Once the most-used area on the Fort Sam Houston, this area sees a little less usage by the Maverick Hunters, but it is still an important part of the ship. The mundane tasks of the Maverick Hunter Base are carried out here, from clothes laundry and armor cleaning to basic repairs. Mail sent from Neo-Tokyo is sorted here and delivered, and there is a small commisary, primarily for the human residents of the base, though it gets more than its fair share of usage by the Reploids here, as well. The room is seldom busy, but without the functions performed here, life in the Hunter Base wouldn't be quite as easy.
Dr. Cossack [MH] Kalinka [Casual] [MH]
Down <D> leads to Hunter HQ - Science Area.
East <E> leads to Hunter HQ - Medical Area.
South <S> leads to Hunter HQ - Residential Level.
Bowie moseys into the commissary, laden with neatly wrapped and bowed boxes. Yes, somewhere between Stardroid madness, liberating cities, and other Hunter duties, he found the time to buy Christmas presents. Or maybe he did all his shopping through catalogs. Regardless, he heads in the direction of the tree.
The Cossack sits at a table, with a Lucite cube in front of him. Inside of the Lucite cube is another cube, two feet by two feet by two feet, of some kind of metal, plastic and fabric.
The cube has a hollow on top of it, designed to act as a cigar ashtray. It, however, is empty.
The Cossack stares at the block of material, a cigarette burning between his lips. He stares ... and his expression is unreadable.
Kalinka is in the process of putting gifts under the Christmas tree. She's wrapped them all so pretty. Her nose wrinkles with distaste as her father smokes, and she even tries to avoid looking in his direction, because she KNOWS she'll only get further upset. As Bowie comes in, she grins. "Well hello handsome! I think there is room under the tree still, for gifts!"
The Cossack receives a curious glance from the Texan, as does the ashtray in front of him. Or at least Bowie guesses it's an ashtray - he has never smoked, and with the scientists around here, it's hard to tell what's what sometimes. Kalinka, as always, receives a warm smile. "Evenin, ya two," he greets as he kneels down next to the tree. "See y'all beat me here."
The Madman does not participate in the holiday cheer. At least, not right now. He's been sitting there staring into the cube for as long as anyone can remember today. After returning from church last night, he disappeared for a few hours, only to be found early this morning staring at this block of material permanently entombed in Lucite.
He runs his hand through the hollow as he has every once in a while all day, staring into the object. He continues to smoke, but he ashes onto the floor where a cleaning Met sucks it up rather than into the hollow. Maybe it isn't an ashtray. Or isn't one right now.
Kalinka has no idea, of course, what it is her father's looking at. On any given day, he's off doing his own things, and she's off doing hers. Her life isn't nearly as entwined with his as it used to be. She gaines more independence with each passing year. "Are you done now with your shopping?" she asks Bowie, giving her father a sidelong glance for the simple fact that his brooding tends to make her nervous.
Kalinka receives a radio transmission from Silo.
Bowie has absolutely no idea why the ashtray/paperweight/what-have-you has drawn so much of Dr. Cossack's attention. Perhaps it's one of those new puzzle games like what he saw for sale in one of the stores. To Kalinka, he nods. "Ah hope so," he says cheerfully. The stack of presents he was carrying begin to be laid under the tree. "You?"
Kalinka sends a radio transmission.
Kalinka receives a radio transmission.
He's not about to say what the object is. He wouldn't dare. This is a holy time of year, after all; and this is something very unholy. Very wrong. Very black-hearted and evil. But here it is, and here he is, looking at a block of material inside of a Lucite cube, with a hollow carved in the top of it for whatever reason.
He withdraws his hand, finishing his cigarette, letting the cleaning Met suck it up. The red-helmeted Met, having sucked up the entire cigarette, waddles off into the hallway to be emptied. He doesn't get up -- he keeps studying it, putting his hands on the sides.
Kalinka sends a radio transmission.
Kalinka receives a radio transmission from Silo.
Kalinka sighs, moving away from the tree to have a seat on the couch. And she smirks a bit at her radio; what uncanny timing Silo seems to have, she thinks. "Okay, I am all done shopping, and all done with wrapping too! I am taking a break now." She glances over at her father. "Daddy, what is it you have there?"
It's just as well Bowie is ignorant, isn't it? He shuffles around, finding places to put his gifts. All eventually find a spot, except for three. Those are left to the side. Since Kalinka has asked the question, he turns his gaze to the good doctor, waiting for his answer.
The Cossack takes his hands off the cube when Kalinka brings attention to it, putting them back down on the table proper. He looks back to the two `children', then back to the cube.
"Ziss," he says. "is the consequences of my verd."
Kalinka receives a radio transmission.
Kalinka frowns in puzzlement, slowly standing from the couch and giving an odd look to Bowie before moving over toward the table.
