Security Central
Unlike most of the rest of the complex, the security offices are designed for ease of use rather than aesthetics. Wood paneled walls and marble floors are not to be found here. Brushed steel and plate flooring take their place. The acoustics in this room are designed to muffle sound, so despite the metal flooring and the constant coming and going of security personnel, the area does not quite achieve a cacophonous state. A large bank of monitors takes up the bulk of the east wall. On each is displayed video from various security cameras as well as information garnered from customs and immigration. It is from here that security can keep an eye on most everything that happens in the Complex. There are always at least two uniformed guards on duty with nothing to do except watch the monitors. A broad desk is located near the entrance, with an officer present to handle queries.
Three arched doors lead from this area. One to the brig, one to private offices, and the third to the elevator lobby.
Contents:
Niko
Tally Board
Obvious exits:
Chief's Office Brig Elevator Lounge
Niko is, in fact, just taking a seat. "And the dress doesn't hurt," he concludes to a rather amused-looking Kaycen. "Very nice dress. Ela needs one like the one Giani was wearing."
Kyara skitters in almost at a dead run, coming to a sliding halt at Niko's desk by grabbing at it, and she waves a folder at him with a grin. "I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it! Where's Riley? I gotta tell him before I burst. Unless he's in a meeting or something, I suppose. Bursting can wait then."
Niko blinks a few times. "Uh, I don't know. Just got here. Congratulations?"
Kyara snickers."You don't sound so sure of it. Oh, Nick, I'd've never been able to do it without your help, I swear. All those book references..."
Niko suggests, reaching for one of his Medic-Approved Cookies (tm), "Maybe if you told me why I was... oh, the exams?" And now he really does grin, looking most pleased. "Hey, that's -great-!"
Kyara nods until there's danger of her head falling off, just /beaming/. "It's more than great. It's... it's... splendiferous. Could you track him down for me?" she pleads. "Assuming, of course, Clara let him have his radio today. I'm fairly sure, this once, I've done something he'll approve of."
Niko's brows lift just a bit. "Why wouldn't Clara let him have his radio?" he inquires. "I can buzz around, though, yeah. Won't tell why, that's your job."
Kyara snorts softly. "Cause that's /her/ job, if he's overdoing it, and when doesn't he do that?" If they weren't on duty and in uniform, Niko'd be in immediate peril of receiving a smooch, she's that happy, but as it is, Kya just widens her grin a notch further. "Thanks, Nick. I do so want to see his expression when he finds out."
Niko lifts his eyes briefly skywards. "We're all on that schedule, he's not been overdoing it. He's in there, go on in." He waves vaguely towards Riley's office door.
Kyara chuckles. "And knowing him, he wouldn't skirt it either. That's good to hear, at least. Thanks again, Nick." She bounces- there's just no other word for it- toward the office door, slowing to a proper walk and decorum as she reaches it. "Be back out in a bit. Now I can put a full day's work in again."
You walk towards the Chief Addison's Office.
Chief Addison's Office
This office is something of a haven from the chaos in security central. It only has one viewscreen, although there are controls to direct it to any of the observation lines. A large desk takes up the bulk of the room. It's a battered affair, and shows the signs of great age. It doesn't really fit in with the polished atmosphere of the Complex, but neither does the man it belongs to. Piles of paperwork, scattered datapads, and a lurking terminal take up the majority of the space on the desk, but somehow room has been found for several photocubes and a small plastic penguin. The floor is carpeted in institutional gray carpeting, soft enough to muffle footsteps. The walls have been painted a comforting dusky blue, and are hung with photographs depicting the office with a much more cheerful paint job involving cartoon penguins and neon yellow. Several large electronic maps are hung on the wall, each aglow with various telltales and marker lights. In front of the desk are two newish looking and comfortable chairs and one battered and exceedingly well-loved looking couch. A shelving unit contains stacks of noveldisks and a couple of stuffed penguins.
