Post Denner-Hunting

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1/16/99
You head towards the Security Central.

Security Central

Unlike most of the rest of the complex, the security offices are designed for ease of use rather than aesthetics. Wood paneled walls and marble floors are not to be found here. Brushed steel and plate flooring take their place. The acoustics in this room are designed to muffle sound, so despite the metal flooring and the constant coming and going of security personnel, the area does not quite achieve a cacophonous state. A large bank of monitors takes up the bulk of the east wall. On each is displayed video from various security cameras as well as information garnered from customs and immigration. It is from here that security can keep an eye on most everything that happens in the Complex. There are always at least two uniformed guards on duty with nothing to do except watch the monitors. A broad desk is located near the entrance, with an officer present to handle queries.

Three arched doors lead from this area. One to the brig, one to private offices, and the third to the elevator lobby.

Contents:

Tally Board

Obvious exits:

Chief's Office Brig Elevator Lounge

You arrive from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.

Niko, looking tired and rather like he's seen the inside of too many of the access tunnels, comes into security with a bulging sack over one shoulder. He had a broad face... no, Virginia, it isn't Santa Claus. He's just been hunting Denners for several hours, with good result. He disappears into the brig for a moment, emerging with an empty sack. "Going to need another containment unit soon," he observes.

Anya glances up from her desk and a pile of papers, "Good grief, Nick. Good going. Denner's working on something to gas them."

Niko ambles over to peer at his mailbox, then nods. "Thanks. Yeah, he mentioned that. Figured I might as well round up what I could, though." A faint smile tugs at his lips. "Beats watching a monitor, even if the folks down in laundry are going to be annoyed."

Niko tucks a message from his mailbox into a pocket. "Anything else you need me to do, Anya? I was thinking about getting some food before I go crash. I can bring you back something, if you like?"

Anya glances up from her desk, "Hmm, sorry. Thanks Nick, but I'm okay. I just got here a little while back. Ran the Chief off and all."

Niko nods agreeably as he heads for the exit. "Okay, catch you later, then."

[Travelspam deleted.]

You head towards the Dining Facility.

Dining Facility

Though the tan and white linoleum tiles of the dining hall are rather bland, the brightly-colored walls more than make up for that. The wall nearest the entrance holds vending machines for those on a budget, though the aromas of freshly-prepared food are tempting enough to make one forget finances. Cuisine from many of the Alliance's worlds is available, though some races are likely to find the food choices of their neighbors less than appealing. Plasglass windows in the next wall allow a view of the town beyond the complex, and a hint of the scenery beyond. Though the other two walls hold neither food nor windows, they have been painted with vivid colors, abstract murals that are occasionally interpreted by bored diners. Tables of varying shapes and sizes are found scattered throughout the room, with chairs that provide just enough comfort to allow ease of dining, but not so much that idlers are tempted to linger.

With the range of internal clocks of the complex's inhabitants, people of one form or another are generally found in the dining hall at all hours, though a seat at one of the many tables is usually available.

Contents:

Aliana

Kyara

Riley

Obvious exits:

Atrium

You arrive from the Central Atrium.

Kyara chuckles, continuing her meal. "Well, I don't, be /he/ is required to." She gives Riley a wink- an overly winked wink, as it's a new expression for her, but a wink nonetheless- and waves to Niko.

Niko, streaks of various shades of green and brown adorning his uniform, moves to get a variation on his usual green stuff--yup, this time it's -yellow- stuff. After a moment's consideration, he also braves the vending machine, barely escaping unscathed with his blue can of soda. He catches Kyara's wave and returns it, extending the gesture to the others at the table.

Riley hmps softly in decided amusement, poking at the datareader. "No, see I was being sarcastic. It's actually exceedingly dull." He snickers softly at Kyara before offering Niko a forshortned wave. "Hey Nick, been Denner hunting?"

Niko nods as he crosses to the table. "Sure have, Chief. Laundry's going to hate me," he adds, with a faint grin and a shrug that implies that he's not -that- concerned.

Aliana nods her head in some pretense of belief...then takes a bit of her gyro.

Kyara peers surreptitiously at Ali's food before inquiring, "Just what /is/ that?" She glances toward Niko for a moment before noting reluctantly, "You look tired."

