Felicitous Faculties

[Jay Fuller]

Jay shrugged a bit at Ilana when she glared at him. What could he say? Marcus asked the girl about her skills. She replied with a comment about the crew. Jay raised an eyebrow. She had a point, he would admit. Jay was surprised when she then turned her comments to Ilana. Afterwards, she mentioned her navigation skills. Did they really need it? They seemed to navigate fine on their own.

Jay found himself legitimately surprised at Ilana's anger towards the girl, especially in her last comment. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ray beat him to it. "Jesus Ilana, what's wrong with you?" he said. Ilana shot back with the accusation that she wasn't the one who started it. Jay sighed. From what he could tell, Ilana put herself in this position. She seemed rather hotheaded lately. Hell, maybe she was always like this and Jay was just starting to notice. Thankfully, Marcus intervened and continued with the interview. He asked Lulah about her previous work.

When she began describing everything she had done, it made Jay realize just how inexperienced he was. It made him feel a little out of place, really. He didn't know much about any of his crew's past and they didn't know much about his. The only difference is they had something to tell. Jay looked up, pushing his thoughts away. They were bothersome, and being bothered was not something Jay wanted to deal with right now. He could write about it all later tonight, anyway.

Ray got up and moved toward Ilana. Jay used it as a moment to turn his attention back to the Marcus and Lulah conversation. He figured that if anyone could calm Ilana down, or at least convince her to not be rude, it would be Ray. The two seemed to be getting closer in the past couple weeks. Jay glanced at Ilana as she got up and left. He stood up and scooted over to where Ray was sitting before.

[Lulah Hayes]

“A Thardvark?”

Lulah's initial reaction was to wrinkle her nose like she'd just smelt something foul. But the question provoked a thoughtful pause which served two purposes. On the contrary, the first of which was to take note of 'Mr.Gentle Giant' moving across to 'Miss Fire Cracker'. A cautious second or two followed, in which Lulah held a breath in case something lit the woman's fuse again. The scrape of her stool against the floor as she stood up though, was definitely a relief. Lulah had prepared herself, both mentally and physically, for a one-on-one meeting. If she'd known there would be more, she would have brought her gun alongside the security of the utility knife currently lodged down her right boot.

Secondly, she actually had to answer the question. “Hmm...” Lulah gave sound to her continued thoughts alongside the occasional pitter-patter of chewed down nails strumming against the bar top. Although she was mostly facing Marcus at this point, her back was half facing the remaining crew member, while the other half pointed at the bar. A more advantageous position that opened her out to the rest of the room, and also, could give her a clean break for the door.

“Y'know, I don' reckon I have. But! I'll say this; everybody's got their first time. An' the way I see it, up here -” Pausing a moment to tap at the side of her forehead. “Ain't crowded with all that... gorram useless tzao gao they teach kids. Nuh-uh.” Her finger waved, like she was giving a mini-lecture of her own.
“This here's my trade see? An' jus' 'cause I don't know who wrote some shiny book, don't mean I can't tell you the fastest route from... Newhall to.... heck, Dyton if you like.”

A gleeful spark hit her eyes, and she even breathed a half-laugh at a distant memory soon to be shared. With it, her un-propped leg gave a little swing; the toe of her boot barely touching the floor. Then, leaning back slightly, Lulah directed her concluding words to the quieter and definitely younger looking man. She even lifted a hand to the side of her face, like she was sharing a secret. “Talk mighty funny there though, if y' ask me. Barnet fairs an' Jack Jones... whole moon is one giant Bughouse.”

It hadn't of course occurred to her that he might be from Dyton, but once again, the damage would already be done if he was.

[Ray Hudson]

Following Ilana towards the table on the other side of the room, Ray thought about what he was doing. He felt that Ilana was in the wrong and that she needed to understand that but he doubted it would work. From what Ray had seen Ilana was a large well of irrational indignation that would probably never dry out. At that point Ray knew that what he was about to do was in vein but it didn't matter. He had already gotten her here and as long as he made his opinions very clear than this would be a success. Ilana sat with her back to the wall but Ray stayed standing. He didn't imagine that this would take long.

It was silent between them for a moment as Ray tried to find the right words to say, trying to pick and choose a course. He stared at her a bit before looking away and shaking his head, a hand in his pocket while the other rubbed his face.

"What are you doin'?" Ray asked, looking back at her while keeping his voice down. "Do you even know how your acting? We've been in here twenty seconds and you're already startin' shit." Ray pointed at the door when he mentioned how long they had been there. His voice was gradually getting louder. "Why, cus you said that she-she insulted you?" Ray said, stuttering a bit as if he was audibly trying to grasp Ilana's reasoning for acting the way she did.

