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[tearsinajar]

I feel like, with everything that's going on, I've lost track of time.

I mean, we've been on a ship for so long, we've gone on a few planet trips, and then there was that whole— [ Elena waves a hand, dismissive. Only because that's a difficult one to process. ] —year thing. Or at least I think it was a year.

Not only that but we've gone and swapped out captains, most of us have survived a ship crash landing or two, and Lord knows what else.

But in all of that— and yes, there's a point to this— how are you supposed to celebrate a birthday when you've barely had any time to sit down and process everything? When you sit down and keep asking yourself, "What day is it?" or "What month are we at?" or better yet— "How old am I again?"

[ Like the song What's my age again? ]

I really doubt this place has a bar with decent male strippers.

[ A tiny pause. She makes a face. Oh god. ]

...what if they're alien male strippers? What am I supposed to do with that?

Comments

{ video }

[tearsinajar]

That's definitely an option.

[frostedplum]

Were you thinking your birthday might be soon?

[tearsinajar]

It already passed. Yesterday.

[frostedplum]

Oh! Happy birthday to you!

[ Random person she doesn't really know yet... ]

You should definitely find a way to celebrate here.

[tearsinajar]

Thank you!

[ What a sweetheart. ]

That's what I'm trying to do. It's a little difficult when everything feels so different.

[frostedplum]

You're welcome.

[ She tries. :D ]

That's true! We have a lot to get used to, but at least you're not alone, right?

[ She pauses to nudge her glasses up her nose a little. ]

I wouldn't recommend looking for entertainment on Chioni. There's nothing here but the wilds.

[tearsinajar]

Definitely not alone. I have some friends and family from home here with me.

[ Oh... ]

You've been to Chioni?

[frostedplum]

How lucky! There are some people here who were in the same peacekeeping organization as I was.

[ Yeah, not a very active nightlife on this planet. ]

Yes. I heard there was a need for researchers here so I came to take a look. The weather changes so drastically here, that it's a fascinating subject for study. [ She smiles proudly. ] I'm a climatologist.

[tearsinajar]

That's good. You aren't alone. Was the organization big?

Oh, so you look into climate change and whatnot? That sounds like really fun work. Probably lots to learn since climate is always changing.

[frostedplum]

Oh yes. There were people from all over the world who came to be a part of it. Soldiers, scientists, doctors. We were hoping to make the world a better place. [ Her smile turns a little sad. ] But it's been disbanded for years now.

Anyway, yes! I enjoy my work. Some people think it's just a lot of data but the data lets you see what's happening to the world when you can't tell just from looking up at the sky.

[tearsinajar]

Were you also part of the Overwatch organization?

It always takes some deeper digging to get to the root of things, like any investigation. My favorite part.