[G][Backsim] JP by Lt. DeVeau and MSNPC Maréchal-Ferrant - Keeping up appearances.

[Sarah Eccles]

((Different Drummer, Promenade, DSX))

::Tonight. Tonight was the big night. It would be a delicious farce and bring cheer to all on both the station and the ship, or so he hoped. People did seem to be getting into the spirit of things but there was, always, the possibility that things would go horribly wrong. Quite how wrong he could not truly anticipate.::

DeVeau: Bonjour monsieur Maréchal-Ferrant.

::Francois looked up from contemplating his plate of meatballs and recognised one of the senior officers from the Garuda, though he thought of her more as one of his Lost Boys.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: Ah, Bonjour mon cherie. Comment ça va?

::He’d picked up that Alora had a certain amount of French, although didn’t realise that she was a native speaker. Not that she didn’t have a universal translator built into her comm badge, but sometimes it felt good to speak it, such an elegant language. And being polite he simply asked her how she was.::

::To Alora’s attuned ears Francois’ accent had a very colonial twang to it.  She wasn’t sure how to place it, but she decided not to push it.::

DeVeau: Ça va bien, merci. Et toi? Je peux jouer avec toi?? (May I join you?)

::Blasted translator.  Alora quickly disabled it - after all, why would they need it?::

Maréchal-Ferrant: But of course, you would be most welcome. ::He waved to the chair opposite.:: Ça va bien. Are you ready for the show tonight?

DeVeau: Indeed I am!

::The young science officer brightened visibly at the mention of the play.::

DeVeau: Ça va être drôle!  (It’ll be fun).

Maréchal-Ferrant: One trusts that it everyone shall find it so. I think there are still a few Doubting Thomas’s amongst your colleagues.

::But in some ways that was part of the fun. He enjoyed a challenge.::

DeVeau: So what made you choose Peter Pan?

::The old actor sighed and waved his fork, meatball and all, in an airy gesture.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: Whimsy, nostalgia, and a desire to cause a little of the same in others. Plus it’s quite ridiculous and thus hopefully would be entertaining to others.

::That ‘hopefully’ has been the first time in the conversation that Francois’ voice had done one of it’s characteristic rises intended to secure the attention of his audience. Clearly he didn’t consider himself to be performing at the moment, even if old habits died hard.::

DeVeau: Ridiculous can often be entertaining and whimsy describes Peter Pan to a ‘T’.  I, for one, am certainly looking forward to it.

Maréchal-Ferrant: Well, it was most gratifying to see some people get excited about the idea. ::He smiled at her.:: Others had to have their arms twisted but that’s all part of the game.

::For a moment the smile flashed to a grin; then he ate the meatball.::

DeVeau: Perhaps.  Hopefully they’ll dive into the spirit of things as they progress.

::Alora leaned back as someone arrived to take her order.  She simply requested the same item her companion had along with some water, then focused back on the thespian.::

DeVeau: So you’re originally from Terra, correct?  France?  May I ask where?

Maréchal-Ferrant: Terra yes, but France no. ::His overly perfect Federation Standard pronounciation gave no clue.:: Though of course I never object if people think that. My dear, I am Canadian.

::He smiled at her again, the sudden array of laughter wrinkles giving his face it’s true age and destroying the illusion of his apparent youthfulness. He liked Alora, if nothing else then because she had taken so enthusiastically to the performance. Had he been staging a proper version he might have cast her as Wendy, such was her charm and innocence, although Jolara also seemed to be taking to the role with natural talent. Always the way, too many heros and heroines and never enough villains.::

::Still, Rahman was proving a decent if alternative Hook, but such was her hero worship of him that he would never have relaxed appearances in front of her.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: You however I think are from France, at least originally, non?

DeVeau: Non.

::Alora shook her head, her smile turning mischievous in tone.  She sounded as if she were, but that was simply because she picked up accents so easily - and her father was a native speaker.::

DeVeau: Je vien des États-Unis.   I had to admit, I was wondering.  Your accent wasn’t quite...right to my ears.  At least, not as someone from France - but if you’re from French Canada, that explains it.

::Francois seemed to find this immensely entertaining for some reason.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: Ah, oui,  Quebec, the St Lawrence River Valley, a beautiful part of the world. A harsh but elegant landscape that goes through so many changes. I studied in Quebec, learned to speak French there and began my acting career, but I’m actually from Saskatchewan.

DeVeau: Really?

::That wasn’t expected.  Not that she knew what a French-Canadian accent sounded like, so it would have surprised her regardless.::

DeVeau: So wait...do you have French heritage?  Or is your name something you just came up with for the stage?

