| Catching Up |
| Summary: | Devlin and Argento run into each other in the galley and catch up a bit on what they've been doing for the last 8 years or so, or at least the last few months. |
| Date: | 28 September 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | None |
| Players: |
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| Galley |
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| Behind the two hangar decks, the Cerberus' Galley is the largest room on the ship. Nearly half the size of a football field, the eating area is made up of long lines of stainless steel tables that can be folded up and placed against the wall for larger events. Individual seats are the standard military issue, boring and grey with lowest-bidder padding. The line for food stretches across one of the shorter sides of the room while the kitchen behind works nearly twenty-four hours a day to produce either full meals or overnight snacks and coffee for the late shifts. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #214 |
Argento glances inside the chapel and sees Devlin mid prayer, and decides not to disturb him. He goes into the mostly empty galley for a late breakfast. Not much is left over from the morning rush; he settles for a bowl of cold oatmeal and a glass of hot water. He has a whole long table to himself as he eats his breakfast in silence.
Devlin wanders into the galley a little while later, rubbing at the back of his neck absently. He heads through the breakfast line, ending up with yogurt and oatmeal and some unidentifiable sort of juice before he turns back to the room. There are plenty of open tables, but he recognizes Argento and heads towards him with his tray. "Tony," hey," he greets the other man, "Mind if I join you?"
Argento looks up and smiles. "Alex. Sit down. How you been? You're a navy pilot now?" He reaches for a handshake with his right hand. "You found the juice. I was looking for some. What the hell kind of juice is that?"
"Hey," Devlin repeats, smiling as he leans down for the handshake, setting his tray on the table with the other. He pulls out a chair opposite Argento and takes a seat, nodding, "Yeah, a pilot in training, anyways. I'm not officially a pilot or commissioned or anything yet, I just signed up a couple months ago. And I have no idea," he laughs about the juice, lifting the class to the light, "Fruit punch, maybe? Mixed with orange juice? It's that kinda color, at least." He takes a sip, considers, and shakes his head, "Yeah, I still don't know. It's off to the left, there, though," he points.
"Orange fruit punch. Fancy," Argento mutters somewhat facetiously. He looks over to where Devlin points, and says, "I'll grab some later. Anyway, it's great to see you here. Nice to know that not everyone I knew before Warday is dead. Been meaning to look for you. Waited too long. But it's been…man, I think eight years. And you got married?" He asks this as he notices the ring, hoping he hasn't brought up the painful memory of a dead wife, even if painful memories are a constant in a post-apocalyptic society.
Devlin snorts and nods, "Yeah, totally fancy around here. They pull out all the stops." He takes a couple bites of yogurt and nods as he swallows, "Yeah, man, totally. I'm sorry I haven't been around much. This pilot training is intense, you know? They're trying to fit, like, a couple years of stuff into a few months, plus basic and OCS and everything… it's nuts. But it's good to see you, it's been forever. And yeah!" His face lights up with a grin at the question and he laughs, nodding, "I did. I got married on Sunday, actually."
Argento's face also lights up. "No kidding. That's great news. Married on Sunday. Congratulations! Who's the lucky bride?"
"Thanks!" Devlin grins, clearly still pretty giddy about it. "Psyche Athenos?" he offers, "Bubbles? She's a viper pilot in the Black Knights." Another bites of yogurt is washed down with mystery juice and he adds, "If you've seen, like, a blonde cheerleader type in a flightsuit around, that was her. Anyways. Yeah." Another grin and then he shakes his head a bit, asking, "But what's up with you, man? You're in… what, engineering or something, you said?"
Argento shakes his head. "Weps. I fire zee missiles around here." He tries to think of the pilots he's met on the Cerberus. "No, I don't think I've heard of Bubbles. Black Knights, huh? She sounds badass. I always imagined you'd end up with a blonde cheerleader." He chuckles. "She your flight instructor or something?"
"Seriously?" Devlin grins, "That sounds awesome! Do you really get to fire the giant guns? Dude. I didn't know people actually were involved in that, you know, I figured it was all computers from CIC or something. Sweet. And yeah, she's totally badass," he adds with a grin, "Distinguished Airman's Medal over Leonis, took out a whole bunch of Raiders. And I know, right?" he laughs, "Who'd have thought it'd be a cheerleader in space, though, huh? It's crazy. But nah, she kind of blows at teaching, to be honest. We just met randomly."
Argento laughs. "Right. Trusting the guns to computers. No, it's us gunners up there in gun control. I don't know if I'd say it's awesome, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy frying toasters. How'd you end up on the Cerberus, anyway? We completely lost touch since school. I have no idea what you've been up to, except I saw your face on some billboards. Laughed my ass off the first time I saw a giant Alex Devlin on the side of a building."
