Don't Touch (Open)

[Hollie Clarke]

Hollie had been on the ship for a month now, but had barely left her office. It had taken her a long while to set everything up just how she liked it, and familiarise herself with the computer systems. Will Blake, the Chief Engineer, had poked his head in a couple of times, but he understood her need to do it all herself, he just wanted to make sure she wasn't making any drastic changes... and she understood that too. Despite a slightly bumpy start, Will seemed nice enough, even if she heard him ripping people a new one from across the hall. He didn't treat her any differently, and she didn't get under his feet. His English accent was funny on her ears.

She'd met a few of the other crew members as well; some of the people in Medical for a check up when she first arrived, Penn was a quiet but good guy, and she'd stumbled across two of the tactical officers in the gym. They sounded like they got on like a house on fire, and wanted to jump each others' bones at any given moment. Ben sounded like he'd be good fun to hang out with, Anna certainly thought he was amazing.

Hollie escaped her office for an hour to banter with the chef and get some freshly cooked vegetable lasagne - not a vegetarian, but it tasted so good - then headed back, using her laser pen for guidance. The laser pen was an amazing invention, the closer she got to a surface - wall, door, window, person - it vibrated harder, so she didn't bump into anything. She'd already walked the route a couple of dozen times so she knew precisely where she was going, but it was handy just in case anyone got in the way.

Opening the door to her office, she slipped back inside and plopped down in her chair, pulling the hair band from her wrist with her teeth, then she pulled her hair back out of her face. Then she reached for her head phones only to clutch at air. "Uh." She could have sworn she left them hanging over the edge of her screen. In fact, no, she had left them there. She always left everything exactly where she could find it. Damn it! "Who the freaking hell moved my ear phones?!"

[karen2]

Despite the fact that Ben hadn't exactly met the Computer Specialist, a blonde woman by the name Hollie Sampson, he'd already pulled one of his "welcoming pranks" on her. Judging by the email she'd sent him, she hadn't exactly found it amusing, and so he was on his way to return the earphones he'd taken from her office.

He knocked on her door, and when there was no answer pushed the door open a crack so that he could peek inside. Aside from a collection of quietly humming machinery, the room was empty. Hollie had probably gone for a bite to eat or something. Glancing down at the earphones in his hand, Ben shrugged and decided he might as well wait for her to return.

Stepping inside, he looked around, idly studying the consoles that made little-to-no sense to him. He was a weapons-man, computers--in his case--were a lost cause. It was then that he spotted the other earphones that Hollie had complained about in her email. Considering the fact that she couldn't see, she'd probably made a point of leaving them where they were, and what would be a better way to announce his presence than to get her mad? Getting people mad was the only thing he was good at besides playing with guns, after all.

Smirking a little, he meandered over to the computer and snatched up the earphones before retreating to the opposite corner of the room to wait for her return. He didn't have to wait long before There was the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, and he watched as Hollie went over to pick up her earphones from where she'd left them, only to find they weren't there.

"Sheesh, no need to shout," Ben laughed, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder to let her know where he was, "I have a delivery for you, after all." Presently he pulled her better set of earphones from his pocket and placed them in her hand. "I believe this is the package you ordered?"

[Hollie Clarke]

Hollie almost jumped out of her seat when she heard Ben's deep voice come from behind her, his hand on her shoulder keeping her down. How the hell had she not heard him when she entered? Usually she could hear people breathing, even over the hum of the machines in her office, but this time she'd been completely oblivious. Now her heart was pounding and she had to take a few deep breaths to stop herself from exploding.

When she'd emailed Ben demanding that he give her the earphones back, she'd half expected him not to follow through. Obviously he'd found it amusing to play a prank on the new girl, regardless of her disability. In fact, he'd played to her weakness, the clever ass. The fact that she was blind wasn't usually a problem in most situations, unless someone like Ben came in and started messing with her like that.

Hollie felt him slide her earphones into her hand. "Oh, so you do follow through," she said, shaking her head as she put her earphones down on her desk where she would pick them up again later. "I was beginning to think I would have to come up to you after all, even after my sarcasm laced request." She smirked in his general direction, patting his hand.

