Who wants some pie?! [calling all Pilots!]

[Anonymous]

The last thing Seiteki thought she’d ever have for a pet was a bird... Maybe some fish. Scary man eating ones, with cool glowing eyes and little bobbles. Of course, the little metal crab crawling it’s way across her lap with an obviously fake over-pronounced limp. Silently Seiteki rolled her bright blue eyes before running her fingers over the back of his hard shell. “Yes, yes, you’re on my lap. No, your leg isn’t spained.” She scratched her fingers along his back while he got comfy and looked around, leaning on the couch, her hand on her chin so she could rest her head.

A bright smile was flashed to Alaric, then an apology brushed past her lips at making him turn around like that and hurting his poor brain. A bit of a chuckle and she lifted her blue eyes to watch Valmont stalk across the room. It was rather amazing that the man didn’t make himself float across the room, of course she felt a pang of guilt at making him stay when he was obviously uncomfortable.

Screw that though, the guy needed to stop being so anti-social and more… Out and… Happy-ish! Seiteki’s eyes followed him while her fingers dragged along Pi’s shell. “You can let go now, you know, I’m not going to move very fast, sitting like this.” Her legs were tucked under her bum, her wings folded and bent to keep out of the way. Her fingers tapped on his shell, “ And I don’t think you’re going to fly anywhere if I do, Alaric is right in front of you. He can catch ya!”

Seiteki turned quickly when she heard another voice. Valmont. Sounded different, less silk, more… Purr. A smirk settled on her lips and she turned slightly to look at him, tucking her wing so that she could see him, and stick her tongue out. “ Yes, I’m happy now. You sound… I dunno… Nicer! More sexy.” Seiteki chuckled lightly and then pursed her lips and moved her other wing, opening the seat beside her on the couch. “There’s a spot on the couch.” Seiteki reached out and lightly tapped Alaric on the head. “The floor can’t be too comfy, hmm?”

[Anonymous]

During his candidate years, which he could barely recall except for the training, he might have been a little active sexually. However, after his transformation from a complete man to a fragmented puzzle, he had very little clues as to whether or not he was as active. Really because his mind was focused only on Satori, on her, on being with her, and just enjoying her.

"It's very good to see me too. Me with you. Us. See us both." He told her with a nod. He wasn't sure if he had put that out right. It sounded right. Saying us meant he was glad to see her too right? Because he would have hated to just see her, and not them toegether. That would have been so bad. Not good at all.

Wulf was more or less stuck against Satori, smiling contently. He blinked slightly as she pointed out someone to them. Marshal and Fala. "Double dates? With Marshal?" He looked over to the man who was all but pressed against Fala and smiled. That was nice. Marshal needed someone too. Maybe he'd become nicer now. That would be good. He shifted a little, his eyes half lidded as he stuck closer to Satori. She was so warm and nice.

Bionic Crab, who now was being affectionately called Pi by most people was shifting trying to get away from all the people who were suddenly focused on him. Some of them were being nice. They were acknowledging that he was a sentient creature. It was that Pilot with the claw that was. The other one though referred to him in the third person like he was some sort of pet or toy. Seiteki no doubt might be able to hear the digitalized sound of what could be only classified as "crab Mumbling" really.

"Bionic Crab Zero Four, known as Pi. I am Seiteki's friend. She saved me from the life outside of the domes." He responded, still not bothering to turn around and face the two people who were interested in him. He had finally realized there were PEOPLE here. Lots of them. That sort of frightened him too. They were...not Seiteki at all. Some seemed sort of mean. Some seemed really nice. He wasn't really sure who to trust and who to fear. "It feels sprained though Miss Seiteki." Pi whined quietly as he twitched it a few times, making a rather over-dramatic wince and groan of pain.

Oh he was a good one wasn't he?

"Well okay....if you say so Miss Seiteki." Pi told her as he slowly let go of her and turned around, settling into her petting. If anyone listened closely, he was making a strange digital hum. Almost like a purring cat. He seemed very content.

Dyerlich was still in the kitchen, nibbling on the pie. He didn't feel very hungry anymore. He wanted to wait to see what Roman had to say about the attack, he knew the boy had a lot more information on the whole thing. Hopefully he would want to share it with the rest. If it wasn't for that, Dyerlich really planned on escaping back to his office. He had work to finish. Well. He had to clean up. That was it, yeah.

[Anonymous]

"Hey, I think it'd be amusing, watching our boys make fools of themselves!" Patting Marshal on the head in an almost condescending (but still affectionate) manner, Fala grinned a mischievous imp's grin at Satori, looking at Wolf with mirth in her eyes. Though she really doubted they'd make idiots out of themselves in public, she wasn't foolish enough to truly eliminate the possibility that one of them would slip up under the pressure of having three sets of eyes on them instead of one.

It was the thing about double-dates... one was never alone with the person they liked. There was always the other couple. Whenever they had an awkward silence, their eyes would turn to the other couple, where they would either murmur with jealous approval or snicker at their expense. Either way, there generally was a good chance that whatever they did at the dating site would not be their secret alone. Fala had always found them extraordinarily interesting, but admittedly often spent more time looking at the other couple than her date.

She always reasoned with herself that she'd see more of him later.

