We have to get our kicks where we can (Tal <3)

[Anonymous]

It seemed to be one of those days. Finaa could just feel it dragging on forever, the clock ticking by so slow. Goooods but she wanted to be done with class, but she had more to get through before she could even break for lunch. Mmmmm...food sounded so good right now. She was tempted to go for her energy bar, but she hadn't been shifting and didn't really need it and it was better to not abuse the privilege.

That was when her phone gave a small ping, alerting her to a change in her schedule. She had it on silent, so the fact it made a sound meant it was important. The class was exiting, so Finaa stayed in her seat, pulling her phone out to check it.

And saw her schedule was a complete blank. Everything had been canceled. Her heart dropped and Finaa tried to stay calm. There....there could be any number of reasons. Maybe Gabriel had...had something planned. And it just hadn't gone through yet. She was still trying to justify this sudden change when another ping happened.

A message. From Roman Rosales. Finaa felt the panic raising. What was going on? Why was he contacting her? Icy terror ran down her spin, tears pricking her eyes as she pressed the screen to read the message.

"See me."

That was it. Finaa gave a choked sob. Oh gods! She was being TRIMed! She had failed! Something had gone wrong and she wasn't going to pass. She fumbled with the phone, standing upright, her books clattering the floor and she just didn't care. Rushing into the hall, she hardly noticed the candidates around her. She speed dialed Shiloh, needing her best friend.

And his phone went right to voice mail. Fuck! "Shy? Oh gods. Oh gods. Please call me. I think they are gonna TRIM me. Tell me it's wrong? They tell Pilots, right?"

Wiping at her face, she flipped to another number, needing to talk to someone as she moved down the hall, dialing Gabriel, "Gabe!?"

"Finaa? What's up?"

"Oh gods Gabe. Please don't do it! I'm sorry! I'll be better! I will! I'll study extra hard and I'll do better! Please don't TRIM me!" Finaa was babbling, she knew, but she just didn't care. She was far too freaked out to worry about how she sounded.

"Whoa, wait, what? Back up, what're you talking about? TRIM you? Who's trimming you?"

"You are! Or Roman is! Didn't you tell him to do it? I don't want to! Please! I'll do anything!"

The voice on the other end came back panicked. "NO! I don't have that--I can't--why would I wanna TRIM you?! Finaa, what's going on? Who told you this?"

"Roman! M-my schedule is all gone and he wants to see me and I'm scared!"

"What?! Where are you?"

By this time, Finaa had made her way past the crowds and into the long hallway leading Roman's office, "I-I'm almost there." Her voice cracked with fear, "I don't want to be TRIMed!"

"Shit! Almost where?! Fuck, this is a mistake, it has to be a mistake. Finaa, tell me where you are."

"I'm at his office! Oh gods Gabe! I-I have to go!" With that, Finaa pressed the button to end the call. Gabriel couldn't really help her anymore. She had to throw herself on the mercy of Roman. Which wasn't very likely.

Knocking, Finaa entered the room when Roman's voice gave her permission. She had every intention of just saluting, then waiting with dignity, but she only got as far as the salute before breaking into a panicked babble, "Please don't TRIM me! I'm so sorry! I'll do better and work harder and I'll be a great Pilot! I really will!" A thought slashed through her mind, filling her with fresh horror, "The pictures were just a joke! I wont ever do it again! Please, please, please don't TRIM me!"

[Tally]

Roman had the parts of his sidearm spread out on his desk.  Cleaning it was methodical, almost meditative.  He let his mind drift as he cleaned and oiled the parts and put them all back together again and was quite surprised when Finaa arrived at his door.  He'd lost track of time.

"Come on in." He slid the clip into place just as she entered.

"Almost forgot you were co—"  She cut him right off.  He didn't follow at first, then broke out into a smile.  Oh how cute.  She thought she was getting trimmed.  Poor kid, he should let her off the hook.  He didn't know what she was talking about with those pictures and he didn't want to know. Didn't want to sour his good mood. Whatever it was, he'd just deal with it later.

"Candidate al Jarn," he said, standing.  "You won't be needing that uniform anymore."

[Anonymous]

Finaa stared at Roman for a moment, then made a high pitched, frightened sound, "Oh no. Please no. Please don't. I'm so sorry if I failed. I'll get better, I really will. I'll practice my empathy, I will. Please give me another shot."

As much as she tried to fight them, she could feel the tears spilling down her cheeks, her heart pounding, "Really, I can. Please don't TRIM me. I can do this!"

[Tally]

Oh the poor thing.  She was crying.  He was a horrible, horrible man.  He should really end this now. Yeah, this was too cruel to continue...

Well maybe just for a few more seconds.

Roman laid the gun down and stepped out from around his desk, clearing his throat. "Candidate al Jarn I have already made my decision.  It is done and I expect you to abide by it with a modicum of dignity. Now, as I said, you  no longer be needing that uniform."

He reached over and patted the folded uniform sitting on his desk. "Because I have your new one right here!" He tried out an encouraging smile. She was pretty upset. "You're stage four effective as of eleven hundred hours. Finaa you've been promoted!"

[Anonymous]

Finaa stared, her brain trying to process what he had said. Uniform? What? "I-I'm Stage 4? What? Really? OH MY GOD! You are kidding!" Finaa made an excited squeal and darted around the desk, throwing her arms around Roman's neck and shoving the best pair of tits in the program against him, "You are amazing! Oh my god! I love you!"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Roman's office door burst open and Shiloh threw himself into the room with Gabriel close behind, both of them breathing hard and trying to shove their way through the doorway at the same time.

