PHD #186: Do You Pray?
PHD #186: Do You Pray?
Summary: Devlin accidentally happens across Rose in sickbay. The two have a heartfelt conversation.
Date: 31 August 2041 AE
Related Logs: None
Players:
Devlin Rose 
Recovery Room - Deck 10 - Sickbay - Battlestar Cerberus
A much more quiet area of Medical, this elongated room is also lined with beds. Each is similarly outfitted with privacy curtains as necessary and even the paint on the walls has been lightened in an attempt to help lift spirits. Chairs are readily available all over the place so that visitors can pull one up to talk to the patients during their recovery. Near the entrance, visiting hours are posted with a very conspicuous 'No Smoking' sign.
Post-Holocaust Day: #186

A quiet morning in sicbay. Most of the bumps, bruises, and accidental cuts are treated in minutes and the personnel released shortly thereafter. It's all about efficency on a military ship. But then, there's the single person occupying the bed in the rear of Recovery. Several different types of fluids flow through an intraveinous line into her right arm. At her side are two small devices, one looking like a hand-held music device, the other looking like a simple radio transciever. And she's listening to both, one in one ear, and one in the other. Occasionally she'll turn one down in favor of the other. Her eyes are closed, but she's clearly awake.

Despite the dual audio input Rose has set up at the moment, it would be difficult to miss the sound of her curtain being tugged open and a male voice stepping in saying, "Hey man, how—oh! Oh man, I'm sorry," Devlin apologizes quickly, "I thought they pointed me at this bed, I was coming to check in on a friend of mine, but I guess I screwed it up. I'm really sorry to bother you, miss."

If she could jump out of her skin, she would have. Rose leaps a few inches vertical, letting out a shriek that causes a few of the medical staff's heads to turn. She grips the bed with both hands, fingers digging into the covers and mattress. When her eyes go wide, it's clear she's suffering from cataracts. She isn't even looking at the intruder, but rather her gaze is aimed in his general direction, downward-cast. After the first shock passes, she tugs the earbuds out of her ears. "Who… I mean, no, it's all right," she breathes, clearly catching her breath.

Devlin winces at that reaction, looking highly apologetic, which at least comes through in his tone since Rose can't see him. "I am so sorry," he says again, taking a step or two over to plant himself about where her eyes are pointed, "I didn't mean to freak you out. My name's Alex," he offers, in case an introduction might help somehow, "Alex Devlin. I'm one of the nuggets in the air wing? A buddy of mine from the hangar had this crazy allergic reaction to something last night and I thought he was still in here this morning and I'd come say hi, but clearly I've got totally the wrong bed. So, sorry about that."

Rose puts on her own, best apologetic smile, blushing considerably despite the pallor of radiation sickness that is still lingering. Months of poisoning and rationed anti-rats will do that. "No, no! It's my own fault for, um," Her hands move to each device, and fingers quickly locate and switch them off. "It's just that I don't have much to do, here, so I was listening. It's my own fault for getting… caught! Er, letting my guard down like that." Swallowing back her embarassment and the last of her shock, she sticks her left hand out in Alex's general direction. "Rose. Rose Ibbhanas. What's a nugget?"

"Well, I mean, you've got a do-not-disturb sort of curtain here and everything," Alex says, "You couldn't've been expecting it, except from a doctor or somebody, I guess. I would've, like…knocked or something, but I wasn't sure how and figured Rollie wouldn't care anyways, you know?" The shrug is almost audible, and then the smile as he steps forward to shake her hand, his own big and lightly callused. "Nice to meet you, Rose," he replies, "Oh, a nugget's like a wannabe pilot. In training," he explains, "I was down in the hangar with the civilians, but I enlisted about a month ago."

As she listens to Devlin and the ice continues to be broken, she tucks some of her haphazard short hair behind her ear — not like she needed to, because it's chopped short, but it looks like it's an old habit. "I see," she says. "Hangar? Civilians? That must be where they're keeping the Sagittaron survivors, then. Not much in the way of extra quarters on a military ship, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, all the civilians live down in the starboard hangar," Devlin explains, "They got cots and stuff and everybody kind of… builds themself an area somehow, and stuff. Sort of a like a bunch of forts, really, but I guess in kind of a less fun way after the first couple weeks." After a pause he adds, "Wait, are you one of the Sagittaron survivors? I heard we maybe finally found a couple, that's awesome. I've been here since Picon, myself, but we've got some from Leonis, too, we grabbed a couple months ago."

Rose dips her head with a small smile, more genuine and less nervous this time. "Yep! I'm originally from Aquaria," she says, smile fading slightly. Stiff upper lip. "I was pursuing a Masters degree at Colchis University on Aerilon, and I happened to have some undergraduate students for an oceanography fied trip when, well…" She nods, apparently losing her words.

