S1E0 - Preparations To Launch

[Dash Winters]

Dash nod as contentness filled his heart. There had been a rocky moment or two but he had landed and job and more importantly a home again. Now he was left to see where this next adventure took him. Hopefully to a clothes store with an advance on his paycheck so he didn't end up stinking the joint out.

With the show over, several people began to peel of into there are groups and continue with their day. Dash watched, took everything in, a smile always on his face. Riggs was the one to make an approach.

"Congrats Mister Winters, you've gone from potato peeler to mechanic in a matter of seconds, good show and welcome to the Allure."

"Ah thanks," Dash replied to the chef, happy for the introduction and friendliness. Knowing peoples name was nice and being nice was nice.

"Well, you know, you pour your life and soul into a job for a sixteenth of a second and it really pays off. Hard work can't be denied."

Dash looked at his left wrist. He didn't have a watch. "I keep this effort up, I'll be captain by half past." He laughed then snapped into a serious manner. "Don't worry, I'll keep you on." Then a moment passed. "After I've tried the food." A grin. "I hope the lack of potato peeler doesn't slow you down.' He patted Damien on the shoulder.

[Brenna Casey]

"I realize my sense of humor is over exuberant at times. But it really wasn't meant to embarrass you and I am so so sorry...Please don't hate me."

Brenna cringed as Jesse began, half expecting more teasing and half expecting to be chastised for her reaction. When it was an apology, there was some initial hesitation and shock on Brenna's face. Part of her wanted to be angry with Jesse, but it really wasn't in her nature. Only one person seemed to draw ire from her and he was nowhere near the ship so far as she knew. However, the apology had the effect of lessening the dark red in her cheeks and that provided some relief.

Blue eyes flicked briefly to the men remaining in the hold and she immediately regretted looking as the warmth in her cheeks tried to return. Her gaze dropped to the floor. "Not really much of a fan of being in the spotlight like that. Especially when it... ah... has to do with... more intimate type things." Brenna stopped herself there, and bit at her lip for several long seconds before a highly sardonic laugh escaped her. There was no mirth in her face as she looked back to Jesse.

"I can face just about any medical situation with professional detachment and yet I come completely undone in personal situations. I never was the overly sociable person. Thank all the stars I didn't tell you anything about the odd one or two men I have actually been with. I think I'd be dragging you to medical and sewing your mouth shut and running you a feeding tube." Now a little mirth crept into her words. It was an idle and empty threat, mostly due to the apology.

[Jesse Walker]

"Not really much of a fan of being in the spotlight like that. Especially when it... ah... has to do with... more intimate type things."

Jesse was taken a back by Brenna's response.  Not to say she thought the woman had....experience...but being a doctor, Jesse just assumed that those things wouldn't really bother her.  Then again, being a giant child with a filter issue made her susceptible to assuming most things having to do with the body, their functions, or the rest of the gross anatomy were hilarious, while in reality they weren't. Her father never found it amusing either. She frowned uncertain of what to say in response, however Brenna continued.

"I can face just about any medical situation with professional detachment and yet I come completely undone in personal situations. I never was the overly sociable person. Thank all the stars I didn't tell you anything about the odd one or two men I have actually been with. I think I'd be dragging you to medical and sewing your mouth shut and running you a feeding tube."

Again, the doctor surprised Jesse, a grin lit up her face as she chuckled in response. The idea of Brenna hurting anyone in a malicious manner seemed like the world would've gone topsy turvy.  "Would it be better if I told everyone I was diseased? I can do it right now...I swear I'll do it.. ya know, just, one moment."

Jesse pulled over a crate and stood on top of it, she cleared her throat attempting to command attention, and in her most serious voice, "Dearest crew, I apologize for my remarks about the good doctor's soft hands. They are not soft, they are callused and rough. I in fact suffer from a rare 'foot in mouth' disease.  Which causes me to say asinine things, about good people. I repeat...I am diseased, don't trust a thing I have said or may say in the future. Thank you." She hung her head in shame and stepped down from the crate and looked up briefly to wink at Brenna, then proceeded to hang her head again, shuffling her way back to the doctor.

