E L L I O T

Went to the porch to have a thought. Got to the door and again, I couldn’t stop.

[hannibooby]

[ashahmadi]

Out of everything Ash could do, would do, or had done, mockery was rather low on the list. Why? Because it was simply not ‘good,’ and it was petty by Ash’s standard. It was like a half lie… the other half was criticism, and personal attacks. Each action separately he had resorted to at one point or another (some more often than another,) but together it was like a pathetic imposer, reeked of immature humor.

It was the humor that bored him.

He either committed to his diplomatic lies fully, or be upright with his criticisms. Either way, there was no humor. He had little patience for the redundancy, and simply too proud to partake in what he saw as a kind of ‘games.’

In that split second, Ash found Doctor Burton’s surprise… pathetic, and his skepticism insulting. Nevertheless, he concealed those sentiments artfully, once again, without a trace of humor to be extracted. It was simply a social duty to be fulfilled, a script to play out, and a manual to follow—you don’t let someone know when you pity them, and you do not argue when someone distrust you, only wait for the chance to prove yourself.

“Casual?” Ash put his arms on the armrests and leaned back in his chair; the back of the sofa dutifully supported the weight of his back with maximum comfort. He crossed his legs at the knees, so he didn’t take up an obscene amount of space, but still appeared authoritative and confident. “Have you met Captain Shang? She is possibly the least casual woman I ever have had the honor to know. And I meant it with respect.” He ended the sentence with a smile, hinting at a friendly intention, “—Have-“ Have I been what you anticipated? He took back the question before it was out. They will get to talk about him sooner or later, but right now it was time to express his interest in other people, for it was polite. “If the Federation chose our crewmates as our crewmates, they must be qualified for the jobs they were assigned. We must have faith in that, otherwise, where do you and I stand?” (—Ah, but it always came back to him, Ash Ahmadi.)

[xburton]

Never had he felt so strong of a desire to completely ignore an individual and return to his work. Elliot liked this man. It seemed that Ash knew him too, and having achieved the goal of the conversation, Elliot had a hard time understanding why it should go on. And yet it did. He once had a colleague like this, who would make every conversation last an hour, elaborating on unnecessary details and making Elliot want to scream.

He was a lone wolf, in a way. Not the angsty, brooding type that hated everyone, but rather the silent and introverted type. He isolated himself. He liked it. There was nothing Elliot could really do about it, not when it had already been hardwired into his mind and the way his body functioned. Other people exhausted him; there was no simpler way to explain his nature. As much as he appreciated Ash and his integrity, it was already beginning to draw on what little energy Elliot had conserved.

"I did. She's-" intense? Mysterious? Sharp as a whip? "Intelligent. She's a natural-born leader." Not that Elliot was qualified to identify one. "As is Mrs. Daly. I just had the misfortune of meeting some of the others in a more-" Reckless? Cocky? Incendiary?  "Informal way."

Rhythmically, Elliot drummed his fingers on the thick folder of papers. He began to wonder why he was even working on them. There was no way he could annotate, analyze, and write a paper on them before he left Earth. There simply wasn't. Numbly, Elliot came to the conclusion that his life's work would have to halt very quickly and very soon. Just as quickly as he had started drumming on the folder, he stopped. Trying not to show his muted panic, Elliot pushed the folder to the side, hoping the troublesome thought would follow suit.

He decided that he would burn that bridge when he got there.

[chip-yates]

"Nothin’ in particular. Just felt like sharing some good food while I can." J.P. smiled at the man opposite him, aware he was being slightly cryptic. He decided to clarify a bit. "I mean, everything in this hotel seems to cost an arm and a leg, and I already bit the bullet, y’know? Might as well." Having to remind himself not to begin rambling, he just picked up another fry and shoved it in his mouth, deciding to let the man say what he would. He didn’t seem like a bad sort so far, but there was still plenty of time for first impressions.

