Jelucan't Be This Ripped? (Walker)

[Klar]

"I don't hurt people, unless they're gonna hurt me worse." Walker assured Alnice - towering, brimming with muscle and confidence, woman he'd just met and was totally unphased by blasters in her face Alnice. The sort of woman you didn't want to be on the bad side of when it came to morality, he was beginning to realize. Whatever drove her seemed largely benign, and he could work with that; while he wasn'tt he nicest guy possible, Walker could yet hope that her conscience wouldn't take umbridge to a little recreational huckstering. If it did... well. This was going to be a profitless (and boring!) trip.

Luckily, he still had months of food squirreled away and more fuel than he needed to get wherever he was going. If need be, Walker decided, she could be left behind so that he could ply his trade and she could keep her hands free of Atrisian blood.

Sitting forward, Walker pressed the metal tin of custom-made lotion into Alnice's hands, grinning. "Guess this went from 'free sample' to 'apology gift', unless you happen to especially like bachelor cooking." He joked brightly. "Seriously, though, it's good stuff - made it myself - and I'd appreciate your feedback once you've had a chance to give it a try." He raised his hands, one still clutching a bloody hankerchief, grinning all the while. "No hurry. No pressure. We're going to be in this sealed can for awhile, and what you moisturize your skin with is your own concern - I totally get it, lady's business, none of mine. But trust me, ol' Walker Twin-Sleeves knows his trade nearly as well as he knows the skin of beautiful women, and both are subjects of lifetime study that trigger the better parts of his reserved, compassionate nature." With a sly, though not especially flirtatious wink, he pressed a finger to the side of his nose. "Got a secret heart of gold, me. Can't ya tell?"

 

[Alnice D'Lessio]

Holy balls this guy liked the sound of his own voice. Like, really liked hearing himself talk to an extent that no one could possibly find rational. Alnice's amused grin didn't falter even for a second as she weathered the barrage of his incessant babbling, largely just sound and fury. It wasn't white noise, though; it was important to listen to everything you were told, no matter how much impact it actually had on your life. You could learn some important things about people when you listened to what they assumed you'd ignore.

For instance, Walker seemed to use his own products. He also wanted to know how this one worked for Alnice, which either meant he was trying to engender goodwill from her using his own concern, or that he was hoping for someone to test a product he hadn't been comfortable using on himself. Or, possibly, that he cared about her opinion! Never stop giving people the benefit of the doubt. He might have been sleazy, but that didn't mean he didn't potentially have a good heart somewhere under there.

She gave an easy smile and fluffed out her hair. "Well, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to learn all about which parts of you glisten with humanizing warmth while we're en route. In the meantime, I think it might be a good idea to figure out which parts of this ship are about to fall apart and which of those we can do something about." We, not she. Include him! Make him feel like he's a part of this. If he was just insecure about his talents, it would inspire confidence. If he was actively avoiding work, it might guilt him in. Either way, progress!

 

[Klar]

Walker nodded emphatically. Solid suggestion, a good plan - and as they'd just broken orbit and the tired old Washburne was revving up to lurch her way into orbit, not a bad way to kill some time. Given the absence of reliable holonet on the ship, anyway. The lanky salesman pushed his way up out of the captain's chair, brushed his well-tended hair back, and flashed his exceptionally fit new crewmate a grin.

And with that he was off, breezing out of the cockpit with his customary haste. "Warp's old and sluggish, but gets the job done - picked up parts and help second-half a few months ago, you see, terrified to touch the thing myself." Walker explained to the woman who was presumably following him. "Got an old weld-thingy I've been using to keep everything airtight are best I can, like to think I'm a dab hand with it, personally, but hey - you know what they say, everyone's an expert in a vacuum." He paused briefly, then grinned, inordinately proud of a bad, and unintentional joke. "...didn't Even try with that one, but I don't think deep space is what they intended when they said it, yeah?"

He turned and walked backwards for a bit, presumably so Alnice wouldn't be missing the half of the conversation he carried on with his hands - unaware of how confusing that might be to a Lorrdian. "Cargo door is busted. The big one, I mean. Doesn't work. The crew access one has that big dent in it that doesn't like to let the door close. And I think the oxygen recyclers must be going, because I've felt a little lightheaded ever since you came aboard!" More empty flirting.

There was a small pause in the conversation. "...but yeah, they're old and need replacing, I think."

 

[Alnice D'Lessio]

Alnice followed without complaint, taking note of things that were falling apart that could actually be fixed while they were in motion. She didn't want to risk the doors, for instance, while in deep space. The life support would have to wait until they had real parts. That knocking sound in the engine might be an issue, the lights were faulty and that might be a wiring problem, and every interior breach needed to be examined for hull integrity. If they hit any chop at all the whole thing might be torn apart. Fortunately, while she wasn't quite as solid a maintenance technician as her dad, Alnice knew her way around a ship's guts well enough to keep her flying.

