Fine Dining

[hackanut]

"She really is a beautiful ship, Ryan. She got a name?"

"I'm calling her the Atlas. And she is beautiful..." He said, admiring the hallway they were walking down. "...ain't she just."

The two of them made their way through the corridor and crossed into the ship's Cargo Hold. "Hello, anybody home?" Ryan's hand shot to the Webley pistol hanging beneath his shoulder. Ari reached for a gun as well but they both froze before drawing their firearms. It was just a girl. It wasn't the war anymore. Calming down a little, Ryan took his hand off of his gun and let it hang at his side.

"Girl could get perforated scarin' folk on their own ship like that. What is it you want?"

[faye]

"Where'd you get a whole box?"

"I grow them...." Delilah's voice trailed off, looking down at the small red fruits, but then she looked up and smiled. "Faye got me the equipment so I can grow bunches!"

"Cheaper than buying them every time we make port," Faye commented as a bit of explanation. Nothing made her happier than seeing Delilah happy, and that happened the most when she was around other people. Unlike Faye, who had always been almost entirely self-sufficient, Del felt the need for human contact. She wasn't fit for life in space, but she also wasn't fit to be anywhere without Faye there to hold her up. And Faye needed her just as much.

"Delilah, sweet 'art, could ya do wif partin' ways wit a few 'o them? I'm right famished, as it were."

Delilah grinned excitedly and handed him a couple of strawberries, then closed the box. "No more, now, all o' ya. They're for dessert." She smiled and hummed happily as she peeled the potatoes and put them into a pot to be cooked.

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

Faye gasped, but smiled. "Don't you say that now, Sam McCarthy!" she said. Despite her penchant for cynicism, she still had the odd tendency to be superstitious. "You'll jinx it and get somebody on these fine crews shot. And just for that, I hope it's you fer bringin' it upon us." She tapped his head lightly, the way old friends do when they joke with each other.

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OOC: Really, Corey? That's so weird, 'cause I was thinking of doing just the same for Jude! You know, since he's such a total sweetheart and all, he's gotta be traumatized, so I was thinking of pulling a Kaylee and having him get shot. Also, Cat and I had been plotting out a bit of a fling between him and Auj, and I thought it'd be a great way for them to get to know each other and whatnot.
But since Sam is soooo very lovable, it would work with him too. You know, without the Auj romance, though...

[raven]

Audrey's eyes found the couple as they walked towards her and she paused, eyes flicking from their faces to their hands on their guns to their faces once again. Her own hand went to the small Glock 19 holstered at her hip. Her body remained relaxed, but she kept her hand lightly on the Glock, ready to flip it out if the need arose. She gave them a small smile, not overly friendly, not totally unstrained. Her eyes quickly took in the woman's dirty hands - mechanic if she'd ever known one. The man, tall and stern, wasn't as easy to figure out. She decided to leave his status to be determined and lifted her chin, eyes grazing his.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that I can fix most perforations that might come my way, eh?" Her flashing grin flitted across her face as she took slow steps towards the two people. She kept one hand on her Glock and held the other out to their general vicinity. "Audrey Caerudulce. Auj works, though, in most cases. I'm a medic, though, and I'm looking for a job." She gave a lopsided smile, tentative, unsure if this was a good idea or not.

[hackanut]

The girl walked towards them, telling them her business. She was a medic -- the Atlas could probably use a medic, especially with the job they had just been hired for coming up.

"Well, Audrey, you'd do right by yourself to not sneak on to my ship like that. But, I think I could use a medic, we got a job coming up soon, could warrant some patchin' up if things go south. We ain't got time for business at the moment, however. Its time for some chow." Ryan turned to go up the stairs but stopped and turned around. "By the way, that means you're welcome to come along. Oh, and this is Ari -- my mechanic. Welcome to the Atlas."

Ryan lead the way to the kitchen with Ari and Audrey in tail. They reached their destination and Ryan had to do a double take.

