3 Rendezvous
Tox took the customer's crits and entered the sale. By the time he looked up the next person in line was standing at the counter. It was a young woman, slightly plump, attractive in a girl-next-door way. She stood quietly, fingers drumming nervously against the edge of the counter.
"Hi," Tox said. "What can I help you with?"
"Hi. I'm Ness."
"Sorry? Ness?"
"Ness... The mag-grab from yesterday."
"Oh. Right. Sorry. A lot's happened since then."
"Hasn't it though."
"So what can I do for you?"
"Well, it's just... I've did some reading about the Wexlers last night and they sound amazing. I was wondering if I could actually take a look. I own a Nikota myself and I know how hard they are to keep running after 30 years so a 100 year old ship that works even a little bit is worth seeing."
"Ahhh... sure. You can have a look. I haven't had a chance to look at it myself really." He looked around the shop. There was nobody there. Red Shift finished in about five minutes. "If you just give me a few minutes to finish up here."
"Sure."
Ness went and sat in the corner while Tox served another customer than reconciled the day's takings. Tinner wandered out of the storeroom, eyed Ness suspiciously, then said goodbye as he wandered out through the front door. Tox locked the door behind him.
"Come on through." Tox lead the way into the storeroom and towards the docks on the left. "So you own a Nikota? Let me know when you need and lanaki converter. We have a few lying around."
"I bought one from here last year sometime."
"Last year?" Tox smiled. "Well, you might just about be due for another."
"Tell me about it."
Tox let Ness go down the ladder first, leaving the hatch open behind him. When he crawled out into the cockpit she was already examining the controls like she knew what she was looking at. There was an empty cup balanced precariously on the edge of the consol.
"Just let me..." Tox grabbed the cup then slipped past Ness and into the rear of the ship. Where once there would have been three rows seats along one side of the ship, there was now a san-cubical and a small kitchenette. Through another door, into what had once been storage space, was now a bed and table. There was mess everywhere.
"You live here?"
Tox stopped his hurried cleaning and turned to look at Ness. "Yeah. The only reason I could afford to buy this thing was because of that... And Tinner letting me use the dock for virtually nothing."
"It's ahhh, nice."
"Sure it is."
"No serious. Well, you know what I mean. Maybe 'nice' isn't exactly the right word, but I'm sharing a unit with five complete strangers."
"Hi," Tox said. "What can I help you with?"
"Hi. I'm Ness."
"Sorry? Ness?"
"Ness... The mag-grab from yesterday."
"Oh. Right. Sorry. A lot's happened since then."
"Hasn't it though."
"So what can I do for you?"
"Well, it's just... I've did some reading about the Wexlers last night and they sound amazing. I was wondering if I could actually take a look. I own a Nikota myself and I know how hard they are to keep running after 30 years so a 100 year old ship that works even a little bit is worth seeing."
"Ahhh... sure. You can have a look. I haven't had a chance to look at it myself really." He looked around the shop. There was nobody there. Red Shift finished in about five minutes. "If you just give me a few minutes to finish up here."
"Sure."
Ness went and sat in the corner while Tox served another customer than reconciled the day's takings. Tinner wandered out of the storeroom, eyed Ness suspiciously, then said goodbye as he wandered out through the front door. Tox locked the door behind him.
"Come on through." Tox lead the way into the storeroom and towards the docks on the left. "So you own a Nikota? Let me know when you need and lanaki converter. We have a few lying around."
"I bought one from here last year sometime."
"Last year?" Tox smiled. "Well, you might just about be due for another."
"Tell me about it."
Tox let Ness go down the ladder first, leaving the hatch open behind him. When he crawled out into the cockpit she was already examining the controls like she knew what she was looking at. There was an empty cup balanced precariously on the edge of the consol.
"Just let me..." Tox grabbed the cup then slipped past Ness and into the rear of the ship. Where once there would have been three rows seats along one side of the ship, there was now a san-cubical and a small kitchenette. Through another door, into what had once been storage space, was now a bed and table. There was mess everywhere.
"You live here?"
Tox stopped his hurried cleaning and turned to look at Ness. "Yeah. The only reason I could afford to buy this thing was because of that... And Tinner letting me use the dock for virtually nothing."
"It's ahhh, nice."
"Sure it is."
"No serious. Well, you know what I mean. Maybe 'nice' isn't exactly the right word, but I'm sharing a unit with five complete strangers."
posted by Scott | 9:01 am
4 Comments:
A good start, Scotty. (now that I can read it. :-) Looking forward to seeing more.
Hmm. Should probably add that that was "encouragement" not "sarcasm". :-D
I need comments from toehr people, people. If only Heather is showing any interst I can just email the thing to her an not risk using up the "first rights".
Hello Heather. I've decided that my introduction of Ness as a character has me running the risk of falling into the cliche of the guy/rich girl/nice girl triangle. There are rich people coming along later and I dare say one will be young and female...
Yeah, but it's not the cliche that's the problem, it's how you use it. :-P
Unless, of course, it's that the Tox character ends up with the Rich Girl (let me guess, tall, blonde, American? :-P) instead of the Nice chubby girl. That would just be.... typical. ;-) Back to the old syndrome discussed at a CnC once: you can have the ugly guy end up with the beautiful girl, but it never happens the other way around.
Am I to presume you'll be dumping the nice girl character or the rich girl character then?
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