Week 30, Monday Night: Neighbors

"Hm, I have a meeting with this Han tomorrow about some xenotech, and I don't know Xu, but you and Ace seem.. pretty nice. ..Yeah, I'll think about it." There was a pause as she nodded, "And Tex seems to think it's a good idea, too."

She followed Shap's gaze to the weird buglike thing in the little plastic cage. She grinned a bit, raising an eyebrow. "He's.. Or she, or it, not sure how their sexes work yet.. Anyway, Caleb is one of those things we saw in the cult sewer. You know, the ones we threw at the laser grid. They go "scree!". I thought, you know, why not." She smiled more, mouth wide enough to make her look a little manic. In its cage, "Caleb" attempted to hide under a piece of synthpaper, not exactly fitting under it. "I thought they were kind of cute, but more importantly, I forgot how nice it was to find life everywhere. Even screaming invertebrate life."

"Well..okay then." Shap replied, tearing his gaze away from the thing in the box. "I'll let Xu know you may contact him in the near future. Just let me when you heading in to get the augments so I can brief the cybernetics techs. Cobra, are going to accept my offer? You seemed eager but I haven't heard your answer yet."

*All dialogue translated from Mandarin

"Oh! Sorry!" Cobra instinctively signed an apology as she rushed to not offend. "I di'n't want to inter'upt your conver'ation. It's a very genero's of'er, and I'll happi'y accept, sir. Tha'k you very much. I'll get those cyb'rnetics fitted as soon as pos'ible."

"No problem, except for the 'sir' bit - I only out rank you be a couple of points and besides, Oracle's not a hierarchical corp like the WF, but I gather that it's a bit hard to adjust for ex-Feds so just relax and give it time. Ace'll probably get a kick outta' you calling him 'sir' though." A wry grin planting itself squarely on Shap's face "Well now that's out of the way, what are you ladies up to tonight?"

"Sorry about that, Shap. It's just how I always did things back in the Western Federation, and I'd much rather those habits stick than... some of my older ones." Cobra laughed nervously, hoping to end that part of the conversation there without anyone asking about the habits in question. "We were going to catch up on the epi'odes of Tex Callahan that Marjorie hasn't seen. Do you have so'ething else you n'ed from us?"

Mags looked from Cobra to Shap with a grin. "You could join us. Tex gives some great color commentary. He notices the most amazing things, reflections of cameras, reoccurring "background" folks, continuity errors, fake moustaches. Makes the whole thing really interesting." There was a pause, and then an amused, exaggerated frown. "Oh, come on, waiting for me to repeat it won't RUIN it for you. They'll like you! Don't be such a baby!"

Jorie shook her head. "Sorry, but it is interesting. And, you know, a bit of juvenile glorified violence. It's soothing, in a way." She looked thoughtful, and then back down at her hands. "Maybe more soothing when you don't actually take part in combat that much."

"I've read some of the Tex comics but I haven't actually seen an of the T.V. Episodes so I'll stick around and watch a couple."

*All dialogue translated from Mandarin

Cobra couldn't help her jaw dropping a little. Shap seemed completely normal, but he had never watched even a single episode of Tex. She knew that culture was different out here, but it was still a shock to her sensibilities.

Rather than bring that up, or start what would surely be an awkward conversation about Marjorie's... eccentricities, Cobra thought it would be best to just squash what she saw as a pretty groundless concern. "I don't thi'k that's a pro'lem, Marjorie. My old d'visio' all love wa'ching Tex, and they're in combat all the ti'e."