darkfox202
New member
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2021
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 5
Catelyna let loose a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her, kicking her shoes off and throwing her white coat onto the kitchenette countertop, before letting the arm of her couch trip her. Unfortunately, she wasn’t clear of all irritants; letting loose an irritated groan past the couch’s seating, she kicked back and forth with her feet, eventually rubbing off the socks. Cate then shifted herself to a sitting position, working off her pants, and then her black shirt- it allowed her an opportunity to look at the growing red rash on her upper left arm; just another one to add to the collection that had grown this week. Cate’s eye twitched as she rolled the shoulder, though with her other hand she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
As the sound of Exotic Eateries started to blare, Cate swung herself off the couch, and padded her way to her room. If you could call it that. It was just a sliding door into a room just large enough for a small bunk, an overhead storage, and another screen. Unfortunately, the sliding door was made of glass- and even though it could supposedly turn opaque, a large crack ruined those hopes. And the screen- it was supposed to be a personal TV- wouldn’t start, no matter what she tried. Anyways, Cate had risen to grab her laptop from her room, not grumble about something she’d already complained about.
Laptop tucked in arm, Cate then made her way to the bathroom section. Somehow larger than her bedroom, if barely, she opened up the overhead mirror to reveal the cabinet, and grabbed the cream. Sneaking a glance at a toilet-shower combo that was disturbingly similar in size to her bedroom, the woman shook her head in disgust as she made her way back to the couch. She swung herself over the back of the well-used chair, and as she was still bouncing from the recoil, set down the laptop and cream, grabbed the remote, and changed the channel to… No, not Peculiar Planets. Not Maids of Erieholm. Revenge of the Squirrel might as well do…
Her original joyous mood gone, Cate scowled as she took a look at the cream. Grabbing it with one hand, and opening and powering the laptop with the other, Cate then set out to start dabbing the ointment onto the various rashes she had accumulated throughout the week. If she didn’t have to spend 20 credits a week on the only thing that could help her stupid skin… she’d be a lot richer. At least she didn’t have work for the weekend- that was a plus. After she was finished with the rashes, Cate rubbed her hands together, and then dragged her laptop to her, well, lap. Darcy mentioned some sort of email about future chem training… Might as well get a glimpse of what that might be…
Wait. An email from.. Niobe? That nekomata who- Cate stopped herself, shifting her legs and blushing at the mere thought. One of the things she inherited from… something… was a perfect memory. She doubted it was her mother, and may just be a random quirk for being an Aasimar. Either way, while it was helpful in memorizing bits of code she got wrong, or schematics for a ‘bot, in other cases, she couldn’t really, well, forget more embarrassing things. Like Niobe and Noele. And how they couldn’t, for the life of them, just decide to wear normal clothes when talking to her.
But what did they want? Cate had already paid them for the hard-virus she asked them to transport to jack into a secure facility. And really, she was done with all of that anyways. So why…? The Aasimar shook her head, and examined the email further. They wanted to meet her at… K&K’s Brew? That was… significantly more casual than the place she demanded they meet last time they met. Again, Cate shifted uncomfortably. That was a memory for another time.
But they wanted to… meet with her? Another gig? Again, Cate was done with those things. Cate’s fingers went flying as she started to type, before she stopped. Should she even reply? Maybe… Suddenly, Cate cursed as she finally noticed a wet splotch that was growing outward more and more from her washer/dryer pantry. There was a leak? Letting loose a stream of expletives, Cate stormed over, threw open the door, and confirmed it. Yet ANOTHER complaint- at least this one the landowner had to fix.
…Not that Cate blamed him for not fixing everything, based on how meager payments were. He was a nice guy, really, just… Well, not equipped to handle a low-end apartment complex that was starting to become more and more run-down. But hells, Cate couldn’t afford to pay this on her own either…
Screw it. Work sucked this week. Aside from Darcy, Pharmacy coworkers were bitchy, she was tired of being stared at and commented at, and she was sure as hell tired of all the old guys trying to grab her butt. Throw in this, her sucky apartment, and how she had to avoid literally half the streets because this clique or this gang knows of her and either wanted her expertise or wanted to beat her up and rape her because of what she did… Cate put a finger on her temple, and rubbed it in a circle.
Fine. While the twins were… a memory, they were actually, well… maybe-kinda-nice-and-enjoyable-to-be-around-question-mark? Not that Cate would let them know that. Anyways. Cate would hear them out. After she got Ferrol back from Trish, she would go and meet the twins. A little adrenaline may be a pick-me-up. After sitting there for a moment, guiltily playing with the ring-necklace, she finally typed her response. Sunday, at 10 AM.
Cate fervently hoped she wasn’t starting a streak again…
The reply that Cate got was... positive. It also recommended that she make sure to have her stuff packed, just in case she accepted the job. Oh, and to be ready to update records of residence. Just what kind of job were they wanting to talk to her about?!
