S1:Ep4 - You're NoBody 'Till SomeBody Loves You

Started by Lomari, February 07, 2020, 02:27:33 PM

Tabitha Haemish

Tabitha turned away from the view port when her Captain started talking, her light eyes looking curiously between their newcomers and her crew members. She'd been a little melancholy for the last couple of days, her singing quieted and her attention elsewhere. She seemed like a deer in the pasture watching everyone with curious caution. With the loss of Riot and Bandit, she felt a little like she'd been hit by a wave and was struggling to get out from underneath it, the undertow keeping her below the surface. The arrival of new faces, however, had lessened the pressure and she felt herself peek out from beneath the water.

As Rian and Barnady led them away, Tabby followed in their wake, her hands clasped behind her back. Her largely oversized pink knit sweater hung loosely off one of her shoulders, its hem tucked into a high waisted black fluttering skirt that ended mid ankle, where bare feet peeked out. She listened to the Captain's introduction speech, feeling his energy push new air into her lungs. When they dropped off the passenger at his room, Taby waved warmly at the man who looked blankly back at her in response before shutting his door.

Not bothered in the slightest, she hurried to catch up with Rian, Barnaby, and their newest addition Chris, her movements silent as a whisper on the approach. When she'd rejoined them, Rian had just finished his explanation of their current pantry replenishment plans. Her hand slipped into his and she smiled warmly up at him in greeting. As she had told him in the med bay when she'd been struggling to keep him contained, Rian was Rian. Past, present, future. Next, she offered her Captain a smile and a raised brow, making a note to replenish the supplements she'd forced upon him. Then, her attention moved to Chris. "Engine might be covered in tape," she mused softly, smiling like the sun as she remembered the fix she and Viktor had done and forgot the actual fix Riot had come in with later.
Dialogue Color: Pink

Barnaby Goodweather

March 03, 2020, 08:22:42 AM #21 Last Edit: March 04, 2020, 09:03:15 AM by noseatbelts
Barnaby hadn't noticed Chris' hand and suddenly felt silly for trying to shake it. Color filled his cheeks, but he was quick to course correct and offer the correct shaker. "Sorry 'bout that. Bet there's a story there, huh?" Barnaby didn't press for details. If Chris felt like talking about it, he would. "Anyhow, yeah, we can take a look at the engine room." Barnaby turned on his heel to lead the way and bumped into Rian, who seemed to the Captain to lately always be right in where Barnaby didn't want him to be. "Rian, um, at ease bud. Chris here's ok, ain't ya Chris?" It wasn't that he was mad at his brother-in-law. But there was a conversation coming between the two of them that Barnaby didn't want to have. And that stuck at him like a sore tooth. "Why don't you and Tab' go check on... I dunno something or other." Not mad, withdrawn.

He pulled away from them and led Chris in the opposite direction. "No problems right now to speak of, except for the thermal actuator is grinding a bit but in these '64 Scarabs that's sorta to be expected." Soon they found the engine room and Barnaby felt Riot's absence inside, though she had left it in as perfect condition as she could manage with the hodge-podge of parts and fixes after some fifty-odd years of wear and tear. Barnaby could tell she'd polished her up though. The biggest missing piece was the oversized pillow that Bandit had used for a bed while Riot worked. Barnaby tried not to dwell on that. "Here she is. Not too many modifications, just mended to the best of our ability over time. You notice anything off, you let me know and we'll see about getting it fixed up." Barnaby then realized that the two of them were actually three; Arlo was in there as well. Barnaby had found the man to be surprisingly pleasant company when it came to talking about things like engines and ships and such, which he'd never had reckoned in a million years. Thing was, Barnaby wasn't quite sure what he was doing on the Darling at all. But, never one to turn a person away, Barnaby would allow it until he became a nuisance.  "Oh, um, Chris. This is Mr. Arlo. He's... in here, too."

After a moment, "Okay, well, I'll leave ya to it. Just holler you need anything." And Barnaby left Chris to some poking around on his own and get acquainted with Arlo, and went to check on the rest of the crew.
Dialogue Color - LightBlue

Viktor Söderberg

Tabby's decorating had always cheered the preacher. Her little way of making the ship more homey and welcoming newcomers showed how open her personality was and how she was hard-pressed to meet someone she didn't try to become friends with. He loved that about her.
Unfortunately, his miltary and convent side meant that the EXTRA decorating she'd done was a bit more than he cared for. It made his space look cluttered and claustraphobic. He wouldn't take it down though. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, especially when he knew this was her particular coping mechanism. Even so, he did sort of re-arrange things to try and get the bunk a little more squared away.

