| DRADIS, Grids and Magic |
| Summary: | Talk of Marine Pong, then Sofia tries to teach Shiner about coordinates. |
| Date: | ## 1 Dec 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Shiner flying training logs |
| Players: |
   |
| Observation Deck |
|---|
| 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: #278 |
Sofia is settled into a chair, reading a book on electronics. She has a can of juice on the stand next to her and glances out towards the stars. It's peaceful here now, a crewman dozing with a hat over his face, a couple of Marines quietly playing triad, a few officers napping or chattering and reading. There's a decent view of Tauron if one wishes.
Shiner walks, yes, walks onto the Obs deck, a book tucked under one arm. After a wee glance about, he smirks to himself, heading over behind Sofia, tapping her once on the opposite shoulder, then sauntering the other way around her to flop down into a seat.
Sometimes people just wanna relax, right? And what a better place to do that than the observation deck? Without much of a plan in mind, Robinson moseys onto the Observation deck and gazes casually about before heading toward the window, and just gazing down at the planet.
Hey, it's a Shiner. Sofia pauses and looks over the tapped shoulder. Huh? Hey! She turns back around then notices Shiner. She smiles warmly. "Hey you. How are you?" She asks softly, not wanting to interrupt the quiet ones. She pauses, glancing over towards Robinson. "Oh!" Hey. There's a familiar face.
Shiner is apparently oblivious to the quiet ones, replying cheerily. "I'm pretty damn good, Sof, and all the better for seeing you and your marvellous funbags, of course." What a romantic. "Hey, sir!" he calls over to Robinson, taking the book from under his arm and waving it. "Look! No stick! Doctor Doom and his needles of agony are doing the trick, huh?"
Robinson turns her head a little bit to see the others and smiles. Oh hey. Total familiar faces. Those are nice to have around. "Oh, hey…" She says softly, and in a bit of a quieter tone, much like that of Sofia's. She raises a little eyebrow at Shiner. "Yeah…his acupuncture stuff really seemed to do the trick, didn't it? Well, that's good."
"How are you? And huh? They do acupuncture in med bay now?" Sofia seems boggled. She smirks at Shiner. "Thanks, I'm glad you keep checking on them," She comments wryly. She's accepting it as a fact that she's invariably going to be ogled. "I'm happy you're better now though."
"Oh yeah," Shiner agrees, shrugging offhandedly. "That civvy doc's way into his new age hippie weird therapy and all. But, shit, if he tells me to sit half naked with my legs around my head, singing kumbayah, then, frak, I'd give it a go. Can't say he's not helped with my neck and all, can you."
Robinson nods a little bit. "Doctor Adair wanted to try it on our gentleman friend here. It seems to have works, really. I mean…I wasn't expecting it to. But…hey whatever works will work, right?"
"Interesting. Though I'd have to be there to see you with your legs around your head," Sofia seems amused by the mere idea of it. "I'm glad you're getting better then. Being shot in the neck /sucks/," Sofia remarks quietly. She seems a bit uneasy as talk about the Doctor continues. But she says nothing. "Um." Hmm. "What brings you two down here?"
Shiner waves his book again, wrinkling his nose. "Three guesses. I'm growing to hate this dumb thing already. I've got those flashcard things here somewhere, too," he notes, patting at the various pockets of his ovies until he finds them, digging them out and brandishing them triumphantly.
Robinson shrugs a little bit. "I got tired of the regular sites? Plus, I like it here. But, really, I'm getting tired of being in sickbay all the time. Day in and day out. I need to come here more, just for a change of scenery!"
Sofia smiles. "I'm glad you are studying. And tch, don't hate it. It's the path to flying." She's trying to encourage him. "I'm proud of you." Go Shiner! "Ah! You kept them!" She seems happy and a bit surprised. She nods. A look to Robinson. "It's a nice place. I wish we had a fish tank here, but…" A shrug. "Usually the stars are nice to watch and it's quieter than the rec room. Last time I went, there was a game of Marine ping pong." Deadly.
"I bet we could make a fish tank," Shiner muses, absently running a hand through his hair. "Fill it with water. Get some fish next time there's a team planetside where there's fish and all that. I could just go for a nice haddock and chips right now, too. Maybe with some mushy peas… mmm."
