trans_9 | Cranston For Hire [Open!]

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Cranston For Hire [Open!]

It was once again time for Billy to assess the progress being made in this seemingly endless war with tasks and deadlines. So far, reorganization of the Engineering department was about 25% complete. Not terrible for a day's work, but he could certainly do better. Several projects were stalled pending discussion from the involved parties. His social time and interactions with the Rangers had taken a hit due to all of this.

Though he was following his orders to take more resting time during the day and having fun with Ronnae on many of the nights, nothing stopped him from taking on more than enough work to fill the compressed schedule.

Today's work: Supervising the new structure and performing odd jobs around the ship. Repairs were going well in the hangar, Neuropathy needed to be left alone, infrastructure was busy in the City. He visited wherever he could and lent a hand to each, struggling to find time for what he wanted to do in secret: move his personal belongings to his girlfriend's house.

As Billy wandered back and forth throughout the day, a stuffed backpack always accompanied him. Throughout the day, the loaded-down teenager made trips between a number of places on the upper levels and a particular house in the City. Distracted as he was with the constant juggling of omnicom, comm ring, tools, and items, he eventually wore himself out.

Where he ended up shouldn't be a surprise: in the city park, fast asleep, sprawled across an assortment of odd items. Somehow, he'd note when he woke up, he doubted this was what had been meant by the recommendation for 'personal time'.

((ooc: The two location tags basically mean you can catch him anywhere: asleep with shiny stuff to steal or rushing back and forth between the different areas of the ship. Just make a note of where you found him.))

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Always with so many changes of emotions. Nokosi's eyebrows furrowed and he pursed his lips, "You don't seem very happy about it," he simply said. Then again, he had only met one person who didn't get moody or emotional when talking about their world. He found he could rarely compliment those worlds without being told it was something otherwise; what with all the heroes they all had.

"No...I wouldn't think it would be. But for the people who could live their lives normally because of the work you and your friends put in; they would certainly appreciate it if they knew."

A chemist, though, was certainly something he could relate to. "Chemistry is widely regarded as the same as Alchemy for Azerothians; the only difference being the use of magical herbs and items in some of the craft but the principals are the same."

"I wasn't as accustomed to loss as many of the people here," was Billy's explanation. "Despite the war taking up our time, we were still able to lead normal lives. We kept our parents and townspeople safe. There were close calls, but as far as we knew no one ever died. Then the Ohm came, mowing down all life on the planet within minutes. We tried, but we couldn't do a thing to stop them. It doesn't hurt as much as it used to, though."

He felt foolish admitting this to someone who had likely experienced far worse on a daily basis for many years, but that was how he felt.

"Yeah. We worked on all sorts of substances, but I largely focused on antidotes to the ailments inflicted on us in battle."

He waited a beat. "So are you starting to feel that you know me?"

"Ah." Running back and forth to check up on the various departments makes sense, but the pillows and blankets do not. Jamie eyes them for a moment, then looks up at Billy with his eyebrows raised. Is he planning on sleeping in Engineering or something?

It wouldn't be unheard of - other people have slept there before, but it's still a fairly slim possibility. Especially since Billy's supposed to be taking time for himself and not constantly working, which Jamie knows full well Billy would do if he set up bed space there.

"And what department would ye be needing those for, then?"

Loss. One of the many reason he failed to truly relate to others on this ship. The things he was without would never quantify to those that others were without.

He could only really miss the idea of having parents there all along; the memory of his childhood was still there and that wasn't going anywhere. As much as he was welcomed into the Oliviera household, he hardly had the connection that some of the others had, or the actual family members had for one another. And his 'pets'...No one would ever consider that much of a loss, would they?

"...I did the same for alchemy. Though most of it was to account or prevent other issues for me, alone."

His hand slid from his chin to fall into his lap and he straightened up, turning his head to the sky. It was getting late; not that he minded. He knew, though, that Billy was supposed to visit Ronnae today. Best not to leave her waiting and thinking unsavory things, he concluded.

"I think...that I'm glad I know you as more than just 'engineering boss'," he said, smiling gently.

Billy would take that memory to heart. He smiled lightly, glad to know a little more about the man Ronnie called her good friend.

