Yesterday, 04:53 PM
Hallowette had spent far more time preparing for the evening than she cared to admit, although most of that had involved deciding which of the various accessories scattered across her quarters were absolutely essential to the costume she had chosen. The elaborately adorned tricorne hat had been an obvious necessity, as had the boots, the waistcoat, and the rather impressive imitation cutlass hanging from her belt. The small collection of rings and necklaces had required more consideration, particularly when she'd discovered that several of them had a habit of becoming entangled in the elaborate lace cuffs of her shirt. By the time she'd finished, her reflection had looked sufficiently adventurous to satisfy even her rather enthusiastic imagination.
She had chosen to be a pirate, or at least the sort of pirate that appeared in the romanticized adventure stories of old Earth, where daring captains sailed magnificent ships across endless oceans in pursuit of treasure, adventure, and occasionally a handsome stranger. The reality of historical piracy had been rather less appealing when she'd researched it, but Hally had decided there was little reason to allow several centuries of unpleasant historical accuracy to interfere with a perfectly good costume.
Besides, she was fairly certain the cutlass made her look particularly daring.
The holodeck doors opened to reveal something altogether different from the cheerful celebration she had been expecting. Hallowette stopped just inside the entrance, her teal-grey eyes widening as she took in the gloomy interior of the manor house. Aeryn had evidently outdone herself, transforming the familiar holodeck into something that might have been lifted directly from one of the gothic stories Hally had encountered during her studies of Earth literature. It was magnificent, in a rather unsettling sort of way, and she was still admiring the architecture when an enormous figure emerged from the shadows.
"Thiiiiis waaay."
Hally looked up. And then a little farther up.
"Oh shit!" she exclaimed, one hand instinctively settling upon the hilt of her very obvious prop cutlass before she caught herself. The enormous butler regarded her with an expression that suggested he had seen far stranger things than a diminutive pirate aboard a Starfleet vessel. Recovering quickly, she offered him a cheerful smile and a little flourish of her hat. "Thank you, good sir! Yeh be most obliging!" Her naturally Franco-sounding accent made a rather peculiar companion to her enthusiastic attempt at sounding like a pirate.
She followed him into the ballroom, where her attention was immediately captured by the remarkable spectacle awaiting her. Bats swept overhead, candlelight flickered across the walls, and somewhere beyond the gathered guests a musician dressed as a vampire was providing an accompaniment that seemed perfectly suited to the surroundings. Hally turned slowly as she walked, taking everything in with the delighted curiosity that had made exploring unfamiliar places one of her favourite occupations since childhood. The graveyard visible through the windows was particularly impressive, although she found herself wondering whether Aeryn had programmed anything to emerge from it.
She desperately hoped so, though preferably something that wouldn't actually try to eat anyone.
It didn't take long to spot their hostess, whose elaborate green costume was immediately recognizable, even to someone whose knowledge of ancient Earth popular culture remained a little uneven. Hally had encountered Poison Ivy during one of her occasional excursions into the ship's entertainment library, although she suspected the character would have been far more dangerous to meet in person than the naturally beautiful Aeryn appeared to be. The figure standing beside her was another matter entirely. Hallowette recognized Robin only after a second look, the ghostly transparency of her costume proving remarkably convincing.
"Cap'n Hallowette the Bloody, at your service!" she announced brightly as she approached the pair, removing her oversized hat with an enthusiastic flourish and offering an exaggerated bow. Unfortunately, the movement caused the bare cutlass hanging from her belt to swing forward, its curved blade catching awkwardly in the folds of the overlong crimson sash at her waist. A moment of rather undignified adjustment followed before she managed to straighten, recovering with a grin that suggested the minor betrayal of her equipment had done nothing to diminish her enthusiasm.
"She settled the hat back upon her auburn curls, looking between the two women with obvious delight. "Aeryn, this is absolutely wonderful! And Robin, you look incredible! How are you doing that?"
The question was accompanied by an interested glance at the doctor's translucent form, and for a moment Hally seemed almost ready to begin investigating the technology behind the illusion. Then she remembered the occasion, and the fact that she was supposed to be a fearsome pirate captain rather than an inquisitive Starfleet officer. Drawing herself up to her full, not particularly intimidating height, she hooked a thumb into her belt and adopted what she imagined was a suitably menacing expression.
