Fine Dining

[Admin Account]

"Wei! Ursula. I think we got some talkin' to do."

Ursula spun around sharply when she heard the gruff voice call out to her. One eyebrow raised condescendingly as Stoot came towards her from the stairs, and she was pleased to see that she was around the same height as him. Her frustration was near to a bursting point, and this little bastard was not helping to extinguish the fire in her eyes.

"I think we do too," Ursula said sharply in response, now seeming to tower over him. She had considered blowing him off before leaving, but there were some words she wished to say before she erased him from memory. She was suddenly furious with him. Her anger was boiling over, she could feel words she would regret later rising up like bile. She could not contain them; she exploded, her cheeks tinging pink as she did.

"You are just a pathetic little pile of luh-suh, jing-chang mei yong duh, you foolish puddle of shiong mao niao. You don't tell me what we need to talk about, little man, I will tell you what exactly we need to discuss here." Ursula jabbed a finger in his direction.
"You come out here and try to pretend you're a shiny new rebel, like this universe needs anymore of those. You know what I see? An idiot, plain as day. You're an idiot, Daniel Stoot, in every meaning of the word. Not that it's necessarily you're fault, but how in the tyen shiao duh did you get off that moon, anyhow? You probably can't even find your way out of a paper bag. You want to tell me something?" She now said, her personal attacks making her feel oddly satisfied. She had not verbally attacked someone in a very, very long time. It was a relief to release such tension on this stranger, this man whom she knew she'd never like.
"What are you going to say? Sorry? I know you don't mean it, and if I were being honest with myself, you aren't the one who owes the apology in the first place, not for my leaving, anyhow. I'm sure Ryan's sent you out here to try and win me over, I'm sure you both blame you; and all I can say to that is he made a poor choice in sending you to do the job. You are wasting your time, Mr. Stoot, and mine as well. You go enjoy the rest of your dinner; I'm sure even you could understand why I do not belong here. We are both painfully aware of that fact. Let's not make this any harder than it has to be. I'll leave, and you can go back to Ryan and tell him I was already gone when you got here. You're husky enough, I'm sure he'll believe that you're a slow runner."

Ursula lowered her chin a little to be more level with Stoot. She was calming down already. The heat of her rant was cooled. Now, she even had enough compassion to feel a little bad for being so harsh, but yet, she couldn't help it. She was frustrated beyond belief at the people in this ship. Oddly enough, it wasn't Stoot's fault and she knew it. Sure, he had started the whole thing, but his comment had been, admittedly, harmless. She had even dignified him with a response. What she could not tolerate was the way both of the other two women had reacted to the situation. She could see how things would be on Atlas based on that observation: she would be treated without humor, her every movement would be subject to great scrutiny.

She would not have it.

Not even if Audrey were here. She had been quite surprised to see the ex-companion here, it was true, but her frustration had blinded her to anything other than her desperate need to get off of the ship. She would wave Audrey later. That was the plan.

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OOC: Ursula can be soooooooo mean

Translations!
1: Garbage
2: Consistently Useless
3: Panda Urine
4: Name of all that's sacred

[stoot]

Stoot could not help but flinch at the companion's acid-filled response. At each jab, he felt the punch behind it. It was hard not to. Her words hit close to home. They were a real kick in the ol' stones.

Once she was finished, though, he brought is eyes to look into hers. At first, she'd sounded as if she truly hated him for everything that had happened tonight. Now, however, she even admitted that this wasn't his fault, and she was trying to make things easier for them. He was still scorned by Ursula's insults, but her visible cooling had reminded him why he was asking her to stay on the Atlas. He shook his head, deciding to handle this one step at a time.

"You're right about me, a-course." he admitted. "I sure am a fat pice of fei-oo, and sometimes I can be downright mean. By the seems of it, you and I ain't so differ'nt on that count. Though for an educated lady such's yourself, I'd think you'd be a little more reserved before makin' such bold judgment on people. I ain't well-spoken and I sure as ain't all fancy n' proper like you. But I ain't stupid, neither. You're right, Ursula, I did come out here to 'pologize. I figured I ought to owe you one. But now I think you're the one who owes the apology. But," He said after a moment of thought, shrugging. "I know I ain't gonna get one from ya. Too proud n' all. So, I guess I'll relieve you of that responsibility by tellin' you what a Shee-niou, Wahg-ba DAN duh biao-tze you are. To me you ain't nothin' but a whore, no matter how pretty you wrap the package. Fer damn sure I don't think you deserve the light a day from anyone with dignity, especially someone good as Ryan; you're just a diseased whore to me, as I said. So neither of us is gon' apologize. We both ain't gonna mean it." He felt better to get that off his chest, it was true. The part of him that was outraged at her personal attack was appeased. Oddly enough, Stoot felt less angry at Ursula now. The fact that they both got the chance to yell at each other was vindicating, it broke the tension. Stoot was suddenly seeing Ursula as a person rather than a block of ice. He was seeing actual emotion opposed to practiced etiquette. It was endearing in an odd way. He still didn't like her, still didn't approve of her career; but he wasn't so hostile towards her as he felt a moment ago.

