The Festivities of Fortune

[Ilana Logan]

Ilana wondered what Ray was thinking as he walked beside her in silence. His face had went from angry, to smiling, to..... something she couldn't quite define. She knew it wasn't a good look regardless. She was walking with him, wondering where he was headed, when Jay spoke. She'd forgotten he was there in the drama of the moment.

"Or both is always a good plan," Jay said with a grin, in response to Ilana's question. She glanced at him and saw as he twirled Marcus' cane and rested it on his shoulder. "There's gotta be at least one single lady here, right?"

She said nothing, but she spread her arms out to her sides and gave him a what the hell do you think I am look. That was the problem with her. Even dressed up, no one considered her single, or good enough to date. I'm just the mechanic. What the hell can I expect? A line? She thought, finally crashing the rest of the way down from her happy place. She hadn't been smiling anyway, so she didn't try for one now, but she definitely fought to mask what she was feeling. Self-doubt. She didn't have to worry about that much. Spending most of your day covered in grease means no one expects you to be drop dead gorgeous. What bothered her more than anything was that even when she dressed up, she hadn't warranted so much as a second glance from anyone in the room.

She pulled her thoughts away from that train wreck waiting to happen and turned her focus back to Ray. He seemed like he had withdrawn from her again. He seemed like he had calmed from the raging anger he had displayed, but upon coming down from it, he'd just gotten that brooding look about him instead.

That's only slightly better than anger. At least with anger, he's feeling something, she thought.

"I think I'd prefer to stay sober tonight," Ray mentioned. "And helping me get lucky..." He paused and then went on, "I think we should probably...give up on that."

When he finished, Ray had a smile on, but it looked forced. Ilana's own smile was forced in return. The disappointment she felt at Ray having given up on their scheme was beginning to feel like the theme of the evening. Getting a little wouldn't do any of them any harm, and Ilana could probably use the stress relief as much as the rest of them.

Doesn't seem like that's gonna happen though. I'm not going to bed with some random stranger like Marcus apparently is, so I'm left with the sly guy and the time bomb, she thought harshly. Then she chastised herself for thinking that way. Ray had been nothing but kind to her tonight, and many other times. As horrible as their fighting had been, it hadn't happened often, and only when they were both so stressed they couldn't find another way to deal with it but to lash out at each other. That's what it is for me anyway....

She closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to clear her head and then Ray spoke, "Unless you really think you can help me?" Ray said to her, an eyebrow cocked. He stood in front of her and Jay and spread his arms out, as she had to Jay, putting himself on display. "I mean, who wouldn't look at this and immediately fall in love?" Ray asked with a bright, cocky smile.

Who indeed? She thought, her breath catching. That smile will get him laid tonight even if I can't. Even if it was fake, that smile was enough to light up a room. Too bad.... She thought, stopping herself before she made herself regret that train of thought. It was too much to think about right then.

Onto the task at hand then, she thought.

"Oh, we can definitely get you a piece. So long as you keep smiling like that," she said.

[Jay Fuller]

For the moment, it seemed Ray and Ilana were off in their own world. Jay sort of felt like a third wheel. Oh well, he didn't mind too much. He was kind of the guy on the back burner on this crew anyway. Hell, he was practically on the back burner of his own life.

Jay was starting to get sort of depressing vibes off these two. Ray was upset because he couldn't get laid. Ilana seemed sort of upset for...whatever reason. She must have been projecting off of Ray? Jay couldn't tell. If it weren't for the fact that they've been on the same ship together for weeks on end, he probably wouldn't have noticed anything. But spend enough time with someone and you can read them well.

"Unless you really think you can help me?" Ray jumped in front of the two of them, surprising Jay a little bit. "I mean, who wouldn't look at this and immediately fall in love?"

Jay smirked and let Ilana take it. It was moments like this when he actually admired Ray. Despite his problems, he had a good heart. If it weren't for the drama, Jay could almost see how someone could fall for him. Ray really was a good guy. Everyone on the crew was. Even with all the crazy, and was there a fuck ton of it, Jay was glad to be with this group. He loved them in some odd sort of way. Granted, he didn't know them too well, but on some level he knew them more than he knew a lot of his friends back home. When he really thought about it, there wasn't a crew he'd rather be with.

"Yeah," Jay said, "And worse comes to worse, you've got a working hand." Jay walked around Ray, ducking under his arm and patting him on the back. Jay was surprised once again at how even just being on a ship with people can raise his level of comfort around them. Hell, he might even be able to openly admit that he was sly soon enough. Though, he wasn't sure how Ray would take it. Or Marcus, for that matter, especially after the interesting fondling comment he made a while back. Though Jay chalked that up to the drugs more than anything. Still, Marcus thought it.