[Maxell Graves]

Maxell left those in the cargo bay with a final parting glare as he followed Elena's lead and left the ship's new comedic entertainment behind. He turned his head to the hired grunt and signaled for him to follow with Max's belongings. Max's face softened as he addressed the Captain. "Quite a crew you've assembled, Madam. Though I don't intend to come across as self-serving by asking, and I hope you don't think I call to question your impeccable judge of character. But I'd be remiss not to ask: do you actually trust them?"

Max nodded slightly at Elena's explanation, hoping she wouldn't call him out on his own audacious presumptions. Were anyone under his command to question his choice of appointed personnel, he'd call together all the rest and order the offender to make their opinions public knowledge so Commander Graves himself could dress down their presumptions and properly berate them. The process had been known to take hours, when he had an opportunity to carry it out properly.

They finally reached the aft hold where Elena intended for Max's collection to be stored and displayed. Spacious enough to be sure, Graves could see the area would require an upgrade in security before he could allow his priceless collection of artifacts to be brought out of their protective cases. He turned back to the young peon and reached under his grey jacket. The overgrown boy's face fell as he began to back away. "Hey man, I didn't touch nothin'! I swear!"

The stern look in Maxell's eye became a glower as he closed in, the youth's back to the inner hull. It wasn't until Maxell saw a bead of sweat drip down the help's face that he grunted in satisfaction and produced a handful of silver bills and slapped them into the unskilled laborer's barely calloused hand. "As promised. See yourself out."

Maxell watched the young man rush away without counting the payment. Max smirked as the undisciplined punk nearly tripped over his own feet as he made for the dock door before turning back to Elena and motioning toward one of stouter cases. "My latest acquisitions. If you please Madam, I'd be honored by your perusal." Maxell opened the case, revealing a  series of felt-lined shelves upon which two items stuck out. He reached for one and presented it to the Captain: a black and white photo in an age-worn wooden picture frame, depicting a mallard leading a row of ducklings across a dirt trail not far removed from a park pond shimmering in the background.

"Something called a 'phonograph' - no, a photograph. The technology used to record this moment in time lacked the sophistication of a modern capture, but I believe it possesses a measure of... Common charm." Max's lips pursed and his eyes wandered in a moment in thought. After a silent moment he held the picture frame toward Elena as if offering a gift. "If you would, Ma'am. It'd honor me if you'd take this in commemoration of your new found station in life."

[Riggs]

"Ah thanks," Dash replied to the chef, happy for the introduction and friendliness. Knowing peoples name was nice and being nice was nice.

"Well, you know, you pour your life and soul into a job for a sixteenth of a second and it really pays off. Hard work can't be denied."

Dash looked at his left wrist. He didn't have a watch. "I keep this effort up, I'll be captain by half past." He laughed then snapped into a serious manner. "Don't worry, I'll keep you on." Then a moment passed. "After I've tried the food." A grin. "I hope the lack of potato peeler doesn't slow you down." He patted Damien on the shoulder.

Quick with the joke this one is... Damien thought to himself, but this Dash fellow seemed harmless enough.....for now. "Well thanks for your consideration." The cook added. "....And I'll be sure to get right on those potatoes." With that Damien excused himself. "Alright I need to meet up with some kitchen help so if you will excuse me." He turned to go noticing the Captain had already moved on, his question will have to wait until later as he made his way to the main dining hall.

[Elena]

"Quite a crew you've assembled, Madam. Though I don't intend to come across as self-serving by asking, and I hope you don't think I call to question your impeccable judge of character. But I'd be remiss not to ask: do you actually trust them?" Mister Graves asked.

Elena smiled warmly in his direction, her arm around his warm and gentle in its grasp. That was a tricky question, and she gave it the proper amount of thought that it deserved. "Mmm," she mused aloud, looking forward as she mulled it over. "I trust their resumes," she began carefully, offering him an affectionate smile, "And I trust you to keep us safe should my judgement turn out to be wrong," she added, winking playfully.

When they finally reached the aft cargo hold, Elena slipped her arms free to allow Max the range of motion necessary to deal with both his belongings as well as the hand he'd hired to bring them in. Elena watched their interaction with a patient smile, her hands clasped demurely in front of her lap and her posture relaxed in its perfection. It was the kind of posture that made others feel they could relax, something she'd learned to do long ago. The Captain watched the poor boy rush off, sympathetic laughter alight in her brilliant blue gaze.

