| Losing It |
| Summary: | Sofia runs into a Triad-playing Damon who seems not at all like his usual self. |
| Date: | 18 Apr 2042 AE |
| Related Logs: | Alea Iacta Est, Divided We Fall, From Hell's Heart |
| Players: |
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| Recreation Room - Deck 9 - Battlestar Cerberus |
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| This huge room spans quite a lot of floor space, the support beams crisscrossing at even points throughout the room. The two sides are divided fairly between the Enlisted and Officers with an unseen line more or less running down the center of the room. A couple pool and card tables sit in no-man's land with a series of regular mess tables at the rear of the room, nearest a counter full of minor refreshments like coffee and bags of chips. Magazines and reading material are spread out over the couched seating areas and a few televisions are set-up with a couple of video game systems made available. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #416 |
Since his return to Cerberus, Damon has spent the last few days getting patched up and recovering. The shrapnel has been taken out of his left arm, which is now wrapped from wrist to shoulder and still mostly hanging limp and useless in a sling. Part of his head is also bandaged, and some movements make him wince, indicating that there are other unseen injuries. Nobody's seen him on the hangar deck floor since he got back, but he's been seen just about everywhere else on the ship, looking blank and tired. It's in that same state that he sits in the Rec Room now, bags under his eyes, playing at cards.
Sofia's injuries aren't physical. Her eyes seem a little red. There's a faint sadness clinging to her, though it's muted and she does her best to hide it. She has some arts and crafts supplies. It looks like someone's gonna make parrots and themed decor. She even has tubes of glitter. It's … a distraction at best. She starts a low, sad dirge from some tragic opera. Then stops, noticing someone in here. Damon! She blinks and moves over towards him. "Damon!" She murmurs.
Damon winces when someone calls out his name, though the voice is familiar enough that he knows who it is before he turns around. "Sofie," he answers, giving her a little sad smile. He looks her over, trying to see if she's been hurt in the recent events. "Good to see you're all in one piece," he says, pulling out a chair for her with his foot. He draws in a breath like he's going to ask a question, then just exhales it without saying anything, silent as he looks at her for a beat. Then he turns and watches the Triad game - he's already folded on this hand.
Sofia hesitates, as he winces. She smiles back. No injuries. Not /physical/ ones at least. "Thanks. I was in CIC. We were worried about the nukes," She admits. "At least I wouldn't have time to have felt the pain if it went south. And thanks." She accepts the seat and sets her stuff down. There's a definite sadness in her voice. "I'm - sad and worried. But it's good to see you. I hope your arm feels better soon." She wrinkles her nose. "Are you playing or just watching?" She peers at him.
Damon shrugs his left shoulder to show some movement in that arm. "They said there might be some nerve damage. I don't know. I still can't really move my fingers much. It doesn't hurt anymore, though." He falls silent again as the hand ends and the next one is dealt, which answers Sofie's question: he's playing. He picks up his cards, rearranges them, and throws in a small bet. "It's good to see you too. I didn't realize it until I did see you, but I was worried you'd gotten hurt. I haven't… really seen anyone since I got back."
Sofia frowns, sympathetically. "Well… if there's anything we can do … let me know. Granted, I can't build you a giant robot suit but-" She rubs the back of her head. She watches the game and smiles weakly. "Nah. Not me. I'm … like a roach. Even if I want to die, I just keep coming back." A faint chuckle. "Dunno what it is about me." She really is baffled. "I'm just - well. No need to be a downer. You have a game to win," She smiles a little. "And I should finish these up. I figured - since we got you and Mark back… you guys deserved a treat. I finally meant to finish setting up his office." She shakes her head. "It's … stupid and shallow, I know." Sigh. "But I've been trying to find everyone too. I saw the twins, and a few others so far." A good start. "But - if I can listen, I'm here for you as a um, buddy." Yes. Nod. She's tracing the shape of a parrot.