"Four people walk in and surround her, she's on edge, and her attitude bothers you?" Ray continued, putting emphasis on the word 'bother's' like the word shouldn't even exist in that context. "You threatened to cut her tongue out!" Ray leaned in as he said this, his voice now unintentionally reaching a volume where the entire room could hear him. "You gotta be a special brew of fucked up to threaten someone like that, someone you don't even know! And I don't wanna hear 'she started this, she started that'." Ray kept going and when he said that he didn't want to hear who started all this he used a mocking, annoying girl voice. "You're a fucking adult!" Once Ray realized that he was shouting he took a moment to control himself.

Deciding that this probably wasn't the best course of action, Ray changed his direction. He knew trying to get Ilana to explain her reasons was a waste of time. In her head she was entirely justified in her action and after reminding himself of that Ray found himself even more upset.

"We need a navigator." Ray claimed, his voice now low once again. "Marcus can't keep flying the ship on his own. It wastes to much time, too much fuel and too much money." Ray knew from experience the value of a navigator and once again, he thought of Big Willy. "We hire one and we'll be saving a lotta money and a lotta precious time." Ray then turned to look at Lulah, who was still sitting at the bar. "And look at that, there's one sittin' right there, willing and able." Ray said, taking up his own condescending tone. "She's like a...little red rose, sprouting outta the ground just for us." Ray said with a smile on his face, speaking in a cheap metaphor.

"And what are you doin'?" Ray asked, getting back to the start of the conversation but now with a smile on his face. He put his hands on his knees and leaned forward to get closer to Ilana. "You're burning it to the ground!" Ray growled, his smile now absent, losing his cool without thinking. The burning referred to the burning of the rose and the fact that they may lose this potential navigator. Ilana had hurt the group with her actions and Ray was still furious at how pointless it all was. Her actions since she walked in and Ray's efforts to explain it to her.

"So, if it's all right with you...If it aint to much trouble..." Ray said, trying to sound calm but his anger lingered a bit. "Keep your fuckin' mouth shut and let Marcus salvage your little screw up!"

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus exhaled as Ilana and Ray moved further from the group. He wasn't sure what Ray wanted, but he could only hope it would pacify Ilana. A navigator was a stroke of fortune he wasn't used to. He'd also need to have a talk with Ilana. He offered for them to be here to listen to the conversation not ambush a crew member.

Her reaction to the 'Thardvark' comment was a little flinchy. He wasn't sure why exactly. Might be he missed something. Or she had something to hide. Irrelevant. She had the skills and Marcus had the bills. So it was just a matter of getting her to sign on.

She mentioned not having a lot of formal learning, that Marcus chuckled at. In a friendly way.
"I know the feeling, all anyone ever taught me was how to ride, shoot, fly and scrap. Everything past that's been a real rough ride in figuring out." He admitted, mostly for Jay's benefit.

He stopped his smile and looked at her, straight in the eye. "I'm sorry if we've come on a little... real hostile like. Thing have been shaky for us from day one and I haven't earned that captain title; I'll be honest to myself and you." He took the rest of whisky and let the burn linger in his mouth.

"I'm a browncoat hooligan whose just trying to survive in this gorram 'verse. Honestly not to particular as to how, and that's the part that's caused some problems: maybe." He shrugged.

"Pays what it is. Food and a room. We travel a lot, moreso if your routes are as shiny as you say." He looked to her again. "Any questions?"

[Ilana Logan]

When Ilana sat with her back to the wall, she saw Ray wasn't far behind her, but when he made it to the table, he didn't sit. He didn't say anything at first, and Ilana didn't say anything either. She took a swig of her whiskey, and sat relaxed in the chair. He stared at her, looking as though he was trying to figure out what to say, but she refused to look at him. Even though she was calming down, quite well on her own, she was still fairly angry. From the corner of her eye, she saw one of his hands scrub down his face.

"What are you doin'?"Ray asked, his voice low. "Do you even know how your acting? We've been in here twenty seconds and you're already startin' shit." Ray pointed at the door, his voice gradually getting louder. Ilana turned her eyes to him. "Why, cus you said that she-she insulted you?" Ray said, stuttering a bit. Ilana felt the anger boiling up inside her again. At the same time, she felt something else. It wasn't shame, because she still felt she wasn't wrong. But there was something. She didn't like Ray being angry with her, but more than that, she didn't like Ray talking to her like this. Ray was the only person she'd met in a long while that had talked to her like she was nothing. Not just less than, but nothing, and it pissed her off and bothered her in other ways.