"We ain't never gonna get along, s'far as I can see. That ain't mean you can't buck up n' be a little tolerant. I ain't goin' back and tellin' Ryan you done run off when you ain't. I'm goin' back and I'll tell 'im I did my damndest, and he can either be ruttin' happy or ruttin' depressed, dependin' on what you choose. I don't agree with this love-drunk bullshit but I ain't got to. It ain't me that makes him so gorram puppy-eyed; s'you. You gonna go hop on the purple or are you gonna stay where you know you're wanted? Ways I see it, you ain't runnin' from a couple-a hens bein' mouthy. You're a big girl, you should be able ta handle that. You runnin' from havin' to deal with real emotions. I sure you ain't never had to be anythin' but fake before now. I ain't that experienced in the real world, lady, but I know an amateur when I see one. You ain't any more experienced in life as me."



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OOC: Jeeze, I'm full of dialogue tonight. xD HURTFUL dialogue! *feels awesome*
Translation!
1: Cow-humping, harlot of a SOB.

[Ari Deschain]

Captain Ryan came to the counter where Sam and she stood, and Ari let Sam fill his glass. She was uncharacteristically shy, her eyes not meeting Ryan's. Earlier, she had felt a smug sense of satisfaction to let her emotions fly and give the others a piece of her mind. She didn't like to keep her opinions to herself, but she had not done it very tactfully. Okay, she had used no tact at all, although she had used some restraint. She had told off two Captains and a Companion, and then basically the whole table. It would have been better to wait until their guests were gone and discuss her concerns with Ryan when her head was clear and not clouded by anger. Letting her temper fly at her new Captain in front of company was definitely not a great start, and his lack of reaction to her outburst was not helping her nerves. She felt sure he was angry with her, and rightly so.

Delilah and Faye were soon shouting out their orders, and Ari stood up straight, turning to Sam. "I'll get Delilah, if you wanna see ta your Capt'n." She took the cider from him and poured some into a glass for Faye's twin. Bringing it to Delilah, she set it down gently on the table. "There y'go, sugar. Y'need a refill later, you jus' let me know, yeah?" Like everyone else seemed to, Ari had developed a soft spot for the woman. She just seemed to emanate kindness. She smiled and winked at Delilah, then headed back to the counter. Sam had brought Faye's drink to her, and it was only Ryan at the counter now. This was her chance to apologize, while the man from the other ship was not around to hear the conversation. She didn't think Ryan would like her speaking out of turn again in front of the other crew.

"Look..." she began, quiet and eyes down. She used her right hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, shy, but she finally forced herself to look up at him. What would her Captain think of a crew member who couldn't even meet his eyes to apologize? Truth was, she was a little ashamed. "Like I said at table, Cap, I'm sorry I went too far. I've a right hot temper sometimes, 'n I didn't mean no disrespect." She crossed her arms, eyes flicking towards the door. Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke again. "D'ya think Stoot can get 'er back?" If Ari was honest with herself, she didn't rightly care to see Ursula again. Ryan seemed a good man, and she hated that he seemed to have fallen for a woman who one had to pay to be with. No good could come from this, but if the woman did come back, Ari had the sense to be cordial to her. She did feel guilty for being so rude, but Companions always rubbed her the wrong way, for several reasons. Her eyes flicked to the door again. If she continued to be honest with herself, she was waiting for Stoot to come back, and not just to see if he brought Ursula with him.


ooc: Took some liberties here; if it needs to change, let me know =]

[Admin Account]

Ursula raised an eyebrow at the way in which Stoot was speaking to her. Sure he looked like a barbarian, but she never would have expected him to speak to her like one, for some reason. A hand at her hip gave her the 'are you done yet?' look as he continued. She did not like being called a whore.

