Trooper Station, Friday

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

Okay, it was morning, and already the day was heading down the crapper.

Coffee machine was fucked, there was a stack of paperwork on his desk that would just not get the hell out of his sight no matter how hard he willed at it, and his chair was squeaky.

Stupid squeaky chair.

Ray was not gonna let any of this beat him. He had a date tomorrow. Dammit.

[ open station! ]

Comments

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Dale stood in front of the coffee machine with a woeful look on his face.

"Have we called anyone to fix this machine yet?" he called out.

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Just kick it a couple times, should be good as new," Ray called back, distractedly. Well, that was his strategy, anyway.

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Ray, this is a highly delicate machine," Dale said seriously. "One that is material for the function and alertness of our staff. We do not kick the coffee machine."

He then made a bitchface at the machine.

"However I understand the motivation."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Coop, I kick the coffee machine. Rick--" There was the usual glaring, yes, "Kicks the coffee machine. Hell, Day probably kicks the coffee machine. You don't. You're pampering it. It's crudding up because you treat it too nice." Ray leaned back in his chair to make his point. Yep.

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"All that gets us Ray is a coffee machine that gets broken more quickly and then has to be replaced."

And then Dale's face brightened.

"Ooo! That's what we need! A new coffee machine!"

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"I give it a month," Ray replied, tossing a wadded-up paper ball in Ralph's direction. "At most."

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Stop throwing things at Rick," Dale said absent-mindedly forgetting Ralph's name. Not that he ever knew Ralph's name.

"And Ray, if we do get a new coffee machine you are not to kick it if it doesn't work. If you're good we'll find a way to make it dispense m&m's."

Hmm. Maybe a coffee machine with an espresso machine built in.

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

Hey, Dale had called Ralph Rick. That gay Ray enough of a reason to flash Ralph a shit-eating grin.

He was pretty sure that guy was bitchfacing underneath the helmet. Whatever. "Sure, Coop," Ray snorted. That was a no.

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Dale caught the tone and turned to Ray.

"Or we can take away your coffee privileges all together."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Okay, let's not get too serious here."

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Well it's important we treat all of our equipment with care," Dale replied. "Whether it be a firearm or a pen."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"You telling me, um, you're saying I can't throw pens now?" Ray asked, raising an eyebrow while he sorta hung out of his chair in Cooper's general direction. "Because that is just whack, Coop."

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Well, Ray," Dale said taking a seat across from him. "Why do you feel the need to throw pens?"

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Well, Coop," Ray said, staring at him, "What are you, my shrink?"

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"I'm your boss," Dale replied. "One who'd like to work out your issues on why you throw pens."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"I throw pens because Rick asks me for them," Ray said, conversationally, keeping up the whole eying thing he had going on. "I'm a giving guy."

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Yes. Your generosity is well known throughout the station," Dale said with a small smirk.

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"That's it. Generosity. I'm generous. I bring people pens and coffee." And kicks in the head.

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"What a great idea, Ray," Dale said cheerfully. "Why don't you head down to the perk and bring us back some coffee?"

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

Awww, hell, walked right into that one. "I can't, sir," Ray said, bravely, "Got a squeaky chair."

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Well then, you can swing by Turtle and Canary and pick up some WD-40 on the way back," Dale suggested.

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"I don't think I should leave the squeaky chair alone, sir," Ray soldiered on. "Island's wonky."

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"The island is always wonky," Dale reasoned. "And I can keep an eye on the chair."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Nah. See, the island's got it in for me," Ray pointed out, "The chair would de-squeak as soon as I leave the station. And then probably blow up when I get back."

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Well then we'll just get you a new chair," Dale chuckled.

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Unless it, uh, takes the station with it, sir."

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"We'll put it out in the back and have one of the troopers keep guard on it."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Or I could just stay here," Ray said, "Simple for everybody, nothing winds up torched."

[pieandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"I think the odds of your chair exploding are fairly slim," Dale with a nod. "I think we can take the risk."

[justice-beat.livejournal.com]

That...was a very squeaky chair. Daisy'd tried her best to ignore it, but it was the kind of squeak that couldn't be fully dismissed.

"There are a part missing from that thing, Kowalski?"

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Nope," Ray answered, hanging his head over the back of the chair. "I checked. This thing, it just squeaks."

Squeak.

[justice-beat.livejournal.com]

There might have been the faintest bit of a twitch in the corner of Daisy's mouth.

"Tried oil? Greasing it up a bit?"

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Still squeaky," Ray informed her, "I'm calling island shenanigans." Squeak, squeak.

[justice-beat.livejournal.com]

"...you want to borrow my chair?" she offered. "I'm thinking about running a patrol, anyway."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Nah, trust me, it'll just start squeaking. The island's trying to get one over on me." Ray eyed the ceiling. "It's not gonna."

[justice-beat.livejournal.com]

Daisy would have been fine with Kowalski's determination in any other situation that didn't involve her having to listen to the squeaking as he battled it out with the Island, but, since it did...

...well, all the more reason to hit up patrol duty, she supposed.

She nodded. "You show that island, Kowalski. Show it what's what."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"I am," Ray said, with a grin, "I totally am. Got a date tomorrow. I am not stayin' here for it."

[justice-beat.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" Daisy asked. She, of course, was curious as to who it might be with, but her sense of propriety at work still had a pretty good grip on her. If Ray wanted to share more, he wouldn't. If not, it wasn't any of her business, anyway.

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Pepper chick from, uh, Stark's," he supplied. Hey, he'd wanna know. "Not too shabby for working for a spacecase, I gotta tell you."

[justice-beat.livejournal.com]

Wasn't she the handywoman at the apartment, too? Daisy's head tilted a little.

"Gotta imagine the paycheck's pretty nice, though."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Sure," Ray shrugged, "But that's not it. She's, uh, kinda like a doe. A real smart one. Smart, beautiful doe chick likes me, Day."

[justice-beat.livejournal.com]

Awww, and that was just adorable, and Daisy couldn't help letting her attempted professional veneer slip a little as she laughed, smiling happily for him. "Not all that surprising, is it, Kowalski?" she asked. "Either way, though, good luck. Not that you'd need it, and if it turns out looking like you did, you deserve better, anyway."

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"I dunno, Day," he shrugged, almost kinda uncomfortable, but in too much movement to linger on it. "Think I got a curse on me or somethin'."

[justice-beat.livejournal.com]

And this was the other half of the reason why Daisy hadn't much interest in relationships. Anyone she'd ever known other than her parents (the other half) and maybe Coop and his girl always felt they were doomed to bad relationships. So why bother?

She gave as much as a sympathetic smile as she could. "Cursed is a bit harsh, innit?"

[headkickpoet.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," Ray said, with a grunt (and a squeak). "I dunno. It's been a while. Maybe the curse wore off."

[justice-beat.livejournal.com]

"See?" Daisy said, nodding emphatically, "there's that, too. I bet that's it. Curse wore off. Those things don't last forever, you know."

Put a pom-pom in here hand; she was trying to be a cheerleader here, which was unfortunate because it wasn't really her strongest suit. She meant it, of course, but it still probably failed to sound convincing.