"Four people walk in and surround her, she's on edge, and her attitude bothers you?"Ray continued, "You threatened to cut her tongue out!" Ray leaned in as he said this, his voice now loud enough the entire room could hear him."You gotta be a special brew of fucked up to threaten someone like that, someone you don't even know! And I don't wanna hear 'she started this, she started that'." Ray kept on, mocking her, pissing her off even more. She felt the anger reaching a point where she didn't know how much longer she could control it. Ray siding with that girl that none of them knew, over a member of his crew, just strengthened her resolve. That feeling that Ray thought she was nothing got stronger as well, and she really didn't like that. He should have just left her alone. She was calming down on her own, but no, this dumbshit had to play hero for the little bitch he didn't even know. He was publicly humiliating her, or trying to. "You're a fucking adult!" Ray was shouting, and he suddenly seemed to realize this. He made a visible effort to calm himself. Ilana downed the rest of her whiskey in one gulp, her eyes blazing with barely controlled fury.

Her grip on the glass tightened. "We need a navigator." Ray said, his voice low once again. "Marcus can't keep flying the ship on his own. It wastes to much time, too much fuel and too much money. We hire one and we'll be saving a lotta money and a lotta precious time." Ray then turned to look at Lulah, "And look at that, there's one sittin' right there, willing and able. She's like a...little red rose, sprouting outta the ground just for us."Ray said with a smile on his face. That smile made her want to break something with his face.

Her grip on the glass tightened more and she thought in a mocking tone, And there it is.

She'd known since Longstreet's party that Ray didn't think very much of her, but this was just that final push. That final 'fuck you'.

"And what are you doin'?" Ray asked, with a smile on his face. He put his hands on his knees and leaned forward to get closer to Ilana."You're burning it to the ground!" Ray growled, his smile disappeared. "So, if it's all right with you...If it aint to much trouble… Keep your fuckin' mouth shut and let Marcus salvage your little screw up!"

Ilana felt a crack run up the side of the glass in her hand and suddenly she was standing right in front of Ray without a clear memory of how she had gotten there. The glass wasn't in her hand, which was probably for the best. Apparently, she'd left it sitting on the table.

"Fuck you Ray. You want to side with a stranger because you think you got a shot a getting in her pants, be my guest. But don’t you dare blame me for this whole thing when you don't even comprehend what the fuck is going on, and don't think you can talk to me like that to get yourself in the good graces of that girl. I won't stand for it. You want to talk about screwing up? She's the one who is here looking for a job. I don't give a good goddamn if she felt threatened. You don't walk into an interview and be hostile to the people you're trying to get a job from."

There was something in the back of her mind telling her to just stop, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. First, she seemed to be the only one willing to tell that girl the truth. Everyone else was willing to be walked all over by her just because she had a set of tits and a skill they wanted to exploit. Then, Ray drags her away from the others, just to scream at her so that everyone in the damn bar can hear. Hell no. "I don't give a fuck if you like it. And just for you, I'm gonna let you in on something that you're clearly too oblivious to get by yourself. I hadn't said a word to her, not one word, since Marcus asked me to calm down. I actually was calming down, until you had to stick your nose in where it didn't belong. If you actually paid attention to the people around you for once you might have noticed something besides how you feel about it," she said, her voice low, slightly mocking, and still very angry.

She paused only long enough to take a breath, and went on, "I wasn't getting into the whole 'she started it' bullshit. You brought that up, not me. Make no mistake though, I don't care how small I am, I don't take anyone's shit. Not even yours, and definitely not some hóng tóufǎ de mǔgǒu that I don't even know. Just because I like you, doesn't mean you get to talk to me like that. You want to talk about screwing up Ray…" Ilana's voice was low, but her anger showed through very strongly.

She let out a harsh but quiet laugh and said, "You're like the pot calling the kettle black. All you do is screw up, and you want to lecture me. Please."

Ilana was pissed. She wanted to hurt something, but she knew that doing that in here wasn't a good idea, and it wasn't a good idea to hurt a fellow crew member regardless of how pissed off she was at him. And she knew she should just shut up, but her brain and her mouth don't often agree on anything. Instead she said, "Why don't you, head back over to your perfect little red rose, and just stay the fuck away from me." It was worded kind of like a question, but no one would mistake her tone for having asked him. At that, she stepped around him, and walked away, toward the bar where she'd been calming down quite nicely, all by herself, until Ray had stuck his fucking nose in.

