Stuck And Jobless

[arabella]

Arabella was stuck on Shinon. Not exactly the perfect place for her to be stuck.

Arabella’s grandmother made frequent visits to the planet. At least, she did the last time she knew nearly four years ago. That was the reason she wore a cropped, black wig over her golden hair. It was the same wig she had used to run away when she was seventeen. She kept it and cared for it in case she ever had to come to the core planets. Like now.

The previous ship she had been on dumped her here when they had to pick up supplies. They didn‘t have enough room for her to continue with them further then the core. That had been the previous day. Now she wandered Shinon aimlessly, looking for a new job on either a ship or at a local business. The only problem is if they asked for a form of identification at one of the businesses. She still had her old one and Arabella definitely knew that her grandmother still had a bulletin out asking for her return. She knew very well that Arabella hadn’t been kidnapped. Mainly because Arabella left a note saying she hated her grandmother and would not stand for her primping games anymore. That must have sent the woman’s head spinning.

Arabella had been walking for almost three hours. It was mid-afternoon by now and she could feel the heat pounding on the back of her neck.Finding a bench, she settled herself down on it, resting her duffel bags on the ground. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she pushed a strand of her fake locks behind her ear. This has got to be the second worst place for me to be stuck on. How can I find a decent job without being found out? Arabella’s thoughts were everywhere. She brought her hand just above her eyes to shied them form the glaring sun. Glancing around, she looked at the ships as they left and as knew ones came in. If by the end of the week she couldn’t find a ship to take her away or to work on, she’d suck it up and try to find a job on Shinon. At least for now.

[darkreaction2]

The Riley had come in to port early that morning, by Sihnon time. The crew had parted ways, and Brian had gone by himself to pick up some medical supplies. He hadn't counted on being picked up as a semi-permanent crew member to a ship, but then again he hadn't counted on seeing Faye again. His portable med kit, as well as the small clinic in her ship, was severely understocked. He had all of the essentials, but due to the line of work the crew of the Riley was in, he knew he ought to keep around everything he could afford and carry. Once he had purchased everything he could think of needing, stocking up on much of the same things he would wish for during the war, he stuffed it all into a bag along with a lot of extra gauze and tape.

He wasn't in a hurry to get back to the ship. It was great to get outside after the confines of the ship. He loved the Riley, no doubt, but Bri was always an outdoorsy and active person. The sun on his face and being able to really stretch his legs was a great feeling. They would no doubt ship off soon, and he was going to take advantage of all the fresh air he could get.

As he walked, he noticed a woman reclining on a bench, bags on the ground nearby. She looked troubled, and Brian was not the type of person to just walk on by. He glanced at the sky, and saw he had some time. Detouring her way, he sat at the other end of the bench, setting his bag protectively between his feet. "Nice day out." He commented, flashing her a grin. "What brings you to Sihnon?" Brian was a lot more tactful than to come straight out and ask her if something was wrong. Maybe they'd come around to it, or maybe his instincts were wrong. Either way, the bags on the ground meant she was trying to go somewhere.

[arabella]

Arabella noticed the ships as they came and left. Some had been there since yesterday and looked like Alliance ships. She made sure to steer clear of them. She had no clue if her grandmother had gotten a new ship to transport herself from place to place or if she still had the White Knight. Either way, she was not risking getting caught by her. The black wig was serving it’s job for now. She used to have sunglasses but she sold those a couple months back for some extra money.

In her head she surveyed what she had to sell. Maybe she would sell another one of her dresses. Not on Shinon though. Too risky. She couldn’t remember if they had been bought here, on Londinium or was one of her custom made ones. Either way, it could easily be traced back to her grandmother then if she sold it on the rim planets. She may not always get as good of a price, but it was a lot less risky. There was also Some figurines she had. Old momentums she had hoped to keep. A frown formed on her face. Yes, she may have to sell one or two of those for now.

A shift in weight on the bench made her retract from her thoughts. A gentleman had sat on the other end. Arabella made to ignore him, going everything in her bags in her mind again when he spoke. It wasn’t until she looked back over that she realized he was talking to her. “Oh.” Arabella shifted in her seat. Arabella was not one to give out much information about herself. Especially to a stranger. She gave him a once over. He didn’t look like Alliance. But you never could be too careful after all. “I’m here looking for a job. Just taking a break from the job hunting.” Her words were spoken with a slight articulacy, but still had the roughness from the years of being away from “proper society” as her grandmother referred to it. Plus, it was honest enough of an answer. Couldn’t go wrong there. “And you?”

She noticed the medical bag at his feet. Even if she wasn’t a doctor, she recognized the type of bag from the house calls her grandmother’s doctor used to make. “Are you a doctor? Or do you just carry the bag around for fun?”

