Fine Dining

[stoot]

OOC: We're still sittin' our pee-goo on Persephone, but since this is an on-ship thread, I'm putting it here. ;D Huzzah!
This is also a continuation of the threads, Find me a way... and Questionable Biddings.
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"I'm sure I'll like it fine..." she trailed off.

"Stoot," He answered, realizing that he had not yet introduced himself. "I've got the ruttin' manners of a mountain goat sometimes, awful sorry." He then shook his head as he looked her over. "There ain't no way you're 27," he teased. "I'm 27, and do you see how badly I'm aged?" He let out a chuckle. "Wish I'da kept my girly figger that long, if I ever had one atoll."

The Atlas now came into view and he beamed at it. "There she is," he pointed, the cargo doors still open as they were when he'd left. He thought he could see someone standing there, perhaps it was Ryan.

"Aye there!" he called, motioning for Ari to quicken her pace with him as they walked briskly over. He had allowed her to carry one of the bags filled with tinkling bottles of booze, and as he neared, he could see the question in his friend's eyes at his company.

Once at the mouth of the ship, Stoot and Ari met Ryan up-close. "You know how that kid was havin' such a hard time?" He asked excitedly, hitching one of the bags up more snugly in his arm, moving it to his left side rather than his right as he gestured to Ari. "This here's Ari, she claims to be the best mechanic on this rock, and she seems right enthused to crew with us. That is," He added hastily, "if you allow."

Now the guilt for finding crew without the captain's consent found Stoot again and he glanced side-long at Ari, feeling preemptively guilty in the case that Ryan should deny her. It was the same feeling a child gets when he brings home a stray dog and fears that his mother will tell him that he cannot keep it around.

[Ari Deschain]

She smirked, shrugging off his apology yet again. Social graces were not really her forte either, so she didn't mind him being a little on the rude side. She stiffened a little, instinctively, as he looked her over. His sense of humor calmed her, though, and she smirked. "You don't look old." She was trying to think up a shiny comeback to his girly figure comment when he pointed out the ship. She shaded her eyes and looked, but was quickly hurried along by Stoot.

As they came closer, she saw the ship more clearly and a slow smile spread over her face. She tugged Stoot's shirt with her free hand, excited now. "She's perfect!" She breathed. And she was. The ship was ideal, one of her favorite models. The Atlas was beautiful. They had arrived at the mouth of the ship, and she finally slid her eyes from the ship's hull to look at Ryan. She smiled at him as Stoot began pleading their case, trying to look confident although she was a little nervous he'd turn her away.

Stoot shot her a glance, and she realized he felt the same way. That did nothing to help her confidence. Was Ryan so bad that he'd be angry at Stoot just for bringing a mechanic to help fix the engine? Feeling a sudden urge to protect the guy who'd been so kind to her, she stepped up next to Daniel and spoke to Ryan before he could react to what Stoot had said. "I thought I'd just take a look at it for ya, if that's shiny. Nothin' concrete 'less you like what I do."

[hackanut]

Ryan exited the kitchen, a stack of plates and a collection of mugs with utensils in them on the counter behind him. He couldn't think of anyway they could possibly fix the Atlas without waiting a few days to find a new mechanic. And they couldn't possibly wait a few more days for anything, they had a job to be doing and he was not about to ruin his reputation on the first go'round. Trotting down the steps he made his way to the loading ramp of the ship and stood in the doorway, leaned up against the side of it. He was sorry to have to break the news to Danny-boy, sure it wouldn't break his spirits -- that was one thing that you could not do to his old friend -- but such a letdown on the first day certainly was disheartening, he thought. And what was he going to tell Faye, the Captain of the ship they were to be doing the job with? Maybe she'd have her mechanic come fix it after dinner -- if she even had one that is. 'Ugh,' he thought, 'I don't think I've got much of an appetite right yet.'

He had been looking all over the boat yard as he thought, everyone off doing the jobs that needed doing. He couldn't see a single person he knew, not on a friendly basis, at least. Hell, even Ursula and the yu bun duh Captain were missing from the Esteem's ramp. They had left on shaky ground, but he missed her already.

Ryan's gaze shifted towards the market and before he could even think it, Danny-boy was rounding the corner -- and, he had company. A fairly pretty blond was walking right next to him, holding the second of his bags, it looked like. Straightening his posture, trying to look as Captain-like as possible, he waited for them to near.

