Late Night Snack {Seamus}

[Jordan Maxwell]

Janurary 20, 0300

Like most mornings, Jordan's started with a bang as she fell from her hamock and landing with a solid thud against the ground, adn the calming sound of the engine's purr. She rubbed the back of her head and looked up at the celling. "How do I always get so lucky?" She muttered to herself. It took her a moment to sit up and look around, first she found her clock, three am. She was having nightmares again, she knew that, then again it seemed the only time she didn't have them was when she slept with Dru.

Jordan slowly got to her feet and rubbed her tail bone as she grabbed her head phones and sliped them over her ears. After that, it was time for her silent trip to the common area, to have some fo her home made apple pie. After all, why not?

Nodding her head to the beat of the music she entered the common area, stopping just before she entered to look around the room.

[Seamus Callahan]

He had held it off long enough, but Seamus was starting to worry that the sound of his stomach growling would alert the crew to his presence no matter how he tried to keep it quiet. He was starving. It was way early in the morning, and Seamus had tiptoed his way into the common area to try and swipe some food.

He threw the refrigerating unit wide open and started scarfing food with a gusto. Seamus didn't even sit down, but he made an effort to take food that's absence would not be noticed. Yet he couldn't resist swiping a slice of apple pie, and he closed his eyes in ecstasy as the sweet taste exploded across his taste buds. He was cutting a second slice against his better judgement when the sound of footsteps hit his ears.

"Tā māde..." he hissed under his breath, kicking the fridge door closed and making a clumsy dive to get under the table. Unfortunately, with how tall Seamus was and the small size of said table, his ankles stuck out from underneath and if he pulled them closer both knees stuck out the sides. As it was, his broad shoulders were just barely visible from his hiding spot. He froze in his spot, and hoped it was just some bleary-eyed crew member in search of a midnight snack.

He held his breath, tilting his head to look at the small set of feet standing in the doorway. Curse his luck.

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan removed the head phones from her ears and shook out her hair as she looked around, something didn't feel right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Shrugging at herself she made her way to the fridge and opened it, she looked at the food inside not really noticing anything out of place, but, as she came to the pie, she raised a brow. Normally the crew asked her for a piece before they took it, after all, she bought everything with her own money, though it wouldn’t have bothered her if they had some. She removed her headset completely and set the hand held radio, still playing music on the counter behind her. She began inspecting other things.

Turning around she started to look more carefully at the common area. “Hello?” She whispered not wanting to wake the others in the ship. “Is someone there?” Jordan walked around the counter, at first she scanned the top of everything then she started to look under things.

Standing in the kitchen at night, looking around and the feeling in the pit of her stomach reminded her of when she snuck onto a ship when she was 16, they only found her when she finally came out for food. The crew treated her well, and she planned to do the same, after all, stowaways normally have their reasons, and most of them being, they had no choice. She viewed that as a problem with the Alliance, not helping those that needed it the most. “Hello?” She whispered one final time before she was going to look under the table.

[Seamus Callahan]

He felt horribly cramped under the table, pulling his broad shoulders together tight and tucking his knees to his chest as well as he could. His head was right against the top of the table, neck craned at an uncomfortable angle, and he felt as if he were getting gum in his hair. Though he dared not move to check, he dismissed it as paranoia.

She was obviously aware something was amiss, the soft patter of her feet on the floor and the questioning tone of her voice stopped the man cold. Seamus was at a loss, on one hand, he did not want to frighten this girl. Partially for moral reasons and partially because frightening her would possibly make her do something rash. On the other, he wanted very much not to be caught.

He didn't get very long to think about it though, as he saw her feet stop just before the table and watched with horror as her knees seemed to bend in slow motion. One foot stepping back to kneel as she checked under the table. He sucked his breath through his teeth, and greeted her prying eyes with a sheepish grin.

"Hi." he said weakly, thinking pleasedon'tscream pleasedon'tscream pleasedon'tscream...

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan let out a little yelp and fell back, moved back quickly and put her hand over her mouth. She moved back until her back rested against the counter, she looked at him her eyes wide and both her hands over her mouth. She pointed at him, her hand trembling, her second hand moved from her mouth but she managed to whisper. "H-h-h-how..." She put her hand over her mouth again and took in several deep breath trying to clam herself. Someone unknown was on her ship, and she didn’t know what to do. So she just stared at the man for a moment. He was huge, compared to her, then again, almost everyone on the ship was big compared to her.

That’s when she started to count her lucky stars, he hadn’t attacked her, that was a good sign, though there wasn’t many of them right now. Her hand that pointed at him moved over her heart, and she took another calming breath before she whispered again. "How did you get on the ship? When did you get on the ship?" She was still in a state of awe, as she looked at him, he was in the kitchen.

Then, in a normal Jordan like style, she didn’t want for him to answer her first two question before she piled on a third, a question that slipped from her lips in a purely blonde moment. "Did you like the pie?"

