told him to stop being an asshole and hiding behind bravado. Actually, it kind of sounded like B'Elanna. What could he say? After all the time in prison and the court martial, (and you know, Tuvok) security guards didn't fill him with joy. It was a reflex.

It was only then he looked at her and realized he didn't recognize the uniform. Well he did, it was the same on Julian Bashir was wearing. So...sometime after 2371.

"Didn't you have red hair?"

[ethnobotany]

The voice is vaguely familiar. The fact that he recognizes what a phaser rifle is has her turning to look at him and perhaps to offer a quip in agreement to his words. Her quip dies on the tip of her tongue as she gets a look at him and everything else goes flying out of her head.

"Nicolas Locarno? What the hell are you doing here?"

There are slight differences, of course. Like the fact that he looks far too old to be Locarno, who should be at the Academy already. There's something else in the eyes, the way he carries himself, even sitting down. But Beverly's first response is, of course, to that one person and that one set of days. She'll never forget the inquiry, even if it had turned out the best she could hope for. Really, with Sito Jaxa being such a shining and courageous person years later, Beverly doesn't have any problems with the cadets who tried to pick up the pieces of their lives. If Locarno eventually made a better life for himself and turned out all right, more power to him. Right now, she's just jumpy and startled.

She shakes herself inwardly. "Wrong one," is her answer, completely devoid of malice or bitterness. Thank Q. She sure is. Not. "I'd like to avoid that visit, if it's all the same to you."

That'd be a strong yes, Tom. DTI would have an absolute field day with her if word got out.

Option - Later

[kaylinneya]

Kaylin's permission post/trigger warning



Kaylin had been sitting at the "bar" when she walked in. Hardly counted as a bar if there was no booze. But free food, so she wasn't complaining. She watched the woman come in and frowned.

A quick glance would say that she knew this woman, the doctor. The one who knew about the marks now.

Except Kaylin was a Hawk. Iron Jaw would have long since ripped out her throat if a quick glance was her idea of seeing. The woman suddenly looked older. Tenser. Hair was different.

She also held herself differently. Moved like someone who was expecting to be attacked. Someone defensive. Not the easy casual woman she spoke to previously.

Kaylin shoved the last of her meat bun in her mouth, because no way she was leaving food over, then headed towards Beverly, seeing like a Hawk, watching carefully.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, watching carefully for signs the woman had any clue who she was.

Kaylin was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with buttons on the sleeve, thick leather pants that looked more like archaic armor than fashion, a thin chain-mail shirt, a tabard with a flying Hawk on the front. She had a dagger on either hip, her hair was pulled back messily staked with a hair stick, and she wore an antique old gold bracelet on one wrist that was bedecked with gems and didn't go with the rest of her. At all. She also had what looked like a tattoo of a flower on her cheek.

Around her neck was a beast that looked like a house cat sized translucent dragon.

[ethnobotany]

In time this woman will become more relaxed. In time, things will become less worrisome for her. Right now, she's still dealing with a lot of recent events that weren't exactly fun. So when she glances up at the strange voice, there isn't even a hint of recognition in her eyes. Instead, the blue depths speak of wariness and weariness, both practically shouting to the heavens.

"Please," she answers evenly, motioning at the chair across from her. She doesn't mind company, even if she is quite surprised that this woman is so heavily armed. "I guess I look pretty lonely."

Option - Later

[agathaheterodyne]

Aggie had hardly noticed the woman who sat near her in the lounge. She was working on something at her table as she ate. Building, not paying attention to what she was eating, fully absorbed in her work.

Until about three minutes after Beverly sat, at which point someone bumped into her, jerking her hand, so her fork touched the ignition plate.....

The explosion threw Agatha back, crashing into Beverly's table, a cut across her face, just under the goggles.

She scowled at the remains of her table, seeming to not even notice the cut, or that she put her hand in someone's food... She pushed to her feet, a mad look in her eyes under the goggles. She shoved them up, smearing blood and grease on her glasses as she headed back to her table, to see what she could salvage... and stumbled over a chair.

