Well, this is.. horrible.

[reconstitution]

Who: SS Caprine & visitors
Broadcast: ???
Action: All aboard
When: 8/3


[Dread is probably not a good feeling to have in the face of actually having something resembling a 'team' now. Unfortunately, the way this place seems to love uprooting and depositing people out of nowhere into unfamiliar territory, and it sets him on edge.

His eyes narrow as he looks around yet another place he's unaccustomed, being bombarded by-- colorful shreds of paper and overly-cheerful music. And even more people. Once again, he longs for the familiar weight of a weapon in his hand, but this fleet just loves to suck the comfort out.

At least this is a more permanent residence? Time would tell on that one.]

Comments

[tothefly]

[The voice isn't one she's familiar with, nor is the body. Male, average height, wary but not combative. She's more cautious than usual, with the broken arm. Handicapped just means she's got to be twice as smart. Hand still on the weapon at her side, she steps forward just far enough for her face to be seen, though the shadows hide her hand on the grip of her gun.]

Just passing through.

[She knows what he sees. Red hair, small stature, non-aggressive posture. No one special. Just a girl on a walk.]

[save_the_souls]

[He sees her step slightly out of the shadows, but not all the way, as she's hiding. Yeah...that's weird. Weird and not a sign of passing through. What would she even be doing in an area of the cargo bay like that?]

Are you...visiting someone on this ship?

[tothefly]

The captain. Seen her around?

[If he knows Mal at all, he'd know that she's got weirder friends than ones who tend to hide when they hear footsteps they don't recognize. She steps further out of the shadows, moving to get a better look at the stranger asking her questions.]

[save_the_souls]

[ As she steps out of the shadows, he notices the broken arm. That's right- Dr. Crusher had treated someone for a broken arm recently, hadn't she? He remembered seeing the daily medical report mentioning that- but not much else about the case. Broken arms weren't exactly unusual enough to require every medic to look into, after all.]

[As for Allen...well, he was unusual looking but didn't exactly appear threatening. White ponytail, scar across the left side of his face, a number of piercings on his ears, a jacket and white gloves, backpack. There was no sign of any weapons on him - he looks more like he just walked off a school campus.]

[He shakes his head]

I haven't, sorry. I was visiting some other friends on the ship.

[Were Winter and Nightingale people he'd consider friends? Honestly, who knows. But why get into that with a stranger?]

[tothefly]

[She's seen weirder. Honestly, after the accordion-playing pony, it would take a hell of a lot to surprise her, appearance-wise. Doesn't mean she doesn't observe as best she can, memorizing appearance, stance, voice. Can't ever hurt to add more to her mental roster of the fleet.]

Not a problem. Guess I'll just have to look. She's late for our appointment.

I didn't mean to startle you, earlier. Habit, I guess.

[save_the_souls]

[It's true, it's hard to top the pony. And he shakes his head at the apology]

It's fine-

Er, it's a habit to hide in the shadows...?

[tothefly]

The last six months, the fleet's dealt with raiders, rabid bugs with a brain-infecting fungus, creepy derelict spacecraft, and space Vegas. Then they drop us here in tropical paradise with helpful natives and toss in a few augment glitches to make things interesting.

If you aren't expecting something awful any minute now, you really haven't watched enough horror movies.

[save_the_souls]

[Oh. Oh she did not]

[That was a patronizing choice of words. Allen knew those types of words well. He's heard it a dozen times before, usually by people who were talking out of their ass. It doesn't particularly charm Allen to her either and he takes a long inhale, before he smiles]

I actually quite enjoy horror movies. They're so inaccurate to reality, it's hilarious.

[And that faint smile stays on, much like his mother's]

I'm afraid, ma'am, you're talking to the wrong person if you wish to sound cautious and wise. Because I've learned from my many experiences, caution is laying down precautions and back up plans in case something goes wrong. Like the blood drive. Or an alarm system. And wisdom is knowing when to listen to your fight instincts, and when listening will only make things worse.

However, caution is not lurking in the shadows of a ship that isn't yours with a weapon - especially when you're injured. [The smile becomes a bit wider] And wisdom is not what you're doing right now.

Now, why tell me, why exactly are you hiding in this ship's shadows?

[tothefly]

Mostly, I'd like to sound like someone who's minding her own business and hoping for the same in return.

[She doesn't appreciate being condescended to, even if he's got his own reasons. Maybe he's got friends on the Caprine, too. Maybe if the situation weren't what it currently is, she'd care. Right now, she's just looking thoroughly unimpressed by his attitude, and not at all guilty about being called out on it.]

You have a personal stake in the matter?

((I'm really sorry, I lost the notif for this in a gmail stack, I think. I understand if you want to drop it! It's totally my bad.))