And either way, Jay was sure Ilana would be okay with it. Most women tended to be anyway, it was the men Jay had to worry about. He began to make his way toward the food table. He glanced back to see if the other two were following.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus paused as the woman squirmed. "You mentioned Longstreet before..." His kisses drew out whimpers from the woman. The moonlight danced on her skin. The flowers mingled with her own scent. Marcus's eyes caught the moonlight; his lips wet and his smile was calm.

"Don't stop." She whispered. Marcus's finger tapped a gentle rhythm; she bit her finger. "I trade information with him. Now please. Please..."
Marcus nodded and return to his motions, the woman reclining and basking in the moonlight.

[Ray Hudson]

After Ilana claimed that she could help get him someone if he just kept smiling like he was smiling. Taking her advise Ray just kept the smile on his face and Jay said that if all else failed then he could still go out on a date with Rosie Palm and her five sisters. "Let's avoid that if we can." Ray responded. Ray smiled brighter and he followed Jay to the food table.

The food table was covered in the finest finger foods on the planet. Ray immediately grabbed a shrimp and popped it in his mouth. His mouth watered and once he was done with one he scoffed down another, then another. Realizing that he might have been stuffing his face a little too much, Ray turned back to the group, fighting the urge to reach for another of the pink crescent moons.

He looked out at the crowd and just watched the guests. Their body language, their smiles and laughs. A confused old man sitting alone, looking around like he was lost in a mall. A middle aged man who already had too much to drink and would probably be escorted out after yelling at his wife. Ray watched them all, wondering who they all were, what their positions were.

Ray looked back at Ilana. "Well, what's the first step 'Hellcat'?" He asked. He wanted to see Ilana's game plan. Ray had fairly low expectation of her abilities as a wingwoman but he would let her take the reigns. It would be better that way for a few reasons.

[Ilana Logan]

When Ilana told Ray that if he kept smiling that smile, she could get him laid, he managed to keep it on. Just as it was when she said it. It was a very nice smile indeed. He was rough around the edges, and definitely an asshole, but he had a great smile. As usual, the medic managed to pull her out of her own mind.

"Yeah, and worse comes to worse, you've got a working hand," Jay said and walked around Ray, ducking under his arm and patting him on the back.

Ilana gave a look of disgust to Jay's back. "Five minutes ago, you called Ray classy," she said softly, making classy somehow sound sarcastic and like a dirty word at the same time.

"Let's avoid that if we can," Ray said.

Ilana rolled her eyes at the two of them. Jay made his way to the food table, glancing over his shoulder at her and Ray. Ray's smile brightened and he followed Jay. Ilana shrugged as if to say Amateurs, and trailed behind the two men. The food table was littered with so many types of hors d'oeuvres she couldn't name them all.

She watched as Ray plucked a shrimp from it's display and ate it whole. Then she watched in amusment, her forced smile relaxing into a more real one. as he began shoveling them in as fast as he could pick them up. After a moment, he turned back toward her, and the crowd of people in the room. He looked around, watching them. Ilana followed his gaze around the room, trying to see what he was seeing.

He looked back at her then and asked, "Well, what's the first step 'Hellcat'?"

Ilana met his gaze for a moment, then looked back over the room. The smile left her face completely. Without looking at Ray, continuing to look out over the crows, she said, "First, we find the girl in the room who is most likely to be similar to you. Find the social outcast. The one who looks uncomfortable just being here. The one who looks so tense that just by looking at her you can tell she hasn't been laid in months. She'll want sex just as bad as you do, and you look good enough that she probably won't care what you talk about, so long as you're willing to get in the sack with her."

Ilana searched the crowd with her eyes, looking for a woman who was standing alone, no ring on her finger, looking like...well, like Ilana herself had looked before Ray had found her. She let her eyes roam over the faces in the room slowly until she saw the woman in red. The dress she wore was floor length, thin straps, but very modest, aside from the bright color. Her hair was jet black, beautiful blue eyes, heart shaped face, small nose, and pouty lips. She was beautiful, but she was alone. She wore no ring. She looked like she was ready to bolt. She was perfect.

Ilana casually pointed her out and said, "Her."

[Lord Reginald Marleque]

Though he had managed to keep most of his security detail outside, Reginald still felt like they were still trying to find ways to get all of them inside to ensure he was safe. Fortunately he’d managed to convince his primary officer that he was the only one who would be necessary for where they were going, but he would have to be dressed in his dress uniform, and not in full helmet and battle fatigues. Reginald wasn’t sure, but he thought it was likely he was the only one in the party that was armed.

He gave a sigh at the thought that such measures were necessary. Though he trusted everyone at the party, there were those from the Central Planets that believed because it was an Independent World, its people could never be trusted. It didn’t stop the Parliamentarian from walking about with a smile on his face as he would meet new people. It was likely he was the most famous guest there. A member of Parliament so far away from the Central Planets wasn’t a very common thing to see, and many didn’t want to waste their chance to meet one.

