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Riley arrives from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Riley has arrived.
Riley drops the thick folder of paperwork into Anya's inbox. He goes to rummage
through the pile of messages she's left. "Walnuts?"
Niko looks up from some of the routine paperwork, puzzled. "No, nobody's ever
called me that. Cashew, yes. Not walnuts."
Riley shakes his head, sitting down on the edge of Anya's desk. Since the woman
is currently out of the offfice he can get away with it. "Not you Nick,
somebody was trying to smuggle in walnuts. But walnuts are -legal-, why try
to sneak them in around customs."
Niko ahhs, with a quick grin. "Uh. For the fun of it. To see if they can?
Intrigue, all that."
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
Riley tacks the message up onto the corkboard overflowing with 'Strange But
True' reports and chunks about half of the pile into the trashcan. The rest
he returns to his box. "Or they didn't want to pay the tarrifs, one. Still,
it's really stupid. But then people can be."
Niko nods an emphatic agreement to that. "Of course." He leans back rather
precariously in his chair, the better to get a look at this newest edition to
the corkboard, then snorts softly. "It's entertaining, at least. After all,
we can't get bored."
Riley slides into Anya's chair, keying his code into her terminal. The colors
change and he sets to some random task. "Bored is not in the cards, nope. So,
Nick, how're you settling in?"
Niko considers that for a moment. "All things considered, pretty well. The atmosphere between the folks around here," he says, with a vague gesture of his writing implement, "is a lot more laid-back than I'm used to, which is a nice switch. If I can manage not to take a swing at some of the more obnoxious folks on the fourth floor, I think I'll be set."
Tappity, tap, tap. Riley continues actually attempting to catch up with all the administrativa he's put off lately. "We try to be laid-back. When I got here it wasn't, and we had an insane turnover rate. With the fourth four fluffies anything -but- laid back, it's kind of a survival mechanism. Us against them and all that. And if you ever get -too- tempted, snag my public record and start reading censures and disciplnary activities. That ought to clear it -right- up." He grins, "Yes, I'm scum. I advocate do as I say, not as I do."
Niko turns his gaze back to that paperwork, plowing his way through the form
once more. "Well, yes. I've actually already taken a look at some of it." He
glances up once more. "I mean... that's a -lot- of halfblacks. Curiosity, all
that." Lips quirk faintly. "I don't think I'll have too much of a problem. I
just have to keep myself from sliding back into the habit, that's all. 's the
only problem with the laid-back atmosphere."
Riley murmurs an amiable agreement. He's quiet a moment more, poking at the
keyboard. "So," he says after a moment, "When're you gonna ask our
Chief-Medic-To-Be out?"
Niko looks up from the paperwork once more. "Chief," he says, with a mild note
of complaint, "I'm not -that- obvious, am I?"
Snickering quietly, Rikey replies, "Niko, just because I'm old, doesn't mean
I'm blind. The two of you tend to have eyes glued to each other pretty
regularly."
Niko rubs at the back of his neck, more than a little abashed. "Now, I didn't say that you're old. You're not, you're just older than I am. That's not tough." He plows doggedly through that paperwork for a moment or two longer, then ventures, "You really think she might be interested?"
Ooh, what an agonzingly evil long pause. Tap, tap, tappity tap. Riley does
eventually reply, "I think there's a very good chance of it. And if you don't
go ahead and ask now, someone may beat you to the gun. That pilot friend of
hers say."
Niko clearly grows just a bit tense during the pause, keeping his gaze on that paper through sheer force of will. "That pilot friend of hers," he repeats. "Yeah. I noticed that he was very... well, she seemed to like him. I don't know. Women are just -odd-." Good thing Anya's not here.
Riley does however glance upwards, in case Anya were to suddenly return. "Women
are, but that's why we love them, Nick. If they weren't odd, they wouldn't be
any -fun-. Besides, what can it hurt to ask?"
Niko considers that question for a long moment, pencil scratching gently at the
paper. "Well," he says finally, "She could say no."
Riley harrumphs slightly, "Well, first of all, I don't think it's very likely. Still though, even if she does, it's not the end of the world, eh?"
Niko shakes his head slightly. "No. No, not really." He again considers his words for a moment, then adds, "It wouldn't be the end of the world. I guess it'd be worth a shot. And if she does say no... well, then, I'll cope."