Robinson smirks a little about the mention of Marine ping pong. "We Marines take our games real seriously." Yes folks, she is a Marine. A Medical Marine. Dun dun dunnnnn! She nods in the direction of the Marines who are playing triad. "Look at those two. I mean, beside them looking obviously like Marines…" She tilts her head. "They're taking the game to whole levels of seriousness. Look at the fire in their eyes. They're close to the game being done, and both of them know it. It's anyone's game at this point. But who will win?" She smirks at shiner. "If we've got a fish tank in here, you know that the fish that are in the tank'll be off limits, right? I mean…they'll be for looking at, not eating!"
A smile. "I'd like - … pets, but I guess food is good." Sofia grins at the mention of Marine games. "Yeah, I'm just glad their ball didn't go the wrong way. I could've lost an eye," She laughs. Donk! There's a smile and she looks over at the Triad game. "Triad is tough," She admits. There's a look back over. "I'd like some cute ones, like maybe gobies or clownfish… but I suspect edible ones would be more popular. "I didn't know you were more with the Marines though. Corpsmen can choose that?"
"Cute marines?" Shiner queries, squinting at Sofia. "And I don't think they like it when you call them gobies. Just this feeling I get."
Robinson smirks. "Yeah…really, best to stay out of the way with those kinda games when Marines are playing. You know, I'm surprised that we don't see more Marines in sickbay because of that." She says with a bit of a smirk. She gives a little bit of a look to Shiner. "No, she was talking about fish. Cute fish. Though…there's nothing wrong with cute Marines. There's a few cute Marines around." She says happily. To Sofia, she nods. "Yeah. I'm a Marine. Just trained as a medic though. And a certified physician's assistant."
Sofia sticks her tongue out. "The fishes. I'm sure there's cute Marines. Like Constin is cool, and punches bears but I dunno about cute…" She ponders this conundrum, rubbing the back of her head. "And I have no idea of the attrition rate of Marine Beer Pong," She admits. "Cute fish are awesome!" Pause. Nod. "I see. I remembered right then," She nods. "That's good." She'd likely feel like an ass if not. "I think you were there when we found those Tauronian people in the warehouse that shot at us," She taps her chin.
"There /are/ some cute marines," Shiner muses, although judging by the faint smile and faraway look on his face, he's probably not thinking of the same 'cute marines' that Robinson is. "But then there's some real butch pitbull types, too. Quite a lot of the butch types, really. I think it's something they feed you guys or something, makes 'em all 'grrr' and scary-like."
Robinson shakes her head at Sofia. "My word of advice? Stay away from Marines when they're playing beer pong. Two things us Marines are serious about: Games, and drinking. Combine the two? Whoa boy!" She laughs though. "It's all good fun, really." She nods ever so slightly. "Yeah, I was there when we found the shooting guy on Tauron. Got something good out of that, we did!" She grins at Shiner. "If you think we're scary now…just wait until your next physical." She's smiling, and there's humour in her voice…but could she possibly be serious, and should Shiner be worried? Well…he'll just have to wait and see if he gets Robinson for his next physical.
Sofia quirks her brows, "That's not fair just to call them butch. Not everyone's girly and all that," Sofia notes. A shrug. "But I guess you have to be kinda grrr to make it as a Marine," She counters. And considers, "Besides, some dudes think that's hot." Then a soft laugh. "Yeah. Like I said, I might've lost an eye." She's obviously kidding. Right? "I'm glad we did. And uh oh. Someone's riling up medical staff," Dun dun dun! "I was there for awhile a few times." Shiver.
"Well, I guess it is pretty hot if they like the women," Shiner admits, staring off into space for a long moment, a vacant smile on his face. "As long as we get to watch, I mean. It's hardly any use if we don't get to see."
Robinson smirks. "I'm not exactly what people would call butch. Yeah, we gotta be strong. But…all military people kinda gotta be strong. Besides, I got the best of it all. I can shoot people down and fix them on up again. That's gotta count for something. That and being outwardly a bit more…'girly' than a lot of Marines. Even than most women Marines, in all honesty." She smiles and shrugs.