"My latest acquisitions. If you please Madam, I'd be honored by your perusal."

Her attention slid seamlessly back toward Max and his cases and she moved closer to look over the marvelously stunning piece of art he presented for her to look upon.

"Something called a 'phonograph' - no, a photograph. The technology used to record this moment in time lacked the sophistication of a modern capture, but I believe it possesses a measure of... Common charm," he explained aptly. 

"It's lovely," she breathed honestly, her gaze sliding lovingly over the mother and its children, her hands firm in front of her to keep from grabbing or touching something that did not belong to her. It was just so sweet, and the feel of it brought a gentle bit of color to her cheeks.

"If you would, Ma'am. It'd honor me if you'd take this in commemoration of your new found station in life," Max offered.

The Companion seemed a little startled and she turned to look at Max with parted lips and slightly widened eyes. An awed breath slipped in through her lips and she wrapped her elegant hands around the offered frame, looking it over with a new and deeper affection. "Maxell," she murmured, feeling speechless at his generosity. For him to give her one of his collection meant more than others might've thought. Her smile returned and she leveled it upon the man, "It's beautiful, thank you," she thanked softly, her voice genuine and touched. She'd hang it above her bed in the Captain's Quarters. It would do wonders in making this place her home.

[Honor Saxton]

Honor Saxton arrived at her new job, er...  home with a thud of her trunk on the cargo bay ramp.  She had experienced the worst luck in her entire career. 

Isn't that funny? she thought.  A gamer with bad luck.

But she didn't know what else to call it.  The transport ship she was taking was delayed in departing because of some mechanical malfunction, then when she finally got off planet, the steward discovered that they had left her trunk on the dock!  Seriously?  They forgot it?  Luckily, they were close enough to go back and a Good Samaritan was nice enough to find it and also nice enough to pop it open and take anything of value, most of which was some earrings and necklaces.  It doesn't sound lucky, but it was since her clothes and sundries were still there, plus the pieces that were nearest and dearest to her heart were the ones she currently wore.  She worried with the necklace she wore, glad that she wore it 24/7.  She would have been destroyed to lose it.

Then...  The transport finally got back underway and halfway there, the supposed fixed part failed again and they were left drifting for some tim until a brand spanking new one was paid for, delivered and installed.   

Remember to expense that one to the House, she thought, adding it to her mental 'to-do' list along with sending a scathing review of the transport company.

After that, her valet was detained at some checkpoint due to an out of date ident card and couldn't help her with getting her things to the ship.  At that point, she decided to handle things on her own and finally she was there.  She looked around, blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes, and called out.

"Anyone here?" she asked.

Truthfully, at this rate, she probably would miss someone, even if they were right on top of her.  She was exhausted and had been running non-stop for the last few days.  And just to add insult to injury, her trunk took that moment to slide back down the cargo bay ramp, hit bottom and pop open, dumping the contents onto the ground.

"Rutting hell..." she muttered as traisped back down the ramp to shove everything back in it.  "I hope they have laundry facilities here."

[Brenna Casey]

"Dearest crew, I apologize for my remarks about the good doctor's soft hands. They are not soft, they are callused and rough. I in fact suffer from a rare 'foot in mouth' disease.  Which causes me to say asinine things, about good people. I repeat...I am diseased, don't trust a thing I have said or may say in the future. Thank you."

Brenna put her hand over her face yet again, behind which she was rolling her eyes. Somewhere, she decided Jesse had completely missed her point about being put in the spotlight and while it had been far less brief this time it was enough for Brenna to question the potential friendship with the young woman. A large part of her worried even more if the rest of her time aboard Allure was going to be like this. If so, she wasn't sure she'd be doing much outside of her room or med bay. Finally, she looked up her hand dropping from her face, a slight hint of defeat touching her features.

