HOME | DD

Description
The room was well lit, and might have had a homey feel, but no amount of bright colors could distract from the metal walls and steel-grate floors. No planning, no forethought had gone into a design. Two old mis-matched couches dominated the space, one facing the hall, and the other facing a large screen set into the wall. There was an old wooden table, and a cheery floor rug that seemed direly out of place.

The screen was currently showing some sort of news program that was studied intently by one of the girls seated on the main couch. Her face might have been pretty if she had cared about that kind of thing, and if it wasn't always locked into the same stoic expression of passive distaste. The other girl had languidly stretched her body over the length of the couch, her legs falling in the other's lap, and her head lolling, upside down, off the other end.

Unlike her friend, this girl was a knock-out. Her clothes were fashionable, and accented the curves of her body nicely. She looked ready for a rave, and attended such gatherings often. The fact that the serious girl was dressed so that she resembled a new-age cowboy brought them both into the apparent theme of the room, which was its lack of a theme. As if that wasn't enough, the "cute" girl acted more like a boy. The way she ate, the way she moved, even in the way she spoke. So it was with a gruff voice that her lips finally parted and ushered forth a childish whine.

"Daaaaaanyyyyy! I'm bored!" Daniel ignored her, and continued to watch the screen. "Come on! We've been sitting here for days now, doing nothing." She drew out the last word into each individual syllable to better express her irritation on the subject. However, she was once again ignored. Daniel seemed fixated on the screen.

"You just brought in a huge bounty, your third biggest ever! Let's celebrate! Go blow some cash on Islade Sol? Surf, sand, suckers to con outta their dough. Doesn't that sound great?" She paused for an answer, and didn't have long to wait.

"Fifth."
"What?"
"It was my fifth biggest bounty ever, Miguel."

Miguel laboriously drew herself up so that she might inspect her long-time cohort. You could see the progression of emotions in her face as she slowly realized what was going on in the other girl's head. A disbelieving scowl cut itself through her features.

"Good lord, she's restless already!" She addressed the room in general. "I'm not going to get my well-deserved R&R until she goes and bludgeons those violent tendencies out on some poor sap who won't know what hit him, and then what? I'll get stuck cleaning the blood outta her stupid little outfit!" Daniel didn't mind the comment, her clothes didn't mean a thing to her. She didn't even bother to remind Miguel that Nancy did all the cleaning.

It was possible that Miguel might have continued to complain, had not a loud beep sounded all around them. It wasn't an alarming beep, but that kind that notifies you when something requires attention. Daniel rose, dumping Miguel's legs out of her lap (something she didn't altogether appreciate), and walked down the hallway with the same metal walls, the grating beneath her feet rattling all the way.

Miguel repositioned herself on the couch, and picked up what resembled a remote, though it was far more complicated. She flicked through a couple of channels, which were each immediately dubbed "boring", before Daniel's voice called out for her to come and see something. She turned off the screen and followed the same path Daniel had taken to a room that resembled the cockpit of a plane.

"New bounty?" She asked, not caring.
"Sorta. Some rich brat on Mobius got kidnapped, and his parents are willing to pay bucket-loads to get him back." Only Miguel could have discerned the proud look on Daniel's blank face. "I've been specially requested."

"And I care because...?"
"Security cameras caught a picture of the kidnapper." She turned the screen in front of her so that Miguel could see it, and the effect was immediate. Her eyes bugged out and she looked almost as if she were about to explode. The picture on the screen showed a young, but strong, man, late teens to early twenties, carrying an unconscious boy slung over his shoulder. His frame was neither heavy, nor light, but sturdy. His blue hair masked his eyes, and his ears were covered by a set of huge purple headphones. His sleeveless jacket had a high collar that covered his chin, but, if you tried, you could just make out his mouth. The lips curled back into a psychotic grin, revealing sharp, pointed teeth, but what was most disturbing was the trail of smoke bubbling forth from the corner.

"ORVILLE RAQOON!? Are you insane!?" She grabbed her head with both hands, trying to control herself. "What on Mobius would possess you to go after the fire-breathing, hell-bound, demon spawn of Gideon Raqoon, most feared pirate in the whole
damn universe?!"

For the first time in a long, long while, Daniel's mouth split into a smile, and her eyes danced with excitement. This was the challenge she had been looking for, and Miguel knew it. There would be no talking her down off of this ledge. In fact, Daniel was already keying a course into the computer. Overhead, the giant screens which simulated windows turned on, revealing the abysmal depths of black space, pock-marked with little stars. They would soon be on their way to Mobius, "the lucky planet".

"I'm gonna die. Goodbye sweet world! It was nice while it lasted!" Wherever Daniel went, Miguel went too.

