geonomy | Drift Fleet Inbox/Appointments

a reminder doesn't hurt! i'll be there in two hours.

[Should he send a heart should he send a heart should he WHY NOT]

♥!

[HE DID IT. HE DID THE THING.

Now to spend the next two hours scrambling to make sure he looks nice and. Oh gosh. What does he get for Allen??? OH NO.]

I'll see you then! :)

[ As for the heart he just...STARES at it. It's probably a good thing it was over text and not in person. Because ugh, hearting. He is not a fan of that. So he'll just...opt not to reply to that part and move to get ready. Y-Yeah.]

[He spends the next two hours getting ready. He's not...entirely sure what to get him. Sure, he got Misha a fish and that seemed to be a hit- but that really was a last second panic thing since he only had half an hour. And Clay already had a fish, right? So that's no good.]

[In the end, he digs out a star chart he had picked up from the moons back in February. It isn't particularly useful for their current journey since they weren't anywhere near that system anymore- but hey, maybe Clay can bring it home as proof like he said in a previous conversation.]

[When the two hour mark rolls around, he's in the cargo bay- alternating towards sitting and nervously pacing and glancing at the clock. Man. He hopes this goes well]

[Thankfully, Clay's right on time. He wasn't sure exactly what to get in the first hour, and he dodged around his crewmates by shouting an I'M FINE and being done with it. In the second hour, he sort of figured something out. But still, it seems so... like a cop out, maybe.

But as he steps onto the cargo bay, hands behind his back, he looks and - Ah, there he is. His date. His date!]

Hey, hey! [He gives a big smile, all too happy to be here, and then ducks his head a bit as he moves in closer.] I, uh. Wasn't sure what you liked, so. Here.

[He holds out his offerings from behind his back: one of the black visors that the sponsors gave him, and one of the glowfish that the locals were selling. He really, really hopes it's a color Allen likes.]

Edited 2015-08-17 06:14 (UTC)

[He returns the smile when Clay comes aboard, standing up from the crate he had parked himself on. He's wearing something akin to this, but with gloves on both his arms so only the tattoo lines on his shoulder are visible- also way less belts and buckles because holy crap we're going on a date, not to a MCR concert.]

Hello Clay!

[Yeah. It's probably a bit more clear that he's nervous too. And before he can grab what he had gotten Clay, he surprises him with the gifts. And yeah, he's sincerely surprised at that- his eyes going wide and a slight blush appearing on his nose.] Eh? You got me-

[A fish and a visor. He takes the visor first and has to look at it curiously a moment since he's not...entirely sure what it is! But then it clicks.] - Wait! I've seen at card tables! [the strange hat that people wear for whatever reason! Allen puts it on- squishing his bangs in the process and grins] How does it look?

[And as for the fish? It don't even matter what color it is, his smile grows as he picks up the glowfish and he laughs a little out of joy.] Ah- He's so pretty! Does he have a name?

Edited 2015-08-17 13:50 (UTC)

[Clay seems to visibly relax at that, tense shoulders dropping slightly as he lets out a sigh. There isn't much on the island, and usually he'd get something more... date-ish than a fish and a hat, so he'd been a bit worried -

But he likes them. He likes them, he really does! A light blush appears on his cheeks as well, but he pays it no mind. Clay, the visor-wearing champ, reaches out to adjust the one Allen's wearing a bit, then smiles his approval.]

I think you look great. [He gives Allen a once-over from head to toe; he really does look great, visor or not! Still being on a fairly new ship, Clay doesn't have as many nicer clothes as Allen does, but he did the best he could with what he had. And as for the fish:] And no, he doesn't have a name yet. I thought I'd leave that one up to you!

Thank you. [Yep, that's definitely a blush on his face as Clay adjusts his visor and compliments him.] Ah- I mean for the gifts! They're really thoughtful!

[Even if Clay had no idea what Allen would like, he did put thought into it when he didn't have to. he looks back at the fish.] A name, huh... [~~The random color generator says~~ It's green, so the name comes quickly to mind.] I think you'll be Robin then!

