Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

Course set for Alderaan, the Rimma Roundabout rushed through Hyperspace alone. It's cockpit empty and devoid of all life. However, deeper in the ship a clanking sound of metal objects bashing against metal objects. The sound reverberates through the ship and carries to every corner of it. All from the single source.

Waist deep in a large crate with an assortment of things loaded into it, sat in the galley, Riss digs through. Legs both coming up into the air a little as she strains while reaching for an object at the very bottom. A slip forward, a hell, but a good catch with her knee.

The banging had made Cynella's post-workout shower less than refreshing. For a moment, she considered the possibility that the ship was falling apart and that her parents had made a grave error in trusting this pilot. But if some an ignoble death was her fate, well, she figured she'd face it without whining about it.

Although, she had to wonder if this ship had an escape pod.

Fortunately for her, it didn't seem like today was the day she'd die. She dried herself off then gussied up with a (relatively) minimalist routine. The true festival wasn't starting until tomorrow and anyone stuck up enough to decry her less formal appearance wouldn't be worth her time.

Once ready, she made her way over to the source of the commotion. "What could you be doing back here?" she asked as she looked around. "You've been at it for awhile now."

"Looking!" she shouts, her voice is muffled as it bounces around in the metal box she's half leaned into. A kick of her leg as she nearly falls again, a hand against the bottom of the crate to catch herself. Pausing there's a clear strain from the effort in her voice as she pants briefly to catch her breath.

Hands scrambling up either side of the crate she takes some effort to start crawling her way back out of the top. A soft clang of something in her hand occasionally being heard as she moves her left into position for the ascent.

"That much is clear," Cynella said, "though for what is yet to be revealed." She positioned herself below, ready to catch the pilot in case such a thing was necessary.

"Perhaps it would be easier to have a helping hand?" She held out her arms to have the search be on more solid ground.

"Yea," she says, a groan as she holds the sides of the crate to steady herself. Hair dangling around her face she sneezes as a few strands tickle her nose. A shake of the head to get them out of her face, "Just uh.. grab onto something and pull me up, yea?" she says, holding herself there and waiting for the affirmation.

"That's how you want to do this? Wouldn't it be easier to bring it down?" Cynella pursed her lips and then shrugged. "I guess I don't know how heavy it is. Hold on." She stretched out her neck and shoulders before hoisting herself up.

"You still haven't answered what you're looking for. Should I be concerned?" she asked with a wink.

"Oi, calm down Elur dear!", says a man in a sea-green T-shirt and dark green cargo pants to a large, but relatively lean icy white wolf that's moving about skittishly while letting out a low growl. "It's probably just Riss doing..."

...Doing what? He laughs as he makes his way along with the wolf to the source of the noise. It's not as if she was predictable. But he's been around in the Rimma Roundabout to trust it's nothing to worry about. Not too much, anyway...

When they get to the galley, the low grow becomes a sort of curious yapping as the wolf sees Riss with her feet up in the air, one of the other passengers Blai hadn't talked too often holding on to her and starting to pull her up.

"Eh... Riss? And... eh, what was your name again, friend?"

A few more steps ahead and he sees Riss is apparently trying to fetch something from the crate she's dug herself into. "Ah... more importantly, everything alright, I hope?", he adds with a chuckle.

With Cynella coming up, once she got a good position, one of Riss' hands met with the womans shoulder and she pushed herself off to the side a little to get her other into a good spot. Feet leaving the floor entirely she hung a little just by Cynella's side but had a much better ability to sift through things and reached just a bit more. Feet finding awkward placements against the wall that barely supported her, but supported her just enough to keep her steady. Strain vocalized as she reached to the far back, "Hi Blai!" her muffled voice echoes a bit against the metal of the compartment with the crate inside.

"Got it!" she calls out, pulling back a little but finding the situation far too precarious. A slightly nervous chuckle bubbling up, "Uhh.. maybe.. can you get me down now? That'd be.. real nice," she laughs, the same nervousness infecting it.

"Now how do you ever get on by yourself?" Cynella teased as she supported Riss in this endeavor.

She nearly lost her grip, though, when she spotted the wolf; despite the prior exposure, she still wasn't accustomed to seeing an unconventional (as in, not commonly domesticated) animal onboard a ship. "You've forgotten me already? That doesn't bode well for me..." She pouted and then rolled her eyes. "Cynella Rhiannon Esmetrice Andrim, though Cynella is perfectly serviceable.

"As for this situation, yes. I just need to lower our good pilot here so she can continue seeing to our safe passage instead of... whatever she's doing here!"