"Are we even -" Sofia eyes Shiner then sighs. "You're hopeless." She sticks her tongue out at him. She looks over to Robinson and shrugs, "Girly is a relative thing anyway. I'm not really in a female profession," She wriggles her fingers. Engineers: Reproducing asexually since ever. She pauses. "Besides, they are who they are. Bellanca seems cool, even if she could break my neck like a twig." Shiver. "Oh well." She ponders this. "I am amazed. From beer pong to Marine girls."
"I may be hopeless, but at least I'm cute," Shiner replies amiably, leaning back and flipping through the first few pages of his book. "I bet all the women docs line up to see who gets the privilege of doing /my/ medical, right?"
Robinson nods a little bit at Sofia. "I'm not really in a female profession either…not really. So…I guess you're right. It's all relative." She laughs. "Marines…surprising military types since their inception." She says happily. She frowns at Shiner. "Oh yes, left, right and centre. All the women just want to do your medical exam." She says, caughing a little.
So. many. comments. One can see it in Sofia's face. She giggles. Opens mouth. Closes it. "Noooooooo. Must not go for easy target." She teases. "You're adorable, goof." She pats Shiner on the head. She looks to Robinson and nods. "Besides, girly doesn't mean all pink ribbons and dresses," Shhe notes. A shrug and a smile. "Lots of my friends are Marines. Elf's a good guy, um, that Lysander dude. Decumius seems okay…" Ponder.
Shiner nods towards Sofia, confiding to Robinson, "See? I'm adorable. Gen buzz." He nods solemnly, returning his attention once more to his book, wrinkling his nose at it as though that'll suddenly make it all make sense.
Robinson goes wide eyed. "What?! Girly doesn't mean all pink ribbons and dresses? Uh-oh…umm…I gotta go change my wardrobe a little bit…umm…see you all later!" She laughs a little and grins. "But no, I totally see where you're coming from. Totally. She gives Shiner a little shake of the head. "We'll keep it at that, hmm Shiner?"
Sofia smiles. "Uh huh," She just nods. A look over. "I gave away most of my costumes and stuff," Sigh. "Mom'd be mad. Some of those were opera dresses." A shrug. Some civilian is very well dressed. She nods. "I like most of the people I run into anyway though," She considers.
"If you've lost all yours, Sof, I'm not lending you mine. You'd only mess up the bows, and you might make the pink colour fade," Shiner notes solemnly, eyes still on the book.
Robinson stretches a little. "Well, as much as I hate to say goodbye, I think I've got a shift in sickbay soon." She frowns. "Well, so much for the change of scenery, eh? It was good talking to you guys, though. See you all around!"
Sofia pouts at Shiner. "Oh, I see how it is," She hmmphs softly. She ahs softly at Robinson. "It was good to see you sir. Be well," She wriggles her fingers and waves. "Should I leave you to your studies then?"
Shiner raises an eyebrow sidelong at Sofia. "Well, you could always help? I mean, if you don't mind too much, anyway."
Sofia tilts her head. "I don't mind. What are you stuck on?" She leans over to peer.
Oo. Cleavage. It takes a moment for Shiner to refocus on the book, but when he does, he taps the page. "HUD stuff. Trying to remember what's where and what means what. All this DRADIS bit is making me go crazy."
Indeed. Sofia quirks her brows. "I see. Well, think of it like a clock…" She points out the notable features and how they might correspond to a clock. "DRADIS isn't too bad, it tends to see things, what they are and where they are. Kind of like your eyes but with waves and stuff. It's good to know if say, a Raider is about to come shake hands as it were." She nods.
"But I just don't /get it/," Shiner protests in exasperation. "You've got this flat screen display, right? And it's showing space. Which is like all around you and stuff. Not flat."
Another smile. "Well, think of it as like a map, but with you on it. Have you read maps before?" She offers. "Like … you'd be here in the middle. If a Cylon comes up here," She points, "It tells you, Cylon at whatever, however far away so you know if you need to move or shoot. DRADIS is not foolproof, and can be jammed or fooled, however. That's where ECOs come in."
"Yeeahhh," Shiner allows, frowning. "But what if it's like above you or below you or something? How do you /know/?"
"The readout here," Sofia explains. "Do you know how a graph has x and y coordinates? X as you move sideways, y as you move back and forth? Z is how you move up and down," She points. She's a steady, slow teacher, pausing now and then. "Make sense?"
