AWD #081: From Afar
From Afar
Summary: Ceres and Knox take a bird's eye view of the party - from afar.
Date: 28/3/2013 (OOC Date)
Related Logs: Frak It Let's Party
Ceres Knox 
Charlie's Roof
Roof of Charlie's. Watching a party from afar.
AWD #81

Climbing up the ladder on the back of the bar, Knox carries up a bottle of whiskey with him. He's in civvies with his sidearm tucked back into a holster in the waistband behind the back. He steps over the ledge and moves to help Ceres up if she needs it. One hundred yards away, on the Pyramid courts, is a large party with a whole lot of people from the wing. Music is blasting, there are drinks, and a BBQ. The man smirks over at the group and motions. "C'mon. We may not be the most welcome, but we can still have fun."

Taking the hand up, Ceres swings a leg up and soon is on her feet. The Captain smooths her civvies and glances over at the court, a faint smile soon dulling before she looks to Cooper. It is he that inspires a renewed smile. "Yeah, we can." Her nose wrinkles a little. "How easily they turn…it is not wonder they turn on themselves. Though I suppose that is a ironic statement for /me/ to be uttering." She tilts her head and then focuses on Knox.

Knox leads her over to the other side of the roof and sits down on an air conditioner. He pats it for her to take a seat as well before cracking the bottle. Its offered to her for the first sip. "Bah," Coop dismisses. "Its not about turning on anyone. I've seen this plenty of times." He gestures out to the party. "See, they do this to blow off steam. There's only so much stress. They should be mourning and dealing with all the losses, trying to rationalize how to deal with having the two of us in our midst. Instead?" The man chuckles. "Frak it, get drunk. Destress. Get back to community, ya know?"

"Yes well, I am of the mind this road is going to be a long treacherous one. Not many are going to want to ever welcome us back. I suspect despite being cleared to return to duty, they are going to keep me from it. I wonder if the deck will just fail to ready my Viper or something like that one day." SEttling down next to him, Ceres sighs eyes the bottle before taking it. She takes the first pull, long, hard and heavy before she passes it off. She smiles though and glances off after them, handing the bottle off. "It smells good…my first day back with them…I mean you know. Paintball."

"Ohhhh you better believe it, little lady. This is going to be the most dangerous route. It'd be a lot safer for us with our own people if we'd never defected. Hell, we'd probably be a lot farther along to dominating these people." Coop takes the bottle back and takes a pull. "But then where would we be? You can only come so far back from mistakes. As it stands? We've frakked up badly enough. We've gotta own who and what we are. But we can't let them down." Coop takes another sip and tracks a thumb across his lip before handing it back. "They want to do that crap, let them. The absolute best thing we can do is prove our place. We just stand our ground, be honorable, and never ever give people a reason to further doubt command. Petra and them have taken a huge gamble on us. It could cause a lot of problems. But look at this? They're out here havin a party. Things like this?" He chuckles. "This is what I want to take back. Times like this."

"If they allow us to prove ourselves. I will turn as many cheeks as I need but that still doesn't mean a chance. We will see what games are pulled to keep me from launching from one of those tubes again." Ceres watches him drink and then accepts the bottle back. "Yeah? Its amazing how resilient they can be despite their bitching," she grumbles slightly and then sighs. "How do you take it back when you no longer are a part of it. Watching from afar is so very different from being a part." Taking another long drink she holds onto the bottle and then glances to him. Her teeth trail over her bottom lip. "So tell me…do you still plan on leaving us all in hopes of taking humanity back with you?"

"If we are allowed, yes," Coop repeats. "But just roll with it as best you can. I don't expect miracles, and neither should you. All we can do is ask for the chances to continue proving ourselves to them." He watches people take to dancing and smiles all over again. "There's no 'taking it back' I don't think. Things have changed. I doubt there is any way to get all the way back to where we were. But there is one thing that nobody can take from us, Ceres, and that's our faith in each other. And," he waggles a finger, "-in them. And yes, I will be leaving. The question is only when. I have no desire or want to, but that's not my choice. We are both weapons systems to our people. That's just the end of it. But we've chosen to be far more than just tools to them. I can think of no better way to show our opposition than to use their machinations against them. I pray one day they may find forgiveness because we should show them none until humanity has won its freedom from these things."