"Danny-boy, you mind telling me why we got two Fayes on my ship?"

[stoot]

OOC: Lyn, hope you don't mind the mild god-mods here...I'll change anything if you don't agree with it xD
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Stoot and Delilah were having fun cooking together. As Faye bopped Sam on the head for his ominous comment, Stoot and the twin had taken up to singing. He was teaching her 'The Hero of Canton', since it was the one he'd been whistling earlier, and Delilah had asked about it. For a hairy, husky man such as Stoot, he had a surprisingly charming singing voice. Back home, folk singing was a group activity. Stoot could play the guitar as well, but didn't have enough room to bring it with him during his move to the Atlas. He'd have to ask Ryan if they could go back for it someday. Now that he was singing, he felt a little naked without some tunes to go with it.

He shared a hearty laugh with Delilah when she dropped the potato that she'd been using as a faux-microphone. He flipped the steak he was cooking, shaking his head. "You're eatin' that one. Hell, I'll eat it, toss 'er in the pot anyhow!" After this, they started to sing again, but it was a short-lived rendition. Ryan, Ari, and a woman Stoot didn't recognize entered the kitchen then. He looked up from the stove with interest.

"Danny-boy, you mind telling me why we got two Fayes on my ship?"

"Hell Ryan, that ain't two Faye's, it's Faye n' her sister, Delilah." As he introduced the eccentric, Stoot pointed to her with his fork. "Funny as hell, this one, and she grows strawberries. You believe that? I ain't seen a strawberry since I was a kid." He shook his head in amusement. He didn't even remember liking the fruit that much, but the rarity of it made it a delicacy all the same.

"'N who's that?" He asked, now pointing his fork over at Audrey. "I ain't good with faces but I know I ain't seen that'n before."

[hackanut]

"Oh," Ryan said, surprised. "I didn't know you had a sister, Faye. Ain't that shiny."

Turning to face both Stoot and Audrey at the same time, Ryan introduced her. "This is Audrey, says she's a medic. Problems might crop up on this job we got -- some problems hurt pretty bad, and she can fix 'em should they be had."

Ryan scanned the room for any more new faces. Sure enough, a scruffy man older than himself, clad in a Hawaiian shirt sat at the table examining the seeds of a strawberry he was holding.

"Faye, this your crew?"

[sam]

Sam ignored the fact that the question had been directed at his Captain and replied for her.

"Names Sam! I take 'et yur Ryan 'annigan? Noice to mee'cha!" He said, standing up and holding out his hand. Sam's gaze fell on the gun hanging from under Ryan's shoulder -- guns always made Sam uncomfortable, he saw the need for them, but never thought of a good enough reason to have one himself. "I'm da pilot 'o the Ri-lay. I unda-stand wur ta be workin' togath-a on our new job. Tha's shoiny if ya ask me." Sam said with a smile.

[Ari Deschain]

The woman introduced herself, but it was not until Ryan accepted her and Audrey stayed her hand from her weapon, that Ari finally relaxed herself. As Ryan introduced her, Ari rose two fingers to her forehead and tossed her a jaunty little salute. She followed Ryan and Audrey up the stairs, keeping her hands off the rail so as not to grime it up with engine grease. Her bag swung loosely from one shoulder, striking her hip with each stair step.

When they reached the kitchen, they were met with four people. Three of them she didn't recognize. As Ryan introduced Audrey, Ari sidestepped the pair of them, dumped her bag unceremoniously in an out-of-the-way corner, and rounded the corner. Flashing a smile at her buddy, Stoot, she gently elbowed him. "Sink, please?" She went around him and turned on the water at the sink, running her hands under the running water.

As she soaped up, she listened to the exchange of the others. So Sam, Faye, and Delilah. Not of this ship, then, she gathered. When the oil and grime had been washed away, leaving only the dark stains that would remain as long as she held to this trade, she turned to Stoot. "D'you need any help?" She hated just standing around if there was work to be done.

