Sale in the Marketplace [Caroline]

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

Ready to take off when your ready...

"You have nothing to worry about, I decided to escort you to your home." he stated dryly as he walked to the front of the ship, a hologram like console appearing in front of him. "What is the name of your world?"

Ain pressed a few keys and the deck soon shifted to the form of a actual ship, a gummi ship, with that the view was obstructed by screens and their was now a room over head and walls all around(with screens as well). The cold was now gone and it was actually pretty pleasant if not uncomfortable to be on the deck now that it was changed. With the exception of the stairs going down, everything looked like a future control room found in some movies. He cringed a bit as he pressed more keys like he wasn't exactly sure what he was doing but soon he opened up the navigation gummi function. "I rather not deal with computers but I best get used to it." he stated as he turned back to Caroline and waited for her confirmation.

"If you want to leave however, I'm not stopping you. Once we take off their is no going back."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Culture shock!
--

Caroline's eyes went wide. What...what was all this? She couldn't even speak. Blinking rapidly, she tried to get back on track. Ain was saying something, what was it? Slowly, she took her eyes off all of the monitors and looked at him. "Oh, it's... New Orleans. Louisiana,[/color]" she said, taking a very shaky steps forward. "What's a computer?[/color]"

It dawned on her. "Oh! Oh, thank you! So much![/color]" she suddenly shrieked, hugging him from behind. "Whatever can I do to repay you? I'll help around the-the ship..[/color]" she stuttered, clasping her hands together. "Cooking, cleaning... anything. I'll bake you a pie![/color]"

She started to rush out, but then she stopped and turned around. "Really, thank you. I'm so grateful. I mean that from the very bottom of my heart.[/color]" She smiled and placed a hand on her collar. "Before I make that pie, do you mind if I get cleaned up myself? I'm a mess...[/color]"

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

Why did she hug me?!

Click, click, click, ding-dong. The final inputs were placed in the navigation systems and the ships final preparations were starting to finalize when Caroline wrapped her arms around him. She was thanking him with a hug and it seemed she thought that after all she has done that wasn't enough to repay him- what a silly girl. He thought he heard her say something about not knowing what a computer was, but how exactly was that possible since they were like everywhere. He must have heard wrong. Caroline was such a warm-hearted girl, why would anyone ever kidnap her.

"No need to thank me, I have done nothing worth your gratitude." he said quietly, as he turned back and walked away from the console. His expression was slightly different, almost resembling a happy face but his hair was in the way too much to notice.

Ain stopped in the middle of the deck and stood still. His clothing still damp, he planned to do a bit of work on the deck not desk if you are wondering, and nodded. "You can use the shower in the bathroom, I still have some work to do." he said dryly to Caroline as he looked at her. Turned around to finish typing a few more things into the computer after a moment. It was hard to fly this thing, he wished he could fly it in boat form- if only the darkness wasn't so powerful.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Little Miss Betty Crocker.
--

Caroline walked out of the room smiling. She felt a lot less anxious and a lot more at peace. She was safe for the moment being, at least she thought so. She was on her way home. This whole mess would be over soon.

She found her way to the shower and stared at it for a moment. Well, this was different than anything she had back at home. This ship was just full of surprises! She pawed at one of the knobs and was promptly drenched in cold water. She shrieked and pulled back, hair dripping. The blond finally managed to get the hot water running. She had to wait a bit for the back of her dress to dry after she'd gotten all cleaned up. Looking into the mirror, she frowned at the state of her hair. Sighing, she said "I'll just have to fix it when I get home.[/color]" Even though, it was already starting to curl back up.

Now that she was clean, she put her hands on her hip and tried to think about what to do. She found a clock on the wall in the kitchen and decided that she was hungry and Ain probably was too. It was getting pretty late and there was no dinner on the table! She set to work cooking with what supplies she could find, smiling and humming as she did so.

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

The ship finally took off to this new world...

