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

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A smile crosses her face, small but genuine in her amusement. Despite that unconventional meeting, she's deciding she rather likes him. At the very least, he's providing a very entertaining distraction for her.

"I don't think any mirror version are very good, unless they're mirrors of particularly distasteful people," she replies with a gentle joke. "It can be hard to avoid Q's traps, even if you are good at avoiding them. Have you been here long?"

Alec is like a fungus. He grows on people. And then he's incredibly hard to get rid of and nearly impossible to kill.

"And I'm sure your mirror versions say the same thing about you - if you want to get twisty about it." He gestures at a chair, asking if he could sit. "He never tends to like me anyway. But this time around? About a month or so."

"I'd rather not find out," she says with the smallest hint of a laugh. It isn't much, but after what she's been through, it's a very, very good sign. When he motions at the chair, she waves a hand at it and nods a couple of times. "Please do." She'd forgotten to make the offer after their greeting.

"I guess there are worse places Q could have dropped us. At least this environment is fairly friendly."

He does sit down in a slouch, before pulling himself back up as if remembering how to sit properly.

"This is true but I'd be careful as to saying things like that out loud. You might give him ideas," he said dropping his voice down. "I've been in situations like this before and they're always listening..."

Properly paranoid? Yup.

It's been a while since she's had to deal with Q and usually he doesn't stick around this long. Still, he's got a point and she sighs. Even with the human ace she has, he is right.

"You do have a point," she allows, "but compared to what I just went through, this is a huge step up."

Though Alec said 'he' he doesn't necessarily mean Q. He's seen enough of these things that he's noticed reality tends to get a bit weird and bendy with too much cross multiverse/reality happening in one spot. And that it seems like it takes its bendy bits from things people say. Almost as if their words help mold the reality around them - for better or usually for embarrassingly worse. He is just easier to use.

"Oh? Can I ask what?" he said. He knew that sometimes people don't like talking about weird shit that's happened to them, but he's always curious to see what's happened to people. It's almost as if he collects their stories.

At this point it's just easier to blame Q. Beverly has had enough of being a pawn, but it's either be Q's pawn or COMPASS' and at this point, she'll take Q. At least he isn't malicious like they were.

"You can ask," she allows, "but that doesn't mean I'm capable of answering." For a lot of reasons, mostly the fact that she's mentally still processing what happened to her and what she went through. "I can tell you that being here is like being on shore leave compared to that, even with the temporal displacement."

And at least Q is someone she knows and is familiar and from home, too.

"Fair enough. At least you're in a better place."

"Better place, wrong time," she sighs. "Think clicking my heels together will work?"

Yes, she did just make a Wizard of Oz reference.

Alec gives this perhaps a bit more thought than it deserves.

"Not in those shoes," he says finally.

The joke is small, but it helps alleviate some of her tension. It's good. Laughing is good, no matter how small.

"I guess I'll just have to find the right ones. If it works, I'll see if I can't find a way to send them back to help the next lost soul."

"As long as they're not sole-less souls, they should take some solace in the shoes."

Puns are never bad.

Ever.

At all.

Well, these might be.

Probably.

Okay. They're down right horrid.

She can't help laughing, even as she shakes her head and rolls her eyes a little. "That was the worst pun I've heard in a long time."

But it made her laugh. That definitely gets bonus points.

"I assure you that more will be walking your way,' Alec said shamelessly.

Make him stop.

She can't get much out aside from a smile that's threatening to turn into a grin and a gentle shake of her head. Eventually, she manages something. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said sincerely. "Always glad to be of help."

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

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