GR RP "Adventures in GunRunning" ACT 18
POSTED BY: Channain
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 02:50
VIEWED: 20189
PAGE 3 of 11
Rowan's Move
LOCATION: Galley
DAMON: "Floor's fine. 'sides, who says it's the floor that needs the dusting?"
Rowan rolls her eyes before lining up the 4 and the 8 and swiftly downs the 8. Moving around the table, she sets her sights on the 4 while checking out Damon out of the corners of her eyes. Watching him shovel his food, she thought he ate like he was afraid it might just suddenly vanish.
DAMON: "Damn, I wish I could cook like this..." He looks back up at Rowan, licking gravy off a finger. "Aren't you going to have any?"
Shaking her head, she sinks the 4 without hardly taking time to line it up.
ROWAN: "I always wait until others have had theirs...and you should try chewing some of that instead of inhaling it.
EOM
We have art so as not to die of truth ~ Neitzsche
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922
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Damon's turn:
LOCATION: Galley
ROWAN: "I always wait until others have had theirs...and you should try chewing some of that instead of inhaling it.
Deciding to ignore her last comment, he frowns up at her as if she's lost her mind. "Hope you made enough, cuz you wait that long an' their won't be nothin left."
He takes another bite and nods to the last bit of food on his plate. "This is really good. Where'd you learn to-" He catches himself mid sentence. He doesn't like to pry but he's surprised to find that he's actually interested in knowing about this woman's life. He shakes his head, more to himelf, and returns his attention to his food. "Sorry, nevermind."
I'm not broken, in my dream I win...
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MERZ move
She hangs in the cargo bay for a short time, just … paused. Time to go eat, yes but not yet. Interesting ‘feeling’ right now. And just possibly a concept for it exists in the database. She accesses her dictionary – compiled over a long time, partially from training database, partially from live observation, and partially from her own research. She locates what she was searching for: catharsis. Definition Three seems most appropriate; ‘A release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit.’
well that certainly fits what just occurred. and I do feel something. relief … well maybe not, I am still … sad. but not so, yes, tense fits. She sighs. to be a civilian is much harder than it looks – they make it look so … effortless. or they conceal it well
Time for food. MERZ is very aware that even here, in this place of plenty, she has not been attending to her bodily needs as carefully as she should. But here, among strangers, she is afraid to be too different or too, what is that word – greedy?. She can afford to build her reserve back up slowly. But hunger is drawing her back to the dining room, from which emerges a faint hum of conversation, and the clicking sounds she heard the other night.
KAYLEE passes her, drifting back down to her Engine room, as distracted as she has been all day. MERZ does not know what to make of this, and tables it for later observation and contemplation. In the Galley/dining area, Shepherd BOOK is watching ROWAN and appears rather distracted himself, although the smell of dinner seems to be bringing him a bit more toward the present place and time. ROWAN is doing some odd mathematical process with a long stick and a holographic situation board – a rather gifted display of triangulation and targeting. MERZ hovers in the doorway silently for a short time, just watching. DAMON has already filled a plate and selected a choice piece of floor; plate in one hand, spoon in the other. He is eating almost faster than he can chew and joking with ROWAN between bites.
Observing ROWAN the thought occurs to MERZ … what a sniper i could make out of her - very talented … Although neither are paying the least attention to her, MERZ smiles rather tentatively at ROWAN and DAMON as she passes towards the stove. She nods at BOOK, and picks up a plate and chopsticks of her own.
After loading up her plate, she crosses the room and drops cross-legged onto the floor near DAMON, to attack her own meal. She has never tasted anything quite like it, easily the equal of the few real, cooked meals MERZ has had the good fortune to sample. After shoving in the first few bites and savoring them (although a really quick savor to be sure) she looks up at DAMON “S’good, she mumbles through her full mouth, “wazzit?”
She stuffs another mouthful, and wipes her mouth on her right forearm, while waiting for his reply.
EOM
If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress
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Rowan's Move
LOCATION: Galley
Damon frowns up at her as if she's lost her mind. "Hope you made enough, cuz you wait that long an' there won't be nothin left." He takes another bite and nods to the last bit of food on his plate. "This is really good. Where'd you learn to...sorry, never mind."
FLASHBACK
He was looking at her like he was seeing her for the first time all over again. "You cook?"
Tasting the hot and sour soup, she decided she needed a second opinion. Dipping the spoon in again, she held it up for him. "Taste."
He did and his expression became even more severe in his shock. "It is...good."
It was easy to misread his tone. "Oh come on, you won't hurt my feelings - you don't think there's too much red pepper?"
"No, I mean it is good. But I do not recall - did you tell me you could cook?"
She frowned at him, taken aback by his sheer astonishment. "You act like you've never seen anyone cook before."
"Well." He shrugged. "No, I have not. We had people for such things."
It was like something out of the ancient times on earth-that-was. How the higher houses in China had a bevy of servants to see to their every need. Considering his upbringing, it wouldn't be that unheard of for him to have never seen the preparation of the food he ate every day.
A little embarrassed over the fascination in his eyes, she turned back to the soup. "Wait until you taste my bao."
His arms came around her from behind, his hands sliding over her as he nuzzled through her hair to her neck.
"Do you know how jealous my father would be to learn I have fallen for a beautiful, intelligent woman who knows how to make bao?"
She smiled and turned her face toward him. "You haven't tasted it yet."
END FLASHBACK
ROWAN (smiling sadly): "Glad you like it."
The 5, 7 and 9 still remain on the table, but all at once she's not as interested in finishing as she had been. Setting the stick upright on the floor, she holds it in both hands, hanging on to the image of Xiang just before he kissed her in front of the oven. Had she ever felt that cherished?
