Iscariot Ep 6: Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

[Lomari]

Location: Sector 3A - Velocity

"Kestrel class," she breathed. "Is that the one you want me to fly?" she asked hopefully.

"That ship? No. No." Sebastian laughed, looking between her and the screen again, the sound more than a little patronizing. With another shake of his head, he returned his attention to the tall woman, smiling way up at her. "Good thing you're pretty. Somebody's already flying that one," he told her, pointing at the screen as though he were showing her something very obvious.

With another chuckle at her expense, Sebastian rounded the desk and sat right back down in his chair, shoulders wiggling left and right as he got comfortable. "We'll get you on something more your speed. Like a day cruiser or something." Already, his attention was waning. He looked down at some documents on his desk, pushing them around and frowning thoughtfully. Then, he glanced back up at Velocity, almost startled that she was still in the room with him.

"Alright, Veronica, right? I'll call ya when I need ya," he told her, lifting a hand to shoo her back toward the door, clearly finished with the conversation.

Outside, Chips was sitting on a carboard box with his head in his hands and a bored expression screwing up his face, his feet kicking forward and backward. A heavy sigh lifted and lowered his shoulders, his hands pushing at his cheeks until his eyes were half closed and his mouth forced into a open pucker.

[Hercules Holliday]

Prime Cuts

"There she is!" Holliday said with a smile, clapping his hands together at the sight of the proprietor. Proprietress? He didn't let himself linger too long on the gender norms of the English language, not that Moira was patient enough for him to do so. She produced his missing cigarette lighter, which elicited a rush of serotonin. "Oh hey, my lighter! You found it. I was wondering where..." He trailed off as he recalled why it was that she had it. He dug into his pocket and produced his wallet, and retrieved a few bills, incredulously crumpled despite from whence they came. "Of course. That's why I'm here."

The bills in hand, Holliday clasped Moira's hand in his, securing the transaction with skin to skin contact. He flirted. "Have you given me any more thought?" Ugh, this is gross. Can you believe this guy? But Holliday is gonna Holliday. "My services I mean. Professionally." He might tell himself this is all in good fun but, boy, there's no way anybody falls for that, right? Maybe he's just goofing around. Still though, yuck. After way too long, he dropped her hand and dug around in his inner coat pocket for his pack of smokes, shook one loose, and put it to his lips.

"Don't answer now. Think about it." He lingered. "So what's up with you? How are the follicular arts?"

[Moira Chambers]

Location: Prime Cuts

Of course this wasn't going to be over as quickly as Moira wanted it to be. Of course this guy couldn't just hand her the money like a normal person and be on his way. Of course.

"Have you given me any more thought?"

The sudden, deliberate physical contact caught Moira off-guard. Was he hitting on her now? That was the actual last thing she needed. His palm was pressed too firmly against hers. She almost wanted to just grab the bills and yank her hand away, but remained stoic, not wanting him to think he was getting to her. Because he wasn't.

"My services I mean. Professionally."

He held the touch a beat too long. He's just messing with me, Moira realized. She couldn't remember what his services were supposed to be, hadn't even bothered to make a note of it. Maybe he was a sex worker? Nah. If anything, that would make his conduct even more unprofessional.

Finally, he pulled away, and Moira counted the bills, still clutching the lighter in one hand. There was a little extra, which she decided to hang on to as interest. Or a tip for having to go through this circus.

"So what's up with you? How are the follicular arts?"

That might have been a very creative, if bizarre pickup line... had Moira pegged Holliday as someone with extensive knowledge of gynecological terminology, which she didn't, so she didn't dwell on it.

"Business as usual." she gently smoothed out each wrinkled bill as she put them away in the register. "I'm afraid I don't have any juicy hair-related gossip for you. You can't light that in here," she nodded at the cigarette hanging from his lips. She was still holding on to his lighter.

[Benjamin Street]

Location: The Lady Magdalene

The receptionist smiled warmly at him, almost like she knew something he didn't, and stepped out from her desk to lead him further inside. "I've heard a little bit about you," she said as they walked. Which surprised Ben a little, but caused him to grin. "You're just as dashing as I'd imagined," He chuckled at that. "Thank you, that's very kind of you to say."

"If you'll wait in here, I'll fetch the Madame for you," Benji thanked her again as she left, and sat down to wait.