"Not really," Shiner admits, snapping the book shut and throwing his hands up. "What's a bunch of letters got to do with it, I mean?"
"Okay," Sofia grunts. "Here," She goes for a blank piece of paper. She sketches a graph. "On this graph, we have little lines and stuff right? Let's say the dot in the middle is um, Dave's Totally Awesome Raptor with Dudes," She grins. "Got it so far?"
Shiner gives a half grin in return, nodding. "Yeah, that sounds reasonable so far, sure. Can I draw the dude on?"
"Sure. We'll also call this point the 'origin'. That's where we start. That's our viewpoint. We'd give it a number. 0, 0, 0. Always start from 0. Got it?" She hands him the pencil to let him draw. Sofia seems amused.
Shiner draws a wee stick man at the centre, carefully giving him a little flight helmet and a thumbs up. "That's me, see?" he explains, grinning. "Okay, so I start at 0. Why not start at one?"
Sofia grins at Shiner's drawing. Her green eyes seem to reflect her amusement more than her face. "Good," She nods. Then a shrug. "Because 0 is the true start, not one. Most calculators go 0 to 9 after all. Alright. So we're at 0. You want to slide left," She motions with the pencil, "That's along the x plane. If you go left of 0, you start going negative." She pauses. "Got it? Now, if you slide right - you go positive numbers. This is because people wanted a universal way to tell where you are in space. It's no good to say a little to the left," She notes.
"What's wrong with saying left or right?" Shiner asks, quite seriously. "I mean, I've used it all my life and it's worked well for me!"
Sofia sighs. "Okay, this other dot is a cylon. And this little dot is your friend. I say I'm to the left and the cylon is to my right. What does that mean to the guy over here? exactly nothing. He couldn't come to you in time or he'll go the wrong way. With this system, people know on the map exactly where you are. Like those doofy maps in the mall that say A8 for pizzas or something."
Shiner gives the cylon dot a little doodled sinister red flashy eye as he speaks. "Well, what if I say -10 or whatever, though? That means left ten, but why not just say… left 10? If it's the same thing?"
A giggle at that. "You could say left 10, but! Let's say Dave has to move forward to catch the toaster. But toaster brings buddies. So he's moved up a few, and left too. Now he's at -10, 6. Negative ten six is faaster than Left 10, Up 6. If you have Toasters on your tail, you want to let people know /ASAP/. That's why they use callsigns too."
"But it's making up new numbers and stuff when left and right and up and down /work/," Shiner protests, wrinkling his brow. "It's faster to say left ten than negative ten any day. I don't /get/ it."
Sofia smiles and gently ruffles Shiner's hair. "No, left and right and up and down don't work. Because … look, you see up and down on this map easily. It's just two dimensional. But in the third dimension, what does up and down mean? Z is up and down in the third dimension. If you're out in space, what does left mean? Space is … space. Frakkin' huge. People can't always see you, especially not when you jump."
"So how the /frak/ does just renaming it 'negative' make it any different to just being 'left'? You can't see 'negative' either, can you?" Shiner argues in frustration, fists clenching. "I'm out here in space, right? And I say okay, negative 10, six. Which to me means.. here, right?" And he points on the diagram. "But to this guy, facing over here? It means… uh… here." And he turns the page to the perspective of the friendly pilot, noting a spot to its left and up some. "And that's not the same place."
"No. No matter where you are, the grid never changes. I only used you as a starting point to make it easier." She explains. "Think of it as a map laying over the universe. The numbers never change." She explains. "And that's right. You're there. But it means that to him. Your DRADIS would say the same things about where you are. You can start at any point and know where someone else is by the numbers on it. Just because I move … the axes don't," She nods. "Think of them as strings laying across the universe. It's a bit tough I guess. I've done it ever since I was little," She admits with a blush.
"But how does everyone else know where I am?" Shiner asks, shaking his head. "If I'm at 0, how do they /know/. Otherwise they're just making it up."
"Because you're at 0. Your buddy might start at 1 or -1 beside you. Their DRADIS tells them. Let's try this. Where you're sitting is 0," She stands and steps aside. "This is one. Does 0 change because I'm here?"