Contents:
Riley
Obvious exits:
Central
Mass chaos has apparently ensued. Penguins lie scattered amongst the shattered remains of Riley's unfortunate desk. Pictures have been torn from the wall, the glass shattered. Paperwork is spread positively everywhere, and filing cabinets have toppled, their contents scattered amidst the mess. Disturbing reddish-brown smears are evident on the walls, as well as odd burn marks. Even the couch is all but broken in half. Perched on the slightly less battered portion of the sofa,
Riley is calmly doing paperwork, as if oblivious to his surroundings.
Kyara pauses, rather startled, just inside the door, her eyes going wide as she gazes around. "Oh... my... spirits... Tornado?"
Catching the sound of the voice, Riley looks up from the paperwork with a quickly flashed grin. "Something like that, Kya, yeah. C'mon in, just be careful of the glass bits. Pull up the remains of a seat."
Kyara nods, coming forward to gingerly brush off a chair and just as carefully settle into it. "I got a little more paperwork for ya, I'm afraid." Her eyes start to twinkle again, though she's fairly successful at keeping a straight face as she leans forward to offer one of those large manila-type envelopes. (Heaven knows her typist has no idea what color it'd be. Envelopes are /so/ scary around here.) "And there'll probably be more coming your way in regards to it."
Uh-oh, envelopes are usually bad things. Consequently, Riley looks more than a hair apprehensive as he settles aside the page he's working on to take the proffered envelope. "More? Dare I ask?" He pauses to actually tug out the envelope's contents, brightening from the worried look, "Kya! Congratulations!"
Kyara lets the beaming grin break out despite her slight look of relief. "Yes, it's good paperwork for once. Forgive me for inflicting more on ya- I daresay there'll be a load about transferring and cancelling the wardship and all that. Ohhhhh, I do hope I know what I'm getting into here."
Riley shifts through the pile of papers, rummaging for his pen. Settling them aside he begins filling things out immediately, still grinning broadly. "You don't," he notes cheerfully. "Or at least most folks don't really have a clue when they make this step. But it's still a -good- thing, a terribly good thing. I'm very proud of you."
If anything, Kya looks even happier at that, though she blushes. "I'll learn. That I can do. Oh, you've no idea what it means to me to hear you say that. That'll ease the homesickness a bit when the times comes."
Riley continues scrawling in various blanks with decided alacrity. He offers a half-smile in between signing off blanks. "It'll be a good thing for you, even though the investment of effort is by no means small."
"That sounds like a quote." Ever nos... er, curious, Kya cranes her head to watch the various signings. "Oh, I'm sure it'll be quite the learning experience, and not just in scholarly matters. And I'll finally be out of your hair," she teases.
Riley pauses a beat, looking amused. "Well, if it is, I don't know of it. Though I'm more than willing to concede the thought it might be." He adds one last scrawl, pausing just a beat in mid-signature before continuing. Haven't you ever had one of those moments where you forget how to spell your own name? Riley has those too. "And you're hardly in my hair, Kya. In fact I'll miss you a great deal when you're gone."
"Have a kid," Kyara promptly suggests. "Which reminds me, I don't suppose you and Clara could get married sometime in the next four months? I really would like to be around for that, and I doubt leave'd be allowed for a wedding." Her blathering pauses before she admits carefully, "I'll miss y'all too, very much."
Riley nearly chokes on an expression of exasperated amusement, "I think I can skip on randomly breeding, Kya, but thanks. I prefer the grown kid variety." He does look a little more sheepish at the latter, "We'll have to see. Clara and I marrying has to go through a lot of paperwork, and a lot of arguing back in the Central Offices."
Kyara murmurs something about cloning, inclining her head with a smile. "I know. I looked it up. Tis why I'm keeping my fingers crossed. At least I think I can count on Anya to take lots of pics if I can't be there. I hope." Dismay briefly flashes through her expression. "That is, if y'all are inviting anybody to attend."
"I think Clara wished to have it on Kashid," Riley replies quietly, glancing thoughtfully towards the ruins of his desk. "Honalee's age and health do not make it possible for her to travel anymore, really. It's all so much conjecture at this point, however."
