JINGO & MADISON
MESS HALL, NEW ANCHORAGE


As Jingo filled his tray with that evening’s selection of food, he picked up mutters and the smatterings of the various conversations that happened around him. Just ahead was one of the newer pilots who seemed to be having a go at a member of staff. He watched as Tahlia stormed off furiously with her utensils jangling before Jingo finally spoke out.

“I dun’ee like tha’ stuff either.” his reference was in regards to the cauliflower, sitting scattered on the girl’s plate like flakes of dandruff. “Makes me wan’ee gag.”

Madison stood there within her cloaked outfit, embarrassed, but also not completely registering who it was that was speaking to her. She simply looked down at the plate and slowly turned, heading towards a table to eat, “It’s just… Awful. It doesn’t even have any flavour.” she replied disheartenedly.

Jingo watched her peel off the line and towards an unoccupied table, her heavy boots clomping against the steel floors. Squinting for a moment, he thought he recognized the sound and decided to follow her over, sitting opposite the mysterious figure. “Wan’ me pla’e?” he placed his tray on the table and pushed it over to her side, causing the girl to pause for a moment, “I du'nee think it ‘as any cauliflower in i’.”

Madison cautiously lifted her head, looking at the tall man from the shadow of her hood with a mixture of confusion and uncertainty “Um… okay,” she mumbled softly, pushing her own tray forward and switching the meals around. Picking up her spork, she began to take a few small bites of the warm food, letting her first proper meal linger in her mouth.

He waited, watching as she pecked at the food, still wary of the chance that there would be a trace of cauliflower in her next, small, mouthful. Jingo had expected some resistance to the offer but was surprised to find the girl completely willing to swap plates… And a little annoyed she didn't say thank you.

Picking up his combination cutlery, he scraped away flecks of the albino broccoli and proceeded to consume his meal. He was careful to keep his food in the right side of his mouth.

“So ar’ ye nuu here?” he spoke, still unsure who it was underneath the hooded outfit.

With a mouth full of food, Madison stopped her chewing and swallowed. She let her left hand drop towards the dish and stabbed the spork into a lump of potato, “No,” she spoke quietly as she noticed the prosthetic arm that her eating partner had. Feeling a bit exposed she pulled her right arm away from the table surface and laid it within her lap out of view. “I’ve been here for a while,” she spoke with a raspy voice, trying not to remember her time in the medical ward.

“Odd we ‘ave’nee bumpt int’each oth’r.” Jingo chewed thoughtfully for a few more moments before continuing, “then again I've only been back for two weeks?” He questioned himself as he spoke, everything had gotten to the point where days and circadian rhythm didn't matter much anymore.

“Wha’s yer name?”

It was a simple question, something that any regular person would have answered straight away, but Madison kept her mouth shut. She didn’t completely know how to answer Jingo’s question honestly. She didn’t want people to know that she was there in the cafeteria. “It doesn’t matter!” she voiced with an unexpected annoyance, slamming her fist down on the table. “I just wanna eat! Ok?”

Jingo raised his arms in a gesture of surrender, the pair of pincers at the end of his prosthetic glinting in the fluorescent light. Standing up and taking his traded tray, he gave the girl a little bow. “As tha lass, wishes.” he said climbing over the bench.

“No...” Madison softly voiced, realising she may have gone a bit too far and offended the NC pilot, “I don’t want you to leave... Don’t be like Duncan.”

Jingo winced as if he had been struck, that name wasn't unfamiliar. He turned on the spot and looked at the girl, thinking back to her heavy footsteps. Just outside her hood stuck her nose, pert and petite; a few strands of Pink hair escaping the edges of her hood.

His expression softened.

“I like yer hair.”