paradoxlol | .008

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.008 | Video.

[The video turns on, and Arthur's looking... well, as slick and suited up and uptight as usual. He's actually pretty relaxed right now, thanks to his night of binge drinking and partying in port, but since he's not like BUDS with any of you, it's unlikely anybody would notice the slight changes in his body language. He clears his throat, then holds up a MYSTERY BAG.]

I'm not wearing this. I don't care if the Admiral strikes me down or, or turns me into a rabbit for going against orders. I draw the line at [He points to the bag] this.

[Slowly, his eyes drift upward, as though he's expecting retaliation. When nothing happens, he sets the bag down and moves on.]

Oh. And with the Doctor's return, I've resigned from my position in the library. [Arthur may be all business here, but he's secretly TOTALLY HAPPY about this. Because damn, librarian was a horribly boring cover, in retrospect.] It just makes more sense this way. [He offers a slight smile.] So, if you're looking for a book, don't come find me.

[Private to Mindy]
I think this is the longest you've gone without trying to kill me. [A beat.] If you're interested, I'd like to show you what I do.

[Private to Hayley]
If you're free, I can meet you on the deck.

[OOC: ~~This is assuming, Jae, that the "LOL ARTHUR ALLOWED MINDY TO BUY HIM A COSTUME" thing I mentioned to you is still a go.~~ lolol got his costume now]

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Don't thank me yet. [After all, it may not work at all. He looks over to the doors.] Do you need me to let you back into the warden deck?

Still. The offer is worth something, even if Capa says no. [She's not even to the idea that they'll actually do it, let alone succeeding. To the latter, she nods.] Oh, uh, sure. Thanks. It'll save me asking Capa to let me in.

[Hayley tosses as sarcastic grin his way.] Do you want to escort me to the lab too?

Sure. [He smirks in return.] I might as well finish the job. [That and he can make sure she's not going into the lab or any other area unsupervised. He's not even certain if she can get into the lab without a warden unlocking that door, too. If her status as an assistant has an impact on that... Well, it's something to look into.]

Gee, aren't you a gentlemen? [More sarcasm, but Hayley seems more amused than annoyed. She follows along with Arthur to the doors, waiting relatively patiently for him to unlock them.]

I'm occasionally old-fashioned. [A little personal joke, given his love for classic, retro styles. He opens the door and steps aside.] After you.

[For now, he's a little quiet, his mind working on possible scenarios for the extraction. He looks at Hayley, wondering if he should make with the small talk, but he's not terribly good at or interested in it.]

You don't say. [She sets a sidelong glance at his suit, scanning him up and down for a split second as she passes by him and into the warden-only area.

Then they're walking toward the lab. The silence doesn't bother her and, when she glances over at him, she recognizes the same pensive consideration that she has seen in Capa so many times. There even seems to be the same hint of wondering whether or not he should speak, so Hayley offers him a reassuring smile and looks forward to continue walking, knowing that Capa at least is more comfortable with not making small talk.]

[As they reach the lab, Arthur opens the door and looks in. He's not going to leave if there's nobody else in there.]

Do you like science-- [He looks at Hayley.] --or just the company? [After all, if Capa's the only person she trusts... He just wonders how paranoid Hayley is, if she tries to minimize her time spent alone on the Barge, or if there's no other reason to her sharing a job with the person she trusts, other than a mutual interest.]

Both. [She smiles, glancing over at Capa -- bent over his work without even looking up -- and then back to Arthur. In a quiet voice, one meant such that only Arthur will hear, she feels a bit like she's talking to the softer side of Rex.] I miss school and learning, honestly. It's cool to work up here and learn new things.. but I doubt I would be up here as much if I were up here with someone else. I mean, Capa spends most of his day up here. He needs someone to remind him to eat and to like, help him stay organized. Those are things I happen to be good at. It's like.. a functional friendship, and those are pretty rare on the Barge.

[Pausing, Hayley glances to Capa and back again.] You know, as long as you're here.. We could just talk to him now. Maybe not everything? But like, the basics. Ask him if he's interested.

Edited 2010-10-22 02:02 (UTC)

[He laughs a little, softly, to himself. It sounds like his relationship with Cobb, sometimes.] I can imagine.

[He glances between her and Capa.] If he doesn't mind the interruption. You know him better than me. [Really, he wants to see how they interact, to get a gauge on things.]

[Hayley nods and glides forward with a bounce to her step indicative of the subtle impatience of her age. She comes to a stop near Capa, offering a short greeting.] Hey.

[And then she stands and waits for him to finish whatever thought or sentence he's on, knowing he's always in the middle of something. As soon as he finishes, then she'll have his attention briefly.. long enough to ask if she can hold it for longer to talk to him about the proposition, one she's not entirely sure he'll be comfortable with. It's reminiscent of her asking the favor of him with Crane almost, only Arthur is a warden and doesn't have Capa's face.]

[Capa frowned, chewing on the end of his pencil. He was vaguely aware that others had entered the lab, but he really didn't care all that much. They weren't disturbing his work, so he had no reason to look up. But, when Hayley approached, he glanced over to acknowledge her presence, but nothing more. It was a full ten seconds before he finished his last scribble.]

Hayley? [His attention then turned to Arthur.] What are you doing here?

