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Hill Overlooking the Quarter
As may be implied, this hill overlooks the Java Quarter. As it's a fairly long
hill, somewhat steep in places, it may be accessed by any number of stairways
and ramps and paths worn in the grass.
The plateau atop the hill seems to have been preserved as some sort of public park, as trees abound, flowers are meticulously planted in neat and fussy arrangements, and cobblestone-free walkways lead to several different areas. In one, a particularly flat area has been paved for various forms of skating, and is much in use. In another, tables with checkerboard tops have been bolted to the ground--so they won't go for a walk, of course. Along the center of the plateau, surrounded by another of those fussy flower-arrangements, a long reflecting pool holds the reversed-image of the Complex. Of course, as several families of ducks have taken up residence in said pool, the image is often distorted, but isn't that the way it should be? On the opposite side of the pool from the skating area, a brightly-colored playground beckons to children of all ages, shapes, and sizes. At the end of the pool, facing the Complex, is a massive sculpture. And, as the makers of the park realize that children have needs that sometimes strike suddenly, restrooms and water fountains are available at the far end of the plateau.
To set your room doing, try 'I'm <doing>'. +view is available.
Contents:
Niko, at a chess table
Obvious Exits:
Java Quarter
Terrence walks here from the Java Quarter.
Terrence has arrived.
There aren't all that many folks out for chess this late at night, but Niko is apparently one of them. Of course, his board is empty, as he still hasn't gotten around to getting a set, and he's studying a particularly charming section of air. He's still in uniform, of course, arms crossed lightly over his chest. His manner is more reflective than anything else, though.
Terrence would be similarly reflective, oddly enough, except focused on the ground as he strolls up the hill with his hands in his pockets. Habit guides him towards the chess tables before he pauses at the sight of a uniform, sighs slightly, then turns to head in another direction.
Niko looks up at the sigh, and grimaces fractionally. "No, you don't have to
go." He sounds tired more than anything else, likely because he is. "I won't
bite your head off or anything. Hi."
Terrence pauses at the words, head coming up even though he doesn't turn back around. "Hello, Nikolaos. Nice evening, isn't it?" His words are in Standard, slow and carefully measured, and perhaps slightly tired as well.
Niko's tone is a little wry. "Yeah, if you like rain." (Got to remember to
check +weather before I come outside.) He waves absently towards the chair
opposite his. "You can join me, if you like, but only if you'll stop calling
me that. Gigia's the only one who does, and Dad."
Terrence turns slowly, giving you a faintly puzzled look before he lowers into the indicated chair, then looks up into the sky, squinting. "Rain's good. Washes away all the grime and leaves behind the beauty," he murmurs, then chuckles. "Sorry, lad. Your father and grandmother probably pronounce it better than I do, too. What do you prefer? Surely not Iolytus?"
Niko's shoulders twitch in a gesture that would be a mock-shudder, if he were being his usual self. "Niko," he supplies. "Or Nick, if I'm at work. Please not Iolytus, it makes me feel like I'm six and in trouble."
Terrence rests an arm on the chess table, chuckling. "Niko, then. Had a friend
when I was a kid named that. Haven't heard from him in...oh, fifty-five
years, probably. A good name. How's your fiancee, by the way? Seemed to be a
nice girl..."
Niko manages to jump on his instinctive reaction, which is to say that his
fiancee is -his-, that's how she is, and stay away from her. "She's horribly
neglected," he replies. "I work too hard, should be up there with her now.
But instead, I decided to come out here and sit in the rain." He's apparently
in the mood to be candid.
Terrence doesn't seem likely to go try to infiltrate, either. Ela's up on the list of women on pedestals with Corian. That doctor, on the other hand... Anyway, he lifts his brows in blatant surprise. "Let me get this straight, kid. You'd got a beautiful woman who love you and wants to be your wife, and you're sitting in the rain. Something malfunctioning?"
Niko's shoulders lift in a brief shrug. "I didn't feel like going up there," he says quietly. With a wry smile, he adds, "I'm wallowing in self-pity, see. My sister just had a baby, day before yesterday, and I can't go to be with the family." And seeing as Mathraki's got a very family-oriented culture...
