Allure Aside S1E0: Blame the Tequila

[Jesse Walker]

Jesse and Ben Enter from: Re: S1E0 - Preparations To Launch

Jesse swayed into the med bay the bottle of tequila hanging from her hand, swaying with her. She hopped up on a counter and her feet dangled, she opened the bottle and took another swig. Perhaps it'd better to just not remember any of this.  She took a look Ben and sighed,

"Ben, Benji, Benjamin. You're so sweet, and so wonderful, and strong, and tall and just.." She sighed again, "Very swoon worthy." She looked down at her bottle of tequila and held it, a wave of sadness coming over her,

"But, I do not deserve any of your sweetness, or your caring kindness, kind caring..ness." Jesse waved her hand around in the air as if to imply, all of the above.

"I...was in jail.  I am not a criminal...or I am, but not....a bad guy...gal. person." The words were hard to form and she was suddenly glad she was sitting on the counter instead of standing as her legs probably no longer worked,

"I don't belong here, I mean, I'm kind of  stowaway, of a thing, and I do these hacky things with my hands." She put her bottle down and semi mimed her fingers typing, "And the alliance, doesn't like it, because they're stinky old stinkertons...and they killed my parents, in the war. And you know sometimes I just steal things from them, or ya know re route them. To the rim, where they're need, because the stinkertons don't need it no they don't. And you know that, don't you, because you're a coatbrown." She nodded and waggled a finger at him,

"You strong, tall beautiful man with the brown coat...I had hoped you would understand...my predicament. With the alliance soldiers, because they'll sniff me out, and Elena that mean lady. She knows, I KNOW she knows, that I broke into her system and I put my name in there and I don't belong her, not with you fine tall gorgeous people with the hair and the jaw." She sighed sadly, "And either the alliance will get me and I'll go back to jail, and I CAN'T go back to jail, I mean look at this face, this isn't a jail face, I'm no jail bird." She attempted to whistle, just a whole lot of air came out, and spit, "See nothing, can't even whistle birds whistle, or tweet. or something. THE POINT IS....I lied, and I'm sorry, and I thought I owed you an eplixanation before, I departed, or went to jail, or got thrown overboard into the black abyss." Her hands floated about again, signifying the deep dark blackness of space.

Jesse looked back at him and nodded triumphantly, and took another swig, of tequila, "That is it."

[Benjamin Street]

"Am I okay." "I am not okay." She gave Ben her most charming smile, and shook her head, "You know, it's not fair, that you're that good looking. I mean really, and this might be the tequila talking but what God made you, and can I thank them? Or pray to them, thanking them? I'm sorry, I'm objectifying you and you're the XO but really it is, just unfair, because it makes me just want to tell you anything and everything. And really I am awful at secrets, and I'm probably not going to be here for long so I might as well anyway..."

Ben watched Jesse with concern as she replied, though a slight smile did make its way onto his face at her shower of compliments. She certainly was forward. Also is was impressive has she seemed to already be drunk. It really hadn't been very long since the meeting ended. She handed him a shot of... Tequila? And then tossed back one of her own. He preferred whiskey, but tequila was alright. He'd met people before who could drink the stuff like water, but Jesse was clearly not one of those people.

His expression changed to one of curious confusion as she went on. She probably wasn't going to be here for long? Was she deciding to leave? She paused and looked him over again, not bothering to hide it, and then nodded. Jesse waved at the tequila in his hand and spoke again.

"Drink up and come with me." Jesse turned on a somewhat wobbly heel and made her way to the med bay behind her, swiping the bottle of tequila with her, she'd need courage for what came next.

Ben shrugged and tossed back the shot. "Alright..." He said, as he followed her towards the med bay. Suddenly he worried that she might be about to try and initiate an intimate moment, or in layman's terms, jump him. He hoped not. Not because he didn't find her attractive, she was gorgeous and he quite liked her personality so far, but because he had a rule about sleeping with women who were drunk. The rule was that he didn't. At least not until they'd been soberly involved for a sufficient amount of time first.

He waited until Jesse was a good distance into the room before he entered and closing the door. Jesse hopped up on a counter, opened the bottle of tequila she had brought with her and took another swig. She stared at him for a moment, and then spoke.

