Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - Printable Version
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Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - danixiewrites - 11-13-2014
Alex made her report, a light amount of intel at the start of a job, and the response was not anything she had expected.
"I don't need a babysitter," she growled into the encrypted comm. Any feeling of accomplishment or usefulness deflated at the mention of supervision. Didn't they trust her to get this job done right? She'd done it before. Right? Or had she? Was she that much of a screw-up at life? "I'm not a damned child."
"Alexandra," and she clenched her jaw at the full use of her birth name, "the term is 'partner' and you don't have a choice in the matter."
"Because you believe I can't do my job? When have I ever not done my job?"
"Because the information gleaned from this post is too critical to the Agency. It's also dangerous." The woman's voice on the other end of the line turned cruelly pitying. "And it's perhaps rather...the parameters within which you can't help but work."
"What the frag does that last bit mean?" She capped off the leak in the same place she'd broken it. Just because she ran perpetually low on funds and chose covers to suit, her uniforms intentionally downtrodden instead of the polished servant cover they'd set up for her...was that what this was about? "I'll have you know, there are many types of hired help. You drafted me for my mechanical expertise, did you not? The cover provided was well out of boundaries. This is a comfortable role; less risk, and I have just as much access to information as some floofy waitress."
"That is what you..." The woman trailed off with a sigh. "Indeed," resumed the ridiculously unhelpful response, and Alex growled again.
"I can't fix what I don't know is broken," she gritted out.
"Your contact will join you when the ship docks for refueling this evening. Over and out."
Slamming her thumb down over the biometric pad to seal the device, she tossed it recklessly into her toolbox and headed for the ladder. Like the seven bloody moons of Detrionn she was meeting anyone! It wouldn't be the first time she'd spoofed ship IDs to get someone off her tail. Remorse had swooped in on the heels of those thoughts by the time she reached her closet of a room. Only because attitude on a mission like this one could get her spaced. Not because she intended to make it easy on her new nanny when he managed to find her. She ditched the hefty coat, tugging down the black tank that was her usual work attire and heading toward the engine room to check in. No, she wasn't going to make this easy, at all.
[size=small]*non-humans[/font]
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - thedarkwyrm - 11-13-2014
Charles sat at a table in the dock area, playing chess with a man who claimed to be over two hundred years old. He was inclined to believe the man, since his snowy-white beard touched his toes and he had more wrinkles than skin. He was also absolutely destroying Charles at chess.
The old man moved his knight with a dry cackle. "Checkmate again. You lasted two turns longer this time, at least."
Charles chuckled and stood, shaking his head. "You're good. I'll have to brush up on my skills if I ever plan to stop by." He glanced at his wrist chronometer. "Right now, though, I've got a ship to meet. I have a feeling that if I'm not on the dock the moment the doors open, I'll miss my target."
With a final exchange of pleasantries, he left the park section of the station and headed towards the docks. As he walked, he tapped his fingers against his thigh, a gesture which looked like a simple tic to any observer, but which actual served as typing for the small computer screen in his sleek, stylish glasses. He checked public information, namely the berth the ship would be pulling into, and the actual ETA, accounting for delays on the way.
Then, with some rapid tapping, he accessed information that was supposed to be secure, namely, alternative ways off the ship aside from the primary airlocks. He had been informed that the girl he was supposed to be 'handling' would be a handful, and would likely try to duck him the minute the ship docked. With that in mind, he headed down into the refueling bay, nodding to the engineers and mechanics he passed. The ship had an access port on the bottom, right by the engines, and given that the girl's cover was an engineer and that she didn't want to talk to him, she'd likely take the less-obvious exit in the hopes of avoiding him.
He found a convenient stack of crates and settled onto them, leaning back against the wall and watching the airlock. ETA, fifteen minutes. And he'd be right here when she tried to sneak out.
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - danixiewrites - 11-14-2014
The Horizon CS docked with enough security on deck to field a battleship. Alex noted the array of weaponry with some unease; she'd report it, but it probably was nothing. Several upperclass passengers were on the cruise ship, and many of them had their own teams. Escorts both led the way and followed behind for these sorts as they debarked from the main port with little pomp. The stay would be only long enough and the small station only adequate enough for them to catch a meal, exchange some information, and perhaps, cut some deals. And, of course, for the rest of the passengers and cargo to board.
