Restless [OPEN]

[amara]

OOC: This is open but the only people who could probably post here are Tom and Oz. xD MICAH GET ONLINE!!!!! Please? :">
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Amara entered The Esteem dressed in her weekend-garb. When dressed on the weekends, she dressed much like a Companion would. High-class dresses that clung to every curve, were often flowy in all the right places, and made her frame look more delicate than it really was. She didn't wear this sort of clothing for leisure or out of conceitedness; Amara wore these sorts of clothes as a disguise.

To wear her normal garb of high-necked black outfits or her Alliance uniform when she was not on duty would give her attention she didn't want. Dressing much like a companion, however, would give her a positive sort of respect. People looked at her but stayed away. Stared, but not out of suspicion. People spoke freely around her. She dressed like a Companion but people knew she was not one; she didn't dress that closely. She looked like your general high-class woman, shopping for her husband's anniversary gift or some other trinket she didn't need. Nothing more, nothing less.

If she were to be on the outer rim, however, she usually dressed down for the same reasons. To blend in and remain neutral among the masses. When she was off-duty, she was still on-duty...but nobody knew it but her.

Amara stepped over the threshold and immediately took the earrings that dangled from her ears and pinched the clip out of her hair, shaking her head a little to let loose any stray locks. She didn't really care for being a fancy woman; pretending to be was enough for her.

She sat down in the dining area, which was more of a mess hall than a dining room. There were too many crew members on this ship to have just one, large table in the middle. There were several smaller tables, circular, and she took a seat at one of them. She wasn't hungry.

However, there was a large, dark man sitting at this table that she recognized. "Hello, Tom" She greeted objectively, cold as always. She had nothing against Tom; she just liked to remain professional. "Not taking advantage of being on the ground, I see."

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OOC: Let me know if that's alright. xD I didn't know how to exactly set up the conversation...but I wanted to start one!

[darkreaction3]

It had been a bad, long day so far. When they had landed, the crew had all rushed onto the planet as if they were on holiday. Tom couldn't exactly blame them; they had been cooped up for a long time in the ship. He himself could do with some fresh air, but he hadn't set foot outside since they landed. He never did, unless there was business to be done. It was one of the punishments he bestowed upon himself, a result of a guilty conscience.

Because the day had started out so badly, Tom had allowed himself to have a little more of his medication than usual. The usual numbness and fog had clouded his pain, made his day bearable. It made him a little lethargic, and he had drifted around the ship, trying to waste away the hours until they would take off again. However, as the hours slid by, the numbness and fog began to dissipate as the effects of the drugs wore off. The pain and guilt began to come back, a sad ache that affected his entire body. It was during this process that he sat down in the galley, willing himself not to go back to his bunk and get more Benzo. It was a tough struggle.

A woman walked in, then, but he paid her no attention until she sat at his table. His dark eyes glanced up to meet hers, and he recognized Amara. She greeted him, commenting of how he had not ventured out of the ship. He ignored her statement, sitting up to rest his arms on the table. It was well known that Thomas never left the ship, and she especially would know that. Unlike Amara, he was dressed in his regular clothing. He never dressed nicely, but he wasn't a slob. His ensemble today was simple: black tee, gray pants, dark blue jacket.

He spoke after a moment, his voice gruff as if he didn't use it too much. One corner of his lips quirked, as if in an effort to smile. "You certainly clean up well, Ama," he commented. "Go to a party or something?" He knew she dressed like that to change her appearance greatly, but he commented on it every time. Although she had never told him why she did so, he had an idea and he was always trying to bait her to explain more of the mystery to him. Come to think of it, that could be the very reason she always commented on his staying on board. She was intriguing, if nothing else.

[amara]

Amara rolled her eyes at his compliment but didn't attempt to hide the smirk tugging at her lips. It always felt good to be complimented, even someone as stiff as Amara Shai could acknowledge that. "Why thank you, I'm sure you would too if you'd ever leave the ship." She narrowed her eyes at Thomas in a way a mother would when reprimanding her young. She'd tried to coax him off several times, but the man refused to leave. She didn't press too hard; she knew how it felt to hate yourself. She practiced the dreadful deed sometimes herself. Amara wasn't very good at failure; she often took it out on herself.

At his question, Amara shrugged. "No, not this time. This area of Persephone isn't known for it's formal events. But I did find something interesting out," She now had a glint in her eye that was all too familiar to her co-workers: a job. Amara was a workaholic of sorts, and nothing excited her more than finding a cockroach in a dark corner. Which is what she had done today.

"I let them go because of how I was dressed," She gestured to herself, silently cursing the choice to be fancy today. Not to mention the fact that she'd been without backup. "But you know that Ke wu de lao bao jun, Dunstan, that we've been trying to bust for awhile? Well I saw a couple of crews leaving his place earlier. I followed them, naturally. They hid it well but I think they're moving illegal goods off-planet. Once Captain Olsen gets back I think we should tail them. Hopefully they aren't in a hurry. They didn't look like it; they've got good poker faces."