Riley turns back from the terminal long enough to give you a bright grin,
"That's the spirit. Besides," he turns back to his work, "She won't say no."
Gee, danged sure of that isn't he.
Niko shakes his head, with a quiet snort. "Awfully confident, aren't you,
Chief?" Then he pauses, a hint of suspicion crossing her face. "She didn't
say anything about it, did she?"
Riley shakes his head, leaning forward to rest his weight on his elbows and
continue typing. "Nope, not a word. And I get paid to be confident. Not that
I get paid -well- mind, but the idea's there. It's just any two people who
ogle each other as much as you two do ought to be able to manage a -date- at
least."
Niko moves to put the completed paper in the appropriate folder, and starts on
another form. "I don't -ogle- her," he says, tone mingling amusement and
defensiveness. "I just... notice her, that's all."
"Call it what you will," Riley's words are amused, "It counts in my book. And
why shouldn't you ogle each other, I can't see any reason why not. Ogling is
an entirely reasonable activty."
Niko shakes his head. "You say that, but you don't know the women in my family. Noticing is okay. Ogling would get a snide comment if I'm lucky. The difference is intent." He considers that a moment, a brief grin crossing his face. "Okay. Well. Maybe I -am- ogling. Some of the time."
Clara arrives from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Clara has arrived.
Riley is bent over Anya's computer, one elbow supporting his weight, and
picking out commands with the hand of the other arm. Somewhat zoned, he
doesn't notice Clara's entrance. "Besides, she's ogling -back-. Although she
doesn't do the scary thing with the eyebrows... And once in a while Nick,
wipe the drool of your chin. Said medic may be attractive, but it looks bad
to have drooling security."
Clara walks in rubbing her forehead and peering at a sheet in a folder,
irritated bafflement on her face as she absentmindedly makes her way towards
the dispatcher's desk. "I need to talk to Ad-..." she starts in, then pauses
at the speech, and gives her head a quick shake. "Heya Niko. Riley, I need
your help."
Niko, on the other hand, does notice Clara's entrance, right about at the word
'drool'. "Chief," he hisses. He coughs, offering Clara a painfully embarrased
smile. "Uh. Hello, Clara."
You communicated "Okay, great, thanks, is there a button somewhere that will
let a hole open up in the floor?" to Riley.
Riley glances up, and if he's at all thrown by Clara's entrance in the middle
of his discussion of Niko's ogling habits, he doesn't show it. "How can I
help you, Clara?" He types something into the computer, keying it into a hold
mode.
Your ear receiver beeps, followed by Riley's voice, "Aww, Nick, where's your
sense of adventure?"
Clara is equally unruffled, likely because there's quite a few medics, many
female. "On all this blasted paperwork you dumped on me this afternoon. The
service background wants to know what unit I was assigned to as a first
louie...but I wasn't. I was in med school. Does the Academy have a unit
number?"
Niko shakes his head very slowly, muttering something under his breath about adventure being overrated. He casts a rather bland look at Riley, then turns his attention back to that paperwork. Busy, busy. No time for adventure.
For one moment, Riley pauses a beat, then answers with a mischivious glance. "Forty-eight?" The random number from the dining hall strikes again.
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
Clara's brows creep up in surprise before she exhales a gust of exasperated
amusement. "What do you know. The head man has a sense of humor. Seriously,
Chief." She spares a quick glance at Niko, half smiling. "Adventure builds
character."
Riley grins impishly, turning to the terminal and tapping in a series of
commands. Chuckling he replies, "A moment, I'll find it." At Clara's comment
he nods, turning to raise his eyebrows at Niko, "See, now don't you want to
have -lots- of character, Nick?"
Niko lifts his gaze very slowly, and just looks at Riley. "I've been told that
I've got more than enough character, thanks, Chief." His tone is light, but
Niko quickly turns back to that paperwork, clearly intent on finishing it as
soon as humanly possible.
Clara glances from one security officer to the other, then raises her eyes to
the ceiling. "Saints add preservatives," she mutters. "It's good to see
you're delegating some of that paperwork, Chief. Does this mean you'll try
for a full night's sleep?"
Riley continues tappitying away at the terminal. Offhandedly he notes to Clara,
"You'll have to forgive Nick. I don't think he liked me mentioning his
drooling problem in front of the object of his ogle-jection." Yes, this man
needs sleep. Normally he wouldn't be -this- mean. "The number you want is
LA-8715." He shakes his head, "Oh I always delegate paperwork, misery loves
company and all."
