Dec 29 17:45:15 105 PA

From Chronicles

The current game time is: Tue Dec 29 17:45:15 105 PA.

The garage is not open for business but a flickering light are on. Despite this, very little noise comes from within, the only sounds being metal clanking and the soft roar of a welder. Inside, the light is coming from the welder, and the petite figure welding is muttering to herself, using a heavily gloved hand to scrub at the grubby cheeks beneath the mask she wears. The muttering is inaudible but not happy, at all.

Another not so large figure pads into the garage. She's fully armed and armored, but the figure can't be a man. Really, because of the size. Her helmet isn't on though and there is an awkward little pause from her. "Knock, Knock?" She asks, in a low voice. "I can't help but think I'm double-disturbing you. Once because you are not open, two because you're muttering to yourself and welding while everyone else is getting ready."

Caliopa finishes the piece she is working on, before sitting back slowly, lifting the mask onto the back of her head. "I ain't open. What do you need?" The bluntness is unsoftened, without the sunny smile that lives on the girl's face. The routine smudges on her cheeks are smudged with more than oil for once. "Talk to myself a lot when folks ain't here." She twists the switch on the welder, shutting it down and putting it safely out of reach.

"Came to see how you were." She says, inviting herself to sit on a nearby bench. Little thunks are heard from the gear that hangs off of her armor. "What's-his-face crazy-man asked me to watch over you. Said that your man would be busy and that all the other men shouldn't have the job because they'd be busy watching you instead of watching out for you. Couldn't find you anywhere, so I thought I'd try here." She talks in a relaxed voice, really quite aimable. "You all right?"

The expression on Caliopa face is utter incomprehension. "That don't make sense. Zaphod? He reckons the blokes would be watchin' me?" For some reason this annoys her, and she downtools, rising to her feet to stride across the garage. "I ain't that much of a liability, ain't that dangerous." She tidies, automatically putting things in their place, before changing her mind, putting them elsewhere. "Jus' a piece worried over this. Ain't you scared?" She turns to face the other woman, her expression revealing the level of anxiety and fear here.

"'Course I'm scared." Eliza says in her quiet voice. "But you do what you have to do. I mean, I've been in my share of fighting. I know my fighting like you know your engines. I don't want to die, but . . . " She trails of and smiles. "We risk our lives because things have to be done. I'm tired of these robots killing people. Sad that they took an innocent man. Sometimes you have to draw a line in the sand." She cannot help but smile and turns her head away so Caliopa can't see it. "You are a very pretty woman. It is second nature to most men to try to protect you, because they see you as being vulnerable. I think you can look after yoursel."

The statement about Caliopa being pretty gets an irritated shake of the head, but the rest is listened to with a serious face. "See, same here, I ain't goin' 'cause I want to be killin', but they took one of the only friends I got. Only doctor I trust a piece." She tightens her lips slightly, glancing at the thing she removed three times, absently picking it up again to move. "I ain't as easy broken as folks seem to think, else I'd not be still breathin'." She hesitates for a moment, her face serious. "If folks are thinkin' I ain't of use, more a hindrance, I'll not go."

"Oh, I don't think so." She murmurs. "Especially Zaphod. He wouldn't have asked you to come if he didn't think you'd do alright. Put yourself in his shoes. He has the lives of everyone in this plan that he put togeather in his hands. Yours and mine, your man's, even Doctor Kalvin's. Those are some pretty big boots that he has to wear and you can't blame him too much if he just wants to make sure psycology isn't a factor. He looks like an experienced soldier and knows his people. Trust him. I do. He wants you there for a reason. Are you hungry? Did you eat?"

Caliopa gives the other woman a studied look, her expression thoughtful. "Right." She nods abruptly, putting the item back in its original position. "Ain't eaten a thing all day, ain't that sure it'd stay put." She chews on her lower lip, obviously ticking over the comments in her head, "Blokes don't make a piece of sense some days, 'tween Zaphod tellin' you to be keepin' a look out, 'n' Sebastien yellin' at me." She begins the habitual tidying up of the garage, hesitating as she holds the gun she was practicing with. Decision balanced, and then putting it safely away. "Guess food ain't a bad plan." Her skin is pale enough that the freckles stand out amid the smudges. "You hungry?"

"I am, a little. That's why I brought you some food. I figured that you hadn't." An innocent little smile. "Maybe the thing to do is just be thankful though? It's always nice to have someone watching your back, isn't it?" She opens a brown paper bag that was hitherto un-noticed. "Nothing much here. Couple of roast beef sandwiches. Have one. Hope you like them with a little bit of mustard." She hmms. "So, what are you bringing by the way? What are you dressing up in, and carrying along?"

