great minds and all that ( OPEN )

[ethnobotany]

WHO: Beverly Crusher
WHERE: All over: schoolhouse, hospital, garden by House 20, lake's edge, ANYWHERE
WHEN: mid October
OPEN TO: EVERYONE
WARNINGS: tbd

---

Beverly had noticed the surprising return of the schoolhouse a few days after the bonfire, though she hadn't yet carved time out of her day to go see it. Now, though, as she passes by on her way to the Inn, she thinks she might be able to. The entire structure seems to have been rebuild almost overnight. She remembers well what it's been like for almost as long as she can remember being here and now here it is looking like new. She'd never really gotten a chance to look at it beforehand. Or, probably more accurately, she hadn't taken the time to before.

So why not now?

With that in mind, she finally steps inside, not really drawn to anything in particular. She's more just interested in seeing what there is to see inside. If she can find anything of interest, any books or other useful items, she'll call it a win. What a grand surprise, flashes through her mind as she makes her way further inside, not at all expecting to find anyone else.


Later on, she takes her normal daily activities, though once she finds out about the mind-linking and realizes it can be turned off, she tries to keep the app off. It... isn't always successful. So she can be found in the hospital, gardening by House 20, or out alone by the lake's edge when she wants to take a breather away from a bunch of people whose thoughts she can hear. Regardless, she is as usual very welcoming and sometimes her thoughts get the better of her if she isn't actively trying to keep a lid on them.

Wouldn't it just be nice if the Observers would stop treating us like mice?


On the 13th, which is the first year she's had an actual date here, she spends a decent amount of time at House 20, mostly full of introspection. Eventually, she takes some time at the Inn to drop off some chamomile leaves and see what else can be done. It's an interesting milestone, both in terms of birthdays and length of time here, and despite whatever new game the Observers are planning, she wants to keep forging friendships and building bonds. What better time to do that than on her special day? So she helps out as she can, asking anyone who steps into the kitchen area if they need anything in particular and doing her best to help if they say yes.



( ooc: if none of this catches your attention, wildcard her! i can come up with a reason for her to be just about anywhere, but if you're uncertain, feel free to ask me by pm or plurk! if you don't want a 'great minds' type plot/thread, just let me know in the subject line that your thread is without mind-link or something, so i know! )

Comments

[unraisehell]

"It's fine! I've done it before myself- hell, I can show you, just-"

Arguments along this line can be heard before Wynonna is seen, ushered into the waiting room by someone with far, far more common sense than she does, given that she very obviously has a dislocated shoulder that she's gently cradling.

By the time she's left alone to see the doctor, she's not quite pouting, but there's a sort of just... bored acceptance of the whole situation. She's fine, she has enough of Mark's porch weed to take the sting out, and she'll be back to chopping wood in a few days.

Maybe a little less in the way of "hey let's see what happens if we both run at each other with the bubble-powers up." Because what happens is getting thrown backwards into a tree.

Beverly's patient is a human woman with a slim build, long dark hair and only the slightest of scowls- nothing Klingon-level, but it's clear she's not the person who likes Seeing The Doctor. She's eyeing the room like she's evaluating it for threats.

[ethnobotany]

This is a look that Beverly is at least familiar with. Fortunately for both of them that scowl and the relative sulk accompanying it aren't anything near Klingon-level. While Beverly is well-versed in dealing with Klingon stubbornness, she doesn't have half the equipment in here to make it easier. No hypospray injections or tricorders to make things quick and painless. Either way, at least Beverly isn't giving off an air of annoyance or even pity. She just does her best to appear as non-threatening as possible while she gives her new patient a looking-over.

"What happened?" she asks, stepping closer. "Is it your shoulder or your arm?"

Not that she can't give it a good guess herself, but sometimes she finds that playing the question and answer game gives her patients something else to focus on. They might give her better answers that way, rather than keep up their stubborn annoyance at being here.

[unraisehell]

"Probably both. I dislocated this one before, not that long ago. Car accident, cliff. Put it back in place myself," she says, not so much bragging about her pain tolerance as just giving the doctor the run-down of what to expect.