Cate raised an eyebrow. Stuff packed, and update her residence records? What was this, a long con? She was expecting some sort of quickie- a virus on a hard drive, maybe some sort of program for… something. Just what did they want her to do?
Guess she would find out when she went to K&K’s… Would she even want to do that, knowing it was probably involving moving? Again, she fingered the ring guiltily, reflexively saying, “Ferr-” Ugh. Right. Ferrol was getting repaired. Tapping her finger on the d key, expanding out the extended letter, she sighed. Fine. She would pack what little she had- ever since moving, her old, well, nice clothes stopped fitting her. And she was struggling to replace them 1:1. But anyways. At least she had a plan Sunday…
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Moving through the interior of Kyle and Karla’s Brew, Cate shifted nervously as she stood and looked around the area. She disliked crowded areas. Or, rather, well, she felt bittersweet about it- in the stories and books, it was always a hum of, well, friendliness. Unfortunately, all she ever seemed to get was stares. Gawking, lecherous stares. Throw in how she could barely handle brushing past people, and, well… Yeah.
Muttering to herself, the Aasimar glanced here and there, eventually quietly speaking to Ferrol. “Can you see them? I’m trying my damndest to not get my ass squeezed here.” The small, six legged bit of metal, hanging off of her shoulder, gave a series of short and long beeps, along with several other clicks and clacks- Morse code. Cate much rather preferred hearing morse code compared to binary. But back on topic, Ferrol had a much easier time spotting the pair she was supposed to meet- perks for being able to climb on top of her head to view things better, she supposed.
Why couldn’t she be tall? Cate honestly sometimes hated having to stand on her tip-toes to look over most people. She wasn’t even that short, for Celeo- no, for heaven’s sake! Face twisted into what she considered a scowl- some might call it a pout- Cate made her way over to the twins, giving a half-hearted wave to Karla- who seemed dead set on trying to be friendly with her- while on her way there. Upon reaching the infamous duo, Cate stopped just at their table, bag in hand.
She originally had something snarky to say, but memories kept that from happening immediately. After all… Why did she have to insist on wearing that elaborate, rough getup? Her entire skin was basically a red mark after wearing the stupid costume anyways! And what did it get her? Just a couple of weird nekomatas and their damn tendency to ‘tease’ her.
…Not to mention she held the return, second meeting to recover the information they stole almost naked. She just couldn’t wear that thing again. And she just hoped that Ferrol was the only thing they focused on; she had insisted on using him as a medium that way around, though she did have to stay near. Goddess, if they noticed her in only her panties…
A deep red blush grew over Cate’s face, before her lips twitched- twice, precisely, and she put on a neutral face, putting a hand on the table and talking to the twins: “So, what do you want?” Better get straight to business, right? Sure, they were nice to her last time, but she did not want their friendliness to pull her into something she might regret… The urge to twirl the ring-necklace bothered her again.
It was insane though, the twins were actually decently dressed! Niobe smiled as Cate spoke. "Just a job offer." She replied, gesturing for the chair that was unoccupied.
Noele was quick to expand. "We found ourselves on a crew that is extremely short-hand. Like, three people trying to run a ship meant for 30 short-hand. Plus it's in desperate need of work. But, more importantly, it needs people to help run it. Lots of job slots so if you want to tell the captain what it is you want to be doing, chances are, you're getting it. Oh, and the ship is mostly merchanteering, with smuggling on the side."
Cate hovered next to the table, nervous- doubly so when Noele clarified what they would be doing. The gradual accrual of stares, however, finally forced her to sit down, a blush lightly on her face, but she pushed both her embarrassment and her guilt down as she focused on the business: “So, what you’re saying is that the ship is a deathtrap?” She broke off for a moment as Karla bustled over, and did what all waiters and waitresses universally did: asked what she wanted.
To which Cate’s reply was: A peppermint mocha with two shots of veranda espresso. After Karla nodded, beamed at Cate, and trotted off, the aasimar sighed, putting a hand to her temple and rubbing, before resuming talking to the twins: “Seriously, though. An under crewed ship that’s not in the greatest condition. You’re just asking for problems to pile up on each other.” A moment’s silence, before Cate shook her head. “...At the very least, is there any sort of major recruitment? Like, thanks and all for coming to me, but I’m only one person. Who, while good at computers, and maybe wires…”
Cate trailed off as Karla returned with her chocolatey drink, distractedly answering Karla’s rather probing questions about her life: So, how’s work? I heard that Jefforson- who was Jefforson, anyways?- was having trouble deciding between Avetol and Kynadrin, do you have a recommendation? And finally, the most annoying one of all: By the way, I have someone who might need a friend to be with h- er, them. I can hoo- At that, Karla faltered a bit under Cate’s glare, before valiantly resuming with: I think it’d be nice if you got out of your apartment more often- can’t sit in there and stew over every bad thing that’s happened.