Shiner exhales, shaking his head. "Nope. So you're at one right now, okay? But then /I/ move… here." As he shuffles along the seats some. "And you're not at one any more, are you? You're like at… two or three. Yeah?"
Sofia shakes her head. "I'm still at one. /You're/ at two now," She explains after her shuffles chairs. "The reason the numbers don't change is because it would be harder to remember changes over absolute positions. Let's try with markers." She sets the juice can on the table. "Negative one. Chair is 0. You'll be two…" She marks things, even taking off her shoes. "Granted, this is just x but the number idea is the same. For now, let's stay with left or right. Okay. You're at two right of zero. 2. No matter how far left or right you go, 0 doesn't change."
"So where's zero?" Shiner asks, nose wrinkling. "I mean, like, in real life. Not like the can of juice or whatever. And how do you know which way zero's facing, so you know which way's up or down or left or right or forward or backward or whatever?"
"The DRADIS shows you," Sofia moves over, to show him the picture. "Like I said, think of the screen like a big grid." She points. "This first number is x. That says how far left or right. This second number is Y. That's forward or backwards. Z is above or below. So DRADIS always tells you which way. Usually ECOs or Viper Jocks worry about it more, but it's ALWAYS good to know. At least if I remember right. Anyway. As an example," She points. "Big Bad McToaster is at 3, 2, -1. He's to your right, forward and below. So you'd need to turn a little and down, but being above someone is good to shoot at them."
Shiner grabs at the picture in frustration, crumpling it into a ball and flinging it for the window. "But how do you know where the /grid/ is? And which way it's facing? It just doesn't make /sense/!" he raves, throwing his hands up. "And don't just tell me the machine knows, because it /can't/ just know where something a million miles away is facing. If /I'm/ 0, then doesn't the grid move with me? How does everyone else know when I move? They can't see the grid, can they?"
Sofia looks sad. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm not good at explaining this." She winces as he throws the picture. A deep breath. "Okay, let's take a break for a moment after this." She begins, "The grid is an idea, not a literal thing. We use it because it's an absolute set of points. Like if I told you I was in the leftmost shower stall in the head. Those stalls never change. It's an absolute. Correct?" She starts. "The point 0, 0, 0 is important because it's a reference point. Where we start counting." She explains the references. "The grid does and doesn't move. You can always pick up a map for example. Their DRADIS' tell them. And yes, they see the same grid. It's how Raptors know not to bonk into one another, or into debris or the flak field."
"If you're in the leftmost shower stall… that's like actually /there/," Shiner argues. "There's a stall. You can see it. You can see the edges and everything. You can't just point at a bit of space and say 'that's point 0'. How are you going to find it again? How do you know which way your bit of space is facing? It doesn't have walls or pipes or a shower curtain or that shitty little wooden bench bit where you put your clothes and they always get wet anyway, does it?"
By now, Sofia is startting to look a little frustrated. She eyes Shiner. "I … need a sip of water. One second." She sighs and moves for some water. "It's … an abstract concept. You /really/ need to know this," She explains. Deep breath. Deep. Happy. Breath. "Yes. Yes you can point at a point in space. That's how maps even WORK." She explains. "Have you read maps very much?" She considers. She really is trying to think of a way to get this across. "0 is 0 is 0. That chair stays.'
Shiner rubs at the back of his neck with one hand, the other still balled into a fist which he presses to his forehead. "Right, so the chair is 0. And I'm here to its right. At 1. But if I look out of the window, right? How do I know which way the chair's /facing/? I know it's there, I know how close it is, but I don't know if I'm on its left or its right, yeah? I don't know if I'm at left one, or right one, or forward one or… shit, if you kick the chair over, I could be at up one or anything." He grits his teeth, turning on the chair and just upending it with a heavy handed swipe. "Frakking dumbass thing anyway! Page frakking /six/ and I don't get it already."
