Planet - Persephone - Eavesdown Docks

[Kristi Lynne]

Eavesdown Docks

Located on the planet Persephone. Get a ship, find a job, keep flyin'.

[Brittany]

GHANIMA

She was in a bit of a bind and needed to get off-world and to her next client within the next day or two. She had just finished meeting one of her regular clients when her hired chauffeur apparently got it in his head that he needed more from his job than he was already getting. He required sexual favors on top of the substantial pay he regularly received. After she declined his demands and promptly fired him, she headed to where she knew she'd be able to find either a a new shuttle driver or a ship captain whom she could rent a room from. So, she wandered the docks, looking for someone who looked trustworthy enough for the job.

[Cavanaugh]

CAVANAUGH

Richard had enjoyed his few days of rest but he could tell from the restlessness he was feeling that it was time to get moving again. His ship was fully fueled, fully stocked and ready to go; all he needed now was a paying customer. He'd already turned down two jobs. The Cobblestone Road II was too small to handle large cargoes. He was half tempted to write up a cheesy sign that read HAVE SHIP, WILL TRAVEL but he wasn't that desperate, at least not yet.

He certainly wasn't so desperate that he would ignore a beautiful woman wandering the dock district. He'd spent enough time with Inara, all of it unfortunately platonic, that recognizing a Companion was second nature. There were others that wouldn't realize what he woman truly was and might get ideas that weren't particularly gentlemanly.

It was time to rescue a damsel in distress, although she was clearly down at the dock for a purpose and therefore not truly in distress. He stepped away from the ship and plotted an intercept course.

"This isn't exactly the part of town I would expect to find a lady of your quality," he said as he came up to her, shooing off a dock hand who was approaching her with a wad of cash in his hand and a leer on his face. "Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?" He didn't exactly look the part of a knight is shining armour but even under the two day growth of stubble, the old soldier showed through. He extended a hand. "Richard Cavanaugh. I'm not looking for a bump and tickle, so you'll do better with me that with any of these glory boys."

[Brittany]

GHANIMA

"Yes, I think you're right." She eyed the man Cavanaugh shooed away, then grasped Cavanaugh's hand. "And to answer your question, I'm looking for a ship. I've unfortunately lost my driver and his shuttle, so now I have no way to meet my clients."

She pulled the sari she'd draped over her hair down - it had been a vain attempt to try and conceal her status - and let it rest on her shoulder instead. Her blond hair was in a loose bun and tendrils had come free in parts around her face.

"If you have a ship, I'd be willing to rent a room on it if you have one to spare." He seemed trustworthy enough from what she could tell. And as she was trained to read people, that was more than she could say for anyone else she had spoken with prior.

[Cavanaugh]

CAVANAUGH

Folding down her head scarf was a negotiations tactic, pure and simple. It would have given most men pause and likely won her anything she wanted from some. Just because he wasn't in line to sample the pleasures of her flesh didn't mean she couldn't use the merest suggestion of them against him. He'd have another thing to thank Inara for, if he managed to get through the bargaining with his skin intact.

His advantage was that he'd grown up bartering for just about everything, so he'd hopefully be able to come out with a decent profit. All he needed to do was ignore the fact that it was a radiantly stunning blonde asking for his services. It was fortunate that he hadn't started drinking yet.

"She's no set up with separate cabins at the moment and she doesn't carry a shuttle," Cavanaugh said, nodding towards where the decommissioned Aguilar troop transport sat waiting. Her perfume was teasing his nose, making it hard to think. She smelled divine. "You won't find a faster ship, though. She'll fly rings around a Firefly. Two small cargo bays. The aft bay would be easiest to turn into a private cabin. Now, what is included in your requirements? An I strictly a pilot or am I your bodyguard as well? That will have an affect on the way I will need to dress and that will affect the price. Do you have your own furniture or will we need to go shopping? I need to know what you need from me, before we can start discussing how you are going to pay and at what price."

-And so we start....-

[Brittany]

GHANIMA

"All I would need is a room of my own and a guarantee that when I make an appointment, I'm in a position to keep it. I have furniture in my apartments at the training house on Sihnon, so there will be no need for shopping, and as for payment, Mr. Cavanaugh, you can rest assured I can pay whatever rent you deem appropriate." Her gaze was steady as she answered all of his questions. "As for the other matter, I generally have no need of a bodyguard, but if a time calls for it, I will pay you extra for that as well. Otherwise, your piloting skills are all I require."

[Cavanaugh]

CAVANAUGH

Richard rubbed his jaw as if considering even though he'd already made up his mind. She wouldn't be down here unless she was in relatively desperate need he could almost name his price, because none of the other bulk carriers would be willing to allow a single passenger to dictate their course. Still, if he gouged too deeply, she could always look elsewhere when they reached a more civilized port.

"I have a few conditions," he said. "You buy your own food. I suspect you eat much better than I do and I'm not willing to pay extra for my half just because you won't eat the same stuff. Two, you give me sufficient advanced warning of your next destination that I will be able to seek out additional cargo heading the same way. If I cannot find cargo in that given time, so be it. If you cannot give me that time, you will pay me to fly empty. Three, it's my ship and I run it my way. No questions unless they are directly related to you and your destination. Since you aren't planning on redecoration either me or my ship, I am going to assume that you will not be entertaining on my ship. If you are, you're paying to soundproof the cockpit."

