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Post by Silas Sedgewick on Jan 15, 2015 0:02:36 GMT -5
"Not like that," she groaned, stepping out of her cabin now that she was mostly dressed. Brown slacks, black tank-top, and bare foot was her general outfit aboard the Paragon, though Charlie had seen her in her field outfit once before, when she was recruited onto the ship. Cate had stayed behind while Silas handled the business on Charlie's home station.
"They're like monitor lizards the size of horses. We raised them for shows and to carry people around. Tartarus VII wasn't that wealthy to start out, so we didn't have many fancy ships or cars," she explained, referring to the hovering type, not the wheeled type. "It worked for us."
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Post by Cate Baxter on Jan 15, 2015 9:05:18 GMT -5
"Maybe if ya did ride 'em like that you would have more money. Bet people would pay tons to see that show." Cate laughed from the front. She leaned up to flip a switch before finally taking a moment to look back at the pair. "We'll be poppin' out soon, so I guess we'll see yeah Charlie?"
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Post by Charlie Willow on Jan 15, 2015 13:25:11 GMT -5
Consciously or not, Charlie seemed much more willing to admire Silas once the taller woman was dressed. Likely just a side effect of having to share living quarters on her old station for so long in the past, and the polite custom of looking away there. “I’m sure the lizards would be open to someone as charming as you, Silas.” She snickered again, glancing down at her own stained wifebeater. At some point it was white. “You charmed me right onto this boat.”
The little engineer took a few steps away from the cockpit, her boots clanging anything but quietly along the deck of the ship, but remained within talking distance. She leaned against a dormant little console near the escape pod’s doors. “So, this suddenly seemed important to ask: Who all is getting off the ship for this?” She tugged on her top. “Because I’m guessing this is not the impression I should be making.” A smile flashed toward the cockpit, whether or not Cate was looking. “Even if they’re apparently putting my name up in cosmic lights.”
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Post by Silas Sedgewick on Jan 15, 2015 14:57:03 GMT -5
"Cate could've done it in half the time," she shrugged, entering the cockpit to assume her usual spot on the ground beside one of Cate's consoles, sitting cross-legged and fiddling with a stray plushie. "She's so cute it hurts," she teased, looking up at the hard-at-work pilot with a grin.
"As for uh . . . leaving the ship, that depends on what we find when we get in range. I mean, all we were told was that we're investigating a tripped beacon, and I'm gonna guess that's kind of a big deal? If we're just checking in I suppose I could go and handle it myself, leave you two to gossip about me and what I did to burn half my face off, while I do all the heavy lifting," she rambled. Until now, she hadn't even made mention of her burned face, and certainly hadn't explained what happened to Charlie. Imagining was more fun.
"If there's some sort of trouble it'll probably pay off to have some help. Anything to encourage this one to get some exercise," she laughed, jabbing a plushie Cate's way.
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Post by Cate Baxter on Jan 16, 2015 18:29:47 GMT -5
"Pah!" Cate blustered in response to Silas' compliment, "I told ya before. If ya want cute ya want Petal." Somehow the pilot gestured directly toward where the silvery squirrel sat without even looking for her. Perhaps there was some method to the mess, or living in it 24-7 simply made it easy to track. "She's the real charm an' if ya don't believe me go an' chuck her at Charlie to see what happens."
"An' don't go makin' fun of me for having a bum leg." The pilot reached forward to tap the head of Bo, a small panda who always served as lookout from her dashboard. "You're the only one in the cockpit who don't go squishin' when poked."
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Post by Charlie Willow on Jan 17, 2015 4:49:13 GMT -5
“It would be horribly difficult for me to turn down hanging out with Cate,” Restless as ever, Charlie had already scuttled her way back to the door of Cate’s cockpit, leaning as ‘coolly’ as she could and idly flicking her stump elbow. “And a chance to meet all of the squishy things you hang out with in here."
Charlie peered toward the silvery squirrel that Cate suggested chucking, a tiny smile sliding over her lips again, “Jealous of all the squishy parts in here, honestly.” A glance down at her skinny self.
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Post by Silas Sedgewick on Jan 17, 2015 11:14:39 GMT -5
"You chuck her at Charlie and you'll be cleaning grease stains off of her forever," she retorted, leaning bank against a nearby console, resting her wet head against the metal panel. "Who're you calling squishy, though? I'm as fit as uh fiddle, as yuh See-Toe folks be sayin'.
"And what about you, hm? You calling me squishy, too? Them's fighting words," she grunted, standing with a slight huff and resting a hand at her hip, as if she were about to draw a gun, Old West style. Which, naturally, still existed in popular culture these days. The spirit of the West lives on in us all.
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Post by Cate Baxter on Jan 17, 2015 13:59:41 GMT -5
"Ain't no one callin' you squishy Si, not Charlie an' certainly not me. Neither you nor her got any squish to ya at all, so no reason to go gettin' all huffy." Cate laughed, giving Silas a playful prod from her seat.
Looking over her terminal for a moment she turned back to look at Charlie, "We're probably gonna be hopping back down to normal in a moment, so ya may notice a bit o' a bump." She warned before refocusing her attention on the screens. "So Si, what actually is our game plan when we get there? I mean yeah we got a bit o' time before we reach them but should probably have it all worked out by then."
