ФPΞИ PФSΓ

[shorttermed]

Comments

[shorttermed]

1. To be fair, I didn't know s/he wanted to sleep with me.
2. I looked into your soul, didn't I?
3. I hate to be dramatic but if we landed on yet another sand planet it would be far too soon.

3

[orionids]

to be fair, I have been trying to avoid desert planets for several reasons. but if Janus thinks we can cut a few hours by doing it, might as well.

[shorttermed]

The windy season is steadily approaching in most of them on this side of the system. Dust storms aren't exactly our friends.

3

[firstmagnitude]

i like how bright they are but i can see how they wouldnt be for everyone
the sand kinda gets everywhere huh

[shorttermed]

It's coarse and spreads everywhere like a disease!
There isn't a bit of shade to be found on these planets either.

2

[quatrain]

Are you talking about those weird fruits you brought back from RPI-Cereus?
Because yes you exactly predicted my tastes

If you're not talking about that... the answer is uhh I dunno yet.

[shorttermed]

Aha. I thought you might. They were shaped strangely but the scent was too intoxicating.

2

[deadsirius]

i'm not completely sure, but it would explain the screaming.

and the laughter.

[shorttermed]

Oh! I didn't mean to disturb anything....

[deadsirius]

you didn't disturb anything!

i should've tidied up, that's all.

[shorttermed]

[ it's really an information-gathering mission that brings them out there today. after the recent incidents, the crew is reluctant to let her go anywhere unaccompanied, given the sola has the least fighting experience out of all of them. she still leads he ming through the crowded, uneven city streets on a planet playing host to them for a few days, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the other is still nearby. ]

We're looking for a cafe this cargo captain frequents when he's in between systems, [ she informs him out of the corner of her mouth, taking his arm without much of a thought. the streets as jam-packed and it wouldn't do to lose one of their own, especially under these circumstances.

they need money. they always need money but current circumstances are urgent. and earning a pretty penny doesn't sound so bad. after all, they could use a little ego-boosting. ]

It's a tea shop with a flickering yellow neon sign.

[quatrain]

[ He Ming lets Sola rearrange their arms, coming closer to her as they're squeezed by the crowds. ]

And we know what he looks like?

[ Raising his head, He Ming starts looking around, though he catches himself a moment later and stops turning his head completely. Subtlety might not be his strongest area. ]

My eyes are peeled.

[shorttermed]

Yes. [ she smiles almost secretively. ] I will show you the holo when we're seated.

[ squeezing his arm, she tries to pull him back. ] Let us not let him know that we're looking for him.

[shorttermed]

1. I'm too keyed up to sleep. I need you here to wind me down.
2. I'm sitting in the shotgun seat of my ship on full recline trying to pretend everything is ok
3. Is your delayed response due to the massive amount of judging going on?

3

[opacus]

my delayed response is due to stepping barefoot in sir duckington's leavings

would it matter even if i was judging you tho?

[shorttermed]

It would be an opinion that does not matter to me, quite frankly. Do you need to wash the droppings off?

[shorttermed]

[ well, that had been a nasty scrape. the mission had quickly gone sour when their tourist cover had been instantly blown, forcing them to throw their initial plans out the window. through the fireblasts, they had somehow managed to get their hands on the jeweled egg, painstakingly handcrafted and extremely expensive. richer and a little worse for wear, they have landed less than gracefully on a faraway planet.

she knows why they have made a pit stop and it isn't necessarily for business purposes. regardless of the questionable reasons, sola must admit to herself that they do need to make some repairs, particularly on the ship's exterior.

sola is the last to leave the ship as the others tend to their own personal projects ( or something like that ), standing outside with her hands on her hips. she looks less than her usual regal self in an oil-stained burnt red suit, her hair pulled away from her face in a bun. there are a few things she can accomplish on the inside, very minor repairs that she had learned over time to patch them over until the next time they can find a mechanic, but there is only so much she can do.

apparently, they have found some salvation on this dusty planet. she turns slowly when she hears footsteps behind her, lifting her eyebrows. ]

Are you the contact?

[claustrophile]

[ Eli's mood has been sour ever since Rilan informed him that his services had been volunteered for him. He's getting a deal on rent for checking over this shit, but Eli would vastly preferred to be paid for the work he did, rather than expected to do it free of cost for the ship owners just so his good friend can get laid.

The fact that Rilan had said with complete sincerity that he thought Eli would enjoy the challenge has somehow managed to make his mood worse.

So that's where his head is when he trudges up to what he's guessing is the correct ship (as long as the dock location he was told was correct), bitter and even a little angry, ready to pick a fight with whoever he's forced to deal with during this whole stupid ordeal.

Only...

Only as he approaches the ship, and the woman standing in front of it turns around to address him suddenly a number of things change at once about Eli's disposition. His back straightens up, his expression smooths out from a scowl into a confused smile, and his hand immediately reaches up to flatten down his hair.

Without missing a beat he responds like he's been in an upbeat mood this entire time. ]

A friend of the contact, at least. He sent me to take a look at your ship.

[shorttermed]

[ narrowing her gaze, sola eyes him carefully with hand perched on her hip. as is the case with many people, the ship means the universe to her now and she tries to vet each mechanic as best as she can. if only she could do more with her hands, if only she had some kind of special power ...

but there are only so many roles that sola primarch can play. and a permanent, fix-all mechanic is not one of them. ]

Ah, yes, the person Janus knows. [ the corner of her mouth might curl at that, knowing as ever. ] You must be Eli then. [ approaching him with a set jaw and that ever-present sharp look in her eyes ( perhaps softened somewhat so as not to scare off someone who will actually help them ), she extends a hand. ]

Sola.