"I think I'm just going to go back to my room. I never did finish putting my things away..." The look on Brenna's face clearly indicated that Jesse could go back to being friendly with the rest of the crew. Turning, she made for the stairs at as easy a pace as she could force herself to go. It was silly, really. Feeling embarrassed like she did, but it was something she'd never quite been able to overcome. Not even after the times she'd seen in the war could she conquer this ridiculous shyness. This was one of those times she was grateful she'd forgotten how to cry or she'd likely be doing just that as she slipped away.

[Benjamin Street]

"I'll be right back."

Jesse gave Ben a guilty look and then got up and headed over to, he assumed, apologize again to Brenna. He looked out the big bay doors. It was certainly a nice day out. They were still waiting on some crew to show up, namely the representative of The House, Honor Saxton. Ben peered out into the bright spaceport, on the off chance he could spot her approaching, but met with no luck. He glanced back toward the stairs. Jesse was standing with Brenna, and the two were talking quietly enough that he couldn't hear.

Ben turned back to the outside world again, inhaled deeply, and let the air out slowly. It was indeed a beautiful day... but didn't particularly want to spend all morning sitting in the cargo bay doing nothing. Hopefully Honor would arrive soon.

His attention was once again drawn back inside the ship when Jesse loudly cleared her throat, and called for everyones attention.

"Dearest crew, I apologize for my remarks about the good doctor's soft hands. They are not soft, they are callused and rough. I in fact suffer from a rare 'foot in mouth' disease.  Which causes me to say asinine things, about good people. I repeat...I am diseased, don't trust a thing I have said or may say in the future. Thank you."

Ben had to choke back a guffaw. This was the second time this morning that he'd heard her loudly proclaim to be "Diseased". Jesse was certainly an amusing one to have around, and she was definitely growing on him. The amusement he felt faded a little when he saw Brenna's reaction to Jesse's speech. It looked to him like Jesse's apology had maybe missed the mark a bit. He hoped Brenna wasn't too put out by it all, and made a note to stop by later and check up on her. Just then, a voice called out from the ramp.

"Anyone here?"

He turned around just in time to see an exhausted looking Honor Saxton standing there.... and just in time to see her trunk slide all the way down the cargo bay ramp and pop open when it hit the bottom, spilling a good deal of her things.

Ben jumped up and hurried down the ramp after her.

"Rutting hell...""I hope they have laundry facilities here."

"Hey there, Miss Saxton? We definitely have laundry facilities on board." He said with a little chuckle. "Need a hand there? Looks like you had a rough trip."

[Jesse Walker]

"I think I'm just going to go back to my room. I never did finish putting my things away..."

The smile faded from Jesse's face.  She sighed, forever unable to apologize to her friend. She ran a hand through her hair and lightly kicked the crate she once stood on proclaiming how diseased she was.  Perhaps she was just better off keeping her distance from people...though that wasn't in her nature.  Jesse looked up and saw Benji speaking with a young woman, presumably a new crew member.

She bit the inside of her cheek annoyed with her choice in words, diseased.  Jesse put her hands in her back pockets uncertain of where to go now.  She meandered her way back towards her previous seat and looked down the ramp and Benji and the young woman.  Maybe now was the time to practice her manners, if she had any.  There was no use in sulking, it did nothing for her.  Jesse closed her eyes took a deep breath, letting it go and walked down the ramp,

"Do you uhm, need some help?" She stated quietly, probably a little more so than she usually would.

[Dash Winters]

Dash smiled away as the chef excused himself and went back to witnessing crew based antics.

"I in fact suffer from a rare 'foot in mouth' disease.  Which causes me to say asinine things, about good people."

Dash held up a finger like a schoolchild timidly drawing a teachers attention. "I get that too." As Brenna made her way of deck, he spoke aloud a sentence that was now just for himself. "We'll have to sort out a prescription at some point." He gave a little huff of laughter. Jesse seemed like his kind of person. Quick on the jokes, loud when she wanted to be, and in truth, quite an attractive girl. That was getting ahead of himself though, she seemed the type he could get along. On uninterrupted trips through the black, you needed those people.

He watched as a new arrival announced herself. The ship seemed relatively busy and Dash decided he should get more familiar with its layout and where he'd be working. After all, so far all he had done was talk a big game, he had to make the biggest impression of all with his work ethic if he hoped to stick around. Trademark smile on his face, he headed into the ship and started poking his head in every doorway that was open.

