168/Talking with Space Ships

Talking with Space Ships
Date of Scene:	16 July 2014
Location:	Serenity
Synopsis:	Serenity's crew encounters an unexpected admirer of the ship
Cast of Characters:	21, 273, 400

---

Nasrin (400) has posed:
Click. Click. Click?

Well. That was odd. The door had been locked in Nasrin's room. Her brow furrows, her lips purse, and she glances around the suddenly confining little cell of space, before tilting her head and looking up. That vent would be easily enough removed. And so she backs up the half-pace the room affords, and leaps onto the bed, turning in mid-air and clinging to the vent, popping the grate open with ease. She slips inside, and begins to wriggle her way up to the common area -- and away from any of the private rooms.

There's just some things you really don't want to oversee. Even if you're a nosy little Assassin.

Nasrin (400) has posed:
Click. Click. Click?

Well. That was odd. The door had been locked in Nasrin's room. Her brow furrows, her lips purse, and she glances around the suddenly confining little cell of space, before tilting her head and looking up. That vent would be easily enough removed. And so she backs up the half-pace the room affords, and leaps onto the bed, turning in mid-air and clinging to the vent, popping the grate open with ease. She slips inside, and begins to wriggle her way up to the common area -- and away from any of the private rooms.

There's just some things you really don't want to oversee. Even if you're a nosy little Assassin.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"Alright people, we're all docked up. Shouldn't be here too long, so if you diddle out in the station too long, we're leaving without too. And I ain't too inclined to be turning around my ship just to get you. I'm looking at you, Jayne," comes a voice over the ship's intercom, presumably belonging to the captain, probably up in the cockpit.

Serenity's docked at a small refueling depot near the middle of the Astroidia zone, at a station that doubles as a small transportation hub, meaning it's fairly easily accessible by ship or warpgate, depending on your distance to travel.

Poor Nasrin is the latest in a string of mysterious room-locking incidents that's prompted a few notes posted on the ship's refridgerator in scrawled script; probably belonging to everybody's favorite gun-naming grunt, Jayne. The culprit remains at large, though all bets are on the black-haired girl perched atop some of the barrels in the ship's main bay.

"Easy there, River, will ya?" asks Mal, as the captain descends the catwalk in the ship's main bay. "Those things are much more valuable than you'd think. And if I've been keeping up on my news, they're worth near as much as you and your brother, according to the Alliance."

Nasrin (400) has posed:
NAsrin wiggles into place, planting her bare feet in the smooth metal, and pushing herself upwards, she works her way into the top part of the ship, then begins to cross over. She pauses, and she hears the announcement -- people are /leaving the ship/. And the vents are hard to get out of if you couldn't unclasp them. Damn. She sits still a moment, and listens. Someone's got to remain with the ship, right? Right. Anyone.

Probably not Kaylee. Nas couldn't see her passing up a chance to see something new.

And not Jayne. Even if the warning wasn't about him -- he might shoot first and curse at her later.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Serenity's newest addition might be able to hear the sound of footsteps as the ship's captain makes his way down the catwalk leading from the ship's cockpit, and into the main bay. River just looks up and glares at Mal as he calls down to her while making his way around the catwalk towards the rear of the bay, in order to descend down to ground level.

"You know... Once you empty the barrels they're not as fun to sit on," the young woman says, still staring over at Serenity's captain. "That's against the rules," she adds.

"My ship. My rules," comes the captain's reply. "So either Jayne's gonna pick you and that special head of yours off of my barrels, or you can get up and go be morbid and creepy-like someplace less...in the way."

"Get me a cat and I'll move now," River says, crossing her feet Indian-style and making a childish face at Serenity's captain.

Nasrin (400) has posed:
So, Nasrin makes a split desision. She brings her arms in, putting the pressure on her feet, and then she lets her legs slide togehter... and she falls, slipping along the vents until she comes to one in the holding bay. She /almost/ goes pass it, but the cooler, dryer air is a marked difference.

"Excuse me, Captain?" she calls out, her voice ringing through the vents. "I appear to have been locked into my room."

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Both River and the ship's captain look upwards as there's the rather telling sound of somebody or something sliding around in the ship's air ducts.

"What in the black?..." the captain says, trying to walk closer towards the sound of the noises. "If I didn't know better, I'd think it was yo-.." he says, looking back to where River is sitting. Or was sitting, rather. She's done her usual disappearing act, and she's now gone.

