Fic - Weiss Kreuz - Paying Guests
Fandom: Weiss Kreuz
Title: Paying Guests
Author: daegaer
Warnings: worksafe
Pairing(s): Crawford/Ran
Notes: Written for Battle Challenge 1, for laurose8's prompt: Crawford/Ran : future reincarnation fic : belonging together - Space Opera! Following on from First Jump
Points to Crawford, please!
Having passengers wasn't an everyday occurrence, but it paid well - more than cargo rates, if not as much as a mail run, not that Crawford thought they had a chance of ever seeing one of those contracts. The woman was quiet, her two children sullen and silent with resentment. They clearly didn't want to leave their lives and all they knew forever. The girl stopped glaring at her own feet, looked between him and Schuldig and began to seem more interested in the proceedings. Crawford sighed inwardly; she was seventeen and all too sure of her own allure. Schuldig caught his eye and looked disgusted.
What?
The touch of mindspeech made Crawford shiver. Would this be a problem? Schuldig looked more disgusted than ever.
"You are aware, Madam Perral, that the trip to Adrigole will take some weeks of real time? It's two jumps away."
She nodded. "That's acceptable, Lord Captain. My husband is expecting us -"
She'd find a more comfortable berth if she waited a week or two, Crawford thought. She was outrunning something, but then who wasn't, these days?
"I'll need the fee upfront," he said. "My First Officer here will arrange the transfer of your goods on board."
Schuldig smiled encouragingly at them and managed not to look irritated when the girl dropped her sullenness and gave him a winsome smile.
"My name's Fenna," she said, looking at him from beneath her eyelashes.
"What a lovely name," Schuldig said in his politest, talking-to-strangers voice. "Now, Madam, your luggage requirements -"
* * *
"My name's Fenna," Schuldig squeaked as the countdown for jump neared its end.
"Stop," Crawford grinned. "All hands, five minutes. Five minutes to jump."
"I'm a raging mess of hormones and I'm just dying to be conscripted as troop entertainment!"
"You'd better hope I didn't have the comm on."
"How many of us do you think she'll try to sleep with? Do we charge extra for that or is it included in the fare? I can't believe you were worried about my reaction, I mean, she was wondering if I'd noticed her spots under all that make-up. I had."
"That's what you look for in a quick screw, I know, perfect skin."
"Yeah," Schuldig said, his eyes on the way Ran twitched in the navigator's station. "A man's got to have standards." He was blessedly quiet for the last few minutes, then signaled time. "See you on the other side."
"All hands," Crawford said, "ready for jump."
* * *
"There's no station here, Lord Captain?" Madam Perral said, clasping her hands in front of her. She stood in the centre of the passenger quarters looking up at Crawford uneasily, as if belatedly regretting putting herself and her children into the company of complete strangers in deep space.
Crawford smiled as mildly as he knew how. "No, it's just a way point. We're letting the navigator rest, and giving everyone a chance to rehydrate and eat. I know you may not feel like it, but it is advisable. The rehydration and nutrition supplies for jump are in the cabinet where you were shown them, or you are, of course most welcome to come to the galley, if you'd prefer something else." He didn't need precognition to anticipate her shake of the head; she'd eaten every meal in her quarters so far. "I'll let you rest," he said, withdrawing.
He knocked on the next door, but got no answer. Shaking his head he opened it and looked in. Empty. At the third door he didn't bother knocking.
"Devin, your sister's not with you?"
The boy raised his head from his hands and looked up in misery. "No. Is it always like that?"
Crawford crossed to the cabinet and got a rehydration pack, tossing it onto the bunk beside him. "Drink all of it. Come to the galley if you want something hot."
His missing passenger was in the galley, perched unhygienically on the table as she watched Jens spoon soup into Ran who was, thankfully, clothed.
"Is he sick?" she said.
"No," Crawford said. "Please don't sit on the table, Ms Perral, we have to eat there."
"If he's not sick why is the medic feeding him? What does he do, anyway?"
"He's the navigator," Crawford said. "He's just tired. Ah, good," he said as Schuldig came in, "could you get Ms Perral something?"
"Would you like some soup, Ms Perral?" Schuldig said. "We're all going to have some."
"Just call me Fenna," she said, overly sweetly, "you make me think you're talking to my mother."
Schuldig caught Crawford's gaze behind her back and rolled his eyes. "Tomato, generic vegetable or alleged chicken, Fenna?" he said cheerfully.
"Vegetable, please." She sat on the bench beside Ran and peered into his bowl. "Gods, I'm glad I didn't say chicken. How can he eat that?"
Schuldig took the bowl from the heater and put it before her, quite courteously, if you didn't know him.
"Hey," she said, "you can have some of mine if you like? Navigator?"
"He's fine," Jens said. "Leave him be." He put the spoon into Ran's hand. "Come on, now. You're awake, eat up."
