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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2016 17:15:11 GMT -5
not salty at all... open! BY MINNIE OF GS "Does this planet suck, Being the first ship on the planet would be cool, they said. It would be fun, they said. Well they were all a bunch of liars. Sure, the breezy late-spring weather was joyous, and since not many other people strayed from the established colonies at this point, she could openly sunbathe whenever she pleased, but something about losing everything you were used to kind of... sucked. Running water, for one, would have been fantastic. Really, so would've electricity, but the longer days here at least meant it wasn't as necessary to have synthetic light. Except, y'know, when night lasted just as long.
Audrey sighed, kicking her horribly-dirtied sneakered feet through the sand. Also, in case you were wondering, walking around the Drop Point in tennis shoes was nothing short of a bitch. There were a couple other people milling about, gazing toward the cloudless sky as if staring would bring a ship down any faster, but she paid them no heed and whipped off her shoes and socks anyway. Someone gave her a look, which she returned just as indignantly. Hey, if this was the closest thing they had to a beach, she was going to enjoy it. The sand was unbearably hot, though, so she dug her feet in to find the cooler stuff. Another glance from the person she should probably know but didn't, another 'mind your own business' glare from Audrey, and back to waiting they all went.
So why were they all here? Was a ship en route? Really, no one knew. The giant metal cans they all came in on were strictly unidirectional, and something about travelling across galaxies knocked out the comms. Not that Earth was anything short of desecrated by now, anyway, but it would've been nice to at least have contact with the vessels currently floating about space. Get an E.T.A., that sort of thing. Except for that one glitch where the Haulers were unmanned, and people's stuff was loaded every which way; meaning just because some of your stuff was on this ship, that didn't mean all of it was. It was frustrating for everyone, but Audrey felt the impairment particularly strongly. She was on the first ship out because she was supposed to be studying the microbes (if they even existed) in the soil and determining patterns that would give them some indication of what weather on PE was like. But apparently that wasn't important enough to secure five spots on the same Hauler, or - better yet - on the same ship the people were on. If they expected her to be able to study microbes without something to look at them with, they were out of their damn minds.
Closing her eyes, Audrey took a deep breath of the surprisingly untarnished air. Stressing over what wasn't was nothing but destructive. Getting angry over the uncontrollable was a waste of time. Shoes hooked by the laces around two fingers, standing there with the breeze steadily combing through her hair, she could almost trick her brain into thinking she was back home. But, again, this was "home" now. Grunting, her lids popped open and, unwittingly, she joined the others in silently cursing the sky.
or is it just me?" - Audrey |
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6'2"
27
Being a Butt
Exurbia
Offline
15 Posts
Played by Poe
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Post by Alastair Holgrave on Aug 24, 2016 16:04:27 GMT -5
| B efore dreams break, there is sound and wind-- movement as imaginary figures dance through half-formed thoughts. Alastair dreamed of Earth-- he was in his apartment, the floors rumbling under his feet as a train passed by-- he was on the docks, staring out and seeing nothing but all the choices he had before him-- he was stepping off a ship, his footsteps heavy as he moved cargo box after cargo box...the dreams grew disjointed now...he saw words as colors, the barest hint of a smile on lips far too familiar, a wink, a breath, the smell of mint.
But his dream seemed so far away, now that he stood smack dab in the middle of the desert-- Drop Point. The sound of the wind whistling intensified the complete and utter blue of the sky. Alastair blinked, and then he blinked again. He'd never seen a sky so blue, and he'd never cared quite so much about how empty it was. Not even the barest smudge against the horizon could be seen. Nothing-- and nothing meant several things to Alastair: first off, he didn't have his cigarettes; secondly, he didn't have his damn cigarettes.
His palms were itching with the impulse to reach into his back pocket, pull out a stick, light it-- but that's right-- he'd made the wonderful decision to 'save his cigarettes' on the unmanned shuttles. He'd told himself that, 'he could tough it out,' and the phrase, 'it'll make me a better person' might've slipped into his thoughts too. Alastair wanted to-- no matter how the space-time continuum might be affected-- go back in time and throttle those idiotic notions out of his own head. But what was done was done, and he was stuck.