Riley rummages in his pocket for another chocolate bar, tearing the foil from the candy. "Laundry hates all security by tradition anyhow. I got the -best- letter this afternoon about whether or not my parents were married when I was born."

Niko says mildly, after lifting a forkful of yellow stuff to his mouth and chewing thoughtfully, "That's because I -am- tired, Kya." He flashes a faint grin to Riley. As he peers towards Aliana's food, however, his grin becomes much more genuine. "Is it any good?" he inquires.

Aliana smiles as she cuts off a bit of her gyro, 'you tell me...I made it myself' Wary gaze darts towards the food tables, "Some of the food looks dangerous'

Kyara nods to Niko, her expression neutral. "You should sleep more then. Riley, you're overworking this poor boy." She shakes her head to Ali with a faint smile. "Not half as dangerous as the folks eating it, I daresay."

Niko shakes his head, gesturing with his fork towards the yellow stuff. (It looks to contain pasta and a few varieties of squash, so it's not -that- disturbing. Niko just likes monochromatic food.) "No, thanks. Can't eat it. It -looks- good, though. And some of the food -is- dangerous," he adds. He shakes his head to Kya. "Not the Chief's fault. I was up too late last night is all." Well, and several nights before, but he won't mention that.

Aliana beams at Riley as she notes, "Mine still aren't'

"Sleep more, Nick." Riley says absently, "Better Kya?" He takes another bite of the candy. "It does look good. But then considering I'm comprised entirely of vending machine food." He blinks at Ali and grins, "DOn't tell laundry."

Kyara chuckles slightly. "I was merely teasing him, Niko. I blame Riley for nothing."

An eerie chittering echoes behind you, "To loh kaaa!"

Aliana shrugs slightly...then goes back to enjoying her gyro

Niko shoots an annoyed look over her shoulder. "Let me finish eating at least, -then- I'll come find you." He replies to Riley, just as absently, "Sure Chief. Sleep more, check." Kyara gets a faint smile, and a shrug. "One can never tell."

Riley pauses a moment, turning to Kya. "Nothing? I had better change that. I can't go around being blameless now can I?"

Kyara blinks, pausing mid-chew to gaze at Riley, attempting to judge whether he's being serious. Swallowing, she notes, "I did not say you were blameless. Only that /I/ did not blame you." A wavery smile is offered.

Niko, twirling a bit of pasta around his fork, mumbles, "Enough other people do. Might as well have someone who doesn't. Be refreshing."

Riley considers this at length, and eventually asks Niko. "So shooting her with the nerve tangler just so she'd have something to blame me for is a bad idea?"

Kyara eeps, eyes widening. "Riley, that would be..." She blinks, eyes widening further. "That would be perfect!"

Niko's fork pauses halfway to his mouth, and he considers it. He must be tired, as it actually takes a moment. "Probably, yeah." At Kyara's reaction, he stares at her. "Have you been eating those little mushrooms that grow out past the pavilion?"

Riley is obviously having to restrain one of those Rileyan urges from the pained look on his face. "The ones with the pink spots."

Kyara giggles nervously. "No, no, I do not eat... mushrooms." She shakes her head. "Never mind me. I'm just daydreaming."

Niko mumbles something about sniffing Denners, then actually eats that bite of pasta.

You sense Kyara kicks you carefully under the table.

Riley just shakes his head sadly, "Kya, if you daydream about being shot, you need to nap more often."

Niko, with a muffled noise of surprise, peers at Kyara as he chews. "What was -that- for? Nerve tanglers are not at all fun. If you -want- to be shot by one, something's got to be wrong somewhere."

Kyara chuckles, shrugging apologetically. "Well, Dabiar'd love it if Riley shot me, and it could be useful later on." She peers at Niko. "How do you know they are not at all fun?"

Niko considers his answer for a moment, with a bit of puzzlement for the comment relating to Dabiar. "Because I don't duck very well," he says finally.

Riley just looks disturbed, "I wonder what kind of gray letter I'd get if I did that..." His tone is speculative. "Basic and OCS and all involve getting tangled repeatedly."

Roland arrives from the Central Atrium.

Roland has arrived.

Kyara eeps at Niko. "You should practice that then," she intones solemnly, and nods to Riley. "Exactly. OCS?"