"You know how that kid was havin' such a hard time?"

'You're gonna make this harder for me, Danny-boy. Already bringing up Rebel.', Ryan thought as his friend spoke.

"This here's Ari, she claims to be the best mechanic... That is, if you allow."

Ryan couldn't believe his ears, Danny-boy had brought, of all things, at mechanic back with him! He resisted the urge to kiss his friend out of pure joy.

"I thought I'd just take a look at it for ya, if that's shiny. Nothin' concrete 'less you like what I do."

Ryan smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. "If this ain't the happiest bit 'o news in the 'Verse! It seems the boy we'd hired to fix this damn ship just up and ran off -- don't worry, nothing's stole, I checked." He said, directing that last bit at Stoot and then addressing Ari. "If ya don't mind me rushin' ya a bit, maybe you could take a look at 'er right now, before dinner?"

[stoot]

"Well I can't say I much care about the little Ching-wah TSAO duh liou mahng runnin' off on us," He said, beaming. "Here, let me get that," He took the bag Ari was carrying from her arms with ease and lead the way into the ship, feeling so happy he could burst. Their luck was working out so well for them today!

"I'm still makin' dinner," He called over his shoulder to Ryan. "You get Atlas hummin' and I'll see ya there." He was now speaking to both of them--both, as in his Captain and the new mechanic. He knew now that Ryan would keep her. He was confident that Ari would fix the boat. He believed her 100% when she'd told him she was the best.

'I got us the best,' he thought happily. 'Not just okay, not some ugly tramp...the best.'

He wanted dinner started and the ship running as soon as possible so he made quick work of putting the purchased goods in the icebox and dumping the contents of his backpack on the counter. In the backpack was his clothes, a few pictures, some credits, and a brown lumpy bag. He replaced everything except for said bag and dumped it in the same way he'd done his backpack.

Potatoes, beans, a loaf of bread, a good-sized hunk of meat and various spices spilled out, all wrapped separately. He wasn't an amazing cook, but he knew the basics. He started to work, not forgetting that Faye was supposed to bring her sister aboard, and that he'd promised to let her help. He would cook the meat and he would let her help with the beans and potatoes, whichever she could finish first. He hoped they'd be here soon.

In the meantime, however, Stoot busied himself with whistling 'The Hero of Canton' loudly and merrily, slicing the meat into several steak-sized portions.

[faye]

Back on the Riley and oblivious to the problems and solutions on the Atlas, Faye bustled about getting her crew -- "her crew" meaning Delilah -- ready to go over and say hey. It had been a hard trip, this last one; their mechanic...well...she didn't even know what happened to their mechanic. But what she knew was, the only things currently keeping her ship running were prayer and Faye's minimal mechanical skills.

Running up to the bridge, she found her pilot, Sam McCarthy, at the controls, scanning the Cortex, preparing to launch -- whatever pilots did -- and greeted him with a warm smile. "Hey, Sam," she said in Gaelic. Sam had been with them since he heard Faye got the ship; the two of them were old, old friends, from all the way back when Faye was still in McKinleigh, just before the war. Being twelve years her senior, Sam had become a bit of a father figure as well as a friend to Faye; she never did anything without his opinion. They often spoke to each other in Gaelic, little phrases to remind each other of where they came from, as if their accents weren't enough.

"I trust she didn't get into any trouble while I was gone?" Faye asked, switching to English, and after he gave her his report, she told him about the meeting and the dinner with the Atlas crew. "Should be right fun, I'd say. Think you can be ready in a few minutes?"

Delilah was dancing about as she put on her clothes. She dressed...individually, to say the least. A pair of neon-green leggings lay under a black skirt, topped by a red long-sleeved shirt. A more fashionable person would have made it look saucy and rebellious, but Delilah wore it as if she were dressed like everything else; however, people who met her rarely focused on her clothes.

Faye dressed more conventionally; a pair of normal tan pants, black boots, black shirt. Topping it off was her brown coat, still on from her meeting with Murdo. She decided to keep it on; and after all, why not? Her partners in this business endeavor deserved to know she was a veteran, whether they liked it or not.

"Hey, Del, let's go," she called as Sam came back up to leave. Faye checked her waves; she had no new messages. There was no answer from her sister, either. "Del, come on." Still nothing. Faye sighed. "Delilah Sinead, we're leaving now!"

A squeak and a thud were heard, and from the hallway Delilah stumbled out. "Okay, we can go now."

