| An Offer You Cant Refuse |
| Summary: | Castor approaches Mason with a deal. |
| Date: | PHD 288 |
| Related Logs: | None |
| Players: |
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Amid the many, many tables in the Mess, Mason sits with only a few people at the other end of her table. From the look of her tray, she's just sat down recently. It's mostly full. She has a cup of coffee, still steaming, by her elbow. On the table in front of her is a repair manual on the electrical systems of vipers.
Leda makes his way into the room and while he may be a puppy he is a puppy looking for something sniffing about as he is on the hunt for somebody or something. He stops in the mess and he doesn't even bother looking at anyone else once he spots Mason and he begins walking toward her with a purpose and when he gets to her table he stops and says, "Viper electronics are at best difficult and at worst impossible or so I hear." He says amicably, "Mind if I have a seat I've been meaning to see you for sometime." He stops for a moment as he adds, "And while I don't know you personally, I should, my name is Castor Leda." He doesn't mention rank or callsign since Mason probably knows who he is at least from a face to face level, "And 1st Petty Officer Montgomery, correct?" Whoa, weird a flyboy talking to a knuckledragger.
Mason is slow to glance up from the book, but when she does, there is a question in her eyes. "Que?" She shakes her head slightly, as if to jar herself from her own thoughts. "Mm. Yes." She considers her words briefly, lips slightly parted. "They challenge me, sometimes, still. Si. Sientate." She indicates the seat at her table where Castor stands. There's a nod. "Mace, si prefieres. If you prefer." She reaches for her coffee. "What I can do for you?"
Leda takes a seat and he says, "You and I need to go into business I believe, Mace." He says softly as he begins his work, "Though first offer first, I am going to put on a talent show and I need judges and I would like a marine a pilot and a deckhand as judges and I was hoping you could be a judge for the talent show. Think of it as a free pass to make fun of officers if you want."
"No enlisted needs this free pass for causing fun," Mason replies, with a little bit of a smile at that suggestion. "Pero, I think… this would be a good thing to…" She searches briefly for a word, "Divert myself. An amusement, yes? What is this talent show?" She doesn't touch yet on the business suggestion, since there is another matter at hand.
Castor folds his hands, "The idea is we get three judges who make comment on each act and I want to keep things honest so I don't want a panel of pilots on this one. If you don't like the act you can end it but once the act is done you tell the person what you thought of their act and at the end of the show the three of you decide who has the most talent on the Hestia." He smiles as he explains all of this, "And then we give the winner a prize. I'll MC the show and I will give an act here or there but it is just for show." He holds his hands up showing that they are empty and then he closes his hands bringing them down a bit and then he lifts them back up and in his left hand there is a cubit. "A bit of magic makes everything better. Though I was thinking you would make a good judge for the show."
Mason grins to the pilot. "Ah, si, si. An entertainment for the soldiers. I understand. Yes, I would like very much to be a judge for this." She leans over a little, "Is drinking before allowed?"
Leda grins, "It is encouraged." He says, "Since alcohol is nothing more than truth juice anyway." He says as he looks over at Mason and he leans in and he says, "And this is the second reason I need to talk to you since I've heard rumors that you may have a still. So, hypothetically speaking if you had one would you be willing to give me some for the talent show and in return you could name your price. We could make this an on going hypothetical agreement such as I would hypothetically provide you with says fruit, cigarettes, or any other thing you might desire on a regular basis and you provide me with a bit of hooch to trade off and it would all start with the talent show and since I would need a lot for that you could name a high price for the first transaction…hypothetically speaking."
The little blonde Deckie picks up her fork, and pokes at a bite of dinner. She considers it for a moment, then decides just to eat it. There is no hesitation once the decision has been made. She eats while they converse, never speaking with her mouth full. "Yes. I am certain I could find some of this moonshine if it were needed. I like cigarettes. And, of course, sweet things. Like hard candies." She grins. "Also novels. It improves my Standard. As you say, hypothetically."
Leda nods his head, "Excellent, all three of these things I can aquire for you." He says, "And what sort of novels do you prefer since taste is in books since boring subjects stop one from reading." He says as he looks over at the blonde deckie and he smiles softly, "Do you prefer the classics or do you prefer mystery books? Or well what do you prefer…same with the hard candy I know where there is still an unopened bag of cinnamon candy."
"I like the murder mysteries," Mace confesses, with something of a smile on her lips. It isn't shy so much as quiet. "You tease me with this candy. I would very much like some. And yes, also classics. Good books, rich stories. Anything character." She props her chin against her elbow, which rests on the table. "In these times, small things are important. Very appreciated."
Leda nods his head as he listens to everything Mace has to say, "Excellent, by the end of the day I will get the candy, two books, and a pack of cigarettes to your bunk." He says as he closes his eyes for a moment thinking about where to get everything since Leda had near encyclopedic knowledge of who had what on the Kharon but this is a much bigger ship and he is still learning, "Yeah…I'll have it to you within the day." He says, "One book is Murder on the Bloodless Shore and the other book is Tales of the Wandering, it is a classic with different people on a pilgramage each telling their own storries." He smiles, "And I will throw in a book from my personal collection, Romance on the Seas, it is a trashy romance novel." He pauses for a moment before explaining, "I learned to read by reading trashy romance novels."
