i'm on your team

Owen Frank, 27, Civil Team Leader “No one has ever become poor by giving.”

[leahschroeder]

I’m late but hopefully fashionably so? I’ve never been good at navigating that line between tacky late and fashion-forward late. Is there decent food, at least? Got caught up running through a few calculations and didn’t eat lunch or dinner.

[owen-frank]

[Owen looks up from his seat at the table, where he's currently occupied with a plate of cocktail meatballs that may or may not have been pilfered from one of the tables.]

Well, these are alright. Kinda processed, but I mean, what else do you expect?

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

well this is

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

Good point, though i seem to be struggling to show several people here that I am not my job, nor constantly on the job. [Rolls her shoulders faintly] I did, to ensure i had something for all occasions

[owen-frank]

Well...Like I said, maybe this would help.

What color is it?

[leanna-harper]

A party?!

[leanna-harper]

Uhh no. Definitely not.  I tend to avoid everything to do with valentines day.  I just eat the chocolate and that’s it.  

[owen-frank]

Discount chocolate the day after is the best, absolutely.

Well, I'm sorry light-years of distance couldn't get you away from Valentine's Day. Truly.

[joannabeech]

Let’s just hope it’s not as awkward as middle school.

[owen-frank]

Oh god, I really hope not. I mean, I guess won't - after all, I don't think anyone's really valentine-d it up yet, y'know?

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

well this is

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

To be honest, i wouldn’t mind a night in disguise, even if it’s just in an outfit that doesn’t seem like me

and if it helps others feel like I’m not watching them as a shrink, hopefully they will have fun

[owen-frank]

Well, it doesn't have to be "not you" to show everyone.

Did you bring anything nice? I mean, well...not like work-nice but like occasion-nice?

[leanna-harper]

A party?!

What? Are we in middle school again?  

[owen-frank]

Does that mean you're bringing valentines and candies for the rest of the class?

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

well this is

[leahschroeder]

Or so I’ve been told.

[owen-frank]

Giving advice to the psychiatrist now?

[He glances to Michelle, head tilted. The dig, while a dig, is not meant entirely in a hostile manner.]

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

well this is

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

Dressed up? Do you mean in a nice outfit or a costume? [her head tilts to him curiously] that depends, would it help you if I did?

[owen-frank]

Well, outfit. I don't think anyone brought their costumes for Halloween, shame as it is.

I...I don't know. I guess. I mean, it's just supposed to be fun.

[leahschroeder]

A certain amount of "mingling" is expected as these sorts of functions, yes?

[leahschroeder]

I’ll bring something along, just in case. At the very least it might act as a conversation piece? “Hey, what are you reading?” “Oh, you know, just something I picked up on varying nucleonic models in quantum chromodynamics. Bring me punch?” 

[owen-frank]

Ah, absolutely. Who can resist thermonuclear physics and...uh, chromo-whatever-you-said.

It'll be great. So long as no one spikes said punch, though I'd hardly put it past some of the...people.

[leahschroeder]

A certain amount of "mingling" is expected as these sorts of functions, yes?

Meaning it would be inappropriate to bring a book?

[owen-frank]

Well, it's probably going to be really loud and crowded, but who knows?

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

well this is

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

Parties aren’t generally my scene..not to mention there are a few here that are put on edge when I enter a room, like I’m assessing them and their interaction with others

[owen-frank]

Well...maybe if you dressed up or something, they would figure it out.

[leanna-harper]

I’m barely a writer.  I took a few classes in college, and I guess I liked it, I just didn’t see myself doing it forever. Off the record?  Honestly being in the caves I had a strange feeling in my gut about being there.  Just I can’t prove there was anything there, so I can’t really say to postpone it. I do know that next time we go out I’m going to ask for more security. You know… just in case.

[owen-frank]

Hey, "barely" is still more than most people.

Huh, strange feeling. You're right - there's no reason to do anything without proof. [He sighs.] I agree, though. Thanks - uh, just don't tell anyone I was asking around about that, yeah?

[michelle-light-deactivated20150]

well this is

different..is attendance required?

[owen-frank]

Probably.

Why?

[owen-frank]

...a party?

Kinda weird, but hey, I'll take it.

