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

[crocodilesmiles]

Kind of everything that's been happening recently. Right now, i think a lot of people feel like there isn't so much they can do with trusting anyone, but... I don't know, i feel like it's got to be different than that.

[quackery]

Yeah, I get what you mean.

[A pause, and the smile grows.]

You're a good person, Collette.

[crocodilesmiles]

( Ahiru's statement startles her into laughing and shaking her head. )

Thanks, Ahiru! I'd say I'm more of like, the nuisance who just has to try, but it's nice of you to say. You're really sweet, you know that?

[quackery]

[She laughs as well with a head shake of her own.]

Hey, you're not a nuisance at all! I said it because it's true, but thank you.

[crocodilesmiles]

Then you are truly nice, so thank you!

( Good feels so relative when Collette knows she can be something less than good, with her lies, with the things she's done since Jake and Cassie and Marco showed up in the hospital ward.

But she doesn't linger in those things. She has to sleep at night somehow, and the bright, beautiful things are so much warmer than the rest. )

[quackery]

It's more honest than it is nice to point out what's right in front of you!

[It's more playful than it's an attack on herself, though, and there's a smile accompanying it.]

[crocodilesmiles]

I don't know, Ahiru -- ( She says, sounding very much like she's teasing ) -- when honesty and niceness can be the same thing, that's pretty cool! Usually honest makes people give you funny looks and act uncomfortable for a while.

[quackery]

[She shakes her head again.]

Oh, come on, that isn't true!

[crocodilesmiles]

( She grins. )

Depends on the truth, but! Wanna bet?

[quackery]

Depends on what we're betting! [With a laugh.]

the first time my keyboard didn't recognize my c so it said hores

[crocodilesmiles]

Chores!

kdjfskjdfns well done :')

[quackery]

[Hm.]

Okay, sure! That's fair.

[crocodilesmiles]

Great!

.... So which chores, and where do we start being totally honest with people to see the faces they make?

[quackery]

I don't know! What chores do you normally do?

[A pause, though.]

Wait, I thought you meant, like— I thought you were just going to use an example!

[crocodilesmiles]

All of them, but uh...

( She has to think of one that isn't a horrible imposition on her if suddenly everyone gets terribly okay with hearing honest statements from them. )

Let's say keeping the floors clean to start? Hah! Like examples are going to work for something like this. It's about the faces people make! That'd totally have to be done in person, or else it's all just fairy stories!

[quackery]

Sure!

[She pauses.]

It wouldn't be that much different than usual, would it? I mean, it's not like I lie a lot, and I bet you don't either.

[crocodilesmiles]

( What are we betting on that, Ahiru? Collette laughs. )

Yeah, but saying things right to people's faces, all the time? That is different! I don't think either of us do that all the time. Do we?

[quackery]

I-I can't say stuff like that out of nowhere, though! I mean, wouldn't that seem—

[She pauses, before she starts to laugh as well.]

I guess you were right.

[crocodilesmiles]

( Her grin is quite a bit wickedly amused. )

Now you get it. Toldja! Though we can still run the experiment if you want!

[quackery]

Consider the floors cleaned, I guess!

Man, that would be kind of tough... Here, you try it on me, though.

what is private that is this now!!!

[crocodilesmiles]

You sure?

( She guesses yes, though she's never sure if anyone's really sure about this. Still, she does trust Ahiru. Her lips quirk up, but her expression softens. Her fingers twitch, tapping on the sides of her tablet. )

I think you're too good for this war. I don't want to see you make the kinds of compromises we might have to. I know you've had bad things around before. I just wish I could spare you from some of the ones we've had here, or the ones we might have coming. Also, you look absolutely happy when you're dancing. It's almost like you have wings when you're on the ground!

yeah private!!!!!

[quackery]

[It takes a moment for her to respond, because she's almost certain some of those things aren't true, and she's not sure whether to count it as a victory or a failure that Collette truly seems to believe them.]

I haven't had much bad, really, but a lot of this is really sweet. Thank you for feeling this way. [She smiles.] It does make me really happy. I love it.

super private!!! then tony walks in

[crocodilesmiles]

( That's the terrible thing about honesty: it's relativity. Someone else's honest opinion doesn't always, or even often, match up to the one a person has for themselves. )

It's good, when it makes you happy. I hope you believe some of it too, that's all.

go away tony we don't want your cat pictures

[quackery]

Yeah, I do! Thank you for saying it.

[It doesn't feel right, not being genuine after Collette opened up so completely, but it's not a lie, either. Some of it she can agree with.]

Hey, you know what we should do?

instead give us bird pictures

[crocodilesmiles]

No! Or, uh, I can guess, but I think you have an idea. What is it?