Alastair stared hard at the sky (as if it would change its mind and not be so blue) before dropping his gaze to the people around him. He'd seen them all before, at one time or another-- walking through Exurbia, trading, talking, surviving...thriving. He felt the back pocket of his jeans once more, before letting out a long-suffering sigh. He made a mental note: next time he decided to go gallivanting off to an unknown planet-- he'd actually bring a pack of cigarettes in his carry-on.
He paused then, as his eyes focused on one face in particular. Red hair, long-face, expression about as inviting as an angry cat's...and if his memory served him, some of the colonists had called her Polaris. Dr. Polaris. Hesitantly at first, he mosied towards her, sand leaking into his shoes with every step as if to keep him from approaching.
"Dr. Polaris, right?" He began, not as confidently as he would've liked, but it would have to do. After all, he wasn't sure if this was even the right woman. "I'm Alastair-- Al for short." Alastair almost, almost, hesitated before he said his name-- the syllables dry and unwieldy in his mouth. He'd just have to get used to it.
"So, Doc. What are our chances of survival on this godforsaken little rock?" He asked then, looking at her with a small smile-- as if to offset the bitter note in his tone. But, if he was honest, he was just glad to break the constant empty rush of wind with the sound of his own voice.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2016 23:31:01 GMT -5
#sofriendly BY MINNIE OF GS "Does this planet suck, The soft plodding sound of approaching footsteps had Audrey's eyes flicking to the side, though her face didn't turn. Surely someone wasn't actually aiming to speak with her - that would have been a foolish venture indeed. Especially if it was the man giving her the stink eye earlier. On second thought, come over here. I dare you, she thought smugly, sass already warming up for a round or two. It had been too long since she last really lashed out, and maybe she'd let this poor soul get the brunt of it. But it wasn't him; it was another man, taller than her by a solid four or five inches (damn you PE for not being amenable to heels). He looked like maybe, had he been sidling up to someone else, he might've had some charm, but as she raised her brow she doubted he would succeed with such an impression on her.
Oh, so he knew her name. Well, this was awkward. In lieu of any real response, Audrey narrowed her eyes, chin dropping from gazing at the sky to show that maybe she was paying a little bit of attention. She even deigned to turn a cheek fractionally closer to him - which he should take at the utmost compliment. Thankfully - even though she didn't really care - he gave his name, and despite her frosty expression she truly tried to commit it to memory. This was an awfully lonely planet when you sucked at remembering names.
His question surprised her; so much that he actually drew a snort out of her. On anyone else it probably would have been unattractive, but the beauty of Audrey was that she didn't give a damn what anyone else thought. Confidence was alluring, right? Smirking, she turned her face further to address him before turning grave. "Pretty slim, really. The atmosphere isn't meant to sustain all the people we're sending here. The more that arrive, the more oxygen they're sucking up. If I were you, I'd start offing people when you get the chance," she offered seriously, holding his gaze just long enough to really make him believe her, she hoped. Cracking a smile, she leaned closer and nudged him with her shoulder. "Just kidding, I have no idea. I won't know anything until my equipment comes in," she said, casting a disdainful look to the sky. "But anything's possible." Her face returned to stone-cold-serious, just to leave him guessing. Why? Because it was fun.
She let the jesting settle with the air around them before shrugging and moving on. "You look like you're waiting for something," she pointed out, chin jutting upward to indicate the unimaginable amount of steel (or whatever those ships were made of) on their way here. Or, y'know, not. Rumor had it they liked to gain a mind of their own and wander off to neighboring planets, or hell, different galaxies. Who knew? They'd been thrown together with such haste there were bound to be lemons in the bunch. or is it just me?" - Audrey |
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6'2"
27
Being a Butt
Exurbia
Offline
15 Posts
Played by Poe
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Post by Alastair Holgrave on Aug 27, 2016 17:36:15 GMT -5
| I f it weren't for the fact that he was standing on sand so hot it made the soles of his shoes melt a little, if he weren't distracted by that same hot sand pouring into his shoes and making itself at home in every single thread of his socks, if he weren't so completely certain that he was in a boiling hot desert, he would've said he was frozen to the bone.
