A "Colourful" Crew [Open]

[Daniel Bruce]

[February 11th, 2523]

Dan smiled at Skye as she rattled off a long and excited speech about what she and Chris were making for the ship's evening meal. He gave a certain look to his younger brother that they always shared at moments like these. Skye had a reputation of getting carried away whenever Dan asked the simple question of, "What you cooking?" But he always thought it was nice to let her have her show off her knowledge of the culinary variety. As she finished her grand speech about dinner, Dan ruffled her hair and said, "Sounds great, Skye. How long till it's ready?"

She smiled at him and replied, "About ten minutes. I suggest you get settled in though, because this might take longer than it should."

He smiled back then said to Chris, "Try not to get yourself burnt this time, alright?" The younger boy smiled mischievously then went back to helping his sister with whatever it was she was cooking. Dan dumped himself into a chair at the table in that special way in only a teenager could and started thinking of the mess he had gotten himself and his family into back on Persephone. He guessed that a ship was the safest place for him to be if whoever they were still looking for him, but what would happen when they landed somewhere? God only knew, but Dan and his siblings would all need to be on their guard from now on whenever they were on a planet.

Before he could think of anything else involving their current predicament, Skye interrupted his reverie by cheerily calling out, "Hi!" To someone.

Dan turned in his chair to see someone standing in the doorway to the common area and smiled before saying, "Evening."

[Baden Fletcher]

Fletcher stepped out of the shower, groping for the towel he had placed nearby to dry himself off with. He had just had a pretty extensive workout; he needed to keep his body in shape now more than ever, with his age slowly creeping higher and higher. The fact that it helped keep his mind off the quiet of the ship was an added.

He finished toweling himself off and pulled on some clothes, just a simple pair of combat trousers and a black tank top that showed off his scarred, powerful arms. Looking around his room for his belt, he found it under his bed and pulled it on, making sure that his kukri was sitting comfortably and the revolver inside the holster was loaded.

One could never be certain when violence would jump up, and he would be ready when it did. It was the whole reason that he was here, after all.

Grabbing a cup from the single table in his room and walking out into the common area, the old gunhand was greeted by two of the children that the captain had taken on as passengers. He nodded in reply, walking up to the kitchen area to boil water for some tea. Noticing that the girl was cooking something, he raised his nose in the air and took several deep breaths.

"That, miss, smells absolutely mouthwatering", Fletcher commented, giving the girl a lopsided smile. The left side of his face, paralyzed from an ancient injury, refused to move at all, but the smile on the right side seemed sincere enough.

The water in the kettle seemed to boil over far more quickly than he had expected and he began fussing about making his cup of tea. When he was done, he walked over to the table and plonked himself down with a sigh, raising the cup to his lips so that he could blow on the hot liquid inside. On the side facing the room, there was a letter "W" imprinted the surface of the bone china in a fancy font. Indeed, the teacup itself appeared far too dainty to be held in the gunman's large hands, but he handled it with a surprising amount of care.

Taking a sip from the cup, Fletcher sighed more deeply and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and enjoying the scents from the girls cooking and the liquid vapour drifting up under his nose.

[Daniel Bruce]

Dan saw a blush form on his little sister's cheeks as she turned back into her shy old self and replied quietly, "Thank you."

The teenage boy smiled at the man in front of him and said, "Don't mind her. Skye's been through a lot of traumatic events so she's incredibly shy because of it." He held out his hand for the man to shake. "Name's Dan, by the way. The younger ones are Chris and Skye."

He said this last part whilst gesturing towards his two siblings. Dan heard Chris call out, "Hey." Absent mindedly before returning to helping Skye with her cooking.

The oldest Bruce rolled his eyes then looked back at the man, trying to workout his character from the way he acted and the way he dressed. Judging from the scars, age and muscles, Dan predicted that he was a soldier, probably a veteran and that the gun and knife on his belt made him a gun for hire. Dan smiled politely at the man before asking equally as politely, "Did you fight in the war, then? I just ask because my Dad did and..." He hesitated, unsure why he was suddenly talking to a complete stranger about his family history. "Well, I don't know what happened to him, actually. He was reported missing in action but... I don't know." Dan shrugged, unsure of how to continue.

