Hyperspace Is So Boring

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Oh gosh, [member="Curtis Learchin"] was winking at her. Why in the Force did that make her so....bashful? Was that the right word? Normally she was the one to be upfront and bold, yet this kind of situation was entirely new to her. It was a good thing that no one else was around to witness it...

To his question she tilted her head to the side a bit as she thought on it for a moment. It was a fair enough question, but the answer was more complicated than one might expect. "Well, that depends on what it is." She looked over at him now. "If we were hired to find something, then we'd give it to that person to collect our fee. But if we just stumble upon something in our travels, we should do a bit of research on it first and see if anyone's after it. Then we can figure out what to do with it afterwards." That was about as simple of a reply as she could make for his question. It really was hard to say what she'd do, unless she knew what the valuable item was.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

At least he knew what kinda work they'd be doing, that was the main thing. The idea of keeping some of the items was a pleasing one, maybe some of them would hold secrets. And they'd spent very little time talking about business. So far, all of their talk had been more pleasurable, for lack of a better word.

"Your call, Captain. I'll follow your lead." Despite all of the flirting, Curtis knew that he wasn't her friend really, he was her employee. Did he hate that? Maybe, but he wouldn't have met [member="Loreena Arenais"] if he hadn't been looking for work. Looking for an escape for the choking grip of the Sith Empire. One where he could carve his own path.

"You seem to enjoy my company." He knew it was an obvious statement, but the last thing he wanted was for there to be silence.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Yeah. I mean, who knows what kinds of stuff you have an expertise in. It probably differs than mine. But I see that as more of an advantage than a disadvantage."

At least [member="Curtis Learchin"] seemed to respect her authority. That was good. The last thing that she needed was for someone to try to boss her around. Of course there were such times when that was warranted. Lori understood that. And she'd accept it when the time came. But now wasn't one of those times.

To his comment of her enjoying his company, she looked straight up and hoped that her cheeks weren't blushing too much. "Well, umm...yeah, I guess I do. You're a good conversationalist. I suppose that as my bodyguard, it's up to you to keep me awake during my shift? Or is there maybe...something more to it than that?" She let out a fake gasp. "You're not spying on me, are you?"

 

[Curtis Learchin]

"Spying?" Curtis questioned with a chuckle. "I'm a terrible spy if that's what I'm doing. Giving you my real name is a pretty bad start." He couldn't help but laugh at the idea of him spying. It wasn't his style, and as he had just said, he would be pretty terrible at it. "I'm up with you because I like you, you're a good person, and I have to butter up my captain for when I make outlandish requests." He said with a wink and a smile.

He then looked out of the window, seeing his reflection next to [member="Loreena Arenais"]', and wishing that they were sitting closer to each other.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Aha, but giving me your real name could all be a ploy to gain my trust..." She grinned while she continued to tease. [member="Curtis Learchin"] was fun in that he wasn't always serious. In fact she wasn't so certain that she had seen him be fully serious yet. Maybe there was a side to him that had yet to be revealed...

Lori bit her lip as Curtis just ADMITTED to liking her! Her heart felt as though it had skipped a beat, yet she just had to try to hide that. His remark on buttering her up was something that she snatched onto right away. Lori sat up and turned in her seat, leaning over to him like some school girl waiting to be told a secret. "And what sort of outlandish requests are you planning, hmm?" She anticipated him to reply with a joke of some kind. Or some other tease. The look that derived on her face spoke as much.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis paused as he thought of what sort of response would be best. He could flirt, or he could go back to being his normal self... He was enjoying the former...

"Oh you know, the usual. Help me do this, help me find that..." He paused again, turning to look at [member="Loreena Arenais"] in the eyes, a slight, coy smile on his face. "Whether I can take you to dinner or not." It was a ballsy move, but one he was confident in. He felt as though they had built a rapport, and that such a cheesy line would be appreciated, even if it was shot down.

