Assistant Captain's Log 4 | dictated;

[minicaptain]

Assistant Captain's Log Four:

[ yes, she is up at this awful hour of the night. guess who can't sleep? guess who's missing her mother and godfather? yep. this little one. naomi's just spent an hour trying to sleep and being too worried and afraid to, so now she's up to address the random people who are awake -- or who might wake up later and decide to answer. who knows. she might be up the rest of the night. ]

Someone mentioned something called a potluck dinner recently. I was wondering... are there any other food traditions in your worlds? I don't really know many. Neelix was telling me about some of the Talaxian ones, but I don't remember all of them.

[ there's a pause here, as though she doesn't really want to ask this but she's afraid not to. or she's afraid to ask. or she's just afraid of being alone right now. ]

Does anyone have a good bedtime story they could tell me? Mom and Neelix aren't here. [ and yes, she misses them. fear preys on little kids, too. this place is still foreign, despite the nearly two months she's been here. ]

Comments

[ichy]

You should be regenerating. Biological functions are impeded by lack of rest.

[Just ask Seven. :| But maybe she's aware of that already; Icheb isn't overly familiar with the idea of the 'bedtime story,' but he can guess its purpose from its name.]

What kind of story would you like to hear?

[minicaptain]

I can't sleep.

[ bypassing the "i don't regenerate" part because she does, just not in the same way. and who really wants to argue word choice? not this one. ]

Anything. Something happy. Or something I can learn.

[ give her something else to focus on, really, something that isn't how much she misses people. ]

[ichy]

Ah.

[Sleeping, regeneration. Close enough. If only Icheb was a better storyteller.]

I don't know many stories. But I could read to you from a PADD.

[minicaptain]

Okay. I have some on my shelf. [ assuming he doesn't have any where he is and doesn't object to finding her room. ]

[ichy]

[He doesn't have any storybooks, certainly. Icheb is a man of non-fictional tastes.] Where is your room?

dictated;

[bravelittlegirl]

[Ib can't sleep either, although in her case she just had a bad dream. She's been having quite a few of those lately. But as she thumbs idly through her "journal" (so-called; it's more like reading everybody else's journal at once), she's surprised to hear the voice of another young girl. Without having a pen nearby, she experimentally speaks back:]

Hello? Can you hear me?

dictated;

[minicaptain]

[ it's an unfamiliar voice, so naomi is friendly but cautious. ]

I can hear you.

[minicaptain]

Third floor. Room 315!

[bravelittlegirl]

[!! It worked!]

My name's Ib... I'm new here. Who are you?

[ichy]

Room 315.

[He repeats as confirmation and then heads down from his tower room to the main floors of the castle. At Naomi's door, he raps gently.]

Naomi?

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

I can tell you a story if you like.

[minicaptain]

I'm Naomi. Did you just arrive?

[minicaptain]

[ she opens the door with a bright smile, clutching something similar to her stuffed flotter. it's not exactly the same, but it's close and it'll do. in her other hand is a padd of a nice fluffy story her mother would tell her some nights and she offers it to icheb as she steps back to let him in. ]

Thanks for coming. I pulled this one out to read. It's one Mom used to tell me and it looks all there.

[minicaptain]

I'd like that.

[ awww a story from bunnymund. yes please! ]

[bravelittlegirl]

Mm, not just now. I've been here for a week. You?

[minicaptain]

A month... I think? Maybe a month and a half. Not very long, either.

[bravelittlegirl]

[Ah, so they're in about the same scrape. And Naomi already said her parents aren't here either, so rather than bring that up, Ib will address something else she said.]

... I've heard of potlucks, but I've never been to one. That's where everybody brings something to share, right?

[ichy]

[Icheb takes the PADD and enters the room. Just as she described it, it looks like it's right out of the ship--which reminds him of something.]

Before we commence reading, you should know there's someone else here. From Voyager. [Pause. Disappointed pause.] But he's from our future.

[minicaptain]

I think so. That's what someone else said. I've never been to one, either. I didn't know what they were until I came here.

[minicaptain]

[ the door shuts and she moves back to her bed, turning to frown curiously at him. ]

I didn't think I saw anyone from Voyager. Who is it? [ she doesn't like the sound of it or the look he's giving her. she's starting to learn icheb's expressions. or so she hopes. she's trying anyway. ]

[ichy]

His name is Q. As is his species.

[He takes a seat at the edge of the foot of her bed. As he talks, he fiddles idly with the PADD.]

Next time we play kadis-kot, you can meet him. He's...interesting.

[minicaptain]

I've never heard of them.

[ is this one of those things her mom tries to keep her out of? lineface. ]

Okay! Interesting how? What's he like?

[ see now he's opened up the gates for questions. ]

[fantasies]

Do you know Earth fairy tales? Because I've got a bunch of those.

[ichy]

The Q are an omniscient race. They take humanoid forms primarily for our convenience. [That's what he's gathered from Q's complaints about bipeds, anyway.] There's a PADD on the subject you can borrow.

[And Icheb tries to think of how to describe him. Observable facts, clearly.] He likes to float in the air instead of walking. He considers the captain his 'aunt.' And...he says that I'm his friend. In the future.

[Icheb doesn't have a lot of friends--none his age. Q's presence is strange, but also good. :|]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

Okay. What sort of story would you like?