Suffocating, still frustrating, like we care... [Closed]

[phytotoxin]

Characters: Marluxia (Phytotoxin) and Larxene (eclair_nymph)
Content: Marluxia leaves the ship to find a certain somebody that he'd agreed to meet up with once a suitable port was reached.
Setting: Abantiare.
Time: Whenever the crew of Serenity are allowed to disembark.
Warnings: Long Time No See Snark, lightning, potential bitching, snobbery on Marluxia's part.

Comments

[eclair_nymph]

Larxene could not stand cigarette smoke. Being inside a place too long when the whole air was polluted with the trash made her want to burn the bud in someone's eye. She almost did, really - at least ripped out the sticks out of people's mouths when one man in particular puffed that smog on her. Naturally, she didn't take that too kindly, and she was asked to stay outside for awhile to "cool down". She huffed at the words, rolling her eyes. She wouldn't want to stay in there anyway. Arms crossed, she looked at the small pocket watch grasped in her hand, knowing that Marluxia was the type of person to be on time: he had about one minute left. Well, 40 seconds.

Shifting her legs as she stood in front of the pub, she suddenly heard someone coming nearer. Not many citizens passed by this area of the town, which was the exact reason she chose it in particular. Furthermore, there was only one person who's footsteps would sound like he was walking in his palace with the grace of a king, and she didn't even have to look to know that it was her long awaited colleague.

Straightening up with a curled smirk, she waited until he stood in front of her, and glanced at her watch again, her aquatic eyes glinting deviously. "Ooh, you still haven't changed, I see."

[phytotoxin]

Marluxia returned her smirk with one of his own, gently and briefly raising an eyebrow as he drew level with her. He shook his head, looking completely at odds with the grubby surroundings. Clean, light and very nearly plain-regal in appearance, he looked decidedly out of place in the soot-stained city. Even travelling with two separate crews of ne'er do wells hadn't managed to brush the shine from him and it certainly hadn't done anything to mar his record of perfect punctuality.

"You thought that my spending time on a pirate ship would reduce me to bad habits?" He would have looked affronted at the suggestion, had he been anybody else. "Come now, Larxene. You know me better than that."

He pushed his hair off his face, an action that the shake of the head had made necessary, and slipped one hand into his coat pocket. He looked down at her and then turned his gaze to the door of the pub, not really wanting to enter. He could only imagine how smoky that little man-made cavern was inside and, quite frankly, the air outside was stinging his eyes enough as it was.

[eclair_nymph]

Larxene didn't have much of a reaction to his words, having the same smirk plastered on her lips and watching him with a bit of dark amusement as he studied his surroundings. She supposed this town wasn't to his...caliber. Not that she disagreed; just finding some place to stay that wasn't akin to an enclosed tiny shack was difficult. It was fortunate she only stayed for two days. She could barely stand breathing the air, and she had gone out only three times to see the ship, or buy food. The dirty buildings and the fog didn't help matters, and neither did she want to find out from what exhaust they came from. Right now she was wearing a mob hat to keep her hair from taking in the particles outside as much as she could, and she wasn't wearing her best clothes. She had lived poorly, but this was ridiculous. It wouldn't surprise her if people dropped dead in the street randomly, as engaging as that would be for her. Still, she wouldn't have to deal with it any longer. Gazing at the pink haired man with an even bigger sneer, she twittered rather sweetly, "Tch. And you should know me well enough to know my reason behind the remark~. Your expected punctuality is so expected."

Putting away her watch, she picked up her bag of items next to her with relatively ease as she placed the strap over her shoulder, hand on her hip. "I'm guessing everything's settled? I don't think I can sleep another night in this place..."

The disgust in her tone was rather evident.

[phytotoxin]

Marluxia's eyebrow twitched at her redundant remark concerning his habit of being on time. He turned from her, fixing her with a look over his shoulder. He didn't like speaking to a fellow member of The Organization in public, so he was hardly going to mention that. It was an unwritten rule, really, but he couldn't trust Larxene not to flout it.