"Excellente." Mason grins over to the pilot. She brushes a hand over her head, rubbing back and forth briefly. "There is always room for un piquito romance." She grins wider, and reaches a hand across the table to shake, to seal the pact. "You will find what you need in a crate beside your viper at oh five hundred."
Leda smiles and nods his head and he smiles warmly as he shakes hands, "Good to be in business, and should you have specific requests for me let me know though I will keep you in cigarettes, candy, and books." He says with a sense of determination because this is how Castor rolls…in the proverbial sense not in the bowling ball sense. "And like I said feel free to comment however you would like during the talent show."
"I am most free with my comments," Mace replies, that grin lingering. She is, though usually said comments are in Thracian, and thusly only understood by a few. Perhaps she will be more generous, and provide them in Standard at the show itself. "What sort of things are done? Is there a… ah… line up?"
Leda considers for a moment and he says, "Right now I am still trying to get my final judge and then a location." He says as he continues to think, "I've got one person so far interested." He then smiles as he says, "Though I will get a line up as soon as I get my last judge and a location." He then tilts his head, "Though if you know anyone with a talent send them my way. Last time I did this we had a contortionist who was the winner of the show."
"I will see if I know of any persons interested." Mace finishes off her entree, and pokes a bit at her dessert, before she reaches for, and finishes, her coffee. "I mostly have friends on Deck. I am not sure there are many who would play in this. But ears open hm? You must tell me when. And where, of course."
Leda nods his head, "I will, you will also be working with Mooner and I'm still waiting to hear from one of the marines. Though Mooner is one of the other judges." He says with a grin, "And to be honest I think this will be a big show." He says, "If we can pull it off that is." He then takes a second to reach into his pocket for something and he realizes the cigar he wants isn't there and he says to himself, "Right…traded it." He looks back, "But at any rate you will know the time and date."
There's another nod from Mason, confirming her agreement to both be in the panel of judges and also to work with Mooner. "This is good. Will be no problem." She finishes with her tray, leaving a few bites here and there, and sets it aside. "I have the late shift a noche. Most vipers are fixed, but a few need, how do you say, mmm… finish inspection."
"Final inspection but I suppose a finishing inspection also works." Leda says as he corrects carefully, "And I'm usually on the late shift." He says, "As for the Vipers I've heard you are stripping down and building up all the Hestia Vipers now." He says curiously, "I thought they were good to go so what I mean is…well…is there something wrong with them?"
"Ah yes, final inspection." It is these small differences that elude Mason still, though the point does usually get across somehow. "Nothing is wrong. It is a good time for checking all ships. We check Kharon's first because they receive more battle damage. But once a project begins, it must be finished. No excuses. Also, we take good stock of what parts we must try to recycle, and which can be exchanged more… freely?"
Leda smiles, "My bird should be relatively damage free since I have so far managed not to get her dinged up to badly." He says as he does have a bit of pilot ego but not as much as some other Viper jocks, "Though it is good to see all the birds are being worked on." He says as he considers all of the Hestia birds, "And that means a lot of work, seriously, how are you guys holding up with all of that? I mean what sort of days are you putting in?"
"This is not for… cosmetics. This is a deeper exploration for… mm." Mace thinks for a moment. "Any possibilities missed. It gives us a goal. A focus, you see?" She lifts one shoulder in a little lopsided shrug, "Most of us, we do because we love it. Long hours, yes, but … what else will we do? Sit in our bunks? There is not leave. We have our projects to keep our hands out of other things."
Castor nods his head softly and he smiles, "Well, your work is appreciated since truth be told I only barely know how to fix my Viper if it gets broken and I wouldn't know what to do if it was major." He speaks with tones of appreciation and honesty, "I mean I know a lot of us that are pilots give a lot of grief to you guys but I think it is because we appreciate what you do because without you we couldn't fly and we'd be helpless."
"It is because you have," Mason raises her hands, and holds them a few feet apart. "Colosal ego." There's emphasis and a little Thracian flare on the first word. "Gigantesco." A twitch of a smile follows that, but is gone quickly. "Pilots are simple. Easy to handle. Like engines."
Castor looks at Mason and he chuckles as he says, "Indeed, we do have an ego myself included." He looks over at Mason and he says with a grin, "And knuckledraggers have infinite patience." He says as he looks over at the woman and he takes an extra moment to process the Thracian, "Ah..giant." He then adds, "Sorry, from Aquaria so Thracian is hard for me to understand sometimes." He adds as he bites and asks, "And how are we easy to handle?"
"We fix planes. You need planes. We fix, you need." Mason's eyebrows go up a little, as if she's certain it's quite clear. "No matter how much talk talk talk," she waggles her hand to indicate this, "We fix." She smiles. "You need."
Leda smiles again, "Well, I suppose you hold all the cards then." He then adds, "And there is nothing wrong with all the talk talk talk since it allows us all to stay in communication." He then rubs his jaw for a moment, "But yeah, if you didn't fix my Viper I'd be screwed."
A nod follows that observation from Castor. "You are very correct." She laughs, then. "It was a good time speaking to you, Lieutenant. I have work. If you find problem with your viper, you let me know, yes? I fix."
Leda nods and he stands, "Your package will be at your bunk by the end of the day." He says softly, "And it was good talking with you as well."