[Baden Fletcher]

The old gunhand lazily raised a hand in greeting to the kids when the older of the three introduced them. "Fletcher", he said, taking another sip of tea out of his cup. "I'm the man the good captain hired to make sure that passengers like yourselves don't get killed. Or to make sure that certain people are killed. Depends on the day, really."

Fletcher's face was completely straight when he said this, so it was difficult to say if he was just joking or not. However, the presence of the weapons on his belt made it quite clear that he was certainly not on the boat for his charm.

When the eldest, who went by the name Dan, asked him if he served in the war, Fletcher raised his eyebrow. The older man wondered if the boy and his kin were Alliance, but considering that they were here it seemed more likely that their father was Independence. That would certainly make things... interesting.

"I've fought in my fair share of wars, lad", Fletcher sighed. "I'm assuming that you're talking about the Unification one. If so, then yes. I served in that war."

It would be quite the pain if he had killed this kid's father. Fletcher had murdered more than his share of the Browncoats, so it would not be much of a surprise if he had. But it had been a big war, the largest that he had ever been a part of, and it had stretched across the Outer Rim. Many people had died. In the big picture, his kill count made up very little of the total causalities.

"Your father. Independence or Alliance?" Fletcher asked mildly, as if out of polite curiosity. If this was going to be a problem, he would prefer it to be a problem sooner rather than later.

[Roger Davis]

As per the invitation to regularly dine with the crew, Roger made his was to the galley where the children were hard at work. Children... the idea of having them on a ship still didn't sit right with Roger. The fact that their parents weren't part of the crew only made it worse. As the saying goes "space is no place to raise a family." These kids had to grow up in a confined space, without any other kids around, no education system, and the danger of space travel added on top of that. There was probably quite the story behind why they were even there instead of with their folks or some orphanage. Captains don't just randomly take on a bunch of children for the hell of it, especially not captains like Kara.

He entered the large galley/lounge from from the stairwell behind the bar, the most direct route from his quarters. The eldest of the kids seemed to be having a conversation with the "old man" of the ship. It was a little funny for the opposites to be together like this. If Roger didn't know better it might have seemed like an actual family with grandpa watching over the little ones to make sure they didn't burn down the ship. If only that were the case.

The gunhand took a seat nearby. Normally he would have found a place to dump his jacket but hadn't been wearing it since getting on board. He was making sure that all the others knew what type of a man he was so there were no misunderstandings in case something happened... that would be the armed type by the way. Being the crew member whose job is to shoot people makes that obvious to most but passengers aren't always the fighting type. He'd gotten on board past the captain by being open with his weapons but never needing to saying a word about them. Now he was reduced to just the one shoulder holster but it was still a plain enough message to the crew. Actually carrying it was nothing new; he would have done that any way. Not bothering to conceal it was the game of the day.

[flame]

The companion had taken the invitation to eat, and had come out, dressed demurly in a pale cream dress and a matching shawl, she looked innocent, though those that knew her profession knew better. She saw Daniel and smiled, and then it grew into a grin. Rodger was here! "Hello Daniel, Why Rodger, didn't expect to see you here!" she said, her voice actually happy. This was one man she didn't fear. Why? She didn't know why. She glanced at the other man, and nodded to him. "I'm Sofia." she said with a smile. She could hide her fear well, plus while the man was older, and obviously gruff, the children and Rodger kept that fear back. She glanced at the children, and eyed the girl. "I'm assuming you two are Skye and Chris?" she glanced at Daniel making sure.

Occ/// Fail post again. xD

[Daniel Bruce]

"My father was Independence." Dan said to Fletcher as he saw someone he didn't know walk into the common area. Seeing as the man didn't try and join the conversation, Dan left him alone until he saw Sofia walk into the room. He gave her a warm smile in return to her own and replied to her question about the twins, "Yeah, that's them."

Skye smiled and said as shyly as ever, "Hi." Without ever taking a eye of off her cooking out of shyness.

Chris looked up at the Companion and smiled before saying, "Hey."

As his siblings were introducing themselves to Sofia, Dan turned back to Fletcher and asked, "So what side did you fight on, then?" Dan sat back in his seat as he waited for the man's reply, hoping that he didn't say Alliance or else things may become very, very awkward.

[Baden Fletcher]

The boy had been about to answer his question when a man came in, taking a seat in preparation for the meal to come. He was brazenly wearing his weapons in a similar fashion to what he himself was, despite the fact that he was a passenger on the ship. Fletcher knew when someone was trying to make an impression, but so far he was not overly impressed. This man seemed to be trying a tad too hard. He had known men who had simply had to walk into a room and they would strike fear into the hearts of everyone around them.

