Hullo Sky Harbour

Posted on Mon Oct 25th, 2021 @ 8:01am by Alden Loxley & Cooper O'Reilly & Alison Bliss & Daiyu & Chloe Waltz PhD & Jonas Bailey & Kindra Graham & Whit

Mission: Li Shen's Bazaar
Location: Li Shen's Bazaar
Timeline: November 3 - Mid-morning

Li Shen's Bazaar. A veritable smorgasbord of experience, life and complications all wrapped up in every colour of neon a person could possibly imagine and steeped in so much sound that a set of regular eardrums could feel positively punished. Advertisements harrassed, cajoled and made plenty of promises they were highly unlikely to keep as the crew of the Fortune's Echo stumbled, wandered and strolled into the mess of this welcome distraction from recent events.

Sex was offered as freely as cuisine and alcohol here, though the rules and standards likely didn't meet those of those trained at Madrassa. This far out on the rim rules and standards didn't really feature too highly in much of anything. The Allied Postal System and St Lucy's were the only reputable friends on the block, but no one here seemed to mind.

Karen had said her goodbyes on board Echo, so now, bags in hand, she vanished quickly into the crowd with the contact she'd arranged to meet here. Alden watched the woman leave, his heart a little heavier for losing the company of a fine friend.

"Y'all meet back at the ship in the morning at the latest, alright?" Alden briefed his crew and band of associated misfits as they mingled briefly and chose their direction. "Ali - we going to St Lucy's first, or can I get a hot shower and a steak first?" He asked, dark blue eyes pleading for mercy on this score.

Armed in her favorite stainless SIG P220 and dressed in the laced up country washed pink tunic, black leather pants and combat boots, Alison glanced at Alden and shrugged. "You could have gotten a shower on the ship... but fine. Whatever." She said resigned. "Go ahead and have your shower and the steak. How much time do you need because I'm going then to do business? Daiyu is going with you or with me?" She eyed the petite oriental girl before looking at Alden again. The noise of the bazaar around was a welcomed change for her. It's been a while since she was here.

Model B holstered at his side, worn cargo trousers making his charcoal grey shirt look almost smart, Alden regarded his partner in business with a long-suffering look for a second. Then he grinned. "Hotel shower's kinda different. They don't mind how long you run them hot. Meet you in an hour?" Alden looked to Daiyu then and canted his head to the side as he asked the young woman her point of view. "You want to go shopping with Alison?"

With a blank look on her face, Daiyu just shrugged. Crowds made her nervous, and when she was nervous she either panicked or just shut down. This moment seemed the latter.

"I don't have any money," Daiyu said at length. "And..." Rather than finish her sentence, she just sighed. What was a girl to do when she did not belong anywhere?

Alden looked to Daiyu, then Alison - glances and subtle signals passed between the two - and Alden left the money side of things down to Ali. Daiyu had credit, how much his friend opted to spend? He trusted Alison implicitly on that front.

Kindra was not exactly sure how she had ended up the primary caretaker of the puppy that had literally dropped onto the Fortune's Echo on Ghost. Alison was right about not leaving him alone on the ship, but she could not explore the station with a dog. There was no doubt in her mind that the puppy would end up on someone's plate if he slipped away in the crowds. Luckily, there was a kennel right there next to the port authority, complete with a groomer, and she dropped him off and returned to their little group in minutes. "Chloe, are you ready for an adventure that may not start between the pages of a book, but might end there?"

"Yeah," Chloe gave a shy smile. She didn't quite understand Kindra's description of an adventure, but she was too embarrassed to admit it.

"Excellent." Kindra smiled at Chloe and checked the notification sent to the mobile cortex on her wrist. She had logged into the station feed for kennel updates and to access a station map. She accepted a modest charge for ad blocking. Another message popped up immediately, and swearing under her breath, Kindra accepted the much higher ta ma duh fee to prevent station bots from mining her personal information. "Let's find that bookshop, Chloe."