[WHAT? Robin Hood is the best]

Oh- [He reaches to the cargo box behind him and grabs the rolled up chart that was sitting there with his free hand, offering it to Clay.] Hum, here. It isn't much, just an old star chart from a moon I picked up awhile back. I just...thought you might like it.

Robin, huh? Heh, like the prince of thieves! [He bends down to get face to face with this fish with a cheeky little grin on his face.] That'd make a good movie, huh, little guy? Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves: In Space!

[He'd watch it. And then criticize it to hell and back because they'd get space all wrong, they ALWAYS DO.

He does look up when Allen hands him the chart, and... and...

Oh my god. Oh my god. Clay looks like he's in awe as he straightens himself back up and takes the chart with both hands, almost like he's holding some kind of sacred text, and unrolls it to pour over the information written on it.]

Moon and stars, where did you - When did you - [It's all here, all the information that would be needed in a star chart!] This is incredible! Do you - Do you know which moon it was?

[Oh he just beams at Clay immediately getting the reference] Yes, exactly! He was always one of my favourite stories. [Much to the chagrin of every other legendary person he's known. And he laughs at that, imagining it] It'd at least be entertaining.

[And wow. He was pretty sure Clay would like it since it was about space but uh...he wasn't expecting him to react this strongly. But it's good! A huge relief!]

Ah- I believe it was Adsum? There were three colonised moons that orbited a dead planet, in the system. Each one with a very...distinct culture from one another. [To put it lightly] Uh, I'm glad you like it!

Adsum, Adsum... [One can just see the gears accelerating in his head. A dead planet, three moons, one called Adsum, all of them with distinct cultures and oh man, Clay only wishes he was brought to the fleet sooner.

But. But. He can think about this later. Right now, he's on a date. This, admittedly, is one of the reasons why his first relationship in the past didn't work out so well; so lost in his head when it came to space that he didn't pay as much attention to his date as he should have.

Let's not make that same mistake. With one last, long look at the chart, Clay starts to carefully roll it up again, unable to help the big, grateful smile on his face.]

This is so amazing! I love it, thank you! [AND HE LEANS IN - only to pause, pull back, and ask:] Uh - Is it okay? If I... [He taps his own cheek for reference and raises his eyebrows in question. Some people don't like such affection, so he might as well ask for permission first.]

[He watches Clay, a bit in awe in seeing his reaction. The guy was just so open about what he was feeling, so alive and unrestrained about his joy. It wasn't like his ex in the slightest, Arthur was always reserved- always constantly on watch about how he said or acted. It took a lot to get his walls down just a little- while Clay just didn't seem to have walls. At least not about this stuff.]

[It exhilarating to watch. And a little infectious. He only has to consider a moment at Clay's question before he decides to lean in himself and plant a quick kiss on his cheek. There's a slight laugh in his voice as he speaks]

Yes, it's okay.

[......... o-oh he was

NOT

expecting to be kissed on the cheek before he got to do it. So he blinks, widens his eyes in surprise, and then he just. Blushes, full force, and dissolves into some laughter himself as he runs a hand through his hair, pushing down the wild mess that it is before it just springs back up again.]

Uh - Wow, I mean - That's fine! That's - It's better than fine! You totally beat me to it, but, um.

[Before he gets into a ramble about some random space fact to calm his nerves, Clay decides to do what he set out to do in the first place: He leans in to return that kiss on the cheek, and when he pulls back, he can't help the slight bounce on the heels of his feet.]

There! Now we're even.

[That was some mighty blush that Clay did there. For a second he wonders what he did wrong, if he was too forward or misinterpreted the signs, before Clay insists otherwise. He didn't realize that it was a competition of who would kiss who first- but he does feel himself turning a bit red when he feels Clay kiss him. Yep. That was definitely a kiss.]

Ah- y-yeah! Even!

[He almost squeaks a little before pulling back. It's taking some getting used to, having these things reciprocated so easily and all. And they aren't even off the ship left-]

[Oh wait.]

Um- I should put Robin in my room, and then we can head off? Okay?