He didn't have to wait very long. A minute or two later he heard footsteps approaching the room, and the door opened to reveal Elena. Ben smiled widely and rose to greet her. "It's been a while," She said. "Yes, it has." He agreed as Elena closed the door and they both sat.

"I'm happy to see you, would you like a drink? Or perhaps something a little harder than water?" Ben grinned. "Its great to see you again too. And ordinarily I would take you up on the drink, but I should really stay sober. At least until later tonight." He paused for a moment, feeling a little awkward. "Ah, so. I'm sure you know about the shuttle races they have here on Iscariot? Well... I've been hired to participate. And since you never got the chance to see me fly the Allure, well, I wanted to invite you to come watch the show." He finished hopefully.

[Evelyn Vell]

Location: The Docks

For a brief moment Vee caught Briar smiling at her, and wondered why. Maybe the flirting is working... She thought, and laughed inwardly at herself. They moved over to the station map and Briar inspected their options.

"Well, the capsule hotel's probably our cheapest option, but I ain't sure I like that, kinda feels like you're inside one of those fridges at the mortuary. Plus, no room for a pillow fight." E.V.'s eyes locked with Briars just as the blonde bombshell gave her a coy smile, that some might have interpreted as flirtatious. Vee raised an eyebrow, an impish smile of her own springing to her lips. Her eyes flicked down and back up, as if she was sizing Briar up. She was about to respond with something flirty when Freya spoke. "What's a capsule hotel?" "Its... like a regular hotel, but the rooms are way smaller." She said, looking down at Freya. "Instead of a bedroom and a bathroom, its basically just a small little... capsule. Its like if a bed was set in a little alcove in the wall. They're not big enough to stand up in, and are basically just the bed." She paused to think for a moment. "I vote trying the motel first, since there are three of us. More room to put our things. And of course, space for a pillow fight." She said, once again aiming an impish grin at Briar. "It is race day though... hopefully they aren't full up yet. Shall we?"

[Lomari]

Location: The Docks - E.V, Briar, Freya

There were two tubes heading up the station's center. One that went all the way up to the HUB and all the way down to the station's inner workings, and the second that served as the lift to all that Iscariot has to offer its residents and guests, both sets of tubes (although there were more than 2, all of them set up around the inner ring the docks to accommodate the large crowds) were labeled with bright neon signs so as not to be mistaken for one another, one labeled "Shops" and the other labeled "Hub." They were almost always busy, each ride up or down resulting in being crammed into a pod with more people than was comfortable and ending in a door sliding open to more throngs of people. Of course, the deeper into the rings you went, the less crowded and 'civilized' the station became.

Location: Sector 3B - E.V, Briar, Freya

The elevator doors slid open to sector 3B, most of the guests visible dragging suitcases (or a gaggle of children) behind them. It was clear from their dazed expressions that this was where most of the tourists ended up. Some of them were clutching their chests, likely holding onto hidden purses beneath their shirts, while others walked around blissfully ignorant to the danger to unsuspecting tourists on Iscariot station. There were alleys between the motels and other accommodations, most of them housing vigilant eyes and grabbing hands, the shadows waiting to relieve newcomers of their wallets.

The main pathway was lined with accommodations of different spending levels, from a pretty clean and expensive hotel, all the way down to the grubbiest, cheapest of motels. Guests to Iscariot came in all shapes and tax brackets, after all. Inside the cheap motel nearest to the elevator sat a lean gentleman with a tight sequined tank top, a pair of black pants that looked spray painted on, and a single curl of hair at the center of his bald head, held aloft with a bow. He sat up straight and smiled winningly out toward the walkway, a little gem stuck under his left eye.

[Elena]

Location: The Lady Magdalene

"...And since you never got the chance to see me fly the Allure, well, I wanted to invite you to come watch the show." He finished hopefully.

Her brows rose a little, and then her expression eased back into a warm, and somewhat melancholy, smile. She reached over toward the table and gently pushed the plate of snacks a little closer to him before sitting back again.

"I would love to watch you race," she assured him, offering a supportive smile and nod of her chin. "I have no appointments tonight, so the timing is perfect," Elena confirmed. The Companion glanced down at the table and its pretty clutter again, her head tilting to the side and a soft sigh lifting and lowering her shoulders, the fabric glimmering with the movement.