Unfortunately for many of them, Reginald knew the game almost too well. He could spot someone trying to get him into their pocket in an instant. But he was well known for having a clean record, and being purely devoted to his causes, which was primarily the well being of the people on the Border and Rim. He would only keep those in mind that he felt truly had those same intentions at heart.

He did not have anything to drink, as he didn’t want to embarrass his host by having his security officer test it before he had any of it. Though the life of a player in the highest politics of the verse’ was an often restricting one, it was livable, and Reginald had few complaints. As he walked about the bottom floor he moved passed the people who were dancing. He smiled and gave a short chuckle looking at them. He wished in that moment that he’d brought his wife there with him, but she didn’t enjoy travelling as much as he did, especially not so far away from home.

As Reginald walked around the dancing people, he looked up the stairs, and saw on the second floor the party’s host. Reginald had made a mental note to speak with him, and he decided that it was as good a time as any. He moved his way up the stairs towards the second floor to do just that.

Half way up the stairs he noticed that his host had left his position and was approaching the stairs. Reginald didn’t intend for him to have to walk all the way over just for a conversation with him, but he was glad he wasn’t going to have to interrupt a conversation with another. As he approached the top of the stairs, with his security officer just behind him, he looked up and faced their host.

”A delightful gathering you’ve put together Sebastion, bravo.” He greeted as he came to the top, and bowed once he stopped.

[Sebastion Longstreet]

Some seemed surprised that Longstreet had worn the same sort of clothing that he wore nearly everyday of the week. A black shirt, with a black set of pants, all covered by his fine black coat. But while it had the invitation had said that it was a formal occasion, it had only been in there as a formality. Longstreet had never been terribly concerned with the way people dressed, so long as they upheld a certain standard. And he’d come up with a very conservative view. Though raised with wealth, by the time he was in the military academy he had the idea of having a straight forward form of dress that represented ones self plainly set in his mind.

He adjusted the dark scarf that was beneath his coat as he looked over his guests. He had just come from a short conversation that he’d had with the ‘lieutenant’. As he’d finished he came out around the balcony on the second floor to look down. Everything seemed to be going well, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before he was spotted by someone that wanted to speak with him.

He wasn’t as wealthy as many of his guests, but many of his guests didn’t command the sort of respect he did. Wealthy trade barons, regional governors, Alliance Military officers, and frequently mistresses for all of them, none of them quite held the esteem that he did for anyone that wasn’t forced to. This thought would go in and out of his mind, primarily so he would remember how to treat them individually. Though many of them weren’t as powerful as he was, they all thought they of themselves as the ruler of stars, and it was important for them to keep thinking that. It was especially important since they were in his home.

“A lovely home you have here Mr. Longstreet” Someone called from his right.

”Thank you.” He replied in kind. He continued to walk forward, and there was another call.

”Thank you very much for the invitation Mr. Longstreet, Zhè shì běn sàijì zuì wěidà de dǎng.” A young woman said from in front of him again.

”Xièxiè nǐ de guānglín” Longstreet replied politely.

Longstreet spoke politely, and put on a light smile, and the illusion that he was pleased was upheld. Inside he wasn’t very happy however. Longstreet preferred small business meetings, and dealing with people in private. This was a gathering of the rich and powerful, for the sake of having a gathering of the rich and powerful. But it was expected of him, and it won him the favor of many, so it wasn’t too terrible.

He stopped a moment to look down at the bottom floor once again. A fine blue robe caught his eye, worn by an older man with white hair. Longstreet knew exactly who dressed in such a thing, and moved to intercept him at the stairs. He was unsure if the man had seen him, but Longstreet could only assume that’s why he’d bother making the trip to the upper levels.

With Carl right behind him, he stopped at the stairs. The man with white hair began to speak, and Longstreet greeted him with a smile, and bowed right as the man did.

”It’s good to see you Reginald. I’m glad I’m not the only old man here.” Longstreet jested. Though there was one man that was at the party who was older then both of them, it was a frequent joke between Longstreet and Marleque that they were always the oldest men in the room.

[Lord Reginald Marleque]

Laughing lightly through a closed lipped smile, Reginald came to stand evenly with Longstreet. It was good that Longstreet brought up the running joke between them. Otherwise he would have to do it himself. Reginald was a good speaker, and could find a way to do it, but it was nice not having to be the one doing the artful speaking all the time. ”You’re the old man Sebastion, I’m just a dusty corpse that still manages to convince everyone he’s still living.”

Reginald had known Longstreet for a many years. They’d met once before the war began when Longstreet was in charge of a security command he had out on the Rim. They didn’t speak during the war as it wouldn’t have looked very good for an outspoken Rim advocate in the Parliament to be having communication with a General of the Independents. But after the war Longstreet had contributed a great deal of money to Reginald’s causes, and they reconnected. Reginald had many friends from the Core to the Rim, but Longstreet was someone he connected well with.

