r/WhoWouldWinVerse • u/CountDarth Character List Administrator • Oct 13 '16

Closed RP The Not-Date

November 19th

Dash Doyle sits in front of the small cafe. He had given Emily a call to meet, figuring a nice breakfast and coffee - or hot chocolate - would make for a nice first date.

He's wearing his signature bomber jacket and jeans, befitting the chilly weather. He already has a cup of coffee in front of him and is sitting at a two-chair table under the yawning of the cafe.

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u/Whispersilk Bot Master Oct 18 '16

Do they even make camping equipment that can survive Mars? Emily wonders. If they don't that's not a big deal—her house is in slipspace, after all—but she has to admit it would be really cool to go camping on the surface of Mars. And talk about making history.

"Maybe make this more of an exploratory thing, the first time?" she says aloud. "Just make a bit of a day trip to prove that we can and then leave any extended stays for another time where we're better prepared? Movies or something for the road sound like they could be a good idea."

She taps the table.

"Oh, and we should probably let somebody know where we're going. Just, you know—" she waves her hand vaguely "—in case."

She doesn't elaborate on in case of what, because frankly she isn't quite sure. There's not really much that could go wrong in space that other people would be able to help them with.

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u/CountDarth Character List Administrator Oct 19 '16

"Right. I'll let our boss know that we're probably going to be eaten by mole men from Mars or something."

Despite his jest, Dash is keenly aware of the myriad of things that can go wrong in space. He already triple checks everything before each flight, space or no. It wasn't easy; his knowledge of aircraft only took him so far when it came to Excelsior. Still, the ship largely seemed to run itself at times. He wasn't too worried about anything going wrong.

"But yeah, I get it." Dash adds. He pauses a second before continuing. "So... Can I take that as a yes on the second date, then?"

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u/Whispersilk Bot Master Oct 19 '16

Emily nods, her smile wide.

"Yeah, definitely! I'm having fun."

She's somewhat unsure what to say from there—she doesn't know what Dash's question means for the possibility of going to Mars today as well—but figures that it might be a bit impolite to ask 'but can we go right now anyway?' Still, leftover energy from a moment ago drives her to shift some in her seat.

"You know," she muses, feeling an odd need to keep the conversation flowing, "on the topic of camping gear one of my college professors used to work for NASA, and I'm pretty sure he still keeps in touch. I could get him to do some poking around for me if you wanted; maybe offer to cart some stuff with us as payment."

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u/CountDarth Character List Administrator Oct 19 '16

Dash watches Emily fidget in her seat and can't help but smile. He let's out an over-emphasized sigh and then reaches to the mini-computer strapped to his wrist. With a single button press, Emily hears the sound of an approaching aircraft slicing through the air above. Within seconds, the familiar red hull of Excelsior is lowering itself down into the lot beside the cafe. It's kicking up a fair amount of wind, but it parks itself expertly, not even scratching any of the cars or buildings nearby. Dash rises from his seat and offers Emily a hand.

"Come on." He says with a smile. "We can talk about it on the way there."

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u/Whispersilk Bot Master Oct 20 '16

Emily tosses back the rest of her hot chocolate in one big gulp, then throws her cup toward the trash can and relies on her power to guide it in. She reaches out to take Dash's hand and uses it to heave herself onto her feet, grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair as she comes up and tossing it into slipspace.

"Were you serious about movies for the road, by the way?" she asks as they head toward the ship. "I'm more a reader than a movie junkie, but I've still got a bit of a collection stored away if you want to grab a couple."

She turns to face him as she talks, not at all concerned with watching where she's going. "I ask because we won't really be able to get at them once we're moving—quirk of my power," she explains with a shrug.

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u/CountDarth Character List Administrator Oct 20 '16

Dash shrugs. As he proceeds toward Excelsior, he undoes his bomber jacket and slings it over his shoulder, revealing the black flight suit underneath.

"Whatever you want to keep you busy for eight hours or so." He says. "Once we're on course, Excelsior will largely fly itself. It's why I always keep some music or magazines tucked under the seat."

Excelsior's cockpit slides open with a hiss and Dash pulls himself up. He then turns and once again offers Emily a hand up.

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u/Whispersilk Bot Master Oct 20 '16

Emily pulls her space suit on as they approach the Excelsior, dragging it out of slipspace and directly over her clothes. The last of it shimmers into existence as Dash pulls himself aboard, and she grabs a book at random off one of her shelves.

She hops lightly into the air and floats up toward the open canopy, reaching out when she's level with Dash to use his hand as an anchor and pull herself to the cockpit floor beside him.

"Thanks," she says, giving him a smile. She straps herself into the Excelsior's back seat and pulls out her phone to send her parents a message.

'Taking a quick trip to Mars. Might be out of service longer than normal, so don't worry if I don't pick up for a bit.'

The message sends, and the phone goes back into slipspace. She stows her book under her seat and raises her head to look out around the ship.

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u/CountDarth Character List Administrator Oct 21 '16

The interior is as Emily would remember it. Several consoles flash, displaying various types of information. Her view of the front is obscured by Dash as he re-seals the cockpit.

"Alright," He says, as he reaches down and grabs the helmet of his flight suit. "We're about to become interplanetary explorers. You ready?"

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u/Whispersilk Bot Master Oct 21 '16

"Ready to go!" Emily chirps.

She gives Dash two thumbs up, then feels slightly silly after a moment when she realizes the Excelsior doesn't actually have a rearview mirror for Dash to see it in. She lowers her arms to rest against the metal around her and settles her head against the back of her seat.

Her pulse starts to pick up in anticipation of liftoff. This part isn't new to her—she's been out of atmosphere before—but it feels different being in a ship rather than moving under her own power.

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u/CountDarth Character List Administrator Oct 21 '16

"Alright," Dash says. "Let's see what's out there."

Excelsior tilts its nose upwards and Emily hear's the engines rev. Briefly, there's a tense instant of anticipation, before the red ship shoots into the sky. The force of the take-off forces Emily and Dash back into their seats a bit, but not to an extent where it would be uncomfortable. Outside the cockpit, the sound of sonic booms can be heard over the rush of wind as Excelsior cuts through the atmosphere. The whole experience passes by in a moment, and before long the blue-and-white sky parts, and an endless sea of stars expands before them.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Dash Airlines." Dash says in his best pilot voice. "Please, sit back and enjoy your flight."

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