"I do regret the Allure's failure to takeoff," she told him, returning her gaze to his face, her expression apologetic. "Such a sound investment idea, a solid crew, and yet..." she spread her hands a little, smiling sadly.

[Benjamin Street]

Location: The Lady Magdalene

"I would love to watch you race, I have no appointments tonight, so the timing is perfect," Elena said. Benji's awkward grin split into a full, wide smile. "Meraviglioso! I'm so glad." Some unnoticed tension in his shoulders vanished in an instant. He leaned back, much more relaxed now than when he had entered.


"I do regret the Allure's failure to takeoff," Elena said apologetically. "Such a sound investment idea, a solid crew, and yet..." she spread her hands a little, smiling sadly. Ben's smile turned wistful, and he sighed deeply. After a moment his eyes narrowed slightly. "It wasn't your fault it didn't make it off the ground, so I better not hear you taking any blame on yourself. I may not actually be your XO anymore, but that doesn't mean I'll stand for my Captain taking undue blame, even from herself." He told her, with a look that managed to be stern, caring, and playful all at the same time.

"I'm sad it didn't work out too." He continued. "It was a good ship, with a great crew... Well, that other pilot, Miss Wychovski, was a bit off... and Max certainly had his rough edges, but still. It was one of those dream jobs that you just knew would end up being great, but some figlio di maiale ignorante* higher up had to get his mango in un colpo di scena** and ruin the whole thing." Genuine frustration crept into his voice near the end. He had been pretty upset when the Allure had fallen through. It would have been the perfect job for Ben. Constantly on the move, new interesting people at every stop, a good crew to grow close to, and totally legal too. He sighed again, and it smiled apolgetically at Elena. "Sorry, I guess I'm still a little... frustrated about it."




_{ignorant son of a pig*
Mangos in a twist**}

[Velocity Grey-Lambert]

Location: Sector 3A - Velocity

"Kestrel class," she breathed. "Is that the one you want me to fly?" she asked hopefully.

Sebastian: "That ship? No. No. Good thing you're pretty. Somebody's already flying that one,"

"Pretty" wasn't a word that Velocity was used to being used to describe her, except by Bonnie and she had been perhaps a little biased. She didn't really see what bearing it had on the conversation. That he was suggesting that she wasn't very bright passed her by completely.

"Oh, was all she said and nearly missed his next sentences.

Sebastian: "We'll get you on something more your speed. Like a day cruiser or something."

Velocity looked at him with big round eyes that suggested bewilderment. He hardly needed a pilot of her calibre to fly day cruisers. Slowly her head tilted to one side as she looked at him, almost bird-like, and tried to make sense of what had happened. to cause this change of attitude in him. She hadn't come to a satisfactory conclusion when he spoke again.

Sebastian: "Alright, Veronica, right? I'll call ya when I need ya,"

"Velocity, she responded but her heart wasn't in the correction and even Velocity couldn't miss the dismissal. She turned, head down, and started to make her way to the door. Seeing the plastic flowers on the floor, Velocity picked them up but rather than placing them on Sebastian's desk, she took them with her.

"Hello Chips," Velocity greeted youngster. "would you like some flowers? I don't think Sebastian wants them, he dropped them on the floor." she said, not trace of guile in her tone, and in truth she had none.

Fearing more collateral damage, Velocity didn't sling her violin case over her shoulder until she was outside the shop; one broken item, albeit of debatable value, was enough for one day.

[Hercules Holliday]

Prime Cuts

Holliday looked for a sign indicating that he couldn't smoke, but not hard enough to find it even if there was one. "There should really be a sign." He smiled his charming best. "But whatever you say, Miss Moira. It is miss, isn't it?" The cigarette fell from his lips into his waiting hand and deftly placed it back into its soft-pack. Or at least, that's how he saw it going in his head. In reality, what happened was the cigarette, tip moistened slightly by his lip, stuck unceremoniously and hung there precariously. When it finally released, it bounced off his chin and as he struggled to catch its wayward trajectory, Holliday managed to crush it in his grip.