They were both relatively close in years, and they had a similar view on how things should be in the verse’. Though Longstreet had gone into business and Reginald maintained his position in politics, they still held mutually beneficial arrangements, the most recent of which had been Longstreet using his resources to collect a very special item from Earth-that-was. In return Reginald would support Longstreet’s business interests, and keep him informed on a wide variety of matters that may concern him.

Their professional interactions aside, they were still fairly good friends. They could talk to each other in a way that they couldn’t very well talk to other people, which was refreshing for Reginald, just as he presumed was the same with Longstreet. ”So how about we move over towards the railing there.” Reginald suggested, pointing to a spot further down in the direction Longstreet came from. ”We’ll give the gossipers some xīnxiān de wūgòu to talk about, yes?’ Reginald asked, but he was already moving towards the spot he’d pointed towards, while his security officer watched Carl, Longstreets bodyguard, as they moved.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus fixed his outfit. One of the reasons he'd chosen it was because it all fell into place rather easily. The neck thing was a bit hard to finagle again without a mirror. Smooth hands helped him and tugged his jacket a bit tighter.

"No sense catching cold." She said with a smile, replacing her handkerchief into her purse. Marcus hadn't even noticed it. He laughed, catching cold in a garden room with a woman like her. It was a stretch of quip.

She walked past him and Marcus stayed there looking out the window to the grounds. In a place like this, security probably got a free show. He didn't care. The last year had been hell for him. All the people who'd died in front of him. The people he'd killed with his own hand. The bloodshed, the lose. The general madness of it all was driving him to critical.

Now he finally had vented, a bit. He was leveling out.

"Now where do I go...." His stomach grumbled. "Buffet it is." Marcus moved through the halls, coming out in the main room, and saw Jay by the food table; Ray and Ilana nearby.

Marcus walked up to where Jay was picking at the food and smiled. "Hows my cane holding up, Jay?" He looked to Ilana and Ray, who seemed to be hatching a cunning plan. He put his hands on his side and noticed something. He had a billfold in his inner pocket when he got dressed. On the off chance that something happened and he needed cash for an emergency. It was gone.

"Oh that..." He smiled, saw the woman on the arm of another man. "...fox." He laughed, before finding a small plate of triangle cuts to pilfer from.

[Jay Fuller]

Jay grabbed a couple more of the tasty snacks, and put a couple more on his napkin. When Ilana began describing Ray's perfect woman, Jay began laughing. "How are we gonna find a female Ray?" he asked mockingly.

When she pointed her out, Jay raised an eyebrow. Okay, he thought, Maybe there is someone for Ray. And hey, if there was someone for crazy ole' Ray, maybe there was someone for Jay too...Okay, that was a mean thought. He was mostly kidding.

Jay nodded at Marcus, "Fabulously, sir." he said. He twirled it once again and offered it to the captain.

[Sebastion Longstreet]

Laughing at pleasantly at Reginald’s joke about being so old, Longstreet smiled. ”You’re not quite that old.” Longstreet replied. ”At least I hope not, because that means I will be as well soon.” Longstreet knew that they were still nearly a decade apart. But when people got to be a certain age, they were just lumped together, much in the way that those who were younger were. But while youth made a point of noting the distinction, the older generations tended towards removing it entirely.

When Reginald suggested they move over towards the railing, Longstreet smiled. ”A member of Parliament speaking with a signer of the Peace Accords? In my home no less?” Longstreet clarified, explaining the dirt that was to be found. ”I suppose, if you aren’t tired of people whispering traitor behind your back” Longstreet said as he began to walk with Reginald.

Longstreet knew the history of Lord Marleque well. It was part of the reason they got along so well, since Longstreet supported all of his positions and projects. But they didn’t call him “Regi-Rimkin” for no reason. The outspoken Parliamentarian spent a lot of time advocating the people on the Rim, and speaking with a former General of the Independents wasn’t going to make that stop. For the most part that had all died down, and Longstreet wasn’t the commander of opposition forces, as much as he was just the Overseer of a large trade network.

As they approached the railing Longstreet thought to ask a very obvious question. ”How do you like your new weapon?” Longstreet asked, referring to the item that he had most recently acquired for Reginald. The one of a kind item hadn’t been the most easy to track down, but hadn’t been difficult to obtain. Aside from the time, it really hadn’t been a difficult favor to do.

[Lord Reginald Marleque]

Hearing the note about the whispers spoken about him, Reginald smiled. He knew about what people said well enough, especially when it came to things spoken behind his back. None of it bothered him. Anyone who was so aggressive in their thoughts as to perceive him as a traitor wasn’t worth trying to convince anyway. Of course Reginald would at times try to do that, and was frequently successful. But his real passion was in seeing all of the planets brought to a civilized standard, while being able to maintain their own uniqueness. It was a dream that was far away, but one that he hoped would come sooner rather then later.

