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The Sky's Still Free [[Midori & rage0976]]

Caleb arose to the sound of Toni's cheerful voice over the comm, shaking his head a bit. Sometimes he just wanted to duck tape her mouth and toss her in the hold for a few days. But she was who she was, the cheerful pilot who somehow usually managed to get a smile from the crew regardless of the circumstances.

Standing and getting dressed, he had missed Ariana's departure, walking out to the hold in time to see the door closing as she was headed away from the ship. Probably for the better. He didn't need to be getting too close to her business, just like she didn't need to get involved in his. It'd only cause complications for the girl that she didn't need.

Turning around to head to the galley, he decided to get put on some coffee. It was likely to be a long day and night, and he was going to need some sort of pick me up.
 
Ariana sat across from Gregory, trying to ease his nerves as they sipped the tea. The scent of jasmine filtered through the room, and the companion granted him a smile, bright blue eyes warm and soft. "Relax. This is supposed to be enjoyable." Eventually she led him to the bed, dimming the lights in the room so that only the glow of a single lamp lit the area. "It's alright to be nervous." She assured him, though to be honest, Ariana felt as though the young man's father would burst into the room to investigate at any moment. The man was insufferable, and only the fact that he was highly influential and offered her a high sum had even brought her to the estate.

Well, there was also the pity she took on his son, who had probably simply been waiting for the right woman. As they lay in bed some hours later, Ariana reached out to gently touch his cheek, and he glanced over at her. "I thought I'd feel different." He whispered. "The way my father talked, I thought that I'd feel, well, like I'd changed." She merely nodded, unable to say much. "Perhaps you will feel different later; your father merely wanted you to be happy, and he felt this would make you happier." The second statement was not technically true, since she had no way of knowing such things, but she felt it might do him some good to hear it.​
 
Caleb, Gabe, and Bruno had remained on the ship while some of the others had gone out to take care of their own business within the port. The three of them sat at the table playing cards, betting on the various chores there were to do around the ship. So far Gabe had the biggest stack of papers in front of him. The basic goal was to collect the lists to turn in whenever it came that person's turn to do those chores, allowing them to get out of it for that week.

"Okay, I'll see your dishes and raise you trash detail," the captain told Gabe, Bruno having already folded this hand. Gabe looked to Caleb and just grinned. "Let's see 'em then." As they laid their cards down, Gabe once again had the winning hand, drawing a few muttered curses from Caleb as the first mate collected his list of chores he wouldn't have to do.

As the game progressed. Gabe glanced to Bruno with a smirk. "What's the matter, big guy? Got that cute little companion on the brain there?" Bruno just turned a light shade of red as he pursed his lips, pushing his last remaining list into the center pile. Caleb rolled his eyes a bit, placing his bet as well. Gabe then turned his eyes to the captain, watching him curiously. "Wait, what about you? I know you gotta find it hard not to look at somethin' that pretty. I mean when's the last time you even had a...er...female friend?"

"Don't really see where that's any o' your business, Gabe. You playin' or not?" Gabe was unrelenting, however. "C'mon, cap'n. You gotta at least admit the girl's freakin' gorgeous." Caleb just pursed his lips, shrugging gently as he tried to play it off. "Hadn't really paid that much attention to be honest." He wasn't being honest, however, having definitely noticed, but he wasn't about to give that one to Gabe. "Now, if you're done tryin' to distract us so you can try to slip more papers in your pile when we ain't lookin', you gonna bet?" Gabe blinked. How the hell could he have seen that? The guy had a sixth sense or something. And so the day went for the men.
 
Ariana lay in the darkness of the room for a while, letting Gregory chatter idly about his worries and disappointments. There was nothing more that she could say or do to make the young man feel better, and so she let him talk, occasionally nodding or giving a simple yes, no, or I understand. Their time was coming to a close, and as she slid from his bed, she kissed his cheek softly. She slipped her arms into the sleeves of her robe, and took his hands as he moved to face her. "Thank you." He whispered, to which Ariana smiled softly and a gave a small bow. "It was a pleasure, Gregory, and I hope that you have gained something from this experience." She quickly dressed in the soft blue and silver gown than hugged her curves, sweeping up her long black hair into an elegant but loose twist, tendrils falling in her face.

She left the house, nodding to the Commander and indicating to the man who was taking her things out of the house that he should deliver them to the Sovereign. Calmly she boarded one of the small transport shuttles headed to the market district, planning to get her shopping done as quickly as possible. As it turned out, shopping was spectacularly easy and swift because two of her favorite vendors and former clients were more than willing to help her outfit her new home. She purchased several yards of fantastic silk fabric in deep navy and silver as well as some softer blue. Matching cushions, pillows, bedding, and the makings of some cushions were also added to her collections. A rich ebony table, small enough to sit in the shuttle but big enough for her tea things, and two small matching shelves were the last of her purchases for the shuttle, and she finally made her way back to the ship.

Toni greeted her at the door, and the two young women quickly managed to get her purchases to her shuttle without the help of the male crew members, a feat that both were proud of; Ariana thanked Toni, who threw a mock salute and left for her bunk, then headed toward the galley to get something to drink. She stepped into the room, glanced around at the men sitting around the table, and smiled. "Gentleman," she remarked with a small smile, her voice soft and smooth. "I come bearing gifts." Her arms were full of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as a few other things that were often hard to come by because they were expensive.​
 
Gabe and Bruno both rushed to help Ariana with the groceries, though in reality they were just eager to get their hands on the fresh produce. Caleb stood as well, walking toward her a bit more calmly as he also took some of the load off her hands, the three of them moving to put everything away. The captain glanced over his shoulder at her briefly, giving a nod of gratitude. "Thanks. It'll help to make sure we get at least a few more decent meals around here."

