» Chasing Tomorrow | | Seeking Benevolence

[Phi Chisym]

View attachment 14524

Another person had stepped beside her. At first, Shawnee only noticed the extra shadow, but quickly concluded that is was another female by the sound of her steps when she entered the cafe, and that was before she began to speak about the LifeCHANGE card.
Shawnee was about to say something, but all of a sudden a video lit up above the unoccupied counter and a voice announced everyone's answers. They were in the right place after all… Well, sort of.

"Please enter the vehicle within the next five minutes. If you are not within the vehicle by that time, you will lose your chance at the lottery. There are 11 total attendees. Please hurry."

So, there is a vehicle sitting outside. Shawnee wouldn't have seen it, but would have heard it if it just drove up. So, she figured the vehicle's been sitting out there ever since her arrival. Well, after hearing the announcement, and knowing it would be slightly difficult for her to see where she's going in the dark, Shawnee quickly grabbed her things and turned towards the two ladies she was talking too.

"Um, I'm sorry to ask, but could one of you guide me to the vehicle." Her laser cane extended from her hand to indicate why she would request something so odd. "It's impossible for me to see well at night, especially without enough light around." She prepared herself for what may come and hoped for the best.

 

[Ib]

The voice was louder than what was pleasant to her ears at the moment. She had been so used to the quiet chatting that the radio had startled her. Celia sat upright now, blinking as she listened to instructions, a tiny smile flickering across her lips as she heard someone would have to pilot the thing. She knew she could do it. Her uncle had been a pilot, after all. She cautiously stowed her guitar under the floor, then stood. A small surge of confidence sent a temor through her heart. She looked toward the front of their transportation, seeing a door that was marked "PILOT." She glanced quickly at the others, then took five big strides towards the sliding door. She tugged it open quickly before slipping her thin figure through the entrance, closing the door behind her. Celia tugged at the headset around her neck - a nervous habit.

Taking a seat, she looked around the controls. It looked like a normal plane, but so very much more flashy. She took a deep breath, then let it out as she looked at the clock. In five minutes we leave. Hmm. She ran a hand through her hair, then took her headset off, plugging it into the plane's dash. she threw it back on her ears and brought the microphone down to her lips. She bit her lip, looking around for a button that would turn the loud speaker on.

 

[Shavynel]

 "No, you're not late." With those words, Nika felt more relieved, certain that this stranger was in charge, but a second later, she was uncertain again. "At least, I believe you're not. And, I am unaware of a vehicle outside, but if there is one it is probably for us." The cloudy-eyed woman didn't even know about the car outside. Well, Nika wasn't sure it was a car either, but it had wheels and people had been climbing into it. "You're here for LifeCHANGE too? I'm Shawnee, by the way. Not quite sure how many are here for this thing, but the party's not all it's cracked up to be so far."

Nika looked out the window to show Shawnee the car, but she only saw the reflection of the cafe in the glass. And before she could say anything more, the screen changed and a voice came on. Finally, authority, although it was a bit mysterious. Five minutes. 11 people. Get in the car.

[color=#ffcff]"Um, I'm sorry to ask, but could one of you guide me to the vehicle." What? Oh. Nika stared at the laser cane for a second without responding. [color=#ffcff]"It's impossible for me to see well at night, especially without enough light around."[/color] So Shawnee couldn't see? That would explain some things, but Nika wasn't entirely sure how to process the information besides providing the needed help. That much she could figure out how to respond to. There were occasional handicapped people who wanted tours, and she had pushed plenty of them through. It couldn't possibly be too different, right?

"I'm Nika," she said reaching out to catch Shawnee's hand. It might have been a shake before the request, but that wasn't quite her intention now. "And I'll help you out. Let's go." With that, Nika guided Shawnee toward the door. As soon as they stepped out, Nika paused slightly to snap open her umbrella with her free hand. They had five minutes, which should be enough time, except she wasn't actually sure how much help blind people needed. Had someone helped Shawnee here? And if so, where were they now? That probably wasn't an appropriate question.

"Curb down," she said, as she stepped down, looking both ways down the empty street, and then down at the actual street trying to pick out a path that didn't have too many puddles. "And up," she said when they got to the other side. When they got to the vehicle, Nika wasn't quite sure what to do, but she was sure she'd need hands. She shut her umbrella and dropped Shawnee's hand in order to open the door. After tossing her umbrella in, she reached for Shawnee's hand again. "Uh, it's a big step -- climb -- up. This was probably the trickiest part, but eventually both of them ended up in the ... whatever it was. Nika wasn't certain calling it a car was remotely correct.