Bowie's expression mirrors Kalinka's as he stands up. The three presents (two larger than a breadbox, one smaller) are picked up and laid on the end of the end of the table. "Whut do ya mean, Doc?"
Kalinka sends a radio transmission to Silo.
Kalinka receives a radio transmission.
<< "I told the world that I would capture Landon DeVry, seal his brain into a container, then imprison it in a Lucite block that I would ash my Christmas cigar into every year." >>
He lets that sit for a moment, staring into the block, before he continues. << "Procyon, before he was killed, or drained, or whatever happened to him ... teleported this block to my laboratory. It is the remains of Eidolon ... DeVry ... whatever is truly left of his body. It was labeled with a note saying as much." >>
He puts his hand on the side of the block. << "I keep my word, Kalinka. Even when it is horrible, I keep my word. Because that is all I truly have of myself." >>
Kalinka peers at the block incredulously, trying to see what it is that's left of DeVry (ash? carbon??). Something within her is mildly disappointed, because she knew that there WAS a part of DeVry that WAS redeemable, but the Stardroids went ahead and killed -him-, too. No second chances.
Bowie nods slowly, his smile slipping beneath a more sober expression. On one level, seeing DeVry's remains trapped in Lucite for display is rather sickening. On another level, he can understand Cossack carrying out his pledge. He's also a man of his word. Now that the riddle is revealed, he seems to have less interest in it than Kalinka does.
The contents of the Lucite block appear to be a compressed block of metal, plastic and fabric. The fabric, assumedly, comes from whatever Eidolon was unfortunate enough to be wearing that day. The Lucite block appears to be of Cossack's own devising.
<< "All we have, Kalinka, is our honor. Our word. And we must keep it, even when it is terrible." >>
Kalinka merely bobs her blonde head, then eventually turns her gaze away from the small object. After a weary sigh, she suddenly asks: "Would anyone like to have some fresh coffee? I could put a pot on."
Bowie smiles weakly and with relief for the change in subject. Terrible promises are not something he cares to think about just now. "Sure, sunshine...oh, Ah've got some presents here that won't fit unner the tree..."
Kalinka chuckles as she begins fixing the coffee. "And who are those BIG presents for, hm?"
Bowie's smile strengthens. "Well, seein as ya two are here..." This may be interpreted as he doesn't want to wait two more days. The space underneath the tree isn't /that/ crowded.
Dr. Cossack smiles thinly and lets the two children speak, moving the cube further away on the table with a casual gesture.
Kalinka suddenly grins in delight -- much like her smaller-self did on the video footage from the other evening. "Oh! You brought me Christmas present TONIGHT?"
Bowie regains his usual smile as he takes out his slightly battered pocketwatch and flips open the front casing. "Accordin to mah calculations, it's already Christmas Eve elsewhare in the world. So it's close enough."
Kalinka has always been a big fan of presents. The rest of her may be growing up quickly, but there's still an eager little girl inside of her who LOVES to tear open presents. "Oh!! Okay...and would you like yours, too??"
"Sure, if ya have it ready. Ah can be patient if it's not." He's not quite grinning, but you can definitely see the excitement in his expression. This is the first time he's had a Christmas with family, not counting spending part of that day with a co-worker and his folks. He picks up the square box and holds it out to her. "This one's yers." Once she takes it from him, he turns around and slides a flatter, heavier present over to Cossack. "An this one is yers."
Dr. Cossack looks over to Bowie, turning away from the box, and puts his hands on his knees. He doesn't look particularly eager -- more like curious as to what Bowie could have gotten. He accepts the flat, heavy box and rests it in his lap, looking it over before glancing to Kalinka.
Kalinka smiles with an almost childish delight, beaming a sunshiney grin at Bowie as she takes the present. Carefully, she begins peeling open one side of the box. "Ooh, what could it BE??"
Inside Kalinka's box is a motorcycle helmet, laid upside down. Its color is almost the same as the Triumph's, with a tinted visor that slides up or down. Nestled inside the helmet is another, much smaller box, its lid imprinted with the name of a jewlery store in Houston.
The contents of Dr. Cossack's box is more literary. Inside is a coffee-table size book entitled _The Cossacks_. The dust cover is slightly faded but otherwise in good condition, and if he checks the front cover, it bears a printing date of somewhere in the early 21st century.
Dr. Cossack opens his package after Kalinka opens hers, as he has always done. He looks over the book that becomes visible, pausing to look at the inside cover to see the authors before turning it over to read the back. "Oh, ziss is veddy nice," says the Cossack. "I haff been looking for hardbound version of ziss book. Could never find it."
Kalinka bounces on the balls of her feet excitedly upon seeing the helmet. In a fit of exuberance, she goes to put the helmet on -- and that's when she sees the tiny box within. Arching a brow, she carefully takes out the box, with a surprised glance over to Bowie, and then...she slowly lifts the top off to see what's inside.