"Never did get time to get the X-Rays done, but nothing felt permanently damaged. Till someone threw me into a fence- totally my bad, don't worry about that. I kinda did ask them to take a swing at me," she assures her, in a tone that suggests she actually expects that to be assuring. She then adds, "you can just yank it back into place- a cloth to bite down on would be great, though. Wasn't the best feeling in the world the first time around."

At least she's chattier than Worf. She comes off more like a cross between a Bajoran militia member and Troi's affected Holodeck sheriff persona. With maybe just a touch of Riker's casual cockiness. It's pretty easy to picture her, while not as injured as she presently is, treating chairs about the same way as the Enterprise's First Officer.

[ethnobotany]

Beverly's eyebrows arch slightly at the run-down of the various accidents and injuries. The chattiness does help at least. It's easier to assess a person like this than someone sitting grumpily on the biobed who's only there because his ship's CMO and medical staff had the authority to relieve him of duty at any time if they thought him unfit or unable to be on duty. She certainly doesn't have that authority here and in some respects it's been a nice challenge to earn the respect of the population by action rather than name and reputation.

"No, it usually isn't," she agrees, moving to find the cleanest cloth they have available and offering it to the young woman. "I can offer you an herbal supplement to help with the pain afterwards, but I'm afraid our stores of actual useful modern medicine are low."

If not outright nonexistent.

"Tell me when you're ready. I'll do a quick exam and then pop it back into place for you."

What she wouldn't do for a tricorder, though at least she can still diagnose without one. For the most part, anyway. Thank the stars for Starfleet Medical and the Academy's training.

Schoolhouse

[connatural]

Coping with her own thoughts is hard enough with all that's racing through her mind. Dealing with the thoughts of others is just more than she's capable of coping with right now. Having already taken some time to dig around in the extra clothes, she's found some things to help her to keep up with her training.

Every day has a long run, new paths, getting herself lost and then finding her way back to the village. Today though that run takes her by the a building she hasn't seen before. Not that she's been there long, but curious enough for her to veer her path, heading for the schoolhouse.

Her thoughts turning from Druitt, and just what the Cabal has in mind, and moving towards the interest of what she may find within. Pushing open the door, not trying to be quiet in her exploration as she lets the door close behind her as she lets her eyes adjust to the dimness within.

[ethnobotany]

It's the tickle of interest in her mind that alerts Beverly first, the sound of the door closing nearby being the second sign that she isn't alone. She hasn't gone too far, just far enough in not to be in a direct line of sight to the door. Curiosity brings her back out, though, towards the front, her mind wondering who has come in behind her and why. Not that people aren't allowed to - she has, after all - but she's always interested in talking to people.

"Hello?" she calls as she steps back out towards the front.

[connatural]

Glancing towards the sound of the voice, realizing that she isn't alone. Shifting slightly, not aggressive but moving to a slightly defensive stance with her weight carefully balanced. Just in case. She knows so little about this place and the people there, but she's spent too much of her life being on the defensive that it just comes naturally without thinking about it.

"Hi. Sorry to invade. I was curious to check things out. Is there... are there kids here?"

[ethnobotany]

"Not at all," Beverly offers, stepping further into view and giving the new woman a glancing over. "Curiosity is the main reason I'm here, too." She doesn't normally come over here, especially since she can remember the night the building got destroyed in the simulation. She's only recently realized that it's back and decided to come check it out.

"Not that I'm aware of. I would hope there aren't. This isn't exactly a good place for kids. Well, this building might be, now that it's back to being upright, but not the general area." She waves a hand in the air to indicate the village. It's hard to know what to call it, really, now that there's more space than before. It's no longer just the village. It's two villages and a whole lot of wild space. "We really should figure out a name for the whole area at some point."

[enterprisingheart]

For all that Picard is aware of the app - and has indeed has his own experiences with it - he's not entirely expecting to find that it's turned on again. Nor, for that matter, can he say that he'd expected the voice that echoes through his head to be Beverly's - a brief moment of surprise ripples through the newly forged link and then he answers the same way.

It would be. But I'm not sure it's likely to happen, either.

On the bright side, at the very least they aren't essentially attached at the hip, this time, although whether or not that's better or worse in the long run is anyone's guess.