Niko eyes Riley. "Do me a favor, Chief? Don't find out. Gray letters are not fun, even if you -do- collect them." He offers a faint grin to Kyara, with a small shrug. "Don't get much chance, here. I'm not really going to ask folks to shoot me, after all." He lifts his fork in greeting to Roland.

Roland meanders in, bee-lining to the source of nutriential suppliments. Since the last time someone lifted a fork at him, it was thrown at him, he doesn't acknowledge the greeting as he passes the table.

"Ducking is a very good habit. Especially with cannons." Riley regards Niko a moment before hmming at Kyara, "Basic with more books." He tugs at one uniform sleeve. "Avoiding gray letters a while would be good." He half-waves to Roland.

Roland half-frowns and half smirks (whatever that looks like, maybe just a straight face?) as he looks at today's selection.

You hear a soft purring noise from... somewhere. Maybe there's a Zaeltan stuck in a wall. But if there is, Riley didn't put it there.

Kyara gives Riley a confused nod, glancing over her shoulder to nod to Roland. "I'll shoot at you if you want, Nik.... er, no. Clara'd be upset if I didn't miss."

Niko flickers a look towards a wall at the purring sound, though Kyara's words get her a sharp look. He takes a moment to recover, then says, with the faintest of smiles, "I might be a bit upset, too. Depends what your choice of weapons was."

Riley hmms thoughtfully, poking at the datareader again. "If you want to be shot at Nick, I can send you with next months group headed for the Monoliths."

Aliana blinks out of her thoughts,'Group headed for the Monoliths?'

Niko's brows arch slowly. "Okay, I think I might like some more details before I answer that one, thanks, Chief."

Kyara chuckles at Niko. "Something... non-lethal." She nods to Riley in approval. "Now there's a capital idea, Riley."

Riley nods, pausing a moment to finish off the candy bar. "Training excercise up in the forest valley of the mountains up that way. Paintballs and no hot water. A relative paradise compared to Denners and diplomats."

Aliana ohhs softly as she seems to be considsering this,'Security only?'

Kyara glances toward Ali, remaining silent though her expression indicates complete sympathy with the Bonded.

Niko's expression clears at the explanation. "Sure, Chief. That sounds like it'd be good." He adds, a bit more quietly, "Though having one or two diplomats there would be fun... a few specific ones, and their spouses." He shakes his head. Bad thought.

Roland turns around quickly, careful not to spill his noodles substanance. "Paintball excercises?" he asks, not bothering to contain his interest.

You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.

Riley leans over the datareader, "Security, some random AF folks... I have no idea exactly who all. They asked if I wanted to ship some folks. I told them I'd check around. I'm sure y'all could check with your superiors about tagging along if you really have a desire to spend a month in a tent with a paintball gun while the rest of us hold down the fort here."

Kyara slowly grins. "That sounds like an awful lot of fun."

Aliana asks weakly,'Superiors?' Well...forget that one.

Roland hrms and scratches his chin. "With my experience, I dunno if it'd be fair for me to go..." He snaps out of thought as his tray starts to tilt, and the chef specifically said avoiding letting the noodles fall on the ground for some reason.

Kyara glances toward Ali. "What's wrong?" She glances toward Roland, rolling her eyes. "Your experience, eh?"

Niko blinks at Riley. "A month? Huh. Didn't know it was going to be that long. This should be... interesting." He shrugs, then. "Next month, did you say?"

Riley pokes further at his datareader, scanning through various lists of spare parts. "If you're just up for shooting each other, there's always Zimmies."

Riley nods to Niko, although his attention is still primarily on his work. "Next month, yup."

Roland nods absently at Kyara. "Two years in service. That kinda stuff is what I did for a life then." He heads for a opposite table from the ones most of the people are sitting at.

Kyara's mouth quirks in amusement. "I just spent four years in a war. I think I can match you." She looks over at Riley, reaching for her soda. "Zimmies?"

Aliana gives Kyara a wry smile, 'I think my superiors last words to me were....Keep quiet and out of trouble....Both of which I have managed to do'

Roland grins at Kyara. "Which service were you in?"

Niko turns his attention fully to his food, after a brief glance between Kyara and Roland. He mutters to himself, ".... 'mine's bigger'..."

Riley gestures towards the door, a curious truncated gesture with his arms not lifting particularly high. "A place in the Java Quarter. Laser tag joint, popular with local kids."