Terrence's eyes light up at this news. He may be a cad, but he's still from
that town too. "Stuck here, huh? Man, that's rough. How'd you get the news so
quick?" Puzzlement creeps into his features. "Don't tell me they finally got
a comm unit back in Mathraki?"
Niko shakes his head, with a soft snort. "Nope. They're still fighting against
the mainurb, in that. One of my aunts is a little more, uh, progressive in
her thinking. She went to the mainurb and sent a comm-stat. The pictures
won't get here for another month or so, though."
Terrence finally squints at the uniform through the rain, blinking when he
realizes just what it is. "Technology's useful," he begins. "You're Security?
-Both- of you are Security?" He has to sit back at this, obviously
astonished. "Security. Heh."
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
Niko's smile is a little droll. "We're both Security, yeah. I'm his XO,
actually. Both AF Navy. Pretty odd similarities. But he's a good guy to have
as a brother--or as anything, for that matter."
Terrence shakes his head slowly, bemused in the extreme. "I'd love to say it's
genetic, but I'm going to have to attribute it the good people that raised
you both." He tilts his head slightly at you, lips twitching. "Look,
kid...about when we first met..."
Niko wipes at his face for a moment. It's still raining, so the gesture doesn't
do much good. "Yeah?" And suddenly his tone is maybe just a bit wary. At the
very least, it's edging away from that relative pleasantness that it held
before.
Terrence rubs at the bridge of his nose almost uncomfortably. "Look, I'm sorry,
okay?" he blurts out, obviously not having much practice with this. "I'm not
much of a role model type, but I like my life. Everyone makes a mistake here
or there, and I've made more than my share." He shrugs. "I know I have no
right to say this, but...I know you, your brother, and your sister...the
galaxy's a better place for all three of you. I'm not taking credit, but I'm
not sorry, either. You're good people."
Niko is in need of a haircut, and the rain is really doing its best to make him
look like a drowned sheepdog. He pushes back a few waterlogged curls,
inquiring, "You know me, huh?" He shakes his head. "Look, this is the first
civil conversation we've had. Sorry, Terrence, but I don't think you can say
that you know me." After a brief pause, he adds, albeit a bit grudgingly,
"But I accept your apology. Mom forgave you, after what you did. I can't
really do any less." Even though he'd really -like- to do as Basilius would,
sometimes.
Terrence shakes his head, rather doing a good sheepdog imitation himself,
especially with so much gray. "Not what I meant, kid. I don't know you
personally. I meant I know you're a good person. It's about as obvious as the
fact it's raining. Your mother and father couldn't have raised a kid to be
anything else."
Niko's lips twist in an expression that's almost a smile. "Okay, well I'm not going to disagree with that, as I happen to think you're right about Mom and Dad--assuming my kid sister grows out of her evil phase." He pauses for a moment, then inquires, "If you think highly of them, why did you even -try- to sleep with my mother? I mean, they said you were Dad's best friend for a while. That really doesn't strike me as a good way to express friendship."
Terrence leans back in the chair, lifting one leg to rest his heel on the edge
of the chair and settles folded arms on that knee. Eyes somewhat sadly
distant above a rueful grin, he notes simply, "Ouzo. A whole hell of a lot of
it. Both me and Ianessa, actually." He shifts his glance to you, then, brows
furrowed. "You sure you want to hear this?"
Niko takes a long moment to consider that, expression thoughtful and maybe a bit distant. "Seeing as how this is likely the only way I'm going to find out what happened... yeah. I don't know, maybe it'll be a story to tell the grandkids." He's joking at that last, of course, but somewhat wryly.
Terrence lets his eyes fall on the table, chuckling wryly at that. "I'll bet by
then it's almost amusing, too. Okay...it was a party. You know the ones they
throw out on the beach when the first fishing haul of the season comes in?
Basilius was out with the boats, and I was keeping an eye on Ianessa for him,
supposedly. Still, it was a party, and after about a bottle and a half of
ouzo, uh...well, one thing lead to another. Ianessa was -gorgeous-, Niko. The
temptation just about drove me nuts."
