Time's a Wasting [Onas/Harper]

[Blaire Valentine]

[[Doing a little prequel with Onas before Blaire gets to Osiris to board the Truxtun]]
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[March 20th]

"Lieutenant Valentine, please come in." Blaire looked suspiciously at the Commander as she entered the office. Brandon Carter, the Commander she was coming to see didn't like her. It was a known fact. He was being polite, her suspicions were already raising. "You're never one for politeness when it's in my direction Carter. What's the deal?" She didn't like the smile that crossed his lips before he answered her inquiry. "Oh it's a bright day Lieutenant. You're finally going to be out of my hair." His smile grew as the confused look on Blaire's face appeared. "Oh don't look so surprised Blaire. Daddy isn't here to keep you grounded to Persephone, so this is my chance to get rid of you.. You're being assigned to the Truxton; you'll need to ship out to Osiris soon to make catch your ride."

Anger boiled in Blaire, this bastard, piece of trash! How dare he! "..Of all the ruttin' things, I'm the best damn pilot you have!--" Commander Carter cut her off before she could go on. "You're also the most pain in the ass officer I've ever had. Harper can put up with you. Count yourself lucky that you're even being allowed to stay with the Alliance. You're dismissed Valentine, pick up your paperwork and get out." Blaire was at a loss, still her furious mood grew. Walking up to the desk she picked up the file with her name on it, giving Carter a look that should kill.

Blaire turned, walking toward the door. She didn't know what to do with her rage at the moment. Pausing at the door she took a glance at the file cabinet that was next to her. On top of it was a trophy. Not anything large, but it would be enough for the time being. She took hold of it, turned around and in the blind rage threw it as hard as she could at Carter's head. Blaire didn't bother to wait around, she took her leave like she'd been told. Throwing the trophy had made her feel a little better, shopping would help some more.

[Blaire Valentine]

[April 14th]

Commander Carter had been hit with the trophy Blaire had thrown at him. He'd have a scar above his eye to remember her by the rest of his days. The punishment she received was well worth it to Blaire though, part of it at least. She'd been demoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade - that was the easy one, but she'd also lost her pilot position. She would only be a co-pilot now, that's the part that stung the most.

She had tried to fight the assignment, but nothing worked. With her father in a coma she would be stuck going to the Truxton. It was currently docked at Osiris, so Blaire arranged transport from Persephone to get there.

Now Blaire stood there on the docks looking at the empty port where the Loriana should have been. This wasn't a good start to the day. She hadn't received a message that the Loriana had moved to another port. Of course that meant little.

She looked to the ship in the next port over, there was a guy coming out of it. Perhaps he would have a clue. Blaire walked over to stand close to the ship, letting go of one of her suitcases she put her hand on her hip. "Hey. Any idea what happened with the Loriana?" She gestured toward the empty spot with her question. There was a tight schedule to keep and she couldn't afford to be late getting to the Truxtun. Ending up with another demotion wasn't what she wanted, or chance losing what little piloting she'd get to do.

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Outfit

[Onas Knox]

Onas awoke in his bunk on the Dutchess with very little will to get up. His side was well and truely bruised, and there was little that could be done in the way of treatment. He might get to legit one day, but for now, it still just wasn't smart to check into a doctors office. Pain Onas could deal with, sitting around the Athena all day, that was another story.

Onas rolled upright and hung his head wearily between his shoulders. He reached out with his left hand and felt around for his cigarettes, running his hand over the nightstand with no luck. He squinted his eyes, and turned his head. They had fallen to the ground at some point. Onas got up, and got a smoke going. His room was not big, but it was his, everything always had a place, and this morning, nothing was in it. He did a quick clean up, and then gathered his towel and opened his door and walked to the showers to climb in and roast under the hot water.

His ribs were bruised from nights ago. So was his left thigh and his left arm. His eye wasn't so bad. It had been opened a day after the fight, and J had sewn it closed for him. His left eye wasn't as black anymore, it had gone from purple to just red. His iris itself had reddend as well, but that would go in time. His lip was healing pretty well, it still looked as though the bust had been bad, but it was little more than a scar at this point. His chest was healing the best, hardly more than white hints of scrapes now. He rinsed the soap off feeling water in every unhealed wound, he turned under the shower, and let it run over him for a while after he finished bathing.

