They don't make jukeboxes like they used to...

[rememory]

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To reach the unreachable staaaaaaaaaar....

From the kitchen that she'd designated as the focal point for de and reconstruction, Sabine barked, "Mimi!" and then choked out a laugh that was half a sob. Man of La Mancha had always been one of Byron's favorite musicals.

"What? You can't build without music and you don't have a boombox!"

"No one has a boombox anymore. Don't make me regret manifesting you." She shook a finger at the showgirl ghost who was lounging on the back of the couch like it was a baby grand.

Unrepentant, Mimi went on singing,

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star.

"I love that line, don't you?" Mimi teased not just Sabine but Scott, even though he was out of earshot.

"Zip it, or it's Tsura's turn," Sabine snapped, cringing at the reference to their chaste, but far less than pure love.

"What was that?" Scott emerged from the next-door apartment through the hole he'd put between them to make testing the walls for support beams easier. There were two more like it in the filthy foursquare they'd chosen to turn into a community area -- for the time being.

"Nothing. Mimi was just asking your favorite musical so she could sing for you. Isn't that right, Mimi?" Mind-to-ghost she sent #Don't even contradict me.# Forbidding it with power was the simplest of her abilities, but Sabine didn't abridge her free will.

Mimi just laughed and laughed, sticking to Impossible Dream until the next person joined them Then she started in on songs from Annie:

It's a hard knock life for us!
It's a hard knock life for us!

Sighing, Sabine shot Scott and the newcomer an apologetic look then shrugged helplessly. "It's not like she's wrong."

[ooc: Gathering post! Sabine and Scott are clearing out a group of four apartments to start with to make a communal kitchen, dining, sitting area on level D. Mimi is audible and vaguely visible as a holographic figure of a showgirl with an indistinct face. She won't interact unless you ping me and ask for her. Will, Molly, Marie, Jack, Sebastian, Nick, Porthos, Maggie, all got a message inviting them for potluck and construction. Anyone else can have heard from them or have seen the 'excuse our dust' sign and stop by. Feel free; all are welcome. Tag Sabine with a note in the subject line; all other tags are top levels.]

Comments

Sabine

[annnamarie]

Marie had gotten a note. An invitation, which had sent her into spiraling about when to show up, what to wear (well that was easy), and did she had to bring something?

Living life alone was so much easier. But here she was, lingering around the Excuse our dust sign in the outfit she had left for class for, not that long ago. Less than a week ago? Was she seriously going to lounge around until someone found her?

She grabbed the chance when she spotted Sabine. "I'm better at deconstruction?" Ordinary people started with a greeting? "I mean, hi! Hi, Sabine!"

Re: Sabine

[rememory]

Sabine laughed at Marie's so transparent thought processes and welcomed her with a genuine smile. "Ciao, bella." She set down the rag she'd been using to clean out the storage units and beckoned Marie to join her. "You sound like starting with a beer for a job well done is going to be better than finishing one. Lucky for you, Scott and I pooled resources to get some. They're in the mini-fridge there."

Re: Sabine

[annnamarie]

She made a short bow to show how she appreciated both the compliment and the presence of beer. There was no clue how long her clothes would last here, but at least they made her feel slightly less alien and alienated. "Was I that obvious?"

"I'm not looking forward to having to find a job, at all. So I won't get more than one beer in squandering your edits. Credits, credits I mean. Beer just connects me to university, I guess."

Sabine

[malachai]

Nick snorted out a laugh as he made his way to the communal area, back in his standard issue scrubs for the construction needed. He saw a vague shape next to Sabine and frowned slightly, his mind already thinking Shade but not about to ask it to reveal itself.

"Yeah, well, so long as no one expects me to turn my hair red and badly permed, it's all good. I hear you need some construction work in here?"

Re: Sabine

[rememory]

"Ciao, bello," Sabine called to Nick in greeting.

He'd been polite and even kind when first they met, and that had been enough to justify getting to know him better. Especially since Scott had also met him, and Scott needed more people in his life here--for however long it would last--than she.

"Apologies for the music. The jukebox appears to be busted--" In fact, nonexistent. "--and no one seems to have turned up with a boombox, so we're stuck with showtunes for the moment. Eventually she'll tire of them."

Re: Sabine

[malachai]

"Caio, bella," Nick returned. "And unfortunately, my iPhone hasn't turned up yet, so no luck there for music. Luckly, I have a soft spot for showtunes, so by all means. I might end up singing along, and for that I apologize in advance. My singing voice is rather like a bucket dragged across concrete."

[thewinterlady]

Molly had the invite arrive with a gentle tone on the tablet she'd been given and she'd gone mostly out of curiosity. She wasn't about to cook anything. No one deserved to eat her cooking.

She'd arrived to find Sabine and a guy she was introduced to as Scott working on demolishing the walls between two larger apartments. Both were run down, but Molly could see the potential in the space.