Kyara grins at Ali. "That's not quite what mine told me, but I do not believe a paintball expedition is what they had in mind." Another glance toward Roland as she sips blissfully. "Hunnian Loyals." She blinks toward Riley, ignoring Niko. "Really? I may have to check that out."

Roland humms in thought as he scratches his well stubbled chin and thinks. "I don't think I've heard of those. I was in your standard Terran Marines/GI type group..." He places a bit of the noodles into his mouth and becomes quiet, and eerily still.

Kyara shrugs, turning back to her raw cheeseburger. "The Loyals are illeg... disbanded now, so I doubt you'll hear further of them."

Roland doesn't repsond to that, nor any stimuli.

Riley snags his reader and climbs slowly to his feet, "Zimmies is a lot of fun. The trick is to go in civvies." He nods, "I'm gonna head on upstairs, I'll risk Anya's wrath. Later folks."

Kyara peers at Riley. "In civvies? Why?"

Niko lifts his fork in a vague salute to Riley. "Good luck, Chief." He grins at Kyara's question, murmuring something about kids.

Riley grins at Kyara, for the first time this evening looking entirely Riley-esque, "So the kids don't get too suspicious as to why the old fogies trash them."

Riley heads towards the Central Atrium.

Riley has left.

Kyara laughs, waving after Riley. The second he's gone, she rounds on Niko. "What's wrong with him?"

Niko peers at Kyara, hiding a yawn behind his hand. "Huh? With who?" Oh, he's really together.

Kyara points at Riley's disappeared back. "Riley. You remember, your boss?"

Roland comments to Niko's absent-mindedness with his continued stillness.

A small, adorably cute creature zips into your general vicinity. It makes a squealing noise, then continues on its way, quickly enough that one would have to have been looking right at it to see it.

Niko peers after Riley. "Of course I remember Riley." He's not absent-minded. He's sleep-deprived. His hand twitches towards his weapon as the Denner zips past, but, fortunately for the room at large, he doesn't fire upon the critter.

Kyara's hands clench slightly, perhaps indicating her urge to take Niko by the collar and shake him. "What. Is. Wrong. With. Riley?"

Niko's brows lower as he peers at Kyara, absently spooling a bit more pasta on his fork. "Something's wrong with the Chief?"

Aliana blinks as she looks at Kyara...then towards the doors

Kyara throws up her hands in exasperation. "Ever since that last hearing he hasn't been himself."

Niko finally pops open his blue can, ignoring the ominous silence from the vending machine. "I haven't seen him a lot since that last hearing."

Roland swallows finally and peers at the noodles on his plate.

Aliana ohhs, 'Hearing with whom?'

The soda machine just looks peeved. Niko is hopeless. It will have its revenge.

Kyara's fingers move once. "Why?" She glances toward Ali, and shakes her head.

Niko supplies, with a wry smile for Aliana, "Fleet Admiral Ranshek." He mutters something about taffy, then shrugs at Kyara. "Been hunting Denners, or he's been busy."

Kyara's eyes narrow at Niko. "And you haven't noticed anything strange about his behavior in the times you've seen him, few though they may be despite the fact that you're his assistant?"

Aliana ahhhs as she seems to take a mental note,'Ranshek' she mutters to herself.

Roland murmers something about moving and pushes his plate away from his a bit. "What's the food like at the Fruvous?" he inquires not so randomly if you understood what he was just eating.

Niko puts down his fork, wiping his hands on his oddly-streaked uniform jacket. "Kyara," he says, voice a little too mild, "I've been working all day, on not enough sleep. If you're going to grill me about whatever it is that's bothering you, at least have the courtesy to let me finish my meal." Catching Roland's question, he calls, "Anya said it's not bad. Haven't had a chance to find out for myself."

Roland nods his head numbly. "I think I might be visiting them often..." he states, and gets back up, heading to the vending machines.

Kyara blinks, and slowly nods, blushing slightly. "Forgive me for disturbing you, Officer." She goes back to slowly eating her food.

Niko's nose wrinkles as he picks up his fork. "Quit that," he says, irritation showing for a moment. "Look, just because I ask you to let me finish eating, that doesn't mean you should go all formal on me."

