Making Plans ((Attn: Drew and Brig))
When Kai hadn't managed to run into Drew by Wednesday, she decided to send him an email after work. Sitting cross legged at one of the computers in the common area, and nibbling on a plate full of raw veggies and fruit slices, she wrote:
To: Drew
From: Kai
Reason: Saturday
Hey Drew,
I don't know if you've made any plans for this weekend yet, but I was able to get the boat for this weekend if you're still interested in skiing and fishing. Oh and we can snorkel! If you and your friends can swing it or don't want to have to drive home Sat. night I have the boat until Sunday afternoon. It sleeps ten, but keep in mind that it's a research vessel so the accommodations are...not luxury. (means two to a room) Anyway, let me know! You can call or email, you know which ever is easiest.
Oh and I invited someone, I hope that's ok!
~Kai.
With that one done, she tapped her fingers against the desk for a moment then sent off another email.
To:Brig Jameson
From: Kai Brown
Reason: Saturday
Brig,
Are you still up for Saturday? I'm still ironing out the details, but it looks like fishing, skiing and snorkeling will be involved. And if you want you're welcome to stay the night on the boat, I have it reserved until Sunday afternoon.
~Kai
There that wasn't too weird was it? With a shrug, she logged out and took her little plate out on the porch. She'd check her email in a little while.
(brrrrr)
LT stopped mid sentence and both he and the Beta looked at Brig. His iphone was vibrating, signaling a message had come through.
'Who is it?' Hammer immediately asked with more curiosity than annoyance.
'Is it important?'
'Should LT stop?'
'I can stop?'
Brig snorted at the two men, obviously as bored as he was, and dug into his pocket to pull out his phone.
'Is that the iphone4?'
Brig smiled.
'Does it suck? I heard it sucked.'
Hammer snorted.
'No, it does not suck.'
LT held up his iphone3 and leaned across the table to show Hammer the difference who did not care in the least, but welcomed the break in the report.
Brig opened his email application and smiled at the sender.
'Why are you smiling? A girl, I presume?' Hammer maintained his stiff posture and folded his hands on the table, giving his cousin a side look.
'It is a young woman, if you must know.'
LT leaned back with a smile, putting his phone away.
Brig read the email and made a face. 'Snorkeling?'
Hammer snorted again. 'You and water?'
'Who says I'm going in the water?'
LT cleared his throat and added, 'Well, the water can be...uh...'
'Hot,' Hammer finished, causing both men to look at him. 'What?'
Brig opened up his qwerty and replied out loud to the email.
Reply to: Kai Brown
From : Brig Jameson
Reason: RE Saturday
'Miss Kai,
I am most definitely still up...' He paused and LT grinned behind his hand. '...for Saturday. I will plan for a delightful day in the sun and an interesting evening. Call or text me directions, please.
Sincerely,' Brig paused and added, '...no, adoringly yours...'
Both men chuckled. Hammer murmured, 'Oh that's not cheesy at all.'
'Alright, alright,' Brig replied and backed up in the email. 'See you then, Brig.'
Hammer cracked a grin and covered his mouth as LT slouched into his chair and openly laughed.
'Oh stop it,' Brig admonished them with a blush as he put his phone away.
(She's got both hands in her pockets) Kai jumped as the single line of song signaled a message of some kind. She'd forgotten she had the thing in her pocket. Putting the plate aside, she pulled it out.
Pressing the right buttons, she smiled. Brig was quick.
To:Brig Jameson
From: Kai Brown
Reason: re:re: Saturday
Great! I look forward to seeing you. Do you know where the Aquarium is? The boat will be moored at the dock just below the Aquarium.
See you,
~Kai
Did you know the sunset from the back porch is spectacular tonight? ~K
She pushed send, and backed out of the program, before tucking the little silver thing back in her pocket.
Technology. Bah.
'Is it...' Hammer did not have time to finish before Brig was up out of his seat and practically climbing over the table with a hop. Brig stopped as he reached the door out.
'We done?'
Hammer rolled his good eye and mumbled, 'Yes, we're...'
Brig was out the door in a flash, not even bothering to close it. Hammer looked back at LT and snorted like a bull.
'She must be cute,' LT offered with a wry grin. It was his first time being sociable with Hammer. He considered it for a moment and decided he was alright with it.