Inside the jewelry box is a necklace. It's a silver pendant, not quite two inches long, in the shape of a knife, its handle inlaid with a small sliver of turquoise. Its chain is also silver, with a simple but complimentary design.
Bowie watches the two expectantly, hoping that they are liked, and is quite pleased when they are. "Merry Christmas."
Kalinka does, indeed, like her presents, if her reaction is any indication. Giggling, she twirls around with the necklace clasped in her hands. "Oh, this is WONDERFUL, Bowie, thank you so much!!"
Dr. Cossack is a bit more understated, though still appreciative. "Thank you, Bowie. Vas veddy considerate of you to get me ziss. It must haff cost quite a bit."
Bowie just smiles. "It's only money," he says casually. "Not often Ah get t'spend it on others." The third present is slid over to Cossack. "An this one's fer both a ya."
Kalinka gasps in amazement, clearly surprised. "Bowie, you are a regular St. Nicholas tonight!"
Bowie chuckles. "Can't be. Don't have the beard fer it." Or any facial hair, for that matter.
The box is stuffed mostly with tissue paper, as its contents are rather small. Tucked inside are two tickets to the Checkov Theater in Moscow, for a production of "Three Sisters" one night in mid-January. "Ah know the Stardroids kinda spoilt yer plans t'see The Nutcracker this year. Meybe this will make up fer it."
Kalinka is truly living up to her 'Sunshine' nickname tonight -- she looks absolutely THRILLED, and that brilliant smile just lights up the whole room. "Oh, thank you, thank you so much!! We are going to have the BEST time, the very BEST!" She happily leaps over toward Bowie, to envelop him in a tight hug. "Thank you!!!!"
Dr. Cossack chuckles softly, looking at the tickets. "Veddy good, Bowie. You haff done your homework." He can only smile at Kalinka's exhuberence.
Bowie is hugged. And he doesn't mind a bit. He returns the hug, squeezing Kalinka tightly. PDA police, beware. "Yer welcome. All Ah ask is y'all enjoy yerselves."
"Oh, we WILL!" Kalinka almost kisses Bowie, but...she puts a kabash on that idea really fast. (That can come later, once Daddy has gone back to his Lab,) she thinks with a smirk. Then...she grins over at her father, then looks back to Bowie. "I have something for you too, Bowie! And Daddy...yours right now is at Grandma's, because we are going there on Christmas anyhow." She lets Bowie go, then walks over to the tree to pick up a rather large box and bring it over to him.
Dr. Cossack sits back with his book and watches Kalinka and Bowie. He is more than happy just to be the audience.
Bowie raises his eyebrows at the size of the box Kalinka hands to him. "Thought Ah said not t'break the bank on me?" he gently teases. He reaches around the sides of the box, slipping his fingers through the seams of the wrapping paper and tearing from there.
Inside the fairly good-sized box is an ornate leather saddle, with a distinct violet-hued southwestern design on the seat and skirts. The seat itself is reinforced with fiberglass, but it isn't particularly modern in appearence.
"I thought it was something you could use," she says with a grin.
[OOC] Kalinka says, "aaaaand...the PICTURE of it...is...*getting the URL*"
[OOC] Kalinka says, "http://www.bufordsaddle.com/bighorn/saddles.htm"
[OOC] Bowie says, "You just like stunning me into silence, don't you? ;)"
[OOC] Kalinka says, "Halfway down the page, the purple Southwest model. 8)"
[OOC] Kalinka chuckles!
Bowie is once again surprsied into silence as he takes the saddle out of the box. He scruitinizes it for a moment, his smile growing into an ear-to-ear grin. "Aw, sunshine...ya shouldn't have. Thankee. Ah like it." The saddle is then set gently back into the package, so he can reach out and give her another hug.
Dr. Cossack looks over the saddle. Huh. Must be some sort of American thing.
Kalinka returns Bowie's hugs tightly. "Okay, now that you have new saddle, we need to go riding, so you can test it out, make sure it works like it needs to," she says with a wink.
It's a horse lovers thing. Non-riders don't have to understand. Bowie continues to grin. "Yer right," he agrees. "Ah'm sure it'll fit Comanche jus fine, but you should come an explain t'her jus how nice her new saddle is."
Dr. Cossack, not really a horse person, starts to zone out, beginning to read through the book Bowie gave him.
"I hope it is her color!" Kalinka says. "You know, ladies need to be color-coordinated. I hope she is not fickle with the color," she says with a giggle.
Bowie can't seem to stop grinning. "She likes bein dressed up, so Ah'm sure she'll like it."
Dr. Cossack, while leafing through the book, imagines `dressing up' a horse. Does not compute.
(And the scene fades out.)