The uniformed woman lets out a "Hmh", studying the datapad again. "So you're traveling for work? Who are you working for?" she asks, eyes back on Jessica. Meanwhile, the other guard starts opening up her bags, digging through the contents.
#Arcturus – July 28, 2025
Jessica draws in a breath of air that would undoubtedly come across as slightly perturbed. Seems that even when she's trying she can't seem to shake the bitchiness. "I am returning from work." she clarifies, her annoyed gaze turning towards the guard who has decided to start invading her privacy. Frustration beating back any concern for the moment, the scowl on her face deepens and she turns her attention back to the woman questioning
her. "The company was called Redrock." she explains, offering up no more than is asked of her. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other and giving a small tilt of her head and lift of her brow, as if to ask, 'Any more stupid questions?'
The guard ignores Jessica's attitude, double-checking something on her tablet. "Never heard of them..." she mumbles, reading while Jessica's clothes are scattered about the bag on the conveyor. "Aite, huh? Pretty out of the way. Dangerous out there, isn't it? Why not look for something closer to home?" The question is asked casually, without looking up from the tablet. It's hard to tell where exactly it falls on the line between small talk and
Jessica's attention is pulled back to the conveyor belt and a look flashes across her face that's probably familiar to Yan Sun by now. She's about to lay into the guard scattering her things about. But the mention of 'Aite' seems to serve as a reminder of just how close to the sun they're flying right now so she bites down on her frustration, once more turning back to the woman questioning her. "Mmm?" she hums in annoyance before giving
a shrug. "I am wanting to travel and they are paying a lot." she says. Simple as that. "Why? You are looking for a better job?" She presents the question as sincere, but it comes with an undeniable tinge of satisfaction judging by the smirk that tugs at the corner of her lips.
The woman snorts, not seeming particularly bothered. "With what you hear on the news about the geth out there? No thanks," she says with a look at Jessica, and then she glances off to the other guard, who's just finished up, and nods. "But... pretty sure you're not robot in disguise, so... carry on, ma'am. Safe travels." With that, Jessica is gestured to move ahead, and both of them turn their attention to the next traveler. Judging by the
Jessica frowns, muttering something under hear breath and passing an icy stare Yan Sun's way as she steps over to the conveyor belt. She wastes little time in stuffing her things back into her bag with little method to her repacking. A disorganized mess will have to do for now. Not that her bag was much more than that before the guard emptied it out, but it's the principle! It was her disorganized mess! She shoots the guard one
final scowl before shrugging her bag back onto her shoulder and grabbing the handle of her crate to rejoin Yan Sun.
Yan Sun watches restlessly, adjusting the strap on her duffel bag a few times too many. She flashes Jessica a relieved smile when she finally rejoins her. "What was that about?"
Jessica comes to a stop beside Yan Sun and shoots another look back over her shoulder towards the checkpoint. "They are fucks." she says, as if that explains everything. "They touch all of my shit."
Yan Sun snorts quietly, hand brushing briefly against Jessica's arm as she leans in closer, shooting a quick glance past her towards the guards. "Yeah..." she agrees. "But you got in. Nicely done," she whispers with a smile and a wink.
Jessica steps in closer, small smile crossing her lips. "Mmm." she hums in agreement. "I tell to them that I am not the one sneaking all of the shit in. That it is you." she explains with a nonchalant shrug, "So they let me go."
Yan Sun rolls her eyes, casting a brief glance around the security check area and then pressing a quick kiss to Jessica's lips before starting to move towards the opening that will lead to the rest of the spaceport proper, pulling her along. "Come on, let's get out of here."
Jessica's annoying smile grows a bit and she leans into the kiss, the irritation of the checkpoint seemingly already behind her. With one of the larger hurdles of their journey behind them, an weight seems to slip from her shoulders and she bumps Yan Sun playfully as she's tugged along. "Where we are going now? Mmm?"
Yan Sun , too, seems relieved, tension lifted as they pass through one last hallway. "Well, we've got a few hours to kill before the flight to Earth, so..."
