PHD #060: Rock, Paper, FLASK!
Rock, Paper, FLASK!
Summary: Shh, keep your voice low. Shenanigans in the Library.
Date: 27 Apr 2041 AE
Related Logs: None
Players:
Alessandra Aurola Kai Pallas Penelope Sofia 
Ships Library - Deck 9 - Battlestar Cerberus
Post-Holocaust Day: #60
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.
Condition Level: 3 - All Clear

What time is it? Does anyone care? Countdowns and shifts are all that determine time in space, it seems, at least amongst more of the military crowd. Libraries are for the quiet, still - an example of tradition that remains strong even far, far into the future. As it stands? Kai's amongst those who dare not speak, nor rustle, nor make any other sound. Granted, she's splayed out nearish the beginning of the library - not far off the beaten path - books spread over several tables, on floors, drawings and pencils and pages all askew. She? Flat face down, forehead balancing her, mouth open, soft little breathing sounds coming from the human half-corpse.

A faintly mournful song, that sounds as if it should be accompanied by the soft wail of flutes or violins comes from the outside of the library. A song about someone passing on, and leaving their books behind. The person is dying, and will be gone before the hourglass is done. It fades as a certain engineer enters the library. Sofia seems peaceful, quietly staring as she heads into the library. Hmmm. Wait. Clutter. Management senses. TINGLING. Her nose wrinkles a bit and she finally spots poor Kai. Sofia moves over. "Hey?"

Aurola isn't too far away from Kai, actually, not the woman has noticed her. Aurola's eyes are more focused on her own papers that are spread out on the table around her, rather neatly actually with things organized and sorted, all indicators of the woman as eyes flick from one sheet to the other, reading across. An empty file beside them that is stamped rather prominently with Essebarous Industries logos, and several warnings that if its looked at by people who aren't intended to look at it they will suffer the full penalty of the law. Well, rather moot point, Aurola has decided given her current surroundings. Not like there are any more rival companies to steal her secrets. A pen bouncing against her lips as she reads development team notes and updates.

Her attention is spared for a brief moment as she turns slightly to bring her finger down a rather large leather-bound book that is filled with her own rather cramped writing before finally finding where she wanted and adding another note to her personal diary. "Hmm," is the only sound the woman makes while she sits there, pen going back to her lips as her attention is once again captured by the contents of the file.

What time is it? CAP time or drinking time, those are the two major time zones in Pallas' mind. From the looks of things, it's currently the latter. And may have been for some time, since he's not exactly walking properly. Swaying and lurching, he tries to hold onto a stack of books as he makes his way down the aisle toward a desk. He's managing quite the juggling act - he holds four books and a cigarette with his left hand, and an open flask in his right. But it doesn't hold, and as he approaches the checkout counter at the front, the books fall and scatter about the floor. Calculus, Planetary Masses, and two books on Astrophysics. Good drunken reading material, you know. "Fraggin…" He regards the mess with unsteady eyes, and takes a swig of the flask, not making a move to pick them up.

"WHAT?!" is half-shouted, half-whispered, half-mangled - is that too many halves? - as Kai is -outofherchaircrouchingholdingpistolinhand- a split half-second later. Nevermind that the safety is on, or that her finger isn't on the trigger before she even realizes that Weapons Withdraw is a good strategy. This, in fact, is how the woman deals with the situation, completely ignorant of the table line which has made quite the impression across her cheek. "Hey." There she goes, lowering guard, lowering to human level again. "I know you." Sofia, that is. One fist rubbing only -verrrrryyyy- briefly at an eye to clear the smog of dried goo. "I smell booze." A frown. At Sofia, because quite frankly if Kai isn't shooting something right now, she's got time to figure things out.

The relatively short walk between decks was just enough of one to help Alessandra calm down but even then it's obvious that she's in a piss-poor mood as she's not walking so much as she's slinking tensely about. Near-tangible waves of ire roll from her, the kind of vibes that make it fairly easy to tell that frakking with her would be a very bad idea. Sofia, Kai and Aurola are missed as she finds herself tripping over one of the tomes that Pallas dropped, the gym bag she has with her joining the pile of tomes when she falls on her face. "Frakking…godsdammit!" Thankfully it's just her pride that took the brunt of the impact although she just might have wound up with a scuffed knee or two as well. "Errrrrrrrrrph," she drawls out unintelligently as she peers about, trying to figure out just who is responsible for her mishap.