MERZ: “S’good," she mumbles through her full mouth, “Wazzit?”
Caught up in another of what was becoming a series of very vivid ruminations, she hadn't noticed when Merz came in. Smiling at her, she saves Damon from having to stop licking his plate long enough to answer.
ROWAN: "It's sesame chicken a la Fa Zhou - secret family recipe."
Lifting the stick again, she makes fast work of all three balls in succession - 5 to the southwest corner, seven to the southeast corner and the 9 back in the southwest corner. All in less than two minutes' time. Lifting the stick to set it on end again, she nods with satisfaction and looks around the room.
ROWAN (grinning): "Okay! Anybody game? I'll even spot you three balls."
EOM
We have art so as not to die of truth ~ Neitzsche
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922
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Damon's turn:
LOCATION: Galley
ROWAN (grinning): "Okay! Anybody game? I'll even spot you three balls."
Damon stands up, holding his empty plate and cup in one hand and heads back to the kithen for round two.
"I have to head back to work. Where's Jayne? Merz and I the only people who eat on this boat?"
He walks back to Rowan watching her reset the table while he eats.
"I have a strong urge to say hitting 9 balls into six holes with a stick is easy, but then I suppose people wouldn't spend hours doing it. Must be the rules... rules can make anything difficult right?"
I'm not broken, in my dream I win...
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Book's Move
Galley
Walking around the table past Damon, Book gives him a slightly amused look. "You really should take the time out of your work to play Rowan a game." Book glances at Rowan as he goes to the food and gives her a wink. "I'm sure it wouldn't take too long and you could get right back to work."
Chuckling under his breath, he slices a few hunks of protein off onto a plate, dollops on some gravy and grabs one of the rolls that were left over from a previous meal. Stopping to look at everyone else, mainly half-finished with their meals, he clears his throat and considers asking the room if anyone would mind if he said grace. Deciding against speaking out to people who have already consumed their meal and are preparing to leave, Book walks to the corner couch and sits, sets his plate down on the table and bows his head.
EM
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MERZ move
LOCATION - DINING ROOM
ROWAN
Okay! Anybody game? I'll even spot you three balls.
Meal finished, at least for now, MERZ considers. there are things i must do. however, how long can it take? to learn something new is always worthy and maybe it will lead me to understand what it is she is doing … you are not fooling me merzedes, you just want to spend some time here, with ‘friends’ and have ‘fun’… so what if i do? high time i learned that, too …
MERZ stands and sets her empty plate in the sink. She finds an empty glass and drinks three glasses of water. Then she turns to DAMON.
MERZ
“Take a minute off, everyone is not finished eating. Won’t kill you to light for a spell.”
MERZ looks at ROWAN “Show me, please.”
EOM
If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress
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Damon's turn:
LOCATION - DINING ROOM
MERZ
“Take a minute off, everyone is not finished eating. Won’t kill you to light for a spell.”
Damon cocks his head slightly to the side as he looks at Merz, considering her words. He would have figured her to be more concerned about the work needing to be done.
Well, Jayne's either screwing around with make-up or working in the cargo bay by himself. Either way I guess he can wait a few minutes, at least 'til I'm finished eating.
"Alright then, but I can't stay long. Maybe Book can take over for me."
He looks over at Book and stops when he sees him praying, head bowed hands folded. Damon watches him with a distant fascination. It's been over six years since he last saw someone pray and seeing it now seemed... awkward.
Waiting until Book is finished with his prayer, Damon swallows his food and asks: "Does he hear you, your God?"
OOC: Maniac, Damon's next question will be: "How do you know?" so you can blend it into your next post if you want to save some time.
I'm not broken, in my dream I win...
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Rowan's Move
LOCATION: Galley
DAMON: "I have a strong urge to say hitting 9 balls into six holes with a stick is easy, but then I suppose people wouldn't spend hours doing it. Must be the rules... rules can make anything difficult right?"
MERZ stands and sets her empty plate in the sink. She finds an empty glass and drinks three glasses of water. Then she turns to DAMON.
MERZ:“Take a minute off, everyone is not finished eating. Won’t kill you to light for a spell.”
MERZ looks at ROWAN “Show me, please.”
With a delighted grin, Rowan rests the stick against one shoulder and takes the hand held from the back of her waistband. She pulls up the game menu while she explains the rules from memory.
ROWAN: "Actually the rules are the easy part. Use the cue stick and the cue ball - that's the white one there - to shoot nine balls into six pockets, lowest ball to the highest. You can either shoot directly, or use the lowest ball to sink a higher ball, so long as you hit the low ball first. Sink one according to the rules and you get to try for another. Sink one against the rules, or hit a high ball out of sequence and the next player shoots. The player with the highest score wins. Dong ma?
A couple of quick touches to the screen and the rack of nine reappears like magic and Rowan tucks the hand held away again. Taking the stick, she moves around the table again and flips it twice over one hand before gripping it and holding out the lower end to Merz.
ROWAN: "It starts with the break. Shoot the cue ball into the rack of nine to separate them. If you sink one on the break, you take another turn."
EOM
We have art so as not to die of truth ~ Neitzsche
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922
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Book's Move
Galley
Book finishes his silent prayer and remains with his head bowed and his eyes closed for a few moments, listening to the room and thinking about all of Serenity's new souls. As he opens his eyes and looks down at his plate of food, Damon's voice floats into his thoughts.
-------
Damon - "Does he hear you, your God?"
-------
Book looks up from his food and glances across the room to where Damon is standing, watching him intently. A gentle smile sweeps over Book's face, and he says softly. "I certainly hope so."
-------
Damon - "How do you know?"
-------
Book considers his answer for only a second before replying. "I guess I don't know, but I have faith.
EM
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