JP:Lt. Cmdr Katsim Peri & Ensign Roxanne Queen - Girls just wanna have fun. (Part I)
Amanda Nordstrom
OOC: A bit of timey wimeyness. This takes place before Rox
transfers to the Chin'toka.
IC:
((Officer Quarters, Deck 5, USS Octavia E. Butler))
As the light faded around her Rox stood motionless. She found herself in a blackened space and carefully lifted her hands to confirm what she suspected. Indeed the space was small, a closet. The question was, was it the right closet? She gently felt around until she found what was likely the door and used both hands to pull it open. The light washed in and as Rox stepped fully into the wider room she could see her trip had been successful.
Rox: Periiii!
The sound of a familiar voice made Peri jump. She’d been reading some of the papers that had been made public after the Velestus conference, fascinated by some of the discoveries and new theories presented. With Wes deployed elsewhere, she was alone save for Echo, who had lounged upon the back of the couch, preening. She hadn’t expected the sound either, her head popping up and wings flapping in surprise.
There was only one person who sounded like that. Exuberance and emotion rippled through every word she spoke, for she was the most emotive people Peri had ever known, and no two people could ever be more opposite; and yet, the two had become good friends nonetheless. With Rox’s departure, however, Peri’s days had gotten quieter, and knowing how far away her friend was, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was dreaming. Once she turned and actually saw the woman, Peri wondered if she was hallucinating.
Kattim: R…Rox? Is that you?
Rox: ::screwing her face:: Yes it’s me, what’s that supposed to mean?
It wasn’t supposed to mean anything other than what she asked. Mainly, the inquiry was raised out of shock, because Rox and Peri were supposed to be quadrants away, not standing there face to face.
Katsim: What? How?
Rox hurried over to her friend and gave her a tight embrace. It had been too long since she’d seen her in person.
Rox: Quinta let me have my powers back for a day and I knew exactly where I wanted to be.
Quinta, or rather Q, though the woman had given a name to help the non corporeal disguise her from other Q, had shown up a couple of times, most notably on Gelf. It was then they had discovered that Rox was more than she seemed, something like Q, though not a Q, but her abilities had been taken away by the Q. But now she was allowed to have them back?
Katsim: Is that a good idea?
Rox: Oh come on. How much damage could I do in 24 hours?
Peri loved Rox, but the woman was very impulsive, and sometimes didn’t understand that certain ‘tricks’ and things weren’t necessarily desired by others. In addition, from what Peri remembered, she didn’t have as much control as she should.
Katsim: Um. A lot.
Rox considered her answer. It was true she’d sent the crew back in time in a matter of minutes so perhaps 24 hours was too long. But she was here now.
Rox: ::waving her hand:: Pfff. I’m sure Quinta is keeping an eye on things. ::smiling:: Now where should we go?
Quinta probably was keeping an eye on things, knowing the Q. Glancing around, the woman didn’t make herself known and wouldn’t unless she deemed it advantageous to herself. Or amusing. Peri suspected that she allowed Rox to have her powers back for the latter reason.
Katsim: Should we go anywhere?
All right, she had to admit that having her powers back meant that the two could hang out together again, even if only for a day. Beyond that, Peri wasn’t sure they should ‘go anywhere’. Why not stay and have a nice quiet time in her quarters?
Rox was not surprised at the response. Peri was very much an introvert and she tended to like to sit in her quarters and read and study. However, Rox also knew that Peri secretly loved to get out and try new things and see new places. She’d had a grand time the first time they’d gone to a Tsunkatse match in the Gamma Quadrant.
Rox: Have you ever been to Italy?
Katsim: Uh…no, I haven’t.
Peri knew some basic information about Terran history, but it was mostly what was relevant to the development of technology that led to Humans attaining warp, the consequences of a few major, world wars, and how humans were the co-founders of the Federation, and the humans who had influenced it’s development.
Rox: We should go there!
Katsim: Why?
Rox looked at her quizzically. She’d recently taken a course in Terran art history and Italy was the place to be. Beyond that it was a beautiful area with deep blue seas, rocky coasts and green hills. When Rox had learned of it, she’d decided she wanted to go as soon as possible.
Rox: ::reachout out and grasping Peri’s hand:: Because you will love it.
Rox gave her fingers a loud snap.
((Italy?))
The pair was at once awash in white light only to be plunged into darkness in the next moment. At the same time, the two women, who were at first an arms length apart, began to move closer until they were pressed firmly together shoulder to shoulder. Rox could feel Peri on one side and a hard surface on the other, ahead of them was black, but there was some light behind them toward the floor. There was a surface pressed against her back as well.