Reginald looked over at Longstreet as they walked ”Why should I worry about what’s said behind my back, when I have more people yelling such things to my face.” It wasn’t true. No one really openly called him a traitor, he didn’t hold any traitorous motives or ideals. He supported Unification openly. As far as most people were considered he was just an old humanitarian that had lived the high life so long that he was detached from the way things really were.

That was far from the truth, but Reginald let it sit. He’d been in politics far too long to think that he could convince everyone to see things the way he did. Instead he was just satisfied knowing that what he was doing was actually helping people, and not just empty words that he spoke in a hall millions of miles away from the people they pertained to.

The moment Longstreet mentioned the weapon that he had apprehended for him, Reginald’s demeanor lightened even more. ”It is everything I hoped it would be, and in perfect condition no less.” Reginald pointed out. ”And they said it was lost forever.” Reginald mocked what the historians had said. ”I would very much like to meet the man who managed to locate it, and return it to the verse’, without even a scratch.” Reginald mentioned. He liked meeting people, especially those that did great things. Whether they were rich or poor didn’t matter to him, it was what they had managed to accomplish in life that really meant something.

[Sebastion Longstreet]

Stopping as they reached the railing, Longstreet looked down at the people a moment. He scanned them over, but didn’t focus on anyone in particular. He did see at least one person who was looking up at them, some wealthy man who was large in the belly, but he didn’t stop to see who. He brought his attention back to Reginald, to hear the answer to his question.

He was glad that Reginald was pleased, but he already knew he would be. It was as though Longstreet had brought something that was a myth into reality. Though it had only been lost for a period of ten years, it was still a very valuable item that was supposedly destroyed. No one had really known if it was hiding in a basement, or if it was destroyed in a freighter amidst the chaos of the war. But Longstreet had found it, and that was all that mattered presently.

”I had the item checked to ensure it was still completely intact. Otherwise I would have informed you of its condition prior to having it delivered to you.” Longstreet mentioned. He didn’t tend to go into details about things like that, especially if they weren’t in private. This was just another example of that practice. A vague explanation of a process that was far more complex then he was letting on.

Longstreet wasn’t surprised to hear Reginald mention the desire to meet the one responsible for the items recovery. He knew Reginald liked to personally oversee giving credit where it was due, and Longstreet hadn’t ever implied that he had dug the item out with his own two hands.

”As luck would have it.” Longstreet started. ”The leader of the expedition is here this evening.” Longstreet then turned to Carl. ”Lieutenant.” he addressed him in the way he always did. ”Go and find Mr. O’Terra.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Carl moved off to go and find Marcus.

[Ray Hudson]

Once Ilana lost her smile Ray turned to the crowd after her. He figured it was her game face and it was serious time now, which he found humorous with such a light situation. Ilana started to describe what kind of girl they would be looking for. She said that they should look for someone who is most similar to him and she started to describe a social outcast who was desperate for sex. "I don't think-" Ray began to say as Ilana described the girl they were seeking but she kept going. He was beginning to think that the night was going to continue it's dreary rhythm. Ilana was scanning the room and Ray did the same. Jay asked where they were going to find a female version of Ray. Ray was getting a little bothered by the groups image of him.

Marcus approached the group and asked Jay how his cane was doing. Last Ray saw of Marcus, he was walking past the group of 'models' after their husbands arrived. "Hey, where were you?" Ray asked curiously, looking at Marcus then turning back to the crowd. He expected that he went to find a restroom or walk around the manor once he tried to dodge the embarrassing predicament he was almost in.

Eventually Ilana pointed to a woman and said 'her'. Ray looked at where she was pointing and moved his head closer to her hand to line it up. Once Ray saw where she was pointing he took a moment to figure out who she was talking about. He saw her, the beautiful blue eyed woman in the red dress. He looked around some more, unsure if he was looking at the right person. Realizing that Ilana was pointing at the woman in the red dress, he turned to her with a look of disbelief.

"Her?" Ray asked, doubt in his voice, almost sounding like he was demanding her to be joking. "Are you outta your fuckin' mind?" Ray asked in complete disbelief. This woman she was pointing out was on an entirely different tier of beauty. Ray was almost offended that Ilana would imply that he even had a chance to talk to this woman, let alone sleep with her. He didn't even acknowledge how that made him look. "Look at her. She...I-I don't even-I don't even think she's human." Ray stuttered, unable to find the words to describe her. Ray realized that if he was already having trouble talking when he was across the room from her than he couldn't imagine what it would be like actually speaking to her. "I thought you said we were looking for someone who hasn't been laid in months. That...thing...doesn't have that problem." Ray stated, calling the woman 'thing' to keep up with his theory that she may not be one of them.

[Ilana Logan]

Ilana got more than a little irritated when Jay took on a mocking tone and asked, "How are we gonna find a female Ray?"