Viktor was sad to see some of their little family leaving this ship, but this was life in space. Turnover can be high. People leave. This was life in general. The bright spot in the clouds was that the new passenger was headed to St. Albans.
Home! He was going to get to make a trip home at least a year ealier than he'd planned, and he wouldn't even have to leave The Darling for a spell to do it this time. He wondered if he'd see Holger there? Friends in there youth, even though Viktor, himself, was a bit closer in age to Mona. Oddly, Viktor and Mona had never been close friends. Friendly, for sure, no ill will between the two, but never close. With so much time on The Darling and so much time spent with Holger in their youth he wondered why he and Mona had never connected much. Maybe they were just too different or too similar in all the wrong ways.

Viktor didn't immediately go in to greet the new arrivals. He didn't want to be in the way. More than that, he knew that the presence of a Man of God could be distrubing or uncomfortable to some types. He'd let them get settled and into the black before he go about making his own introductions. So, he sat in his bunk and played solitare.
Tabby had made him some real, honest-to-God playing cards when his old ones had gotten so worn you could see through them. The face cards were each a different member of the crew past and present*. Instead of the traditional black and red, the suits were pink and baby blue, which he was sure were her favourites.

Rian's voice floated in from the hall:
"It's not gonna be anything to write home about for a bit, but I'm hoping on St. Albans' I'll be able to get us stocked up on some real protein and veggies."

Viktor raised he voice a little louder than he normally would and called to the direction of the doorway, "I know a nice farm family there, Rian. I can introduce you and we can see if they have anything good they can spare."

*art style of the cards

Thackery Arlington III

Pacing back and forth amid all the complicated bits and bobs that kept the ship running, Arlo lifted a finger to poke at an interesting whirly bit, thought better of the idea, and hastily shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking.

He was absolutely not mooning about in the engine room, no more than he'd been hiding in the unused corridor a week or so previously. He had no reason to be moony; after all, he'd barely even made the acquaintance of the exceedingly pretty mechanic whose absence was now sorely felt across the entire ship, but most particularly in this, her domain.

Or at least Arlo could only presume that that was how the rest of the Darling family felt. He, a virtual stranger to her, didn't have any right to claim the same feelings. Besides, based on their few interactions, he suspected that she detested him and was quite certain that that hellbeast she called a dog did, so he ought to be glad she'd moved on to new adventures. With her gone, the engine room was now simply a quiet place to think and be alone and stay out from under the crew's feet.

Or at least, it had been, until it very abruptly wasn't anymore.

"Oh, er... hullo."

Arlo nodded stiffly at Barnaby and the stranger accompanying him -- presumably, Riot's replacement. That's right, the captain had mentioned he'd be gathering some new faces today, didn't he? This fellow and a passenger... Patterson? Partridge? Something with a "P," Arlo was sure of it.

Distracted by this train of thought, he realized abruptly that he'd been leveling a stony stare at the new mechanic for some time now. He'd been caught too off-guard to either excuse himself or introduce himself properly, and if he started either one now, it would just be awkward. So instead, he squared his shoulders and followed the others around the room, looking knowledgeable and nodding at what he could only hope were the right places in Barnaby's introduction of the engine.
Dialogue Color: darkseagreen | 8FBC8F

"I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle."

Rian Carpenter

Rian pivoted and pointed to Viktor, quickly switching from pointing at him to a sort of fist pump.

"That's perfect. Closer to the source we can get, better prices better supplies."

While things were going well for him in his pursuits as the cook, he was being a little over-bearing as security officer. It was probably unnecessary for him to shadow while Barnaby walks the new guy through his first day. Slightly embarrassed but trying to be cool despite his hovering and chief gun-shooter posturing. He scratched at his eyebrow and acknowledged Barnie's request for a little breathing room.

"Oh yeah of course... I'll uhh-"

Looking over to Tabby he shrugged after being ordered to "check something?" The gunhand pointed towards the med-bay.

"You want to help me get that staple out, doc? I'd try but I think I'd somehow end up more injured."