As he squeezed her against his own body, Fala smiled as she felt his head nuzzle almost possessively against the crook of her neck. She was instantly reminded of a cat she had long ago, who would always curl up around her neck and purr until it passed out on her shoulders... at which point, she was stuck sitting down in place until the feline woke up again.

But Marshal wasn't a mere housecat, and when she felt his breathing start to slow into a rhythmic, relaxing pattern, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked towards the kitchen. Oh, no, he wouldn't get away with it. She hadn't even had a drink yet, and he was going to tie her down with a catnap?

Putting her hand into a fist and gently rapping on his forehead several times to wake him up at least a little bit, the green-haired Pilot let out a small laugh and moved her shoulder just enough for him to feel a little jolt. Nothing that would hurt him, but enough to hopefully get his attention.

"Marsh..." She cursed that her voice came out a bit more affectionate that she'd meant to, but made no effort to remedy that as she went on.

"You okay? I'll get you a cup 'o joe, if you need it. What fun is a celebration if you pass out during the party?"

[Anonymous]

Satori smiled at Adawulf and leaned towards him more as he moved even closer. She was glad he had been here. It made the whole experience that much better for her. Cuddles were like the perfect thing to have after that whole thing. She was watching Marshal and Fala.

It was good to see Marshal happy and comfy. She and Marshal had known each other for quite sometime, they were pretty close. He had been her first teacher in the ATC after all. She would have to give him a hard time about all this later on.

"You know Fala, that would be very amusing! We must do that." She leaned against Wulf more as she spoke. It felt good to have his warmth next to her. She had missed him a lot. She gave him a small poke in the side. Then she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek again letting her lips linger on his cheek just a bit longer.

"We should spend more time together Wulf." She whispered towards him. She tried to pay attention to her pie but with so close after so long it was hard to even think of anything but Adawulf. Which she really couldn't complain that much about. Maybe she could convince him to come back to her house after this little Pie Party.

She felt a little mischievous...maybe it was the chocolate pie.

[Anonymous]

"My my Seiteki. And here I had spent so much time trying to make sure my telepathy carried the same essence as my spoken voice. It's good to know you approve though." Valmont ate his pie with an amused grin, maintaining his place against the wall near Seiteki and Alaric. And the bionic crab that had been dubbed Pi. Valmont didn't want to overlook the little fellow again. It had an amusing personality, so it didn't seem fair to count it out. It could communicate with Valmont, at the very least. Yet, it seemed more like a housecat with a theatrical flair.

"A pleasure to make your aquaintance Pi. I'm Valmont." He gave the bionic crab a slight nod (Shaking it's...limb didn't seem like the right thing to do) and looking from it to Seiteki. "So, Miss Seiteki saved you, did she? How fortunate for you, Pi." The little being was amusing, a pet that would return conversation. Although he didn't voice that, nor think it aloud. He wasn't sure if Seiteki or Pi would appriciate him referring to the the crab as a pet.

Valmont almost pathed his next sentence, but caught himself again. It really was more difficult than he thought it would be. "Perhaps Seiteki isn't as cold as Marshal makes her out to be over the network blog." He caught a chuckle before it escaped it lips. This wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be.

[Anonymous]

"Ah. It is nice to meet you little Pi." The creature was rather adorable and Alaric couldn't help but grin down at him. His pathetic, overly exaggerated limp was too cute. The pilot had to resist the urge to hug the crab. Which would probably scare the poor thing.

Then Seiteki poked his head and pain lanced through his skull. Doing his best to not let the girl know how much that had hurt, Alaric gave her a pained smile, "I find my floor comfortable. But I suppose sense you asked I can't refuse a pretty lady."

Moving carefully so not to jar his head too much, the tall, lanky alien moved to plop down next to the winged woman, his pie resting in his lap. Forking another bite into his mouth he made a pleased sound. He was really going to have to bring some back to Remi.

Not that Remi really ate the treats Alaric brought him. But that wasn't going to stop him. And Alaric wanted to make sure his favorite mentor was alright. But he could wait until his pie was finished.

"And how are you holding up? Other then picking on poor Valmont."

[Tally]

OOC: Sorry! Soooorry! I held things up I know, but I'm back now.

Roman nodded.  "That's it."

That actually wasn't it.  There was more, something the dragons hadn't specifically told him to keep quiet about, but again Roman wasn't sure if this was the time to be casting doubts on Temple's loyalty, at least not to Gabriel.  Not considering how emotional he was just now.  Even in the dim light Roman could see Gabriel's fingers clutching Spot in a death grip.

"You're gonna squeeze the stuffing out of that thing."  He looked too vulnerable, too sad sitting on his bed and hugging that damn dog like that in such obvious discomfort.  No matter how much of a hardass Roman made himself out to be, he couldn't stand his candidates—or former candidates—looking like that.

"Yes.  Better than me," Roman said,  and he listened patiently and without comment to Gabriel's speculations before abandoning his position by the door.  "That's why I asked you about him.  Because I don't know him as well as I should."  He stood in front of Gabriel and rested his index and middle fingers lightly against his temples.  He couldn't ease Gabriel's worry, but he could at least help with the headaches.  Healers, pills, they worked well enough, but a psychic's brain was unique and there were places inside it only another Pilot could reach.  Roman had often done this for Elijah, who suffered daily from debilitating headaches.  Even with the cocktail of painkillers and psychoactive drugs he'd been on, in the early days it had still come down to the kid sitting in a chair in one of the lead rooms with Roman releasing all that built up psychic pressure out of his skull just so Elijah could function.

