A cold shiver runs down Sev's back as her gaze meets Fumika's. It took all of her willpower not to bail out there and then, and go hide in Eva's room again. She could tell right there that she didn't like this girl- and something told her the feeling was mutual.
"Y-yes...A pleasure to meet you as w-"
She stopped dead in her tracks as the small girl muttered the name. She stared dumbly for a moment, then looked at the ground, a wave of regret and guilt overcoming her again.
"No...not Vixen, little one, not even close." she muttered, not locking eyes with any of the three girls. How could I have tried to take her from this?
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Evangeline, sensing Sev was struggling - and despite the cat's earlier protests - rests her hand gently on Sev's cheek and softy massages her skin, running her fingers through Sev's fur. She puts a slight pressure on Sev's cheek to bring her gaze up from the floor to meet her own, a warm smile crossing her face.
What it means to be friends is that you can be forgiven for mistakes made. I told you from the moment I decided so that you are worth forgiving.
Isn't that right, Fumika?
Evangeline's sudden change of tone decidedly imposing over her employee.
Fumika, standing firm and confident as her previous life as corporate noblesse taught her, responds immediately, her voice direct and emotionless.
Yes. I understand.
Evangeline smiles again and ushers herself forward down the empty hallway, beckoning Fumika to follow her, still with the sleeping child in her arms.
Sev still shied away from the touch, but only after a second of the touch, instead of immediately. Shaking her head, she quietly cursed herself for getting carried away.
"Can you please stop doing that?" She said to Eva, a slightly pleading look in her eyes. "It really doesn't help me think..."
Shrugging slightly and adjusting the thick coat, followed Eva and Fumika.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Evangeline retreats her arm back to her side, a vague sense of disappointment in her expression. She, silently, starts walking down the hallway. Misaka and Fumika take up their places beside her, leaving Sev to walk behind the group.
Evangeline leads the way to the cargo bay of the ship, a small transport ship bearing a dilapidated green paint job being stored within.
Without hesitation she jumps up the small ladder sitting underneath the olive-green freighter, rolls the central cargo bay door open with an external wheel and climbs in. A moment later a small elevator platform built into the underbelly of the ship drops down to floor level, the base only large enough for two or three people at the most.
Evangeline speaks from inside the gap left by the descended platform.
Sev blinks, stepping up onto the lift and looking into the darkness above her. This ship was much like one of her transports, and for a moment she could almost imagine all her sisters there with her...
She was jolted from her thoughts from the sudden realisation. hold onto the rail.
Quickly she grasped the metal railing, looking up into the gap above.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Evangeline presses a button within the freighter and the platform suddenly jerks upwards. The chain links on the four corners retract into the belly of the ship, each winding into their respective holsters with a metallic, repetitive clunk as each link rides over the teeth of the cogs.
Once fully raised, the platform again jerks to a sudden stop as the airtight seals surrounding it lock shut.
Evangeline, standing beside the platform within the cargo hold, carries a small control box whose wires run to the gear drive for the platforms' lifting chains.
Sev steps forward, looking around the hold of the ship. It was suited for a junker, not exactly the cleanest thing.
Walking up beside Eva, she let out a small 'huh'.
"Well...this is nice."
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Evangeline presses another button on the bulky, hazard-yellow control box and the elevator returns to the floor outside, emitting the same mechanical noises as it did prior.
In much the same manner as with Sev, Evangeline retrieves the rest of the girls outside in due course, everyone eventually accumulating in the cargo bay. The small girl that Fumika was carrying had woken up at some point and was standing - albeit blurry-eyed and half conscious - next to her gallant, proud chaperone, joining her on the ride up to the shuttle.
Once the last person had been brought aboard Evangeline sunk to the floor and manually switched a bright orange lever embedded next to the elevator, the entire platform lifting slightly as the airtight seals were compressed under its' edges, the upper surface now level with the floor and only locatable by the strip of black-and-yellow hazard tape around its' edges.
A noticeable modification to the freighter's otherwise humble cargo bay was the addition of a number of seats backed against one wall, each fitted with a seatbelt. The cargo bay itself was only barely high enough to occupy the taller Fumika without forcing her to crouch over and, being only about twice as wide as it was high; the extra seating capacity nullified nearly all of the ship's normal cargo carrying capacity. Further to that the little remaining space was, much like every other vessel under Evangeline's control, stacked with miscellaneous metallic objects.
It's been converted into a taxi, as you can see. We use it to move around planetside because, probably obviously, that salvage frigate can't fly in the atmosphere.
Take a seat, Sev, this thing gets a bit rough at times.
Fumika, Misaka and Sakura take up respective positions amongst the row of seating, leaving Evangeline to step through the airlock at one end, taking her to the cockpit.
There end up being only two empty seats... and both of them are next to Fumika.
Sev sighed and mentally scolded herself for not sitting sooner, and took the seat between Misaka and Fumika, she looked directly forward, not speaking or even looking at the girl.
Fumbling with the seatbelt for a moment, she locked it into place, sitting back and adjusting the clothing which seemed to be uncomfortable over her undersuit.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
![[Image: DatAssSig.gif]](http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn23/beyer_garratt/Discovery%20Freelancer/DatAssSig.gif)