---

Hóng tóufǎ de mǔgǒu means red haired bitch

[Jay Fuller]

It took Jay a minute to realize he didn't even touch his drink. He took a sip and sighed. Turning his attention back to Lulah, she responded to Marcus' question. Jay was glad she wasn't completely turned away from him. It might get him a chance to join in on the conversation. Jay was unsure about her comment about the schooling. It reminded him of something his father often called Alliance officials -- educated idiots. Jay wasn't quite sure he ever agreed with the sentiment. When Lulah glanced back to him.

“Talk mighty funny there though, if y' ask me. Barnet fairs an' Jack Jones... whole moon is one giant Bughouse," she spoke of Dyton.

"Never would-a guessed," he replied, smirking as he did so. He took another sip from his vodka. It's true that he'd only been to three planets, and frankly he had only vaguely heard of Dyton -- he didn't know much about the 'Verse's hundreds of planets. He figured he didn't need to know the names of all the Core planets to take out a bullet wound.

Jay glanced over Ray and Ilana. He could hear them by now. Ray had been shouting, then went quiet again, then yelled some more. Couldn't have taken that gǒupì outside? he thought.

"I know the feeling, all anyone ever taught me was how to ride, shoot, fly and scrap. Everything past that's been a real rough ride in figuring out." Marcus responded.

Jay smirked, "No shit," he mumbled.

As Marcus continued with his monologue, Jay became increasingly surprised. His admitting he wasn't worth being called a captain was something Jay definitely wasn't expecting. It was honorable, really. That was something Jay noticed didn't happen much when it came to job interviews. It was often, "I'm the boss and blah blah blah," but this was different. If anything, it had to be a plus. Had Jay in Lulah's position, he would have thought it made his possible new employer a lot more...human.

- - - - - - - - - - -

gǒupì = bullshit

[Lulah Hayes]

Now that the situation had calmed down, Lulah was able to focus on what she'd come here to do in the first place. That was, to sell herself. Or rather, put the skills she could offer up for sale. The chuckle she earned from Marcus told her that, as long as the slate was wiped clean of earlier mishaps, she was earning a spot in his good books. At this point, that was all she could really ask for. The younger man next to her was pretty grey, and she couldn't really tell if the comment aimed at her was sarcastic or not. At least he was being sociable though, which was more than what could be said for the two who'd retreated to the corner. Lulah couldn't hear them word for word of course, but once she was done talking, she'd stolen a quick glance over. The largest of the male crew members, was still giving the engineer an earful. 'Serves her right, she smirked. 'Wouldn't hurt to be a fly on that there wall though.'

Marcus gained her attention again soon after, and she returned the eye contact with big blue eyes. The apology was definitely appreciated, even if it wasn't entirely necessary from him. Naturally, Lulah didn't think she was to blame either. What she didn't really expect though, was for him to then admit that he hadn't earned his rank. Her eye contact wavered, unsure at first of what to think about this development. Wrinkling her nose in thought, her finger absent-mindedly curled several red strands around it. Roth, her previous Captain, was essentially a bully. Sure you could argue that he just had a military edge, but he always made sure that there was very little doubt about his capabilities. Never would he ever say that he hadn't earned the right to be in charge. Now, it was hard not to compare new acquaintances to old ones, but it was also hard for Lulah to really draw on this particular comparison. Roth wasn't the greatest captain, and maybe that was because he was too hot-headed to ever admit that he'd been wrong. A little honesty was a nice start, even if she wasn't really in a position to be all that picky or choosy about her employer. He hadn't mentioned anything about having to share bunks or showers to save on water yet, so as far as she was concerned, this was a golden opportunity.

By the time Marcus had resumed talking again, she was lightly smiling back at him. The rest of what he had to say was simple enough, so she nodded, finally let her gaze casually drift back to the ruckus in the corner. Voices hadn't really rose enough for her to hear what was going on, but any Jack or Jill could see that the conversation over there was getting tense.

“Am I gonna have a problem with that one?” Lulah's thumb gestured towards Ilana with a single, flexing elbow movement, as she looked back at Marcus. “'Cause it can get awful cramped out there in the black, an' I ain't good at steppin' 'round eggshells for too long. Jus' sayin'.”

“Other than that, yeah, it all sounds shiny enough. Jus' don' put push a gun in my hand, an' we'll be all gravy.”

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus tensed when Lulah jerked her thumb toward Ilana. This was the big point. It was fine and dandy when Ilana was putting her opinions on the planning table. But she nearly cost them a very likely crew member. He'd have to have a talk.

That would suck. It really really would. There was going to be some pot and kettle calling out and Marcus would probably have to own up for his own short comings.

Fine. Better here on the ground than in the middle of a crisis.

He nodded. "I'll have a talk with her. She's slow to warm up, but she has her reasons." After all the strange folk they'd run into, Marcus was willing to tolerate the sass a bit.