Dr. Polaris, scientist extraordinaire, one of the first colonists to arrive on Petra Exterior, tireless, dedicated, that was what he knew about her. But there was a difference between knowing about a person, and actually knowing...the person. As far as first impressions went, Audrey Polaris was ice cold.
Thank God Alastair kept his wits about him, and brought his metaphorical ice-breaker. Though ice usually made a rumbling, grating, sound when it broke-- in this case, it was the sound of a snort. Alastair breathed, feeling himself thaw out a little. Ah! She was smiling, this was a good start--
But then she turned to him, and her words erased any thought of 'relaxing'. At first, he didn't buy it. Who would? All the government officials on Earth had given them assurance after assurance, "Oh, hey, this is a great place to live! Much better than this hellhole-- get on a ship! Your chances of survival are great...or at least, greater than if you stay here." Alright, alright, if he'd had a choice he would've stayed. But there wasn't a choice, at least for the people who wanted to live. Alastair had firmly believed in what the official reports said about Petra Exterior, imagining a whole new life for himself.
"You gotta be kidding, doc." He said, tone wavering between accusation and uncertainty. And after all that, she turned and looked at him. She was serious (soon to be a dead serious if they kept standing here, wasting air.) They were all going to die. From there, though his eyes had widened ever so slightly, and his mouth hung open, there was little reaction. All of Alastair's energy had been turned inward, after all, as he frantically began considering just how long he had to live.
Then, the panic that overtook him came crumbled apart as he glanced over at her, and saw a grin much too familiar.
He'd been had.
Heat rushed to his cheeks, and he awkwardly rubbed the arm she'd bumped against-- feeling a fool. But if there was one thing Alastair had learned over the years, it was how to recover. So he didn't point out just how gullible he was, though evidence of it was very clearly painted on his cheeks.
"But anything's possible."
He squinted at her for a moment, as if his eyelashes would help him decipher the truth, but her face was back to that stoic mask, and he honestly...couldn't tell...
"Well, let me know if we're about to suffocate. The heads up would be nice." Alastair huffed, eyes darting skyward. Still blue. The air settled, and a comfortable silence followed. He stirred as soon as the doc spoke up again, and almost answered with some philosophical 'aren't we all'. But he wasn't sure how well that'd go over with a woman like Audrey Polaris.
"Cigarettes. I left them on the unmanned shuttles-- thought they'd get here as soon as I did. And other things too..." He trailed off for a moment, before angling a sidelong look at the doctor. "Anything other than 'equipment' coming your way? Books, papers, rugs, turkeys?"
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2016 22:32:56 GMT -5
this was so fun to write BY MINNIE OF GS "Does this planet suck, Oh, the poor boy had little to no idea what he was getting himself into. Was that a little sag in his shoulder, a bit of relaxation along the planes of his face? Audrey felt bad for him... wayyy deep down in the part of her that actually didn't at all.
Her upper lip twitched at the 'doc'. Yes, technically, she had her PhD, but... 'Doc' sounded so uptight. Like she was a plastic mold, a cookie-cutter version of some class that had a set standard of morals and objectives. Anyone that knew her knew that she, 'Doctor' Audrey Polaris, was anything but. She would have informed this Alastair of this, but she was busy messing with his emotional compass. It took a fair bit of schooling for her features not to immediately give away her amusement, but she was well-versed in this field and succeeded without a hitch.
He, however, did not. It had been some time since she last saw a man blush, and though he had obviously been thoroughly convinced by her acting, she had to admit she hadn't expected it of him. And since it had been so easy the first time, she went ahead and duped him again. Her brow raised innocently, a clear expression of 'What?' written on her face.
And once again, she succeeded. God this was way too easy - she needed to remember this man, so she could find him when she was having a bad day. "I wouldn't waste the breath," she responded easily, arms crossing her chest as she faced forward. She had to squint, because the sunlight banking off the sand was absolutely blinding. Why hadn't she stowed a pair of sunglasses on the ship?
"Oh good, so polluting Earth's atmosphere wasn't enough for you. Have fun getting a now-untreatable cancer," she offered helpfully, expression one of sincere encouragement as she turned back to him. Yes, she covered two completely different concerns in the span of as many sentences. Her brain moved quickly; keep up.
