Starstruck mingle!

[pocketpal]

Who: Crew of the glorious ship Starstruck
Broadcast: If people want??
Action: On the Starstruck
When: Early April

[ Hopefully no first aid kits necessary this time. ]

Comments

open

[lord_wizard]

[Returning to the ship after a month on Mor seems very strange, like willingly walking himself back into his own jail cell.

He arrives with a few bags full off odds and ends so heavy he might be struggling a little bit to carry them. Despite his insistence to Mattias, he has gotten most of what the man asked him for, although he'll insist it's less about altruism and more about making the damned place tolerable.

In the kitchen he places a bundle carrying real cheese, bread, carrots, cloves of garlic, and a small bundle of honest-to-god meat, among other things. Not that he has any plans to do much with it now that there's a more qualified cook on the ship.

The wine is all his, though. Don't even ask. Unless you're Mattias.

Otherwise, his quiet return in somewhat ruined when the awkward grip of his traitorous fingers wavers on his second bundle on the way to his room, spilling out parchment, cards, incense, chalk, and other things all over the hallway]

Damn...

[It's said with much feeling, where a stronger profanity might have been warranted, but he has standards ok. With a heavy sigh, he stoops to pick the mess up, checking he contents of the pack in mild panic to be sure he didn't break any of the glass bottle stuffed in the bottom.]

for mattias - closed

[lord_wizard]

[Speaking of wine, it's only about a day after the ship leaves the planet that Felix makes good on his promise. There might have been a mild miscalculation when he'd agree to this and forgotten for a moment he's supposed to be the cook. Or, one of them. But since this is a private affair it seems uncouth to make her do the work for him.

Which means...yes, he actually cooked. None of that protein cube nonsense, though, which is why it comes so quickly. He'd rather not have the meat spoil.

There's the faint whiff of meat and spices in the recycled air as Felix raps on the wall outside wherever Mattias is at the moment, his mouth crooked up into a self-pleased grin]

Dinner is served. [Said in a playfully mocking tone] I do hope you're actually hungry, because this probably won't happen again.

[noctiphile]

[The room is a mess. Or rather, Mattias' corner of it is a mess. A minefield of stray papers and open books, half of them covered in furious notations. Parchment flutters to the sides as he jumps to a start at the knock and tiptoes carefully through his personal battlefield.] Ah—Felix!

[He looks bedraggled. His hair, usually meticulously groomed, sprays out in a halo of runaway strands. His clothes are rumpled—a fact he seems to mind dearly, as he holds up a finger half way to the door.] Hold on just a moment.

[The pants he can keep on for now. But the shirt?] I meant to change before you came—I haven't had a chance to. Lost track of time. Work, you know how it is. [There's another shirt somewhere in here. He searches for it, already removing his tunic and tossing it... somewhere. It doesn't matter. Less so now that—] Aha! [He tosses a grin back at Felix.] Found it!

[And now he's scrambling to get his shirt off, tossing it to some nebulous place as well before shrugging on his new one. Then he's grabbing a fresh tunic, buttoning it as he makes his way back to the doorframe with a fresh smile.] Right. Back to you being a proper savior. I'm starving. Haven't eaten in... [He thinks. Squints.] Two days? [The smell greets him then, and he breathes in deep.] Is that meat? Real meat? Felix—you spoil me. Here, come in, come in.

[He gestures inside before scurrying off to clear... what apparently was a chair before his papers covered it. He gathers them in neat stacks and sets them aside, motioning for Felix to sit. Then he sets to clearing off a surface to eat from.]

[lord_wizard]

[Felix catches himself staring at that brief but enticing flash of skin and muscles that are far too defined than they have any right to be given that Mattias spends more time that even he does bent over books and papers. Speaking of which, he'd nearly been about to be angry about the state of the room when the shirt had come off and plowed that feeling right off it's track. Living in this small space wouldn't be quite so bad if the man wasn't parading about like a dessert he wasn't allowed to have - his own personal torment. It's half the reason he'd stayed on the planet.

He saves himself by taking the moment while Mattias organizes to turn away from the door and retrieve the plates of food he'd left in the kitchen, and the promised bottle of wine. His expression is back to neutral by the time he returns and sets all of it on the improvised table.]

