#* guest muse {t'laith}

[oflcgicalsway]

Tag Dump- Muses

[starbcrn-kids]

unscrxpted​:

Levi gently set Jackie down, stepping back only a little, absently chewing on one of the strings on his hoodie. Idiot. His idiot. Sweet Satan, he was so nervous about her safety, and that was something he… he’d never thought he’d be able to feel again. What the hell had she done to him?

Azura glanced at Levi, wincing. She knew someone who used to do that. Used to chew on his jackets when he was nervous.

If only… if only.

Liam looked down at Azura, pulling her close. He followed her gaze, tilting his head slightly. Huh. Levi seemed nervous. Worried. Well, that was growth, he supposed.

Emala stepped closer to Rebecca, looking up at her. She was… scared. And that wasn’t something she was used to. After an eternity of being numb, it was strange to be scared. Very strange.

Starla sniffled, then lost complete control of her feelings when she looked over at Eira. She collapsed against Lily, sobbing weakly.

Jocelyn glanced up, clearing her throat. “Hey.” She looked down, running her thumb over the tattoo on her left hand, shaking her head. “You know what this one means? Undying loyalty. We got our names together, on the left hand, because it’s the hand thought to be the closest to the heart.”

She chuckled dryly through her tears, sniffling. “Now look at us. If you didn’t already know us, you’d never think… never even consider…”

Rebecca looks to T’Laith, and the nurse nods to her gently, reaching out and setting a hand on her shoulder. Rebecca pauses and just nods quietly, chewing her lip for a moment, and the other nods back, holding her shoulder another moment before moving on. To an outsider, it wasn’t much.

To someone who knew this ship, knew this crew, an entire conversation had just taken place so clearly it could have happened aloud.

She’ll be okay, just fainted. Are you all right?

...I am. For now.

Okay. I’m right here when you need me.

Rebecca just runs a hand through her hair and looks back at Jackie, sighing softly. She’s been through enough, they all have. She doesn’t like seeing Jackie... like this.

Even knowing she’ll be fine.

Because she looks so peaceful and still, and--

No. No. Rebecca blinks the image out of her mind, refuses to see the dark-haired part-Vulcan lying on that bench, her father and brother clinging to each other and crying.

Because Jackie was going to be just fine. She wraps an arm around Emala, and another around Darla when the little girl clings to her leg. Annie sets a hand on Brandon’s shoulder, and Mary wraps an arm around Billy’s arm. Eugene grabs Pedro’s hand, and Saavik leans into her grandfather a bit, biting her lip.

Jackie shifts a little bit, mumbling as she starts to come back around in a few minutes. “Mmph. Blegh.” Her entire face wrinkles up as she slowly opens her eyes, a hand coming to her head. “Ow. The fuck did I... right. Nope, I know what I did.”

“Good, cuz I don’t,” Sybok remarks, but it is VERY much drowned out by--

“BABY!!” Sylvia flings herself to her daughter’s side, grabbing her hand, and Michael moves to her other side, gently nudging past Levi as she does. Sylvia starts babbling. “Oh, my goodness we were so worried, that was so fucking awesome and I have no idea what it was but that was so badass but you need to be careful because I can’t stand the idea of you getting hurt--”

Lily wraps her arms around Starla tightly, hugging her, rubbing her back. “I know. I know.”

Will sighs softly, setting a hand on her shoulder, tearing up and just nodding wordlessly. Iris bites her lip, crossing her arms and taking a moment before clearing her throat.

“My mozher says... when we were young. When I was still just a leetile baby, she says Holly used to... to always want to dress me up...”

She smiles weakly. “She had all zhese photos, of all zhe zhings zhat Holly put me in. She said zhat... zhat once I got older, when I wanted to do zhings for myself, was when Holly started to...”

She shakes her head a bit, clearing her throat. “And I don’t... remember any of eet, you know? And... I zhink most people feel zhat eet’s better zhat way. But... sometimes, I wish I had once nice memory of her. Just to say zhat I could believe zhere was somezhing in zhere, once. But I can’t say zhat.”

“It’s hit-or-miss,” Will admits. “Jes...”

He swallows the lump in his throat.

[starbcrn-kids]

unscrxpted​:

Tayen laughed, crossing her arms. “The only person who can tell Aunt Michael to behave is Aunt Sylvia, and you know it. Now come on, let’s get over there so we can ask that idiot what the hell she was doing.”

Liam and Azura looked at each other, nodding. They each wrapped an arm around the other and walked towards their quickly gathering family.

“You’re a dramatic injured lunatic,” Sam chuckled.

Starla shuddered, nodding slowly. “I know. I know. But…” She shook her head, closing her eyes. “She looks like me… or- or maybe I look like her…”

Fergus thought for a moment. “I’m sure. A true creature of evil was put to justice.” He nodded. “I’m… okay.” He finally looked at them, smiling weakly. “For now, anyway.”

Audrey bit her lip, nodding slowly, glancing at Will. She squeezed his hand. She knew where his mind was wandering. And, honestly… that was where hers was starting to wander to, as well.