"That's still pretty cool," Devlin nods, "I mean, those guns are huge. And yeah, frying toasters is pretty awesome. You get to pop the big basestars and everything." He takes another couple bites of breakfast and nods a little at the question, and then laughs, head ducked a little as he chuckles and nods, "Yeah, I ended up doing some modeling for a bit, you know. I think I laughed my ass off the first time I saw myself on the side of a building too, you know?" He shakes his head and shrugs, "Nah, I was between jobs, doing some delivery work on the side, freighter stuff. Booze for the big party at the anchorage on Picon? On my way down to the surface I stopped in here to drop a couple cases with my buddy's cousin, and then boom." He shrugs again, shakes his head some more, "Just lucky timing."
Argento nods gravely in memory of the day Picon was assaulted. "Damn lucky. Wish I could have been at your wedding, too. Happy moments like that are precious these days. I know I haven't made an effort to reconnect with you, but I am grateful to see you alive. We should hang out more. When do you think you'll be done with your training? Pretty soon I'll be saluting you in the corridors."
"Damn lucky," Devlin echoes, and then swallows a sip of juice and shrugs a bit. "It wasn't really planned in advance or anything or I'd've invited you. We kind of just decided to elope or whatever. It was pretty much just us," he explains, "And the brother doing the ceremony. And the CAG," he adds with a laugh, "We went to ask her for permission and she asked if she could come. It was funny. But nice of her, too, she's pretty cool, actually, I think." Another sip of juice and he nods, "But yeah, we should hang out more. I dunno about the training, though. I kind of just keep doing it til they tell me to come and get pins and start flying CAP, I guess. And then keep doing it after, really, since I'm so far behind everybody and they still even get their asses handed to them by raiders. But yeah," he laughs, "I'll let you know when you need to salute. I'll practice calling people to attention just for you."
Argento grins. "I just met the CAG last night, actually. Played a few rounds of triad in the rec room with some marines and a snipe friend of mine. I thought I was going to clean up but this marine seemed to draw large reds every other hand. You play cards at all?"
"Really?" Devlin laughs briefly, "That sounds like fun. And sure, I play a bit. I don't much now, but if you guys get another table together and have some space I'd sit a few hands."
Argento cleans off the rest of his oatmeal and pushes it aside. "You should. It'll be fun. How about pyramid? You still play?" He laughs, thinking back to their younger days. "I haven't touched a pyramid ball in years. There were days when pyramid was all that mattered. Taking down the other team in a ball game, especially your team. Sometimes it feels like yesterday, and other times it feels like a hundred years ago. They hated you at my school, even the blonde cheerleaders. I always thought I'd see you on TV one day. Just never would have guessed it would be as a fashion model."
"I will, definitely. Lemme know, or we can set up a game or something, I'm in," Devlin agrees, head bobbing as he nods. As for pyramid, he shrugs, "Yeah, a litle. Just messing around, really. Psyche plays some, and I'll do pick up sometimes if there are people around." He scratches at his ear and laughs a little, nodding, "Yeah, not what I expected either. I didn't, like, go looking to do the modeling thing, y'know," he seems to feel the need to clarify, "Some woman just handed me a card on the street and it turned out to be easy money and traveling around and everything, so…figured why not?"
Argento laughs. "Is that how it works? Someone just hands you a card? That woman must not have seen me." Argento flexes his muscles jokingly. "All right. If you let me rob you at the triad table I'll let you knock me around on the pyramid court sometime. Probably like riding a bike, right?"
Devlin shrugs, "I mean, that's how it worked for me? I—" he breaks off to laugh as Argento flexes, nodding, "Yeah, totally, Tony," he snickers, "Her loss, too, yeah?" He grins and finishes off his oatmeal, nodding, "Alright, if you want. I can manage some one on one sometime, probably. And the cheerleaders at your school loved me, by the way," he adds with a flash of a smirking grin.
Argento smiles and waves off his joke about the modeling agent, and concedingly nods at Devlin's comment about the cheerleaders. "I'm sure they did. They'd just never admit to it. One on one…the last time I could take you one on one was when we were twelve. Wonder how I'd do now." He grins at the thought, then stands up with his empty bowl. "I think I'll try some of that orange fruit punch. See you around."
"Hahaha. Yeah, I guess we'll see, huh? I'm pretty rusty, I wouldn't worry about it," Devlin replies. As Argento gets up to leave he nods, lifting a hand in a wave of farewell. "See you around, Tony."