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

[redactions]

New York?

[ She might as well have said magic words. Jim is beaming at her now. It's good to have a taste of home. ]

I'm from Brooklyn. What's the year where you're from?

[theoniongirl]

[it doesn't take much for her enthusiasm to spark off of his, matching smile for smile.

Now acknowledged, her accent is faint, but definitely present. Rural New York rather than the heavier strokes of the city, and her vocabulary and the pace of her words don't reflect her humbler early education, but the traces are recognizable.

She doesn't even blink at the year question, either, after a few weeks of adjusting to the fleet]

It's 1985. Or...was for me. However that works. You?

[redactions]

[ just make him spontaneously emit sunlight, why don't you ]

2014. Guess I've got a lot to catch you up on, then.

[theoniongirl]

I guess so! I'd be happy to hear it. Though...[her head tilts slightly] do we know if there are any rules about that? Knowing future things, and such? What if I wanted to use this knowledge for nefarious purposes?

[redactions]

I wish, but it's likely my future's pretty different from yours. Have you heard of the Avengers?

[theoniongirl]

I haven't. Are they a band? A--

[...]

I honestly don't know what else would have a name like that.

[The Beatles. The Doors. The Rolling Stones.]

[redactions]

Uh —

[ Excuse him while he enjoys the mental image. ]

Well, more like a group of superheroes. Like in comic books?

[theoniongirl]

Really? [her eyes widen slightly, her tone more curious than disbelieving]

[redactions]

[ A nod. ]

Really.

[theoniongirl]

[she laughs, gesturing a hand at the grass beside her] Well, you can't stop there.

[redactions]

[ He raises his eyebrows, playfully. ]

Where should I be stopping, then?

[theoniongirl]

I absolutely forbid anything short of one tale of daring-do.

[redactions]

[ Daring-do? What would she enjoy? Jim gives her a lazy little smile, and then waves them over to a bench. ]

Here, I got one.

[ It's when he and Steve sweet-talked the workers on the Empire State Building to let them ride one of the girders. They used to bring them coffee with the price marked up a little. It was a living. ]

[ He weaves the story: the wind, the spread of buildings out under them, the sound of Tin Lizzies and milk carts on the old streets. The laughter of some of the workers, the thrill two little boys felt going on an adventure they'd probably get their ears boxed for later. Aunt Sarah was more stern about it anyway, and his Ma never said Steve was a bad influence. This is the picture he paints for Jilly, with his words. ]