(no subject)

[aimedforthemoon]

from here:

Esfir leads Cal into to her room and shuts the door behind them. Her room has changed from the last time he was here - she's been building bookcases, and even though one is incomplete with tools and pieces of wood on the floor, the room looks more homey.

On the wall is pin-up board, complete with both black-and-white and colour photographs of her old life, but the model aircraft are gone from her desk.

"Um, mind the mess."

Comments

[isaysimplewords]

. . . oh.

Well, of course. Even straight men go for Han Solo.

"He probably doesn't know yet, then," Cal assures her. "I mean, he's not a dick."

[aimedforthemoon]

"Yes, he is. He is a pilot. An arrogant, charming flyboy, and I know the type. Girl in each port, you know?




So I shouldn't be surprised."

[isaysimplewords]

Yeah, there isn't a single part of that that Cal, who regularly indulged himself with political groupies with a wife at home and a mistress in an apartment he paid for, can argue with. He knows the behavior well.

He tries another angle.

"Well, you're much prettier than she is." It has the benefit of being the honest truth, as far as Cal is concerned.

[aimedforthemoon]

That gets a choked laugh.

"Thank you."

[isaysimplewords]

Cal puts an arm around her shoulders and gives her a gentle squeeze.

"You're welcome."

It's not even a come-on.

[aimedforthemoon]

She sighs and presses a hand to her eye.

"Well, at least I know. I have time to come up with something witty to say."

[isaysimplewords]

Cal grins. "That's right. Now you get to come up with just the right thing to say to knock him on his ass. Not a lot of people get to do that." He is glad he could help.

[aimedforthemoon]

"Brilliant! Except I am...so bad at that."

[isaysimplewords]

"You'll figure something out," Cal says. "You've got a way with words when you want to."

[aimedforthemoon]

"Comforting."

Beat.

"There are also aliens that are like wlaking fish."

[isaysimplewords]

Cal nods. "Yeah, they've got some interesting ones," he says. Especially when you're high.

[aimedforthemoon]

"Yes. I...managed to keep a straight face until I got here."

She is very much not joking, either.

[isaysimplewords]

Cal laughs. "It must have been a hell of a surprise. That's a lot better than I would have managed."

[aimedforthemoon]

"I'm from Soviet Union. If you can't cope with odd things, you don't last very long."

She's smiling as she says it, though.

[isaysimplewords]

Cal laughs. "Yeah? When do they cover the fish aliens? Third grade or so?"

[aimedforthemoon]

"Other odd things. Beside, I did not go to school."

[isaysimplewords]

"How'd you learn what you need to know to be an astronaut, then?" Cal asks. You have to start at the beginning to understand all that stuff, right?

[aimedforthemoon]

"When I was selected, they taught me. Before that, was flight school, and before that...mostly, my aunt taught me. Then she called in a favour with a professor."

[isaysimplewords]

"How'd they pick you?" Cal asks.

[aimedforthemoon]

"They said they were looking for volunteers for something. I was at a loose end, had a feeling it was something to do with the space race, so I...stepped forward and apparently met all the criteria."

[isaysimplewords]

Cal smiles. "That's cool. Good for you."

[aimedforthemoon]

She smiles back.

"And then to show how grateful they were, we were packed off to a secret site where we had to hitchhike. But it...it was very good time."

[isaysimplewords]

"Hitchhike?" Cal asks. "Like, to get back?"

[aimedforthemoon]

Now it's a grin.

"Oh, no. Everywhere. Star City is a little town, so it takes time to walk or run across it. Quicker to hitchhike."

[isaysimplewords]

"Oh. Wow," Cal says brilliantly. "What'd you do there?"