Thread: Venus Ascending [Chai & Alkaline]

Kaisa was almost positive that she'd made him angry, or mildly annoyed at the very least. His tight-lined lips were the only response to her teasing, and she wondered if she'd taken things too far. Not that she would have felt bad about it, but getting under people's skin had always been her specialty, and she wasn't about to stop now just because she was tied up in a ship with a man she barely even knew. At least they could keep it civil, which was really the only thing she'd ever asked of her crew back before she was captured and subsequently forced to be a pawn in whatever game the Adiran's were planning. Or maybe Dominic wanted to keep things more than civil if his hands on her hips were anything to judge by, brief as it was. Her back pressed to the wall, fingers splayed against the cool metal as his own slid over the curve of her hips, gently holding her there until he moved his body past hers. Immediately, her gaze flicked upwards toward his face, questioning the physicality but also daring him to move closer, daring him to slide those hands up her waist and under the navy blue crop top. But the moment was gone in the blink of an eye, and she was almost grateful for the break. There was an intensity about his eyes that she couldn't quite read, but she could feel it in the atmosphere between them. For people that had gotten off on the wrong foot, literally thrown together to form some kind of ragtag team, there sure was a lot of a different kind of tension. Electric. Sizzling. It didn't help that, all things considered, he wasn't exactly an eyesore in fact she considered him to be quite attractive, and she wondered if he could feel it, too. Funny usually when there's a potential murder, I'm the one doing it, Kaisa said sweetly as she followed Dom back through the ship and toward the cockpit. There was more of the vessel to explore, but it could wait. Right now she was more concerned about getting off this damned planet, and if it meant playing as an Adiran puppet, she would gladly do so until a better offer came along. Living was always better than dying, and she was a woman of opportunity. Alternatively, you can keep my room cool , Emily, she countered playfully, I'm sure I can find other ways to get nice and hot . It'll save you that teeny little cost, too. She wasn't entirely sure how out of all the A.I. she'd encountered through the years, this one was the only one that managed to pull at her nerves. But she plopped in the copilot's seat, sideways with her legs draped over one arm of the chair, and watched the displays light up, monitors come on, and and the spacecraft lift off the ground. Soon enough they were breaking through the exosphere, the bright blue sky giving way to the inky darkness of space, an ocean of black with sparkling dots of distant stars. Kaisa's body visibly relaxed, clearly more at home than she'd been on the Adiran planet, and she shifted her position to inspect some of the ship controls. It was clearly more advanced than any ship she'd personally flown, and a quick pang of jealousy shot through her, as did the urge to relieve Emily of her piloting duties and manually take it for a joyride. You have no idea how much I want to override autopilot right now, she mentioned casually to Dominic, beaming at him innocently, which earned the immediate response from Emily. Absolutely not, Venus, I shall remind you once more of the recklessness and des Destruction of vessels, blah blah , I got it. Play some Travis Scott, though, and we'll see if I don't shut up for the rest of this ride. I'm sure we'd all enjoy that, Ms. Holland, Emily's sarcastic tone replied, sounding like some kind of disapproving boss or possibly even an irate parent. Nevertheless, the sounds of SICKO MODE blasted through the speakers, leaving the female mercenary happy and generally true to her word, keeping mostly silent until their arrival to the Athenian Spaceport. The massive station was just outside the edge of the Adiran system, serving as both a trading post and entry into Adiran space. Regulated entry, anyway. Kaisa herself had never followed that, especially after the few incidents in which her reputation with the Adurans had been tarnished and blackened. Blowing up the forward base on the moon had just been one of those things, and also seemingly the last straw. Still, she'd visited the Athenian Spaceport on more than one occasion, always delighted to go exploring within its markets. The existing Adiran authorities on the spaceport always gave off the impression of being slightly more lax than their planetary counterparts, which allowed for a more or less unregulated market within its walls. And being that it was so close to one of the largest economic and political players in the galaxy, it was also one of the largest. Whatever travelers needed, they would find, from basic necessities to weaponry and collector's items. Kaisa's face lit up as the ship slowed and stalled to enter a docking bay. While the port itself was Adiran controlled and had a lingering elite area for the travelrs and staff that required the finer things in life, she knew the rest of it existed for the seedy, scummy, and dishonest. Yes, she would be right at home in this crowd, if only because she felt out of her element among the obscenely rich and high-class citizens. I want to make this quick, and I think you want this to be quick, she told Dom, stretching her arms above her head and turning to look at him. She needed a wardrobe and, more importantly, she needed to replenish her weapons arsenal, feeling disconcertingly naked without it. Thankfully, she knew just the guy... Clothes. Weapons. A big black toy, Kaisa counted off, and then hearing her own stomach grumble for the third time that day, she added, Food, the kind that doesn't taste like ass.