With that near lost grip, a small slip and a quick yell before some more nervous laughter, "Hi Elur!" she breaks through the tension in her voice. Taking a moment to settle the beating of her heart as she supports herself against the walls, taking that breath. "Was getting something from my old storage. Thought it'd be easier than all this- and then it was right there, and I figured why not just get it now?" she chuckles, the nerves dissipating. Calmed again she slowly starts working her way back down with Cynella's help. A sigh of relief as her feet touch onto the ground, hands settling on Cynella's shoulders.

"Usually? I try not to get on by myself," she smiles, giving a quick wink.

Cynella Andrim wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 4:26 pm

"Now how do you ever get on by yourself?" Cynella teased as she supported Riss in this endeavor.

She nearly lost her grip, though, when she spotted the wolf; despite the prior exposure, she still wasn't accustomed to seeing an unconventional (as in, not commonly domesticated) animal onboard a ship. "You've forgotten me already? That doesn't bode well for me..." She pouted and then rolled her eyes. "Cynella Rhiannon Esmetrice Andrim, though Cynella is perfectly serviceable.

"As for this situation, yes. I just need to lower our good pilot here so she can continue seeing to our safe passage instead of... whatever she's doing here!"

Blai's left hand quickly runs to his scratch the back of his head awkwardly. "Ah! Of course, Cynella... Andrim! Sorry for my forgetfulness", he says awkwardly as he pats Elur's head again. The wolf seems comfortable now and the growling pretty much stops, although it still keeps looking curiously ahead.

Riss wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 4:42 pm

With that near lost grip, a small slip and a quick yell before some more nervous laughter, "Hi Elur!" she breaks through the tension in her voice. Taking a moment to settle the beating of her heart as she supports herself against the walls, taking that breath. "Was getting something from my old storage. Thought it'd be easier than all this- and then it was right there, and I figured why not just get it now?" she chuckles, the nerves dissipating. Calmed again she slowly starts working her way back down with Cynella's help. A sigh of relief as her feet touch onto the ground, hands settling on Cynella's shoulders.

"Usually? I try not to get on by myself," she smiles, giving a quick wink.

The wolf turns its head to the side and barks happily at Riss. A happy bark from a wolf that'd be taller than a person if standing on two legs is maybe still frightening... but it makes clear she's very at ease with the captain. Blai himself laughs again. "I forget if I asked, Cynells - this your first time travelling with Riss?" He nods at the pink-coloured girl. "She's..." he seems to search for words, but soon gives up with a smile. "Well, she's like this! But our safety is pretty much guaranteed! Even more so to Alderaan. Much easier than that incursion to Smarteel while keeping out of sight of Imperial ships, eh, Riss?"

Walking a bit closer, he and the wolf now both look curiously at Riss. "Found it then? You're making us all curious now!"

"You know, I could give you some pointers so you don't need my help next time. We could tone up that body of yours to attract even more people, don't you think?" she asked with a wink. "Say, Blai, do you like them fit? Or are you the sort of man who gets flustered by a strong lady."

She dropped down after helping the pilot. "Oh yes, first time. A shame, really. My life's kept me mostly on Kuat, though that's not so bad."

"Smarteel was a pain," she said, her tone a bit distracted as she observed the small metal contraption in her hand. Cynella's words bringing her back to the moment more directly, enough to catch the wink, she smiles with that edge of cockiness to it. A glance toward Elur she gives a little teasing shake of her nose. Freeing one hand she brings up the arm and flexes it a little curiously, looking to Cynella with a raised brow, "Maybe? I'm fit enough for most of the kriff I get up to. Not sure muscle-bound-Riss is what anyone's on the market for," she smirks.

Giving a nudge to Cynella she looks to Blai, still flexing that arm, "What do you think? Think I'd look good with muscles like Cynella here?"

Cynella Andrim wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 7:44 pm

"You know, I could give you some pointers so you don't need my help next time. We could tone up that body of yours to attract even more people, don't you think?" she asked with a wink. "Say, Blai, do you like them fit? Or are you the sort of man who gets flustered by a strong lady."

She dropped down after helping the pilot. "Oh yes, first time. A shame, really. My life's kept me mostly on Kuat, though that's not so bad."

Cynella Andrim wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 7:44 pm

"You know, I could give you some pointers so you don't need my help next time. We could tone up that body of yours to attract even more people, don't you think?" she asked with a wink. "Say, Blai, do you like them fit? Or are you the sort of man who gets flustered by a strong lady."

She dropped down after helping the pilot. "Oh yes, first time. A shame, really. My life's kept me mostly on Kuat, though that's not so bad."

