As the Crow Flies

Adila is making coffee, or rather, watching it brew. Leaning against the counter, she holds an empty cup in her hand, anticipating. A hand is run through her hair, ruffling the locks and exhaling. Behind her, she's making some eggs and bacon, the crisp crackle of the bacon along with the smell filling the area. Scrambled eggs sit to one side of the pan, which now and again, Adila turns to fluff with a fork.

Remus has arrived.

The voice comes from the doorway. "So... What the hell do I do, Dilly?" Sam's voice comes into the room. "I gotta talk about this with someone." She's running a hand through her hair and looks like she's gotten very little sleep.

Adila jerks a little in surprise, lost in her own thoughts it seems. Turning, she sets her cup on the counter and uses her fork to turn the sizzling bacon in the pan. A fresh pot of coffee is brewing behind her. "Well, darlin' talk." She says, lifting her eyes to look over the ruffled security officer.

Clom-Tiptoetiptoetiptoe. Remus is going with a whole new set of tact, baby. Well, actually, he's not. He's just not wearing his stompy boots, and is in fact only foot-encased in rather thick socks. Any stealth as he heads towards the lounge door is purely accidental.

"Okay. Crow was dead. You know how I was... I was a wreck. I... Went out and would do anyone I wanted to. Got drunk and made a miserable mess of myself." Sam scrubs through her hair. "So... I found the girl I was with for a bit. Nice gal, some baggage though... Came back on the ship and trying to get my lift back together. I'm seemin to be kinda back together. I think different now, you know? More calm, I guess. I guess all the shit I been through has brought me to some kind of peace. I had a man who actually loved me and wanted me. Crow made me feel totally different... MAde me want to be a better person." She moves to settle into a chair... "Then he was gone. Now he's back... And how the hell do I take this? Do... I ... Take him back like old times and hope I can hold on... Or... Fuck. I don't know. I just keep rattlin it all around in my head like marbles."

Adila presses the sizzling mean against the pan with her fork, watching it carefully. Not the best cook in the world, she has to pay attention or she'll get distracted and something will burn. Reaching for the salt, she taps a bit onto the eggs, along with the black pepper. Sam's words bring quiet thought, Adila moves from the eggs to get herself a glass of orange juice. Taking a sip, she takes her station back over the eggs. "Well..." Adila begins, "What do you want? Do you want Crow, or do you want this lady friend who helped you get your life together? Ah might point out, birdman doesn't remember a whole lot, 'bout what happened to him before. Here, on the ship." She pours herself a cup of coffee. "'ave you talked to him 'bout this?"

Meanwhile outside of the room, Remus just catches a few main words of Sam's explaination. He stops. Listens. You know, he doesn't mean to eavesdrop, but he can't help it. He's so close. Either way, when all is said and done, he does the only thing he can do.

The pilot swiftly turns on his heels, and drags his ass right back in the direction he came from.

"To tell the truth... I been running from it some. The lady didn't help me get it together. She... She's a friend. I care about her and all but she's got her own life... Her own world. She can take care of herself and don't need me." Sam just shakes her head slowly. "But Crow... I still have all those feeling for him. He's the one as far as I am concerned. But... Is he the same? Am I just gonna get hurt again?" She looks down at the table and her hand resting on it. "So terrified of it all."

Adila finds a plate, pushing the pile of scrambled eggs and bacon onto the plate with the edge of her fork. After a few bites, she takes a sip of her coffee and rests hip against the counter. Shifting the eggs on her plate, thoughtfully, she exhales a rather heavy sigh. "You can't run from it Sam. He's on this ship, 'ah part of the crew. You an him need to straighten thin's out." Adila rubs her head with the back of her hand, as if warding off a headache. "Ain't nobody the same, Sam, after what he's been through." She comments quietly, forking eggs.

Sam rubs at the side of her face for a bit. "I still love him, Adila..." She says quietly. "Hell... I still had all of his clothes... IN a box and under the bed. I haven't shown him that yet. I never let go..." She sighs deep. "I guess I just need to be havin this discussion with him, hmm?"