That extra medical staple he'd self administered was probably unnecessary at this point. It Felt weird having that bit of metal pointing out of him, despite that he knew there was a few shards of a bullet's metal jacket riding around in his shoulder still. If there was anybody on this ship who wasn't going to hold his past against him it was Tabby. They didn't run him off the ship like he feared but there was still the nagging concern. Perhaps just another manifestation of the mass accumulation of guilt buried deep under layers of wannabe tough guy repression.

Tabitha Haemish

Location: Near the Bunks

"I know a nice farm family there, Rian. I can introduce you and we can see if they have anything good they can spare."

"That's perfect. Closer to the source we can get, better prices better supplies."

Tabby's face lit up as she heard them discussing plans together, her eyes bright and the smile on her pale pink lips shining at a thousand watts. Coming together, thriving, working for a common goal and sharing experiences. She couldn't have been more thrilled with the interaction. Her hand tightened around Rian's for a moment, a silent gesture of pleased excitement.

"Why don't you and Tab' go check on... I dunno something or other."

"Oh yeah of course... I'll uhh-"

Her head tilted to the side and Tabby turned a bit to watch Barnaby as he led their new mechanic away, her lips puckering into a thoughtful pout. Golden brows furrowed ever so slightly, before she glanced up at Rian out of the corner of her eye. They seemed tense, and while logically she could understand why, spiritually and emotionally she didn't understand the distance she could see wedged between them. A little disgruntled sound echoed in her throat, the barest gurgle of disapproval.

"You want to help me get that staple out, doc? I'd try but I think I'd somehow end up more injured," Rian asked, and she turned her chin to look up at him fully now, her smile returning. Slipping free of his hand (despite being the one holding it in the first place), she rounded the corner into the bunk room and scurried to Viktor's bed, her hands held out to him for him to take. "Come with us?" she asked, head tilted to the other side and brows raised in hopeful question. When he'd put down the cards, she took his hands and helped drag/pull him from the bed and out of the bunk room where Rian stood waiting in the corridor. "We're going to do medicine," she explained cheerily, releasing one of Viktor's hands to grab Rian's again and begin leading them both merrily toward the Med Bay.

Location: Med Bay

Once they'd entered, she released their hands and glided across the room to the medical table, hands slipping over the tool tray and moving the light out of the way so Rian could sit down comfortably. She set down a little patchwork pillow for his head and got to pulling tools and vials from cabinets. She also set down a little wicker basket she'd gotten at a market once upon a time for him to place his shirt into.
Dialogue Color: Pink

Viktor Söderberg

Location: Bunks
Viktor studied the cards spread out in front of him. Thinking a few moves ahead, he realized winning this hand was unlikely so the interruption from Tabitha was well-timed and welcome.
Her hands held out for him to take, she asked, "Come with us?"

He gave her a big smile and nod. He neatly stacked up his cards and returned them to the small wooden box he'd had made for them. The box was returned to it's place, she took her small hands in his large ones and was practically pulled from his bunk into the hall.

"We're going to do medicine," she explained, release one of Viktor's hands to grab Rian's again. Her voice was high and light. Her excitement about being useful, or being able to practice her craft was evident. Everyone enjoys feeling useful.

Location: Corridor/Med Bay doorway
He talked as the walked. "Tabs, you remember I was just a field medic, right? I'm not sure exactly how useful I can be. What kind of medicine are we doing? Basic first aid and triage is the most I can be helpful with."

Location: Med Bay
Tabitha floated around the room setting up the area and getting Rian comfortable. Viktor wasn't sure that when she had said we're doing medicine, that she meant he was supposed to help. However, he should be prepared if, in fact, she did want him to help. He passed by her and Rian to head over to the sink. He rolled his black sleeves to his upper arms, the fabric feeling a bit tight around his biceps. He scrubbed up to his elbows, taking extra care to wash under his nails and between his fingers.

Barnaby Goodweather

March 20, 2020, 03:20:03 PM #27 Last Edit: March 20, 2020, 03:20:43 PM by noseatbelts
Location: on the catwalk, yeah, on the catwalk

After dropping Chris off with Arlo, an odd pair but one Barnaby couldn't find harm in at this particular moment, Barnaby retreated aft from the engine room, but stopped short as he saw Tabby, the Preacher, and Rian heading into the medbay. "Tarnation." He said, under his breath. "Everybody's somewhere." He turned a heel and packed it in to take the long way around and caught sight of Mattie opposite him, eagle-eyed and watching. He saw her see him and he offered a friendly gesture somewhere in the vicinity of a wave, but not quite there. Like he was out of practice at it.