"Such a positive thought and yet you were the one raging the other day in sickbay," Ceres watches him, letting out a long breath as that bottle remains offered between them. Dark eyes narrow slightly and she lowers her gaze from the dancing. "Right…yeah never the same. So you mean do not give forgiveness to our own people til then? That won't win any friends from them or many supporters. Compassion, brother. I think you told me that." Her eyes flit to him, "They have only ever known what we have known. Do you remember when you first woke me? Our conversation, my view of them save a few?"

"Aye. You rage when you fight hard for something. That was my fight for you. I would not have them gang up on you so I tried to take the heat." Coop takes the bottle finally and a long sip. "Its what any one of them would do for each other, Cer. Its why I admire the hell out of them." The rest has him fall silent and his own eyes drop. Yeah, Ceres made her point well. "Sorry. Sometimes I still default, especially when I get angry. The Marine meshes well with that side of me." Another sip.

"If we are going to want acceptance, we have to make those allowances for those others of our kind. We are not unique..only in the fact we were allowed freedom." Ceres smiles at him and then reaches out, seeking his hand as she can take it. "I am glad you wanted to defend me, and that you did. You have been amongst them and known by some of them longer than me. It is better this way…but you are not alone and you /know/ I could take care of myself if it came to it. A lynch mob would have a hard time getting a hold of me…though if I am not to harm them at all…then I guess that really isn't the case. The MP's so far show no want to help me or keep me from harms way so I am not counting on it."

Coop lets her take his hand and he lets off a long breath. "You know, I've heard a lot of people talk about how much young folks have to teach older ones. They just have to listen." He gives a light smirk. "Guess we're more human than we intended." He takes a sip and hands it across them so she doesn't have to remove her hand. "I know you can take care of yourself, but if there is a mob forming? Get out of there. If you can't, call the MPs. At the least, the mob is violating orders. If you can't get help, get to me. Fight through it if you need to, but get to me. Or get to the SecHub. They will have no choice there but to help you."

"They all have a choice, brother. They all do. They are making them every day, Cooper." Ceres smiles wanly at him. "I don't suspect that if there is a mob and I do not wish to harm them…that I will find help. We can not think that good will will always be there to grace us. There is always a chance that what we have here, will be taken from us." She releases his hand and smooths her hands to her jeans. "I almost wish I had my alcoholic father for real, you know? I would not have to fight for everything, for every moment." A light smirk. She exhales then again and leans into his side. "I go in for another check up, I am thinking I will be cleared soon enough."

"I refuse to believe that, Cer," he tells her quietly. "Even if it kills me for one single instance of failure, I would put my money on them every single time. Why?" He nods to the dancing again. "Because of that. Because its about each other. Because they don't quit on each other and they know they are all they have left." As she leans in, he swings his arm around her. Brother and sister. "Even if we die here, and we die for real, and we've done our best? Is it a bad death? We served honorably. We never killed anyone. We die serving a higher power than our people's own selfish ends. I'll take that." He lets off a long breath. "Think your hand will hold up to it? I'm kinda worried about you and that thing. Gonna start callin you 'Canner' here in not too long," Coop teases.

"You have so much faith, forgive me my skeptical view…" Her voice trails off and she watches the distant figures dancing and interacting. There is that rare smile again and then she laughs, looking down at her hand. "You know I can power through this..I allowed it to mean something so I could be like them. Right now? Right now they just need a pilot, another to shoot the Raider's out of the sky. To run missions. They don't need another one of them who can't fly because of their left hand." Can't fly. "I can ignore it. The pain. If I want to. So I will." She tells him.

"Forgive you?" Coop laughs. "Lady, I'm far from perfect. Just sharing my viewpoint." He looks down at her hand as she talks about it, though. In the end, he looks at her and lofts his brow. "Sure that's the best thing for you, Cer?" Coop asks curiously. "I don't mean about flying. I mean about powering through it how we can. Every time we do that, we draw lines where we are different from them. But we are here and we endeavor to join them in their lives. Is it wise? Can your hand be fixed any other way?