Adila's jaw tightens, she tilts her head, using her palm to push and crack her neck. Rubbing her forehead again, she picks up her plate and coffee cup and heads to a seat. Pulling out a chair with a twist of her foot on the chair's leg, she slides into the seat and sets her things down. Resting elbow on the table, she stabs the bits of eggs with her fork. Contemplation is a shadow on Adila's face for a moment, "Tha' might be a good idea, Sam. Honestly I don' know if you can expect things ta pick up where they left off." Sam just nods her head and looks up to Adila, "Yeah." She says quietly. "How you been?" She asks, moving to straighten back in the chair.

Fork set on the edge of the plate, she picks up a piece of bacon, folding it over and tucking it into her mouth. Fingers rub a napkin to rid them of the grease as she chews, swallowing. "I been, Sam, I been. Can't say much more than that. Good to be home." Purposefully, she shifts the conversation subject. "Got some new recruits you might wan' check out sometime."

"New recruits?" Sam says and shrugs her shoulders, "People come and people go. If they stick around they will get to meet me, I guess." She gives a smirk to the other woman. "Or would you just like to hop into bed with me?" Yes, Sam is still like that all the time when she winks.

Somehow, Adila finds no humor in Sam's teasing words. Pushing her half eaten food back, she reaches for her coffee cup, gripping the cup until fingertips wash white. Releasing it without lifting it from the table, she reaches into a pocket, pulling out her flask and dumping a generous amount into her coffee. Screwing the flask lid back in place, she sets it on the table, reaching for the cup to give it a little swirl before she downs several mouthfuls. A deep breath is taken, "Ah think the Shepard wanted you to check 'em out is all." She says with a shrug.

"Okay... Be glad to." And with that Sam leans in a little to look at Adila, "What? What is it? I usually would at least get a laugh."

Adila's staring into her coffee cup like it holds the answers. Finishing what's left in the cup with a greedy gulp, she sets the cup down with a subtly trembling hand. Licking her lips, her shoulders tighten, tension crawling up her back with fisted handfuls of her spine. Blue eyes shift to Sam, looking for a long moment at the other woman. "Nothin." She says at last with rough voice, reaching for the flask. Her hand grips it, the thin metal popping as she squeezes it.

Sam takes in a breath and leans back in the chair again. "No. There is something. What?" Sam just shakes her head, "I would rather you tell me if it's me..." She tilts her head a little, "Adila... Come on. I know there is something wrong."

Pix arrives from Redemption - Training Room - B Deck. Pix has arrived.

Adila is sitting at the table, a half a plate of bacon and eggs pushed away from her, getting cold. Her coffee cup is empty and as she sits stiffly there, elbows on the table, she grips a flask with a rather tight hold. Dropping head to rest on the back of her hand, her eyes close for a moment. When she raises her head up, tears burn in her dark blue eyes. "Ain't you Sam, it ain't you." She says roughly, shaking her head a little. "Just somethin' I gotta deal with."

Sam chews on the inside of her cheek for a bit. "Someone I gotta go kick their ass?"

Adila snorts, lifting her head and leaning back against the chair. Again, those blue eyes travel to Sam, measuring her face. Clearing her throat, "Honestly...." It looks like she starts to say something and stops, wiping her eyes with finger and thumb. A low, soft string of curses in Mandarin slips from her, until she pushes from the table in a rather abrupt motion. "No, Sam. Like I said, jus' somethin' I gotta deal with." She reaches for her half eaten food to take it to the kitchen.

Sam watches her friend get up and walk away and then taps her knuckles on the table in a quick rhythm. "All right." Sam says and just shakes her head, "You know you can talk me to.. .Don't you?"

The more Sam continues to bring it up, the less control Adila seems to have. She shoves the food into the trash, tossing the plate into the sink with almost enough force to snap it. "Not about this." She says quietly, hands resting on the table as she attempts to calm herself some, staring intently at that counter space between her hands.