[stoot]

Stoot went back to cooking as Sam piped up and struck up his introduction to Ryan. He plopped a finished steak onto a platter and tossed a second one into the pan. It was now that Ari approached, and he grinned at her greasy hands when she requested use of the sink. He blushed wildly when she elbowed him in a friendly fashion. Without missing a beat, though, he returned the gesture, albeit a little rougher than he meant it to be.

"So, you got 'er runnin'?" he asked, though by the look on both Ryan's and her face, he was sure he knew the answer. "Knew you could do it, yer a natural." He busied himself with cheerful whistling as his new buddy washed her hands. He didn't look back at her until she spoke to him again. Stoot was starting to find Ari more beautiful than he originally had back in the bar, and he had to be careful about making too much eye-contact with her.

"You ain't helpin," He said, playfully pushing her away, "You sit tight with the rest-a the crew and let me make ya somethin' ter eat." Of course Stoot wasn't going to let her help! He felt it would be un-gentlemanly of him to make her do the work, when she'd already done so much already. Besides, he kind of liked the idea of making something for her, as a symbol of gratitude. "I think you done enough work, lady. You do anythin' more and you'll have to be hailed a saint!"

[Ari Deschain]

The mechanic was slightly surprised when she saw a blush spread over Stoot's cheeks. Did he have a little crush on her? If he did, that for some reason made her a little nervous. She'd had several relationships in the past; they always ended as quickly as they began. Commitment wasn't usually a word in her vocabulary, except commitment to her ship, her crew, her job, and her Browncoat unit. She didn't want something like that with Stoot. She liked him, and could even see herself with a good person like him, but she was scared to ruin anything they had. Ari was unfortunately very good at ruining and ending relationships. It was very unlike her to be hesitant in anything, but she had a soft spot for this man it seemed. This development would need some thinking over.

However, she wasn't able to dwell on it long, because a sharp elbow from the man in question sent her reeling slightly. She laughed lightly, wrinkling her nose. "Easy there, Stoot. I may look like I'm made o' steel, but I'm not." She clenched a fist and held up an arm to playfully show her muscle. As she washed up, he asked about the ship and she began to speak, drying her hands as she did so. "Just a little problem. Didn't take much ta fix. I like to keep some spart common parts with me, jus' in case, and I had the bolts it needed." He didn't seem to have thought for a second that she could fail, though, and she smiled modestly at his compliment.

She let him push her away, turning around to stick out her tongue at him childishly. "Alright, then; I won't help. But! only if you sit next t'me at dinner, yeah?" She turned, almost running into Delilah. Holding out a hand, she smiled at the woman. There were more strangers she had to introduce herself to when she got to the table, but Delilah was first in line. "Hey there. Name's Ari."

[stoot]

"Sorry 'bout that lady," He said. "Don' know my own strength!" Stoot flipped the steak he was cooking as Ari agreed not to help cook: but there was a condition. His stomach clenched slightly as she told him only if she sat next to him at dinner. He could feel a light blush creeping up again but his beard masked most of it. He was thankful for the heat from the stove, hoping to blame that should she call attention to it. He personally didn't know what to make of the feeling, he'd never felt it before in his life. Stoot figured that he must just be acting weird because she was a lady and she was pretty; he didn't get to see many of those in Canton. Also, she was the first lady since he'd been on this rock to treat him like any other guy instead of a greasy ol' mudder. He was taking a quick liking to her, and he wasn't completely sure about whether or not it was 100% platonic.

"O'course I'll sit next to ya," he assured her, "Now go sit down." His bossiness was merely playful, and he smiled down at his cooking as she made her introductions to Delilah, who was helping him cook.

Taking a quick head-count in the room, Stoot made a mental note of how many people he was cooking for. Six. He seemed to have enough for that, and he tossed the next finished steak onto the platter. "This'll be done soon, fer sure!" he told his cooking buddy before randomly bursting out in a verse of The Hero of Canton, very much in the mood to sing. A small part of him hoped that Ari was impressed with his singing voice. It was something he'd never hoped for before; his voice had always been just that: a voice.

