Construction Deconstruction

The makeshift observation point is set up high on a hill overlooking the scrapyard. Right now, the prevailing winds are blowing away the scent of rusting metal and chemicals, making it bearable to sit on the old, beat up patio furniture and watch the slow but steady construction of a new ship out of old parts down below. Michi, dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a wife beater and very male today, lounges there. When he notices someone else coming, he kicks open the cooler with his toe, then bends over to drag out a bottle of cheap beer. He holds it up. "They're about halfway done. They've run out of Road Runner parts, so they're having to graft on some other shit. The frame, the engines, the electronics will all be a Road Runner but we'll be sleeping in cabins from a Firefly, I think." <re>

Carina pauses at the top of the hill, gazing down towards the construction project below. She almost absently reaches out to take the bottle of beer when it is offered, then moves over to another of the pieces of patio furniture and settles herself a tad gingerly downwards, brushing off only a bit first. "So long as you will be happy, that is all that really matters to me. I cannot make much of the difference, after all." Many things Carina may be, and shy is not one of them. But she is no ship's engineer. "I suppose we should discuss the cabin arrangements. Not that I have a solution already in mind. But we should work together."

Michi wrinkles his nose, then nods and opens a satchel. He pulls out a folded up blueprint and, after a brief episode of dealing with the wind and a giant piece of paper, he manages to lay it flat. "Here's the interior now. The standard Road Runner has more space because it goes all the way back. You'd have the equivalent of two more bunks on port and starboard but because of damage to the frame they're cutting it short and adding in a set of dorsel stabilizers that'll help in atmospheric flight." He points as he talks, sipping from his beer occasionally. "You can see the basics here. Cockpit. Galley and mess behind that. We've got an empty area to the port and the captain's quarters starboard. Two heads-slash-showers. Then running aft, three quarters on the starboard side, two quarters and a medical bay on the port." He pauses, then asks. "... how'd your time with your client go?"

Carina turns to the side and waits patiently while Michi wrestles, not interfering because she's sure she would just get in the way. "Mmm." she offers, now and then, listening as she's trying to judge matters. She is thrown for a bit, though, when Michi brings up her client; Michi usually tends to avoid the subject matter. But Carina hesitates only a moment, and smiles warmly at him. "Well, I think it went just fine. The client certainly seemed pleased, and much more relaxed after our afternoon. Thank you for asking." Then she goes back to eyeing the plans. "I am not quite sure where to arrange matters. My one thought was whether we could move the door to the larger cabin? If we put the door in the wall coming off the stairs towards the head, that would allow one to come right up the stairs and into that cabin with minimal exposure to the rest of the ship." It's a thought, at least.

Michi keeps his thoughts on how the client might have been relaxed to himself. At least for the time being. He leans over the blueprints and traces out what was just suggested. "What could do that. In that case, I think I'd want to remove the walls around seperating the galley from the mess. Open that space up a bit. It'll feel less cramped. You want the captain's cabin, then?"

Carina turns and looks at Michi, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "I don't know. It was a thought, minimize any visitor wandering around the ship." she explains. "I know that I want to conduct most business off the ship. I think that would be best for all concerned. But there will be some who will want to get away from their usual haunts." She's just trying to think of how to handle that scenario. "I could do something else. I just haven't yet thought what." Which would be why she's bringing it up to Michi.

"I had thought you might want the shuttle. Make your workspace portable." Michi only pauses, briefly, on the word workspace. "But this works, too. Where do you want to sleep? In that room or..." He leaves it open, as if unsure of how to put it delicately. Which, to be fair, isn't something Michi is well known for.

Carina looks to Michi, noticing the discomfort. She doesn't love needing to discuss this with him, but she understands it needs to be done. Better to make things terribly uncomfortable now, than to have to discuss it at some future point when a blow-up could happen in front of a client, or crew. Worse yet, both. "I rather assumed that you would need equal time with the shuttle. That wouldn't really be doable if the shuttle is my living space, rather than merely my sometime transportation."

Michi tilts his head and looks down to where construction continues on the ship. "This is why you're the smart one." He points out. "Okay. So, we'll move the door." A pencil is produced. Alterations are crudely sketched in. "I'll just put in a cot in the cockpit, honestly. Sleep there most of the time. Just have a room for my stuff. You need lab space?"

"There are plenty of cabins, Michi. There is no good reason why you should put a cot in the cockpit and stay there. You deserve your own cabin, your own space." Carina reaches out, brushing her fingers through the other's slightly sweaty, dusted hair. "You've had enough privation, Michi. Seriously." That said, she considers. "I think we'll put my lab in the same cabin. We can work out a way to construct the lab equipment so that it closes up when not in use, out of the way and out of sight."

"I like being close to the cockpit in case things go wrong. When you're flying, even a few seconds makes a difference." Michi says. The touch of fingers through his hair causes him to glance down for a moment, a faint pink highlighting his cheeks. "And I'll have my own room, too. It isn't like I don't have stuff, you know. I'll need a place to store my clothes." He taps the blueprint multuple times. "One. Two. If we turn the lounge over here into another cabin that gets us five cabins for crew or passengers. If we don't, four cabins."

"Well, how many crew do you think we would need? Wouldn't four be enough? An engineer, another pilot perhaps, and a doctor of some variety. Perhaps a laborer to help with loading and unloading. Would we need anything more than that?" Carina inquires. She relents, when Michi promises he will take a cabin for himself. She won't try to tell him which cabin he should choose. She would rather he be closer than not. But the choice should be his. "Will you have enough room for your racer? And will we need a cargo skimmer?"

Michi's fingers bump Carina's as he moves his hand, motioning toward the cargo bay. "My hover bike won't take up much room down here. I'm not sure we can afford another anti-grav vehicle. Might just need to get a mule and a wagon." He finishes off his beer, then tosses the bottle back into the cooler. Pack in. Pack out. "We don't need another pilot, though everyone should know how to fly in a pinch. We'll need a mechanic. Labor's not a bad idea but the budget's tight. A doctor's pretty much right out unless he's willing to work for free."

Carina nods, understanding. She doesn't yet take the chance to clasp Michi's hand in her own, but she doesn't move away from those touches. Not at all. "Mmm. Alright. Best to save where we can, I admit. I would like to see us with a doctor aboard if we can manage it. I'll do what I can, but there are limits to my practical experience."

"Doctors don't fly aboard dinky ships like this, Carina." Michi notes. "Not without a good reason." He stands up and stetches, fingers laced together, hands above his head. "Best we can hope for is someone who got medic experience during the war, maybe. Anything else we need to sort out? I'll make sure vents are added to your quarters so you don't die of fumes when you experiment. Yard boss said he found some good scrap armor. I'm having it added in. It shouldn't slow us down too much with the bigger engines."

Carina nods, understanding, and stands to brush her fingers against Michi's once more as the blueprints are put away. "Alright. And no, that's fine. I agree the armor would be a good thing. The vents would also be best." That said, she looks past Michi at the hunk of the ship being assembled. "Are you looking forward to this as much as I am?"

There's a brief flash. Michi the woman looking down and a hint of a smile crossing her face. It vanishes almost as soon as it comes. "Yeah. It'll be nice to get off this planet. Get out there. Be in charge of ourselves for once. No Alliance. No Independents. Just you and me." Michi glances sidelong at Carina. "Assuming you think you can handle me."

The blonde looks at the brunette, seeing as she can the man, and the woman, without having any issue betwixt them. "I think I am looking forward to trying, Michi." She wanted them together years ago. But Michi needed time. Time to build himself up, become who he needed to be on his own. Now, at last, they can rejoin one another. She wants that given a good and real chance. And here it is.