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Post by elizar on Jul 6, 2010 9:40:58 GMT -5
"I don't really want to think about that." Daryush said a bit strained. "But if it were so, I would have imagined that the marriage would have ended much sooner." He and Pepper were on the third wave down, so they circled while waiting for clearance.
"Everyone is here for a reason." Marianne said. "But her reason is much less serious than most. She is a good woman and a good leader. And there are a lot of good people here, such as your ex's rival."
"I can show you were he lands." Becky said and taxied forward, moving her tail to indicate that she could follow her.
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Post by Evangeline on Jul 6, 2010 10:49:37 GMT -5
"She might'a kept it going a lot longer than she would've, for the sake of the kids." Pepper answered as she circled. "There goes Old Smuthound." she cracked as she watched Paul land and taxi out.
"Is that the one who just cleaned his clock up there right now?" Amara glanced back towards the screen, but it had gone blank. She glanced overhead, and saw the F-18, the only one in this motley crew, circling at the highest level like a shepherd watching the flock. She would be the last to land.
Moira followed Becky's lead, up to a gate to the runways which was now closed and watched by a guard. This was as far as they could go at present, but there was a good view of the landing jets.
Paul was already getting off the taxiway and heading to the apron. Moira sprung off her U/C, getting about six inches off the ground in her excitement. "Daddy!"
Paul froze momentarily, then hurried to the gate, almost overrunning a hapless marshaller in doing so. "Hey, sweetheart!" As he closed, he thrust his nost over the gate to nuzzle his little girl. No matter what else was true of Paul, he did love his kids. "Where's your mom and bro?"
"They're waiting at the screen." Moira answered as the gate was opened for her father, who jigged impatiently as it slid aside. The guards did not want to be bowled over like the marshaller almost was!
"I see you've met Becky." Paul put on his best show of a smile, concealing what he really thought of Becky's mother. Becky seemed somewhat clued-in and kept a little distance from the F-16 male. Moira was already aware that her father was abrasive and not liked by everybody, so she dealt with it. "Yeah."
"Well, let's go see your mom and Gavin." Paul started off towards the common area. He was keeping a good face, but really didn't want to spend any more time around his ex than he absolutely had to.
"Guess I'll see you later, huh?" Moira called back to Becky.
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Post by elizar on Jul 6, 2010 11:01:29 GMT -5
"Yeah. When I read how many stay in abusive relationship I always get surprised." Daryush said. "For the sake of the kids, for the sake of appearance and whatnot."
"Our turn now." Daryush said as the runway was cleared. He dove down for landing.
"Yeah." Marianne said. "He doesn't get the chance to do that often. Hammer is usually giving him his attention as soon as the fight begins." She looked towards the gate. "Speaking of which." She said as she saw the F-16 father and daughter approaching.
"Yeah!" Becky answered enthusiastically. Having other kids around would be a welcoming change, even for her father. She then turned her eyes up to the sky, waiting for her mother to land.
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Post by Evangeline on Jul 6, 2010 15:07:00 GMT -5
Pepper followed Daryush in landing, and caught up with him in the taxiway. "My father, he were always saying to my sisters an' I how lucky we were to be outmodes and not have the military pickin' out our husbands for us. Of course it led to a different set of problems, but we were otherwise free as the birds. I told you about workin in an air show act for awhile, didn't I? Coulda made a nice life that way, but something inside kept eatin' away at me. Some call it foolish talk to say we're creatures of instinct, but combat comes natural to us like jumpin' does to those horses that the group captain's wife breeds. Despite Hammer n' all, when I'm up there with the wing, I'm never happier. Truth be told, it's kind of satisfyin' to give him a whack or two once in a while."
Amara turned, head high as her ex's scent reached her. She suppressed the impulse to screw up her nose and kept her face a careful, polite mask. Gavin was already bounding out to meet his father. Amara chose to stay in place and wait on him. She wasn't about to give Paul the satisfaction of moving one inch further for him than she needed to.
Paul stopped just short of Amara, jigging his head slightly. "Good afternoon." There was an undertone of ice that she did not miss.
"Hello, Paul." Amara smiled tightly.
The F-18 was the last to land, alighting easily and moving across the ground with a quiet, regal dignity. She stopped at the flight line to allow a ladder to be wheeled up so that her group captain could dismount. Helmet bag in hand, he then walked beside her as the clouds cleared again and the weather went from merely muggy to hot and humid. Sweat ran freely on both of them, and they were no doubt looking forward to a cold drink and a wash.
As she saw Becky waiting there, weaving eagerly behind the gate, Brenda's pace quickened slightly. How long had the girl been waiting there?