"Of course," he replied with a nod. He turned his back on her completely, then. "Are you all right? You're acting even more peculiarly than ever."

He didn't walk, but he didn't look as though he wanted to stick around either. It had all been settled with the captain, providing she passed his own or the First Mate's eye without raising the alarm, but if he had actually cared, he might feel apprehension as to whether it had been enough.

[eclair_nymph]

"...I'm perfectly fine, Marluxia," Larxene droned out almost tauntingly to his back, raising an eyebrow at the unexpected question. She wondered if she had said something off before, but didn't bother to be concerned for a stupid and trivial thing. Not like it mattered. It got him to give that twitch on his eyebrow, and that was enough of a reaction to make her body quiver. Regardless, with a satisfied smile, she stepped up beside him, ready to walk, since she couldn't stand being here any longer as much as he was. She was still bitter at the fact that the bed of that hotel was so cheap to the point where she felt the springs. The owner sure as heck didn't get any payment from her, despite his disagreement. He conceded sooner or later when she had her "fun". Unfortunately, she couldn't do much. The last thing she needed was the authorities on her tail. "On the other hand, since I would be staying there, what's this Serenity like? Anyone that could catch my interest?"

The word was emphasized to hint that she didn't mean the usual "interests" of other normal people. Not that she needed to make it clear to Marluxia anyway: he would have known what she wanted to convey. "You know I can get easily bored~."

[phytotoxin]

He looked up, a slight and sharp movement of the eyes, as he thought about how best to approach answering that question. He had to be careful to not make it sound either too interesting or too laid back. He couldn't have Larxene going off the rails with torture, especially not when there were already people paid to do that job, but he couldn't have her getting bored either.

"It's fairly laid back and there are plenty of interesting people on board," he started, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "But the captain is defensive of his crew, so you would be foolish to take any of them lightly."

He'd slipped back into his authoritative gentleman's guise easily after arriving on the ship. It wasn't difficult after having spent his time exactly the same was on the 4423. He wasn't innoffensive as such, but he didn't come across as enemy-like to them. He just did his job.

"Still, there are plenty of jobs you can do -- plenty of keeping people in line to keep you occupied." He said, trying to reassure her that it wasn't all bad.

[eclair_nymph]

"I definitely want one where I'm the boss~. You did tell me you have that sort of position, and there's still one spot available," Larxene replied with a suggestive tone, her lips curling deviously as she glanced around the airship once they reached it. She didn't understand why Marluxia seemed so cautious in his response; it was not like she lacked self control. Granted, there were times when she just got a little out of hand, but a kick or two wouldn't hurt anyone's reputation that much. She understood, however. While she didn't enjoy it, and sometimes hated the restraint, like the Organization, there were rules to follow if she wanted to remain somewhere. And she truthfully was interested in staying in the Serenity: the tales of what happens while exploring the air and the dangers you meet made sure of that. As long as she was kept entertained somehow, there was nothing she would be deprived of, no matter how small it would be. Giving out orders, or giving punishments, was perfectly fine with her. What type she didn't know, but she had a few good ideas already. Her glinting, sharp eyes raised up to look at the man beside her in a sort of anticipation. "I suppose you have a point. But do you think the captain would mind if there's some...creative input about the disciplining?"

She smiled, blinking childlike if one did not know better to see through it. The conversation did remind her of something, though, that she had forgotten to ask. "There are some who know I'm coming, right? To have a role in the ship?"

[phytotoxin]

"Yes, I have informed the Captain and First Mate that I have prospective crew member coming aboard." He told her, looking down at the comparatively tiny woman out of the corner of his eye. "As for adding your own flavour to discipline, I doubt there will be an issue."

The other Quartermasters were, of course, all different. He was convinced that one of them made him look bad, but he wasn't about to openly complain about the ensemble in front of Larxene. Why invite that kind of ribbing?

He remained slightly and perhaps a little apprehensive about her being in a position of power, but it was her prerogative. Still, as a precautionary measure he decided to lay something down, a little... insurance, as it were.