"Ben, Benji, Benjamin. You're so sweet, and so wonderful, and strong, and tall and just.." She sighed again, "Very swoon worthy." She looked down at her bottle of tequila, and suddenly looked sad. "But, I do not deserve any of your sweetness, or your caring kindness, kind caring..ness." Jesse waved her hand around in the air as if to imply, all of the above.

He smiled at her, again, enjoying her forwardness. She was normally quite forward, but this was definitely more than usual, thanks to the tequila he was sure. She began speaking again, and this time didn't stop for a while.

"I...was in jail.  I am not a criminal...or I am, but not....a bad guy...gal. person." "I don't belong here, I mean, I'm kind of  stowaway, of a thing, and I do these hacky things with my hands." She put her bottle down and semi mimed her fingers typing, "And the alliance, doesn't like it, because they're stinky old stinkertons...and they killed my parents, in the war. And you know sometimes I just steal things from them, or ya know re route them. To the rim, where they're need, because the stinkertons don't need it no they don't. And you know that, don't you, because you're a coatbrown." She nodded and waggled a finger at him,

"You strong, tall beautiful man with the brown coat...I had hoped you would understand...my predicament. With the alliance soldiers, because they'll sniff me out, and Elena that mean lady. She knows, I KNOW she knows, that I broke into her system and I put my name in there and I don't belong her, not with you fine tall gorgeous people with the hair and the jaw." She sighed sadly, "And either the alliance will get me and I'll go back to jail, and I CAN'T go back to jail, I mean look at this face, this isn't a jail face, I'm no jail bird." She attempted to whistle, just a whole lot of air came out, and spit, "See nothing, can't even whistle birds whistle, or tweet. or something. THE POINT IS....I lied, and I'm sorry, and I thought I owed you an eplixanation before, I departed, or went to jail, or got thrown overboard into the black abyss." Her hands floated about again, signifying the deep dark blackness of space.

Jesse looked back at him and nodded triumphantly, and took another swig, of tequila, "That is it."

His expression turned pensive as she talked. From what she was saying she was a... hacker? And she used her skills to sometimes re route things, probably supplies, to the rim where they were actually needed. He couldn't fault her for that, the conditions out there was terrible just about everywhere. If he didn't have some mighty compelling reasons to avoid being stuck in a cell he might well have fallen into doing something similar. And she had hacked her way onto the ship?

The part about her parents being browncoats, and them being killed during the war, instantly made his heart hurt in sympathy. His own father had been killed during the war, and his mother had died less than a year after the wars end, thanks in part to a broken heart. He knew very well the anger and desire to strike back at the Alliance.

Jesse finished speaking her piece, and Ben scrunched his face up in thought. She had put him in a difficult and conflicted position. If he had just been the pilot he would have had no problem keeping her secret... but he was The Allures XO, and that meant he had responsibilities. Harboring a fugitive would be bad, probably get them shut down at the least, maybe even get some of them arrested in the process. Assuming she was caught on board. But he also felt for her. He understood why she was doing what she was doing, and honestly he applauded her for it. Out there every little bit helped.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his face with both hands, and walked closer to her, stopping a close-but-not-uncomfortably-so distance away.

"Well, for starters, you're right. I do understand your predicament. And I understand why you do what you do. Secondly, Elena isn't mean. She can be hard, and uncompromising in some areas, but she's a good person. And if you think I'm serious about protecting my crew, well, shes on another level." His voice was soft, and not unkind. "Also, if she thought you were a threat she would already have turned you over to the authorities. So either she doesn't know, or she wants you here. I'd bet on the former, though I dare say she suspects something, just like I did."

He gave Jesse a smile tinged with sadness. "But you have put me in a predicament of my own now... If I was just the pilot... But I'm not." He sighed, his mind obviously working, trying to find a solution. "So, let me just make sure I have all this straight. You're a hacker. You hack things, divert Alliance supplies out to places that actually need them, and you managed to hack yourself onto our crew manifest?" His head tilted a little to the side. "But why us? We aren't Alliance. Sure we're giving some of them a ride, but that's just business."

