IC Contact (II)

[candothat]

You have contacted the device of Ensign Pavel Andreievich Chekov.
Please leave a message.
 

[ooc: Feel free to leave an IC message or start up random IC action; just kindly indicate which!]

Comments

action »

[directives]

[ the corner of the starfleet section of the city labs that kathryn has claimed for herself is usually fairly organized. today, they're a mess. there are notebooks everywhere and her tricorder's laying on a table, open and blinking at her as if demanding attention she refuses to give. the whiteboards she uses tend to be filled with complex quantum equations, such as the one on the back wall (she's still playing with those, tweaking and reworking things here and there), but the one to her left is in a state of comparative disarray, her distraction frustration evident in the way she seemingly gives up mid-equation.

the marker's lying uncapped on the other side of the room, and the captain's resting in a chair with her boots up on the nearest table. she's lost in thought, and doesn't look happy. sorry, chekov. ]

action »

[candothat]

[Chekov doesn't have a designated spot in the lab, preferring to move around and work on different tasks and with different people. Most of his work remains in his lab at City Solutions or at home (now that he's alone, the cottage itself is beginning to look like a laboratory) for convenience's sake, leaving him free to pursue whatever projects require the most attention at the City labs. It's an odd arrangement and Chekov worries about distancing himself from the other members of Starfleet, but it allows him to continue what work he began before the others arrived and keep his City Solutions job.

Today finds him in Janeway's neck of the labs. As much as he wants to talk to Janeway--she is brilliant, and he can only imagine what kinds of advances have been made in the more esoteric branches of physics by her time--loyalty to Kirk makes him hesitant to spend too much time with another captain. It doesn't help that Janeway is more than a little intimidating and unlikely to be impressed by anything Chekov might know.

But the draw of the equations scrawled on her boards is undeniable and Chekov had the foresight to pick up a coffee on his way over, hoping to at least get a glimpse at the captain's work. Judging by her obviously less-than-pleasant mood, the coffee was probably a good idea.

Still, he greets her cautiously.]

Hello, Captain Janeway. Are you occupied?

anonymous voicemail

[sleepingstar]

[courtesy of this dare. Pai tries to lower her voice, make it smokey and sultry like Amber's, but she's 14 and has no idea what she's doing, really.]

What are you wearing?

return call (9/9)

[candothat]

[It doesn't take a space-future genius to trace this... or to recognize Pai's voice. Chekov doesn't know if this is funny or awkward.

That probably depends on whether or not Hei decides to kill him for corrupting his baby sister.]

Pai, why did you call?

voice;

[anatural]

Chekov, I need your help.

[She sounds pissy and frustrated. Don't worry, Chekov -- it's not your fault.]

voice; (9/9)

[candothat]

[Late return call is late and reluctant.]

Korra? What is it?

text;

[prosopopoeia]

[This text contains the address of a small cafe, and an early hour. It is implied that she will be there any morning he chooses to meet her.]

action;

[candothat]

[The morning after receiving the text, Chekov heads to the indicated cafe at the recommended time. Working this out--whatever this is--is important.]

Text

[lefthandedgenius]

Guess who just signed her City Solutions employee paperwork? Looks like you have a lab assistant now. See you tomorrow, "boss". ;)

Text

[candothat]

Remember to arrive on time or I will be forced to dock your pay.
Joking. I will be pleased to work with you.

backdated to 9/26

[anatural]

[Korra had meant to go talk to Chekov yesterday, but life conspired to get in the way. Today, though, she's not letting anything stop her. She wakes up early, runs through her forms to calm her, and then rides Naga to City Solutions. She's pretty sure he's working today.]

[candothat]

[Where else would Chekov be on a work day? (Well--as the boss of his own department, he does occasionally excuse himself to go work at the Starfleet labs, but whatever.) He has been mulling over his predicament with Korra. Getting Marie's side of the story had been simple, and the sheer depth of psychological damage that the woman has undergone makes it impossible or Pavel to hold her cursed actions, horrific as they were, against her. Korra? Not so simple. She had done nothing to provoke such an attack, and Delacroix had caused a considerable amount of harm that was slow to heal. As far as he can figure it, there are only victims in this story.