With his last input after about a hours time, he hopped back down the stairs just in time for the decks door to close. The Graceful Light taking off with a small amount of shaking it headed out to darkness of space once more, It's final destination was New Orleans, Louisiana. It would take about 3 days to arrive which was no surprise, it turned out that the world was closer then he had thought. Already he had traveled for a year and a half, his mission to find the source of the heartless- no maybe the source of darkness itself with no end in sight. He arrived in the common area of the ship, his eyes momentarily looking down the hall at 2 of the locked rooms wondering if the other two were alright.

Sighing lightly he moved on.

Ain enters the kitchen to see Caroline hard at work, he watched for a few moments before making himself known. Walking in he wondered what exactly she was cooking, she did mention something about a pie earlier- maybe she was making that. The scent of the food had yet to circulate, so he took a seat at the table. "Miss Caroline, you probably have some questions to ask." he stated in a rather firm voice, his manners not exactly perfect either. "If you need to know anything, please ask away. I will do my best to give you the answers you need."

As he stood there his stomach growled, it was true he had not eaten a thing today. Ain had often forgotten to keep up the normal daily routines when going about his mission and while world hopping as he had been doing rather haphazardly. No one would be surprised that he just let himself go, barely eating, barely grooming himself, barely washing himself- a shell of what he once was as a naval officer. His commanding officer would be ashamed, but his heart just wasn't in it.

What was a goal worth moving for, he didn't know.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Naturally, she makes fried chicken.
--

The blond wasn't about to slow down in her work. "Oh, I have lots of questions,[/color]" she said, dusting her hands on her dress. No apron. What a shame. "One is, where do you keep your... oh wait, nevermind. I found it![/color]" she continued, pulling out a frying pan. "I have other questions, but I reckon they can wait until after we've had supper. I didn't have too much to work with, so you'll have to excuse the poor excuse for a meal. How long did you say it was going to take to make it back to New Orleans?"

Meanwhile, she was frying something. Tapping her finger against her chin, she made a list. What would she need for her apple pie? Did this poorly stocked kitchen have everything she needed? Somehow, she was going to have to get some ingredients if they were going to be in this ship for too long. Otherwise, she would just have to bake it at home and give it to him, wrapped up all pretty in a box...

She was getting a bit ahead of her self and almost burned the chicken. After a minute though, she'd thrown together two pretty decent looking plates and sat one of them down in front of Ain. She sat down next to him, unfolding a napkin into her lap and smiling. "Tell me what you think.[/color]"

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

I really don't get to eat good food that much....

The scent of the chicken then hit him like a bang, it was so long since he smelled such excellent food. How did she make it with what he had, he had barely anything at all. The thought that maybe Caroline was a cooking genius and didn't realize it herself crossed his mind, she even mentioned that this was a poor excuse for a meal. His eyes drifted over to Caroline and nodded to her, before cutting a piece of meat off the chicken and placing it in his mouth. As much as the smell, the flavor hit him next in waves that far surpassed any of the cooking he had tasted before and his eyes shut as he relaxed into his seat- his expression easing.

"Delicious..." he simple said, not to Caroline in particular but out-loud. His tone of his voice much more lively then normal and not at all dull.

Ain opened his eyes and sat up straight trying to downplay how good it tasted, he cleared his throat. His emotional state maybe the most dull, but every sense was sharp as razor- that included his sense of taste. He shook his head a bit, then looked at Caroline. "We shall arrive in roughly 3 days, we have to pass by Radiant Garden on the way. Given their is no trouble we should arrive at New Orleans by night fall." he said as he took another bite of the chicken. Continuing to eat he cleared his plate fast enough and wiped his face with a napkin.

