AWD #446: Grounded
Grounded
Summary: Alex talks to Toby once he's released from the brig. It's… civil. Just.
Date: 23/09/2016
Related Logs: A Brace of Favours
Alex Toby 
Deck Chief's Office
It's an office, just off the deck, for the deck chief.
AWD #446

Shift started today pretty much how every day starts. The rest of the deckhands on shift with Toby greet him, glad to have another hand in the rotation. Not all of them are smiles and pats on the back however, perhaps for the exact same reason, only they have a longer memory. One thing that is definitely out of the ordinary is that next to Toby's name for today, it simply says the words, "CHIEF'S OFFICE" in ominous blocky letters.

Meanwhile, Alex is plunking away at a console inside the deck chief's office. It hardly looks like it belongs to anyone. There's a clunky console setup on the desk and a whiteboard behind it filled with odd notes, equations, and pieces of to-dos, some occasional notes stuck to it just within Alex's reach. The walls are otherwise bare and there are two of the same back-aching chairs one can find in the Mess and all over the ship. Hers is not much better, just the crappy recycled office chair that's probably been passed down unceremoniously from one chief to another. Alex slumps in her chair as she clackety clacks at the keyboard. On her desk she has a few littered files, one open.

While Toby would certainly not have objected to a chance to just get stuck back into work, the summons to Alex's office isn't exactly a surprise. Collecting his gear and togging up he doesn't daudle. Better to get it over with and all that. Helmet under one arm he ducks through the hatch into the office and clears his throat. "You wanted to see me Chief?" It's not really a question, but thats colonial standard for you.

"Come in, close the hatch, take a seat." Alex's tone is not exactly warm, but isn't cold either. Clack clack clak, enter. "There." She then opens a drawer to the desk and pulls out that memopad that will never die and rests it next to the keys. "Right. I think you know what this is about. I'm going to level with you. I didn't read the report and I didn't visit you in the brig because I haven't had time, and frankly, I don't think it matters." Her posture corrects itself some before she continues, "When I first talked to you I told you that this sort of thing couldn't happen again. Now, here we are. I'd like to know the steps you took to prevent what happened."

Toby manages the first three instructions just fine. Once the hatch is closed he does ponder staying on his feet, but then just goes along with what the Chief wants, not quite the path of least resistance, but hopefully getting off on the right foot at least. "I haven;t read the report either," he admits briefly, but refrains from pointing out htat he mentioned the first time they spoke that he doesn't play well with marines. -That- he decides, would be unhelpful and counter productive. "I'll tell you straight up," he starts with little pause for consideration, "a marine was talking shit in my hearing, I tried reasoned debate and discussion, they insulted a friend of mine, I hit them. That's about all there is to it." There's a brief pause, but then he apparently feels that an inadequate reply and adds, "not just anyu insult mind, or I'd've just told 'em to frak off. They called her a skinjob, and that's not something you just throw around without expecting some sort of reaction."

Alex's expression is not unlike the one Toby might have seen her with on the Deck…when someone's wasting her or a Deckhand's time, when someone is being an arse to someone else. She's /tolerating/ the situation. "Sounds like you ticked off boxes in a checklist Crewman. Are you sure it wasn't just a dumb jarhead's rumor? Rather than an insult?" For the moment, at least, she seems to be listening, absorbing his side of the story.

"I'm sure," Toby replies simply, flatly, "oh, and he also insulted my religious beliefs, but that's by-the-by. I gave him chance to back the frak up but he just kept going, then I hit him. No point trying to dress it up as anything other than what it is Chief. Neither of us covered ourselves in glory, but somethings you just can't let stand without reply, so I replied."

Alex sighs, some of the edge coming off of her expression. She remains quiet for a moment as she thinks and then tilts her head as if working a crick out of her neck, as if a part of her is not quite complying. However, what comes across is resolute in tone. "No doubt this man needed to answer for his actions." So she believes him. "What you did, while he probably deserved it? Doesn't diminish the damage you have brought on yourself or your fellow Deckhands. Deckhands should be able to work with people from any department. That /is/ the standard, and right now you're not meeting it. I'm not going to sit here and try to convince you of fleet values or something or other. I'm not going to tell you all the little steps you must do to make things right and I'm not going to send you to psych for anger management." Alex presses her lips together, her brow furrowing, "I'm suspending you from any trips off the ship with the exception of trips that are critical to the progress of your project work. You need to find ways to answer to idiots that doesn't involve putting anyone else in danger. Until then, you're grounded."

"I'll work with anyone Chief," Toby retorts quicklywith a faint edge just creeping into his tone. "Like I promoised Rutlii before she tranfered, no shit on deck. Never. No matter what." Downtime though? Well, she can see clearly enough for herself. His expression hardens a fraction at the words 'fleet values' but then slowly relax again until she delivers her judgement. He doesn't seem too bothered initially, but then something quite clearly occurs to him and his reaction is telling. "Chief," he starts, the words spilling out at speed, "I'm supposed to be helping Lieutenant Wescott with a flight in a few days." He's not sure exactly what Kelsey has classed it as to get permission so he can't really elaborate much further, but he does take a stab at, "it's to do with things we've been working on down on P." Not technically a lie, but certainly a stretch.

"I'll believe that when I see it. Working with people is about relationships. What would happen if I took your liaison away?" It's obviously a rhetorical question, posed for him to chew on, for Alex continues on after a beat, lifting her hand at all of his words about something with Kelsey. She doesn't give him her full attention. Instead, she says, "Is it critical to your project work Crewman?"

"You'd be depriving Callaghn of a valuable learning experience," Toby replies before his brain can interject and stop his mouth. In his worldview, working with people is about getting the birds turned round and back out there killing cylons are quickly as possible, and his expression no doubt displays some degree of frustration at Alex's definition. He doens't outright say she's wrong though, his brain has at least managed to lever that much control. Instead he says simply, and just a touch defensively, "it's very important," as he can't bring himself to lie outright.

"No, I'd be saving her from having to deal with your frakking fallout. Normally, I could give a shit what people do with their time off hours. But yours is so frakking volatile that it's invaded your ability to work with people on the job. So now, we have to deal with it in this office. You did that. You say you'll work with anyone, but then you go out and set up hurdles for yourself and your fellow Deckhands." Toby hit a nerve. Although Alex doesn't shout, all of the intensity brimming through that grave look speaks volumes of its own. "There are other people who can fill your shoes no doubt," with nothing more to go on, that's all she affords him in return. "You already know the answer…as for the next three days, you will not be on regular duty. You will be shadowing everyone who had to pick up the slack for you while you were gone. You will not lift a finger, you will not say a word. You will observe only a fraction of the shit you've shoved off onto their shoulders. We're finished. You are dismissed."

Well, there's plently Toby could say in response to all that, and it wouldn't take a mind reader to see that. After a concerted effort though he managed to win the fight against himself and lock his jaw closed to avoid any remarks that'd only serve to make matters worse. It takes a great deal of willpower, but he does manage to stand up, snapp very briefly to attention, then turns and head through the hatch in near complete silence. Handily, he also takes his personal mini thungercloud with him.

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