"I... didn't figure there'd be a dress code." That might be a joke but if so, the attempt falls flat. "Figured I ain't good with my gun, ain't takin' it 'case I shoot one of us." She gives the bag a look of interest, balanced with nervous nausea. "Sandwiches'll do. I got some armour, guess that ain't a stupid thin' to ..." She trails off, her hands twisting in front of herself. "I ain't gonna be of use watchin' your back, I ain't good with shootin', nor killin'."

Eliza grins a little more. "Well, you know how it is. Dress up really nicely and you'll get taken somewhere interesting. Okay, good. You have armor. What's wrong with your gun?" She pushes the sandwich at Caliopa in an 'eat this' sort of way. "Come on. Nom on that while you tell me. You know, the way I figure it, you've got a real axe to grind with these things. They killed one of your team-members, and kidnapped your doctor.."

Caliopa takes the sandwich, settling down on an oil can to eat it, her face thoughtful. "Them robots, they ain't got a mind but one someone put there. It ain't their fault some folks took them 'n' twisted them into some piece of evil." The words are soft, mild. "Now the folks that done that to them, they are a piece of home made evil that oughta not see the light of day, doin' things to creatures that ain't ..." She trails off with a shrug. "Gun is too big, can't seem to get my hands 'round it rightly."

Eliza hmms, tapping her chin. "All the more reason not to feel bad for shootin' that mind right out of their fool heads. Just tin cans, that's all. Isn't like your doctor friend. Tell me, do you shoot energy or projectile weapons? But it isn't any different than blunting the edge of a sharp can so a child doesn't hurt themselves on it." She munches her own sandwich absently, looking as calm as she has when she walked in. "

"That is an energy thin' but I ain't comfy with it, not really." The viewpoint Eliza puts forward gets some serious consideration, the sandwich forgotten in her hand. "That makes a piece of sense, like puttin' a hurt dog down." She nods slowly, her expression turning thoughtful. "Yeah, makes a piece of sense that." Pleased at making sense of things, she takes a large, inelegant bite of her sandwich, bunching her cheeks like a hamster. "Do you..." Caliopa clears her throat, "Do you reckon they'll kill one of us?"

"So, you shoot projectile weapons then? Great. Let me introduce you to a couple of close friends." She reaches to her calves, unbuttoning a couple of quick releases on the straps there to let the two holsters come loose. "You should be able to adjust these to put them around your thighs. This..." She holds up the right one, which is black. "Is Mickey." The right one is held up right after. "This... is Ricky. Don't ask. Take them with you, if you can use them. They're a little smaller in the grips. I've still got two others, plus my rifle. As to killing one of us... who knows. Maybe. We hope it won't happen." Ricky is also silver.

Caliopa gives Eliza a wide-eyed look, taking Mickey and Ricky slowly, testing the grip. "You sure?" She looks worried as she checks the safety, practicing her grip. "Guess we got to hope that. Ain't no way of makin' sure of it." She shoots the other woman a serious look, the colour beginning to return to her cheeks. "Thanks Eliza." Bluntly spoken, the words match the look of gratitude in her face. "I'll give them back to you once this is over."

Eliza waves her fingertips. "Not quite done yet." From around her waist she unbuckles another belt. "This has magazines on them. Twenty on them. Because Micky and Ricky eat ammunition like a big fellow eats hamburgers. Each one has two, one for each barrel. I taped them togeather though, so... looky. Hit the release button right there by the trigger and they'll fall out. Then you just push the other in. It clicks, and you're good to go. There's not much recoil either, but they're full auto. So as long as you hold down the trigger they'll keep shooting." A gentle smile as she stretches. "Besides. Who wants to live forever? Death's just a transcending experience. Part of life. Go on to something else afterwards."

Caliopa tests the release mechanism, nodding slowly, her face thoughtful. "Transcending experience, is it? Still, somethin's I ain't keen on explorin'." She gives the other woman a smile then, not the sunny one but warm and friendly. "Guess we'd best get ready." She wraps her sandwich back up, having eaten half or so, leaving it on the side. "Still don't make sense, what Zaphod said." Those words are a mumble, slightly resentful. "The Heart is all purrin' 'n' workin' like a dream." That is definite, a reassurance that one thing, at the least, will go right tonight.

Eliza stands up and stretches once. "Sure it does. You'll be fine." She leans over then, and probably really unexpectedly to someone who hates physical contact applies a small hug to Caliopa. "I need to go get the rest of my magazines from home. I'll see you at the hangar." And with that, she begins to pad out.

Caliopa returns the hug after a brief startled moment. She watches the other woman leave with a thoughtful expression, her forehead knotted into a frown. Then she turns, heading for home, to armour up and go to the hanger. "Still don't make Tags: caliopa, eliza