[Seamus Callahan]

(Sorry you had to wait, I've been very busy.)

He thanked the gods for small favors when the girl yelped like a kicked puppy, rather than screamed for help. Seamus still winced at the sound, and he put a finger to his lips despite her favorable reaction. After all, what other way could she be expected to react to finding a scruffy looking musician crammed under her kitchen table in the middle of the night? The girl was brave for not shrieking like a banshee.

He slid out from under the table slowly, putting his hands up in a passive gesture as he stood. As he reared up to his full height, he realized standing may have been a mistake if he didn't want to intimidate her. He was over a foot taller than her, and at least a good 50 pounds heavier. It didn't matter, he was not afraid of her but rather afraid of her crewmates who were not so small. More importantly her crewmates had guns that were not so small. He spoke softly, trying to keep his voice calm as his heart hammered against his sternum. "I jumped ship on Persephone, hid in some boxes in the cargo bay during the day and came out at night to well...steal food?"

The look on his face was like that of a puppy caught piddling on the rug. Shoulders slumped and head down sheepishly. Her third question caught him off guard, and he laughed - loud and abruptly despite himself. He put a hand to his mouth to stop himself, chuckling even as he answered. "Yes. It was delicious."

Never one to consider his words carefully, Seamus shamelessly grinned and asked - voice mockingly somber: "Can I have some more?"

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan, still in a state of shock, didn't know what to make of this man. He was huge, but then again it seemed like everyone she met lately was a giant. As he explained how he got onto their ship she slowly stood. He was about a foot higher than she was, which was what she needed, another man that could easily over power her, then again, a scream and Dru would drop him like a fly long before he did anything to her the Doc couldn't fix.

"I'm glad you like it, it took a while to make, I will have to make more for tomorrow..." she didn't snap out of her daze until he asked her if he could have more pie. It was a simple question, but it set her off in a way, she closed the distance between them and smacked his arm and glared. "I am not going to let you just eat pie. How are you going to keep hiding in those boxes if you get yourself fat off my pie?" she whispered it to him in a threatening way, but a smile broke across her lips after she said it. It was one of the silliest things she had ever said, to anyone. Jordan turned her back to him, a mistake if he was willing to attack her, but she had an instant like for the man, she couldn't put her finger on why.

As she walked behind the counter she turned off her headset, which still laid against the counter. No use wasting the battery when she wasn't going to be listening to it's comforting tunes. Once behind the counter she looked around and started to prepare the man a proper meal, well left overs were not the best first impression as far as she was concerned but for her to begin making a full meal, well, that would wake the ship. "You didn't have to sneak on... I would have let you on the ship.." She looked back up at him, she was concerned, she wasn't much of a lier, and she needed to come up with a reason he was on the ship, and no one noticed him, without telling the captain he tried to sneak on and not pay. This would all lead to bad things, and with the purple belly on the ship, well that would just make matters worse.

(No worries Sorry this one took a bit Yesterday was a busy day for me.)

[Lars Engström]

[[Feel free to make me delete this if you don't like it]]

Lars awoke with a start, the images of his nightmare burned into his eyes. He let out a soft cry of fear as he came out of the dream, and then looked around, half expecting to either be attacked, or have the crew laughing at him. He didn't know what had caused the dream, all he could see was the face of that reaver that had jumped at him on that other ship. This was the first time he had actually seen more than a blur, and it frightened him a good deal. "Gorram brain." He said, shaking his head in a pitiful attempt to clear it. "Why wont you let me sleep?"

He sighed, and decided to get something to drink, rolling out of bed, and walking in a mostly asleep state to the door of his quarters. His sweat pants and Tee shirt were little protection against the overall chill of the ship, but he wasn't aware of the discomfort, his fatigue numbed that. As soon as he opened the door, he heard a voice, no two voices, were there two? He couldn't tell for certain. He saw a light on in the common area, it's glow illuminating the hall a little, and he made his way towards it. His eyes were mostly shut, and he really didn't have much awareness of where he was going. His muscles simply carried him along a familiar path, the same path he followed every morning.

As he got closer, he recognized Jordan's voice, and there was definitely another. A man, young, Trace? He assumed the pilot was probably the owner of that voice. Writing off the differences in tone as part of him being tired, he silenced the small warning bells that had gone off when he had heard the voice. "Jordan?" He called as he approached the door, one hand in front of his face to shield himself from the light that was painfully bright. "Why am I not surprised that you are the one up late...or is it just extremely early now?" He chuckled, and stepped through the door, his hand still covering his watering eyes.

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan grabbed Seamus and pulled him behind the counter, she pushed on him until he would have been out of sight from the Captain. She then picked up her head phones, put them around her neck and stuck her music player in her pocket. "It's three in the Mornin' Cap'n what can I get for you?" She asked with the best smile she could as she began to pull out her paints. "Drink? Pie?" She asked in her normal way, when the other got up in the middle of the night and she was already awake, she was known to get them things, it made her feel better. She had been refusing to allow anyone to do anything in her kitchen after midnight.

