cityship: (Meanwhile...)
cityship ([personal profile] cityship) wrote in [community profile] trans_92011-06-26 12:42 am

"Listening to others, considering well what they say" (Part 3: Maingate Hotel)

The Maingate Hotel was pretty extravagant, and an entire section of it had been eked out for the crew's use during their stay. They had several suites, three communal areas, a conference room, their own kitchen with a chef on call if they required her.

They were all teleported from the main teleport pad of the hotel into the conference room, which was a large enough room to be able to hold a group their size and had plenty of chairs arranged in a circular pattern so they could mostly all face each other or whoever was in the middle of the room.

Everyone had to settle down so they were all able to talk, and the meeting itself would have to be carefully controlled so they wouldn't all talk over each other. But they were up for the task, right?

[ooc: Guardian Setup, General Mingling, Clone Checkup, Newbie Briefing, General Briefing, More Mingling, Back to the Meeting, and The Idea Guy sections are open. Backup characters introduced to the plot can join in the mingling subthreads if they want. The opening of new subthreads will be announced here and the ooc. Please read the linked OOC post for a plot timeline.]

[identity profile] so-pregnable.livejournal.com 2011-06-27 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't think it matters," Kon said. "That is to say it does. It matters for our decision, but a situation like this? They're going to want nothing short of freedom. But their freedom screws over the whole society. Screwing over the society doesn't get us our tech."

"It matters to the people that want to make the right choice, not the ones that want to make the pragmatic one."
theboywhowaits: (You Can Trust Me)

[personal profile] theboywhowaits 2011-06-27 07:06 am (UTC)(link)
"I can't fault them for that, for wanting their freedom. But maybe we could discuss a different way with them, at the moment there are quite a lot of civilian casualties. Or at least, that's what's been reported. If that's untrue, well. PR is important, sometimes." He looked away, sighing quietly. Conner was right, if they sided improperly, they didn't did they tech. If they sided properly, then they made the wrong moral choice.

"It's a large group, and the Doctor is here now. He's good at this sort of thing, talking. If anyone can reach an agreement of sorts, then I think he can."

[identity profile] so-pregnable.livejournal.com 2011-06-27 07:12 am (UTC)(link)
Silence again, but then Conner nodded, even if it was reluctant.

His face quirked into an odd little expression.

"Can you do that thing parents do where they pet your head and tell you everything's gonna be okay? I know it probably won't be, but I could use it right now."
Edited 2011-06-27 07:16 (UTC)
theboywhowaits: (You Can Trust Me)

[personal profile] theboywhowaits 2011-06-27 07:20 am (UTC)(link)
Rory snorted, soft, and turned to look at his son for a moment, clasping a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to figure this out, Conner. I promise you. Everything will be fine and you'll be back on the ship telling Molly and Amy how heroic you were before the week is out. You're too tall for me to pat your head, bend over so I can do it proper."

It felt a bit strange, but he meant it, and he knew it was what he wanted. Sometimes, safe little lies made things better for the moment, and Conner had had an awfully long day.

[identity profile] so-pregnable.livejournal.com 2011-06-27 07:21 am (UTC)(link)
Conner bent down so he could.
theboywhowaits: (Loveable Dork)

[personal profile] theboywhowaits 2011-06-27 07:25 am (UTC)(link)
Rory obediently reached out and ruffled his hair, smoothing it back down after a moment with a gentle brush of his finger tips. "It'll be fine, remember, I have a sword."

[identity profile] so-pregnable.livejournal.com 2011-06-27 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
"That's the stuff, right there."

Conner actually laughed at the sword bit.

"You're right. You have a sword. It'll be fine."

It probably wasn't going to be, but what mattered was what was unsaid. Rory saw him as a person, and he understood his anger, and that anger was okay.

Being understood by someone was a hell of a thing.
theboywhowaits: (A Kiss For the Top Of Your Head/I'm Here)

[personal profile] theboywhowaits 2011-06-27 07:37 am (UTC)(link)
Rory laughed, mussing his hair beyond repair before he let him up. "At the very least, they'll be too busy laughing to think we're a threat."

Sometimes, when life was completely mad, a little bit of forced normalcy did help. But he could never not see Conner as a person, or forget that as a little boy he'd sucked his thumb when he didn't have something else in his mouth.

Conner was human, even the bits of him that were alien, the boy inside was human and needed reassurance and validation and moment to forget about the alien graffiti someone had scrawled on his forehead. Rory was glad to hear him laugh.

[identity profile] so-pregnable.livejournal.com 2011-06-27 07:57 am (UTC)(link)
The smile faded a little.

"I know this is the typical teen angst thing, mixed with the war, mixed with my memories being choppy and cobbled together, mixed with a cloney-half-alien-weapon-self-esteemy-paradigm thing, but I've never been as twisted up as I have been for the last long while. I'm Mr. Rolls-with-the-punches, you know? Always have been. I've had my share of angst in the past, but I've never been as lost as I have been."

His shoulders bunched up in a deep shrug of dissatisfaction.

"I'm supposed to be close to being an adult now, closer to being like Kal is, all with it, and together, and--and super--but it feels like everything that happens just makes me feel more lost."

His eyebrows furrowed sharply.

"I miss having giant robots to punch and bad guys that wore skulls so you knew they were bad guys. I miss having easy choices, even when they were hard ones, like choosing to die to save everyone."

Turning to look at Rory, he said, "I miss waking up each day excited for tomorrow."

Looking back at an alien sky, he shook his head again, "When am I going to stop being so mixed up and start feeling like a grownup? Or does the war mean it'll be never?"
theboywhowaits: (Default)

[personal profile] theboywhowaits 2011-06-27 08:36 am (UTC)(link)
"Conner." He sighed, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "That uncertainty? Nothing being simple? That is adulthood, that's what being responsible feels like. It's not simple, it's never clear cut. I wish it was. I wish all the people in the world with evil intentions had to file paperwork with the local police and always got caught. But it's not black and white. It's complicated. Being a teenager is the last time in life you will ever feel like you know everything."

He frowned, wishing he could encourage Superman to stop lying to Conner. To stop presenting himself as untouchable. Conner had managed to screw himself up quiet properly just by thinking that he wasn't allowed to feel negative things.

"Sometimes it happens all at once, it all fits together. Depends on the person. Some of my friends from school still don't seem to have it figured out. But I think you'll do fine, Conner. You've got a good start."

He paused. "And to be completely fair, a few days ago you were a toddler. I think you're allowed to have an off day or two after that."

[identity profile] so-pregnable.livejournal.com 2011-06-27 08:44 am (UTC)(link)
Kon snorted.

"Great, so having to work through all this just means I am growing up. And there's a lifetime more of this. Joy."

At least he was here to do it, though.
theboywhowaits: (And Then The World Changed)

[personal profile] theboywhowaits 2011-06-27 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"It becomes automatic, after awhile. But, it's living Conner, and you've done quiet a lot of that already, yeah?" He smiled quietly, wishing his son was still small enough to be picked up, he sounded like he could use a good hug at the moment. "I think you'll do just fine."

And that wasn't just the confidence of a parent, as far as the people he was looking after at the moment, Conner was the one he had the least fear of being able to thrive.