Test Drive #7 - Ten Forward and Captain's Yacht

[ten_fwd_mods]

Option 01. Ten Forward: The first thing you see is a bar. A large, lively bar filled with many different faces and many different smells, sights and sounds. This is Ten Forward, the Enterprise's off-duty lounge; feel free to get acquainted with your fellow travelers and try to find somebody who's in charge: this is your new home now, after all...





Option 02. The Captain's Yacht: Oooh, you sneaky stowaway! You've found yourself in a very exclusive part of the ship: Captain Picard's personal craft, used for short jaunts when a shuttle just won't do. (One must retain some decorum, after all.) It may not be as large as the Enterprise itself, but there are sure to be some surprises aboard once people start snooping.


[OOC: The Captain's Yacht is located at the very base of the Enterprise's saucer portion, so if you put someone in there you can also play them trying to get back to somewhere they know!]

Comments

[dresdensluck]

Harry glanced aside at her in the dim light and took several long breaths, and then grinned as the lights came back up. Oh good, better energy sources than back home. Good. Then he faced Molly, eyes and senses searching her. "I know. And... I'm pretty sure this is the real thing."

A pause, and a glance around. "Or we're in a pretty sophisticated practical joke..."

But he could feel the energy around them, almost vividly, different from normal non-magical energy, and a lot closer to it, really. He wondered what exactly that was.

[wishedforaveil]

Molly grinned as the auxiliary power kicked in, shrugging her shoulders at Harry's commentary. "Yeah, but who do we know who could pull of a prank this elaborate?" she asked. She could feel the energy, too. "Not that I'm suggesting you start naming Names, I'm just saying."

She could think of a few, but most of them were definitely not the joking type.

[dresdensluck]

Harry glanced around, and then shrugged back. "Names are, yeah." He wouldn't Not after a trip like that. Seemed more than likely that naming names would lead to all sorts of trouble. And he was fond of calm times and a lack of trouble. Not that he knew what that felt like, not with his life, but a man could dream!

Harry smiled lopsidedly. "Well, seeing as we're in a lounge, I suggest we sit, and then find out if the bartender here is more talkative than the one we both like better." Even Mac's name seemed less safe here. and he would follow that instinct for now.

[wishedforaveil]

Molly nodded, eying the bar. "Who knows," she said, "Maybe the recipe for Mac's Brown Ale will have found its way into the future." Though that seemed unlikely, unless Mac himself turned out to be on board.

A girl could dream, right?

"Just try not to drink anything you don't recognize, eh, boss?"

[dresdensluck]

Harry's mouth turned crooked in a lopsided smile of amusement at their lives, really. "Maybe... we can try." He led the way toward the bar, carefully building and maintaining the shields he had perfected, well, gotten better at, anyway, while in Winter. No more blowouts, thank you. "I'm getting better at that." He had definitely learned that lesson in the Fae.

He waved a bartender down and hopefully asked, "Got any MacAnally's Brown Ale?"

[wishedforaveil]

"Not bad," she said, "Maybe one of these days, you'll be able to take a hot shower." She paused, then, and cleared her throat. "I mean..." Yeah. Now it was awkward.

She was grateful for the distraction of the bartender's arrival, and the chance to quickly change the subject. "Barring that, maybe a Guinness stout, or something like that? Unless you can recommend a comparable local microbrew." She wasn't trying to bombard their temporary host, just to find out a little bit more about where in the universe they were.

[dresdensluck]

Harry stuck out his tongue at her. And kept his mouth shut about thinking about her, and showers and him. And that he knew what was under those clothes of hers. Damn his brain, and Winter's tendency to make it go even more down those roads! He shook his head, clearing it, and forcing himself to concentrate on the bartender.

The man pulled two bottles with the familiar label out from under the bar and handed them over, then wandered off to help someone else and Harry grinned. "Well, now, there's a sight for sore eyes."

Harry eyed them, then passed her one as he opened it and took a cautions sniff, then drew down some. It was heady and just like normal. He smacked his lips in satisfaction. "Now that's the stuff."

[wishedforaveil]

Molly had an idea of what Harry might be struggling with, and she felt bad for having stirred the proverbial pot, even inadvertently. They hadn't spent a whole lot of time in proximity since the changing of the mantles, so she didn't know how the power dynamic between the two of them might be affected, but it was bound to get interesting.

Just not too interesting, if they could help it. Everything was hinging on that one little if.

She had no idea how to explain the appearance of Mac's ale, but she wasn't going to question it just yet. She just held up her bottle in toast. "Here's to small favors."

[dresdensluck]

Harry was deftly avoiding topics that might need ifs to explain them and instead clinked his bottle with hers. "Yeah. But very good ones." He slugged down some of the beer as he glanced around again.

"So, we've been yanked away from home by some power unknown, dropped into a tavern like place on the Enterprise of all places, and no one is batting an eye. We must not be the first. " He wondered if there was a welcome committee coming. Probably.