Their path soon opens up into the central gallery of the Arcturus commercial spaceport. A wide-open space following the arc of the central hub of the station. The far wall is all glass, many stories high, offering a panoramic view of the space outside - the outer ring of the station, the gleaming stars, and a plethora of ships of all shapes and sizes, civilian and military both. The near wall is lined with various shops - electronics, clothes,
alcohol, shuttle rentals, toys, paper books, it's a varied collection that stretches on out of view. The ground floor is crowded, full of travelers. Most are human, but there's some aliens too - most look like tourists, families probably on their way to see Earth, and a few look like they're on business trips. A group of asari in intricate robes look to be some kind of religious missionaries. The humans run the gamut. Chatty groups of friends,
families with screaming kids, people in sharp suits cutting through the crowds. Solo travelers with earphones in, lost in their own worlds. Exhausted folks napping on benches, bored people playing games on their omni-tools. A wealthy couple chatting and shopping. A group of marines in blue fatigues dragging bulky cases. A confused old lady asking a passerby for directions. The crowd goes on and on, always moving. Up above, elevated walkways are
lined with restaurants. Cafés and fast food, all manner of chains. Stairs lead up there at regular intervals. Big holo-displays in the air above show arrivals and departures in big lists, and signs are scattered about pointing the way to various gates, as well as to bathrooms, and exits to the rest of the station. Over the speaker system announcements blare, blending easily into the noise of the crowd unless you pay attention.
Yan Sun shrugs. "I was thinking we could grab some food and find a good spot to sit and do some shipwatching? But if you wanna check out the stores, we can do that too. What do you think?" she asks, looking Jessica's way and giving her hand a squeeze.
Jessica's attention darts this way and that as the hallway opens up to the enormous central gallery. Her pace slows, looking ever the tourist herself once more. Yan Sun's question draws her gaze, brows furrowing. "Mmm?" she hums before the question sets in and she gives a quick nod of her head, trying to conceal just how much of a fish out of water she is. "Mmm." she repeats, this time in affirmation. "I am sooo fucking hungry!"
Yan Sun doesn't seem very fazed by what's in the spaceport itself, nor does she pick up on Jessica's feelings, nodding and leading the way up the nearest stair. A mass effect-assisted rail makes it easy to bring the armor crate up without much effort. There's no shortage of different food places lining the elevated walkway, each with seats along the railing that offer a view of the crowd below and space outside. There's cafés, burger places,
sushi, burritos, gyros, sandwich places, sports bars, pizza... options abound, although the establishments skew decidedly human. "What do you feel like?"
Jessica's gaze scans across the many signs advertising the wide assortment of food on offer as they crest the top of the staircase. Plenty of familiarity to choose from, but some of the options are just as alien to her as they probably are to the asari missionaries down below. She makes a show of looking around as she idly fiddles with the strap of her bag, and considers for a moment simply choosing something familiar. But she didn't
just travel across the galaxy to eat pizza or a burger so, ultimately, she gives a small shrug of her shoulders, looking back to Yan Sun as a grin tugs at the edge of her lips. "What is something you are wanting ever since you leave Earth?" she asks, turning the decision back on Yan Sun. "Mmm? Something that you could not get on Aite?"
Yan Sun seems a little caught off-guard by the question, expression sobering a little as her gaze scans across the various establishments - and glides past them to the windows, as if she could see Earth from here. "...curry fishballs," she lands on after considering the question, but she's quick to add: "But even if we could find that here, it wouldn't be the same as back home."
Jessica's grin slips a bit. "Curry fishballs...?" she considers, frown settling in. "Okay, then how about-..." she contemplates the options for a moment before gesturing towards a sign displaying a delicious-looking gyro. Her gaze turns back to Yan Sun. "We can save the fishie's balls for when we are on Earth, yes?" she asks. She's never had fish testicles before. Wasn't even aware fish had testicles, truth be told. But it never hurts