[Jesse Walker]

"Well, for starters, you're right. I do understand your predicament. And I understand why you do what you do. Secondly, Elena isn't mean. She can be hard, and uncompromising in some areas, but she's a good person. And if you think I'm serious about protecting my crew, well, shes on another level." His voice was soft, and not unkind. "Also, if she thought you were a threat she would already have turned you over to the authorities. So either she doesn't know, or she wants you here. I'd bet on the former, though I dare say she suspects something, just like I did."

He gave Jesse a smile tinged with sadness. "But you have put me in a predicament of my own now... If I was just the pilot... But I'm not." He sighed, his mind obviously working, trying to find a solution. "So, let me just make sure I have all this straight. You're a hacker. You hack things, divert Alliance supplies out to places that actually need them, and you managed to hack yourself onto our crew manifest?" His head tilted a little to the side. "But why us? We aren't Alliance. Sure we're giving some of them a ride, but that's just business."

Ben's face had turned pensive and sad as he replied to Jesse.  She looked at him her head tilting to one side as he explained the problem further and she nodded. She was listening, but was also distracted by the warmth in his voice, and the kindness he was bestowing on her, he did make it very hard to concentrate,

"Yes I figured that might happen.  And perhaps Elena isn't mean who knows?" She gave an over dramatic shrug and went back to holding the bottle,

"Well..." She thought, "You do....but she doesn't like me, I know that for certain...I think. Jesse nodded confirming his summary of what had happened, "Smart AND gorgeous..." she grinned at him But I chose this boat, because an alert came up, I was hiding planet side at first, because they found me on Persephone. Then I came here, and they found me again...or my code name again, and I needed a way off planet.  So I looked up the boats that were here and it was either this or a group of large burly men on a garbage heap that most likely smelled, and that sounded unfortunate. That's when I found this lovely establishment boat thing and put my name on the manifest....which in hindsight, was a poor decision...You're all just so lovely and I would hate to leave. But alliance soldiers are coming, and they'll know. And I CAN'T just can't go back, to prison. " She shook her head vigorously, losing her balance a bit, but regaining it as she held on to the counter,

"I think, I've had a bit of tequila." She grinned sheepishly at him, "I figured you should know and I'm sorry for putting you into the predicament that you're in, because I like you and you're great, but if you need to tell the captiny captain lady and throw me out the airlock then so be it. I'd rather it be you than someone else." Jesse put the bottle on the counter and slid off she put her wrists together and raised her arms so they were at chest level and nodded, "Go ahead slap the cuffs on, lock me up throw away the key, it was going to happen eventually." She leaned against the counter behind her slightly to keep balance.

[Benjamin Street]

Ben nodded at Jesse's explanation. So they hadn't been a target, but rather a hopeful means of escape. That was good. It would hopefully make Elena more amenable to not throwing Jesse of the ship.

"...You're all just so lovely and I would hate to leave. But alliance soldiers are coming, and they'll know. And I CAN'T just can't go back, to prison. " She shook her head vigorously, losing her balance a bit, but regaining it as she held on to the counter.

Ben took a half step forward and half raised a hand to catch her, but she regained her balance, so he awkwardly turned it into an "you okay?" gesture.

"I think, I've had a bit of tequila." She grinned sheepishly at him,

He grinned back at her. "You certainly have."

"I figured you should know and I'm sorry for putting you into the predicament that you're in, because I like you and you're great, but if you need to tell the captiny captain lady and throw me out the airlock then so be it. I'd rather it be you than someone else." Jesse put the bottle on the counter and slid off she put her wrists together and raised her arms so they were at chest level and nodded, "Go ahead slap the cuffs on, lock me up throw away the key, it was going to happen eventually." She leaned against the counter behind her slightly to keep balance.

He gave a little chuckle and walked over to her. He reached out, took her hands, and lowered them. "Lets not get ahead of ourselves, no ones going to throw you out an airlock, I promise you that." He released her hands. "But, you and I should talk to Elena about this and she what she says... do you think that would be alright? Not tonight though... its probably a conversation better had... sober." His grin went a little lopsided and he gave her a wink.

[Jesse Walker]

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves, no ones going to throw you out an airlock, I promise you that." He released her hands. "But, you and I should talk to Elena about this and she what she says... do you think that would be alright? Not tonight though... its probably a conversation better had... sober."

