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[7/1/2009 @ 6:10pm] |
Who: Elysa and Bryce
When: Evening, Day Two
Where: Cargo Bay
Elysa was checking over the cargo. Everything had been delivered the day before; over 30 crates of silk they were delivering to Athens. Though it had all been squared away the moment it arrived, she still wanted to be sure. Nothing could go wrong on this run. Nothing could go wrong on any run. There was just too much at stake, especially this early in the game. She had kept the Huria in the air for just over three months - but it didn't mean anything if she lost her step.
She held a beaten sheet in her hand, as she bent down to examine each number she would mentally tick it off the sheet. So far everything was in order. Elysa paused at one of the boxes, suddenly feeling very tired. She turned and rested her back against the crate, determined to take just one moment for herself. If she didn't she knew that it would all get too much for her.
Her peace was broken by the sound of footfalls. Without standing up she called out: "No passengers aloud in here." Listening carefully she waited for a response.
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[6/29/2009 @ 12:30pm] |
Time: Morning
Place: Huria's common room
Cast: Eppie, Aurora and...whomever wanders in :D
Eppie had woken late, refreshed from her sleep. As always she woke instantly and completely, no mist remaining in her mind after a splash of cold water to her eyes. It tightened the skin and brightened the gaze, and she was as religious in her ablutions as any Shepherd with his prayers. She lined her eyes with kohl, smoothed a honey balm on her lips, and tied her hair into a pair of loose plaits, carefully combing through it with her fingers first. The day would be well-spent: she had a list prepared. Meetings with contacts, some virtual and some immediate, and there was trading to be done, and perhaps a bit of the old up-and-down, if some came along that she liked the look of. For now there was something more important: Decoration.
Eppie would have liked to sit out in the sun, but one thing 'charm school' had taught her was that proper folk had ideas about what was ans wasn't fit to do in public. She thought it all rather silly herself, but...'when in Rome', and all that. Or Persephone, as the case may be (She'd never even been to New Rome, what was so special about it?). So she stayed in the common room of the Huria, soft music playing through a little gadget of brass and wood and copper wire next to her. She had a small dish of henna at her side, and was painstakingly marking out mehndi onto her clean, bare feet.
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[6/26/2009 @ 10:58pm] |
Who: Aurora Kaye, Eli Gray
When: Evening
What: Eavesdown Docks, next to the Huria's bay
To describe what she was doing as cheating was not strictly accurate in Aurora's opinion. True, there were more than a few cards secreted in the cuff of her jacket. True, she currently sat smugly next to a generous pile of credits at her elbow more due to her skill at subterfuge than from her own abilities at the game. But cheating implied that there was something underhanded about what she was doing. How could that be the case when she was almost certain that the two men who sat across from here were busy doing the same thing? The men were silent at the moment, sullen and silently weighing their options in light of the three cards she had just laid down.
The three gamblers sat at opposing sides of the crate that had been turned into an impromptu card table, each one shifting uncomfortably from time to time on the smaller boxes that served as chairs. Aurora tapped a few round cards in her hand thoughtfully against her pursed lips, head tilted up at the sky as if the goings on of her opponents was the furthest thing from her mind. As her opponents two weighed their options, Aurora remained silent, her gaze fixed contentedly on a passing flock of birds above.
“What do you say gentlemen?” Aurora asked sweetly after a bit, finally glancing in their direction. Her expression was a portrait of innocence, all wide eyes and thoughtful, down-turned mouth. "My game?"
Seeing the others hesitate, she moved to collect the remaining credits on the table in one sweeping gesture, confident now in her victory. The spoils would go a long way towards making up what she had squandered on Persephone, caught up in a superfluity of spending possibilities its market had offered. She glanced back at the Huria's loading dock, affection visible on her face as she gazed at the ship she called home for the past two months. Maybe her new-found funds would go a measure towards equipping the ship as well, Aurora thought serenely, the weight of the credits in her open hand giving her a sense of satisfaction.
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[6/25/2009 @ 8:54pm] |
Who: Aurora Kaye, Jonah Bryce
When: Late Afternoon
What: A market near the Eavesdown Docks
The noise and bustle of the market place seemed unending as the pair maneuvered through the busy stalls. Despite her shopping trip of the day before, Aurora found her gaze again lingering longingly on items displayed from all reaches of the system. Today's venture into commercial exchange was all about the ship, but that fact didn't stop her from coveting the things she spotted for herself. She paused to enjoy the smell of spices at one stand, wishing that she hadn't wasted the bulk of her spendings the previous day.
"Isn't this fun?" Aurora asked her companion in her mission, glancing up at Bryce with a wide smile. From her tone it was clear that this was less a question than a confident assertion of fact. The captain had given her permission the other day to whisk her second-in-command off in the name of getting a good bargain, and Aurora was intending to make good use of his presence.
"I think I spy him over there," she added, pointing at a large man who stood somewhat to the side of the chaos of buying and selling. Flat metal objects littered the makeshift table in front of him, glittering in the afternoon sun. These were clearly his wares on display, items Aurora was determined to secure for the Huria.
