| Pride |
| Summary: | Julie talks some sense into Daphne |
| Date: | 19 Feb 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Awkward Times In The Galley, Money Shot, EVENT: Red v. Blue |
| Players: |
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Racks of books extend deep into this room, nearly darkening the overhead lights towards the back. The shelves are neatly labeled to each category with nearly everything represented here. Fiction, Sci-Fi, Romance, and everything down to comic books has been loaded up onto the shelves. A smaller research area at the back has a large table for maps to be opened-up. Nearer the door is a small library of movies that covers some of the most recent blockbusters and flows through some of the more campy movies from about two decades before. Next to the door, a Petty Officer can usually be found at a desk to help someone checkout their selections.
The library isn't very crowded at this time of morning with no more then a handful of crew members going through books, magazines and movies that can be checked out. Julie is sitting alone at one of the tables with a book in front of her that looks like an encyclopedia. Her attention seems to be split between turning a page every so often and checking out the new arrivals to see if she even remotely knows anyone.
Daphne steps inside, offering salutes as needed. Her trajectory across the library floor is direct, as though she knows precisely where she's going. A notebook is carried under her arm, and a slip of oblong, octogonal paper hangs hetween her index and middle fingers. She walks right past Julie's table, approaches a reference shelf, and then runs her fingers across the spines until she finds what she's looking for. The expression on her face is fairly flat once she turns to face in Julie's general direction. She spots the other pilot immediately and snaps a quick salute, then pulls one of the books off of the shelf.
Julie grins back at Daphne and says, "Take it easy Ensign, I'm off duty, no need for the salutes." She sits up a little straighter to try and get an eye on what Daphne is reading and motions to an empty spot at the table, "You can join me, if you want. I don't bite or anything." Her encylopedia like tome ignored for the time being.
Daphne takes a seat, expression still more or less blank. Neutral. Her book is a large reference tome titled, "Colonial Navy Ship Registry, Volume XXII". Naturally, this sort of thing has far more in it than just ships, when they were finished, and what they did. "Sorry. Even though I know better, it gets confusing sometimes. What are you reading?"
Julie looks just a little emberassed as she raises the book to show the leatherbound cover of the book, "Volume One of Five in a 'Treatise on Colonial Fleet Tactics'.." She pauses a moment as she sets the book back down, "It's a comparison between military tactics before the cylon war, during the war and post war. Not exactly a trashy romance novel but it has its moments of excitement, like, maybe I hope." She extends a hand over to Daphne, "I'm Julie by the way or Easy when we're out in space, I don't think we ever really, like met properly."
"Not, uh, really, no." Daphne looks a touch uncomfortable while opening the boom and thumbing through the pages. "Someone told me to read that." notes she, gesturing towards Julie's book with her eyes. "I never really had time. I was really proud to be on this ship, so I wanted to learn all about her parents… the contractors and the shipyard. But then I started wondering about her siblings… all the ships made at the yard. Probably I should read what you're reading, though. I'm Daphne." She takes the hand and shakes it, offering a firm grip, but nothing overboard.
Julie meets the handshake with a firm grip of her own, but what else could be expected from a career pilot, "That's a pretty name, I like it." Pointing down at the book she is reading and then shrugging her shoulders, "I was a history major before OCS, so this stuffy reading is right up my alley, not to mention it makes me feel closer to my dad, so that's always a plus." Lips pursed as she considers something, she offers the ensign some encouragement, "What you're doing, that's great, I always love to see when my fellow officers take pride in their ship. I think the Mercury and the ummmm, frak.." She shakes her head, "..and some other ship came before the Cerberus in this line, frak me, I don't know."
"I've got their names written down." admits the other pilot with a slight smile. "But I'm working backwards now, with the oldest ships. And of course I take pride in this ship. It's my first, and it's…. a pretty amazing first station. I just came out of flight school a few weeks ago, so a lot is still just a blur to me." Some slightly nervous laughter comes with the word 'blur', but she's flipping through pages, "Your dad?"
Julie shrugs her shoulders at the mention of her dad, "He fought in the war, so I just like to know a bit more about the past to get to know him, stupid right?" Changing the subject, she grins over at Daphne, "Yes, you must have kicked some ass in flight school to get posted on a Battlestar like this first thing. Most rooks don't make it on a Battlestar first posting, usually just the better half of the class."
"Wow. That must be very… heavy for you." Daphne opens her mouth like she wants to ask something, but closes it, seeming to think otherwise, "I'm from a military family, too. I've wanted to do this since I was 13. Pushed like mad and did Fleet Academy." She bites her lower lip and then frowns at Julie's last statement, "I -was- in the better half of the class." Her eyes glance back towards her book.