He had know some women who could do that too, but that was not something he should really think about at the dinner table.

Just as that thought passed through his mind, Fletcher caught sight of another passenger, one of the two women that had rented the shuttles. She appeared to know the man who had plonked himself down earlier, and introduced herself to him as Sofia. He nodded his head at her politely.

"Fletcher", he replied. "A pleasure to meet you."

This one carried herself a certain way, a way that Fletcher was familiar with. He had been raised among Companions; he knew how to spot one when he saw one. Why she was aboard the Rayya was the actual mystery to the old gunhand. Still, he said nothing more to the woman. He did not really need to know her life story. He was just here to shoot things.

Finally, with nobody else set to appear, the older boy was able to reply. His answer was pretty much as Fletcher had guessed it would be; not from any clever deduction, but rather from his understanding that the universe just loved to put people in these types of situations for the hell of it.

A faint itch spread across the left side of the graying-haired man's face and he instinctively rubbed at it, feeling the metal plates that had been used to put his skull back together. "Phantom sensations", the doctors called it. Like the type that men felt when they lost limbs, only with him it was something to do with the dead nerves around his face. He did not really understand it much.

It never happened in combat. Only in the downtime did it occur.

The itch. The old wound, aching, pestering him to get back to the killing.

Realising that Daniel had asked him with whom he had served, Fletcher put his hand back down on the table and looked at the boy.

"I got my paycheck from the Alliance, lad", Fletcher announced casually. Drumming his fingers on surface of the table, he let his answer hang in the air for the moment, waiting for the reaction.

[Jin Caron]

((I'm guessing this is the getting acquainted thread ))

"Major Jin Caron is a huge threat to our operations gentlemen," The audio recording echoed through Jin's mind as he lay down on his bed, "His knowledge of our division is too dangerous to be out in the public, especially in the outer planets. We have to stop him at all costs. I ask that we enact Operation Blizzard, we must get rid of all evidence that Caron exists, and in failing that destroy all evidence that proves his information true." Opening his eyes, Jin exhaled slowly. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and woke himself up from his half-awake trance. The room's lights slowly began to flicker on as he moved, the lights hurting his still-sensitive sight. As Jin proceeded to stand up, his nose smelled a delicious scent travelling down the hallway into his room from what he hoped was the kitchen. Opening the door to his room, Jin followed the hallway down to the common room and saw a handful of people convened by the same smell.

Jin did not expect a teenager to be the cook that was making such delicious food, but he had also seen much stranger things. Taking cautious steps into the room, Jin's hearing just barely caught onto the last few sentences of Baden's conversation, as he acknowledged being an Alliance soldier during the Unification War. As he took a seat on one of the comfy sofa's at the corner of the room, Jin's eyes studied Baden as his distrust for anyone Alliance piqued. "I don't suppose your allegiance still lies with the Alliance, do they? Else I don't see why a decorated vet as yourself would be in the outer planets?" Jin made sure that as he asked, he did not speak with any inclination towards either side of that war, to be sure that he did not raise any suspicions from loyalists from either side.

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla had luckily been able to get a few hours of sleep after saying goodnight to Jin. It had indeed been a good night, though when she woke up there was quite the headache to be had from the alcohol. Which was expected really, she didn't have much experience with drinking. Surely there was some secret to not having any hangover symptoms after wards.

Speaking of Jin, she hadn't seen him yet that day, he must have been able to get some sleep as well. At least she assumed. Part of her did have to wonder if he was simply avoiding her, not wanting to face what had went on between them in the early hours. It would make for an awkward situation since they were on the same boat. Ky didn't let that thought bring her down though as she headed to the dining room.

As she approached the entry there was Jin's voice from inside, his words caused the medic a slight pause in the doorway. She didn't know much at all about the Rayya's crew and passengers yet, but from the question that was being asked one was Alliance or former. Either way a slight fear struck through her at the possibilities that could stem from Baden's answer. She couldn't help it. The Alliance would be bad for her and Kara, her mind couldn't begin to fathom what would happen to them if they were sent back to the academy. Even so, as her eyes fixed on Jin for a few moments she wondered about his curiosity.