She didn't seem to take offense at his salutation, so he wandered over and leaned back on the railing, elbows draped, one foot casually tucked nearby where she had perched, legs dangling. He leaned back to catch her eye. "Hey." Short and simple. "Keepin' vigil, eh? Good on ya." Barnaby said, playing it cool. "How'd them new folks look to you? Anything I should know?" Deciding to trust Mattie and her skills as a gunhand, a deadeye to boot, meant trusting Mattie to use those skills to recognize danger.
Dialogue Color - LightBlue

Rian Carpenter

March 27, 2020, 01:50:41 PM #28 Last Edit: April 19, 2020, 04:53:09 PM by Lomari
Location: Med Bay

Rian's mind drifted back to the last time he'd been shot.

Then

He was leading a crew of his dad's men. After they bought the mine the crime just shifted in its nature. Somebody had been sniffing around a vein of silver ore a couple hundred miles from their operation. Jimmy had his eye on that deposit, and rumors of wild hill folk had kept most prospectors away. But a particularly daring one with a small group of hired shooters to protect him for the process. Unluckily for them, there were no hill-folk. Just Rian and a select pair of his father's best men.

The fight was quick and bloody. Leading the way, and felling most of the targets, the younger Russo took a pistol round to the shoulder leading their attack. His men closed in at flanks to his side. While he took cover and checked his wound, he heard a familiar voice ring out. Jimmy Russo, his father was casually traipsing up, shotgun in hand. He poked the wound with the butt of the weapon.

"It missed the artery, confirm your kills."

Now

Just thinking of his dad poking the wound in his shoulder made him subconsciously rub the scar now. As if it might alleviate that pain he was remembering. He popped the buttons on his vest, then the button up shirt beneath. It was times like this that his belief in layering got to be a bit annoying. But always dressing like that did make it harder for people to tell when he was wearing body armor. Now sufficiently half naked, he prepared to pull off the bandage covering his wound.

"One...two...THREE!"


He nearly yelped, instinctively covering his mouth with his other hand. The tape had been freshly applied this morning so it was holding on with all its might. He joked.

"Okay, hard parts over... right?"

Tabitha Haemish

Location: Med Bay

"...I'm not sure exactly how useful I can be...Basic first aid and triage is the most I can be helpful with," Viktor had reminded her on the way there, before moving very helpfully to the sink to get cleaned up. Once her station was cleaned up, the doctor smiled up at the preacher while Rian removed his upper half of clothing. She reached out to take them off the edge of the bed and folded them neatly before placing them into the basket she'd set out for them. "You'll be the perfect assistant!" she assured their man of God, her hand patting down the clothing to make sure it was nice and comfortable in the wicker container. "Just need to get the stap-"

"One...two...THREE!" Rian counted down, followed by a muffled sound of maybe pain? Tabitha turned her head back in his direction and stared wide-eyed at the tape dangling from his free hand. Her lips were parted in surprise and for several long seconds she found herself speechless.

"Okay, hard parts over... right?" he joked.

The doctor's shoulders relaxed and she stared up at him with concerned, furrowed brows. "Rian...solvent..." she reminded him again, looking down at the red creeping across his irritated skin around where the tape had been. With a pained sigh, she reached out to gently grab his arm, guiding him toward the bed in an effort to coax him into sitting and then laying down so she could get to his abdomen easier. A fingertip slid over his inflamed skin and she pouted at the damage he'd done to his own flesh. Turning, she opened a cabinet and rummaged through clattering glass bottles before pulling out a witch hazel based ointment and setting it down next to her other supplies. That should help...

With long nosed tweezers, she dipped a little bundle of folded cotton into an open jar of cleansing solution of her own making, then set to very gently making sure the wound was free of any debris or germs that could sneak into the puncture holes left behind by the staple.  "When I get the staple out, can you put on these strips for me? Right where the staple was?" she asked Viktor, pointing with an elbow toward the little white strips with adhesive backing laying on her tray. As she said this, she pulled her staple extractor (a vintage item from her home planet) and began very carefully freeing the prongs of the staple from his skin. Her gaze was intent, her lower lip trapped between her teeth and a tendril of curly gold hanging over the center of her forehead. She worked gently, but carefully, trying not to hurt Rian but also not wanting to remove it haphazardly and risk a scar or infection due to carelessness. "And then the...dressing there...with the medical tape...could you...hand...me?" she added in a mutter, most of her attention on the process.
Dialogue Color: Pink

Mattie Rooney

April 09, 2020, 11:41:51 AM #30 Last Edit: April 09, 2020, 11:44:40 AM by Mattie Rooney
Location: Just the plain old catwalk no references to terrible 90s novelty songs here

Mattie had been curious about the newcomers, but had decided to sit out the welcome wagon on the catwalk, where she could observe the two men in peace. She was still in position when the captain returned, and she responded to his half-wave with a nod of acknowledgment. The air between them had cleared after her rant and his apology the other day, and she was ready to turn a new page.

