voice | it's a simple question

[crocodilesmiles]

( When she speaks, Collette aims to sound warm. She's tired, keyed up, and confused as well as trying to understand what's gone on since the mutiny began, and what's continuing in the aftermath. She brings a question she'd talked to Ros about, in her own way; something she wants to know very simply because she doesn't, and it's all the more important now.

Out of respect for that same woman, she keep's Ros's name out of this. )

When it comes down to do or die, who do you trust here to make decisions to pull people through, and not leave people stranded high and dry, or freeze up and fall into inaction? People who keep their temper in heated circumstances. Ones who maybe aren't going to forget the bigger picture, even if that doesn't make it easy on the smaller scale.

I've got a few names myself! Blue, Kate Kane, Nathan Summers, Caesar Silverberg, Lenalee Lee, Xerxes Break, Gilbert Nightray, Jaime Reyes, Ashraf, Kang, Peter Quill, Donny, Armin Arlert, Chrono and Rosette, even Dick Grayson and Ahiru and Vanadi, of all people, would stand by you figuring things out.

Those are some of mine. What're yours?

I'm going to keep talking, though, so you might want to tune out if you don't want to hear me ramble about a few maybe important, maybe not things!

Hey, Blue? All those questions about AIs... I think you were asking for a reason. Is it up for discussion? Because I think it should be past a planning stage.

Jai-- ( She coughs. ) Hi! Blue Beetle? Hahaha, I'm sorry, that's two blues in a row, but um, with all that stuff on Project Chimera, have you like, found anything talking about when they started learning how to grow people up so fast? Someone had to have a breakthrough on that, unless science really works that way! I'm not sure, it's all super advanced for when I'm from.

And um... okay, I'm not sure about this one either. Tony? Tony Stark? What do you know about uh... renewable energy stuff?

Comments

[fintastic]

Well... I trust him to make the right decisions in a pinch, anyway!

[ Maybe... not so much keep his temper. ]

[crocodilesmiles]

( There are similar flaws in temperament in her above list. She'll... realize that, sooner or later. )

That I feel I can agree with! As long as he's feeling okay in a general sense. How's he been doing lately?

[fintastic]

I think he's doing alright. I don't think he liked that I went missing.

[ There's a brief pause, before she adds. ]

You know, I think I would trust you too.

[crocodilesmiles]

( It's a little too direct, so she feels like she needs to mitigate. )

I'm pretty good as a team member, I like to think, but that's about it. That's where I want to be!

( And those kinds of decisions, needed when you get separated or need to get out right then, she can do those. Not the big, moving, shaking ones. )

Why wouldn't he have been all feather ruffled up? You're important to him! And you're his only quadrant here right now, so it's got to be weird in other ways.

[biwinning]

Wow, one, thtop talking about my quadrantsth like thith. Jutht becauthe I told you doesn't mean it's anyone else's goddamn beeswax.

Two, you're both biased, for thome reathon that no one fucking knows, and I'm shit at keeping my temper and making the right choicesth. I'm like the posterboy for making bad decisions that wind me up in a ton of shit. Don't add me to your list.

[crocodilesmiles]

( Notes the fiiiirst! )

I'm not. ( Pretty to the point. ) Not to this! I do trust you on a team, that much won't change. Maybe I don't know how you'd be calling shots, but when things come down to it, you will be around and try to work toward better things.

( ... And you learn from mistakes, which is more than some! )

[biwinning]

Yeah. Whatever. I'm not as shitty a leader as Karkat but I'm not a good one either.

[crocodilesmiles]

You own up to your faults! That's important in a whole person sense.

[biwinning]

Oh, so knowing I'm a shitty person and telling everyone about it makes it a good thing?

[crocodilesmiles]

( She snorts. )

Sollux, you know I don't mean it like that! Knowing you're not totally perfect means you can work on changing not so good habits for slightly better ones. You can grow! Mom used to say that was a good thing... usually when I was being stubborn about something, but you know! I think she was right all along.

[biwinning]

I'm not going to grow. I'm going to stay like this, forever.

[Now he's just being dumb and stubborn himself.]

[crocodilesmiles]

That'd definitely be one way to find eternal youth...!

( She laughs. )

[biwinning]

Death ith another.

[Yeah, he had to take it there.]

[fintastic]

Sollux, you gave your life for me without even thinking twice. You knew what was happening and you just did it. And you barely knew me then!

[ Nevermind that she, uh. Wouldn't have died anyway. But it's really the thought that counts... ]

[biwinning]

Of courthe I did. I wath thuppothed to.

[fintastic]

Lots of people wouldn't, though. Even if they were supposed to!

[biwinning]

Challenging fate is a stupid thing to do.

[fintastic]

But they still try to do it.

Sorry Sollux, you're not getting out of this one. I think you are a good person and that is the end of it!

[biwinning]

Whatever.

[fintastic]

Maybe I just trust too many people because I cannot think of ones who stand out over others!

[ She shrugs it off. ]

Of course he would be, I would too, if I thought he was stuck somewhere in time!

[crocodilesmiles]

It's nice when you can be in a place like that! I wish we were all the time.

[fintastic]

You would think so, right?

[ It's bitten her in the butt a couple times, though. She's starting to realize that. ]

[crocodilesmiles]

Yeah! It's not how the world works, but it's a nice thing to believe in. If we don't try, then it can't ever be true.

[fintastic]

I meant that you'd think it'd be nice to be in a place like I am.

[crocodilesmiles]

Oh -- hahaha, yeah, that too!

( She's content in her own version of it, however. One where she knows and recognizes people will be people, and trusts in them despite their flaws.

But that moves past the narrow definition she's been using here, for the kinds of traits and conversations she hopes people can have, or start to think about. )