The Club
Log Title
Summary: Martin and Kitty have a chat about current events. There's talk of forming a club.
Date: PHD 133 (08-29-09)
Related Logs: None
Players:
Martin..Kitty..

It's afternoon number two of laundry and Martin couldn't look any less pleased about it. Having slacked on keeping his clothes cleaned for the majority of the week, he's forced himself to make not one but two runs to his least favorite place int he world: the dreaded laundry room. Slouching in a chair next to a rumbling washing machine, Martin's eyes stare at the ceiling in a gaze so bored that it might be doing physical damage to him. Arms hanging like that of an ape's towards the floor, he blinks an eye that is surrounded by a black bruise from his most recent fight and simply rots in place.

Kitty slips in, a fairly good-sized ditty bag full of her clothing, she too here to do laundry. Still pretty bruised up herself, she bears the marks of her Fight Night match with Elder in the form of contusions and cuts that are anything but pretty. A washing machine's claimed and she begins to fill it, only noticing that she's not alone once she's done and the machine's filled with soap and started. "Oh hey. Didn't see you there. I'm sorry." Dash's expression's noticed as is the blackened eye, the sight of both getting her to frown. "Looks like you got something on your mind. Need an ear?"

Martin blinks, slowly rolling his head to watch Kitty in a sideways manner. Swallowing, he brings his fist slowly to his lips as he clears his throat. "You weren't by any chance at the game room that night, were you?" He asks. Grunting, he tightens his abdominal muscles to pull himself into a less pitiful angle on the chair. "I may or may not, I'm not sure, but what I am sure about is that if I don't behave properly I'm going to be trapped in a room like this for eternity in the afterlife."

"That ni…oh, you mean during the fight you had with Thorn? Nah, I was busy. Heard about it though." Kitty smiles and steps closer, giving Martin a quick look over before shaking her head. "There are worse things you can have to do. Like clean the head. Which I believe is the sixth level of Hell. Not sure yet. It's not a theory I want to test out." She reaches out carefully, making to brush a few fingers over his bruised face, her expression slightly sad. "We could be bookends, couldn't we?"

Martin's face slowly turns from a blanket of listlessness to a small, coy, arrogant smirk. His eyes lid as his left cheek bunches up and his head nods softly. "Yeah we probably could. Something's got to keep the marines thinking that we do honest work, right?" He winks at her. Pulling his feet from the chair across from it, he motions to it. Offering her a seat, he leans back and rests his left elbow over the back of his chair. "I was grounded to quarters on fight night, how'd that go?"

There's a nod of thanks and she takes the chair, Kitty making herself comfortable rather quickly. "I guess I can see why they feel the way they do about us but really. There's this stupid division - an entire 'us versus them' mentality - and it's going to be the end of us all, figuratively and perhaps even literally." Kitty bends forward and rests her arms on her knees, trying to shake off the lingering annoyance this topic brings into being. Thankfully Martin asks her about the fights, giving her something else to think about. "The fights. Well, all in all, I think every single match pitted a marine against us navy types and we didn't win a single one, I don't think. So much for it being a random draw."

"That's either fate or someone noticing the same problem right there." Martin replies with a smirk. Sticking a leg out to rest on his heel, he crosses his arms and watches her face as he speaks. "I suppose in your line of thinking though, pitting us against them in a more social way where we can meet as equals might actually do some good in that area. The marines ain't so bad. Their S2's pretty fair and the other day I had a chat with this machine gunner of theirs. In the end I think it just varies per person." He says, pausing to run a hand through his hair. "So how'd you do? Sure every navy staff member lost but did you get a few good ones in?"

Kitty chuckles softly. "There is no equality to be found. I mean…come on, Dash. Look at us. We're officers, we fly, we stay out of the majority of the fraking shit they rush headlong into. How can we be like them if we aren't like them?" The ECO is not often the kind of person to fall into philosophy but there she is now, spouting it off as if it is secocnd nature to her. "No, not all of them are bad. My brother's a marine and I think he's pretty damn awesome but of course I'm probably a bit biased." Eye twitching a bit, she hurries to rub that spot, right over the corner of her right eye as she adds quietly, "I had to fight Dutch. Not much of a fight. I might have hit him once but I was on the mat within seconds and in sickbay not long after that." Yeah, she's not pleased to have to admit that.

Martin's eyes narrow as he winces. "Damn, you drew Elder?" He scrunches up his face as he shakes it from left to right. "You might actually be more brave than I am. I've seen that guy. I very well might have started running around the ring in circles to try to pull Viper tactics in an attempt to bring him down." He laughs softly, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "You know what I do if a marine ever gives me shit for being a pilot? I let him know we don't get combat medics. That always sets them on their ass."

Nodding, Kitty grins ruefully. "Well, there won't be a next time for me to try that. Think I'm giving up on boxing." Her lips are pursed and she blows out between them, making a bit of an exhale that makes a soft 'pfff' sound when she does. "I don't want to have to set anyone on their ass, Dash. I just want to keep my head down as much as possible. Don't like stirring up shit."