Onas got his hair pasted and he let it dry with it's wet, messed look. He shaved around his goatee, worked on his moustache, brushed, and generally just got himself sorted. After that, he went back to his room and got into his usual, black undershirt, black Tshirt and bluejeans. He realised as he slid on his boots that he never laced them anymore, really, he just tucked the loose strings in everyday. He tied the strings at the top latch and removed the exsess with his butterfly knife. Then he got his stuff stowed, and walked off of the Athena, it was the fouteenth and he had nothing to do today. Onas hadn't been in the habit of waking up and drinking. In fact, if you knew him at all, the idea of him drinking period just wouldn't fit. Maybe it was the beating Sidney'd given him, but that's what he wanted. Nick and the rest were still onboard so Onas left the ship open and walked out of the closed bay into the docks.

As he walked, Onas opened his cigarettes, and noticed he only had two left. He detoured to the outside edge of the docks, where the ships would be. He had a vender there who had his brand at all times. He strolled up and called out to him,

"Sup Rahilio, how's buisness. Elasia Golds," He said wiping his still wet moustache, and digging the paper out of his back pocket, the large bills unfolding as he counted off what he owed. As he handed the vender the due, and put his money in his back pocket, he looked over his right shoulder. No particular reason really, just how people do I suppose. A woman pasted him, a dark haired woman, who caught his eye so well that he continued to watch her untill he felt Rahilio put the cigarettes in his hand. He turned back to the man and thanked him. When he turned around to look at the woman again, she was lost in the crowd.

She was gorgeous.

He didn't particularly have a reason, but he wanted to look at her again. He stepped out and had to dodge a man who crossed in front of him, then a woman who'd done the same. Then he streched up to his toes, and caught the black haired bueaty. Onas followed and whatched her for a moment. She stopped at a empty port space, and then put her bag down. He had to sidestep again to get a better veiw of her, but now that he could see her, she was worth the trouble. Onas opened the pack of smokes in his hands without taking his eyes off the girl. She wore all black, a corset and skirt with metal chains dangling where your eyes would want to endulge regardless. Big earings teased out from her hair as she looked about. A large necklace flowing down her chest. Black fingerless gloves that went up her arms to the elboe. And very high heeled boots that ran up her legs and made her stand, walk and gesture in a manner that really out to be illiegal.

With those heels on, she looked a little taller than Onas, but with his combat boots, they might well stand eye to eye. She was very slender and with her hand on her hip, and the fit of her clothes, it was enough to make anyone look twice. Onas couldn't hear her from here, but he decided she looked lost enough that he could help her. He had lived at the docks for close to a year after all. Surely he could give her more than Ryan Shorpe, the port technition that was wasting her time now.

Onas put the cigarettes in his pocket without retrieving one, and wiped his goatee down while he walked up too her. Ryan didn't talk to her long, and she looked, as he got closer, somewhat frustrated. As he walked right up on her, when she turned her head in his direction, and he got a good close veiw of her, then he went to talk, and what came out wasn't... what he'd meant to say.

"He... um, I was standin.. uh, over there, I saw you and want.. um." She had these big blue eyes with arching thin eyebrows that looked right through yours, and a wide smile that caught his tounge, as it broke his focus entirely, "I mean, I waanted ta tell you.. Your, a ca, a compliment." He paused, thinking, 'Wait what?,' and then spoke rapidly, "I meant, not a compliment, your not a compliment, I meant that your, I wanted to say that..ah." He stopped talking and decided this was an embarrassing moment for the books.

[Blaire Valentine]

[[Sorry a bit short - this is all I could do at the moment. Fussy little one only gave me a short window to do any writing so far today ]]


Blaire didn't have much luck with the guy, the encounter actually got on her nerves. While it was nice that he was obviously admiring her, he was no help in the matter of the Loriana. Being late wasn't an option in this case, she was nervous about being late to the Truxtun.

"Yeah thanks for nothing." Blaire rolled her eyes and turned around to find yet another man standing there staring at her. She raised a confused brow at him as the words left his mouth. As he stumbled through a couple attempts at a sentence Blaire smiled. Her frustration lifted a tad as the amusement over the situation sunk in. The affect she had on some men was entertaining.

