Ulla opens the cabin door and beckons Tendi in. The outside of the door was
covered in mosaics of simple geometric patterns. Inside, a narrow strip of
dark gray sand is half taken up by a modified wheelchair and a floating tub
of water. Most of the rest of the space is taken up by seawater. To the
side, though, a ramp slopes up to a balcony with a pair of comfortable
armchairs, a lamp, and her harp.
The mosaics on the inside of the door are more personal, featuring two
wolves, a barnacle goose, butterflies, and a pool with a pair of chimera
fish. And the ramp is decorated with a sea theme, from deep and dark at the
base up to filtered sunlight at the top.
In her eel-tailed form today, Ulla turns toward the ramp. "We can go and
sit."
"Oh, wow, this is beautiful!" She hadn't expected a cabin to be like this, but why wouldn't it be possible? And she gets sand? Jealous. She moves towards the balcony as Ulla indicates. "How deep is the water? Is there sea life?"
"Not very. Just deep enough for a grotto I can live in when I haven't taken
human form. There are shrimp, so Taylor can keep an eye on the place.
Starfish for the shrimp to eat, mollusks for the starfish to eat. We
brought them all back from port two years ago. And Hjerte, of course, but
he's part of me, just shaped like an octopus."
Hjerte is currently draped over the balcony railing watching them approach,
and he waves a tentacle in greeting. "Hello."
"That's still super cool. I love how it's a whole little ecosystem." She reaches the top of the balcony, leaning on the railing.
"Nice to officially meet you Hjerte!" Tendi gives the octopus a polite nod. She's seen him with Ulla, of course, but hadn't gotten a name. Or known he could talk. "What's that mean, part of you?" She addresses it to both of them, not wanting to be rude by ignoring either.
Once Ulla has slithered up the ramp and settled into a chair, Hjerte
clambers over to curl up in her lap.
"Ulla first met me in a flood that gave everyone creatures like me, pieces
of their soul given body and voice," he answers.
Ulla nods. "And I lost my place among my people long before the Barge. I
plan on spending the rest of my life surrounded primarily by people whose
lifespans are shorter, who don't have magic that works in concert with
mine. Hjerte was the deal I stayed for after I graduated. A duet partner I
can trust, and someone I'll never outlive and have to lose."
"Wow." Tendi sits in one of the other chairs. "That's pretty amazing! Do you suppose Orions have something like that, too?" Or have the potential to, anyway. It's hard to imagine there being a part of her soul she hasn't ever met.
...she might have gotten thoroughly distracted from the original purpose of her visit. Oops. It happens sometimes.
"You missed a more recent breach where everyone had them. I assume you would have
met yours too."
Hjerte huffs mildly, "I was a polar bear in that life, which would
have been much more inconvenient. You need looking after even when you're
underwater."
And Ulla rolls her eyes. "First of all, I'd have made you a breathing
spell. And secondly, I got by fine on my own for years." She relents enough
to soften as she adds, "This does suit you better, though, and I'm glad
you're at home in the ocean."
"Oh, man. I'm kind of excited for my first breach, is that weird? I mean, it'll be strange, sure, but it kind of sounds like a super intense holo-novel!" The ultimate method acting. "Like being a polar bear? Super cool." Look, she's figured out what bears are! She's working on her Earth fauna!
"It must be really nice, always having someone with you like that."
"Some breaches are wonderful, some are terrible. Some people want to hold
onto the connections they have in them, and some people emphatically don't.
I'm not sure which you'll want, but... brace for that in the aftermath."
Ulla strokes a hand gently over Hjerte's head. "It's wonderful. I had a
duet partner I was all tangled up with once before, but this is...
healthier. Even if he is taking lessons from my former warden on how
to look after me as annoyingly as possible."
Hjerte laughs. "Not quite. I'm not going to start telling you I'm proud of
you all the time. I'll leave that to Warren."
Tendi doesn't have to wonder which type she'll be. She's terrible at letting people go, even under normal circumstances. "I know. I'll just have to figure it out when we get there." Eventually. She knows the Barge events are usually relatively predictable, but she has no idea how far the whole Narrenschiff thing has thrown it off yet.
"I can imagine." A friend who's always there for you, always with you, always understands you? ...she wishes her younger self had had that. Maybe she wouldn't have felt so different and alone.
She's quiet for a moment, then "Oh, shoot! Ashton! Right, sorry."