Katsim: Where are we?
Rox: Obviously we’re in a closet. Can you find a latch or anything?
Rox’s arms were pressed against her sides but she moved her head around looking for a possible exit as best she could. A burst of pain suddenly told her that she and Peri’s head had briefly occupied the same space.
Katsim: Ow!
Rox: Sorry!
WIthout warning the surface behind them gave way and the two women fell with a thud onto a very hard floor. Above them, a young woman and two male children gaped at them in disbelief.
Agripina: ::yelling:: Aah eius daemonia!
Rox: ::rolling over to get off the floor:: Calm down lady don’t get all hysterical.
Peri, too, rolled over and pushed herself to her feet. The woman as well as the boys all wore tunics of some kind, though they were so long, they reached down to their ankles. Shaking off the rudeness of the transportation, the woman lifted her hands in a placating gesture.
Katsim: Please don’t be frightened.
The woman grabbed the two boys and pulled them back. All were wearing pale blue tunics, with cord around the waist. The woman wore a shell necklace and her tunic had a bright yellow geometric pattern sewn in. She continued to back frantically back toward the doorway at the end of the room. The boys also wore amulets around their own necks, and one clutched tightly at his.
Agripina: ::terrified:: Dii nos hodie perdere voluerunt!
With that the trio was gone and Rox and Peri were alone in the room. Rox turned a circle to see where she was. The room was airy with only minimal furniture. The floor was made of white tile with pieces of colored tile which made the image of a large Terran bull.
Rox: Hey look. ::pointing to the floor:: It’s one of those mosaic things.
Turning, Peri settled her gaze upon the images, uncertain as to their purpose other than decoration, but she knew that some ancient cultures, even on Bajor, had pictures which held significance, even in homes.
Katsim: What is it of?
She didn’t recognise the animal at all, but then again, if this was Italy on Earth, she couldn’t be expected to. Had it been a start, that would have been different.
All at once the ground began to shake violently. Furniture tumbled over and a column at one end of the room shattered and collapsed. There was a sudden sound like thunder only far more intense. The shaking subsided some, but the rumbling sound continued and was accompanied by a loud hiss that seemed to be coming across a great distance.
Rox: What was that?
Katsim: I don’t know, but we’d better get out of here!
Throwing up her hands as if to shield her head, Peri aimed for the door through which the trio earlier had retreated. Glancing back to be sure Rox was following, the two slipped through and into another room. Darting forward, Peri didn’t stop until she found a door that led outside. The two found themselves in a lovely, cultivated garden. The sun featured high in the sky, and the warm spoke of summer. Off in the distance, an enormous mountain rose against the sky, clouds drifting past. The latest tremor faded away, allowing the two to settle more steadily upon their feet.
Rox: ::shielding her eyes and looking at the mountains:: What a view!
Turning about, she could find no sign of the three who had fled upon sight of the sudden visitors, but something caught her eye. One of the clouds lingered at the peak of the mountain where as others floated onward, and it was darker, more gray in contrast with the white of its siblings.
Rox studied the mountains. One was clearly not like the others and Rox suddenly realized what they were seeing.
Rox: Oh my goodness. We’re in Pompeii !! It's an ancient terran town that gets buried during a volcanic eruption. It preserves all these works of art and such.
Katsim: This is Italy?
Rox: I mean we’re on the Italian peninsula but technically this is all Rome. The art here is…
She did not get another word out before the ground quivered again, that time more violently, the tegula and imbrex of the shingles clattering down and crashing upon the ground. Peri lost her balance, and could only rise again once the shifting stopped. As her eyes returned to the force that dominated their vision, she noted that the grey cloud had grown and expanded.
Katsim: Rox…that’s…a volcano. And it’s about to erupt!
Rox furrowed her brow, it was not like Peri to be so rude. After all, they were about to witness a major historical event that would see this city preserved under ash for ages to come.
oO Oh. I see what Peri’s getting at. Oo
Rox: ::grabbing Peri’s hand:: You’re right, we should go.
Katsim: Go where? If it involved another erupting volcano, Peri didn’t want to go. Honestly, she’d prefer a return to her ship, but Rox snapped her hand and at once the pair was again engulfed in white light.
[TBC]
--
Acting Ensign Roxanne "Rox" Queen
Officer
USS Ronin NCC-34523
T239811VK2
He/Him (player)
She/Her (character
&
Lt. Cmdr. Katsim Peri
Chief Science Officer
USS Octavia E. Butler
M239008AD0