Pauline felt the brush of Naomi's fingers against her own as they left, and she smiled sadly as she turned to her friend. And though she could not have read Naomi's mind, her friend was entirely correct of course: Pauline did need her now, though that need didn't encompass much more than simply the calm, soothing presence of the gentle, shining woman who walked beside her. Oh most certainly there were moments that they spoke, and sometimes they even spoke of the... The [i]harder[/i] things of her life, and Naomi's strong shoulder had been soaked with tears Pauline had shared with no one else.

But this was not one of those moments, and it seemed Naomi knew this instinctually. The two ladies walked in that comfortable silence, the kind full of unspoken understandings between two dear friends as they moved through the [i]Copernicus'[/i] halls, and Pauline pulled herself together all over again. She knew she ought to track down poor Mike, and apologize for being so... Flighty. Well, [i]rude[/i] really... 

Pauline smiled to herself then, just a little. Mike was a big boy, he'd be just fine and Ester's company was certainly no hardship - any more than her little sister's, no matter the differences between earth and sky. The young women parted at the pod bay where Naomi's beloved husband slept, a soft kiss on the cheek and a gentle squeeze of their clasped hands, promises made to catch up with one another a little later as well.

Pauline took a deep breath as she took those first steps toward the hangar she hadn't seen in months. The mining pod mechanic who'd worked there for the second shift? Steve hadn't been... Well... [i]Fond[/i] of her. She had tried to understand of course, and she did forgive when he'd finally given up all pretense of tolerating her genuine offers of help, and finally just told her to get the hell out, and not come back. Steve was sad. He was hurting, just like everyone else was on the [i]Copernicus[/i], in one way or other. His sadness didn't turn to tears though, but to ugliness and anger - and Pauline really [i]did[/i] understand, that sometimes it's just easier to be mad than sad.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't try again, to see if this shift mechanic and his crew might have a little change of heart? It wasn't arrogance or pride speaking, when Pauline acknowledged to herself she really [i]did[/i] have a certain useful skill set, that really [i]could[/i] be useful to the mining crews - if anyone would ever give her a chance to be more than another pregnant woman in the nursery. Well, it never hurt to try, and the worst anyone could say was 'no' - and it certainly wouldn't be the first time she heard that anyway. She didn't like it, any more than anyone else would, but 'no' didn't kill you. She'd survive.

She hadn't even stepped foot into the hangar, before hearing the sounds that announced the place was [i]far[/i] from empty. Pauline peered around the corner of the enormous doorway, toward the lively gathering near Steve's old pod ship, and wondered just how likely this shot at finding a place was going to turn out. 

The young woman started as she felt a pressure at her leg, eyes wide as she looked down to the floor - and then laughed so softly. "Oh! Well [i]hello[/i] there handsome," Pauline whispered, bending to pet the pretty spotted cat's perfectly shaped, perfectly soft head for a moment, a scritch behind the ears gently before he was on again about his own business once more, walking into the bay as if he just owned the whole place.

There was no shame in taking courage from a cat! 

Pauline did just that, sliding quietly into the hangar, past the pod ship and toward the office, her big blue eyes still wide and wondering as she watched one of the strangest assemblages of people she'd ever seen. The slender blue-haired man with the tattoos and the hilarious taste in T-shirts seemed, well he seemed a bit bewildered - especially next to the ebullient, pretty little lady with the bouncy curls all pulled back (though Pauline wondered that any binding could hold all that hair - much less the woman they sprang from - for very long). 

But the most magnificent sight in the entire bay at this moment, was the [i]enormous[/i], drill bit-wielding man (dear sweet heaven, but he was [i]HUGE![/i]) who put her in mind of nothing less than an enraged Santa Claus who'd spent not-a-few years in the WWF circuit. Pauline clapped her hand over her mouth quickly over her mouth at the thought, keeping the sudden giggles inside as her eyes flickered to the handsome older man with the stunning grey eyes. The way he moved, the way he talked and stood there - even if she couldn't hear their words, she felt sure somehow that he was the 'guy in charge.'

Pauline didn't stay to listen in on whatever passed for conversation among this motley group - if she were lucky and diligent enough, she just might find out herself one day. For now she had a mission, and a hope - however slender that might be. She let herself into the office unnoticed (or at the very least, no one moved to stop her - she'd take that as a semi-good sign). A soft sigh escaped her lips as she peered about. She might have known Steve would have left things just like this, but that didn't stopper the disappointment, that he hadn't really climbed his way out before he finally just gave himself over to cryosleep...

There was no time to waste pouting though. She had no idea when these people would finally break their funky little clatch, or when the mechanic might traipse in, and so Pauline moved like the [i]wind.[/i] First things first - she collected all the garbage, the detritus of apathy, filling a bag full of old coffee cups and wrappers and ancient printouts to be tossed and setting it by the door. Another search procured a very full bottle of computer equipment cleaner, a few precious recycled paper towels and a can of air for cleaning the more vital, delicate parts of the circuitry and electronics.

Pauline threw herself into her work with relish, wiping every last thing in her reach until it shone. She even balanced precariously to reach those items she could not at first, wavering and wiggling in such a way that Naomi, were she there, likely would have chewed her out (in the nicest of ways and much deservedly anyway). The various consoles received all her most special attentions though, as Pauline ensured the fragile, delicate arrays were freed of dust and - to her everlasting disgust - dried up coffee drips and bits of potato chip, sandwich bread crumbs and sticky buns.

She even wiped down the rolling chairs until the vinyl gleamed and, the instant the last one dried, fell into one with a weary little grin, throwing her hands up in victory as she tossed that last paper towel with a perfect shot into the now-full garbage bag. The entire office smelled... Well, Pauline supposed the slightly astringent smell of cleaning fluid [i]had[/i] to be a nicer scent than molded coffee filters, old body funk and even older, leftover food.

Pauline sighed happily as she took up one of the tablets on the gleaming metal counters, settling back into the chair with such a slouch that Sister Mary Frances, her third grade teacher, probably would have been obliged to chastise her if she witnessed such poor posture! Her fingers flew over the small screen as a holographic display screen appeared before her, flickering into life as Pauline searched for the file of equations and calculations she'd had to leave behind...

[i]More victory![/i] "And the crowd goes wild!" Pauline threw her arms overhead again, tablet in hand as she twirled around a couple times in her chair, toes tapping wildly on the floor as she flew about, mouth open and smiling as she breathed that funny sound that emulated an enormous crowd of screaming fans. 

But the whirling probably wouldn't do her stomach good for long, and Pauline knew it of course. She stopped, and hugged her tablet tightly for a moment before getting right back to those equations, and the world of variables, possibilities and chance she knew so very, very well.