Once inside, Mr. Alexsworth's voice directed them. He wanted them to operate it? Oh dear. Nika looked at Shawnee and then at their surroundings and at the people aleady there. A blind person wouldn't be any help with driving so maybe food? Nika knew how to deal with dinners at least, and frozen meals were easy. No chopping, so maybe it would work out. "Let' go to the back, maybe?" she suggested and waited a half second for any dissent from he new companion. Maybe she shouldn't drag the blind everywhere, but she figured she couldn't just leave Shawnee somewhere. In any case, Nika made her way toward the back where she assumed the kitchen was. Right outside the unit were some seats, which Nika pointed out as well in case Shawnee just wasn't into frozen meals.[/color]

 

[Pirogeth]

The radio eventually stopped spitting orders at Fredrick. It was amazing that Alexsworth was so intuitive he even set up a localized all frequency transmitter for those in their cars. There was only one thing he could blurt out wrapping his head around the situation, "Cheeky bastard." He sat there in his truck pondering about the situation for awhile. Should he stay or should he take a chance? On one hand there was a chance to really turn his life around, start controlling life than life control him. But then again, there was the awkwardness of getting into the vehicle full of people. Even his chance at going solo was snatched up by a would-be pilot. What if there was only one person out of them that could receive whatever grand prize the organizer had? He knew his heart couldn't take it away from some of the people there.

The questions stirred in his mind, he could feel his heart wrenching from side to side as if the shoulder deities had gone to war in his chest. In times like these Fredrick remembered his father, Michael Irmon, who always said, "Son if you find yourself at a crossroads the important thing is to just screw it and pick one." Not as majestic as in the books and articles he read but definitely words to live by. His clock had ticked another minute and in that time he opened his door. He was careful to relock everything hoping the gangsters around wouldn't touch the thing, but he knew a few of them in this area, ones that respected he kept out of their business. Before exiting he grabbed a brown trench coat from the back along with the card. He also put on his ragged hat that sat in the back. Exiting he looked like he came straight out of an old fifties detective program.

By the time he was at the door of this obscure looking vehicle the water was pouring off of his hat. He made sure to time it so he got inside the same time the other passengers from the café got in. Hopefully he slipped in somewhat unnoticed, he didn't like starting up meaningless conversation, although his curiosity would more than likely get the better of him once again.

 

[Phi Chisym]

View attachment 14531

Shawnee was grateful that someone was kind enough to assist her, but...wow! This Nika girl was either seriously not accustomed to aiding a visually impaired person, was in a rush to get to the vehicle....or is an older sibling to a handful of spoiled brothers and sisters. She dragged her by the hand, keeping her alert to any obstetrical that may cause her harm. It was - amusing, to say the least, and effective, but she was concerned that the one who was helping here was one of 'those goody goodies' who like to help for nothing more than fulfilling their own self-worth. She wasn't going to start tagging all these people just yet. She wanted to get to know them first, and then assess. Shawnee exhaled when they made it to the vehicle safely, but that wasn't the end of this interesting paring.

Once they had finally made it into the vehicle (LifeCHANCE could had provided a step stool, or built some freaking stairs on this thing), she knew there was no turning back.

The bright lights of the interior of the vehicle was like a beacon of relief to her. She blinked happily, looking around to read all the new tones and highlights of grey and several tints of heavily washed out colors. There were more bodies, more people of various heights, sizes, weights...ages, sitting and/or standing around the cramped compartment - which sort of resembled a small jet body. The voice that was calling out orders in the cafe was doing the same here as well - over the extremely loud sound system. They could tack on her list of issues being deaf too after listening to that blaring.

A need for tasks to be fulfilled was announced. In order for this 'lucky' group to begin their journey, their first step was to drive this strange vehicle to point B, and provide whatever necessities required to do so.

"Thank you so for helpwhoaaaa!" Her words of gratitude didn't get a chance to pass her lips.

"Let' go to the back, maybe?"

Again, Nika escorted her to the back where, wouldn't you know it, this sardine can on wheels has a kitchen.

"Okay, why would they provide a vehicle with a kitchen," Shawnee opened up one of the cabinets, "fully supplied with food and all the trimmings? Makes you wonder how long this trip's going to take."