"Uhm, avast ye! Where be the grog, ye lily-livered spooks? This cap'n be feelin' a bit parched, I says!"
She had chosen to be a pirate, or at least the sort of pirate that appeared in the romanticized adventure stories of old Earth, where daring captains sailed magnificent ships across endless oceans in pursuit of treasure, adventure, and occasionally a handsome stranger. The reality of historical piracy had been rather less appealing when she'd researched it, but Hally had decided there was little reason to allow several centuries of unpleasant historical accuracy to interfere with a perfectly good costume.
Besides, she was fairly certain the cutlass made her look particularly daring.
The holodeck doors opened to reveal something altogether different from the cheerful celebration she had been expecting. Hallowette stopped just inside the entrance, her teal-grey eyes widening as she took in the gloomy interior of the manor house. Aeryn had evidently outdone herself, transforming the familiar holodeck into something that might have been lifted directly from one of the gothic stories Hally had encountered during her studies of Earth literature. It was magnificent, in a rather unsettling sort of way, and she was still admiring the architecture when an enormous figure emerged from the shadows.
"Thiiiiis waaay."
Hally looked up. And then a little farther up.
"Oh shit!" she exclaimed, one hand instinctively settling upon the hilt of her very obvious prop cutlass before she caught herself. The enormous butler regarded her with an expression that suggested he had seen far stranger things than a diminutive pirate aboard a Starfleet vessel. Recovering quickly, she offered him a cheerful smile and a little flourish of her hat. "Thank you, good sir! Yeh be most obliging!" Her naturally Franco-sounding accent made a rather peculiar companion to her enthusiastic attempt at sounding like a pirate.
She followed him into the ballroom, where her attention was immediately captured by the remarkable spectacle awaiting her. Bats swept overhead, candlelight flickered across the walls, and somewhere beyond the gathered guests a musician dressed as a vampire was providing an accompaniment that seemed perfectly suited to the surroundings. Hally turned slowly as she walked, taking everything in with the delighted curiosity that had made exploring unfamiliar places one of her favourite occupations since childhood. The graveyard visible through the windows was particularly impressive, although she found herself wondering whether Aeryn had programmed anything to emerge from it.
She desperately hoped so, though preferably something that wouldn't actually try to eat anyone.
It didn't take long to spot their hostess, whose elaborate green costume was immediately recognizable, even to someone whose knowledge of ancient Earth popular culture remained a little uneven. Hally had encountered Poison Ivy during one of her occasional excursions into the ship's entertainment library, although she suspected the character would have been far more dangerous to meet in person than the naturally beautiful Aeryn appeared to be. The figure standing beside her was another matter entirely. Hallowette recognized Robin only after a second look, the ghostly transparency of her costume proving remarkably convincing.
"Cap'n Hallowette the Bloody, at your service!" she announced brightly as she approached the pair, removing her oversized hat with an enthusiastic flourish and offering an exaggerated bow. Unfortunately, the movement caused the bare cutlass hanging from her belt to swing forward, its curved blade catching awkwardly in the folds of the overlong crimson sash at her waist. A moment of rather undignified adjustment followed before she managed to straighten, recovering with a grin that suggested the minor betrayal of her equipment had done nothing to diminish her enthusiasm.
"She settled the hat back upon her auburn curls, looking between the two women with obvious delight. "Aeryn, this is absolutely wonderful! And Robin, you look incredible! How are you doing that?"
The question was accompanied by an interested glance at the doctor's translucent form, and for a moment Hally seemed almost ready to begin investigating the technology behind the illusion. Then she remembered the occasion, and the fact that she was supposed to be a fearsome pirate captain rather than an inquisitive Starfleet officer. Drawing herself up to her full, not particularly intimidating height, she hooked a thumb into her belt and adopted what she imagined was a suitably menacing expression.
"Uhm, avast ye! Where be the grog, ye lily-livered spooks? This cap'n be feelin' a bit parched, I says!"