Alex couldn't help but wonder what she'd miss if she didn't follow them all, but her mission was focused more on the happenings onboard than pub deals. Even if a good bit of action took place there, suspicion was high from her handlers on some of the protocol involved with these supposed simple refueling stops. For one, the break was meant for all personnel as well. No one was to remain on board. Not even the serving wenches, she thought smugly, hazel gaze watching one of the women in question flounce toward the engine room in a tiny blue number that said she had plans to make a few tips while they were docked. Damn good thing I didn't go with the Agency's plan A.
Skirts that small meant nowhere to stash her favorite wrench.
Though she'd ditched the rest of her gear in her room-closet for the docking, she never went anywhere without the old metal instrument. Emergency repairs and emergency measures for self-defense meant a lot to Alex, and it wasn't like her assignments had ever afforded her the luxury of an actual weapon. It wouldn't do to be caught still on the ship when final checks were made. She moved lithely from her observation post by the entry, red locks bouncing against her shoulders as she moved. Along a meandering route, the mechanic placed the handful of minimally intrusive data collection chips. Normal conversation in a very limited range would be picked up and low-range signals would be cloned, sent to a coded datapad for dissemination, one that couldn't be traced back to her. She planned to download the information before it was discovered, but it wouldn't be a loss if she didn't make it. What mattered more was what happened once the voyage truly got underway. These chips would be discovered, removed, destroyed, and security measures taken.
Measures that once activated, Alex could get to work on countering as needed. Until they were triggered, she couldn't be sure what she'd be up against. What they'd be up against, she thought with some disgust and rubbed the freckles on the bridge of her nose. Why, again, do I need a sitter for such an easy gig?
Thinking again to start this so-called "partnership" off with a merry chase that might keep him from joining her at all, she rerouted toward the engine room to take her leave. A tray of tools bumped out of the entryway with her hip, Alex keyed her employment code. The portal slid to one side and she ducked through.
Hazel eyes darted back and forth, settling briefly on the servant girl before passing over a selection of working crew and supervisors. The cargo bay was being shifted, resized and primed for a larger load, although she couldn't yet tell what for. Alex considered the scene as a coast clear, gloating inwardly that the poor schmuck was probably pacing outside the primary entry. She mapped a weaving route to take through the crates and mechanical gear. It really was too bad the young woman didn't consider looking up.
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - thedarkwyrm - 11-14-2014
Charles had closed his eyes while he waited for the Horizon to dock, arms crossed as he sat cross-legged on the crates. The clanking sounds of docking brought him back to attention, and he leaned forward as the engineers went on about their business. Most people didn't pay enough attention to their surroundings to notice him, even if he'd been dressed in a brightly-patterned jester's costume, and the black stealth suit he wore was far from noticeable.
The girl exited the ship, with an expression on her face that said she thought she was very clever. He shook his head softly, and hopped silently down from the crates, following her until she had exited the maintenance area. Just far enough to make her think she'd gotten away scott-free.
"I suppose you think you're terribly clever, don't you Alex?" He chuckled softly as she whirled around. "My name is Charles. The Agency assigned me to be your handler." He ran his gaze over her, from top to bottom and back up again. "Which, given that this partnership started with you trying to duck me, is likely going to be a challenging assignment, even for me."
He held out his hand, offering her a shake. "Let's try to make this easy, for both of us. I won't interfere more than I absolutely have to, and you don't try to abscond. Sound fair?" He gave her a warm, friendly smile, trying to start them off on the right foot.
She was easy on the eyes, he'd give her that. It certainly wouldn't be much of a chore to watch her. Getting anything accomplished, though, might be trickier.
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - danixiewrites - 11-14-2014
Alex was wondering which of the few eateries available on the station she could crash at and lay low when she heard her name spoken in an unfamiliar voice. She spun on her heels, one hand automatically going for the wrench that hung along her right thigh. It wasn't a menacing greeting, it was a cocky one. "Son of a spaceworm," slipped out before she could help herself. It made her following statement lose steam. "'Fraid you've got the wrong girl. Alex is wearing this tiny little blue number...argh. You can't be him."
Of course he wasn't buying it. She'd responded when called, like a fraggin' Terran puppy. Where had he even come from? She hadn't seen anyone but the usual workforce; certainly no one in the dark clothes that gave him an aura of danger mixed with debonair. Why did they have to send someone attractive? He'd only bring attention to what she was trying to do, eyes following them every damn where. And finally, how had he found her so fast?
One eyebrow disappeared under red bangs as her would-be partner extended a hand. She crossed her arms over her boobs instead and laid on a thick frown. He seemed like he was trying to play nice, but 'fair'? "I told them I didn't need a babysitter. Because yes, I am clever. This job is simple. No way do they need two resources tied up on recon." Her eyes widened as she digested more of what he'd approached her with. "Wait. You're not here to pull intel...your assignment is me?"