Physically, his fingers moved in slow, soothing circles against Gabriel's head.  Psychically, he insinuated relaxation and normalcy to overtaxed and pained nerve endings in Gabriel's mind.  He'd at least be able to feel more like himself for a while.

And, more than just pain relief, Roman suspected it was the contact and the attempt at commiserating that would help most.  It was more than the physical pain he was concerned about.  He'd always said Gabriel was too emotional for his own good, but what could you do?  He was who he was.

"If you're that unconvinced of their efforts, why don't you go scout the place yourself?"  Even as he said it, he regretted throwing the idea out there.  The dragons had gone to every length to find Temple.  They wanted him more badly than Gabriel did, just not for the same reasons.

On the other hand, Gabriel didn't seem ready to let it go and probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else until his doubts had been eased.  Maybe a safari out into the wastes, where he could see the crash site with his own eyes and search the abandoned outpost himself, would do him more good than just sitting around and hoping.  He was worrying himself sick.  Roman could never remember being that concerned over anyone, nor anyone being that concerned over him.  He could never remember having a connection like that.  Gabriel seemed to have an overabundance of them.

If I died today, what would they all do?

Huh.  It wasn't like him to get sentimental or concern himself over what others thought of him.  Must be the stress.  And possibly the painkillers mixing with the dextramphetamines he'd popped earlier.  Which might explain why they weren't bloody working the way they should.  His own headache was still there, and creeping back up in strength.  As if merely thinking about it made it worse, a spasm of pain lanced through the left side of his head.  Without thinking, he hissed and raised a hand to clutch at his head.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Gabriel wished there was more to it, but...that was it. The words sounded so final--but right now, everything sounded a little more ominous than it might have sounded normally. Gabriel sighed, then glanced up when movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Roman was heading his way, and Gabriel snorted softly at his words.

At least he admitted it: he didn't know Temple as well as he should. Their little cold war had always baffled him, because what could possibly drive two people to never talk to each other and pretend they didn't exist? A fight? Pffft. He and his sister had had plenty of fights, and he and Roman had had some epic ones, including a couple of recent ones. But here they were, as if it hadn't happened (never mind the impending lockout discussion). Didn't stop them from talking, so what was up with Roman and Temple? He'd asked before, but he still didn't really get it.

"Yeah, well...when he comes back, you guys should talk," Gabriel murmured as Roman laid his fingers against his temples, frowning, but the frown slipped away when Roman's fingers began to move soothingly. Oh, that felt nice...

His eyes drifted shut behind the sunglasses, tense muscles slowly relaxing. It felt like all the pressure was being sucked away. He hadn't a clue what Roman was doing or how, maybe something with pressure points, but damn. He'd remember this in the future. "Mm...it's stupid that you guys don't. And don't give me that 'he ignores me, too' crap. You're the older one, you should be more mature than that." Maybe that was a tall order coming from Gabriel, but he didn't care. He sighed. "He's a great guy. You guys could probably be friends if you pulled your heads outta your bums."

Gabriel fell silent after that, no longer clutching Spot in a white-knuckled grip. Damn, Roman's fingers were magic. Already the headache had faded from an irritating, sharp throb over his eye to a vaguely uncomfortable bit of pressure, but even that was easing up. Without the pain jabbing at him and with only the soothing massage to focus on, Gabriel began to realize just how exhausted he really was and it was an effort not to let himself slip off into what would probably be his first restful sleep since returning to Aedolis. Stress had kept him awake out in space, and the after-effects of the Axis Point had made what sleep he'd gotten painful, restless, and interrupted by bouts of vomiting.

And though he'd never admit it, he had been starved for physical contact, and while the psychic contact made his brain stop hurting, it was the massage that made him hurt less. Roman could have just laid a hand on his shoulder and it would have had the same effect. No, it didn't drive away all the fear, but it did make him feel more connected, closed the emotional distance and reassured him in a way words couldn't. It was enough just to feel another person to know you weren't alone.

Eugh, how sappy. Gabriel blamed exhaustion.

His breathing had relaxed, deep and even, and it felt like the only thing keeping his head up anymore was Roman's fingers. It would be easy to slip off right about now, catch a quick nap while this lasted. The others wouldn't mind, they were all distracted, and he'd be awake again before they knew he was gone. But Roman was speaking again, and it took a few moments for his words to sink in through the sleepy haze and register. A few long seconds after Roman spoke, Gabriel gave a little jolt that just about knocked his sunglasses off and his eyes fluttered open. Adjusting the glasses and peering up at Roman tiredly, he blinked rapidly to keep his eyes open.

"Huh? Oh...um, actually, I'd--" He cut off with a yawn, not bothering to mask it, and rolled his shoulders. "Sorry. Actually I was already thinking about that. As soon as you said they didn't find him...yeah. I'm going." Gabriel gave a little shrug. It wasn't necessarily something he wanted to do, going out into the Wastes alone, but it was something he felt he had to do. He just didn't trust that everyone else was doing a good enough job. Maybe it was silly, because even the dragons were looking, and where did he think he could look that twenty, fifty, who knows how many people and dragons hadn't already looked? But he just felt so damned helpless here, all comfy in his own room around all his friends while Temple was out there somewhere.