Once he finished the attempt at a greeting Blaire laughed softly. "Well thank you for the compliment..sort of" She gave him a wink. "I was just asking Ryan here if he knew anything about the Loraiana that was supposed to be docked over there. You don't have any idea about it do you mister..." She trailed off with her words so that he could introduce himself.

[Onas Knox]

"... Gene.. Jackson, mam," Onas nodded to her, at least he got that out right, "What I meant to say, was that your very pretty." He finnaly got it out, with an embarresed inflection, and a single wave from an open hand, palm away from her.

"Ok... I can actualy, pull that right up," he answered her quickly. Then he strolled to the Dock console, stood with his back to Miss Blaire, and entered a code from memory. Pulling docking manifests wasn't illegal, unless you did it this way. Regardless, most of the men around here knew Onas, and most had accepted bribes here and there. In point of fact, that's how he knew this particular code. Nonetheless, Onas kept a watchfull eye on those around him while he found the pretty lass' wayward ship.

"Platform 44... Loraiana... mmmmmkay. Number three turbine failure. She was deadlined at three fourteen this morning. Annnnd... Ah. Transfered to Port Omaha, your only looking at a six hour delay. And all tickets are still valid. I know Omaha, it's only three hours from here as the crow flies. The train can get you there in fourty minutes, of course, you'd have an hours wait till it gets back. But the train is really your best bet, cheap, easy, dependable." Onas answered all with his back to her while he logged out of the system. When he turned around, it was back to the same as before. Maybe he was looking at her more than he was thinking. Or maybe he'd just lost that particular nitch. Maybe he should start hanging out with Nick, and brush up on talking to modern gals.

"So, uh... do you know.. where the train, ah, station is?" He looked away from her and cleared his mind. And rolled his eyes at himself. "I'm sorry. Let me try that again, the station is right down here. If you like, I could.. I could walk you down there. It's on my way, no trouble. And ah, if your hungry, you would have some time to kill, there is an excelent sushi restaurant right next to it," Onas offered a hand in the direction of the trains, "My treat."

He could feel the heat in his cheeks, and his chest thumping. Walking up to pretty wemon and talking them into something for the job was fine. He could run con games all day. On the job, he wasn't Onas... or Gene, he was whoever else he was that day. A fictitious creation, that can't get embarrassed because none of it is real. She might not know his real name, but she was getting a true invitation. That was far beyond anything he'd given out in years. It was farther than he'd streched his boundaries in a very long time. No one likes rejection, but then, no one wants to be a coward either.

Of course, he wasn't giving her much to be enthusiastic about either. He smiled, "I tell you what, at this juncture, if you said no, I wouldn't blame you ah' bit," Onas said, his words trickling into a lighthearted laugh at his own expense, "Yeah..."

All he could manage was a smile and a laugh.

[Blaire Valentine]

Blaire was glad someone finally was showing signs of being able to help her. She followed behind him where he stopped at a console. The news he uncovered about the Loriana was bad. It wasn't good enough, six hours? No way that was going to fly.

The man was offering to buy her a meal, as if she had the time to spare. As he motioned his hand in the direction they would have gone Blaire stood there. Her hand on her hip, she wasn't budging. She gave him a smile that also showed her frustration, "Mister Jackson. Now normally I would love to hear how pretty I am over a good meal, however I have a tight schedule to keep. I need to find a ship going to Osiris within the hour, the Loriana be damned."

Blaire moved to turn back towards the ships around the docks, surely one was heading to Osiris. Glancing back behind her she added to her statement, "I'll take a rain-check though, should I get back to Persephone and you're still here."

[Onas Knox]

Onas smiled at his mystery woman as she denied his offer and turned away. She did call at him over her shoulder though, an offer he'd likely never see, since she hadn't bothered with his information. Hell, she hadn't even given her name. "I'll be here, unless someone kidnaps me!" He joked to her backside, she generated rather a nice view from any angle it seemed.

Despite her lack of interest, he adressed her concern, if for no other reason than to catch one more look at her eyes, "Try dock three, down that way," He pointed ahead of her, "The Vanrahin. If it's still there, they were headed to Osiris. Captain's a good man, he'd treat you fair..." He turned away after one last look, and headed towards his original goal for this day, tequila. Now that his ability to woo a gal had been proven in full, an early morning drink sounded much better to his conciense. He needed to find something to hold down his spare time, as that was becoming a regular issue lately.