He hasn't tried to contact Korra himself. People who react to things in predicable manners don't concern him so much, but people like Korra who bounce from one emotion and mindset to another with no discernible reason are beyond him. Saying the wrong thing--even if he meant well--could irrepairably damage their friendship. Staying silent could do the same. Advanced theoretical physics is, on occasion, simpler than maintaining a satisfactory social life.

When he's called up from the lab to talk to Korra ("That girl and her polar bear are here again"--that's precisely what one of the workers on the upper floor had said by way of summoning him), all sorts of scenarios and possible responses fight for room at the forefront of his mind. Will she be angry? Determined to discover why he was eager to protect her assailant? Inexplicably okay with the whole thing? And what will he say to assure her that he cares very much about her well-being as well as her friendship without being unkind to Marie, who is something approaching family?

Pavel exits City Solutions to greet Korra, work clothes and hair in a disarray that usually indicates that progress is being made on something or other, expression unsure.]

text | around 1am

[phonetical]

Are you still up?

text

[candothat]

Yes. Is there something wrong??

Pick a date<3

[mortemscintilla]

[ Killers don't make condolence calls to their victims -- or their families. ]

[ Certainly, the closest Hei came in that department with Pavel ... was sending him vodka, after he'd attacked the boy at the bar. Guilt and self-laceration are luxuries, and Hei's seldom had the tolerance for them, when better alternatives are available. But this situation isn't so easy to slot into simple labels of black and white. That night, in the grip of a curse, he'd been drawn specifically to everyone he had any ties to. The implications are disquieting, but Hei does his best not to dwell on them. Too much of a downpour of remorse, and his mind will turn grey-green and water-logged, like something fashioned out of mold. He can't afford that. So he spends the days after the curse always on the move -- working, sparring, training, building, exploring. Always leaving his thoughts in the dust, before they can catch up and ambush him. It's like being at home, the mission front and center in his field of vision. Everything else he has to crane his neck to see into. And he doesn't care for that psychological crick. ]

[ However, avoidance-tactics are a short-term solution. In the end, he has to acknowledge what he's done -- and set about rectifying the damage -- if he wants to move forward. ]

[ At 6:00 in the evening, as the sky begins to darken to purple, Chekov will find Hei leaning by the wall near his building. His expression is blank, not hinting at anxiety or guilt. But there's a hum in the set of his shoulders -- an underlying crackle of tension. ]

Halloween?

[candothat]

[Fortunately, Lucy lived through the encounter on the nineteenth; it was a near thing and Pavel himself has the makings of a decent scar on his right arm. The boy hasn't given much thought to the attacker's identity, largely because it's inconsequential. A curse is a curse. He's willing to forgive a curse.

Hei's absence hasn't raised any flags, either. While Pavel suspects that he's one of Hei's closer acquaintances, that doesn't come with frequent house calls, even when the City isn't being overrun with monsters for several consecutive days. Besides, Korra has been conspicuously absent as well, not even going to her job at the Welcome Center. He doesn't know if the two are related--more likely than not, Korra is coping with Naga's death in her preferred way--but it helps, in a way, that the two people who might be considered his closest City friends have decided to make themselves invisible in tandem. It's easier to focus on work and on the growing problem that is his attachment to the City and the inevitable gulf it will create between him and his Starfleet colleagues.

Maybe they are right and it's best not to become close friends with people here. Reigniting friendships that he had lost when he was initially pulled to the City has served as a reminder that good friends do not attempt to kill you, resort to physical aggression, or disappear without leaving so much as a note. It's almost pathetic, in retrospect, to think of how foolish and desperate he has been to keep dangerous friends close.

(But aren't true friends also characterized by an ability to stay true, regardless of the trials that must be undertaken?)

Pavel notices Hei shortly after he steps out of the building. Had the month not been so full of violence and fear, he may not have noticed him; grim vigilance has become almost automatic. It's immediately evident to Pavel that something isn't right, but he is no longer as afraid of the assassin as he ought to be and approaches without hesitation. Caution, perhaps, and a measure of curiosity, but no hesitation.]