Humming along with the ghost girl singing show tunes, Molly rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

[wgraham]

Wandering out of the first room Will had entered, he headed toward the sound of demolition, looking for Sabine or anyone else who had already arrived. He supposed it shouldn't have surprised him that the first person he saw was Molly, golden hair knotted at the nape of her neck while she worked. He stood back and watched her for a few minutes, aware that she could sense him in the room, able to read the admiration and attraction from him without turning to face him.

When she did finally turn around, he smiled and made his way across the room to meet her.

"Don't mind me," he said, his grin gaining a teasingly lustful edge. "I'm just adding 'construction worker' to my list of sexy fantasies about you."

[thewinterlady]

Molly dropped the piece of something similar to plasterboard on the junk pile and brushed some dust off her face to make herself a little more presentable, probably only succeeding in spreading it around. Will had been watching her for a while, his attraction flowing over their connection and making her flushed and wishing they were alone right now.

She managed to school her immediate desire to kiss the life out of him and poked her tongue out at him instead, giving him a haughty look. "Hey, stop ogling the workforce and come get dirty with the rest of us." She said, laughter in her voice as she gave up the haughtiness and stepped into him, kissing him softly in greeting. "Hi."

[rememory]

Sabine had seen Molly arrive (and been alerted by Corwin who appreciated the blonde beauty rather more politely than Mimi did every attractive male within several hundred yards or her), but she'd been busy just then, wiping down the cooking surfaces so that she could put together a hearty but easy-to-eat meal from what she'd been able to acquire without expending her entire allowance for the month.

Now that she had a moment, she rinsed her hands and dried them, then grabbed two beers from the mini-fridge. After opening them, she went over to Molly with the open beer held out. "Thanks for showing up. We can definitely use the help."

[thewinterlady]

Taking the bottle gratefully, Molly smiled and puffed a strand of hair out of her face.

"No problem. I will not inflict my cooking on you guys, but I can knock through walls with the best of them." Molly said, murmuring a purification charm over her bottle before she sipped it. It was surprisingly good. "Oh god...where did you find this? All I get from my little replicator thing is that weird soup-mush stuff and water."

Sabine

[wgraham]

Will hadn't expected this exact scene when he'd received his invitation, though he wasn't sure what he'd been imagining instead. The only person he could see when he entered the space at first was Mimi, whom Will remembered from their meeting a few days before. Mimi's face shimmered as Will smiled at her, the gesture returned, but she didn't pause in her singing.

He could hear something that sounded like construction, and he assumed Sabine had someone helping her knock down walls to make one large space out of several smaller ones. He wasn't sure how big this gathering was intended to be, but he hoped there wouldn't be too many people. He'd finally purchased some different clothes (the ones he'd gotten back from quarantine were his pajamas) and his glasses had appeared (though Will had no idea how) in one of the drawers in his room a few days ago, so he felt less out of place than he had. Still, he didn't know many people on the station, and he could feel anxiety starting to mount.

"Hello?" he called out, the bottle of wine he'd purchased in the marketplace in hand. Like his better half, Will wasn't known for his cooking; an offering of alcohol was always a better bet where potlucks were concerned.

Re: Sabine

[rememory]

"Will!" Sabine's response to his tentative greeting was all but gleeful. Her mind was still a mess, but with rest, and Scott present (and the bond she'd suspected Jean of suppressing beginning to grow in) to stabilize her, she was capable of much greater coherence and brighter emotions.

For his sake, however, as she approached, she quieted her smile to one more on the tender side than the brilliant wattage his presence called forth in her. As she had wth Scott, she'd taken to Will immediately and it informed every aspect of her being when she was with him. "Ciao, caro. I'm glad you've come. Tell me, how are you?"

Re: Sabine

[revisor]

Scott wandered out in her wake, watching the other man with interest. Anyone who'd made that much of a connection to Sabine so quickly was probably worth getting to know. "Welcome to our humble abode," he said lightly.

Sabine

[du_vallon]

Porthos isn't entirely sure about this place yet, but he's not one to turn down kindness. When he gets the invitation, he heads over to find a very strange figure. Ducking around it, he tries not to pay too much attention as he seeks out Sabine, grateful for the excuse to get out of his own head.

"So, is this a normal thing for you?" he wonders, once he's found the woman.

Re: Sabine

[rememory]

"This?" Sabine asked in French with a warm laugh that softened into a kind smile. "Do you mean the construction, or my aim to feed the masses?" Still smiling, she reached out to put a hand to his forearm, a touch of greeting, nothing more. "The former, not so much. The latter... I admit to cooking when I'm out of sorts, particularly if I have neither a camera nor paint and canvas." After a moment's pause and with a brightness in her eyes that suggested playfulness, "Hello to you to Porthos. I'm very glad you decided to come."

Re: Sabine

[du_vallon]

"It's not like I was that occupied elsewhere," he points out, trying not to sound bitter about the fact that he's as stuck here as he'd been the day before and the day before that. He dislikes being so far away from the people he loves and he doesn't mean to take it out on anyone here, but it's a sort of hard thing to ignore. "We'll see how long I stay," he jokes, still in French. "Depends on the food. I'm not a half bad chef myself, you know."