"Although I told them about you, I would prefer if you kept our perceived relationship as one of convenience," he said quietly. "It would be better if they thought that we were friends only in passing. You understand."

He didn't want his reputation to suffer where she was concerned. Forget making Mal look bad, he would be extremely unhappy if his 'friendship' with Larxene did anything to mar his reputation. Aloof, distant, well-spoken and gentlemanly, such a veneer could be smashed to pieces if they thought that he was closely associated with such a loose cannon. Of course, unless she did anything to display that she was such, there wouldn't be a problem, but he wasn't about to take that risk.

[eclair_nymph]

"Oh, Marluxia, you shouldn't have. I didn't know I could be such a bad mark in your reputation," Larxene responded sardonically, a pleasant smile on her face as she remained unfazed. Honestly, she had expected this when the topic came around about what her authoritative position would be like on the ship. Nothing would really blemish his record. Not that she cared or was offended by the notion of his words. It didn't really bother her, and if that's how he wanted it to be, she had no problem. She doubted they would have time to be anything else other than "friends in passing". At least she was expected by the Captain and First Mate, so her main focus was on how to...convince them that she was right for the job. Did they ask for previous experience? After all, she could fib here and there. She remembered that Marluxia had the role of Quartermaster, that's what it was called, and it sounded like a fine arrangement for her. That, and she was truthfully tingling with anticipation that she'll be able to spread out her "imaginative mind" around. She couldn't get out of control, but at least things wouldn't be stagnant. "As long as you let me choose how to represent myself, then we can be complete strangers, darling~."

She was tempted to call him one of the pet names he truly hated, to really get under his skin, but she didn't feel like setting him off that far just yet. Knowing they were going somewhere, though she had no idea where, she questioned, "So, the first step is to visit the Captain, right? Anything I should know?"

[phytotoxin]

He was hardly going to tell her how to act. However, blending in and acting halfway normal and not like a short-tempered, lightning wielding psychopath was usually a good start when trying to get hired for a job. Her usual brand of over-sweet, sarcastic girlishness would probably not go down well with the captain.

"He expects loyalty," he told her, shrugging slightly. "He also will not tolerate insubordination, so don't get any ideas of that nature. He has a host of people employed specifically to cause people pain and I think they are fairly resistant to magic."

Well, the Jagers, at least in his experience, were more than happy to jump into the fray of a battle and became practically ecstatic when it came to hurting people. It was what they were made for, supposedly. It was only logical that it was largely them that were given the job of 'Public Relations'. He was unsure whether they could have to punish crew, but the possibility was there.

"Incidentally, his name is Malcolm Reynolds."

[eclair_nymph]

"...what a dull, predictable sounding name. Though fitting with yours", Larxene criticized sweetly and innocently. Too much, as was usual of her when she was having some secret amusement concerning someone else. Still, his badgering of the rules, how to behave, what's expected, whatever, made her roll her eyes. Loyalty and insubordination, as if he was one to talk. If anything benefited him in some form he wouldn't be practicing what he was preaching. She might as well be five years old and responding "yes, sir", or "yes, daddy". If it wasn't for the fact that he mentioned people whose job was to basically cause pain, she would have frowned. Instead, she raised her head up, now seriously interested in what he was spewing out of his mouth ever since they started talking. He should have stated something of the like when she asked about interesting people. However, would they make perfect toys? They didn't sound like the typical stupid, birdbrained, easily disposable junk she played with. Of course, when she met the crew members, she had to pick one of those eventually. At the same time, she needed the right crowd to talk to in her stay. Perhaps she might join them in their missions once in a while. "How many...'friends', do you have?"

As Marluxia never truly had friends, just pretended he was one to others. If they ever proved useless, they would be too late to realize it.

[phytotoxin]

Marluxia almost snorted at the implication that his name was dull. A lesser man probably would have. It was unusual, if anything. He'd never heard of another person sharing his name and although the jabs at him using it were more frequent than he'd like, it was anything but dour.

"And how many other Marluxias do you know, Larxene?" He asked, looking entirely unimpressed with her weak attempt at an insult.