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| Day Two |
[6/19/2009 @ 4:44pm] |
Who: Tico Moreno, Eppie Cardiff, open(?)
When: Late Afternoon
Where: Eavesdown Docks
Considering everything, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that a place like Eavesdown was a little too much for Tico. The cacophony of life that greeted the unsuspecting target as soon as he set his foot outside Huria was perhaps one of the most overwhelming of the ‘verse and even though he was all for experiencing new, on Persephone this was taken to ridiculous lenghts. The clamor of people yelling and laughing and bargaining, and of ships landing and taking off made Tico’s ears ring, of the dozens of smells he could discern only a handful made him even remotely curious as to their origin, and the sights – they were the worst. Which, of course, made them the best, but it didn’t make his head hurt any less.
In his attempt to take everything in at once Tico didn’t bother with watching where he was going and almost ran into an annoyed-looking spacer. A group of young men, dressed in style more appropriate to the broad boulevards of Londonium, was playing cards next to an ancient-looking woman selling chicken. Besides her there was another vendor, this one with dogs in his cages, and behind him yet more people, with faces and dresses and hairstyles Tico had never seen before. And then, there, above the heads of a small crowd gathered to witness the spectacle, a boy floated in the air.
If Tico had remembered that he had just moments before been on his way to restock Huria’s medical arsenal, he would have probably protested that a nine-year-old, suspended in mid-air with a rope apparently attached to nothing as his only support was a valid enough reason for loitering. That purpose, however, with all its presumable importance was irrevocably chased away by more immediate concerns.
A boy. Floating. In the air.
His mouth slightly open, Tico edged between two other spectators, too confused to even remember to berate himself of getting sidetracked. Once, on St. Albans, Uncle Lalo had made a coin disappear from his palm. This was something quite different.
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[6/18/2009 @ 12:13am] |
Time: Afternoon
Place: Eavesdown Docks, near the Huria's loading bay
Cast: Eppie and...whomever should happen to wander up!
It was an absolutely lovely day. This was due to several things, none of which Eppie Cardiff had any control over - that made the day all the brighter. Eppie thought to herself, fanning herself in the heat and sipping at gin, that it was all very well to arrange things pleasingly; this was of course the sensible thing to do if one wanted to end up satisfied. Yet how much nicer somehow when things just naturally sort-of...fell that way? The sun was bright and clear in the sky, there were steady drafts of fresh, clean air that swept down the street from time to time, fluttering skirts and tumbling the litter along gaily. There were people coming and going, an endless parade of colour, scent, and cheerful uproar. Children run about, shouting and laughing, and there were blushing girls and weary old men, every sort, all for her amusement. There was even a faint whiff of curry floating by, which made the plate of papadums in Eppie's lap taste all the better (she'd gotten them for a kiss). And the best, the best thing about Persephone was that it was far, far away from the glorified refilling station of a moon that the Huria had whisked her away from a week before. In all this sensual glory, the only thing Eppie had anything to do with was that she was wearing her second-favourite dress. The rest all just...worked out.
She sat, watched people go by, and once in a while she saw someone interesting and wished they'd stop and talk to her. The gin was cold and burnt her throat, and everything was beautiful.
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| Day Two |
[6/18/2009 @ 12:32pm] |
Who: Elysa and Peta
When: Afternoon
Where: Flight Deck
Elysa reached the deck, all traces of her conversation with Aurora burried beneath her business mask. There were more important things to do, the main one being to tell her pilot and 2IC that without passengers, they would be on Persephone another day. It was something she knew both would protest, but at the end of the day it was her decision. Taking on passengers was a sure income. They had jobs to do, some they had to finance themselves. Every little bit helped.
She stepped up to the flight deck and frowned. Munroe, the new pilot, was normally always at her station. Elysa didn't know what to make of the woman, but she was a good pilot, and truthfully it was nice to have crew that didn't ask too many questions. There was still something a little... off about her. Like there was something that she was hiding. Though Elysa couldn't talk. She was swiftly coming to understand that everyone in the verse had a hidden agenda.
There was definitely no sign of the pilot, and so Elysa turned to leave. It was then that she heard the clunking sound. She paused on her heel before isolating the noise. Taking a few deliberate strides around the console, she crouched down to peer into the hole in her once closed deck.
"Just what do you think you're doin' to my ship?" she asked calmly.
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| Day Two |
[6/17/2009 @ 12:57pm] |
Who: Eli Gray, Jonah Bryce
What: Booking Passage
When: Day Two, afternoon
Where: Eavesdown Docks
Rating: PG-13
Status: Ongoing
Eavesdown Docks was almost always busy, a mix of people who regularly did business, ships' crews, and people looking to book passage. Eli was one of the latter, and slipped in and out of the crowd, looking at docked ships.
