Shore Leave: The Bar

Alex wears a stricken look as she responds to Julia. "How would I have heard about it? I've been held prisoner or staring down death at the hands of parasites for the last few weeks," she responds with sudden acidic sarcasm. This just makes her drop her head, the sudden movement making the rest of her body sway uncertainly in response and she grabs the bar top for stability. "I'm sorry... that wasn't fair. I just... maybe you're right. We should talk about this later."

Swallowing heavily, her face looking dangerously pale, she rises unsteadily to her feet. She still holds on to the bar top with one hand, but with the other, she reaches out to take Julia's hand. "Does he make you happy?"

Watching Alex and Julia, Cass notes the tension between them and Alex's clearly yo-yoing emotions. It's such a shame, she thinks, for a rift to be present between a parent and child - especially when one party has recently come so close to losing the other, even if they weren't aware of it.

Awareness, Cass thinks, is the key. It's weird that Julia didn't immediately try to contact Alex when Spacefleet's news about her disappearance and subsequent rescue came through, but it's her lack of a thorough understanding of just what her mother has been through that is the root of their current problem. If only Julia had listened to Alex's comm, none of this would be...

"That's it!" she cries, breaking free of Moira's still-persistent hug and moving to stand between Alex and her daughter.

"I know what we need to do to fix this," she says to them, gesturing intently with her hands. It's very important that they listen to the plan and fully grasp all its nuances. To Alex, she says, "All we have to do is play your comm. For Julia. Right now. Then, see, then... she can hear it." She spreads her hands, palms up, to underscore how obvious a solution this is. To Julia: "Then you'll know what it says, right? And you'll understand the whole thing. And it will make all of this a lot better. And then... then... Hey, is this floor moving?"

The room abruptly tilts, catching Cass off-guard and throwing her against the bar. Looking at Alex, she says, puzzled, "Are we under attack?" and then slides down the side of the bar until her butt makes contact with the floor.

"I think I'll sit down."

Moira has been starting at Julia and Alex with the same expression a small child uses when they see a bunny rabbit for the first time.

Yer gittin MAH-reed! Oi, Alex, wut good noos! Con----congrady----congradulo----- Wee're soo hapee fer yoo!

She tries to smack the bar and misses. Stone smirks. He's used to this. It's been a while, but he's used to this.

Stoon, ah roond ah lyon byle fer all'ah us! Cept tha soober ones. Dunnae woory, Tynee Alex, Cass ain't with yer mah. She had tha hots fer our fish dokter an' he's off tha ship fer a while. Thoo maybee she swings booth ways. Ah dunno. Ah haven't tried ta find oot! She's too young fer me. An ah dunna swing booth ways. Ah dunno. Ah haven't tried ta find oot!

She lets out a hearty laugh. in her fanny pack she tried to fish out her datapad. The engineer can't help but keep some things on her at all times. She fumbles with it before passing it to Julia.

Ah, Lass, yoo knoo how ta work one 'a thees. Jes' sign in an' listen ta yer mah an' then ah'll byy yeh a roond!

Ah meen, we dunnae hafta drinkit yet, but in mah experrrrrr.......yeers ah knoo tha moore ossifers en tha room tha better chance we’ll need ta soober up! Soo ah guess jes keep et handee good manturtle.

Julia's question regarding her mother's romantic inclinations goes unanswered -- at least, by Alex herself. Maybe a translator might be able to make heads or tails of Moira's explanation. She's putting her hand over the datapad, to forestall Julia from listening to the comm right now, when Cass plops to the ground. "Oh! Cass! Oh my goodness!"

She stands up from her barstool much too quickly, and the room lurches. "Oh no..." she says in a tiny, faraway voice, and her knees turn to jelly. Soon, she's sitting down next to Cass and breaking into a fit of giggles. "We... are very... very..." Uh oh, words are going again. She plonks her head back against the bar as if to jog the words loose again. "...drunk! We are drunk. And a complete and total mesh. Mesh? Yes, total mesh."

Cass is still trying to understand why the building had tilted. That's usually the sort of thing you experience on a ship, not in a bar on an island. Perhaps it was a hurricane, lifting the bar from its foundation and... no, no one else seems to have been affected.

That's when Alex lands next to her. Okay, but still, just the two of them seem to be experiencing any effect.

Maybe they are now in the eye of the storm and the building has stabilized.

Alex begins to giggle, and Cass can't help but join in, because giggling is really a lot of fun. She should do it more often. Could be a good stress reliever.

When Julia says what seems to be a goodbye for now, Cass waves at her with a smile, then turns to Alex. "You know, we should go back to our cottages before the rest of the hurricane hits." Struggling to her feet, she grips the bar with one hand and helps Alex up with the other. Leading Alex by the hand, walks them toward the door, stopping to say to Moira, "I'd get to shelter before we're through the eye," then weaving their way out of the bar and onto the street.

"Tomorrow!" Alex calls to Julia as Cass drags her toward the door. "Lunch!" She stumbles and has to grab on to Cass's arm more tightly. "Whoops!"

In a moment of clear thought and foresight, she adds, "I don't think I'm going to be able to manage breakfast, after all."

As she is led out the door, Alex can be heard saying, "Which cottage is mine? Do you remember?"

Once they are outside of the bar, Cass stops and looks around. There's the usual fragrant sea breeze, but the skies are clear and filled with stars. But she's already forgotten about hurricanes anyway.

She turns to Alex, careful not to overbalance herself. "Sure, you're in cottage 32. It's this way." She points and leads the way.

Resting one arm across Cass's shoulder, Alex looks up at the stars. "I miss them already," she says, as though muffled by a pillow. "The..."

"Stars."

"Can't get married. Too many stars to see still," she murmurs. "So many."

As they walk down the street, Cass looks up at the stars again. "I don't think we can see all of them. A lot, though." They walk for a while in silence, then Cass suddenly remembers something. "Wait - who's getting married?"

As Cass and Alex reach an intersection in the pathways through the cottages, Alex pauses, staring through slitted eyes around at the landmarks cheerfully tilting and swaying as though dancing to some unheard music. "I think it's... that way."

She points to the right.

After a brief moment's thought, she waves her hands demonstratively. "No no no. Your cottage is this way."

She points instead to the left.

Cass stands staring at the cottage with the light on in one room. "Hey... I think that's, um..." She rubs her eyes, as though they contain a memory-enhancement switch. Snapping her fingers sluggishly, she says, "Zephyr! That's Zeph's cottage. Wasn't he still at the bar when we left?"

"Either he is very, very fast, or he's got a visitor," says Alex, trying and failing to focus on the cottage. "Maybe he has a daughter that's avoiding him too! Something else we have in common!"

A tingle runs down Cass' spine and she feels noticeably more sober. Not actually sober, just... closer to that end of the spectrum. She moves closer to the cottage to see if she can see anyone through the window of the lighted room.