They walked together the few hundred feet over to the Atlas, hand in hand. It certainly wasn't a bad ship; the engines in these models were known to be reliable, but a hassle to fix if they did get broken. Suddenly Faye felt sorry for the boy they scraped up to fix it. Finding their way to the kitchen, the sisters smiled to find Stoot cooking. "Hello, Stoot," she greeted with a smile, then gestured to the two with her. "This is me pilot, Sam McCarthy, and me sister, Delilah. Sam, Delilah, this is Stoot, the first mate here on the Atlas."

Delilah giggled at the name. "Stoot. Is that your real name?"

[sam]

Sam sat, slumped over in the pilot's chair of the Riley searching for what he had dropped on the floor. "Whar in the bloody hell did ja make off-- ahh, 'dar ya be, darlin'", He said, wrapping his fingers around the nail clippers he'd just spotted behind his foot. Sam turned his attention to the hangnail on his thumb,"Thought you'd be gettin' away now di'ntcha? Thought you'd be slippin' unda muh radar? Well, let me juss' tell ya one thing, sweet 'art, thar ain't no damn gettin' away." Sam held his thumb close to his face, bringing his opposite hand down with the clippers, making sure to get all of the hangnail that he could. "Go'cha!", he laughed. Sam turned, having heard someone running toward the bridge. He quickly disposed of his clippers and slapped the switch next to the Cortex screen.

"Hey, Sam"

"Aye, Faye, di'nt see ya thar!", Sam said, pretending not to have noticed her coming. "Buzy wit', ya know, pilot'y-stuff." And he smiled.

"I trust she didn't get into any trouble while I was gone?"

"Ooh, 'course not! Was an outright dream, she was!"

Faye continued, telling him about a dinner to be had with some new friends on a ship called the Atlas. "Should be right fun, I'd say. Think you can be ready in a few minutes?"

"Shoo' be a gran' ole time, Dear. Long as 'day ain't a mad lot. I'll be ready in but a sec!"

The Captain turned and left. Sam watched as she turned the corner and immediately checked his thumb again, just to make sure. He got up from his chair and grabbed a "coat", or, as most would call it, a Hawaiian shirt. 'Never know when it'll get cold out', he thought. Sam strolled out of the Bridge and out towards the Cargo Bay. "We're leaving now!", he heard as he passed the crew's quarters. Delilah must of been acting up again -- that made him smile a little, she did indeed have a right oddness to her.

Meeting them in the Cargo Hold, they began to make their way to the Atlas. Faye and Delilah seemed very excited to be dining with these new people -- truth be told he was quite excited himself. New people, as long as they weren't crazy, were always a treat. Finally they'd reached the new ship and saw themselves in, ascending the stairs and heading down a corridor to the kitchen. A great hairy man was behind the counter on the right, he seemed to be the one cooking the meal for tonight.

"This is me pilot, Sam McCarthy, and me sister, Delilah. Sam, Delilah, this is Stoot, the first mate here on the Atlas."

"Right noice ta mee'cha, Stoot!" Sam said and he held out his hand, smiling.

[stoot]

The whistled melody of 'The Hero of Canton' broke abruptly when three people who were not Atlas crew entered the room. The two women, one he knew was Faye, were identical. Stoot was not a smart man, but he had sense enough to know that Faye was the more practical of the two. The third was a man, dressed in a hawaiian-themed shirt. He smiled welcomingly at them as Faye made the introductions.

"'Ello, Sam n' Delilah, and o'course, good ter see ya again, Faye." he nodded at each person as he addressed them. "That's right, little lady, Stoot's the name. Daniel Stoot more formally; Ryan calls me Danny-Boy. Ain't with my permission, I'll tell ya that!" He chuckled, the otherwise degrading nick-name was endearing coming from Ryan. "Good ta meet you too, brother," he said as he took Sam's hand to shake.

"Well are ya gonna just stand there or are ya gonna come help cook?" He asked to Delilah, already seeing her as being younger than Faye even though she wasn't. Her eccentric garb gave off the feel of a young teenager rather than a full-grown woman. "I got some taters over here for you to start peelin'. Ryan and Ari will be out in a jiff, y'all can just have a seat or summat 'til then." He nodded over towards the kitchen table. They'd still be able to see and talk to Stoot from there; the kitchen was small and humble.

