"Thank you Park," Abby said softly as he took up her empty plate, though she still had enough time to wipe her lips with a napkin and toss it away all on her own. 

"And your opinion is worth an awful lot. [i]Thank you[/i] for your insight on this too," she said sincerely. "We'll be sure to pass on anything worthwhile tonight. I feel better actually, with another reliable, solid thinker on board. Poor Dr. Brock was getting lonely there, with the only serviceable brain about." 

Abby grinned at Gavin, chuckling just under her breath as she pushed away from the table. What did it matter really, that her banter felt thin? Strained? There was enough to trouble what little was left of the human race; humor was a small enough shield and defense. "So, let's go make sure you really are as paranoid as you think you are... " She took one of his hand in her own, still smiling as she made to haul the good geneticist to his feet. "Besides, I really just want to roll ourselves on out of here before Josey gets back and catches us," she shuddered comically, deep blue eyes wide with completely feigned terror at the very thought. 

Abby cursed under her breath when a quick check of the station-wide roster on her tablet showed Antoine Eadoré was [i]not[/i] on duty at the moment, which would have narrowed the search for the cryobed supervisor considerably. She glanced up apologetically to Gavin with a helpless shrug of her shoulders. "Well I suppose we could just go to his quarters, maybe offer up a prayer or two along the way that he's actually there? If not, well... We haven't taken to microchipping our people [i]quite[/i] yet, no matter the convenience factor."

Her face suddenly brightened impishly as the pair made their way down the narrow hallways. "But I [i]do[/i] know where we can find a veterinarian - just a thought now!"

[center]**********[/center]

Pauline laughed as she caught her breath, which actually came out pretty wheezy but it was really pretty much all she could manage at the moment. "Hi there... I'm Pauline, and yes... I work here now too. Reece just 'hired' me... To help with the training programs... "

The young woman took that offered hand without a second thought, shaking it happily (though a little tenderly when she felt those blisters against her sensitive palm), taking the friendliness of Deli's chatter for a rather informal invitation to stop in for a while. 

Pauline was totally good with this. 

She leaned against the desk as she let Deli's hand go, peering over toward that contraband gummy bear stash with a hungry, twinkling light in her pale blue eyes. She lay one hand against her chest, took a single large breath, letting it out slowly as she began all over again. 

"And yes, I do like the yellow ones. Don't get me wrong now - not near so much as those little kinda white clear ones that taste a bit like pineapple? But I'm not so picky a all that - I'll take whatever you'd like to share Deli, I don't mind at all." As if to prove her point, Pauline snatched up the nearest of the bright yellow gummy bears with a grin, popping it in her mouth to suck on for a bit. Sure, gummy bears were for chewing, but these might very well be the last gummy bears left in the universe. There was absolutely no way she was going to rush these precious moments.

"So what is it you do here in Hangar Six, Deli?"