[xburton]

He couldn't help but appreciate the gesture. "Well, thank you." Elliot finally said, forcing a smile and saying, "You must be Doctor Campbell." At this point, it was a simple process of elimination. Having met so many of his other... coworkers, he had only two or three names to choose from. This one happened to be a lucky guess. Introductions were not mandatory, but would likely make whatever came next considerably less awkward. "I'm Elliot Burton. Doctor of Science." Despite resenting the pretentiousness title and rarely throwing it around, he wanted to establish the people who were serious from the mission, and who was more-- casual. The word still didn't seem quite right to him. Some people just didn't understand the importance of what they were doing, was all. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

[ashahmadi]

The Englishman felt immediately wounded when Elliot Burton did not take his outreached hand. He let it dropped naturally—gracefully, one might even say—and tried not to take it personally. (With Ash Ahmadi, everything is personal.) Maybe he had disturbed the other man, but a professional humanitarian such as Doctor Burton wouldn’t let it display so blatantly… would he?

“The pleasure is all mine.” Ash concealed his feelings deeply, with a courtesy smile, properly angled on his lips, “Yes, I am. I still can’t believe that the Federation chose me.” –Perhaps it was his posture? Ash’s inner thought easily detached from his outward speech. His lips and tongue were well trained to be on autopilot when his mind stubbornly obsessed over the dissonance he felt in the situation. Too overbearing? He could be overplaying the confidence and coming off as aggressive… He glanced at Burton’s body language—nesting in the chair with notes and highlighter on his lap. Staid, but humble. If he could mirror that…

(—Quit the pouting, not everything has to be about you, Doctor. He could hear Lucius say with that teasing voice of his, not knowing how much it hit home for Ash. That government dog.)

Fluidly, Ash unbuttoned his blazer, like he had done so many times, so it didn’t wrinkle when he sat himself down in the one person sofa across from Burton.

“I have studied your works, Doctor. They are very sensitive, a rarity in the academia nowadays. Your authenticity is truly admirable. I’m excited by this opportunity to work alongside with you and other great minds. Have you met many others?”

[xburton]

Elliot realized that there was no chance of him getting his work finished, not when Doctor Ahmadi was around. So he finally turned his gaze entirely from his notes. He found himself a bit surprised at Ash's comments. Were they meant to be mocking? It was all too often that Ash didn't pick up on people's mockery. Once an entire paper had been written in order to satirize his research, and he had never picked up on it, instead citing the paper as intelligent and well-informed. So he remained speculative at the other man's comment, about to speak before his mind was called great.

Now, Elliot saw his mind as many things. Creative, open, optimistic, intelligent, and the likes. But never great. Was that really what people thought of him? Maybe he was more qualified than he thought. However, there was no time to drown himself in insecurities. Not when there was a conversation going on which was much more interesting than the worst things he could think of himself.

"A handful." Elliot confessed. "Each of them were busy when I met them." He paused. "It's hard to retain someone's attention when they've already dedicated it to something else." Closing his notebook, he said, "None of them were quite what I anticipated. Most of the others are more-" he wanted to say human, but that implied that the two of them weren't- "casual. Perhaps they don't realize the importance of what they're doing."

It was perfectly viable, honestly. The two of them were industry professionals; they had dedicated years (Elliot had more than two decades of work) to their work. This mission likely meant more to them than the others. The thought wasn't necessarily criticizing the people they'd be working with- rather, it justified the reason they were a bit out of tune with the scope of their assignment. It was the only explanation that made sense.

[ashahmadi]

He had never been the type to sit tight on his hands when nothing was happening. Always the restless sort, one might say that Ash possessed a racing mind that couldn’t stand for stagnancy. It was, perhaps, one of the reasons why he chose to study artificial intelligence—state of the art technology, arguably the very front line of human invention and cultural development… A New Age.

People admire pioneers; Ash, as someone who fed off of admiration, was destined to become one of them… become one of the groundbreakers of artificial intelligence, become one of the first persons to explore the corner of galaxy untouched by man, one of the first persons to witness the future—to witness Earth Two.

But it had been days since he arrived Beijing. After the initial adrenaline rush, and pounding excitement, Ash finally started to feel the world slowing down. Boredom sat in after yet another pre-mission briefings; they wouldn’t even let him meet the android he was supposedly responsible for.

Ash was bitter, and slightly irritated when he entered the lounge with the simple goal in mind of returning to his hotel room—which had become more and more like an office every passing day. What stopped him was the bittersweet scent of cured leaves releasing their organic essence in a pot of hot water. The smell took him home—thousands of miles away, across the vast continent and countless cities, Ash Ahmadi was British born. And he might, might, just be human enough to be caught by a moment of homesickness and nostalgia before the drinker of tea greeted (an overstatement, but Ash was feeling generous) him with a familiar accent hailed from his part of the world.