Cynella's cleary comment gets Blai off-guard, and this time it's his right hand that runs to scratch his head. "Ah! Eh. Flustered? Nah, I mean... I..." Strong ladies might not get him flustered, but answering this kind of question apparently did.

Getting a smile back to his lips as he looks at the woman, eyes still a bit sheepish, he chooses to go into the next comment instead. "Oh, Kuat, that's... quite close by, yeah? Never been, I think! What's it like?"

Riss wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 8:10 pm

"Smarteel was a pain," she said, her tone a bit distracted as she observed the small metal contraption in her hand. Cynella's words bringing her back to the moment more directly, enough to catch the wink, she smiles with that edge of cockiness to it. A glance toward Elur she gives a little teasing shake of her nose. Freeing one hand she brings up the arm and flexes it a little curiously, looking to Cynella with a raised brow, "Maybe? I'm fit enough for most of the kriff I get up to. Not sure muscle-bound-Riss is what anyone's on the market for," she smirks.

Giving a nudge to Cynella she looks to Blai, still flexing that arm, "What do you think? Think I'd look good with muscles like Cynella here?"

Hearing Riss come back to the same point, the blush returns as well, and he notices he won't get away with no answer.

"Ah! I... guess?", he says scratching his head and looking down again. "Not like you look bad though, eh Riss?", he says with an awkward smile. He then distractedly looks at his arm, remembering a bruise that adorned it in the past. "Not a shortage of muscle on ya exactly either, eh?...", he adds with a silent laugh.

"Buh... what about ya girls? D'ya like'em strong? Or agile? Or both?" he asks, trying to sound smart and funny but awkwardly looking down again.

"Oh I'm not that hulking, am I?" Cynella asked, tapping her lips in thought. "Maybe it's time for me to focus more on my glutes instead." She lifted her arms as part of a long stretch. "Anyways, you're great the way you are, Riss. I'm only suggesting what might be an improvement! Can't be getting complacent, darling."

She let go of her stretch and her hands fell to her side unceremoniously. "What's there to say? I can't imagine human planets actually being that different from one another, though we might have some different customs." Thank goodness she had that manual to refer to later. "It's not like I'm coming from Mon Cala or the like!"

"Both, either?" she says to Blai with a little smirk. Looking toward Cynella she nudges her a little more, "I wouldn't say hulking. Just.. more fit than me," she chuckles as she moves away from Cynella and Blai, finding her way toward a nearby couch and plopping herself down onto it. Item still in hand she observes it absently as she continues, "There's a lotta different ways about different people, I like a lot of them. Like Cynella here, and-" she gives a glance toward Blai," well, you know."

Cynella shrugged. "Right, it just wouldn't do to have someone who wasn't intent on being active in life. Of course, prior experience does not necessarily dictate the future. People are always capable of change."

She winked. "Unless that's not a thing on Alderaan."

"I'm.." she pauses, glancing over Cynella a moment with a little slack to her jaw, moving it to the side as she formed the question into a statement. "That was a.. real suspicious wink there," she said with a brief smirk.

"Tryna give a girl ideas I think," she said, but with a more passive tone as she returns focus to the small metal object. Being careful with it she examines the thing for a way to open it until she finds a little latch.

Blai grins to Riss, not very surprised by her answer - although after a while to process what she said he suddenly blushes a little again. Nothing too serious, though, nothing an awkward shake of his head, some patting on Elur's head and a grin couldn't solve.

He then opens his mouth as if to answer Cynella, but his jaw just keeps there open as he looks in turn to one and another of them trying to understand the exchange, the grin first looking a bit silly, then very silly until he finally shakes his head and remembers to take it off his face.

"So!... ideas?" He stops mid-sentence and shakes his head again. "I mean! What's that you were lookin' for then, Riss?"

Then, turning to Cynella. "And... I guess most human lands have some similarities?" He sees pensive. "Was mostly thinking about... you know, the land itself? It is like a jungle world? What do you eat there? What animals or plants you love and fear? I suppose ... what's it that makes life interesting there?", he says with a smile. "I mean... aside from exercising!", he says in a another attempt at a joke that wouldn't work so well even if it had been a good one, since his eyes drop to the ground again after saying it.

Rather than answer, Riss kept searching for the latch, and within the minute she had it opened. Twinkling music sounded into the space as the top lifted and a small scene played out in the screen within while mechanical pieces popped up in front of it and twirled. A small smile sneaks into Riss' expression as she looks at the instrument. A few more seconds and she glances up from it, "Just an old memento I was given," she blows out air between her lips, "yikes, when I was little."