Aliana holds up the remnants of her Gyro,'I can feed myself...thank faranth'

Kyara nods, relaxing enough to offer a faint smile. "I'm sorry, Niko. How's Clara? I haven't seen her for several days."

Roland inserts a couple bits and presses a button on the vending machine... Then he presses the button again.

Niko spears a piece of yellow squash, a quick grin crossing his face at the mention of the Chief Medic. "Clara... she's fine, I think. Was last time I saw her, at least." He shakes his head, expression briefly turning abashed.

Kyara chuckles softly. "She and I had a lovely little talk last time I saw her. She is..." The Stilvanian gropes for words. "She would make a good friend, I think."

Niko nods an emphatic agreement to that. "She would make a wonderful friend," he murmurs. "She does, for that matter."

Kyara ducks her head, blushing. "Yes. I think she's my friend. She seems to fulfill the requirements."

Niko's brows lift. Scooping up a particularly stubborn bit of cauliflower, he inquires, "There's a list somewhere?"

Kyara nods, quite serious as she looks back up. "I looked up the definition in Webster's Extragalactic Dictionary."

Niko shakes his head. "Kya, that -isn't- the place to look, if you're going to read about friendship. It's far too dry."

Niko says succinctly, "Poetry. Literature. Places that have the -feel- of friendship." He takes a moment to eat that bit of cauliflower, then recites, baritone voice soft, "Your friend is your needs answered. He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving. And he is your board and your fireside. For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace."

Roland presses the button repeatedly. *clikclikclikclik* "Peice stupid di macchinario! L' oh bene, quello e vita." He stops ranting in Italian and heads over to the fountain drinks.

Kyara's eyes widen. "Oh, that is beautiful. 'and you seek him for peace'.... Yes, that is Clara alright."

Niko nods his agreement, a slow smile crossing his face. "That is, in fact, Clara. And it -is- beautiful. Wish I could take credit for it." He shakes his head slightly, then, scooping up the last of his yellow stuff.

Kyara smiles. "Who wrote it?" She nods toward Niko's empty plate. "may I buy you dessert?"

Niko shakes his head, with a quick smile. "No, thanks. I'd better see about getting cleaned up. And it's written by a poet and philosopher--Kahlil Gibran. There should be a copy of his works on disk in the library."

Kyara nods, reaching to pull a pad from her carisak. She hands it to Niko and returns to her food. "Could you write it down? The spelling and all."

Niko nods agreeably. "Sure. There are a few variants; I'll put them both." He scrawls down a few lines, then grimaces at the smudge of green on the pad. "Ah... sorry about that. That's why I should probably go."

Kyara chuckles, gesturing for him to leave the pad on the table. "That's quite alright, Niko. Thank you. And I'm sorry about earlier."

You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.

Niko deposits the pad in the indicated spot, then gets to his feet, taking up his empty plate and mostly-full blue soda can. "No problem." He peers at his chrono as he hears the chime, then shakes his head. "Have a nice rest of the evening, folks." He disposes of his dishes, then risks the wrath of the vending machine to get another blue can, barely escaping unscathed. "Stupid machine," he mutters.

The vending machine just growls. It didn't manage to draw blood. It has failed.

Roland peers over at the vending machine. "Hey, that darn thing ate my money, how'd you...?"

Kyara giggles. "Just shoot it, Niko, just shoot it." She winks. "G'night, Niko."

Niko peers over his shoulder at Roland, lifting a small card. "Didn't use money." He looks decidedly tempted by Kyara's suggestion. "Huh. That'd keep it still, maybe. Nah. Next time. G'night." Soda can in each hand, he heads for the exit.

You head towards the Central Atrium.

Central Atrium

Filled with greenery and assorted plants from a hundred different Alliance worlds, this massive atrium is a chaotic and interesting place. The room itself is round, with evenly-spaced archways leading to the other areas. Each archway is color-coded, with a label telling where it leads in standard and the languages of each of the major races. For those who pause to look upwards, the escheresque upper levels of the complex may be seen, as the atrium reaches through the entire complex, with a plasglass skylight at the top through which Linnae's sunlight may filter. Paths wend their way through the carefully tended gardens, and small placards label the groups of vegetation and their homeworld. Some are labeled with the universal symbol for danger, be careful, they bite. Groups of benches are located here and there for the comfort of passing delegates and those attempting to lobby them.