“That I am.” The computer scientist replied with his own variation of southern England intonation. The fellow Brit looked positively familiar even under the messy dark hair. Ash went up to offer his hand, “Dr. Ahmadi. A.I. Specialist. You must be…” he peered at the notes in the other man’s hands; a few key words stood out, “—Dr. Burton.” Now that jogged his memory.

[xburton]

Elliot almost felt guilty that he hadn't first recognized the doctor. They had never spoken in the past, but being a scientist had made it nearly impossible to avoid hearing about Ahmadi's accomplishments in AI. Even as an anthropologist, Elliot had been impressed when he'd heard. Withholding his compliments, Elliot highlighted a few sentences before saying, "It's a pleasure, Doctor."

There was a desire to not seem so standoffish about being visited in the lounge. After all, it was a public space, and he couldn't just tell the doctor to leave as soon as he'd entered. "You must be one of the people on the Europa." Elliot finally added. Honestly, he had felt bad that he hadn't read through the files about his coworkers after having run into so many of them and ended up being so unprepared, so earlier that morning, he'd sectioned off some time to scan through the information provided. Most of it was boring, but he at least had picked up names and faces.

Still somewhat disoriented, finding his ground had been the hardest part of this whole affair. Being chosen for this mission was flattering, if not a little confusing. He had never considered himself the kind of person suited for interstellar travel, and being chosen over millions of other scientists was baffling to say the least. Now that he knew that he was among the ranks of people such as Dr. Ahmadi, he only found himself more confused. Was it because he believed in aliens? Maybe it was inappropriate to thinks about those kinds of things, to question the reasons behind his selection. Not that it would stop him.

[xburton]

The day had fortunately been quite uneventful for Elliot. He'd gone to bed early and woken up late, eating breakfast in bed and not properly grooming himself until after noon. And it felt great. Currently, he was in the small lounge area he'd been shown to by Gia the previous day, and was flipping through a folder of newly-received data, sent to him by a generous assistant back home in Cairo. It was a series of graphs and charts, something that would have been overwhelming to him if he hadn't been so damn well-rested.

To finish off this blissful, if not idyllic, afternoon, he took a sip of a cup of tea, which tasted strongly of his childhood home. On the first page was a series of graphs showing patterns in atmospheric conditions and frequencies of alien encounters. Within a few minutes, he scribbled down a few notes before turning to the next page, a long interview with a person who had contacted him, claiming to have survived an alien encounter.

See, many times, he'd been contacted by people who claimed to have encountered aliens. He had believed them all, unfortunately, and ended up with skewed statistics as a few coworkers pointed out a high level of drugs in their systems at the time of their testimonies. It had destroyed months of work and made him a laughing stock for some time. After that, his assistant forced him to allow her to screen anyone who wanted to share data with him. This one had evidently had the credentials to come through, and began their interview by describing the encounter as best they could remember.

Then someone entered and Elliot's sanctuary was invaded. He looked up, taking another sip of tea. The individual in front of him was a lanky-looking man with features on par with a marble statue. Turning his gaze back to the statistics, he said, "Are you one of those coming onboard the Europa, then?" Before circling a small block of text that described the smell of the air as sulfurous- a common thread in most alien encounters.

[christiancbale]

[chip-yates]

J.P. thought it was sad how little people reacted with one another here - even in the relatively friendly atmosphere of the dining area, there was little chit-chat, so he wasn’t even entirely full when he flagged down the person walking by.

"Hey," he said with a smile as he gestured to his mostly full plate of fries, "Wanna share?"

[xburton]

Elliot glanced down at the plate, then at the stranger. He imagined the dozens of hazards presented by eating with a stranger- most importantly, the possibility of some kind of allergen being present on the chips- and immediately pushed them aside, accepting one and asking, "What's got you feeling so charitable?" Elliot pulled out a chair and sitting down with only some hesitation. The guy had a positive energy to himself, one that didn't seem too aggressive like Luda's was, or clingy like Jim's had been. It was warm, and he couldn't help but enjoy it a little bit- it was a kind of energy that wasn't as draining as most peoples' were.