"You do realise I will have to get revenge at some point, don't you?" told him, swivelling her chair found to face him, her eyes unfocused, "I've had a fair amount of practice. Ask any of the women at my old foster home. Two of them quit because they couldn't hack it." She grinned, "think you're up to my enslaught?"

[karen2]

Apparently Ben had startled Hollie, because she practically made an attempt to hit the ceiling when he spoke. He considered apologizing, but that would probably just piss her off, and he'd already done more than enough to annoy her. And so instead he simply waited for her to get a hold of herself and calm down, watching as her expression changed to one of mildly-incredulous disbelief.

"Just because I'm a jerk doesn't mean I'm not an--occasionally, anyway--honest jerk. I can tell the truth if I so wish. I just usually choose not to is all. You just so happened to catch me on one of my good days." Which was largely on account to spending a good portion of the morning with Anna, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

He couldn't help but grin when Hollie smirked at him, and when she delivered her threat a good-natured chuckle slipped out. "Finally! Someone to contend with! I've been so deprived lately. Bring it on, girl!" She sounded like she would be his equal, by the way she was talking. That could prove to be fun, save for the few unfortunate crew-members who would doubtlessly get in their way.

[Hollie Clarke]

"This is one of your good days?" Hollie said, shaking her head a little, "let me guess, yesterday was one of your mischievous days? I'm surprised Anna doesn't have you on a tighter leash. Does she know what havoc you wreak when she's not looking," she paused, "oh God, you didn't prank your girlfriend, did you?" Pranksters knew when people were up for pranks, and when they weren't. Sometimes they just chose to ignore the signs and prank them anyway for the hell of it.

She was amused however that he owned up to being a jerk. She would have taken pretty much anything else in good grace, but stealing her headphones wasn't on; she needed them to hear feedback from the computer, otherwise she was completely lost, and she hated feeling like that. "I was going to go for asshole," she quipped, "but jerk works just as well."

"Oh, you are so on Benjamin," she said, "you won't know what hit you!" She beamed, already concocting plans in her head. "Maybe when I'm done with you, if you're still standing, we can combine our efforts against the rest of the crew," she suggested, "after all Halloween is fast approaching, and who doesn't love pranks at halloween, hmm? It goes so well with a side of candy."

[karen2]

"How do you think we met?" Ben laughed in honest reply to Hollie's question about him pranking his girlfriend. If he hadn't messed with Anna's tea that day, there were chances that the two of them never would have gotten together. Thinking about it now, it was an almost disturbing thought.

Hollie called him an asshole then, and he snorted. "Fair enough. I've been called worse--I mean, I'm not exactly a saint." And apparently, she wasn't either. She seemed to be talking quite in earnest when she told him that he was done for. This would be fun.

"Now there's an idea," he agreed considering to her next remark, letting her jibe slide off. "Combining our efforts... what a fascinating outcome that would have. If you're as good as you say you are, add that to as good as I know I am and we could concoct the prank of the millennium."

[Hollie Clarke]

”Oh my God,” Hollie face palmed, before laughing herself. They were brought together over him pranking her? Wow. Then again, the first guy she’d been with, they’d met by him tossing her laser pen out the window, and her dumping her drink over his head, so she was a fine one to talk. ”Well, good luck to you there,” she said, shaking her head a little, ”word to the wise, pranking her again may have the opposite effect.”

Hollie chuckled, he took her insult in good grace. ”Neither am I.” He seemed to like her idea about the Halloween prank, which made her grin. Good. It was good having someone on board who wasn’t afraid to join in on things like this. And he was right, they could make this the best prank that they had both pulled off in their lives. On a ship this size, pranking the whole crew would be epic.

”Good to have you on board, Braun,” she said with a wide smile. ”I know another couple of people we could read in on it as allies, to help us pull it off if need be.” Ollie had proven already that he was a whiz on the computer, like her, and she’d heard that Will had pulled off his fair share of pranks in his time, and had control of the whole ship, so he would come in handy. ”The bigger the better, yes? I’m thinking, a haunting.” Oh, this was going to be so much fun.