And trying to open every door that wasn't.

Eventually he stumbled upon an occupied space.

** Brenna and Dash to Allure Aside S1E0: Open Door Policy **

[Honor Saxton]

Honor was feeling a little more than overwhelmed by the frustration and exhaustion that plagued her the last few days.  When her suitcase opened up, a small box popped out and her eyes bulged a little.  That was where she kept her "mood stabilizer."  When the box hit the ground it opened, making her heart leap into her throat, but it was empty.

Of course... They stole that too, she thought. 

As she started to shove things back into the trunk, she heard someone call out to her as they approached.

"Hey there, Miss Saxton? We definitely have laundry facilities on board."

Then he had the nerve to chuckle!  She turned to look at the man and her eyes met an exceedingly handsome fellow.  Her jaw dropped a little.

"Need a hand there? Looks like you had a rough trip."

She blinked at him for a moment before snapping out of it.

"You have no idea..." she confirmed as she remembered who she was talking to from the profile you had been given about the Captain and her first mate.  "A little help would not be unwelcome.  You're Mr. Street, correct? First mate and pilot?"

She shoved a couple of more things into the trunk, but being on its side didn't help so she pushed it back over so it was upright, only causing some more of the contents to fall out with the motion.  Guess what...  It just had to be her unmentionables...  Of course.  She had gotten there late after a horrific journey, had her trunk fall off the ship only to open up to dump its contents on the ground, all of this happening while she met the first mate for the initial time and what happens?  It ends up being that her sexy underwear not littered the ground nearly at his feet.

Could her day get any worse?  A small squeak of utter mortification slipped out as she grabbed at things to try to shove them back inside the trunk. That's when she heard another voice.

"Do you uhm, need some help?"

She threw some more stuff in the trunk only to look over and see a pair of her red silky underwear had fallen on First Mate Street's shoe.  She groaned in embarassment as she spoke to the woman.

"I have to get my stuff back into the trunk," she said sounding resigned as she wondered how she could nonchalantly snatch the garment from on top of his shoe.  "Help would be nice."

And perhaps a re-do too?  She was sure that she was not making the best of first impressions.  At least the captain hadn't been there as well.  Thank goodness for small miracles.

[Benjamin Street]

Honor looked up at him and her jaw dropped a little. He figured he must have startled her. She blinked at him, and then finally spoke.

"You have no idea..." "A little help would not be unwelcome.  You're Mr. Street, correct? First mate and pilot?"

Ben nodded. "Yes mam, XO and pilot extraordinaire." He stepped forward to help pile things back into her trunk, but at that moment she pushed it upright, which caused yet more things to fall out.

Under things.

Now, Ben wasn't ordinarily one to get embarrassed by seeing a woman's underwear. Of course usually it was limited to one pair at a time, instead of what looked like her entire collection.

And usually it didn't happen until he and the woman in question were very familiar with each other, and certainly not less than 2 minutes after meeting for the first time.

His immediate reaction was to avert his eyes, so he looked down at his feet. And of course, a pair of red silky underwear was now draped over his boot. So he went the other way with his eyes, looking up and away. Then he reached a bit of a mental roadblock, as he totally blanked on what would be appropriate to do next.

Thankfully Jesse picked this moment to come back over, and made Honor an offer of assistance as well. He shot Jesse an embarrassed look that very clearly said "Help".

[Jesse Walker]

Jesse's lips went inward as she stifled a laugh and a smile, now was not the appropriate time for either.  She felt bad for the blonde beauty as her underwear fell out on to the cargo bay, she pushed her hair back and saw one of the drawers end up on Benji's shoe. The XO looked over her with pleading eyes and she could help but smile, her hand moved up to cover her mouth, her chin resting on her thumb.  She nodded in acknowledgement and removed her hand,

"Maybe, you should just go over there for second, while Miss Saxton? was it? and I clean up her things.  I'll come get you when we need those big ole muscles of yours. Eh? Handsome?" Jesse gave him an encouraging smile and a light pat, moving towards the new crew member.

"My name is Jesse, by the way, figured it's better you know my name before I start touching your...unmentionables.
I've never been big on strangers touching my under things..ya know unless they look like him." Her head nodded towards Benji, and she gave him a quick wink, as started to help the blonde pick up her things.