'They usually are.' Standing, Hammer tucked in the back of his shirt and snorted again. 'Dinner?'
LT's eyes went wide and nodded like a bobble head toy.
((OOC Hammer and LT out))
The warm summer air filtered into the AC controlled building and he smiled at the various scents in the air. The musty sandalwood of the trees, the crispness of the green grass, but there was one distinct fragrance that made him smile.
Kai smelled deliciously like cherry blossoms in the spring. Brig turned to it, seeing her on the edge of the deck at one of the cushioned, stone tables eating her food and watching the sunset. Slowly walking over, he watched the sun sparkle in her blond hair and skin. Acting as nonchalant as possible, he approached her table.
'Oh hey,' he said acting surprised, 'I just got your reply as I was passing by. Thought I'd see the sunset for myself.'
Brig gave her a squinted smile and waited for her to notice him.
And Kai managed to not turn her head to him until he made it to her table and spoke.
"You're awfully fond of red aren't you?"
What? Well, alright we'll go with that. Not hey how are you, or glad you could join me. Nope, we went with wow you like red.
Pretending that didn't just happen, she smiled and gestured to the chair next to her that also faced the sunset. "You're welcome to join me. Sunsets are always better with company."
'Summers are nice here, in Nachton. Different than Johannesburg, maybe not as humid, but it's nice just the same.' His eyes were still squinting against the sun as it made its slow descent behind the trees in the Long Run.
His idea of comfortable was so much different that her own. She'd changed into short denim shorts and a camisole in difference to the heat, and her feet were bare. And where he sat slouched and relaxed, she was upright, back against the chair, sitting pretzel-legged. She reached and plucked a cucumber slice from her plate, then nudged it toward Brig. "Hungry?"
Looking at the cucumber for a moment, she popped it in her mouth, watching the sun while she chewed.
"I've not been out in it enough to know. I miss home though. This is my first time outside Australia and Tasmania. It smells so very different, but that's all I've had time to notice."
He grinned when he saw it was from Kai. OK so he had some plans made, Drew was obnoxiously organized, but he was flexible too. Not bothering to sit down he typed out a quick reply.
To: Kai
From: Drew
Re: Saturday
No plans that can't be changed. That sounds great, so long as you keep the jellyfish away from me. And of course, the more the merrier! Bringing some one from work? Do I need to be on my best behavior?
Kai seemed the workaholic sort, he had to assume it was some one from work. No matter, it was good that she was meeting people.
Email sent he wandered back to the bathroom to finish dressing.
'Tell me about Australia. I've been but not for very long. I've spent the last thirty years in South Africa.'
It was from Drew. She laughed when she got to the end of his email.
To: Drew
From: Kai
Reason: Re:re: Saturday
I'm not sure you have a best behavior. He's from the Den. If you want to meet him, and you're still home you can come down to the back porch. We're watching the sunset. If you do come, bring food.
~K
She backed out, and tucked the phone in her pocket again. "Sorry, again. That was Drew. He and some of his friends are coming with us Saturday."
Kai chose a strawberry slice and popped it into her mouth, a little moan accompanied the juicy fruit down her throat.
"I'm from Tasmania, but I've spent the last twelve years on ships off the Great Barrier Reef, with a base in Queensland. It's mostly hot in Australia, but there are so many things to see and do, and I was never bored."
Brig thought a moment and tried to recall what he knew about 'Drew'. The name Drew Benally popped into his head. Nodding, more to himself, he remembered that Drew's father had been their pack's alpha, but curiously enough, had taken a human as his mate. When the Alpha, Xeph, had taken over control of the Kadzait, the transition of humans becoming equals instead of inferiors was a painful one. Brig wondered how well that worked out for Drew's father.
Distracted, Brig watched Kai thoroughly enjoy her slice of strawberry and lifted the hand draped behind his chair up to his mouth to hide a grin. He didn't know if she was that emotionally involved with her food or maybe just exercising her 'womanly wiles'. In either case, he pretended not to notice and listened to her short description of her life.
'So what's a Tasmania girl like you, doing playing in the water?'
Chuckling she turned back to the sunset, watching the sky change from pink to orange. "When I was a little girl, our Alpha took us on walk about off the western shores and we went to this place called Hibbs Pointe and there was this shipwreck right on the shore."