Aurola's attention comes up to look at Kai and then to Alessandra before she says rather loudly, "Shhh, this is a library, and I'm trying to think." She mutters a little as her attention goes back to the notes she's reading and she half-mutters to herself, "Gods above, why did we hire him as a lead scientist if he had such piss poor handwriting." She leafs around in her pocket before she pulls out a small recorder and places it close to her lips, "Note to self: when hiring new team, make sure that the lead scientist has legible handwriting." Finishing that, the recorder goes back to her pocket before she fishes in another pocket for her reading glasses, putting them on so that she can bend down closer to read the handwriting a little better.

Twitch. Sofia's left eye twitches at the half yell. Her face is deadpan. "Well. Good morning, sunshine. I think you're quite lovely," Ahem. Sofia straightens herself out. Oh no. Booze smell? Sofia turns her head, only to spot - Pallas. She looks unsure if she should help or point and laugh. Sigh. She takes a deep breath, "Guess I can help with his books. One second." Deep breath. Avoid grumpy man forcefield. She moves to help poor(?) Pallas by picking up one of the books. "Here, sir," She offers it over. And along came Alessandra. Blink. "… um. Are you alright?" This is a little alarming for the still medicated engineer, whose eyebrows are lifted. She's looking conflicted.

As Kai gets up and whips out her pistol - safety or not - Pallas' eyes go wide and he takes the only action he can. He hurls his flask toward her head. But between being ridiculously drunk and Alessandra falling over right in front of him, his aim's thrown way off and the makeshift projectile weapon sails toward Aurola instead. In his state, he doesn't even notice Sofia until she's offering him a book. Peer. Calculus? "I don't want that," he says to her with a frown.

"…frak!" The sight of a gun does nothing to unfluster poor Lucky and now she's screaming, a quick flashback of the events not that long ago replaying in her mind, enough to get her to have that slight freak-out. Scrambling to get up onto her feet, she slips on another book just as Pallas' wayward thrown is made, her ankle twisting which sends her balance off and causing her to bump into Sofia. "Oh what the frak!?" Spinning around, she glares at Spiral and the one helping with the gathering of what he dropped and then she darts a look at Aurola and Kai, those two getting her to blink. "What in Hades is going on here?"

"If the Gods did not have a sense of humor, scientists would have accurate handwriting, or so I'm told." Dryly stated, but with a very minute tone of weirdness. "Haven't met a scientist who everyone can read without typing, myself." And trust Kai: had a family - exteeeeended family - who were all scientists. "Except for that damn cousin of mine. Absolute lawyer to the bone." Talking to herself she is, but at least the gun is holstered and she's blinking to full awareness. Woman's likely been without sleep for some time. And if her hand grabs out, greedily seeking the alcohol she somehow is known to be thrown? Obviously she doesn't grasp it. But the woman's got an inkling, that much is clear. "Why don't you want what?" A shake of her head, thoughts clearing, and she directs her glance at Aleesandra. "I'm a bit of a combat whore. I don't like to be startled. I'm not used to falling asleep." Period, not just in public. "And I overreacted."

Aurola opens her mouth to respond to Alessandra, not even seeing the throw that gets made as the object sails into her forehead right as she's about to respond and stuns her as she grabs her forehead. "Frackin' son of a bitch," she yells as she leans down to groan, eyes watering from the sudden sucker… throw? Regardless, her eyes look around the room, "Okay, who threw that? Its not funny," she says as she sits there, eying Alessandra and then Pallas, before her eyes go to Sofia. Since they're all in what she assumes is the general direction of the tossed item. Kai being safely… not in that area.