"Dammit woman. Talk to me. It's obvious this is something big." Sam moves to her feet and over to look at Adila. "Is it Crow?"

Pix tromping boots, check. No wait, not check. Gasp and despair, there is no thundering of footsteps to herald Pixie's arrival before the brunette walks into the Constellation Lounge. Stealth mode, also known as bare feet, or forgot where she put her shoes, is Pixie's modus operandi for the week. Or perhaps the month. When was she last off ship? Who the heck knows. So, yes, just bare feet cross the threshold just as quiet as can be.

Adila's teeth nearly gnash together, the line of her jaw tight. Staring still at that space between her splayed hands, she closes her eyes. Deep. Calming. Breaths. In through her nose and out through her mouth, although the last part comes out across her teeth. Raising up, she looks hard at Sam. "No." She manages. A small twitch makes Adila's hand curl into a fist. "I'm goin' to the training room." She says, turning to head in that direction.

You head through the exit labeled <Aft> Training Room. You are entering Redemption - Training Room - B Deck.

Remus arrives from Redemption - Constellation Lounge - B Deck. Remus has arrived.

Pix arrives from Redemption - Constellation Lounge - B Deck. Pix has arrived.

Sam arrives from Redemption - Constellation Lounge - B Deck. Sam has arrived.

Adila is mad, every inch of her body says so as she assaults the bag. Hit, after hit, after hit, she takes out all her frustrations. Balled up fists hit the bag's surface with a satisfying *SMACK* and when that's not enough, she grabs the swaying bag and kicks it hard with a raise of her knee. Little growls and grunts come from the gunslinger, making the bag sway with a good, roundhouse kick.

That voice comes from the doorway again. "I can beat it outta you." Sam says and smirks as she walks into the training room. "But some way or another, you are gonna talk to me woman." Sam makes her way in front of Adila and looks at her. She then looks towards the brig, "Or I can lock you up until you talk too."

Adila's already a little sweaty, those few moments with the bag raising her heart rate until it is a steady quick sound pulsing behind her eardrums. Sam approaches and she steps back, holding out her hand and pointing at her. "Don't." She says, almost too quietly. "I don't want to throw down with you." Putting hands o her hips. "Just leave me alone, let me get this out my own way." She moves to step around Sam, towards the bag again.

Pix perches, out of sight, like a little gargoyle eyes on the women. There's probably a vent involved.

"Bottle it all inside? I did that. Ate me alive. It's not the way to do things." Sam stays right in front of Adila and stares at her. "So we can talk... Or fight."

Adila's teeth clench, as Sam cuts her off again. Fisted hands open, close and open again. Both hands smooth her hair, lacing her hands behind her head and taking another step back from the other woman. "Sam, you don't want to do this." She says, low and soft. "I'm not bottling it up, I'm tryin' to get it out but you're in my way." Dark blue eyes turn to Sam. "So why don't you just let me handle it."

Sam blows out a very long breath and just nods her head. "All right." She walks over to a chair that is off to the side and sits down in it. She keeps her eyes on Adila, watching the woman as she beats on the bag.

Adila's eyes travel, watching Sam until the woman moves out of her way and sits down. Hands slowly unlace, dropping, shoulders rolling as she approaches the bag again. Turning focus on her 'enemy' she picks up right where she left off, beating the crap out of that inanimate object. An uppercut, another, the bag swaying with the impact as her fists hit the bag with a sickening thump.

"Get it out all you want, but stop dropping your damn shoulder when you punch." Heeey. It's a Remus standing on the stairs. It's probable he didn't go very far after turning on his heels earlier, and resting as he is on the stairs leading to the commons, he's not looking too impressed at Adila's angry punching form. "That or hit it with a chair."