"How'd them new folks look to you? Anything I should know?

Mattie shrugged. "The young guy's the new mechanic, I reckon? Seemed like your average shy joe to me" She was sad to see Riot go. She may not have had the chance to forge a proper friendship with her like the rest of the crew had, but she had borrowed her clothes and they hadn't sucked to wear, and that had a way of bringing women together

"As for the passenger..." Mattie's brow furrowed. Something about him didn't sit well with her. It wasn't the stern demeanor -- she was in no position to judge other people for being unfriendly. Was it the single red briefcase? That was hardly damning evidence, but it stuck out to her. Perhaps a little too much to be truly suspicious. The man could just be a minimalist who liked bright colors for all she knew. She decided not to ignore her gut, but also to be diplomatic about it.

"I don't know what that guy's deal is, but he's got one." She pulled herself up by the handrail and turned to look at the captain. "Anything I should know?" Mattie wasn't suspicious, per se. It was possible, even likely, that the captain was no wiser than her and the passenger was just that, a random paying stranger hitching a ride. God knew they could use the extra money since the crew's last job had fallen through. Still, if Barnaby did know something, she hoped he'd learned his lesson and wouldn't keep her in the dark.
Dialogue color: darkkhaki

Barnaby Goodweather

April 10, 2020, 11:37:46 AM #31 Last Edit: April 19, 2020, 04:52:34 PM by Lomari
Location: The Catwalk

"Heinrich Potter's his name. Quiet fella. Referred by a business associate of mine, Miriam Finch." He had to tell her everything. No half-ways in trust, it was all or nothing. "Ol' Miriam runs a passenger service, but it's all above board. Documents and licenses and the like. Mr. Potter ain't want none of that, so Miriam sent him our way. She vetted that he weren't troublesome, just looking for private passage. And he's payin' for it, too. Charged him a fortune and he ain't blink. Shoulda charged him twice." Barnaby winked with a smile. "I don't think he'll be trouble. Didn't get that sense from him myself, but I'll count on you to help keep an eye, savvy?"

Normally he'd be sharing all of this with Mona, but with her leaving Barnaby found himself pulling away from her. Didn't want to trouble her obviously occupied mind. Besides, Mona would know to look at this guy from every angle. Next logical step from that was Rian and Barnaby trusted him to go without instruction, but there was still a lot unspoken between them, and Barnaby wanted to keep leaving it that way. Time just wasn't right. He wasn't sure when it would be, and avoiding it was a lot easier, but that was a problem for another day.

Barnaby leaned off the railing and set to walking towards the galley. "Welp. I fancy myself a slice of that cake 'fore I go check on the cockpit." It wasn't pretending like things were normal between the two of them. Barnaby knew that they were only just getting to know one another. And what better way to do that than to share strategical analysis of newcomers and a slice of chocolate cake? "You want some? I think there's enough for two."
Dialogue Color - LightBlue

Viktor Söderberg

April 15, 2020, 01:37:24 PM #32 Last Edit: April 19, 2020, 04:52:51 PM by Lomari
Location: Med Bay

"You'll be the perfect assistant!" Tabitha reassured him. "Just need to get the stap-"

He appreciated her confidence in him; He appreciated her confidence in everyone. And, for the moment, at least, her confidence was earned. This is exactly the type of medical work he was used to doing.

Before Tabitha could finish her sentence, there was a loud exclamation from Rian. He'd ripped the tape of himself before anyone could soften the adhesive for him. That wasn't ideal. They were already going to be irritating the area with their treatment. Extra irritation from the tape wasn't going to help the situation any. But, Viktor understood. Sometimes you just want to get things over with. Or, in this case, get things started.

Tabby went about her work with a fluidity and adeptness that showed how much time and practice she put into her craft.
"When I get the staple out, can you put on these strips for me? Right where the staple was?" she asked Viktor, pointing with an elbow toward the little white strips.

