| PHD #293: Not Nooners |
| Summary: | Rose pops into the Chief's office for… not nooners. A conversation with Shiner goes south, quickly. |
| Date: | 16 Dec 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | None |
| Players: |
  |
| Chief's Office - Hangar Deck - Battlestar Cerberus |
|---|
| The room is fairly small, to maximize the area of the deck itself. It contains a smallish metal desk with locking drawers, a computer terminal, a file cabinet against one wall and metal shelves filled with tools, spare parts, and manuals. There are two chairs facing the desk, clearly scavenged from somewhere else. One area of the shelving, nearest the desk, has been cleared and is clean. This holds a coffee maker that constantly seems to have some brew or other in it. Above the chair behind the desk, in a position of prominence, a framed picture has been hung. It is an embroidered image depicting Hephaestus with his two metal helpers. The work is beautiful and almost lovingly detailed. The god is laughing, one eye bright where a patch covers the other. He is held aloft by his helpers, one done in glittering gold, the other in silver. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #293 |
Shiner is not the usual occupant of this office, but today it would appear that he's in his off-duties, sat at the desk and poring over some papers of some variety while the Chief's out. He's absently scratching at his neck as he thinks, chewing on the end of a pencil.
There's a polite knock at the door, probably lost to the constant din of work, birds landing and taking off, and other deck noise that's associated with the hangar deck. Opening the door and stepping inside is none other than Rose, with an MP standing nearby, presumably her deck escort; despite being able to see again, she's still a civilian. "Oh, Andreaaas," she croons, peering in. But Shiner is not Damon. "Oh, excuse me, Mr. Wright. I had no idea you were in here." Her cheeks redden. "I was just looking for the Chief."
Shiner looks up, amused at the blush. "Hey, Ms. Ibbhanas. How's it going?" He gestures around the office. "Nah, he's just stepped out for a bit, so I figured I'd take advantage of a nice quiet spot, y'know? I'm going to assume it's nothing I can help you with. At least without getting a sledgehammer to the kneecaps?"
"Sledgehammer? Kneecaps? Sorry?" Rose looks a little shocked at the suggestion of violence. "I'm just coming to and from, and I thought I would visit the Chief before I went on my way." She glances back out through the door, towards the deck. "This is quiet? I presume it gets better if I actually close the door…" And she does so. Then shakes her head. "No, this isn't quiet at all."
"Well, it's not /silent/, like the library or whatever," Shiner admits. "But it's better for studying. There's a bit of background noise and you don't get interrupted… uh, no offence. You're not interrupting," he adds hurriedly. "I don't mean you."
Rose shakes her head. "None taken," she says, stepping forward a few feet to peer at what Shiner's working on. "More studying? Sorry I missed you recently for more tutoring, but it seems I couldn't find you anywhere. I guess our schedules didn't sync up?"
And so it's Shiner's turn to redden. "Uh, I was sort of in the slammer. Don't ask. But I've totally been studying while I was in there." He holds up the papers he's looking at. "See? I /get/ this shit."
Rose blinks twice. "Slammer? You were in prison? What did you d… oh!" She leans forward to peer at the papers, resting hands on the edge of the desk. "That's… much improved, Mr. Wright," she says with an approving nod and a smile. "You've also learned to use an eraser rather than scribble out mistakes. Impressive." Leaning to the side, she gives him a cutesy smile. "That last part was a joke, sorry."
Shiner stiffens a little defensively. "Hey! Maybe I didn't /make/ any mistakes, huh?" And then deflates. A joke. He clears his throat, offering an awkward smile. "Not so close, though. The Chief said he'll kneecap me if I do anything inappropriate with you, and I don't want him barging in and getting the wrong idea."
Rose frowns at that. "Andreas said that? Mr. Wright, it's not like my proximity to you is going to cause me to suddenly leap into your arms and confess my dying adoration for you. For all intents and purposes, you're my student." She rests a hand on her hip as she straightens up, giving an indignant 'hmph'. "And who does he think he is, telling people who they can and cannot talk to?" Then, the annoyance gives way to a hint of doubt. "Do you think he doesn't trust me?" Naturally, she's oblivious to precisely how much of a hound-dog Shiner is.
"Exactly!" Shiner insists, pointing the end of his pencil at her. "Besides, there's plenty of women to go around. I wouldn't steal some other guy's. That's just not right."
Rose removes her glasses, folding them up and tucking them into a sweater pocket. She blinks owlishly a little as her eyes adjust. "So, are you saying that you have someone else in your sights? And is she responsive to your usual, hmm, how to put it… bold language?" She offers a disarming smile, and slips into one of the chairs across from him. After all, if Damon's not here, she's going to gossip and make the best of her time.
Shiner leans back in his seat, half grinning. "Well, of course. All the ladies love me, as well you know." A pause as he thinks of his latest close encounters with the ladies of the Air Wing. "Well, most of them love me. But, yeah. You know Sof? She's a snipe. Crewman Wolfe?" He makes a crude gesture, then nods in satisfaction. "Oh yeah."