The young woman almost snapped at Karla there, but restrained herself. Karla was only trying to be helpful… right? A simple response would get Karla off her back. Looking back at the twins, Cate grinned slightly- trying to keep it from being slightly woeful- and managed to make up an excuse that could maybe get Karla away: “Hey, look, I’m outside right now! These two are…” Cate trailed off at that. Friends? Business partners? “...workmates- we’re discussing job stuff right now.” Seeing Karla’s concerned look, she hurried on: “Don’t worry, it’s actually about maybe a change of pace from the pharmacy might do u- er, me- some good.”
Not necessarily a lie, but… Cate’s stomach twisted and knotted. Damn it all, Karla. Why’d you have to make this hard? Sighing as Karla accepted this explanation with relief, she took a moment to watch the older lady bustle off to deal with other customers, before turning back to the twins to ask them: “At the very least, what’s the pay you’re offering?”
"A percentage of the cut on any job we take. Captain gets a larger percentage, but the rest of it is equally split amongst everyone on board." Niobe said. "With certain tasks and jobs if you're the one doing the majority of the work, you get the majority of the pay." She finished. Noele smiled and nodded along.
"As for it being a death trap, it's not that bad, but it is definitely in need of more knowledgeable and skilled hands to work on it. And they don't have a computer specialist on board. Me and Niobe can handle the majority of the engineering work, but electronics are not really our field of expertise. You on the other hand, are perfectly suited for it." Noele explained. "You get a room all to yourself, and all that's asked is you put your mouth where your money is."
Cate closed her eyes, lifting her mocha to her lips and taking a sip of it. Hot. But that was beside the point. The aasimar took a moment to ponder the situation. She had a stable, if shitty, job with a stable, if shitty, apartment. But even if it was consistent, she was almost certain with the way it was currently moving, she would never move past shitty. The only reason why she was still doing this was because dad had begged her to get out of the, well, ‘gang life.’
Then, there was this proposal. Extremely risky, and probably just as crap a situation as she was in now. But, unlike the current lifestyle, it had the chance to improve. And Cate could finally get back to coding and working on actual challenges, and who knows? Maybe actually being able to do the stuff she liked. But, again. Promise to Dad.
Cate tapped her finger on the table, indecisive. Finally, she gave a self-disgusted sigh, and made her decision. “Fine. I’m in. But nothing too crazy, alright? I’m not in it to, I dunno, smuggle in an assassin or participate in some sort of slaving ring. Just, goods, right?” While finishing her statement, she felt another twist in her stomach. Stop it, guilt. She was only doing it for the trading. Not for the stupid brutality or other agendas. It was still… decent.
WIth a smile, Niobe nodded. "That's fine. I think the Captain's done stuff like that on occasion, buuut she seems to really just want to avoid fighting if she herself can help it too. Not for any moral reason, just, from what it sounds like, she didn't exactly get a lot of choice about fighting early in her life." She stated.
Noele chuckled. "Sounds like someone else we know who didn't get a lot of choice in their early life." She said, smirking as she pointedly eyed Cate with the statement.
The aasimar sputtered at the comment, before somewhat angrily coming out with what she thought was a witty retort: “Y-yeah? Wh-what’s it to you? I could have been a… uh, an acolyte of Geb! Y-yeah! I still can perform the rites on the ship, too- Just, y‘know, uh…"
Wait. Bad line of thought.
The twins looked between each other, then at Cate. Both wore an expression that outright said 'pull the other one.' "Listen, do you want the job or not? The captain ain't the sort to judge, at least not that we've seen. So if you were a follower of Geb, go right ahead. I doubt anyone on board would be inclined to stop you." Noele said, sighing.
"You were honestly our first pick for someone to handle electronics, but if need be, we could look at some of the other top listed ones in the mercenary circles." Niobe concluded, shrugging.
Scowling, Cate huffed out: “Fine! I’m in, if only because I know that hiring anyone else will result in their idiocy getting you caught.” Though, it took a second before Niobe’s first comment registered, and then her cheeks reddened. “...Wait, I was the first pick?”
"Yeeeah? Cate, we may have only done that one job, but it was done so flawlessly that the only way it could have been better is if they handed us the reward on a silver platter." Niobe pointed out. "You did far and above what you needed to and showed that you could make the system sing your tune instead of theirs."
Cate put a hand on the back of her head, and rubbed it sheepishly. “It wasn’t that hard. It’s not my fault that they decided to link their security nodes in the same layer- it made it easy to shut down the defense systems. Honestly, I’m surprised that they had the research data be in a completely separate network, considering how much they had the regular networks interconnect with each other…”
The aasimar then twitched a leg, before admitting to the twins: “I’m actually more impressed by how you guys managed to get past the guards. The server was almost completely isolated except for one obvious entrance, yet you guys managed to get past the guards easily. Trinity knows that, well… I wouldn’t have been able to.” At that, Cate uncomfortably crossed her arms under her chest and slightly lifted them up, her face becoming as red as a tomato.