How calm Sofia is is almost eerie really. She kind of oofs as she's bumped into. She does at least reach out to make sure poor Lucky doesn't tip over. At least the engineer is soft 'n squishy? She looks a bit surprised, kind of. "Beats me. I'm told this was good for my stress," Her voice is soft, perhaps a bit - spooky. She smiles politely, "Have we met?" She asks. If she notices Pallas toss the flask, she - blinks. "I do not know, I am not allowed to drink for the time being," Is the peaceful, steady answer. Shrug.

"Don't let it spill," Pallas all but shouts as the flask drops to the floor after bouncing off of Aurola's forehead. He doesn't exactly dive for the thing, but he all but falls over himself trying to get to it quickly, so it's all the same in the end. "Gods," he mutters under his breath, picking up the flask - and dropping his cigarette onto the floor in the process without noticing. "Some people's children." He seems to find the floor comfortable enough, so he leans his back against the leg of the table and takes a drink. "You know, you don't need to get on your hands and knees every fraggin' time you see me," he slurs to Alessandra.

"You wish, you bastard," hisses Allie while she grabs onto Sofia's shoulder, this entire comedy-of-errors leaving her disorientated due to just how frakking fast it all unfolded. Kai and Aurola are watched as the odd feeling passes, leaving her breathless, pale and sweat-soaked. Now she's able to take another look around, this time able to actually have it sink in as to who all is here. "Hi, guys," she manages to squeak out sheepishly while kicking at a book, sending it skittering across the deck towards Pallas while she shrugs to Sofia. "I dunno. Have we?" Met, that is.

Aurola looks down at Pallas as he comes near her, and she rubs at the red spot on her head. "Now, I'm going to have a frackin' bruise on my forehead." She shakes her head while she goes back to her notes, "What ever happened to laws against public intoxication," she adds while she looks over various notes, writing another note in her book about what might be able to be manufactored on the ship and at least tried out. Along with ideas she wants to develop further, and plans she needs to draw out. "Invading the santity of a library," she mutters, before leaning back to look at Pallas, "You should be ashamed, you know that? Gods, you hopefully aren't this intoxicated while shooting my weapons." She starts to gather up the files before adding, "Gonna head back to my bunk now, less danger of people chucking things at my head. You better hope I didn't lose any brain cells," standing up her foot begins to tap the floor four times before pausing, subconciously keeping track of her little rituals while she polishes her reading glasses and then slips them back into her pocket.

As the book clanks across the floor the civilians eyes narrow at Alessandra, "There is no cause to kick the fracking book," she says to her, her arms motioning to the whole library, "This is the /last/ human library. These books should be treated with the upmost care and preserved. They're one of the remaining depositories of human history." A little protective, maybe.

"I imagine," states Kai very, very quietly - with, mind you, no attention paid to library rules for this one, "They were no longer reinforced when one percent of one percent of one percent of one percent of us were left alive." For Pallas? For humanity? For alcohol? Kai takes a stand. "There is no shame in needing reprieve, especially when all of our days and nights and time in between are consumed with death. Most," not her, "Have not come to grips with it in their lifetimes, and to expect any single person to suddenly come to grips with it now, and so soon, is to engage in fantasy." She's not harsh, per se, but clear. "Dismissal of the humanity of others, -Dr-, will alienate you beyond any possibility of your influencing our survival. Best keep that in mind. Books are not what is at stake here."

Sofia doesn't seem to mind being grabbed onto. She politely steadies Alessandra best as she can. "Are you alright?" She lifts her eyebrows. She shrugs at Pallas, "Your loss." She'll happily take the calculus then. Then a blink as the book is kicked, "I don't think that's kind to the book." She blinks as Aurola starts up. She rubs the back of her head. "And I'm the one on medication," She notes of the situation as a whole, her tone gently wry. She says nothing about the library itself, preferring to wait. "You're not hurt either?" This to Aurola. Then a pause at Alessandra. "No, we have not. My memory loss isn't that bad."