Did the Agency not believe she couldn't do her job unsupervised and without assistance, or did they believe she herself was a problem? "I'm not a flight risk," Alex said, then chewed on her lower lip. "I get the job done. I've never, ever bailed, Charles."
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - thedarkwyrm - 11-15-2014
And she wasn't going to make this easy. Charles glanced back and forth, scanning the docks, then took a step forward, put a hand on her shoulder, casually spun her around, and walked with her, the hand on her shoulder both guiding and controlling her. He wasn't that much taller than she was, but he had strength that belied his appearance. Being an engineer, it was likely Alex would be able to notice the subtle nuances that suggested cybernetic enhancements.
"I know you're not a flight risk. But this job is much bigger than you realize. We need to talk in private." He steered her towards a hole-in-the-wall diner, opening a side door with a press of his thumb against the scanning pad. They went up the stairs, Charles never once easing up his grip on her shoulder until they were in a small room upstairs, with a bunk bed, a desk, a table, and a bookshelf. When the door closed, he released her with a slight push into the room, reaching into his jacket and pulling a small black disc from an inner pocket, tossing it upwards, where it latched onto the ceiling and began blinking with a steady blue light.
"Now we can talk. And before you start, I'm sorry for the manhandling." He sat in one of the chairs, leaning back and looking over at her. "Take a seat," he suggested with a gesture to the other chair. "This might take a while."
"The rumors about xeno smuggling are true, and worse than you could imagine. This isn't just an isolated group, grabbing people off the street and selling them for labor. This is an organization of very high-level criminals, targeting very specific individuals. Individuals with very specific abilities. Underground brothels, brainwashed and disposable assassins... Nothing is too far for them. I've been gathering information while I waited for you, and my organization got in touch with yours. This is bigger than either of us could handle alone."
He drummed his fingers on the desk. "Your hot-headed nature, while it never kept you from completing missions before, would get you killed. These people have left a body count higher than some wars. They would have no qualms about spacing an engineer on the slightest suspicion. This is a dangerous operation, and I don't want you hurt. You need me, Alex."
That came out a lot more intimate that he'd intended. But hey, he didn't really mind. Now that they were alone, it was harder not to notice how attractive she was. Even and especially when she was angry.
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - danixiewrites - 11-15-2014
Alex's mouth made a movement a little like a fish as she was bodily maneuvered away from the fueling center and onward toward an unknown locale. Flabbergasted that he thought he had the right to touch her at all, she didn't fight him, didn't want to cause a scene that would garner the attention she'd worried about the minute she'd gotten an eyeful of his dark hair and glasses. Her dismay turned to intrigue soon after, as his incredible grip revealed itself to have a few more secrets than a typical human would have.
Her Agency didn't employ anyone with implants or modifications, preferring the most mundane tools as the most overlooked, and easiest to blend in with a crew. Her shoulders went rigid under his grasp. Who was he working for, really? She eased her hand away from the wrench all the same, because there was no way she'd be able to take him down. Not if he was packing what she thought.
She was visibly fuming by the time he'd hauled her across the station. Irritated words were on the tip of her tongue as he shut the door and popped a scrambler overhead, but he headed her off with an unexpected apology. Her hazel eyes widened at this, and she tilted her head to one side. Startled enough to want to see what unexpected thing he'd say next, she took the chair by the table, and leaned forward with her arms crossed on its surface. Alex didn't have modesty. She didn't consider herself particularly attractive given her upbringing, so the fact that her flesh swelled against her tanktop like she'd intended to put the girls on some distracting display with the position didn't even register. She listened without comment until he went silent, flashes of surprise, curiosity, and frustration moving through her eyes.
"I'm hot-headed, now? Who the frag sold you on that bull?" she growled first, then seemed to realize the inherent flaw in her response, and straightened in the chair. She rolled her shoulders back. Took a breath. Red eyebrows furrowed, and she rubbed the bridge of her nose before speaking again.
"Okay. So setting aside the fact that your people have crap profiling skills, you found something we didn't and my Agency is doing its usual 'need-to-know' dance on that score. We're stuck with an intra-agency arrangement, which I'm sure will prove delightful." She rolled her eyes. "They could've mentioned that on the secure comm. They could've said any of that and I'd have been more cooperative. Probably."