Kyla pulled herself together, pushing aside the fear and worry. Hoping no one had taken notice. She continued into the room with a smile and waved around the room, "Evenin' everyone." Not wanting to interrupt the current conversations she kept her greeting short and moved toward the kids to see what they were cooking. "Smells great guys, can't wait to try it." Ky spoke softly to them as she tried to catch glimpses of what they were making.

Another glance was sent in Jin's direction, trying to gage now if she should go sit near him or keep her distance. She didn't want to make the situation anymore awkward then it might already be.


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Outfit

[Daniel Bruce]

Dan looked at Fletcher to see if he would say anything else and was about to reply when a newcomer took the words almost straight out of his mouth. The teenager smiled to himself then said, "Yeah, that's pretty much what I was about to ask. I mean I don't personally hate people who thought on the other side of the war to my father but more the government that not only passed an order to kill my planet but also made life a living hell for the three of us in an orphanage for most of our lives."

Suddenly realising what he had said, Dan looked towards his two younger siblings to see them looking at him in a way that both showed disbelief and shock at what he had just admitted. He hung his head slightly before saying apologetically, "Sorry. Guess my anger got the better of me for a second there."

Unable to say anything else for what seemed to feel like a blockage in his throat, the teenager got up from his chair, said to Fletcher, "I'll be right back." And made his way to the door and out into the corridor beyond.

Skye watched her older brother for a short time after he had told the people in the room about their past before being distracted by Kyla's entry and her compliment about her and her twin brother's cooking. The young Bruce beamed and replied, "Thanks!" Before feeling her heart drop at seeing Dan walk out of the room. She politely excused herself from the room and followed her big brother out into the corridor and saw him leaning against a wall trying to get his capacity to speak confidentially back.

He saw her walk into the corridor with him and managed to put on a brave smile before asking, "Hey Skye. What's up?" Without saying anything, Skye made her over to Dan and hugged him, trying to make him feel better somehow. He laughed and said, "Any particular reason for this?"

She looked up at him and replied, "I saw how you left the table after telling everyone about us. I just thought you might want a bit of company out here." She smiled shyly at her teenage thief of a brother, trying to make it seem as if she knew what she was doing.

Dan laughed. "Well, you would be right about that, sis." He ruffled her hair before asking, "So, how's the food coming along?" Whilst trying to make it not too obvious he was just trying to stall from going back into the common area whilst the rest of the crew present were still having their conversations.

[Baden Fletcher]

He knew that when he revealed his previous allegiance to the Alliance things may get awkward, but the old gunhand had yet again underestimated the universe's fondness for making things just that little bit more "hilarious" by throwing in a couple of the other crew members just as he announced this fact. The young man eyed him distrustfully, inquiring if he was still under Alliance command, while the girl's body language gave away her otherwise well concealed anxiety.

This was not a place for any Alliance lovers, apparently. Not that he actually was one. He also noted the glances that the lady gave the young gentleman and his eyes flickered between the two curiously before he started to reply to his question.

Opening his mouth to answer the young man, the oldest sibling butted in rudely, announcing to all in no uncertain terms his dislike for the Alliance and the reason for that anger towards them. Fletcher fixed the boy with his steely gaze, his right eyebrow raised in what could have been bemusement or annoyance at being interrupted. Dan excused himself and promptly left the galley, followed soon after by his little sister.

Shaking his head, Fletcher turned to the young man to finally give his reply.

"The things that I did during my service with the Alliance where not recognized, certainly not decorated and, as a matter of fact, did not actually happen. If you understand my meaning", Fletcher said, the tiniest of smiles tugging the right corner of his mouth. "But to answer your question... no. After the war ended, I went my own way."

Switching his attention to the young lady now, Fletcher gave her a warm half smile, the left side of his face, as usual, refusing to move.

"And you... you must be the Captain's sister. A pleasure to meet you, as well." Fletcher uttered politely. He had not been given much information about the Captain's sibling, other than the fact she was aboard the ship too, but the resemblance was difficult to miss.

[Jin Caron]

Jin nodded at Fletcher's response, knowing full well the meaning of his words. He had been a black ops soldiers, much like Jin. It was not hard to see the old man being a veteran soldier, nor a black ops soldier, but to be one that had been able to leave the grasp of the Alliance and not be hunted for it was interesting. Often times a black ops soldier served for life, but then again not many got to be as old as Fletcher so maybe much of what he had learned came to light following the Miranda Incident.