Temple couldn't just vanish. They had to be overlooking something.

Forcing a crooked grin, Gabriel looked up at Roman. "Just promise me that if I go missing, you'll--Roman, you alright?"

He straightened up, the grin fading, and furrowed his brow in concern when Roman hissed and clutched his head. For a few seconds he didn't make the connection between head pain and the Axis Point. Roman had seemed totally normal and fine, helping Gabriel away from the Axis Point and to his suite, making sure he was settled, baking pie, socializing, serving everyone, and then easing his pain. Sure he knew Roman had been to the Axis Point like everyone else, but all this time he'd been assuming that whatever side-effects he'd faced, he was over them. Because Roman was his former mentor and he was invincible like that.

"Hey, you're not better yet, are you?" he asked, expression turning accusatory. He brushed off Roman's other hand and slid over sideways to make room on the bed. "I thought you were better! And here you've been making pie and taking care of me and all that--hey, what's that thing you just did to me? Pressure points or something? Sit down, I could do it for you! I mean, if you tell me how...it worked really good. Jeez, why didn't you say something?"

[Anonymous]

Marshal blinked and grunted as his head was bobbed up by Fala’s shoulder, slumping back down again. His mouth fixed into a flat line, eyes lidded.

“Sorry,” he said with a small yawn, “I haven’t slept since…” He trailed off, trying to remember the last time he’d slept. He could recall sleeping before the war, but ever since they were in position around the Libra….Marshal couldn’t seem to recall getting any sleep at all. With the potent drug cocktail he’d taken the day before wearing off, the sleep deprivation was apparently starting to get to him.

“I haven’t slept,” he amended, deciding it was best not to go into specifics. “Coffee would be brilliant. Make it strong, if you don’t mind. And hurry back.” With a final squeeze he released Fala so that she could stand.

It was strange, the tone she’d used a moment ago. Sounded most unlike her. Marshal was very good at reading people. He could tell when someone was lying, most of the time, and read the subtle signs of their face and tone to discern intent. All were necessary for a Seeker, however despite these talents he failed to recognise the affection in Fala’s voice.

[Anonymous]

((Since Shizzy can’t post at the moment and we want to get this thread going, Dyerlich, Wulf and Pi have all gotten up and left P: Important business to attend to or something, so just write that into your posts, and... I guess pretend Valmont just left, too))

The winged woman was a little surprised when Pi just huffed in a metallic voice and scuttled off her lap, snipped his pincers and said something about ‘important wires.’ It wasn’t long after that that Wulf and Dyerlich left the room as well,  Wulf following after Dyerlich like a little puppy, sad to leave Satori alone.  An eyebrow arched over her glowing blue eyes and she tilted her head to the side and pushed her hair over her shoulder and folded her wings to the side. Intending to bother Valmont with them.

But he was gone too.

What the hell. Everyone just disappeared. Probably for the best, Seiteki was about ready for a day long nap. The Axis point didn’t affect her as badly as it did, but it still gave her a bad head ache. Almost like a hangover, only without the fun from the night before.  The pilot turned towards Alaric and smiled gently, tilting her head.  Of course she knew him, he was a friend of Gabriels, though that was about it, seen him around the citadel. Nothing much past that, of course he was recognizeable, not many blue men – Well, he sort of looked like a man – with claws and long white hair. “ I’m doing fine...  Sorry about touching your head, the axis point doesn’t seem to bother me as badly as the rest of you so I seem to keep making it worse.”

Gently she tapped on her leg and leaned on the couch arm rest, her hand on her cheek and her eyes downcasted, sending a soft blue glow onto her cheeks.  “Gabby and Roman better be doing something important, ‘cause if they’re making out while the rest of us are in here I’m going to kick both their asses.” She turned towards Alaric and leaned forward, adjusting her wings again. "How are you holding up, Al?"

[Anonymous]

"Strong coffee, huh? Be back." The feeling of him letting her go was odd- that warmth that had kept the headache at least a little bit at bay (though that might have all been psychological) was gone, and she felt that grating, nerve-grinding pain again. It wasn't anything a therapeutic cup of joe couldn't fix, if she had anything to say about it. However, standing up, she wobbled slightly from the sudden vertigo as she clutched her forehead, closing her eyes and praying that that awful swooning sensation would stop.

She heard the door close behind several of the visitors as they just up and left, one after another, but paid no attention to them- she just didn't want to run into anyone as she made her way into the very cozy kitchen. Thankfully, a pot of hot water was on the stove. Too lazy to set up a pot of real coffee and spotting the small canister of instant, she muttered a guttural, "Aw, fuck it," and spooned out the instant grains.

Opening the freezer slightly and feeling her head reel at the suddenly cold temperature of the ice box, Fala cursed again and got what she was searching for with a grip grab and resisted the urge to slam the damn thing shut. If it was hers, she'd have done it in a heartbeat. But she wasn't going to go and pay for someone else to get a nice upgrade on their freezer if she could help it.  

The tub of ice cream was cradled in her hands like a child, and she moved it over to the cold, marble counter top, quickly forcing it open and spooning out a few heavy scoops into her own mug. Not sure if Marshal liked his coffee black or not, she grabbed a small bowl, and put in a few scoops of the vanilla goodness there, as well- if he wanted it in his coffee, he could add it in himself. If he didn't want it, they'd eat it.