He stared at it for a few seconds before shoving the whole mess in his jacket pocket. "Maybe I'll quit." Doubtful. Stubbornly refusing to admit any fault, Holliday looked around the shop, hands still shoved into his pockets. "So, business as usual, huh?" He made a face. "That's a shame. If it's always this slow, I'd probably have a second job. Something on the side maybe." Slightly lower. "Or in the back..." Quickly denying having said anything, Holliday's hands fidgeted inside of the jacket pocket with the cigarette pack.

"Since you're free, you and I could go get a bite to eat. Maybe a drink?"

[Lomari]

Location: Sector 3A - Velocity

Chips looked up with wide eyes when Velocity returned, maybe from genuine pleasure to see his new friend return, or maybe because it signaled an end to his boredom sitting outside the office. Either way, his eyes were bright as stood back up and took the offered flowers. The boy sniffed them, got nothing but the smell of plastic and cologne, and wrinkled up his nose in disgust, his brows furrowed.

Shaking his head and putting the flowers carefully inside a tea pot's spout, he turned back to Velocity and walked with her back out of the labyrinthe of junk. Outside, Zeke shut the door behind them and went back to standing silently and looking scary, his gaze passing over the pair of them curiously before staring at nothing again.

"Did he give you a job?" Chips asked, hopping from one foot to the other hopefully. "He's pretty cool, huh?" he continued, laughing.

[Elena]

Location: The Lady Magdalene

Elena's eyes widened slightly as Ben's narrowed, her brows lifting curiously. "It wasn't your fault it didn't make it off the ground..." he assured her, defending her from herself. She had worried that it had been her fault, that perhaps the higher powers had begun to doubt her ability or that she hadn't laid the groundwork as smoothly as she'd thought she did. Her hands clenched slightly in her lap before smoothing back out, her expression returning to polite and pleasant neutral.

"I'm sad it didn't work out too...I guess I'm still a little... frustrated about it," he expressed, seemingly sharing her feelings on the matter. Elena turned her head slightly, looking toward a wall and in doing so, toward Maxell's antique shop across the way. He'd left to go treasure hunting, and while she had been happy that he was pursuing his dreams and his interests, she found being on the station without a familiar soul left her a little lonely. The House kept her occupied, to be sure, but there was something about having the freedom of a ship that she still longed for. She offered him her own wistful smile and shook her head a little.

"You don't suppose I could convince the Guild and the House to give us another go?" she finally asked, nibbling her lower lip with a rare peek into her inner workings. It was an idea she'd been toying with on and off for a while now, the idea of reaching out to them and seeing if they could try again making her both nervous and excited, both feelings pure and innocent.

[Moira Chambers]

Location: Prime Cuts

"It is miss, isn't it?"

"Ms.," Moira corrected, emphasizing the z sound. She did not return his smile. He thought he was being charming. He probably was charming to someone else, but Moira was immune to 'charming' (sometimes even oblivious, but this guy was laying it on pretty thick).  It was something Adora had always poked fun at, the way she clammed up when someone tried to put the moves on her. If her older sister were here now, she'd no doubt be nudging her on the ribs, trying to get her to flirt back.

Yet another reason why Moira was grateful Adora would never be part of her life again.

She waited patiently for Holliday to put his cigarettes away before returning the lighter. To avoid repeating the touchy-feely exchange from before, she placed it on the counter and slid it towards him. She did not dignify his remark about a side business with any kind of visible reaction.

"Since you're free, you and I could go get a bite to eat. Maybe a drink?"

"Just because it's a slow day doesn't mean I'm free." Moira began clearing Orville's magazines off the counter, no longer willing to meet Holliday's gaze now that their transaction had been completed. "Please come again when you need a shave or a haircut, but be prepared to pay up front next time."

[Velocity Grey-Lambert]

Location: Sector 3A - Velocity

Chips: "Did he give you a job?"

Velocity had been subconsciously avoiding that question but now that Chips had voiced it, she had to

"I don't know. Not yet, anyway," Velocity replied.  She thought about the Kestrel class ship she had seen in the monitor and then his comment about a day-cruiser being more her style and sighed before adding, "He said that he would contact me when he had something for me."

Chips: He's pretty cool, huh?"

Again forced to take stock, Velocity thought back over the encounter. She was not very good at analysing motive and, as Bonnie used to tease her, she needed to be hit over the head with something heavy before she would take something someone said at anything but face value.

