somebody spoke and i fell into a dream

[to_be_caprican]

Who: Gaius Baltar and You
What: A day in the life on a creepin' Barge. Some open threads to appreciate October, mainly.
When: All day. Call it Friday.
Where: Outside Gaius' (locked) cabin in the early morn', the Connor residence, blindly groping around the pitch black library, and YOUR CHOICE...
Warnings & Notes: Scifi swearing! Maybe the usual kind.

Comments

early morning // level three, corridor // OPEN

[to_be_caprican]

Thunk.

That's the sound of the back of Gaius' head against his own goddamn locked door. It is very locked, and door-like, and he is on the wrong side of it. He is not special in this way, he knows, and doesn't immediately run to the network wherein he knows he will not get particularly helpful information beyond maybe we should Zero all the magic people.

No, he isn't going to freak out. He's made an executive decision not to do that.

He sits in front of it, legs positioned demurely enough because he happens to be wearing a bathrobe and only that, his hair wet from using the showers. It's altogether too much shin for anyone to be comfortable, but there you go. It's an odd time to be doing it, but he values a little privacy, and got up especially to avoid the crowd, making quick work of getting clean before padding his way back to his room -- at least he shares the same floor. This sentiment is, however, sentiment only -- the door refuses to give, and every now and then, it rattles, making him start. "Oh, quiet down," he hisses at--

[nicebluehat]

Naoto hasn't started to panic about this phenomena either. Words fail her except for creepy... but in time she'll learn what it is. Sooner rather than later, if she has anything to do with it. When she's just left her room to begin her day she sees someone slouched against the wall a few doors down her path.

She has to pass him to reach the stairs, why not investigate while she's there? Her door hasn't yet shut itself, but her lights flicker, even in her cabin, and more than once she's reached for her gun at the sight of Shadows out of the corner of her eye. "If I may..." she says, reaching for the knob but waiting for his permission. She hasn't yet met the man, even if she knows him by sight as her neighbor.

[to_be_caprican]

Oh, hello. Gaius had managed to let his attention drift enough that the opening of the door a little ways down from him had escaped his immediate notice -- but encroaching footsteps and then the female voice above his head have him startling and whipping a look upwards. But it wasn't anyone that looked ready to prey on his unsuspecting self - in fact, isn't this the girl just a few doors down from he?

"Oh--"

His hands smooth out his robe a little consciously, although it doesn't need it. Just to be on the safe side. Levering himself to stand, he glances from her hand, to the door, back to her face, looking altogether just somewhat-- damp and tired. "Please, go ahead. No promises it'll be nice."

[nicebluehat]

When Naoto starts to take him in instead of the outline of the scene, she winces internally. Such an uncomfortable time to be shut out by... whatever's behind there, and even if she's not embarrassed by the sight, he clearly is. "I haven't encountered this yet. I'd wanted to see it for myself."

She realizes how cold it sounds only after it's out of her mouth, but now's the time for action, not apologies, and she reaches past Gaius to turn the knob. "It might just have an antipathy to the room's resident,"

afternoon // sarah connor's quarters // locked!

[to_be_caprican]

Knock knock knock.

Despite executive decisions to be indifferent just recently, the moment the lights had begun to flicker in Gaius' own cabin had promptly driven him out of it. Restless wandering around the Barge lacked appeal as well, both due to its environment as well as the people on it. Going in search of one of the few he felt more or less comfortable around is what had him move across the third level and wind up in front of Sarah's door. That, and a morbid curiousity about more recent developments that he couldn't simply ask about outright.

So he knocks, and checks the sleeves of his shirt, and glances over his shoulder. At least the shape in which his cabin formed itself means he has access to his clothing, which fits him well enough that it gives the effect of being both expensive and a wee bit fussy.

Re: afternoon // sarah connor's quarters // locked!

[terminatefate]

"You knock like a little boy," was the first thing out of Sarah's mouth--through the door. "You want me to open up, you better know the drill."

It wasn't like she'd been cooped up in the damned place, but she'd been laying relatively low. And she'd told the real Gaius what he had to say to get her to crack her seal and let his ass in. Overhead, the lights flickered and she stepped away to light a few candles she found stashed away in a cabinet.

With her fucking luck, they'd just go out completely.

[to_be_caprican]

Eyes rolled at that, just-- on principle. If Gaius were to list some things he liked about Sarah, her caution was in the top three at least, and as for the first thing, she couldn't see his furrowed brow in vague indignance through the thick of her door anyway. "What would you best like to discuss?" he asked, sending a glance up and down the corridor once more, but it proved to be empty for now. "The weather on Aerilon, or the climate of Mexico?" He quite liked that word.