[faye]

"Danny-boy, you mind telling me why we got two Fayes on my ship?"

"I'm not Faye!" Delilah giggled, laughing as though he'd just suggested the silliest thing in the world. "I'm Delilah!" She waved at the new people in the room, flashing them a smile that would make the devil melt.

"Faye, this your crew?"

Sam answered before Faye had the chance to, and she elbowed him for it. "Aye, Ryan, this is Sam McCarthy, me pilot, who I'm hopin' will eventually learn the meanin' of the word 'rank,'" she said, and added a saucy glare in Sam's direction. Of course, Sam knew she didn't mean it, not like a terribly strict captain would mean it. Faye could only ever pull the rank card on Sam in the most dire situations; other than that, it was just too weird for her.

"You sit tight with the rest-a the crew and let me make ya somethin' ter eat."

"Yeah!" Delilah agreed. She grinned when Ari introduced herself. "Ari? That's so pretty! I'm Delilah Murphy. Faye's me sister." Even though Delilah was taller than Ari, it was obvious who was older. She was an amazon of a woman, with muscular arms and a strong jawline -- obviously not one to cross. Delilah, on the other hand, was just a wisp of a thing, and she'd never been strong like her sister. Smiling, she reached over, got a strawberry from the box, and handed it to Ari. "Nice to meet'cha!"

"O'course I'll sit next to ya..."

Delilah looked disheartened. "But...but I wanted to sit next to you..." she muttered, like a child hearing they weren't allowed to go somewhere fun. She obviously didn't want to sit next to him the same way Ari did, though -- Delilah didn't understand the meaning of flirtatious; she was just nice to everyone.

[raven]

Audrey listened to the conversation, eyes flicking to face after face to join a name with it. Ari. Faye. Delilah. Sam. Ryan. She frowned. Everyone seemed to know who the shorter, rounder fellow was, so she didn't yet have a name. Satisfied that she was doing well so far, Auj let her gaze follow Ari as the older woman dropped her back in a corner. Auj shifted her own bag, pulling it higher on her shoulder and closer to her body. She could feel the 7-inch blade - sheathed, of course - through the bag, kept in a separate compartment to make it easy to find among her few belongings.

Sliding a her long fingers into her pocket, Auj pulled out a cobalt blue lighter. Her nimble hands tossed it back and forth with quick swipes a few times, before catching it in her left hand and flicking it open. She slid her finger down the revolver and clicked the switch in one smooth motion. The flame blazed to life and swayed a bit in the movement of air caused by the movement of people. Auj smiled at the familiar flame. No matter the setting or the people, the event or the emotions, the fire was always the same. Safe unless you tempted it; bright unless you abused it; etc. The flame could be counted on to give you a sense of sameness where a person could not. Auj nearly smirked at the thought. A flame preferable to a person. It wasn't so far fetched. She hoped, at least.

Auj glanced up, catching Delilah's sweet "But...but I wanted to sit next to you..." Auj gave a small smile to no one in particular - more to herself than one of the people around her. She moved over to where Delilah was standing and smiled fully at the slightly younger girl, tilting her head. "Actually, Delilah, I was wondering if you'd sit next to me and tell me about those magnificent strawberries you've got there. Is that okay?"

[hackanut]

Ryan observed the chaos that was his kitchen. Danny-boy was cooking and flirting with Ari, Faye was explaining something to him that he wasn't listening to, Delilah looked exactly like Faye only stricken with some sort of disease of the fashion-sense, Audrey was striking up a conversation with Delilah, and Sam sat, lazily, in his chair trying to get a seed out of his teeth. He was never good with situations like this, the craziness disoriented him something fierce -- It felt like the War again to him.

