[open] dancing queen young and sweet

[dancingmd]

who: Beverly Crusher, as a teenager
what: Flower-swap that leads to a deaged Beverly
when: April 9
where: Riverview Central Park
warnings: n/a


i. blossom picnic

[All of this is... weird, to say the least, waking up on a strange planet with no memory of how she got here, with only the word of a very concerned-looking older woman clutching a bunch of blue flowers (Nana would know what they were, surely, but it doesn't look like anything they grow on Caldos) that she's safe. She can't say why exactly, but she does trust this woman implicitly, as if she's known her all her life. So when Lucretia (the woman's name - she really is very nice) tells her she's actually thirty years older and that a magic flower turned her back into a teenager she accepts it much more readily than she ought to or normally would.

And now she's here, at a picnic, wondering if there's anyone else here that she's forgotten, anyone else who knows her as Dr. Crusher (which is cool as hell, by the way - and she's in Starfleet!!!), not plain old Beverly Howard. It's an uncomfortable thought but ice cream always makes everything better, right?

She stands staring at the menu, taking an impossibly long time to decide.]

I don't know which one I should get...

ii. dances

[Once she starts feeling more comfortable with this whole situation, she can't help but be drawn to all the dancing going on, especially out on the streets. And while adult Beverly is an excellent dancer, teenage Beverly is simply phenomenal (After all, it isn't that long ago that she won several big championships). Pretty soon, she's got a little crowd watching her tap dance on the sidewalk, her feet going at a frantic pace and her grin as big as they come.

Or perhaps later you might see her outside a jazz club arguing with a bouncer.]

Come on, I'm seventeen, that's practically the same thing! [Sorry, kid, but he remains firm. She huffs.] Yeah well... your music probably sucks anyway!

[Great comeback, A+]

iii. wildcard

[Got another prompt in mind? hmu!]

Comments

[dancingmd]

(She would not say no to a hug, but she's not expecting it either. It's enough, though, to know Lucretia cares, even if the situation is strange for the both of them.)

The colony was doing really well, at first. Our crops were flourishing, babies were being born, I had friends and school and Nana had her work... it was small and quiet and kind of boring sometimes, but it was home.

[scholiast]

I know the feeling.

(Her home was much the same: school, work, friends and family. Nothing particularly exciting until she joined the IPRE.)

Did... did something happen to it?

[dancingmd]

(Beverly nods. Her voice is shaky as she speaks, but she doesn't cry. Maybe she's cried too much over this already.)

I still don't know how it started. I don't think anyone does - the planet's been quarantined now. Like here, except there's no one left.

There was... a plague, is the best word for it. We weren't equipped to deal with anything like it and our medical supplies quickly ran out. We wouldn't get restocked for weeks, even once we sent out a distress signal. Nana turned to traditional herbal remedies but...

[scholiast]

(Lucretia swallows, suddenly uncomfortable. A plague that stole across her home planet, and left nothing in its wake? They really do have a lot in common, don't they. The shake in Beverly's voice is enough to prompt her to stand, and come to sit next to her, bumping their shoulders gently together for support.)

I'm sorry, (she says, watching the slow rise and fall of Agatha's little body as she snoozes.) Did the traditional remedies work at all?

[dancingmd]

(Automatically she leans against Lucretia. Beverly's always taken comfort in physical contact.)

They did. Nana saved lots of people. But others... all we could do was ease their pain.

[scholiast]

You did the best with what you had.

(It must have been hard, though. What sounds like the two of them, versus all of that.) I'm sorry that happened to you.

[dancingmd]

It was awful. Sometimes I still see them, in my dreams. Nana says I probably always will. But I think that's a good thing - I don't want to forget them, any of them.

[scholiast]

That's a lot to carry around with you.

Have you thought of writing about it? Whenever I have nightmares, I try to write about them. It helps.

[dancingmd]

(She shakes her head.) I haven't but... that's a good idea.

(Tentatively, she rests her hand on Lucretia's forearm.)

I'm sorry that you have nightmares too.

[scholiast]

Thank you. They're getting better.

(That's because of Beverly of course, but Lucretia won't tell her that!)

I know that it's hard now, but it won't be like this forever.

[dancingmd]

(She can tell her another time. Adult Beverly would be very happy to know that!)

Is... adult-me pretty happy then?

[scholiast]

Yes.

(She'd like to think so, at least!) She works at the hospital; I get to hear a lot of stories about that. She's very hardworking and dedicated.

[dancingmd]

Good.

(She smiles softly up at Lucretia.)

How long do you think, until I turn back into her?

[scholiast]

It can't be for much longer. While this place does like to mess with people, it never maintains the joke for longer than a few hours.

[dancingmd]

Do you think she'll remember? Being me, I mean.

[scholiast]

I was thinking about that too... it's hard to say.

If she doesn't, would you like me to pass anything on to her for you?

[dancingmd]

I mean, you have to tell her that you magically beat up a guy for me!

And also maybe not to ever go back to that club.

[scholiast]

(That makes her snigger. The saving her girlfriend's life joke reigns supreme.)

Oh I'll be sure to mention it, don't you worry.

[dancingmd]

(Beverly's smile turns into a yawn. It's been a long day, however you look at it.)

Ahh, I'm so tired!

[scholiast]

I'm not surprised.

Do you want to nap on the couch? I can get you a pillow and blankets.

[dancingmd]

Yes, thank you.

(She yawns again.)

For everything.

[scholiast]

Of course.

(She has no idea what tiny Beverly must think of all this, but she gives her an affectionate hair ruffle before she gets up to go and get her a comforter from their bed. She grabs Beverly's pillow and a few blankets for good measure and stops to say hello to Christie (who had tried to find refuge under the bed), but she darts away again before Lucretia can so much as reach for her. So much for that.

She's chuckling as she brings everything back out in one armload.)

[dancingmd]

(By the time she returns with the blankets, Beverly's fallen fast asleep, and what's more - she's reverted back to her adult self. Agatha, seemingly unbothered by these transformations, lies curled up next to her.)

[scholiast]

(Oh! So she has!

Lucretia pauses for a moment, startled by just how quickly she reverted, but Beverly seems to be fast asleep. She dutifully comes to tuck her in, leaving the extra blanket at the foot of the couch for her just in case she wakes up. For a moment she perches on the edge of it and watches her, reaching to brush her hair lightly back from her forehead, but after that she stands and takes herself away, back to their bedroom to get some sleep too.)