Escape [PSL]

[wicked_west]

Elphie had been asleep without Ford or the Chistery. Once she'd disappeared from him that one day, she stayed away. But today of all days, he was banging on her door. Him and the monkey. And he was hollering something about a ship and if she wasn't the witch anymore to follow him.

Elphie threw on the nearest dress... her flowered one... and grabbed all her scarves. She left the broom behind.

"What do you mean a ship?" the former witch asked as she opened the door.

Comments

I'm working six days a week while I train another manager! I'm ALWAYS late! :P

[got_his_towel]

... This isn't a planet. You want to stay on a spaceport?

Re: I'm working six days a week while I train another manager! I'm ALWAYS late! :P

[wicked_west]

"It's not? Then we should go to a planet." Elphie didn't really know what she was saying. This was all new Ford. Remember? She'd only been in that Oz place and then in the hotel?

[got_his_towel]

"Yes. And not one around here," Ford said with a nod. "Come on. Let's head to the docking platform and see what our options are."

[wicked_west]

"Right. OK..." Elphie finished up her food and saved what she could from Chistery's for later. "Lead the way," she added calmly preparing herself for whatever was about to happen next.

[got_his_towel]

"No... no... no... definitely not...." Ford ticked off ships as they passed them, sparing each little more than a passing glance.

[wicked_west]

The ships all looked fine to her. Seriously, what was he looking for?

"What's wrong with that one?" she asked as they passed the tenth ship.

[got_his_towel]

"Too slow," Ford said. He glanced at the next few, ticking them off likewise "No... no... no..." He stopped suddenly. "This one," he said, stepping towards it, looking for a catch to open the hatch. It was a much smaller ship, but one designed for interstellar flight. And if he could steal it, they wouldn't have to hitchhike.....

[wicked_west]

Elphie regarded the ship with a look of slight disgust. All the other ones looked nice and big and safe. Not that she knew what safe was on a spaceship. But this one was very odd. And as she was trying to figure out calculations in her head, things weren't adding up right.

"But... wouldn't there be more room and even food for us on one of those bigger ships?"

[got_his_towel]

"But they're no fun!" Ford protested. He finally got the catch to release. "Come on. Get in," he said with a grin. He'd be having a look around the cargo hold to see what provisions they had before they left.

[wicked_west]

Chistery happily entered the ship as though he was meant to be there the entire time. Elphie entered a bit more hesitantly. Fun was well and good, but so was safe.

"What sort of ship is it?" she asked as she walked in. Always good to know this sort of stuff.

[got_his_towel]

"It's a cruiser," Ford told her. "A small one." He went to the back of the ship and poked around in the cargo hold. "With food."

[wicked_west]

"It is rather small. How are we to fit here with the rest of the crew?" Chistery had no reserves, however, and instead happily went in looking around.

[got_his_towel]

Ford gave her a confused look. "The rest of what crew?" he asked.

[wicked_west]

"The people it belongs to?" She's starting to get the picture that maybe there is no rest of the crew.

[got_his_towel]

"It's ours now," Ford clarified, starting to flick some switches on the control panel.

[wicked_west]

"Oh."

She thinks about it for a second and finally decides she's OK with that.

"Will you teach me to fly it?"

[got_his_towel]

"Of course!" Ford agreed enthusiastically. "But not the monkey."

[wicked_west]

"No... Chistery probably wouldn't be a good driver. Flyer. Well... he's a great flyer. Just not of this thing."

[got_his_towel]

"We can teach him to cook and he can run the galley," Ford said reasonably, nodding over his shoulder to a small station by the supply cupboard. "And if we ever decide to charter guests, we'd have the only monkey chef as a selling point."

[wicked_west]

"We could always try," she shrugged as she looked over at the monkey. She didn't think he'd be much of a chef either, but they could try.

[got_his_towel]

"Or he could be a butler. Like, a monkey butler in space," Ford explained with some excitement. "People would like that too."

[wicked_west]

"A butler. He'd make a very good monkey butler! Excellent idea Ford."

She grins as she sits down into the chair next to his and buckles up.

"Come here Chistery. We want to be ready for whatever happens..."

[got_his_towel]

"Monkeys have a long history of being funny," Ford said sagely, hitting the combination that would take them out of the dock. "That has to be a useful skill."

[wicked_west]

"You keep telling me that," she says with a smile.

Chistery climbed into her arms and babbled incoherently. Elphie didn't listen though. She was too busy watching Ford hit the different buttons and her ears were perked for any signs that they weren't going to get away with what they were doing.

[got_his_towel]

Ford typed in a fake authorization code and took off. He knew how long it would take them to realize. He'd done this before.

They soon cruised out into free space.

"Wheeeeeeee!" he cried as they passed the range of the station's tractor beam.