"Nasrin, what in the 'Verse are you doing in the vent?" asks the captain, reaching up to tap the vent experimentally. "You didn't let River convince you that was a good idea or somthin'?" he asks, loud enough to be heard.

"I heard that!" comes the girl's voice from the ship's common area.

Nasrin (400) has posed:
"I told you." Nasrin replies incredibly evenly for someone stuck in a ship's venting system. "I was locked in my room. I didn't want to break the lock. So I went to the vents. However, they're quite problematic to get /out/ of without assistance from the outside -- or breaking the register vents. And I was quite sure I didn't want to explain that one." she admits... "...a nd no."

"This isn't the /first/ time I've had to take vents around a structure. It likely will not be the last time either."

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"Yeah, well it's the first time I've caught something that doesn't crawl on all fours up in my vents," Mal replies, calling up through a grate in the air duct. "Other than River, that is. Suppose she counts in that category, though..."

"I HEARD THAT!" comes the girl's voice, again. The captain gives a devil-may-care sort of grin, and plants his hands on his hips, whether or not Nasrin can see him.

"Well, we got ourselves a fine sort of predicament here," he says. "KAYLEE!" he shouts, cupping a hand to his mouth and looking back towards the aft section of the ship. "Grab a screwdriver, a decoupler, and a prybar and get up here!" he says.

Nasrin (400) has posed:
"... this is horrifying. You can't just open the grate? Why do you have to call Kaylee?" She inquires. And there's a shuffling sound inside of the vent. "... this is highly embarrassing." she mutters. Her hands begin to ahce a bit in the metal, her feet holding her in place.

"Well. It could be worse." she admits. She could be naked.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal gives one of those signature grins. "Oh, I can," he says. "Just thought she might get a kick out of this," he says, reaching up and giving the air duct a sharp smack on the grate. The metal grate swings open easily before falling out of its mount and crashing down onto the catwalk with a metallic SLAM. Mal steps back, dusting his hands, and looking mighty pleased with himself.

"Here, Cap'n!" says the newly arrived figure of the ship's mechanic, bright-eyed and ready with the requested tools as she clambers through a portway onto the catwalk. "Whatcha need me to fix?"

"That," says the ship's captain, pointing to the old, fallen grate.

Nasrin (400) has posed:
Nasr is already out, while the Captain was turned to Kaylee, and is dusting herself off. Bare-footed, her long, wavy hair tumbling to her waist, she has those facial tattoos -- three streaks beneath each eye, along her cheeks -- a boy's tee and a pair of loose leggings.She has scratches along her arms wehre the frame that the grate was in had scuffed her up.

"Embarrassing." She mutters, msotly to herself.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Serenity's captain seems to be enjoying the way the situation has unfolded thus far. Kaylee rolls her eyes, and scoots past Nasrin with a friendly grin and a wink, before bending to pick up the grate. The mechanic hoists it up and stands on a nearby railing as she sets to work with refastening the old joints that hold the grate in place.

"So you're the door-locker's latest victim, huh?" Kaylee asks, while working. "I got locked down in my hatch last week. Near had to cut my way out until Inara heard me smacking on the porthole..." she recalls.

"Don't understand what the deal with it is," Mal chimes in, folding his arms. "Some body's getting their kicks off of it, and they're not taking too kindly to being told to stop."

Nasrin (400) has posed:
"Could be a cry for attention, a game." Nasrin replies in a quiet voice. Speaking English with ease, though with a slight British-sounding lilt to it as she straightens. "Practice. Some people are tougher to read than others. And some make themselves as easy to read as a recipie. Or as deceptively easy." she ammends after a moment's thoguht, and she leans back on one heel. "Though I imagine, the next time I'm locked in, I will have to break the lock. It would be a shame to break anything on this ship... it's nice."

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"And some easy, though not deceptively so," comes a new voice. It belongs to the red-clad woman descending the stairs so gracefully, she hardly even seems to be actually setting foot on the metal catwalk at all. Inara flashes a quick, pointed smile in Mal's direction following her words, then turns a more genuine one to Kaylee. "Hey you.." she says, before repeating the gesture at Nasrin. "Hello again, Nasrin..." she greets.

Mal stands there, his arms crossed across his chest as he regards the three crew members now before him. "Ah, the Ambassador graces us with her presence..." he says, stepping unnecessarily far back to make room for Inara's entry. "And I ain't easy! Simple, sure. Not easy, though. Figured they would have covered that difference back at whore academy.." he replies, followed by a sort of thin half-smile.