Jocelyn stared hollowly at the ground. All of this fighting… all of it… and for what? For her to return to the Orville to see her sister? Her sister who had let herself get so consumed by her grief that she refused to see another way? Who had… had abandoned her?

Had made her doubt she’d ever even loved her?

Her family was everything to her, and then it was taken away one piece at a time, and now… what did she even have left?

“Your crew,” Michelle said, walking up next to the Romulan. “You have your crew.” She gestured to them, then to the clan that was gathering by Michael and Sylvia. “Do you see any difference between the Orville crew and that family over there? Because I don’t. They’re your family now. That’s what you have left, Jocelyn. Don’t forget that.”

Sybok laughs. “I don’t know about you, but I think I figured out what she was doing, it’s the how that I’m not following.” But he walks over to join the clan with her anyways.

Once the whole family is there, the last of which being Brandon who definitely wanted to do more damaged to the Vulcans being arrested, T’Laith comms one of the officers who’d remained on the Orville and has the group brought back to the Polyhymnia’s sickbay, where she motions for Levi to lay Jackie on a biobed and goes to take a look at the girl’s vitals to make sure she didn’t do too much damage.

Ginger rolls her eyes. “Fucking rude.”

“Fucking accurate,” Nova scoffs at her sister.

Lily shakes her head. “Unfortunately, around here, that happens. But that doesn’t make you, her. I know you, Chief LaMarr knows you...” She nudges her a bit. “Even Yaphit’d tell ya, lass, tha’ y’would make a lousy bad person. You, Starla, are far, far too good for tha’, and you know who else has known that?” She raises an eyebrow and glances to Eira, who... definitely could use someone to back her up, she notices, but one step at a time. “And I daresay tha’ if she can realize it, then anyone can.”

Will blinks out of his thoughts when he feels Audrey squeeze his hand, clearing his throat and nodding as well... looking past Audrey, seeing Jocelyn, gently pulling away. “Excuse me.”

He lightly jogs over to her as Iris does the same, though she’s a little slower than he is to get there. Will clears his throat as he looks at Jocelyn. “Hey.”

[starbcrn-kids]

unscrxpted​:

Liz sighed, closing her eyes. She wasn’t built for this, not anymore. Her family, Hailey, they’d changed that about her. She wasn’t built to lose people anymore.

Not like this.

Not like this.

She took a shaky breath, shaking her head weakly. “I’m… I’m sorry, I can’t. I can’t. Not yet.” Mal trilled quietly, nuzzling her mom’s cheek gently, nodding slightly.

Tayen rolled her eyes, lightly elbowing her dad. “Behave,” she chuckled, wrinkling her nose at him.

“Here, hang on, let me help,” Levi said, carefully scooping Jackie up, nodding to T'Laith.

Brynn shook her head. She wanted to hold on, to feel safe, but it was too much, her skin was burning- She abruptly pulled away, shuddering, shaking out her arms. “I’m- I’m sorry- I can’t- I can’t-”

Sam laughed softly, shaking his head. “Ah, yes.” He looked down at Ginger and held his hands out to her. “C'mon, up, drama queen.”

Starla jumped a bit, looking over at Lily. She smiled weakly. But she stayed silent, because what could she even say? How many of them would even be able to look at her after this? She had the face of a monster, a murderer…

“Shit, Fergus,” Audrey sighed, grabbing Will’s hand and dragging him after her as she searched for the other Klingon. He’d been struggling, since the war, at keeping in control, and this wouldn’t help at all-

“Fergus!” She ran up to him, holding up her hand. “Hey, hey, are you okay?”

Fergus paused, looking around, processing everything. “… actually… yes.”

Spock nods understandingly. “Then, perhaps we should rejoin the remainder of the family. It would seem Jacklynn has much to talk about.”

“When she’s talking again,” Rebecca murmurs a bit at that, glancing back again.

“You’re telling me to behave?! Michael just threw a rock at my head!!” Sybok sets his hands on his hips and wrinkles his nose back at his daughter.

T’Laith nods back to him and glances around at the family spread out, pausing a moment.

Sylvia holds up a finger. “I got this.” She takes a moment and lets out a shrill whistle. “If the rest of this family wants to get any answers, get the fuck over here, guys!”

Rebecca snorts. “That’s Aunt Sylvia, all right. C’mon.”

James nods understandingly to Brynn, holding Aida still, looking up and motioning the girls to the family.

Ginger pouts. “I am not dramatic, I’m injured. Put a little respect on it.”

“You’re a security officer,” Nova rolls her eyes at her sister.

Ginger frowns and reaches up for Sam’s help, taking ahold of his hands and getting up slowly.

Lily squeezes Starla’s hand. “Lass, she isn’t you. Okay?”

Will lets out a startled little “mleh?!” at being grabbed and dragged over to Fergus but quickly pulls himself together and follows her over, looking worried when she addresses him, pausing at the answer. “Are you sure? This was...”

He shudders.

And to make matters worse, this is with him disregarding his little sister in the brig of the Orville, because she’d helped Valeris with all of this.

