| Blood and Oil |
| Summary: | Madilyn and Circe are both studying for different reasons in the library. What begins as a discussion of faith turns into assumptions of how closely related the Skinjobs and humans are - in more than appearances. |
| Date: | 14 Feb 2042 AE |
| Related Logs: | {$related} |
| Players: |
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| Library |
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| Books - BOOKS! |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #353 |
With some bedrest and an hour or two before duty in the sickbay and Circe is trying to go through the medical reference books. Gathering a stack into her hands she hugs them to her chest with one arm as she slaps another down and moves over to seek out a table. Hooking a booted foot on a chair leg she tugs it out skillfully and plants herself with a soft thud of her book choices. She spreads them out and begins fingering through them
It would appear that the EMT is not the only one occupying an entire library table this evening. By the time she arrives, one of the other tables is already laid out with another Marine's research. In this case, the curious explorations of a certain Caprican. The type to value cold logic and rationality over religion, Madilyn is seeking to re-familiarize herself with things she's paid only passing attention to since her childhood. Based on the number of texts open and the way she's rubbing her temples, either it's failing to sink in, or she's been at it a while, or both.
Sighing, Circe pauses and marks a page, creasing the corner. A she turns, she knocks over her right stack of books with a rising thud - thud. She lifts a brow and looks about, her head drawing up and catching sight of a familiar face - even if not an acquaintance. She reaches down to pick up the books. Rising from her seat she sets them down and moves towards the Major. "Sir." She says softly, not meaning to intrude overly so. "You look like you could use a break." she gives a glance towards what the marine is looking over.
"This…is my break. Or to be more specific, downtime. Some of these they won't let you check out, major or no." The reply isn't especially short or anything in that vein, and she hardly raises an eyebrow when the younger marine knocks over books. Rather, the older woman's face is a mix of exhaustion and dedication. It's the same look she once put on during her time in the university during late night homework sessions. The greatest reaction the EMT can get is a wan smile after Madilyn brushes some hair from her face, showing just how pale and worn she's looking.
"Well if I can offer some medical advice. More sleep is a better break, sir." She leans over the table a bit and considers the spread of books again. "Tell me..would you care for some help?" She asks Madilyn. Circe gives a brush back of her own hair before hooking her foot behind the other idly.
"Given current events, this is a refresher course I need to work through on my own. As for sleep? Heh, what's that anymore. Five, six hours and I'm lucky. I've gotten all the medical advice I could use ages ago," Madilyn adds on, with a look that suggests something else is going unsaid. "If there's any silver lining, it's that at least we need not be on the type of alert that our pilots are facing."
"Some of us at least…they are all coming back quite battered and reconstructed into new shapes…" Circe sighs. "I have seen more of that deck than I have anywhere else in the past few weeks." The medic nods her head though, straightening to little and trying to assume a position not so near hovering. The books still gather her interest a moment. She studies the major a moment longer. "I will keep my advice to myself then." She smiles some and takes a step back.
"Force of habit, especially when you've had your fill of oncologists. You're a student of religion then? Or a hobby?" Leave it to a Caprican to associate religion with a hobby, but then, that seems to be how it amounts to Madilyn. Something there, something to be approached on her own terms, and not a minute before she's ready to understand everything.
"A student?" She asks again, as if trying to hear her right. She tugs at the cords around her neck to show the stamped symbol of Aurora and Ascelpias - hand made. Circe smiles some, "My great aunt was a priestess of Aurora. The Lord's are close to my heart." Why do you ask?" She says, stepping back towards the table, folding her hands behind her as her head tilts.
"I ask because I've never been the most devout of Colonials, and maybe that's part of the reasons the Cylons decided to make their return. Who knows for sure. It's always been more of an academic interest, a passing interest, something neither discouraged nor encouraged in my childhood home. As we've a religious relic sitting in our flight pod now, I thought I'd do some reading. I'd rather be informed and remain wary, than ignorant all around." Madilyn's reply is about as academic as she can muster at the hour, hopefully sufficient to explain her beliefs - or lack thereof - without offending.
"How do you think that the Cylon's return is due to religious reasons?" She asks curiously. "As a sort of punishment for allowing ourselves too much pride?" She asks. Circe folds her arms, curious to say the least the reasoning behind these thoughts. Her head tilts and she lifts a brow, giving the books a longer look and due consideration.
"It seems reasonable enough, having stared into the eyes of more than one of those skinjob nutjobs. They value religion…it seems to be the main concern, in fact. Them and their god. I imagine that enough individuals like me would offend their sense of religious…propriety? Freedom? View? Not only do I not believe in their god, but I've managed to have a primarily academic interest in our own gods. I can only imagine how those zealous Cylons feel about me."
"That is if you feel they have some truth to their own beliefs. I have trouble understanding how man made toasters can have a sense of the great power beyond them. How is it possible? Have they adopted our own texts to fit them?" Circe seems oddly upset by this, ruffled to say the least. "We created them..what if we are their god?" The medic sighs and rubs at her face. "Religion is about faith, I guess I have trouble imagining that beings without souls can have faith. They are not machines then. Then, Major, we have an entirely different problem on our hands. If they are no longer machines and able to believe in a religion and a singular faith with their own sense of belonging….we are fighting another species..not so far separated from us."
"Well, they certainly don't regard us as their god. If so, I'm forced to think they'd have abandoned that around they time they destroyed the Colonies," and thus their god…but that last part goes unsaid. "I honestly don't know what to make of them - or of this - anymore," Madilyn sighs, motioning to a book and then shutting the thick tome.
"Obviously..but we should be considered that if they were looking for one. So now, we have fabricated beings that are claiming a god. Which implies they have the reasoning to create such beliefs. Which means they ultimately believe they have an existence beyond this one. Which makes them mortal..which makes them just like us." She says and draws a long breath, running a hand up through her hair. "I have a hard time dealing with this. But it's the truth. We are warring against another colony in some respects. A colony, albeit that is artifical by the means of creation. But in every other sense - is not."
Madilyn just raises a brow and let's a weird half-smile play over her lips. "Weird, isn't it? That's the sort of gray area where religion always takes you. That's the gray area where this whole series of events takes you. But in the end, you remember that they attacked us, and here we are." As she talks, Madilyn starts to close up the books, one by one.
"Machines have a function, they don't have a purpose. They have a purpose now.." She sighs and rubs a hand to her jaw and then to the back of her neck. Looking quite troubled, the medic hasn't had time to think on such things - to let her mind wander. "I get why ou can't sleep..why you are here." She nods her head, "This is just a little much for me at the moment." She starts to turn and then stops, "Major. I wouldn't mind talking to you about this again soon…just not now. Thanks, I think." she says in regards to the talk. Confusion plays itself out on the corpsman's face before she turns, scooping up what med books she could find useful an dmoving to a corner to try to drown herself in them.
Seemingly finished with her time in the library this evening, Madilyn stands up from the table and leaves a stack of books for the librarian to deal with, speaking of purposes. "If you're looking to have this conversation with someone more…properly equipped to dispute the fineries and subtleties of the matters, you'll want to speak with Captain Karthasi. She's quite the scholar on these matters, entirely different in the the way she views things." A Caprican with soul, even. That's all Madilyn says before taking her leave, off-duty, without any other fanfare.