With an audible sound of frustration, Adila grabs the bag and knees it hard. Stepping back, she turns her flustered face on Remus, looking for all the word like she wants to clock him. Inhaling an unsteady breath, she steps away from the bag and onto the mat. Without word, she raises her hand and crooks her finger at the pilot. It's the classic 'come get some' hand gesture if there ever was one. Feet slide apart, dropping into an easy stance. Sam raises a brow and just shakes her head. "She'll fight him but not me. What's up with that?" And the gunhand just leans back in the chair and scrubs her hands over her face.

"S'easy." Remus chuckles as he clears the stairs and enters the training room proper, shaking out his arms as he approaches the mat. "Punchin' you'll just make her feel worse. Punchin' me'll make her feel better."

Adila doesn't say a word, because biting her tongue has already left her with the taste of blood in her mouth. Watching Remus approach as if he said something very bad about her mother, the gun hand simple grins. He gets it. She doesn't have to say it, he can probably see that small shine of understanding. Holding up her finger, she says quietly, "Not, in the face, alright? You black my eye and it will throw off my aim." That said, probably before he's even ready, she moves with a kick aimed at his side.

Pixie fails to maintain the sanctity of her perch. She leans on a loose panel and tumbles right out of the vent she was trying to hide in, failing epically. OOF. Owgawd. FuckOw. She'll blame it on Crow later. Hey, why not start the process now? "She'll fuck him, not you too." Pixie speaks from flat on he rback, twitching a little as she tries to get up off the floor. Her arm is a little numb. "Dilly likes boy parts." She gets to her feet, and mutters, as she watches the failRemus engage one of the security specialists, "Dilly 'specially likes Crow's parts. They been hangin' out a lot, so 'fore y'all go gettin' weird about it, ya might wanna figure out who he's bangin' an' if it matters as it's both." She stumbles a little toward the staircase to the Commons, gimping along since one knee got racked in the fall. "Anybody seen my shoes?"

Ka-pow! The second Remus steps onto the mat, there's a foot smacking him full-bore just above the hip. Just what he always wanted. "Ha-gahf!" Is the only sound he manages to make, and he's about to swing back when a Pixie falls out of the vent. All he can do is stand there, mouth ever-so-nearly agape.

The foot contacts with a satisfying sound against Remus' side. And Adila, she looks like she enjoys it. However, playing fair she steps back to let the man recover, when Pix suddenly falls from the sky. Remus isn't the only one left gaping as Pixie opens her mouth and out flies words. Adila looks like she's been hit now, she falls out of that ready stance and step back, nearly planting herself on her ass as her foot catches the end of the mat. Eyes blink, staring at Pixie as she asks about her shoes. Like ripping off a bandaid, in one, hard pull. Belatedly, she runs her hands through her hand with clawed fingers, again her hands settle on the back of her head. "Jesus CHRIST Pixie!" She says between gritted teeth.

Sam watches as Pix comes into the room. Her face just falls as the mechanic's words tumble out. Those teeth grind. She stares at Adila. It's a long stare, a very long one. The words come very softly, "Him? Him... Crow..." Sam just slowly shakes her head. Words fail to form after that. She just reaches to rub at her eyes a little.

Like an inebriated owl, Remus' head swivels between looking at Pix and then Adila. And Back. And forward again. Finally, his hand goes to where he was just kicked, and not really willing to break his own little moment of silence, he just mouths the word. "Fuuuuuck."

Sam simply stands up and pushes the chair away. She reaches for her gunbelt and undoes it. It falls to the floor as Sam then walks into the room and to Adila. "Time we settled this." As she is throwing off her duster and rolling up her sleeves. "You just can't leave him be... YOu think you have a chance and you just jump in there. Now... We settle this." Her fists go up and she stares at Adila. "Bring it."

Adila turns her head up, staring at the ceiling, as if praying some force will suck her right up out of this room. Shaking her head slowly, "Sam, I didn't want to tell you until you and Crow had time to talk." Her voice tight. As Sam speaks, that little bit of reserve that she had breaks. The taste of her own blood from biting her tongue is just too much. "You weren't THERE Sam! When he came back to the ship, you weren't THERE! I was the one taking care of him, when he woke up screaming from nightmares. I was the one who went with him, and nearly got gorram shot re-uniting him and his family! I didn't ASK for this, it just HAPPENED! So if you want to blame, me fine, but I'll tell you -right now- that I'm not going to fight you." She unlaces her hands, holding them up, palms open.