Ran slowly raised the spoon to his mouth and got most of it into himself. The second and third spoonfuls were better aimed. Fenna watched him closely.
"Do they all have purple eyes?"
"Yes," Crawford said. "Eat your soup."
She didn't so much as look up. "Hey, navigator - navigator! I tried talking to you when we left the station, how come you ran off? What's your name?"
Ran stared at her in confusion, and ate another spoonful of soup. She leant closer to him and he edged away, his eyes wide and mistrustful. Schuldig made an annoyed noise, stepping forwards as Fenna said,
"Navigator, what's it like, looking at hyperspace?"
Ran shakily covered his eyes with the hand not holding the spoon. "I don't want to talk about it," he whispered.
"Both of you are letting your soup go cold," Schuldig said. "He's not much for conversation; why waste your time talking to him, when you could be talking to me?" He sat down on her other side, far too close for Crawford's liking, and gave her a smile that promised nothing good. The girl went redder and redder; Crawford resignedly wondered exactly where Schuldig's hand was.
"Why don't you tuck Ran in for a nap?" Schuldig said. "Keep him from getting upset, hmm? I've got - everything in hand here." He grinned broadly as Fenna leant against him.
"Schuldig," Crawford said warningly.
"Relax," Schuldig said, and put both hands on the table. "We're all just going to have our soup and a chat. If the others ever tear themselves away from work they can join in."
"He certainly knows how to be distracting," Jens murmured as Crawford helped Ran up. "You want me to settle him, Captain?"
"No, I'll do it. Keep that girl safe."
"Don't worry."
Ran was steady enough on his feet as Crawford led him to his quarters, though he sank down on his bunk in clear exhaustion. He opened his eyes suddenly, peering over the edge of the blanket.
"Was there a girl in the galley?"
Crawford snorted with laughter. "Yes. Who is currently either annoying Schuldig within a millimeter of his life or is wishing she never set eyes on him. It could go either way."
"I thought I imagined her," Ran said, his eyes drifting closed again.
Crawford sat on the edge of the bunk and waited as Ran's breathing evened out into sleep. He looked young and defenceless, and very sad. Crawford rose to carefully move him into a more comfortable position and frowned a little, thinking of Schuldig, of all people, stepping in to defend someone powerless. Of course, it was natural to take a crewmate's side, and Ran was still self-aware and vocal enough to count as crew, yet - he looked down at his sleeping navigator.
Ran really did have perfect skin.
Title: Paying Guests
Author: daegaer
Warnings: worksafe
Pairing(s): Crawford/Ran
Notes: Written for Battle Challenge 1, for laurose8's prompt: Crawford/Ran : future reincarnation fic : belonging together - Space Opera! Following on from First Jump
Points to Crawford, please!
Having passengers wasn't an everyday occurrence, but it paid well - more than cargo rates, if not as much as a mail run, not that Crawford thought they had a chance of ever seeing one of those contracts. The woman was quiet, her two children sullen and silent with resentment. They clearly didn't want to leave their lives and all they knew forever. The girl stopped glaring at her own feet, looked between him and Schuldig and began to seem more interested in the proceedings. Crawford sighed inwardly; she was seventeen and all too sure of her own allure. Schuldig caught his eye and looked disgusted.
What?
The touch of mindspeech made Crawford shiver. Would this be a problem? Schuldig looked more disgusted than ever.
"You are aware, Madam Perral, that the trip to Adrigole will take some weeks of real time? It's two jumps away."
She nodded. "That's acceptable, Lord Captain. My husband is expecting us -"
She'd find a more comfortable berth if she waited a week or two, Crawford thought. She was outrunning something, but then who wasn't, these days?
"I'll need the fee upfront," he said. "My First Officer here will arrange the transfer of your goods on board."
Schuldig smiled encouragingly at them and managed not to look irritated when the girl dropped her sullenness and gave him a winsome smile.
"My name's Fenna," she said, looking at him from beneath her eyelashes.
"What a lovely name," Schuldig said in his politest, talking-to-strangers voice. "Now, Madam, your luggage requirements -"
* * *
"My name's Fenna," Schuldig squeaked as the countdown for jump neared its end.
"Stop," Crawford grinned. "All hands, five minutes. Five minutes to jump."
"I'm a raging mess of hormones and I'm just dying to be conscripted as troop entertainment!"
"You'd better hope I didn't have the comm on."
"How many of us do you think she'll try to sleep with? Do we charge extra for that or is it included in the fare? I can't believe you were worried about my reaction, I mean, she was wondering if I'd noticed her spots under all that make-up. I had."
"That's what you look for in a quick screw, I know, perfect skin."
"Yeah," Schuldig said, his eyes on the way Ran twitched in the navigator's station. "A man's got to have standards." He was blessedly quiet for the last few minutes, then signaled time. "See you on the other side."
