Aalakrys — Roleplayer Guild

Settlin' In and Pre-Flight Checks

There was a nice sort of routine Penelope had gotten into, waking up in her own quarters with no fear of who might be lingerin'. As she woke from her nap, cat-like stretches commenced beneath the weight of the new blanket between her and her quilt. With a soft sigh, hand running through her loose hair, she looked up at the metal ceiling thinking that it was darned-near perfect as could be. 

According to the time, she had a little over an hour or so before take-off. Gave her plenty of time to sort through her new clothes she'd left piled in their bags by the base of the ladder. If she ended up staying on with the China Doll, she'd have to actually fill this room up proper. Seemed the way things were shaping up, so she let herself idly consider a moment as her eyes roved around the structure. It'd been quite some time since she found herself making any plans, looking on past the day before her. 

Just the room, Penelope told herself, as she sat up. It was more difficult with the weighted blanket, something she'd bought at the last second because she knew it was something she couldn't carry in her bag. That tendril of permanency, roots, starting to spread and dig into the China Doll. 

It wasn't like she instantly trusted Cal, but she meant what she'd said to the doc. He seemed like a good man, and had potential to be a great captain. Just had to work on that need-to-know business between the brains and limbs of his ship’s workings. They’d sorted that, she’d given him the benefit of the doubt there, and maybe she’d made it clear enough there’d only be the one chance. 

It seemed like a fair trade, she mused, as she let her feet feel the cool steel beside her bed a moment. He’d earned at least a bit of faith and a fair amount of respect. Weren’t any easy thing to ask for his help, havin’ stubbornly refused anything less than independence. And he didn’t even look down on her for how silly her plan seemed now that she looked back on it. He’d told her straight and honest, and kinder than expected.

Yep, a pretty good man, She repeated to herself as she ran her hand over the quilt. The square was faded, the only grey one on the entire piece. Embroidered into a corner of the jersey fabric was a bundle of hyssop bound with a stitched pink ribbon. Wonder how many of them are in the ‘verse.

The little smile was on her lips again, and off she went to sort her haul before it was time to work. Once it was all put away, what she wasn’t going to be using for the flight to Greenleaf, she decided to trade her green dungaree out for the new brown faux leather jacket and single pair of jeans she owned and had embroidered sunflowers into at the hip and cuff. The plush microfiber blanket was left in its bag along with her slouchy knit earth-toned beanie and matching gloves. That’d be for later when it started getting cold. But, she lugged it up the ladder all the same with her usual bag of supplies to keep busy during a flight. Wouldn’t take long for things to cool down at all, so it’d be good to have it close by for when the time came.

As she came up the short steps and in through the hatch door, she spoke aloud to the room, crossing to set the bag down nearby the pilot seat just before she took that for herself. “Hey, Sam - anything excitin’ happen since last I was visitin’ with ya?” 

“Good afternoon, Penelope. Since you were last here with Cal, many things have transpired. Would you like me to catalog the events?” The disembodied voice responded while the pilot started running systems checks unnecessarily as the AI was perfectly capable of doing so.

“I have a feelin’ a great deal of it wouldn’t be what I considered excitin’.” She grinned with a glance over the console and down in the direction of where Sam was stowed away. “Ah, I gotta clear off that brush ‘fore we take off.”

As Penelope approached, barefoot and silent on her light feet, Sam whirred a moment and then reported: “Our cargo manifest promises a new haul of oysters, being delivered soon. Joe Hooker has loaded many different types of green edible flora to the kitchen’s inventory. The secondary shuttle has been retrofitted with new living commodities, and one of the residents -”

“There.” Penelope said as she dusted off the remnants of beach from Sam’s box. The angel wing shell remained, as promised. “Now what was that about a passenger?”

“I have been in communication with someone on the ship, but they refuse my assistance.” Sam spoke as the pilot went back topside with the beach fittings. She’d save those for her room.