She removed her jacket and dropped her bag on the floor near one of the restaurant-like booth and table set. Then she began to dig into the refrigerator, just being as nosing as she can be. "So, are we on kitchen duty?" she asked with a smile, wondering just what Nika was thinking now after she's rummaged through the place like someone with 20/20 vision. She gave a understanding smile, "Sorry, I'm partially blind; can only see lights, shadows, and a few tints of colors in good light. Thank you for helping me in the dark."

 

[Asmodeus]

Reality TV show... should have guessed.

So their first challenge was to fly a plane? A tad extreme, but with so many shows on the market Gunnridge supposed they needed a gimmick. What better than making the cast cooperate in a near-death experience? Although he did wonder how the producers covered the legal side of things. It certainly wasn't a Health and Safety conscious challenge, and given the American penchant for sueing anything with a pulse, it was a wonder it had gotten the go-ahead at all.

Oh well. It's worth a stab. He couldn't count on his British accent alone to save him from the first eviction vote.

"Okay..." he said, clearing his throat, "So can anyone 'ere pilot a pla....aaaaaaane...?" The word trailed off as he watched Celia stand up, walk into the cockpit, and close the door without talking to anyone. "Fair enough..."

Another two had gone to the kitchen at the back.

So much for working together.

Neither the lone girl in the cockpit or the two going to the back had made any indication that they wanted company. So Gunnridge remained in the passenger compartment and stooped to open one of the floor compartments. He was already slipping off his coat. "Everyone chuck us yer wet coats and boots. I'll get 'em stowed."

 

[DawnsLight]

No one else here seemed much in the mood for talking, so Lana turned her attention to the singular male presence among them. He wasn't bad looking in her opinion, even if he did seem a little awkward. The man's accented speech was something of a surprise when he spoke and waved his card about soggily and despite the thick cockney she understood him well enough. If she could understand the broken English and rapid Spanish of a noisy kitchen well enough, accented English in a small, quiet compartment was simple.

Flashing a smile, she pulled a crumpled and sauce-spotted card of her own from her pocket. "Hey, yeah! So at least I'm not the only one wh-"

Lana was abruptly cut off by the arrival and subsequent greeting of a pretty younger woman with... a stuffed toy? Trying to school her features back into those of a friendly greeting as she extended a hand to both welcome and help the new girl in. "I'm Lana. If these guys don't start with introductions soon, I'm going to start assigning nicknames." She said teasingly, a playful grin on her face. "Cersily? That's a neat name." She was still nervous, but the oddball nature of her fellow passengers was strangely reassuring. She let herself relax a little.

Until a booming voice came over the vehicle's PA system and made her jump embarrassingly. Lana listened with interest, until her eyes began to grow wide with shock. She hadn't been planning on this being an extended trip; she hadn't even brought a purse with her much less something for overnight or longer. Two other women were climbing in while the announcement was being made and they moved to the back of the craft to the kitchen. She watched them go, nervously fidgeting with her hands. Anxiety washed over her.

Who's going to look after mom? I mean, yeah I took some time off for this but I didn't think it would be quite so involved. I hadn't thought I would be flying anywhere, that's for damn sure. Lana's thoughts raced. But reason and hope won out: this was their chance to not have to worry about all of those things anymore. Mom would be fine in the hospital. She could call eventually to let her know everything was alright.

With a little shrug and a sideways smile, Lana shucked her too-large leather jacket and handed it off to the Englishman. "Thanks Sid," She joked quietly, not expecting him or anyone else to really get it. Lana was happy to laugh at her own jokes, whatever that said about her. In her off-the-shoulder tank top her 3/4 length tattoo sleeves were now almost fully visible. With hope that the kitchen compartment wasn't too small for three and trying not to stress too much about the shrinking violet guitarist taking the cockpit, she meandered after the two newest women.

 

[Ib]

Beep...beep...beep... Celia looked to the right as a light began to flash. She looked to the clock; it was almost time. Biting her lip, she began to wring her hands. I wonder if anyone else wants to pilot? Or if someone wants to copilot? Celia sat there for a few seconds, trying to decide whether or not she should ask for another being to join her. Finally, she stood, the rush of courage she had now gone. She stepped back to the door, sliding it open. She noticed that people were still coming in, while others were back in the kitchen compartment. The only people that were in the main seating compartment were in conversation, so she simply took a pad of paper from her pocket and a pen from the cockpit, then wrote, "COPILOT NEEDED. JOIN ME.Celia nodded to herself as she posted it on the door. She slipped back into the cockpit, taking a seat once more. She began the mandatory procedures, checking the gauges to ensure things would go smoothly.