[ethnobotany]

If the explosion hadn't startled her, having someone get thrown into her table certainly did it. She frowns, more in concern for the person than over her croissant. That's not much of a loss. After not having much food guaranteed lately, she'll probably still eat it. Maybe.

Still, when she sees the cut, she can't help calling across the distance. "Excuse me, are you all right? I think you might be injured. You might want to pay a visit to sickbay to get that looked at." There's no stopping her. Once a doctor, always a doctor.

Closed

[tea_earlgrey_hot]

It isn't unusual for he and Beverly to speak to each other multiple times during a day. Certainly, as she is his chief medical officer and the ship's complement is in a state of perpetual flux, their meetings mean a great deal to him; however, there is more to it than that. She is, and always has been, more than just his CMO.

The communique surprises him nonetheless, and that has a good deal to do with the fact that she addresses him by his given name. He pauses before he answers, letting the weight of that settle on him in full. He knows that, while what she might have to say may have nothing to do with the ship's operations, for her to make the request at all bears his full attention. He taps his combadge at last.

"I have two, if you act quickly," he says. "Can you meet me in my ready room?"

[ethnobotany]

"On my way," Beverly responds. Despite her best effort, her voice shakes. Just slightly, not enough for anyone who doesn't know her to pick out, but for someone who knows her the way he does, even in this timeline and missing most of what she remembers, he'll pick it out. For better or for worse.

She keeps her head held high as she steps off the turbolift and passes through the bridge on her way to the ready room, ignoring everyone else except to give a nod in greeting. She can practically feel the stares from the crew, knowing that they are all wondering about her. Why is she here now? Why did Q bring her? A part of her expects that Jean-Luc already knows about her, that she isn't his CMO, not really, and she shouldn't be here any more than the other people who just winked into existence on board. If not, he's in for a huge shock.

Reaching the ready room, she presses the chime to let him know she's there, waiting until he bids her enter to actually go inside. Two minutes. He must be busy. Well, she won't take up much of his time. Taking a deep breath, she steps inside when given leave to, standing upright, as though expecting for him to give her the same reaction everyone else has. What he'll certainly notice are the changes in her body language. Her entire body is tense and there's a haunted look to her eyes. It's faded since she first arrived, but for someone who knows her, it's still there, tainting her blue eyes alongside a wariness that only drops when the doors slide shut behind her. Despite all the talks she's had, despite seeing people like Fatima again and talking through a few things with Troi, the tension has yet to fully leave her. A lot hinges on this meeting and she's expecting to be declared unfit for duty for now. She wouldn't blame him. Personally, given everything that's happened to her in the last few weeks alone, never mind today, she doesn't particularly feel she's fit for duty right away, either. She'd like to be. Someday. Right now, though, what she needs is time.

She takes a deep breath. "I think you and I both know I'm not supposed to be here," she states, her tone even and calm with that separation of emotion from situation that she's been relying so heavily on lately. For now, she lets those words hang between them, waiting to see which reaction she'll get and what he'll say.

Later

[reincarnshaman]

Freed from sickbay - or perhaps having escaped early, it's hard to say - Trever spots Beverly sitting in Ten-Forward and immediately heads over towards her. His cat gets there first.

Veena appears on the table in front of the good doctor and sprawls out in that way cats have of 'Pay attention to me" and "this is mine now".

[ethnobotany]

She does notice the cat first, but that might be because the little feline has taken over the whole table. It's a good thing Beverly loves cats. She offers a hand for the cat to sniff, glancing up to see the man she helped earlier walking towards her. A small smile breaks across her face.

"You look like you're feeling better."

[caelus]

Jim had heard about the commotion from a new (old?) arrival in Ten Forward. This ship's CMO, he heard, but maybe not. She looked different than he remembered. Well, vaguely remembered from his adventure in vaccinations aboard this ship during his medical check-in. He'd heard she literally crash landed in the lounge with a phaser rifle and had a hell of an altercation with security, however brief.

He doesn't have a lot to do here, on a ship that isn't his own and a time that isn't his own, and in a reality that isn't his own either. Did you catch all that? He'll do a run down with the cliff notes later if you ask nicely. So---he tries to do what he can. He checks in on people, mostly the ones from his own reality and time. He tries to read up on everything that's happened up to this point history-wise. He tries to learn the ship.