[ethnobotany]

They don't seem to be attached at the hip like they were the last time something like this happened, although the amount of similarities between their situation in the village over these months and the one on Kesprytt just keeps climbing higher. Poking her head out of the kitchen, where she's just made a cup of chamomile tea, to see if Jean-Luc is in the next room.

I'm starting to think we should just name this place Kesprytt II, she jokes.

[enterprisingheart]

It is starting to seem that way, isn't it?

The answer comes almost without thinking, and with a faint trace of amusement besides. He likes this part somewhat better than the being attached at the hip part, yes. But that doesn't mean that it's any less familiar for it, either. Nor, for that matter, that he's hoping that this doesn't develop into another situation where they are attached at the hip. True, it hadn't last time, but that's not necessarily any guarantee that it won't this time.

Meanwhile, it turns out that he is in the next room over, and offers a smile and a nod as she pokes her head out of the kitchen.

[ethnobotany]

It certainly could be worse at this point. They could be literally attached at the hip or something else could be happening. This at least is more or less benign. For now.

Her lips twist wryly as she disappears back into the kitchen to finish fetching her cup of tea. Well, on the bright side, at least this planet has plenty of things we can actually eat. Unlike on Kesprytt. No need to name it 'Land where there is no human-compatible food.'

by the lake; no mindlink

[fishermansweater]

Finnick is mistrustful enough of the bracelet communicator that he hasn't explored it enough to find the app, let alone activate it. So there's no hum of thoughts coming from him as he approaches Beverly along the lakeshore. Finnick has his trident with him, and he's wading along the shore of the lake, barefoot and with his pants cuffs rolled up so the calf-deep water only occasionally splashes the fabric. His skin looks a little less sun-kissed than usual, and there are signs of fatigue in shadows on his face, but he's been getting out of the house and making fishing trips more often than usual.

Today, he'd gone out further than he normally does, to fish in the lake and bring home some home to preserve for the winter ahead. He has a woven basket slung over his shoulder and laden with the catch from the trip. It's a good catch, and when he sees Beverly standing by the lake, he tilts his head to one side and pauses in his steps for a moment.

But it's only a moment; the impulse stays and he calls out to her.

"Hey, Beverly." He lifts up a hand in greeting. "You want a fish?"

[ethnobotany]

She turns at the sound of a voice, fortunately a familiar one, and offers a relieved sort of smile. Her arms are crossed over her chest for the moment, more to hold herself together than anything else. This isn't the worst sort of thing they could find out about or have done to them, but the mind-linking business is not the most pleasant. At least it's better than dealing with spilling all of her thoughts and feelings like her internal brain filter was broken.

"Hi, Finnick," she calls back, letting her arms fall back to her sides as she moves closer towards him. "I wasn't actually here to catch anything." More just to collect her thoughts and admire the view. "Looks like you've been busy. How've you been?"

[fishermansweater]

For once, the little fishing dog hadn't decided to come with Finnick on the walk to the lake, instead choosing to nose around the edges of the woods, so Finnick had been walking alone, which left him with plenty of time with his thoughts, which hasn't been a good place to be lately.

With most people he'd immediately lie, tell them he's okay or fine, any of the dozens of things he's used to saying because most people who ask that sort of question don't actually care. But Beverly actually does care, so he doesn't brush her off. He wades a few steps closer and shrugs, vaguely, as he steps out of the water and onto the shore.

"Not great," he admits. "But we have to get ready for winter."

[ethnobotany]

She's glad he doesn't brush her off, knowing he could very easily and that she would have let him if he had. Never the type to force her presence on anyone, even if they seem to need her support and friendship, she lets Finnick work out how to answer.

"That we do. There's a lot to get done before then," she agrees carefully, giving him another moment before gently adding on, "Anything you want to talk about? We've got a moment or two."

Hospital

[succored]

Once Ty had established more of a routine and the house he was in felt less like he was squatting there and more like a long term living space, there was still huge gaps in his day. Even if the population wasn't as large as what he was used to, he had to wonder if there were still enough medical providers around.

So he wandered into the building that was designated as a hospital, looking around curiously before stopping the first person he saw, a kind looking older woman.

"Excuse me, I was hoping I could help around here. What do you need done?"