Jesse looked up at Ben as he lowered her hands, a feeling of warmth spread through her, she felt oddly safe around him. Safe wasn't really a word that she was familiar with, at least not for the past few years. She frowned about when he released her hands as the warmth went away,

"I couldn't possible know what you mean, I am, perfectly....fine." Jesse readjusted herself to the most upright she could manage and smiled up at her knight and shining whatever.

"But....You might be right." A small amount of relief came to her after spilling her secret. Jesse looked at the bottle of tequila, a fair amount gone, and eyed it suspiciously, usually it didn't make her this honest, but perhaps the pressure had built up, perhaps it was Ben.  Who knew.  She grabbed it and handed it back to Ben,

"You should probably take this.....any more and I'll probably start dancing on the tables. In which case I'll be removed for other reasons." Grinning at him with a hint of mischief in her eyes, ah yes, the tequila finally seemed to be taking over.

[Benjamin Street]

"I couldn't possible know what you mean, I am, perfectly....fine." Jesse readjusted herself to the most upright she could manage and smiled up at her knight and shining whatever. "But....You might be right."

Ben grinned at Jesse, and accepted the now much more empty bottle of tequila.

"You should probably take this.....any more and I'll probably start dancing on the tables. In which case I'll be removed for other reasons."

He gave a little chuckle at her comment, and at the mischief in her eyes. She certainly was fun. He hopped Elena would take pity on her and not have her thrown off the ship. Jesse had a good heart. "Hey, nothing wrong with dancing on tables every once in a while. I've done it a time or two myself." He half turned and offered her his arm. "Shall we return to the "party"? Maybe some of the rest of the crew have made it to the lounge by now."

Ben and Jesse Exit back to Main thread

[Maxell Graves]

Maxell enters from: Re: S1E0 - Preparations To Launch[/b]

*KLANG, KLANG, KLANG, KLANG, KLANG, KLANG!* Maxell stomped along the grated floors, concentrating more on locating his assigned target than covering the sound of his approaching footfall. In the setting of a recently terraformed planet's overgrown jungle, Max traded a tiger's gift for stealth stalking for a silverback's paralyzing trample. "I knew it," he validated his suspicions for himself, "Never trust the sweaty ones!"

Maxell's stomping finally brought him to the med bay, where he reasoned as he followed Elena's instructions he may find the doctor and her questionable charge. He arrived to find the doctor nowhere in sight, and went to a knee outside the door so he could listen in on the conversation he heard within without being spotted out one of the large observation windows. Inside, Maxell recognized the voices of Mr. Street and Miss Sweat.

"...and they killed my parents, in the war. And you know sometimes I just steal things from them, or ya know re route them. To the rim, where they're need, because the stinkertons don't need it no they don't. And you know that, don't you, because you're a coatbrown."

Max's face soured, as if Jesse's verbal reminder of Street's attire put an acrid taste on his tongue. Not that he held any grudges over the Unification War, but a decade of countering Independent tactics made it difficult to trust one as a comrade, let alone first officer.

"You strong, tall beautiful man with the brown coat...I had hoped you would understand...my predicament. With the alliance soldiers, because they'll sniff me out, and Elena that mean lady. She knows, I KNOW she knows, that I broke into her system and I put my name in there and I don't belong her, not with you fine tall gorgeous people with the hair and the jaw." She sighed sadly, "And either the alliance will get me and I'll go back to jail, and I CAN'T go back to jail, I mean look at this face, this isn't a jail face, I'm no jail bird." She attempted to whistle, just a whole lot of air came out, and spit, "See nothing, can't even whistle birds whistle, or tweet. or something. THE POINT IS....I lied, and I'm sorry, and I thought I owed you an eplixanation before, I departed, or went to jail, or got thrown overboard into the black abyss."

Maxell nodded. Those were all fine suggestions. "A good floating sounds most appropriate for her crimes against the Alliance, and betraying the Captain's trust. After all, those supplies probably belonged to our boys on the front lines. Hrrrm... Wonder how long she's been interrupting supply lines." Maxell grimaced, recalling the headaches visited upon him by Independent information specialists responsible for constantly attempting to corrupt his carefully laid supply routes on Hera's surface. "Perhaps floating is too kind an end."