Niobe shrugged. "Most guards get kind of dumb when their lower head takes control of their focus. You shutting down the cameras for the 3 hours we needed without anyone being the wiser was the stroke of genius. Throw in a couple of sexy little lost kittens who were willing to do *anything* for the friendly guards capped it off. Especially since the most any of them got was a feel before they hit the floor out cold thanks to a good ol' blackjack." She explained.
"Sorry you missed the show and all. But hey, once your remote plug was in, we just played cards in the server room until you got the data then we ran like hell." Noele finished. "So not only did the guards not have a good reason to explain why they didn't stop us, who's gonna admit they got knocked out because they got stupid, and without the cameras, they couldn't ID us anyways."
Upon hearing the twins repeat what they had done to the guards, Cate’s face turned even redder, before taking the second half of the twin’s explanation to calm herself down, and then she finally sighed and took a sip of her mocha. “I am going to have to catch up on how ship systems interface with each other- I think they have extra redundancies or something because of radiation, as well as more automation and whatnot.” Upon saying that, Cate scrunched her mouth, and rubbed right underneath her ear. “Some other stuff too, that starts to get complex. Quantum mechanics and whatnot.” Cate shook her head. “But I’ll figure that out. What time do we have to leave- like right now right now, or..?”
"As soon as you're willing and ready. We took a guess you'd want to get going sooner rather than later honestly, but we weren't sure." Noele replied, shrugging slightly. "Honestly, we wished we'd been given the same heads up we gave you. Took us an extra couple of days to get our stuff sorted and organized and moved onto the ship."
Niobe chuckled. "And that's with us getting familiar with the interior of the ship and how it's not like anything in the UNS." She added on top. "It's been an interesting experience the whole way."
Cate blinked a couple of times, before leaning in, asking in a bewildered manner: “Not like anything in the UNS? What’d’you mean? Did the UNS just find another global nation planet?” The Aasimar frowned, racking her brains for anything that she could’ve seen in the news that indicated that the UNS had accepted a new member.
Granted, she never really paid too much attention to that sort of stuff. She was stuck on this planet, after all…
"Oh no, it's not even something from the Captain's neck of the woods, which, to be honest, ain't anywhere near the UNS." Niobe said. "And the Captain's neck of the woods is still apparently, putting out feelers to the UNS as it is. At least, that's how Drake explained it." She continued.
"Drake being the merc me and Niobe've done work with that headhunted us for this crew to be clear." Noele clarified.
“The captain isn’t from the UNS..?” Cate closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them again. “Alright, color me intrigued. I, uh, let my landlord know that I’m probably not gonna pay for the next rent anyways. My stuff’s close by- it’s just a suitcase, really.” …She neglected to mention that she had tricked the automated storage cell system into thinking she paid for the storage rental. Not necessary, right?
Upon finishing the statement, Ferrol gave off a series of chirps and beeps. The statement being said causing Cate to roll her eyes, and present the small spiderbot to the twins. “And I hope you remember Ferrol. Last thing, which won’t be a problem based on what you guys have been saying, is that Ferrol comes with me. Period. Ferrol, Noele and Niobe. Calm down, you already met them before.”
Ferrol’s reply caused Cate’s face to turn red and she scowled at the robot. “St-stop… eurgh! Just shut up.” She turned her face aways from the twins, trying to hide her furiously blushing face.
"Wait, that's Ferrol? Damn, he got big." Niobe replied, blinking and looking at the spiderbot more closely. "He fit easily 'nuff in my cleavage for that job, not sure he'd do as well now..." She mused, rubbing her chin slightly.
Noele rolled her eyes. "Aaaaanyways, we can help ya pick up your stuff and get moving to the ship if you want. Plus I think the hostess is starting to get a little too conspiratorial with those glances our way now." She stated, flicking her eyes to the lady who'd tried to dote upon Cate when she arrived. "Enough that I'm starting to get the hibby-jibbies."
“Wait, wha-!?” At that, Cate turned to Ferrol, a mixture of emotions on her face. Embarrassment, anger, amusement… and was that betrayal? Cate quickly shook it off before she could explore anything else unpleasant she could identify with this revelation, and growled to her robot: “You and I are going to have a long, LONG discussion.”
“And, did you say that Karla was…?” Cate turned to look, and she paled. Karla just so happened to be with a man. A man whom she had no idea whose name he was. A man who, by her accounts, stood near eight feet tall. And he was- had been- looking at her very interestedly. “Y-yeah. Let’s go. Like, now. Please?” Cate’s normally brusque tone turned almost desperate, and she was already halfway up, pulling on one of the twin’s arms.
