geonomy | Drift Fleet Inbox/Appointments

[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!

Really?! [Now that surprises him. Since holy shit small world] Wow...that's incredible! Maybe we walked past each other and didn't know it!

[Unlikely, but hey, it's a cool idea to think about. Especially when Clay seems so jazzed by the idea]

Hey, maybe we did!

[Unlikely, sure, but hey, considering how people look in AA's canon, Allen would probably fit right in.]

Wouldn't that be amazing? If our timelines and universes somehow merged enough for you to be in my world for a little while? [The very idea blows his mind.] Maybe our meeting here is like the stars aligning for us!

[aka it's destiny for us to meet aka flirting]

[Especially in LA! One thing Allen did like about that town is that his strange looks barely got any notice beyond the occasional old man muttering about punk teenagers]

[But at Clay's line, Allen can't help but laugh at that. It's a ridiculous flirt, and so cheesy. But even as he laughs at it, he'll move close again to Clay and wrap his arm around the back of Clay's waist]

Ah...shouldn't you wait until we get through the first date before you start claiming this is destiny?

[And with that, Clay's very hyper-aware of the fact that he and Allen are pretty much the same height here, maybe with Allen just the slightest bit taller. Huh.]

Hey now, I'm the astronaut here! [To return the gesture, he lifts up his own arm to let his palm rest against Allen's shoulder blade.] I know in my soul when stars align.

[Yep. How about that coincidence.]

[Allen laughs again as they reach the door to the shuttle (finally, talk about getting sidetracked)]

In your soul? [Wow Clay] Are you saying you're the sort of astronaut that looks at stars for fortune telling?

Fortune telling? No. That's not what stars are for! [HUFF HUFF but he'll still hold the door open for Allen. It's Blue Fish's shuttle, so Allen's probably more comfortable driving it here.] All the star charts the fortune tellers use are so outdated, anyway. How can any of their predictions be correct? Not knocking on fortune tellers, but the ones that try to use the stars as a guide? I'm not believing it for a second.

[The fact that Apollo is so into astrology and horoscopes makes him so mad. BRUH...]

Ha- sorry! I was just teasing. I didn't actually think you did.

[So much indignation. He'll let go of Clay so he can go into the shuttle, giving a "thank you" at Clay holding the door open. The shuttle's roomier than the Vanquish ones, with a couple extra seats- they've been around long enough to afford a shuttle upgrade. He moves to sit in the pilot seat]

I don't take any stock in those sorts of things either. They're just silly little things that are sometimes fun to listen to.

They're all just - Whoa, this is comfy.

[SO MUCH BIGGER than the Vanquish shuttles. Clay can't help lingering at the entrance and looking around, taking in the size of the ship after an upgrade and wondering if they can get Vanquish's to look like this. Once he's done inspecting, Clay sets the star chart in the extra seats, then sits in the available one next to Allen as he keeps talking.]

They're all just so fake! My best friend back at home is super into the astrology and fortune telling stuff, even after I tell him how fake it is! I think he does it to make me mad.

[HUFF HUFF. But with that, he leans over to bump his shoulder against Allen's.]

But at least someone understands. I've finally found someone who gets it.

[So his team back at home is pretty much the same way too, but hey, they're not here now!]

Huh? Oh- ha, thanks. Our captain's been throwing money at upgrades for the shuttles for awhile now.

[The joys of having a bigger crew that's been around longer. Living in style. Allen meanwhile pulls his seatbelt on and starts up the ship's engines as he listens. He smiles and bumps his shoulders back when Clay does.]

Finally found someone? Is horoscopes that popular in Los Angeles? And even Apollo is into it? [He snorts] That's surprising. I thought a lawyer would want to focus on things that are true. But I guess we all have our quirks...

[Like an Exorcist who has a demon for an uncle. Go figure]

[Figures, Blue Fish has been here longer and all. SOMEDAY. Someday, their ship will be just as amazing and roomy. For now, let's focus on the actual date here.]

You'd think, right? But no. He insists there's some truth to them, even though there obviously isn't. It's not that they're popular, but you know. They're in the newspapers, there's little buildings with people who'll tell your fortune, that sort of thing. [He lets out a sigh, head resting back against the seat now.] I guess we've all got to make money somehow.

[Not everyone can be astronauts, after all.]

[Allen can't help but snicker a little as he listens to Clay. That admittance about money sounded like how most people sound like when describing ambulance chasers or tax collectors. Though, he guess an astronaut would have to deal with astrology crap more than most. And to have his best friend buy into it...]

[He'll talk as he runs through the take-off procedures. He was no pilot, but he's done this with the shuttles enough times where he doesn't really need to think about it much anymore. Like driving a car.]

It's decent steady money, if you're good at telling people what they wanna hear dramatically. Sometimes I'd do odd jobs for them at circuses. [Polishing crystal balls, cleaning teacups, helping with their performances- stuff like that. Usually when his father's performances weren't bringing in enough.] It's all rubbish though, the good ones will even admit that. So go ahead and keep telling Apollo that.

[If Apollo ever shows up in this place anyway]

Drift Fleet Inbox/Appointments

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16

Action; 8/16