"You're gonna have to teach me about that." Martin replies. Lifting a slender brow in her direction, one of his shoulders pulls upwards in a soft shrug. "After everything that's gone on lately I've decided to watch the corn grow for a little bit. I've got a bird to pilot, I've got a sister on board to take care of…I've just got too many things to keep in focus that I've just got to take a step back from all that stress, you know?"

Kitty smiles. "It'll come to you in time, Martin. Don't force it otherwise it'll just feel awkward and you'll come to resent it." Not stopping to think about it, Kitty places a hand on Dash's leg, acting as if she has done it a thousand times before today. "If I may give a bit of advice, wait a while before trying to start a new relationship. That might help with everything else."

Not shying away from her, Martin returns her smile. "That's on the list, really." He admits, opening the pack of cigarettes to offer her one first. "You're fairly dead on the money, Atjai. Do you remember those cartoons where the character would get hit by a car glancingly and turn into a tornado as it spun in place? Well…before all of this started I was mostly fearless. What's the worst that could have happened, right? Get kicked out of the military and go home and get a job?" He rests an elbow on the knee that she's not touching. "Spinning plates like I do, I've just had no self defense mechanism in place when it's come down to managing everything. It's not the relationship, I'm fine with the fact that Sam and I split. It's the other stuff." He looks back to her face, lifting his eyebrows in emphasis. "It's that gnawing sensation that I'm not really promised time. It's keeping an eye out for my sister even though I rarely see her anymore. I've got plans when all of this is over but I can't focus on those. I've got to focus on right now." He points a finger in the air, spinning it softly. "Miniature tornado."

"Yeah, I do remember them and that's exactly going happen if you're nnot careful, Dash. You'll get all turned around and confused and prone to making mistakes. And that' the one thing you can't can't afford to be when you're a pilot. You go out there while you're like that and you'll wind up dead." When he leans closer she leans back, letting his personal space bubble widen since she doesn't want to crowd him too much. "The best plan to make is keeping yourself alive, Dash. That's all we can plan for right now. Everything else has been put on hold for us by…you know. Just stay alive long enough to see this all through and then go from there." She takes a look into Dash's eyes, pauses and the laughs, an amused chuckle. "Maybe you and I can start a club for single people. Of course at this rate it just might wind up being you and me in it…"

Turning his eyes to the dryers behind her as she lays on the advice, Martin's face goes quiet and reflective. She's right. None of his worries are worthwhile if he isn't focusing solely on keeping himself alive, and dying under that pretense would hurt his sister just as much. Meeting her eyes at the same time, he narrows them slyly and that knowing smirk returns. "A club more exclusive than the officer's club." He beams at her, smirk widening to a cheeky grin. Quickly, he lights is cigarette and sets his pack on his knee for her to take if she wants. Taking a pull from the filter, he exhales the smoke away from her. "Doesn't sound like such a bad time, but I think sooner or later it's going to have to mix with the quit-smoking club." He pauses, watching her face. "…but I'm pretty sure I could live with that."

Kitty hadn't meant to ignore the offer of the cigarette but she wouldn't have accepted one anyhow, it being a habit she hasn't gotten into. He's left to contemplate her words as she stands and goes to check on the washer, making sure it isn't turning her uniforms and off-duty clothing into scraps, the quality of machines here untrustworthy in her opinion. "Sure, we can merge although if any of the people are part of a couple the we'll have to kick them out." Satisfied that her wash isn't in danger of beig reduced to scrap, she returns to her chair and sits heavily upon it. "So what happened, anyhow?"

A loud buzz emits from the washer behind Martin. Extending his arm towards a small table, he sets his cigarette to rest on an ashtray. Rising from his seat, he walks past her to open up one of the dryers and toss a softening sheet inside. "Case and I were off and on. We never really commincated, and when we did it was just one of those situations where it was more about the blame and less about the issue." Martin says, passing her to the washer to reach in to grab his laundry. Arms full, he steps past her again and simply dumps it all in the dryer without a care. Bringing the lid down, he thumbs the machine on and goes back to his seat. "After she dated Ajax, she came back up from the Scorpia crash and wanted to commit. Things were up and down in the past but with how we were talking I had a good feeling that things were going to be okay." He shrugs. "One, two, six. I get bad shifts opposite of hers, she starts hanging out with a different crowd, rumors start coming my way about Thorn. It was only about four weeks that her and I were together but I figured that early in it's just better to end the relationship."

Kitty blinks and then looks at Dash, her eyes narrowed in slight disbelief. "Did you talk to her first before you called it off, Dash, or did you go all whirlwind and just dump her without getting the facts?" Usually not one to butt in like this, the ECO finds herself too curious not to ask and it along with needing more details before she can decide whether she can help or not is why she asks the question she does. "I don't mean to butt in and you can tell me to frak off and get the hell out of here if you want but…"

"No no it's okay…" Martin chuckles, reaching out to grab his cigarette again. Taking it between his index and middle finger, he brings it to his lips for a drag. Leaning back in his seat, he exhales the smoke skywards. "I'm not that kind of guy. Her and I sat down to have a talk about it. I had concerns and I asked her if they were true. Turns out yeah, she was sweet talking with Thorn over CAP and they did snuggle in her bunk with his arms around her. Please don't tell people you know that…" He extends a hand to her, palm out as if to ask her to slow down. "…but after four weeks it just put a horrible taste in my mouth. If she likes him, fine, I can't control people nor would I want to and I even understand that people get lonely but…" He shrugs. "…I mean she told me during the course of that conversation that he was a great guy and if not for me she woulda frakked him weeks ago. I couldn't go back. My pride isn't that important to me but I've got more respect for myself than that."