Kyara blinks. "On Kashid? Hmmm. In that case, I'm not going to to looking for something to wear to the ceremony just yet. I can just see all of Security putting in for leave to attend too," she muses, eyes sobering. "Honalee's not well? I'm sorry to hear that." The Stilvani does note the glance, eyes flicking to follow the gaze, and it's more than obvious she wants to ask, but refrains from doing so.
to go looking, that is
Riley doesn't volunteer the information however, and in fact doesn't even seem to notice the look. "She's well enough, I suppose, for her age. Hona's well on in years even for an Edreeni. She just isn't really up for the jumps through hyper needed to get from there to here. Kashid's on one of the far borders."
Kyara nods, vaguely amused despite those sobering words. "Geography, at least, is one of my better subjects. Tis really a pity a straight trip would take way too long." She pauses before waving a hand to indicate the disaster area. "This, um, doesn't have anything to do with what you said about assassins lurking a while back, does it?"
Riley glances up from the last of the papers, looking almost puzzled as he hands back the envelope. "Goodness, no, as I said she's just elderl..." He pauses, comprehension dawning. "Oh, the mess..."
Kyara settles the envelope beside her on the chair, nodding. "Yes, sorry, I'm being vague again. Now, I realize I haven't had much time to clean lately, with the studying and all, but if I'd known it'd gotten this bad, I'd've made the time..."
Riley can't quite stifle an amused laugh, shaking his head. "This occured this afternoon, it's a complicated situation. No, I am not such a slob as this, I promise you. I'd've never survived in the Navy if I was, eh?"
Kyara shakes her head slowly. "I suppose not. Or at least, not without double the halfblacks you've got /now/." She cocks her head with just a glimmer of amused exasperation. "When is it /not/ a complicated situation around here?"
Riley looks rather sheepish at the mention of half-blacks, but nods. "I seem to be fostering quite a collection." He grins, offering a half-shrug. "Never in my memory of it. Perhaps before the Complex was built? When it was a pasture?"
Kyara's eyes widen slightly. "Did you manage to acquire even more recently? Haven't had more than the normal crises lately..." She snickers. "Place is cursed, I swear. Wild animals probably terrorized moofla here back then."
"It depends on how recently you define recent, I suppose. I think I'm up to thirty-four. I'm not certain, the board'll have them all listed." Riley shifts against the destroyed couch, half chuckling. "Cursed, that I might buy, certainly the place has no luck. But then, considering how many politicians we have in one place, we might be better off that we could be."
Kyara thinks back for a beat. "Last I knew there was... less than thirty." She shakes her head ruefully. "I do declare I'm amazed at your... indestructibility, I guess. And the place has /some/ luck. It's got you, and Clara, and Nick, and Corian." A sly grin tugs at one corner of her mouth. "You make politicians sound like a bad thing."
"They are," Riley notes with a hint of wry amusement, rummaging for his set aside paperwork. "I'm not indestructible, not by any means. But halfblacks aren't the way."
Kyara's fingers twitch toward a stray piece of picture frame before stilling. "I suppose I shouldn't mention, then, that I'll probably go for a PoliSci major?" she chuckles. "What's your secret? What makes you so valuable to them that even dozens of halfblacks aren't enough to get you cashiered? Not," she assures hastily, "That I'm planning on following /that/ particular set of footsteps."
Riley just groans in a melodramatic fashion, "Where did I go wrong? My child's a politician-wannabe! Ack!" He does look amused however as he fashions on truncated shrug. "I guess because they can't find anybody else willing to take this job. It's evil, it's nasty, it's a dead-end. And if they did cashier me...Well, it'd be pretty public, and a lot of things would come to light they'd not appreciate."
Kyara laughs, "Well, it's not like I don't have /some/ experience in it, and despite the rules unwritten and otherwise, I'm hoping it'll lead to a posting back here some day." Oh, now he had to go and say something like /that/. The question is irresistible. "Like what sort of things?"