And she wondered why she was single...
At his question, her lips quirked into a smirk, briefly. A hand fanned over her chest in mock astonishment. "How did you know?" she asked, breathless. "I need the books to educate the turkeys, the turkeys to write the papers, and the rugs for daily prayer," she explained, talking with her hands. In case he didn't understand, she finished, looking at him sidelong, "The turkeys are Muslim."
Putting a hand to her forehead to shade her eyes, she made a show of looking around, mouth turned in an expression of deep thought. "Though truthfully, I don't know which direction they need to face."
Dropping her arm, after a few silent seconds, she actually emitted a soft laugh. "I like you," she complimented, nodding her head to confirm despite her choice not to look at him. or is it just me?" - Audrey |
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6'2"
27
Being a Butt
Exurbia
Offline
15 Posts
Played by Poe
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Post by Alastair Holgrave on Sept 9, 2016 20:55:43 GMT -5
| A lastair didn't appreciate being made fun of, though he could understand the sentiment. He'd made a fool of himself, and it wouldn't be a shock if people-- those people being Dr. Polaris exclusively as she was the only one to witness his gullible nature-- took full advantage of that. He knew he'd do it too if he were in her shoes. His eyes skated down. Of course, if he wore her shoes, his toes would be much too pinched, and he couldn't have that.
So, with a small but sour twist of a smile on his mouth, he tore his gaze away from the doctor and let out a small guffaw. That's right, pretend like you're not at least a little humiliated-- it isn't like your cheeks don't proudly display it anyways. But even if his stomach was churning and there was a burn (though at this point he wasn't sure if it was from the blush or a soon-to-be painful sunburn) on his cheeks, he still had a pair of ears and a sense of humor.
"Oh good, so polluting Earth's atmosphere wasn't enough for you. Have fun getting a now-untreatable cancer..."
"I will, thank you." He replied, his tone tart enough to pop the syllables, but certainly not too petulant. And he would've begun thinking of a way to escape the red-haired woman, except she started talking about turkeys and praying and rugs and he turned back to her, a genuine smile on his lips.
"Oh, really?" Al almost chuckled, but he held it in. He was a bit too butthurt to start laughing at her jokes now-- maybe in a few minutes. He was fickle like that. "That would certainly be a problem...Though I've heard that turkeys are remarkably smart. And if yours can do the things you say, I'm sure they can figure it out."
"I like you..."
He blinked then. Did this woman ever slow down? Automatically, his right shoulder raising in a noncommittal shrug. It was his oldest give, a little defense mechanism he used to buy time and mull over his answer. He wasn't sure why such a statement would need time to answer too-- maybe it was just the abruptness that was Dr. Polaris.
"This isn't preschool, Doc. And I'm old-fashioned. If you're going to ask me out, do it properly." He snickered, knowing full well that he might get into trouble. But, he hadn't been in trouble in a long time. Old habits die hard. "But, for the record, I like you too." He didn't add the 'kinda' that danced on the tip of his tongue.
| ### words | @audrey | feel free to kick his ass, he's a punk |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2016 21:41:17 GMT -5
she could do this all day BY MINNIE OF GS "Does this planet suck, "You're welcome!" she remarked cheerfully, mouth momentarily blossoming into a full smile even though inside she was thinking, But seriously we don't have the medicine here to fix you when it happens....
"Hm.." she started thoughtfully, "I've heard they tend to drown themselves when it rains too hard. So I guess it depends on your source. I'd like to think my turkeys are fairly intelligent, though." She nodded, mouth twisting as she pretended to mull it over. Because she felt weird standing there perfectly square like a statue, Audrey crossed her arms loosely over her chest, keeping them there even when he called her doc again.