Yuuma Nakano (21) has posed:
Space stations are, for Yuuma, pretty much Willy Wonka's factory for the average kid...full of amazing things, both awesome and terrible, a little scary, but still such an utterly wonderful experience that he wouldn't change it for the world. This being, of course, because of his technopathy. His Pokemon can get in on the 'conversation' too, thanks to their link. Though Juru, his Joltik, still thinks electronic things are boring to talk to.

This station has an actual hangar rather than just docks out in space, so Yuuma's been able to walk down there where the ships are and look at them. And 'talk' with a few. Then a new ship comes in! Yuuma watches it dock, watches someone leave the ship. It's a different-looking ship than he's seen, and it catches his interest.

He heads in its direction. Probably approaching from the direction the gangplank isn't facing. But not from directly in front, either. Ships usually have sensors for that. Besides, windshields. He might end up near the side of the ship, looking at it. He's got his hands in his pockets. Just looking for a while. In the breast pocket of his white and black hoodie, there's a little yellow bug-thing. And balancing on his shoulder is what looks like a Pokeball with eyes. Red half on top, though.

"<...I know what you are thinking, you know,>" the ball Voltorbs. Yes 'Voltorbs' as a verb, because that's what Voltorbs do when they talk. They Voltorb. "<That is a remarkably bad idea.>"

'Of course you do,' Yuuma notes back, mentally. 'It's a spaceship. And it's not like I'm trying to blow it up. I'm just talking to it.'

"<Yeah, but it might not look like that to others.>" This from the yellow bug in his pocket. This one Joltiks. Because it's a Joltik, obviously.

'It'll be okay. I'll just explain if anybody asks me.'

"<You might not get the chance,>" says the Voltorb. "<Most ship crews tend to shoot people who appear to be molesting their ships.>"

Yuuma's face goes a bit red. 'It's not MOLESTING. I can't interface with the ship's controls unless I touch...' Yes, mental voices can trail off. He sighs. 'Just...chill out, everything will be okay.' That said, he raises his hand and makes to set his fingers against the ship. He's just trying to have a conversation, that's all. Geez...

Nasrin (400) has posed:
"Inara." Nasrin replies, giving a m irrored smile to INara along with a bow of her head... mostly in embarrassment. It's not like her to have her hair down, and be barefoot. How entirely embarrassing. She's kept the blush out of her dark complexion, but her ears darken. "No, Captain, you're quite complicated." Nasrin compliments. "... but you're kind."

She straightens herself, reaching back before getting a little niggling feeling in the back of her skull.

PRobably nothing, she decides. "I should go unlock my door. It wouldn't do to have two young ladies running barefoot and amok."

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Inara just has this...manner about her. Something about the woman simply demands the focus of the room, and it's something far beyond just the woman's looks, which are stunning, or her extremely well-designed dress. And it's part of what contributes to the way that the woman can interact seamlessly with a greasy ship's mechanic and a barefooted space assasin and seem perfectly in place, while still retaining that singularly mesemerising quality about her.

Nasrin's comment produces a sort of 'tch' from the Companion, though Mal's remark is probably equally to blame. "The only complex part about you is your sense of honor, Mal, and why you'll fight to defend mine when someone implies I'm a whore, but call me one to my face," she returns, sharply, before continuing to drift down the catwalk, towards one of the ship's two shuttles.

"Mal! There's a creepy kid outside who's feeling up Serenity!" comes a shout from the direction of the ship's cockpit. Presumably, that voice belongs to the ship's redheaded pilot, who's currently holding a particularly angry-looking Tyrannosaurus in one hand, and focusing one of the ship's external cameras with the other.

Yuuma Nakano (21) has posed:
Yeah that's... kind of what it looks like, doesn't it? It's only the tips of his fingers that are on the hull, and he's not moving. But it does look like of weird, how he's got this completely unaware look on his face. He's not really paying attention to much, and his eyes are slightly unfocused. But he really is just having a conversation with the ship. It's the electronic equivalent of a 'hi, how are you, my name's Yuuma, what's yours', etc.

Nasrin (400) has posed:
Creepy kid? Messing with Serenity?

Nasrin is instantly on the move, barefoot or no, the girl is armed. She produces a thin, elegant blade, hiding it along her forearm as she slips out of the hold, feet making nearly no sound along the grates or the cold flooring of the landing pad. Her eyes narrow, pulling upon the power in her blood, trying to get an idea if this weird child meant friend... or foe.

And for an instant, she's back in Cairo, slipping on an unsuspecting target to steal a purse, as neatly as you please she goes to lift her arm, cradling the blade as gently as someone would glass.