And he gave her another wink, just for good measure.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Well I do know the Jaster's Sparrow better than you at the moment, so--"

Lori's sentence cut short as [member="Curtis Learchin"] just...just...Did he really? Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. Even though they were teasing eachother, there seemed to be something genuine about his request that she could read in his eyes.

"No one's taken me to dinner before. I mean--no one outside of family, that is. So yes I'd say that falls in the outlandish request collumn. But if we've got the time, I'd love to." That was always the key, wasn't it? Time? Lori was so used to crew coming and going that she wasn't so sure just how long Curtis would choose to stay. She was rather used to going about her days alone. Arla was good enough company, but the assassin droid wasn't completely sentient. She was programmed.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis smiled as his offer wasn't shot down, but accepted. Maybe he wasn't so crazy staying with her after all, maybe there was a future to be made. He leaned back but kept his eyes on her.

"Then if we make the time, it's a date." He replied, raising his can with a wink and a smile. "You know, you could go to bed if you're tired. I can keep an eye on things up here." That was more than just a kind offer though, if she went, he could check the navicomputer, find out where the ship had been. If it wasn't locked anyway.

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori scratched at an imaginary itch on the back of her neck. "Then I suppose that we'll have to make the time." Another blush was added to her cheeks, though she hid that by turning her head to look out of the viewport again.

She looked to [member="Curtis Learchin"] once again as he offered to take over her shift. At the mere mention of being tired, she couldn't help but yawn. "I suppose that I am crashing a little bit. Maybe a nap will do me some good." Lori got to her feet, stretching out some before placing a hand on his shoulders. "Don't let me sleep long. And call me or Arla if anything goes wrong." The possibility of being pulled out of hyperspace was a very real one. Though fortunately she wasn't being hunted just yet.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis smiled, placing his hand on top of hers as she touched his shoulder, then moving it away slowly, his fingertips brushing against hers. It felt right.

"Of course Captain, you'll be the first to know if something goes badly." He said confidently, sitting up straight and looking over the console. It was a system he wasn't familiar with, very different to the ship he had been given by the Sith Empire. But he was a fast learner, given enough time, he would figure out everything. Everything.

And so he waited for her to leave, watching and waiting.

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Ohhh that touch. It made the skin of her hand tingle where [member="Curtis Learchin"] had touched it. She found herself holding her own hand as she turned to leave. "Goodnight..." Her mind swam with what was deemed to be unusual thoughts for her as she headed out of the cockpit and down the stairs so that she could reach the access to her quarters. Those thoughts consisted mostly on whether or not something was really sparking there. Could they have a future together? Or no? Was it all just some ploy? Curtis didn't seem the playboy type. Yet there was much that she didn't know about him. At least she'd have the time to find out, so long as he stuck around.

Of course if Curtis WAS a player, she'd punch him square in the face!

Lori walked into her quarters, closing the door behind her. She didn't change or anything. Instead she just lay down on her bed, tucking her arms beneath her head as she closed her eyes. The Jaster's Sparrow was always safe and would always feel like home to her. Nowhere else did.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis watched as she left, almost immediately missing her company. [member="Loreena Arenais"] deserved a break though, even if he was giving her one so that he could snoop. It was more curiosity than malice that led him to look through the navicomputer. If Lori was linked to the Jedi, he needed an idea of how deep, and how dangerous being linked to her was. As her door closed, he went over to the computer, activating it with a satisfying click. But immediately he hit a snag.

"Blast..." He muttered, as the screen showed a password box. He wasn't going to crack it, he didn't know her well enough, and he wasn't a hacker or computer wizz. So he shut it off, going back to the seat and resting his feet, recounting the conversation he had had with Lori. He hadn't been romantically involved with anyone in a long time, and this newfound partner seemed like a good match.

With a smile on his face, Curtis reached out with the force and brought his half-empty can of soda to his open palm. This was going to be a good ride.