Simple as that.

The hot water's steam was a welcome relief when she poured it into the mugs, and she stirred the cups of bitter brew, glad that there was at least one person thoughtful enough to put hot water on the stove to begin with. Alcohol wasn't the cure-all, for Fala- coffee was. It ran in her veins, by now, she was sure of it.

Coming back and already feeling a little better with the two steaming mugs in hand, she placed Marshal's down on the coffee table, having completely forgotten his bit of ice cream. In fact, it hadn't even crossed her mind until she saw the empty plate she'd left behind, and traces of the delightful treat in a discarded bowl.

Well, shit.

"Here, Marshal- black and strong. Need ice cream with it?" She didn't tell him the brew inside the cup was strong enough to wake the dead, put them on a caffeine overdrive, then finally burst their hearts from the overexertion. There was no such thing as too much coffee.

Looking to Satori and Alaric, she asked, "I forgot somethin' in the kitchen. Need anything?"

[Anonymous]

Satori stood up as Dyerlich and Wulf...and that crab thingy. Pi. She gave Wulf a hug and a peck on the cheek. She felt a deep worry set in her stomach for some reason and she recognized it all too well. They didn't even say where they were going. Satori was use to secrets...but also wasn't. It was weird the psychic business and the Aedolis together. You had to get use to secrets...and get use to having none.

She looked around the room and suddenly felt a little out of place. She had a little niche carved out and then it was gone. She felt the sadness weaving in with the worry. It already hurt to be away from him. She didn't know how she could have her thing with Marshal and be so distant but connected at the same time, but with people like Wulf she just needed to be near them.

Marshal she knew wasn't going to disappear he had been in her life for so long. As a friend or whatever else they needed at the time. Whereas men she had fallen, really fallen for always seemed to disappear into thin air. No matter what she told herself she just couldn't get over those past issues or see herself as worth really holding onto.

Fala pulled her attention away from her depression a little bit. Satori pulled the smile she knew was supposed to be there back up on her face. Going into that Axis Point always brought those ancient horrible memories to the forefront of her mind. They plagued her much longer than the pain of the headache.

Her eyes floated towards the coffee mugs, one with ice cream in them. Her eyes lit up a little more the smile holding more reality now.

"That looks really good, I wouldn't mind having that." She looked up at Fala then towards Marshal. The two seemed so interesting together. Satori hadn't expected it, but it really felt good to see it. After all she had to stay cheery. Focus on the positive, even though that wasn't always how it felt on the outside.

Satori stood up walking over to sit down next to Alaric and Sei. She smiled giving a small wave to each of them. Time to move back into another conversation.

[Anonymous]

Gabby seemed like he was going to be gone for a while and Alaric was a little sad about that. He had wanted to hang out with his friend a bit before he left to go take care of Remi. Alaric didn't want the sunflower haired Pilot alone with a headache. Stupid man would probably drink to make it feel better.

And the tall, pale skinned alien still felt a little awkward around most of the other Pilots. He was oddly shy about hanging around people due to the teasing he had gotten when he first got here about his gender. He did do his best to try, mostly because he did like people and he knew Gabriel liked it when he tried.

Though there seemed to be a mass exodus. Maybe he could slip away soon. With the host and Gabby gone, it felt a little weird just sitting around Roman's apartment.

Smiling at the winged Pilot, Alaric just shrugged lightly, "It's alright. It didn't hurt that badly. I don't really get probed like that very often, so it tends to affect me badly. Though I was thinking about going to check on Remi. Bring him some pie. And I think Gabby and Roman aren't coming back for a while."

[Tally]

Roman held his tongue as Gabriel lectured him on his relationship with Temple, though he nearly launched into the old excuses out of habit.  He didn't say that there were many reasons he and Temple had elected to ignore each other for so long.  He didn't say that Temple saw him as a bastard and a whore's son—both of which were true—and looked down on him for it.  He didn't say that Temple blamed Roman for the bitterness and anger that had possessed Temple's mother and made her so unhappy.  And why should she not be unhappy?  Her husband was unreachable, an emotional island, and had fathered a son with a teenaged stripper while they were still married.  And Roman didn't say that he'd shouldered his fair share of sins in this familial debacle.  He'd treated Temple the same way he did their father—coldly, without even the pretense of warmth.  Even if Temple had wanted to make an effort, Roman had given him nothing to work with.

He didn't say these things because he'd said them a dozen times or more in the past and they just didn't need to be repeated anymore.  If Gabriel didn't get it by now, he never would.  Roman's past with Temple was already written and done with.  When this was all over, if Temple came out of it still whole and free, maybe their future could be different, better.

But that was looking like a big maybe.

"When he comes back, I'll try and make an effort."  He said it mostly to put Gabriel at ease, and would probably live to regret the words.  Gabriel had a long memory and trouble letting things go.  Throwaway comments Roman made had a way of popping up in arguments years later.

He tsked in irritation.  "Well I didn't mention it because I was trying not to think about it."  Roman's answer to the aftereffects of the Axis Point had always been to keep busy and try not to let himself think about it.  Making a fuss about it would just make it worse, or so he assumed.  "It's not bad.  I'm mostly just tired.  Don't start worrying over me on top of everything else.  It'll pass like it always does."  He shrugged as he took a seat on the bed, facing Gabriel.