"He is interesting," she agreed cautiously. "He did worry me at one point; he closed his eyes, puckered up his lips and went a funny colour; I thought he was having a heart attack or something but he said he was fine." Velocity shrugged.

Velocity's tummy rumbled loudly, reminding her that it had been quite some time since breakfast, possibly even as much as 90 minutes. "Would you like something to eat, Chips?" she asked. There was something nagging at her, demanding she do something but hunger was a louder, more demanding thing.

[Benjamin Street]

Location: The Lady Magdalene

Elena offered Ben a wistful smile of her own. "You don't suppose I could convince the Guild and the House to give us another go?" she finally asked, nibbling her lower lip, a rare break in the almost perfectly composed facade she maintained. Ben had only seen Elena's shell slip a handful of times, but each one only served to endear her more to him. He could see the nervousness and excitement the idea gave her... and he had to admit that the possibility gave him a similar feeling of nervous excitement. He wondered how many of the original crew they could get to come back... probably not many. Life went on, people got new jobs, new lives... but that meant more room for new faces! Of course he was getting ahead of himself... there was the old saying about getting your hopes up... or was it counting chickens?

Ben raised an eyebrow and gave Elena an encouraging smile. "If anyone could convince them to give the idea another chance, it would be you... and you would have a better idea than me as to the likelihood of it. The politics and planning and such was your department, I just flew the ship and made you look good, err, better." He said with a cheeky wink.

[Elena]

Location: The Lady Magdalene

The Companion nodded, her gaze faraway as she imagined the work she'd need to put in to even get the idea back across their tables, then she nodded a second time. She'd try. The worst that could happen was that they'd say no, and nothing would change. She could live with that being the worst case scenario. Her pleasant smile returned and she took a deep breath, standing and brushing off the front of her dress in one fluid motion.

"And what, do you think, is the likelihood that you'd offer me a sneak peak at the shuttle before the race? I'm sure you've managed to make it shine, at this point," she asked, canting her head to the side and expressing further interest in his endeavors, her smile bright and mischievous. "I don't walk the station very often, and it might be nice to stretch my legs, shuttle or no shuttle," she explained, offering him her hand. "Care to escort me?" she asked, her eyes glimmering with good-natured laughter.

[Hercules Holliday]

Prime Cuts

Holliday knew when to quit, to the astonishment of anyone paying attention. Perhaps even himself. Moira was clearly in a bad mood so he'd have to tease her another time. "Alright. I can take a hint. Holliday began backing away from the counter towards the door, keeping his boyish good looks in full view as he made his exit. "I know when I'm not wanted. Just trying to be neighborly. Friendly, even. But Miss Moira has other plans." Whether he was talking about her intentions regarding his intentions or perhaps hinting that he didn't believe her when she said she had nothing going on, he didn't say.

"I'm wounded, truly. But don't worry, I'll be back." He finished with a flourish, spinning on his heel and deftly catching the handle of the door. It swung open at his urging, the bell on the door announcing his exit. Standing in the door, his body preventing the door from closing and thus finalizing his farewell, Holliday glanced at his wrist as if to check a watch that wasn't there. "Don't be late." He said with a waggle of his eyebrows. "You know. Just in general." He winked and stepped out the door.

[Briar Williams]

Location: Sector 3B

After a while of standing in the elevator, Briar suddenly threw her head back and let out a frustrated groan.

"Ugh, I can't believe I gotta go back to the drawing board!" She thought about the crumpled leaflet in her back pocket, filled with scribbled notes that were now obsolete. She'd spent several days mulling over those notes, and now she'd have to come up with something else hours before the big race. "Unless..."

As they stepped out of the elevator and into the motel street, she turned to look at her companions, her expression brightening with hope.

"Maybe you could pick for me. Be my lucky ladies for tonight?" Yeah, that could work. After all, she considered herself lucky to have them with her right now. It would be a shame to let that magic go to waste, right?

"After accommodations, of course," she added, forcing herself to refocus on the task at hand. After getting the response from her squad, Briar turned to look at their options. She gazed wistfully towards the shiny-looking hotel, and the dapper folks that gravitated towards it. She wondered if they got room service. Maybe with fresh pineapple? She'd always wanted to order a whole (pre-sliced!) pineapple through room service, ever since she'd seen a commercial where a beautiful woman in one of those glamorous feather dressing gowns did just that.

