TEST DRIVE MEME #4 - The Arboretum/Ten Forward

[ten_fwd_mods]

Option 01: Aboard the Enterprise, The Arboretum: In exploring the Enterprise, you end up on Deck 17, section 21 alpha: the arboretum. Instantly upon entering you can tell this room is different from all the others. For one thing, you're now standing on grass. It's no illusion, no simulation; it's real grass, leading up to a small pond in the center of the room. All around you grows a variety of plant life, trees and bushes and hanging plants, flowers and herbs and even what one might consider weeds. The arboretum is, for all intents and purposes, a botanic garden, used both recreationally for passengers to relax and enjoy, and scientifically for research and study. After all, the scope of alien plant life is impressive, from the Cyprion cacti down to the Earth variety roses.

The room is well lit and large, with benches to rest on and small walking paths. Children are grouped off in one corner working on botany projects, while some passengers are seen kneeling in the dirt carefully tending to their garden patches. There are even windows along one wall, allowing for a view of space while the room itself gives the illusion of daylight. It's the perfect spot to relax, read a book, or grab a spare spade and dig in the dirt. Or perhaps you've been looking for the right moment to say hello to the passenger standing off by the venus flytraps.





Option 02: Aboard the Enterprise, Ten Forward: Or maybe not. You've just arrived, and you have no idea what just happened. One minute you were somewhere else, and now you're in what looks like a spacious, well-appointed bar. The hum of the crowd is inviting, and the drinks look invigorating. There are people eating and drinking, some in uniform, others not. Some are clearly aliens.

Try to find out why you're here, or catch a drink at the bar; there's always something happening here.

Comments

[decideformyself]

He wouldn't let her have the chance, though. He managed to regain his composure and stride toward her, but he paused about a meter behind her, unable to move forward any further.

"Wakana," he said, but he couldn't get any words out beyond that.

[natural_claydoll]

Her body stiffened when she heard him. She brought her arms in to her chest, and turned. Her body moved before her eyes came to meet him.

The shock on her face was plain. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught on a lump in her throat. She swallowed hard and tried again. "Raito..."

[decideformyself]

"This isn't possible," he said, his eyes searching her face desperately for some indication of what was going on. Could Q's power really make this possible? Sure, there were strange things going on with the timeline -- Haruto Sohma and Gentaro Kisaragi were proof enough of that -- but to go this far?

[natural_claydoll]

Finally, her feet were moving all on their own. She closed the gap between them. She grabbed hold of his clothes wherever her hands landed and buried her face into his shoulder. "Raito!" She couldn't keep the tears away now. "I-I'm sorry!"

[decideformyself]

Philip's arms moved on their own, embracing Wakana and holding her close. He shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for." That wasn't true, strictly speaking, but she'd more than redeemed herself in his eyes, and that had been an entire year ago.

[natural_claydoll]

She brought her arms around his waist, and held him tight. "I tried to-- I wanted--" She took a deep breath to get her thoughts in order. "I don't know if it worked, but..." She pulled away slightly. She brought her eyes up to his. When had he gotten this tall? "I wanted to give my body to you."

[decideformyself]

"I know. You--you succeeded, Wakana." He rested his hands on her arms, smiling despite himself. "I never expected to see you again after that."

[natural_claydoll]

There was another shock for her. "What? I-it did? But then--" she cast around at the lounge. "This isn't a dream?" Or. Whatever it could be classified as.

[decideformyself]

"It's not." Philip shook his head. Pulling away from her, but keeping one hand on her arm, he gestured to a window. "This is the doing of an entity called Q who appears to be capable of bending space and time. We are in the future, quite possibly in another universe, on a spaceship called the Enterprise." He grinned at her. "Go ahead, try and look it up. You'll find absolutely nothing about it."

[natural_claydoll]

His smile was certainly infectious. Even through her confusion as she tried to process everything that was going on, she smiled back. But she answered his challenge. She didn't bring her arms up, because that would require letting go of Raito. But she tried to focus nonetheless.

Her look of focus turned to consternation after a long moment. "No, it's not there... Or this Q person. Because they're not from Earth." She smiled, somehow. It felt like a burden being relieved. Raito was safe, and whole, and while it was a little scary to be this far from home, she knew everything was going to be okay. Somehow.