She might slit his throat, she might take him down, she hasn't decided yet -- but if he fights -- oooh, if he fights...

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal's coat gives a sort of whoosh as Nasrin very suddenly is no longer standing where she was standing only a half-second before. His expression is sort of stuck there, just due to the startling rapidity with which the young woman makes it down and out of the ship.

"....where did the knife come from?" he asks, even though Nasrin is already outside of the ship by now.

Inara lingers just long enough to give a sharp grin back over her shoulder to Mal. "My, my, Mal... That's a new record for you, isn't it? Even I've never run that fast from you..." she says, blowing a very sarcastic kiss, and ducking into her shuttle.

It takes the poor ship's captain another moment or two to process it all, then he ducks into the fore passageway, clambering up and towards the cockpit. Once he's there, the spaceman grabs the radio from Wash's outstretched hand, and depresses the talk button.

"Hey! Don't touch my spaceship!" he says, his voice coming through Serenity's external speakers.

Yuuma Nakano (21) has posed:
Yuuma and his 'passengers' appear as neither allies or enemies. None of them have any particular inclinations of violence towards anyone aboard the Serenity, but since they aren't acquainted with them, probably couldn't be considered allies. But while Juru and Denka may appear as merely 'neither friend nor foe', since Yuuma is the one she's mentally marked as the target, he will probably appear as a person of interest.

Malcolm's sudden loud broadcast startles Yuuma, and he stumbles back, falling on his rear with a gasp. Denka's eyes widen as it is unseated from its place and onto the ground, rolling like a ball. Quickly Yuuma scrambles to grab the Voltorb, mentally offering, 'Sorry, Denka!'

Juru flails his little forelegs and 'Tiks frantically, "<PLEASE DON'T SHOOT US! HE WAS JUST SAYING HI!>" Yuuma nods, holding up his hands. One is empty, one holds the still rather dizzy-looking Voltorb. None of the three of them seem to have noticed Nasrin just yet. As she no doubt planned.

Nasrin (400) has posed:
Nasrin breathes out. The second sight fades from her eyes, and when Yuuma tumbles, she takes a step back, allowing him to fall to his hindside.

She glances up to where the sensors might be, and she makes the knife vanish back up her sleeve. Tricksy one, this one is.

"Pokemon." she states out loud.

And once she's settled that Yuuma doesn't appear to be a threat, she quietly offers a hand to help him up. Her face is still very stern and suspisious, however.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal may or may not be peering rather intely into the small camera screen mounted into the control dock of Serenity, trying to see exactly where in the Black that knife -went-, but definitely to no avail. Wash slooooowly leans back, and reaches around the captain to grab his second dinosaur, a rather content-looking triceratops, whose horn he proceeds to use to focus the camera's dial in on the two figures on the grainy display.

"Look, harm or not, I don't take too kindly to strangers trying to get friendly with my boat," says Mal, over the intercom. "Specially considerin' most folk who sneak up to try and get around a boat ain't fixing to give her a new paint job."

Yuuma Nakano (21) has posed:
When he finally sees Nasrin, Yuuma does a double-take. Where the hell did she come from?! He blinks surprised yellow eyes at her. Blink. Blinkblink. Though the offered hand is taken, and Yuuma stands. As he does, he signs 'thank you'. It'll be understood even if she doesn't speak sign language. Which could be useful for Malcolm as well. That way it doesn't look like he's trying to blow a kiss to Nasrin. Because that would probably get him punched. At the very least.

Yuuma looks back up at the intercom when Mal speaks again. In a moment he's rummaging for his tablet computer. It's this slim little touchscreen device from which the next voice emanates. A very artificial-sounding voice, though unmistakeably male, says in English, <<I'm sorry. Like Juru said, I was just saying hi to the ship.>> The pink-haired kid didn't type anything, mind. The tablet computer simply spoke. A Japanese voice, this one deeper and not quite as artificial-sounding, chimes in from the tablet (in Japanese, obviously), >>My name is Yuuma.<<
Back to English, <<This is Juru.>> Yuuma gestures to the little yellow bug in his pocket. Then he holds up the Voltorb, who seems to have gotten its composure back. <<And this is Denka.>>

Nasrin (400) has posed:
Nas mirrors it, bringing her hand to her chin, palm in, and slowly lowering it with a nod. She draws up, glancing at the tablet. Her eyes light up as she understands, and she gives a small nod.

"I'm..." she explains a moment. "... with the ship." Failing to give her name.