"Yes, lets." Niobe said, getting the feeling they needed to leave now before things got a whole lot worse and a whole lot messier for everyone involved.
Noele was up almost as fast, and the pair hurried out of the little bar and grill with Catelyn as fast as they could without outright running. "So, where to your stuff?" She asked, already starting to look around for the fastest route away from the matchmaking madwoman behind them.
As the sound of Exotic Eateries started to blare, Cate swung herself off the couch, and padded her way to her room. If you could call it that. It was just a sliding door into a room just large enough for a small bunk, an overhead storage, and another screen. Unfortunately, the sliding door was made of glass- and even though it could supposedly turn opaque, a large crack ruined those hopes. And the screen- it was supposed to be a personal TV- wouldn’t start, no matter what she tried. Anyways, Cate had risen to grab her laptop from her room, not grumble about something she’d already complained about.
Laptop tucked in arm, Cate then made her way to the bathroom section. Somehow larger than her bedroom, if barely, she opened up the overhead mirror to reveal the cabinet, and grabbed the cream. Sneaking a glance at a toilet-shower combo that was disturbingly similar in size to her bedroom, the woman shook her head in disgust as she made her way back to the couch. She swung herself over the back of the well-used chair, and as she was still bouncing from the recoil, set down the laptop and cream, grabbed the remote, and changed the channel to… No, not Peculiar Planets. Not Maids of Erieholm. Revenge of the Squirrel might as well do…
Her original joyous mood gone, Cate scowled as she took a look at the cream. Grabbing it with one hand, and opening and powering the laptop with the other, Cate then set out to start dabbing the ointment onto the various rashes she had accumulated throughout the week. If she didn’t have to spend 20 credits a week on the only thing that could help her stupid skin… she’d be a lot richer. At least she didn’t have work for the weekend- that was a plus. After she was finished with the rashes, Cate rubbed her hands together, and then dragged her laptop to her, well, lap. Darcy mentioned some sort of email about future chem training… Might as well get a glimpse of what that might be…
Wait. An email from.. Niobe? That nekomata who- Cate stopped herself, shifting her legs and blushing at the mere thought. One of the things she inherited from… something… was a perfect memory. She doubted it was her mother, and may just be a random quirk for being an Aasimar. Either way, while it was helpful in memorizing bits of code she got wrong, or schematics for a ‘bot, in other cases, she couldn’t really, well, forget more embarrassing things. Like Niobe and Noele. And how they couldn’t, for the life of them, just decide to wear normal clothes when talking to her.
But what did they want? Cate had already paid them for the hard-virus she asked them to transport to jack into a secure facility. And really, she was done with all of that anyways. So why…? The Aasimar shook her head, and examined the email further. They wanted to meet her at… K&K’s Brew? That was… significantly more casual than the place she demanded they meet last time they met. Again, Cate shifted uncomfortably. That was a memory for another time.
But they wanted to… meet with her? Another gig? Again, Cate was done with those things. Cate’s fingers went flying as she started to type, before she stopped. Should she even reply? Maybe… Suddenly, Cate cursed as she finally noticed a wet splotch that was growing outward more and more from her washer/dryer pantry. There was a leak? Letting loose a stream of expletives, Cate stormed over, threw open the door, and confirmed it. Yet ANOTHER complaint- at least this one the landowner had to fix.
…Not that Cate blamed him for not fixing everything, based on how meager payments were. He was a nice guy, really, just… Well, not equipped to handle a low-end apartment complex that was starting to become more and more run-down. But hells, Cate couldn’t afford to pay this on her own either…
Screw it. Work sucked this week. Aside from Darcy, Pharmacy coworkers were bitchy, she was tired of being stared at and commented at, and she was sure as hell tired of all the old guys trying to grab her butt. Throw in this, her sucky apartment, and how she had to avoid literally half the streets because this clique or this gang knows of her and either wanted her expertise or wanted to beat her up and rape her because of what she did… Cate put a finger on her temple, and rubbed it in a circle.
Fine. While the twins were… a memory, they were actually, well… maybe-kinda-nice-and-enjoyable-to-be-around-question-mark? Not that Cate would let them know that. Anyways. Cate would hear them out. After she got Ferrol back from Trish, she would go and meet the twins. A little adrenaline may be a pick-me-up. After sitting there for a moment, guiltily playing with the ring-necklace, she finally typed her response. Sunday, at 10 AM.
Cate fervently hoped she wasn’t starting a streak again…
The reply that Cate got was... positive. It also recommended that she make sure to have her stuff packed, just in case she accepted the job. Oh, and to be ready to update records of residence. Just what kind of job were they wanting to talk to her about?!
Cate raised an eyebrow. Stuff packed, and update her residence records? What was this, a long con? She was expecting some sort of quickie- a virus on a hard drive, maybe some sort of program for… something. Just what did they want her to do?