"Well, for starters, you're right. I do understand your predicament. And I understand why you do what you do. Secondly, Elena isn't mean. She can be hard, and uncompromising in some areas, but she's a good person. And if you think I'm serious about protecting my crew, well, shes on another level." His voice was soft, and not unkind. "Also, if she thought you were a threat she would already have turned you over to the authorities. So either she doesn't know, or she wants you here. I'd bet on the former, though I dare say she suspects something, just like I did."

He gave Jesse a smile tinged with sadness. "But you have put me in a predicament of my own now... If I was just the pilot... But I'm not." He sighed, his mind obviously working, trying to find a solution. "So, let me just make sure I have all this straight. You're a hacker. You hack things, divert Alliance supplies out to places that actually need them, and you managed to hack yourself onto our crew manifest?" His head tilted a little to the side. "But why us? We aren't Alliance. Sure we're giving some of them a ride, but that's just business."

"Hehhh... Smart guy, but taking too long. Tone too familiar for speaking to an unauthorized stowaway. Clearly she's a threat if she's not supposed to be here. Perhaps Elena misjudged her choice of second in command."

"Yes I figured that might happen.  And perhaps Elena isn't mean who knows?" She gave an over dramatic shrug and went back to holding the bottle,

"Well..." "You do....but she doesn't like me, I know that for certain...I think.  "Smart AND gorgeous..."

"Clearly intoxicated and perhaps mentally unstable. Should be taken to the brig immediately."

"But I chose this boat, because an alert came up, I was hiding planet side at first, because they found me on Persephone. Then I came here, and they found me again...or my code name again, and I needed a way off planet.  So I looked up the boats that were here and it was either this or a group of large burly men on a garbage heap that most likely smelled, and that sounded unfortunate. That's when I found this lovely establishment boat thing and put my name on the manifest....which in hindsight, was a poor decision...You're all just so lovely and I would hate to leave. But alliance soldiers are coming, and they'll know. And I CAN'T just can't go back, to prison. "

"I think, I've had a bit of tequila." "I figured you should know and I'm sorry for putting you into the predicament that you're in, because I like you and you're great, but if you need to tell the captiny captain lady and throw me out the airlock then so be it. I'd rather it be you than someone else."

"Hmph." Maxell suddenly felt a bit put out, but couldn't explain the emotion.

"Go ahead slap the cuffs on, lock me up throw away the key, it was going to happen eventually."

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves, no ones going to throw you out an airlock, I promise you that."

"Making promises you can't keep makes a fool of you both, Street."

"But, you and I should talk to Elena about this and she what she says... do you think that would be alright? Not tonight though... its probably a conversation better had... sober."

"Or not at all. She's a criminal and a stowaway. This is why the Independents lost..."

"I couldn't possible know what you mean, I am, perfectly....fine."

"But....You might be right."

"You should probably take this.....any more and I'll probably start dancing on the tables. In which case I'll be removed for other reasons."

"Clear lack of respect for the order of the environment as well as intention to violate the Captain's conduct policy... You can take her into custody any time now, Street."

"Hey, nothing wrong with dancing on tables every once in a while. I've done it a time or two myself."

Maxell eyebrow shot up so hard it pulled his head half around with it. "Complete idiot incapable of upholding a manner of action befitting a uniformed officer. Will recommend immediate elimination of rank and position. And indefinite detention." Absolutely aghast, Max shook his head back and forth in disappointment. While he could never be shocked by the depths of an Independent "soldier's" behavior, he found himself more than put off by this glaring hole in Elena's typically flawless judge of character.

"Shall we return to the "party"? Maybe some of the rest of the crew have made it to the lounge by now."

Maxell slid around the corner as quickly as his aging bones could move him, feeling a click in his back he feared may require a few minutes of rest before he could fully stand. Holding his breath so as not to scream, more for Street's incompetence as an officer than the stabbing sensation in his lower lumbar region, Maxell waited until he felt he could move without whimpering as he heard the overly friendly banter fade away.

Maxell Graves exits to main RP.