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[tekimetexeng]

"I have a terrible idea."

[ text | voice | video | action ]

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> observation deck

[tumang]

[ The roster message had pinged off of the terminal in Amos's crew quarters, his communicator still refusing to work, and he'd spent some time reading through it, trying to make heads and tails of it, not really getting anywhere with his ideas, with his thoughts.

There was only one person to help him in moments like these.

He finds Naomi after a relatively short search, deciding to go all the way up to the observation deck and work his way down rather than the other way around. The obs deck is where he finds her, looking out one of the windows like her will alone could make them start moving. Amos would guess that of everyone on Reverie, she'd be the one to manage.

He walks over, leans close. ]

Hey. You look at that roster thing?

Re: > observation deck

[tekimetexeng]

[ Naomi is standing before the glass with her fingers hooked into the pockets of her jumpsuit, staring out at the planet beneath. As far as she knows -- has seen for herself or been told by others when she's asked -- there are no signs of intelligent life down there. No lights in the dark, no shuttles or ships coming and going. It doesn't make sense to put a space station in orbit somewhere without people. It was nowhere near big enough to be considered a port or even a relay, only a ship or two could dock at a time and she doubted there were restock supplies. More likely this place got shipments to restock. And they still didn't know what it was for, maybe the locked areas held labs and this place was used for research like Thoth?

Anyway, they couldn't just go on as they were forever. Not just because she'd go insane doing nothing, but because the resources will run out. It's space. That's how it works. Knowing now that people are capable of leaving the station, she has to wonder... could any of them make it down to this world?

She's snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of approaching mag boots, and when she glances up it's Amos. He gets a faint smile as he comes close and leans in to speak. As badly as she knows things are going to go when she fesses up she's grateful for his presence now. This is really not the time, either. Soon, she promises herself, reassures herself that she's not just stalling out of fear of losing him. He brings up the roster and she nods once, lifting her wrist to tap her communicator and display it again now. ]

Not sure how many people are actually going to clamor for a position, but I already don't like it. Putting anyone in charge at this stage is going to happen through guesswork or bullying.

[tumang]

And fuck knows we don't need any bullies in charge.

[ He can tell there's a lot on her mind. There's always a lot on Naomi's mind, but when she can't quite sort it out, it shows in the way she frowns, lips thin. She likes to have solutions to problems, but she hasn't found one to this particular one just yet. It's probably driving her crazy already. ]

Not about to put my name down for anything, but did you see the engineering stuff? Seems up our alley.

[ As in, they could do it without really telling anyone they were doing it. Just do it, because an engineer's job on a station like this is never done. ]

I guess we live on here for now, right? Might as well try to fix it up. Will keep us busy.

[tekimetexeng]

[ That gets another nod, this time of agreement. And it's something to consider, something to focus on besides the predicament itself and her worry over Holden's absence, and how Amos and Alex are going to hate her soon enough. Something she can throw herself into as best they can manage without proper supplies and tools. ]

It does. I don't want to take a title, but we should speak up that we know what we're doing. Warn others not to touch things they don't recognize lest they break shit we don't have the parts to replace. I've already seen paneling ripped off around the station, wires messed with... doesn't seem many of these people know space mechanics well enough to be doing that.

[ As for fixing things up, she's not sure what they'll be able to manage. Hmm. ]

I still haven't found any way to access the station systems for a diagnostic, have you?

action; MAGBOOTS FOR DOGS!!!!!!

[oorah]

[ after gathering what he assumes he might need for magboots (there's a lot of guesswork involved), he ends up at her door with a load of scraps in his arms, max as ever flanking his side. he has his black hoodie on, hood drawn over fresh bruising mottling his face, but his expression seems lighter than usual. all his dreams are coming true. ]

A PROJECT!!!

[tekimetexeng]

[ Naomi answers her door readily enough, though peers at Frank's hooded face critically before noticing what's in his arms. And then her slight frown of disapproval turns to a shameless grin. ]

Looks like you've brought me some work. Come on in, put it on the table. You too, Max.