“Most folk ain’t keen on AI, Sam. Might not be good to go lettin’ ‘em know you’re here.” Penelope didn’t realize Sam was saying they had been talking on more her plane. “Cap’n hid ya down there for your safety, ya know.”

Sam must’ve been considering, but the momentary lapse of speaking didn’t bother Penelope. She was back to checking on the flight instruments and reviewing the China Doll’s log report. Idle system didn’t mean no problems. “Cap’n says we’re gonna be flyin’ downwind a storm a’way’s off. I’m going to input the coordinates for ya to monitor now, just in case somethin’ changes. Everythin’ is lookin’ good where we are now. How ‘bout on your end?”

“Systems show operational functions at idle are not optimal but will function.” Sam responded after a moment. “Cal has Abigail scheduled to replace essential equipment before take-off, so it is recommended to run another diagnostic at the conclusion.”

“Thank you, Sam.” Penelope said as if speaking to a copilot. To her, that is what Sam was. “Hey, Sam… if needed, could ya fly the China Doll without me?”

It wasn’t a worry the pilot had, but rather a curiosity. Cal didn’t seem like the sort of man to trust an AI to his ship entirely, and Penelope questioned logic programming in hairy situations. It was more a point of interest for them to discuss while she settled in before another long flight. A conversation.

Girls' Shopping Trip

JP with @Xandrya

~This takes place before Hook's shopping trip~

The shop was small, and quaint, though its racks and walls were lined with clothing items and so Alana figured it was probably the only place around where she'd be able to find something warm. She'd asked the woman behind the counter if they had any coats or the likes, and in turn, the woman had let known they were scattered about. With a forced smile, Alana turned away to roam and try her luck. As she walked off, her mind drifted back to the day before to the time she spent with Cal. The very fact that he was on her mind clearly meant she fancied him, and the content expression on her face was a dead give away. 

Is that… There was no mistaking the doctor with her style of clothing, though Penelope couldn't say so without acknowledging the same could be said about herself. Pensacola was more her fashion than the doctor's, though, which made her stick out more. Especially surrounded by less … formal-looking elegant wear. Tidy, that's what the pilot thought when she'd met the woman, and right now she seemed very out of place in all this clutter. 

"Hey, there." Penelope greeted as she came along the overstuffed aisle facing Alana. "Didn't know anyone else was needin' some warmer duds."

Since she'd just come inside, the pilot's arms were empty, and it looked like either Alana also just came in or she was selective. That wasn't a fault in Penelope's eyes. She was frugal and thrifty. If she'd had time and forewarning, she'd have added a back layer to her quilt and stuffed it. "Brought the mule with me to carry back my haul. If ya want, you can ride with."

Her hand was pulling on the sleeve of a potential candidate to take a better look at it when a familiar voice greeted her from behind. Alana turned to see their pilot had joined her in the shop, and she welcomed her with a smile, genuinely glad to have some company during her shopping excursion. "Pen, hi! I’m just, you know,” she shrugged amicably, “trying not to turn into an ice pop when we’re back in the black. Please, join me. The ride back will be nice, but the company nicer.” She turned her attention back to the jacket, giving it another glance before addressing Penelope. “Well, would you look at this. It’s quite a...distinct piece.” The item in question was a salmon pink fluffy jacket, and Alana could only imagine what the others would say about it. “I’m not sure it’d be all that warm, to be frank myself."

“I’d been wonderin’ if a place like Pensacola would have a wintery wear section that amounted to more than’a light frost to the ground.” Penelope said as she studied the length of sleeve Alana had pulled to display, her eyebrows risen then furrowed as if that ‘piece’ answered that question. Alana reminded her of her older sister, Helen. Not in a bad way, in fact, it was the nicer parts about her sister that Penelope liked. Admired - secretly of course.The way she dressed and held herself. It was much more different than the easy stride the younger sibling took, but both were confident in their own manner. “Think the trick for us who ain’t bundled up in the Shutto du Skye will be layers.”