But not much longer.

"I don't intend for you to do much shooting. But intent and what happens often part company in the Black." Fair warning. We get into trouble.

"Well, if that's said, welcome to the crew of the Chainless." He held out his hand. "If your skills match out to what's advertised, I'm sure we'll get along well enough."

[Ray Hudson]

'Fuck you Ray.' Ilana's response was already off to a great start. Ilana accused Ray of wanting to sleep with the new girl and that was why he was sticking up for her. He was a bit taken aback by that and he was about to get defensive until Ilana kept going. She told him that he can't blame this all on her when Ray doesn't even know whats going on and he didn't really know what exactly what he wasn't comprehending. Ilana didn't explain and she went on to say that she didn't care about the girls feelings and how she was being rude. Despite all she was saying, Ilana had yet to elaborate on any of this and Ray was still have issues deducing what exactly the girl said in the first place to set her off. Ray hadn't sensed any hostility from the girl and Ilana seemed to be the only one who did.

As she went on Ray was hit in the face with how useless this all was. Ilana, for whatever reason in her neurotic mind, thought she was right and Ray was obviously bonkers for not thinking so. She wasn't even letting him get a word in and he was beginning to wonder if she took some 'bitch vitamins' with her morning coffee.

When Ilana mentioned that she didn't care how small she was and that she 'didn't take anyones shit' a few people Ray knew flashed into his mind. The only people Ray knew who claimed 'not to take any shit' were the kind of people who let pride cloud their judgment. He once new a girl, Claudia, who slammed another girls face into a brick wall because 'she felt disrespected'. Once it was looked into, it turned out that Claudia pulped up the poor girls face because she was an old friend of her boyfriend. The two of them walked into each other in the street and talked and that was all it took to have her face smashed. Ray was starting to think Ilana was one of those types of girls. He referred to them as 'cunts'

The topic of 'screwing up' was brought up and Ray's eyes focused on hers. She asked him if he wanted to talk about screwing up and let out a little laugh. Ray's face had the look of challenge, saying without words, 'Go ahead, what do you gotta say?' Ilana threw an idiom at him and she claimed that all Ray ever did was screw up and he had no right to lecture her because of that. That statement alone would be enough to sour his mood on the best of days. Not only was her statement based on nothing but she said it like she knew it as a fact. His eyes narrowed and he listened to her finishing statement. Ilana told him to head back to Lulah and stay away from her. She started walking away, trying to make sure Ray didn't get another word in.

Ray followed Ilana to the bar and once she reached her old seat he was right behind her. Before she could sit down, Ray grabbed Ilana by the back of the head and slammed her face against the bar. Once her face made impact with the wooden surface Ray clumped a bundle of her hair in his fist and brought her head back up. Blood was already on the bar and It looked like he had caused some damage to Ilana's face but he wasn't finished. Ray slammed her face into the bar again, then again and again and again and again.

Blood was now all over the bar and Ilana's face was a destroyed mess, eyes shut and her cheeks now black and blue. Her nose was broken, teeth were missing and from the looks of it Ilana would need some core world surgery to be even considered 'homely' after this. The rest of the group looked in horror as Ray held Ilana's beaten head in his hand. He gave her one last slam into the counter before he let her limp body fall to the ground, strands of hair still in his hand. Ray stood over her body, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. He looked over to the bar and saw the damage he had done. Ray looked down at Ilana and wiped her hair off his hand.

Snapping back to reality, Ray watched Ilana and her intact head walk back towards the bar. The thought of smashing Ilana's face in only lasted a moment as she was still making her way to her seat. Ray wasn't going to hurt Ilana but he did still have something to say

"What, you're not gonna cry this time?" He called to her as she kept walking. "Go ahead and cry." Ray said, cruelly.

[Ilana Logan]

"Self-righteous son of a bitch," she muttered to herself, thinking about how much she wanted to hurt him right then. Nothing specific. She just wanted him to feel pain of some kind.

As she walked away from him, she heard his parting shot. "What, you're not gonna cry this time? Go ahead and cry," he said with a cruel tone.

Ilana laughed, but she didn't stop. How original, she thought. Her laugh was a strange one that time. No one would mistake it for an amused laugh. It sounded like the laugh of a deranged serial killer. She heard that sound herself, but she didn't much care at the moment. She didn't really want to think too much about it. She was pissed off for more reasons than she could even count, and a few of them were directed at herself.

