| Cupid's Artillery |
| Summary: | The Incredible True Story of Two Geeks in Love! |
| Date: | 18 Apr 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Pizza Delivery - Air Wing |
| Players: |
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| Observation Deck — Deck 3 — Battlestar Cerberus |
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| With a quiet view to the stars, this tends to be one of the more popular 'quiet areas' of the Cerberus. Up front is a small-unseated area for ceremonies or other activities while the seating rises up behind it. Each level rises up behind the one before it, comfortable chairs and couches set up for crewmembers to relax, get some work done or even take a nap. A large armored plate is lowered during Condition One to protect the interior against a breach in the glass. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #50 |
Being as big and populous as Cerberus is, it means that the actual time of day has very little to do with most people's activities. 'Fore and Aft' steaming and constant watch rotation mean that there's rarely, if ever, a quiet moment aboard. Fortunately, this being an odd time, there's not nearly so many in the Observation Deck right now as would normally be. And those people are either stargazing, reading, or in one case, snoring loudly at the back of the hall.
Alas, Lunair has not really had much free time of late. She yawns, looking a little tired - but steady. She wanders intto the observation deck, probably to nap or watch the stars or do something that isn't toaster hunting or minding new recruits when the NCOs get busy. She pauses, looking around. Any familiar faces perhaps? If she spots poor Mmarko, she makes a beeline for him.
Marko is taking advantage of a rare break in the CAP rotation to catch up on a little paperwork he's been doing for some of the deck hands. Mostly just filling in log books, nothing earth shattering. Just something to try and ease their burden as much as possible. The young ECO has a calf-high stack of books on the floor by him and a sheaf of completed maintenance forms.
Two rare breaks at once. Happy fortune! Lunair smiles a little. "Hey. Did you need anything to drink?" She offers, greeting poor Marko as she draws near.
"
She seems brighter for seeing the young ECO and it's apparent the paperwork catches her attention. She inclines her head towards it. "Or anything I can help with?"
"Hey, LT." Marko smiles, looking grateful for the interruption. "Eh, no, thanks." he replies, clicking his pen closed and tucking it into one of the books before setting it aside. "So how's things been? Haven't seen you much." he comments, frowning a little.
"Eh? Oh, we're not in duty areas, you can call me something besides my rank," Lunair holds up her hand and waves it off. "That's all I hear anymore. ElTee, Lt…" She ponders, "I might forget my own name. May I sit?" She asks quietly, perhaps growing more comfortable in his company. "Busy. At least one of the privates wanted EVA training and that took her out of rotation for awhile, we lost so many of our NCOs…" A sad headshake. "It's been kind of a mess. But it could be worse and people seem to join up here and there. How about you?"
"Heh, oh, right." Marko replies, blushing a little. "Sorry, Lun. Ensign's curse, and all." he chuckles and gives what can only be termed a faint 'daw'. "Yeah, I hear you on the NCO thing. It's been hitting everyone on board." he nods. "Guess they'll have to start promoting the senior enlisted to fill the gaps." he muses. "Oh, not a lot. Bagged a Cylon Basestar last night." mentions off-handedly. "Okay, _helped_ bag a Cylon Basestar last night. If you can call firing one volley of missiles among a few hundred helping." he chuckles.
Daw. Must. Not. Commence. Melting. He's like kryptonite to her Marinely bearing. "It- It's okay, did you like to be called Marko or Mark?" She offers. Lunair smiles. "It's alright. I understand," She sighs softly. "I hope that works out for us." It's hard to replace the experienced NCOs. A headshake. She will sit near Marko- but freezes at the mention of the Basestar. A few blinks and she looks over. "… a real live honest to goodness Cylon spewing Basestar?" She peers at him.