"That's a lot of crap to have to deal with…" Shaking her head, Kitty looks down, trying to make sense of that; on one hand, like Dash said, people do get lonely and stuff but to be in a relationship and then sleep with someone, platonically or otherwise, and then tell the other person that'd you'd frak someone else if it wasn't for them? Not cool in her opinion. Not at all. "Do I look like the kind of person who'd say anything, Dash? Don't worry. This is staying between us." Leaning back, Kitty puts her feet up, using Martin's legs to do so if he doesn't stop her or show some form of protest. "I am glad you did talk to her first, Dash. It makes you a better man than most. Not a lot of guys would have cared enough to find out. They would just dump the girl on their ass, no questions asked or explanations made. Just….goodbye."

When Martin's knees get used as a footrest, he uses her shins as a table. Resting his left forearm over her legs, he leans back to keep the cigarette in his right hand away from her. He smiles and widens one of his eyes to make a face at her. "I asked that only because I wanted to let you know that I personally don't wanna be responsible for any rumors. You don't look the sort, but I'm really not mad at them. If that's what she wants, frak it we're in a war, best of luck for them." Martin brings his cigarette to his lip. "The reason I hit him was all dumb guy bullshit, I'll only thrill you with the details if you really, really want to know but I'm not too interested in looking like a dumb ox right now." He says, laughing genuinely. With the final chortle of laughter, he ashes his cigarette and looks back to her. "I did realize though after all that time before coming to the Kharon, with Case, that really all I think I've ever been looking for is a girl that I can be friends with above all else. Someone to spend time with and really be a better person because that bond exists but not because I'm not alone." He pauses, eyes going soft. His trademark smirk returns. "Holy shit, we're having our first meeting aren't we?"

That silly face from him gets rewarded by her sticking her tongue out at him, Kitty able to be cheeky as well. "No worries. Nothing's going to get out." Fully stretched out, she slouches some in her chair, making heself at home. "When the time comes, perhaps you and Thorn can sit down and talk everything out, get it all out in the air so it won't fester and get worse between you two which, ultimately, would make everything shitty for the crew as a whole." Her fingers steeple together now, leaving her look almost sage-like, lending a minute, sage-like air to her. She listens intently and almost says something but then he asks her the question which draws her train of thought elsewhere, that being answering. "Is it? I…yes, it is." Not that it feels like that to her as she is comfortable with Martin which has her feeling as if she's known him for a long time.

A short, awkward moment of reflection settles in the air around Martin as she replies. Simply gazing at her, he suddenly realizes that he too has been rather relaxed through the conversation. He stubs out his cigarette and moves his gaze to her shoes. Patting her shin softly, he reaches to scratch the back of his head quietly with his free hand. Suddenly, the buzzer on the machine behind her sounds off, alerting them that Martin's clothes have finished drying. He doesn't move to stand, but instead looks back to her face. "When do you usually head to the mess for lunch?"

Okay, that was an odd shift in converation and Kitty falters a bit, trying to shift gears from advice giver to casual chatter without having to make Dash wait too long for her reply. "Whenever I think to eat but I can be there at a certain time if someone wants to meet me there." Now she feels awkard, that not being his fault but rather her own for being socially inept at times. "If you want to do that, just let me know." The buzzing and the pat to her shins prompts her to move her feet, the soles of her shoes sounding on the deck with a *clump*.

"I have CAP in an hour but I took the morning shift, so I'll be there for the midday bell rush." Martin replies. The tone in his voice can't hide that he wouldn't mind seeing her again, but it's also friendly enough to not be too pressing. Rising, he looks back to her face as he passes her to get to the dryer. "If you want to get some lunch and talk, well, I'll save a chair for you just in case." Martin says akwardly. His back turned to her, he makes an annoyed face at his choice of words. Opening the dryer, he stuffs his clothes into his bag and walks backwards towards the door. That's when the intercom goes off. "Frak…that's Jupiter." He says, giving her an apologetic look. "I'll see you soon, Katherine, I've got just enough time to check on that and then haul myself to the Ready Room…" He cringes. It's how it is on the Kharon, maybe people being forced to rush about on short notice. Turning on his heels, he opens the door to the laundry and runs out.

"Yeah, see you around, Maritin." The parting commentary is made just before the washer buzzes and marks her turn to get stuff in the dryer but she doesn't move, letting it sit while she watches the pilot leave, her brow creased. "Well, that was…odd," she murmurs to herself as she finally stands, returning to the drudgery that is wash.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License