Cleaning and Thinking

[radegrasan]

Rade felt like an jerk after Arabella told her what happened to her. He felt like some scumbag Alliance agent that just tortured someone for information. And if Rade had one soft spot, it was crying women. He would start to feel awkward whenever someone started to cry, because he wasn't too good at comforting people.

Rade felt like now he owed Arabella, and wondered whether or not he should tell her what happened to him as well, to tell her what caused him to reach for a gun immediately. Rade rubbed the big scar he had on his left wrist through the bandana he had tied around his wrist to hide it.
He could tell her, but that would mean admitting he was raised by the Alliance.

He decided the best thing was to make her feel at ease, show him his good intentions and then grant Arabella her request of seeing the cockpit.

"I'm sorry miss Hart. It must've been difficult for you. I'm sorry to have pried." Rade said. "There's indeed many things a revolver shouldn't be used for, that being one of them. But if it means anything, my revolver is over 50 years old, and it belonged to a good man, who used it to protect people. I intend to honor its use as much as I can."

Rade then remembered another good man, from whom he also had several things.

"And I don't know about Alliance memorabilia, but I do have some Browncoat memorabilia. Belonged to the guy who taught me how to fly. Although I would have to get them out of my bunk."

Rade took several of Pete's things after he killed himself, in order to not have them fall in the wrong hands, or have some Alliance scumbag destroy them. Among them was Pete's browncoat, his medals, his letters from his sweetheart, and several pictures that were taken during the war.

Rade nodded his head at Arabella, signing her to follow him.

"Shall we?"

[arabella]

Arabella had never talked about it before this day because she never knew how to talk about it. She had sent a letter to Bettie-to her secret box just on the outskirts of town. The two had a silent agreement though to never bring it up. And Arabella never attempted to press charges because that meant going to court and revealing her true self. She didn’t want to go back to her grandmothers, which is where she would be headed back to if she tried to press charges that’s exactly where she’d be going.

But it needed to be talked about. Maybe this new level of trust would be of help in finding her a job out there. Rade was a part of the Captain’s crew and when it was time for Arabella to step off this ship, maybe she could be pointed in the right direction.

A simple nod bobbled her head. She really wanted to stop talking about it. “It’s in the past. May affect me from time to time but nothing to be brought up again.” Her hands rubbed along her upper arms. No she wasn’t cold. It was a protective mechanism-like her mother and Bettie used to do. She tried to smile but it was a weak one. ”That’s good to know. Thank you.” It was sincere and thanking him for listening and trying to help put her at ease.

She stopped rubbing her arms. Independent. A fond smile found her way to her lips. ”My father was an Independent. I didn’t get any of his stuff before he died but it went to a good friend of his.” As a little girl before she left-before her brother died-he used to sit around and tell them stories and show him things from the war. A chuckle escaped her lips. ”This may sound stupid ot you but I remember as a little girl I used to play with his coat. My brother-” She stopped short because she was touching a personal spot. Arabella still blamed herself for his death each day.

A nod found it’s way to her head again. She followed him without protest. Arabella had revealed things she hadn’t revealed to anyone-in only a short time on this ship. There was a new and silent level of trust she had with Rade even if neither of them realized or acknowledged it.

[radegrasan]

[OOC: I'm going to assume, since it's a Firefly RPG, that the Riley is a Firefly class ship as well and I'll just follow the lay-out of one to get both Arabella and Rade to the cockpit :-)]

When they came to Rade's bunk, he offered to get Pete's stuff alone, since it was now clear to him Arabella didn't like to be alone in rooms with men, let alone a bunk. But also because Rade was fond of his privacy and he wasn't quite ready to let other people in yet. Maybe in time he would, but for now the only person he'd allow in his bunk was the captain.

"Cockpit's right there, miss Hart."Rade said. "Why don't you head on over while I grab the stuff real quick?"

Rade descended down in his bunk. It was quite the mess, even though he hadn't been on the Riley that long. There were clothes laying everywhere, his bed wasn't made and the small boxes of bullets had apparently tipped over. Pete's browncoat hung neatly in a coatrack on the wall and Rade had also hung up a flag with the Independent logo on the wall to show his alignment, but also to hide the stuff that were behind it. In this case the box that contained the medals, photos and letters.

