CH4: Nightcap (Lana + Gabe)
Jul 7, 2018 23:48:46 GMT -6
Post by Charredgp on Jul 7, 2018 23:48:46 GMT -6
Preparation and routine was a lifestyle that Lana had grown to accustom herself to. Even with the responsibility of being a specialized pilot for the ESU thrusted upon her, all seemed to be going relatively well. She had a plethora to learn still in comparison to her peers. Yet there was still the routine one mission and its goals, then another.
Lana was fairly unscathed this time around - evident, that perhaps, it was reflective of exactly what she put in. Her legs dragged across the halls as she walked the path to the quarters sector. The realm of sleep was calling and was so close. But her beeline ended prematurely as she stopped, leaning against the wall as she gradually descended to a seat on the floor.
She stopped to wonder why she could be this tired. For now, only the echoes of the aching Menaulion and distant footsteps within would answer her.
It was a sobering experience watching his fellow Martians and the Menaulion fight. They’d come at them with machines that tore them apart effortlessly, and made them feel lucky to even be alive, let alone escape Shanghai. As with many things, it had left a bitter taste in Gabe’s mouth.
Caught up in his own thoughts, of once again being forced to confront those who in another life could have been friends, or brothers and sisters in arms, he moved automatically to where he could get some rest, the rigors of the ambush weighing heavily now that adrenaline wasn’t there to shoulder the burden. He had barely noticed his fellow pilot sitting until he practically tripped over her.
“Ah shit!” He shouted, arms whirling to keep upright. “Dammit. Sorry ‘bout that…” He looked down to see who exactly he had to apologize to, voice lowering in volume just a hair. “Lana. Shit. Guess I gotta apologize twice now. Mind if I join ya?”
Lana’s body stood up straight when a somewhat heavier (yet not much taller) force passed by, looking up at attention in acknowledging Gabe. “Hah, what, no no.” She smiled nervously. “I’m not surprised, it’s like you’re tripping over a pebble in the way, yeah? Hehehehe.” Reinforcing a forced chuckle. “You can sit on the floor and be a pebble too if you want.”
“Please, ya ain’t nearly so easy to ignore, miss loudmouth.” He sank down next to Lana, happy to have a chance to sit down for a bit, tilting his head back against the wall. “Ya doin’ alright? Been a rough couple of days for ya, it seems.”
Lana replied to Gabe’s retort with an incredulous brow raise and smile, lightly waving her hand. “For everyone, right? This is crazy.”
“I mean, yeah, but everyone else didn’t also get kidnapped and nearly killed. Hell, Lin got to have a great time stabbin’ Sean. Livin’ the dream, apart from everything today…” He looked over to Lana, expression more intense than his previous joking tone. “I’m serious, though. Are ya holdin’ up okay?”
Her nose crinkled slightly at the brief mention of the stabbing, still unable to stomach that - or Sean’s decision-making skills. “I’m fine!” She stated with a smile. “I think this is what is supposed to be normal for this kind of organization, anyways. Even if it’s a little ehhhh. Spicy, hehe.” Lana’s lips pursed, looking to Gabe briefly. “You said you have to apologize twice. Are you apologizing to someone else on the ship?”
“Well, once for trippin’ over ya when ya were tryin’ to...I dunno, nap? Catch your breath? Ain’t my business.” Gabe pressed his head against the wall again, expression sinking into one of frustration. “And the one I was originally aimin’ for for almost gettin’ ya killed.”
Lana leaned forward upon her knee as her gaze zeroed on him, an airy, meek chuckle skipping through her throat. “Getting me killed, when did this happen? I’d hope you would tell me sooner if that was the case.”
“The op, smartass.” He shot back, more annoyance in his voice than he strictly intended. “Sorry. I ain’t mad at ya, I’m mad at myself. I acted stupid, got us both tied up and nearly got both of us, plus Sean, killed, and probably compromised the mission in the process. I’m not gonna pretend shit hit the fan purely ‘cause of me, but I also didn’t help. Feels wrong puttin’ all that on someone who ain’t even a full-on soldier.” He paused, unsure how bad that might sound. “Er, no offense. You’re a pilot, but ya know what I mean.”
Her initial reaction was concern in the tone of his voice. But as he progressed and began to express remorse for how the operation went, she only listened intently. The ending of his spiel was greeted with a nod, before Lana stumbled up to her feet to bend down and meet face to face with him. “I’m not offended, but do you know what I know? That you - we - couldn’t have done any better.” She stated with firm indignation. “We didn’t know what we were doing, but we were also set up, Gabe! It was a situation put against us and you did the best you could with the luck we were given.”