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Post by Charlie Willow on Jan 17, 2015 18:14:28 GMT -5
Charlie wriggled her nose. It was starting to feel a bit itchy. Regardless, she mimicked Silas’s pose, her left hand wiggling over top of her wrench, as if that were her weapon of choice. “Bet I could take your skinny as--er, butt down, no time flat.” She flicked her eyebrows up, snickering mischievously, then straightening up. “When you least expect it, though.” More snickers.
“Besides, who’re you calling greasy?” She sniffed, her little nose wriggling more. In distaste, or probably just itchy. “Cate, I swear, I won’t grease up your animals! I’m totally hug-friendly. I'll wipe it all off on Silas first.” Another mischievous chuckle.
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Post by Silas Sedgewick on Jan 17, 2015 18:36:43 GMT -5
Silas blinked. "Oh, I thought you were saying-- . . . My bad." At least she was willing to admit her fault. It could've been worse, she could've continued the heated faux debate. "Don't go getting grease on my coat now. Shit's hard to clean," she grunted, recalling her time as a swabby aboard the Kingfisher. There was no point in wearing nice clothes, they all were ruined over the weekend.
At least now she could be stylish all the time. Brown was her color. Or so she told herself.
"Right, game plan. We're checking in on a secret facility in uncharted space. So far out and behind a nebula, cutting out long range communications, with the exception of the high-frequency beacon, tied back to Olympus," she explained, gesticulating as she went. "It's probably nothing, but when is anything ever nothing? So it's probably something. We represent Soline on this venture, so that means proper posture and protocol." Normally she was the type to slack or cut corners, but not with Soline. She seemed quite serious and worried about getting the job done correctly.
"Beacons don't get tripped every day, otherwise there would be a regular crew for this. So in short, we get in and check what's wrong. Prepare for hostiles at worst." To be fair, Silas always said that, even if Charlie didn't know.
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Post by Charlie Willow on Jan 17, 2015 19:43:41 GMT -5
Charlie’s hand actually jolted down and gripped the wrench handle on her hip, unconsciously. “Hostility? Like, violence?” She cringed, but did her best to stifle it, keeping a fairly sober expression on her face for once. She only struggled a moment longer before flipping a mental switch, readying herself for whatever actual work the Paragon might require of her.
She blinked slow, rubbing her chin with her right stump. “I can’t say I’m incredibly suited to combat, in all honesty, but I’m ready to suit up and see what I can do to help. Earn my keep and all that.” She sniffled again, her nose twitching and wriggling even more as the ship slowed.
Charlie’s spine shot up an extra inch straighter, rolling her shoulders back and looking especially good-postured. “Won’t let you both down! Just, tell me what to do.”
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Post by Cate Baxter on Jan 18, 2015 10:27:35 GMT -5
Cate chuckled at Charlie's reaction. "I ain't suited to much outside the Paragon, an' if I can handle it I'm sure you ain't gonna have much o' a problem neither Charlie." A finger jabbed at Silas, "This one's only one here who really knows her way aroun' with a gun. That's why I'm askin' her how t' handle things. She don't tell me how to fly an' I don't tell her how to handle things when we get there."
"So we go in all smiles an'... You ain't gonna make me dress up all nice are ya? This is why I stay in the ship. No one goes judgin' me on my own ship." The small rant was aimed at Silas, "Those pants chafe awful an' I get enough pain from my leg without any help."
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Post by Silas Sedgewick on Jan 18, 2015 22:39:23 GMT -5
Silas rolled her shoulders as she stood, rolling her neck next after that. "No dress, not this time anyway. Maybe next time," she teased, winking Cate's way. "Dress for public, but I'll be impressing. I don't know how long your medication takes to kick in, but you're a big girl and I don't need to remind you to take it."
She left the cockpit briefly, only to return moments later, holding a gun and holster in her hand. "This is for you, Charlie. My spare." It was a self-defense v12 firearm, or SD-12 pistol for short, designed by Heliotech. "It won't blow a hole through any bulkheads, so don't worry if you miss. Just try not to, mm?"
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Post by Charlie Willow on Jan 19, 2015 21:53:31 GMT -5
Charlie let loose a little sigh of relief, shrinking back down an inch. "That doesn't sound so bad, yeah. I'm pretty chafe-resistant." She smirked to herself, her eyes wandering aimlessly, following Silas out for the moment she was gone, and only widening once the other woman returned.
"You're giving me a gun." She sounded incredulous, but wasn't exactly hesitant in taking it into her hands. Her eyes eagerly took the firearm in, resisting the urge to tear it apart and learn it's mechanical secrets. "You're giving me an actual weapon. To use?" Her wide brown peepers found their way up to Silas.
"You guys are fuc-- freaking awesome!"
Around now is when a reasonable person would regret this decision.
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Post by Cate Baxter on Jan 20, 2015 17:35:36 GMT -5
Never one for being a reasonable person, Cate simply laughs at Charlie's enthusiasm. "Just don't go firin' nothin' in here. Even if ya could fix it." Leaning up, she flipped a switch and began to mutter a countdown, if they were actual numbers she was speaking. Another button gets pressed at the end. "If ya never jumped before ya may wanna grab somethin' other than the new shiny Charlie."
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