RP: Cirrus Station [Episode 4] A Pleasant Dinner

Stovaa spoke quietly, so none of the spectators would be able to hear.

"Well, either the kitchen or I press the issue of naked laps around the room." He paused and glanced around.

"And I'm sure you wouldn't back out and be dishonest in front of all these other people. Those administrators, the scientists... Captain Abeck..."

He shrugged his shoulders and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Come on, don't make me beg or play to the crowd..."

Jen was mildly delighted to have her wish approved, though it was a matter of time to see where she would be posted to. The H.A.'s idea of "a more interesting post" could mean anything.

With the whole kitchen debate, she stayed silent as it wasn't her problem, or at least for now.

Cassefin looked absolutely appalled by Deacon's demands. "H-how dare you threaten me and my station like that?!" At that point, she looked as determined as ever to deny any reward whatsoever...but that was before everyone else began lending their support of the project. "What are you all babbling about?! The food I provide is everything you could possibly need. This is ridiculous!" Cassefin began looking more exasperated as the conversation went on, obviously backed into a corner and hugely outnumbered in opinion. When Stovaa brought up the spectators and Guard Captain Abeck, the Head Administrator fell silent and lightly bit her thumb, casting glances up amongst the balconies.

Most of the spectators were already returning back to what they were doing previously, paying little attention to a conversation that was well out of earshot. Abeck, likewise, was having a friendly chat with one of other CSS guards. On one hand, Cassefin had to set the example that she was in control...why would she be forced to follow anything anybody else said? 'I'm the boss here...I could easily say no and be done with this, fire every single one of them and have them kicked out of their hokey military...' the Head Administrator silently argued...but the more she watched the room, the more defeated her appearance.

"RRRRGH!" Cassefin suddenly burst out, shortly stamping her foot down a few times. "FINE. But I'm only stocking it for two months...and that's just with your squad in mind. You start sharing around and you'll run out real fast, and I'm not giving refills here."

Claire smiled widely as Cassefin finally gave in to their request. "Alright! Thank you, miss. Don't you worry, we'll take good care of it." She might have given the Administrator a hug if Deacon hadn't terrified her of physical contact moments before. Maybe later.

"And while what you give us might be what we need, it's only the bare minimum of one's needs. That, my dear, is not healthy. Although with a bit of love, you could make the taste a bit richer." Again, Claire was offering to teach Montreal to cook, but not in a condescending way.

She looked over at Keziah, still by her side, and gave her a light hug with one arm. "Good call about the kitchen though, hon. I haven't been here long, but if what I saw is all you get to eat, I'd say it's long overdue."

She turned back to Montreal. "And of course, feel free to sample our cooking to see you like it. We'll be happy to make something for you." Time to teach the Administrator what taste was, yes?

When Cassifin brought up how the food she created was perfectly fine, Serra peeked around the other side of George, near Lenny and raised a finger.

"Head Administrator, must I bring up the Non-protein burger you attempted to eat at dinner. Even you were disgusted by your own creation."

After saying her piece, Serra hid behind George again.

Keziah could've danced.

She almost did, but held it back, instead grinning enormously at Claire and the rest of the squad. It was a victory she hadn't ever thought was possible, and now her mind was flooded with just what would be possible now.

Already, her mind was running through all the recipies she knew, marveling at them, wondering which ones would be best to serve to the squad. Two months, depending on what they got, could stretch for a while.

Though she doubted anyone would want to go back to the Bio-snacks after she gave everyone a taste of Delsaurian curry.

She smiled at Claire. Two months was enough, she was certain. "Thank you, ma'am," was all she said.

"Thank you, Ma'am." Images of delicious foods ran through his mind, ceasing a second later when he realised he'd never really learnt to cook.

"I'm sure the team will put the kitchen to good use."

He smirked a bit and bowed before Cassefin before turning back to address the victorious team, offering a knowing wink to the rest of the group.

Lorcan watched this all from afar, holding an already bloody wad of toilet paper to his nose and wishing the rigid piece of plastic holding it straight didn't itch so much. At the sound of Cass giving them a kitchen he shrugged, well he got food too even if his 'team' had lost terribly. "I'll help with the heavy work..." He said, knowing there was plenty of men who could but he didn't think he'd mind. "And the installation of the kitchenware too..." Giving Serra an awkward smile. Mechanics was what he did, so he figured between him and Serra and whoever else wanted to help they'd get it all installed properly. "Though I can eat nearly anything, I agree with Deacon, a good hot meal sure does make things better." Of course he'd probably wolf down the bio-snacks regardless, having a metabolism like none other.

The shuttle was closed. Tweak cycled through her vision modes but the ambient radiation from the vessel made the more useful ones less effective than she wished. Hm...

She re-calibrated her vision to target the radiation sources, then tried to interpret the shadows, where the radiation went through things that either slowed or blocked it. But, after a while, she had to give up. The ship's construction was as much a mess internally as it was externally.

The neko looked down in frustration, then glanced at Dream. The druidess' vitals were steady, just slower than normal...though Tweak's TacOp system had recorded Dream's (and everyone else's) information during the previous hours that Tweak had been awake, Tweak wasn't sure if Dream had been operating within her 'normal' or not, and she had no way of knowing thanks to her memory problems. Finally Tweak looked up to the nearest security camera.