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Post by elizar on Jul 6, 2010 15:43:57 GMT -5
"Well, he deserved it." Daryush chuckled. "Sometimes I just wish he would leave me alone. He has latched onto me as an adversary for too long, just because I'm here. At least we're breaking his brain by not sleeping together!"
"Hi mom!" Becky went over to her. "Paul's kids are here. I just showed Moria where she could wait for him." She wasn't too eager to get the gate open. She knew that her mother had duties to do, though she often grew jealous of her job.
"I'll see you later at next opportunity." Marianne said as she walked away. She was short enough to clear Paul's wing, but during one of his inhales, her shoulder seemed to phase through the horizontal stabilizer at the tail.
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Post by Evangeline on Jul 6, 2010 17:34:01 GMT -5
<<< Ever read the "Peanuts" strip? Think of Pepper as Peppermint Patty with a Yorkshire accent. Unmistakably female, but not particularly sexual >>>
"You always felt more like a brother to me." Pepper grinned. "I only had sisters in my family, so I guess you're the sib I never knew I had."
Amara froze, and her eyes widened a little as she saw this. Her thoughts seemed to go in several different directions, one was "Did I just see what I just saw?" and another was "Am I starting to get what Aunt Karen had?" Amara's "crazy aunt" wasn't really that crazy, and indeed, some people considered her quirks to be simply a creative way to get out of being pressured into military service and possibly an arranged mating as well, but Karen always talked about ghosts and spirits as if they were right in the room with her. It was the sort of thing that was politely indulged at family gatherings but otherwise not considered kosher to talk about outside that circle. But it was also said that some people were "ghost-sensitive" and that it ran in family lines. Funny thing was, Amara had never experienced any of it herself until this very afternoon.
Paul, thankfully, seemed oblivious to Amara's sudden change. He was catching up on things with the children, asking them about school and their activities and their life back at the KSC grounds. At least he paid attention to them, which was merciful.
It was then that another voice spoke up. "Amara Sutherland?" Amara had reverted to her maiden name for most purposes, though the children still retained the surname of their father, as per court agreement. She turned towards the source of the voice. "Yes?"
There was a young woman standing there, VERY young, perhaps late teens. She wore green fatigues and an Air Cadet patch on her shoulder. Her dirty-blonde hair was checked in a tight, upswept dutch braid, except for her bangs which fell over her forehead. She was blue-eyed and slightly freckled in complexion. Her expression was pleasant as she viewed the fighter woman. "I'm Tanya Bronstein, I'm one of the cadets," she indicated the laminated ID tag hanging off her belt in addition to the patch, "I'll show you over to where you'll be staying while your children are visiting with their father."
"Oh," Amara gathered enough wherewithall to return the smile. "That would be good." She glanced back towards her ex and the kids. They would be all right for now.
"This way please, ma'am." Tanya extended a hand towards the modified and refurbished hangars to the east. The F-16 followed the girl as she mounted a bicycle and pedalled away.
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Post by elizar on Jul 6, 2010 18:02:08 GMT -5
(( But given Paul's train of thought, and the fact that he did hit on her repeatedly... ))
Daryush smiled softly. "Thanks for that. But you do know I look more at you as a friend than a sister." Daryush had been an only child, both in Iran his first five years, and in the UK. He had obvious Iraqi markers on him, but his pregnant mother had been injured in dogfighting, had no choice but to run to Iran as it was the only place near her to tend to her injuries. She had then returned home considerably lighter, figuring that she had miscarried due to infection and high fever.
"So, you want to check the animation of the fight? Or get a wash or just go back to the wing?" He asked her.
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Post by Evangeline on Jul 6, 2010 20:09:10 GMT -5
"I'd like to check the animation out first." Pepper cackled. "Nothing like watching that moment over and over again, and I don't think Hammer's going to show up there just yet."
<<< Sorry for missing this last time, had to leave quickly >>>
"That's nice of you, Becky." Brenda smiled. Whatever problems she had with Paul, she was not going to show it in front of the kids. "And she's just about your age, too."
"G'day, Beck." the group captain smiled to the child, and gave her a gentle fist-bump on the nose. "I suppose you were watching all that on the screen, were you?"
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Post by elizar on Jul 6, 2010 20:26:20 GMT -5
"If ever." Daryush chuckled as well. On the way to the viewing screen, he saw Tanya riding her bicycle, having an F-16 following her. "Huh, so that must be her." Daryush said as looking at Amara. "Looks a lot different than Paul described her."
"Yeah!" Becky said enthusiastically. Even though she was a younger outmode, she still had a future in military, especially in humanverse. And she could not wait until she could be as fast as her mother. "When it did start everyone were thinking that defense wouldn't last five minutes."