She had never been one that was able to hold her tongue. She could never pinpoint the exact second when things got out of hand, but they always seemed to when she was around. Even when it wasn't her fault, or when it wasn't entirely her fault, everyone always seemed to blame her. She was defensive about things like this for just that reason. She didn't see why she wasn't allowed to defend herself, but then again, no one really seemed to care why she was so pissed off, they just wanted her to shut up and play nice. It was nearly always like this.

Fuck this. I gotta get out of here, she thought.

As she reached the bar stool she heard Marcus as he welcomed the red haired girl to their crew. Oh, that's just lovely, she thought, knowing she really needed to get out of there. Ilana put a few coins on the bar to cover her drink and leaned toward Marcus without sitting.

Very softly, so that only he would hear, she said into his ear, "I'm leaving before I kill him, or at the very least try to."


She didn't wait for a response. She pushed back from the bar, away from Marcus, away from them all, and walked away once again. She walked out of the bar and headed for the shops.

[Lulah Hayes]

Although Lulah quite blankly stared back at Marcus, inwardly, she was nodding with slight understanding. Everyone had their reasons after all, just like how she'd had her reasons to don harder that usual armour today, in the heat of the moment. Maybe if she knew what the big deal was, she'd admire the engineer for sticking up for her crew mates. For now though, that was irrelevant. Lulah had bigger things to think about, such as how she'd finally found a Captain who was willing to take a chance on her. A slow smile warmed her features, as he offered up his hand. Of course, the crew's engineer was back at the bar, and even just a quick, side-long glance her way confirmed how her mood hadn't exactly improved with her time out. That wasn't about to dampen her mood though.

'Really? Crew member already? Well that was somewhat easy!' Lulah would have to give herself a pat on the back later, but for now, she wasted no time in slapping her palm against Marcus', and initiating both a very firm and very quick shake.

“Shiny!” She grinned, even if the moment was short lived. Lulah barely managed to snatch her hand away in time as Ilana leaned in to the captain. She was half wishing she'd spat on her palm before shaking just to prove a more solid point to the rest of the crew. That point being, that she meant every word she'd said, and every word she hadn't said too. Such as, how she wasn't the type to easily leave a ship that she liked. Considering how desperate she was to be out in the black again, the likelihood of her taking dislike to a ship was probably slim to none. The way she silently watched the volatile woman now without physically shrinking away, only clarified how she wasn't going to let no 'tit-for-tat' get in her way.

“Well now.” Lulah finally broke her silence once the engineer had turned heel and departed. “Juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean jan...” Reeling from dry sarcasm that wasn't quite so obvious in her tone, Lulah paused to fish both hands deep into her pockets. Finally dishing out the coins needed from either side, she slapped them down on the bar without a care. Nothing could tarnish her mood right now, because she'd landed a stable job, and that was all that mattered. All she cared about, was getting off Beaumonde before past transgressions managed to creep up on her again. Just like they always did.

“Much as I'd like to sit around sharin' stories an' the like, it looks like I got me some packin' to do." Slipping off the stool and onto her feet then, her arms stretched out with a little yawn, before hands planted on her full hips. "So, where've you parked up, an' when do you folk reckon you'll ship on out?”

---

Juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean jan = this is a happy development

---

[Jay Fuller]

“Am I gonna have a problem with that one? 'Cause it can get awful cramped out there in the black, an' I ain't good at steppin' 'round eggshells for too long. Jus' sayin'.” Lulah said.

Marcus responded to her and Jay added, "She's normally not zhème duō de mǔgǒu."

Then, she was accepted to the crew. Jay drank the last of his drink. After a minute, Ilana came back in a huff. Okay, it was more of a huff. If looks could kill, the entire gorram building would be up in flames. She leaned over and whispered in Marcus' ear and then walked off. Jay watched her storm off and debating going after her.

Jay smirked at Lulah's response to Ilana. Well, hopefully things wouldn't be bad between the new crew member and their mechanic. Even though he was still unsure about adding another member to their crew, he was thankful she was a she. Jay naturally warmed up to women easier, so who knows: she could be totally awesome. He tried to not be biased and reserve judgement.

- - - - - - - - - - -

zhème duō de mǔgǒu = ...that much of a bitch

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus's fist, the one at his side, not the one held out to Lulah; clenched to where his fingernails were leaving marks in his palm. Ilana was almost back down to simmering and cooling off. Then Ray put his foot into the door and blew the issue right back open.

"I'll talk with him." Marcus managed, but she was already heading out. Jay's comment earned him a 'button it' glare from Marcus.

What the Hell? What in all creation possessed him to rile it all up. He shook Lulah's hand and gave her the name of the dock and as for departure: "We're like to get a run inside the week." He looked over his shoulder to Ray with a look that bled anger. He gestured for Ray to take a seat next to him.