"And then the...dressing there...with the medical tape...could you...hand...me?" she added in a mutter, most of her attention on the process.

When the staple was removed from the wound, Viktor place the strips as instructed and handed over the dressing. with the staple removed and the clean strips applied the wound didn't look as nasty and angry as it had before. This was an injury well within their doctor's skills. There might be a scar but, even with his limited knowledge, Viktor was confident that the area would heal well.

Lomari

Ship Time: 1300
Location: En Route in Known Traveling Lanes

Location: The Galley

Whether Mattie accepted the Captain's offer for a cake or not, someone was going to be enjoying Rian's fluffy confection. Although, perhaps, 'enjoying' might have been a stretch. Heinrich Potter stood silently in the galley with the red briefcase held tight in his left hand, the free hand reaching down into the preservation container Tabby had put the rest of the cake into for safe keeping. He stood eerily still, eyes locked on the threshold to the door, right hand slowly scooping up about an inch of cake at a time before depositing it into his mouth like a backhoe excavating dirt from the ground.

There was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead and at the top of his lip, and the way he chewed made it seem like he was deliberately controlling each opening and closing of his jaw, running on full manual mode and disallowing his body to fall into autopilot.

Slowly, he set his briefcase onto the table, but did not release its handle, a mild hum of what could have been pleasure at the taste of the baked good grumbling up through his throat and ending, muffled, just past his nostrils. His expression, however, betrayed nothing. Eyes remained stern and lifeless, like a doll's eyes or those of a recently dead fish. Mouth stayed in a straight, emotionless line, and brows locked into place mildly quirked above his lashes, giving him what could have been a quizzical sort of look if it had been backed up by any other facial movements.
CHARACTERS
Charity ~ Melody ~ Tabitha


NARRATION
Darling ~ Iscariot

Barnaby Goodweather

Barnaby stopped and stared at Mr. Potter. Helping oneself to the larder was one thing. There was a blanket policy on the Darling that if you were hungry, you go on and eat till you ain't. But just digging in on something that could have, before all the shoveling, been shared with the rest of the crew - not to mention with his hands - well, that was another thing. Not one to be impolite, however, Barnaby tried to think of a more tactful approach. He looked at Mattie, who had indeed followed him, and shrugged. "Well I didn't say he wouldn't eat the cake." A chuckle was ill-suppressed, and came out as more of a hacking wheeze.

"Pardon me, Mr. Potter. Didn't see you there. Hope you're finding your accommodations-" Barnaby watched the man's hand dip back into the frosted desert. "-Agreeable."

Potter turned slightly, barely putting his eyes on his hosts. "A perfect morning; in perfect harmony with myself I'm walking briskly uphill ... For once I didn't notice that I was walking, all the way up to the mountaintop forest I was absorbed in deep thought. Perfect clarity and freshness in the air; up further there's some snow. This cake makes me completely euphoric." He said. "I am finished." Potter descended upon the nearby sink and washed his hand thoroughly, still gripping the red briefcase. Barnaby gave Mattie a wide-eyed look and a forced smile. They'd picked up a total loon. Cleansed of whipped sugar, Potter turned and regarded Barnaby and Mattie fully. "Goodbye." And he left.

"Welp. That was..." Barnaby trailed off as words failed him. "Well it was sure..." Nope, still nothing. "At least he washed his hands?" Barnaby laughed. "In all my years sailing back and forth in the 'verse, i've met an odd character or two." He thought of something clever and grinned. "This guy takes the cake." And waited for Mattie to laugh. "Get it?"
Dialogue Color - LightBlue

Mattie Rooney

Location: The Galley

Mattie considered Barnaby's offer for a moment, then decided to follow him. It wasn't like she had anything better to do, and on the way to the galley she even allowed herself to get a little excited about the piece of sugary goodness waiting for her. That turned out to be a mistake, because once they walked into the galley and caught their passenger with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar/literal cake container, it quickly became clear there would be no treats for her today. She shot Barnaby an I-told-you-so look; he simply responded with one of his aw-shucks shrugs which Mattie was quickly becoming familiar with.

The gunhand didn't even attempt to hide her disdain as the passenger proceeded to wax poetic, as if pigging out was a form of spiritual enlightenment. She stared daggers at his back as he walked out, leaving the captain grasping for words.