Rade opened the box to see if everything was still there but then hesitated to close it again when he saw the picture of Pete and him laying on top of the other ones. Rade remembered that day. It was a day in which they scored big platinum, and the both of them couldn't stop laughing the entire time. Rade also remembered who took the picture, and he wondered where she was now, and if she was safe.

Rade sighed. Seems the good times were in the past now. Pete was dead, and he could only hope she wouldn't be yet.

Rade closed the box again and put it under his arm. He then took Pete's browncoat of the coatrack and hung it on his arm as well.
With one arm he climbed the ladder out of his bunk and then walked over to the cockpit.

[arabella]

Arabella nodded when he said he’d go get the things alone. If he had asked her to come down with him she’d turn around and go back to her bunk or the kitchen. She turned to where he pointed and made her way in there. “Just don’t sneak up ok?” She watched him disappear before she turned and made her way to the cockpit.

She stepped in and looked around. She could see some lights that were on and switches-some up, some down, some were just there. There were screens, mostly all blank. Arabella saw a couple seats and she sat in the one furthest from the doors. It spun and she turned herself slowly to observe the cockpit. It kind of reminded her of the security room back at her grandmother’s house. It was similar to this but absolutely no windows-steel walls that had computer systems from all to wall.

They even knew when Arabella left her room. It took a lot of cunning to get someone in there to change all the readings. It was rather an elaborate plan and well worth it in the end. A smile found her way to her face as she stared ahead out the window. To think, that’s all that separated them from the space when in the air. It was rather fascinating.

[radegrasan]

“Just don’t sneak up ok?” Arabella had asked him. Of course, Rade had absolutely no clue on how not to sneak up. He figured the loud noise the metal floor made should give Arabella enough of a warning when he entered the cockpit.

Rade saw Arabella stare out the window as he entered the cockpit. He put Pete's browncoat on the pilot's seat and then sat on it, with the box in his hands. He turned the commsystem off the intercom, and back into the cockpit alone. There was no need for everyone else on board to hear incoming messages. Especially not if things would go sour with that Patience woman.

"I sure hope someone from the Atlas knows how to shoot." Rade said. "I'd hate to think if the captain was alone up there with a bunch of buffoons with nothing else but their peckers in their hands. I've heard some stories about Patience, the witch from Whitefall, and how one would make a mistake to deal with her."

Rade couldn't figure out whether or not he was actually worried about Faye, or what would happen if she would buy the farm. There was no first mate, and the next in line would be Brian. And Brian in charge wasn't exactly a comforting thought. Or anyone else for that matter.

[arabella]

Arabella ran her fingers along the edge of the console as if she was playing the piano, careful not to touch anything. There were some habits and things in her life that wouldn’t die so easily. Sometimes she wish they would though, but when alone or bored, she just couldn’t help it. She had to leave so many of her things behind when she left and what she did have she was selling off one by one. The next to go was probably another one of the gowns stuffed at the bottom of the bag-one she had brought to sell off when needed.

Rade’s footsteps brought her out of her thoughts and made her draw her and back quickly. Arabella’s brow furrowed in thought. She really didn’t entirely know what was going on down at Whitefall. “I’m sure they know what they are doing. Why else would the Captain have hired them?” Her hands folded in her lap as she pulled a leg up to tuck it under her bottom. Her eyes watched him move around as she tried to rack her brain. “Never heard of her. Then again I’m always a passenger and never know the juicy details.”

She finally caught site of the coat peeking from behind Rade and smiled. She knew they were all alike, but every time she saw one she was always reminded of her father. A memory filled smile spread across her lips. “So this is where all the magic happens?”

[radegrasan]

Magic. That was the proper word for it. That's what it had been for Rade up until this point. Seeing the stars from the inside of a spaceship instead of from between buildings back on Persephone. The feel of a ship, controlling it, being relied on to get more people safely where they needed to go... It felt good. Right. Like something finally clicked into place.

