let's call it a grand opening •

[spaceling]

WHO • everyone
WHERE • deck 2: corridors & mess hall
WHEN • day 1
WHAT • characters arrive
WARNINGS • please warn in the subject headings



[ you wake up on an abandoned spaceship in an unfamiliar quadrant of space, unhurt, but nauseated and dizzy, wearing whatever you were wearing before, with no possessions but what you were carrying with them.

the corridors are dark and grimy, dimly lit by lights that flicker now and then. it's cold enough to see your breath fog up before your face, but artificial gravity and life support seem to be working just fine.

welcome to your new home. ]

Comments

[negativechill]

"Oh, I'm sure." He's no doubt that things will be interesting in future, whether they're in the way Severus means or in his own plans. It's no matter here though; Gellert cannot continue his war here after all, though if here long enough Severus is bound to hear a manifesto of some kind even if it's toned down slightly for mixed company in a place he can't simply leave.

In any case there's nothing that seems like a kind of skittish manner of hiding his wand away - no, he just really does not need it much of the time. It's good to be able to use it again though, having been stuck with a wand not his own for so long. Funny, how he'd only had to escape from the prison he'd been put in to be considered the rightful owner again. As though he'd ever let Newt Scamander so much as place a hand on the Elder wand, much less let him realize that a single spell would make him the brief master of it.

Anyway, wand tucked away, Gellert gives the younger man a briefly calculating look before he nods. "What a waste that would be," he says thoughtfully, which is a little ???? intense ???? even for a Durmstrang alumni, but maybe he's talking about loss of life, jesus christ. "Hopefully it's simply a benign sort of residue. Things so far in mind, I hold little hope for that."

[darkart]

It's not intense.

It's really, really fucking suspicious.

Severus, fortunately, was not born yesterday, and is very well practiced in handling edgelords dark wizards fishing for like minds. He glances at him out of the corner of his eye but doesn't ask after the remark. Not reacting at all would be a sign of someone Doing The Most or, worse, too stupid to have caught it. But he's not going to make a fuss; he was serious about it not mattering. Pragmatism.

"I suppose it's best to dissect everything. Time-consuming. Maybe one of the muggles will have found the 'on' button somewhere by the time the ship's makeup can be processed."

[negativechill]

Very fortunately. Gellert isn't deterred, however - or at least, doesn't mind it. He's well-used to people not agreeing with him and it's the pragmatism that's rare. Normally with him people are firmly one side or the other and, well... It's almost refreshing. Almost.

"Better time-consuming than to be idle needlessly, I suppose. Stillness would and in disaster I'm sure." He isn't talking about space sickness - of course he isn't - but he knows he would go mad if he had to sit on his hands for any reason.

"It would be a start," Gellert concedes, and, you know, both literally and figuratively. "One of the muggles in particular that I spoke to seemed almost shocked at the idea of not knowing this sort of ship or travel. He may be a good place to start."

[darkart]

Severus makes a dismissive motion. "I don't have any particular faith in muggles who find this sort of thing routine. Virtually no one knows how the conveniences of their daily lives are actually crafted."

They'd be better off with someone from the advent of space travel; an engineer who builds the blasted things, something like that. He knows they aren't in a position to be picky about aid right now, but Severus just doesn't have it in him to be hopeful about anything from a muggle, no matter how adept they are at checking their bloody email, or whatever.

[negativechill]

Gellert smiles and to nearly anyone else it may look genuine. He knows it's not going to with this man though, but, well. May as well be stubbornly pleasant if he's going to build a persona here. It isn't as though he'd had much time to craft it before using it.

"They are better than nothing," comes easily, "but I suppose you have a point, yes." Suppose. What a dick. On both counts for different reasons if you include the better than nothing. Useful muggles: better than nothing.

"Too few witches and wizards know how their magic is born and crafted and unspooled," he finally says, moving toward one of the windows to peer out of it into the black. "But my lingering on the politics of it doesn't help anyone, I apologize. I will be communicating with him in future to see if he is intimately familiar with any of the workings. I hold little hope, but there's not much to be done for that."

[darkart]

"More fool them," is all Severus has to say about that subject, somewhat quietly. It sounds like an old complaint, but from an alchemist, not surprising; potions are wholly unlike all other forms of magic. (It's not just that. But it could be.)

"I wish you luck, then. If you'd like to meet back up in a while to pool any results I'd be amenable."

If ever there was a we all have to work together situation, this is it.

[negativechill]

No, not surprising at all. One he understands the sentiment of, anyway. Gellert nods, observing him quietly a moment.

"Of course. All the better. Good luck to you as well, if I find anything of note I'll be certain to share the information with you."

Gellert is not actually that good at we all have to work together as he's far more used to telling people what to do or taking things into his own hands. He'll make an exception for this situation, though.