Riley just offers a rather sadly rueful grin, slightly shaking his head. "Things I don't want seeing the light of day any more than they do."
Kyara sighs with a light chuckle. "That's a heck of an incentive to succeed at the Academy and further on. Are you doing that on purpose?"
Riley is all innocence personified, he's very good at appearances today. "Who me?" Is the innocent question, followed by a smile. "Not really, I apologize."
Kyara snickers. Unable to resist the urge any longer, she rises and begins to gather up various broken breakables. "No, don't, please. It's weird, but it never feels right for you to be apologizing to me. And don't apologize for that!" She smiles. "Course, by the time I get my stars- hard for folks to hide things in the dark when you're carrying those around on your shoulder- you and Clara'll probably be retired on some resort planet somewhere."
Riley winces as you start to gather up broken things, but does not move either to intercept or to aid. "Kya, don't worry about that mess. It's beyond righting, just yet." He stifles a soft chuckle, "I can't say as I'd mind finding some nice place to retire someday." Left unsaid, but most assuredly the hint remains in the air, is that he doubts he'll get that chance.
Kyara points out, "It'll be beyond righting until somebody works on it. Or were you planning on cleaning this up yourself? You've better things to spend your time on." But she does set aside what she's gathered with reluctant obedience, moving back to her seat, giving you a curious look. "Now's the time to start looking. Clara'll have her twenty years in before you know it, y'know." A slight frown furrows her brow. "You okay?"
"I've pestered Arthur," Riley explains quietly, glancing at the gear. "He's gonna bring over one of the incinerator carts when he can spare one and we're gonna chuck the unsavable stuff as we go. And so we can sort though and make sure we've caught everything." He half-grins, "I'll have to mention it to her." He adds a nod, "Yeah."
Funny, Kya doesn't look like she believes that. "Well, I must say, you are simply amazing. This place looks like somebody set off a bomb. You're moving sorta the way you do when they've had at you with that bloody whip again- no pun intended- but you're... just... fine..."
Riley grins rather wryly, shaking kis head. "Nobody's been after me with a whip. If you were my size, and were trying to do paperwork on a corner of a shattered couch, you'd probably move oddly too."
Kyara just /looks/ at you for a moment before allowing herself a light chuckle. "Very well." Nope, she still ain't buying it, but hey, you're more stubborn than she is. "Here's a thought... Come steal a spare desk out in Central? You're liable to /lose/ paperwork in here the way it is now."
Riley considers that a moment before nodding, "Later and all, after we get the bulk of this moved. I can't take anything out of here just yet. Even though it's all been scanned for evidence records, I need to wait til Arthur and I officially set about moving things to remove anything from the scene."
Kyara's eyes flare wide open. "Evidence records?" She sweeps her gaze around the room once more before looking back at you. "Riley, I swear, you're turning me into a cat."
Riley lifts his brows in amusment, "What, you'd thought I'd done this myself? I pledge you, I didn't, though I was involved, sort of. Hence the need to make an official report, and take note of the evidence. Forensics has already been through with scanners, but Arthur and I want to make certain of it."
Kyara shakes her head a bit. "No, I didn't think you'd done it yourself, exactly, though I can think of one logical, reasonable explanation you would do so." Her eyes stray to the random burn marks. "That one was rather low on the list of possibilities, however."
Riley's brows lift in bemusement, he has to ask. "And what explanation would that be? Or is my curiosity not to be satisfied either?"
Kyara snickers. "Don't tempt me," she teases, and a bit hesitantly proffers, "If you thought something had been planted in here... Well, I've seen searches that did more damage than this."
Riley ahhs softly, nodding. "If I thought there were something scanner shielded, aye. I well might've. The random burns and stains and stuff would still be a bit of a mystery, but possible, yes. But no, I didn't make the mess."
Kyara nods amiably. "Which does narrow the list down." She shrugs. "If I had to guess, I'd say there was one hell of a fight in here, though there's some illogic to that theory."