I escorted her here. [He wonders briefly if Capa knows who he is, or just assumes he's Rex like everybody else... which still made no sense to him, but that's neither here nor there. He puts his hands in his pockets and waits for Hayley to explain. It seems like Capa would take things better coming from her.]

Capa, Arthur. Arthur, Capa. [Hayley gives a quick and unenthusiastic introduction out of sheer obligation. Then her attention's fully on Capa and she gets that look on her face that she knows Capa is wary of, that mischievous smile at the corners of her lips and that glimmer in her eye. She begins slowly so that he'll listen to her logical idea, rather than dismissing it with her immaturity.. Not that Capa ever really did, but she liked to try to sound older when it was important.]

You remember how I lost my memories during that one port, right? Well, Arthur's offered to help me get them back using a kind of meditation. He's a warden-- a research librarian. [Nerds unite.] He offered this drug-induced guided meditation thing as a last resort and I know how you hate Crane and so this really seemed like the best option of everything available. [She pauses for Capa to keep up, oblivious that Arthur might catch Crane's name.] He insisted on another warden to supervise and originally he wanted my warden? But I told him I trust you more to keep an eye out for me and know what's going on, so.. the only way for me to do it is if you're willing to supervise. Oh, and keep it a secret, obviously.

[Wide smile.]

[Capa didn't like that and it showed on his face. The small tightening of his lips, the way that his eyes seemed to freeze. For a moment, he contemplated the idea, though he was well aware that she wasn't asking his permission. But drug induced guided meditation was exactly the kind of psycho babble soft science that he disapproved of.]

Wait. [He spoke the word to Hayley and then glanced over to Arthur. He honestly didn't know the man from Adam, as Capa was not the type to really be observant of anything related to people.] What sort of drug?

[Arthur wants to put his head in his hands and groan, but he refrains. The way Hayley phrases it, he sounds like a new age nutcase. Still, that's what he gets for wanting to keep the real science of the process in the dark. More than once, he opens his mouth to cut her off and explain in his words, but refrains. At least, until Capa asks him.]

A sedative. It induces a state of lucid dreaming. Since Hayley told me that she can remember experiencing fragments of the memory in her dreams-- with limited recall upon waking up-- I thought that it may be the best avenue towards uncovering what really happened that night in port. [He waits a moment, then continues.]

It's mild, harmless, no side-effects. [At least, from short-term use. For somebody who's delved into dreams for as long as Arthur, the side-effects include... no more dreams.] I assume you'll want a sample, which is fine. [That, at least, should live up to Arthur's words.] But I'd like to be here during any analysis. [Because nuh uh, NO WAY is Arthur letting any Somnacin go into unsupervised hands.]

[PS Arthur totally and completely caught Crane's name. And he is NOT HAPPY.]

[Hayley quiets when Capa tells her to wait, rocking on her feet as she watches the exchange between the two. Her excitement sometimes blinds her to logic and Capa's analytical and emotionally oblivious mind is a perfect compliment to her eagerness, helping her to ask the questions she should have asked from step one. When Arthur finishes, she looks from one to the other and back again.

The inmate steps forward to Capa, leaning in toward him with no real notice of personal space, a silent testament to how close they are in some ways. She whispers to him, not wanting Arthur to overhear.]

I don't know that I trust him, honestly? But I'm desperate and I know I don't trust Crane. I'm not trying to discourage you from asking any questions or whatever. Really. I want you to. Just.. please think about it, okay? [She straightens after a beat, offering a humble smile to her friend.]

Good. I'd like to take a look at it. [He did relax when Arthur offered, though. There was no reason to distrust him now, was there? He really couldn't be too sure about these things. People were tricky.]

Whenever you have time. [He glanced down when Hayley whispered to him, but nothing that she said was acknowledged in any other way than him putting the pencil back in his mouth thoughtfully. It was a few seconds later before he spoke again.]

But other than that, I see no reason to refuse. [Anything was an improvement on Crane.]

[Arthur nods.] Barring any acting out on the part of my inmate, I'm free any time, Dr. Capa. I'll be in touch. [And then, to Hayley.] And I'll contact you when we're ready to begin planning.

Edited 2010-10-24 04:54 (UTC)

[Hayley gives Capa a warm and sincere smile, one of depth Arthur certainly has never seen before. Then, after the silent communication, she smiles to herself for a spot. Arthur's remark to her snaps her back to a curious expression as she looks to the newer warden again.]

Cool, thanks.

[Then she moves toward her station in the lab, near Capa, figuring the conversation is done. She's careful not to be rude, however, ensuring they are definitively finished before beginning to sort through Capa's work. She wants to talk to her friend more about it, feeling a little guilty as she realizes the approach probably came across as an ambush, but after Arthur leaves.]

[Capa nodded and turned around, back to his desk to work. He didn't really mind the interruption, but he didn't have time to really give this a lot of thought. He'd have more questions for Arthur later...certainly. But now he just wanted to finish his work with Hayley hopefully helping.]

[AND ARTHUR LEFT.]

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.008 | Video.

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Spam - We can end at lab or just summarize here, whatever you prefer. I prefer lab.

Spam - LAB IT IS. Also I've got some brainstorming on the extraction, will email

Spam - Hoorah!

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