[doctorperaza-deactivated2015031]

Karen popped a cough drop into her mouth, letting the minty taste flood across her tongue. The silence that stretched between her and the stranger was like an abyss. She considered walking away—maybe this was the weird man’s way of saying the conversation was over. Just as she was giving up on getting another word out of him, he spoke again. Aliens? What the fuck? Karen’s face was impassive, but inside, she was laughing. What an odd man.

Aliens were a fairy tale. Karen firmly believed that what she couldn’t see didn’t exist. Theories proved nothing—facts were the only rule book on which Karen based her life. . Whether it was gods or fate or aliens, Karen refused to believe in myths. They were stories that humans created to feel less alone in the vast, expansive, endless universe. Nobody wants to feel alone, but everyone ends up alone. Medicine required hard facts. No sick person wanted a theoretical treatment…they wanted antibiotics. 

But Karen aimed to keep her face normal, unresponsive. At the very least, this spurred some interesting conversation. She’d gotten the stranger to poke his head out of the shell, if only a tiny bit. That felt like a victory. 

"Alien life? Have you anthropologists received any evidence of that?" she asked, looking at the chip instead of Elliot. 

[xburton]

Her curiosity was flattering. Failing to pick up on her well-masked judgement, Elliot pursed his lips and said, "Yes. Eyewitness testimony, documented footage, and historical texts detailing encounters. But they endorse an antithesis, so they're omitted from textbooks." Bitterness flooded Elliot's veins. Most of his life had been spent searching for evidence of alien life, but so many times, he found out that an abundance of evidence that already endorsed his point.

So many times, he'd been told this testimony was considered invalid or irrelevant. This was, of course, despite the fact that this same documents were used to validate concepts such as evolution. It disgusted him. People were so afraid of change- so afraid of being wrong- that they labelled him a crackpot. However, he couldn't help but feel like they were simply crippled by their own ignorance. It wasn't that he hated them, but rather pitied their ignorance. He didn't believe in little green men or flying saucers. That was just ridiculous.

Elliot believed in miracles and facts and statistics. Mathematically speaking, the chances of any human life existing was about equivalent to 0. So when anyone criticized his studies, he would simply remind himself that technically, they didn't even exist. Besides, he knew what he saw in Cairo. He knew that aliens were real, and he knew that they were so much more than diamond-eyed green freaks. They were intelligent organisms with societies and beliefs as complex and unique as the human race's own. "We have as much evidence as to the existence of alien life as there is to evolution, or a third sex, or global warming." He ran a hand through his hair saying, "Yet you discount millennia of documented evidence, acting in favor of ignoring the possibility that life and humanity may not be mutually inclusive."

In a way, he felt bad for snapping at her. She seemed to be honestly interested in what he had to say. However, he had to stand by his life's work and his beliefs. Maybe later, if he saw her again, he'd apologize for his outburst. He'd buy her a drink and explain to her the reason for his passion. It was the same passion that drove anyone to study anything. Surely, then, she would understand his anger that so few people gave his views any credibility.

[severiorum-blog]

The stranger- Elliot, there was something about him rubbing Jim the wrong way. All Jim was trying to do was help him, and he was being such an ungrateful little-

Wait, did he say Elliot Burton? Jim turned around, stopping to look at him. The name rang familiar, and he was determined to place it.

"…you’re on the Europa, aren’t you?" It hadn’t been to long ago that Jim was flipping through the crew manifest out of boredom and mild interest. Yes, he definitely recognized Elliot now. That meant Elliot and him would be serving together. Oh Joy.

[xburton]

Oh god. That meant that this guy- this puppy dog of a man- was going to be on board with him for the extent of this voyage. It meant that Elliot would have a six-foot-nothing brute of a guy following him around, trying so very hard to be his friend, for the rest of the foreseeable future. And although Elliot knew that this man knew nothing but the best, there was no doubt that it was testing his patience. "You must be as well." He finally said, sighing weakly and adding, "You still haven't given me your name."

It wasn't that Elliot didn't exactly hate this guy. There was no way he could so quickly pass judgement on anyone, especially someone who wanted so badly to be friendly. It wasn't often that Elliot found himself driven to violence, but if given the choice between punching this guy in the face and not punching this guy in the face, the decision would stump him.

In a not-so-deep place inside of himself, Elliot hoped that he would find the Federation building soon. There was a difference between not having much to say, and being speechless. At this point, Elliot felt more of the latter than the premier. Regardless, he knew that ultimately this guy obviously had no idea the kind of annoyance he was exacting- being angry or aggressive was not going to help when this stranger was not trying to instigate.