"Oh," Devlin says about Aquaria, just silent for a moment before offering more brightly, "I lived on Aquaria for a bit. Worked at one of those bars on the beach and learned to scubadive and stuff? It was pretty fun for a couple months. Anyways, I was driving a freighter on Warday, dropping off booze to the big party they were having for the ship or whatever, at the anchorage on Picon. Happened to have a friend of a friend on board, Rollie, actually," he grins a little, and the curtain ruffles quietly as he gestures, "Who I needed to drop a couple extra bottles off to, here on board… just lucky timing, really."

"Luck, I don't think exists," Rose replies, lips drawn tighter as she's clearly trying not to be emotional. She's been on a roller-coaster these past few days. She forces a smile. "Well, I won't keep you from your friend. I'm not exactly the best of company right now. I can't even see you or look at you," she says, trying to make light of her situation in favor of dwelling on doom and gloom.

"Yeah…" Devlin lets the word trail off thoughtfully before continuing, "I mean, I guess I ought to say the Gods were kind enough to put me there at that time, but… I dunno, that feels pretty arrogant, you know? Like, why would they save me in particular?" As for being able to look at him, he chuckles, and replies, "I mean, I'm okay with that, I've been looked at enough for ten people these last few years, but if it's weirding you out I can definitely go."

It's almost as if she can see Devlin now, or at the very least, distinguish one blur from another. "So, you, um, pray?" A strange question; most people have some belief in the gods, one way or another. From underneath her bedding covers, with her right hand, she produces a small wrought figurine, probably of Poseidon from what looks to be a trident in its hand. She clenches it in her hand tighty, resting it on her stomach.

"Umm, yeah," Devlin replies, not sounding unsure so much as surprised by the question, "I, uhh… you know. Most every day." He looks over at the figurine, leaning in a little before asking, semi-rhetorically, "Poseidon? I guess that makes sense for Aquaria, yeah. I stick with Hermes, mostly," he offers, "And Athena for my family. Zeus for Tauron or sometimes Ares."

Rose seems to take some solace in this, even if Devlin was initially hesitant. "My grandmother taught me, when I was very little, 'We're not Gemenese, so don't go throwing your faith in people's faces,' she said. But she was the family's matron. She knew so much about Poseidon and that he chose to dwell in the oceans of Aquaria after the gods left Kobol." She makes a breathy, laugh sound, although it's not a happy sound. She wipes beneath her clouded eyes with her left hand. "Someone from Gemenon might say that's not really in the scriptures, but… well, I know it was just to keep us close to Him, because our family always made a living at the edge of the sea. I know the gods live in our hearts, but I keep thinking about what Miss Coll said about Aquaria…"

Devlin seems to be listening, making an occasional noise of understanding or acknowledgement since she can't see him nodding. "The scriptures don't know everything," he agrees before ahhhing softly, "You mean about what happened to the planet? I mean… I don't think nuclear bombs can affect the gods."

"But they destroyed the oceans, Mister Devlin. Nothing can live there, I…" Rose pleads, sitting forward, clutching her figurine in both hands now. But she cuts herself off, and then slumps backward onto the upward-angled bed, turning her face away. "I'm… I apologize. I got carried away. It's just that when you said you had faith, I felt like you had some obligation to listen to me rant like a child. I really am sorry." She wipes at her face again, sniffing quietly.

"Yeah, but the Gods aren't alive like we are," Devlin reminds, "I mean, they're immortal. If bombs could kill them being immortal wouldn't be worth much, would it?" He shrugs a little and his tone stays easy, replying, "Nah, it's alright, don't worry about it. You're just now finding out stuff the rest of us have had six months to think about already, so… it must be tough."

Despite her confessed desire not to come across as a child, Rose's lip, curled with sadness, and her slow nod, make her seem very much like one. She sniffles again, wipes her face with both hands from forehead to past her chin, and then she puts on her best grateful smile. Smoky eyes train on blur-that-is-Devlin. "Thank you," she says quietly. "I'm really trying to work through all of this as best I can."

Devlin has helpfully not moved much from the spot where she was first able to locate him, shifting a little but not enough to make her have to search for his blur again. "Yeah, I mean… we've all had to do it," he tells her with what sounds like a crooked smile, "So we understand. Don't worry about it. Is, umm… is there anything I could get you? Or do to help? It must be pretty boring being stuck in here."