The elevator is at floor number 2 (the doors are closed) and appears to contain no people.

Obvious exits:

Elevator Arch Out Rec Hall Dining Meeting Hall Spaceport

[Time passes.]

You head towards the Security Central.

Security Central

Three arched doors lead from this area. One to the brig, one to private offices, and the third to the elevator lobby.

Contents:

Riley

Tally Board

Obvious exits:

Chief's Office Brig Elevator Lounge

You arrive from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.

Niko is no longer wearing that battered uniform, but he's got it draped over one arm, and is holding a note. "Ah... Chief. Just the person I wanted to see. D'you have any groveling hints, for the folks down in laundry?"

Riley is sprawled in a chair turned around backwards. He's leafing through a catalog, each plasfilm page is brightly printed with various weaponry. He glances up, "Heya' Nick, umm... Bribes work. As does getting on your knees."

You hear a soft purring noise from... somewhere. Maybe there's a Zaeltan stuck in a wall. But if there is, Riley didn't put it there.

Riley perks up at that, "Baklava? Heck, for baklava I'd grovel to Laundry -for- you." He chuckles quietly, flipping past another page. "Some of this stuff is very scary. Budget time is always amusing, I get the strangest stuff in the mail. I mean how often would a device for spraying mollases on the walls come in handy?"

Niko pads over to peer over your shoulder, brows lifting. "If we could use it to pin Denners to the walls... nah." He shakes his head, then, eyeing the next entry down, murmurs, "That's just disturbing. And if you like baklava, I can ask Losi to ask Gigia, in my next letter."

Riley glances back towards you with a smile, "That's okay, although I appreciate the offer. That's a bit of a ways for anybody to have to send confectionary." He shifts back to his former position, "It is decidedly distressing..." He flips back several pages, "This scares me worse though. The hooks..."

Niko blinks several times. "What in the world is.... oh. Ack. Okay, I'm -not- going to cross those guys if I can help it." He bends down a bit, to peer closer. "Are those bits there retractile?"

Riley frowns at the picture in question. "I think they must be. How else would you get it down the hall?"

There's a cold nose at your ankle and then a *slurp*.

Niko, with a muffled, inarticulate noise of surprise, peers towards the ankle in question. Spotting the dog, he grins brightly, hunkering down to offer a hand. "Hiya, buddy." Squinting upwards, he inquires, "This belong to somebody?"

Riley looks excessively sheepish. "Uh, not as such. He's kind of an abandonee. He was put in quarantine and then his person left Linnae with no address or anything. -Techincally- the rules say he has to be euthanized." Uh-huh, and this is likely to happen on what cold day in a warm place? "He uh, sort of followed me up here." Moooom, it followed me home, can I keep it?

The dog thumps its black and white tail giving Niko's hand a slurp.

Niko shakes his head, ruffling the dog's fur with one hand. "I never saw that rule, Chief," he says, quite seriously. "Can't say that I did. Not about a fella like this, no way." Besides, now he'll have somebody to play catch with when he's watching monitors. Poor Anya.

"If anybody asks, he's an Anarian recruit." Riley offers with a wry grin, "I'll put him on the roster. It should confuse Lexington for a year."

Niko shifts to a seat on the floor, back resting against Anya's desk, the better to pet the dog. "Confusing Lexington," he murmurs to the dog. "What a good -boy-." Of course, he's also beyond overtired. Peering up at you, he inquires vaguely, "Anarian? Don't think I've heard of them."

You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.

The dog is not about to complain about this treatment and obligingly rolls over onto his back for a tummy rub. Riley grins in decided amusment, "Me either. Nor, I'll wager, has Lexington. That should add to the confusion." He grins, "He needs a name and a rank... Hmm..." He goes to pull down Anya's keyboard, "Make the dog a major maybe? Or a lieutenant maybe..."

Niko obligingly rubs the dog's tummy as he considers the question, a sudden grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "If he's going to rank me, let's do it with style. Huh, boy?" That last is, of course, to the dog.

Riley pauses to consider this a moment, head tilted slightly, "A Lieutenant Commander then. He looks like a Navy puppy to me." He hmms, "Name..."

Niko shakes his head, muffling a yawn. "I'm awful at names, Chief. I wanted to name my nephew 'Skippy'

Niko adds, "My sister wasn't amused."