[wishedforaveil]

"Amen." Molly took a long draw on the bottle before she spoke again, taking the time to consider Harry's observation. "We must not be," she agreed, shaking her head. "Maybe they have some kind of silent alarm that gets triggered whenever new life-signs show up, and the proper authorities are already on their way."

She laughed a little. "Cause we have such a great track record for not pissing off the proper authorities."

[dresdensluck]

It was soon after that, indeed, that people did arrive, and there were questions and they were escorted to Sickbay and poked and prodded, which harry hated, but gritted his teeth through. And finally, they were escorted to guest quarters.

Harry chuckled as he stepped into one room, then out again. "Seems like we're the first, this time around, so we can pick any quarters we want."

[wishedforaveil]

"Lucky us," Molly mused, strolling slowly down the hall. "Want to be neighbors? Or should I take my one-woman rave a respectful distance from your hypothetical front lawn so you don't have to hear me partying at all hours?"

She was teasing, of course. She was pretty sure the rooms would be pretty well soundproofed on a starship like this. But Harry had kept to himself lately, so she figured he might want a little space.

[dresdensluck]

Harry chuckled, then sobered at her question and glanced around, then back at her. Why not? Take a chance, for once, Harry. That was probably dumb, some part of him told him, but he stomped on it and nodded to her. "Neighbors? I could deal with that. Always nice to have allies around."

Even if he rarely let them near, outside of this place. He glanced at the rooms, then back at her and nodded. Neighbors was probably safer than roommates.

[wishedforaveil]

Molly nodded. She'd already tried to talk Harry into moving in with her once, and that was before she'd inherited Maeve's freaky mantle, and all that that entailed. Rooming next door was a step, whether in the right direction or not remained to be seen, but at least they would be able to watch each others' backs.

"See anyplace you like?"

[dresdensluck]

Harry spun carefully, and let his feelings guide him. "That one." He pointed and selected one the farthest from the door. "That one and the one beside it for you, will work." he glanced at her. "Think we can rig a makeshift threshold shield, between us?"

[wishedforaveil]

"I think so," Molly said, nodding as she headed toward the doors in question. "Hopefully without making too many sparks fly." She smiled, a little nervously. She was evolving, and she wasn't sure what Harry would think of the changes.

[dresdensluck]

"We can only try." He moved to one side of the two doors, and gestured her to the other side of them. "Cross, then crisscross?" "You use cold, I'll use heat, and we can both seal it with intent on the way back?" It should work, for now...

[wishedforaveil]

Molly nodded once, taking her place on the other side. Lifting a hand, she traced the door frame, gathering her energy. "Ready when you are, boss."

[dresdensluck]

Harry nodded and lowered his hand, reaching for fire. Remembering the feel of it, the taste of it, the pain of it, and the roaring pleasure of it. Time to try things differently.

And then, he spoke, softly. "Ignis, Ignis Obice!"And fire flowed from his hand, slow and like a very ghost of itself. licking along an imaginary line as he started walking toward Molly.

[wishedforaveil]

Molly thought of snowballs, and remembered the days when Harry taught her how to raise a magic shield by having her younger siblings pelt her with them. How frustrating it had been in those early days, and yet how those memories brought her joy so sharp it made her catch her breath. She let it out in a whisper, and the air around her hand began to shimmer as she summoned the cold.

She nodded, and in turn, began to draw that line of frost toward Harry.

[dresdensluck]

Walking toward her and past her, their hands brushed and Harry gasped as magics touched, and more, as their powers, their auras, did. he almost lost his concentration, but kept it, drawing the line toward her beginning point, long legs pacing slowly to match hers. There, he turned, and slowly started toward her again, the resistance mounting now, making it almost painful to continue...

[wishedforaveil]

Molly drew a deep breath, and released it slowly, deliberately; willing herself to keep moving. One foot in front of the other, she turned to retrace her steps, like a skater on ice. She was sure that she could feel herself starting to tremble, but she pressed forward. Balancing heat with cold--taking in a little, and releasing a little more, but not pushing to overtake it--she felt her way back through the mingling energies.

One more deep breath as they crossed paths again, and they'd be almost there.

[dresdensluck]

Crossing paths one more time, one more series of steps, and then, with a last precious amount of pressure, they reached the ends of their walk, and Harry felt the connection sinc in, and snap into place. He laughed a startled laugh and stood taller as energy flushed along the line and into them.

"MMm, now that's nice. Guess this space and place is filled with it's own power." He grinned at Molly.

[wishedforaveil]

Molly breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the warding come together, her shoulders relaxing. She smiled, a little bit lopsidedly, and laughed under her breath. "I guess it would have to be," she mused, "To fly through the depths of space, and all that."

It was pretty cool, actually.

[dresdensluck]

Harry smiled and nodded to her. "Might be fun to wander around." He glanced around, and then back at her, mouthing the word 'Trekkie' at her. He had to tease her, it was in his job description.