Meeting And Greeting

Posted on Fri May 29th, 2020 @ 8:09pm by Alison Bliss & Jacob Lara

Mission: Fortune & Glory
Location: Poseidon - Spaceport
Timeline: 4 months ago

After a quick stop at a local tailor's shop for a new suit, Jacob, dressed now in sage green that accentuated the color of his eyes, with a white button-down, and a slim black silk tie, and matching black shoes, approached the ship he'd been accepted onto as a passenger on. As he walked up he saw a female figure sitting in the cargo bay, and walked up the ramp.

Coming closer he smiled. "I take it you are Alison," he said extending his hand. "I'm Jacob, and Alden sent me to introduce myself," he added.

Alison was wearing a daisy dukes, a loose, tan tank top and darker gladiators. The pistol was within the reach, holstered with the belt on the nearby crate. She was sitting on another crate and was watching the entrance with the corner of her eye while reading local newspaper. Hearing the man calling her, Alison turned to him fully. She noticed him coming up and by the way he looked, by the way he walked... and because she knew where Alden went, she had no doubt this was 'the companion'.

She folded the newspaper and put it away before standing up and walking gracefully up to the front.
"Nice to meet you Jacob. Yes, I am Alison." She confirmed and invited him with a gentle move of her hand. "I take it you settled all the details with Alden?"

"Yes, I did," Jacob replied. "I have already made the call to have my things delivered," he added.

Moving into the cargo bay he glanced around, noticing that the ship was obviously old, and had a few areas of slight disrepair. All in all, however, he was impressed by how well taken care of the ship was in general. His research had turned up some rather interesting tidbits about this particular ship, including that it was only newly registered, and had been completely off the map for quite some time before that. "She's a fine ship," he said, giving the woman a bright smile.

"Yes, she is." Alison replied returning the smile. He was handsome and she wouldn't mind spending some time with him... maybe she could talk Alden in taking now and then payment in nature. But for now, she kept her dirtier thoughts to herself.

"So it is a standard arrangement of allowing you to take one of the shuttles? Do you have a preference which one?" She asked lightly as she moved toward the weapon, picked the belt and wrapped it around her waist before buckling it. She then moved across the cargo bay to the door console, confident and at the same time sensual and pushed buttons. The huge ramp began to raise. If she was going to show Jacob his place, she needed to close the ship.

Jacob watched as the ramp closed, hearing the whirring of the hydraulics that lifted it. "I chose port," he answered. He had noticed the looks, and the way her body language had changed while they talked and knew she found him at least attractive, but that wasn't what he was here for, so he pushed it aside. "How long have you been second with Alden?" he asked, as they began to walk further into the ship.

"Over two years." Alison answered and pointed at the stairs. "This way." She said and took the lead, gently swaying her hips, subtly, with the effect aimed at the subconscious level. She decided not to make it easy for Jacob. "Why us?" She asked looking over her shoulder. "No doubt there are other, easier and safer ways to explore the verse and earn money for you."

Jacob followed, noticing the woman swaying her hips, but not quite understanding why it seemed to tickle something in the back of his mind. "Honestly, because the crew isn't a completely settled thing. I liked the idea of coming in and getting to know people while they get to know each other. Makes for less friction, I'd assume. Compared to coming in as a completely new person in a fully realized crew of people who know each other well, and don't trust newcomers."

Alison kept watching Jacob as they climbed the stairs and spoke only when they reached top of it.

"Was that the only reason?" She asked doubtful. The reason was sound, but she hardly could believe it was the only one. She and Alden weren't famous, in fact finding them at this point required some effort. They were also unpredictable, which wasn't optimal for a companion.

Jacob looked a little abashed, when he nodded. "Honestly, yes... I've been outside the Arial planetary system once in my whole life. I feel like there is a lot out there that I need to see, and experience. I figure that experience is going to be pretty uncomfortable, and chaotic, so the lack of friction was pretty important to me. And since I don't really have a lot of experience in finding a ship to head out on I sort of just went on a search and ran across you guys..."

"Are we the first one on your list? Or did you approach someone else and failed to find an agreement?" Alison asked curiously leading the man through the corridors. "How old are you?" She asked before he could answer earlier questions. He struck her as not the youngest. She would expect him to have some experience off world. More than what he mentioned, so she was wondering how come he was on Ariel all his life.

"The first I talked to, yes. There were a few I had researched and then discarded before I even reached out. And I'm twenty seven, been registered for a little more than three years," Jacob replied, hearing the incredulity in the woman's voice.

Finally they reached the shuttle.
"I see. You strike me as someone... more experienced." Alison said stopping in the middle of the shuttle turning toward Jacob. The shuttle was bare, fix and flyable, and reasonably clean. There were several new panels here and there, marking elements that were replaced, among older parts. "If you need anything, let me know."

Jacob smirked at her comment about seeming more experienced but kept his comments to himself. "I will do that, for now, I guess I'll start getting settled in. My friend should be arriving shortly with my things and I'll get them all stowed in here and out of your way as quickly as I can."

Alison nodded slightly.
"Three years..." She said slowly. "Is that a lot for a companion? What where you doing before that?" She asked curiously. "I thought you can legally have sex since eighteen... so what where you doing for remaining six years?"

Jacob raised an eyebrow at the question. It wasn't that he was surprised at how forthright she was being, it was just that the question held a lot of assumptions. "I have been in training to be a companion since I was twelve. I have been registered for three years. That only means I have been operating as a licensed Companion since then, not that I've been having sex since then..." he replied.

Jacob managed to answer avoiding most of the hooks she put in the questions. The way he answered also told Alison a few things.
"Oh, I see. How do you find working under the license?" She asked. She put one hand on her hip and a seductive grin appeared in the corner of her lips. "What do you like the most about it?"

"That I can do something I truly enjoy knowing that I have the full backing of the Guild behind me to make sure I stay safe, healthy, and profitable," Jacob answered without hesitation.

Alison eyebrow raised, as she was unable to mask her reaction to the anticlimax of the conversation. Jacob was either naive, inexperienced or dumb and to be honest, Alison wasn't sure which of these was the worst. He was such a cookie but hearing such response ruined all the good impression she got so far. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Since she was unable to mask the initial reaction, she might as well not bother at all trying to cover it.
"Well, that was..." She shrugged and decided to go for the euphemism. "...unexpected."

Alison walked past Jacob and stopped in the entrance to the shuttle.
"Well, if you'll need any help in enjoying yourself." She said turning at Jacob and returning to her more flirtatious self. "I'll be around..."

Jacob raised an eyebrow at that, his usual smiling visage falling blank and stony after the unexpected rudeness, followed by an inexplicable flirtation. "I think I'll be fine," he intoned, coldly, and then set about exploring the small shuttle. His intent was clear, it was a dismissal.

Her body language had been quite obvious, she disliked him on a personal level, for reasons he didn't know, and at that point, wasn't sure he cared to know. It just wasn't really important. What was important was getting settled in so that he could get to work as soon as possible, and, so, that's exactly what he set his mind to. When his small communicator chirped in his pocket almost a half an hour later, he was already ready to get the stuff in and situated.