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suitably_heroic"...pay you back," Atton finished. He clicked off the phone a moment later. There. That was the groceries sorted out - unless Sparkle got some stupid idea and decided to load his fridge full of broccoli. Damn it. ... Would Sia mind if he started sending his grocery lists to h--
Yeah, of course she'd mind.
He leaned over and checked the course again. Yep-- still heading towards the backwater that had been the last place off Visas's itinerary that she had actually, honest to Force shown up to. He ran his fingers through his hair - it was getting long - and reached for the iPod he'd taped to the dashboard.
And then he stopped.
Something felt off.
He got out of the pilot's chair to check; it was weird he hadn't picked up on it before. Now that it was there, tingling at the back of his neck like a discordant note in a song, suddenly he couldn't pick up anything else.
And whatever it was, it felt familiar.
So he ran through everything: The communications room. The briefing chamber. The medbay. Both dorms. The engineering bay. The engine room.
Nothing.
That left just one place.
He swept through the cargo bay, which was empty. Completely empty, in fact: it'd been under repairs during their flight with Meetra, and he'd only recently managed to fix it up to be somewhat usable again. So... that couldn't be it.
Unless...
He stopped by a compartment near the back and squatted down. He punched in the keys - it'd taken some trial and error to figure them out, but he had them now: 'Red-47.'
The compartment slid open.
Brianna scowled up at him. "I have been here for ten hours," she said. "You are incompetent."
"I'm going to kill Mical," Atton told her, and slammed the compartment door shut in her face.
A moment later, it hit him in the leg with considerable force as Brianna kicked it so hard, the door came off its hinges. "Hey!" he yelled. "I'd just fixed that--"
"You need to go back to the Temple," she said, unfurling from the compartment. "This is stupid."
"I'm not going anywhere until I figure out where Visas is, or the trail dies on me," Atton retorted.
"Then I'm staying," she replied, striding straight past him. "You may be content to continue playing pazaak with your life, but for some unfathomable reason the Order relies on you."
"I'm not," Atton started, then shook his head. "...Having this argument with you, because having any kind of argument with you is pointless."
Brianna rolled her eyes. "If you truly felt that way, this situation would be different," she said. "We would already be going back."
"I wouldn't be in this situation if you didn't insist on sticking around the Temple all the time so Mira has to go and pick up your slack," Atton said. "If she weren't on a mission, I'd have dragged her along, and Mical wouldn't have had to bother sending a babysitter."
He turned around and marched out of the cargo bay. He didn't have time for this. Couldn't she go loiter around the dorm kicking thin air like she used to?
Sadly, no. Brianna just pulled a face as she followed after him. "You're getting too attached to Mira, as well as Visas."
Oh for the love of--
"She's a friend!" Atton yelled. "Normal people have friends!"
He sank back into the pilot's chair with such violence that the chair shook just a little.
"Normal people?" Brianna echoed, settling into the co-pilot's seat because of course she was. "I am not a 'normal person', and neither are you." She shot him a withering look. "Much as you like to play pretend on your island."
"Well, you're definitely not one, you got that right," he said irritably. "If you want to read me the riot act about my behavior, how about you don't? At least Mira has the decency to show some cleavage while she does it."
Or, y'know, Mira seemed to do it because she actually liked him, space knew why, instead of whatever the hell reason Brianna did anything.
"Where are we going?" Brianna asked. She did not seem thrown by anything he was saying. Fantastic.
"Somewhere in the Slice," Atton said, faux-cheerfully.
Brianna frowned. "That doesn't tell me anything."
"Then it'll just have to stay a mystery, won't it?" And if she wanted to say something else, well, Atton was just going to lean over and hit the play button on that iPod.
[[ establishy, nfb/nfi/etc. ]]
Yeah, of course she'd mind.
He leaned over and checked the course again. Yep-- still heading towards the backwater that had been the last place off Visas's itinerary that she had actually, honest to Force shown up to. He ran his fingers through his hair - it was getting long - and reached for the iPod he'd taped to the dashboard.
And then he stopped.
Something felt off.
He got out of the pilot's chair to check; it was weird he hadn't picked up on it before. Now that it was there, tingling at the back of his neck like a discordant note in a song, suddenly he couldn't pick up anything else.
And whatever it was, it felt familiar.
So he ran through everything: The communications room. The briefing chamber. The medbay. Both dorms. The engineering bay. The engine room.
Nothing.
That left just one place.
He swept through the cargo bay, which was empty. Completely empty, in fact: it'd been under repairs during their flight with Meetra, and he'd only recently managed to fix it up to be somewhat usable again. So... that couldn't be it.
Unless...
He stopped by a compartment near the back and squatted down. He punched in the keys - it'd taken some trial and error to figure them out, but he had them now: 'Red-47.'
The compartment slid open.
Brianna scowled up at him. "I have been here for ten hours," she said. "You are incompetent."
"I'm going to kill Mical," Atton told her, and slammed the compartment door shut in her face.
A moment later, it hit him in the leg with considerable force as Brianna kicked it so hard, the door came off its hinges. "Hey!" he yelled. "I'd just fixed that--"
"You need to go back to the Temple," she said, unfurling from the compartment. "This is stupid."
"I'm not going anywhere until I figure out where Visas is, or the trail dies on me," Atton retorted.
"Then I'm staying," she replied, striding straight past him. "You may be content to continue playing pazaak with your life, but for some unfathomable reason the Order relies on you."
"I'm not," Atton started, then shook his head. "...Having this argument with you, because having any kind of argument with you is pointless."
Brianna rolled her eyes. "If you truly felt that way, this situation would be different," she said. "We would already be going back."
"I wouldn't be in this situation if you didn't insist on sticking around the Temple all the time so Mira has to go and pick up your slack," Atton said. "If she weren't on a mission, I'd have dragged her along, and Mical wouldn't have had to bother sending a babysitter."
He turned around and marched out of the cargo bay. He didn't have time for this. Couldn't she go loiter around the dorm kicking thin air like she used to?
Sadly, no. Brianna just pulled a face as she followed after him. "You're getting too attached to Mira, as well as Visas."
Oh for the love of--
"She's a friend!" Atton yelled. "Normal people have friends!"
He sank back into the pilot's chair with such violence that the chair shook just a little.
"Normal people?" Brianna echoed, settling into the co-pilot's seat because of course she was. "I am not a 'normal person', and neither are you." She shot him a withering look. "Much as you like to play pretend on your island."
"Well, you're definitely not one, you got that right," he said irritably. "If you want to read me the riot act about my behavior, how about you don't? At least Mira has the decency to show some cleavage while she does it."
Or, y'know, Mira seemed to do it because she actually liked him, space knew why, instead of whatever the hell reason Brianna did anything.
"Where are we going?" Brianna asked. She did not seem thrown by anything he was saying. Fantastic.
"Somewhere in the Slice," Atton said, faux-cheerfully.
Brianna frowned. "That doesn't tell me anything."
"Then it'll just have to stay a mystery, won't it?" And if she wanted to say something else, well, Atton was just going to lean over and hit the play button on that iPod.
[[ establishy, nfb/nfi/etc. ]]