Scowling, her head pivoted to look at Alastair. Her mouth opened as she prepared to retort, but he continued on so she had to settle her lips into an unimpressed line until he finished. "That's great," she clipped out, clearly considering the subject of whether or not he liked her of little importance. "But two things: one, don't call me Doc. I'm not a "Doc". I have my PhD - I don't do the medicine wizardry. A.K.A. when you get your cancer, find someone else to not fix you. And two..." Audrey cut off, eyes taking the journey down his body before snapping back to his face, expression making it clear she wasn't very enthralled with what she saw. "..I probably could have birthed you. I wouldn't dream of 'asking you out'," she finished sourly. Never mind that it would have had to have been a teen pregnancy for that to be true, and really he had one of those faces that could belong to a budding twenty-one-year-old just as much as it could to a man creeping to the edge of thirty. She stared maybe a minute too long trying to figure it out, then gave up and looked away again with a snort.
Truthfully, she could get on board if he was close enough to her age. He was a good height, and lasted much longer than most men in terms of putting up with her sass. And... he'd been the one to approach her. Brow wrinkling, her gaze swung back to him. "Is there a reason you came over here?" They'd gotten pretty far off the path of his original question, yet he hadn't left... or is it just me?" - Audrey |
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6'2"
27
Being a Butt
Exurbia
Offline
15 Posts
Played by Poe
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Post by Alastair Holgrave on Sept 12, 2016 23:36:33 GMT -5
| A lastair had always been that little kid in timeout at recess, always the one left out because he'd never finished his homework, always grounded, always scolded, always squirreled away because he was mischievous, and no matter how many times he'd been caught-- he'd never reformed. He was addicted to trouble if one could be addicted to that sort of thing.
He'd committed to the backlash that would come from his little comment, bracing himself for indignation-- at least it would get the so-far stoic scientist to crack her shell a little. Or...not. 'That's great?' Was that all he got? Some part of him breathed a sigh of relief-- maybe he'd get off the hook easy this time. Of course, that wasn't as fun as--
Oh.
Oh...
If Alastair had been a lesser man, he would've had no problem tearing up a little after her rant, especially when she gave him a disdainful once-over. But he was a real man, as real as they came, and that meant that whatever emotions reared their ugly head stayed safely behind a mask of indifference-- or at least, as much indifference he was able to muster at that moment (which really wasn't that much, in fact, he looked altogether frazzled after her verbal attack.)
And when it was all over, her eyes still didn't leave him. He pressed his lips into a thin line, choosing to keep his gaze firmly fixed on the distant horizon. If he thought the worst had come (because, honestly, he'd imagined Audrey would strut away from the conversation, understandably huffy) a silence settled between them. She chose that moment to ask the question he'd just started to wonder himself.
"So...Doc," Alastair began, a twist of a smile on his lips, "Ever heard of taking a joke?"
| a number of words | @audrey | <3 |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2016 22:32:51 GMT -5
To say she was surprised at his reaction would have been a lie. Still, her jaw clenched ever so slightly in her attempt not to smirk at Alastair's complete lack of formidability. Had he truly believed himself to be desirable to her? Oof. She hoped not, even though the thought made her chuckled inwardly.
Because of his inability to do much other than gawk at her for having the sack to be so forward with him, Audrey felt it safe to assume his answer to her question would be swift and precise.. But it wasn't. Instead, he opted for silence, followed by just enough jab to earn him a dash of respect in her book. Doc - her nostrils flared in annoyance. For a moment, she deigned only to tap her chin with a finger as if truly deep in thought. "You know, I have, I think, though I never quite understood the purpose of it," she rebuked, her lips remaining straight for just long enough after to give the impression of seriousness. After that period, however, she cracked a smile - which he should feel honored to witness.
"Have you, Alastair-," she cut off abruptly, looking to him with concern, "-that is your name, right?-" Of course it was, she wasn't dull. "-ever heard of respecting your elders?" Her eyes glimmered with mischief, expression reforming to something suggesting the expectation of an answer. Really, she would be impressed if he didn't just come back with the same rebuttal she'd so wittingly offered.
"But seriously," she continued, as if they hadn't just been casually hurling insults at each other, "You addressed me by name. So either you're a stalker," her eyes dragged down him again, mostly because it seemed to make him so incredibly uncomfortable the first time, "or you actually needed something." Her gaze trudged to their surroundings, thinking it over. "OR you're just weally weally woney all by yourself out here," she concluded, pouting heavily as she looked back to him. Good lord, messing with him was so much fun. "Are you regretting the choice to seek out my company yet?" or is it just me?" - Audrey |
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