3c: Mabellyne First Flight

[Scene: A small ship's wardroom. There is a small table with five chairs. The walls are wooden, with portholes, and on them are a variety of fantastical tools, devices, and weapons. GLADYS sits at the table with a bandage around her head, reading a book. MABELLYNE is pacing around, agitated, fiddling with a tool. Enter RA FAL, in good spirits.]

Ra Fal: We are all secure now, flying with a steady wind in open space. Tsinta can handle everything herself for the rest of the shift, but she will yell for us if anything unexpected comes up.

Mabellyne: How are Mary and Sofonisba?

Ra fal: They are doing the post-flight maintenance on their brooms, they should be done soon.

Mabellyne: What should I be doing now?

Ra fal [shrugs]: Just rest and relax. Sometime tomorrow when we are all awake, you will need to show us the basics of running the engine and keel, but we have all done enough for today.

Mabellyne: Aye, captain.

[There is an awkward silence. GLADYS flips a page in her book.]

Ra Fal: Hey, for a couple of landlubbers, you both did pretty good today. We made a lot of progress, and I am confident that we could handle anything short of a storm. We will have this chewed up in a few days, and then it will be smooth sailing.

Mabellyne: Aye, captain.

Ra Fal: We will all feel better once we get some food in us. Whatever Sofonisba put in those galley pots is starting to smell delicious.

Gladys [still looking at her book]: Split-pea stew with garlic, onions, and mealworms. It needs to cook another two hours.

Ra Fal: My stomach will eat itself before then. I am sure she will not mind if I eat some pemmican to tide me over. [goes over to a container on the wall] Want any?

Gladys: Sure.

Mabellyne: No, thank you.

[RA FAL sits at the table, breaks a pemmican square in half and hands one to Gladys. They eat in silence.]

[Enter MARY and SOFONISBA]

Mary [sees Gladys]: Oh, you're hurt! What happened? Are you okay?

Gladys [still looking at her book]: Got hit by boom. Will not make that mistake again. Will heal soon, have thick head.

Mary: Oh. Well, let me know what I can do to help. Hmm, I should probably learn first aid. Can you teach me? I haven't done much aside from removing splinters and keeping things clean when I scrape myself up, but I learn fast and I'd love to study an expert like you.

Gladys [looks up with interest]: Yes, I can do that. But not today.

Mary: Of course.

Ra fal [to Mary] How was your trip?

Mary [excitedly]: It was great! [looks around, sees Mabellyne, and lowers her voice and speaks more softly] I learned a lot. Sofonisba really worked me hard. I did a lot of zero gravity acrobatics, jumping from rock to rock. And there was the broomstick flying, which drained me, so now I am really tired. But it was worth it.

Ra fal: The next few days are going to be rough as we do a lot of new things and adjust to new shifts and sleeping schedules. Trust me, it gets better.

Mary: I am so glad to hear that. [She looks at Mabellyne again, and catches her eyes for a second, and then turns to Sofonisba]: Sofonisba?

Sofonisba: Yes?

Mary: Have you ever flown one of these ships before?

Sofonisba: No, the others were going to teach me tomorrow.

Mary: You and Gladys have second shift together. I know it is a lot to ask, but I'd feel a lot safer if you learned the basics and practiced under Ra Fal's guidance a bit before she and I fall asleep. Could you all do that for me, please?

Sofonisba [smiles benevolently]: Of course, Mary. Have no fear, we will practice until we can handle things safely.

Gladys: Sure, makes sense.

Ra fal [looks at Mary, then glances at Mabellyne, then nods respectfully at Mary]: Good call.

[Exeunt SOFONISBA, GLADYS, and RA FAL]

Mary [stretches, then casually speaks to Mabellyne]: By the gods, this has been a long day. Hey, do you play dragonchess? It always helps me unwind after a rough day.

Mabellyne: Yes, actually I do. That does sound nice.

Mary: I have a travel set in my bunk, let me go get it.

[MARY leaves. MABELLYNE fidgets for a little bit, then slowly starts to relax, and looks thoughtful. MARY returns and puts a box on the table.]

Mary: Can you set up the board while I stretch my legs? I don't want to get stiff when I sit down.

Mabellyne: Of course. [She opens the box and starts inspecting the pieces.] These are old. Is this an original Arkhosian set?

Mary [while stretching]: Probably. Aside from mica armor, most of what my family owns was pulled out of some ancient ruin.

Mabellyne: Adventuring really is in your blood.

Mary: I never thought of it like that, but I guess you're right.

Mabellyne [starts arranging pieces on three different boards]: Why did you not think of yourself as having adventuring blood?

Mary: It is always the men who go out on adventures. Women are expected to stay home running the house or throwing parties or casting spells or playing politics or something.

Mabellyne: I had read about some human societies having those gender norms.

Mary: How are goblins different? The goblin men in Boomport seemed a lot like the, um, well, like a lot of human men.

Mabellyne [smiles knowingly]: I think you were about to say something like 'low-class human men'.