[cpt_harkness]

Jack had been invited and he'd invited Ianto figuring the more, the merrier. It sounded as if Sabine was inviting a bunch of people from quarantine and Jack figured it just made good sense to get to know what sorts of people had been brought here. Actually, it just made good sense to learn as much about this place as he could in general.

He'd used a few credits and bought some of the hydroponic lobed fruit he'd had when he met Sabine, figuring he had better bring something to the host. That was just good manners. He didn' thave enough credits to blow on booze, but fruit was okay. He guessed.

He'd given it to her with a smile and a warm wish, then began to circulate. Jack was never one to hang back so he spotted a friendly face and decided they needed to know him.

"Hi," he said warmly, his charming smile enough to melt the coldest heart.

[rememory]

After Jack had been circulating awhile, Sabine caught his eye and beckoned him toward the kitchen with a crook of her fingers and mischief in her eyes. She'd been cooking and she needed a taste tester. Besides, she hadn't had a chance to talk with him or meet the adorable guy he'd come in with. Sue her, she was curious!

[cpt_harkness]

Jack knew that kind of a smile and he was immediately on his way over. He had a drink and he wished it was a good, aged brandy but he'd make do with the juice on offer.

"Hello, Sabine. You're looking ravishing," he said, wondering if being free with the compliments would get him another pinch on the bum.

[tw3_ianto_jones]

Ianto had wanted to make something, bake a dessert or put together a salad, but he hadn't felt quite like he had a grip on how things worked here yet, and the stuff that came out of the replicators just didn't seem up to snuff. After spending some time in the marketplace, he'd finally found a vendor that sold something that looked nice, a sweet, light fruit pastry of sorts. Ianto only hoped it tasted as good at it looked.

After leaving their food with the hostess, Ianto had stuck to Jack's side for the most part. Not trying to be clingy, but there was always a sense of security when Jack was nearby, and Ianto still wasn't sure how he felt about this place.

Of course that gave him a front row seat to witness Jack's flirting. He didn't begrudge Jack it at all; Jack hadn't come from the same part of the timeline Ianto had, and even then Ianto had no claim on him. But there were some old wounds that still gave Ianto trouble, and he studiously tried not to stare too much, wishing he had a drink in hand or something else to distract him from his feelings of inadequacy and jealousy.

[cpt_harkness]

Jack bid a pretty girl goodbye with a smile and a wink, then he turned to find Ianto there with him. He'd forgotten the man in the frenzy of meeting new people and finding out all about them. He was easily distractible like that.

However, he was just as equally distractible when faced with a handsome young Welshman. Even more so that they shared a bond of home.

"Those things you brought looked good. Are there any left?" he asked. It was absolutely not what he wanted to ask, but he didn't feel the time was right for anything deeper.

For Will, after Will and Scott

[rememory]

Some of Sabine's neighbors who had been on the station rather longer and who had jobs had been generous in their donations to her potluck fund--on the condition that she'd cook enough for them to take some back to their quarters. Embarrassed by the charity, she'd promised to cook for them another time as well, whatever they wanted.

The embarrassment lasted only long enough for her to go to the markets and load up on vegetables. They were beautiful and just the sight of them made her happy. With Sal advising, she selected what she needed that wouldn't come out well from the replicators, and then she'd spent a happy morning putting things together in interesting ways.

When people had been working long enough to build an appetite and Sabine and Marie had wiped down the cooking and eating surfaces, Sabine set to putting the finishing touches on the meal.

[wgraham]

The physical effort of working on the demolition had soothed Will's mind for a long while, giving him something else to focus on and instituting itself as a good reason for not having to maintain any long conversations with people he didn't know. But when the work began to dwindle and the workers headed in to eat, Will could feel his anxiety ramping up again immediately.

He stayed by Molly's side as long as he could, but he could sense that his girlfriend was interested in mingling a little, so Will forced himself to give her space. He stood on his own for a few minutes awkwardly before he could no longer stand it, and then, desperate for another option, he spotted Sabine on the far side of the room, finishing up their meal.

He approached her carefully, keeping his eyes down to avoid having to speak with anyone else, then stood just off her elbow before he spoke. Standing like this, near Sabine while she was arranging and garnishing, gave Will an odd sense of familiarity, flashes back to another friend, a faraway place and a different time. Of course those memories had been twisted once certain truths had been uncovered, but Will couldn't deny they still felt more fond than anything else.

"Do you like to cook?" Will asked by way of announcing his presence, his tone low so as not to startle Sabine.

[lee_fallon]

When Lee had been told about this party (just in passing), no one had mentioned there was a manual labor component (or a requirement to bring something to share). When he'd first arrived he'd tried to at least do some work, but with the dust and debris flying around and the general malfunction of his lungs, he wasn't able to assist the deconstruction for very long.

Feeling guilty, Lee headed toward where two women were preparing food, hoping to offer his assistance there instead.

"Excuse me," he called gently as he approached. "Anything I can do to help?"