Rose takes up the two small electronic devices that she was listening to before. "This one," she says, holding up the less modern-looking one of the two, "Lets me listen to military radio chatter. You know, like Raptor patrols and such. It's not particularly interesting but it gives me a sense of what's going on. And this one," she places the first down and takes up the second, a sleek, palm-held media device, "Was loaned to me by Major Cavanaugh. She's quite a nice person. From what I could hear about her, she doesn't sound like military, /at all/." She beams a smile at this, apparently having had a cheery conversation with Madilyn.

"Oh wow, they let you listen in on the comms?" Devlin says, sounding surprised, "That's cool. I mean… it's probably pretty boring most of the time, but neat that they're letting you do that." The media player he seems to recognize, replying, "Oh yeah, I've got one of those. Or maybe another brand, but similar. Music and movies and stuff." As for the major, he checks, not entirely certain: "The marine CO? I've met her once, she checked over my background clearance and stuff. And she was giving one of the other marines permission to get married. She seemed nice. What's on there?"

"Half the time the comms are scrambled. Sounds like scrambled data, really," Rose confesses. "Although take-offs and landings seem to be unrestricted, for the most part. What's 'call the ball' mean?" She turns Madilyn's media device over in her hands. Fingertips seek out the buttons, not to press, but just to know where they are. "Oh, some classical music. Much of it I'm not familiar with, but it's all very lovely. Another thing I didn't expect, that a Major in the marines - a woman, even - would listen to gentle music like this. It's quite a surprise!"

"Oh, yeah, I guess they would be," Devlin nods, "That makes sense." At the lingo question he explains, "It means they can see this red light that tells them they're on the right approach path to land on the deck. That's what my book says, anyhow," he admits with a faint, self-deprecating chuckle, "I haven't actually flown a real Viper myself, yet. I was gonna do it last week, but Shiv— Captain Sitka, the squad leader, he's been down on Sagittaron so we haven't been able to do it." As for the music he nods, "Yeah, it's funny, all the marines I meet don't really seem like marines. Or I guess not all, there are some I got to know when I was down in the hangar and they were guarding it, they were pretty normal jarhead types, but… yeah, classical music is kind of funny."

Rose shrugs lightly, still smiling. "I think it's endearing. And she wouldn't have become a Major if it meant she wasn't a good marine, right?" She places the device down, by her side, and folds her hands on her stomach again. Her Poseidon figurine has slipped down atop the covers onto to her lap, where it remains, either forgotten momentarily, or no longer weighing down on her. She seems quick to cheer.

"Oh, totally, yeah," Devlin is quick to agree, "She must be pretty awesome at her job to get to be a major, for sure. There aren't many of those around at all, I don't think. Like… three? Maybe there's a fourth somewhere I don't know about. I was pretty crap at the ranks and stuff for a while," he admits, "And I'm still not totally sure whether I'm really an officer or not, even. Isn't that bad? I should ask somebody, but it seems kinda late to still not know."

Rose purses her lips, apparenty finding Devlin's confession amusing. "Well, do you have an officer's rank? I'd say that made you an officer, then," she explains. "Although I'm not entirely sure if 'nugget' is a rank. Well, until today, I didn't even know what a nugget was!"

"Well, that's the problem," Devlin replies, "I'm not really sure? I mean, I'm a Midshipman, that's my rank. But I'm still taking classes that are, like…a condensed version of Officer Candidate School right now. So… does that mean I'm not technically an officer yet, since I haven't finished those? I should really know this."

Rose shrugs again, still looking quite amused. "You're a tough Viper pilot, right? I'd say that conveys a certain importance right there. Oh, if my father heard me…" She shakes her head, rolling her eyes. "Pop didn't particularly care for the military. I mean, he saw their need and recognized that they were necessary, but… well, you know." She doesn't quite go into it, probably because it would be terribly rude to tear down a person turned military due to necessity.

Devlin laughs. "I mean… I'm not really technically a Viper pilot yet either," he admits, "I'm just in training. I've never even flown one for real, just in the simulators. Hopefully soon. I'd like to get it overwith, you know?" As for her father's take on the military, he chuckles faintly and shrugs, "I mean… I never enlisted before, obviously, but it's pretty different now, you know? It's more than necessary."

Rose dips her head slightly, growing quiet as once again the reality of her situation, and of those around her, sinks in. But rather than be selfish, she manages a small smile, and offers, "I really appreciate the company you've given me, Mister Devlin. Thank you"

"You're welcome," Devlin replies, sounding just faintly confused, as if he's not entirely sure that he hasn't done something wrong, even if he has no idea what it could be. "It was nice talking to you, Rose. I'll let you get back to the radios and stuff, but maybe I'll see you around sometime soon?"

Rose's smile widens, eyes twinkling despite being full of not-seeing cataracts. "Yes, thank you. A fortunate accident. I'm… sure I'll be around!"

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