Guess she would find out when she went to K&K’s… Would she even want to do that, knowing it was probably involving moving? Again, she fingered the ring guiltily, reflexively saying, “Ferr-” Ugh. Right. Ferrol was getting repaired. Tapping her finger on the d key, expanding out the extended letter, she sighed. Fine. She would pack what little she had- ever since moving, her old, well, nice clothes stopped fitting her. And she was struggling to replace them 1:1. But anyways. At least she had a plan Sunday…
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Moving through the interior of Kyle and Karla’s Brew, Cate shifted nervously as she stood and looked around the area. She disliked crowded areas. Or, rather, well, she felt bittersweet about it- in the stories and books, it was always a hum of, well, friendliness. Unfortunately, all she ever seemed to get was stares. Gawking, lecherous stares. Throw in how she could barely handle brushing past people, and, well… Yeah.
Muttering to herself, the Aasimar glanced here and there, eventually quietly speaking to Ferrol. “Can you see them? I’m trying my damndest to not get my ass squeezed here.” The small, six legged bit of metal, hanging off of her shoulder, gave a series of short and long beeps, along with several other clicks and clacks- Morse code. Cate much rather preferred hearing morse code compared to binary. But back on topic, Ferrol had a much easier time spotting the pair she was supposed to meet- perks for being able to climb on top of her head to view things better, she supposed.
Why couldn’t she be tall? Cate honestly sometimes hated having to stand on her tip-toes to look over most people. She wasn’t even that short, for Celeo- no, for heaven’s sake! Face twisted into what she considered a scowl- some might call it a pout- Cate made her way over to the twins, giving a half-hearted wave to Karla- who seemed dead set on trying to be friendly with her- while on her way there. Upon reaching the infamous duo, Cate stopped just at their table, bag in hand.
She originally had something snarky to say, but memories kept that from happening immediately. After all… Why did she have to insist on wearing that elaborate, rough getup? Her entire skin was basically a red mark after wearing the stupid costume anyways! And what did it get her? Just a couple of weird nekomatas and their damn tendency to ‘tease’ her.
…Not to mention she held the return, second meeting to recover the information they stole almost naked. She just couldn’t wear that thing again. And she just hoped that Ferrol was the only thing they focused on; she had insisted on using him as a medium that way around, though she did have to stay near. Goddess, if they noticed her in only her panties…
A deep red blush grew over Cate’s face, before her lips twitched- twice, precisely, and she put on a neutral face, putting a hand on the table and talking to the twins: “So, what do you want?” Better get straight to business, right? Sure, they were nice to her last time, but she did not want their friendliness to pull her into something she might regret… The urge to twirl the ring-necklace bothered her again.
It was insane though, the twins were actually decently dressed! Niobe smiled as Cate spoke. "Just a job offer." She replied, gesturing for the chair that was unoccupied.
Noele was quick to expand. "We found ourselves on a crew that is extremely short-hand. Like, three people trying to run a ship meant for 30 short-hand. Plus it's in desperate need of work. But, more importantly, it needs people to help run it. Lots of job slots so if you want to tell the captain what it is you want to be doing, chances are, you're getting it. Oh, and the ship is mostly merchanteering, with smuggling on the side."
Cate hovered next to the table, nervous- doubly so when Noele clarified what they would be doing. The gradual accrual of stares, however, finally forced her to sit down, a blush lightly on her face, but she pushed both her embarrassment and her guilt down as she focused on the business: “So, what you’re saying is that the ship is a deathtrap?” She broke off for a moment as Karla bustled over, and did what all waiters and waitresses universally did: asked what she wanted.
To which Cate’s reply was: A peppermint mocha with two shots of veranda espresso. After Karla nodded, beamed at Cate, and trotted off, the aasimar sighed, putting a hand to her temple and rubbing, before resuming talking to the twins: “Seriously, though. An under crewed ship that’s not in the greatest condition. You’re just asking for problems to pile up on each other.” A moment’s silence, before Cate shook her head. “...At the very least, is there any sort of major recruitment? Like, thanks and all for coming to me, but I’m only one person. Who, while good at computers, and maybe wires…”
Cate trailed off as Karla returned with her chocolatey drink, distractedly answering Karla’s rather probing questions about her life: So, how’s work? I heard that Jefforson- who was Jefforson, anyways?- was having trouble deciding between Avetol and Kynadrin, do you have a recommendation? And finally, the most annoying one of all: By the way, I have someone who might need a friend to be with h- er, them. I can hoo- At that, Karla faltered a bit under Cate’s glare, before valiantly resuming with: I think it’d be nice if you got out of your apartment more often- can’t sit in there and stew over every bad thing that’s happened.