Her bare fingers flipped through the row between them idly as she spoke. Idly she thought she’d need some gloves - she disliked her fingers not being able to feel the console while she was flying, but without the gloves it was likely she wouldn’t be feeling much of anything besides cold pain. “Oh, I think I found something…”

From the way she had said it, it might have sounded sincere, but what she held up was anything but. Then she grinned. “Think it matches my eyes… Does look warmer though…”

She said the last bit looking at the fluffy thing held up beside her face, tilting her head a bit. It looked more like something worn to a club in winter, maybe. She wasn’t an expert in that area by any means.

Alana let out a little laugh. “No doubt that’s what we’ll need,” she added, “I mean it’s not like we can cuddle up to someone to keep warm.” Alana joked, unintentionally steering the conversation a certain direction. At that point, she peeled her eyes away from the green coat in Penelope’s hand and scanned the rest of the shop. “That would undoubtedly turn heads at a rave or something of the like, though I doubt we’ll be doing much dancing in the black...” And just like that, it didn’t take at all long for Alana to find her gem.

“Oh, and so it appears that Lady Luck is on my side today. Come Penelope, you must see this one!” Alana hurriedly motioned for the pilot to follow her, acting as if she were an excited schoolgirl. Alana pulled the coat from the rack it was hung upon and pressed it against herself, twirling in place as if she were modeling it for her companion. “It appears to be comfortable, warm, but most importantly, it's black and that’s as neutral as you can get.”

Penelope was in the middle of tugging the vivid green jacket she'd found as a joke inside out, her mind formulating stitches when Alana said something so lightly curious that she glanced over at her, brow quirked. The curiosity had nothing to do with the fact she just noticed the sleeves had zippers, and all to do with how the woman flitted from conversation so cheerfully. Though she couldn't surmise the woman's demeanor fairly as they'd had limited interactions, this was a little unexpected. She followed as beckoned, amused, with her fuzzy green jacket in tow. Black wasn't exactly her favorite - given she typically was in various splashes of color, but it worked with Alana. "Looks like it'd do the job. Might want to get a thermal shirt for under… 'less you are cuddlin' up with someone, then somethin' more shapely. Ain't good for warmth, but reckon that's what the other person's for."

She said it speculatively, as if it weren't fishing back in that pond to see if it were cause as she looked at the jacket left behind on a rack nearby. Someone must've not liked it after trying it on, but Penelope loved it. It was right up her alley in the same way that cushie black number did well for Alana. She held it up, trading it for the fuzzy green one she wouldn't have time to work on anyway. 

Her cheeks grew a might warm at Penelope’s comment. What did she know, to be exact, if she knew anything at all? From the short time since she had the pleasure of making her acquaintance, Alana didn’t take Penelope for one who delved in the personal affairs of others. She could have been egging her on to make a confession, or she could have very well been simply playing off of Alana’s previous statement. Whichever way the story went, Alana wouldn’t willingly offer up any of the more intimate details from her time at Peces En El Mar. 

“If one could only be so lucky, right?” That much she believed in all earnest, making her poker face practically indistinguishable from that of an individual without the worry of being found out. Alana pulled up the coat in front of her to look at it, both for closer inspection and to serve as a distraction. Just then, Penelope exchanged items for one that Alana couldn’t help but approve of immediately. 

“I’m just going to come out and say it...you’ve got much more better taste than me.” Alana smiled, turning to Penelope to compliment her choice while simultaneously changing the topic. “I’ve got some warm socks packed up in my belongings, and I’m sure I have some cozy bottoms as well... What about you? What else are you needing to complete the ensemble?"

If Penelope was disappointed at the pointed change of topic, she didn't show it - though now she was curious which one of the fellas on the Doll would be her type. She did smile, of course, at the compliment as well as the direction the conversation swayed. The last time she had been shopping with another person was with her sister, and Helen had said the exact opposite. "I don't have anythin' warm, so I just gotta grab a few things for layers. And a thicker blanket since I don't have time to stuff my quilt." 