 

[Torsty]

"Hi! I'm Lars, but please call me Thomas!"

After the announcement in the cafe Lars had followed the main crowd over to their destinated vehicle, right behind the blind woman and her escort. Now he was shaking hands with every new person that he could find, trying to remember their names.

"Sid? Is that really your real name?!" Almost bursted out laughing at Mark.

The englishman replied with a blank stare back at him.

"Haha! I get it, american joke!..Thanks!" He added as he rushed off before handing his jacket to Mark. 'Isn't this just TOO AWESOME??' Lars thought while he was inspecting the kitchen-area. "It's like we're in a giant DeLorean, about to take off for some epic adventure!" he said out loud to no one in particular. All along his grand first tour of the ship he had his trusty gopro in his hand. Bringing along his chesty* would make it so much easier for him to capture as much of the trip as possible.

Lars hadn't noticed the commotion Celia was causing in the cockpit-area before he went down in that part of the "van" to check out the pad note.

'WHAAAAAAT??!'

"SO SOMEBODY'S ALREADY IN THERE?!" He turned to Lana and Mark for an answer, but proceeded to open the door to the cockpit to have a look for himself before they had the chance to.

He almost ran at Celia, even though there was little space for that kind of activity in the cockpit, shook her hand and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Lars, but please call me Thomas! I'll be filming as much as I can of our trip. I understand you've taken the responsibility to be our pilot for this epic journey!" Lars fiddled with the camera as he zoomed in on her face before he tacked on a question.

"What is your name, and what are your thoughts about our current situation?"

'That should get enough material out of her, as a starting-point.' For now he had to try and get an introduction from each and everyone before he could calm down to write a more detailed schedule. He was hyped, so very very hyped.



​* See attachment.

 

[Shavynel]

 "Makes you wonder how long this trip's going to take."

That was a good question. Nika hadn't thought about why they would need this much food, but it was certainly a valid point. With any hope, they would make it back before the first of the month. She didn't really want to think about finding yet another new apartment. That kind of sucked the first time. But wait ... Nika turned to look at the woman she had guided across the street and helped into the car-plane. Hadn't she not been able to see? What was this whole dance?

"So, are we on kitchen duty?"

"Obviously," she mumbled absentmindedly. It was her word of choice when she wasn't quite sure what to say. And then she revised, "Um, yeah, kitchen." Sometimes she forgot 'obviously' wasn't always taken as a joke, especially since she was now among people she didn't know. And after that, she remembered her manners and stopped staring. She unlatched a new cabinet and tried her best to catalog its contents. Really, though, her attention was still mostly on Shawnee as the once-blind woman discovered another refridgerator.

"Sorry, I'm partially blind; can only see lights, shadows a few tints of colors in good light. Thank you for helping me in the dark."

"O-oh." Well didn't she feel dumb? But at least that mystery was solved. It was like that awkward moment when her college roommate told her she was bi. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to the new information other than that she knew she was supposed to be accepting, but what did that even mean? Maybe she should just ignore it and respond to the first part about kitchen duty.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good with food, I think. Never done this frozen food business, though. I mean, I guess, if you don't want to do it, that makes sense."

And then she realized maybe Shawnee would think she didn't want her here anymore. Ugh.

 

[Ib]

Celia sat back down in the pilot's chair, taking a deep breath. She looked around the dash until she finally found the bright orange PA button. Straightening out her mic, she leaned forward to press the button when she was suddenly bombarded with words and hand shakes and all sorts of awkward contact for her. She blushed bright red, blinking and attempting to figure out why the hell this person had barged in all of a sudden. She supposed she did have the note up on the door, but this person had a camera on him. That's odd. I've never seen a person wear a camera. It's kinda creepy. What happens if he has his camera on and he walks into the bathroom thinking no one's there and... Eew.

"Hi, I'm Lars, but please call me Thomas! I'll be filming as much as I can of our trip. I understand you've taken the responsibility to be our pilot for this epic journey!" Celia nodded slightly, soaking in the information as the man said everything in rapid succession. Lars? What an interesting name. Surely he'll make a good acquaintance. They say people with irregular names are always of the interesting sort.

"What is your name, and what are your thoughts about our current situation?"