Looking over to the kitchen, Jin's eyes met Kyla's. For a heartbeat, Jin didn't know how to react. He knew that he wanted to be amiable, but he also did not want to be public affectionate. He also knew that Kara would not be happy at all to see Kyla and Jin being to close to each other so often, since the few times that Jin had run into Kara he had been conversating with Kyla. Finally making a decision, Jin decided that Kara could not keep him from being just a friend to her. Smiling, Jin nodded to indicate that he was comfortable with what had happened the night before, but did not motion for her to come over because she had been addressed by Fletcher and did not want to break their conversation before it even started, and also so that they could keep some distance in case Kara came into the room and got suspicious.

Deciding to distance himself physically from Kyla for the time being, Jin stood up and poured himself a cup of hot tea to drink as he waited for the meal to finish being cooked. Bringing the tin cup with him, Jin sat down and watched the steam rise from the cup as he waited for the tea to cool down. Jin began to wonder whether it was a good idea getting on this ship or not. There were obviously very polar opposite allegiances both old and current that could wreak havoc if things got dicey. He decided that since he was on the ship as it was, there was no changing the circumstances, but if he even so much as feels a small bit of tension about Alliance and Independent loyalties, Jin would get off the boat at their next stop. He really hoped that it did not come to that as he sneaked a glance at Kyla.

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla had apparently decided to come into the dining area at the wrong time. She hadn't heard the entire conversation that had been going on between the others, but she could tell it hadn't turned out too well. Opting to not get involved she stood by watching and listening as things played out. Ky made sure to move out of the way of Dan and then shortly followed by Skye. It was definite that Kara and her weren't the only ones with a dislike for the Alliance.

Baden answered Jin's question, which was thankfully pretty much a 'no' on the loyalties. He had a past with them though and Kyla wasn't sure what impact that would have on the ship in the long run. Did Kara know about his past? She didn't know, she truthfully hadn't taken up much interest in the runnings of the ship. Her sister was the captain and owner, even though the names were different.

She had seen Jin from the corner of her eye, but her direct attentions had been pulled elsewhere for the time being. With the departure of Skye and Dan, Ky moved more into the kitchen to help Chris with the food. At about the same time Fletcher addressed her with a smile, which of course she happily returned. "It's not hard to miss that fact huh, nice to meet you too. Hopefully we'll get to have more dinners like this now that we're off the ground."

Another look was directed toward Jin, with a reassuring smile. So far it seemed as though the early hours had not been a mistake or a regret. Which made her happy. She wanted to get to know the man better before the chance was lost when he decided to leave. Ky pulled herself back into the conversation, not wanting to leave the room quiet and possibly awkward due to the previous topic. "So Mister Fletcher, how long ya plannin' to stay on with us?" There, something simple to sway things in a different direction.

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[[Sorry loves, my muse is kinda wavering back and forth on this one but I tried as usual just let me know if I need to add or change anything <3 ]]

[Baden Fletcher]

The people still in the same room as him seemed to take his answer without much fuss. The tension was still in the air, but it had started to fall back down to normal 'stranger interaction' levels, rather than the 'I want to stab you with a steak knife' type. It probably helped a little that the boy, Dan, had left the room for the time being while he pulled himself together. Drama, indeed.

The young man pushed himself up and poured himself a cuppa, reminding Fletcher that he had one on the table, too. He picked up his cup and sipped it, relieved that the beverage was still warm. Nothing in the 'Verse was sadder than wasted tea.

When the young man joined him at the table again, Fletcher noticed once more the glances the two young people were shooting off at each other. With a tiny quirk of the corner of his lips, the old gunhand decided to prod at this apparent connection.

"Eager to get rid of me already, eh?" Fletcher said with a chuckle. "To be honest, I have not given it that much thought. I suppose, for the moment, that I'll just be here until I am here no longer."

Draining the rest of his cup, Fletcher got up to pour himself another. "I fear that I do not really know much about my fellow crew. I only know that you are the captain's sister and that you are her's, but little else." Taking his seat at the table now he had a full cup, his fingers traced the 'W' embossed on it's surface.

"I imagine that captain is very protective of you, given that you are family. No doubt she has sent many a potential suitor packing with more than a few broken bones! She certainly seems like the mother lion type to me", Fletcher continued mildly, taking a tentative sip of his hot beverage.