oom for doc, kate, and esfir - kate's room upstairs in milliways

[scurlock]

[follows this]

She's peaceful.

Doc stays awake once Kate has fallen asleep, choosing to watch over her and keep 'guard' instead of getting his own rest. He's not particularly tired, even after not getting any sleep the night before thanks to the conversation with Bill. His mind is alert, and awake - yet his thoughts wander, and time passes without him really knowing how long it's been.

Approximately a half-hour after she's drifted off, he decides to fetch the tea he promised earlier. It won't take long to run downstairs and make a quick stop at Bar.

When he moves from the bed, he's careful not to jostle the mattress or make a sound as he pads across the room to the desk. He pens a note and leaves it beside the one from Esfir, just in case Kate wakes while he's gone:

Getting tea. I'll be right back. - J

He continues on through the room and unlocks the door without making a sound. The only noise that echoes faintly is the click of the door being unlocked, and then he steps into the hallway--




-- and nearly into Esfir.

A pause.




"Good timin' or what?"

Comments

[aimedforthemoon]

Esfir, looking slightly better after her nap in Ben's room, raises an eyebrow at him.

"Oh?"

[scurlock]

"I was just gonna step out and grab a cup of tea from downstairs. I think she's up for somethin' other than water, now."

Doc glances back towards the bed.

"She's doin' a lot better'n grabbed a shower awhile ago. Catchin' a nap at the moment, she's been asleep for 'bout a half hour?"

[aimedforthemoon]

She nods.

"Good. We need to talk," she adds with a wry smile. "Katya and me. Did you tell her?"

Esfir is, underneath all her cool and calm, actually angry.

[scurlock]

"I hadn't, yet," Doc says. "I was gonna let her know once she woke up. We...we talked."

A beat.

"And there was no screamin'."

[aimedforthemoon]

"Good. Come to any important conclusions?"

[scurlock]

"We...actually, yeah. We did."

Doc smiles faintly, looking back into the room.

"I think we got a really strong start for makin' things work," he says. "Still gonna take time and all, but...anythin' worth doin' does."

[aimedforthemoon]

"Still need me to sit between you?"

[scurlock]

"Honestly, I don't think we will," he admits. "For now, anyway."

[aimedforthemoon]

"...we'll see."

Esfir's faith in them is blinding, apparently.

"Mind if I take over babysitting?"

[scurlock]

"No," he says. "I'll head down and grab that tea, maybe git somethin' for myself."

Give them some time to talk.

(He knows when a woman is pissed and wants him to beat it.)

"Let're know I'll be back shortly?"

[aimedforthemoon]

"How shortly?"

[scurlock]

"Long 'nough to fetch tea and give you ladies some time t'talk."

Doc glances at her, slightly curious.

"That a problem?"

[aimedforthemoon]

"I said I was planning to talk to Kate. And I am going to talk to her. Not sure how we'll be."

[scurlock]

Doc nods.

"Well I'll take my time downstairs," he replies. "So that ya'll can talk. If you're still talkin' when I git back, I'll just drop off the things and then be in my room 'til you're finished."

[aimedforthemoon]

She nods.

"Thank you, Doc."

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate is still halfway asleep with her back to the door when the two part ways and Esfir enters the room. She's lucid enough to know that Doc hasn't been gone nearly long enough to get anywhere far, so to say that the click of the door opening and closing surprises her would be an understatement.

She's suddenly very awake, and wondering where her guns are. This is the first time she has woken up without them near her in a very long time, and she's silently kicking herself for not looking for them earlier.

Defenseless, she quickly flips into an upright position to see who's there, ready to roll off the bed and seek cover if whoever it is poses a threat.

[aimedforthemoon]

One tiny pilot isn't a threat.

Or, well, shouldn't be.

Esfir raises eyebrow at her.

"Good afternoon, Katya."

[ikissdhimbck]

She lets out a sharp, sighing breath of relief when she sees Fira, collapsing back against the bed.

She closes her eyes to the swimming feeling that accompanies her sudden movement.

"Afternoon, Fira," she smirks, catching her breath.

[aimedforthemoon]

"How's the hangover?"

[ikissdhimbck]

"Named appropriately."

[aimedforthemoon]

"Need some more time?"

[ikissdhimbck]

She cracks an eye open, gazing sideways at her friend.





"No," she eventually says, pushing herself back up into a sitting position with a soft frown.

Esfir looks serious.

Well. More so than usual.

[aimedforthemoon]

"Good."

Esfir studies her for a long moment.





"What are you doing, Katya?"

[ikissdhimbck]

Her frown deepens.

"I... am preparin' t'have a conversation with you, I reckon."

She licks her lips.

"A serious one, by the looks of it. You wanna sit down?"

[aimedforthemoon]

Esfir nods and takes a seat at the table, hands clasped together and eyes intent.

"I had a, uh, revelation, you might call it. I'm going to outlive you, Katya. Thanks to Weyland, I only die properly, never to come back, when I choose. So, I will outlive you.

And when I turn up to your funeral, I'd like it to be because the other guy got lucky.

Not because you made a mistake, or lost your temper."

There was no condescension in her voice, just a kind of tiredness.