Well. Actually, she'd have done the same. Needing help grated as much as how evasive her Agency had been on the call, even if his intel indeed meant this was a far more dangerous game. Alex sighed. "It does sound like a nasty bit of work. All right. New deal, Charles." Narrowed eyes looked him over again, and a thin smile found her lips. "You show me what I'm working with, because I'm not really keen on dealing with an unknown," she paused, then rolled her eyes again, "especially one I apparently need so badly. In return, I accept your assistance where warranted so whoever we run into up there doesn't decompress my brainpan." She paused again, smoothing her palms over worn cargo pants. "We can work on the avoidance clause."
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - thedarkwyrm - 11-15-2014
He raised an eyebrow at her first, angry question, but she caught herself before he could say anything relevant, and moved on. She really was adorable when she was angry. He stood when she was finished, smirking softly at her new deal. "You want to see what you're working with? Your wish is my command."
His bandoleer came off easily, and he set it down on the table. He unfastened his jacket slowly, shrugging off the black synthetic material and draping it over the back of his chair. Beneath it, he wore only a black, skin-tight tank top, which did little to conceal his perfectly sculpted muscles.
More remarkable than his musculature, however, was the spiderwebbing of silver over his shoulders and neck, leading under the tank top. Almost imperceptible lines trailed down his arms all the way to his fingertips. "It's mostly for interfacing. My enhancements to strength, speed, and endurance are minimal." He took one of her hands, pressing it against his chest, right in the center. It was warm, much warmer than the skin around it, tangible even through the tank top. "Bio-electric converter. Transforms excess body energy into actual electricity, which I use to power my accessories and exo-suit."
He grinned softly down at her. "Now, is that enough for you, or did you want to see more?" Mischief danced in his eyes, and his tone was suggestive, still casually holding her hand against his chest.
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - danixiewrites - 11-15-2014
Alex's mouth went dry as he proceeded to strip in front of her. "A dossier would've sufficed," she said dryly, but hazel eyes ate him and his cybernetics up anyway while her brain wondered if she was going to have to stop the clothes from disappearing at some point. In the end, it was just the jacket, made all the more personal a show by his maneuvering her--again--to touch.
"Mostly for hacking, then? Access to systems, communicating with AIs, that sort of thing?" Heat radiated from him like a miniature furnace, and curiosity got the better of her. Instead of pulling away, as her survival instinct 'suggested', Alex drew closer, using the index finger on her other hand to trace a hot, shiny trail over his skin. Her examination was more clinical than anything; she'd once been handed a fancy engine and asked to determine how it worked, and now, as then, there was nothing deterring her from sating her curiosity, especially getting her hands dirty. But then Charles mentioned bio-electrics and her interest piqued further, though her answering question was absent-minded and musing, rather than focused his way as she continued to study him. "And what do the 'accessories' do? Because mine are pretty much standard. Even the low-tech nonsense so's I keep a low profile. Wrench? Check. Screwdriver? Check. Collection of electronic lockpicks and digital spanner-fits for digging into the maintenance tunnels? Check and double-check. And I guess then there's my Agency comms. But this..."
"This is art." Her eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated on following the path to his fingers where the leads were embedded more deeply. Reaching the end, she whirled her finger around the last tendril and added musingly, "It must've cost him a fortune."
Charles' heat was scorching her palm by now, and his words finally registered through her fascination. See more? She flicked a look toward his face and blushed furiously, feeling every useless freckle on her fair cheeks. Tugging away, Alex clasped the fingers he'd captured with her other hand. "I'm sorry." A phrase she rarely uttered these days. "I do that sometimes. Get lost in the how's. I...I wanted to know about you, is all. I'm guessing your people had some sort of file on you, but mine apparently don't have the same policy. I like to know the people I'm required to trust my life to."
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - thedarkwyrm - 11-15-2014
He was quiet as she examined him, realizing the absent-minded-professor state she'd drifted into, and simply enjoying the attention as her fingers trailed over him. When she finally came back to her senses, and reached a state that she would actually be able to register his answers, he did his best to go through the entire list, returning to his chair but not bothering to put his jacket back on.
"Hacking is a large part of it, yes. Most people who go as far as I have just get combat enhancements, but I like fighting with what I was born with, and only using science to chisel off the unnecessary bits. All the 'junk DNA' that clutters up the human genome? Mine is re-coded to give me more power for this." He tapped the center of his chest. "I don't need to carry ammo or batteries, because everything I have runs off my own energy."