Maybe someday that would be her. Not today, though. You couldn't order pineapple in the ratty jeans she was wearing, so she directed them to a motel more suitable for their budget.

"Hullo," she announced as they entered. "Got any vacancy for three? Oh, I love the look," she added, truthfully, her gaze briefly captivated by the sequins adorning the man's body before she remembered her manners and resumed eye contact.

[Jesse]

The Docks

Jesse leaned against the shuttle, attempting to look as nonchalant as possible. She had shifted positions maybe three different times at this point - each one as terrible as the last. She sighed, frustrated with her inability to be a sultry as she would like to be, resolving her self to just sit on the ground.

The hacker had been on Iscariot for a few months now. After Allure fell through, and then Wushu, she resigned herself to working odd jobs here and there. Mostly scams which really weren't her cup of tea but at least they were rich people. Jesse usually worked for one of the...organizations, on Iscariot, as an off the books hacker. She'd setup in the bars near the track, or in the viewing area in the Hub. Most of the time she would skim their bank information off their devices and sell the account numbers. It wasn't her desired work - but she did usually get to pull a bit more information about her targets and store it for the future or use it to her advantage. Some were even Alliance.

However, why she was leaning against a shuttle on the docks really had nothing to do with how she made money.  Benji Street. The name made her swoon just thinking about it. What a man. It was a few weeks ago when she saw his name across the docket for upcoming races. Jesse sighed, outside of the man's roguishly good looks and utter charm, he really was a wonderful human being. One that she sorely missed seeing on a daily basis. As short of a time they new each other the man always was extremely nice to her, even when she was a lush or sticking her foot in it.

So - when he came into town she obviously had find him and say hello. Some might wait after the race to go up to an old friend. Jesse on the other hand hacked into the system, found the ship registered to him, and decided to wait by it until he showed up....whenever that would be.

[Lomari]

Location: Sector 3A - Velocity

"Would you like something to eat, Chips?" she asked, her stomach rumbling loud enough for Chips to hear. Apparently, much like the howling of dogs, her stomach triggered a grumble in his own and he clapped his hands hard over his belly, blushing in embarrassment.

"I could go for some food," he confirmed, nodding his chin downward and smiling up at her. "Let's eat at the Hub. You can watch the ships come in and we can lay in the grass," he told her, continuing to be her station chaperone. He led her deftly through the station back to where the people were more dense, his hand grabbing hers (if she let him) in an attempt to stay together.

They stopped at a tube that ran up and down the entirety of the station, leading upward to the HUB or down to the inner workings of the beast. He slammed his hand on the button, then pressed it rapidly with his index finger, face screwed up in concentration. Finally, the doors opened and a few people ambled out, pushing past Chips. He stumbled, righted himself, and then tugged Velocity in after him before anyone could take their place.

With a soft woosh, the doors shut and the lift was headed upward. After a moment of silence, the boy looked up at her again. "How come  you're so tall?" he asked simply, brows raised in question.

Location: HUB - Velocity

The doors opened, then, to reveal the outer café and 'park' of Iscariot Station, the roof and walls made up of a 'glass' dome that allowed them to see all of space spread out around them in every direction. Typically this was where the races were viewed, so the crowd was thicker than usual, although they seemed to be more interested in the bar than they were in the café or the 'park.'

Location: Sector 3B - Freya, E.V, Briar

"Hullo, Got any vacancy for three? Oh, I love the look," Briar asked, and complimented in one breath. He sat up straighter, if it was possible, and beamed at the three women who'd entered the motel. His gaze passed over them, assesing, and when he seemed to find himself satisfied with the sort of folk they were, he stood up and planted his hands on the counter.

"For you? Of course!" he confirmed, throwing his head back, the one curl bouncing magnificently. "Two beds then? A queen and a twin?" he asked, moving to his computer and punching in a few of the older buttons which clicked grumpily back at him. "We have continental breakfast in the morning, simple stuff, packaged things and what not. There's another couple staying here with a kid about your daughter's age, if you're looking for friends," he told them, still looking at the computer. "Smokin' or non smokin?" he asked, finally looking up at Briar, then E.V, and back to Briar, brows raised in question..