[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]

(It's so interesting to watch her switch back and forth between languages. Lucretia watches her pick out the little words, nodding and copying them down into her own journal just out of interest.)

I understand. It's alright, I can make do with what we have.

[dancingmd]

I should have... mmm... (She looks up another word.) ’Ij (Listen) more in language class. When I was young.

[scholiast]

I dunno, I think you're doing pretty well all things considered.

(She chuckles, and returns to the tricorder, scrolling through with a fingertip.) Are there many different languages, where you come from?

[dancingmd]

HIja’! Thousands and thousands! The Federation alone is 150 planets.

[scholiast]

Wow. What's the Federation?

I've been lucky enough during my mission to run into people who more or less speak a language that I am handy with.

(There have been a couple of exceptions of course, but they've always made due just fine.)

[dancingmd]

It's our government... A uh... Democratic group of planets.

[scholiast]

An group?

(She pauses scrolling to give Beverly her full attention.) How does that work, exactly? Wouldn't it be easier to let each planet govern itself?

[dancingmd]

Voluntary membership.

(She works her mouth thoughtfully, then decides to let the tricorder do the explaining. After pressing a few buttons she hands it back to Lucretia, where it's displaying something like an encyclopedia entry:

The United Federation of Planets (abbreviated as UFP and commonly referred to as the Federation) is an interstellar federal republic, composed of planetary governments that agree to exist semi-autonomously under a single central government based on the principles of universal liberty, rights, and equality, and to share their knowledge and resources in peaceful cooperation, scientific development, space exploration and defensive purposes.)

ooc:from here

i just noticed 'an group' in my previous tag and lost it hahahaha

[scholiast]

(She nods as she reads, dutifully impressed by the concept.)

And I suppose your ship falls underneath of this government's rules?

Shh we will pretend

[dancingmd]

Mmm. We are members of Starfleet...the ah... Diplomatic and research fleet for the Federation. Defense, if needed.

ty ♡

[scholiast]

Sure.

(It all fits. Pulling the dictionary back up, she finds that she's stumped on where to begin exactly. There's a lot of data here.)

Any idea of where it would be best to start?

[dancingmd]

Um. Conversation.

(She flushes.)

I mostly know...fighting terms. In Klingon.

[scholiast]

Fighting terms, huh?

(She gives Beverly a little sidelong look.) How did that come about?

[dancingmd]

Mok'bara. (This word doesn't translate, as there are no equivalent terms in Common) It's a Klingon martial art. Worf taught me. He's my crewmate. A Klingon.

[scholiast]

You know martial arts too?

(What don't you know, Beverly.) That's amazing.

[dancingmd]

[She nods.] I could show you, sometime.

[scholiast]

Yes please.

(Hopefully she didn't say that as quickly as she thinks she just did oops. She blinks, and goes back to the tricorder.)

A coworker of mine tried to teach me how to throw a punch once. It didn't go very well.

[dancingmd]

(It was a quick response, but it just makes Beverly smile.).

I can teach you how jaD jagh (to throw an enemy). Better than qIp (to punch).

[scholiast]

(She glances at Beverly, and raises an eyebrow.)

You really think that I could throw somebody? (L... look at her.)

[dancingmd]

HIja'! It's perfect for small people! You use your jagh's heavy against them. And they never expect it!

[scholiast]

I think I'll have to take your word for it! But I would like to see it in action some time.

[dancingmd]

Hope it's just in training. Not a real fight!

[scholiast]

Of course! If you're ever in danger of getting into a fight though, be sure to let me know. I can run support.

[dancingmd]

(She smiles.) I don't plan on any fights any time soon. But I'll call you.

[scholiast]

Okay.

(She smiles, but; ugh, she keeps getting distracted and pausing her go-through of the list of words to make flirty little comments! You had one job Lucretia. She turns back to her work, resolving to not let her attention be stolen again.)