Don't thank me until you try it. I make no promises about my skills.

[The plates are full of sausages (slightly overdone) and fake mashed potatoes cooked with real garlic (slighly underdone). He's honestly more hopeful about the wine]

And what is so important that you haven't eaten since we left?

[noctiphile]

Ah, you know the goddess I spoke of? I thought—perhaps the Atroma hadn’t taken her. Perhaps she’s out here somewhere, waiting to be refound.

[He finishes his minor bout of cleaning and settles into his own seat, spinning to face their ramshackle table.] A foolish hope, but still one to work for.

[At least it gives him something to do.

Clapping his hands, he smiles and plucks his utensils with exuberant cheer.] Anyway, let’s see what we have here! Oh, sausages? And… potatoes? [He lifts a fork of them to his mouth and grins.] Delicious! Well, to a point. But flaws are to be expected. They’re one of the delights of being human.

[Stabbing into a sausage, he brings it to his lips and blows, glancing at Felix in-between.] You’ve yet to tell me about your time away. What were you doing?

[lord_wizard]

[While Mattias tastes the fare, he tries to decide if the man is mocking him or not. Mattias is often so guileless that's easy to miss it does happen. Every day is a challenge and a mystery]

Gathering funds, mostly. I ended up taking Dorian up on his offer of free lodging while I scraped together coins, though I ended up spending most of it. I've come more or less full circle in that regard.

[He eyed the chaotic pile of notes with a critical but interested expression] Is there any way I can help with this project of yours?

[pocketpal]

1: [ Who's jumping on the bed?

Not ELN. So totally not ELN. That must be a different tiny creature who is doing that. Pretty impressive jumps, too, a few feet in the air, which makes it several times her height. (Disproportionate strength comes in handy sometimes??)

Bounce. Bounce. Wheeee. ]

2: [ video; locked to starstruck ]

[ ELN looks imperiously down at the camera, which has been set on the surface of a table where ELN is standing. ]

I require that I meet and determine the competence of all of you, including those new to the ship. Please check in immediately.

[lord_wizard]

[Felix didn't directly acknowledge the summons mostly out of principle as well as sheer stubbornness. It wasn't as if he'd chosen his particular place on the ship. Nevermind his lack of actual skills in pretty much anything. But he also can't resist giving her a hard time about it and after waiting long enough to make her think he'd simply ignored her completely, he takes a short stroll to find her.

Finding her jumping on the bed wasn't quite what he expected though]

I hope I'm not interrupting anything important.

[pocketpal]

[ She doesn't actually notice him until he speaks.

Once he does, the surprise makes her startle and flail in midair. Some catlike reflex has her spinning and landing, solidly, on all fours.

She stands immediately, clasping her hands behind her back. ]

You wouldn't have been, if you'd responded earlier.

[lord_wizard]

I didn't see any particular hurry, given that I've been on this ship as long as you have.

[He smirks a little, unable to restrain himself after having caught his serious captain in the midst of something that looked suspiciously like having fun]

Don't tell me you moved onto testing the competence of the furniture.

[pocketpal]

What if I have? It should be able to support my weight.

[ AND THAT WOULD BE A TOTALLY LEGITIMATE USE OF HER TIME, THANK YOU ]

...all right, I know your qualifications. But there are new crew members I've hardly met.

video

[normallycharmed]

I'll pass. I don't have any reason to let someone else determine my competence.

video

[pocketpal]

Oh, lovely. I see the measure of quality continues.

Re: video

[normallycharmed]

I should be saying that to you. I'm not the one demanding people answer them so I can determine their worth.

video

[twocomplex]

[Oh, one of those types. He's not too surprised to see someone like this in charge of a ship, and it's not too hard to work up a response.]

This is Nocta Oren, checking in! [He lets that set in for just a moment before a short chuckle falls out.]

What do you think? Was that too much? I'm afraid I'm not used to being part of a crew, not like this.

video

[pocketpal]

It was adequate.

[ She raises her tiny chin, examining him. ]

What are you used to?

video

[noctiphile]

[he's shuffling papers at his station or something who cares]

You know, it'd be easier to come and meet you for assessment if we were informed of where you were.

video

[pocketpal]

The galley, obviously.

