Getting to Know Each Other

[Trace Kennet]

After having spent most of the day running checks on all the instruments in the cockpit, Trace had made his way into the common area to relax for a bit. He sprawled out on one of the couches, and began napping, dreaming of flying through space. Before long he was snoring loudly.

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan walked into the kitchen area and started looking over what they had stored away. As she explored she couldn't help but shake her head at the man on the couch. There he was, making more noise then she could have ever hoped in the kitchen, and he was sleeping. After several moments she decided to awake the bear.

She walked slowly, over to him, she reached out with her left hand and shook him lightly at first, when he didn't stir she shook him a little harder. "Hello?" She asked finally.

[Trace Kennet]

"Battle stations!!," Trace awoke with a start, "everyone man your post.... oh." his voice trailed away as he fully awoke. He found himself staring into the eyes of a woman, not much older than himself. Scrambling backwards, he promptly fell off the couch. This didnt seem to phase him as he kept crawling backwards. "I don't know what you want," He said, struggling to speak coherently, "but I dont know you, and I didn't do it." He sat huddled against the wall, clutching one of the couch cushions to his chest.
The woman had a black patch on her face, all around her eye, and was holding a heavy pan. He looked around for the captain and saw nothing, she must have taken him out. "What did you do to the captain? And what do you want with me?" Trace asked in a panic. He was beginning to see his dream become a nightmare.

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan started giggling right away. She turned and walked away from him and back into the kitchen. "Last I checked the Captain is in his office.." She looked over at him and shook her head. She opened her mouth to make another comment but only giggles came out. Once again her head shook.

He was a character she had to give him that. Though she had wished the Captain had given her some warning. After the pan was safely put down she walked back to him and held out her hand.

"I'm Jordan, the Mechanic.."

[Trace Kennet]

"So if you are not trying to steal the ship," Trace said as he cautiously shook her hand, "then why do you have a black eye?" While he waited for her to answer he stood up, rubbed the bump on his head where he had hit the floor, and returned the cushion to the couch.
"More importantly, when did you get here? I have been here all day, and I haven't seen you."
He was still suspicious of this lady, she was quite a bit shorter than him, and had what appeared to be bruises all over her face. He was tempted to run and look in the captains office to see if he was the cause of the bruises, and the reason for the pan being held, but he decided to wait. "Yes, you are very funny," he said dryly as she continued to giggle. Then he thought of something, "If you are the mechanic, what are you doing in the kitchen?" Pleased with his logic, he went brashly on. "Come on, say something."

[Jordan Maxwell]

"If you would rather eat the rations that's your choice." She said raising an eyebrow. her hand raised up and touched her face, she pulled away with some grease. Sighing Jordan went to the sink and washed her face, making sure all of the remaining grease as gone. She turned back and looked at him again.

"Better? I just got here.. Maybe a hour and a half ago, you have been snoring since I walked in the common room."

[Trace Kennet]

"Oh... was I?" Groaned Trace, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to... An hour and a half? So that was your bag in the cargo bay." His words all ran together in a mush, and he stopped.
"I'm Trace by the way, Trace Kennet." He seated himself on the couch and sighed. "And no I have no desire at all to eat rations, from what I hear they are awful."
He looked up at Jordan, "Say, where are you from anyway? If we are going to be traveling together, we might as well get to know each other. Oh," He pointed to a place right below her right eye, "You missed a spot"

[Jordan Maxwell]

She rubbed the spot, but shrugged again and washed her hands before returning to the food. "Yes that was my bag.." She moved some of the food around and went looking for several spices. "I'm from Lilac its a moon off New Canaan." She surprised herself by freely giving him the information, but decided to change tactics she didn't want to be forced to lie to him, or refuse to answer his questions.

"Where are you from?"

[Trace Kennet]

"Osiris," He said, "I've lived here my entire life." He paused, thinking about how much his life was going to change in a very short time. "You are a ways away from Lilac," he said, his curiosity beginning to rise, "What is someone like you doing here? How did you get here?"
He was genuinely interested in her now. He had had very little experience with off worlders, and now he had met 2 in less than 24 hours. If this was what traveling was like, he couldn't wait to actually leave the planet.
"Sorry about going nuts on you, I was dreaming and well... you know the rest."

[Lars Engström]

"What in guay is going on out here?" Lars asked as he burst from his office. "Oh, I see you two have met. Did your greeting have to be so loud?" He was a little miffed by having to come out of the office. "I am talking to a client about a job, and then all hell breaks loose out here. Don't let it happen again!"
He turned on his heel and strode back into his office, forcefully shutting the door behind him.

[Jordan Maxwell]

"Next port stop I'm buying you a gag." She pointed a knife at him playfully, and then went back to cutting up some fresh apples she brought with her. Fresh food was rare, and she often spent a large share of her money on.

She took his diversion as a good way to avoid the conversation at hand. "Why are you leaving this core planet?"

[Trace Kennet]

"Are you going to buy me hand cuffs too?" Trace asked with a devilish grin. "I'm leaving because I haven't ever been anywhere else. I want to get off world, and see the sights." He gave her an odd look. "Isn't that the same reason you left Lilac?"
He was taken off guard by her asking such a silly question, "why else would someone leave their home?"
He laughed and said, "Besides, if your life is crappy enough that you want to leave your planet just to leave, there are probably few if any ships that land there, and they don't take prisoners. From what I hear the only way off one of those planets is getting sick, old or hit by reavers."

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan's eyes turned cold. She glared at Trace. Her knuckles turned white around the handle of the knife as she resisted throwing it. She stabbed the knife into the cutting board and turned to face him. "Reavers are not something to be taken lightly." She growled trying her best to keep her voice down. "When they come and destroy your home," she started to become louder "kill everyone you have ever loved." She fell silent, as she bit her lower lip roughly trying to contain her anger. Turning back to her apples she cut began chopping them with a mixture of anger and frustration.

[Trace Kennet]

"Hey wait a minute.. it's Jordan right?" Trace stammered, he seemed to have really angered her, "I didn't mean it like that, I just..." his voice trailed off as he watched her chop her apples with renewed ferocity. "Geeze, I'm sorry," He walked across the room and made put put his hand on her shoulder, but then, she still had the knife.
"I, I have never even been off world before, and i thought that reavers were just a bad story to keep kids in line. I never knew... I'm so sorry Jordan."
He paused, looking for something else to say, "Need any help? I can cut apples too if you like, or do something, I mean, I do know a few things for myself."
He hovered nearby, hoping she would say something.

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan dumped the slices into a bowel with a mixture of things, she mixed everything together then deposed the apple mixture into a pie crust and looked at him, anger barely masked behind her eyes. "You don't know me Trace, and most likely, you never will. Unless something changes, I'm only a temp." She slid a pie crust over the top and slipped the pie in to bake. When she looked back and saw he was still standing there she sighed.

"Dinner will be done soon." She said her composure regenerating. She couldn't stand the thought of reavers, it was the only thing that shattered her resolve. She looked back to her pan, her chili was almost ready. She was becoming more and more thankful she had chosen something quick and easy to make. "If you want to make amends, retrieve our lovely Captain?"