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

[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.

[wicked_west]

Elphie hugged Chistery closer to herself, determined not to scream or show just how scared she actually was. But Chistery was looking pretty freaked out too. The two of them were hiding their heads with their eyes tight shut while Ford seemed to be having the time of his life. It wasn't like the cars back at the Hotel. And it wasn't like the broom.

[got_his_towel]

Still laughing, Ford glanced over at Elphie to see her clinging to the monkey. He frowned slightly.

"What's wrong? We're free now."

[wicked_west]

"Nothing's wrong!" she called, her voice muffled in Chistery's fur. "It's all good. Chistery's just scared is all."

[got_his_towel]

He looked at the monkey for a moment, then, in a slow and deliberate tone said "Monkey. WE. ARE. FREE. NOW."

[wicked_west]

Chistery looked over at him for a moment and then glared. "Free fray froo!!" he chittered before pushing himself out of Elphie's arms and perching on the back of the chair.

Having nothing to hold now, Elphie pretended to be perfectly fine with what was happening. It was actually easier now that they were out in open space. Ford also tended to not notice subtleties which made hiding the fear better.

"You're very good at flying," she offered finally.

[got_his_towel]

Ford grinned and did a few little swoops to celebrate. And maybe show off a little.

"Now we find a beach!" he declared.

[wicked_west]

Well, he had stopped asking questions. Elphie turned a darker shade of green and clutched the arms of her chair, agreeing with him.

"Yes, a beach. I'm sure it'll be lovely."