[decideformyself]

"Precisely. Isn't it fascinating?" That grin on his face was the same as whenever he found some subject he couldn't wait to throw himself into -- except now he was smack-dab in the middle of it and it didn't look like that would be changing. "We've met people from other points in time. Kamen Riders from our future included, as well as people from the near past." Therefore Wakana's presence was completely precedented. Not that he'd have expected her to show up, not in his wildest dreams.

[natural_claydoll]

Her smile grew with his, and she finally let go of him to gently dab away the wetness of her tears. His enthusiasm was a balm for her pain while she still adjusted to the fact that he was really here. She laced her arm around his and held his hand. "How long has it been? You're taller!"

[decideformyself]

"Ah--" He hadn't realized that Wakana was crying. He'd been too busy trying to keep himself from doing the same. He'd thought he'd gotten it all out of his system a year ago. He rubbed at his eyes to prevent any unsightly tears from falling, and squeezed her hand. "I spent a year within the Xtreme Memory while my body reconstructed itself, and shortly thereafter Shotaro and I were brought here by Q. Since then it's been... about two months, perhaps?"

[natural_claydoll]

"So the detective is here too..." Well that may be awkward later but that wasn't important now. She smiled up at him, and had no intention of letting go of his arm. "Why don't you give me a tour, then!"

[decideformyself]

"Very well." Quarantine, schmarantine. This is his sister. "This is the lounge, Ten Forward. It is a spot where crew and passengers alike come to socialize, and is also the most frequent entrance point for those abducted by Q." He started to lead her to the bar. "There are a number of foods and beverages available from both twenty-fifth century Earth and other worlds."

[natural_claydoll]

She listened happily, and she's a little intrigued by what kind of food could be different out in space. "Things like Martian tea?" She might be underestimating just how far from home she is.

[decideformyself]

"Mars is uninhabited. But I've become quite fond of Vulcan spice tea, which originates from a planet about sixteen light years from Earth." He stopped at the bar and ordered two cups of just that, since he already ruined his previous one.

[natural_claydoll]

Her eyes got big. "That's..." further than she could even really fathom. But in a way, liberating as well. There was no chance that anything from home was going to bother them way out here. But come to think of it... "Is it just you and Shotaro here?"

She took a sip of the tea, and her eyebrows picked up sharply. She searched for words for a moment. "I've never had anything like that before..."

[decideformyself]

"I know! Isn't it wonderful?" His smile faded a bit, though, as he pondered her question. "Yes, of people we know from home we are the only ones here. Well, along with you, now." It had been so long since he'd seen Akiko or Terui.

[natural_claydoll]

She smiled. "Well, then maybe things can be a bit more normal. Even if we're in space." She grinned over at him as she drank more of her tea.

[decideformyself]

"I would like that." Philip smiled slightly and took a sip of his own. He hadn't really gotten to just sit and talk with Wakana like this for quite some time, and never after they'd found out they were related. This would be wonderful.

If it was actually happening outside of a test drive.

[natural_claydoll]

She leaned over against him briefly. "So what other kinds of places are there on this ship?" If this was her home now, she may as well get to know it. She also wondered if the Gaia Library could be augmented with whatever database the ship had.

[decideformyself]

Philip's eyes lit up. "There are many areas that we as non-crewmembers are restricted from entering, but of those we have access to there are a number of fascinating places. There is an arboretum, where live plants are grown to simulate an outdoor environment; classrooms, a library, and I must show you the holodeck. It uses what is called hard light to create an impenetrable illusion of another setting!"

He pushed his tea aside and got to his feet. Quarantine be damned, he was showing his sister the holodeck and that was final.

[natural_claydoll]

This was all the stuff of movies. But she was actually here. "Eeeeh? Hard light?" But she was sure she was about to find out. She took one last drink from her tea and hopped off the stool to follow Raito. She wrapped her arm around his again.

[decideformyself]

The grin didn't leave his face as he led her out of the lounge and toward the lift. He and Shotaro had been just fine when they got their sickbay checkups, so Wakana was probably fine too.