"Marko's fine." he replies. "And well, yeah…" he grins, bobbing his head a little. "Of course, in the interests of fairness, I must confess that I came within about an inch of wetting my pants when the bastard jumped in on us. Blew the Anchorage to Hades, too. There's nothing left of it." he says. "That's why we jumped, eh…._here_..System six four one, for whatever that's worth, Tried to find this star on my charts, it's like Bob's Star or something." he chuckles. "But yeah, big damn fight last night. Big fight. Two Vipers down, but no casualties. Cylons tried their damndest to nuke us, but our Viper jocks are too good for that to have worked. Shot the frakkin' missiles out of the sky, cooked a couple of 'em off."
Good. Lunair smiles and listens. "Honestly? I think I'd be worried about someone who didn't feel that way in fighting sometimes," She admits. Pantswetting is -not- an unusual reaction. She frowns at the news about the Anchorage, but listens. She blinks and nods. Astral navigation - clearly not her thing. "Is that what all the noise was about? I heard some things but not much. Although - CIC tends to be kind of tight about that thing," She notes. She smiles.. "I'm - really glad we didn't get nuked then." She's duly impressed. It's tough not to swoon a little in the presence of uh, a cylon kicking dude. She takes a deep breath. "I'm glad. You're a hero." Nod. "Even if - some people might not notice. I think so anyway. I think I've something nice then, for next time we meet up." Now it's her turn to go red and in awe of the Marko.
"Bah, I just did my job." Marko replies, scratching the back of his neck nervously with one hand while waving off the sentiment with the other. "Surprised my shots even hit, tell the truth." he chuckles, shifting a little. "Been so long since I've done any real gunnery out side of the sims." he adds. "You guys are the heroes in my book, the Marines. You're the ones who go toe-to-toe with the toasters. I just push buttons and work ECM gear and fire the occasional rocket." he says, voice serious, but eyes dawing like mad into Lunair's purple eyes.
"Hm. Combat is combat. Getting blown up- it all ends the same," Lunair notes quietly. "We're all surprised I think. You can't really think and sit during combat," She points out. "So you have to let your muscles work." She looks to him. "But - you'll be a hero to me, so maybe I'll bring you a treat," Grin. She blushes as his eyes daw into hers. She doesn't avert them. It seems unusual for her not to but - Marko! "You're being modest. Your work is really technical… so there." She smiles at him.
"Heh, okay, okay." Marko chuckles, trying, and failing to look away as his face turns the most amazing shade of lobster pink. It's quite possible that there was a lip gloss in this shade back on the Colonies pre-Holocaust. "I can't argue with a purple eyed girl." he blurts out then winces. "Oh wow….that was fairly awkward, wasn't it ?" he chuckles.
Daaaw. He's too cute. It's hard not to hug him to bits. But Lunair manages to just blush and smile. "You… deserve more credit than you give yourself. That's all. Raptors wouldn't work well without their ECOs," She smiles at him. Then blinks. Eh heh. She rubs the back of her head. "Well, at least you didn't say it was because I could lay curses on you. It's kind of sweet," She blushes and offers. "It- I'm glad you don't think I'm freaky for it though. Still. That aside. You're awesome."
<Air-Wing> "Hey You" Daphne says, "Nobody can say I'm not dedicated."
"Nah, I like your eyes." Marko replies with a dopey smile and just the barest hint of 'And the rest of you with it' in his tone. "Please, enough with the awesome. My head's not gonna fit in my flight helmet!" he protests with a giggle. "How's about we close negotiations at 'We're both kick ass trained professionals and the Cylons haven't got the foggiest idea of what they're frakking with?'" he proposes with a grin.
That dopey smile and tone. It's too much. Lunair could melt into a puddle. But she smiles back. "Thank you. I- I'm flattered beyond words really," She admits. Then laughs softly. "But it's true. Although I'd feel bad if your helmet didn't fit," She considers. Helmetless Markos in space would be bad. At his grin and proposal, she nods. "Alright. That sounds good. I reserve the right to think of you as kind and wonderful in the meantime though."