Julie raises her eyebrows and asks, "Why the frown? You didn't like being in the top half or did you want to be in the bottom half of cadets??" She seems genuinely confused by the response from Daphne and her expression leaves little doubt to that confusion.
Daphne glances her eyes upwards from the book and her expression loosens, looking a little more normal, "Oh… no, no. I thought you were telling me… well, you said 'usually' just the better half of the class. I thought you were trying to politely tell me I sucked." The smile crossing her expression is still a little thin, "I'm pretty tense. I've been waiting for this day for the last 11 years. I don't know what I was expecting."
Julie laughs and shakes her head, exclaiming apologetically, "Oh no!!!! You did great out there the other night, if I wanted to tell you that ya sucked, I'd just tell you." Leaning her elbow on the table and resting her chin on the edge of her hand, she asks, "So aside from family, how did you know this was whatcha wanted to do?"
"Yeah, well… it sucks getting overshadowed as much as I got overshadowed." The admission sort of spills out of Daphne's lips before she realizes she's even said it. She looks vaguely surprised. "CAG stopped by to tell Tisiphone she is just -the shit-. Oh, and you did okay too, Daph." She snorts dismissively and shakes her head. "Especially when I spent the entire fight with everyone trying to take me out and nobody even gave her a second glance. Real easy to shine when someone sets it up for you." She sighs, "Uh… it's really all I've known, to be honest. I was a military brat. We moved from colony to colony to stay closer to my dad, and I've been around military people all my life. Did civil air patrol when I was a kid. Had to."
Julie bites her lower lip a little as Daphne talks of her family, looking sad for the briefest of moments before she sighs, "You know what, like, that sucks. Just ignore the praise going to your pal and wait for your moment to shine, all your cockroach like friend did was get lucky and take the right shots at the right times.." She points a finger to Daphne, ever the ego booster, "..AFTER you set them up. You did all the frakkin' work so don't let it bug you."
"I know. And I don't think she's letting it go to her head, either. And it's not even like I enjoy feeling jealous. Especially of her." Daphne leans back against her chair and regards the raptor pilot with a tilt of her head, "We've been tight friends since flight school. I should be happy for her. Instead I just want to vomit every time someone talks about what an awesome pilot she is. She's probably hanging out with the Lieutenants now and swapping war stories or something." Eyes roll again, and then she catches herself and the spite that's building up. She looks down at her fingers, which may as well look like claws at this point. "Thanks, though. You're right, though to take out Lasher one on one like that was pretty impressive."
Julie flashes a bright smile at Daphne and closes up her book after making a mental note of what page she was on, "If you two are friends, that's even more reason to just forget about it. She probably doesn't know what to do with the attention.." She leans in close and says almost conspiratorily, "Just remember, nobody stays on top for long. Once you go up, eventually you go down when you cannot continously perform to those high standards you've set for yourself. She either got lucky with Lasher and the other stuff or she's going to burn herself out."
Daphne nods, "And, of course, you're right. Lieutenants really do know everything, don't they?" Daphne smiles a bit. Her lip, it should be pointed out, has scabbed over in several places, like she's been gnawing on it for a while. "I know she's not -that- good. Her class grade got frakked over because she has a predictability problem, but she's way better than it suggests. She's just not… well, it's like you said, really. And it's teamwork. No idea why the CAGs heaping praise on her, then. Still sucks, but I know you're right. So… what is -up- with your callsign, Julie?" Daphne grins toothy and giggles low at that one, "It can't be what it sounds like."
Julie has been used to her callsign for years, but having to offer an explanation well that always makes her blush, "Um, like, well, I guess it means a lot of things but mostly it's a lot of assumption y'know.." She looks back and forth a bit shifty-eyed as if she knows that wasn't much of an explanation, "Hah, well, look at that. I think I've gotta start my duty shift in 20, I should really be going…" Slowly she slides out of her chair, book left on the table, an apologetic smile offered to Daphne, "I'm really sorry sweetie, we'll talk another time ok?" Yeah, she really didn't want to explain that callsign.
"So it's -exactly- what it sounds like, hrm?" Daphne literally bites her tongue, letting it stick out enough that she can be said to be sticking it at Julie, "Okay. Some other time, we'll talk. And you can tell me who's good in bed and who isn't." Her smile broadens, and then she adds, "And… thanks. I really did need that."
Julie blushed the deepest shade of crimson she possibly could, proving that even Ensigns can emberass Lieutenants. Just pretending she didn't hear that last bit and that nobody else did, she leaves to go report for her non-existent duty shift.