ataraxion | voice} 001

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voice} 001

Hey.

I'm one of the gals who came on board last jump, name's Eileen. I was wondering who to talk to about doing some work down in the Oxygen Gardens. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty and it'd be great to have something productive to do - so I'd appreciate hearing from the usual working crew.

For everyone else, I heard the bar's got some tunes. It'd be pretty nice if I could find a dancing partner. Partner dancing or just someone to dance around with. No pressure, I'm not a professional or anything. Both men and women may apply, haha.

Thanks.

[Click.]

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Hey, Eileen. I'm in agricultural. Hell, I was agricultural for a month or two. It's always awesome to get new blood in, especially when they volunteer. I can show you around whenever you're free. Name's Heather, Heather Mason.

Can't really help with the dancing, though.

Thanks for getting back to me. I'd love to see it now, if you've got the time.

Hahah, it's okay. It's a big ship, thought it was worth a shot.

Hey, for a potential new recruit I'll make time. Jump in the fuchsia lift [don't look at her like that it's what Capa called it and it just stuck] and I'll see you there.

Got it.

[Sometime later, after managing to find the Gardens without getting lost (score), Eileen appears on the first level.]

Wow...

Right?

[She's not actually lurking, seriously, it's just that with the way she's leaning against the wall near the entrance Eileen's in and past her before she notices. And she might slouch forward off said wall with her hands in her pockets, but there's unmistakable pride in her voice.]

It's my favourite place on the ship. Just wait until you see upstairs.

[Not lurking or not, Eileen totally misses her and jumps at the voice behind her. A soft noise of surprise hits the air before she turns, finally seeing the other woman.]

It's seriously beautiful in here, how far up does it go?

Yikes, sorry.

[Heather... really needs to stop doing that. Her black eye from sneaking up om Murphy is healed enough you'd have to be looking for it to notice, she doesn't need it freshened up.]

There are three more levels over this one. This is where we do all the crops and stuff, but up there it's like holy crap you have the greenest eyes I've ever seen, they're beautiful.

[If Eileen just heard a clunk, that would be Heather's train of thought dropping right off the rails. Closely followed by a little stammer and her face scrunching slightly.]

Wow, that didn't sound random and creepy at all.

[Eileen blinks in surprise at the sudden compliment, before shrugging one shoulder.]

A little random but it's fine.

[She smiles slightly.]

Or is flattery how you lure in your volunteers?

Actually it's pretty much been decided that letting me lure the volunteers isn't great from the department. Mostly we just let Josie garden with his shirt off and try to pick people off from the crowd it pulls.

[This is, sadly, only a slight exaggeration.]

I don't know, maybe I should see him too, in case I reconsider.

[She says it jokingly, a wider smile tugging on her lips. She turns to look back around the area.]

So all the work's down here? What's an average day like?

I'll remember to give him a heads-up next time I'm showing someone around. Make him part of the tour.

[Again: not so much kidding here, though she says it like she is.]

Most of it's pretty basic. Harvesting, inventory, that kinda thing. Checking the ph levels and making sure all the nutrients are right, making sure no idiots have shoved stuff in with dirt on the roots still. I mean, if you tell Netherlands I said this I'll deny it, but this place could do a pretty good job of running itself for a good while. Our job is mostly making sure it does it in a way that isn't gonna mess things up long term.

So why the gardens? You do this kinda thing back home? Just hear that's where all the cool kids are?

[And that last sentence couldn't have been pronounced in a drier fashion if it was uttered in the Sahara.]

Departments can always use extra hands.

[Mason's got that part covered, though. On the other hand...

[There's a long pause.] ...

Dancing?

That's what I'm hoping.

[Eileen waits patiently, though she's not sure what to make of the quietness of the woman's tone.]

Yeah, getting down, shaking your groove thing.

[a giggle.]

Have I found an interested party?

[..."shaking your groove"--

[What?]

...

[Yeah, it's kind of archaic slang where Rey is coming from. Maybe she's heard that kind of talk from a song before. Yeah...]

...Potentially. Forewarning, I have not danced before.

That's okay! Dancing is about fun, not skill. You feel the beat and just move however your body wants to.

[...That sort of thing used to be beyond Rey. Good thing that at this point, she's got enough exposure on worldly things that she doesn't just tilt her head cluelessly at that description.

[Hmm...] Ah. Understood. ["I think."

[Read as: Rey is going to be the worst. Dancer. Ever.]

Since you're offering, do you have any music you like in particular? Or have on hand?

[Eileen has no idea what she's getting into. But man, is she's excited.}

Just opera. I don't believe that is appropriate for dancing.

[Poor Eileen.]

I'm not sure I could dance to that, heh.

Guess we can take our chances with what's playing when we get there. Still in?

Didn't think so.

[She's seen opera, too. Dido and Aeneas. There's some dancing in that, but not exactly what one could "shaking your groove thing" to.]

Shouldn't be a problem with what is available.

Great. Hm...

[There's some shuffling on Eileen's end before a click is heard and a quick snapshot of Eileen is sent to Rey.]

So you know who to look for.

See you when you get there?

[She sees the snapshot and keeps it in mind. Rey is not the forgetful type -- quite the opposite really, with a near-photographic memory thanks to her father "fixing" that.]

Yes. I will see you.

[Eileen had been close to the bar in the first place, so she's the first to arrive. She's waiting in one of the chairs, tapping her foot to the music playing in the background.]

