Team Building with Jack Landors (SPD, A Squad, #11, K+)
characters: SPD’s A Squad (Sky, Charlie)
prompt #11: uh-oh
word count: 1100
rating: K+
summary: Sky tries to ignore the mostly female breakfast crowd. He fails.
Team Building with Jack Landors (uh-oh)
by *Andrea
“Wow,” Dan remarked, pausing to survey the table before putting his tray down. “This looks serious. Is it safe to eat here?”
Sky didn’t look up. He had a book open in front of him, which as far as he was concerned excused him from all mealtime conversation. He was also without Jack, again, which he was trying very hard not to be pissed off about.
“If you’re human,” Kat said, apparently in response to Dan’s question. “No guarantees for anyone who has a real sense of smell.”
He didn’t know why they had to paint their nails at breakfast, but long experience with Syd had taught him that it was better not to ask. Their were fights he could win, and there were fights he was destined to lose. Anything that involved health or beauty products seemed to fall into the latter category.
“If it bothers you,” Dan said warily, pulling his chair back without actually taking a seat. “Why are you doing it? Or should I not ask?”
“Are you scared to sit down?” Syd asked. She held out her left hand, studying the nails critically. “I only ask because by the time you get to actually picking up a fork, breakfast could be over.”
“Good morning, Syd.” The words were wry, and Sky spared him a single glance. Dan caught it, raising his eyebrows. “I’m guessing I was right the second time? With the not asking?”
Sky snorted. “Never ask a question you don’t really want to know the answer to,” he muttered, returning his gaze to his book. He thought he hadn’t turned a page in a while, so he did so now.
Huh. End of the chapter. He would have to remember not to stare at this page for quite so long. He was sure he wasn’t fooling Syd, but the same tacit agreement that kept him from arguing about the nail polish would also keep her from calling him on the “reading.”
“Hey.” Charlie dropped her tray on the table and swung one leg over the seat beside him. “That the latest edition of the manual?”
Sky didn’t bother looking at her. “It’s a present from my mom.” He put one hand over the propped-open hardcover, as though he was about to turn the page. It was a futile effort to pre-empt her inevitable snatching of his book for closer inspection.
Charlie did reach out and grab the cover, but to his surprise, she just tipped it up so she could see the title and then let go again. “Huh,” she said, noncommittally. “Any good?”
He shrugged, aware of Rose hovering across the table from them. “Is anyone sitting here?” she asked Syd, waiting for her to shake her head before taking a seat. “Nice color.”
Syd brightened noticeably. “You like it?” she said, inspecting her fingers for the twentieth time. “You can use it if you want.”
“Since when are you fine with this?” Charlie demanded. “Personal hygiene in the mess hall? Doesn’t this violate some obscure conduct code?”
Sky could only assume she was talking to him. “We’re about to go on duty in a section of the city where the chances of us being shot at are one in five,” he told his book. “If my teammates want to paint their nails beforehand, I’m okay with that.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Dan said, “Okay, give me some of that.”
“Silver or black?” Syd chirped, holding up one bottle in either hand.
“What am I, goth?” Dan demanded. “Give me a real color.”
“I’m not letting you wear green,” Syd informed him. “Besides, I don’t have any.”
“Kat has blue,” Dan pointed out. “What’s wrong with blue?”
“Kat can wear blue because the Blue Ranger on her team is a girl,” Syd said. “And an android. Sophie won’t care. Bridge might.”
“Oh, now we have to ask the appropriate Ranger before we can wear their color?” Dan sounded somewhere between amused and incredulous. “I think I want to go back to C Squad. How do I get un-promoted?”
Sky couldn’t tell if Dan was just giving her a hard time, or if he really didn’t see where this was going. “She’s trying to get you to wear pink,” he interrupted, reaching between them for the salt. “Excuse me.”
“Really?” Dan asked Syd. “Because I can handle pink. I’m secure in my masculinity.”