[He holds up his index finger to indicate just a moment, and he quickly moves to do just that- though not before bumping into a cargo box he didn't notice along the way. Yikes! That gets a yelp, but he recovers and moves to get Robin into that room]

Y-Yeah, okay! Oh -

[He reaches out a bit when Allen hits that box, but when he's sure he's recovered, Clay just lets out a fond little laugh before he turns around, both hands holding the chart again if only to give them something to hold on to, and looks down at the floor as he waits.

You know, when he was first thinking about going on this date, he was thinking he'd be cool about it. All suave, all confident and forward. And man, he is so going against all of his visions here, and he kind of feels like a teenager again.

Focus, Clay! It's a casual date! That's all there is to it!

By the time Allen comes back, he'll probably find Clay swaying to some kind of invisible music while he spouts off some facts to himself.]

- referred to as the "dog star" since it's part of the Canis Major constellation. Sirius is the brightest and closest star, as it's only 8.6 light years away. Because Sirius is gradually moving closer to our solar system, it'll only increase in brightness for the next sixty thousand years, and after that, it'll -

[ Allen meanwhile heads for his room, Fish Robin now in hand. Sliding down his ladder, he heads over to the aquarium he had already set up in his room with a few other glow fish of varying colors (except red). He puts the bag that Robin in in the tank, but not opening up yet so it'll have a chance to acclimate, all while telling the other fish that this is Robin, and he'll be living with them too. There's an added note for Timcanpy (whose lounging on a pillow on Allen's bed) not to eat Robin either! Fish are friends, not food. ]

[With that done, he...takes a moment to steel his nerves and calm down. That kiss had been forward of him. Much more forward than he usually was, considering the date hasn't really started yet. What was with that? Was it because he more lonely than he'd thought? Was Ino's vague advice getting to him? Or maybe he should blame his body still physically being stuck at 16? Nngh, this was confusing.]

[As usual when Allen is confronted with a confusing thing about himself he couldn't understand (because surprise, self-reflection was not a strong point)- he eventually just tells himself "ngh, whatever" and gave up trying to work it out. He didn't get it, but it was fine, right? This was just a casual date after all! Like Ino said, as long as both are comfortable with it, it's fine! No deeper meanings, just two people having a good time! Yeah! They're both adults who've dated before, so it's fine! And Clay hadn't given off a single creep vibe, so he was fine. Very fine, in fact.]

[With this worry "resolved", he felt better enough to actually leave his room and head back to the cargo bay. He opts to leave the visor on after a moment of debate since hey, it was a gift from his date. So when he returns to the cargo bay- his blush seems to have gone down enough and he'll approach Clay with a smile as he hears the guy spouting off...star facts? Was that what he did when he was nervous? Huh...]

It'll what?

Edited 2015-08-18 17:43 (UTC)

[OH CRAP. CAUGHT DOING THE NERVOUS RAMBLING.

Granted, other people have seen him do it before, and it's never been an issue to him. But this is a date! He's supposed to look cool, presentable, and second-dateable! So he stops, blush dusting his cheeks again, then lets out a sheepish laugh while playing with the edge of his visor.]

Ah, sorry. I kind of do this when I'm... you know.

[But hey, since Allen actually asked about more... As he talks, he seems to relax into it, feeling less nervous and more just raring to go.]

Well... after that time, it'll start to move away, but it'll still be Earth's closest and brightest star for two-hundred ten-thousand years. Which, when you think about it, isn't a surprise at all! It's been recorded as the brightest star in the earliest astronomical records; even the ancient Egyptians knew about it and wrote down hieroglyphics with it! Back then, they called it "Sopdet", and even based their calendar structure on it! [ASTRONOMY HISTORY IS COOL OKAY]

Nervous?

[He'll smile emphatically at him. He gets it. And as Clay starts going on about Sirius, Allen will non-verbally gesture him towards the shuttle, so they can start getting on with their date]

Really? I suppose that shouldn't surprise me...Egypt has some incredible views of the sky- and there's not much else to look at out there, really.

[Just lots and lots of sand and rock.]

