Poll

period race

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Author Topic: ABS FIESTA REDUX  (Read 1210670 times)

"It's in my duffle bag in my room. I've fixed the explosive burning problem since the last time we hooked it up."

Gus sits in a rec room in the barracks, watching a sports news broadcast on TV contently. News had trickled down that Mjolnir (and Djuriskas) were not only getting leave but being taken off duty entirely for the time being, something he couldn't complain about.

Cualli spots Gus and pauses in the doorway, collecting herself. She walks over to him and stands behind him, watching the TV for a few moments. "No bars around here," she finally says. "Or anything, for that matter. Was kinda wishing there'd be... somewhere we could grab a drink." It would soften the blow.

She looks down. "Are you up for a walk? It's a little chilly, and by that I mean single digits."
« Last Edit: February 27, 2017, 09:03:14 PM by carolcat »

"Didn't even hear you come in, my bad."

Gus sits up and turns off the TV.

"Walk sounds good. Been lounging around all day anyways. Let me go run and grab a jacket."

He rolls his shoulders and stands.

"It's in my duffle bag in my room. I've fixed the explosive burning problem since the last time we hooked it up."

He's silent for a moment.

"I had just thought about playing it and pitted that against the fact I should probably go check up on the wounded. In fact I bet the wounded would appreciate the console more, maybe," Jaakko hypothesizes.

He looks to Tippy.

"What do you think?"

"Didn't even hear you come in, my bad."

Gus sits up and turns off the TV.

"Walk sounds good. Been lounging around all day anyways. Let me go run and grab a jacket."

He rolls his shoulders and stands.
Cualli watches him briefly, then turns her attention towards zipping up the heavy jacket she brought with her. "Good, I don't have to feel silly for walking around in this thing," she laughs. "Might want to bring some gloves, if you have any."

"Better prepared than I am," he comments.

Gus walks out of the rec room and towards his temporary room in the barracks, grabbing his jacket, a hat and a pair of gloves. He jogs back to Cualli in the rec room and slips on his gloves and hat.

"Ready whenever you are."

Cualli leads the way outside, pulling on her gloves and hat as she walks. As she pushed the door to the outside open, the frigid air hits her like a slap to the face and immediately takes her breath away. "Gods, it's freezing out!" she exclaims, flipping up the hood of her jacket. Her breath appears as a thick fog in the twilight. It's clear that she isn't used to the extreme cold.

She glances back at Gus and zips her jacket up as far as it will go, hiding her mouth under the collar. "I don't know how fast it'll get dark out up here, so I brought a flashlight." Her hands return to the pockets of her jacket and she leads the way out of the base.



"You can take it and see if anyone wants to play with it. Just make sure to return it when you or whoever else is done."

Gus smiles in amusement at Cualli's reaction to the cold. He takes a few deep breaths of the sharp air and rubs his gloved hands together.

"Good thinking, I can't say I'm sure either."

His hands return to his pockets and he follows Cualli away from the barracks.

"So," he says, turning his head towards her.

Kommandant enters the rec room carrying a satchel full of envelopes, having just been to the medical wing to give out the mail people received while deployed on the carrier.
: Eremit. Tippy. You got mail.

He hands Tippy her envelope, and Eremit his three.
: Jeez, somebody's popular. We were only gone what, five weeks?

Gus smiles in amusement at Cualli's reaction to the cold. He takes a few deep breaths of the sharp air and rubs his gloved hands together.

"Good thinking, I can't say I'm sure either."

His hands return to his pockets and he follows Cualli away from the barracks.

"So," he says, turning his head towards her.
Cualli feels a pang of nervousness shoot through her body and she seems to sink deeper into her coat. All of the things she'd had in her mind to say to Gus have disappeared. She remains silent for several long moments.

"It's about what we were talking about on the carrier," she begins, staring at the ground as she walks, avoiding his gaze. "With the talk about... discussing... stuff." She's silent again, half digging through her brain for the right words, half waiting until they're a ways away from the base.

She finally gives up trying to put things gently. "Gods, I feel like a richard. It's just-- all the talk on the carrier, the flirting, I feel like I've led you on. Because I realized afterwards that the someone else-- and him and I aren't dating, it's just... casual stuff between us, no commitment, friends-with-benefits-- he might not take it well if he finds out that I've gone and slept with someone else." She speaks quickly, nervously, and is trying to force herself to keep her voice down.

"And maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe he wouldn't find out about me going off with someone else for a night and we'd be fine. Maybe he wouldn't be upset by it or think badly of me for it. But I don't know if I want to risk it." Cualli stares ahead for a moment, then looks at Gus. "I'm sorry. I figured it was... better sooner than later that I told you so you wouldn't be too disappointed."


Gus remains silent for a few moments, turning to look forward again. The constant cover of clouds that had hung over Tandhjulsken for most of the day remain, though a few peaks through them reveal the darkening night sky and the moon. Red and orange glow across the clouds indicates the sun is beginning to sink beneath the horizon.

"I understand," Gus replies quietly. He eyes the setting sun again.

"It's getting dark. We should head back."

Cualli looks at his face, admiring how the fading light plays over his (admittedly handsome) features. She wondered if he was mad at her, if she'd just burned what little friendship she'd gained. Ideas came into her mind of how she might salvage the situation. They were probably bad ideas, but... they were tempting.

"We still have a little light," she replied, "if you don't mind my company still." The probably-bad idea from earlier pops back into her head, tempting her.

She looks ahead. "Like I said. He and I aren't committed or anything. Things might change." Her voice has taken on a bit of a hopeful tone. Again came the idea.