Roland arrives from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Roland has arrived.
Niko lifts his gaze from the paperwork once more, his look to Riley mingling surprise with a spark of anger. He clamps his lips tightly together, then very studiously turns back to the work. If he doesn't look at anybody else in the room, they're not really there. This isn't really happening.
Roland wanders, very lost looking, into the room.
Riley is -way- past overtired, or he wouldn't even remotely be randomly
inflicting the more sadistic sides of his personality on people he actually
-likes-. He waves to Roland from the dispatcher's desk that he's taken over.
"Can I help you DeMario?"
Clara tugs a pen from behind her ear and notates in the file balanced on her
arm. "L...A...8715. Got it." She peers up to glance around the room. "I don't
even want to know what kind of injection that is," she replies blandly, then
heads over to balance against the edge of Niko's desk to let Roland talk to
Riley.
Roland noticably winces. "Oh please..." He turns to face the dispatcher's desk
and sighs. "What a wonderful place to stumble upon in a lost stupor." He
removes his shades and rubs the bridge of his nose.
Niko lifts his head as he sees Clara, offering her a small, tight smile. "So.
Hi. This is interesting."
Riley's eyebrows lift querylingly, "Lost? There're maps you know, DeMario...Not
to mention big signs with large pointy arrows."
Clara hmms, peering up from her file. "Interesting? Oh, yeah, I guess so.
Sorry, I'll get off your desk," she offers amiably, scooting down off the
corner she'd leaned against.
Roland looks up. "No need to rub it in, Chief." He glances this way and that, before back at Addison. "Which way out of this humongous building?"
Niko shakes his head. "No, no. It's okay, really." Funny, he seems just a little tense. "Desks are meant to be sat upon, except Anya's."
Riley grins amiably, dredging up a last bit of patience and offering it to
Roland as a gift. "You're on the wrong floor to get out I'm afraid." He
smiles pleasantly, "Down a level, then out the large doors'll get you to the
Pavilion."
Roland huhs. "Funny how the path form the Underground should lead to this level," he muses, looking to Riley for any reaction.
Clara starts to resume leaning, then pauses to tilt her head at Niko curiously. "Hey, are you all right?" she asks quietly, pitching her voice in a low tone of professional concern. "Already dealing with some occupational stess?"
Niko actually grins at that, eyebrows quirking ironically. "Mm," he says,
plugging away at the last of the paperwork. "The odd homicidal urge. Nothing
too serious."
Riley just nods tiredly, rubbing at his forehead briefly. "Yeah, well, the diplomats demanded access, so better up here when I can keep an eye on it, rather than somewhere I have to go out of my way to control it."
Roland nods his head slowly. "So what kind of control do you keep over that
area down there?"
Riley shmphs softly, brows quirking upwards again. "Control? Over the
Underground? We just hope to keep it from turning into outright rioting or
something. We try and worry about the violent stuff down there, but there's a
limit to what all we can do."
Clara manages a grin for that, pulling her own folder in to her chest for a moment. "Must be something you fellas deal with daily," she sympathizes, completely clueless, although her eyes dart back to Riley, calculating.
Roland scratches his chin thoughtfully. "How often do you loose guys you're
chasing down there in the grime and gloom?"
Riley pauses to consider this, "Lose?" He looks somewhat confused, "As in having run down from the upper levels down to there?"
Roland nods. "Run away, into the darkness down there." He makes a running
motion with his fore and middle fingers.
Niko shakes his head, scrawling his initials on the last bit of paperwork.
"I've not been here long enough to judge. Today's been a day, though." He
shifts to file the paperwork, adding, "I should likely get out of here while
I've got a chance, though. Jack'll be here in..." He eyes his chrono. "Ten
minutes."
Clara hmms quietly, nodding. "Yes, going home and resting is a good idea," she
says absently, still watching Riley thoughfully. "A really good idea. You
folk need it after a hard day."
Riley shakes his head slightly, "Not many. I could probably count off a dozen
over the years. It's easier to lose them to the Pavilion. See, the
Underground knows I could shut it down permanantly. I'd be cashiered, and
Peesh only knows what else, but they -know-. Since they're there on my
sufferance, I don't have -too- much trouble extricating folks. Some, yes. But
then we don't usually let anyone get down there. We can fire up the Security
screens too fast."