"And that illogic is?" Riley seems genuinely interested in the methods of conjecture being formed, fascinated even to the point of abandoning his paperwork.
Kyara points in the direction of the tunnel, and nods toward the door. "Far as I know, there's only two ways in here. SecOffs aren't about to allow anybody suspicious in here without a bloody good reason, and supposedly they're the only ones who know about the tunnels. So unless one of the SecOffs... or possibly one of your ranking peers, though I /really/ doubt that one..." She adds as if it'd just occurred to her, "Pulled a Guido and everybody's keeping silent about it, anybody coming in here would have to have some sort of legitimate business as a cover. Now, granted, I haven't looked in on the cells or the infirmary today, so I can't discount that possibility. But it seems doubtful."
"Or," Riley replies quietly, looking rather sheepish, "There might be another door." He pauses, raising his voice to carry. "There's nothing more useless than a lock with a voiceprint." Rah, Doctor Who references! A hiss and a faint click occur, and a slim door in the back wall opens just a hair.
Kyara blinks. A lot. Can you say 'startled'? I knew you could! "Son of a..." She clears her throat sheepishly. "Well. At least you're not bottlenecked in here," is her wry comment. "Then there was a fight. Somebody jumped you? Or tried to? Or you came in on 'em unexpectedly?"
Riley lifts one hand, a half-echo of a shrug. He adds a bemused grin, "It could have been any of those, yes."
Kyara groans softly, letting out a rueful snicker. "I can just see it now- I'm going to end up taking baths with my /tongue/."
Riley considers that a moment, then shakes his head slightly. "No, no somehow I don't think that'd be a habit to endear you to your roomates at the Academy. And don't even -think- about a litter box."
Kyara giggles. "I'll pass on that, I think, yes." She waves a hand toward the newly-revealed door. "Where's that go to?"
"To a conference room down near maintenance, and to a back stair that leads down to the first level," Riley replies with a brief shrug. "It didn't do me any good when demon-woman was here. They re-coded the print on the lock."
Kyara shakes her head slowly. "Who all knows about it? And, begging your pardon, I can understand why it'd be handy, but after this," she gestures toward the mess, "It would seem to be more a risk than a good thing."
"I am no longer certain who all knows about it. The theory is, without my release, it requires my voiceprint to open it, from either side." Riley rummages again for his papwerwork, moving to work on it again.
Kyara shrugs. "You're the last person I'd want to use a voiceprint for. You speak publicly often enough it'd be easy enough to..." She trails off, frowning. "But that'd require 'em knowing the right phrase to string together, and I bet not too many people know /that/."
"And the same phrase won't work every time," Riley notes cheerfully, "It varies depending on date and time of day. But they are useless in my opinion, as you can guess by the trigger phrase there."
Kyara nods her agreement. "So why not put a better lock on it?" She nods toward the door again, inquiring as an afterthought, "Did they get away?"
"I don't really have that option. The way the door's designed I either suffer a voiceprint, or wall it up. Or make it obvious it's there." Riley scrawls his signature on a page, not answering that last.
Kyara grins faintly. Can't hurt to try. "I'd wall it up if I were you. Lesser of the three evils. Voiceprint sucks, I agree, and there's no sense in pulling a SecOff off the regular postings to guard the door."
"I'd hardly set someone to guarding my door even if there were sense in it," Riley notes with a half bemused smile and a mildly distracted tone. "I'd be three or four times as likely to be attacked."
Kyara blinks. "You would? I think my logic train just jumped off the track."
Riley nods amiably as he shifts his position, bringing one leg up to sit half-crosslegged. "It's a symbol of weakness. Having guards is required, it's accepted. Having guards on ones -door-, when one -is- a guard. Well, it implies a lack of ability to defend myself, as well as a lack of trust in my own people."
Kyara shakes her head quickly. "I can accept the rest of that, but I dunno about that last one. People do have guards without distrusting their own folks. Especially around here."