Sky snorted at that, dumping more salt over top of his eggs in an effort to disguise the taste of the box. Dan apparently didn’t appreciate his wordless commentary, because he turned to Sky and prompted, “You have something to say?”
“No.” Sky held up his hands in self-defense, then nodded at Rose, who had swiped Syd’s pink nail polish when she wasn’t looking and was currently painting the nails of her right hand. “Except that you’ll have to wait your turn.”
“Really? Salt?” Charlie was still on his case, and she didn’t seem to care that he was trying not to have a conversation with someone else while he pretended to read a book. “Isn’t that disgustingly unhealthy? You don’t even put salt on your popcorn.”
“Did I mention the getting shot at,” he snapped. “It’s just salt.”
“Kind of touchy this morning, aren’t you,” she said. “Date with Jack not go well?”
“Why are you so chatty all of a sudden?” Sky demanded.
Charlie shrugged, sawing off one side of a pancake with her fork and then splitting it in half. “I was stuck on a planet with the same three English-speakers for a year,” she said. “I spent the last three weeks in a room with them. Frankly, any new conversation is welcome right now. Even yours.”
Sky blinked, watching her stack the two pieces of pancake on top of each other and shove them both in her mouth at once. She managed to look not completely like a starved refugee doing it. Maybe that was the three weeks of regular meals, he thought.
“He’s training,” Sky said abruptly. “Ally has to check in at work after her shift. So she and Jack train in the mornings.”
She finished chewing, swallowed, and remarked, “Nice of him.”
“Yeah,” he muttered.
Charlie reached for her bottle of cranberry juice, breaking the top off and unscrewing it. “I could train her,” she offered, taking a long drink.
Sky paused, staring at the eggs he’d been pushing around his tray.
“Jack got us cleared for light duty,” she continued, when he didn’t say anything. “We’re back on the training rotation as of today. And it’s not like he doesn’t have better things to do.”
He lifted his gaze, and their eyes met.
Charlie smiled slightly. Raising her juice bottle in a silent salute, she told him, “Consider it done.”
prompt #11: uh-oh
word count: 1100
rating: K+
summary: Sky tries to ignore the mostly female breakfast crowd. He fails.
Team Building with Jack Landors (uh-oh)
by *Andrea
“Wow,” Dan remarked, pausing to survey the table before putting his tray down. “This looks serious. Is it safe to eat here?”
Sky didn’t look up. He had a book open in front of him, which as far as he was concerned excused him from all mealtime conversation. He was also without Jack, again, which he was trying very hard not to be pissed off about.
“If you’re human,” Kat said, apparently in response to Dan’s question. “No guarantees for anyone who has a real sense of smell.”
He didn’t know why they had to paint their nails at breakfast, but long experience with Syd had taught him that it was better not to ask. Their were fights he could win, and there were fights he was destined to lose. Anything that involved health or beauty products seemed to fall into the latter category.
“If it bothers you,” Dan said warily, pulling his chair back without actually taking a seat. “Why are you doing it? Or should I not ask?”
“Are you scared to sit down?” Syd asked. She held out her left hand, studying the nails critically. “I only ask because by the time you get to actually picking up a fork, breakfast could be over.”
“Good morning, Syd.” The words were wry, and Sky spared him a single glance. Dan caught it, raising his eyebrows. “I’m guessing I was right the second time? With the not asking?”
Sky snorted. “Never ask a question you don’t really want to know the answer to,” he muttered, returning his gaze to his book. He thought he hadn’t turned a page in a while, so he did so now.
Huh. End of the chapter. He would have to remember not to stare at this page for quite so long. He was sure he wasn’t fooling Syd, but the same tacit agreement that kept him from arguing about the nail polish would also keep her from calling him on the “reading.”
“Hey.” Charlie dropped her tray on the table and swung one leg over the seat beside him. “That the latest edition of the manual?”
