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

[heavenonearth]

Sure am. Well, as of relatively recently. [ setting the glass aside, he leans his elbows onto the bar; thankfully there's a lull, for the moment, but he won't be able to dawdle here chatting for too terribly long. ] Not for a year, yet, that's a pretty long time.

[catamite]

Yeah. It felt like I used to know everybody around here, but not anymore. Most of them are probably gone by now, anyway.

[he's not about to let himself get hung up on something potentially sad, though. he stays bright and moves right past it.]

But, hey. Guess that means there's just more Fleet people for me to meet, right?

[and he raises his sad little glass of water like he wants to make a toast with it.]

[heavenonearth]

[ so is that how it is, then? people cycled in and out that quickly? maybe cas doesn't have quite so much time as he'd originally thought here.. which isn't too great. but hey, this kid stuck around for a long time, maybe he'll have to learn his secrets, or something. ]

Suppose so, huh?

[ he's got nothing to toast with, but he nods nonetheless. ]

Guess you've seen your fair share of 'em, if you've been around so long.

[catamite]

[there's a flicker of disappointment when his mock toast goes nowhere--he was probably hoping a drink would appear that he could mooch off of--but he sips his water anyway.]

Yeah... it's easy to lose track of everybody, though.

So, I guess I just kind of hang out and have fun while I can, and hope I run into them again later sometime, you know?

[because hanging onto friends beyond that is maybe not his greatest skill.]

[heavenonearth]

[ yeah cas gets it, he's not so great at friends either. though he's definitely gotten better! ]

I like that. Free as a bird, huh?

[catamite]

[and even though the kid just expressed basically that exact sentiment, hearing it phrased like that causes a quick pang of something to skip through his expression. whatever it is about those words in particular, it's like something lances across his skin and he tries to hide the flinch. his smile is distracted and his gaze falls to the side as he shrugs.]

Guess so.

[that distraction continues, as his focus hooks onto his neighbors' glasses. he's easy to read; he wants another drink bad, now.

with whatever corner's he just turned in his head, his pretense for only wanting to chat for chatting sake is really starting to suffer. it isn't hard to see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to think of a way to ply a drink out of the situation as soon as he can.]

Hey, so. Can you, like... hire people? Or just need a helper or anything?

[heavenonearth]

[ cas knows that look. he gives it himself, sometimes - or even a little more than sometimes, really, which means he understands the importance of guarding your secrets, and also that he's, you know, not like to pry.

he just chuckles soft, and pushes himself back up to standing. if he spends too much time slacking off he's going to get barked at, soon enough, and he's losing tips by not moving his attention around here, no matter how nice this kid is. cas can't help being interested in people, though.

doesn't expect to be asked about a job, though. his brows lift. ]

Me? Oh, I can't do anything like that. I've only been here a couple days. But from what I know, these places are always looking for help.

[ he jabs a thumb toward a reedy looking chartreuse alien with a face full of baleful eyes. ]

Utel's the guy you want to talk to. He'll set you up, if he's got room.

[catamite]

[ah, and the disappointment runs deeper when he follows the gesture toward that... interesting individual.]

...Oh. Is that your boss?

[if so, there's even less hope that he'll be able to sneak a drink or informal work of some kind here. there probably aren't going to be any rules broken under a gaze like that.]

Maybe I'll come back tomorrow and ask.

[no he won't.]

[heavenonearth]

[ cocking a brow. ]

Why? What's wrong with now? He's not busy.

[catamite]

[he's already not quite as settled against the bar as he had been, leaning his weight and body-language away from the situation. whatever he'd really been looking for here, he's apparently not getting it--so, he's trying to skirt away as politely as possible before he draws the attention of said chartreuse authority-figure.]

I've got some stuff I have to go do... and I'm not really dressed for an interview, you know?

[heavenonearth]

[ yeah he's picking up on that body language clear as day, but cas isn't about to twist the kid's arm, so. ]

All righty, suit yourself, then. [ a listless shrug. ] Take care, kid. I'll see you around.