Chocolate-flavored Dessert Cream on the House

[thespaceopera]

[The bunks are filling up, but the new faces just keep appearing!

Are you a travel-weary passenger having trouble keeping your crew roster straight? Perhaps you are a fresh new recruit, finding themselves dumped into a new (and much less shiny) home. Or, maybe you've been around for a little bit and just haven't bothered meeting the other weirdos on this ship yet--what is their problem, anyway?

Well, this is the place for you!

All new passengers from the last few Shuffles, especially those who haven't met their crews yet, are welcome to post starter-comments here to invite those living on and visiting your ship to come and interact. Newbies could be just arriving on the ship, busying around where others can find them, or you can offering multiple options for interaction--however you'd like to set up your thread is fine. Just make sure to include the name of your ship in the header, so your crewmates can easily find you!

Everyone else-- go meet those newbies! Whether they are new to your own crew, or on ships you frequently visit, now is a great time to bump into them.]

Comments

Ai Ebihara | SS Heron

[outermirrors]

[If there's one thing she couldn't get over it's the difference between the Marsiva and the Heron. And after the meal she had earlier she's hesitant to try anything else not even the tea in the drink dispenser.

Which means Ai is hanging around looking more than a little awkward now that she's been beamed aboard, and definitely out of place.]

[brokencopy]

[If you want awkward, look no further than this guy right here. B is a walking pile of awkward, and he doesn't care who knows it - mainly because it's part of the elaborate persona he's constructed, therefore intentional.]

You're new?

[outermirrors]

[Honestly less awkward would be preferred. She's a little out of her element here. Too much metal and not enough space. Honestly, she'd prefer being home, at least then she knows what to expect.]

Yeah?

[brokencopy]

You don't sound entirely convinced of that.

[outermirrors]

[Ai frowns. No she's sure she's new, why do you want to know though. Don't her clothes at least give her away?]

I'm new.

[brokencopy]

Good, I'm glad we've cleared that up.

[Since he was the only one causing confusion in the first place.]

Why are you here?

[outermirrors]

[She just blinks at him. Excuse you?]

Same reason as everyone else?

[That's an acceptable answer right?]

[brokencopy]

[B is just rude OK.]

Do you speak for everyone else?

[outermirrors]

[ Yes well he's starting to annoy her.]

Did anyone else get a choice about waking up on the Marsiva?

[astrobleme]

[When Shinji isn't hiding in his bunk, under layers of blankets, he tends to wander silently throughout the Heron. He must be the ship's resident ghost at this point. He's about as pale as ectoplasm, with dark, sunken eyes, slightly greasy hair, and all the vacancy of the dearly departed. He doesn't know where his friends went, but that doesn't matter right now. He's just wandering.

And, like an incoming freight train, he doesn't deviate from his predetermined path. He shuffles along... and shuffles... and keeps on shuffling... until he's seriously about to walk straight into Ai. It's like he doesn't even know she's there.]

[outermirrors]

[Good thing Ai is actually paying attention then, because there is no way she really wants to get run into by anyone looking quite so so - pathetic? Just everything about him makes her nose wrinkle in disgust. A cruel comment on the tip of her tongue and a:] Have you -

[out of her mouth before she can think better of it but her better sense kicks in and cuts off the rest of what she was going to say. Leaving Ai standing just off to the side her cheeks a furious pink in embarrassment.]

You okay?

[That's an appropriate thing to ask right?]

[astrobleme]

[Shinji stops moving. The sound of Ai's voice has intruded on his thoughts, bringing him out of his reverie. He blinks once, twice, before looking up from the floor. With the way she's standing off to the side, it isn't too hard to realize he was about to walk into her. He blinks a third time. It's rude to walk into people.]

Sorry. [He lifts a hand and touches his chin, his mouth, more than a little dazed. He looks around. He doesn't recognize where he is, even though he's explored this ship thoroughly. There's a disconnect between what he's seeing and what he remembers.] Sorry, I think I... got turned around, somewhere... [He looks back at Ai. Hesitantly, he asks,] Do you know where I am?

[outermirrors]

[Ai just stares at the boy. How was she supposed to know where he was she just got there. Her cheeks puff annoyed.]

I just got here, how am I supposed to know where you are?

[astrobleme]

[Good question. Shinji blinks a few more times, which seems to bring some awareness back into his eyes.]

Just got here? [he repeats.] You were assigned to the Heron? What's your augment...? [If she says pilot, he won't know what to do. He still hasn't introduced himself to the ship's original pilot.]

[outermirrors]

[Oh that was a quick segue. Unconsciously she touches the little bump behind her ear. She's never going to get used to it being there. Cupping her elbow she shrugs.]

Communications. [Aren't you lucky she's not a pilot. Not that she looks like she could fly anything anyway.]

[astrobleme]

Oh.

[That's a relief. Shinji has all too readily attached his self-worth, like a leech, to being the Heron's pilot. Not that he has much self-worth to speak of. Probably repeating the mistakes of the past, too. Whatever. In any case, Ai is not another pilot...]

Welcome aboard.

[Pause.]

I think this means the ship is over capacity now.

[outermirrors]

[Her eyebrows shoot up at that. Well that was a lovely detail to have thrown in your face shortly after arriving. He didn't need to explain she could just guess what over capacity meant and she didn't like it.]

Thanks, though I'm not how sure a welcome is good if I make us over capacity.

[Does she have to worry about being left behind or tossed out an air lock now?]

[redactions]

Ma'am.

[ Someone is always on the lookout for new faces, especially since he discovered he can now encrypt his conversations in and out of the ship, so there's a comms officer on board. ]

Can I help you?

[outermirrors]

[Ai freezes eyebrows going way up. Ma'am? Does she look like she's that old?]

Ma'am? I haven't even reached old maid age yet.

[redactions]

[ It's his default; Jim does, however, look abashed at the correction. ]

My apologies, miss. I'm the captain here, can I help you?

[outermirrors]

[She'll take abashed. At least he switched to miss that was somewhat better.]

Ai Ebihara. They just beamed me aboard from the Marsiva.

[She bows a quick little lean forward from the waist and back up, hands folded in front of her.]

[redactions]

[ OH. Does he bow?? Jim opts to hold out his hand, if she'd like to shake it. ]

Oh, you're the new comms officer. Pleasure to meet you. James Barnes.

[outermirrors]

[It would be socially correct to, but that ight be assuming a bit much. Instead she takes his hand and shakes it quickly. Her other going to the small bump behind her ear.]

Yeah, I uh am. How'd you know?

[redactions]

Well, having one means we can encrypt communications in and out of this ship, which we've been able to do since this morning.

[ The smile is pleasant, but a little thin, he doesn't enjoy the augments. ]

I'm one of the ship's two engineers.

[outermirrors]

That makes sense.

[She really isn't this dense, but this whole thing ith augments and ships and reality TV is taking a little extra effort to adjust to than normal.]

So call you when something breaks?