The War was long since over but it still shook Ryan. 'How can I go on when so much bad has happened?' He still didn't know the answer to that. A man in his thoughts peaked out of a foxhole and fell to the floor, his face was gone. Ryan pushed the images aside, he didn't want to think about these things anymore. He hoped he could sleep tonight.

"I'm going to, uh... check on the ship, close the hatch and the like." He said to whoever heard him and he slipped out of the room and into the corridor. Hopefully no one had followed him.

Ryan entered the Cargo Hold and slowly walked down the stairs, letting his hand run along the railing. He tried not to close his eyes for too long; if he could focus on the things around him he wouldn't have time to think about the things in his past.

When he reached the hatch he stopped before hitting the switch, he stood staring out into the night for a time, the lights were all off in the dock outside, The vastness of the black drew him in and his thoughts moved to his ship -- not the location or the ship itself, but the idea of the thing. It freed him. He could go where ever he wanted to, fuel allowing, and what a wonderful thought that was to him. He couldn't wait to rise and fall, everyday, on this ship, this beacon of hope -- his only hope.

Ryan came back around, focusing his eyes. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not, but Ursula was standing right in front of him. If he could focus on the things around him he wouldn't have time to think about the things in his past. He smiled at her, figment or not.

"You are a sight for very sore eyes, Miss Garvel."

[Admin Account]

OOC: Since Micah can't start posting for awhile (internet issues), I'm going to allow Ursula to board Atlas until he comes back.
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It had been a very short conversation, the one Ursula had held with the Alliance captain of Esteem. His name had been Oz Olsen, but she didn't care to find out much more than that. He had been looking at her as if she were a piece of meat. Not only that, he was treating as such as well! She hadn't even agreed to rent out his shuttle yet and he was already beginning to treat her as if she were some employee of his. Ursula knew she could do better, despite Oz's two cents on it. Perhaps not a better ship...but definitely better landlords.

The Companion had hurried away from Esteem, letting Mr. Olsen know exactly what she thought of him before storming off. She knew where she truly wanted to board, but she was in denial. The Atlas was too second-class for her. Besides, she felt it would be a sign of defeat if Oz saw her go near that ship after turning his down. It would make him smug. She did not want to see any sort of smirk on those fat lips of his.

Ursula had taken refuge at the local shopping district and had remained there until the shops were closing. She now returned to the docks, filled with dread. It was a huge relief to see that Olsen had at least returned to his ship. Now all she had to do was get real with herself; there was no shame in this, right? Did it matter that all of her fellow companions were already aboard nice, Alliance cruisers? Did this make her a lesser-quality companion?

Well, she needed a shuttle. She wasn't going to lower herself by bowing down to Olsen. There were other ships on the lot that were better than Atlas, but each time Ursula ended up talking herself out of them. She was convinced that she only had one choice. She hoped she hadn't worn out her welcome.

It was when Ursula was in front of the Atlas, standing just beyond its open mouth, that her feet grew cold. She paced slightly before straightening again. She sighed. She tapped her foot. She wasn't sure how to approach this situation, exactly. She didn't want to seem desperate.

Just as she was about to leave, Ryan appeared in the threshold. Too late to run now. She built up her resolve and lifted her chin to be parallel with the ground when she knew she was in view. She walked right up to him. 'Might as well get this over with.'

"Hello again, Captain Hannigan," She greeted him formally, bowing. She rose back up to meet him at eye-level only to see that he didn't seem to notice her. She stared, puzzled, for a moment. His eyes seemed to snap back into focus suddenly and he finally looked at her.

"You are a sight for very sore eyes, Miss Garvel."

"I suppose I could say the same thing about you," She retorted. "You look upset. I could come back another time, perhaps?"

Ursula would not ask him why he was upset nor would she try to make him feel better. She had a small urge to do both, but she was a well-disciplined woman. If she were intruding on a private moment for the captain, she would leave it private. No need to make this personal; she just needed a shuttle. She could wait until morning for that.