The young woman almost snapped at Karla there, but restrained herself. Karla was only trying to be helpful… right? A simple response would get Karla off her back. Looking back at the twins, Cate grinned slightly- trying to keep it from being slightly woeful- and managed to make up an excuse that could maybe get Karla away: “Hey, look, I’m outside right now! These two are…” Cate trailed off at that. Friends? Business partners? “...workmates- we’re discussing job stuff right now.” Seeing Karla’s concerned look, she hurried on: “Don’t worry, it’s actually about maybe a change of pace from the pharmacy might do u- er, me- some good.”
Not necessarily a lie, but… Cate’s stomach twisted and knotted. Damn it all, Karla. Why’d you have to make this hard? Sighing as Karla accepted this explanation with relief, she took a moment to watch the older lady bustle off to deal with other customers, before turning back to the twins to ask them: “At the very least, what’s the pay you’re offering?”
"A percentage of the cut on any job we take. Captain gets a larger percentage, but the rest of it is equally split amongst everyone on board." Niobe said. "With certain tasks and jobs if you're the one doing the majority of the work, you get the majority of the pay." She finished. Noele smiled and nodded along.
"As for it being a death trap, it's not that bad, but it is definitely in need of more knowledgeable and skilled hands to work on it. And they don't have a computer specialist on board. Me and Niobe can handle the majority of the engineering work, but electronics are not really our field of expertise. You on the other hand, are perfectly suited for it." Noele explained. "You get a room all to yourself, and all that's asked is you put your mouth where your money is."
Cate closed her eyes, lifting her mocha to her lips and taking a sip of it. Hot. But that was beside the point. The aasimar took a moment to ponder the situation. She had a stable, if shitty, job with a stable, if shitty, apartment. But even if it was consistent, she was almost certain with the way it was currently moving, she would never move past shitty. The only reason why she was still doing this was because dad had begged her to get out of the, well, ‘gang life.’
Then, there was this proposal. Extremely risky, and probably just as crap a situation as she was in now. But, unlike the current lifestyle, it had the chance to improve. And Cate could finally get back to coding and working on actual challenges, and who knows? Maybe actually being able to do the stuff she liked. But, again. Promise to Dad.
Cate tapped her finger on the table, indecisive. Finally, she gave a self-disgusted sigh, and made her decision. “Fine. I’m in. But nothing too crazy, alright? I’m not in it to, I dunno, smuggle in an assassin or participate in some sort of slaving ring. Just, goods, right?” While finishing her statement, she felt another twist in her stomach. Stop it, guilt. She was only doing it for the trading. Not for the stupid brutality or other agendas. It was still… decent.
WIth a smile, Niobe nodded. "That's fine. I think the Captain's done stuff like that on occasion, buuut she seems to really just want to avoid fighting if she herself can help it too. Not for any moral reason, just, from what it sounds like, she didn't exactly get a lot of choice about fighting early in her life." She stated.
Noele chuckled. "Sounds like someone else we know who didn't get a lot of choice in their early life." She said, smirking as she pointedly eyed Cate with the statement.
The aasimar sputtered at the comment, before somewhat angrily coming out with what she thought was a witty retort: “Y-yeah? Wh-what’s it to you? I could have been a… uh, an acolyte of Geb! Y-yeah! I still can perform the rites on the ship, too- Just, y‘know, uh…"
Wait. Bad line of thought.
The twins looked between each other, then at Cate. Both wore an expression that outright said 'pull the other one.' "Listen, do you want the job or not? The captain ain't the sort to judge, at least not that we've seen. So if you were a follower of Geb, go right ahead. I doubt anyone on board would be inclined to stop you." Noele said, sighing.
"You were honestly our first pick for someone to handle electronics, but if need be, we could look at some of the other top listed ones in the mercenary circles." Niobe concluded, shrugging.
Scowling, Cate huffed out: “Fine! I’m in, if only because I know that hiring anyone else will result in their idiocy getting you caught.” Though, it took a second before Niobe’s first comment registered, and then her cheeks reddened. “...Wait, I was the first pick?”
"Yeeeah? Cate, we may have only done that one job, but it was done so flawlessly that the only way it could have been better is if they handed us the reward on a silver platter." Niobe pointed out. "You did far and above what you needed to and showed that you could make the system sing your tune instead of theirs."
Cate put a hand on the back of her head, and rubbed it sheepishly. “It wasn’t that hard. It’s not my fault that they decided to link their security nodes in the same layer- it made it easy to shut down the defense systems. Honestly, I’m surprised that they had the research data be in a completely separate network, considering how much they had the regular networks interconnect with each other…”
The aasimar then twitched a leg, before admitting to the twins: “I’m actually more impressed by how you guys managed to get past the guards. The server was almost completely isolated except for one obvious entrance, yet you guys managed to get past the guards easily. Trinity knows that, well… I wouldn’t have been able to.” At that, Cate uncomfortably crossed her arms under her chest and slightly lifted them up, her face becoming as red as a tomato.