"M-my name?" She was still slightly shaken up from the abrupt introduction. She winced slightly as he zoomed in. Does he have to zoom in so close? It's kinda scary, and I hate cameras! "My name is Celia Daemon." She was more quiet than normal, seeing as there was a camera staring her down. "I think the current situation is something of a mess with everyone trying to scramble onto the plane. It's kinda crowded. We don't even know if this is a scam or not. For all we know, we might be heading to our doom." She bit her lip, then smiled a little bit. "But I honestly doubt that. Hopefully, this is really a chance for us to fulfill our dreams. Who knows." Grinning a bit more, she turned and sat down once more, hitting the button.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Tee hee!" She couldn't help but giggle as she made the announcement. It sounded silly in her timid, quiet voice. "We are now preparing for take off. Please take a seat within the next thirty seconds; I'll let you know when it's safe to move about the plane." Grinning more, she checked the gauges one more time, looking to see if everything was in order. As soon as she was sure they were prepared, she stared at the clock.

Only thirty seconds, Celia.

 

[Phi Chisym]

View attachment 14716

"Sorry, I'm partially blind; can only see lights, shadows, and a few tints of colors in good light. Thank you for helping me in the dark."

"O-oh."

There was an awkward silence, registering the information and deciding what to say next… Shawnee was so keen on those certain unconscious silent sounds that she could almost smell the smoke billowing out of people's ears and hear the gears churning in people's minds to come up with what to say, or how to behave towards someone like her. Frankly, she would have done the same thing if the shoes were switched. No matter, it made her smile. By this time, another person would have ignored her presence rather than attempt the simplest act of kindness and brotherly respect.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good with food, I think. Never done this frozen food business, though. I mean, I guess, if you don't want to do it, that makes sense."

Shawnee lightly chuckled, chalking up the comment as pure nervousness, "It's not that hard, compared to cooking a four-course meal – which I cannot do, even if I had the eyes for it." She glanced in the freezer…Well, 'glance' is not the right word to describe how she did this, but she stuck her head in the freezer to find a package (it felt like one at least) and pull it out. Closely, very closely, she looked at the image on the package.

"Um, this one's a family size chicken and potatoes dinner. If you look at the directions, we can figure out how to prepare the package and how long to heat it up."

She handed the package to Nika and pulled out another that had a similar blurry shape on the front. "Um, how many people are on this thing? I think I heard about 9 or 10 different voices and footsteps…"

'Isn't this just TOO AWESOME??' Shawnee was cut off by a new voice, very expressive and…hyped about this whole quest."It's like we're in a giant DeLorean, about to take off for some epic adventure!" The voice trailed off as he left.

Shawnee covered her laughter at the fanatic display. "Okay, make that 11 people on board. So, if the total serving amount is 12 or more, then we're all good. If not, I'll look to see if there's another box."

She hoped she wasn't being too forward or too bossy, but sometimes it's best to just show a person that you're not as handicapped as her first impression may show. When it came to frozen dinners, Shawnee wasn't too bad, as long as someone was able to read the directions… She nonchalantly shook her head, thinking how ironic it was for her to kick Jack out the door, fearing she wouldn't be able to survive without him. So far, she wasn't doing that bad.

"Now, where in the hell is the microwave?"

 

[Hydronine]

Cersily nodded and smiled at the woman who had spoke to her as she got on, she paused to shake her hand while she spoke. "My name's Cersily, it's nice to meet you." She offered and grinned a bit at the response. She didn't expect for everything to suddenly just up and... get a bit chaotic. People going to different places to try and help, and she felt a little out of place, unsure of what to do. Some had gone to the "cockpit"?... they had a cockpit.... this was somewhat unbelievable. And a kitchen too, apparently.

One of the passengers seemed to be running around with a camera strapped to his... chest? Odd.

So what else was left that they might need to do?

One of the other passengers was saying to chuck off their wet coats and whatnot so he could stow them, and she quietly shed the wet fuffy boa she wore and thick, chunky-heeled boots she had been wearing and passed it over with a smile. "Thank you." She spoke and then looked around once more. "Oh, my name's Cersily, it's nice to meet you!" She spoke to the man who had offered to take the coats and boots, who had spoken with an accent, though it didn't make it hard to understand him.

Then someone came one intercom and told them that they were the pilot. She had told them to take a seat, and Cersily wandered back to a seat, hugging the green plush cat to her chest.

"Um... I get a little frightened of heights, anyone know if there's anything I can tipple back here?" She asked, looked at everyone in view.

Just a tipple... not drinking, she reminded herself before trying to wick the water from the plush, looking down at it. Stupid, sweet boyfriend. How could he be so nice to her after all the stress she put him through...

