Shipping Out [Rina!]

[Katie]

Alia was ready to go. Bag packed, rent paid, room clean (ish) and ready for the next tenant. The only thing left to do was say her goodbyes. She didn't even know if Alice was on the station, but she was pretty sure Alexis was. It wasn't like it was hard to find him; she caught sight of him on his way out of a tanning parlor. "Hey!" she called, raising the hand not holding her bag in a wave. "Alexis!"

[Anonymous]

Alexis paused when he heard his voice, turning in one fluid motion to face Alia. His face lit up and he jogged over, "Hey! 'Lia! Wassup brah? Haven't seen you in like, ages!"

[Katie]

"I'm good," said Alia, smiling back at him. "Finally got myself a steady job. Which means I'm actually leaving the Cancer for--well, I'm guessing a fair bit. Depends on what the captain says. Anyway, how're you?"

[Anonymous]

"Oh! Whoa! Radical!" Alexis beamed up at her, "Yer like, totally kick ass and stuff. I got a job too! Well, I mean, another job! I'm on a crew now too! It's like, wicked brah! I get to like, repair it to my hearts content."

He held up his arm, which, while tan, was pale for Alexis, "No tanning bed though. It's gnarly brah. I gotta get some serious tanning in!"

[Katie]

"Well, I do get paid for that," said Alia, feeling her smile widen. Alexis and his pep were contagious. "Hey, great! Which ship? And yes," she continued, looking at his very tan arm in amusement, "Because you're so very pale."

[Anonymous]

"Blackjack Diva. She's a total babe! Some seriously wicked specs brah. And I'm like, totally gonna make her tight." Alexis's face fell at her teasing, the smile vanishing under the wave of horror, "I knew it! I'm like a total ghost brah!"

[Katie]

Blackjack Diva--the name sounded vaguely familiar. Of course, Alia hung around the docks a lot, so most ship names sounded vaguely familiar. "Hey," she said when Alexis's smile vanished, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "I was kidding. You're actually amazingly tan for someone who spends most of his time in space."

[Anonymous]

"Really?" Alexis relaxed, letting out the breath he had been holding, "It's bad brah! I'm getting like, totally white man. I gotta keep hot so I can get laid!" He sighed, running a hand through his long hair, "I mean, like, the captain totally doesn't even notice. It's gnarly brah."

[Katie]

"Yes, really," said Alia, smiling slightly. "Stop worrying, you look fine. If I were ten years younger I'd go for you myself. And I think your captain doesn't notice because people generally have much lower standards for tan than you do. Given we live in space and all."

[Anonymous]

"Really? Ya would? Wicked!" Alexis beamed at her. He thought she was still smoking hot, but she wasn't interested, so he wouldn't push it. His nose wrinkled and he got that puzzled look he so often wore, "But livin' in space means we, like, totally gotta keep tans up."

[Katie]

Yes, really," said Alia. "You got nice eyes. And, uh, how do I put this...We live in space, yeah? So no actual sunlight for people to get tan with, so it's harder to tan. So a little bit goes a long way, see?"

[Anonymous]

"Awww hell yeah! That's wicked brah!" Alexis beamed, his tail wagging in his head, even though this form lacked one, "But like, ya can't slip brah. That's just gnarly. I gotta keep all bronzed so, like, I can be all hot."

He was a man of simple priorities.

[Katie]

He really was a giant puppy, Alia thought. Even when he wasn't actually shifted. "Alright," she said, amused. "Anyways. I have a ship I gotta get to, so I'll see you later. Ping me when you get the chance, yeah?"

[Anonymous]

"Yeah! Totally brah!" Alexis beamed again and hugged his friend, happy he had gotten to talk with her, at least for a bit, "Have a radical time!"

[Katie]

"Yeah, you too," said Alia, hugging him back and resting her chin on top of his head. "See you later, then." She let go and smiled at Alexis, then turned and headed off for the docks.

[Anonymous]

Alexis waved and headed off, a spring in his step and feeling much better about himself. He still had to work on his tan though, to impress Nathan.