"DON'T DO IT!"

"YER MAKIN' A MISTAKE!"

It was around the same time that they realized Finaa was hugging Roman.

Shiloh's mouth opened and closed several times. "Wait...wha...? Finaa...? Wha's goin' on here?" He could only stare at the two uncomprehendingly, looking back and forth between them and tossing a brief, confused look at Gabriel. "Uh...so...yer okay? Rosales, sir? Someone wanna explain what all's goin' on?"

She better be okay, because Shiloh had been prepared to do something very, very drastic. She was his best friend and he loved her more than anything else in the world. The hell she was gonna get trimmed!

Gabriel, on the other hand, was gaping in open-mouthed horror now that the initial shock and confusion had worn off and turned into realization. He knew what was going on.

"Roman! You freakin' sick pervert! Is this your new thing, huh? Is this how you get them to your office now? Seriously?"

[Tally]

"Yes, really."  Once the relief and excitement wore down he was expecting her to be pretty pissed at him for putting her through that.  Ah well, it had been worth it.  Damn these kids were fun to mess with some times, but he got a genuine pleasure from her happiness.  It was rapturous, that elation that overcame you when you knew you'd achieved another level in the program.  He'd gone through it himself.  He'd been considerably less demonstrative in his excitement though.

Then Gabe and Shiloh just had to ruin the nice moment.

Instant mood-shifter, that.  The hell were a couple of subordinates doing thinking it was okay to bust in his office for any reason?  Not even a fucking knock, and it didn't matter if he was trimming Finaa or promoting her, it still wasn't their place or their business to contest it publicly.  Especially publicly.

Gabriel's indignant comment just begged for a response, but in the end Roman had to lay it out for them.  If they wouldn't act like Pilots, then he had to. "Explain, Cardinal?"

He circled around the desk and put himself before Lockwood.  He'd get to Tierney in a moment.  "Am I to understand that you, who are neither the candidate's mentor nor involved in the program in any occupational capacity, feel you are owed an explanation here?"

Sucked that he had to pull rank here but damn.  This was disgraceful.

[Anonymous]

When the other Pilots burst in, Finaa straightened, startled at Gabe and Shiloh's sudden appearance. She started to smile at them, let them know it was okay when Roman snapped at them. The joy and excitement faded as she realized what was going on.

Gabriel and Shiloh were in trouble. Because of her. Because she had panicked and called them. Flushing, Finaa took a step back from Roman, "I-it's my fault Sir. I called them and I'm sorry."

[Rhi-Rhi]

Finaa wasn't in danger. That was all that mattered, and relief coursed through him even as Rosales rounded on him. Finaa wasn't being trimmed. As long as that was the case, he could take whatever was thrown at him.

"M' sorry, sir," Shiloh said, dropping his eyes. "But she's m' friend, an' I--" Right, better stop talking before he said something he'd regret. Shiloh swallowed the words and looked back up at Roman. "I'll take whatever punishment I earned fer this, sir."

Because it was worth it to know Finaa was okay.

[Tally]

Where the hell had everyone's fucking sense gone?  Now Finaa was stammering and making excuses like some gracie.  She should have known better.  They all should have.

"Oh will you, Cardinal?  How gracious of you.  You know, I think you spend a little too much time in the ATC.  A little too much time around candidates.  I think you've spent so much time around them you've forgotten how to act like a fucking Pilot.  I don't want to see you in my ATC for a month, Lockwood.  Get out."

[Anonymous]

Finaa winced, devastated that she wasn't going to get to see Shiloh for an entire month. But she kept he mouth shut and her eyes down. Saying anything at this point just seemed like it would make him angrier.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Shiloh stiffened and winced as though physically struck, but didn't say a word. Instead, he turned to leave, but bumped shoulders with Finaa on his way out and leaned in to kiss the top of her head. "We'll do somethin' later, 'kay?" he said, then walked out the door.

Leaving Gabriel behind, eyes fixed on Roman, jaw set, and fucking livid.

He couldn't believe this bullshit. Roman pulls a prank--a very, very fucking stupid prank in unbelievably bad taste--and they get thrown under the bus for it? He squared his shoulders and faced his friend, eyes narrowed. "Alright, sir. Let's hear it," he ground out.

[Tally]

Roman met Gabriel's glare.  It took a conscious effort not to grind his teeth.

He had a lot of things to say to Gabriel, and he was not going to be able to say them in a way that was at all professional or appropriate.  He wasn't going to be able to say it as a superior to his subordinate.

"Finaa," he said, finally turning away from Gabriel.  "You've got the rest of the day as rec time.  Spend some time looking over your new schedule."

Gabriel could damn well stand there until he was done with her.

[Anonymous]

"Yes sir. Thank you sir." Finaa saluted Roman and gave Gabe one last look, feeling awful she had made such a mess of things. Grabbing up her uniform, she bobbed quickly at Roman, then headed out the door. Hopefully Gabe wasn't in too much trouble.

[Rhi-Rhi]

It was an effort to wait, but as soon as Finaa was out of the room and the door was shut behind her, Gabriel butt in before Roman could. "That was a serious dick move."

[Rhi-Rhi]

[Thread dropped for lack of response. :]