Riley's foot taps lightly as he thinks, "I guess 'Penguin' would be too obvious, hrm?" He chokes on a snicker, "If you breed Nick, let the woman name the child."

Niko shakes his head, with a short chuckle. "They named him Sochos," he protests. "That's -close-. And Penguin would be bad. Pen, maybe? I dunno. Anya'd like it, even if she can't toss the dog at you."

Riley continues tappiting at the keyboard, "I really hope she doesn't try and throw the poor guy. Although I wouldn't put throwing -me- past her for bringing him up here. Lt. Commander Pen Quinn. Quite a distinguished record too..."

Niko intones, "Pen Quinn." Then he gets the joke, and snickers. "Hah. Good name. I like that. Nice, Chief."

Riley snickers quietly, a decided hint of mischief in his expression. "You know, this is slightly more complicated than being a kid and sneaking the dog upstairs into the bedroom, but not much different. I guess some things never change."

Niko just grins, blissfully petting the dog. "Reduces stress," he says suddenly, looking up. "It'll be good to have him here." He muffles another yawn, then mutters, "I should probably get on towards laundry, for that groveling." He doesn't move, though. He's petting the dog. He -has- to stay.

The dog agrees wholeheartedly. *tail thump* *tail thump*

Riley moves the chair around to where he can observe the dog-petting. "And he's cute and isn't a Denner. A definate good thing." He mmhmms, "You should. And you should get to bed, Nick. Being wiped isn't gonna do you any good."

Niko ruffles the dog's fur. "Not a Denner, s'right, Pen. -You- won't breed if we throw water on you, huh?" Oh, he's definitely precariously close to the deep end. With a sigh and a nod, though, he gets to his feet. "Coherency is good. I miss it. Sleep will help."

Riley mmhmms pleasantly, his elbows resting on the desk. "Go to bed, I'll see ya in the morning."

Niko gives the dog a final pat, then picks up the frightening uniform once more. "G'night, Chief. Don't forget to sleep. G'night, Pen." Muffling a yawn, he pads out of the room.

You head towards the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.

[Travelspam deleted, time passes.]

You say "Hiya, Nick here." Again, he sounds exhausted. "Look... Clara? I just wanted to apologize, if I was too, uh, outspoken last night. I really didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and says "Hrmm? *yawn* Niko? What time...oh. Oh, yeah." A rustling sound follows, before she speaks again, voice more alert. "You weren't outspoken, Niko. It was obviously something you felt needed to be said, and that's not a bad thing. Is everything all right?" in Clara's voice.

You say "Yeah. Yeah, fine. I just wanted to tell you that. I didn't wake you up, did I? I'm really sorry. I guess I just assume that everybody else keeps the same bizarre hours that I do." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and announces "Hey, no. It's okay. I just spent half the day in the delivery room, and Kramer threatened evil things if I didn't snag a nap. I suppose if we're apologizing, I was sort of outspoken too." in Clara's voice.

You say "Clara." He doesn't say anything else for a moment, but just chuckles. "You shouldn't apologize for that. Believe me. I rather enjoyed hearing it, even if I wasn't together enough to enjoy it. Okay. That didn't make sense. Did the delivery go well?" into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and blares "*chuckle* It made perfect sense. You were exhausted, so it's no surprise we were both fairly disjointed." in Clara's voice.

You say "But I should let you go, now, hm? I don't want to get Kramer annoyed with me, after all." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and blares "Aaah...if you want? I've actually been out for several hours, now. I was just going to stay up reading. Kramer's in awe of you for putting up with Addison, anyway. You still on duty?" in Clara's voice.

You say "Awe? Wow. I've not had anybody in awe of me in a long time. And it's hardly putting up with the Chief." He pauses, then adds, "No. I'm not on duty. Was out hunting Denners most of the day. It was an adventure." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and says "Aaagh. Poor guy. You must be about as beat as I was after the delivery. Headed off to bed, then?" in Clara's voice.

You say "Well. I was going to, yeah." He won't mention that he's already in bed. "The Chief pointed out that being wiped out wasn't a good thing. I think he's right." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and blares "I'll just bet he did. And he's absolutely right. Hey...before you sleep, though...are you feeling better today? I was worried about you." in Clara's voice.