[...Rey likes music. It's something that she's come to learn fairly recently, although her concept of "recently" is different from what others perceive it. It can be as soon as yesterday or as distant as several years ago. Sometimes it's hard to say.

[But she's here right now. No shifting between here and there, or taking ganders in her father's flat where the music plays The Platters -- "Oh yes, I Am The Great Pretender!"]

...

Hello.

[Sometimes she carries herself stiffly. Today, the music sets her at ease a bit, because she likes it and it's a strangely comfortable setting rather than a violent one. Might as well not act like she's about to get jumped if she gets her guard down any second.]

[Eileen brightens up when the other woman addresses her.]

Hi! Thanks for coming down.

[She stands up, pushing her chair back in.]

I don't think I caught your name.

[Running a hand through her hair quickly, her smile is nothing but welcoming. She's always liked meeting people, here is no exception. The circumstances may be strange and certainly not ideal but you make what you can of it. Eileen has gone a quest to find sources of familiarity, things that she can do rather than things that simply remind her of home.]

[Rather than vocalizing her response, Rey just nods at her greeting.] It's no trouble.

[She puts her hands into her pockets, trying to figure out how someone can manage to be so amiable when meeting people they've never met. She didn't get to know that many friendly people who were interested in making friends -- or dancing.

[But this is a new life. She's learning that now more and more, and she has to take it for what it's worth.

[Oh right, and there's the whole name game here, too.]

It's Rey.

Rey.

[A little confirming nod.]

I was thinking we could do some partner dancing, that way no one's left standing around awkwardly.

[Eileen holds out her hands, still smiling, not the least bit shy. As far as she's concerned there's no reason to be. She's just showing someone how to dance, after all.]

...

[If Rey were even remotely capable of shame, she'd probably start having reservations about this. As it stands, she doesn't. She's just somewhat confused.

[She'd seen people dancing together before at bars and places her father had taken her, so she isn't entirely left in the dark about this. It's just that seeing is a lot different from actually doing.

[...Okay, she can do this.]

Partner dancing. I get it.

[Kind of. Hands out, right? Or is she supposed to take Eileen's?

[This is kind of hopeless already, isn't it?]

[Eileen's starting to realize what she's getting into but she won't let herself be deterred. Gently taking the other woman's hands, she squeezes them once before she starts talking.]

This sorts of things about give and take, even if it's just shuffling your feet from side to side.

[She starts doing so, hips swaying lightly with each motion.]

Then you add arms, like...

[Her right hand moves forward, pushing Rey's arm back while her left hand pulls back, pulling Rey's with it. She repeats the motion, in time with the music playing, small fluid motions of her body coming easily to her.]

[Rey glances down briefly as Eileen takes her hands, and then back to Eileen again. She can't help but feel stricken with a sudden case of déjà vu here. She remembers Natalie briefly, who would take her hands not much unlike this. And then it just becomes another memory.]

I see...

[It's not much different than close quarters combat, really. The way your feet strafe from side to side to avoid blows to the head or stomach. But something tells her that this requires a certain kind of grace. Grace that she's seen on stage performances, actually.

[If nothing else, she mimics people well. Their gestures, their mannerisms... She's been doing that very thing since she arrived, only now it's even easier because she knows why that is.

[Moving your arms and feet. Shuffle. See? This isn't so hard.

[Try to look like this is more fun, Rey. It's dancing, not a suicide mission.]

There's also twists, dips, and twirls if you're feeling adventurous.

[She takes a step closer, smiling. She isn't put off by Rey's quietness, or perhaps the seriousness she carries herself with. She answered Eileen, came down here after all, and now they're connecting, touching and moving.

Eileen sees no reason to be disappointed.]

Wouldn't know. [She pauses. There's no need for her to stop and catch her breath when she clarifies:] About how I am feeling.

[Not that she knows why. The movements make sense to her, like the touching. It always seemed better when she saw people in movies do it. And that's pretty much the gist of it.

[She kind of hopes that it's not too awkward or off putting for Eileen. Normally she wouldn't care, but for some reason -- she actually sort of does these days.]

[Don't mind him creeping on every single thing in this entire post so far.]

An' you just got here.

That's right. Something wrong?

Hn.

[aka he thinks it's weird for someone to land on a hellship and immediately want to pitch in, but he's holding his tongue. For once.]

You garden, then. Wherever you're from.

[Let's see. Stay in her room and likely slowly submerge herself in bad memories? Or do something familiar and enjoyable? Yeah, she'll be doing the latter.]

Vegetable plants and flowers, yeah. My mom had a garden. I planted, weeded, watered.

Guessin' it wasn't hydroponics.

That's... pretty new to me.

Right. Well - [so this pause is him scanning over the conversations again] - you know if Heather's just showin' you around, or what.

[What are you guys doing down there are you training and yes he is stupidly protective of the entire department.]

[She's picking up on that, yeaaaaah.]

Just a tour for now, though I've already made up my mind.

[If she needs a training day that's fine, not like she'd say no.]

... you have.

[His tone is such that he may as well be saying "so, what is it".]

I'm volunteering.

[And pretty much instantly, a file pings over.]

If I hafta explain that to you, y'shouldn't be working anyway. [Oh. Right.] Netherlands.

[Rolling her eyes, thanks man :|]

Eileen.

[Wow is she actually not going to interrogate him about his name, this is a first.

Except that probably just means she's not from Earth. Well. Whatever.]

There's another guy I need to train, if you wanna do it at the same time. Or - if you know what you wanna do I can put ya with someone.

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