[gbrnng]

Visit Original Link

[xburton]

I can't stay in this tomb forever Please let me leave your pyramid

[octavusrp-blog]

0912100 . embassy . beijing

[octavusrp-blog]

Gia barely kept her wince at bay. The floor had already succumbed to a puddle that was rather substantial; now she had to chant nice things to herself in order to stop from stepping back from the barrage. Watching his coat as if it were about to leap up and attack, Gia concentrated on attending to their destination. She could sense her charge was short on temper (and even shorter on manners, it seemed), so perhaps a perfunctory tour of the dining facilities would be adequate.

They left the marble foyer behind and emerged into an even larger room, one whose main wall was entirely made of glass and looked out over the courtyard and surrounding skyscrapers of the Federation. Rain lashed along its length, the sky above utterly slate-grey and roiling. The embassy’s dining area was reserved for special guests: a long room, it curved gently around the spine of the building, which housed the elevator shaft. Sleek and minimalist, the space was clean, humming with various food and drink machines, which were on the far side adjoining the kitchen beyond. 

With what felt like an awkward movement - though was in practice quite elegant - Gia showed the stranger to a painfully modern armchair and table near the middle of the room. The warm downlights cast them in a glow that was far more comforting than the weather storming not three meters away. She hoped this atmosphere, at least, might soothe his frayed nerves. The professional side of her felt a little sorry for him - if he were here on business, having traveled a way, taking some time out would be optimum.

"I will leave you to reacquaint yourself," Gia said in her kindest tone (which could, admittedly, use some work). "Help yourself to the dining arrangements. There’s also a," she glanced at his coat, "bathroom along the corridor over there. Should you like to freshen up fully."

Holding out a hand, she gave him a tight smile. “Gia Shang. Good luck with your work.”

[xburton]

The new room brought with it a new feeling. It was more welcoming, much less despair-inducing than the commons of the building. It was still very uncomfortably coordinated: everything had its place, as if it had just popped out of some furniture magazine. But he appreciated it- she'd obviously picked up on his attitude, and how tired he was. Maybe it had been a bad idea to be so brash with her. Subduing that suspicion, Elliot instead electing to drape his coat over the chair and look around.

"It's accommodating." He said awkwardly, still put off by the manufactured air it seemed to carry. Maybe this was where he was supposed to express his gratitude. "Thank you, Miss Shang." Elliot shook her hand firmly, letting go of her hand quickly, covering his mouth as he coughed. Was he catching a cold? It would be tradition to do as much. Never once had he gone on a trip (or even gone through a day) without exhibiting some sign of his weak immune system. It was a drag, but at this point he was used to it. Procuring a tissue from his pocket, he decided to take up her offer of the bathroom.

Was he embarrassed? No. Rather, having overcome his figurative hangover, Elliot was suddenly overcome with the urge to not want to be around people. It seemed that Gia didn't much enjoy his company, but also that she would stay as long as she was obligated. Maybe (hopefully) in the period of time it took him to wash off his face, she would give up. Elliot didn't have anything against her- really, he didn't. She was understanding despite her distance, and it was a trait that he appreciated in a person.  But something he didn't appreciate, was people in general. So, silently excusing himself, he headed towards where the restroom was. Surely, he could buy himself some time there.

[jocelynsstars]

Carefully retracting her offered hand, Sophie attempted to ignore the rebuff of her handshake. Obviously this man had no desire to make her acquaintance or interact with her. She’d met the type before. A man of science, more interested in his own words and calculations than in the people that made up the world around him. She could hardly blame him, some days that attitude sounded entirely too tempting. 

Raising one finely shaped brow, Sophie took in his physical appearance in a single glance. The word meek was what first came to mind, although looks could be deceiving. She nodded in response to his abrupt introduction. “A pleasure, I’m sure.” She replied carefully. Standing, she made her way to the coffee, pouring herself a cup and adding no milk or sugar. The scalding liquid was a welcome sensation as she took a first sip, returning to her seat. 

"And what sort of science do you engage in? If you don’t mind my inquiring." She took another drink and gazed at him in a steady manner. God he was young. They all seemed young as far as she could tell. She was going to be the old woman aboard the ship. A dangerous role to play, although it could lend her authority. She banished the stray thoughts, tucking them aside for later and returned her focus to her companion.