"Not bad..."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

How do I say this...?
--

Ain was right, it was not bad... but it wasn't the best she'd ever made. Caroline liked to beat herself up about her cooking, but she tried to tell herself it wasn't her fault and she'd done well enough with what she had on hand. He seemed to enjoy it anyway, so she settled. She finished her food silently, listening to him explain their travel plans. As she gathered up the dishes- she made the mess, she'd clean it up- she said "Three days? That's an awful long time. Are you sure I'm not imposing?[/color]"

She was definitely going to have to work for her keep. She may have been spoiled rotten, but she knew a little about not wearing out her welcome. She stayed quiet for a moment, not sure what else there was to say. She didn't want to ask questions, really, and make herself seem like a pest or ignorant. It was getting late, though, and she needed a place to sleep.

Caroline was going to have to be sneaky about this. She stopped what she was doing and yawned, louder and more animated than what was necessary. "It's been such a long day. I'm exhausted.[/color]"

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

A strange girl...

"You're not imposing at all, just don't wander around the ship too much." he said dully as he got up from his seat when Caroline went to clean up yet again, something about letting her do everything while he stood around didn't sit well with him. Against his better judgment he walked next to her to help clean, given he just never had the motivation to do himself- this was a first. His eyes didn't once look at Caroline while he took the plates and washed them in the sink.

Giving a good scrub to them, the cleaning was done much faster then if he let Caroline do it by herself. He twisted his head to the side slightly, why did he help clean again? He didn't think about the reason, he just acted without logic. "Thanks for the meal." he mumbled turning away from the sink(and in turn Caroline) and he walked next to the table.

Ain stood straight as a soldier would, by now is jacket was about dry. It had been a while since he had anything clean on, as much as he did not want to admit to Caroline or himself. Dealing with people was pain in the butt, but his mother always said not turn away from those in need. A statement that contradicted his usual logic and motivations when traveling around the worlds alone. He wasn't so much alone anymore, but sooner or later he would be again. His eyes looked down on Caroline as he noticed she was moving more slowly, combined with her earlier statement of being exhausted he figured that after this day she needed a bed to sleep in.

"Of course, let me show you to your room." he said quietly, as he turned to leave the kitchen and into the common area.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Yay, bedtime!
--

How nice of Ain to come and help her with the dishes. Her father and uncles and all the other men she knew wouldn't have. The work was done a lot faster that way. She was even more excited when Ain said he would show her to her room. Finally! Some real accommodations. Not the back of a truck or a hot hole in the wall.

She followed after him cheerfully, if a bit slowly. She decided that tomorrow would the best time to ask about anything else. It had been a long enough day already and they didn't need to discuss anything else. It could wait. They reached the room she was to be sleeping in and Caroline asked "Is there any particular time I should be awake?[/color]"

Of course, she had no idea this man was a formal naval officer and was probably used to a rigid schedule. She had her own schedule to follow at home that consisted of waking up early to help her mother make breakfast. Then there was the cleaning and visiting and all of that... she shook her head. What was she supposed to do with herself all day tomorrow, and the next day? It was a good thing she had a lot of work to do on this ship...

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

Will this room really be OK?

There was only one room left in his ship, The Graceful Light so it was decided that she would sleep there. He promised her to take her to New Orleans but honestly he really didn't want to that much. Now she was staying with him for 3 days, then he can go back to his mission like nothing happened. Regardless, Caroline will be much more safe with her family as she has yet to realize the dangers of the worlds that included heartless and possibly Loru.

"You must be tired."

Ain leads the way down the hallway to a room on the left side, it was old wooden door with a steel lock on it. Taking out a key from his pocket he opens up the door and turned to Caroline. "This is your room.." he said as he handed her the key to the door and walked in to the room- swatting a spider web out of the way of the door frame. Inside was nothing special, a dusty room that was pretty dark as their was no source of light and a old bed in the corner. Strangely enough the roof was leaking making a puddle on the floor, it was a very crappy looking room but Ain didn't seem to notice.