Nothing too fancy--while he had the funds and liked his luxuries, the quality ships tended to be higher-profile and more interested in proper papers and identification. While his ID was as perfect as the best forgers could make it, Eli wasn't interested in the high profile aspect of traveling those kinds of ships. He didn't want to run the risk of someone remembering his face and raising holy hell. He'd rather avoid Alliance interest.
He dismissed the lower class of ships immediately; he'd like to actually get to his destination, thanks. So that left the middling ones, and those were the ships he looked at now. He strolled from one to the next, his hands in the pockets of his long black coat, eyes running over their lines, trying to judge space-worthiness. Actual mechanical work was beyond him, but he liked to think that he could at least pick one that wouldn't fall apart before next planetfall.
Eli stopped at the next-to-last ship at the dock and studied it. Not bad. Clean lines--not fancy or built for show, but utilitarian, practical. The cargo ramp was down, showing the inside--the shadowed interior looked fairly neat and tidy from what he could see. He could do worse. He schooled his face into mild, slightly curious lines, softened his body language.
Stepping up to the ramp, he spied someone moving inside. He shuffled through the accents he could use, and picked one that would proclaim him a middle-class Greenleaf citizen. "Hello? Is anyone around?"
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| Day Two |
[6/17/2009 @ 1:39am] |
Who: Tico Moreno and Jonah Bryce
When: Morning
Where: Kitchen, Huria
The idle hours following the drowsy breakfast found Huria’s kitchen nearly deserted. Tico alone was seated at the table and immersed in a rather curious activity.
Holding a fork between his thumb and forefinger he pinched two of its tines and then, swiftly but gently, pressed its end against the table’s worn surface. A soft humming noise filled the air and his mouth twitched, curving into a smile. There was a pile of mismatched forks lying on the chair next to his, apparently waiting for their turn.
This was Tico Moreno, having fun.
He couldn’t use chopsticks, not even if his life depended on it. They hadn’t been that wide-spread on St. Albans and so there had never been any real need to practice – not at least before he left for Collegium, and then there had been a thousand other things to see and learn, and eating had seemed too mundane a chore to waste much time and energy on. So, when joining Huria’s crew, he had been delighted to find that whoever had equipped its kitchen had remembered those who just couldn’t make their food stay between two measly sticks long enough for it to reach their mouth. How most of the galaxy managed with such an illogical mode of eating was beyond Tico’s understanding.
Placing the fork on the table in front of him Tico picked up the next one in random and repeated the procedure. This time the produced sound was less clear, and so the smile transformed into a frown and the second utensil was placed to the left of the first one. Then he grabbed the third one, and the cycle began again.
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| Day Two |
[6/15/2009 @ 11:29pm] |
Who: Aurora Kaye and Capt. Elysa Masson
When: Early Afternoon
Where: Kitchen, Huria
Aurora's parents had imparted many lessons to their only daughter--from how to repair a malfunctioning turbine in 10 minutes flat to how to spot an easy mark on any planet in the system. Frugality, however, had not been one of them. Aurora sat at the kitchen table aboard the Huria, one knee drawn up just below her chin, surveying the day's purchases spread out before her with glowing satisfaction. Bolts of fabric, mysterious mechanical parts, and small luxuries in every size and shape of container lay in a riot of color atop the table.
As she reached for her newest acquisition, some distant part of her thought guiltily about the disappearing nature of her savings. The majority of her attention, however, was focused on a contended contemplation of her spoils.
She sighed happily as she poured the newly purchased tea out into a dainty mug, breathing in the enticing aroma. The mixture of lavender and black root was one of her favorites, but only first-rate planets like Persephone managed to grow the stuff to her satisfaction. She raised the rim slowly to her lips, pausing to savor the moment, when the sound of footfall behind her announced the presence of an onlooker to her little ritual of consumerism.
"Try some, Captain?" She asked with a smile, gesturing with her free hand to the teapot. "You've never had anything like it, I swear. It's practically ambrosia."
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| Day One |
[6/15/2009 @ 5:27pm] |
Who: Cap'n Elysa and Mahir
When: Mid Morning
Where: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone
It was not normally something a Captain would do. Taking on passengers was a common occurence with small crewed ships, and selecting the passengers was a job fit for someone lower than her. But this wasn't any ordinary ship, and Elysa wasn't an ordinary captain. She had elected to do the task herself, leaving Jonah in charge of preparing for their departure, which was planned as soon as they had paying passengers.
Only problem was, a captain standing outside the cargo doors was generally off-putting. Elysa was a tall woman, who's once open face was these days set in a more permanent scowl. Her nervous habit of clicking and unclicking her holster strap was more than a little disconcerting. So far she hadn't had a single potential passenger give the Huria more than a second glance. It was begining to get her down.
She turned to scrutinize her ship. Sure it wasn't much to look at, more bulky and practical than the streamline models that shared the docking bay. There was something distinctly 'outer rim' about her, but to Elysa this was just part of her charm. She sighed and kicked gently at the hull, as if encouraging the ship to look more appealing.
If she didn't get someone soon, she was going to throw in the towel and just get Jonah to do it. Patience was not one of the captains strong suits. Not of late at least.
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