Once all the groceries were put away, the guys returned to their game. Caleb now had the biggest pile in front of him, Bruno being nearly out of "currency" by this time, and Gabe seeming to break even. They went about placing their bets as they looked around, trying to read each other. It seemed the captain rarely smiled or really showed any sort of emotion for that matter, but his eyes told a deeper story whenever one was able to look into them. Of course his stoic expression made him good at these sort of games. Of course having caught Gabe with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar helped even the game out bit as well.
 
"Happy to be of help. Can't have people saying I don't do something useful." She smiled as the men took the groceries from her arm. "Captain, as soon as I pick up a few lamps that should be available in an hour or so, I've finished my business here. So I will be ready to leave when you are." The men returned to their game, and a quick observation let Ariana know that they were playing for chores. She left the galley and went back to her shuttle to begin decorating the living space she'd just decided to rent. Carefully, she hung fabric and rearranged furniture. It appeared that someone had rented it before her and left a small sofa, so she covered it carefully with her new fabrics. Eventually the shuttle looked like the inside of her room at the House in Sihnon, and she looked around with a slight smile.

An hour and a half later, Ariana was returning to the ship carrying four pretty silver lamps to replace the old ones. They were extremely light, and once she got to her shuttle she was able to hang them and continue her decorating. She hummed quietly to herself as she worked.​
 
The guys had finished their game by the time the companion had returned, having gone about seeing to the standard duties before lift-off. Bruno was in the engine room, making sure everything was running as it should be, while Gabe was going about preparing dinner tonight.

Caleb was on the cortex, having a conversation with one of his normal contacts, a man known as Duke. Hints of the conversation could be made out, but he kept his voice low for the most part, preferring a bit of privacy. "And how much are we talking about here?" The man on the screen shrugged lightly. "There's a good fifty platinum in it for you if you get me a sample, and a hundred if you get all of it for me."

Caleb sat back, scratching his chin thoughtfully for a moment. Of course he planned to take the job, but he couldn't seem too eager. These guys were more than ready to take advantage of someone who seemed too desperate. Finally he nodded, as if having been a little reluctant. "Alright, Duke, but only 'cause you asked me to..."

Turning the monitor off as the man gave a satisfied nod, the captain stood and stretched, wandering back to Ariana's shuttle to take a look at what she'd done to it. Knocking gently, he waited for her to respond as he stood there patiently with his hands locked behind his back.
 
Toni was in the cockpit, quietly working with some of the controls and making sure that nothing had been altered, while Cora was in the infirmary putting away newly acquired medical supplies. Ariana spent her time hanging the fabric and arranging the furniture, and when she heard the knock, she called out that it was open, not turning around even as he entered the shuttle. Looking around, it was difficult to tell that prior to her arrival the small vessel had been slightly dusty and barren. Now it looked like a plush small apartment, only missing a kitchen and area to eat. The shuttle now had a sort of oriental feel, and it now seemed to fit the exotic woman who called it home. "Hello, Captain. Come to see what I've done to your shuttle?" She asked pleasantly.
 
Caleb looked around as he entered the shuttle, giving a sharp whistle as he took note of all the changes she'd made in such a short time. "Hell, I hardly recognize the place anymore. Nicer than my bunk. I might just have to come catch the occasional nap in here sometime."

He was obviously joking, even giving a slight smile as he said it, his eyes moving to the companion to study her for a few minutes. "We're gonna be making a detour from here. Next stop is Higgins' Moon. Gotta make a pick up for a client and such. You okay with that? Not gonna interfere with your business is it?" He seemed genuinely concerned about making sure his business didn't cause conflicts with hers. After all, she was a respectable lady, and couldn't afford to have too many no shows on her reputation.
 
Ariana smiled softly, glad that he didn't find the decorations to be offensive. A soft chuckle escaped her pretty pink lips, and she shook her head. "I'm afraid the only men who will be sleeping here will be clients, Captain, and I highly doubt you will be one of them." She felt the need to give him a subtle reminder that their relationship would remain strictly business and that there could be no interaction between them other than that of a lessor and lessee. Not that he wasn't rather attractive. She couldn't help but wonder if under different circumstances he might've been a potential client.

"I shouldn't see any problem with a stop over; I haven't yet decided on any arrangements as of yet, and so it won't be any trouble." She paused for a moment. "Though I hope you don't mind me staying on board and not venturing out. I've been on Higgin's Moon once or twice and it can be quite unpleasant to the senses."
 
"Naturally," Caleb replied to her. "I wouldn't want you out there in that muck anyway. Take weeks to get a client near you if you fell in one of those mud pits." He laughed softly as he took a seat, settling in with a surprised grin. "Wow. This really is comfortable. You sure I can't just nap in here from time to time?" He winked playfully before standing to leave.

"I'll let you get settled in some more. It's a bit of a trip yet to the Moon." He couldn't keep himself from watching the beautiful woman from time to time, having to tear his gaze away when he caught himself staring. Offering her a slight smile, he took her hand, kissing the back of it before releasing it and turning to walk out. "I suppose a lady needs her privacy to take care of...lady type things." With a soft chuckle, the door closed behind him and he was out of sight once more.

Returning to his own quarters, he climbed down into the bunk and went about undressing so he could clean himself up a bit. Once he had cleaned up, he walked to his bed and fell onto it, not bothering with clothes for the moment. Taking a deep breath, he let his eyes close as he thought of the companion for another moment. Realizing that might not be the best thing to picture as he looked down briefly to see the reaction it had gotten, he simply rolled over to try and catch a nap before dinner, having to laugh a bit at himself.
 
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