IC Voicemail, Driftfleet:

[tothefly]

[There is no recording, just a few clicks and a beep.]

[Leave any IC voice messages or texts for Natasha here.]

Comments

[tothefly]

When you really get down to it, it's all a numbers game. There's emotion involved, sure, but...everyone's got buttons to push, however you mean it when you do.

[This is probably the most honest, and most pragmatic, thing she's ever said to anyone here.]

[experiencepoints]

... Just like combat, huh? Find what's effective, and use that...

[this will surely not backfire on her later.]

[tothefly]

More or less. I have a friend who'd disagree. Who says that it's all about making a connection naturally, just being yourself, but he tends to expect more from people than they can sometimes give.

We all do it differently. May as well find the way that works for you.

[Hey, she's not dead from it yet...]

[experiencepoints]

Yeah, just being yourself is probably a lot easier when half of yourself isn't missing.

[tothefly]

Being yourself is easier when you know who that's supposed to be.

[Soft agreement. She understands better than anyone thinks.]

[experiencepoints]

No kidding... Makes it hard to get a date, too.

[tothefly]

Oh, I don't know about that. A long-term relationship, maybe, but a date? You have everything you need for that.

[experiencepoints]

I tried asking someone here out once.

She immediately vanished from the Fleet entirely.

[tothefly]

And you let that stop you from trying again? None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow, here or anywhere else. May as well live while you can.

[experiencepoints]

I guess, but...

[she sighs]

If I go into my romantic problems, that's an even bigger mess than the rest of it.

[tothefly]

[She smiles again, amused but not condescending.]

Romance always comes with messes. Half of what makes them fun.

There are other women in the fleet who are interested in women. Plenty of interesting ladies on some of the stations we dock at, too. What's the harm in a little flirting?

[experiencepoints]

[... she thunks her head down on the counter.]

I sort of... already have a crush...

On three separate people.

[tothefly]

[Her smile only grows wider as she arches her eyebrows.]

So, you've got options. Go for it. We might not be here tomorrow, so...

[experiencepoints]

Yura is at home, which is gone. Bluebird is at the castle still. Natalie is here, but she came from later, when we'd already been dating for months, and can't deal with the idea of dating someone who doesn't remember months of their relationship.

[tothefly]

Okay, so. None of those are feasible right now. Why not flirt with a stranger? Doesn't have to mean anything but a little fun. Sometimes a little connection without pressure is nice.

[experiencepoints]

... Are you recommending a date or getting laid? I mean, either of them sound good right now, but.

[tothefly]

Either. Both. Would that be awful?

[experiencepoints]

I would really like to get laid again, yes. But I'm not sure I like the idea of fucking someone on, supposedly, galactic television.

[tothefly]

Supposedly. But who can really tell? Can you let implications and threats control all of your life, for the indefinite future?

[experiencepoints]

... I mean, I already am. I can't talk about the Echoes here, because they gain power from being thought of, and I can't risk them gaining the kind of power from the thoughts of that many people, even if I don't believe it.

[tothefly]

That isn't all that your life consists of, here. It isn't just them, anymore. You can build something new without forgetting the people you were taken from.

[experiencepoints]

And get naked in front of a trillion people?