After draping the jacket over the nook of her arm, decided, she grinned fully at the doctor. It was nice, out doin' some browsing with another person. "I don't think you've got bad taste at all, doc. We just like different styles. You're the first one who didn't think mine was all tatters and frays."

She shrugged, smiling as she followed Penelope. “I go through my stages, ya know?” Stealing a sideway glance at the worker behind the counter, Alana noticed her to be with a sour face. The shop was empty save for them two, so she could only guess they had broken up one of her routines. That, or she was indescribably lazy and couldn’t be bothered to keep an eye on a couple of customers for a little bit to assure they didn’t run off with something that wasn’t theirs. Either way, Alana didn’t pay her much mind. 

“Back in day, I used to have rainbow hair. Can you believe that? At least Cyd keeps it simple with a single color, but not me. I was also quite a handful too, but I was young and running on the wild side came naturally. That, and it was the company I kept...” For a moment, her mind drifted back to her younger years, wondering what ever came to be of her friends. “But eventually my father straightened me out and here I am,” she went on, turning a corner after having spotted some scarves that looked mighty swell for the job required.

For a moment, Penelope was musing on that image, the little smile on her lips as she flipped through sweaters and found one to add to the crook of her arm. "Reckon we coulda been thick as thieves. Oh, maybe bad timing."

She looked apologetically in the direction of the cashier, caught out 'oops' look back to Alana at the unimpressed scowl. It was difficult not to give a little chuckle, so she had to cast her gaze downward to the rack. "Posh works well for you, Alana. Can't say I can see ya any other way, but reckon there's time for that?"

It was a question towards the end of discovering if Alana planned on sticking with the China Doll. Ever since her and the Cap'n's chat after dinner, she felt not so wary at how keen she was on getting to know the rest of the crew. The idea of having roots, albeit space roots, was the best kind for a free spirit like this particular pilot. She knew Cal wasn't going anywhere likely in a good long while, and had the feeling Hook and Abby were both along for the long haul. The question had been the youthful pilot and doctor alike, both a skilled profession and neither seeming to have any spoken direction. Now Penelope's was set, in that same sort of vague yet sure what her three shipmates' seemed to be, that curiosity tickled her about the doctor. What was her aim?

"That's my intention for now," she remarked, in the know as to what Penelope was referring to. Initially, Alana wasn't all too sure what her long-term plan would be, though the little time she'd spent onboard helped her realize she felt comfortable there. Comfortable was nice, and were it not for the brief incident where Abby's pi gu was penetrated by a bullet, she couldn't think of s single complaint that would lead her to permanently take her departure. "If Cal will have me, of course. Who knows what he'll be thinking if there's ever a time where it'll be necessary for me to stick a needle in his arm, or stick it somewhere that will have him crying like a little child." Alana laughed a little at the thought, and she remembered some of her own visits to the doctor as a little girl, her happy expression shifting just the slightest.

"You know, whenever I had to see a doctor growing up, I knew I would want a job in the field. No doubt that dream became a reality, but prior to being welcomed aboard the China Doll, I didn't have much going for me. It scares me to think of having to go back to that nothingness, you know? I haven't been with you and the rest of them all that long but it sure don't feel that way."

Penelope was considering the image Alana had her mind conjuring about Cal and needles, amused at the possibility that a seasoned man such as himself may very well not be too keen. But then the doctor strayed into familiar territory, one that aligned with her own feelings as of late. "Reckon there's just somethin' 'bout the Doll that has us all feelin' that way. Abby and Hook said similar on it, too. Don't know nothin' 'bout those Skyes, but they're long haul passengers for now. And our Cap'n… well, I don't think he's as adrift as he tries to come off. Rather like him, myself. Despite the surprise job that led to Abbs on your table."

The fondness in her tone didn't stray too far with the last bit. Only because they'd already cleared that up when they had their words. And Penelope wasn't one to revisit things when necessary, let alone unnecessary. "Have a mind we got ourselves a decent man as a captain."