Sky didn’t bother looking at her. “It’s a present from my mom.” He put one hand over the propped-open hardcover, as though he was about to turn the page. It was a futile effort to pre-empt her inevitable snatching of his book for closer inspection.
Charlie did reach out and grab the cover, but to his surprise, she just tipped it up so she could see the title and then let go again. “Huh,” she said, noncommittally. “Any good?”
He shrugged, aware of Rose hovering across the table from them. “Is anyone sitting here?” she asked Syd, waiting for her to shake her head before taking a seat. “Nice color.”
Syd brightened noticeably. “You like it?” she said, inspecting her fingers for the twentieth time. “You can use it if you want.”
“Since when are you fine with this?” Charlie demanded. “Personal hygiene in the mess hall? Doesn’t this violate some obscure conduct code?”
Sky could only assume she was talking to him. “We’re about to go on duty in a section of the city where the chances of us being shot at are one in five,” he told his book. “If my teammates want to paint their nails beforehand, I’m okay with that.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Dan said, “Okay, give me some of that.”
“Silver or black?” Syd chirped, holding up one bottle in either hand.
“What am I, goth?” Dan demanded. “Give me a real color.”
“I’m not letting you wear green,” Syd informed him. “Besides, I don’t have any.”
“Kat has blue,” Dan pointed out. “What’s wrong with blue?”
“Kat can wear blue because the Blue Ranger on her team is a girl,” Syd said. “And an android. Sophie won’t care. Bridge might.”
“Oh, now we have to ask the appropriate Ranger before we can wear their color?” Dan sounded somewhere between amused and incredulous. “I think I want to go back to C Squad. How do I get un-promoted?”
Sky couldn’t tell if Dan was just giving her a hard time, or if he really didn’t see where this was going. “She’s trying to get you to wear pink,” he interrupted, reaching between them for the salt. “Excuse me.”
“Really?” Dan asked Syd. “Because I can handle pink. I’m secure in my masculinity.”
Sky snorted at that, dumping more salt over top of his eggs in an effort to disguise the taste of the box. Dan apparently didn’t appreciate his wordless commentary, because he turned to Sky and prompted, “You have something to say?”
“No.” Sky held up his hands in self-defense, then nodded at Rose, who had swiped Syd’s pink nail polish when she wasn’t looking and was currently painting the nails of her right hand. “Except that you’ll have to wait your turn.”
“Really? Salt?” Charlie was still on his case, and she didn’t seem to care that he was trying not to have a conversation with someone else while he pretended to read a book. “Isn’t that disgustingly unhealthy? You don’t even put salt on your popcorn.”
“Did I mention the getting shot at,” he snapped. “It’s just salt.”
“Kind of touchy this morning, aren’t you,” she said. “Date with Jack not go well?”
“Why are you so chatty all of a sudden?” Sky demanded.
Charlie shrugged, sawing off one side of a pancake with her fork and then splitting it in half. “I was stuck on a planet with the same three English-speakers for a year,” she said. “I spent the last three weeks in a room with them. Frankly, any new conversation is welcome right now. Even yours.”
Sky blinked, watching her stack the two pieces of pancake on top of each other and shove them both in her mouth at once. She managed to look not completely like a starved refugee doing it. Maybe that was the three weeks of regular meals, he thought.
“He’s training,” Sky said abruptly. “Ally has to check in at work after her shift. So she and Jack train in the mornings.”
She finished chewing, swallowed, and remarked, “Nice of him.”
“Yeah,” he muttered.
Charlie reached for her bottle of cranberry juice, breaking the top off and unscrewing it. “I could train her,” she offered, taking a long drink.
Sky paused, staring at the eggs he’d been pushing around his tray.
“Jack got us cleared for light duty,” she continued, when he didn’t say anything. “We’re back on the training rotation as of today. And it’s not like he doesn’t have better things to do.”
He lifted his gaze, and their eyes met.
Charlie smiled slightly. Raising her juice bottle in a silent salute, she told him, “Consider it done.”