[ethnobotany]

By now, Beverly has gotten used to the normal faces around, especially those who normally stop by the hospital to work. She doesn't recognize this new one, though she absolutely stops as soon as he starts speaking, her look one of interest.

"Probably mostly just keeping track of supplies right now." This always changes during a crisis, but for right now, things are fairly calm. "What kind of background do you have?"

If they're about to have another medical professional of any kind sign on, she will be more than happy about it.

[succored]

Part of him was a bit disappointed that things were so peaceful here that keeping track of supplies was all there was to do, but he was going to chalk that up to unused adrenaline. He'd been prepping for a large scale disaster before he'd been pulled here, so he should be grateful this place seemed to be running so smoothly.

He straightened at the question, expression more solemn. "I've worked as an EMT and have field medic training. Is it always this peaceful around here?"

The scars Kira had shown him had told a different story, but then again, Kira had made several self destructive choices before. Being a new place might not have changed that.

Schoolhouse

[ad_dicendum]

The seasons are turning again, the days growing shorter and colder, and that means that it's time to load the storehouse for winter, to ensure that there is enough of everything to meet the village's needs. There are more people now, more homes to heat and mouths to feed, and that means more of everything, including more work. But there is more of something else too, more to read, and the books there are to read are an education on many things that are important in this place that weren't important in Rome.

For all he'd known about landholders and farmers, he knew very little about farming itself. He has been spending time in the schoolhouse to remedy that, now that there are so many books to read on the topic available. They offer a more practical perspective than the pastoral poetry that had been part of his education. He's reading about harvesting of grain crops when his focus is interrupted by a sudden thought about a grand surprise, words he would never have used to describe anything in English.

He puts the book down more quickly than he intends, startled by the intrusion.

What? What was that?

[ethnobotany]

The return thoughts echo in her head, startling Beverly as much as she just has him. Huh? is her immediate response before she can sort through what she's heard. The voice sounds a bit familiar, though not as familiar as some. She can't quite pinpoint a location, likely due to the fact that it seemed to sound in her head rather than her ears. In some respects, this reminds her forcefully of Kesprytt, figuring out the hard way that she and Jean-Luc's psywave patterns were being attuned and connected, that they could hear each other's thoughts.

She wasn't planning on reliving that again.

Hello? she tries again, stepping a little further in. It's Beverly.

Whether she gets an answer or not, at least she'll know if this is really like Kesprytt.

[ad_dicendum]

Beverly.

The name as he thinks it is different from how it sounds when he says it, the hint of a w sound that usually rolls onto the v gone. This is Gaius Sempronius.

This is not the first time he's had an experience that a few years ago he'd have attributed to a divine vision, some portent of his own fate or that of his city. Here, though, it's recognizably the voice of one of his fellow villagers that he hears, and hears in his mind as though it were his own thought.

He turns away from the shelves, the book he'd been reading forgotten in his hands.

"Where are you?" he says, speaking because that feels more natural; he doesn't event know if she'd heard the answer he'd instinctively thought to her.

Kitchen Inn, no mindlink

[cleptes]

After a few days of suffering from a cold, Bela is in search of a remedy to help ease the symptoms until it passed. While it might be a long shot, she had to try - anything to make her feel better. Bela wraps up warm before heading out of the house and towards the inn, taking long strides so that she reach it quickly.

She's glad to see a roaring fire in the main room after pushing the front door of the inn but she doesn’t linger too long, walking to the kitchen area to look for something; if not, Bela would search in the pantry instead.

When Bela enters the kitchen she comes across Beverly, someone she has likely seen in passing but never properly spoken to. She pauses, hesitating for a moment.

"Oh. I didn't realise anyone else was in here. I can come come back later if you're in the middle of something."

[ethnobotany]

Beverly turns at the sound of the voice, smiling as usual as she motions the other woman further in. "Not at all. You're not interrupting me. I was actually trying to make myself useful for an hour or so here. Is there something I can help you with?"

Cooking, cleaning, talking... anything, really. Beverly is just here for a little extra social interaction.

[cleptes]

She offers her a smile in return.

"Maybe you can." Bela closes the door behind her, taking a few steps towards Beverly. "I'm looking for something to help me deal with this cold that I have. Figured the inn kitchen would be my best bet."