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Post by Evangeline on Jul 6, 2010 21:00:56 GMT -5
Pepper took a long, considering look at the F-16 as she followed her cadet guide. "Close to forty, I think, but very good-looking." Her voice dropped to a whisper as the two passed.
Amara's blue-grey eyes flitted over to the Sukhoi as she went by, looking him in the face and then going over his contours. For his age and model, he seemed to be a rather comely specimen, radiating health and vitality, and the look in his dark eyes suggested much more lay behind them. She slowed slightly, flaring her nostrils and arching her neck in an almost unconscious CHECK-HIM-OUT response.
Pepper chortled low as the F-16 moved on. "Look out, Dary, I think she kinda fancies you."
As Amara followed the girl on her bike, "common sense" came back to the fore. What the hell am I thinking?
"I confess we also had our doubts." Bateman admitted, "But Daryush was really on his game today and managed to pull it out of the hat for defense. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in smarts and attitude. That can count for a lot, Becky. Everyone was wondering what he was doing here at first, but your mother decided to give him a chance. A pity not everyone's as wise and smart as she is."
Brenda's face flushed to a darker grey. "You flatter me, sir."
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Post by elizar on Jul 6, 2010 21:26:24 GMT -5
"Well, she is just going to be here three months." Daryush said smirking. His last long-term relationship had bit him in the tail after his son was born, and his son having clearly replaced him for the one his mother was married to was a good enough deterrent for Daryush to put aside any ideas of long-term goals in romancing. Thus he hadn't had much of a relationships with others at the base, because they would be there for a long time.
"And she hasn't even heard me speak yet." He exhaled sharply in smug pride as intentionally bringing out his accent.
Becky wasn't quite aware of the lesson Bateman was giving her, but she she took it to heart. Brains were needed while employed. She nodded slightly as listening, then lowered herself to appear smaller to Bateman, which was the usual 'pet me' gesture of jet kids asking from affection from humans. The problem was that she was getting too old for that gesture.
"How come you two don't fight often?" Becky asked. "I bet you would always be on the winning side."
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Post by Evangeline on Jul 6, 2010 23:28:46 GMT -5
Pepper chuckled at Daryush's south-England accent. It was alternately crisp and soft in all the right places to woo an available female. "She's going to have a lot of time to herself now in the meantime. You want to make a play for her, start on it now before the resident MILF enthusiasts move in on her."
"Well, I wanted to do something this afternoon, but a certain person put his foot down." She cast a poignant glance towards Bateman.
"After the Charger trials in the morning, you, my dear lady, don't need any more stress and strain." Bateman reached up to give Becky a little chin rub. "You're getting to be a big girl now, Beck. You'll be as tall as your mum pretty soon."
"And a little old to be begging scratches." Brenda reminded her daughter.
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Post by elizar on Jul 7, 2010 7:33:34 GMT -5
"You know that Paul's not going to even try to get her back." Daryush chuckled. "So that strikes one off the list. It looks like she's going to be in D-wing with the civilians." He said looking back at the general direction the pair had gone to. Looking back to the screen, already there were a couple from the exercise looking over the animation. "I have to say, I would be more comfortable if they did update the models in this program. Having a image of a local version of us is kind of freaky."
Becky turned slightly in shame, as if she was caught with the cookie jar. It wasn't the first time her mother had brought that up. "When will you be free?" Becky asked. She understood that Moria needed the time with her dad, so there was no real reason to bother her right now.
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Post by Evangeline on Jul 7, 2010 9:22:07 GMT -5
"To update anything, they have to find some people with the talent to do it who don't have to be brought all the way from Japan and Korea. The budget's not there for that." Pepper sighed. "Though some of those cadet kids are sharper with the new computers than most of their elders. You met David Markham yet? He's new this year, but he's all up on the tech stuff. Too bad it looks like they'll stick him with tending Hammer's kids when he's on duty."
"We have to go to the clinic, dear, so the doctors can get the readouts from the trials this morning." Brenda said to her daughter. "But you can come and wait with us."
Now on the other side of the gate, they waited as the group captain was picked up by another ground vehicle with checkerboard patterns and blinking lights, and then they followed the van to the clinic.
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Post by elizar on Jul 7, 2010 9:54:23 GMT -5
"Yeah, he really want to be the next Jeffrey Quinlan." Daryush said. "He still has some way to go, but the problem is that being a cadet means a lot of work and barely any free time to continue his projects. And since he's so young the brass doesn't take him seriously."
"And I just hope that Paul's kids have enough humansense."
Becky followed Brenda, while she thought she was still young enough to be begging for scratches, she had recently taken up to the habit of staying behind or aside her, but never under her wing. She had been painfully shy before, but after arriving to humanverse where there were a lot of curious humans who had never seen a jet kid before, she slowly but surely came out from under her mother's wing.
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