[Ari Deschain]

Contrary to her nervousness, Ryan not only accepted her, he seemed outright ecstatic. She couldn't believe the last mechanic had actually run out on them; the thought made her angry. Ari was a lot of things, but she wasn't a quitter. She muttered under her breath about the mechanic who had run off,"Ee da tuo da bien." Then she looked up, meeting Ryan's eyes. "Sure, I'll look at it now. Hopefully have ya up and runnin' in no time." She allowed Stoot to take the bag from her, smiling because his happiness was just contagious as hell.

Although she was familiar with the layout of this ship, she allowed him to lead her to the engine room. It was only polite. When they got there, she set her pack on the floor and looked at the engine a minute. It was always saddening to come into an engine room with no noise; it felt so wrong for this magnificent machine not to be rumbling away comfortingly. "Right," she muttered, half to herself, as she went to the engine and began walking around it, running her hands over some parts and fiddling with others. Finally, she lay down and scooted underneath. Here, where Ryan couldn't see her properly, she felt more at ease and closed her left eye. She could see shadows, but nothing else, through that eye so it actually made it harder to focus on minute details, especially in the dimness beneath the engine.

After a few minutes, she beat the floor excitedly with a fist. "Got it!" She slid out, grabbed a large tool kit from her bag, and slithered back under. "'S only the pin-lock. Lucky I got some housing bolts with me, yeah?" No, Ari didn't expect Ryan to understand her engine talk, but she was always excited when she found something she could fix. "'S a little part, but it holds some of the innards in. It comes loose, the whole gorram thing shuts down." She quietly went to work for a few minutes, breaking the silence only once to grunt, "Yo cho yo ying fay tyeh..." There was the sound of something small and metal falling to the ground, and she finally slid out with her tool kit and engine grease all over her hands, and a little on her nose. "Y'should try her now, Ryan. Should be a'right." Tugging a rag from her bag, she rubbed her hands on it, wiping away the worst of the grease.

[hackanut]

Ryan let out a smile after hearing Ari would take a look at the ship. He hoped she could find the fix relatively soon. If she could he wouldn't have to worry about it all through dinner, and he liked that idea. He led his new mechanic through the Cargo Hold and down to the Engine Room. "Hope you like the ship, Ari. She wont be winning any beauty contests, I conjure -- but she does the trick, doesn't she?", He said as he turned to smile at her.

They entered the Engine Room and he watched her. She began walking around the engine, feeling it out, he thought. If this were an interview she would of gotten the job already; he was sure of that. This was no interview, however -- she was their only hope for a running ship -- there was no one else. Ryan continued to watch her as she got under the engine and go to work. 'This girl is nothin' short of genius', he thought to himself leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed. This was bound to be the first of many engine problems, and it made him feel a might better that Ari would be there to fix them.

"Got it!"

Oh, how right she was. He felt ecstatic -- his ship was going to run, his best friend was at his side, he got his first job as a captain, he was a captain. But he felt like more than that; he might of been the lord of all creation.

Ari explained to him what was wrong and why, but he didn't hear a word of it, he just looked at her and smiled.

"Y'should try her now, Ryan. Should be a'right."

"As a matter of fact I think I'll do just that, Miss... Ari." He pushed himself off the wall and crossed the room, hitting a button next to the second engine. The Atlas purred like a kitten.

"Well, Ari, I do believe i just meet my new mechanic! Lets get upstairs, shiny?"

[jude]

Out on the docks, a ship called the Antoinetta Marie pulled up to the pier from Titan Colony with a cargo of cotton and potatoes in her hold and a dorm full of passengers. It had been a quick trip with few stops, a cheap one-way push to Persephone. There, the passengers could find work, be tourists, or even find a ship to crew on.

That was Jude Larson's intent. He welcomed the sight of Persephone like the sight of a lover as he stepped off the ship. It had been a year or so since he'd left, but it felt like a decade and a half. He was back now, and that was all that mattered.

From what he understood, though, he wouldn't be on Persephone for long. He'd gotten a wave just a few days prior from a friend, a Ryan Hannigan, about a job on his ship. But not just any job -- he was going to be the pilot! Not just some test-driver on old, beat up wrecks, but a real pilot, doing real jobs. His heart sped up at the mere thought of it.

Wandering through the streets, he found a familiar sight: Looney's Tavern, an inn he'd used to go to. It was owned and operated by a McKinlian family, so it didn't make him feel too uncomfortable. Stepping through the door to the crowded, smokey barroom, he looked around for a face he knew, but found none.