"Mimi? Someone?"

After a moment, Kess' volumetric image faded into view a few steps away from the two Freespacers. She didn't look too disgruntled...in fact, it could be said that her mood was slightly above average due to the fresh victory her squad had achieved over Head Administrator Cassefin Montreal.

"You rang?"

Tweak nearly jumped and quickly nodded.

"Do you know how to open the shuttle? I...I don't remember how, and it wasn't in what I wrote." She looked down briefly before trying to meet Kess' holographic gaze while shifting her hold on Dream's unresponsive hand. "I want to see if there is something inside that can help Dream."

Kess looked slightly confused for a moment before quickly shooting back to her casually aloof expression. "Well, you don't need a shuttle for that," Kess retorted as she pointed at Dream's stiff body. "Our 'captain' hasn't been eating any of the food Cassefin has been providing the stations' Freespacers."

Kess was, of course, talking about two certain foodstuffs located in every BioNutri-Snack machine located around the Cirrus. These foods were processed versions of what most Nepleslian research deemed the most appropriate nourishment to the average Freespacer...a basic plant material, usually algae for types of fungus with a healthy charge of radiation. Taste was always very problematic in the testing processes, but Cassefin was satisfied with the release; it seemed adequate enough. At least to the Freespacers who actually ate it.

"She's been too busy with that shrine of hers. Couple that with the fact she has no concept of money and I wouldn't be too surprised that her..." Kess' eyes lost their focus and her voice drifted off and paused for a moment before continuing. "...mechanical parts are starting to lock up." Kess gave Tweak a stern look and crossed her arms. "Get some fuel in her and she'll be back to normal. And we'll need her to get normal real soon; she's going to be holding a new position by tomorrow."

"Oh..." Tweak's eyes returned to the floor. "...okay. Thank you," she said quietly and started leading Dream back to the barracks. Then she looked back at Kess. "Are you sure?"

Kess titled her head and narrowed her eyes a little, giving the disguised neko an inquisitive stare. "...am I sure about what? About Dream's condition? What makes you think I can't tell from my own experience, hmm?" Kess answered back a little aggressively.

"How do I know you have experience?" Tweak replied almost immediately, but then looked like she spoke before thinking. "I mean...have you seen a Freespacer like this before?"

"I've read reports, studies about Freespacer technology and physiology. I have access to any information present on a space installation dedicated to the pursuit of science..." Kess drew herself up as she answered back in anger, acting offended and defensive against Tweak's retort. "...and it is my purpose, as a Savtech, to be informed and helpful at all times," Kess continued, pursing her lips together tightly as pulled a few stray strands of her jet-black hair back behind her ears. As soon as she finished the almost involuntary act, however, she paused and stared at her own hand, almost in disbelief, before tucking it back into a crossed arm position and reassuming her thoroughly pissed-off glare of contempt.

"So yes, I think I know what I'm talking about."

"Well, sor-ry for being worried about my friend!" Tweak was surprised...was it because she was still hyped up from the game? Whatever it was, she was angry and her mouth wouldn't shut up! "She's the only person on this station who knows me and is STILL nice and I don't want her to be sick or broken or hurt! What's the matter with you anyway? Don't you care about anyone? Or are you just programmed to keep feeling sorry for yourself because you're not real?"

It was easy to see the way she processed what her tirade after that. In the first 0.25 seconds after the words left her lips, Tweak was still angry. Then her face fell as she realized what she had said. And a moment after that Tweak looked like she had just seen a video showing herself kicking a puppy. The shocked neko nearly ran away then and there, but managed to remember Dream...picking the comatose druidess up piggy-back, Tweak turned and ran as fast as she could safely go toward the 'Spacer shrine.

When she got there she set Dream down carefully and went to her hiding place behind one of the few remaining unorganized piles of junk. This pile, of course, was distinguishable from the organized piles only to the trained Freespacer eye of Druidess Dream; to everyone else it probably looked like everything else in the room. The neko curled up inside a hollowed-out area and tried to forget what just happened...

Why did I do that? Kess is never going to speak to me again...

Her journal pressed against her leg in an uncomfortable way, so Tweak took it out of its holder and stared at it, turning on the LEDs woven into the crown of her hat and watching as the multi-colored lights played over the cover. She had to write, or she wouldn't remember, she knew that. Even if I don't want to remember, even if it would be easier to just not write it down...I would be the only one who forgot. Kess is still going to be angry, and I'll want to know why. With a nearly silent sigh, Tweak took out a pen and wrote.

Kess' expression twisted in pain and bitterness as Tweak berated her. Apparently, the secretive Neko had pressed the correct button. Before Kess give give her a proper retort, however, Tweak had picked Dream back up and started running.

"Oh yeah?! W-well...f-fuck you!" Kess shouted out behind Tweak, cursing as though she were an angry child using the word uncertainly for the first time. "Y-you...you..." Kess stopped mid-sentence and pressed her lips together harshly. When Tweak had turned the corner and moved out of sight, Kess' volumetric image sifted away, leaving her insult unfinished.