"I can't say for certain until I have a plan in place," he tells her, going a bit into planning mode- something Taylor's never seen from him. It's far from his usual nonchalant, devil may care, fun-first mentality. But this is a job.
"But we're in a stressful situation where any additional injuries or deaths would be counterproductive to the task at hand and any damage to the ship would be exceedingly stupid. So any plan I make takes that into effect. No matter what happens, all his heat would need to be either nonexistent, or on me, not on the other three."
He waves a hand.
"But I can't predict everyone's reactions. So. Next to nothing."
She pulls a knee up to her chest, resting her chin on it as she regards him. She's never seen Jacobi of the Barge take that tone. But the part of her that still remembers being Taylor Jacobi knows it. She wonders, not for the first time, how close they are.
"I work in the kitchens, the gardens, and now the spa. And I have pretty good social credibility. When you tell me you have a plan, I can probably get you anything you need."
She looks away, towards where her mosquitos are telling her Elias is just then. "And from what Jon and Elias said on the Network, I think you'll want to go for the eyes."
"Did you know that you can make a pretty effective flashbang out of two lighters?" he says easily. Flippantly. "Catch someone off guard and you can actually blind them with it. Crazy."
He inspects his nails. "Well, that's good to know. I'm not allowed to fuck with him outright just yet, but I can talk to him. So that's what I intend to do now that we're at port. Recon. You do the same and we meet back again after?"
She raises her eyebrows, with an almost friendly smile. "Do you know I was blind when we met? Flashbang damage. From a much bigger bomb than two lighters, though.
"I'll talk to him again, if he'll talk to me. Took him a little while to work up the nerve to get past me, last time we spoke."
"I think absolutely everyone from that world is going to have a bug-thing. With good reason," she adds. "I stumbled into the middle of that with Jon my first month on the Barge. Nightmarish."
She says that, but it's plain on her face how little she means it. That- that expression is pure yearning.
He clears his throat at that and leans forward, hands on his knees. "Uh huh. Well, something else to keep in mind, but any bug related incidents is going to have your fingerprints all over it. So best to leave that as a last resort."
She waves it off. "I know. But keeping my harassing to benign incidents like that is probably less suspicious than me just ignoring him, at this point."
Taylor leans back against the glass, elbow propped on her knee. "Martin was my first temp warden. And Jon's a friend. I inherited Tim." She shrugs slightly. "And Elias Bouchard reminds me far, far too much of someone I know back home."
“Heh, mine is my boss too. And the guy who sent me here.”
She holds up a hand, and sends a dozen hornets to him - carrying a brightly colored little box. “I think we should keep this off the communicators, so if you want to talk, give this a hard shake.”
"I was going to suggest smoke signals, but this works better. Is this one of those 'don't ask what's inside' things?" he wonders, taking the box and inspecting it carefully without opening it.
He tucks it into a pocket. "Guess I better not let Tim see it, huh?" He'll need to keep it in his own cabin, too. Away from Warren. He'll also need to change clothes to ensure Warren doesn't know that they met.
Damn.
The thought of keeping things away from Tim and Warren is daunting but there's also a bit of a thrill of the challenge in it.
"My cabin is usually empty," he tells her. "It's my workshop, so we can meet there if we want."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 04:11 pm (UTC)"But we're in a stressful situation where any additional injuries or deaths would be counterproductive to the task at hand and any damage to the ship would be exceedingly stupid. So any plan I make takes that into effect. No matter what happens, all his heat would need to be either nonexistent, or on me, not on the other three."
He waves a hand.
"But I can't predict everyone's reactions. So. Next to nothing."
no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 04:26 pm (UTC)"I work in the kitchens, the gardens, and now the spa. And I have pretty good social credibility. When you tell me you have a plan, I can probably get you anything you need."
She looks away, towards where her mosquitos are telling her Elias is just then. "And from what Jon and Elias said on the Network, I think you'll want to go for the eyes."
no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 04:43 pm (UTC)He inspects his nails. "Well, that's good to know. I'm not allowed to fuck with him outright just yet, but I can talk to him. So that's what I intend to do now that we're at port. Recon. You do the same and we meet back again after?"
no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 04:47 pm (UTC)"I'll talk to him again, if he'll talk to me. Took him a little while to work up the nerve to get past me, last time we spoke."
no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 04:54 pm (UTC)He leans forward. "Wait, though. Wait. The last time you spoke? What did you do to him?"
no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 04:59 pm (UTC)She doesn't grin, but the smile's real in her eyes now. "I assume Tim's told you about Jane Prentiss."
no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 08:53 pm (UTC)She says that, but it's plain on her face how little she means it. That- that expression is pure yearning.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 09:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 09:11 pm (UTC)"Thanks for looking after them," he adds quietly.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 09:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-27 09:25 pm (UTC)Too bad Elias can't have Cutter's fate here. Ah well.
He sits up. "Alright. Well thanks for the help, Taylor. I'll be in touch."
no subject
Date: 2021-11-28 02:35 am (UTC)She holds up a hand, and sends a dozen hornets to him - carrying a brightly colored little box. “I think we should keep this off the communicators, so if you want to talk, give this a hard shake.”
no subject
Date: 2021-11-28 03:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-28 05:16 am (UTC)She pauses a moment. “If Tim sees that, he’ll know what it is. Just so you know.”
no subject
Date: 2021-11-28 02:16 pm (UTC)Damn.
The thought of keeping things away from Tim and Warren is daunting but there's also a bit of a thrill of the challenge in it.
"My cabin is usually empty," he tells her. "It's my workshop, so we can meet there if we want."
no subject
Date: 2021-11-28 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-28 08:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-28 08:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-28 09:16 pm (UTC)"Seeya after port, Taylor." He whistles a bit as he walks off.