But Marcus likely missed his mark in the problem. SO he was going to be level with this. He ate several pieces of the cooling chicken. It was good and kept his mind off the coming discussion with Ray.

As an after thought. "Jay, why don't you go with Lulah and help her with her things." Too late to send him after Ilana, who clearly wanted to be alone to vent her steam.

[Ray Hudson]

Rubbing his face, Ray stayed where he was and focused on his anger. The thought of relaxing or taking his mind off what just happened didn't even cross his mind. He watched Ilana whisper in Marcus' ear and then leave the bar and Ray thought it would be best if he just stayed away from the group for a while. If he joined them again he would probably bring his anger into the conversation and complain about Ilana's actions to them. He stayed in the same spot, awkwardly looking around and eventually leaning up against the wall.

It was a surprise to see Marcus gesture for Ray to come sit with him. Ray stared at the seat, thinking of what this meant and he thought about Ilana's whispers and the scene he just made. Marcus wanted to play Daddy and Ray was about to get a talking too. Ray scoffed at the thought and he shook his head with a smug look on his face. Ray wasn't about to walk into that situation and he even if he did Ray would end up tearing into Marcus for one reason or another. If Marcus wanted to 'talk' he would have to be a bit more subtle and maybe have better timing. A direct approach wasn't the best way to have that type of discussion with Ray as he tended to reject what you were saying.

Ray unstuck himself from the wall and he stared at Marcus as he started to make his way towards the door. If Marcus really wanted to talk, he could try a little harder but Ray knew how unlikely that was. Ray's face was mostly serious as he stared at Marcus while on his journey to the door. Before Ray turned away, a small smirk came onto his face and he walked out of the bar.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus watched Ray leave and felt a bit of anger boiling in him. Fine. Marcus had been playing nice a bit too much; he started to reason. He had tried to let things work out, tried to just be hands off and let people work their own problems through.

Clearly that was only driving the crew into the loony bin.

Time for a new approach. After dinner. He put down the coin for the meal and ate in silence. When Jay and Lulah left was their prerogative at this point. But Marcus was going to have a chat with Ray sometime.

God that was going to be all kinds of fucked.

[Lulah Hayes]

A run inside the week? Lulah could've sighed out loud, but her drooping shoulders said it all already. 'Knew there had t'be a catch somewhere 'round here,' she reminded herself sourly. She sighed anyway in a quick huff. “Plenty o' time to get all settled in then I reckon,” she added out loud, though the comment was mostly just to appease herself.

After that, she saw the captain's gaze diverting and of course, followed like it was an unspoken order. One glance over to mr.muscle and back though, only convinced Lulah that her decision to leave was both well-made and well-timed. 'Yup, that'll be a shindig brewin'. Of course, her plan had been to just sort it out on her own, but it seemed the captain had another idea. At his suggestion, she turned to eye this 'Jay' up and down. Ah, the quiet one with the dry comments. A little too well-bred and clean too. Indeed, her initial and rather judgmental conclusion was the unimpressed folding of arms under her small bosom.

“Hmm,” apparently she was still thinking about the offer. One hand raised to place fingers at her pursed pout, while eyes narrowed to the point of scrutinising. “Don' look like you got much beef.” But any sign of her declining the offer was quickly negated as a more mischievous grin crept up on her lips. “Ah heck! Why not. Ain't gonna shoot no gift horse in the mouth... so long as it don't start moochin' through my junk.”

[Jay Fuller]

When Marcus shot him a 'shut up' glare, Jay only smirked. Afterwards, he asked Jay to help the new girl with her things. Jay wasn't too sure about it -- he and meeting new people tended not to work. But then, this past year had been nothing short of stepping out of his comfort zone. Compared to getting shot in the leg, why should this be hard at all?

He nodded, "Sure thing, boss."

Then Ray left after Marcus summoned him. It was obviously out of pure defiance of Marcus that he did it, but still. Jay watched as Marcus began to seethe a little. Then he noticed that Lulah had taken to summing him up. He raised an eyebrow at her when she folded her arms. Really? Jay thought. Maybe this girl wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Hmm...Don' look like you got much beef," she said. Jay snorted. He opened his mouth to speak, but she added, "Ah heck! Why not. Ain't gonna shoot no gift horse in the mouth... so long as it don't start moochin' through my junk.”

Jay chuckled a bit and stood up. He left a coin on the table. "Fair enough," he said, "But I can't guarantee anything if you have some clothes that might look good on me."

'Phase 2 of Meeting New People: Sit in Silence' complete.
'Phase 2 of Meeting New People: Make Awkward Jokes' commence.