"Same way we'll find a girl that meets your tastes," Ilana retorted bitingly, angry at Jay now.

She heard Marcus ask how his cane was holding up, then she heard Jay respond in a very odd tone. She paid little attention to them for the moment though. Her attention was divided between Ray and the woman in the red dress across the room. When Ray followed the line of her arm to where she was pointing across the room, he looked at her like she had gone mad.

"Her?" Ray asked. She could hear the doubt in his voice, thick and unmistakable. "Are you outta your fuckin' mind?" Ray asked in complete disbelief, stunning Ilana temporarily.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was somewhat glad when Ray started in again, because she didn't think she could have spoken just then anyway. "Look at her. She...I-I don't even-I don't even think she's human." Ray said, stuttering.

"I thought you said we were looking for someone who hasn't been laid in months. That...thing...doesn't have that problem," Ray said.

Ilana was a little hurt by this, but she'd never say that. She fought to keep the emotion from her face, but in the end she wasn't sure if she'd succeeded or not. She looked away from Ray and back to the woman across the room. She stared at her, willing herself to see what Ray saw. Sure, the woman was beautiful, but she wasn't anything special so far as Ilana could see. She looked like she'd rather be anywhere but here. She looked anxious, bored, and out of place.

Suddenly, Ilana knew exactly how the woman felt. She'd felt that way when she'd been here alone. Before she'd found her crew. Now, those same feelings came right back to her. She'd been having a good time before that man showed up and ruined Ray's good humor. She'd been trying too hard to have a good time since then, and she'd been failing before this outburst from Ray. Now though, she just wanted to leave. She wanted to go back to the ship and get back to being a mechanic so she didn't have to pretend anymore.

She couldn't understand what was wrong with the woman she'd pointed out. She wasn't so beautiful she was unapproachable. She decided not to explain. She sighed heavily and her eyes began to burn. She hated herself for letting his words get to her. He hadn't even said anything about Ilana herself. It was more the way he said it, than what he actually said. She straightened her spine and completely turned away from the group. Without facing any of them, fighting to keep her voice from shaking and nearly succeeding, she said to Ray, "If you didn't want my help, you could have just said so."

With that, she walked away from them as fast as she could without running.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus took back his cane with a raised eyebrow at Jay's choice of words. "As long as that translates to sturdy, I should be fine for the night." He caught on to Ilana's and Rays conversation and Ray's dismissal, outright disregard for the woman she'd pointed out.

The woman seemed fine, not the most dolled up of the woman here, and a bit thin for Marcus's tastes, but that wasn't any reason to call her an 'it'. "Ray, that's a bit strong don't you think?"

Ilana fumed for a moment before walking off, Marcus stopped and looked back at the woman Ray had dismissed, then back and Ilana, then back at the woman. He tried to put her reaction together and it wasn't quite jiving. The girl seemed out of place, like Marcus and his group, a regular working person among all this monied up-ness... oh.

"Fuck." He sighed, and pinched his nose.

[Ray Hudson]

Once Ray was finished with his outburst he watched Ilana's reaction. She looked like she was holding onto something or maaybe not, Ray was never great at reading people. He couldn't tell if she was angry or confused or sad. Ilana looked at the woman again and Ray looked at neither of them. He just looked back at Marcus after he claimed that Ray was being a little belligerent. He started looking around the room, not wanting to make any eye contact. Ilana sighed and she didn't look at anyone in the group. Ray looked back at her and he tried to guess what she was going to say. She turned away from them and she said that if Ray didn't want her help than he should have told her. Her voice was a little shaky and it took a moment for Ray to realize that she was upset.

By the time he did realize it she was already walking away. Ray's face was now dedicated to conveying confusion and he turned to Marcus after his curse. He looked back at Ilana and she was walking away fast. Ray had no clue why she was so upset, if it was him or something else. He thought that it had to be him, there wasn't a whole lot of outside stimuli that could cause this.

Now Ray had to make a choice. He wondered if he should go after her and try to find out what was wrong or if he should just let her leave. Ray didn't know if she needed to be alone or if he should try to comfort her or what. These situations rarely happened to him and he was usually left frozen, thinking but never acting, a choice being made by the time that was used.

"What do I do?...Do I go get her?" Ray asked his friend in green while he watched the gorgeous girl with dyed blonde hair storm off. She left without a word, not a hint as to why she was leaving. The last hint Ray saw was a tear just before she turned to leave.

"Nah, that's what she wants." Ray's friend in green responded. "They walk away, fully expecten' us to run after 'em. Then you beg 'em for forgiveness." The friend in green continued, speaking for all woman, trying to use his experience to advise Ray. "Don't fall for that shit. Don't ever fall for their games." He said to Ray, slowly and clearly. The friend in green turned to Ray and put his hand on his arm, turning Ray's attention away from the girl with dyed blonde hair. "Woman...are fucked up. They use emotions as tools, and that...aint fightin' fair."

