Cino frantically graced his gloved hands over the hovering control panel as a number of holograms appeared before him informing him of the ship's status. His emerald green eyes shifted from left to right as he quickly tried to assess the situation. What had happened? It seemed like only a minute passed and the ship went completely haywire. The last thing he remembered was a rather bright light that had appeared right when the ever echoing scream of Sin howled into the sky. Luckily his ship was fine then, but now it was another story. He brushed his hand across the keyboard as he inputted a few new commands before a few of the holograms began to dissappear. The extremely iritating siren had stopped and the ship seemed to be calming down finally. Brining up a few more menus, Cino soon brought up a view below. It was Luca just like he saw it last...except on a view screen. Checking over a few more minor status bars, he was satisfied that the ship had stablized. With a low dull hum, the ship came about and began to slow down. Cino took this time to get up from his main control seat and inspect the others which would have more detailed information. It would've been a lot easier had he a full crew, however it was just him...but damn he was good at what he did. He could manage a ship all by himself? Hah! Such a child prodigy and you know it! It only took minutes to inspect the other screens and strangely enough found nothing wrong. Perhaps there was something physically wrong with the ship? Yeah that had to be it.

Taking a seat back in the control seat, Cino slowly tilted two of the handles down towards Luca. The ship made a groan as it turned down towards the city and soon found itself relatively close to the buildings themselves. Looking out from the large cockpit, Cino could see a bit of the bustle from the City, he loved Luca for some strange reason, however he never took the time to actually think of why. Shrugging his shoulders, he steered the ship towards the normal landing bays, however to his suprise all of the 'high' class docking areas were filled. This would mean he would have to take the ship down into the less...'nice' areas of Luca. Something he didn't want to do, but then again who would steal or do anything to this ship? It wasn't worth it. The down town area of Luca had a few open docks as Cino brought the ship down. Satisfied hearing the hiss of the pressure release and the clank of the landing gear, Cino jumped out of the seat and exited the bridge through the familiar sliding doors. The winding hallways brought him down to a large ramp which had already extended down to the ground.

Walking down the ramp rather quickly, his coat almost became trapped on the grating from the ramp. This caught him off guard as he stumbled slightly before regaining his pace and placing his feet on concrete. The admission booth was only a number of feet away where he would have to put in for the day at least. Checking the ship's exterior would be time consuming and would take a bit...which he was all for doing right away. Walking to the booth, a young woman stood behind it with a bright smile. "Give me...3 days here." He rumuged around the inside of his coat pockets producing a small brown pouch of gil before placing it on the counter and leaving before the woman could say anything. He didn't have time right now, however as he was walking back, something had hit him. His stomach to be exact. He hadn't eaten in...what 2 days now? With only liquids to sustain him, getting something solid might be a good idea. He didn't want to pass out on the job now did he? He made an instant turn around as he walked off the docking area and into one of the city's numerous welcome arches. Glancing around, he didn't know where to even begin...there were so many choices.

Kiriku found the slums of Luca more homely now she'd been there so long. at first it had been strange being in sucha different environment to her home back in the Calm Lands. The business had father had run meant she'd never been in need of anything. Now though... it seemed she was always in need of something.

Still, that ws life. and this was a good lesson. One that taught her she would have to go from the bottom up to attain her life goal - be the damn'd best Machina expert in all of Spira. And she was going to achieve it, one way or another. So Luca was the busiest city, with the busiest ports which meant she got business. Not from the high-brow noble people who visited or lived, but enough business, most of the time, to sustain herself.

It was as she was about to give up of a rather rusted sheet of machina that she chanced a look at the nearby port, in time to see a rather weather worn ship coming into land. Her attention piqued, Kiriku left the item she was working on to one side and took off at a run to the port. Old ships were always something to be interested by. And though she'd only glimpsed it, she could quite easily tell this ship was out of date. By a lot.

She arrived in time to see the owner - or at least he must have been the owner - briefly survey the ships shassy and then go to the booth to request to stay. She didn't hear how long for... but an oppertunity like this was one she couldn't miss. The red head owner traipsed passed her, and Kiriku followed at a quiet and safe distance. she wanted to assess the situation. He was probably armed, most people were nowadays - in fact it was plain stupidity if you weren't, especially in this area of Luca - so surprising him probably would have landed her with some kind of wound.

Speeding up a little, afraid to lose the owner, Kiriku noticed he stopped suddenly. Something had obviously grabbed him. He was looking around, he seemed a little lost.

Taking her chance, Kiriku closed the gap and came up to his side. "So..." she murmured, holding her hands behind her back, "the ship that just landed... are you its owner?"