Earth was interesting. He'd been reading. Maybe he'd do more of that later. "Or the things you're like a boy about." Little or otherwise.

[terminatefate]

"Mexico," she said with a half snort. Her lights seemed to shudder and there was a slight pause. A frustrated grumble culminated in Sarah opening the door just wide enough to yank Gaius through--which she did neatly.

"Fuck it," she muttered. "The lights are getting on my goddamn nerves."

The door shut and locked with a triple beep. Futuristic living. Sarah hated it...and maybe even liked it a little. She threw the deadbolt anyway. Her new place was insanely clean, spotless, aside from the gun she'd been oiling, the rag that sat on the counter, several hand rolled cigarettes neatly lined up like soldiers along the edge of the table. (They were measured and privacy invasion detectors.) The scent of gun oil and freshly brewed coffee warred, but the coffee won.

"Besides, if you were a Terminator, you'd have decapitated, stabbed, maimed, or fucked me over in some other screwed up way by now."

She hadn't really been sleeping. Fuck that, too.

evening // library // OPEN

[to_be_caprican]

The lights went out halfway through the book he'd found on an Earth text on space travel. It had been quite funny, actually.

This isn't funny.

"Augh!" yelps through the darkness when Gaius fairly clips his hip against the edge of the table. "Frakking-- frak." It would have been wiser to simply sit patiently in the dark until the lights switched back on, but by the time the eerie whispers had crawled nerves up his spine, he had only wished to navigate his way out. One minute of groping around, however, book abandoned, has left Gaius with no idea about where he exactly is, and where the exit happens to be.

Re: evening // library // OPEN

[hourglass_twin]

A raspy voice whispered a strange word in the language of magic somewhere in the library, attempting to generate a light. However, due to his reduced power, all that he created was a tiny orb of light that barely allowed him to see his fingertips, though the tiny light likely made him visible to anyone...or anything else that may be in the library. With a growl, he extinguished the light, deciding to move from his previous position in case there was something dangerous here. After all, despite his smug attitude, there was something unmistakably wrong on the Barge, and whatever it was likely wouldn't respect him being the Master of Past and Present.

[to_be_caprican]

If there's anything at all to be seen in the expanse of the library--

It's light, isn't it?

Gaius stopped at that flare of illumination across the space - even if it did not travel far, merely a beacon in the sea of shadow. "Hello?" Gaius inquired immediately, voice somewhat small, a little scratchy and dry. There was a thump as he managed to overturn a chair on his way to investigate closer, a hiss of another curse, before he pronounced, somewhat clearer and louder; "What was that? Who's doing that?

"Can you do more've it?"

[hourglass_twin]

"If I could have," he rasped, "Don't you think I would have?" He then kicked a chair in frustration.

??? // ??? // OPEN

[to_be_caprican]

[ YOUR CHOICE. I can justify whatever. ]

DINNERTIME// KITCHEN // OPEN

[feels_no_love]

Dracula had finally sorted out why people bothered eating together. To the socially sensitive--those capable of loneliness and its cures--sometimes just watching the crowd was fulfilling. Certainly with his sensitive hearing he could pick out conversations better than the average human.

He sat with a little pitcher and a coffee mug, having finally reached the point of dining on his impromptu meal instead of just swallowing and running. Every once in a while he sipped from the mug, and regarded the glass of milk in front of him. Eventually he reached for it and took the minutest of sips. Immediately he choked, and had to swallow with difficulty. Reddish water gathered at the corners of his eyes.

Finally he recovered, muttering "better than last time." He glanced up as Gaius drew near and nodded politely.

:3

[to_be_caprican]

Gaius' propensity to have his meals in the middle of the crowd was getting more sporadic as the month wore on, and robots existed, and-- just about everything. But now his cabin wasn't even that much of a sanctuary, and as he'd told Sarah - misery, it loves company. Especially if said company could suffer along with him or act as a meat shield.

But the dining room was vaguely inoffensive, so. Gaius drew near with his food, about as enthusiastic about it as a dog offered vegetables, but one must eat. Dracula would be more than aware of such a sentiment.

He hesitated before sitting, however, at the sound of choking over what appeared to be a glass of milk, eyeing the greasy tracks of reddishness near the stranger's eyes. But then, he got a nod of acknowledgment -- so Gaius sat, picking up his dining utensils and pressing a thin smile back at the other man. "Hard stuff, milk," he stated, more dry than actually mocking, brow crinkled as he started to saw fork through food.

[feels_no_love]

A faint, tight smirk at the comment. "It is for me. I am just learning to digest normal edibles again. Time will tell whether it is an empty effort or not, but...my hope is to put my beloved beer within my grasp again." He nodded to the seat across from him.