[Clay follows behind him, nodding sheepishly to that question, and just - gosh. It's not every day someone actually seems interested in all his ramblings. His team back at home, yes, and Apollo too, but everyone else just kind of tuned him out. Here, he's actually met people who like to listen and respond by expanding on it further. It's always amazing, meeting someone like that!]

They probably had other things to do, but I didn't study much about what they did when they were bored. [Astronomical history and everything that had to do with it? Sure. Any other kind of history? Eh.] The sky definitely wasn't as polluted back then as it is today, too. You're right; they had - and have - incredible views of the sky. [He lets out a small sigh, one hand in his pocket and the other still holding the chart.] Definitely one of my places to go when I get back home.

[Well space stuff is pretty relevant out here. Though for Allen, it's more a combination of hearing about Earth, and listening to brand new information he's never heard before. The people of his past weren't much for looking at the stars beyond navigation and the occasional story, so it was a little fascinating to watch someone so passionate about it.]

It's a good place to visit. [He was only there for a few weeks when he was a kid so his own knowledge was limited, but hey- he remembered it had some cool stuff] Where on Earth are you from exactly? America?

[It's the accent really.]

Edited 2015-08-21 21:12 (UTC)

Got it in one. Born and raised. [He raises an eyebrow, a playful little grin coming up.] Okay, smart guy, wanna guess where from America I'm from? I've only ever lived in one state, if that helps.

Uh....

[Yep. Now that's a hard one for Allen. He knows an American accent, but it's not like he can tell the different american accents apart. Hell he wasn't even sure how many states America had. 40? 50??? There was New York, California that had Los Angeles...the North American branch for the Order was in Nevada....but was that a state or a territory? All Allen remembered was that it was out in the middle of nowhere, like half that damn country. Crap. He had no clue about the rest. How you do even tell apart the different Americans??? Weren't they mostly just immigrants anyway??]

[But crap. Clay needs a guess. THINK THINK THINK-]

...N-New York?

[Lots of the people in the fleet seem to be from there, so????]

Edited 2015-08-22 14:37 (UTC)

[... ... ... You know, Clay can't even say "close but no cigar", because that wasn't even close. He laughs as a result and wraps an arm around Allen's shoulders, as a sort of... consolation prize.]

Ha! Try the other side of the country. Born in California, never left that place until now. [And while he wanted to go to space so badly it ran in his blood, and while he'd love to visit places that were important to astronomical history or had an amazing view of the sky, California will always be his home.]

[The bridge of his nose turns a bit pink in embarrassment at how wrong he was. Though at least Clay doesn't seem mad about it? Especially if the physical contact says anything. So, he'll laugh with it]

Ah- right, sorry. America's just so big- [But he perks up at the mention of California. Hey! He knows that state!] But really? California? Did you live in Los Angeles- I've been there!

[You know what, every time he hears that someone from here has been in Los Angeles, it's always absolutely mind-blowing to him, and kind of... gives him a sense of kinship in a way, even if they don't come from his version of Earth? So that gets a surprised look before it turns into something happy and excited, like he heard Christmas is just around the corner.]

You've been there? I mean - You're not the first person to say that, but - really, you have? Well - What did you think of it, where did you go?

[He gives a little nod. Sure, technically it was a Paradisa version of Los Angeles- but it still counted, right? ]

Yes, I have! Ino too- it's a bit of a long story. We sort of got...dropped there magically for a few weeks?

[yeah, close enough answer]

It's...massive, much bigger than what I'm used to. But the food's amazing. I stayed at the University campus- er, the Westwood neighborhood? But I remembering traveling all over the city.

The University at Westwood? No way, that's the one I went to for my astronomy degree!

[HOLY SHIT THAT'S AMAZING, Clay has to step back to look at him better, and also he's practically vibrating from excitement and that might be weird. Not only did Allen go to Los Angeles, but he stayed at Clay's university? GOSH.]

That's - You pretty much stayed in my home area for a while! Until I moved to another apartment, but - Still! And the food! There's so much of it - There's so much of everything, and you were there!

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