Sofia moves over and offers Shiner some fruit punch. "Look. It's an abstract concept. I don't know where your mental strengths are, but this is a core thing for pilots to know. You'll /die/ out there if you can't tell where you are, or where things are in relation to you. I'll think of a way to explain this. I'm sorry if I'm frustrated. I'm not very good at getting this across," She frowns. It seems to come naturally to her. "No. You're not getting it. The points don't change because you turn around. They stay the same in relation to a set point." Sofia ahs! "Here." She moves to pick the chair up. "Let's… get a piece of string or rope." She pulls a shoelace from her shoe. "Hold onto this end. We'll call you 0. Now. Repeat after me and stop when this doesn't make sense. If I'm one away from you, I am 1, you are 0." Steps behind him. "I am 0, -1. You are still 0, 0." Steps to stand to his left. "I am -1, 0. You are 0,0." She moves in front of him. "I am 0, 1. And you are still 0. No matter which way you turn to face me … you do not change. But I do. Got it?"
Shiner throws up his hands, shoving the shoelace back at her, voice raising with his temper. "I frakking /know/ I'm not getting it! If I got it, I wouldn't be stood here still trying to frakking figure it out, would I? Augh!" He flops down into his seat again, rubbing at his jaw. He takes a long, deep breath, regaining some composure before pulling out a fresh piece of paper. He puts a big D in the middle and an S not far above it. "Right. Here. Me," he taps the D, "You," and the S. "I'm at 0, you're at 1. Yes?" He raises an eyebrow. So far, so good?
Sofia winces. She looks pained and frowns, looking to her jaw. For a long moment, she's quiet, holding the shoelace. She … really seems hurt for a moment. "I'm sorry. Guess I expected too much and explained too little." She doesn't say anything during the break. "Yes. You are at 0, 0 and I am at 0, 1." Nod. If he's using Y that is. "I'm really sorry…"
Shiner shakes his head, holding up a finger. "But if you were here," and he points to a spot just below the D, "You'd be at… 0,-1. Yes?"
Sofia nods, and smiles. "That's exactly right!" She seems genuinely pleased for him.
Shiner nods slowly. "So if you're in front of me, it's 0,1. And if you're behind me, it's 0,-1." He turns the paper round 180 degrees and holds it upside down. "So now? Where are you now? Are you still at 0,1? Or are you at 0,-1 now? Which bit matters? The way the D faces or the way the paper faces?"
Sofia nods. Then she peers at the paper. "The way the paper faces. No matter which way you look, even if you look away from mme, I am still either 0,1 or 0,-1 depending on if I was in front of or behind you." She seems pleased though.
Shiner gestures to the window impatiently. "So how do you know which way the paper's facing out there? How do you know which way's which? You can't see the edges of the paper, or this imaginary grid or anything, can you?"
Sofia explains, "That's where the DRADIS comes in." She moves to pick up the book and points. "Knowing how to read what it's telling you and understanding what it's saying is where this comes in. If it helps, picture it in your mind." She tilts her head. "But … I am glad we're making good progress. And no, you cannot see the edges - though there is a range limit," She explains.
Shiner raises one dubious eyebrow. "And the DRADIS just knows, does it? No matter which way I'm facing in my Awesome Raptor of Doom, it can tell which way the grid is because… it's magic? How does it KNOW? How can it tell which way to make the grid face on the little map thing to make it right?"
Sigh. "Nope. Humans program it. It's only as smart as we are. Back before people figured out space travel, this grid and degree business was done by hand - which is fine when it takes months to walk or sail somewhere. So we program coordinates into a DRADIS, tell it how to read what we say and give it to a pilot or their ECO in a fast, readable format."
Sofia adds, "A Raptor can orient itself with-" And she rattles on for a moment. She's not 100 percent up on it, but she gives it her best.
The more technical it gets, the more Shiner just glazes over, nodding blankly. "Frak me, I knew I quit math for a reason," he grumbles. "So… plus numbers are to the right of this imaginary grid which nobody can see but the DRADIS knows by magic, and the negative numbers are to the left, yeah?" Yes. Regardless the explanation Sofia's given to how the DRADIS orients itself, Shiner's going to stick with 'it just does it by magic' as a good answer.
Sofia sighs softly and reaches over to Ruffle Shiner's hair. "It's okay. You mostly need to know how to deal with the readouts. It's more my job to calibrate it and keep it happy," She smiles. "Probably best I stay doing so huh?" She nods and confirms his explanation. "That applies to forward and back, up and down too. Since you fly in 3 dimensions after all." Beam. "How're you feeling?"