She grinned at Alana, lifting up a final shirt for her little pile, game to cash out if the doctor was. They were on a time-crunch, sadly, otherwise this place might be full of treasures she could work with. 

"Yes, he’s quite a decent one ain’t he.” Alana could personally attest to that statement in more than one account, though it’s not something she’d necessarily announce out loud. “I’m just happy we all have a home for now, nothing past that is of any certainty.” 

Alana noticed Penelope practically done with her shopping, and she walked in the way of the cashier to pay up, which wasn’t an interaction she was personally looking forward to. Though brief, she had enjoyed herself during this last-minute excursion. Got something warm, got to talk to Pen for a little bit, and now she had a ride back. Though it would have been nice to stick around town for a little while longer, they had a schedule to meet. But she didn’t mind going back to the Doll one bit. Hearing a little bit about the others’ perspectives helped her realize they were more like her than she initially imagined. 

“Well, this has been fun,” she confessed, placing her coat on the counter and turning to Penelope. "We should do it more often, though next time we oughta bring Abby when she’s not under strict orders to stay confined to the ship."

“Feel the same.” A little chuckle escaped Penelope’s lips, thinking on how much Abby was following the letter of the doctor’s law, but she said nothing. Instead, she lifted a touristy shirt up - Pensacola in tri-color horizontally across the chest with a beach sunset scene below. “Found this for her - even has thumb holes in the cuffs. Think it’ll be a good present for being such a good sport about it all?”

Abby wasn’t one Penelope had ever figured to pout, but she could tell the girl certainly didn’t like being confined to that lawnchair. If she’d been good enough after her nightly excursion, then at least Penelope could give her some sort of consolation. Wasn’t her fault she was shot in the bum. 

“You know that girl so well, and I guess so do I because I can’t think of any reason she wouldn’t love it. Shame on me for not thinking of the same, but ‘fore I forget, first rounda drinks on me next time we get a little off time-if you care to, of course.”

“That’s a prescription ain’t no one would argue with, doc.” Penelope said, laughing a little as she loaded up her heap onto the counter. She ambled up beside Alana to pay her cost for the clothes once the doctor was done, and indicated she wanted two blankets. She left the clothes to go haul up the weighted blanket she’d spotted earlier, dropping a folded microfiber blanket on top. On the way back, she’d snagged a thick shawl she noticed in passing since her small blanket seemed to have gone missing after she’d ‘loaned’ it to Rex. There was a hat in a cart full of discards likely to be put back, so Penelope dug it out and found a pair of gloves underneath. Her luck seemed to be turning around in all sorts of major ways.

Feeling slightly inadequate with her light load, Alana insisted on lending a helping hand, bagging and compartmentalizing as she went. Grateful for the help, Penelope walked alongside her crewmate with a bundle in tow back to the trailer attached to the mule. The load seemed like a lot, and it definitely felt like a lot to the pilot who made most of her things, but her account was only marginally bothered by the purchase so she didn’t fret one bit.

“Ya ever rode on one of these before?” She asked as they finished up and she pulled back on the worn pair of leather fingerless gloves, eyes looking to Alana as she uncurled the wrist of one by sliding a finger under. 

The question caused a memory to surface, one from back in the day. "Just once before, a very long time ago with my brother." Despite her mention of him, Alana didn't feel like going deep into the subject. Instead, she lowered herself onto her seat and made herself comfortable for the brief ride. "I ain't the least bit worried if that's what you're thinking, you being a pilot and all," she smiled at Penelope.

“That’s real generous, doc.” The doctor sure was good at side-stepping anything she didn’t want to discuss, Penelope allowed a grin with the reassurance though she was really more appreciative of the other woman’s privacy. Until all that came out after dinner, Penelope herself had been more than good at avoidance and distraction. Seemed it was finally her time to address it all, but that didn’t mean she was going to make folk who weren’t ready face their own stuff. Instead, she simply fired up the mule in a series of fluid motions, glanced back over her shoulder once to make sure Alana was holding on, and got them back on the way to the Doll.

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