Funny, Niko doesn't look amused. There's a brief shudder--this is, after all, his mother who is being discussed. "I remember the parties, yeah," he says quietly. "I guess that explains why Mom never drinks ouzo. Funny, the things that will change what people do." He still doesn't sound amused.
Terrence isn't much amused anymore either, lips in a tight grimace. "Anyway,
woke up the next morning in some back cove, just the two of us, hungover like
mad. She cried a lot, I told her we didn't have to tell Basilius. She did
anyway," he adds in a low voice. "I got off Hellas. Fast. I had no idea she
was pregnant."
Niko's expression suggests that he's keeping back a nasty comment or two only by sheer effort of will. He's trying to keep the conversation civil; he -asked- for it, after all. "Why did you leave?" he inquires. "Afraid of what Dad would do? And if you say yes, then you're smart; he's still angry about it, and likely wouldn't mind a chance to let you know that, too." His tone is even, and rather bland. It's a warning, not a threat.
Terrence's grimace gains a touch of mirthless humor. "You're too right. I may
be taller than Basilius, but the man's a professional fisher, and I'm an
anthropologist. He'd break me in two with one hand." He sighs and shrugs,
peering up at the rain again. "Anyway, I figured apologies would just get me
hurt, so I packed up, and I haven't been back since." He shifts his gaze to
you steadily. "I had an implant put in by the ship's doctor on the liner
leaving Hellas."
Niko's bushy brows lift at that. Must... not... approve! He doesn't -want- to
like you, see. "Good," he says grudgingly. "So at least I know all my
-younger- siblings. That's something, at least. It's a very -odd- thing to
have the number of my siblings more than double; more would be even more
bizarre." He's tired, and he can't make snide comments, so he has to ramble.
It's required.
Terrence quirks a brow nearly as bushy right back, and notes dryly, "Try
finding out you've got kids you didn't know you had. Still, if you're
Addison's XO, then I assume the two of you get along well? How'd you find out
he was your brother?"
Niko's head bobs in a firm nod, one particular water drop making its way down
the bridge of his nose to linger at its tip for a moment, before falling to
the table. "We get along well, yes. I was--well, once I got over the shock--I
was thrilled. Always wanted an older brother. As for how, it was during a
physical. I got a genetic scan done, and Clara'd been looking over Riley's--I
think--and noticed the similarity."
"Again, I can't take credit, and I'm not trying," Terrence assures, then smiles
faintly. "But I'm glad it worked out for the both of you." He hesitates, then
tilts his head questioningly. "Clara?"
Niko murmurs something about being glad, too, then nods. "Clara, yeah. Doctor Aleron. She's CMO here--and she's Riley's lady." In other words, find a pedestal, pop. The spawn don't much like it when you go after their women.
Terrence thinks for a moment before his eyes open wide with astonishment. "That
cancan dancer at the ball...the redhead? Easy on the eyes? -That's- in the
Navy?" The second bit hits then, filtering though and leaving him thoughtful.
"What? They got a contract marriage? I assume you and yours are going for the
permanent contract, from back home and all."
Niko bristles just a little. This is, after all, Clara who is being discussed.
He's being nice to you, but he's not forgotten who--or, more importantly,
what--you are. "Major Aleron is in the ground forces. She and Riley aren't
planning to marry, last I heard, but they're still together. And, yes, Ela
and I are going for the permanent contract."
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
Terrence continues to look thoughtful for a moment, murmuring something almost inaudible about red hair and women in uniform. Morals invade again then as he shakes his head and the thought away. "Ground forces. Huh. Now, now...hackles down, boy. I'll keep my hands off your wife-to-be and the major, don't worry. Your brother'd toss me in the brig if I didn't, most likely."
Niko is getting more tired, and the rain isn't helping. A snide comment makes
it past the censors. "Funny, you couldn't seem to keep your hands off my
father's wife-to-be." He clamps down on the rest of that comment, jaw
tightening for a moment, then says thinly, "I don't know what Riley would do.
I can only speak for myself."
Terrence's gaze slides away at the comment as he simply shrugs. "Want me to
apologize for contributing to your genes? Sorry, boy. It's not happening.