"I wake up at 6am to preform basics duties but you can stay in bed if you like..." he stated as he stood in the doorway waiting for her to go in and get relaxed. "...Watch out for the spiders, they are probably poisonous. Don't know for sure."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

But...this...
--

"You...you must be joking,[/color]" Caroline finally stuttered. "S-spiders? I can't possibly sleep in this room!"

She was horrified to say the least. This was worse than the truck, or the room she'd been locked in. At least those places didn't have spiders (that she was aware of) and puddles of water on the floor. Needless to say, the blond burst into tears when face with having to spend even a moment in that room, much less three days.

All she wanted was to end this horrible day! This was not the way to do it, this was making everything so much worse. "You must hate me if you put me in a room like this,[/color]" she said, rubbing at her eyes. "I even cooked you dinner...![/color]"

She couldn't stand it anymore. She turned and took off running towards the bathroom where she had fixed Ain's arm earlier and slammed the door. There was a the faint click of the door locking.

Classic Caroline tantrum. She didn't get what she wanted, so she cried and locked herself in the bathroom.

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

What can I even say, I didn't sign on for this.

Ain turned hesitantly and watched as Caroline ran down the hall in tears. The click of a door signaled that the door of the bathroom was locked behind her, really, it wasn't something he was taught to deal with or even thought he would have to deal with. Another problem. He had no idea what was going on, though he wasn't used to dealing with women and that inexperience probably caused her to misunderstand a few things. At least he wasn't sure what to do next, he had planned to have a shower as soon as things had settled down. Now she was locked in the bathroom and he couldn't get in until she finished her tantrum.

"Annoying."

Without a single blink he followed down the hallway until he reached the common area and the door to the bathroom. He couldn't think of anything he did wrong, in fact he had done at lot to help her since he met Caroline. It was troublesome but he had no choice but to try to fix the problem and with that mentality he knocked on the door to the bathroom. "Caroline, open up the door. You're overreacting."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Better turn on the pout face...
--

"I am not over reacting![/color]" Caroline sobbed from behind the door. "I'd say this is a awfully good reaction. How else do you want me to act if you want me to sleep in a place like that!? And after everything that's happened today...[/color]"

There was a moment of silence. "It's not a very nice thing to do, to put a guest in a room like that. This ship is huge, there has to be somewhere else.[/color]"

The door unlocked and opened a fraction of an inch. Caroline looked out, putting on her puppy-dog eyes. "I'druther sleep in the kitchen than in there with all them spiders and cobwebs.[/color]"

She opened the door a little more. "That is, if you don't mind, Mr. Ain. Three days shore is a long time to be spendin' together and you wouldn't want little old me to have to spend it in there, would you?[/color]"

She had her fingers interlocked behind her back and she was talking quietly, batting her eyelashes...trying to convince him otherwise. She really would have rather slept in the kitchen.

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

Sigh, how old is she anyway?

Ain listened to Caroline's plea to not sleep in that room, or rather she didn't want to spend a single moment in that room. It was the only room he had left to spare and honestly he didn't see why she was so upset about it- when he was younger he had to sleep in a sewer when he stole food on the streets and it stunk badly in there. His past was much different then the girls, perhaps giving her a regular room was too much to ask and it was indeed at fault for thinking she would accept it at face value. With every thought his eyes narrowed a bit more, when the door opened enough for him to see her his eyes however opened back to how they were.

"That is the only room that I can spare." he said, his body back to it normal, or abnormal unemotional self. He really didn't know what else to say, it almost felt like he was talking with a child but her more mature appearance said otherwise as he looked at her.

His eyes looked at her teary face and up to Caroline's curly blond hair as he thought of a solution from beyond the door. Did he really make her cry, was he such scum to just stand idle while she was upset. No, he would act no matter how he felt or didn't feel in this case. Opening the door himself the rest of the way he knelled over to her and grabbed a piece of tissue from his pocket and wiped away the tears. "I understand, you can stay in my room and I will stay in yours until we arrive." he said quietly, his expression no different though a tiny bit more serious. "Alright? So don't cry anymore."