TEST DRIVE #1 - Ten Forward

[tenforward_m]

You know how you were standing there, back in your home world, just minding your own business?

Time to forget all about that.

Instead of doing whatever the heck you were just doing, you're standing in the middle of this very stylish, sedate barroom. Happily, you're not alone there - in fact you're surrounded by people who seem to be as confused as you are...and some of them look a little, well unusual

Now would be a great time to do....well, something. Ask some questions of the person nearest you, throw a fit, stage a coup....maybe do a little exploring? No matter what you do, you're going to be here for a very long time.

For others might call it the USS Enterprise, but for the foreseeable future, you'll be calling it home.

[OOC: this test drive's open until the next app period.]

Comments

[daddy_kirk]

The call doesn't register to him right away, not until it dawns on him he's likely the odd man out—the one nearly having a panic attack after suddenly appearing in the middle of a room. When he does look over to the woman who called out to him, he tries to give a smile as he holds a trembling hand up.

"I've—" A small, nervous laugh tumbles out of George. "I've had enough of sitting, actually, thank you."

On the other hand, he looks like he's about to keel over.

[and_she_waited]

"Right, and you thought you'd give lying down a go then?" she questions. "Because you don't look like you'll be on your feet much longer. Here..."

She gets up, pulling out an empty chair.

"My husband's a nurse, so you can trust me. Sit down, I'll have someone fetch us a tea."

[daddy_kirk]

George is about to laugh and explain he’d be fine but the idea of interacting with someone and getting his mind off what just happened—even if just for a few moments—is tempting.

As is the idea of a warm drink. And really, who is he to decline someone’s help when he would have done the same thing?

With a small nod George walks over to her table and takes a seat in the chair she’s pulled out for him. “Thank you, mrs…?”

[and_she_waited]

"Pond."

Beat.

"Well, Williams. Williams-Pond. Haven't quite got that settled, actually," she says, before bellowing across the room to catch the bartender's attention.

George could have argued, but the woman is more tenacious than you'd think, so it's good all around he decided to have a seat. "But you can call me Amy. You? Are you one of the officers around here?"

[daddy_kirk]

Amusement plays across his face when she amends her answer, until she trumpets across the room and gives him a good jump in his own skin. Loud noises weren't his favorite at the moment, no, but he smiles all the same and lightly chuckles out a reply.

"That's always a fun conversation, figuring out whose name to take." He didn't seem to mind at all that she said they were already married but haven't picked out a name just yet, however.

"Amy it is," he nods. "But uh, no. No, I mean, I am--or... was, an officer, yes. Just that this isn't the ship I served on." He gives a look around this time now that he's sitting, squinting at how foreignly familiar everything looked. When he looks back to her it's with a small smile. "My name's George—George Kirk."

[and_she_waited]

"All right, George?" she says by way of greeting, sitting down beside him. She sets her chin in her hand, elbow propped against the table, and gives him a hard look.

"Was? Did you get kicked out?" she asks, amused by the prospect. "This is the Enterprise. At least, that's what they told me. They've got it stamped onto enough of the walls I figure they aren't lying."

Beat.

"I'm not from around here, either," she adds.

[daddy_kirk]

It might be that look she's giving him or the interest she's putting into this, but that question has him laughing something warm and cheery despite himself and the real answer he thinking. "No! No, nothing like that."

As she continues on he keeps the smile, muted as it is as he slumps back into his seat some, trying to get himself at least a little bit comfortable. Still, the information has George thinking. The ship's name was stamped on everything? "I uhm." He starts with a furrow of his brow, taking a breath as he looks to the table and a display screen across the room. "

This is going to sound... weird, but. I think I'm from around here. Just—not the present?" When he pauses it's to squint and gather his thoughts. "I was an officer, of the Kelvin. I was her second-in-command, I mean. I was usually, I guess I was her acting captain there for a minute but she—" George takes a breath with a small flourish of his hand. "Not just a few minutes ago, was uh. On a collision course into an enemy ship?"

He nods after a moment of silence. "And I say was because the ship was blowing up before I..." This time when he trails it's with a sweeping motion of his hand to the rest of the room. "Got... here." Which explains his behavior before. And a little now.

[and_she_waited]

Aye, that would explain it. Though now she can't account for his cheeriness, having heard the whole story. He must be in shock, poor man.

"Do you reckon you're dead?" she asks, never one to beat around the bush. That's possible, isn't it? Who knows in this place.

"I mean, that is, you don't look like any ghost I've ever seen, but they say you see a bright light before you cross over." He must have been a rubbish captain to crash his ship after only a few minutes in charge. She considers saying so for a laugh, but he might still be too shaken up for it. "You'd be surprised the kind of weird stuff I hear every day. Time can get ... bendy."

[daddy_kirk]

Shock is a good term. Blind panic works too but with a touch of denial so, actually, shock was a very fitting term. That question of hers does well and good to bring him back down to earth—so to speak.

At the very least it shuts his brain down and wipes the smile clean off his face.

George blinks, trying to gather himself. "I... I don't feel dead?" He replies, his skepticism flat. "I didn't see a light. Well, no, I did, it was just. You know... ex-explosions." Blue eyes look haunted, almost, his pupils wildly constricted as he looked to the table. Yes, jokes about him crashing a starship was a little out of his capability of handling at the moment.

At Amy mentioning she hers weird stuff every day, George eyes her with a look that says he's a little less worried about being crazy. "As weird as a lightning storm in space and an enormous ship coming out of it from nowhere?"

[and_she_waited]

She's sorry the moment she sees the look on his face. Too much, too fast. It's an important question, but she can almost feel Rory elbowing her under the table, reminding her to bring it down to friendly chatter. The man's been through enough, the Rory in her head says. Ah well, naught to do for it now.

"I travel the universe in a blue police box with a Raggedy Man who has two hearts," she says, matter-of-factly. "Lightning storms are practically common place."

The tea arrives. It's a nice, hot chamomile. "Sugar? Beside that, you're safe now. I don't know these people as well as I would like to, but since I've been here there haven't been any lightnin' storms or other ships. Maybe you were rescued."