"Yeah, but they aren't the head of Security." Riley points out, pausing and attempting another tack, "If I can't trust Security to keep assassins from my door, should anyone else?"
Kyara grimaces. "Okay, good point." She pauses for a beat, mixed amusement, dismay, and outrage in her expression. "There goes the 'walking in unexpectedly on intruders' theory."
"You feel you can cut it from the available options?" Riley questions quietly, still sounding a bit distracted, although the subject of conjecture has his interest certainly.
Kyara shrugs a little. "Oh, it's quite possible they were in here first and weren't expecting you back so soon. They could even have meant to leave something here to kill you and then flee before you arrived. Allow me to rephrase- it's pretty much eliminates they sneaked in here while you were gone for any reason /other/ than to kill you. I still had that theory in mind, but you're the one who said 'assassins'."
"I offer a genral garment, and you claim it cut to fit the occasion?" Riley teases gently, offering an innocently amused look before once again returning to his work.
Kyara smiles slightly, shaking her head. "I know the old saying about assuming, but I would be very surprised... and delighted... to learn it was other than an assassination attempt."
"I honestly can't say what the intent was behind the incident," Riley murmurs quietly, sinking somewhat back into the couch. "There was little of...polite conversation."
Kyara nods slowly. "I daresay, and I can understand that. Of course, that implies they either /did/ get away, preventing questioning, or you wounded 'em badly enough... or were forced to kill them... that interrogation was out of the question."
"Possible options, certainly," Riley agrees in almost absent amiability. "There are others one could conjecture, but those would be most logicial."
Kyara mhmmms. "They could've suicided as well, which would /really/ be frustrating. Or they could've been removed from here quickly after capture. Almost as frustrating. Personally, I hope you gave them a few scars to remember you by, at the very least. Clara check you over yet?"
Riley's brows just lift at that latter, "Clara is running a blood drive." He points out unhelpfully, offering neither yes nor no. Answering direct questions is not his knack today.
Kyara had noticed that, yes. "Indeed," she responds amiably. "I'd thought of stopping in there and donating, myself." If anything, Kya looks amused. "Please don't tell me you'd think I'd go try to interrogate /her/ as to your condition. I might as well try to break into a bank vault with a spoon."
Riley stifles a quiet laugh, nodding. "Clara can certainly be discreet. I need to head over there at some point, I suppose. I'm told the outfit she's got for this drive is easy on the eyes."
Kyara's fingers twitch in surprise. "You haven't seen it?" Briefly she glances over her shoulder toward Central. "Y'all working different shifts?"
Riley shakes his head a half-hair, "Not yet I haven't. I've been getting home just enough after her she's changed. No, we're working same shifts most of the time."
Kyara's mouth quirks. "Come in a bit early then, would be my suggestion, and then head home just as early. You really don't want to miss that sight."
Riley grins faintly, tapping lightly at his watch. "I'd meant to just go donate, and get to see said outfit in the designed setting. But things today moved against my intent."
Kyara nods ruefully. "It's always something, isn't it. Well, there's a couple days left to the drive, at least." Her eyes flicker toward a stain or two. "Though avoiding medbay might be on your agenda now, I daresay."
"Might it?" Riley echoes, perhaps a hair more distracted before as he continues rummaging through the pile of papers he's holding.
Kyara snickers. "I give up. You are truly maddening to those who give a darn about your health and well-being, you know that?"
"M'glad I'm good at something at least," Riley replies with a faint half-smile, giving up on the paperwork for the moment to relax in the remains of the couch's corner. "Even if it's only being maddening."
Kyara snorts softly, a faint grin appearing. "You're good at more than that, and you know it. You just have maddening down to an art form. Which might explain all those halfblacks, now that I think about it."
"True enough," Riley replies softly, settling the papers half aside, not bothered that some slip into half-scatteredness. "I think those who have handed them over have used just that phrase several times."
Kyara pauses, and blushes. "Sorry. Just teasing. I'm not like them."