"I'm sorry, you had such a rough journey here, but we'll do what we can to fix that."

[Elena]

The crew that had been expected to show up that day had all managed to find their way on board (or nearly on board), along with one who hadn't been as expected but was certainly needed and appreciated. Their mild mannered doctor had been teased into hiding, the ship was made all the more secure with the presence of their cultured security lead, a new mechanic ensured the ship's longevity, the hacker had pronounced to all that she was diseased on more than one occasion, but in the end she was still an asset, diseased or not, the kitchen set to be abuzz with activity when their charming chef and his temporary assistant got things ready for the afternoon and presumably the evening, the member of the House had aired out her laundry, and both pilots had had time to peruse the cockpit and pretend to be Captain. All in all, it was an eventful and mildly confusing morning.

Once Elena and Maxell had parted ways and she'd dropped off her gift in the Captain's Quarters, the Companion moved across the way to the Conference Room, passing through the Bridge on her way. "Crew meeting in five minutes," she informed the copilot softly, offering the woman a gentle nod of her head in greeting as she passed by. Once she was in the Conference Room proper, the woman set her finger against the comms button and took a deep, silent breath.

"Good Afternoon. All crew members, please join me in the conference room on the Upper Deck for our first Crew Meeting,"came Elena's voice over the PA system, her tone warm and even. If she was nervous about any of this, that was not conveyed in her voice.

With the announcement made, Elena moved away from the comms unit to stand at the head of the table, ignoring the chair there for now and closing her eyes. She had a lot to say and used the time it'd take for them all to arrive to gather her thoughts, her hands clasped in front of her demurely and her chin tilted upward just slightly. The Captain figured there would be a few extra moments to herself while the crew who hadn't been on board the last couple of days figured out where the Conference Room was or waited for someone to help them make their way there. But she was a patient woman and she'd allow them the time to finish their conversations before they made their way up.

[Dash Winters]

** Brenna and Dash enter from Allure Aside S1E0: Open Door Policy **

"Good Afternoon. All crew members, please join me in the conference room on the Upper Deck for our first Crew Meeting."

Dash was not long from exiting Brenna's room when he heard the announcement. He stood on the spot and began spinning to look at the several different paths he could take right now. "Conference room, that was..." He'd seen it, he just couldn't which side of the ship he had ended up on and which end the conference room was now at.

Looking out, one might see Dash walk past their door. Then walk past again in the other direction at a slightly heightened pace.

But the ship was succinct enough for him to find his way. Once he saw auxiliary cargo he knew exactly where he was going.

"Miss Elena." He said with a beaming smile as he saw her. He wasn't usually one to call people Miss, but that was how 'captain' Street had addressed her. He though it was perhaps a title of some sort. "Look at this for punctuality. I've worked here for a little over an hour with no hint of tardy."

[Brenna Casey]

"Good Afternoon. All crew members, please join me in the conference room on the Upper Deck for our first Crew Meeting."

The announcement from the comm shook Brenna out of her thought overloaded stupor and she looked up at the speaker in the ceiling. Several seconds passed before the words of the announcement filtered through the muddled thoughts and their meaning fully registered. Blinking slowly, Brenna became aware of the fact that she was sitting on the edge of her bed and she was vaguely aware that after Dash had disappeared from her doorway that she'd simply just... sat down to process everything he'd said. Reaching up she ran one hand through her hair and took a long, deep breath through her nose and held it for several seconds. Her eyes closed and one of the meditation methods she'd learned in her time at the training house was implemented. There was no way she could show up at a crew meeting so distracted. Exhaling slowly, she rested her hands in her lap with palms up and repeated the deep breath, hold and exhale four more times.

Quiet calm returned to the forefront and pale blue eyes opened. Pushing herself up, she gathered up a long sleeved button up top and pulled it on, watching herself in the mirror. Brenna could see the usual mask on her face, the one that she kept up when she was on duty. She studied it as her fingers blindly went to one buttoned sleeve cuff and then the other, unfastening the buttons and then rolling the sleeve up to just below her elbow. Giving herself a quick, aesthetic once over she sighed and then headed for the door. Entering the corridor, she closed her door and checked the hall for anyone else. It seemed to be clear for now.

