driftfleet | Gumball Wishes and Taxicab Dreams

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Gumball Wishes and Taxicab Dreams

[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!]

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[that answer doesn't help initially, no.

at first, it's nothing but worrying, because an answer like that doesn't exactly have a history of meaning anything good for him. in fact, the last time someone had wanted to 'talk' like that, it'd ended with him being disowned and a tattoo being ripped out of his arm.

so, his eyes widen slightly before Felix elaborates a little bit... but he's still not completely put at ease.]

Oh... sure. Yeah. Right now?

[though, he's already sidling around the table and toward the door.]

I can get ready fast. I just need... clothes and stuff.

[Nel probably has reason to be uncertain, and Felix doesn't look that much more sure about this than Nel is, because there are subjects waiting to be brought up here that are potentially flattering to neither party.]

Whatever you would like. [That's really what's important here. He needs to know if Nel has had the chance to consider his own desires]

I'm happy to wait. I just thought we could attempt some kind of evening out which we both could remember later. [It's kind of a date, but it's kind of not, and secondary to his other reasons for being here, but still not a lie.]

[his smile is sheepish, if still nervous, and he nods as he scoots out of the room.]

Yeah, good idea.

[and thus begins a record-breaking dash to make himself presentable. once in his room, he throws on the first set of clothes that he deems as even passably 'cute,' and then darts to the bathroom to try and sneakily rush through cleaning himself up and fixing his hair. 'just throwing on some clothes' turns into a frantic race to pretty himself up a bit, but at least he is quick about it.

Felix won't be waiting for too long before Nel appears again, looking much more put-together, and doing a good job of pretending that he hadn't just been desperately rushing around.]

...Okay! Ready to go if you are.

[He's still wondering what kind of terrible crash he's setting Nel up for here even as he nods and smiles, gesturing for the elf to lead the way back outside the ship with a courtly 'after-you'.

It feels like playing a waiting game until he can get to the topic he wants to eventually broach, and the deception of the almost-silence eats at him. He stops to hail a cab (faster and easier than getting lost on the way), glancing aside as the vehicle swerves closer.]

I'm sorry I didn't call ahead, but...[He hesitates, not sure if it's the right thing to say.]...you look nice.

[The door of the cab opens for them]

[he's good at the bashful look, shrugging off the compliment--however genuine or contrived for politeness' sake it might have been.]

I'm sorry I couldn't get more dressed up or anything. I would have at least taken a shower or something if I'd had the time...

[but the taxi is here and it's time to go. he'll let Felix have the honor of climbing in first, unless he's directed to do so instead.

and he'll even do his best to sit nicely and try not to broadcast his nervousness by fidgeting too much as they head off.]

I didn't have anything terribly elaborate planned. You're fine as you are.

[Felix is nervous for his own reasons. Being in the cab with Nel is a stark reminder to what he'd seen in the calibration. The reason he'd come here in the first place. He keeps his gaze mostly forward, watching the architecture of the station blaze by. Thankfully the destination isn't terribly far]

But perhaps another time? Is there anything you would like to do?

[He wonders if he'll get anything other than the answer he expects. He also wonders if Nel will want to see him after this.]

[Nel fidgets with his hands and picks at a loose string on the hem of his shirt; he might not remember that Felix had taken a tour through his head, but the cab understandably reminds him of a few things nonetheless.

and he looks up quickly at the question, in that ultra-attentive way that he does, and he shakes his head.]

I'm fine with whatever.

[of course he is.]

[Yeah, he thought that might be the answer he'd get, but for now he won't challenge that. Better to ease Nel out of his comfort zone, as much as he wants to pick at everything the way Nel is picking at his clothes (and he wants to make him stop doing that too). Instead, Felix simply smiles quellingly.

Moments later the cab eases to a stop, and Felix hands over a few of his precious credits before slipping out into the street. It's all part of the dance as he offers a arm for Nel to take before he goes inside.

The bar isn't really Nel's preferred kind of scene. It's dim and has a long mirrored bar, but the music is soft - some kind of electronic jazz - and the ceiling looks like a galaxy. Not that Felix is paying much attention to the ambiance. It's the elf's face he's watching as they find their way to a booth.

[as usual, he latches onto the pretense--quick to hook onto Felix' arm, smile, and pretend that everything is alright. and he's nice and avoidant, keeping his gaze floating around to take in the details of the place, so Felix has all the time he wants to watch Nel's face.

elves are very visual creatures, with eyes plugged even more thoroughly into their brains than most humanoids, so he doesn't even have to think in order to glance from one interesting point to the next, sponging it up with photographic acuity.

it makes for a nice, convenient distraction as he lets Felix lead them to their seat.]

[The silence, in this case, suits him just, as apt as he usually is to filling the gaps up with anything that comes to mind. It gives him time to consider how he's going to broach the subject he wants to broach without driving Nel off in the first five minutes. Besides, he tends to think the Nel could stand to be treated to something for once; without ulterior motive, but no such luck this time.

He orders them both a drink - whatever Nel asks for, is what he tells the server - then politely asks for some time alone to go along with the arrival of the glasses.]

What do you think of the station?

[There. It's small talk, but it's aiming now for what Nel feels about his situation in general.]

[he asks for something that he knows has a hope of loosening the knot in his belly, when it's his turn to order. he's visited enough of the establishments here to have a decent idea of what most of the drinks are like, so he can get that out of the way quick.

and that leaves him time to worry about why he's being treated so nicely. that's the most concerning thing, after all, when he can't figure out the reason behind it. he does try to genuinely settle down and enjoy the atmosphere, but it's still out of a survival sense.]

It's pretty cool, I think. There's a lot to do here. [--a lot of distractions to get lost in; a lot of work to play at, to try and pay for what he wants.] I'm probably going to miss it once we start flying away again.

What about you?

[He nods his head in agreement to that] I've found it...pleasant. Despite how much of it is closed off to us. [A vague waving gesture, before his hand returns to his usual glass of bourbon. He isn't taking any chances with anything unusual this time. This little meeting alone may set him back a few days worth of earnings but that doesn't bother him. He does that even on his own.]

In the very least, it's busy. I don't do well in isolation. [A thoughtful tap of his rings against the table]

Have you been going out much? With your crewmates? Other friends, perhaps? [Friends in this case might be a...loose term]

[he nods, but doesn't specify the 'who' of the answer, for various reasons. just neatly dodges that altogether.]

Yeah, I don't stay home much. I like being out, I guess.

And you never know how long we're going to be stuck out in space or on a crappy planet, so it's best to soak this up when we can, you know?

Yes. [He nods quietly in agreement]

Especially...given how long we were interned a few months ago. It's quite a bit to make the sanity fray. [His tone is neutral though the irony is he knows better than most what that feels like for real. Knows and wishes he didn't. But it's the reference to the calibrations that's important here. It's why he's here. But he's stalling even as he's looking to Nel to see what reaction that gets him.]

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Gumball Wishes and Taxicab Dreams

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