An Afternoon Stroll

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 1:25am by Ignatius & Raven Mattel & Ensign Dorian Rochester (Deceased)
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:23pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Rec Deck

A Mission Post by Ensign Dorian Rochester & Ignatius & Raven Mattel
Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Rec Deck
Timeline:
Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 @ 2:56pm

Raven Mattel was perusing the corridors of the Pandora's Recreation Deck, her arm locked around fellow civilian Ignatius, as the two enjoyed a friendly afternoon stroll together. Mattel was wearing what others in the profession would call "day drag", a loose but colourful sundress with a pink silk shawl over her shoulders and an unnecessarily oversized wide-brim hat. Ignatius meanwhile was in the midsts of an Indian-inspired collection, as he wore a traditional sherwani in a deep peacock blue, and a pair of emerald sandals. The two made for a colourful and festive sight amongst the sea of uniformed pantsuits.

"Tell me Igs, what have you heard of this Paradise Outpost?" Raven asked casually, rubbing her lips together in contemplation.

"Oh the crew is buzzing, my dear." Ignatius replied, raising an eyebrow. "Should be an absolute plethora of culture; the station has multiple levels of businesses and shops from all over the Expanse."

"Well, I do declare." Raven remarked, bringing a southern drawl to her speech. "I could certainly use a vacation. There's only so many times one can circle around the same deck."

"It does get tiresome." Ignatius nodded with a sigh. "Should we talk to Nycolas about getting a pass to visit?"

"Let's." Raven nodded as they turned the corner once more. "It does feel like the ship has calmed down considerably. I'm not having to double-shot everyone's drinks any more."

"You're glad Mr. Mindo hasn't fired you for that." The clothier replied, with a knowing but amused glance.

"It helps the patrons relax and have fun." She shrugged. "Plus it's only synthehol."

"Lucky for you." Ignatius smirked. He would never tire of Mattel's antics and her indelible ability to have fun. "But you are correct, it feels we've finally hit normality again. Whatever that may be on this ship."

"We shouldn't rest on our laurels though." Raven remarked, an idea forming. "Maybe we should plan another party or event? I could probably get something expensive and exotic over on Paradise. If I pull it off, Mr. Mindo might even promote me."

Ignatius shrugged, "It would be nice, but you will need some form of currency to buy that exotic and expensive good stuff. Unfortunately, working on a Federation starship isn't conductive to earning credits."

"Oh honey, I have more than enough tucked away." Raven replied with a haughty laugh. "I earned my space-bucks back on Risa, hocking drinks and lip-syncing my butt off. I may not have been great at managing my career, but I was smart enough to put some credits into a holding account."

"Very prudent, Raven." Ignatius nodded, "It's a shame not every society is as egalitarian as ours."

"You might be able to make a few credits yourself by selling your clothes over there." Mattel said, giving him a shrug. "I'm sure there are some drably dressed aliens in desperate need of some fine apparel."

"True. But I'm not sure we'll be around long enough for me to establish a business. Nyx hasn't said much but I got the feeling we're under a considerable time restraint." Ignatius replied. He tried not to sound glum, but missing out on the potential opportunities from Paradise Outpost was frustrating the clothier. He had come to the Expanse to rediscover his passion for design and expose his eye to new ideas and the fashion of other cultures. Now they were on the doorstep of the busiest multi-cultural centre in the Expanse but their visit to the station would only be short.

Raven tilted her head a little as she looked at her friend, pursing her lips together. "Tell me, Iggy, have you considered an extended stay on Paradise?"

Ignatius was taken by the question, but he couldn't help but smile. "Leave Pandora and stay on the station? To be honest, no, but I have doubted whether the Pandora could really fulfil creative passion. Once Lieutenant Brennan's wedding dresses have been made, I'm not sure what else there is for me to do."

As the pair turned the corner once more, making another lap of the deck, they began to near the centre of the Recreation level. However as they came around the corner, a tall dark haired figure suddenly appeared and bowled straight into them. The clothier fell backwards while the young man landed on top of him, a sports bag went flying nearby, spilling the contents out onto the ground. For her part, Raven had tried to keep Ignatius on his feet as she pulled on the arm she had placed around his, only to end up falling along with the two.

The trio made for a sorry sight, limbs awkwardly askew as they fumbled to regain their balance. And their dignity.

"Oh bugger, I'm so sorry!" Dorian Rochester cried. The young man who had plowed into the two during their walk soon managed to untangle himself and stand back up again. He was breathing heavily, wearing a black mesh singlet and shorts. Once upright, he reached out his two muscled arms to help Ignatius and Raven to their feet.

"So you should be." Ignatius huffed, annoyed at the creases to his sherwani, which he brushed down with unrestrained annoyance as he stared daggers at the Ensign. "Why don't you watch where you're going, you oaf!"

"Mr. Ignatius, please forgive me." Dorian pleaded, his cheeks blushing red with earnest embarrassment. Ignatius relented and allowed the Ensign to pull him up. Ignatius grumbled as he fixed his jacket. "And you, too, Miss Mattel." Dorian said as he looked to Raven, his other hand still extended out for her to take.

"Honey, buy a girl a drink first!" She exclaimed. She was clearly flustered but not as angry as Ignatius, as she carefully repositioned her hat back onto her head and affixed her wedged heels back to her feet. She allowed Dorian's hand to linger in the air as she took her time to look into her compact mirror, ensuring her lipstick and make-up had not been effected by the fall.

"I... I was in a rush to get to my holodeck time." Dorian explained breathlessly. "If I missed out, I would lose it altogether. I'm sorry, I wasn't looking!"

"If my coat is torn, my boy, you will be fixing it!" Ignatius huffed, looking carefully over his outfit. "Thankfully neither of us appear injured."

"Just a little shaken." Raven replied, still studying her reflection in the mirror as she reclined on the floor, as if she had merely taken a break from standing. "Though my upper lip is looking smudged."

"Again, I'm sorry!" Dorian repeated again. He scooped down and began to gather his belongings back into the gym bag that had gone flying. He picked up his towel, water bottle, comms badge, and other items, and began stuffing them back inside, while looking around to see if he'd forgotten something. "Damn! I'm going to be late! Sorry again!" With that, the young man was running off towards the Holodecks.

Ignatius watched him leave with a disapproving scowl. "What a dolt! A big, stupid dolt."

"Yes." Raven replied with a sigh. "Very firm, though, wouldn't you agree?"

"Not the point, Raven." Ignatius shook his head. He held out his hand to help Mattel off the floor. Suitably prepared to stand again now, Raven took the offered hand and was back on her feet.

As Raven looked down to smooth out her dress, she noticed something on the floor, so bent down to pick it up. Holding up the black glove to show Ignatius, she frowned. "He must have dropped this."

"Looks like." The clothier sighed loudly. He peered around the promenade for a moment to determine how much social embarrassment he had just endured, trying to give a smile to the few officers nearby who had seen the unfortunate event. Finally he noticed that was Raven was looking to him with a raised eyebrow and he knew exactly what she was thinking. "I'm not going to go chasing after that man!" He protested. "Careless buffoon!"

"Well he might need it." Raven replied, a careful smile on her face. "Besides, maybe he'll feel so guilty for knocking us over, he'll buy us a drink at the Eclipse?"

Shaking his head at first, finally he broke into a smile. "You're terrible, Mattel." Ignatius said with a laugh. "Come on then, if we hurry maybe we can catch up to him and push him over from behind."

Raven's eyebrow raised even higher as she laughed, "Now who's terrible?"

OFF