Or at least she had several years ago...

Walker was filling her vision with white noise. It was...insanity trying to translate anything he was saying. Er...sub-saying. His words were a little flowery, but that was fine. The issue wasn't the speech or the content, but the dressing. About half of his movements were empty nonsense and the other half seemed genuine, and picking one from the other was disorienting. Still, be polite. He knows not what he does.

"Alright, so what supplies do you actually have on-board?" she asked, raising her eyebrow with a teasing smirk. "Because I'd prefer not to relocate too much of this poor old bird's innards."

 

[Klar]

"Not much, I'm afraid." Walker chuckled dryly. "I've got O2 tanks in case that breaks, and food if need be, but don't let the lavish accommodations fool you, my erstwhile compatriot - we operate on the thinnest possible margins on this ship." He spread his arms and shrugged helplessly as they stepped into the engine room.

Although he likely wasn't aware of it, he'd lied. Unlike the rest of the ship, which was tidy and decorated beyond what the rust-bucket vessel likely deserved, the engine room and warp compartments were FILLED with mechanical junk. Bits, bobs, odds and ends, just the sort of thing a skilled technician might've presumably used to keep the ship flying long past her due date. "Sorry about the mess." Walker mumbled sheepishly, shoving his hands into his pocket as he idly stepped around a (likely perfectly serviceable) nutrient recombiner catalyst. "Haven't had time to clear this part of the ship out. Actively avoid coming down here, since I don't want to break anything. It is one thing to die to fate, and another entirely because you turned the wrong knob this way or that - Not that I've any wish to die. Quite the contrary, actually!"

 

[Alnice D'Lessio]

Alnice tried very hard not to look legitimately pained at the juxtaposition of "I don't have parts" with "I haven't had time to clean this junk up." She was markedly unsuccessful, but still managed a ragged smile. "Don't worry about cleaning up in here. Best not to try heart surgery without a PHD, right?" Let him down easy, please. She attended a bit of junk and found some abandoned plugs, wiring, and capacitors that would likely be a fantastic fit for this dump's electrical system. Still, best to take stock of what was available and what needed to be done before committing her precious resources to anything.

The dog was likely around here somewhere. She needed to say hi sometime.

"Alright, so. Not to start a reich, but I'm going to have to establish an official rule. Until you know what you're doing in here, you don't go in here without me," she started, her well-meaning grin unabating. "I can probably salvage this without too much trouble, but one wrong move might make this whole ship tear itself apart with us inside. Not a great end." She shook her head and leaned up against a bulkhead. "Also, any 'mess' you find elsewhere in the ship that isn't biological, gather it up and toss it at me. Salvage was my family business, growing up. I can make this junk walk a mile or two."

 

[Klar]

One might've thought Walker was visibly deflated by the warning, but that couldn't be further from the truth. He released a profound sigh of relief, leaning back against the door. "You don't have to tell me twice." He promised Alnice. "I'll only pop in here to feed the dog. Or you, I guess, if this is gonna be 'your spot'." As if on cue, a tired-looking old bloodhound poked its head in, padded over, and sniffed Alnice's shoes. Walker crouched and pulled what looked like a homemade biscuit from his pocket, did some slight of hand with it, then respectfully offered it to the unimpressed hound with a pat on the head.

"I'm glad you know your way around a wrench." Walker reiterated with clear relief. "Screw the outback - I'll take you along wherever, if you're pitching in that kind of skill." Sure, a dedicated mechanic was far outside his budget. But she didn't seem too concerned about money, which was also a plus.

 

[Alnice D'Lessio]

Taking a knee, Alnice bent down to pat the old hound on the head, scratch under his jowls, and give him a quick hug around the shoulders. "Whether or not I stick around, most of my part of your haul is probably going into getting this ship spaceworthy again." That knocking sound in the engine was getting obnoxious. "It's not the worst I've ever seen, but I have seen decades-old space debris I felt safer flying in."

With a sigh, she stood and stretched, muscle groups tensing beneath her skin. "Mmmnh!" Relax. "So I'm probably going to be spending a bit of time in here for a couple of hours, but after that I'm going to need a walkabout to find what's actually falling apart. Try to make a list of things that you know or suspect don't work. I'll be doing a survey tomorrow."

After a moment, she grinned brightly, directly at Walker, honey eyes locked onto his. "And if you don't mind dropping off some snacks, that'd be great. I might be here a while, and I sort of... burn hot."