Tendi looks embarrassed, at least. "Yeah, I- I get distracted sometimes. I don't think it's super urgent. Or I hope it's not. But..." She sighs, settling into the chair and looking more serious.
"Ashton told me that Armand attacked them. After the Narrenschiff. They were asking me about weapons because of it. Thing is, Armand says Ashton started it. I suggested they both avoid each other, but it kind of sounds like... I don't know? Maybe they're not deliberately lying, but it seems like there's a misunderstanding or personality clash there at the very least. Or some kind of vampire thing, even if they're not from the same reality."
Ulla nods, going serious at the explanation. "I've never met Armand, but at
least I knew Ashton a little before we were assigned. And if there's a feud
brewing there, it's something to watch out for."
"I met Ashton right when they arrived, and they've always been pretty nice and helpful to me, but-" Mmm. She's still not sure how to take the conflicting stories she got. "I don't suppose it's too much to hope that they'll both take my advice and avoid each other?"
Since Ashton being a vampire is common knowledge, Ulla is willing to tell
Tendi, "Ashton attacked me the first time we met, but I don't hold that
against them. I was arguing with the Admiral afterwards that he ought to
warn us when inmates show up who need to eat their fellow passengers to
survive. They have no way of knowing there are better options here, or that
we won't attack them if we learn what they are."
As for the current situation, "It's a small ship for avoidance. I doubt
that will work unless they both make an effort."
"Yeeeah, I didn't actually know vampires drank blood, when we met? Or I'd have pointed out they could order it from the Enposib's menu." Learning about vampires' dietary restriction had made that menu option suddenly make a lot more sense, though. But that's another point for your argument, Ulla - not all passengers are even going to know what a vampire is.
"We don't have vampires in my world, but there are others on board. My
transformation spell is a bloody mess, and Hjerte bottles the blood for one
of the vampires now. No sense wasting it." Eric is always appreciative when
she offers it to him.
"I'll ask Ashton, and do my best to keep an eye on the situation."
"Oh, I'd met a couple before then, but they, um. Neglected to mention that detail?" Which seems like kind of a big deal, but she gets it. Some things can be pretty awkward to reveal to near strangers. "I've started storing my own blood, since I'm the only one who can donate to myself in an emergency." Which explains the green blood bags showing up in the Infirmary coolers. "But I don't know if it can also be an emergency blood supply for vampires. Kind of hard to test if it's toxic without hurting anyone, but I'm looking into it."
She shakes her head. "Um, anyway, I'll be keeping my eye on both of them, too. I just... didn't want to be the only one? In case something happens."
"If you're seriously injured without access to that supply, I might still
be able to do something. Especially if you don't mind letting me
experiment a little beforehand." Because Ulla's magic is based on
knowledge, and most of what she's studied here is human anatomy.
"We'll manage the blood supply if we have to, without risking anyone's
life."
"I know some of the magical healers will be able to help, but I'm used to being able to just replicate blood when needed. I see it as kind of, you know, a backup of a backup?" Which is always good to have, especially after nearly dying to an injury in her first month-ish on board.
"You're absolutely welcome to experiment, though! Especially if I get to see the results! I can get you data on Orion physiology, if it'd help? Our circulatory systems work pretty differently from humans'."
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Backdated a couple days after temp pairings
[She's probably not instilling a lot of confidence, here.]
((OOC: I know you're on vacation so no rush, I just had to do this before I forgot about it again!))
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Of course. Do you want to come to my cabin, or talk here?
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The one on level 5 with mosaics on the door.
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[Maybe ten minutes later, there's a knock at Ulla's door.]
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Ulla opens the cabin door and beckons Tendi in. The outside of the door was covered in mosaics of simple geometric patterns. Inside, a narrow strip of dark gray sand is half taken up by a modified wheelchair and a floating tub of water. Most of the rest of the space is taken up by seawater. To the side, though, a ramp slopes up to a balcony with a pair of comfortable armchairs, a lamp, and her harp.
The mosaics on the inside of the door are more personal, featuring two wolves, a barnacle goose, butterflies, and a pool with a pair of chimera fish. And the ramp is decorated with a sea theme, from deep and dark at the base up to filtered sunlight at the top.
In her eel-tailed form today, Ulla turns toward the ramp. "We can go and sit."
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Re: Backdated a couple days after temp pairings
"Not very. Just deep enough for a grotto I can live in when I haven't taken human form. There are shrimp, so Taylor can keep an eye on the place. Starfish for the shrimp to eat, mollusks for the starfish to eat. We brought them all back from port two years ago. And Hjerte, of course, but he's part of me, just shaped like an octopus."