Mary: Well yes but I did not mean to insult your people I know that not all goblin men are like that, I mean I am sure that there lots of good and noble ones, just like there are lots of decent humans but the good ones tend to be in castles and monasteries so I would not have met them on the street. I know that an elf walking through the wrong parts of towns in Mecklenberg would get treated like the goblins in the sketchy Boomport neighborhoods treated me.

Mabellyne [chuckles grimly]: You have far more faith in goblin men than I do. If there are any half-decent single ones, I have not met them. That is why I am on this trip, after all. [She picks up two pieces of different colors, cups and shakes them in her hands, and then holds her hands out to Mary. MARY taps a hand, and MABELLYNE opens it.] Looks like you get red. Your move.

[Both start rapidly moving pieces in sequence. After about a dozen moves each, MABELLYNE stops and stares in thought before finally moving. The play continues at a slower pace as they continue talking. MABELLYNE looks mainly at the board, while MARY looks mainly at Mabellyne, who becomes happier and more relaxed with each move.]

Mary: So what are goblin, what did you say, gender norms, like?

Mabellyne: Complicated and annoying and I would rather not talk about that right now.

Mary: Oh, sorry. I was just curious. I did not mean to bring up a sensitive subject. If I ever annoy you just tell me and I will talk about something else. All of this is so new to me, I mean, I just learned last week that other cultures could be so different and it is all so fascinating.

Mabellyne: What about all the gnomes and elves that your family rules over?

Mary: Well, I knew they they did some things differently, but so do the human peasants, so I never really thought about... I mean, you are from a rich advanced culture so I think of you as a peer instead of... Oh. Um. Ouch. [chuckles] There is no way I am getting out of this, is there? I am sorry, I really am. I always knew that my family is horrible, but I never realized how bad they were and how much that had affected my thoughts. But I am trying to get better, honest.

Mabellyne: Your self-awareness is a great credit to you. Do not feel bad, you are not alone. All sapient creatures on this plane are born evil and stupid. It is only by understanding the flawed nature of our minds, communing with Ioun, learning Her scriptures, and practicing the techniques of rationality that we can overcome our Original Sin and become better people.

Mary: Can you teach me some of those? I clearly need them.

Mabellyne: Of course, I would be glad to. [looks at Mary] I know what you are doing.

Mary: Really? I don't know if I know what I'm doing. Is it working?

Mabellyne: Yes. I am much less stressed now.

Mary: Oh good. I was worried about you.

Mabellyne: Yes, and you took action to help. You got everyone else out and created a safe space for me without making it obvious that I needed help. I should have been able to do that myself, but at the moment I did not have the gears for it.

Mary: You were exhausted and afraid of looking weak.

Mabellyne: Yes, but of course Ra fal knew exactly what was going on anyway. She also knew exactly what you were doing to help me, even if the others were clueless. I am pretty sure she knows that I am not really an adventurer. [looks at Mary] You are not surprised by this admission at all. That confirms that you already knew as well. But you would not know that from personal experience, which means your family gave you intel on me. Did you bring this chess set just to work me?

Mary: I have been completely honest with you all since the moment I stepped into the room in the Open Shell.

Mabellyne: That is not a 'no', and we both know that there are a lot of ways to work people while being completely honest with them.

Mary: We also both know that I am a friend, not a competitor, and that it will help you a lot to talk to a friend. What got you so stressed?

Mabellyne: Everything happened so fast. There was no time to think, and I screwed up so many times.

Mary: Were you the only one screwing up?

Mabellyne: It felt like it. But no, everyone made mistakes. Even Ra fal. But they just cursed a few times and bounced back. They are all practical women of action, with years of adventuring instincts to draw on, and I am used to working in a lab where I have plenty of time to think. I never did field work before, certainly not in such a dangerous environment. I do not know if I can handle this.

Mary: Sure you can. Ra fal deliberately put you all in a situation where you would make lots of mistakes and learn from them. Sofonisba did the same thing to me just now. You wouldn't believe how many times I lost my grip on an asteroid and floated off into space.

Mabellyne: But if you mess up, it will not crash the ship. My job is so stressful. I do not have any time to properly think, and then if something goes wrong everyone could get hurt or worse. What if a storm blows up and I dial the keel the wrong amount?

Mary: I trust the elves when they say that the skies will be calm for days, and I trust that you will be ready when the time comes. Nobody is born knowing how to work a keel, and nobody expects you to be an expert now. We are all learning, we are all new at this.

Mabellyne: Yes, but while I am learning all the sailing I also have to think about... I do not want to talk about it.

Mary: Of course. Just let me know what I can do to help.

Mabellyne: Just keep doing what you are doing.

Mary: Do you mean being your friend, or do you mean making the others look at my inexperience so much that they don't notice or think about yours?

Mabellyne [smiles knowingly]: Both, please.

Mary [cheerfully]: No problem! [seriously] Of course I trust your reasons and judgment, but I think you can make things a lot easier on yourself if you are open about your feelings and problems. We are all friends here and friends help each other out.

Mabellyne: Thank you. I will think about it.

Mary: Great! [moves a piece] And my unicorn just forked your mage and cleric. You might as well concede now.

Mabellyne: It is not over yet.

Next (Gladys)
Next Mabellyne