[darkreaction2]

The young woman seemed inclined to act as if he wasn't there at first, but she soon realized he was addressing her. As she turned to him and looked him over, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how she was judging him. Her answer interrupted his thoughts, and he cocked his head slightly. A job. He couldn't help her there. He was in no way in a position to offer people work on the Riley, as much as he might have wanted to help every person in need. That was the doctor in him, always reaching out. Outwardly, he nodded sympathetically at her words. "Been there. What sort of work are you looking for?" He tried to size her up, but he was no good at judging someone just by looking at them.

He was about to respond to her question when she seemed to figure part of it out on her own. Grinning, he shook his head. "Carry the bag around for fun." He said decidedly. Leaning over, he patted the bag gently. "I'm the medic for the ship the Riley. We're just stopped here for supplies, and I needed some for my clinic." Straightening up, he turned back to her and held out his hand. "Forgive me; no manners. Name's Brian Patterson." As he was leaning towards her, he studied her a little more closely. She was young, pretty, but she had a harried air about her. Maybe she just needed a job that bad.

ooc: okay, it's short and bad. I need to get some sleep, I'm sorry. Will be better next time. =]

[arabella]

Arabella stiffened slightly as her hands rested on her bags. The wig was starting to itch and she had to resist the urge to scratch at it or take it off completely. She began to tap her fingers against the bag closest to her left leg while the other gripped at her right knee. She just wanted to take the wig off and toss it aside. But with her golden locks, it wouldn’t be hard for anyone who knew her grandmother to tell it tell it was her. Her grandmother and mother all had the same hair at one point in time.

She decided to keep talking to the man. It was a good distraction from her wig. “Cook preferably. It’s what I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember, but I do sew a little.” A little was an understatement for everything she was taught by all her tutors. Her voice dropped to a soft whisper meant for herself. “Or if I can find passage off Shinon that would be work out as well.” The entire core is more like it. Arabella hated it whenever she was on the Core planets. Much too risky for her.

A soft smile formed on her lips. “As far as I know you could have it just for fun. You never know with people.” She pursed her eyebrows together. The Riley. Must have been one that just recently came in. She couldn’t remember it form her travels throughout the day. Or it could be at a dock she didn’t get the chance to stop at yet. Either way, she was still intrigued. Glancing at his hand, she cautiously extended her own and gripped Brian’s hand. She lowered her voice a little in case someone heard her. “Arabella Hart. But just call me Bella. Everyone does.” She sent a frightened glance around. The last thing she wanted was to be sent back to her grandmother. She may be a full-grown woman, but her grandmother still had plans for her that wouldn’t die until either Bella or her grandmother died. Ones that included an arranged marriage. And Arabella did not want that at all.

She pulled her hand away and turned scarlet. Arabella figured she must look like a crazy woman but didn’t know how to explain herself without giving away everything.

[darkreaction2]

Brian noted with clinical observance the nervous way Arabella moved and acted. His eyes narrowed in slight suspicion, but he said nothing. She was a cook; that was interesting. It was hard to find a cook on the border planets Brian frequented. They tended to be short of the best and freshest foods that the core planets seemed to have a lot more of. "Must be hard to find a job for that line of work." He commented. She was whispering something to herself, then, and he caught only a couple of words, 'passage' being one of them. The girl was becoming more intriguing by the minute.

Brian smiled back at her, shaking his head. "Well, I'm the real thing. Practicing since I was a field medic in the war." He shrugged and chuckled as he looked down at his bag. It had been a long time since he'd practiced in a true hospital. His colleages may not accept him since he'd turned into sort of a permanent field medic, but he didn't care about acceptance. He only cared about helping those in need. As she took his hand, he gripped hers in a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, Bella."

As Bella's actions grew more and more erratic, more frightened, he found it harder to ignore. He glanced around the street, as if he could see the invisible threat to Bella. Leaning forward, he finally confronted her about it. "Look, are you in some kind of trouble, miss? Maybe I can help in some way..." He cocked his head, his eyes troubled. The only thing he could think was that she had some trouble with the Alliance, seeing as how uncomfortable she was on an Alliance planet.

[arabella]

Arabella reached up and finally itched just under where her wig was placed firmly. Her nail scratched lightly just under the fake hairline. It felt good, but wasn’t a complete relief. She rolled her eyes in understanding as they continued to talk about her line of work. “Tell me about it. Hardly anyone has the need for a real cook.” She smiled at the thought of her years of traveling. “Learned to adapt though. You’d be surprised what you can do with a little biscuit mix, canned vegetables and a little flavoring.” With pickings so slime out traveling she learned little tricks to make things last.

Nodding, she hadn’t met a real medic in a while. Since about five or six months after leaving Londinium actually. Most had learned a few things while on the ships or in the war. Enough to get by at least. “Saving lives is sort of your specialty while feeding them is mine.” The war. A forbidden topic back at her grandmother’s. Her only son had died fighting for the Alliance and then her only daughter went off and married an Independent. Touchy subject with the family. “Nice to meet you too.”