Hjerte is currently draped over the balcony railing watching them approach, and he waves a tentacle in greeting. "Hello."
Re: Backdated a couple days after temp pairings
"Nice to officially meet you Hjerte!" Tendi gives the octopus a polite nod. She's seen him with Ulla, of course, but hadn't gotten a name. Or known he could talk. "What's that mean, part of you?" She addresses it to both of them, not wanting to be rude by ignoring either.
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Once Ulla has slithered up the ramp and settled into a chair, Hjerte clambers over to curl up in her lap.
"Ulla first met me in a flood that gave everyone creatures like me, pieces of their soul given body and voice," he answers.
Ulla nods. "And I lost my place among my people long before the Barge. I plan on spending the rest of my life surrounded primarily by people whose lifespans are shorter, who don't have magic that works in concert with mine. Hjerte was the deal I stayed for after I graduated. A duet partner I can trust, and someone I'll never outlive and have to lose."
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...she might have gotten thoroughly distracted from the original purpose of her visit. Oops. It happens sometimes.
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"You missed a more recent breach where everyone had them. I assume you would have met yours too."
Hjerte huffs mildly, "I was a polar bear in that life, which would have been much more inconvenient. You need looking after even when you're underwater."
And Ulla rolls her eyes. "First of all, I'd have made you a breathing spell. And secondly, I got by fine on my own for years." She relents enough to soften as she adds, "This does suit you better, though, and I'm glad you're at home in the ocean."
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"It must be really nice, always having someone with you like that."
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"Some breaches are wonderful, some are terrible. Some people want to hold onto the connections they have in them, and some people emphatically don't. I'm not sure which you'll want, but... brace for that in the aftermath."
Ulla strokes a hand gently over Hjerte's head. "It's wonderful. I had a duet partner I was all tangled up with once before, but this is... healthier. Even if he is taking lessons from my former warden on how to look after me as annoyingly as possible."
Hjerte laughs. "Not quite. I'm not going to start telling you I'm proud of you all the time. I'll leave that to Warren."
Re: Backdated a couple days after temp pairings
"I can imagine." A friend who's always there for you, always with you, always understands you? ...she wishes her younger self had had that. Maybe she wouldn't have felt so different and alone.
She's quiet for a moment, then "Oh, shoot! Ashton! Right, sorry."
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Ulla smiles wryly. "It didn't sound too urgent, before, or I would have circled back to them sooner. What did you want to talk about?"
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"Ashton told me that Armand attacked them. After the Narrenschiff. They were asking me about weapons because of it. Thing is, Armand says Ashton started it. I suggested they both avoid each other, but it kind of sounds like... I don't know? Maybe they're not deliberately lying, but it seems like there's a misunderstanding or personality clash there at the very least. Or some kind of vampire thing, even if they're not from the same reality."
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Ulla nods, going serious at the explanation. "I've never met Armand, but at least I knew Ashton a little before we were assigned. And if there's a feud brewing there, it's something to watch out for."
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Since Ashton being a vampire is common knowledge, Ulla is willing to tell Tendi, "Ashton attacked me the first time we met, but I don't hold that against them. I was arguing with the Admiral afterwards that he ought to warn us when inmates show up who need to eat their fellow passengers to survive. They have no way of knowing there are better options here, or that we won't attack them if we learn what they are."
As for the current situation, "It's a small ship for avoidance. I doubt that will work unless they both make an effort."
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"That's what I'm afraid of."
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"We don't have vampires in my world, but there are others on board. My transformation spell is a bloody mess, and Hjerte bottles the blood for one of the vampires now. No sense wasting it." Eric is always appreciative when she offers it to him.
"I'll ask Ashton, and do my best to keep an eye on the situation."
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She shakes her head. "Um, anyway, I'll be keeping my eye on both of them, too. I just... didn't want to be the only one? In case something happens."
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"If you're seriously injured without access to that supply, I might still be able to do something. Especially if you don't mind letting me experiment a little beforehand." Because Ulla's magic is based on knowledge, and most of what she's studied here is human anatomy.
"We'll manage the blood supply if we have to, without risking anyone's life."
Re: Backdated a couple days after temp pairings
"You're absolutely welcome to experiment, though! Especially if I get to see the results! I can get you data on Orion physiology, if it'd help? Our circulatory systems work pretty differently from humans'."
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