Ensign Roy Bancroft - Hello, Brilliant People of Science. I Have Brought You... A Fungus.
Carter Schimpff
(( Corridor - Deck 5, USS Artemis-A ))
The mushroom was glowing now.
Not in an “I’m radioactive and this will be a problem” kind of way. More of a soft, pulsing phosphorescence, like it had opinions.
Which, Roy knew all too well, it very much did.
He cradled the containment jar in the crook of his arm as he walked, holding it like one might hold a very judgmental infant. Inside, Jeff the Mushroom swayed ever so slightly with each step, his mycelial threads gently pulsing in rhythm with the ambient hum of the ship. Or Roy’s guilt. Possibly both.
Bancroft: ::quietly:: Don’t look at me like that. ::beat:: Yes, I know you don’t have eyes. That was metaphorical. ::beat:: No, you’re being defensive.
Jeff’s bioluminescence dimmed to a low amber – the shade Roy had come to interpret as passive-aggressive disappointment.
Bancroft: Oh come on. We talked about this.
The turbolift doors parted with a swish. Mercifully empty. Roy stepped inside like a man smuggling contraband.
Bancroft: ::to the computer:: Deck nine ::to Jeff:: Nobody is going to dissect you! They’re scientists.
Jeff pulsed a deep crimson.
Bancroft: Alright, granted, scientists do frequently dissect things. But these scientists won’t. Probably.
The lift spat them out on Deck Nine, which – thankfully – was nearly deserted at this hour. Almost as if Roy had planned it that way.
They reached the door to Science Lab 2. Roy paused, composed himself, and addressed the container like someone about to introduce their new partner to deeply skeptical parents.
Bancroft: Okay, look. No puffing spores. No hijacking the ship-wide comm to broadcast your smooth jazz playlist. Just… be the best fungus you can be, okay?
Jeff glowed a serene, insufferably confident shade of blue.
Roy wasn’t sure if that was agreement or a trap.
The doors hissed open, revealing the lab beyond: sterile lighting, sleek equipment, and the quiet hum of Very Smart Things happening. He stepped inside, Jeff carefully cradled under one arm.
(( Science Lab 2 - Deck 9, USS Artemis-A ))
Bancroft: ::dryly:: Hello, brilliant people of Science. I have brought you… a fungus.
Jovenan/Richards: Response
Bancroft: ::placing the container down on a table:: This is Jeff. It’s either mildly telepathic or wildly hallucinogenic, possibly sentient, and absolutely convinced it’s better than you are.
Jeff flared violet.
Bancroft: ::gritting his teeth at the container:: You’ve just met these people. Isn’t it a little early to be forming those kinds of opinions?
Jovenan/Richards: Response
TAG/TBC!
(OOC: Jeff the Mushroom is a GNPC, so feel free to play this as seriously or absurdly as you like. Is he sentient? Spore-driven? A fungal philosopher-king? Can your character hear Jeff’s “voice”? Or has he appointed Roy as his unwilling Emissary? Your call. All mycelial madness is on the table.)
(OOC2: The lack of written “Jeff dialogue” here was just a narrative choice since I don’t know whether Beky or Jo will choose to be able to “hear” Jeff or not.)
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Ensign Roy Bancroft
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240205RB1