Niobe shrugged. "Most guards get kind of dumb when their lower head takes control of their focus. You shutting down the cameras for the 3 hours we needed without anyone being the wiser was the stroke of genius. Throw in a couple of sexy little lost kittens who were willing to do *anything* for the friendly guards capped it off. Especially since the most any of them got was a feel before they hit the floor out cold thanks to a good ol' blackjack." She explained.
"Sorry you missed the show and all. But hey, once your remote plug was in, we just played cards in the server room until you got the data then we ran like hell." Noele finished. "So not only did the guards not have a good reason to explain why they didn't stop us, who's gonna admit they got knocked out because they got stupid, and without the cameras, they couldn't ID us anyways."
Upon hearing the twins repeat what they had done to the guards, Cate’s face turned even redder, before taking the second half of the twin’s explanation to calm herself down, and then she finally sighed and took a sip of her mocha. “I am going to have to catch up on how ship systems interface with each other- I think they have extra redundancies or something because of radiation, as well as more automation and whatnot.” Upon saying that, Cate scrunched her mouth, and rubbed right underneath her ear. “Some other stuff too, that starts to get complex. Quantum mechanics and whatnot.” Cate shook her head. “But I’ll figure that out. What time do we have to leave- like right now right now, or..?”
"As soon as you're willing and ready. We took a guess you'd want to get going sooner rather than later honestly, but we weren't sure." Noele replied, shrugging slightly. "Honestly, we wished we'd been given the same heads up we gave you. Took us an extra couple of days to get our stuff sorted and organized and moved onto the ship."
Niobe chuckled. "And that's with us getting familiar with the interior of the ship and how it's not like anything in the UNS." She added on top. "It's been an interesting experience the whole way."
Cate blinked a couple of times, before leaning in, asking in a bewildered manner: “Not like anything in the UNS? What’d’you mean? Did the UNS just find another global nation planet?” The Aasimar frowned, racking her brains for anything that she could’ve seen in the news that indicated that the UNS had accepted a new member.
Granted, she never really paid too much attention to that sort of stuff. She was stuck on this planet, after all…
"Oh no, it's not even something from the Captain's neck of the woods, which, to be honest, ain't anywhere near the UNS." Niobe said. "And the Captain's neck of the woods is still apparently, putting out feelers to the UNS as it is. At least, that's how Drake explained it." She continued.
"Drake being the merc me and Niobe've done work with that headhunted us for this crew to be clear." Noele clarified.
“The captain isn’t from the UNS..?” Cate closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them again. “Alright, color me intrigued. I, uh, let my landlord know that I’m probably not gonna pay for the next rent anyways. My stuff’s close by- it’s just a suitcase, really.” …She neglected to mention that she had tricked the automated storage cell system into thinking she paid for the storage rental. Not necessary, right?
Upon finishing the statement, Ferrol gave off a series of chirps and beeps. The statement being said causing Cate to roll her eyes, and present the small spiderbot to the twins. “And I hope you remember Ferrol. Last thing, which won’t be a problem based on what you guys have been saying, is that Ferrol comes with me. Period. Ferrol, Noele and Niobe. Calm down, you already met them before.”
Ferrol’s reply caused Cate’s face to turn red and she scowled at the robot. “St-stop… eurgh! Just shut up.” She turned her face aways from the twins, trying to hide her furiously blushing face.
"Wait, that's Ferrol? Damn, he got big." Niobe replied, blinking and looking at the spiderbot more closely. "He fit easily 'nuff in my cleavage for that job, not sure he'd do as well now..." She mused, rubbing her chin slightly.
Noele rolled her eyes. "Aaaaanyways, we can help ya pick up your stuff and get moving to the ship if you want. Plus I think the hostess is starting to get a little too conspiratorial with those glances our way now." She stated, flicking her eyes to the lady who'd tried to dote upon Cate when she arrived. "Enough that I'm starting to get the hibby-jibbies."
“Wait, wha-!?” At that, Cate turned to Ferrol, a mixture of emotions on her face. Embarrassment, anger, amusement… and was that betrayal? Cate quickly shook it off before she could explore anything else unpleasant she could identify with this revelation, and growled to her robot: “You and I are going to have a long, LONG discussion.”
“And, did you say that Karla was…?” Cate turned to look, and she paled. Karla just so happened to be with a man. A man whom she had no idea whose name he was. A man who, by her accounts, stood near eight feet tall. And he was- had been- looking at her very interestedly. “Y-yeah. Let’s go. Like, now. Please?” Cate’s normally brusque tone turned almost desperate, and she was already halfway up, pulling on one of the twin’s arms.
"Yes, lets." Niobe said, getting the feeling they needed to leave now before things got a whole lot worse and a whole lot messier for everyone involved.
Noele was up almost as fast, and the pair hurried out of the little bar and grill with Catelyn as fast as they could without outright running. "So, where to your stuff?" She asked, already starting to look around for the fastest route away from the matchmaking madwoman behind them.