[ She steps back to make room for them and crouches to greet the dog, still cautious where and how she pets but much more eager now. The door slides closed behind them and Naomi glances up to see exactly what his human companion has brought. ]

None of us have found any real tools yet, so it'll probably take me a bit to rig things safely. We don't want any loose wires or sharp edges on puppy feet, do we? [ Another scritch behind Max's ears and she stands, stepping closer into Frank's space and considering his black eye. ] Are you going to tell me about all this as well or do I have to guess on that count?

[oorah]

[ her smile is infectuous, though his is only the barest twitch to curve up his lips at the very corners. but he follows orders predictably, moving along in his characteristic shuffle before laying the items on her desk. max is all too happy to be delayed by naomi, leaning against her in no time flat now that they're acquainted and letting out a tiny puppy bark in greeting. ]

No, ma'am. [ he answers even though the question was directed at max, a fact that tugs up his mouth even a little more. ] I walked into a door. [ it's flat, a joke??? maybe. ]

[tekimetexeng]

[ Max is a very good boy, and he gets told as much before Naomi's attention is fully on his human. She doesn't bother pulling Frank's hood off, just reaches out and grips his chin, tilting his face up into the light. ]

A door with knuckles, yeah? And it's just 'Naomi.' [ His bruised cheekbone is prodded somewhat clinically, like she's familiar with this sort of thing -- silly boys getting beaten up on the regular. She seems satisfied after a moment that nothing is broken, though. ] Lucky you're an Earther, I guess. Someone got a good hit in.

voice » un: botanist

[contorta]

Naomi? I was hoping I could talk to you about something. Is now ( the slightest hesitation ) a good time?

Re: voice » un: botanist

[tekimetexeng]

[ Something like dread unfurls in Naomi's chest, because she... thinks she has a feeling what this is about. Mercifully, it's a voice message and she sounds steady enough in response. Will have time to school her face into something neutral. ]

Sure, Prax. Why don't you come by? I'm just working on a project for a friend.

[contorta]

Okay. I'll be right over.

( he doesn't want to cause her stress or worry, but —he figures this needs to be addressed. with everyone remembering different things, he doesn't know where she stands. what she remembers. )

action;

[tekimetexeng]

[ They're seriously like fifteen feet apart right now, or so she thinks, so Naomi just gets up now to open her door. She doesn't quite manage a smile for Prax as he approaches but nods politely, stepping aside to let him in. Her bed is neatly made and there's a project of some sort spread out on her desk, but she intentionally doesn't sit back at it, taking the bed instead to show that her focus is on him. ]

Is everything alright?

un: botanist

[contorta]

( after he's kissed amos, after he's run off to hide in his room, after he's done crying about how he's failed mei, prax thinks back to the expression on amos' face, and worries.

which is why he's reaching out to naomi; she knows amos. they were close, before naomi revealed what she'd done, weren't they? and amos doesn't know, here. so: )

hi

Re: un: botanist

[tekimetexeng]

[ Most certainly, none of them are in the best mindset right now. Naomi herself is exhausted and feeling very frayed, nerves worn thin. When her communicator flashes she glances down to see it's from Prax, which on its own is not alarming. Even the message itself really shouldn't be, just that single word. But in her current state, anxiety flares through her when she reads it. Sure, maybe he's just looking for someone to chat with, it's just that with everybody sleep deprived and on emotional roller coasters her mind starts providing miserably vivid worst case scenarios. She scolds herself but has to ask straight away anyway. ]

Hi. Is everything alright?

[ Hopefully no one's hurt, in any sense. ]

[contorta]

Everything is fine.

( and he's reminded that capitalising his letters is a thing, even if it feels like too much effort right now.
everything is fine... but is it? if he thought that, he wouldn't have contacted her. )

I just
Could you maybe check if Amos is okay?

action

[tumang]

[ Amos doesn't know who to speak to. He doesn't know who to turn to, right now, when all he wants is to feel numb all over again, to forget about feeling anything. What's the point? It only hurts anyway.

He goes to the one person he can think of. The one person he trusts with this, with this lost feeling in his chest that he can't quite pinpoint. In his mind's eye, he keeps on seeing Prax looking back at him, like he is a monster. Someone to fear, more than anything else.

He walks to Naomi's room, and steps in without asking for permission. And then he crosses the small room to her bed, sits down, and looks straight down at the floor between his knees, eyes unfocused. ]

I can't stop making the wrong decisions.