Oh. So he had picked up on her nerves. Well, no surprise there. She might as well put a Scarlet Letter upon her that screamed for them to come after her. Smiling in a nervous manner, she tried to explain herself in the best way she could. Arabella didn’t know this man much more then he was form the Riley, named Brian and a medic. She didn’t trust him enough with her life story. She scooted closer so no one could over hear her. “Well not any trouble per say. I just left home a few years back and my family is still eager to get me back.” Clearing her throat, she didn’t want to give away any specifics. She glanced around to see if anyone she knew was around. Arabella saw one face but wasn’t entirely sure if she knew them or not. “I’m not about to go back to being a doll on a shelf.” That was it. Vague enough that he didn’t have to know who her family was, where exactly she was from or the entirety of her background.

[darkreaction2]

The wig she was wearing looked much too natural, and Brian was not looking too closely, to make out that it was a fake. She agreed with him about how hard it was to find work, and he nodded in sympathy. He was always able to find people in need, and most were willing to trade food and lodging in return for his services if he didn't have money. However, he could understand how hard it was for others who didn't want to live a life like his. "Sounds delicious," he grinned.

“Saving lives is sort of your specialty while feeding them is mine.”

He laughed lightly. "Everybody's got a place. I myself never was much of a cook, though I love to do it." When she started to come clean, Brian listened carefully, his eyes roaming the street once more before focusing on her. It was obvious she was uncomfortable, and even more obvious that there was more to her story that she was hiding. Just wanting to stay away from home was not reason enough for her behavior; there was something more to it, but he was not going to press the boundaries. It wasn't as if he had a right to know, anyway. "Well that's downright terrible, Bella. I'm sorry you feel the need to run from home." He had no animosity towards his own family, so he couldn't sympathize, but he sure felt bad about it. "Is there any way I can help?"

[arabella]

Arabella shrugged. Sometimes what she had to improvise with was delicious and other times it was…tolerable. She may be a cook but there was only so much you could do with the things given to you on some ships. There was one where she was the only female. The men seemed to live off beef jerky, protein bars and water. Wasn’t much for her to do there but sit back and try to make something more decent for them. Eventually she gave up and just got off the ship because there was a sticky situation on that ship. A shiver went down her spine.

“Not everyone should cook either.” She grinned at some disasters she had seen over the years. Once a passenger nearly burned half the ship trying to cook. Good thing they were grounded so they weren’t completely helpless in the black.

She started to get uncomfortable for a new reason. Brian was staring so intently at her. Like he expected more of her story or something. Clearing her throat, she diverted her eyes as she clasped her hands together. Her pinky grazed along the charms on her charm bracelet. One of the things she refused to sell. “Thanks I guess. But I wouldn’t say it’s home. I really don’t have a true home anymore. I just travel form place to place.” Pushing a raven strand behind her ear, she was cautious not to jostle the wig too much. “No I think I will be fine. But thank you.”

[darkreaction2]

Brian laughed at her comment, rubbing his neck a little self-consciously, as if she could taste his sub-par food. "True." He noticed too late that he was making her uncomfortable. He sat back a little, crossing his arms as he tried to appear a little less threatening to her. "Sorry if I seem intrusive. I tend to worry about people, you know?" He uncrossed his arms and rocked slightly in his seat, a little awkward at how the conversation had turned out. Brian tended to always have the right words for patients, or for the families of patients, but when it came to the real world he often felt out of place.

She insisted she would be fine, and he nodded, deciding not to push the subject. "Well, listen," he began, meeting her eyes in an open and friendly way. "If you change your mind, I'm on the Riley. We're set down on the south end of the docks." He shrugged, spreading his hands. He was trying to convey he had nothing but good intentions. "You can come find me if you need anything. I'll help in any way I can." Brian was too kind-hearted to just go away without at least making it clear that he was willing to help her, this girl who seemed to be afraid of the very planet she was on and who glanced with suspicion in her eyes at every face that passed.

[arabella]

Arabella tried to give him the kindest smile she had. She gave him all the information she felt comfortable giving him. Even then it was probably too much. She needed to get off the planet fast. “I guess that’s why you’re a doctor.” Standing up, Arabella figured her rest time was over. Tossing her small tote over one shoulder, one duffel bag went over the other. The second duffel bag would be carried by both hands. She stopped at looked at Brian before taking off.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.” This time her smile was soft and warm, full of the gratitude she did feel for his offer of help. She noticed a couple Alliance officers making some rounds. Trying to act natural, she gave Brian one last nod before starting down the docks, along the line of ships. There was one she had stopped by earlier by but didn’t have their captain around. Someone shouted that he was back. Arabella had a chat with him. He offered to take her as far as Persephone for the fare of cooking all the meals for the night as well as tomorrow and do the dishes. The only catch was she’d have to share a bunk with another lady and a gentleman. Arabella would take what she could get when it came to saving her money for someplace worth her money.