"Oh, the real magic on this boat is your fine cooking, miss Hart." Rade answered. "As for this place... I like it. Just me, the stars and planets... it something completely different to what I was used to back on Persephone. And then the feel of this ship... I think you'd have to be a pilot to truly understand it."

It was a well known fact most pilots had a thing for their crates. As for Rade and the Riley, it was love at first sight. It made him feel guilty he called her a bucket of bolts back on Persephone. He couldn't wait for Faye and the Atlas crew to round up the deal quickly so he got to fly her again.

Rade noticed Arabella smiling in the direction of Pete's brown coat. He put the box with Pete's stuff down on the console and grabbed the browncoat from under him.

"So, you like this coat, miss Hart?"

[arabella]

As her smile widened slightly she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Arabella figured each person had the ability to create a little bit of magic. With her it was in the kitchen. Give her a cabinet full of items seemingly unconnected and she could make something form them. For Rade, it was flying. It was something she could tell as he spoke about it. When it came to Faye it was running the ship and watching after her sister. Brian it was working in the infirmary and helping people. Yes, everyone had their own special way of creating ‘magic’ in this world.

“That’s my magic. This is your magic.” This was probably the most she had talked with a crew member in her entirety of flying. Mostly she kept her distance from them and waited until she ran out of fare or got someplace she wished to be going. Arabella rested her chin on her knee and smiled. ”Yes I suppose so. But then it’s also the retrospect of you wouldn’t understand some of the finer details of cooking. Things only a cook gets. Like watching the faces of the people eating your food-their reactions. it’s not about how much they eat, but their reactions. That gives me more of sense of pride of everything else.”

Cooking was something else for her entirely. It used to be an escape from her grandmother. Now it was not only an escape from the world, but her way of life.

She nodded and then shrugged to Rade’s question. “It’s more it bring sup fond memories. As I told you my father was an Independent. He never wore his coat when out working-was afraid of getting it dirty. So when I was little he let me wear it as long as it never left the living room.” Those were some of the fondest times with her father. Her and her brother-before he died-would lay on their stomachs on the floor and the coat would cover over the top of them like a blanket while their father told them stories of the war.

Arabella gestured at the coat. “Did that coat belong to the same good man who owned your revolver?”

[radegrasan]

Rade shook his head. His grandfather wasn't an Independent, no. But he came pretty close. It was because of men like his grandfather the Independents were able to go to war like they did.

"No, it's not." Rade answered. "The revolver was my grandfather's. This browncoat belonged to the man who taught me how to fly: Peter Henderson. He was a fighter pilot and the CAG of the Independent aerial forces."

Rade went over the coat, straightening out some of the wrinkles that were in it. He still wasn't sure whether or not he should have buried Pete in the coat.
When he found Pete's goodbye note and his wings, they lay on top of the browncoat. Rade never was sure whether or not it was just a coincidence, or if Pete wanted him to have the browncoat as well.
Rade couldn't wear it however. The coat represented something he should have been a part of, but couldn't. And he promised himself he wouldn't wear the coat until he felt like he deserved to wear it.

"Pete was an Independent war hero." Rade continued. "He fought for what he believed in, and he also fought to protect others. Many Independent veterans are still around because of Pete's exploits during the war."

Rade put the browncoat on his lap. He then reached for the box and started going through Pete's medals.

"Here." Rade offered Arabella. "Why don't you check these out?"

[arabella]

Arabella ran a hand through her hair. Her waves hadn’t been tamed in months so they rested naturally as they fall back on her shoulders. Damn, she had left her sweater in the kitchen. She would have to remember to grab it when she headed back from here. As long as she didn’t get cold, she was all set. She could see the sun shining through the window of the ship, but it didn’t hurt her eyes like if she was out and about regularly.

Her grandfather was Alliance-at least the one she had gotten the chance to meet. Her grandparents on her father’s side was long gone by the time Arabella was born. Her face contorted think. All she had were fragmented memories-most of them bad. The ones she had she clung to. She was so long when she left home. “I don’t remember what my father did during the war. I hadn’t seen him since I was a little girl.” Her voice was soft and mournful. Her jaw was clenched as she looked around.