Riley offers a decidedly vague grin, gesturing slightly in a dismissive fashion. "Kya, please, no worries. I know better. And I don't even find the phrase objectionable from them. I know it for truth."
Kyara nods, looking sheepish though her eyes narrow a bit. "Good to know yourself that well," she remarks absently. "You, uh, look... tired. Or something."
Riley half rubs at one eye, closing them both. "Tired's as good a word as any," he agrees quietly.
Kyara gestures toward the door, her expression a touch anxious. "I'm afraid that couch really isn't in any shape to be slept on anymore. Perhaps it's time for you to check out for the day?"
"After a bit," Riley replies quietly, once again opening his eyes. "I have to wait for Arthur."
Kyara glances toward the door. "I'm surprised he's not here already. You want a soda or something? Caffeine might be a goodness right now."
"He's a lot of stuff to worry with today." Riley nods in sheepish thankfulness, "I'd love one, if you wouldn't mind to terribly? Caffiene would be amazing right now."
Kyara nods, slipping off the chair. Giving the fridge a dubious look, she slips out, returning in a moment to offer a red can and a wrapped sandwich. "I didn't think Arthur worried about /anything/," she smiles. "And you, and this," she gestures toward the mess, "Should be a priority."
Riley accepts both items, murmuring his thanks as he fumble slightly with the can, popping it open. "This was not the only mess this morning. And I appreciate Arthur covering the rest of things." He takes a long sip of the soda's contents.
Kyara slides back into her seat, elbows resting on her knees as she watches you for a moment. "I'll admit it, I'm biased. I don't suppose I'll get an answer if I ask what other messes occurred today? And, somehow, you are starting to give me the impression Arthur is much more than just a head of maintenance."
"He's also an old friend, who's been here long enough to cover on some things," Riley replies as he drains another measure of the can's contents.
Kyara grins. "I'll take that as an 'affirmative'." Curiosity creeps into her expression again. "You do seem to have the most interesting friends."
Riley half grins at you at that, pausing before knocking back more soda as if it were something else. "As well you should know, being one of them. But yes, I do know some interesting people."
Kyara smiles slightly, inclining her head a bit. "So much for the theory that opposites attract, intraservice differences aside."
Riley settles the emptied can to one side with extreme care, nodding. "I suppose the theory's sound, but like in so many things, there are too many factors for any single theory to hold true." Caffiene doesn't seem to have helped much, and Riley half settles into the couch, not looking like he much minds its tattered status.
Kyara mhmmms, pausing for a long moment before pointing out reluctantly, "You look like hell. No way you're going to stay awake until Arthur gets here unless he does so in the next few minutes, if that's your goal." She gestures toward the door in the back wall. "It's better than nothing. Lock it?"
Riley half-nods, glancing at his watch a moment before raising his voice enough to note. "Unless it's an unlocked lock." Shnick. The door edge shuts itself again, once again all but invisible against the uniform color of the wall. "Worst time when it was painted...had to re-furr it." His words are tinged with an edge of slur, and a decided lack of awareness.
Kyara gives the door a look of amused exasperation. "Sneaky, very sneaky." She turns back with an amiable nod, rising to poke through rubble. "I'm sure whatever provided the fur wasn't at all pleased."
Riley stifles a soft chuckle, "Not real fur," he murmurs softly. After a pause however, he focuses on your movements. "Whatcha' doin?"
"Aha!" Kya's exclamation is fairly soft. "No, I didn't think it was real." She turns back toward the couch with the object of her hunt- a blanket. "Knew it had to be in here somewhere."
Riley blinks a couple of times, squinting to focus better. "Oh," he replies when he manages to discern what the object is. "Amazed it survived."
Kyara chuckles, flipping the blanket out to free it of dust before draping it over you. "I suspect there's another large part of it beneath all this stuff. I'm also fairly sure I don't want to disturb this stuff to find it. But it'll do for now. How're you feeling?" The question is tacked on as smoothly as possible.
Riley doesn't object to the blanket be-decking, instead letting his eyes sink shut. "Had better days," he murmurs quietly by way of reply.