Re: action

[tekimetexeng]

[ Naomi is so fucking tired right now. She's been scolding herself to go do something productive, but hasn't summoned the energy to actually head back to the command deck. It's not like she'd have much focus, anyway, right? Might as well lay here and quietly wish she'd just pass out despite the stress and racket.

She barely hears her door open -- it's just Amos, though, which is good. She'd gone hunting for him earlier, after speaking to Prax, but with no idea where he was had eventually just decided to catch him in his room later. They need to find him a communicator, seriously.

It would seem Prax was right that he'd need someone, though. Amos comes straight over and sits on the bed beside her, and Naomi pushes herself up and bends her legs in to make more space. To get a better look at him, even if he's staring down rather than letting her see his eyes. What he says isn't necessarily too terrible, at least? He's been trying to make the right decisions on his own for awhile now, and she's so proud of him for it. But right and wrong can be difficult for anyone to judge, and nobody's perfect, not ever. Despite feeling like shit, Naomi summons a tiny, gentle smile for him. ]

We all feel like that sometimes. Want to tell me? How do you even know you were wrong?

[ If she hadn't gotten a heads up, hadn't known this wasn't a case where someone wound up hurt, she might not have been so gentle with the inquiries, but. Bless Prax. ]

[tumang]

[ Amos doesn't expect her answer. If anything, he expects a 'what did you do', or something to that effect, because it'd be fair. Because Naomi has spent years cleaning up after the mess that the rest of the Roci crew would leave in their wake.

But it's not what he gets. Instead, it's soft and gentle and curious, and Amos finds himself turning to look at Naomi, surprised and somewhat relieved all at once. Which doesn't make what he did any better, really, but. If he can talk about it, maybe he can try and make things better. ]

I kissed him. I kissed him, and then he looked at me like - like for the first time, he could see what I truly am.

[ Amos knows he should specify who he means when he says 'him', but he can't bring himself to. ]

during the music event

[donkeyballs]

[ He walks around in a daze, his head throbbing, as he looks for Naomi. He could message her, he knows, but he doesn't know what he'd say and he needed the time to think.

Or well. Pace.

Thinking was hard, and kept looping back over and over the same damn thing. When he finally spotted her, he let out a relieved sigh. ]

Uh - hey, Naomi, can we uh - can we talk for a minute?

Re: during the music event

[tekimetexeng]

[ No one is thinking straight right now. Certainly not Naomi, who is exhausted and getting very cranky about that fact... it's impossible to focus enough to work on anything, even simply reviewing the files and footage up on the command deck. She knows, because she was damn well trying. Just to be doing something vaguely productive. And not sleeping sort of made time inconsequential, made the days run together and the hours drag on so that she was having trouble keeping track of when she last showered or ate. It's probably been long enough that she should do those things even if she's not hungry, she supposes, so she finally gives up on productivity and heads to the mess hall.

Except on the walk she runs into Alex, who looks. Well. Tense and tired like everyone right now, but also relieved to see her. Which means something else is probably up, and sure enough.... hopefully it's nothing too bad, though, something she can pull herself together well enough to talk him through. At this point she's seriously waiting for someone to snap and start hurting people. ]

Of course, Alex. Do you want to go sit somewhere?

[donkeyballs]

Uh - yeah. [ Though he didn't know where - the station wasn't exactly built for privacy and the last thing he wanted was to accidentally run into Gunny, on this trip. He glances down the hall toward the mess hall, and lets out a breath. Hopefully it would be quiet.]

Were you, uh - gettin' somethin' to eat? We can still do that.

un: gunny

[marineris]

hey
have you seen alex around?

[tekimetexeng]

[ Naomi blinks down at her communicator. A message from Bobbie is unexpected to start, and then the content is worrying. She's been avoiding her boys... she's been avoiding everyone, actually. If something happened she just wouldn't know, and the pit of her stomach drops out with dread at the thought of that. ]

No, but that's by design. You haven't seen him? He's not answering his comm?
Have you spoken to Hank yet?

[marineris]

not yet
amos is missing, too. prax hasn't seen him since last night.

un: rocipilot, voice;

[donkeyballs]

Naomi?

Where are you?