Watching Ilana walk away made Ray wonder about his relationship with these people. He wondered, why should he go after her? Why bother trying to understand why she was upset? If she wanted to get so upset over what Ray perceived as nothing than he should let her.

Then Ray started following her. He jogged a bit to try to catch up.

"Aren't you gonna go after her?" Ray's tall, lanky friend asked. The tall friend looked absolutely baffled by Ray's lack of reaction, his face blank and posture relaxed.

"Nah, fuck that." Ray answered, no intention of even standing from the uncomfortable bench he was sitting on.

"C'mon Ray, just say something to her, anything." The tall, lanky friend pleaded.

"Why?" Ray responded, swiftly and fiercely. "You know? What's the point?" Ray asked, putting up his hands like he had already given up weeks before that day. His tall, lanky friend continued to try to get him to go after her but Ray just sat there without another word. He just watched the girl with dyed blonde hair walk away. She was walking slower than any normal person would.

"Woahwoahwoah. Heyheyhey." Ray shot off rapidly once he caught up with Ilana. "Hey, c'mon, what's wrong?" Ray asked, standing in front of her, trying to get her to stop.

[Ilana Logan]

As she walked away from the group, it took a lot of effort to fight off the tears that her burning eyes were threatening her with. She pushed them back by thinking about anything but what Ray had said. Trying to anyway. It wasn't working out so well for her. He had sounded outright angry that she'd chosen a merc for him. She didn't understand the problem, the girl was gorgeous, but not so much so that she was out of his league by any means. She was the same as Ilana, only a lot prettier.

He wasn't talking about you, lass, her mind told her, using the voice of an old friend.

Of course he was. He may have been literally talking about her, but what he said...What he called her....What does that say about me if he thinks that terribly about her?

Before she could internally respond to herself, she heard footsteps, then Ray's voice. "Woahwoahwoah. Heyheyhey," he said quickly.

He stopped in front of her, blocking her path, and asked, "Hey, c'mon, what's wrong?"

She was startled a bit and she stopped walking. She stared at him for a moment, tears shimmering in her eyes, but not yet spilling over. She looked at him, saw the confusion clear on his face. He has no idea of what he just said, she thought.

She crossed her arms protectively over her breasts, gripping an elbow in each hand and looked down at her feet. She blinked rapidly to clear her eyes, and looked back up at him. She searched his face for a moment, let out a shaky breath and said softly, but loud enough so he could hear her, "You called her a thing. You called a merc, just like me, who is way more beautiful than I am, a thing. How do you think that makes me feel? Knowing how much more beautiful than me she is, and knowing how much horrible you think she is."

She paused for just a second. She felt her eyes burning again, and she closed her eyes for a second to fight it off. She took another shaky breath and continued, "I'm not looking for an argument. I don't want you to tell me how wrong I am because you think that's what I want to hear. It's not. I'm just stating the truth. You asked what was wrong, so I told you. Yes, I am a merc, just like you, just like her but that doesn't mean I have no feelings."

She didn't look away from him. She didn't want to know why he thought that way about that girl, but she couldn't stop herself from asking. She felt the tears finally spill over and she hated herself for it. She hated herself for showing weakness to him, and everyone else. "What is so wrong with her? With me?"

She was far from done, but she cut herself off, knowing that nothing else that would come from her mouth would be anything good. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep, shaking breath, trying to force the tears to stop and failing. She didn't cry often, but she knew that once the tears started, they weren't just going to shut off.

If he'd just let me go, I could have calmed down and been fine. I'd always wonder why he thinks so badly of me, but I wouldn't be standing here, bawling like a baby in front of him either, Ilana thought.

[Ray Hudson]

Tears glimmered in Ilana's eyes, like light hitting the end of a faucet handle. Once Ray saw that he felt his breathing halt and he stood there frozen, unsure of how to react. His brain began searching for reasons as to why she was so upset. He wondered if it was something he said or if she was just reminded of something emotional for her. Confusion remained on his face while he desperately tried to understand. Eventually she explained it on her own and the reasons left Ray far more confused.

Ilana referred to Ray calling the woman in the red dress a 'thing'. She said that the woman was a mercenary, just like her only far more beautiful than herself. Ilana asked Ray how he thought that made her feel, to think think that someone who she perceived to be more beautiful than her was horrible.

Ray tried to understand what she just said and he was now aware that there were some misinterpretations going on. Ray had no idea that this woman in red was a mercenary and he wondered how Ilana knew that she was. He wondered if she met this woman or if she was taking a guess. Perhaps she was projecting herself onto this woman but Ray wasn't sure why she would do such a thing.