However, she could see what he was doing here. He was just trying to match her level insult; he achieved it. She was scorned by his words. It wasn't until he got to the end of his little rant that she shifted her weight from one foot to the other and finally responded. While his words had been offensive, she hadn't interrupted him until he was done; she had been interested to hear how he would respond.

"You surprise me, Mr. Stoot." She said, her eyes narrowed. She hadn't told anyone that she was new to the world of companionship, but apparently she had allowed her facade to slip due to her reactions. She would have to work on this. It was a lesson learned.

She also hadn't thought of her departure in this way. Her reason for leaving had not been a facade as Stoot perceived, but yet, would the entire crew think this? Was she running away from emotion? She couldn't be 100% sure, but she did not like the thought of this crew thinking a companion was doing something such as that. Stoot also made her realize that aside from all of that, she was running from two women being 'mouthy'. What sort of woman was she? She knew she was stronger than that. She had allowed herself to be intimidated by a couple of inferior girls. She squared her shoulders at this thought, not liking it one bit.

"Despite the fact that I think you're a disgusting little man," she had to throw just one more jab in there, for the sake of her ego. "you miraculously have made a little bit of sense. I will stay, Mr. Stoot."

She didn't feel there was anything else she needed to say. She felt a little embarrassed at submitting to what he wanted of her, she felt as if she'd lost...but she would do so gracefully. She started towards the stairs, and was half-way up them, when she turned around, sudden thoughts springing up in her mind.

"I think we need to make some things clear before we re-enter the kitchen." she said. "We will pretend that the dialogue we just shared didn't happen. I do not think it's anyone's business save for our own. Also," She added hastily, "I think it would be best to also agree that we not make mention of my career, whether it is the negative perspective you have on it or how long I have been doing it."

She raised an eyebrow at him, as if to say, "Do you understand?" If he didn't, she could still always leave. She could see now that Ryan was her leverage; he cared more about Ryan's happiness than his own contentment. If she left, Ryan would be upset, and in turn Stoot would be as well. She smirked.

'How cute,' she thought.

[hackanut]

Ryan eyed Ari as she tried to apologize to him. There really wasn't any need for her to do so, he thought. Everyone was just as much at fault as the next person. She looked genuinely ashamed of herself... that hurt even him to see. Ari was strong, but here she looked defeated. Her head was pointed at the floor and his hand reached out and tilted her chin up towards his own. She looked prettier now, in her vulnerability, than she ever had to him. "Hey.. you don't be apologizing now. You ain't been outta-line yet. Shiny?" When he was finished speaking he realized his hand hadn't left her chin. Surprised at himself, he quickly removed it, letting his hand rest on the counter. "Yeah, Ursula.. I'm sure Stoot will get'er back..." Ryan was feeling beyond awkward at this point. He wasn't even sure what had just happened. Hopefully Ari didn't notice his lingering hand -- oh what was he thinking? Of course she'd noticed. Having nothing better to do, Ryan grab up his mug and took a larger than usual swig of his Cider. As his mug lowered his eyes fell back on Ari, waiting for her response.

[Ari Deschain]

Ari didn't flinch as the Captain touched her chin. She was a touchy person, always patting or poking people and such, and this wasn't awkward at all. At least, it wasn't for a few seconds, but as the time wore on, she found herself becoming increasingly more aware of his touch on her skin. His gaze was different than it had been before; it seemed more aware, almost. She felt her cheeks burning as they flushed slightly in embarassment. He was a handsome guy, and usually she would mercilessly flirt back. Bouncing from man to man, relationship to relationship, ship to ship, had always been a part of her life. As such, she found herself smiling flirtatiously at him.

Almost as quickly as the smile appeared, though, it was gone. She was biting her lip in her nervous way, and backed up quickly when he let his hand drop. Usually she was steady, but she practically tripped over her boots as she took two steps back to open the distance between them. "S-Shiny..." Things were awkward, now, and she didn't know how it had happened. She cursed herself inwardly, not even sure why. She had been flirting with Stoot earlier, and now this awkward moment between she and his best friend...It made her feel bad. There was something she liked in Stoot, that she hadn't found elsewhere yet. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, no matter how innocent her flirtation with the Captain had been. "I'll...go sit back down....I think. Stoot made all that food....Don't want it to get cold." She said awkwardly, as she began rummaging through the bags for a beer.