He looked her up and down, appraising her. For a woman used to being ogled as a piece of meat, it made a refreshing change to realize that Cavanaugh was not sizing her up for a quick roll on the engine room floor. He named a price, which was closer to armed robbery than it was to fair. It was within his estimate of her ability to pay, just. She would make a counter offer and they would settle somewhere in the middle. Or she would walk away. That was an option as well. Least likely was her instant agreement. it meant he'd potentially shorted himself on some serious cash.

[Brittany]

GHANIMA

She listened to his conditions calmly and without blinking. She had expected whoever she managed to bargain with to have certain stipulations before sealing the deal, so she was glad to note that his were actually fairly reasonable. "First of all, Mr. Cavanaugh, let me reassure you. I have no need of entertaining on your ship. Some of my clients prefer anonymity, so I've taken to arranging private rooms wherever I am to meet with them. Your ship will remain as pristine as the day she was built, in that regard." Her eyes twinkled with amusement over that thought.

"Secondly, I have no intention of intervening when it comes to the way you run your ship. Your cargo is your business, just as my clients are mine. As long as you don't take on human cargo to sell to the border planets, as I know some ships have taken to doing, we should get on just fine." She didn't condone the selling of people to border planet brothels and she wouldn't make a ship her home if they intended to do just that. She usually preferred to stay out of politics, but in this matter she had to take a stand. It was one thing to grow up in a family like hers where it was traditional for the women in her family to be trained in the life if a Companion, it was another entirely to be forced into a situation where the person had no choice who they bedded and had no rights whatsoever.

"The other two conditions are perfectly acceptable," she said dismissively. "Now, about the rent."

[Cavanaugh]

CAVANAUGH

"I'm not a slaver," Cavanaugh replied, refusing to rise to the bait. "The only human cargo I deal in generally refer to themselves as passengers, so we're on the same page on that regard. You have an issue with the rent? It's a reasonable number, taking into account the fact that you are eating up a considerable chunk of my cargo space. The Cobblestone Road is a fast ship. You need to be someplace fast, I can get you there on time. You need to burn for the black on an hours notice, I'll have you leaving orbit inside of forty minutes from a cold start. You will not find a better deal on the ground today. Some of these other space jockey's might promise you the moon but I'm the only one who will tell you that if it won't fit in the cargo bay, you can't keep it."

He tilted his head, looking at Ghanima. Either she would make a counter offer or she would accept. She'd made her comments on his conditions, without using any of them to try and reduce his quoted price. There was a certain amount of prestige that came with piloting for a Companion. Many pilots would assume that he was getting more out of the deal than he was. He knew that it would never be the case. He didn't make enough to afford her services and his chances of finding a second Companion that might potentially consider him as something more than a friend were exceedingly slender.

He idly wondered where Inara was and whether she even remembered him. Likely she did. Whether it was fondly or just as a friend he would probably never find out. Perhaps it was for the best. She was a Companion and he was nothing. There were too many factors standing between them, not the least of which was Malcolm Reynolds, the die hard Browncoat captain of the Serenity. The war was long over but Cavanaugh was a former Alliance officer and it made them natural enemies. Yet somehow, if they weren't exactly friends, they were friendly.

[Brittany]

GHANIMA

"No, I completely agree, the price of rent is reasonable. As I said, I am fully capable paying you and I assure you, you'll always receive your monthly payment." She smiled pleasantly at him, happy that they came to an agreement. This will all work out nicely for her in the end. She might even be able to take on more clients now that she'll be permanently mobile. "Well, now that that's settled, I think I would like a tour of my new home."

[Cavanaugh]

CAVANAUGH

He'd either underestimated her ability to pay or she was more desperate than he'd anticipated. "It's a long walk," said, chuckling as he turned and pointed towards where the small ship was parked. "She's bigger than she looks." He paused for a moment, then offered Ghanima his arm. "If you'll come with me, I'll show you what you've just gotten yourself into."

EXITS TO COBBLESTONE ROAD II mfcsrpg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fireflyrpgmisc&action=display&thread=2162&page=1

[Lady Lee-o]

*Enters from Ship - Shadowheart - Bridge*

Madison and Sally landed the ship with little trouble, easing down and locking into the bay. Once secure, they quickly exited and allowed the dock workers to get the shadowheart into its place. "Here, go get the parts you need." Madison handed Sally some money and smiled. "I'll go ahead and see how the shop is holding up."

*Exits to Planet - Persephone - White & Haley Parts Shop

[Lady Lee-o]

*Enters from Ship - Shadowheart - Bridge*

"Here, go get the parts you need. I'll go ahead and see how the shop is holding up." Sally nodded her head and accepted the cash. She hated to think that anything happened to her shop but anything could happen in a place like this.

[Lady Lee-o]

Sally bartered with a couple merchants and got the parts she needed for the ship. She also found a few things she didn't need for a back up, that old ship was falling apart before her. Sally formed a bond with Shadowheart and she couldn't imagine being without the old girl, she was glad that Madison brought her on.

"This should do it," she shook her hand with the last merchant for the day and headed off towards the shop.

*Exits to Planet - Persephone - White & Haley Parts Shop