Hello.

[An appropriately neutral greeting, neither unfriendly nor excited.]

» text | starfleet frequency.

[directives]

>> DOWNLOAD ATTACHMENT DECK1.PNG

audio »

[hischair]

People are cropping up again, you remember how it happened last time. I want everyone wearing their uniform for a few days so members of the Federation can tell us apart as Starfleet officers.

Kirk out.

[candothat]

[Geez, Jim, Chekov's already been through, like, six of these. He knows the drill.

Although he's sorely tempted to wear the gold command shirt that Sulu gave him on a previous visit (the shirt he arrived in was getting to short in the sleeves, go figure) rather than the red engineering one with the scorch marks. Lieutenant Chekov? Sounds good.]

action.

[directives]

[ it's off to the labs after coffee is acquired. she has no real desire to be there today, but projects that need to be checked on first if she's going to spend her time elsewhere. b'elanna's presence is expected, but chekov's is not. he hasn't been frequenting the starfleet section as much as he did when she and kirk first acquired the space. ]

Afternoon, Ensign.

action.

[candothat]

[He has been keeping to City Solutions, but he can always tell himself that he only does that because the projects he's actually overseeing are based there. Occasionally, though, Chekov does come to the Starfleet laboratory to update something he's involved in.

Janeway's greeting makes him jump. The mistletoe curse has had him on edge ever since he kissed Captain Kirk.]

Captain! Ah... hello.

» OWL POST.

[hexuality]

[ On Christmas Eve, her owl comes tapping at the window bearing gifts. Upon unwrapping the brown paper and twine, Pavel will find two boxes done up in red and gold: the first has a jumper inside (knitted in mustard with a brown P on the front). The second box holds a tin filled with sweets and a box of ptasie mleczko, dutifully hunted down. A note written on parchment with a quill simply says:

Merry Christmas, Pavel! My Mum's better at making these, but since she isn't here, I took matters into my own hands (she would've made you one, too). And a bit of home because you've told me so much about it. ~ Ginny. ]

[water_wine_wizard]

Sometime during Saturday a candle is left in front of Chekov's door. It's wrapped in cloth and placed inside a bag. The candle itself is blue with wave shapes on it, speckled with white dots. The only other thing is a note that says, "for Chekov".

xmas delivery;

[brobeforehos]

[Or whatever you celebrate, Pavel.]

action » christmas gift

[hischair]

[ Wrapped up neatly for him on Christmas Day. ♥ ]

[fingersnapping]

[ Understand, Chekov, Q has only sent you this gift because they'd gotten off to such a great start with that dog sled racing thing, and because you've given him one, and it's puzzling in the extreme. Now the sculpture is unfinished, made out of plaster of paris on account of the fact that Q could cheat with that. He created the mould, filled it will real plaster, and when his midnight limit ran out, the mould vanished, leaving behind the ship.

And that's as far as his creative abilities go, so it appears overnight at the foot of Chekov's bed, with a set of paints and brushes, and Q assuming that the ensign has more talent for such things than he does. There's a note, too: ]

Pavel,

She's rather quaint, isn't she? I thought you might get a kick out of it.

Q.

text | starfleet comm frequency » private

[phonetical]

Commander Spock is currently missing. Captain's orders are to take a portion of the City and search for him. Please respond with the coordinates you have chosen ASAP.

audio » private (so backdated, I'm sorry)

[candothat]

Nyota, I have checked the Hall of the Missing. Commander Spock is gone.

I'm very sorry.

note;

[chakotay]

[ at some point during the day, chakotay's been to visit, so when chekov comes home he'll find a note slipped under the door of his apartment. ]

We're meeting for dinner on the 9th if you're still interested in hanging out with us old folks. And B'Elanna and Harry. I'm not stupid enough to call B'Elanna old. :)

We'll be going without rank again. Hope to see you there.

Chakotay.

[ yes, the smiley face is actually there and yes, he's 100% serious about this. ]