Want me to apologize for spending an absolutely glorious night with Ianessa?
I'll apologize to Basilius if he ever lets me. Not you." Yeah, he's tired
too, and it's showing.
Niko shakes his head to that. "I don't want an apology," he says quietly. "I'd
apologize for my own obnoxiousness, but, y'know, I'm just not ready to do
that yet. Maybe when I've caught up on sleep." He gets to his feet. "I think
I'd better go, before I say anything worse. But don't count on Dad ever
letting you apologize to him."
Terrence exhales a gusty sigh, rising to his feet as well and running a hand
through his hair. "Look...Niko. I didn't mean to snap at you. None of this is
your fault. Hell, you're the happy conclusion of one of the worst mistakes I
ever made." He sighs again and stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Goodnight,
lad. My regards to your lady."
Niko, starting for the nearest path to the quarter--which just happens to be
those stairs with whom he made a more than passing acquaintence--pauses to
cast a faint smile over his shoulder. "Glad you acknowledge that, at least."
What, exactly, you're acknowledging isn't quite clear. "G'night, Terrence."
And with that, he heads down the stairs, two at a time, but, no, he doesn't
fall. He only does that on skates.
You walk towards the Java Quarter.
[Travelspam deleted.]
You unlock the door and go into room E16.
Room E16
Contents:
Scutterbotch
Elasia
Obvious exits:
Out
You come in from the Elevator Lounge.
Elasia is half-curled up on the bed, a book to hand, half-asleep, but reading. She looks up, offering you a smiled greeting. "Hello, love."
Niko's appearance shows that, yep, it was pouring outside, and, yep, he was out there in the wet for quite some time. "Hi, hon," he says, moving quickly to get a towel so he doesn't drip too badly on the floor.
Elasia's brows drop at your be-drenchedness, "Goodness love, you're soaked."
Yes, it's obvious, but she's tired.
Niko gets rid of the drenched uniform, exchanging it for clothing more suitable
for bed. Toweling briskly at his somewhat overlong hair, he says, voice
muffled by the presence of the towel, "It's raining. I was being moody,
figured I wouldn't inflict it on you."
Elasia ahhs softly, shifting the book off the bed, watching the drying going on
with appreciative eyes. "Feeling any better?"
Niko gets about as dry as is likely to happen, and joins you on the bed. "Yeah, I guess. Had a talk with Terrence, and we were both pretty civil. Nice switch. And my sister had a baby girl, two days ago. Charis. Charis Jacinthe Myneles. She's sending pictures, or somebody is. And Clara's got a boat." Yes, sense has left him. Maybe he keeps it in his uniform.
Elasia curls up as close as you'll allow, blinking in quiet confusion. "How wonderful...the baby I mean. Not that civility and boats aren't nice as well."
Somewhat beyond allowing, he slips his arms around you and holds you close. "Babies are wonderful," he murmurs. "We should have lots, when we can. One at a time, though, twins are evil." He muffles a yawn, then says, "I'll come home earlier tomorrow, hon. Promise. I'm gone too much, it's not good."
Elasia sighs in soft contentment, settling down comfortably in your arms. "No twins, lots of babies." There's a pause, "Certainly hard to have lots of babies if you're going to be gone. But you're learning work."
Niko curls around to kiss you. "I plan on stopping being gone before we have any babies, let alone lots." Stopping being gone? Too late, he's already gone. "M'learning, yeah. Figuring it out. Just too much to do, not enough time. Linnae needs longer days, or I need to be faster."
Elasia returns the kiss gently. "Things will work out. But you need to sleep,
love. It'll help things work out."
Niko, as he's already half-asleep, is hardly going to argue. "Tired, yeah,
sleep's good. Love you, hon. Thanks for being so wonderful and putting up
with me all the time."
"Niko, I love you." Ela seems to think that's answer entire, and she snuggles
in a bit closer, settling for sleep as well.
Niko murmurs something not quite clear, that likely involves how he loves you, too. He just said it, but, hey, you can't say it too many times. Then, he slips the rest of the way into sleep, oblivious to the rest of the world.