Lana looked between her limbs, lightly shaking them about. “Are we still alive and in one piece? Are our teammates still here with us, is the Menaulion still swimming?”
Gabe’s expression shifted to one of surprise as he was suddenly face-to-face with the spunky athlete, caught off guard by how intent she was about all this. “We were? What makes ya say that?” He blinks, waving a hand as he realized he was getting distracted from the main point. “You’re right, though. I guess. We’re alive, the ship’s in one piece, and the crew’s mostly fine.”
He smirked, turning his head as if offering something. “Still. If ya feel like takin’ a pop at me for bein’ a dumbass on the mission, this is the only free shot ya get, shorty.”
Lana’s eyes widened slightly, scanning across Gabe’s cheek. Indeed, his broad jaw did seem like an ideal canvas for a punch. Theoretically. But the very offer only rewarded him a growing spew of giggles. “Y-you-hoo you want me to punch you as a way to forgive you? That’s so silly!” She did however oblige to giving his cheek a flick before turning, as if to leave. “If you really want to make it up to me, then try to aim to be shinier than what you blow up.”
Well if nothing else he’d done a good job of lightening the mood. “Technically, no, I’m offerin’ to let ya punch me. I’d rather not, though. For all I know ya do that runnin’ thing on the side of your secret underground boxin’ career.”
At the flick to his cheek he playfully feigned a cry of pain, putting a hand to his cheek with an equally cheeky grin. “Noted.” He said with a mildly ironic salute.
Now he just had to figure out what the hell that meant…
“It is on the side, and it’s not secret or underground or boxing, it’s over the ground and xiaolin, you know.” She chuckled lowly, gazing over at him with a pause. “I should let you go, you’re starting to look like a racoon dog.” She said, while gesturing around his eyes.
“Like you’re one to talk, tryin’ to nap in the halls? We ain’t even that far from our quarters.” He stretched out, letting out a yawn. “Dammit. Ya got a point though. I’m pretty sure everyone’s tired as hell after that.”
Lana pouted. “I wasn’t napping, I was just closing my eyes. Buaaaaht…” Her word liasoned into a yawn of her own. “I can argue with you tomorrow. Have a good sleep, okay Mr. Punchy?”
“Scuse me, that’s Mr. Garbagetruck Crumplezone to ya.” He stifled a laugh, slowly pulling himself to his feet. “I’m holdin’ ya to that, wifey. Ya get some good sleep yourself.”
Lana was fairly unscathed this time around - evident, that perhaps, it was reflective of exactly what she put in. Her legs dragged across the halls as she walked the path to the quarters sector. The realm of sleep was calling and was so close. But her beeline ended prematurely as she stopped, leaning against the wall as she gradually descended to a seat on the floor.
She stopped to wonder why she could be this tired. For now, only the echoes of the aching Menaulion and distant footsteps within would answer her.
It was a sobering experience watching his fellow Martians and the Menaulion fight. They’d come at them with machines that tore them apart effortlessly, and made them feel lucky to even be alive, let alone escape Shanghai. As with many things, it had left a bitter taste in Gabe’s mouth.
Caught up in his own thoughts, of once again being forced to confront those who in another life could have been friends, or brothers and sisters in arms, he moved automatically to where he could get some rest, the rigors of the ambush weighing heavily now that adrenaline wasn’t there to shoulder the burden. He had barely noticed his fellow pilot sitting until he practically tripped over her.
“Ah shit!” He shouted, arms whirling to keep upright. “Dammit. Sorry ‘bout that…” He looked down to see who exactly he had to apologize to, voice lowering in volume just a hair. “Lana. Shit. Guess I gotta apologize twice now. Mind if I join ya?”
Lana’s body stood up straight when a somewhat heavier (yet not much taller) force passed by, looking up at attention in acknowledging Gabe. “Hah, what, no no.” She smiled nervously. “I’m not surprised, it’s like you’re tripping over a pebble in the way, yeah? Hehehehe.” Reinforcing a forced chuckle. “You can sit on the floor and be a pebble too if you want.”
“Please, ya ain’t nearly so easy to ignore, miss loudmouth.” He sank down next to Lana, happy to have a chance to sit down for a bit, tilting his head back against the wall. “Ya doin’ alright? Been a rough couple of days for ya, it seems.”
Lana replied to Gabe’s retort with an incredulous brow raise and smile, lightly waving her hand. “For everyone, right? This is crazy.”
