[open]

[dancingmd]

who: Beverly Crusher and you!
what: Amnesia Event: Beverly is slowly going to be losing the memory of her native language - ie English Federation Standard
when: August 12-16
where: Most anywhere around Riverview you'd like to run into her, really
warnings: none



August 12-13
It starts innocently enough. A few words that dance on the tip of her tongue, just out of reach.

"Could you hand me the ah..." With a small frown, Beverly gestures at the scanner sitting on her work table across the room. Scanner's not right. What’s the term... Tricorder?, her nurse suggests. "Yes, the tricorder! Thank you!"

Not enough coffee, Beverly thinks, shrugging it off as overworking. Except when she stops by the cafe the next morning, coffee escapes her as well. "One…” She searches for the right word. “Raktajino, please." The barista stares. The word is too specific to Klingon for the translator to pick up and Beverly flushes. Her eyes dart up to the menu, zeroing in on what has to be the right word. With a nervous smile of apology, she tries again.

Shaken, she takes her cup of coffee - coffee, coffee, coffee she tries to remind herself - back to a small table by the window. She doesn’t drink. Something is very, very wrong here.

August 14-15
By now, she’s heard about the spores, run into other people suffering memory losses. It’s not… comforting exactly, but it is something. At least she knows it’s not just her. And maybe she can do something to help. If she doesn’t lose all her words first, that is. She’s found she can supplement some things with bits and pieces of other languages - the Klingon she’s picked up from Worf (Unfortunately, she mostly learned what she knows from martial arts classes with him. It’s not too often one needs to bring up kicks and punches when dissecting a plant. Fortunately, Klingons have an almost artistic appreciation for cursing, which she finds is coming in very useful) or Betazoid, even a few Vulcan. It’s a haphazard linguistic mish-mash, but whatever magic Riverview uses as a universal translator seems to be able to take on the job for the time being.

Having her on regular rotation at the hospital right now is out of the question, of course, so she can be found mostly in the research labs or even at Gramarye or the hydroponics garden to see what other people are working on.

August 16
Eventually, she’s opting to stay silent around people. More often than not, she babbles when she speaks, to her endless frustration. So she seeks solace in the library, sitting on one of the big comfy reading chairs with her legs tucked under her and a children’s picture book propped in her lap. Each page has an illustration from everyday life where big bold letters tell you what you’re seeing. Tree. Fireman. Cat. This she can still do, the alphabet and sounding things out, her forefinger underlining the syllables. Images of Wesley come to mind, of her guiding his tiny hands across the page, of him grinning up at her when he figured out a really hard word. Hydrant.

With a sigh, she turns the page. There's a map. Where, she doesn't know - the shapes are all wrong. "Is-land," she reads out loud. No, that's not right is it? "Eye-land." Better, but even though she remembers for the moment, no doubt it will slip away like the others.

Comments

[scholiast]

Okay.

(Maybe she can try looking into this later. She wants to write that down and has an awkward moment where she looks down at the stack of books in her arms, then around for somewhere to put them down, because her journal is wedged into the middle of it.)

Uh, I don't know if I can help per-say, but I want to try.

[dancingmd]

(Despite her frustrations, Beverly can't help but grin a little at Lucretia's predicament. How very like her, to have too many books to handle. She helpfully holds out her arms for Lucretia to hand her the stack.)

It helps, just gla-tor you.

(Other than Leonard and Jim, Lucretia is far and away the person Beverly feels closest to in Riverview.)

A comfort.

[scholiast]

(She gratefully hands off the books, then gently tugs her journal out and flips it open so she can quickly jot down not only the information about the spores, but about Klingon, and Vulcan too. She'll come back to it later.)

Thank you. (She scoops the books back into her arms, leaving her journal balanced on top of the stack. Beverly's next words make her blink, and fluster, because she isn't used to being a particularly comforting presence for anybody.)

Um, good. Good, I– I'm glad.

[dancingmd]

(Oh no don't fluster, that'll just make it worse for you.)

I'm glad I'm not... the only one who's having a hard time with words.

(Wipe that infernal grin off your face.)