Rose sticks her tongue out, making a face of distaste. "You don't have to be that way, you know. Women appreciate it when you treat them with respect and not just sexual conquests." She half-glances at the door, then back at Shiner. "Well, are you close? Is it just a sexual relationship? You can't stop there. Tell me more!" Someone's nosy.
Shiner laughs. "Hey, she gets respect. It's not like I kick her out of bed and tell her to go iron my shirts for me!" He folds his arms behind his head, shrugging. "Eh, nah. We're just friends. Friends who shag. When did you get so interested in my sex life, anyway?"
Rose blinks again. "Not interested in your sex life per se, Mr. Wright. Just curious, is all. Or, nosy, I suppose. I'm sorry. If that sort of thing offends you then I'd be glad to keep it professional." She shrugs lightly. "It's… just good to know that despite all this crew has been through, they're still engaging in normal human behavior. Relationships are important."
Shiner nods knowingly. "Suuure. Just nosy. I understand." He flashes her an easy grin. "But, come on, you and the Chief are getting it on. There's proof enough, isn't it?"
That's when her eyes go -wide-. "Mr. Wright! You're making a tremendous assumption about the Chief and I. And I wasn't interested in talking about my sex life, you know." There returns the blush. She folds her arms across her chest, that indignant look returning. "It's not like I came in here looking for… what precisely did you call it? Nooners? How crude."
Shiner arches both brows at her. "Oh come on, fair's fair. You can't go prying into my sex life, and then get pissed off when I mention what's common knowledge on the deck anyway! Besides, if you weren't sleeping with him, I'd want to know what's wrong with the man. I mean, you're fit. I don't mean… like… uh, don't tell him I said that. I'm not hitting on you. Just saying."
Rose glares at the man now. "How would the entire deck know? It didn't even happen on this ship!" There's several heartbeats before she realizes what she just blurted out - if she could get any redder, she'd match her hair color. Both hands go to cover her mouth, then her face. "Oh, I can't believe I… just…"
Shiner snorts with laughter, digging into his pocket. "Here, you want some gum, Ms. Ibbhanas? It's cool. He's a good guy. What's the problem? Everyone gets so worked up about it and everything, but the truth? Sex is fun. What's wrong with having some fun? I'm not about to judge anyone."
"Gum?" She parts her fingers so she can peer at what he's offering. Rose just sighs, wiping her hands down her face. Fortunately for her she doesn't wear make-up most days, this being one of them. "I'm… just from a conservative family, Mr. Wright. It's not something we talked about. It's… a private thing. I know, I know, I sound like a hypocrite, trying to get some gossip from you, but… well, I figured, you say such profound things, maybe I was looking to be shocked and embarrassed."
Shiner looks impressed for a moment. "Hey, I've never been called profound before. I think I like it. Makes me sound all smart and everything." He considers for a moment. "Profound, shocked and embarrassed. Give me a moment. Um. My favourite position is the cowgirl? I like boobs, see?"
Rose sighs, exasperated, and shakes her head. "I'll be sure to bring that up with Miss Wolfe the next time I see her." She shakes her head again, tsking lightly. "I don't understand the male preoccupation with a body part designed to nourish infants."
"They're soft," Shiner attempts gamely, "Like a set of pillows for you. And they /jiggle/." Apparently that's important, as he gives a strong nod of his head. "They're kinda comforting, I guess? I mean, when you're a baby, they're food and warmth and stuff. Maybe we just don't really grow out of that. Boobs are great!"
Rose squeals through a grin, trying not to laugh. She turns in her seat, crossing one leg over the other, staring at the wall rather than Shiner as he explains. "You are horrible! I'm going to go, now. I'll make sure the Chief knows that you're sitting in his office, thinking about boobs." Still bright red, she moves to stand up. She finally lets herself laugh.
Shiner opens his mouth to protest. "Oh come on! You /asked/! I was just sitting here, minding my own business, doing these… frakking… sums and shit." He pauses, adding awkwardly, "On that note, would you check these over for me? I mean, just when you've got time. Take them with you."
She's about to reach for the door handle, but instead pauses. "Fine, all right," she says, coming back over to the desk and reaching for the papers. Gathering them up, she peers at Shiner, face to face. "I'm glad you're 'friends' with Miss Wolfe. You're handsome, you know. But that won't keep a woman happy forever. If you think you have something special, you should consider letting her know." And with that, she steps away, papers stacked and loosely rolled up.
"Who said anything about forever?" Shiner queries, then shrugs. "Thanks, Ms. Ibbhanas. You take care of yourself, now. Look after the Chief, if you know what I mean." A wink.
Letting out an exasperated sound, Rose stalks for the exit, shaking her head and laughing once she's clear of the office.