[starbcrn-kids]

unscrxpted​:

Mal made a noise in response, but didn’t turn back. Instead, she stood, stretched her wings, and flew up and over to her grandfather, nuzzling his cheek gently before flying back to Liz and perching on her shoulder. Liz chuckled softly, sniffling, reaching up and patting Mal’s head.

Tayen sighed and shook her head, laughing weakly at her father and aunt. She looked over towards Jackie, pulling away from Sybok a bit. “Jackie?”

Brynn mumbled a bit, just hiding from the world. James made her feel safe. Protected. Like nothing could hurt her. And she needed that, after fighting, after using powers she’d sworn she’d never use…

Aida whined and cried quietly. That was- that was terrifying. She wanted to act tough, like it didn’t get to her, but she couldn’t even bring herself to pretend that she wasn’t scared. That woman took Hailey… she’d have taken James, too, if she’d gotten the chance.

Levi blinked as Jackie fell away from him, sighing and rubbing his face. “Yep. Dumbass.”

Definitely a dumbass. But a dumbass he loved with every last bit of what was left of his fucked up soul.

“Hey,” Sam said, hurrying to Nova. “Hey. Hey. You okay?”

Starla clenched and unclenched her fists, staring with dead eyes at the corpse that looked like… her. Of course she knew that faces duplicated across universes, but… but seeing it, seeing another her… it was different. A lot different.

Especially when that other her was an enemy of her crew.

Spock nods understandingly when Mal doesn’t turn back, smiling faintly and sighing, clearing his throat and addressing the pair. “We need to make arrangements for Hailey if you are up for it now. It can wait if you are not ready.”

Rebecca reaches out and takes Liz’s hand gently, reassuringly. “Dad and I will be with you for the whole thing, okay?”

“She will be all right, although--” T’Laith shifts her hold a bit to better support the girl-- “--it would likely be best for me to take her back to the Polyhymnia just to have somewhere stable to lay her down.”

Sybok rolls his eyes. “Girl forces Valeris to lay on the ground, then get up, with a movement from her hand while standing right here, and she’s the one who gets to faint dramatically?”

Michael throws something at her brother. He catches it, revealing she’d picked up a small pebble from the wreckage around them. “I’m just saying.”

James holds onto his girls. “Shh... sh-sh... it’s okay... you’re okay... we’re okay... everything is gonna be just fine... I promise...”

Nova smiles softly at Sam, holding up a hand. “I’m fine, I’m fine. They weren’t targeting me.” She glances to Liz and Mal a moment and then back to him. “And even if they were, I had the luck of sheer crazy on my side.”

“Owwww,” Ginger is holding her shoulder, sitting on the ground and whining like the drama queen they’ve always known her to be. “Bitch packed a punch.”

Lily sees Starla, walking over to her, following her gaze and clearing her throat. Oh, hell, what can she even say to that?

So, she doesn’t, reaching out and gently taking Starla’s hand, trying to reassure her, silently, that everything would be okay.

[starbcrn-kids]

unscrxpted​:

Liz sighed softly, cradling a small purple dragon close to her chest, sniffling and blinking away tears. “Um… I guess she panicked. In the middle of all that chaos, she… well…” Mal lifted her head slightly, quietly trilling at Spock.

Tayen holstered her phaser, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and shook her head. “Why couldn’t they just accept that they lost? What was the point in this?”

“Because some people just refuse to let go,” Azura mumbled, looking down. She was one of those, once. Couldn’t let go of her family. Which wasn’t the same as what these people couldn’t let go of, but… still. Liam wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

Brynn ran over to James, nearly tackling him as she hugged him, burying her face against his shirt. Never again. Never again. She hated fighting, hated existing on instinct…

Mackenzie winced at Brynn. “I’m sorry, Brynn. I-”

“I know,” Brynn said, her voice slightly muffled. You wouldn’t have done it if you saw another way. Mackenzie sighed a bit, nodding to James, going back over to where she had Eretria hide during the commotion.

Levi turned back to Jackie, holding out his hands when she swayed. “You’re about to faint, aren’t you?”

Spock sighs and smiles very softly at his dragon granddaughter. "It is all right, Mal. It is over, you are safe."

Rebecca glances back to the rest of the family, pausing and watching Jackie. "3... 2..."

Sybok wraps his arms around his daughter, holding her close, shaking his head. "Sometimes, when you get too caught up in something, your idealist tendencies can lead you to some pretty bad places."

"That, coming from the man who kidnapped diplomats from the Federation, Klingon Empire, and Romulan Empire and then stole the Enterprise," Michael says dryly, turning to Jackie and looking worried.

Sybok mutters something about Starfleet's first mutineer but also turns his attention to his niece. "Kiddo, you're not looking too great."

James pulls her and Aida both in close, hugging them as tightly as he can, pressing kisses to the sides of their heads. "It's okay. It's okay. You're safe."

Jackie blinks rapidly. "Wow, wow, wow it's been-- it's been a long time since I've done something that bit--"

And she drops, falling backwards away from Levi's arms...

Into Nurse T'Laith, who'd come to check on the family. The nurse sighs a moment and shakes her head. "I must assume it is a family thing."

Rebecca nods as Jackie drops when she hits 0. "There she goes. All right. That's fun. Lots going on in this family."