>>5202062>>5202067>>5202075>>5202108>>5202117>>5202129>>Hang out with Gully for pilot socializing.Gully hums, but doesn’t stop you as you sit down opposite her, and make the decision to put Dickens on hold. Settling in comfortably on the leather, you ask, “Mind if I crash a while?”
She gives you an odd look, then replies flatly, “It’s just as much your common room as it is mine.”
“That’s not a ‘yes’ or a ‘no,’” you counter. “You were here first.”
“Point taken.” She thinks for a moment, really giving it some serious thought. Then, she answers, “No, I honestly don’t mind at all. Just don’t touch anything or make too much noise.”
Fair enough. Although you wonder whether or not shooting the breeze counts as a noise violation in her book. In an effort to bridge the awkward silence, you gesture towards the table. “So, what’s that you’re working on? That’s a lot of moving parts you got there.”
Her eyes remain steadfast on the array of components and parts, brow furrowed in intense concentration. But Gully doesn’t leave you hanging, even as she applies her intense gaze and a microfiber cloth to a small mirror between her fingers. “Polaroid Land SX-70. Pre-Cataclysm instant camera.”
A camera! Squinting at the parts, you can certainly envision how they might come together as a camera. Not that photography’s been lost to the Cataclysm, but the only cameras you know of are either PUEXO-mounted, Duck security cams, or salvaged digital cameras. The tech’s certainly there, and populated enough for families to have at least one group photo resting on the mantle.
“Pre-Cataclysm,” you muse, appraising the parts with an engineer’s eye. “Definitely has that retro look.”
Gully makes a non-committal grunt. “It’s a 23rd century replica of the original 1972 model. The only thing that’s new in it is the leather covers, the battery, and the film. The latter of which is really expensive.”
You believe her. In all of the Flooded World, there probably isn’t anyone outside of Babylonia producing the film her camera uses. There’s always the possibility of finding it underwater, but you know that most photographic media <span class="mu-i">really</span> doesn’t like saltwater. Electronic or otherwise.
“How’d you get it, if you don’t mind me asking?”
She pauses her ministrations, setting down the mirrors to look you straight in the eye. “You ask a lot of questions, Unami.”
It isn’t a complaint as much as it’s a statement of fact. Nothing in her eyes suggest annoyance at the back-and-forth between you. Matter of fact…quite the opposite. Gully’s noticeably more relaxed now than she had been during your first meeting. Less standoffish, too.
You shrug. “…I know a few folks who’d want their own camera.”
Gully arches an eyebrow. “Not interested in one for yourself?”
“Maybe…just to take it apart, see what makes it tick, then put it back together."
(cont.)
