32. Writing on the brick wall

[umgekehrt]

...anyone noticed a difference post Flood announcement? Now I'm worried that I've been changed without knowing. I look generally as I did yesterday, I hope?

[Private to Hoffman]
You all right?

[Stildyne is Projecting his emotions, which are currently mild worry but trust that communication will provide insight, and a general sense of being on friendly terms with life. His feeels will be noted in conversation.]

Comments

[trenchcoatedly]

I don't feel different. Do I look different than I did yesterday? I feel my gender and appearance are the same, but perhaps that's simply the flood.

[Castiel is also Projecting. He is insecure, with a substantial side of guilt.]

[umgekehrt]

You look much the same. Same gender. Same species and apparent subrace and hominid type.

[General confusion. Considering the both of them are transmitting and not receiving, there's little enough chance they'll figure it out.]

[trenchcoatedly]

You as well, but there is a possibility that part of the flood includes believing we have always appeared this way.

[umgekehrt]

Unless it's a breach, though, someone ought to be unaffected. Unless we are. There's no telling.

[Irritation. Resignation. General calm because there's no point in being put out.]

Ah well. More time, then. It'd be nice to have the jump on it is all.

[gotgreenmagic]

[She sounds like she's grown extra teeth just so she can grit them.]

If you can't tell by now, you're not affected. Just saying.

[umgekehrt]

Apologies, ma'am.

[He means it. He's mildly concerned about her obvious discomfort. Largely neutral, patient.]

Physical?

[gotgreenmagic]

Not even a little. It's -

There is no non-wussy way to say this.

I can sense how you're feeling.

[umgekehrt]

[There's some alarm, filtering through and just as slowly out. Curiosity, and a general urge to try to mitigate the problem replace it.]

Well, I can't say that's a comfortable thought. Painful? And does anything stop it?

[nakesnakecobracobra]

[ Your feelings are so gross. She hates you. Just on principle. ]

I don't believe any physical change has taken place. Everyone seems fine to me.

[umgekehrt]

I've been told it isn't a physical thing. You're unaffected then? [Boring, boring neutrality.]

[nakesnakecobracobra]

So I must assume.

[ Disgust. Ugh. People. Feelings. Ugh. ]

[umgekehrt]

Glad to hear it. [He nods to her. He is actually glad that she's supposedly not afflicted. Not a huge emotion, barely above base level. But there it is.]

[timesbureaucrat]

[Narvin is worried and friendly. Actually, no he isn't; he's irritated and misanthropic. Stildyne is worried and friendly. But it takes him a moment to realize that the sudden onslaught of feelings when he looked at Stildyne wasn't his own.]

Your emotions are touching my mind. [Narvin's put out by this. Annoyed the same way he'd be annoyed at a Time Tot who hadn't yet learned to control their telepathy and was broadcasting their sticky psychic fingers all over everything.]

[umgekehrt]

[Mild alarm. Resignation to the tune of 'oh good, the barge again, what joy.

But mostly a deep, broad well of calm. You don't last in his old job if you can't restrain your emotions. Men break.]

Not intentionally, Coordinator, I promise.

[timesbureaucrat]

[Narvin's trying to work up to a good level of pissiness. At the Barge, at the Admiral, at the situation... But then there's a lot of calm resignation. Ranting suddenly doesn't seem worth the effort. This is very strange for Narvin.]

Yes. Not your fault, Chief.

[Narvin's brow furrows in puzzlement because WHERE DID HIS RANT GO.]

[umgekehrt]

You all right?

[Worry, because he likes Narvin. The other man stirs comfortable feelings, the least onerous parts of home. ...other feelings, suppressed. The barest hint of the muted horror. They'd learned early in his career that he could stomach a torture chamber, step aside from his feelings when he saw the messes left. Seeing what had happened to Narvin had brought that control back.

Now that he was past it, mostly, the memory was just a faded bloodstain on the wall of his mind. Moved past, as quickly as possible. It subsides and is covered with that fondness and concern again.]

[themountie]

I'm not sure. I am feeling a bit out of sorts, but on the other hand, that could well be due to nerves.

[Fraser doesn't seem nervous outwardly, but to others who are reading feelings, there is a slight hum of anxiety about him.]

Of course, I don't know what you looked like before, but I'm fairly certain I look the same.

[umgekehrt]

Seems to be some empathy going around. May be connected to a visual cue. Going to audio only.

[He's testing various network modes to see what happens.]

[AUDIO]

Tell me if that makes any difference in your nerves. If not, could just be nerves. Or it's audio based as well.

[themountie]

Sorry? Empathy?

[He looks puzzled as Stildyne switches, but does so as well.]

[Audio]

No, it feels pretty much the same...

[buywithme]

I haven't noticed anything specific, Comrade.

[He's kind of just been in a sinkhole of depression from walking around the Barge, but he feels strangely better just now... hopeful, even...]

Have you heard anything back from people?

Private

[umgekehrt]

[There's a slow, easy burst of warmth, fondness, gratitude. An inner smile and welcome, even though there isn't any outer one-- Stildyne has the least experience suppressing positive emotions.]

Seems to be some sort of telepathy; sensing other people's emotions. It may be due to proximity or visual cue. I'm taking us private so that it doesn't bother the affected.

Private

[buywithme]

[Prefect leans so close to the communicator that he bumps his head against it slightly, and his eyes drop closed contentedly.]

Comrade, I don't think you would bother anyone in this way.

[That is such a nice feeling, it's hard for him to entirely focus on anything else.]

[strangehistorian]

It seems that the flood is emotion-based, we had a similar one a few months ago.

[Chromie is projecting: "Oh dear, this could be messy." But Stildyne's emotions are generally making her smile a little anyway.]

Private

[umgekehrt]

[An immediate switch to private, and a sense of... well, privacy as that's done. He's pleased to see Chromie, though, reassured; she knows what she's about when it comes to the stranger parts of life aboard. And there's lingering sympathy, because he remembers how out of sorts she'd been the last few times they spoke. ]

And possibly visual, though I'm not sure. I'll certainly be restricting all-hands broadcasts, in case that'll help the affected.

Speaking of which, are you-?

Re: Private

[strangehistorian]

[She gives him a reassuring smile.]

Affected? Yes. It is not as severe as last time, though, I will certainly be able to perform my duties.