'But not good enough to fool me,' she thought vainly. Amara straightened a little where she sat. Tom never got as excited about a job as she did, and she deflated a little in response to his lack of enthusiasm. "So what have you done with yourself today?" she asked, almost defensively. She was sure to get the same sort of answer as she always did when she asked this question.

Why wouldn't Tom just get over himself long enough to leave the ship between jobs? Even Amara knew what fun was, and she was one of the coldest people she knew. She was both frustrated by and envious of Thomas Wright; she felt as if she were not cold enough whenever she was in his presence. It made her self-conscious.

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OOC: I assumed a little...I feel guilty about it. If that's not how you planned Tom to react, please just tell me, I'll fix it without hesitation! xD

[darkreaction3]

Amara mentioned how he might look nice, too, if he took it upon himself to actually go out once in a while. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and quirking an eyebrow as if to remind her that she knew better. "Maybe next time." Of course, he didn't really mean that. He'd go out when they had a job, or if he ran out of medicine, but that was it. "I don't think I'd look good in a dress, though." His voice was deadpan; it was hard sometimes to tell if he was joking as he was always so serious. However, this time he actually was. The medication was wearing off a lot more, and that opened his box of emotions just a tiny bit. As he had the company of the only person on the ship he actually respected and didn't hate, he didn't retreat immediately into his usual pathetic depression.

She seemed to be excited about something, and Tom could tell by the look in her eyes that it was probably a job. Leaning forward once again, closing the distance between them, he cocked his head as she began talking again. "Murdo?" he breathed, quiet as if they were sharing a secret. She explained then what she had seen and he listened intently, sitting up straight again when she had finished. Although he was pleased to have something to work towards, something to distract himself with, he didn't show it. As usual.

"I think that's the best thing to do. I'll go with you to talk with him if you want." It wasn't as if she needed his support or anything, but the Captain might take the suggestion more seriously from the both of them rather than just one person. "I wonder if we should keep an eye on the ships, just until the Captain comes back," he mused. Probably the vagrants wouldn't leave until the morning, but there was always a chance. She asked him, rather defensively, how productive his own day had been and he frowned, knowing his lack of reaction had damaged her feeling of accomplishment. Cursing himself inwardly with dark and colorful phrases for being such a wretch to the only person who was on good terms with him, he tried to sound lighthearted. "Oh, you know. Relaxing." With most people, he wouldn't have worried, but he was angry at himself for upsetting her great find. "Look, Ama. I'll cut the bullshit. I didn't do anything today, and we both know it. It was a good job finding Murdo, and I'm sorry I don't seem excited. This could be the breakthrough we need to finally get him." His dark eyes focused on hers throughout the little speech, but he dropped them when he was done talking, glancing back towards the hall that led to the dorm as he rubbed his arm. He quickly looked back at her, inwardly berating himself for being so weak every time something went wrong.

[amara]

Amara's face broke into a smile when Tom cut through his stone-facedness to be genuine with her. She didn't see him do this very often, but when he did, she was pleased. She felt she was making progress with him after all.

He mentioned keeping an eye on the Atlas, and Amara agreed. She had ulterior motives for doing so, though. This would get Tom off the ship. Sure, he would do it for the sake of a job, but perhaps she could get him to visit a shop or something under the guise of acting casual. Amara wasn't too friendly with many people on this ship, but for some reason Tom was one of the few that she did respond well to. She intended to return the favor of being compatible by trying to ease his depression. This ship was the epitome of depressing, that was for sure.

She stood, already replacing her earrings. "You're right, this is a breakthrough," Amara agreed. "Get up now, we're going to go outside. Don't worry about your fear of sunlight," She added teasingly as she went to pin her hair back up, but decided against it. She would need a mirror. "It's getting dark outside."

[darkreaction3]

A smile spread Amara's lips, and he shook his head and allowed his own lips to curve into a smirk. At least she hadn't been offended by his strange way of keeping emotions to himself. He'd been able to salvage her happiness, it seemed, by his admission. When she agreed to keeping an eye on the ship, she began to fix her disguise again. He didn't mention it, even though she had said the only thing keeping her from getting Murdo earlier had been her outfit. He suspected she wanted to do more than just keep an eye on the ship, and also it made sense that they were to try and fit in while they were outside. As he wasn't wearing anything that would scream Alliance! and he had his guns holstered under his jacket, he didn't need to go back to his bunk for anything. For anything, he told himself.

He had to get moving quickly, before he changed his mind or his feeling of resolve wilted. Standing up, he pushed his chair in. Amara was teasing him about his fear of sunlight, and he flashed her a distracted, but genuine grin. It looked unnatural on his stern face. "Why would I be scared? I've got a woman in a cocktail dress to protect me." He shot back teasingly. Heading towards the exit, he moved quickly, under the guise of being in a hurry. "If it's getting dark, we should get out there. They might decide they want to get out under cover of darkness. He did not look back once as he hurried her along, and he was proud of that, at least.

ooc: should we continue in here, or make a persephone board?

[amara]

OOC: Posting on Persephone See you there!