"I have to draw this line. I am not sure if it will be effective in the end. We are not immortal..not the in the sense of our bodies. Eventually my hand will give out no matter how I power through it. I am not sure if there is anything to be done. Surgery could fix nothing or could make it worse." A shrug of her shoulders and she looks down at the webbing of scars flowing over that slender hand. "I can't get a new one.." There is a smirk. "Only one way for that and that is crossing a very wide line."

Coop sighs. "I don't like it, but I'm not you, Cer. I don't know your situation like you do. If you say you need it, you need it. But we shouldn't age. At least, not like these folks would know. Slow breakdown over time is not the same as developing wrinkles. Or, uh, finding a white hair." That sounds a little personal. "If we spot another model like yours, lop her hand off. See if you can get a transplant done. But yeah, that's one helluva line. And with my current collection of body modifications? I don't think I'd want to give mine up. I like my tatts. I like my scars. They tell a story."

"There is a difference between scars and wounds that keep one from performing. I can't prove anything to them sitting on the sidelines." Ceres frowns some, flexing her hand, though its not a full movement, as if the muscles are tight. "I don't think I want a new hand, besides, doing that would just probably get us even more looks. I just want to power through it. I can talk with the Doctor but she couldn't promise me anything." She bumps her shoulder into his and then turns her attention back to the others. The smells, the sounds. "Reminds me of the paintball day."

"Agreed. Very much agreed," Coop says quietly. "Talk with the Doc. See what she says. I wouldn't mind hearing what comes of that, too. Anything that works for humanity should work for us, yanno?" That and he cares. Coop takes the bottle back for another swing and chuckles and the lean into him. "I was thinking about that today. When you got drunk and didn't want to be put back to sleep. That wild look on your face when you came out of the tent after you and Augie had spent the night like horny teenagers. You had that wild, crazy, hungover look. It was so perfect. What an awesome way to have you first wake-up."

Ceres' lips part and close, part again and then she just stares at Knox. "Shut up." Its said in a half serious tone, "I have a reputation to keep." She mutters below her breath, except there is a tinge of humor before her attention drifts, thoughts elsewhere. "That night…that was my first night as myself. With another like that. Its one thing to vaguely understand what it is to be with Augustus…it is another to know he was looking at /me/." She lets out a sigh and rubs a hand to her neck, her face tilting up to the sky. "It frightened me…so much."

Knox tilts his head back a bit and laughs. "Yes ma'am. Just sayin, there are most frakkin definitely worse ways to wake up. You had a really awesome day followed by drinking, barbeque, dancing, a good lay with a man you ended up marrying, and one damned good greasy breakfast of eggs and bacon. You realize that there are people that never know that kind of awesome?" He just gives her a big grin large enough to split a lip. The rest has him swig the bottle again and dismiss it with a wave as he hands the bottle back. "Drink. Look, I bet it was scary as hell. But it all worked out. What'd I tell ya? Have faith, man. Be who you want to be and nobody else. At the very least, you've got the respect of a man who is going through the same hell." He nudges her with his elbow. "Family: You have it."

"Yes yes, it was very 'awesome'," her thick accent makes that word linger a moment, in a strange posh way before she grabs at the bottle. "Family who apparently does not share," she remarks and takes a long pull, making a face before she offers it back. "I am more worried about Augustus. He is a strong man, but not like us. This is his family …but he has chosen us." This causes her brows to furrow. "I am not sure I can watch them from afar for much longer…but going down there would be foolish."

"Haters gonna hate…" he whispers in a sing-song before taking the bottle back. "But yeah, Augie… That's something you need to concern yourself with. He calls us family. As much as he wants that to be true, could you call any one of them our true family right now? Maybe down the road, but they're doing there drinking to forget about us. We're not invited. I think Augie is potentially blinded by what he cares for with you. Be careful with him." He nudges her again and rises. "C'mon. Let's head back to the ship." The crowd below is thinning, anyway.

"I will. I am not sure what to do if he gets a little over zealous." Ceres lets out a sigh and pushes up, rising to her feet before she runs a hand through her hair, long loose dark strands moving about her shoulders. "Very well. Yeah I need to get back and be seen." She smiles and turns back to him before heading for the ladder. She's quiet most of the way back.

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