"On second thought, alcohol might not be needed." She smiled, hugging the toy. "So.... where are we even heading? What in the world is this gonna lead to?" She questioned.

 

[Sakura]

The plane took off. The gentle hum of the engine exploded into a massive noise as it spun ahead onto the street, racing past the empty buildings. It gathered speed as it did so, preparing for lift off. In Celia's hand's the control wheel began to vibrate, shaking as she pulled it back, allowing the plane tilt upwards. The wheels expanded into miniature wings. From the doors, long airplane wings unfolded into the sky as it took off. The contraption managed to shoot up, past the rain, into the clouds.

If Lars hadn't strapped into the copilot seat by now, he would've gone catapulting through the open cockpit door and against one of the seats out back. Hopefully, this wasn't the case.

Celia could feel the pressure on the control wheel all the way until they reached the right altitude. Inside the cockpit, lights were going off. Various temperature readings, estimations and pressure gauges were giving her information. They were steady now, travelling at normal speeds despite the pouring rain. Visibility was low, but the GPS was directing her towards a specific spot.

A large projection screen slowly came down from the front of the passenger area. On it, there was a map of their route. From New York City, they were flying en route to Venice, Italy, their first destination. The little red dots indicated possible 'trouble' along the route. The map legend explained nothing else. Red dots were trouble, black dashes were the route. It was interactive, though. You could tap the screen and zoom into the places. Kind of like a touch-screen google Earth.

In the back, handling the food, Shawnee and Nika would find packages of frozen foods, labelled with what was inside. There was tons of food, to last more than a day, or perhaps just overstocked. On the lower end of the 'kitchen' cabinets, there was a silver looking cabinet that was a built-in-microwave. There were trays stacked in the upper shelves to serve food, and a separate compartment for drinks. It seemed like everything was somehow encompassed into little squares in the wall.

Once they were in the air, the seat-belts sign went off, allowing the passengers to move around once again. Almost immediately, from the overhead compartments, little red strings dropped down. Each string also had a tag attached to it with a name on it. Everyone would find their own. If they pulled the string, down came a map and a number. The number would pair up individuals to work together in Venice to find what was on the map, the instructions stated, think of it like an adventure, but also a chance to grow. Alexsworth was a strange man.

 

[Phi Chisym]

View attachment 16134

After the plane took off and the overhead light announced that it was safe to move about, Shawnee continued to help Nika with the meals. Soon, everything was done and she stepped to the sitting area to announce dinner will be served. As she stepped forward, she took the time to get to know the few faces she didn't know, using all of her senses to separate each of them by the tones of their voice, the strength of their handshake, and the scent of their perfume or aftershave.

A few people were curious about her eyes, which brought on the explanation of her inability to see clearly. She didn't mind explaining. It was better than people just staring at her with a dumbfounded, or disgusted look on their faces. She respected the ones who wanted to understand. Ignorance in this situation was irritating and an insult.

While she was going through the introduction thing, the overhead compartments shot out little red strings with a tag attached to it. Inspecting the closest one to her, Shawnee noticed that it held a name.

"Oh, these are personalized," she announced as she stepped away from the one she found. "This one belongs to...Celia? Does anyone know where she is?" That was a name she hadn't met yet. "If anyone comes across mine, please let me know."

 

[Ib]

Celia couldn't help but laugh aloud, the splendid feeling about her was something most fascinating. She looked about at the gauges, reassuring herself over and over again that she was doing everything right. She couldn't help but be slightly worried about her broken guitar, stowed in the main part of the plane, but those thoughts were shoved brutally into the back of her mind by the racing adrenaline and excitement in her veins. She watched as the seat belt sign flicked itself over automatically, making it easy for her to continue flying this wonderful contraption that she had decidedly started calling, "The Plus." It was "plane" and "bus" together, therefore making it, "Plus."

"This one belongs to...Celia? Does anyone know where she is?"

Celia's head turned back at her name. She glanced back a moment before putting the Plus on autopilot. She flicked a few switches, then stood, watching as the gauges stayed steady still, even after her hands had left the controls. She removed the headset from her head, setting it down in the pilot's chair. Turning to look back at whoever had said her name, she made her way back into the main area. "Celia? That's me." She looked about until she saw the lovely lady holding her string. "Sorry, I was piloting. What's that?" She walked to where the woman stood, looking at the peculiar red string she held in her fingers. Celia would occasionally look back to the cockpit, glancing at the gauges to make sure things were going correct. She hadn't the slightest clue what the string was for, and she was anxious to pull it and see what happened.