So unimpressed with her attempt to insult him was he, that he neglected to answer her question for the moment. He rather wanted one to his own before he gave her a reply.

[eclair_nymph]

"Marlu, are you being complicated?~ Who said I was speaking about your name? Malcolm Reynolds is predictable and boring for a captain of something, don't you think? Yours, on the other hand, fits the typical people who want to pretend they are high class and make up fake, twisted dated names. Fitting for those who are vain...oh, not that you, Marloosha, are, of course...it sounds perfectly lower class," Larxene falsely corrected herself in the end, making a flippant mocking movement of her hand. Even if it didn't come out the way she wanted, the reaction she got in return was rather entertaining. Out of all the things that could get him to make that sort of face, this had to be it? She huffed, fixing up her bag, and crossing her arms. It might not have been her best, yet none of her worst. Plus she was damn tired! Sue her. Tonight had better be a night where she actually got a good night's sleep. "Either way, are you going to answer my question, or are you going to keep your nose high in the air? Maybe I should wait until you finish your little moment...but I don't wait."

[phytotoxin]

"'Fitting with mine', Larxene, the implication was quite clear." He said, using a tone that implied that he did not want to argue with her on this one. "I am not seeking employment for you if you are going to do little but shower me with childish insults. There are enough fools on that ship without you adding to the number."

His words were said lightly, gently and although his tone was business-pleasant, his expression was not. He looked dangerous, having had allowed his perfect gentleman's mask to slip for her. He knew her well enough to not bother righting it.

"You would do well to keep that serpent's tongue in your mouth if you don't wish to lose it." He said finally, giving her a cold look. If she continued like that, she'd overtake Reno as being at the top of his list of people to casually push off the side of the ship while in flight at the first opportunity.

"As for the people I know, there are a few here and there. Most of them were crew on the The 4423 before Serenity so our familiarity goes back further than you might expect." He told her, his voice remaining even. "Most of them are Jagers, with Jenka being the one I spend the most time with. Other than that, Anthy, one of the cooks, is rather pleasant company."

Really, if you didn't know better, his mentioning only female crew members by name might have seemed deliberate.

[eclair_nymph]

"Of course the implication was clear, I made it clear. And everyone's a fool to you, Marluxia, because I'm sure you've been born with having hallucinations of your own skills," Larxene responded cuttingly as she placed her hands on her hips, turning her head to the side childishly in what would be a clear example of stubbornness, and frowning accordingly. His threat didn't leave such a mark on her enough to keep quiet or stop her defiance, and honestly, she wasn't anybody's tool - as long as she was made aware of it. He was taking this way too seriously, in her opinion, and holding it up too highly for one comment. The conversation had taken a turn for the worse, and she remained in indignant silence, rather disgruntled with the situation.

Larxene expected him to speak in pleasantry again as one of his refined stature would, like nothing had bothered him, but the rest of his sentence made her shift her aquatic eyes on him with a sort of jeer on her lips. In fact, made her sort of push back the annoyance she was feeling for the moment. One eyebrow raised as she studied him carefully, and she chuckled, though it sounded more mocking than usual. "Oh, I see. So you've made a couple of...'loose' minions to waste time with."

[phytotoxin]

Marluxia stopped and smirked at her, his teeth showing. Again he didn't hide his true nature from her. Why not allow her to see his less-than-pleasant side? She'd probably seen it before, after all. He didn't acknowledge her thinly veiled insult concerning his arrogance regarding his abilities, either. He knew that they weren't hallucinations or fallacies -- he was damn good at his job and he was rather aware of it.

It could prove to be an eventual weakness, of course. Pride, as they say, comes before a fall. It could also remain an asset. Cool confidence can often outweigh the effects of hot-tempered irrationality in the heat of a fight or dispute.

"I wouldn't call them minions, but they are no concern of yours." He said, consciously making his tone a little more pleasant, if only to double the impact of his next cutting remark. "Besides, jealousy simply doesn't become you."

He canted his head at her after that, raising an eyebrow only slightly before walking off, carrying on in the direction of the ship.