"As far as my accessories go, I'm loaded for covert ops in hostile territory. That's largely what I do when I'm not giving a hand to engineers whose Agency didn't brief them properly. Cloaking; wiretapping; hacking; jamming, of radar, sonar, and communication; distraction; sabotage." He shrugged. "I'm a field operative. My specialties are not getting caught and ruining others' plans."
He grinned softly, leaning back in his chair. "That will have to do in lieu of a dossier, I'm afraid. My organization doesn't technically exist."
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - danixiewrites - 11-16-2014
The warmth in her cheeks faded as Alex listened to his explanation. She nodded, approval in her eyes at the mention of natural strength. Some people went all-out with cybernetics, becoming a shell of their former humanity in an effort to bridge the gap between the world of flesh and that of living technology. She'd met a few during a previous gig who'd taken up sport as ring-fighters, enhanced to damn near unrecognizable levels, making good side money, or living the life full time. That he'd found a line was intriguing, that he'd found it and kept working for a cause like the one she did doubly so, and it gave her a real insight into the kind of man Charles truly was, more than any of his skills or specialties would do. It might've been in a file, had his organization compiled them, but coming from his lips somehow made the discovery more tangible than gleaning it from a datapad would have.
"So basically, you're built to go the long haul, not ribbed for pleasure." She said it with a cheeky grin, thinking more about the entertainment sought by faux bulked-up ring-fighters than the innuendo she soon realized it had come out as, her freckles highlighted across her features anew. "I. That. I was talking about stealth and missions versus ringside sports. Not anything else. You sound stacked." She sucked in a breath, because that time, she had been thinking about how good his abs looked in that tank. "That also sounded different in my head. So, you...work for a ghost?"
Alex popped out of the chair and nosed around the room to cover her embarrassment. It had to be him, at least she hoped, because after meeting the man her Agency had sent after her 'because of the parameters within which she couldn't help but work', she was beginning to see a downward trend in her conversation skills. She really, really hoped it was him. Death by awkwardness seemed a bad way to go. And it was really warm in his room. And they were in his room. Alex swallowed hard, tried to think of ways to get the conversation back on track. "Got anything to drink? We've got time to grab a bite before I'm due back on ship."
Slowly, she turned, tilting a considering look at him. "Will you be safe if you're smuggled aboard? I know you're supposed to be stealthed to the max, but they'll be sweeping constantly, and I've already begun the prime protocol to amp up security measures. So if you're not supposed to be there and they find you--that's gonna be a problem. A man looking like you doesn't exactly fit the maintenance role, either...or maybe you had a different cover in mind."
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - thedarkwyrm - 11-16-2014
It was one thing after another with this girl. His eyebrow was seriously in danger of flying entirely off his face. One innuendo could possibly be overlooked, but this many? She was into him. He let it slide, though, when she managed to recover and move on. "Not a ghost, just a shadow." That sounded much cooler in his head.
She wandered around the room a bit, in that way that people who were aimless attempted to seem like they weren't aimless. "Those seem like two contradictory ideas. Yes, I have drinks here, but I don't think we'd really have time for a meal if we started drinking." He grinned softly. "If you want to go get a meal, we can do that, too."
"As for cover..." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a badge with his picture and a name that wasn't his. "I'm Robert Jones, one of the new private security specialists coming on board from this port. For obvious reasons, they cycle their security fairly frequently, so getting me inserted wasn't hard." My, but the innuendos were thick today. He stood, shaking his head lightly.
With one hand, he opened a cabinet, revealing an assortment of drinks, both alcoholic and not. A surprisingly well-stocked minibar, for a room this small. With his other hand, he picked up his jacket. "Your call, Lex, because I'm good either way. Grab a bite, or have a drink?"
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - danixiewrites - 11-16-2014
Alex eyed him critically. "A 'shadow'. Thanks. That helps my opinion of you and your ilk tremendously." Which way, she wouldn't say, but it was obvious the red-headed mechanic was fighting another roll of her hazel eyes.
"I just need something to cool..." My face, she almost said, because her freckles felt like they should be sizzling like embers on her skin, but instead forced out, "my throat. Don't be getting any wild ideas about some cozy-ass drinking game. Not here, anyway." She held up a finger. "And not on the ship. Or really, there's not going to be any alcohol involved with this partnership. Ever."