Niko, tucking away a few odds and ends in a desk drawer, nods his agreement to
Clara's words. "Even after a not-so-hard day, yeah." He gets to his feet,
replacing the chair, then adds, "Have a nice evening. Hope the Chief can help
you with that evil paperwork."
Roland makes note of that and nods. He then catches and ties up loose ends.
"Loosing people to the Pavilion you said? What about getting out of the city?
I still haven't found the gates outta here yet."
Clara starts out of her thoughts, peering back as a whole new welter of things skitter in mentaly. "Huh? Oh. Oh, yeah. Ah, goodnight, Niko," she offers. "Actually, I'm headed back to medical. I'll follow you."
Riley leans forward so all of his weight is on his elbows, nodding. "Sometimes
folks get out of the city, yeah. It's not controllable like the Complex, or
the Underground. And as populous as Linnae is they can just go lose
themselves in another city."
Niko nods affably, heading for the door. "Don't work too hard, Chief. G'night, DeMario." Of course, Riley still gets a mildly nasty look as Niko heads for the door, but nothing nasty is verbalized, at least.
You head towards the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Second Floor Elevator Lounge
Despite being one of the major hubs of activity in the Complex, few people linger here. While there are usually people present, usually they are on their way to someplace else. The lobby is nice enough, with broad tapestries hung on richly paneled walls, and floors of veined black marble; but it is simply too busy for most people to stop and chat in. The occasional tasteful potted plant lurks in the corners, and large mirrors are hung near the elevators for passing lobbyists to check their appearances before descending to the main level. Corridors lead to the northeast and southwest.
Obvious exits:
Elevator General Housing Library Security Maintenance Medical
You arrive from the Security Central.
Clara arrives from the Security Central.
Clara has arrived.
Clara follows out, flipping her folder shut with a final glance over her
shoulder of fair discontent and a mutter about working until dropping. She
shakes away the expression and grins up. "Catch you tomorrow, eh? Look out
for marauding diplomats on the way up."
Niko nods affably. "Sure. Tomorrow, yes." He doesn't move towards the elevator
just yet, though, and in fact looks as if he's going to say something else,
then shakes his head. He mutters to himself, "... doesn't know... talking
about..."
Clara pauses in turning towards Medbay, her hand poised up by her ear as she
tucks her pen there. "Something wrong?" she asks, all concern. "Are you all
right? I'm not going up right away, if you needed to talk, you know. That's
what I'm on staff for."
Roland arrives from the Security Central.
Roland has arrived.
Roland emerges from Security smoothly putting on his shades and heads over to
the elerlator.
SECURITY> Riley shakes his head slightly, turning back to the terminal with a
yawn.
Niko chuckles rather dryly, expression suggesting that whatever he's thinking
has just been confirmed. "It's fine, Clara." His gaze flicks towards Roland
as the other man passes, then he adds, perhaps a bit grimly, "I might go have
a word with the Chief, though." Several words, from his expression before he
rearranges it to pleasantness, are more likely.
Clara finishes tucking the pen away and nods at Roland before chuckling and reaching up to pat Niko on the shoulder. "Tell him whatever you like, but not tonight. Doctor's orders. That man is going to bed as soon as possible, if I have to drag him there kicking and screaming myself."
Niko inclines his head, though he seems somewhat displeased by that. "If you say so, Clara. You might want to take a tranq gun, though. Feel free to give me a buzz if you need someone to hit him over the head or something."
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
Roland nods to the two as he peers at one of the conviently placed maps. He
mutters to himself.
Clara taps at her temple, amused. "We don't have the tranq guns yet," she
admits. "I've been bluffing. But I may well need someone to knock him over
the head, since I doubt I can reach that high." She peers up thoughtfully,
smile fading. "Are you sure you don't want to talk? It doesn't even have to
be official."
Roland pushes the button.
From the elevator, With a ping, the doors slide open, soundlessly.
From the elevator, The doors slide shut, soundlessly.
Roland waits impatiently for the elevator.
Roland gacks as the doors close right in front of him. He glances around a
couple times, adjustgs his shades and tries again.
Roland pushes the button.
From the elevator, With a ping, the doors slide open, soundlessly.
Roland walks into the elevator.