Arabella was never able to get back in touch with her father before he passed away. And her grandmother never spoke of him. One day she hoped to go back home to the farm. It had been sold off, but the owners welcomed her there to visit at any time. Her father’s friend-the one who had all his things-had some stuff and wanted to know what to do with them. He refused to sell them until Arabella came around. There were photos of her family and her mother’s few pieces of jewelry. Plus her childhood toys...

She focused her attention back to Rade as she hugged her knee. “Pete sounds like a fine man. My father would have liked him. He put himself on the line to save a fellow soldier. It was one of his favorite stories to tell.” Arabella only remembered it because it because it was told nearly every day when she was younger. Up until her brother died.

“Sure.” Arabella pushed herself up from the seat and moved to lean against the counsel-the edge where there were no buttons or switches. She always loved looking at war medals. Her father had one, but she never got to see it. It was in the lock box-or used to be. She smiled as she held up a bronze one. “He was quite a man. You’re lucky to have known such a man.” She glanced at Rade and smiled fondly. She set the medal in the box and showed a charm bracelet on her arm. “It’s one thing I refuse to sell. Bettie was like family to me too. She has the moon that fits around my star charm on here. She got my most of these charms as well as taught me everything I know about cooking.”

[radegrasan]

Rade smiled as Arabella showed him the bracelet, and admired her for not wanting to sell it. It looked like it costed a lot of platinum, which made him wonder: if this Bettie she talked about was just a cook, how could she afford a piece of fine jewelry like that? Better yet, how could Arabella? And what was more important, pieces of fine jewelry like that were a rarity in the outer rim planets. Bracelets weren't exactly a necessity to survive.
When Rade attended school the rich kids had fine jewelry like that, and he also remembered hearing them say it came from the core planets like Londinium and Osiris.
Of course, Arabella could have stolen it, but she seemed sincere enough, and Rade was inclined to believe her story. Although even after she told him what happened, he still thought there was something fishy about her. Maybe she was running away from something but then again, so where most people.

"That's a mighty fine piece of jewelry you got there, miss Hart." Rade said. "Bettie must be a real five star chef if she can afford something like that."

Rade leaned back in the pilot's seat. He knew he could learn a whole lot more if he asked Arabella where she came from. It was one of the most common questions so she shouldn't seize up on him. After all, if she had nothing to hide she shouldn't have any problems with it.

"So where are you from, miss Hart?" Rade asked. "I myself was born and raised on Persephone itself."

[arabella]

Arabella shrugged softly. Actually it had been her mothers before with only a couple charms on it. It was one thing Arabella was able to get before she left Ezra. Bettie and her grandmother had bought her the charms she had now over the years. “Well it was my mother’s first. Bettie simply gave me charms over the years with her.” She withdrew her arm and held it close as she played with the star charm. She missed Bettie like crazy every day of her life.

Arabella paused at his question. She stared at him with wide eyes. No one had ever asked her that before in her times of travel. She turned her attention away. Born and raised n Persephone. It was dangerous for her to be around him for extended periods of time it seemed. What if he had seen her over the years and simply forgot about it? There had been many places on the core she had traveled and many people had seen her.

She looked at her bracelet as she gave the only answer she could think of that wouldn‘t give things away. “Ezra. My father owned a small farm of the sorts out on the moon. He raised milking cows to sell” Vague enough to where he got the answer to her question but didn’t give away that she had lived on Londinium most of her life. That was something she couldn’t risk in her life.

Arabella pushed away from her spot. “I’m going to do some reading. So, I’ll see you around ok?”

[radegrasan]

Rade wasn't totally convinced by Arabella's answer. She seemed a bit evasive, and she didn't look like a farmer's daughter to him. And now all of a sudden she wanted to go away. Rade felt bad enough for what happened to her but he was still convinced she was hiding something.

But for now, he'd let it go. Perhaps more would come in time, or maybe she would tell other crewmembers stuff so that the puzzle would eventually click into place.

"Alright miss Hart." Rade answered. "Just be ready for anything. We don't know what's happening out there. If this deal goes south we're gonna need all hands on deck."