Description
The room was well lit, and might have had a homey feel, but no amount of bright colors could distract from the metal walls and steel-grate floors. No planning, no forethought had gone into a design. Two old mis-matched couches dominated the space, one facing the hall, and the other facing a large screen set into the wall. There was an old wooden table, and a cheery floor rug that seemed direly out of place.

The screen was currently showing some sort of news program that was studied intently by one of the girls seated on the main couch. Her face might have been pretty if she had cared about that kind of thing, and if it wasn't always locked into the same stoic expression of passive distaste. The other girl had languidly stretched her body over the length of the couch, her legs falling in the other's lap, and her head lolling, upside down, off the other end.

Unlike her friend, this girl was a knock-out. Her clothes were fashionable, and accented the curves of her body nicely. She looked ready for a rave, and attended such gatherings often. The fact that the serious girl was dressed so that she resembled a new-age cowboy brought them both into the apparent theme of the room, which was its lack of a theme. As if that wasn't enough, the "cute" girl acted more like a boy. The way she ate, the way she moved, even in the way she spoke. So it was with a gruff voice that her lips finally parted and ushered forth a childish whine.

"Daaaaaanyyyyy! I'm bored!" Daniel ignored her, and continued to watch the screen. "Come on! We've been sitting here for days now, doing nothing." She drew out the last word into each individual syllable to better express her irritation on the subject. However, she was once again ignored. Daniel seemed fixated on the screen.

"You just brought in a huge bounty, your third biggest ever! Let's celebrate! Go blow some cash on Islade Sol? Surf, sand, suckers to con outta their dough. Doesn't that sound great?" She paused for an answer, and didn't have long to wait.

"Fifth."
"What?"
"It was my fifth biggest bounty ever, Miguel."

Miguel laboriously drew herself up so that she might inspect her long-time cohort. You could see the progression of emotions in her face as she slowly realized what was going on in the other girl's head. A disbelieving scowl cut itself through her features.

"Good lord, she's restless already!" She addressed the room in general. "I'm not going to get my well-deserved R&R until she goes and bludgeons those violent tendencies out on some poor sap who won't know what hit him, and then what? I'll get stuck cleaning the blood outta her stupid little outfit!" Daniel didn't mind the comment, her clothes didn't mean a thing to her. She didn't even bother to remind Miguel that Nancy did all the cleaning.

It was possible that Miguel might have continued to complain, had not a loud beep sounded all around them. It wasn't an alarming beep, but that kind that notifies you when something requires attention. Daniel rose, dumping Miguel's legs out of her lap (something she didn't altogether appreciate), and walked down the hallway with the same metal walls, the grating beneath her feet rattling all the way.

Miguel repositioned herself on the couch, and picked up what resembled a remote, though it was far more complicated. She flicked through a couple of channels, which were each immediately dubbed "boring", before Daniel's voice called out for her to come and see something. She turned off the screen and followed the same path Daniel had taken to a room that resembled the cockpit of a plane.

"New bounty?" She asked, not caring.
"Sorta. Some rich brat on Mobius got kidnapped, and his parents are willing to pay bucket-loads to get him back." Only Miguel could have discerned the proud look on Daniel's blank face. "I've been specially requested."

"And I care because...?"
"Security cameras caught a picture of the kidnapper." She turned the screen in front of her so that Miguel could see it, and the effect was immediate. Her eyes bugged out and she looked almost as if she were about to explode. The picture on the screen showed a young, but strong, man, late teens to early twenties, carrying an unconscious boy slung over his shoulder. His frame was neither heavy, nor light, but sturdy. His blue hair masked his eyes, and his ears were covered by a set of huge purple headphones. His sleeveless jacket had a high collar that covered his chin, but, if you tried, you could just make out his mouth. The lips curled back into a psychotic grin, revealing sharp, pointed teeth, but what was most disturbing was the trail of smoke bubbling forth from the corner.

"ORVILLE RAQOON!? Are you insane!?" She grabbed her head with both hands, trying to control herself. "What on Mobius would possess you to go after the fire-breathing, hell-bound, demon spawn of Gideon Raqoon, most feared pirate in the whole
damn universe?!"

For the first time in a long, long while, Daniel's mouth split into a smile, and her eyes danced with excitement. This was the challenge she had been looking for, and Miguel knew it. There would be no talking her down off of this ledge. In fact, Daniel was already keying a course into the computer. Overhead, the giant screens which simulated windows turned on, revealing the abysmal depths of black space, pock-marked with little stars. They would soon be on their way to Mobius, "the lucky planet".

"I'm gonna die. Goodbye sweet world! It was nice while it lasted!" Wherever Daniel went, Miguel went too.