Roland has left.
From the elevator, Roland has arrived.
From the elevator, Roland pushes the button marked 1.
From the elevator, The elevator direction light changes to DOWN with a ping.
From the elevator, The doors slide shut, soundlessly.
Niko shakes his head slowly. "It's okay, Clara. If you're going to get the
Chief to bed--sleep--any time soon, you'd better get cracking. I'll likely be
awake for a while, though, if you need a hand." And now he does head for the
elevator.
You push the button.
From the elevator, With a ping, the doors slide open, soundlessly.
Clara stuffs her hands in her pockets, file tucked under one arm as she nods slowly. "If you say so, Niko. Do sleep well, though."
From the elevator, The doors slide shut, soundlessly.
Niko inclines his head. "You, too." He eyes the elevator. "That Zaeltan
might've had a point about the timing, after all."
You push the button.
From the elevator, With a ping, the doors slide open, soundlessly.
You walk into the elevator.
Elevator
The elevator rides up and down in a glass shaft, overlooking the foliage of the
atrium below. The motion is smooth, and each floor is marked with a delicate
"ping" as the elevator arrives there.
A bank of round blue buttons on either side of the door has the numbers 1-4,
and a button labeled "Below".
The doors are currently open, the direction arrow is pointing up and the dial
above the doors points to 2.
Obvious exits:
Doors
You push the button marked 3.
The doors slide shut, soundlessly.
The elevator glides almost imperceptably upward and goes "ping" as it reaches
floor #3.
With a ping, the doors slide open, soundlessly.
You leave the elevator.
Third Floor Elevator Lounge
While it is as tastefully decorated as the other levels, this elevator lounge
seems a bit more homey and less 'designed'. Perhaps it is because the
occupants of this level, the Complex personnel, are less transient than the
populations of the other two housing floors. Large area rugs are spread over
the black marble floors to muffle the sound of footsteps. For some reason
this level also lacks the occasional tasteful potted plants lurking in
corners. A comfortable bench is set up along one wall, and over it is a
corkboard of notices.
<< To see a directory of tenants, type +view corkboard >>
Obvious exits:
Elevator
SECURITY> Clara arrives from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
SECURITY> Clara has arrived.
From the elevator, The doors slide shut, soundlessly.
You unlock the door and go into room N13.
Room N13
In this small, simple and efficient room, sunlight is piped in, down a reflective tube, from the upper levels. A sleeping unit pulls down from one wall. The desk does double duty as a dining area with two chairs and a cooking unit. Cupboards provide storage above and at the end of the desk, all closed to conceal their contents, near which is a cluster of opaque plasglass vials and a coffeemug. A small closet is tucked in next to the door, and a bathing unit is squeezed into the corner opposite. Everything is very neat, but, well, it'd have to be, with so little space, else there'd be chaos.
A few belongings make don't do much to make the room homey, but they do add
some personality. A tidy stack of bibliodisks rest at the back corner of the
desk, about evenly divided between fiction and nonfiction. One actual book is
next to the bibliodisks: a narrow, battered leatherbound tome with no title
along the spine and no markings on the cover. A trio of photocubes occupy the
other back corner of the desk, their neat labels written in what looks to be
some form of Greek script. There's also a much-faded (and +viewable) flat
photo. Throw in a datapad, and you'll have the sum of Niko's posessions--at
least, those that are visible.
The scent of spices can be discerned, albeit faintly, most notably cardamom and
cinnamon.
Obvious exits:
Out
You come in from the Elevator Lounge.
Set.
SECURITY> Riley is still tappity-tap-tapping away with one hand, supporting his
chin with the other as he attempts to get caught up. Anya will probably have
his hide for using her terminal later. He glances up as you enter, noting
quietly. "I ticked Nick off, didn't I?"
SECURITY> Clara comes back in, lab coat unbuttoned, and hands stuffed in her
pants pockets, folder tucked under one arm. She pauses to watch a moment,
then shuffles forward quietly. "Yeah. Yeah, I think you did. What'd he do to
deserve that, Riley?" she asks softly.
SECURITY> Rubbing at his eyes with his hands, Riley sighs. "Nothing, I just keep forgetting the kid's...a kid a guess. He fits in well enough I tend to think of him as being like the rest of the gang, but I can't get away with the same things with him as I can say Anya or Drenner."