"...In all my years sailing back and forth in the 'verse, i've met an odd character or two. This guy takes the cake. Get it?"

Mattie didn't laugh, smile or even groan in response, just frowned harder, not so much at the joke but in spite of it. She walked up the mutilated remains of Rian's cake. "You'da think someone who talks all fancy like that would have some ruttin' table manners," she grumbled as she inspected the carnage.  "That man's worse than my little brother Zachary, and he's eight."

Was eight the last time I saw him, she corrected herself in her head.
Dialogue color: darkkhaki

Lomari

Ship Time: Approximately 2 Days Later. 1200
Location: Approaching St. Albans' Orbit

The Darling crew had had two days to acclimate to their new members, temporary and not, and had finally been informed of Mona's decision to leave the ship. It hadn't been a decision come upon lightly and she stressed to each of them that she wasn't dead or dying and they could always send her a wave when they missed her. But she had a duty and a calling out in the 'Verse that she felt she needed to take care of before she could really devote herself to anything else. She'd get off once they landed and spend some time with her family before heading out again to reunite fallen soldiers with their families.

They had been sad, of course, most (if not all of the crew) understood the reasoning behind her decision, and had honestly been quite distracted as of late with observing the behavior of their passenger, Mr. Potter who had taken to standing alone in a dark and unoccupied cargo hold, eating meals with them seated at the kitchen counter instead of the table, and talking to himself in lines of poetry all through the night.

Despite the weirdness, the Darling had continued moving forward, as resilient and stalwart as ever. St. Albans was visible now from the front view port, a little azurite dot growing larger as the approached. On its surface, snowstorms raged and clouds covered the settlements and populated areas from view, which was all in all rather typical for the frigid planet. Their job here would be quick and easy. Land at the previously determined landing site, drop of Mister Potter, say good bye to Mona, and be well on their way with full pockets and no stress.

Static played in the cockpit as the communication channels were cycled through, the ship looking for the one that they'd been given by their client before heading this way. Finally, a tinny voice that sounded like it was being pushed through a cardboard tube.

"Darling, this is Primary Claim Landing Pad, you are not clear for entry. Repeat, you are not cleared for entry at this time. There's a severe snow storm in the area and we're not allowing any air traffic until it passes. You'll need to land at the Secondary Claim Landing Bay and hoof it on foot or via mule to Primary. It's about a half a day's journey during good weather, but you're looking at a longer trip thanks to the storm. Please reroute to the Secondary Claim Landing Bay..."
CHARACTERS
Charity ~ Melody ~ Tabitha


NARRATION
Darling ~ Iscariot

Thackery Arlington III

"So..."

Arlo ran a finger along a panel that contained a wide grid of unmarked little buttons, collecting some dust under the nail as he did. This section must not be needed very often. He wondered what it was for.

Wiping the dusty finger off on a handkerchief, he lapsed back into silence as he tried to think of something intelligent to say. "There are an awful lot of these things."

Not exactly Cicero, but it would do. Arlo leaned in for a closer look, nose almost brushing the nearest button. Each one had a little LED above it. Some of them were blinking at various paces. Most stayed dark. "Do you think pilots have to memorize what they're all for?"

Another pause for reflection, and he decided the question could use more context. "Seems as though it would be easier to just label— oh, dear!"

Static crackled directly in his ear from a speaker he hadn't realized was right there, and Arlo leapt back as though he'd been electrocuted. The noise drew itself out through several pitches and cadences, as though searching for something, and then suddenly morphed into a distorted, but intelligible, voice. "Darling, this is Primary Claim Landing Pad..."

The humorous opportunities afforded by The Darling's name suddenly occurred to Arlo. For the briefest of moments, he had the mad instinct to reply to the voice with, "Dearest, we have received your message..." but he quelled it. It didn't hurt that he wouldn't know which switch would let him reply even if he tried.

Maintaining a straight face, he leaned over to squint through the view port at the approaching blue marble, oblivious to how close his elbow came to throwing an important-looking lever. "It doesn't look like snow..." he mused, then realized after the fact what an asinine observation that was. What was he expecting, the entire planet to turn white? Clearing his throat awkwardly, he muttered in a barely audible voice, "But then, I suppose it wouldn't..." and shrunk back away from the window, deciding it was probably best to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the journey.
Dialogue Color: darkseagreen | 8FBC8F

"I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle."

