2023-02-01: A Brief Respite
- Cutscene: A Brief Respite
- Cast: Eight York, Lavnadim Orlodhari
- Where: The Ra Mari II, Captain's Quarters
- Date: 0097 02 01
- Summary: Eight waits in her quarters; Lavhi joins her, and they have a talk before getting some much-needed rest. Occurs between 'The Origin of Destruction' and 'The Destruction of Origin'.
The clock's display on the wall increments onward another minute; it's been about twenty minutes since Rena left, and Eight York is seated on the couch in the living area of her quarters. The couch is fairly simple, done up in red sectionals in an 'L' shape, and Eight–in a short nightdress–is curled up in its corner with her bare feet up beneath her. She's been waiting for that twenty minutes or so with a tablet in her hand, going over reports of damage being repaired.
In theory she's supposed to be resting, but in practice her mind is running too quickly for that, and she's truthfully more than a little lonely in these large quarters, waiting for a confrontation. She needs to get some sleep, but…
"Eight?" comes Lavnadhim Orlodhari's voice at the door, and Eight brightens, uncurling on the couch and raising her voice to say, "Come on in!"
He opens the door and steps inside. As the door closes behind him, Eight looks him over; he's clearly tired himself, dressed in dark coveralls for engineering work, since their uniforms are still being made. But his brown eyes soften upon seeing her, and she's rewarded with a rare smile despite the heavy atmosphere all over the ship.
"Eight," Lavhi says again, and slides around the couch to come and meet her. She stands, and they hug. Her arms slip up his back, and his down around hers, and they stand there for long moments, her head turning to rest against his shoulder. "Lavhi…"
"I am here," he says, tiredly, "My duties have kept me away."
"Mine, too," she says, pulling back and moving down into a seat. "But Rezza insisted I get some rest. Shh. Come on, lay down. Tell me about how it's going."
It's not exactly an 'official' way of taking a report, but Eight feels better with Lavhi laying down on the couch, head in her lap. She brings her hand down into his hair, and looks down into his eyes.
"The engineering teams are doing well. Our systems are nearly back to full; the weapon banks are fully charged, and our armor has been reinforced where it was weakened. The Spinal Convergence cannon is operational. We had to divert some power from the engines temporarily to reinforce the weapons array, but I know you do not plan for us to run away."
"...That's right," Eight says. "We have to stop this here. There's no running."
"I thought not. The ship will serve you well. I shall be in Engineering, when it is time, in case more work is necessary."
"...Thanks. Your teams OK?"
"The first and second shifts are resting. Those who can see your friend, 'Rita', were buoyed by her presence. All are committed to our mission." Lavhi's voice is calm and even, though Eight can tell; it's calmer for her presence. He missed her.
"That's good. That's good…" Eight sighs, and leans back into the couch, looking up to the ceiling as she strokes her Engineer's hair. "The other teams have been doing well, too. A few people needed to be relieved–the strain was too much. But they're resting now, and we had enough backup to fill their spots."
"I see. Will you hold it against them?"
"...No. That much death is traumatic, and not all of our crew anymore are soldiers. We'll arrange counseling for them with Minae, and if they can't handle it… there are other jobs they can do."
"Yes, that is well. …You are doing well, Eight. They look to you, and you have not let them down. Nor will you. I believe that."
"Thanks, Lavhi. …Your faith means a lot to me."
"I say only what I believe is true. …How is Rena?"
"She's holding up. She'll be ready for the mission. We had a good talk… I'll tell you about it, when we get out of this. It'll be something to look forward to. All right?"
"...Very well. This I will do. I will hold you to this, as well." Lavhi closes his eyes.
"Mm… Yes." Eight reaches down, and Lavhi takes her hand in his own, squeezing lightly before they settle their hands against his chest. Eight is quiet, for a while after that. "..Let's get some rest," she says.
"Yes," Lavhi agrees. "You have set your alarms?"
"Mm-hm. …C'mon." Lavhi starts to rise and so does Eight, and they head towards her bedroom. A few hours' sleep should be enough… The room is large, and dark. Eight finds that inviting just now.
Along the way she stops at a panel, communicates with the bridge. "Captain York here. I'm still here in my quarters. Be up in three hours. Then we'll brief for the mission."
"Aye, ma'am," crackles the radio from the panel. Eight steps through the doorway, Lavhi behind her, and prepares to get some sleep.