SECURITY> Clara comes around to perch on the edge of the desk, quirking a brow.
"His med record says he's only twenty-one, right? Think back, Chief. You were
there once. Whoever this girl is, he can handle it himself. You on the other
hand, need some help."
SECURITY> Riley manages to stifle a quiet sigh, "I'll have to track him down
first thing in the morning and apologize. I have enough trouble keeping my
tongue on a leash upstairs, you'd think I'd have learned by now how." He
blinks several times at that last, "I need help?"
SECURITY> Clara folds her arms, folder against her chest as she nods seriously. "Riley, you need a mirror," she explains gently. "You look about like something the cat dragged in. Now, are you going to bed quietly, or do I drag you there bodily? I -can- overrule you on this, by the way."
SECURITY> For one moment it looks like Clara's going to have a fight on her
hands. Riley is after all a stubborn SOB and Clara is the new chief on the
block after all. He starts to shift back, his expression shifting to
professionalism. But then, it occurs to him, you know it's bad to piss off
one person you like, pissing off two of them in the same night is probably
even stupider. The fight runs out of him and into a nice puddle on the floor.
"Quietly," he says, well, quietly.
SECURITY> Clara would have fought too, but heaves a small sigh of relief.
"Thank you. Thank you very much. I'd really hate to have to tranq you, since
you're way too big for me to carry," she adds, grinning slightly. "Go
on...wipe down the boards and shut it all off. It'll keep until the next
shift."
SECURITY> Riley leans over to key off Anya's terminal, snagging a scrap of
paper and scrawling the dispatcher a note. "One of these days..." He hauls
himself to his feet, tucking the note into the edge of the terminal's screen.
"It's kept for several other shifts, one more won't be the end of the world I
guess. Perenially behind since Maosun died." He snags the rest of the
messages from the box and the end of the desk, shoving them into one uniform
pocket. "Goodnight."
SECURITY> Clara clears her throat and smiles pleasantly. "Goodnight," she agrees, jerking her head back towards the elevators.
SECURITY> Reaching into his office to switch off the lights and pull the door
shut, Riley waves tiredly, heading for the door.
SECURITY> Riley heads towards the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
SECURITY> Riley has left.
SECURITY> Clara heads towards the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
SECURITY> Clara has left.
2FLOOR> Clara arrives from the Security Central.
2FLOOR> Clara has arrived.
2FLOOR> Riley pushes the button.
2FLOOR> Clara follows out the door and heads towards Medbay, pausing. "Hey,
boss? Thanks. You're doing okay," she assures, then flashes a grin before
heading into the office.
2FLOOR> Riley blinks at that, "Thanks... I think."
2FLOOR> From the elevator, With a ping, the doors slide open, soundlessly.
2FLOOR> Riley walks into the elevator.
2FLOOR> Riley has left.
2FLOOR> From the elevator, Riley has arrived.
2FLOOR> From the elevator, Riley pushes the button marked 3.
2FLOOR> From the elevator, The elevator direction light changes to UP with a
ping.
2FLOOR> From the elevator, The doors slide shut, soundlessly.
2FLOOR> Clara heads towards the Medical Bay.
2FLOOR> Clara has left.
MEDIC> Clara arrives from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
MEDIC> Clara has arrived.
MEDIC> Clara heads for her desk and slumps into the seat with a long sigh,
burying her forehead in her hand. "Men," she mutters. "Can't work with 'em,
can't beat 'em over the head with a speculum."
Your communit crackles to life and blares "Nick, this is Riley, I uh, wanted to
apologize for being an ass earlier. I wasn't thinking straight. I'm really
sorry." in Riley's voice.
You say "Aren't you supposed to be asleep, Chief?" into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and blares "Techinically, yes. I should have known better than to agree to an exam. But I really wanted to apologize, for what it's worth. Not something to wait on." in Riley's voice.
You say "Okay, Chief. Thanks. Sleep." Yeah, he's still annoyed. "It'll be
obvious if you don't." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and blares "Uh, yeah. I guess." He's decidedly
at a loss for what to say, but it's pretty obvious Niko doesn't want to talk
to him. "Yeah, Riley out." in Riley's voice.
MEDIC> Clara finally leans back to log off her own terminal and push to her
feet, pausing to extract a duckbilled device and flip it up in the air with a
smirk, catch it, and return it to its shelf before heading out whistling some
vague tune.