He's stopping in for a coffee, PADD in hand, and does his usual once-over of the room. Most everyone seems at ease and comfortable, so it's a little noticeable (at least to him) to see her sitting, tense and ready for action at the drop of a hat. He knows that look. He knows the posture.

It's the way you look when you've been running on adrenaline for way too long and not much else. It's the way you look when you're waiting for everything to go wrong again. He also knows it's a dangerous headspace to be in on your own, and while he doesn't know her personally---never too late to say hi, right?

He heads over with his coffee, steps just a little louder, and making sure he doesn't blindside her with his approach. He grins, head tilted to the side to get a look at her, and nods to the chair across from her.

"Dr. Crusher, right? Mind if I join you?"

[ethnobotany]

By now she's had a little time to calm down. Just a little. She still looks as on edge as she had been. Her plate has also been exchanged for a bowl of fruit, which she's been eating very slowly alongside her second cup of tea. Peaches, pears, apples, grapes. Kiwi. Even a diced plum. After not having access to virtually anything except creamed corn for weeks on end, she's decided that starting small with food items is a good idea. She doesn't want to overdo it and make herself sick.

Everyone who doesn't just walk up to startle her earns her respect in some form, but Kirk is a unique case. As soon as she lifts her head and spots him, her eyes widen and she breathes out, "Captain?" before she can stop herself. Of course, then he speaks and she shakes her head to clear it, her disappointment etched onto her face for longer than she'd like. Soon enough, she manages to push it aside, knowing that he has no idea who she is, not really. This isn't the Jim Kirk she knew.

Offering a tight smile to further hide her feelings, she motions towards the chair opposite her. "Please do, though I think you might be looking for my redheaded counterpart."

She's getting used to being mistaken for her other self. So many people seem to have recognized her, even with the hair change, that she's dealing with having to explain over and over that she isn't the person they're looking for. She isn't supposed to be here and soon enough the entire ship will know. It's hardly worth trying to keep that a secret. Still, that doesn't make it any easier and she's learning the hard way that alternate realities are a pain.

[rikered]

There are a few rumours going around the ship, Riker hears them from the second he leaves the holodeck. Every time he rounds the corner it seems like everyone is discussing Beverly and he ignores them. Whatever is going on, he's going to hear it directly from her. It might be nothing more than a new hair do.

He tracks her down in Ten Forward. Something has changed, there are lines of worry and tension that he's never seen before. He approaches her table and settles into a seat beside her so he doesn't obscure her view of the room. "It's good to see you back," he says quite gently and turns his head to look at her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

[ethnobotany]

It's much more than just a new hairdo, but that is a difficult thing to explain. Easier just to see it for oneself. Beverly looks up as soon as she hears someone approaching. Her eyes are wary at first, the tension still clear in her body, though as soon as she spots him and he settles in, she relaxes just enough. Some of the tension in her retreats and her expression returns to a neutrality bordering on the normal warmth she gives friends. By now, she's got a bowl of fruit to go with her tea and she's exercising a large amount of restraint at not scarfing the whole thing.

Instead, she chews carefully, swallows, and then returns her gaze to Riker. Were it just about anyone else, or anyone except someone from her crew no matter the time period, she would insist upon a healthy distance, even if it meant turning her back to the room at large in order to keep him across the table from her. As it is, she knows him and even though she still isn't sure, she wants to believe that this is real and the person next to her is real. The alternative would probably break her.

"That depends on what you want to know," she answers easily enough, though her tone still holds the barest touch of concern. She's deciding to just lay it all out for him now that he's here. At this point, the rumors going around have probably come back for a second run and she may as well confirm or deny some of them. But aside from that, this is Commander Riker. She has as much of a duty to him as any senior officer to tell him the actual truth, as much as she can. That... and they were, in her time, fairly close. It wouldn't feel right to hold out on him now. "I know you're expecting someone else and I'm sorry for all of us that I'm not the one you need. I also know that you must have questions. I'll answer what I can, but there are some things I can't tell you."