[shorttermed]

[ she had agreed to the engagement without hesitation. as much as sola had enjoyed the idea of romance, it was never a real possibility being raised as a diplomat in a contentious climate. as an outer-system planet, they were politically weak despite their presence in the galactic union and sola's tireless work. though she had proven to be wise beyond her years, few inner planets trusted in her and the rest of the government, demanding that Pollox V give themselves over to someone else's rule.

romance isn't for people like her, surely.

she has only met her husband-to-be through photos and holo-chats, most of the arrangements having been made by their families. his people are a dangerous sort, possessing the kind of armed forces that their government lacks. the union will surely strengthen their place in the galaxy and for that sola is happy. her ideals of justice live to see another day.

they have prepared a day for the two of them to meet, a table on the flower-lined terrace overlooking the grandeur of the capitol. it's tea time though there are a variety of cakes and drinks, all native to pollux v. if sola is nervous, it's difficult to tell. her husband-to-be is easy to look at and she certainly doesn't have to love him for this partnership to work. but the tiny, naive part of her at least hopes they are able get along.

she's dressed simply but elegantly in a red dress adorned with gold ( as such is the style of her people ), slowly pacing along the terrace's edge until his arrival. ]

[sunbasking]

[Rilan's family is not the ruling family, but they are the planet's heroes, conquerors extraordinaire. His mother, father, and two older brothers have performed heroic acts on behalf of their people, and have proven instrumental to the successful infiltration and acquisition of three planets through their joint efforts. They are fierce and proud, and exemplify all that it means to be Barrithian.

They are terrifying.

Rilen is family, and for that reason he has less to fear from them than others, but being bound by blood makes it impossible for him to escape the unpleasantness of the association. Every year that passes is another one that grows more difficult to put them off as they try to urge, coerce, and demand his compliance when he is told to follow in their footsteps. The frustrating and alarmingly intense meetings go no where only through Rilan's stubbornness, and in the last several months they have each in their own way slipped and let their disdain for his very un-Barrithian point of view.

He feels certain that he was the one offered up as the sacrificial lamb to this arranged marriage as a punishment and softening technique. It's an insult to him to make him marry a human, that which they consider a lower life-form. It's his mother's belief that after a year of marriage, he'll beg to return to Barrith under any terms. He has shown absolutely no emotion as the arrangements were made, keeping a cool exterior to give them all the impression that he is unhappy with his fate. They would surely choose someone else if they learned that not only does he not share the same opinion of humankind that the rest of his planet does, but that he considers this marriage an escape from the world and people he has never truly fit in with.

He has no doubts that his bride-to-be may have some misgivings about him. He hasn't been particularly conversational during their short interactions from afar, mainly to continue hiding his true feelings during communications that were surely being monitored by his people. But now, standing on Pollox V's soil, dressed in a simple white shirt and a pair of deep blue slacks that mirror the faint blue tones of his hair, he cannot help but look forward to meeting the woman he'll marry.

Marriage has never been something he considered for himself, not with how much his own views and personality would clash with any of the women of his planet, and so he goes into this meeting both optimistic and a bit at a loss for how it will work out for them both. It's his intention, at least, to not give her any reason to have regrets about the alliance they will symbolize.

His eyes scan for Sola as he is escorted out onto the terrace, and when his gaze settles on her form, his heart skips a beat. She's beautiful, yes, but there's something incredible and surreal about this first meeting. Quietly, he crosses the distance to stand at the terrace's edge with her, a few feet away.]

The view is stunning.

[shorttermed]

[ sola has done as much research as she can on the matter, up to date with the political situation abroad. whiles he is not of the royal family, her family is aristocratic and sola is a public, influential figure. the marriage itself is nothing new, though it jettisons her from the realm of politician into celebrity and that has left a strange taste in her mouth, scrolling past "news" tidbits gossiping on what her wedding dress might look like, who the groom will be, with some chatter on relationships from her past.

it's exhausting.

today is a balm, at the very least, with her favorite orange tea brewed with treats carrying notes of sweetness and citrus, all very much native to pollux v. they are left alone for the most part as well with guards further along the perimeter and staff down the corridor. today will be good. sola will make sure of it.

when rilan makes himself known, she turns slightly, a smile on her face. there's a respectful distance between them which she is grateful for, though she does bow her head in greeting. ] I hope it will be a view you will come to enjoy as much as possible, [ she returns optimistically. it is a marriage of convenience, of course, but she will at least ensure that he is as comfortable as one can be when made to leave their own home.

though she suspects he might welcome the change if what she heard is correct. ]

[sunbasking]

[They're not even married yet and Rilan finds himself keeping tabs on Sola. He tells himself it's because she's going to be his wife and he wants to know everything about her, but that isn't entirely the case.

He rings her home, and upon getting the answering machine sends her a text.]

should i expect you'll be working these late nights when we're married?
and when i'm at home waiting for you like this?

[A picture follows. It's not explicit, but heavily suggestive. Rilan laying on the couch, shirt open but for two buttons, revealing a great deal of chest and abdomen.]

[shorttermed]

[ despite the urgency surrounding her upcoming nuptials, sola is still hard at work on policies, safety precautions, and speeches to give when she has the galactic floor again. her future husband is possibly one of the most handsome beings she has met, but that doesn't stop her from doing her job.

which is why she is working in her government building to aid her concentration. of course, as the end of the day rolls around – for sola that means hours after everyone else has gone home – she gets a message.

ah. she smirks to herself and answers him after a beat passes. ]

Didn't you know patience is a virtue?

[sunbasking]

of course it is
but isn't there a saying about missed opportunities or time lost is never recovered also? 😇

i'm glad you work hard but i am hoping you'll be heading home soon to get rest