"My brain hurts," Shiner admits, wrinkling his nose. "And this is just page /six/. I'm never going to learn all this."
"Hush," Sofia chides him. "This doesn't seem to be your strong point, but that's why training pilots takes awhile. We just have to work at it. I'm sure you'll be awesome once you get out there," She smiles. "Give yourself time and practice, okay? Also, I'm totally gonna be pissed if you waste my time and give up." She pouts.
Shiner gives her a tired grin. "What, you want rid of me that bad, huh? If it gets to the point where I just can't do it, though, you're going to have to forgive me, okay? I know it's a pretty long shot to even try this shit, but I'll give it my best go."
Sofia smiles at his grin. "No. We'll slog through it. I know it would make you very happy to fly and I'd like to see you happy. Just give it your best go. I wouldn't really be mad even if you gave up for awhile. Still… if it really /is/ your dream… why not?" She tilts her head. "Let's take a break for now. Turn it over in your head a bit."
Shiner just groans. "I can't see it getting any easier, is all." He pats the seat beside him, holding his arm out. "All this crap to get through before I even get into an aircraft, let alone fly one. Then all the officer shit on top? I'll be ninety before I ever qualify. If I do."
Sofia sighs softly. "You have to take it seriously," She nods. "I know - it may not be /easy/ for you but …" She looks defeated. "It's your call." She just accepts the offered seat. "You're never going to get good at it if all you see it as 'crap to get through before you get in'. It's something you genuinely need to know to fly and not get splattered. To know where you are, what damage your craft has taken and how to compensate. Look at parts while you work and see what they do." She takes a deep breath. "I'm - not really a good teacher. Maybe we can find you a better one."
"But I like you," Shiner points out. "And you don't take the piss out of me when I don't get it, or if I get it wrong."
Sofia blushes and smiles. "Thanks. I don't know, taking the piss out of you seems wrong…" She furrows her brows. "Maybe motivational flogging?" She winks, teasing. "Kidding, you're my friend. I like you too." So maybe it's more like friends with benefits, but hey.
"I'm not into that kinky shit," Shiner informs her solemnly. "It chafes my delicate skin and all."
Snrk. "Heehee. I kid." Sofia smiles. Him. Delicate. She just leans a little. "It's cool. I'm … sure we'll get everything worked out. Just don't see it as a burden or it will never sink in."
Shiner rolls his eyes, settling his arm around her shoulders loosely. "But it /is/ a burden. If I don't force myself to do it, though, then I never get to fly. So that's my motivation. If I get three hours of study in every day, I can do this. That leaves me eight hours to sleep, three hours for physio, and two hours to eat and shave and stuff. Sof time? Totally physio."
Sofia sighs and looks to Shiiner. "I know you can do it. But … it's really important crap you need every day. I don't want you hurt or dead out there." She frowns. "I'd totally be sad." So there. Then a deeep blush, "Really now." A shy grin. "Am I that bad?"
Shiner laughs, squeezing her briefly. "Nah, you're the best bit of physio. Way better than weights, or having some butch marine chick poke you and pull you and bend you and stretch you all ways. You help keep me sane."
Sofia oomphs and gently leans at the squeeze. "Thanks. I'm glad you enjoy it. And hmm. Not into that type?" She teases. "That's alright. I'm - happy to help then." Nod.
"For now, though," Shiner allows, pulling a face, "I should get some rack time. Y'coming, or are you hanging out here for a bit?"
Nod. "For now." She agrees softly. Sofia seems a little uncertain about that. "I can come and rest. Remember, since I fell sick, they capped my hours. I'm allergic to caffeine anyway. If I had some, they couldn't revive me so." A shrug.
Shiner half grins, tilting his head as he eases to his feet. "Rest? Or 'rest'?" The grin spreads across his face into a leer. "You know I'll never object to you and the ladies in my bunk, for either." And by ladies, judging by his nod towards her chest, he's probably not talking about the Duchess of Cornwall and Princess of Kent.
Sofia smiles though she blushes at that leer. She shrugs. "Hm. Surprise me?" She offers. She stands shortly after him then. "I'll be glad for the company either way." Nor - does she really seem to object to his nodding at her chest much anymore.