“I mean, yeah, but everyone else didn’t also get kidnapped and nearly killed. Hell, Lin got to have a great time stabbin’ Sean. Livin’ the dream, apart from everything today…” He looked over to Lana, expression more intense than his previous joking tone. “I’m serious, though. Are ya holdin’ up okay?”
Her nose crinkled slightly at the brief mention of the stabbing, still unable to stomach that - or Sean’s decision-making skills. “I’m fine!” She stated with a smile. “I think this is what is supposed to be normal for this kind of organization, anyways. Even if it’s a little ehhhh. Spicy, hehe.” Lana’s lips pursed, looking to Gabe briefly. “You said you have to apologize twice. Are you apologizing to someone else on the ship?”
“Well, once for trippin’ over ya when ya were tryin’ to...I dunno, nap? Catch your breath? Ain’t my business.” Gabe pressed his head against the wall again, expression sinking into one of frustration. “And the one I was originally aimin’ for for almost gettin’ ya killed.”
Lana leaned forward upon her knee as her gaze zeroed on him, an airy, meek chuckle skipping through her throat. “Getting me killed, when did this happen? I’d hope you would tell me sooner if that was the case.”
“The op, smartass.” He shot back, more annoyance in his voice than he strictly intended. “Sorry. I ain’t mad at ya, I’m mad at myself. I acted stupid, got us both tied up and nearly got both of us, plus Sean, killed, and probably compromised the mission in the process. I’m not gonna pretend shit hit the fan purely ‘cause of me, but I also didn’t help. Feels wrong puttin’ all that on someone who ain’t even a full-on soldier.” He paused, unsure how bad that might sound. “Er, no offense. You’re a pilot, but ya know what I mean.”
Her initial reaction was concern in the tone of his voice. But as he progressed and began to express remorse for how the operation went, she only listened intently. The ending of his spiel was greeted with a nod, before Lana stumbled up to her feet to bend down and meet face to face with him. “I’m not offended, but do you know what I know? That you - we - couldn’t have done any better.” She stated with firm indignation. “We didn’t know what we were doing, but we were also set up, Gabe! It was a situation put against us and you did the best you could with the luck we were given.”
Lana looked between her limbs, lightly shaking them about. “Are we still alive and in one piece? Are our teammates still here with us, is the Menaulion still swimming?”
Gabe’s expression shifted to one of surprise as he was suddenly face-to-face with the spunky athlete, caught off guard by how intent she was about all this. “We were? What makes ya say that?” He blinks, waving a hand as he realized he was getting distracted from the main point. “You’re right, though. I guess. We’re alive, the ship’s in one piece, and the crew’s mostly fine.”
He smirked, turning his head as if offering something. “Still. If ya feel like takin’ a pop at me for bein’ a dumbass on the mission, this is the only free shot ya get, shorty.”
Lana’s eyes widened slightly, scanning across Gabe’s cheek. Indeed, his broad jaw did seem like an ideal canvas for a punch. Theoretically. But the very offer only rewarded him a growing spew of giggles. “Y-you-hoo you want me to punch you as a way to forgive you? That’s so silly!” She did however oblige to giving his cheek a flick before turning, as if to leave. “If you really want to make it up to me, then try to aim to be shinier than what you blow up.”
Well if nothing else he’d done a good job of lightening the mood. “Technically, no, I’m offerin’ to let ya punch me. I’d rather not, though. For all I know ya do that runnin’ thing on the side of your secret underground boxin’ career.”
At the flick to his cheek he playfully feigned a cry of pain, putting a hand to his cheek with an equally cheeky grin. “Noted.” He said with a mildly ironic salute.
Now he just had to figure out what the hell that meant…
“It is on the side, and it’s not secret or underground or boxing, it’s over the ground and xiaolin, you know.” She chuckled lowly, gazing over at him with a pause. “I should let you go, you’re starting to look like a racoon dog.” She said, while gesturing around his eyes.
“Like you’re one to talk, tryin’ to nap in the halls? We ain’t even that far from our quarters.” He stretched out, letting out a yawn. “Dammit. Ya got a point though. I’m pretty sure everyone’s tired as hell after that.”
Lana pouted. “I wasn’t napping, I was just closing my eyes. Buaaaaht…” Her word liasoned into a yawn of her own. “I can argue with you tomorrow. Have a good sleep, okay Mr. Punchy?”
“Scuse me, that’s Mr. Garbagetruck Crumplezone to ya.” He stifled a laugh, slowly pulling himself to his feet. “I’m holdin’ ya to that, wifey. Ya get some good sleep yourself.”