"You wish I wish," Pallas shoots back to Alessandra in the most childishly petulant voice a forty three-year-old man can manage. As the fallen cigarette burns itself out on the floor, leaving a nice blackened mark, he pulls out another one and lights it, apparently oblivious to Aurola's diatribe. "I'm sorry, did I knock you off your cloud with my flask?" he asks with heavy sarcasm, looking up at her. "Don't smite me in wrath, Goddess-in-training." He scoffs dismissively with a sneer and leans his head back against the table leg he's sitting against.

Alessandra looks over at the drunkard after nodding to Sofia, she's just fine outside of amused thanks to Aurola's protest, Kai's speechifying and her having gotten bitched at about having kicked the book which was more like her having scooted it with her foot than an actual kick…er, yeah. "Baby," she intones to Pallas with as much false neutrality as she can muster, "You wank off every night while daydreaming about me throwing you against a bulkhead and giving you the frakking you so badly need. And don't deny it. I hear you in your bunk." Not exactly the most mature thing for her to say but petulance begets more petulance. "Maybe I should do it just to shut you and all your nasty ass moaning up."

Aurola blinks at everyone while she stands there, before she shakes her head at Kai and replies, "Not asking people to get over it, or saying that they should be over it by now. Just asking that the books be treated respectfully so that they last." She shakes her head, her foot tapping while she looks down at Pallas and then back to Alessandra, "I think… your logic has an error."

"Whoever the hells you are, I will trade you a solid bottle of the finest if you let me have one of those." Kai? Not allowed to drink, "I'm not frakkin' allowed to drink and I want a gods-damned smoke." In case Pallas wasn't aware. It's now his priority to make it happen; after all, the woman has a pistol. But as other words take hold. One finger. Very. Squarely. Pops. Alessandra. in her chest. "Sex is a release. Deal with it." And? Aurola gets a snarky little mumble. For good measure. "His logic is sound. Just as yours is. We're all daft. Get over it and hand me a gods damned smoke." This to Pallas, her attention shifting from one person to another mid-sentence. "Can't frakking nuke a cylon on board, and if y'dinna give me somethin', I'm going to try experimenting on the frakkin' ship rats SMOKE PLEASE." And even if she doesn't get it? Kai's attitude has calmed down. "S… Sofia, right?" Did they exchange names? Is Kai making it up in her head. "Good peacemaker, you. Need to be elevated for it."

"Pilots have the strangest mating rituals," Sofia observes in a toneless voice. It's a stab at a joke. "If I am interrupting, I apologize," She seems to have that spooky Thousand Yard Stare that marks victims. "I am Crewman Sofia Wolfe, of Engineering. 3M division." She seems kind of proud of this, smiling. She blinks at Pallas, and tilts her head. "Huh?" She looks confused by Kai's statement. "There's actually some cigarettes and booz—" She goes quiet. "Well, it pays to know all the ship." A shrug. She frowns, "Please do not fight or the MPs come here and they got me last time. I think I'd hate to see it happen to last time," She rubs the back of her head. "… least this time I don't have an axe." She … seems a bit sad about that. It's kind of disturbing actually. A shrug. "Please do not hit each other." Stare.

Meanwhile, the Petty Officer manning the front desk has identified Pallas as a Definite Problem in the library, what with the drunkenness, throwing a flask, leaving all his books on the floor, and all that. A Captain appears from the back, having been called by the PO, helps Pallas up off the floor, and tells him in no uncertain terms to get out. "That's not you I'm moaning about," he slurs at Alessandra as he starts stumbling for the hatch, steadying himself against the table. "It's the CAG." That lovely mental image dropped, he smirks and fumbles through his pockets for the smokes, one of which he offers to one of the many Kais he sees. "Don't mind her, she's just a little crazy," he adds, pointing at Sofia with the pack of cigarettes. Or at least, in her general direction. Mostly.

Alessandra shakes her head. "Make it a habit of fantasizing about women you can't have, Spiral? That's pretty sad." The return jab lacks a little verbal venom, making it sound like she's just going with the motions now. She has noticed that the other pilot's being made to go, that getting her to pause and think before she asks softly, "Hey, look. Can we talk…civilly…somewhere?" Sofia, Aurola and Kai are all watched in turn after she poses that question, looking for the life of her like she's almost scared of what Pallas will have to say next.

