Post 549: Why the Long Face? Part One

Stardate: 71112.2145
Title: Why The Long Face? Part 1
Author: Vedek Jariel Camen
Scene: Seven, Halloween Party
Time: Concurrent With The Inmates Are Running The Asylum

*******Flashback to the Halloween Party********

Camen was surrounded by several crew mates, who watched his every move. He was juggling.... or at least pretending to.

He mocked panic as an imaginary ball threatened to escape from his control and ruin his routine. He struggled to hold it in place, until finally he lost his balance, falling backwards onto the floor as each ball fell from the air, knocking him on the head one after the other. Camen made quite the dramatic show of it, before finally 'passing out cold' on the floor.

He jumped up on a table and bowed, to a smattering of polite applause. Camen wondered now when Zanh Liis would make her appearance, or if she had backed out all together. Fox Margolis had promised him that Liis would be a showstopper tonight, and Camen was more the curious what would qualify as a "showstopper" to a former Miss Federation.

From the top of the table, he finally got a glimpse of her by the door, dressed as some sort of superhero. From the looks of it she had been waylaid by Dabin Reece.

Camen pretended to shout across the room to her, and Reece finally pointed her in his direction. He waved to her, and she held up one finger as if to say "I'm coming, just give me a minute." Camen nodded and jumped off the table.

He then began the classic "chase the hat across the floor routine". The crowd gathered around him laughed as he continually "kicked" his hat under the table and dove across the top to try and grab it on the other side.

The routine was cut short however, by some sort of wailing from across the room. It was the Trill, Dabin Reece, and he was singing.

Camen retrieved his "hat" and placed it on his head. He stood between his audience and Dabin Reece, hands on his hips shaking his head. After a few moments he turned towards the audience and stuck his finger in his throat. The crowd laughed, and he turned back to Reece. After a few more moments of the White serenade, he turned back to the crowd, unclipped a suspender, and wrapped it around his throat. He pulled up on it as if hanging himself and stuck his tongue out. Several crewmembers had to cover their mouths to keep from laughing out loud, as Reece continued blissfully unaware he was being mocked, not that he would have cared anyway.

Camen dropped the suspender and clawed desperately at an invisible wall, as if trying to escape some sort of dungeon.

Finally Reece wrapped it up. Camen bowed to his audience, who again applauded. Poor Dabin Reece thought it was for him, as he saluted the crowd with delight.

"Pardon, Monsieur Le Vedek?"

He turned around to see "Joan of Arc", as played by pastry chef extraordinaire Fleur Le Marc.

[[Good evening Fleur, so wonderful to see you. Are you enjoying yourself?]]

"Yes, this is quite the little party being put on by the crew, yes?"

[[Everyone worked hard, that's what this crew does. They never cease to amaze me. Fleur, can I ask you something?]]

"Anything Monsieur Le Vedek." Fleur's cheeks flushed slightly. It was a signal of increased heart rate and blood flow that one might normally observe as a result of infatuation, but Camen remained blissfully unaware that Fleur harbored anything more for him than the same friendship he shared with any member of the crew.

[[Have you seen Zanh Liis yet? That is quite the outfit is it not?]]

"Uh, no, Monsieur Le Vedek. I have not." Fleur quickly changed the subject. "Do you recognize me?"

Camen looked her over, and shook his head slowly. [[Sorry, I'm afraid I do not.]]

"I am Joan of Arc. A famous historical figure from France back home on Earth. She believed she was, how you say, touched by God and charged with leading the French to victory against the English. She was a strong woman and close to her faith, but also most likely delusional," Fleur said with a laugh.

Camen's face turned sour, and it wasn't just part of the mime act. [[So, you're saying she was delusional because she believed she was touched by her God? Am I delusional Fleur, because I believe I have spoken with the Prophets?]]

"No, this is not what I meant. Wait."

[[I suppose all those Orb experiences and my losing my voice is nothing more then some sort of hallucination? Excuse me.]]

"No, wait!" Camen turned to leave, Fleur tried to grab his arm and he shrugged it off and was gone into the crowd. It sounded to him as if she were insinuating a belief in a higher power was nothing more then the invention of an insane mind. She had struck a nerve.

Camen made for the door... and there was Zanh Liis, in all her Wonder Woman glory. It was a shame for Camen, because he was in no mood to party at the moment, and Liis for her part was absolutely stunning. He picked his mental jaw up off the floor, from beside her tall red boots, and reminded himself that he was in a bad mood. She gave him that look that said "What's wrong? I know something's wrong, so you may as well tell me."

He waved her off and forced a smile, wiggling his eyebrows at her, as his silent affirmation that he approved of her outfit, as brief as it was. He stood beside her, as she began to converse with the crew. Camen let her talk as he slipped silently away from her, and tip-toed out of Seven, wanting nothing more than to just be left alone.

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Vedek Jariel Camen
Ship's Chaplain
USS Independence NCC-90791