"I used to help Elijah out with that trick.  You could try it, though it's not anything they teach during the candidacy."  That held true for most of Roman's abilities.  Bottom ten percent and all that.  That was his bracket.  Take a measure of the raw strength of every psychic who'd ever been through the system and Roman fell into the lowest bracket, right above the group deemed too weak to make it into the program in the first place.  Temple was somewhere up in the eighties, for all the good it had done him.

So Roman had invented any number of ways to make himself useful.  Little tricks and techniques that required subtlety over power, precision over force.  They ranged from pointless to insidious, and to this day no one but Scheherazade knew precisely what he was capable of.

"Anyway, it's a kind of localized hypnosis, though it works through the physiology of the brain instead of the psyche.  It's biology altering perception rather than the other way around.  You're looking for the ventral posterior nucleus of the thalamus and part of the cerebral cortex.  Follow the pain information and it'll lead you where you need to go.  You're making suggestions really.  Not too complicated."

Maybe letting a tired and stressed Gabriel poke around in his brain was not the brightest idea? Oh well.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Gabriel rolled his eyes at Roman's excuse--at least, it was an excuse in his mind--and fixed him with a dry look as he settled down next to him. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're always the tough lone wolf looking after...uh...everyo ne else. That doesn't make sense, never mind. Anyway, I'll worry about what I wanna," he concluded stubbornly before adding, "And you should let people fuss over you for once. You do everything and it shows."

That was said with a meaningful look as he scanned Roman's face with his eyes, frowning. He always looked so sleep-deprived. "Sleep won't kill you, y'know."

He shut up when Roman began to explain the process, tilting his head when he mentioned Elijah. Oh yeah, the Imperial from way back. Gabriel had still been a candidate back then. He focused back in on Roman and tried to take in his explanation.

Er...

"Alright. Yeah, not too complicated," Gabriel agreed with a nod, not letting on that half of that had flown in one ear and out the other. So many big words. On a normal day, Gabriel would have understood every term Roman had used, having had them all crammed into his head and beaten into his memory to the point where he could recite it in his sleep, but right now it sounded like gibberish. His head didn't really hurt anymore, but the stress and fatigue was still there.

Didn't matter, though! He was a Pilot. He could totally work through stress and fatigue, and trying it out was the only way to learn. It couldn't be that difficult.

"I'll give it a shot. Oh! Hey Romance?" he said suddenly, abruptly switching gears, attention span even shorter than usual right now. "Y'know what you said about making an effort?" He paused and turned his head to the side to yawn, blinking as his eyes stung with the need to sleep. Then he looked back at Roman, meeting his eyes. "Well, I was thinking, why wait until he comes back? Temple, that is. 'Cause I mean, I'm gonna go looking for him and everything. Alone. In the Wastes. With monsters and stuff, not knowing where I'm going..." He trailed off, half for dramatic effect to let the not-so-subtle hint sink in and half because another yawn overtook him.

Right. Huh. What was he doing again? Oh yeah, psychic healie thingies. Jeez, tiredness just sent his mind bouncing all over the place.

Straightening out his spine and sitting tall, because he'd heard somewhere that good posture made you less sleepy, he touched the middle and index fingers of both hands to either side of Roman's head and began to gently massage his temples, just as Roman had done for him. It wasn't necessary but it had felt nice, so he figured he'd return the gesture, because even if he failed the psychic part then hey, at least Roman still got a massage out of it. Besides, it also gave him something to focus on and ground himself with.

"Righto...time to hypnotize your brainmeats," he said, showing just about how much he'd taken from Roman's instructions, as he began to psychically explore Roman's brain, eyes fixed on Roman's face though he was no longer really seeing him.

But whereas his psychic touch was normally unobtrusive, having learned something of control and precision from Roman if not to nearly the same degree, right now it was abrasive. Just like a doctor's hand shook when they were overtaxed, causing clumsy mistakes where there should have been none, Gabriel's focus wavered and his accuracy was way off, and instead of the thin psychic tendrils he tended to use when dealing with something this delicate, they were blunt and unwieldy and bumped against parts he didn't want them to prod. It didn't sound like this should be difficult, but it just didn't want to do what he wanted it to do.

Of course he was too determined to get it right than to stop while he was ahead, though he did murmur a few curses and apologies in response to his mistakes.

[Anonymous]

So drowsy, so very, very drowsy…

Marshal jolted back up as his head touched his chin, shaking himself slightly to try and fend off the sandman. He really needed to sleep.

The void Fala left was an uncomfortable one, filled with the lingering sense of a presence no longer there, like a phantom limb of an amputee. He wanted her to come back so he could cuddle some more, even though that would likely result in him falling asleep.

His head, which had found its way down into his palms to try and stop the throbbing which had returned in full force, came up and searched as he hear her voice. Silently cursing the headache for making him unable to feel where everyone was he smiled at her, the smile equally for her and for the coffee. Glorious, strong coffee.

“Ice cream…?” he asked, bewildered. Why would he want ice cream in coffee? “No thanks.” That seemed the safest response.

He watched her walk away absently, eyes lingering on her thinly covered bum.  A hand fumbled for the coffee, pulling his eyes with it for fear of spilling it as he brought the steaming hot mug of black goodness to his lips.