"I'm just Billy," he insisted, shaking his head with an amused expression. "Though if there's a title you'd prefer instead of Nokosi, I can arrange for that too."

Billy's slept in Engineering before. It's useful, but not too comfortable for anyone involved. And he's definitely not setting up camp there and getting in further trouble.

"I'm carrying these on my breaks. They're for the department of my personal life." He has one? Who knew? "I'm moving into the Sun and Moon twin complex in the City. It offers more space and privacy than my current room."

All of this is technically true.

"No, Nokosi is fine. The only title I obtained back in Azeroth was that of a Brewmaster. I was interested mainly because the methods to creating a great ale were similar to that of brewing potions or elixirs."

Long arms went up in the air in a stretch and he begin lifting himself off the ground slowly, with Fontaine following suit. "Was never any good at holding it. Shame, that."

Billy clambered up beside him, still slightly wary of Fontaine but more relaxed than before. "That's one motivation to master the craft," he said with a smile. "It's a good talent to have."

Fontaine huffed but made no other ill action towards the man as he walked over.

"I suppose if I saw fit to drink myself silly and never suffer the ill effects. It's pretty terrible, but I hear it makes for a funny story, according to Ronnae."

Nokosi tugged on Fontaine's ear playfully and turned back to Billy. "I'll be on my way back 'home' now, but if you're heading in the same direction, I surely wouldn't be opposed to company."

Katara sighed. "Billy, these kind of things are something you and her can decide. As for flaunting, be happy that you have a girlfriend! You don't have to rub it in people's face, but an arm around the shoulder never hurt anyone. Girls like that."

She gave him another look. "You know, you could just ask me. It's not like I'm not going to give you a hand in moving! Just promise me that you're going to rest after this, ok?"

Billy hid a smile behind his hand. "I hope I don't have to witness it in person someday.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and waved. "I'm actually running off to check on a few more things first. I don't want to have to leave once I get to Ronnie's."

Billy threw his hands up in mock-surrender, gesturing to one of the bundles. "Thanks, Katara. I promise that it won't take long, and that I'll rest afterward. I have a feeling that it will be enforced."

As they started to move, he had another thought: "What else do girls like?"

"Me either. I'm not very picky in that state," the elf admitted, laughing. "I suppose I'll see you later tonight."

He glanced at the sky again, then tapped his side in thought. Given how Ronnae was..."Well, tomorrow," he corrected.

A wave of his hand and a nudge in Fontaine's side and they began strolling off, as lazily and leisurely as they had arrived.

"Darn right it will be!" Katara said, taking Billy's hand. "And I DON'T want to hear anymore about you over exhausting yourself, or you'll be in real trouble next time, you understand?! If you need help with anything, you should know by now that I'm always going to be here."

She smiled. "Did you have anything specific in mind?"

No, he wouldn't be that foolish again. He squeezed Katara's hand to seal the promise, then continued on with the hike to the drop-off point.

"If there's anything I might forget to do for her. I know she's strong and capable and that it would be an insult to do too much, but I was wondering if there were any romantic expectations that people usually forget. Things I should do when we're together."

She walked along with him, listening to see if he had a plan.

"Well, why don't you take her out for a special evening? Ma-"

Katara looked pained, then shook her head. "Matt showed me a ballroom dance, and set up a whole candlelit dinner and everything. It was a perfect evening. You're the kind of guy that would do that with Ronnae. Just remember to treat her like you would want to treated. I can tell by looking at her: she really cares about you."

Oh, he'd tapped into painful memories. Billy winced for a moment, only recovering when she seemed to.

"Right, I'll have to work on that. Planned dates with some privacy---frantic activities with the others are fun, but I prefer a slower pace. I think she does too."

He decided to keep the planning part to himself, instead steering the conversation to something less painful for Katara. "I've also been thinking about spending time with my friends. If we were to do that, what would you want to do?"

The Doctor peered over at the bag of knobs. Right, good point -- enforced break by tentacle might not be that pleasant. The Doctor made a deft movement like he was going to try to pluck the bag of wooden knobs out of Billy's arms, thinking the fella could use some help when he was starting to get red in the face.