"Heh, only if I can think the same about you." Marko replies, with a playful bow that accidentally kicks a few of his logbooks over. "Ah, frak….heh…yeah, look at me, the trained professional." he chuckles as he bends down to start gathering them back up. "Who still sucks with girls." he sighs to himself, hopefully out of Lunair's hearing.
More blushing. "I'd be honored," Lunair replies. She leans over. "Um. Here, I can get a few of those," He did knock them over in bowing to her. Right? Don't freeze up. If she hears his comment, she just kind of … peers at him. Hmm. Did she hear? After a moment she looks up to him. "Hey. None of that now." She takes a deep breath. "I'm not sure- why I- I mean, you're the nicest guy I've met, incredibly smart and really cute. I like that you have good manners and you don't think I'm a freak or a witch and haven't set me on fire, tried to snap my neck or shove me in a well, okay?" Pause. Awkward. She's trying though. "And- I think that being kind means you're way better with girls than you'd know. Or at least - with me. Though I may not count much." Eheh. Cough. She's red now. And frozen. Stare.
There are, in point of fact, about a dozen different ways to play this moment out that could end in both of them sharing an awkward giggle. Alas, at this moment, Marko is unable to think of a single one. What he is capable of thinking of is probably pretty stupid, but he can't help it. The look on Lunair's face compels him to lean forward…And for one microsecond, he brushes his lips across hers.
Or ones where Lunair doesn't lock up like a cranky old Windows 98 PC. She can't think of anything and seems to have gone into BSOD mode. But then he leans forward. What could possibly - What could possibly- And for that microsecond, that fleeting moment his lips brush hers, her eyes widen. There's a flush of warmth. Oh my. She is still for a moment. Then … quietly leans to quickly hug him. Her eyes close and she - falls over backwards. THUD.
"Oh frak!" Marko yelps, hopping out of his seat to start fanning Lunair's face. "Way to go, Mr. Smooth. You killed her." he grumbles as he starts trying to bring her around.
Well, fortunately for Marko - Marines really don't die. They just stop shooting so everyone else has a chance. She comes around after a moment, but all that blood rushing to her head was going to have an effect. She blinks owlishly. "Ah… you're fanning me?" Huh. Blink. "Did- that-" Really just happen? "You're impossibly adorable. I really don't deserve this." Flop.
"I've been wanting to do that since the day I met you." Marko replies with a grin, taking Lunair's hands in his to try and pull her upright. "And you do deserve this. Actually, you deserve a hell of a lot better than me, but I'm hoping you'll be willing to settle for somebody from the Bargain Bin."
Lunair curls her fingers around his and will resume an upright position. She admits quietly, "… I really liked it." Ahem. She grins back at him. "What? Have you /seen/ the people on this ship? We're on a Supermodels Join the Fleet Battlestar edition," She grunts. "So many cute busty women with nice hair and good personalities. I'm - hoping you don't mind a slightly off-color model then," She rubs the back of her head. "I think the Bargain Bin is nice. There are always treasures no one else has. But. That's not a suitable description for you. I think you're just right," Smile. "So there."
"Yeah, I've seen them." Marko nods. "Then I saw you…." he says blinking a little. "And…frankly….I pretty much stopped seeing anyone else." he says, looking about as awkward, gawky and teenaged as can be imagined in a man in Navy off duty fatigues. "None of them are into making little trees or wearing purple scarves or being sweet and funny…." he adds, smiling happily as he reaches out to trace his hand along Lunair's face gently. "None of them are you. So _there_."
And it's true. Cerberus has many hot women. No one knows why. Lunair listens though, her face still red. Perhaps the awkwardness touches her heart, the honesty of it. "Oh-" That's a bit tough to imagine. Air wing girls! She has to remember to breathe. She's the frozen hermit to his awkward teenager. She can't hide under the couch too well though, so she smiles at him. "I am happy you like those things," She looks up and closes her eyes a moment as his hand traces along her face. Her eyes open and she finally replies, "Because I feel just the same way about you. You're fascinating and all your hobbies I'm still learning." There's no protest to his words. Just a happy acceptance. "Thank you, Marko. My words escape me, but I'm warm and I suspect I may hug you if you don't move away fast enough."