[xburton]

"Archaeoastronomy." Elliot answered, the bitter taste of coffee making him want to gag. "The study of life in space." The title was more interesting than the definition. Most students of the subject focused on human life in space- advancing science and technology to the point that the population could be spread out between Earth and space, allowing the surface to become less cluttered. But he took the road less traveled.

Aliens were a somewhat controversial topic. Most people wrote them off as the thing of science fiction novels. But Elliot was aware of the truth; so much about where they lived had once been the stuff of fairytales, as well. This didn't make it any less viable. He knew that the chances of alien life were the same as the odds of human life- around nil. And yet humans persisted to exist, to the point where their own abundance was suffocating them.

"I'm going because I want to find out if it's possible or not- if something else really is out there." Not to make friends. He was sure that everyone going on the trip with him had their own motives. Some might even go for genuine concern for the human race. However, Elliot didn't share those sentiments. He knew that mankind would likely revel in its own filth before willingly go somewhere else, and acknowledge how badly it'd fucked up. The fact that redemption motivated this trip had been a curveball to him, but he didn't say as much.

Even the responsibilities he'd have onboard were a mystery. Maybe that would come with training. Regardless, Elliot was part of the mission not because he had any inkling of interest in finding a new place for humans, but rather to find out whether his life's work had been in vain. He wouldn't be upset or angered if he found nothing; the universe was infinite and constantly expanding, the chances that he'd see anything out of the ordinary shrunk with every passing moment.

[enfantdivine-deactivated2015113]

[doctorperaza-deactivated2015031]

The man smiled instead of introducing himself. Karen felt some annoyance emanating from the man, which made her cross her arms angrily. She was just trying to be nice. Empathy was sometimes more of a curse than a gift, it allowed her to truly realize how others felt about her. Before, she wouldn’t have cared, but recently, she had been making an effort. And when such effort met with no good results, she found herself getting frustrated.

But, instead of showing this frustration, Karen merely smiled tightly when he coughed instead of shaking her hand.  Her whole life, she had disguised her power. Not because she was ashamed or afraid of it, merely because it gave her a secret advantage, a sort of cheat with which she could navigate the complexities of the world. As soon as someone knew about her natural gift, people would be more cautious around her. “Need a cough drop, stranger?” she asked, staring at him while she pulled a bag of lemon-flavored drops out of her satchel. She slid one of the round drops out of the bag, offering it to the man. “Don’t worry, they aren’t the kind that taste like shit.”

"Interesting," she replied to his statement, trying not to sound too sarcastic. “Anthropology is definitely a unique field. I suppose that’s why you’re skulking around these displays…got to see everything before you go back to…well, wherever the hell you came from.” 

[xburton]

Accepting the cough drop, Elliot popped it into his mouth, glancing at the piece for a few long moments, reflecting on this stranger. She was so kind to him, and in a way he didn't exactly expect. Despite his standoffish disposition, she had put up with it and pushed to talk to him. It was something that few people had done before. Even his own father had let Elliot have his silence.

Then he realized that he was standing there, staring at a data chip, not saying a word to Peraza. Being mysterious wasn't exactly Elliot's intent. He just didn't know how to explain his field to someone else. "Everyone knows that history repeats itself. And not only on Earth- throughout the universe, as well. By studying humans, I intend to also study alien life. That's why I'm here. I'm not concerned with the novelty of it." 

There was no doubt in Elliot's mind that she had officially labelled him as outlandish. It was the effect that mentioning aliens had on people. He turned his gaze from the chip, glancing at her, hoping to read her face. Was he being insecure? Absolutely not. The only thing he was ever insecure about was the work he produced, not the field he studied. The degrees Elliot had earned spoke for themselves. No, rather, he was wondering if she was even listening. He didn't speak often, and wasn't going to waste his breath on someone who wasn't going to be worth it.

[jocelynsstars]

Cold wind breathing down her neck, Sophie took to the sidewalk at a pace that was well and truly brisk. Despite the chill her head was held high instead of buried in her scarf as it should have been. Nothing escaped her eagle eyed gaze, and her legs cut through the air like scissors as she marched forwards, heels clicking. 