Blowing on it until it was cool enough not to scald his throat, Marshal took a gulp. It was strong, damn strong, so he took another. Not bad, not bad at all.

Setting it back on the table, within easy reach, he looked over at Satori. Poor thing, being abandoned by Wulf like that. Bastard better not break her heart, or he’d have to have a stern word with the boy.

[Anonymous]

((Sorry if there are words that make no sense, I seem to be good at that lately. x3Just fill in the one that would make the most sense, and... Yes... blah.))

The blue haired pilot closed her eyes for a moment, brushing her palm across her forehead before gently poking Alaric in the shoulder and leaning forward. “I don’t think Roman and Gabriel are going to come back out... Maybe you should just go see Remi?” She smiled and gently rubbed the spot that she poked before getting up and moving towards the group of people. With her head up and an eyebrow lifted, Seiteki was about to say something witty and sarcastic, but the words left her so she simple rolled her eyes at them and turned around again.

“Hey, Satori, you should probably go home and sleep.” Seiteki smiled, as much as she wanted to pretend the Axis point hurt her brain as much as it hurt everyone elses, it seemed that there was just no way she could pretend to feel that crappy but still want to hang out with people. Standing and looking down at the two pilots, Alaric and Satori. “Either way, I suggest you two go rest. Being awake will only make your headaches worse.” With an almost motherly touch, she reached out and gently ran a hand through Satoris hair then pulled back and smiled.

“I’m gonna go look in on the happy couple while Fala and Marshal fuck on the floor, which they can do fine in either of their own homes.” A lowering of one wing and Seiteki turned to leer at them, a single eyebrow raised before turning back around and she smiled again. “Or you two can chat it up for a while and nap on the couch. Either way, rest, your brains might explode.” Seiteki shook her head and looked towards the ceiling. “Honestly, Pie after Brain Rape.”

Flight wings brushed against the ground and Seiteki was on her way down the hall way, her head pressed to the door slightly before she opened it up and, with strength but not volume spoke. “Knock, knock, oh dear, look at that.” Seiteki’s eyebrows were completely lost under her bangs and her mouth was half open, and a distinct ‘huh’, could be heard. While she was expecting them to be sitting together, she wasn’t quite expecting the hot-hot-eye-gazing-o-love.

Then again, she was here to ruin the moment. So she strode over and flopped herself onto the other side of Gabriels bed, her wings hanging off the other side so they wouldn’t bother either of the other pilots. “Did I interrupt, Sweetlings?” Seiteki sat up, cross legged and wriggled her way over to sit next to the bunch, putting an elbow on either of their shoulders.

“I’m here to ruin the moment. I tried to do some crowd control for you, because honestly I was expecting to walk in on some Ultra Lazy Man-Sex. Not that either of you are lazy, but it wouldn’t be very... “ She paused to clench her hands, jerk and make a ‘uhngh’ sound, “with both of you having nasty headaches.” Seiteki gave a bright grin before leaning in and giving Roman a quick kiss on the forehead and then turned to Gabriel to also bestow upon him a kiss on the forehead.

“Stop making out and get some rest.” Then she went a little further, in a matter of moments, She was pressed up against Gabriel and using him as a body rest and pillow, her hair curling over his shoulder and her wings drooped and folded in a complicated painful looking manner. Hmm, perhaps she’d just gotten used to the nasty throbbing pain, the effects were still the same in the end, the want of lots of sleep. Even if it’s against someone who won’t appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

"Another for you, uh? Sure. Be right back." Looking at Satori, Fala nodded, taking a note of the woman's request. Well, at least it proved someone was listening. She moved back to the kitchen, emptied the few scoops she'd put in a bowl for Marshal into a mug, and prepared a cup of coffee. It hadn't occurred to her that it was half coffee, half ice cream, and that if she expected a hot drink... well, Satori wasn't going to get a steaming hot mug of coffee. But since she'd opted for the ice cream, Fala decided she was pretty much in the clear and moved back out...

But not before grabbing an empty bottle of wine that was on the counter. She didn't know who left it there, but she'd get rid of it. She wasn't going to have Roman get mad at them for one prick's mess. Clean up now, eliminate the chance of being unceremoniously thrown out later.

"Yo, Sat. Here." Handing the relatively cool mug to her, Fala readied herself to sit down--

Had Seiteki not spoken, that is. Oh, Fala listened to her words, all right, and she couldn't tell several things.

First, she wondered whether she should be amused or offended at the thought of her boning Marshal on the floor, right in front of them- she generally wasn't into voyeurism, but hey, things could change, right? Had her head not hurt, she would have screwed him right then and there, just to prove that they actually had the balls do do that sort of thing in public.

"Sei, you only wish you could watch us go at it like rabbits. Ask nicely, and you could join in... after this headache wears off." Fala laughed with a smile, cupping her forehead and groaning when the laugh jarred her brain a little too much. The amused grin died into a grimace, but returned after the pain went away.

The second was whether or not she should agree with her about sleeping. While they needed it, sure, it was so... boring! A waste of time. They were all together for the first time in a while, why not make the most of it? Even if they were in a post-mind fucking stage of uselessness.

But a look down to the bottle in her hand brought about a whole new idea. Was it stupid? Oh, yes. But definitely entertaining and with very amusing possibilities. And with all of them here, it wouldn't get any more possibly scandalous than this!