"You can, if you want to." Marko replies with a besotted grin. "But that's up to you. Already feel like I'm way over the Red Line as it is." he adds. "Just glad you feel the same." he sighs with the kind of force of someone who's been on tenterhooks for weeks now. "It's a good start."
Lunair nods and will cautiously hug him. "N-no, you're fine. You're so sweet, I can't believe it," She admits with a smile. "It seems happiness is contagious, because when you smile I do too." She seems less tense after a moment. She's quietly agreeing with him. "I'm not sure how I could feel differently, truthfully." That bastard, Cupid - he uses artillery these days. Or a very long range sniper rifle. Hard telling. "I think so too." Stupid words seem to keep escaping. "We can go at our own pace." Nod. There we go.
<Air-Wing> "Duckie" Alessandra phews.
Whatever it is Cupid's firing these days, it's high-caliber, supersonic and can rip through hull plating like a hot wire through cheese. "Yeah." Marko replies, giving Lunair the briefest of hugs in reply. "We'll work it out in our own time." he says firmly, nodding his agreement. "However much we might have, doesn't matter. Whatever happens next, we made it this far."
Even little divine dudes gotta keep up with technology. Lunair blushes at the return hug from Marko. "That's true too. And the truth is I am glad we did." Even if it's hard to keep her face from staying beet red. "I promise I'll always try to make you happy." And keep him safe, but that one might be tough given Lunair's main function in most craft is either passenger, emergency missile or spare weight. She settles into a quiet admiration.
"I swear to you, Raine Lunair…" Marko begins, a hint of remembered religious formality in his tone. "I will always try to make you happy and never hurt you." he says. "Furies take my eyes, Cylons take my heart and your Marines take my balls if I fail." he smiles, though his tone remains serious. "I love you."
Blink. Well, that's one way to stun her. Lunair is lost in adoration again. It's hard to follow those words up. She finally replies with a smile. "I love you too," She replies first. "And I- I think you have a far better way of wording that oath than I, but I want to make you happy always and stay beside you," Likely cheering him on if she's not in a Raptor nearby. She takes a deep breath. "Because Furies, souls and Cylons aside, I would crumble if I made you sad."
"I don't think you could." Marko replies, starting to hug again, then pausing and thinking the better of it. Hugging, at this juncture, could turn into something a lot more very quickly, after all. "C'mon, let's just sit together for a while. Chief can bitch all he wants about the logs. Let's just sit and look at the stars together." he says, hoisting himself up and offering her a hand to help her do the same.
Lunair pauses at the almost hug. She probably realizes that too. While the temptation is there, it's probably all a bit too soon. "Sure. I don't want to get you in trouble. I wish I could help with those logs but-" Alas, she's probably hopeless. Oh well. She smiles up at him, and will take his hand then stand up. "Thank you. That sounds sounds perfect."
Marko doesn't let go of Lunair's hand as he helps her up, then sinks back into his seat with the kind of sigh only the Truly Happy (TM) can give. "They really are beautiful, aren't they?" he says, not willing to let go of her hand just yet….if ever.
Then Lunair's fingers stay curled around Marko's. She sits just beside him, no sigh just yet - only a quiet contentedness. She nods, "Yeah. Not nearly as bright as your eyes." Pause. "Well, I mean - they're made of plasma and all but -" Unless Marko learned to shoot lasers. "But they are much nicer when I am with you." And she happily remains holding hands.
"Funny, was thinking the same about you." Marko replies, tightening his hold ever so slightly. "Got you to share them with now." he smiles, settling back into his chair for a long watch.
Aw. Lunair smiles at that. She nods and settles in beside him. She'll enjoy their precious time between tasks for now, quietly content to look to him and the stars.