Taking an abrupt turn to the left she allowed the doorman to open the gilded passage for her as she returned to her upscale hotel in the center of the city. Marble floors amplified her footsteps, and she only paused a moment to remove her coat, revealing a well tailored suit, before seating herself in the common area, the artificial fire pulsing warmth into the room filled with hot drinks and plush couches for the guests. 

Pulling out her PADD she flicked through the first several messages with a cursory glance, ensuring that nothing required her immediate attention. Only once she was satisfied did she allow her attention to drift to the one other person seated in the lounge. Their face was just familiar enough to trigger recollection and she had to admit her interest was immediately piqued. 

"A fellow member of the team. What a lovely surprise." She stood and offered one well manicured hand. "I’m Sophie Daly, with the Federation." Her introduction was swift and business like, although not entirely lacking in friendliness. 

[xburton]

Finding the meeting room had been hell enough. Already, Elliot was twice as strung out as he could have imagined, and it was only his first day in Beijing. Having been guided by Gia to the lounge, he had made himself at home, his coat carefully draped over the back of a sofa that he reclined in, holding a cup of coffee in his hands, more for warmth than for function. Most of the rain had dried from his hair, but he couldn't help but feel like he looked like a bit of a lost puppy.

When someone walked in, he couldn't help but let out a muted sigh. The time alone had actually returned some of Elliot's lost energy, and now that someone else was in the picture, he was no longer at peace. She moved like nothing he'd seen before; each step appeared stiff and planned, as if she'd practiced her entrance to the room a thousand times. It was interesting, but not enough so that he wanted to start a conversation. He turned his gaze to the cup of coffee, watching some steam rise from it and curl in thin tendrils.

Then she spoke and Elliot wanted to take a long walk off a short pier. There was no pretense to her tone. He had heard people speak like she did, mostly in business meetings or speeches- it was detached and almost uninvolved. Maybe if he hadn't been holding so warm a cup of coffee, he might have shaken this Sophie Daly's hand. But seeing that there was so much warmth in his palms, he just looked at her, saying, "Elliot Burton, with science." The moment he said it, he became paralyzed with how stupid it sounded. Another sigh escaped his lips before the cup met it and he ingested a sip of gross, black coffee, hoping that it would stop him from saying any other ridiculous things.

[octavusrp-blog]

0912100 . embassy . beijing

[octavusrp-blog]

A meeting. How vague. As an engineer, Gia didn’t sit well with that: she needed precise parameters, boundaries, construction. Everything - from the stranger’s disgruntled hair to his irritated expression - only serve to put her further on edge. But she was, as tiresome it could be, especially in times like this, a Federation ambassador - or at the least a representative from her country. He was clearly out of his depth. It would only be polite to assist.

Pointing out how early it was for a meeting would be folly: in the five minutes they’d been here, not one other soul had crossed the cavernous foyer. Neatly sweeping some hair behind one ear, Gia considered him with what she assumed would pass for a mild expression.

"What time is this meeting? I could escort you to the cafeteria, should you prefer to… freshen up beforehand." Resisting the urge to pointedly eye the growing puddle around his feet, she lessened the distance between them, motioning toward an adjoining space on the far side of the ground floor. Beyond the open doorway one could spy a few couches and low tables; the distant sound of a coffee machine must seem like music to the stranger’s ears.

She might have said as such, but that would presume an intimacy that was both beyond Gia’s sensibilities and his present humor. 

[xburton]

She was judging him. Assessing him. Looking at him like he was a textbook or a pie chart. It made him want to shrink into himself. Instead, Elliot shrugged off his jacket, only prompting further rain to fall to the floor. Maybe that was why she was looking at him with such an analytical glare. Regardless, he gave his coat a good jostle out of spite, and straightened his tie. Although a suit wasn't comfortable, he would not have been caught dead in the Federation building wearing anything else.

"It's in a few hours. I was hoping to-" To gather my mental faculties- "- get something to eat before I went to the meeting." It wasn't entirely false- he had gotten to eat something, but it had taken considerably less time than he had planned for, gratuity of a helpful stranger. The building's cavernous nature echoed his words, despite the soft way in which he spoke them. Trying to hide the offense he took at the implication that he didn't look absolutely spiffy, Elliot nodded and said, "Lead the way."

New places were never a problem for Elliot, it was new people that were the real puzzle. They were more foreign than anything. He knew metal, hew knew wood, and he knew concrete. But the plethora of emotions that anyone could express was dizzying to him. Was solitude so tall of an order?