OOC
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Tiau System, Lia Lin City Space Port,
Isra Daoud, Ship captain and smuggler,
Valenten Petrov, Outcast lordling.
A young man and a young woman were waiting besides a small ship, scanning the crowds in front of them. They were an odd pair, and under any circumstances did not seem like they would be the types to ever interact. The young man was dark haired and pale skinned, and wore beautiful clothes and wore a pin the announced he was a member of a noble house in the Core Systems. He looked elegant and refined. His companion on the other hand, was not. She was wiry and wore a faded cloak and a garish shirt underneath. On her hip she wore a pistol, and she stared around smiling like an idiot, as if she was simply happy to be anywhere.
Of the two of them however, she was clearly the one who was more at home in their environment. She moved easily and with a certain grace, and clearly was used to the movement of a space port. Her companion watched her judgingly, and watched all of the people around him judgingly, and minced as he stepped as if he was trying to not taint himself with the masses of humanity around himself. He was named Valentin, and his companion was Isra. They were archaeologists. Or at least, that's what he was trying to one day be. Isra just owned the ship and he payed her.
As they waited, Isra had pulled a beach chair out of the ship and was lounging in it, and making silly faces at children who she made eye contact with. Half of them laughed happily, and the other half were pulled away by their parents, who gave Isra dirty looks. She didn't care. When there were no children to make faces at, she occasionally whistled, and occasionally tried to make conversation with Valentin. He was rarely very receptive, and most of his responses were in single syllable words. And so she simply shrugged and went back into her own little world. It didnt matter much to her, and underneath her carefree exterior she was constantly calculating. Howe much could she make off this pompous little lordling? How important was the expedition really to him? How pretentious was he, to think that Whisthall would ever fund an expedition for a student of Old Earth, and how desperate was he to truly make this expedition happen. All of it played into her mind, and every detail was turned over in her head.
Her thinking was interrupted when Valentin suddenly spoke, his voice coming as more of a snap, as if the situation at hand was somehow her fault. "What in the hell could be taking them so long?" he said, his voice tight with frustration.
Isra looked at him, and tried to make up her mind about how she should take this sudden outburst. "Its a half hour before we told them was the best time to be here Valentin," she said.
"Anyone who's anyone knows that when someone tells you to be somewhere at a certain time, what that really means is be there a half hour early, and yet none of them are here,a half hour early, as is proper," he responded.
Isra paused, and gave him a look of confused humor. "I dont think I follow," she said.
"Im simply speaking of proper etiquette," he said. "Though I dont know why Im trying to explain something like this to a spacer, why you would have any understanding is beyond me."
"Pfft," laughed Isra, "Did you just call me trashy in rich kid?"
"No, I simply stated that you have no understanding of etiquette, not that you are trashy," said Valentin, straightening his back as if he was preparing to accept a duel. "If I was calling you trashy, I would have said so to your face as is proper to do, not try and trick you into thinking otherwise."
"Hmmph," said Isra.
The conversation halted, and the two went back to staring at the crown. Isra started whistling, and Valentin stood brooding to himself. He didn't like the situation he was in, having to fund an expedition out of his own pocket, and having to rely on people who were dubiously professional. He was fairly certain that the woman he had hired to transport him was in fact a criminal, and there was no telling what sort of horror stories the other people he had been forced to hire might hide. As far as he was concerned, it was absurd that the University had not agreed to give him a grant for this expedition. Something like this, as mysterious and inexplicable as it was, coming from an ancient text from Old Earth, was more than worth sending a few archaeologists and body guards and a well equipped ship for. And yet, here he was, waiting for a group of unknowns, preparing to be flown around the galaxy in what was little more than a glorified freighter. He didn't even have his own room, having had to hang a hammock in a corner of the cargo bay. It felt shameful to him.
But, it was what it was. This expedition was likely to be a defining moment in Valentin's future if it was successful, and even if nothing came of it, it would prove that he had what it took to organize an expedition like it in the future. If he had to sleep in a hammock and cavort around with a group of undesirables, it was worth it. And so, he went into the cargo hold and brought out a box, and sat straight backed and proper, to wait for the members of the crew he had put together.