He looked to a man seated at a nearby table. The man looked like a worker; big and burly, and from the sounds of it he didn't have all his teeth. "Excuse me," he said, his voice quite Cockney-sounding from spending his life on the Colony. "Have you seen Liam? The owner?"

"Day-um, bo-ah," the worker responded, obviously drunk and very content. "Weered that accent come from?"

"Same place as me, I'm afraid," Jude said, trying to be friendly. "Titan Colony, out on the rim."

"Shee-it, reely?" He seemed right jolly to have found that out, and told Jude he could find Liam at the bar. He did, and after a joyous reunion and a short drink, he rented a room for somewhere around half of what the other customers were paying because he was such a good friend. Maybe that's why he came here -- he'd spent most of his coin just trying to get here.

Once he was up in the room, he put his two small bags on the bed and walked over to the waver, dialing in the code given to him by Ryan when they'd last spoken; it was the number to the Atlas. However, after a few rings, he got the message machine. Jude had never been good at leaving messages for people, but he figured it was easier than waving them every couple of hours.

"Ryan...oh, wait, is it recording? Oh, um...Hey, Ryan, it's Jude. I mean, you know it's Jude, but that's...beside the point. Uh -- I'm in town. Just got off the ship, and I'm just waiting for word from you so I can join you on your own boat." He smiled. "If you need to reach me, I'm staying at Looney's. You can come by or just wave. Liam knows who I am. Umm....See you then, I s'pose."

[faye]

"Well are ya gonna just stand there or are ya gonna come help cook? ..."

Delilah snapped to attention and grinned, glad to be asked for help. Faye had been a little worried she'd be in over her head, but potatoes was something every McKinlian knew how to do, so it seemed nothing was wrong. Suddenly, with a gasp, the dreamy twin reached into a small bag she had slung over her shoulder and pulled out a small, clear plastic case. Inside, there was a pound of fresh, ripe strawberries. "I-I got these from my cabin," she said. "In case we need them for something."

Faye smiled. Delilah loved strawberries so much that three or four months ago, she'd given her equipment to grow them herself; now, the entire curved left wall of Delilah's room was a panel of soil and leaves and little red fruits, with sunlamps over them. Faye figured it was cheaper than buying her bunches of them every time they made port. Now, she only had to buy seeds occasionally, which was turning out to be much cheaper. Occasionally, she grew other things; tomatoes, and once, cucumbers, but mostly it was just strawberries. Small and red and sweet -- just like Delilah.

Faye sat down at the table, motioning for Sam to join her. For a moment, she just watched them, but found the silence awkward. She'd never been good at small talk, so she looked for things she could ask him about. "You're from Higgins', right?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.

[stoot]

Stoot's eyes widened at Delilah's box of strawberries. " girly, I ain't had a strawberry since I was a kid! Where'd you get a whole box?" He was impressed. The small fruit was somewhat of a rarity in this 'verse, as was a lot of other fruits and vegetables. A lot of stuff was artificial nowadays. It was a real treat to have something that grew from the ground; except the basic stuff he'd brought for dinner, for 'taters and beans were pretty common.

Stoot and Delilah worked together for a few minutes, he joked with her lightly as they cooked but overall the room was pretty quiet. He looked up when Faye spoke.

"Yep," he shrugged. "Canton to be exact. Mudders n' the like." He stomped one mud-caked boot as a sort of explanation, as some of the dried mud chipped off and dirtied the floor. He threw one of the steaks into a pan and sprinkled some spices over it. "Y'all are from the same area, ain't ya?" He asked in return, nodding at both Faye and Sam. "Your accents are awful similar."

[sam]

Sam was the first to take a seat at the table. He was beginning to get quite hungry and decided to be as ready as possible for the food to come. Delilah had remembered something and proceeded to remove a clear container of strawberries from her bag. Stoot's reaction to them made Sam smile, and, to his dismay, a little more hungry.

"Where'd you get a whole box?"

"Delilah, sweet 'art, could ya do wif partin' ways wit a few 'o them? I'm right famished, as it were." And he smiled again at the girl. Sam loved her like a daughter; She took life just about as seriously as he did, and that made him proud.

"Y'all are from the same area, ain't ya? Your accents are awful similar."