[Lulah Hayes]

Summary

Jay's comment gained a short, half-barked laugh from Lulah. Her smirking retort was complete with a cheeky wink, as she turned to lead the way out. “Watch it, else I'll be holdin' you to them words.”

Outside was smoggy, but the day was still young regardless of the many street lights and lanterns that lit the way. Traders bustled from store to store trying to catch a bargain or strike a deal, while the dock doxies were already coming out to play, with their painted faces and bright red fans. “Home sweet home,” the navigator mumbled to herself while attempting to hail down one of the taxi cabs zooming above, with her waves and jerked thumbs. One finally did a rather dangerous U-turn manoeuvre, and descended down to ground lever to open it's doors to her and Jay. Lulah of course wasted no time jumping in and sliding across the seat. Once her travelling partner was in, she leaned forwards towards the driver's window, making sure he heard her loud and clear. She'd been swindled before by drivers who went to the wrong block for extra fare, and wasn't about to let that ever happen again.

“District five, apartment block 8-C-9-D.”

Dark eyes stared back through the driver's mirror, and the plain, local man behind the wheel nodded. Soon enough, the cab was lifting over the tops of by passer’s heads and trade stalls, until it was high enough to accelerate forwards at high speed. Lulah of course, didn't bother with her seatbelt, but seemed to be relatively relaxed in what was a comfortable environment for her. There was plenty of time for small-talk later though, so she was unusually quiet, save for the odd question here and there to pass the time.

“What are ya then? Cook? Deck-hand? Pilot?”

District five wasn't far at all from the inner city limits, and was mostly a series of high-storey blocks supposedly stacked with apartments to rent, along with the odd hotel or bar-grill here and there. The apartments were more like single room studios though, complete with affordable rent, so long as you held a full time job. Once the cab hovered up to the correct building, the credits were tossed over, and soon enough, her front door was sliding open. It was more like a cupboard than a living space. Not even a single window, and barely much space to move around. All the essential utensils folded away into the walls, including the bed, which was currently folded down. On top of it though, was all her stuff, suggesting that she'd either slept with it all next to her, or had been rummaging through it before heading off to the bar. There really wasn't all that much there though; definitely not enough for two people to have problems carrying. Indeed, she usually managed to transport it all herself, but it made sense for Jay to just come along and show her the way back to the ship.

“Go on an' grab those there boots will ya?” She ordered, while stuffing spare clothing in her rucksack before Jay would really get chance to see if they were even worth trying on. There were two pairs of boots; the laces tied together so that they could be slung over the shoulder for easy transport. Other bits and pieces were shoved into the bag; protein pastes, fire jelly, a bottle of whiskey, hair dye packets, it all went in until the poor thing was about ready to burst at the seams.

“I like to travel light,” she grinned, having struggled slightly to sling the bag over her shoulders. “Don't forget them now.” A finger pointed to the boxes of newly purchased food cans in the corner; two boxes to be exact. “No need to be wastin' nothin'.”

Considering this was her own private stash though, there really wasn't all that much. It was quite sad really; being able to just move around with nothing but a rucksack full, and some strung boots. But she had no shame, in fact, she wore a content smile all the way. Probably because, out in the black, all you needed was food, and the sanity to endure the endless nothing in between planets.

[Jay Fuller]

Jay chuckled at her response. An image of him walking around the ship in women's clothing popped into his head. He was pretty sure doing that would get him shot either by Ray, Marcus, or even himself. He followed her outside and stared up at the giant buildings. He briefly wondered what it would be like to be at the tallest one and see the entire city stretch out below him.

"Home sweet home," he heard Lulah mumble. She must have grown up here? He didn't ask, however. After a couple minutes, she waved down a taxi.

"Impressive," Jay commented on its craft maneuver. He hopped in next to Lulah. He leaned back into the seat and watch the city fly by as the cab started up. He glanced at his taxi-partner, then to the front window.

"Medic," he said when she asked what she did. "I like to cook, though. I'm also one of the only people on the crew that actually can cook something that isn't toast." He followed her up to her apartment once they got out of the cab. "So did you grow up here?" he asked.

He looked around the small apartment. He wasn't surprised -- in the city, things were a lot of money for small living. Jay was pretty sure the rooms on the ship were bigger than this as well. He looked around and said, "Okay, where do we start?"

She instructed him to go grab boots while she stuffed things into a sack. He picked them up and slung them over his shoulder. "I like to travel light," she said, "Don't forget them now -- No need to be wastin' nothin'." Jay walked over with a quick, "Yes, ma'am!" and grabbed the boxes. He set the boots on top of them and then grabbed them from the bottom.

"Is that everything?" he asked.