Pixie gimps up the first two stairs, and takes hold of the hand rail with one hand, the other on her knee. Owgawd. "What?" She glances back, half hunched over. "Year passes, it's a long time. People die, shit changes. World ain't what it was, people ain't who they was." Pause. "Ain't nobody seen my shoes, I reckon."

Remus once again is in a full tactical advance. He just happens to be tactically advancing towards the stairs. With a glance to the muttering Pix, then to the two behind him, he just shakes his head. "Behind the counter in the commons, where you left 'em." "You don't have enough respect for me to not jump into his bed. FUCK YOU." Sam says and moves closer with her fists still up. "Put up your hands or I will by God break your face without you defending it." Sam is red faced and on the verse of exploding. "Fuck you Adila. FUCK YOU! Defend yourself..." Her teeth grind inside her mouth.

Adila doesn't move, standing her ground there, her hands still open. "No, fuck you Sam. You said it yourself that you were avoiding him, well maybe for once in your life you should have been a woman about it and been there for him. If you loved him so much, you should have been there at his side. You think that this didn't cross my mind, that I didn't ask Crow what he wanted? He's a grown man Sam, and he chose ME. So if you want to bloody my face, do it." She opens her arms. "I hope it makes you feel better, but it won't gorram change a thing."

The fist hangs there in the air for a long moment. It moves forward for a long moment and then just drops. Sam looks for a long moment to Adila and just shakes her head and turns and walks out of the room.

Remus just stands, letting Sam leave well before him. Then, with a slight sigh, shake of the head and a completely accidental clearing of the throat, he wonders aloud. "Why do women always blame the other woman? Is it a territory thing? Or just estrogen?"

As Sam turns and walks from the room, Adila's outstretched hands drop and settle on her hips. Now, she can breathe again. Face flush, she takes in a slow breath. "Fuck..." She whispers at last, wiping her face with both hands. Sitting with a kind of clumsy collapse on her legs, she falls back onto the mat. "You alright Remmy?" She asks quietly.

Pixie pulls herself up the steps once she's reasonably sure Sam's not going to shoot anyone. "Jaysus wept." Mutter. "Awfuck..." She torqued her knee in her fall from grace. Pixie: doing her part to keep the laundry aired on Redemption. Hobble away, awaaaaaay.

"Yeah, I'm good. Takes moren' a kick to a parta my body I can barely feel crap on to keep me down." Remmy's still shaking his head at the entire debacle, however, there is a slight smirk at the sight of a hobbling Pix. Her comeuppances are just hitting thick and fast this week. "So, was gettin' a bit of dickin' worth the chance of a crushed face?"

Hands drop down onto the mat with a slap. "Remmy..." She is just about a breath away from telling him to go fuck himself, you can hear it in the way she says his name. Pulling herself up, hands resting on her knees, she leans forward, rubbing her eyes again. "Shut up." She mutters at last, giving him that single finger salute. Lifting her head, it's probably all the adrenaline still burning through her system that makes her grin. "And yeah, it was." She rolls to her feet slowly. "I need a drink, and a smoke. And another drink... and another smoke..." You get the picture.

"..And some dickin'." Remmy gets the picture just fine. There's a moment when his hand goes to his forehead, clearing away a few loose strands of hair. Then, he starts to bounce on the balls of his feet. "You get the sex, the anger issues out and the chance to kick me in the side." This fact runs through his brain for a moment. "I don't even get ta hit anything?" And like that, he stops bouncing, looks towards the exit to the cargo bay and slowly creeps into a grin. "Tell Pix my bail money'll be in the same place my smokes are." And with that, he starts to make his way out.