You say "Yeah. Yeah, I'm doing better. Catching those critters was very therapeutic, especially when I used the tangler. Oh--that reminds me." He actually sounds a bit alert. "Have you ever been to the Monolith mountains? There's some training program up there, apparently, and I'm going to be heading that way. Forewarned is forearmed, all that." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and says "The...mountains?" Her voice is somewhat hesitant. "Yeah. Yeah, I have. We went there our first summer of the Academy for field training. When are you going?" in Clara's voice.

Your communit crackles to life and blares "Worried? Oh...*laugh*, no. Not really. Sorry, that was just my first boot. You'll be fine, really. I suppose I have lots of time to tell you to have fun, though, so I won't tonight. Is it the weapons training?" in Clara's voice.

You say "Yeah. The Chief mentioned paintball guns, tents, that sort of thing." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and announces "You'll have a wonderful time. I'm almost jealous. Almost, that is. I can't say I minded coming back to civilization, and I'm not quite ready to leave yet. Do me a favor? Don't get into any pine cone fights." in Clara's voice.

You say "Okay, I'll try to avoid that. Why am I trying to avoid that?" into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and blares "*snicker* Because pine cones -hurt-, silly." She pauses for a moment, then asks in a quieter voice, "Do bring yourself back in one piece, though?" in Clara's voice.

You say "That's a very high priority. I -like- being in one piece. Being broken is not at all fun." He pauses, then inquires, with a quiet chuckle, "Maybe sometime we could try talking like this, only face to face? The thing with the Denners will be resolved pretty soon; it's mostly under control as it is. And I promise that I'll try to keep my tongue in check." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and announces "Are you asking me out again? We haven't even managed the first one yet," she notes, sounding both amused and flattered." in Clara's voice.

You say "Well." He laughs then, after a mment. "I think maybe I'm trying to reiterate that first asking out-ing. Since we haven't managed it yet and all." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and announces "I'm looking forward to it, really. I'll keep an eye out on what I say too, just in case?" A long, thoughtful pause. "I can't make any promise about puns, though."" in Clara's voice.

You say "Oh, puns are okay. I'm supposed to keep track of them." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and blares "Yeah, I saw that in Security the other night. I don't know whether to bap Riley over the head with a speculum or be flattered." in Clara's voice.

You say "Clara." He sounds a bit pained, but also amused. "It's too late at night for you to be using frightening words like that." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and blares "Sorry...sorry. I didn't realize it frightened you too. I'll make it up to you somehow." Another pause, then an embarrassed laugh. "Uh, you know what I mean, that is. Yeah. Hey, what spices did you find that worked to go with a foot in the mouth?"" in Clara's voice.

You say "Dill. Dill is just fine." He chuckles, then adds, "Don't worry about it. We both seem to have a gift for that." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and says "Yeah, I guess we do," she agrees before a moment of nervous silence. "Sorry about that. Really." in Clara's voice.

You say "It really is okay. And the s-word isn't -that- disturbing. More a joke than anything else. My humor's falling a little flat this evening, I guess." He pauses a moment, then says slowly, "We really are being careful, aren't we?" into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and announces "*pause, then sigh* I...yeah. I get the feeling we may both have good reasons for it, though. Um...Niko, did you want to discuss this over a comm or in person?" in Clara's voice.

You say "Hmm. In person would likely be better... but now might not be the best time. I'm tired--too tired. And I've got early shift tomorrow. I really -would- like to talk with you, Clara, but I can see it taking a while, and if I don't get a good night's sleep for a change, or at least -part- of a good night's sleep, I'm going to be--see? Too tired. I'm in overdrive. Or underdrive. Or something, but it definitely involves driving." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and says "Niko, you're rambling," she interjects with quiet amusement, voice gentle. "Go to sleep, soldier, and I'll see you tomorrow. I'd sing you a lullaby, but you'd be frightened to find out the feedback on these things for a soprano. Sleep well, okay?" in Clara's voice.

You say "Sorry about that. Overtired. I'll sleep well, yes. You, too. No--wait, you just did. Have a good evening, then. I'll try to find you tomorrow, after I get off-duty. Or maybe before." into the communit.

Your communit crackles to life and announces "You know where to find me," she assures. "Goodnight, Niko." in Clara's voice.

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