Jonas had gotten used to doing a quick walk-around on the ship before he left. For one reason or another. He stepped in behind the rest of the crew, armed with his SIG-Sauer P229 at his side, the Sphinx AT380 .380 ACP concealed in the small of his back, and his trusty boot-knife. "Well, looks like a regular ole shindig as always," said Jonas. "Anybody up for an Ice Planet? Or a mail check?" He looked around from Alden to Daiyu to Whit and the others.

"I could be easily persuaded for an Ice Planet with you..." Alison said giving Jonas a tailing gaze as her lips twitched playfully. "However, I already have a meeting. So maybe later?" She said suggestively before she sighed and turned her attention back at Daiyu. "You do have the money, with me and Alden. Say a word and either of us will take you shopping. What do you need? Or what do you want?" She asked the girl. For now, Daiyu was with them, she was the crew and she had all the entitlements with it, including her fair share in the income that Echo generated.

"Mail check," Cooper agreed with a simple, curt nod to Jonas. His gaze tracked to Whit, then back to the big guy with the tousled dreadlocks. "Definitely need a mail check," the shepherd grunted.

Alden grinned. "Ice planet's a definite date for later for me too, brother," he promised Jonas. "Just tell me where you end up and I'll meet you there. Pick up any mail for me too?" He asked, then looked to Daiyu and Alison. With genuine intent to help, Alden offered his pilot another option. "If you need that meeting to be private, I could take Daiyu shopping with me and switch back in an hour?"

Alison raised her right hand and showed two of the fingers. "Make that two. Let Daiyu have some fun shopping. Women don't like being rushed doing that."

"Among other things women don't like being rushed whilst doing," commented Kindra drily. She was looking at a holo on her mobile cortex, of the frozen dessert Jonas had mentioned, and the location of the business serving them. "I could go for an Ice Planet later, they sound delicious." As for mail, it was unlikely she'd have any here, but she would check in person.

Holding his hands in surrender to them both, Alden took a step backwards as he spoke. "Yes ma'am," he said, the grin infusing both his cheeks and his tone. He turned a little more serious then as he added. "Nobody's rushing no one right now though, we ain't leaving til tomorrow morning. So fill yer boots, have some fun and do whatever don't get you in so much trouble you need a rescue."

After being silent while the others talk, Daiyu let out an anxious outburst. "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SHOP." Her eyes darted around the group, wondering what they would say. "What do I do if I have nothing to buy or sell?"

Unfazed, Alison inhales deeply. "You peruse, Daiyu. You are a woman, sooner or later something will be worth buying. If you have no idea what it is... let that thing find you."

"Ain't that the truth," snickered Alden, good-naturedly. "Well, everyone knows where we parked." He held up his personal cortex. "If'n you need me, holler. Otherwise I'll be at the Jianguo Grand, then St Lucy's."

Jonas nodded to Alden. "Ice Planets all around when we meet back up at the end...sounds like a plan to me. In the meantime, mail-call it is." He wasn't sure if he'd actually have anything. Not too many people knew where he was. In fact, as far as he knew, no one knew where he was.

"Shiny," Alden returned, his grin bright like a five year old in a candy-store.

The traditional fist-bump-and-man-hug 'see you later' dance was enacted between the two and Alden watched Jonas, Whit and Cooper saunter off in the direction of the Allied Postal System's corner of the station. The shopping gang seemed to have figured out at least which general retail direction they were bound to invade, and Tristan? Who knew. Alden had disabled the boy's code so that he couldn't re-enter Echo without one of the others present, but he had no deliberate ill-will towards the kid either. He'd make a decision when it was time to leave, based on the boy's conduct on Li Shen's.

Right now though... alone time was definitely favourite and his pace lightened considerably as Alden half-skipped through the docks with one thing in mind. Naked, twenty minute, hot water shower time followed by the biggest steak he could find. Both of those things were expensive out here, but totally worth it.

----------