Wandering back his way, she stopped in front of him to study his card, wondering if it was just her who got the impression every other sentence spoken between them could be misconstrued as a come-on. "Clever. Playing to your strengths, too. I don't know why my people don't get that it's the best policy. They wanted to set me up playing some room service maid. More access to the ship's innards if I'm playing with tools...plus, I don't have to wear blue." She shuddered, gesturing to where a ridiculously short hemline would have been. "I look horrible in skirts. But now, how do you expect to check in with...or up on...me if you're busy standing guard?" Alex waved a hand to dismiss his ID. "Not that it matters. If you're working, keeps you out of my hair."
The hair in question brushed her shoulders as she shook her head. "Okay, it shouldn't matter. But for politics sake, and the fact we may have been seen together already...I'll humor your plan. I assume you have one. You've been vastly prepared for the change in mission point so far, at any rate, where my people seem to have dropped just about every ball on the court. 'Need-to-know.' That, right there, 's the reason the mission's dangerous," she griped.
Seeming to seek calm for her irritation in a distracting inspection of the offerings on tap, Alex shook her head. And though she didn't intend to take anything, nonetheless a bottle found its way into a pocket of her cargoes as she turned her back to the collection and swept a look over Charles once more. "Nah. If you figure it's safe to do so, let's grab a bite."
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - thedarkwyrm - 11-16-2014
He grinned as she vehemently denounced alcohol, and then questioned his ability to check her out. Check up on her. "Don't worry your pretty freckled head about it. My assignment isn't to any specific area. Unless I get a call, I have free reign to wander the ship. So I can drop in on you whenever I feel like it." He ran his gaze over her, rubbing his chin. "I'm seriously doubting your claim that you look terrible in skirts, though."
"This mission is dangerous because we're going up dangerous people. It's particularly dangerous to you," he said as he ushered her towards the door, his hand casually slipping into her pockets to recover the bottle of alcohol, "because you're a kleptomaniac." He recovered his jacket, slipping it on and fastening it, pulling the bandoleer in place over it. "Try not to steal anything that they'll miss, or from areas that you're supposed to have access to. If it's from a place you shouldn't be able to get to, they won't suspect you."
He steered her out of the room before her sticky fingers could fall on anything else, recovering the scrambler from the ceiling with a snap of his fingers. "A bite it is, then. I know a great place just down the way." He didn't put a hand on her once they were outside, though he stayed close enough to her that he could grab her if needed, and she would know it.
It only took a few minutes for them to reach the place in question, a diner that looked like it belonged on Earth in the 1950's. He held the door open for her, then settled into a two-person booth while a waitress in a floofy pink skirt left them menus. Charles ordered a cup of coffee, then flipped through the menu, looking over the top of it at the girl across from him.
Impulse Control [Dani & Dark, Closed] - danixiewrites - 11-16-2014
Her eyes rounded at his flippant response at first. Was that...was he flirting with her? What an odd thing to say, too. Everyone knew 'pretty' and 'freckles' didn't go in the same sentence. As to the skirt: "I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to imagine me in one. This is gonna go poorly enough without you suffering from nightmares--I mean," and she paused to close her eyes, count backward from 5, then resume in a more positive light, "not that I have any stake in how you sleep. So. You better not 'feel like' dropping in on me when I am, and this will go great!"
She was pretty sure the problem was him. Pretty. Sure. Alex cleared her throat as he called her a thief and once again got overly close. "I don't steal things." But her eyes followed his hand with something akin to disappointment, and someone had clearly had misplaced that bottle in her pocket. "Okay, sometimes I move them. But it's fine! No one's complained before! And anyway, how would you like it if I fired off some random accusation about you having a thing for mauling your partners?"
Stiffly, she walked out ahead of him, trying to avoid being manhandled as he led the way. Indeed, Alex strolled along as if she too knew exactly where they were going. It was odd to be dependent. Uncomfortable. And it made her edgy, darting looks at his now-jacketed torso that were in turns uncertain and contemplating. She'd fought her whole life against this position, and in the end that fight had been the only way to save herself from the black hole that had been her family tree--everything about the society they sat near the head of.
She slid across the squishy seat at the diner. "A water, thank you," an absent nod to the waitress, staring at the red and white lacquered decor before diving into a menu and ogling a dozen things that didn't resemble pre-fab ship rations. Oh, they'd better not be serving bricks the whole trip. But just in case...she'd order something extra indulgent. Obnoxiously so. Wondering what he'd choose, she darted a look over her menu at Charles and started when she caught him looking. A beat passed before she set down her menu. Alex crossed her arms, sinking into the cushioned back of the booth. "All right, Jones," she challenged softly, careful to use his cover. In a crowded room, they could bump into anyone. "you know so much about me? You order."