"Sleep? Fuck that. Let's go for somethin' more... exciting! Who's up for Spin the Bottle, bitches?" Sitting back and pushing the bottle out on the floor, she took it for an experimental spin, daring someone to take the bottle first and initiate a potentially embarrassing game for them all.

[Anonymous]

Alaric was seriously thinking about taking Sei up on her suggestion to just go see Remi. All the Pilots he was generally comfortable enough around weren't really...around. And he was a little nervous about the fact that the only people left in the room were now Marshal and the two girls into Marshal. And while neither Fala or Satori had ever done or said anything to him, he was well aware of Marshal's feelings about him.

And now even Sei had gone into the other room as well. And while he wasn't exactly close with her, she didn't seem to mind him and she wasn't fond of Marshal. And now Alaric felt very alone. But he had actually wanted to hang out with his best friend a bit today, and he was pretty sure Gabriel would be disappointed if Alaric wasn't here when he came back out.

Fidgeting slightly, Alaric did his best to not make much eye contact with Marshal. He hadn't wanted to interrupt his friends alone time with Roman, but it looked like Seiteki was already doing that. He glanced over at the hallway, debating if he should go into the bedroom with the others.

Then Fala made her suggestion of Spin the Bottle. Alaric's head snapped around to give her quite a startled look, his pale cheeks flushing a darker blue before wincing at the pain the sudden movement caused, "Oh...um...there aren't many people....I'll....go get the others."

And then Alaric quickly unfolded his rather impressive height and left as quickly as he could without technically running. Seitaki had left the door open and Alaric stood awkwardly in the doorway, giving Gabriel an apologetic look, "Ummm....everyone left pretty much. And then Fala suggested a game. So...I game in here." Alaric's blush hadn't really faded as now he realized he was sounding a bit like an idiot and trailed off.

[Tally]

Roman leaned away from Gabriel and ducked his head.  The sudden scrutiny peeved him, and he was glad for the dim light.  This was forbidden territory, even for Gabriel.  Roman wouldn't have anyone telling him how to take care of himself.  He didn't need to hear it.  He was fine, and he knew his own limits.  Period.

Fortunately for both of them, Gabriel had enough sense not to push the issue.

"Also airborne toxins, tainted, acidic waters, innumerable outlaws who all have a grudge against Aedolis and know how to use the land to their advantage...very dangerous.  Yep.  Hope you're careful out there."  He caught Gabriel's yawn out of the corner of his eye and it infected him as well.  "Yes, fine," he said, recovering from the yawn and waving a hand at Gabriel.  "All right, I'll go with you.  Whenever, just...don't get your hopes up."

Gabriel might have seen such a venture as a search and rescue operation.  Roman rather thought it would be more like closure.

Gabriel straightened up, and Roman turned to face him more squarely.  Pain still thudded in his head, but not so bad that he couldn't ignore it and carry on.  It would continue throughout the day and into tomorrow, perhaps longer.  Too bad he couldn't ease the symptom himself.

"You don't have to put it that way," he added, eyes closing as Gabriel touched fingers to his temples.

Brainmeats.  Honestly.

Visual senses shut out, he shifted inward and followed the flow of Gabriel's thoughts as they explored his mind.  There was no danger, not with him conscious and following everything himself.  It wasn't often that Pilots went about feeling around in each others' heads.  The intimacy immersion could be difficult to withstand.  Elijah had only suffered it because the threads of psyche which Roman utilized were so very delicate.  Weak enough to be ignored if you weren't feeling for them.

Not quite like Gabriel's.

Feeling every shudder and fumble, Roman slid figments of his own consciousness into the fray.  Whisper-fine, they they insinuated themselves alongside Gabriel's, inside them, around them.  With a sensation that was not quite touch, but more than that, raw and open and exquisitely overwhelming—even to the point of harm—when not performed by trained professionals, he followed the movements of Gabriel's mind with his own, guiding and steadying where needed, attempting to lead him through the motions of the exercise but hindered because he could not perform the action on himself.

After a time, he eased his eyes open.  "I think you're just putting me to sleep."  Though the simple physical contact, the quiet and the low lighting seemed to have eased the thrumming in his head.

Seiteki's voice chimed in from the other side of the door and Roman pulled back, disengaged from Gabriel's hands, but not before she got an eyeful of what must have looked like the two of them soulgazing into each others eyes.  But count on Seiteki to lighten up an awkward situation with inappropriate commentary.  He responded to her kiss with a weary smile and got himself on his feet before he could succumb to the desire to curl up with the both of them and nap.

"I'm heading back to the ATC.  Enjoy the pie, take it easy.  Take a nap even, you'll both feel better—what do you mean a game?"

Alaric's news news got him a suspicious look.  Just the way he'd phrased it and his tone of voice.  Game?  Didn't sound like anything Roman would ant to be a part of.  Any game one of these people conjured up was like to be humiliating, juvenile, or just plain stupid.  Or all three.

"I'm heading out," he said, looking up at Alaric and giving a flick of his head to indicate the other Pilot should get out of the way so Roman could make his escape.

Back in the den, the door to Gabriel's apartment opened up to admit yet two more visitors: Cross and Sabela.  Cross stuck his head in the door and looked around, finding fewer people than he'd expected.  "We heard there was pie," he said, venturing into the apartment.  "Where is everybody?"