Ilana also apparently believed that Ray had this disgustingly low opinion of this gorgeous woman he never met. She seemed to believe that because Ray apparently thought so little of this woman than he must think the same of Ilana. Ray had no idea why she would make that conclusion since he had shown no signs of disdain towards Ilana recently, if at all. He couldn't comprehend how she could take Ray's opinion of this woman and apply to herself, especially since her interpretation of his opinion was wrong.

Ray was now completely unaware of what was going on and why it was happening.

While Ray was thinking Ilana continued. She said that she didn't want an argument or to have him tell her that she's wrong to appease her. She said that she was stating the truth, which caused Ray's brain to flex, and that she was simply answering his question. Ilana said that she was a mercenary just like Ray and the woman in the red dress and that despite their job titles she still has feelings.

Ray was trying to think of how to react, the advice of dozens of people in his past flooding his mind. He wanted to get defensive, tell her that she was wrong and he didn't hate this woman in the red dress. Tell her that she was overreacting and she was making something out of nothing.

He looked away from her for a second, bracing himself, wondering if he should really go along with this or think about it. He has been yelling and screaming at people for most of his life and it has done nothing but hurt him. At this point Ray didn't know if he should even bother trying to change. What would the point be? So much of him wanted to tell her that she was acting insane. So why did the knot tighten?

Ray met Ilana's eyes again but his gaze went down to her cheeks immediately after. He watched tears stream down her face and he understood what was keeping him from acting the norm. He understood why he pasted on a fake smile despite what he was truly feeling. He understood why he kept on with the little 'wingwoman' game even though he'd prefer scratching his back with barbed wire. He understood why he chased after her. Ray didn't want to hurt Ilana.

Ilana finished with a question, asking him what exactly was wrong with the woman in the red dress and what was wrong with her by proxy.

Unsure of how he got there, Ray was now standing with a crying woman in front of him, clueless of what to do or say. Ray had a lot that he wanted to say but he kept it to himself. He had already made Ilana cry, he didn't want hurt her anymore. Ray didn't want to be so bullheaded, so cantankerous. He thought about his response but he was coming up with nothing. In the end, he just tried to explain himself.

"There's nothing wrong with either of you." Ray said, trying to sound considerate but also making sure to convey legitimacy in his words. "When I called her an 'it' I was saying that...Y'know, pretty much what you were saying. She's got alotta...good stuff going on." Ray explained. When he said that the woman in the red dress had 'good stuff going on' he made circles around his face, showing that he was talking about her appearance. He was pausing, trying to think of how to explain himself.

"I was saying that she was so pretty that she-that she couldn't...that...I-I was doing a thing alright! I didn't know she was a mercenary! I didn't know you were going to act like this! I-I..." Ray went off, stopping himself once he realized that he wasn't helping. He tried to explain but he couldn't get words out and he his patience with himself ran low towards the end. Not used to trying to be nice, he couldn't convey himself properly but he was pretty sure that he let Ilana know that he didn't hate the woman. He thought that he let her know that his opinion of the woman in the red dress was actually way higher than she thought.

No aware that he was making things worse, he calmed himself down. He was letting his confusion and fervid nature get the best of him and he needed to make a transition. Giving himself a moment, he continued.

"Look...if I knew what I said was gonna hurt you like this than I never woulda said it." Ray explained softly. "I don't hate her and I don't hate you, alright" Ray continued.

Ray wasn't sure what else to say. His mind was disquieted and he was a wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling. He wanted to say more but he didn't know if he could. He knew there was more but he couldn't quite tell what. There was something that was really bothering him though and he asked Ilana without thinking.

"What do you care what I think anyway?"

[Jay Fuller]

Jay was a little taken aback by Ilana's retort. It was a little more harsh than he expected from her. It also made some terrible insinuations about what Ilana may or may not know about Jay's obviously extremely secret love of men. He looked at her as if to say, "What did I do?"

"It means whatever you want it to mean, sir," Jay said. He decided to ignore Ilana for the time being. He didn't want to be brought down tonight.

...Maybe he was a little too harsh on Ray? He didn't seem bothered, but then again Ray was nearly unreadable at times. Jay looked back at the woman Ilana was pointing at. She was pretty, but he didn't think Ray's description was too terribly accurate. And he called her an 'it?' Jay couldn't quite figure out if that was demeaning or endearing.

When Ilana stormed off, Jay turned in surprise. Marcus cursed and Ray looked confused. Jay almost said something, but Ray turned and went after her. Good, he thought. He didn't like misunderstandings, and Jay could tell Ray didn't mean anything towards Ilana with what he said. Why she reacted like that Jay had no idea.

This is why I don't date women, he thought to himself jokingly. He obviously didn't mean it in that way. It was one of those thoughts that you didn't believe, but you thought it anyway. He liked Ilana and Ray and if there was any miscommunication between them he'd want them to fix it.

During the thought process, Jay realized there was an awkward pause between him and Marcus. He looked over to the captain. "So anyway," he said, "Where'd you go?"