Gumball Wishes and Taxicab Dreams

[thespaceopera]

[On today's episode of the Drift Fleet:

The cargo holds are full of mysterious crates! The crews are filling beyond capacity with new faces! Official alerts are informing the passengers that they are signed to contracts that they've never agreed to! They are docking at the dazzling FS Starlight, but are flat broke!

What are they going to do!? Stay tuned to find out!


...Meaning, this is a kickoff mingle for you all to enjoy the beginning of the latest plot setting. This is a convenient place to start threads relating to the first week of the event-- meeting new crewmembers, reacting to the mysterious cargo, arriving on the station and discovering that you're all broke, etc.

Tag around, start whatever you'd like, have fun. And, as always, feel free to make your own posts and mingles from here on in, as this will be the only mod-posted one for this event!]

Comments

[resnipstance]

[ Ahsoka can't help it. She smiles, despite the seriousness of the conversation. ]

I feel like I'm learning about a whole new side of you I never knew about. I never knew you were such a romantic.

[geonomy]

[He sips at his drink too - Mm, yeah, that is good! And familiar, too! A lot of the other drinks were ones he'd never heard of before with entirely unknown ingredients, so seeing something he knew was a nice surprise.

He smirks a bit at that "X" comment and glances down at Allen's hand, and - yep, there it is, probably one of those ones that only shows up under a black light or something. Though that means he probably shouldn't drag Allen out to the dance floor, if he didn't like the crowded part. But the part about seeing him dance makes him stop drinking, then start to tilt the cup back and forth a bit as he fights the urge to swipe at his nose.]

Really, you saw that? So, ah, what'd you think? [Keep it cool and suave Terran don't be shy]

[ragazzina]

Rubato?! ...Ne ha restituirlo?

[Look at all of these good priorities.]

Oh, she's a girl! That's much better, names for girls are easier because you just have to pick a pretty one. Mm, what about Duchess? Or something white, like Lily...or maybe something that means white, like Bianca! Mmmmm, but...

[She tips her head to the side, regarding Joseph and the puppy, and then back again.]

Really, I think...well, pilots and clouds, they go together, don't they? So you should call her Cloudy, and it fits.

[And now she looks quickly at Caesar.]

Anche se ci ritorno, lei ha bisogno di un nome, nel frattempo, giusto?

[princessia]

[ Elize's blush grows brighter. She's even more surprised to see someone who appears close to her age is willing to give her a small tip. And with very nice pink hair! Not like those rude children in the Sharilton square who wouldn't let her join their pinkist club. ]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked it.

[princessia]

[ With the cloak draped over her, she stirs slightly, dreaming that she's still on her old ship, the Huntress. Cullen would always tuck her in or put a blanket over her whenever she accidentally fell asleep on her couch. She's sleeping so comfortably, Sorey may be able to get through several pages of his book before she finally opens her eyes.

She shifts around underneath the cloak and stares up at Sorey. She's awake now, but looking dazed. ]

[princessia]

[ His voice makes her jump a bit. Then she cracks a small smile. She hasn't seen him in awhile, but she's happy to see him again. ]

Stefan!

[ Turning her head back towards the display window, she stares at the dress for awhile longer. Maybe it would look good. She'd like to try it on, but she should save her money. Who knows when they'll get their bank accounts back. She squeezes her stuffed doll in her arm, the plushie has been doubling as a chip storage for her. ]

...I should probably save my money.

[princessia]

[ The woman's sudden appearance gets a little squeaky yelp out of Elize. She nearly stumbles over, but manages to keep her balance. Clutching her staff, she holds it very close to her chest and looking as though she wants to hide behind it. Of course, it's far too thin to be used for hiding. ]

Where did you- [ Come from? ] Um... thank you...?

[princessia]

[ Spirit artes is a part of life in Rieze Maxia. It doesn't seem to bother her that she's casting healing spells out in the open. She's earning money and helping her crew. ]

Oh, sure!

[ This time leaving out the unnecessary flipping of her staff, she prepares another spell and speaks aloud another incantation as swirls of light circle around her. ]

Rain down, the breath of life... Healing Circle!

[ The circle of light that opens up underneath her is even bigger this time around, fancier-looking too. In addition to the glyph, there's even more light raining down from above like shooting stars. It lasts for several seconds before disappearing.

It draws in another crowd and applause, as well as more tips. ]

[nextlineis]

[Joseph grunts and shoots Caesar a glare when he elbows him. But he can't keep his attention there for very long. The puppy thinks there should be less talking and more petting. She starts running back and forth between Joseph and Suzie, even when Joseph starts to pet her.]

Hey, you two, English.

[He doesn't know what they're talking about, but it's got Suzie worked up. So that's something to talk about in English, not Italian. He's looking back and forth between the two of them now, just daring them to start talking in Italian again.]

c

[diplomacme]

[ A lot can change in a week. It's like that back home as well, but here it's more pronounced. You don't often go from "secretly married" to "outed because you have two adult children." Sprinkle on a little time travel and "by the way everything is being broadcast to persons unknown" and it's been... an experience.

But there's a silver lining. With their "secret" outed, she and Anakin can actually be a normal couple. There's no war looming over them, no immediate danger, no missions or meetings pushing them to opposite ends of the galaxy. So when there is one good thing among a sea of terrifying, confusing, and downright upsetting things, she'll take it with both hands.