::Francois actually laughed.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: I knew you were an intelligent young lady. My ancestry is English with a bit of Scottish thrown in for good measure, and I believe one of my great great grandmothers was of the First Nations. Not a French bone in my body, but ‘Frank Smith’ sounds like someone who cleans plasma conduits for a living.

::He chuckled again and winked at her. .::

DeVeau: I suppose I should have guessed earlier.

::Alora joined in on his soft laughter and shook her head.::

::Francois sighed languidly and ran his hands through his long hair, scraping it back from his face. His roots were showing, brown and silver under the bleach.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: Do me one favour however.

DeVeau: What’s that?

Maréchal-Ferrant: Don’t tell Commander Rahman. 

::It would probably shatter her image of him.::

DeVeau: Hm.  Could I at least introduce her to the opéra comique?  Or would that be too much?

Maréchal-Ferrant: If you feel that would interest her. I somehow doubt that most aliens can pick apart the various French accents.

::Or perhaps Rahman already knew. The information wasn’t too difficult to dig up.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: But you’ll promise?

DeVeau: I have no intent to burst any of her bubbles.  Besides, actors and actresses take stage names and personalities all the time.  It’s not as if you’re doing anything that hasn’t been done for centuries by those in your field.

::Which was very true.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: Good. The Francois persona is all part of the performance of course. qo' Hoch mIw 'ej Hoch nuv Homvetlh DawI'pu' neH.

::’All the world’s a stage, and all the people in it merely players.’::

DeVeau: You speak Klingon as well?

Maréchal-Ferrant: Oh yes. You can’t truly appreciate Shakespeare until you’ve heard him in the original Klingon.

::He smiled broadly again, apparently terribly entertained by the conversation, then held up one finger to catch her attention.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: Let me tell you something: You can be whomever you wish to be, all you have to do is make others believe it. That is the ultimate in acting. People have declared me descended from French aristocracy, where my parents were a drama teacher and a plumber. Good sensible people, but far from royalty. The truth is all there somewhere of course, but ultimately people believe what they want to believe; little fantasies that make reality that bit easier to survive. You have an acting talent, there is nothing to stop you being a princess, if that is what you want.

DeVeau: Well, I won’t lie if I’m directly asked, just so you know.

::Alora thought she should at least warn him of that.::

DeVeau: But yes, you’re right, and I agree.  As for as the talent, I’ve been told as much.  I’ve been in a few plays and musicals in my day and I greatly enjoy it.  But what I do out here, the things I get to study, they’re just far too fascinating to leave it even for something like music or acting.

Maréchal-Ferrant: You don’t have to have an acting career to utilise your acting skills. In everyday life there are times when it pays to seem otherwise.

::The vibe he was getting from her wasn’t indicative of a major revelation, and her declaration about not lying to Commander Rahman suggested that she wasn’t the type to climb ladders that way. He waved a hand dismissively.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: But if you are enjoying what you do then that is the most important thing of all.

DeVeau: I agree. And I do.

::Her meatballs arrived then and Alora took the opportunity to pick up her fork and stab at one of the round pieces of meat.::

DeVeau: But I will admit to utilising the holodeck to satiate my performance cravings - and I must say I was excited to hear about your pantomime.

Maréchal-Ferrant: Excellent. If I and my efforts manage to brighten your day then at least I shall count them successful. ::He smiled.:: What sort of performances do you use the holodecks for, may I ask? And do you have an audience?

DeVeau: Oh gosh, for anything.  Piano, guitar, singing.  I even have acquired some musicals that I participate in.  Tons of fun, but really, my audience is generally just me.

::Alas.  It would be even more fun if she had other real people to participate with her, but she doubted Saveron would be interested and wasn’t sure about anyone else.::

DeVeau: So how long have you been in this business?

Maréchal-Ferrant: Many years, mon cherie. All my life. I had my first drama lessons from my mother, and have been performing professionally since my teens.

::He smiled again, and those same wrinkles aged his face.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: But it is my life, my passion. I would do nothing else. And you? Will Starfleet hold your interest and passion, do you think?

DeVeau: I think so.  But I’ll always have a special place in my heart for my vocation.  Think you’ll ever come back this way again after this performance?  It would be fun to do it again.

::The old actor shrugged easily.::

Maréchal-Ferrant: Who can tell? Perhaps, I do quite a lot of work with the USO these days, though also one has to earn a living. Perhaps they may return and I with them. But when you are next in Federation space, let me know. I will find you tickets to a show you’ll enjoy.

DeVeau: Really?  Awesome.  I will definitely take you up on that offer!

Maréchal-Ferrant: Bien.

---------------------------------

Lt. JG. Alora DeVeau

Science Officer

USS Garuda

and

MSNPC Francois Maréchal-Ferrant

Thespian and Entertainer

United Service Organisations

as simmed by

Lieutenant Commander Saveron
Chief Medical Officer
USS Garuda