"Rather surprising this ship doesn't have more teleports. Or teleporty things," he added, because there had been the way to the hangers which hadn't quite been a teleport but had been considerably faster than walking. Or jogging, like Billy here. "No one else in the department could help you?"

All right, so it wasn't very science-oriented. And there didn't seem to be much in the way of tinkering or jiggery-pokery (which he would have expected Kaylee and Billy to be involved with; Jamie, not so much). So maybe he could see why Billy didn't have any assistants. Still, a good jog never hurt anyone, had it? The Doctor kept up with Billy, not exactly puffing away.

Someone likely would have helped if Billy had asked, but he was just a stubborn guy jogging with doorknobs. Why he needed so many was a mystery even to him, but he trusted the unnamed experiment would have some useful component.

"We've tried to inquire about a teleportation system before, but there's the complication of the ship constantly moving through the Bleed. I have some experience with teleportation systems, but that complication's stalled the project for some time. Maybe I should ask about organizing another attempt."

Of course, the problem with the combination of jogging and sentences with high syllable counts is that it tends to expend oxygen rather quickly. Billy found himself flopping against an old brick wall three blocks down.

"Most of us are busy today. We're working out the department's new command structure and everyone's focusing on that."

Katara sighed a little. This wasn't going to be easy, she knew that, but she also knew that she should be grateful for the good times she had. Matt had been a romantic at heart, and she knew Billy followed in the same vein.

"Yes, I thought that too. You're both private people, and I figure you wouldn't want to be all over the place. I think its sweet."

Wait, her? What could they do? She thought a moment, then something occurred to her. "Can we one day run a simulation where we're on a ship? It was only brief, but Captain Picard showed me the Enterprise, and it was pretty amazing. I'd love to be in and hear about the mechanics of a ship, if that's ok with you?"

Billy shuffled closer to her, squeezing her arm as they walked. He'd have to give her another hug when they dropped these things off. It wouldn't be too much longer from this point.

"If we're all over the place, you can safely assume that something's wrong with me." He made a face, then slipped into a thoughtful expression.

"I'm not the most knowledgeable about starships, but I can research them for you. We can take our time exploring."

Katara looked over at Billy and gave him a smile. It was definitely no problem to help him move. He and Ronnae were moving pretty quickly, but she'd have to be blind not to see how the two of them reacted to each other.

"Oh, of course, Billy. Then again, you also said you weren't going to be dating Ronnae either. Who knows if that will change, and you know what? Maybe you might like it: there's nothing better than being with a person that brings out the best in you.Sometimes you can't help yourself."

Katara nodded. "That would be great! I always wanted to be on a ship again: you know, one not like Stacy that's alive."

Billy didn't like to admit it, but she was right. Ronnie was rapidly chipping away at his self control. So much for 'proper behavior', but he intended to hold onto a shred of dignity. At least a shred.

"We'll see about that, but I can definitely work at constructing a ship simulation. We'll take the grand tour."

And they reached the dropoff point at Ronnie's house. He left the things just inside the doorway, then pulled Katara into his arms as soon as her things were set down. Just because.

Hey, they could decide what they wanted to do, but Katara knew what those feelings were like, once you had them. When you cared that much about someone, that sense of decorum went right out of the window.

"I think when Captain Picard showed me parts of the universe, near so many stars: I don't know, it was just amazing. I also hoped I'd be able to go on a ship again one day."

The hug surprised her, but was far from unwanted. Katara hugged back, hard, thankful she'd found Billy that day when she first came into contact with Renne. Thanks to him, she could still keep going, and she was very proud at how far he'd come.

There's a snort from Jamie. Department of his personal life indeed. "Oh, aye, I see."

He mulls this over for a moment. He's not familiar with the Sun and Moon complex as such, but if it was really a space issue, why not the Command Center? Billy's never had a problem with the space in his room before, though. Or the privacy aspect, come to think about it.

Jamie strokes his chin, giving Billy a rather thoughtful look even as he continues to walk down the corridor. He has a guess about what might be up here, but he could be wrong. Still, if he doesn't say anything, he'll never know.

"So have ye decided to stay married to Ronnae, then?"

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Cranston For Hire [Open!]

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