Her voice was a little far away as she remembered her first encounter with the ocean. "Living in it were these big white birds. I asked my mom what they were and she didn't know, so as soon as we got home I found them in a big book on birds my uncle had and thus began my fascination with what lives in on and around the ocean."
From: Drew
Subject: Re:re:re: Saturday
Hey! I'm hurt by that. I'm an angel and you know it. I'd love to swing by for a few before work. But define food... I mean we've covered my shopping habits. Be round in a few.
Odds were Kai wasn't going to get a chance to respond to that, but it didn't bother Drew. Straightening the collar of his blue dress shirt, he'd given up on the tie weeks ago, he shoved his lap top in its backpack, grabbed his keys and trotted out of his rooms down the hall and round to the common area.
He seemed to recall that Kai said something about not so much doing the cooked foods, but lord only knew what her new friend liked. Shrugging to himself he grabbed some of everything, raw veggies and fruit some sushi and some -very- rare chicken fingers for him. He had been going to grab something to eat before work any way and those looked good.
Balancing the tray, backpack slung over one shoulder he ambled out onto the porch. Her friend wasn't what he'd expected, big guy and older. Huh. No worries though, although he might reschedule some of the rowdier younger guys he'd been planning on joining them.
"I still say you'd be better of in a desert."Â?
Drew said with a smile by way of greeting.
"Heya Kai, and friend."Â?
He found a place to sit and with no cerimony snatched up one of the pieces of chicken and wolfed it down. Formalities were wasted on Drew.
'Pleasure to meet you, Drew. I'm Brig.' He pulled the arm that was draped behind his chair forward and leaned over to shake Drew's hand.
And she was right.
"And you would be better off as a swab on a gutting trawler."
Crinkling her nose she tossed the stem from the small grape bunch she'd just eaten at him. As the men introduced themselves, she snagged one of the pieces of sushi that looked in her mind like an ice cream cone made of nori. And it was her luck that it was the kind they didn't put rice in! Just, upon sniffing, spicy tuna, carrots, cucumber, and something spicy and white, most likely diakon.
With a grin she took a bite. It was good, but not the same as a slice of that tuna going down all by itself.
"Good to meet ya."Â?
Brig didn't look like the arcade type, oh he might be wrong but it was probably just as well Kai had the boat instead.
That thought was cut short as Kai threw fruit at him. Drew managed to both duck and snatch up another bit of chicken. He did, however, managed to remember just in the nick of time not to chew with his mouth full.
"Yeah, no idea what that means. So unless you want me to start throwing around folksy desert related sayings at you you'll keep a civil tongue in you head."Â?
He teased.
"You wouldn't know civil if it hit you up side the head and shook you around a bit. And a swab is the guy that mops up the deck. A gutting trawler is a fishing boat that guts it's catch as it comes on board."
She grinned at him, and went back to the fruit on her own plate, enjoying another strawberry slice.
'Commander?' The pack member asked politely.
Softly so as to not interrupt Kai and Drew, 'Dayle, could you grab me something from the cafeteria?'
'Cooked, correct?'
'Yes, anything will do.'
'Of course, Commander.'
Brig turned his attention back to the two kids, (yikes, he thought), and was reminded as to why he ended things with Carol. Maybe he was trying to live a life younger than he should - would explain Hammer's disgruntled grunts, but he enjoyed it. Living younger made him feel younger and there was nothing wrong with that.
"Dear god in heaven that sounded almost educational. Why would you want to do that to a guy?"Â?
Actually Drew didn't mind learning new stuff, in fact it made life interesting and you never knew what or where you would learn something. Of course, he also didn't think that he was ever going to use this stuff about guts and trawlers, but maybe.
Commander? Drew happened to over hear that and took second look at Brig. Well that was interesting maybe he'd have to be on his best behavior after all.
"Sorry about that sir, I tend to forget about the whole cooking thing."Â?
She glanced down at her own chest and then lifted an eyebrow. "Okay maybe it doesn't, but still it's good for you. Like broccoli."
Kai had heard most of the exchanged and cringed a little, annoyed that she didn't know that, but happy to have found out as well.
"Oh! That reminds me. I'm meeting with the boat's cook today. Do you think it would sound to hinky if I tell him he's cooking for ten, but to plan like it's for twenty and to make half of every meal a raw preparation?"