"No, it's - it's good," Damon says, briefly glancing over her way. But his words carry no enthusiasm or conviction to them. "And you better keep coming back. Don't ever let 'em stomp you. We need you around here." That, at least, carries some sort of genuine emotion to it. But he's silent again, his brow twitching as the hand goes on with others raising the stakes and him so obviously and reluctantly following along to the end despite having nothing in his hand. When the cards get flipped at the end, he unexpectedly stands up and throws his cards and chips on the table so hard that they bounce and scatter all over. "This is frakking bullshit," he spits, stalking away from the table. "You haven't dealt me a decent hand all frakking game." Wow, tantrum much?
Sofia smiles faintly, sadly. "Cockroaches don't give up. We just find your delicious snacks and eat them first," She winks at that. "Hey … we need you too, alright? I'll even take your shift if you need to take a trip and see Rose or just take off. A little caffeine shouldn't set me off to much." Long as she doesn't swing into psychosis or heart attack, she's golden! "I've gotten pretty good with the ECMs. Even helped drop some metal inventory off for the guys," She considers. She looks startled as he stands up and stalks away. "Hey, want some herbal tea with me on the couch?" She peers over and scoops up her stuff. "Cards are kinda fickle really." She considers it. "We can - just sit or whatever." Beam. She pulls out some blue sparkles. "Hmm. Hyacinth or red…"
Damon paces back and forth, head held between his hands. The others at the table murmur amongst themselves after that little outburst, giving the Chief some odd looks. He eventually slows down and stops with his eyes closed. "Rose, I, uh, I should… I should talk to her. Soon. Tomorrow, maybe." He doesn't sound particularly convincing that he's going to get in touch with her tomorrow. "Sorry, Sofie, I'm just, I've got so much running through my brain right now, y'know, it's just, like…" He makes a frenzied gesture with his hands. "I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't, I can't stay in one place or I start to get restless…" There he goes with the pacing again. "I think, um, I think I should go and… do… something," he says, pointing toward the door. "I wanna sit and have tea with you, I really do, I just, I know that if I sit down right now, I'm gonna lose it, and I don't know why. I'm sorry, I need to just - go."
Sofia tilts her head. "Yes. You can take some of my jellybeans to her, kay?" She tilts her head. "If not tomorrow, let me know when? I'll cover for you." She pauses. She looks worried then pauses. "Oh. I don't know what happened … then, but. I think I understand. We can decorate or fix something if you really need to. Or you could go exercise." She seems sympathetic. "Or chill. There are boxing bags in the gym though. But please do eat and sleep or I'll have to sit on you or something terrible. I'm bad at thinking tortures. This means you owe me some hang out time though," She smiles sadly. "No worries. It's - it's been rough. You're hurt," She takes a deep breath and pours on some sparkles. "You can even … help plan this out sometime later. I don't even know why I'm doing this except to keep away the memories and sadness. I'm kind of a coward." She shakes her head. "Just don't hurt yourself."
Damon smiles sadly at Sofia again, and this time, the pain comes through in his eyes. "I won't. Hurt myself, I mean. Don't worry about me, I just need to, uh, to work some stuff out, that's all. Just got all this… stuff…" He takes a deep breath and gives Sofia a quick, tight hug. "You be careful too, and… uh, thanks. And I'm sorry. And I'll - " Something else is on the tip of his tongue, but it's extinguished as he turns away and walks out, his fingers snaking through his hair.
Sofia returns the hug and even reaches up to ruffle his hair. "Yeah, you owe Rose some jellybeans later too." She smiles faintly, sadly. Kid's perceptive enough to pick up on the pain. "It's - okay. I'll visit sometime. Just get some sleep and eat. They'll doodle dongs on your face if they find you asleep," She notes quietly. She might be sad. She seems worried, for sure though. "And the second shift PO is nicest if you need sleeping pills or antianxiety meds," How she knows this is unforutnately. But she just keeps a faint smile as she works on a parrot. "We're here for you. Always."