"I can be civil, and I can be mean, but I want my.." Ohyaysmokes. It's taken from Pallas' fingers, if he gives it or not, inhaled deeply…. and choked severely upon. Kai? Not a smoker. At all. Probably never, in fact…. which doesn't mean she isn't inhaling deeply again, forcing her lungs to hold the pain longer and longer. "I love you, whoever you are. Meet you whereverthehellwe'regoing. Gotta get this drunkard his rewards." That is, according to the dictating private who has no grounds to order anyone anywhere.

Aurola looks at Alessandra for a moment, before shaking her head. Her attention then goes back to Kai and she adds, "I found some things in those files that you might be interested in. Drop by if you want to talk about them, or whatever." A roll of her shoulders happens, before she looks back at Sofia and smiles llightly, "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Sofia, right?" Aurola questions to make sure that she caught the name correctly as she stretches, not quite ready to begin the walk back to her quarters.

Slownod. "That is correct," Sofia replies. She blinks at Pallas, "The CAG is very pretty and kind." A shrug. "I don't know. You officers are a whole nother world." At Pallas' accusation she just shrugs. "Suppose so. Does that make you a lot crazy?" Headtilt. She blinks at Alessandra. "Yes, they have me on normal hours. I cannot pull double shifts like I normally do, so I've some time." She smiles politely. She glances to Kai and Aurola. "Be well then," A nod to Kai. "It was nice to see you."

"Crazy?" Pallas echoes, giving Sofia an odd look as he passes her. "I'm the sanest one on this whole fraggin' ship." He doesn't respond to anything else that's said to him as he laboriously makes his way to the hatch, taking a long and winding path to get from where he is to about five meters ahead. Pause. He leans against the hatchway for a moment to try and straighten out his vision a bit before continuing on to the stairs, ever under the watchful eye of the PO at the front desk until he vacates the premises. No answer is given, in the end, to Alessandra.

"Whoa, steady there, dreamweaver…" Penelope can be heard to laugh, sidestepping Pallas on his way out. She looks back over her shoulder, eyebrows perked. "Did I miss a party?" She tilts her head, listening to the tail end of Kai's statement. Drink. Drank. Dronk. "Or… are things just getting underway?"

Alessandra looks at all the women who seem to suddenly think it was them she was talking to, that getting her to stare. "Yeah. Not y'all," she semi-drawls while stepping over and around stuff on her way to follow Pallas, actually remembering her duffle as she passes by it. Penelope's given a cursory nod hello but that's it no verbal greeting, the faint bob of her head going to have to suffice.

"And I am the all singing, all dancing-" Sofia sighs and shrugs. "Sanity is overrated." She's clearly given up. She lifts an eyebrow at Alessandra. "Your relationship is very strange. You taunt the drunken old man and yet-" And yet she keeps wanting to talk to him. A shrug. "As you wish. Be well. People are so much stranger now that I've been through therapy," Sofia confesses with a shrug. She smiles, seeing Penelope though, "Hey." Sofia blinks and nods at Kai. "Be well then."

Aurola looks at Alessandra, before she asks, "What exactly do you mean by 'bang up'? Not really looking for a frack at this point, but, if the offer is open, I'll take it under advisement.'

Penelope flashes Alessandra a smile and and tips two fingers from the brow — a lazy salute-wave — in recognition. She pauses to kiss Sofia's cheek, "Hallo, ducks," and yet a moment more to tilts her head sympathetically at the weirdness of the world. "People are bizarre and macabre and antic and droll. At least it makes us entertaining to the Lords, right?"

"Well? Is always a matter of three things: Choice, Interpretation of Self, and Interpretation of Others." Capital letters there, please acknowledge Kai's knowledge or suppositions. Or at least schooled theories. "And-… I…" Excuse her? Kai's words come to a complete stop at the recommendation of - well, oldfashionedly speaking 'shagging'. "Sorry. Have to go. Owe you later. All that." To Pallas. She'll get him his due. The Marine? Is swiftly swooping up her papers in all due haste. Hastehastehaste.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License