Kyara nods, biting her lip as she steps back. "I just bet." Her jaw firming with sudden decision, she steps carefully through the mess, hopefully far enough from the couch for her murmurs to go unheard.
And indeed, Riley doesn't hear, as he's sleeping as hard as a rock in mere moments.
You say "Nick? You said Riley's been on the regular schedule, right? Now, I realize with the fight and all he'd be tired, but he /never/ falls asleep without shooing me out, and he's doing it now. He's scaring me." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and says "Huh? I didn't say anything about Riley's schedule... oh, the time thing? Yeah, we're all still doing that. But that doesn't mean he's not been doing other stuff after hours, not related to work." There's a pause. "Fight?" in Niko's voice.
Kyara glances around ruefully before nodding, and realizes Niko can't hear her brains rattle in her head.
You say "Fight, or explosion, or whatever happened in here. Office is a shambles and... You didn't know?" into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and announces "I was out of the office til just before you came, tracking down some nonsense in Customs. What happened?" in Niko's voice.
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
You say "*snort* Wish I knew. He wouldn't tell me. He did avoid answering when I asked him if medical had checked him out though." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and announces "Look, Kya, he's sleeping with the Chief Medical Officer. I don't think we really have to worry about whether he's getting enough medical attention." There's a pause, then more quietly, "Shut -up-, Kathlyn. You know what I -meant-." in Niko's voice.
Kyara flushes, suppressing a sigh.
You say "Yeah, I... I guess you're right. She'll catch any internal bleeding or whatever the next time she sees him. Thanks, Nick." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and blares "Clara will catch it. I'll drop her a message mentioning that something happened, if it'll make you feel better?" in Niko's voice.
Kyara glances toward Riley for a moment, considering.
You say "No, this one's my responsibility. I'll do it myself..." Her voice drops to a mumble. "Whether he likes it or not." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and says "Uh, okay, well actually it's -Riley's- responsibility. He's an adult, Kya. Really. Older than either of us." in Niko's voice.
You say "*chuckle* Yes, but he's /Riley/. Wouldn't be the first time he's put off treatment against his own best interests." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and says "And Clara will catch it, if he does, and then she'll toss him on mandatory leave, and we won't have to worry about it." in Niko's voice.
You say "Yes... Yeah, I guess you're right." Not that she sounds like she believes it. "Hey, he's expecting Arthur to show up, just to let ya know in case he, well, shows up." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and announces "Show up where, Security? I'm just here for a moment, popped in on my way back from the rec hall. Kath says she'll keep an eye out for him." in Niko's voice.
You say "That works, thanks. And thank Kath for me, please." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and says "No problem, and Kath is thanked as well. Watch out if she wants to say 'you're welcome', eh?" in Niko's voice.
Kyara glances around, looks back at the couch, and slowly starts to circle the office, just peering and being careful not to disturb anything. She can't help, though, but to pick up a stray penguin and set it carefully on the remains of the desk.
You say "*snicker* Gotcha." into the communit.
Riley snoozes onwards, oblivious to office meandering.
Kyara cannot, of course, suppress /some/ curiosity, after all. But there are limits she will not cross, thankfully, despite temptation. "With this sort of stuff," she mutters to the penguin, "He didn't need that device to get gray hair."
The penguin remains mute. But it would probably agree.
Kyara pauses by the near-invisible door, eyeing it balefully. "Voiceprint. Yeesh. You are just /so/ helpful," she tells the lock, and she wanders back to drop cross-legged into the chair again, gaze on Riley. Okay, so he won't post guards. No problem. She's just, uh, celebrating her good fortune. Right.
Funny, the door doesn't reply either. But then Kya's voice, and Riley's voice, are let's be honest, nothing alike. Riley seems oblivious, sleeping fitfully on.
Just as well. Talking doors would probably convince Kya she'd gone off the deep end. (They're very persuasive, see...)
Come to the door side! The door sleeps, Riley sleeps, the penguin simply offers sad looks.