[Lars Engström]

Lars' sleepy eyes narrowed slightly at the sudden sound of hurried movement. He managed to take a decent look around, and saw no one. "I heard....." He began, then shook his head, as if giving up. "Whatever, I was just on my way to grab some water." He stepped towards the counter, heading for the cups that lived behind it. "I'll get it myself and be on my way." He smiled back at her, still rather confused. "Did Trace just leave or something?" He asked, pleasantly, "I thought I heard you talking to him."

[Jordan Maxwell]

"I've got it Cap'n." Before he could close half the distance, Jordan pulled a clean cup off the drying rack and had it filled with cold water, she rounded the counter and held it out for him before he could even reach the far side from where Seamus now sat.

"No, I think Trace is still on the bridge. Mack is sleeping I think, so is Jeff, I'm not sure where Lance is. I was just getting my paints out.. I was thinking of painting the Star herself on your door tonight, but you woke up and spoiled that plan." She smiled up at him again, a caring cunning smile then continued talking as she had before, in a quick upbeat pace that everyone was getting use to by now. "What woke you up Cap'n?"

[Lars Engström]

Lars knew something was up now, but he kept his face clear of all suspicion. "Thanks Jordan." He smiled, accepting the cup. He took a drink, and let out a contented sigh. "Nothing better for night time thirst." He turned and was on his way towards the door when she asked him a question. "Nothing much," He said, turning to face her and shrugging. "Just lots of things on my mind. Don't worry about it." He smiled again. "I'm sorry about ruining your secret plans, although you probably could still swing it if you wanted." He walked out the door, calling over his shoulder. "Don't stay up too late now."

Lars quietly opened the door to his quarters walked in, carefully keeping the door from closing. Setting the cup on the shelf by the door, and turned to leave again. As he was about to leave, he had an impulse and acted on it, he grabbed a small knife that was resting on a shelf. He let the door close audibly, knowing it would simply sound like he had gone into his room. Then he silently crept back down the stairs, pressing himself up against the wall near the door, invisible to anyone in the room, covered in the shadow. He then listened carefully.

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan put her finger up to her lips, with the Captain being awake, and even though he was safe in his room, she just wanted to make sure, poke her head in wish him a good night. This whole thing kept her on edge, a stowaway, him hearing voices. No, she just wanted to make sure, let him hear her painting on his door that was the safe thing to do. She leaned down and whispered into his ears, something that would be silent to everyone else, "I'll meet you in the engine room. Standing up right she picked up her paints and started walking towards the Captain's door like she normally would have.

She turned on her music in her pocket letting the muted tunes meet her ears from around her neck. When she made it to the door and stepped in towards the stairs she almost tripped over the Captain. Letting out another yelp of fright she dropped her paints on the floor, the purple opening and slowly spreading against the ground. She dropped to her knees and started trying to scoop the paint back into it's container as well as lay down her brush towel to clean the rest off the floor.

"What do you think you are doing?!" She said it quietly, trying not to startle anyone else with her Captain's craziness.

[Lars Engström]

Lars jumped slightly, and quickly hid the knife in his waistband. "Since when does the captain have to explain himself to the mechanic?" He said, rather defensively. "And why are you making messes on the floor?" He gave her a playfully disappointed look. "You said paint my door, not my floor."

Lars glanced into the common area, and seeing nothing, decided he must be paranoid. "Here, lemme help." He said, grabbing the other paints she had dropped, and checking to make sure they weren't broken. "That music player has caused more trouble than anything else." He muttered darkly. "I swear to you...."

[Seamus Callahan]

Seamus had made no protest as the girl shoved him out of sight, hardly daring to breathe as his savior and the captain conversed. She was a strange girl, helping him? To what end? He jokingly entertained the notion that it was his rugged good looks that swayed her, but that happy train of thought was broken by the sound of the captain's heavy footfalls coming closer. Then his questions of having heard voices, chinese profanity ran a silent mantra in Seamus' head.

He wondered what the hell this captain would do to a stowaway. He bit his knuckle as he realized what serious he was in. The crew, Jordan aside, could kill him. They could throw him out an airlock. They could shoot him before he had a chance to do anything. Seamus pressed his shoulderblades against the counter, needing the hard surface to steel his spine.

Eventually, the captain left. Seamus looked up, brown eyes wide as saucers as he felt more than heard Jordan whisper to him. Engine Room. Right. She left, he heard her soft footfalls following the same direction the captain had gone. Pulling his feet under him and standing to a crouch to peek over the countertop, ducking back down and freezing when he heard Jordan yelp once more.

While his ears tried to make sense of where the sound came from, Seamus racked his brain trying to remember where the engine room was exactly.