"Got keen ears, you do." Sam said with a hint of sarcasm. "But, aye, I'm juss' jokin' wit ya, Stoot. Faye and me are from McKin-lay; met the lass at muh weddin'. Long story not werf hearin', dat weddin' is, 'ow-eva."

Sam watched Stoot and Delilah cook for a moment or two, happily snacking on the handful of strawberries Delilah had thrown him. One of them, however, he hadn't caught. It had landed on his Hawaiian shirt, leaving a small red stain where it had hit.

"Take a goo' look at dis," he said, pointing out the stain. "'cause its the closest ter seein' muh shot I think any 'o us are gonna see!"

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OOC: I'm thinking Sam gets injured (shot) during the course of the job given to them by Murdo. that'll give one of the medics a chance to have some fun thoughts?

[raven]

Audrey ducked around the large, burly man calling out for another mug of ale. Her creamy brown eyes narrowed at the muscles bunching in the man's arm, her face screwing up as she took a quick step back. Unfortunately, the strong, large body now pressing against her back wasn't a good indication. She was about to take a tentative glance over her shoulder when a large, hammy hand descended on her shoulder and shoved her away. Gasping, she slammed into another tall, lean man, jarring his mug and causing the warm golden liquid to slop over the rim and slide like a slug down her back and down the length of her arm. Auj dodged past the now angry man's outstretched, groping hand and elbowed her way to the exit.

Auj stood for a moment just outside the bar, cursing angrily. " bastards. They think they own the place."She pulled her shirt over her head and used it to wipe off her arm and back as best she could. No matter how hard she scrubbed, she was still sticky. Sighing, she chucked the shirt into her bag and pulled out a new one, tugging it on over her tank top. Smoothing her long fingers over the slightly wrinkled white shirt, Auj slung her bag over her shoulder and strode confidentally into the street. Her chocolate gaze swept up to the massive ships all around her. Her smooth gait was unworried as she moved throughout the bustling crowd.

Auj paused before a ship, tilting her head at it. Her long curls tumbled over her shoulder, falling into her face. Growling, she swept them back into a high bun, unworried about the small wisping curls that fell out of the bun, framing her strong jawline and high cheekbones. She worried her full lower lip as she gazed on the ship. It was a medium-sized ship, and it wasn't the crisp, shining metal that was the ship a few 'doors' down, but that didn't deter the young medic. She lived to find the diamond beneath the ruble - or however that saying went. She checked her appearance quickly : shirt smoothed and curve-hugging; jeans tight and hip-hugging; hair up. Overall, presentable and not put-off. She took a deep breath, tugged her bag highed on her shoulder and stepped up the ramp into the holding area. She stood close to the exit, not wanting to seem over-confident.

"Hello, anybody home?"

[Ari Deschain]

Ari stuff the dirty rag into a side pocket in her cargo pants, wiping her face with her forearm. Ryan let her rip, and the engine roared to life. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back slightly, pleased to hear its rumbling purr. It was a beautiful sound to her, and it meant she had done her job right. She opened her eyes and turned to see Ryan's reaction. He seemed very excited, and said she was his new mechanic. A wide smile spread across her face and she dipped her head. "Thanks a lot, yeah?" Her coarse voice was somewhat quiet, the thanks sincere.

Ryan suggested they head back to the others, and she nodded, holding out her hands. "Long's you point out a place I can wash up on th' way." He led her out, and they made their way back to the cargo hold. "She really is a beautiful ship, Ryan. She got a name?" As they made their way through the hold, the sound of quiet footsteps and a voice caught her attention, and she instinctively put a hand to the gun tucked into the back of her pants, though she didn't pull it. Her inclination was to get in front of Ryan, as he was her Captain, but she somehow didn't think he'd appreciate it much if she did. She settled for standing next to him, her good eye focused on the new figure at the top of the ramp.

Of course, they were still docked, and their ramp was wide open...Also, it could have been a member of his crew she still hadn't met yet, but Ari was no stranger to trouble and this perhaps made her much too paranoid - her hand stayed hovering over the butt of her gun, but she wouldn't pull it without an order from Ryan. The figure was hard for her to focus on, with the light behind her and the ship's dim hull casting shadows. Sacrificing the possibility that Ryan would notice, Ari closed her left eye. The woman standing at the top of the ramp came into focus and Ari relaxed only slightly upon the realization that she was not bearing arms. She didn't look like trouble. Ari looked to Ryan, of course waiting him to speak first.