[scholiast]

(stop it's so much)

I don't usually, (Lucretia protests, embarrassed to be called out at all,) I– uh, I'm not good with compliments?

(It's worse when they're from people she admires too, ack.)

[dancingmd]

Then I will have to help you, ah... Practice.

(Teasing is so much harder when you're forgetting words but by god she's going to persevere.)

[scholiast]

(She's doing a pretty good job! Lucretia's ears feel hot.)

Okay. But maybe after we get your memories back, huh?

[dancingmd]

Okay.

(Her expression shifts from mischievous to thoughtful.)

Do you have time to talk? I have an idea.

[scholiast]

Of course. (Always, Beverly.)

Do you mind if we stop by my office really quick so I can drop these off?

[dancingmd]

(She nods, then holds out her hands again.)

Let me help!

[scholiast]

Thank you!

(She gives Beverly half of the stack, then sets off down the hallway again, motioning with her head for Beverly to follow her.)

[dancingmd]

(She follows dutifully along, curious to see what her friend's office looks like. She ought to have stopped by before this, she chides herself. But better late than never!)

[scholiast]

(What an odd way to introduce Beverly to the place where she works! Thankfully, her office is only a short walk away. Lucretia cracks the door to it open with slight hesitance because she can't remember how much of a tip it is, but it's fine. Fine, in this instance, is looking almost full to the brim with paper: there are books everywhere. Little stacks of papers strewn across her desk are ringed with empty mugs and pens, and hanging on the wall behind her desk is a landscape painting of the riverbank just outside Quarantine, her favourite location.

Lucretia turns to take Beverly's half of the stack from her with a quick smile.)

Gimme a moment to find a place for these.

[dancingmd]

[Frankly, it looks about like what Beverly imagined and she smiles fondly at Lucretia as she hands off the books and takes a look around the room. She's careful not to disturb anything but she is very curious to read the titles of the books. One benefit of the Quarantine is a whole new world of books she's never encountered. Jean-Luc would be jealous.]

[scholiast]

(They're mostly a collection of titles about magic, and several are even dissertations written by people working for Gramarye, but there's the odd fiction title in there too. Lucretia is an avid reader.

She finds a spot for the books and flashes Beverly a quick thumbs up as she picks her way back across her little office space.)

Sorry, it's a bit cluttered.

[dancingmd]

It's okay.

[Messier than her own office, but that mostly comes out of her Starfleet training more than a personal aversion to clutter. As long as it doesn't get unsanitary, she's fine.]

I thought... You are good with language, right?

[scholiast]

Um, yes. (She can't really be modest about this one; it's just true.)

I speak eight languages. But nothing that you've been saying in either Vulcan or Klingon has sounded even remotely familiar to me, unfortunately.

[dancingmd]

But you know um... Word rules. How languages are put together. If this gets worse, I will need to learn them better. I know more Klingon words but Vulcan word rules are easier. So maybe you can help me learn.

[scholiast]

Yeah, that sounds plausible... (it's a really good idea, actually. She's impressed.)

We can sit down and hash it out together.

[dancingmd]

(She smiles, pleased that Lucretia thinks this could work.)

The ah...

(Right. That was the first word to go. So she pulls her tricorder out to show Lucretia.)

There should be a dictionary in here, to help.

[scholiast]

(Her eyes light up appreciatively at the sight of the tricorder. Excellent, she's been coveting a go with this thing.)

Fantastic. Um– we should... (her voice trails off as she makes a face at her busy desk.) Find somewhere else to go, probably.

The library will be quiet.

[dancingmd]

(Beverly laughs softly.) Okay! Wherever is best.

[scholiast]

(She smiles tentatively in return, made a little bashful by her smile.)

Gotcha. Um, follow me, I guess.

[dancingmd]

(Oh Lucretia, you're too cute.

Beverly stands and gestures for Lucretia to lead the way.)

[scholiast]

(She's a mess.

They find a little spot in the library to settle down and Lucretia, ever mindful of an opportunity to take notes about language, lets her journal fall open on a blank page so she can write as she goes. This is so exciting to her; she has to keep reminding herself that Beverly is not so stoked about the circumstances.)

Okay. May I see the tricorder?