[owen-frank]

Anyone? Anyone? Kirby? || Owen & Madison

[madison-ruiz-deactivated2014022]

Madison jolted, stopping dead in her tracks when she heard Owen call out to her.  She stared around before seeing him and relaxed her shoulders a bit.  She motioned at her data pad and shrugged.  “Just updating my pad.”  She answered, listening to him get out his issue before she sighed and rubbed her forehead.  Of course Kirby was useless to more people that just her. 

"Well, I don’t know if I’m necessarily the muscle, but I can probably get what you want accomplished one way or another."  She replied, pushing her hair out of her face.  She really needed to get some bobby pins from the hygiene and such shop.  "Come on, if we go now, he may still be in his office, if not, I know where his official stamps and such are."  Was that bad to admit?  Eh, if Owen tried to say anything she’d just keep walking and ignore him.

While walking, she slips her data pad to continue its updating into her thin jacket pocket.  It was running out of battery life and she wanted it to focus solely on finishing the update before dying.  She’d just plug it in when she got to her quarters.  “I’m sorry Doctor Kirby hasn’t done his work.  I try to get to most of his paper work, but even so, a lot of it seems to slip past me, or not get to my grasp until issues like this arise.”  She told the other as she gave the man a half smile.

[owen-frank]

Owen watched her sigh, and all he could do was to shrug apologetically. He wondered who could take the man's place - perhaps Dr. Howard, though her own expertise was limited when compared to the others. Trinity would be interesting, but they'd never put a synthetic in charge.

"It's a shame you don't have your PHD yet," Owen remarked as she joined him, "I mean...no one around here likes paperwork, but at least you do it. But yeah, let's go see if we can catch him." Owen waited until she caught up, and then he began walking again, his steps brisk and purposeful. He chose to disregard the comment about the stamps - after all, if it came to it, he could just turn the other cheek, right?

"It's not your fault," he acknowledged her with a nod. "Trust me when I say that if I could get it out of the way, I would, but I don't know half of what's on the forms you guys send in."

Owen stepped up to the door and moved to punch his code in, speaking as he did so. A moment after, though, something seemed amiss. The door wasn't opening. Owen frowned and pressed the buttons again. Again, nothing happened.

"Um, well...He wasn't going to like...lock us out or anything, right?"

[leanna-harper]

Ack, you’re right.  Just a whole bunch of walking cliches.  What my Creative writing teacher would say if she saw me now….

I can believe it. Family tends to worry about silly little things like that.   Uh… sure, go ahead.

[owen-frank]

You're a writer too? Have you talked with Sonya - I bet you two could come up wit some crazy stuff.

Um, do you think that...do you think that there's any possible reason to get the next trip delayed? I mean, off the record.

[owen-frank]

Anyone? Anyone? Kirby? || Owen & Madison

Another day, another item Dr. Jerome Kirby failed to turn in on time. Really truly, Owen wouldn't mind if it was anyone else. As one of the team leaders, though, Dr. Kirby was supposed to turn in his paperwork on time. It made it much more inconvenient for Owen when the man failed to do that - Mercer was much better about it, but she didn't have quite the volume Dr. Kirby did.

Maybe that's why he's so bad at it, Owen mused as he wandered over. Tablet tucked under his arm, he had foregone a jacket or a coat - after all, he wouldn't be out for any length of time, though he had heard the weather was supposed to be pretty dicey soon. Maybe he just gets so much, and he gets sick of it.

Owen liked paperwork. Paperwork didn't really ask anything of you, and he always found it relaxing to sit down and complete a pile. Plus, it always left him feeling accomplished, and he could sit, take a look at what had been done, and what there wasn't left to do. Granted, not everyone took it in the same way he did.

A flash of red hair caught his eye - Madison Ruiz. He had been speaking with her lately. She was an interesting sort of person: one with traits seemingly opposite his own, but they had established some weird, casual cameraderie regardless. Maybe that was the entire reason they got along - Owen couldn't imagine how boring meeting a clone of himself would be, and two Madisons would just be...He couldn't think of the right word, could only imagine the judgmental glares.

"Hey, uh, you doing anything?" He called out. "I'm supposed to be talking with your boss, and, well..." He sighed, bit his lip, and shrugged. "I know it's you who turns in half the stuff, so I might as well use the muscle. I mean, if you're busy though..."