MEDIC> Clara heads towards the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
MEDIC> Clara has left.
2FLOOR> Clara arrives from the Medical Bay.
2FLOOR> Clara has arrived.
2FLOOR> Clara pushes the button.
2FLOOR> From the elevator, With a ping, the doors slide open, soundlessly.
2FLOOR> Clara walks into the elevator.
2FLOOR> Clara has left.
2FLOOR> From the elevator, Clara has arrived.
2FLOOR> From the elevator, Clara pushes the button marked 3.
2FLOOR> From the elevator, The elevator direction light changes to UP with a
ping.
2FLOOR> From the elevator, The doors slide shut, soundlessly.
You leave the room, pulling the door shut behind you.
Third Floor Elevator Lounge
While it is as tastefully decorated as the other levels, this elevator lounge
seems a bit more homey and less 'designed'. Perhaps it is because the
occupants of this level, the Complex personnel, are less transient than the
populations of the other two housing floors. Large area rugs are spread over
the black marble floors to muffle the sound of footsteps. For some reason
this level also lacks the occasional tasteful potted plants lurking in
corners. A comfortable bench is set up along one wall, and over it is a
corkboard of notices.
<< To see a directory of tenants, type +view corkboard >>
Obvious exits:
Elevator
You leave Room N13.
From the elevator, With a ping, the doors slide open, soundlessly.
From the elevator, Clara has left.
Clara has arrived.
From the elevator, The doors slide shut, soundlessly.
[Ordinarily, descs aren't included, but this clothing is so awful that I found it
necessary. ;)]
Niko
Standing at around two meters (that'd be 6'4" for the metrically
challenged), Niko is muscular without being overly so, and rather rangy. His
black hair is fairly short, and looks to be at the long end of a military
haircut; just long enough to curl, it hints at the riotous tangle that it
will be if allowed to grow a bit longer. Olive skin is unmarred by freckles
or blemishes. His eyes are large and dark, and would be bovine-esque if they
held less intelligence, beneath brows that bear a disturbing resemblance to a
pair of caterpillars. Besides the brows, his oval face is dominated by a nose
that would be aristocratically aquiline if it hadn't been broken at some
point in the past. His voice, a pleasant baritone, frequently holds odd
inflections, remnants of an accent that he can't quite shake. He looks to be
somewhere in his early twenties.
Baggy and comfortable, Niko's clothing looks decidedly lived-in. His
lime green shirt is a little big for him, the sleeves falling to his elbows
and the hem reaching his thighs. The massive neon-yellow smiley-face on the
chest of the shirt is cheerful enough, but when one adds adds the small-child
handprints over the rest of the shirt, in every imaginable color, the effect
is just too cute for words. His pants, which most likely involve a
drawstring, are made of sweatshirt material, in vibrant fire-engine red. His
feet are bare, which is likely a blessing, as this outfit really does -not-
need any more color.
Clara comes out of the elevator, whistling to herself and rubbing at her eyes.
As she pulls away her hands, she abruptly backpedals, then rubs her eyes
again. "Uh...hi?"
The expression of impatience on Niko's face fades when the doors open. He
mutters something about timing, then adds, "Hiya," lifting the hand that
isn't holding a book. "Have a nice sleep, Clara." He heads for the elevator,
with a shake of his head.
Clara steps back and away from the elevator, unable to take her eyes from the
colorful aparition. "Sleep. Mmm." She finally jerks herself out of mid-ogle,
yes ogle, and nearly blushes. "Uh, if you've gone to look for the Chief, he's
gone to bed. Just information."
Niko says tartly, "I should hope so." Unfortunately, he's still a little bent
out of shape, enough so that he doesn't notice the ogling. Then he shakes his
head. "Sorry, Clara. It's not really fair to take this out on you. I'll see
you later; I'm going to go hide somewhere til I'm good company again." And
now he does reach for the button, finally.
You push the button.
From the elevator, With a ping, the doors slide open, soundlessly.
Clara swallows heavily and straightens, composure regain. "Of course," she
agrees, back in soothing counselor mode. "Solitude is a great solace at
times. Enjoy your night, Niko," she offers, and turns on heel to head down
the hall to her room.
Niko gets into the elevator, really. He doesn't go to his room. As the doors close, he calls, "Sleep well, Clara."