[stoot]

Stoot grinned triumphantly at Ursula's resignation. He could see the pride clawing at her insides as she forced the words out, but he wasn't a man who would kick you whilst you were down. He had more tact than that.

"Despite the fact that I think you're a gorram succubus," Stoot countered teasingly in response, "I think I'm happy you're stayin'."

Of course, he was only happy because it would keep the mood in the kitchen happy. He didn't want a Companion's departure to spoil the evening he had spent so much time cooking up.

He followed behind as Ursula led the way up the stairs and out of the cargo hold, but she stopped short, causing him to nearly bump into her. She brought up terms, and Stoot found himself grateful that she had. He had some terms of his own to discuss.

"That's fine," he responded with a nod. "N' while we're at it, I got some terms for you to abide by as well." He could see the protest in her eyes but he ignored it. "I'll play your rules, but you gotta play mine too. I'll leave ya alone s'long as you leave Ryan alone. We both know what you do for a livin' but I ain't thinkin' he knows fer sure. You only interact with him if y'have to, or if he's payin' ya. Dong ma?"

He didn't wait for her to confirm her understanding as he sidled past her and continued up the stairs. He was anxious to get back to the kitchen and be finished with this whole stress case. Stoot didn't like being surrounded in so much drama.

He entered the kitchen to see that everyone already had a drink in hand. Ryan and Ari were standing by the counter but the rest of the crews were seated. Stoot assumed that they had been serving.

"The Princess decided she's too thirsty ter leave," Stoot announced his arrival, stepping through the threshold and revealing Ursula, who followed behind him. He grinned widely and proudly; he knew this would please his friend. He crossed the kitchen where Ari and Ryan were both standing and began rummaging through the bag that Ari wasn't currently digging through, oblivious to the awkward way in which she and Ryan were standing around.

"Ah, there we are," He said adoringly to a bottle of whiskey as he extracted it from the brown bag. He didn't bother pouring a glass; Stoot took the entire bottle with him. Winking at Ari, he made his way back to the table and unscrewed the top. "Cheers!" he said, drawing a large pull out of the bottle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Operation: Ignore Ursula was beginning.

[sam]

"Pour me one, Sam. You know what I like."

"Aye! Wise choice muh girl." Sam said with a smile. He pulled the bottle of Cider towards himself and filled it about 3/4ths full, took a swig for himself and then finished by filling the remaining quarter with straight vodka. Faye liked her drinks strong, to say the least. Taking another swig from the bottle of cider in a "one for the road" fashion, He crossed the room and sat the mug down in front of his captain. "Dar ya go sweet 'art!" he said, and he walked back to the counter. He noticed that Ari had left her post at the bar while he was gone. "Ya leavin' me already, are ya?" he called over to the table. "S'alright, 'least I can see's every'fin from here!" he paused for a moment, not knowing where to go from there. "Oh! Any of ya up fer a sto-rah? Eh? Eh?"

OOC: I didnt know how to show Gaelic on here so I just put a strike out through it, seeing as it would be hard for those around them to understand. hehe, hope thats ok!

[faye]

OOC: The strikethrough is a really good idea, actually. Way to win!
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"There y'go, sugar. Y'need a refill later, you jus' let me know, yeah?"

Taking her cider from Ari, Delilah grinned. She was infamous for her smile, but not in the way Faye was, a sneaky way; no, Delilah's smile was sweet, and so warm it could melt the heart of a statue. These people were so nice to her, and even if Faye had problems, she could love them already. She turned her smile onto the captain, for no reason in particular; he just seemed like he could use a smile thrown his way.

Faye, on the other hand, took her drink from Sam with a wink and sipped at it. Most people would choke and sputter at the strength, but Faye found comfort in the cool burn as the tonic went down. She looked up at Sam when he spoke.

"Oh! Any of ya up fer a sto-rah? Eh? Eh?"

"Yeah!" Delilah cried. "A story!"

"Well, what kind o' story, now, Sam?" Faye asked. Being both excellent storytellers, the two of them knew how things went. Stories about McKinleigh went to Sam, who could reel in an audience like fish on a line and crack jokes like it was his birthright to make people laugh; but when it came to war stories, whether they were rowdy and humorous or sad and haunting, it was her game, for no one coud spin a soldier's yarn quite like Faye Murphy.

[hackanut]

OOC: This is Amy on Corey's account. I am stealing Ryan for awhile, but I can't take Sam too. So you can just assume Sam is going to allow Faye to tell a story instead. Sorry for the inconvenience!