Which is why she's standing at one of the many platforms, her dress and hair fluttering from the breeze of passing hovercars. She's waiting for one cab in particular. Hopefully it'll show up before someone else takes his fare. ]

[stefanged]

Probably, since I think everyone's account is unreachable, but you know... I do owe you a gift.

[He grins, glancing back at her. Stefan is dressed a little nicer than usual, with a navy blazer and pressed slacks, but he hadn't intended to buy clothes so soon. Nah, this was more from the unexpected job he'd gotten dragged into.]

Why don't you try it on, and if it fits? I'll buy it for you. Consider it repayment for Shirley's painting.

[mylegacy]

Suzie.

[But he can't not laugh at that. God, she's cute. Joseph's annoyed and it's cute. The stupid dog is cute. Everything's cute. He leans in and ruffles her ears, reaches to cup Suzie's cheek.]

I was telling her how you stole this dog. I like Cloudy, dolcezza, but someone will have to find her a pilot hat.

[ragazzina]

And cut little holes for the ears?

[There are like three people all with their hands up on this dog right now. How is this dog going to manage. Everybody wants a piece of her.]

Jojo, who did you steal her from?

[nerdeology]

[BUT WATER

BUT LIBRARY

Suddenly this place doesn't entirely suck. Mikleo gives himself a whole three seconds to consider it, then pushes himself off the fountain's edge, dusting crumbs off his pants.]

We'll have to come back here later, as well. There's still plenty of park left that I haven't seen yet.

[And, you know. It's nice. With the hand not holding the sandwich, he brushes his hand lightly over the water's surface... then casually wipes the hand - now cold and wet - on the back of Sorey's neck. Did you miss him, buddy?]

[princessia]

[ Her earnings might be a lot smaller compared to whatever Stefan's job is. She can't take up the jobs in any of the establishments and the tips she gathered really aren't enough to buy a decent, nice-looking piece of clothing. Her mouth gapes open slightly in disbelief, then back towards the dress. ]

Are you sure? Y-you could just get me a hair accessory or something...

[thezerothlaw]

[He blinks at her, mildly puzzled by this, but he gives this some thought and nods. He reaches for a couple bottles and a tall glass, and starts mixing. The drink he places in front of her after a minute or two is bright red and fizzy.]

This is the house special. It's quite popular. It's called a Red Giant.

[save_the_souls]

[And that sly little smile remains on his face. Since, honestly? It had been fun to watch, what with Clay telling him before he didn't like dances. Not to mention, very attractive.]

It was very fine.

[stefanged]

Very sure. I don't need a lot of money, beyond things for my crew, so if it's within reason [which he kind of thinks it is], I wouldn't mind.

[He figured, though now he's wondering if he can rope Elize into his "unexpected job" too. He makes a mental note to compel his boss later.]

Come on, let's go in and see what else they've got in stock.

[nerdeology]

[Aaaand faltering here, because. There's the problem.]

"To be honest, we've never purified anyone who wasn't a hellion before. It usually requires a battle... but for someone willing, presumably all we would have to do is target the malevolence with seraphic artes. Or the armatus, perhaps... either way, you wouldn't be harmed. Normally those purified only sleep for a little while."

[nextlineis]

[She's just going to have to learn how to adjust. Or be caught in an endless cycle of trying to determine who she wants the most attention from as she is right now. She'll either make herself dizzy or just sit down and give up at this rate.]

Okay first of all, [Joseph holds up a finger,] I didn't steal her. I would never do something like that.

[........He might think about really hard, but that's not the same thing as actually stealing. That's only half a lie.]

I was supposed to deliver her to a new owner, but they didn't show after like two hours. It's not like they lost out on any money. I wasn't going to get paid until she was delivered and besides, I couldn't just leave her there.

[Joseph picks the puppy up with a grin and brings her in close enough that Suzie's face is now being attacked with affectionate puppy kisses and snuffling.]

Could either of you left her there? Really?

[experiencepoints]

... Okay, so trying to provoke a fight explains why you bust into there like that.

[very pronounced eye-roll.]

And? What happens to me once I wake up?

[mylegacy]

Oh, so.

[He glances sideways at Joseph, mostly suspicious, a little bit affectionate.*]

[*Note: these ratios may not be to scale.]

You saved her. Like a superhero. Is that what you're saying?

[ragazzina]

Eep!

[...Look, you can't expect a meaningful contribution out of her when she is getting FLUFFY PUPPY KISSES ALL OVER HER FACE.

Coincidentally, this is an excellent method of getting her on Joseph's side, because all logic seems like sound logic in the face of FLUFFY PUPPY KISSES ALL OVER HER FACE AAAH OH MY GOD]

I think he definitely did the right thing! Poor Cloudy...!

[pyroelectric]

... Is that all. Well, I was going to offer to loan you the money, but I'm sure your bank account is much more robust than mine. Having been here longer, and all.

[monolike]

[ACTUALLY YOU KIND OF SEEM LIKE A MONSTER

Sorey immediately recoils and gives Greed a look like he's probably Satan or Hades or Nickelback.]

You- You're Mikleo's captain! [wow this guy is STEEPED in malevolence, no wonder mikleo was uncomfortable on the ship so often]