Her feet carried her to the conference room without much active thought to the process. Her first couple of days aboard, she'd taken time to memorize routes to places that might be important. It didn't hurt that the way there was a straight path through two doors. As she approached the conference room, a voice carried out into the corridor that made her pause briefly.

"Look at this for punctuality. I've worked here for a little over an hour with no hint of tardy."

A near silent laugh broke the mask and Brenna could only shake her head. Dash was certainly an odd one, but he certainly didn't lack for honest charm. Another deep breath and she moved forward again and through the door, the soft doctors smile in place. It lifted some upon making eye contact with her friend, Elena to whom she nodded a greeting. "Nothing too serious I hope. Doesn't appear to be a medical emergency at least." Her eyes shifted to Dash, whom she also gave a nod though she didn't hold the eye contact with him as long as she did with Elena. Selecting a seat, Brenna settled in and returned her focus to her captain as they awaited the rest of the crew.

[Karyn Wychovski]

Karyn had been running simulations on the bridge nav systems, checking ranging and connections to the CORTEX’s beacons. Everything felt natural. It really was a well managed ship.

Elena popped her head in through the door to announce a meeting and gave a nod and smile in greeting. Karyn replied with a raised hand to wave acknowledging and started shutting down her sims.

“Well, here we go. Meeting the rest of the crew time.”

She got up, swiveling the copilot chair around as she did, and walked straight back through the door into the conference room, practically on Elena’s heels. Others began to appear from the back, and Karyn took a stance against the bridge doorway, nodding to each as they arrived.

[Benjamin Street]

After the two women had finished piling Honors unmentionables back into her trunk, and gotten it back up the ramp and successfully inside the cargo bay, Ben set about closing the doors. The large slab of metal had just slid into place when Elena's voice came on over the PS system.

"Good Afternoon. All crew members, please join me in the conference room on the Upper Deck for our first Crew Meeting,"

"Ah," He said, turning his head to look at Jesse and Honor. "Speech time I think." He looked back at the console on the wall and tapped a sequence of buttons, locking the door. Then he half turned and extended his arm, pointing towards the stairs in a mock heroic pose. "To the conference room!" He said in his best mock hero voice. He looked back at the two women and gave them a lopsided grin and one of his very Italian shrugs. He waited for them to move and then followed along, with the intent of walking Jesse and Honor up to the conference room.

[Jesse Walker]

Jesse finished putting the new crew member's items away, hopefully sparing her any more pain and embarrassment.  Benji brought the items in and not a minute later, the Captain's voice came over the PA System,

"Good Afternoon. All crew members, please join me in the conference room on the Upper Deck for our first Crew Meeting,"

She looked up at Benji, as he was locking the door, however  she wasn't prepared for his next move,

"To the conference room!"

Jesse stood looking at Benji, now with her cold cup of coffee in her hand from the morning, in disbelief by his hilarious but also terrible joke. Her mouth slightly open, she shut it abruptly and shook her head slowly.. Her lips went inward as if trying to find a reply but nothing but a small laugh came out, like she was saying, dear god, why. She nodded and accepted his terrible terrible joke,

"It's in these moments that I wonder if the captain hired you because you're just so damn fun to look at."  She stifled a grin, that clearly was hard to prevent, as her eyes gave it away.  Jesse turned and just walked towards the stairs, "Welcome aboard Miss Saxton, god help you, and and us all, if he's in charge."

The grin erupting on to her face, fully knowing his actions were probably something she would've done her self. But the current situation called for decorum, and she sure as hell wasn't going to make a fool of herself in front of the newest member of the Allure crew, as she had just done by saying she was diseased in front of everyone else.

Jesse looked back slightly to see if the XO was still following them her lips tight and almost inward trying to prevent the smile from occurring. She had to be at her most serious if she was going to redeem herself at all. Arriving at the upper deck it seemed Brenna had already arrived, Jesse avoided eye contact and general closeness, she wasn't sure how the doctor was going to handle her in this moment so she kept her distance.  Jesse found her spot some where on the wall, waiting quietly, for once.