[ It wasn't that obvious. ]

However, for you, it isn't urgent. I am aware of your qualifications.

OPEN - from the newest shuffle on

[twocomplex]

His grand introduction (aka he's sitting in the pilot's chair)

[That hadn't been a long wait at all. A simple request and a few days later, and bam! Here he was, sitting in the pilot's chair of the Starstruck, feet kicked up over a panel of controls. (Carefully, of course.)

He's deep in thought and wondering what to do about a handful of things when the next person comes in, but that doesn't mean he'll shun them! Never. Instead, his feet lift off the panel and rest on the floor as he sits up and spins to face them with a grin.]

Hello there! I hope you don't mind I've made myself at home.

Wildcard (bc prompts are hard)

[HE'S EVERYWHERE giving charming smiles and busying himself with the controls. He's fascinated he knows how to fly a ship all of the sudden, okay. But feel free to run into him anywhere!]

sighs

[noctiphile]

[When he hears him he wants to bolt. Scenario one. Retreat. But his feet turn wooden, and his legs leaden until he's left immobile. So he wants to shout. Scenario two. Shout and yell and scream "get off the ship! get off the damn ship!" but when he tries to summon the words they don't come. Disobeying him in his time of need. So he tries it quiet, a threatening murmur. "What are you doing here?" Scenario three. Again, his tongue fails him.

He's left with only one choice.]

Only for a short time, I hope. It's rude for visitors to overstay their welcome.

[A smile, polite, confused, is all he can manage. His tone is strained but it's passable. Easy to mistake as befuddlement and not fear. Trepidation. It's a small miracle that Oren can't hear his heart pound as he walks to his cluttered station.] I didn't hear you arrive.

whoa don't be so excited

[twocomplex]

You've got it all wrong.

[He laughs, spinning to face him and standing from his chair. It's just a few confident paces across the distance between them, but the purpose behind them is almost palpable for anyone who knows the type of person Oren is. He's here for a reason.]

I was transferred! [No admittance of his request or anything of the sort. That's a little desperate looking, and he doesn't want to deal with spurring any hope right now.] Don't look so pleased, Messiah, I may get a complex.

[He ends that joke with a wide smile. Come on, be a little excited, would you? His feelings may be hurt.]

[noctiphile]

Please don't call me that. [Oren stands and Mattias sits, turning towards his station. When he speaks, it's over the rumple of shifting papers, filing them and setting them aside.]

To be transferred you would have had to request it. [He catches Oren's gaze with the corner of his eye, reaching over to turn on one of his terminals.] Were you that eager to see me? Surely, the rest of the crew needn't suffer for your eagerness.

[Is he teasing? Is he serious? Is he just grumpy? Probably the latter. It looks like he might've just woken up.]

[lord_wizard]

[The Starstruck isn't a large ship, so it's inevitable that he runs into the new pilot sooner or later. In this case, in the kitchen. It's not that he's there because it's supposed to be his space, because he prefer to ignore his given job as much as possible, but because there's only so many places one can go. Time between stations is mostly a game of waiting.

His goal is the drink station but he catches sight of Oren first and pauses, smiling reflexively back at the stranger like sunlight reflected back in a mirror]

Hello. Did we get a new addition? I'm afraid I must have missed the fanfare.

[twocomplex]

[He'd been intent on locating the rest of this crew and making himself known, so when one of them spots him in the kitchen, it's a welcome exchange. He smiles, stepping closer enough to extend one of his hands for a shake.]

A fanfare would be far too much for someone as simple as me, I'm afraid. [He laughs, sheepish, and after a few seconds, whether Felix shakes or not, he pulls his hand back.]

Nocta Oren, your new pilot. And who might you be?

[lord_wizard]

[He does reach out to shakes the hand] Simple has little to do with it. Atroma seems to treat all of our arrivals like a small event...

[The pause and falter in his smile at the name is nearly imperceptible before his well honed court instincts move in, the genuine smile replaced by a crocodilian mask almost seamlessly. It's one of the few times he might be thankful for Malkar's so-called training]

Felix Harrowgate. A pleasure have you aboard. I'm sure we quite in need of a pilot.