"All hands," Crawford said, "ready for jump."
* * *
"There's no station here, Lord Captain?" Madam Perral said, clasping her hands in front of her. She stood in the centre of the passenger quarters looking up at Crawford uneasily, as if belatedly regretting putting herself and her children into the company of complete strangers in deep space.
Crawford smiled as mildly as he knew how. "No, it's just a way point. We're letting the navigator rest, and giving everyone a chance to rehydrate and eat. I know you may not feel like it, but it is advisable. The rehydration and nutrition supplies for jump are in the cabinet where you were shown them, or you are, of course most welcome to come to the galley, if you'd prefer something else." He didn't need precognition to anticipate her shake of the head; she'd eaten every meal in her quarters so far. "I'll let you rest," he said, withdrawing.
He knocked on the next door, but got no answer. Shaking his head he opened it and looked in. Empty. At the third door he didn't bother knocking.
"Devin, your sister's not with you?"
The boy raised his head from his hands and looked up in misery. "No. Is it always like that?"
Crawford crossed to the cabinet and got a rehydration pack, tossing it onto the bunk beside him. "Drink all of it. Come to the galley if you want something hot."
His missing passenger was in the galley, perched unhygienically on the table as she watched Jens spoon soup into Ran who was, thankfully, clothed.
"Is he sick?" she said.
"No," Crawford said. "Please don't sit on the table, Ms Perral, we have to eat there."
"If he's not sick why is the medic feeding him? What does he do, anyway?"
"He's the navigator," Crawford said. "He's just tired. Ah, good," he said as Schuldig came in, "could you get Ms Perral something?"
"Would you like some soup, Ms Perral?" Schuldig said. "We're all going to have some."
"Just call me Fenna," she said, overly sweetly, "you make me think you're talking to my mother."
Schuldig caught Crawford's gaze behind her back and rolled his eyes. "Tomato, generic vegetable or alleged chicken, Fenna?" he said cheerfully.
"Vegetable, please." She sat on the bench beside Ran and peered into his bowl. "Gods, I'm glad I didn't say chicken. How can he eat that?"
Schuldig took the bowl from the heater and put it before her, quite courteously, if you didn't know him.
"Hey," she said, "you can have some of mine if you like? Navigator?"
"He's fine," Jens said. "Leave him be." He put the spoon into Ran's hand. "Come on, now. You're awake, eat up."
Ran slowly raised the spoon to his mouth and got most of it into himself. The second and third spoonfuls were better aimed. Fenna watched him closely.
"Do they all have purple eyes?"
"Yes," Crawford said. "Eat your soup."
She didn't so much as look up. "Hey, navigator - navigator! I tried talking to you when we left the station, how come you ran off? What's your name?"
Ran stared at her in confusion, and ate another spoonful of soup. She leant closer to him and he edged away, his eyes wide and mistrustful. Schuldig made an annoyed noise, stepping forwards as Fenna said,
"Navigator, what's it like, looking at hyperspace?"
Ran shakily covered his eyes with the hand not holding the spoon. "I don't want to talk about it," he whispered.
"Both of you are letting your soup go cold," Schuldig said. "He's not much for conversation; why waste your time talking to him, when you could be talking to me?" He sat down on her other side, far too close for Crawford's liking, and gave her a smile that promised nothing good. The girl went redder and redder; Crawford resignedly wondered exactly where Schuldig's hand was.
"Why don't you tuck Ran in for a nap?" Schuldig said. "Keep him from getting upset, hmm? I've got - everything in hand here." He grinned broadly as Fenna leant against him.
"Schuldig," Crawford said warningly.
"Relax," Schuldig said, and put both hands on the table. "We're all just going to have our soup and a chat. If the others ever tear themselves away from work they can join in."
"He certainly knows how to be distracting," Jens murmured as Crawford helped Ran up. "You want me to settle him, Captain?"
"No, I'll do it. Keep that girl safe."
"Don't worry."
Ran was steady enough on his feet as Crawford led him to his quarters, though he sank down on his bunk in clear exhaustion. He opened his eyes suddenly, peering over the edge of the blanket.
"Was there a girl in the galley?"
Crawford snorted with laughter. "Yes. Who is currently either annoying Schuldig within a millimeter of his life or is wishing she never set eyes on him. It could go either way."
"I thought I imagined her," Ran said, his eyes drifting closed again.
Crawford sat on the edge of the bunk and waited as Ran's breathing evened out into sleep. He looked young and defenceless, and very sad. Crawford rose to carefully move him into a more comfortable position and frowned a little, thinking of Schuldig, of all people, stepping in to defend someone powerless. Of course, it was natural to take a crewmate's side, and Ran was still self-aware and vocal enough to count as crew, yet - he looked down at his sleeping navigator.
Ran really did have perfect skin.