Mattie Rooney

Location: The Bridge

Mattie lounged in the pilot's seat, keeping an eye on the comms and lights and making sure the ship stayed on course. Every now and then she'd sneak a dirty look at her unwanted companion, Arlo Whatevertheruthisnamewas. She had no idea why the man was still with the Darling, and she had even less of an idea why he'd decided to hang around the bridge today and be a pain in her pi-gu.

"So..."

Oh God, what is it now? She turned to stare at him, waiting for a follow-up to his brilliant conversation starter. Instead, the word hung in the air, forgotten, while he seemed to be completely enthralled by the control panel of the ship. She watched him, eagle-eyed, ready to swoop in at the first sign of him pressing something that would send them one step closer to exploding.

"There are an awful lot of these things. Do you think pilots have to memorize what they're all for? Seems as though it would be easier to just label-- oh, dear!"

Mattie shushed the nitwit who, judging by the way he jumped, seemed to think the tinny voice reverberating through the comm could hurt him. She leaned in, focusing on trying to make out the words through the static. When she did, her expression turned from mild annoyance to not-so-mild annoyance.

"You gotta be ruttin' kiddin' me," she mumbled under her breath, but put on her civil hat before responding to the wave. "This is the Darling. Guess we ain't got much choice but to take the long way around. Over and out."

She spoke into the ship-wide comm next. "Uh, Boss?" She still hadn't gotten the hang of addressing him by his first name. It just felt wrong, like she was talking to an uncle instead of an employer. "You might wanna swing by the bridge real prompt-like. We've got a problem."

Silence fell once more, but only for a moment.

"It doesn't look like snow... But then, I suppose it wouldn't..."

Mattie swung around in her chair. The thought of going on a trek in St. Albans weather -- bad St. Albans weather -- had chilled the last little bit of civility she had towards the man. "That's fascinatin' and all, but I could really do without the runnin' commentary right now. And if I see one of those pasty hands of yours hoverin' near the controls one more time, it's gettin' slapped."
Dialogue color: darkkhaki

Barnaby Goodweather

The Captain sat at the desk in his quarters, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose; manifests and journals spread before him. By no account was Barnaby an expert at numbers and figures. There were many things he was good at; spacing, hauling, even a bit of fighting and smuggling. But arithmetic beyond the number of fingers and toes he had was something at which he was forever fated to be just shy of adequate. But these sums were easy. He took the total in his accounts and subtracted the regular expenses involved with running a ship; food, supplies, fuel, repairs, payroll. This is where Barnaby would normally factor in the earnings from their latest job. And that's what made this math simple. It was a cinch factoring in a big fat zero.

He scratched at his head in frustration. No self-employed entrepreneur liked seeing a steady trajectory of his business into the red line. And The Darling had always been in that satisfactory middle ground. Not entirely profitable but nobody lost any money. Jeremiah Goodweather had been satisfied with that and Barnaby took after his pappy. But they hadn't been at that range for a while now.

Sad images of selling The Darling and giving up the life came and went like a shadow's breath. Nah. He'd never live to see the day. That thought had its own ramifications that Barnaby refused to even consider. So, Barnaby did a thing he tried not to ever do; he added in what was owed to him from the passenger run they were in the middle of. It was best not to count chickens before they hatched and that went double for passenger fares. Desperate times and all that...

They'd have enough to refuel and head to the next job. His savings could float wages and necessities for another cycle; maybe two. Barnaby sighed. He reminded himself another thing his Pappy had always said. "Y'anna be rich, get the f*ck off a cargo freighter." Pappy's saying weren't always zippy.

"Uh, Boss? You might wanna swing by the bridge real prompt-like. We've got a problem."

Thankful for the reprieve from the numbers game, Barnaby reached nearby to the ship comm system and opened the channel for the bridge. "Be right up, Mat'." He dropped the glasses on the desktop and stood up with a stretch. Back to what he was good at.

Barnaby entered the cockpit and took a quick look around. "Hi." He said, full of cheer. "What's up?" After being filled in on the message from the ground, Barnaby grumbled for just a moment before his head cleared enough to begin formulating a plan. He opened the ship wide comm. "This is your Captain speaking. We got ourselves a storm down on St. Albans. Ain't irregular but it does necessitate a change of plans. Meet me in the cargo bay quick-like and we'll go over details." He hung up and nodded for Mattie and Arlo to follow him to the destination. It wasn't a request.
Dialogue Color - LightBlue

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