((Uuuhmm... I hope this is okay... >.>))

(Its fine ^^)

Cino heard a soft voice behind him. Immediatly he had his hand on the hilt of his sword which he kept hidden under his coat. He was ready just in case, however the voice continued to ask about his ship. He turned his head slowly to catch a girl out of the corner of his eye. She seemed younger than him by a few years, however not too much. By the looks of it, she seemed to be Al Bhed, given her clothing and hair. No wonder she was half way interested in the ship.

"What if I was?" Cino shrugged his shoulders while keeping her in the corner of his eyes. He wondered where this girl came from and why she was asking about the ship. Scratch that, he was just wondering where she came from. Once again he heard his stomach give a low rumble. Not eating was seriously starting to take a bit of a toll on his health. The girl didn't seem all that bad...perhaps just interested on working on the ship. After all it was a bit dull looking on the outside. Jobs were sometimes hard to come by for the Al Bhed given the faith of most people. Perhaps he'd help the poor girl out, after all he knew what it was like in her position. To be honest, being a child prodigy at airships wasn't exactly a blessing all the time.

Feeling he didn't even have time to talk while his stomach bothered him he motioned for the girl to follow him. He'd at least treat her to a lunch, after all she did look a bit hungry herself. Walking out into the coutyard, he looked around to the various pubs and diners before choosing a rather quaint one with a wooden sign. There were only a handful of people at the bar and quite a number of open seats. The lights that hung dimly lit the bar area, however the other tables were highlighted by the bright sun and sky windows. Taking a seat at one of the tables, he waited for the girl, that is if she was going to join him.

Kiriku almost readied herself to run. approaching anyone could be a dangerous thing in the slums. If they were new comers they could be uneasy and attack wildly, worried about being targetted and mugged. If they were old hands, and were in the slums plenty, those people would be happy to turn around and rob someone blind.

However hearing the red-head's low rumbled words, Kiriku resisted her fight or flight instinct. It didn't seem like he was going to attack her. he was looking at her, that much she would tell, though it was more a sideways glance than an actual look to register her appearance or who she was. It was a peripheral vision look. She was used to it. Al Bhed weren't exactly looked too kindly upon. "I was curious because..." Kiriku trailed off, observing as he walked away in the direction of the courtyard.

He beckoned her to follow. Kiriku stepped tentatively, and that hurried after him to follow... she wasn't sure this was a good idea. But she wouldn't know if she didn't try. Besides, if he tried anything she could defend herself. At least she could defend herself enough to get away.

She followed into the pub he had picked and took a moment to register the building and the other people. No one she knew... that could work against her. But in plain view of the passers-by, that could easily work for her. She was about eighty sure she was safe so followed and took a seat. Usually she would have removed her wrist armour, but because she didn't know if she'd have to make a quick getaway or not she didn't go to the hassle.

"I was curious about your ship." Kiriku stated, not wanting to beat around. "I only glimpsed it but it looks like its been through the wars a bit... not to mention the model looks kind of ancient." She paused, toying with a strand of blonde hair, "what's its history?"

A waitress brought two glasses of water and set them down on the table before leaving. Cino took note of it, however didn't bother to acknowledge the waitress yet. She seemed busy with other tables and people coming in. "Ancient?" Cino raised an eyebrow as he looked at the girl with his full attention. His rather light pink hair caught him first. From what he recalled he kept the ship in rather good condition, he had only gotten it what...a year or so ago? Why was she saying it was ancient? He was quite sure airships didn't go out of style that quickly. "I've only had it a year and kept it in good shape." He brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes before focusing on the girl once again.

"Of course...it might not help that I'm the only one maintaining it." He rolled his eyes slightly as he took the glass in his gloved hand. Slowly rotating the glass, he stared at it out of boredom for a moment before finally taking a sip from it and setting it down. He drew his full attention to the girl finally, looking at her eyes which were a deep green, a darker color than his emerald eyes. Her bright orange shirt was something that he saw Al Bhed wear quite frequently. "What do you have in mind exactly?" She obviously wanted to get down to business, so he would as well.

Kiriku glanced at the waitress when she brought the glasses. She wasn't particular thirsty... hungry yes, thirsty not to much, but took a sip from the glass away. She listened to the man as she continued to survey the area, easily accessable places to escape and the such, in case things turned unpleasant.

"A year?" Kiriku repeated, putting the glass down and beginning to tap the sides of the tumbler with her fingernails, "what, is it second hand or something?" she asked. It sounded more incredulous than she had meant the question to sound. She was just amazed. He'd had that ship a year. It looked like it had had a few knocks, but the model itself was old. You still saw a few of them knocking around, but not as many as a few years ago - maybe this traveller couldn't afford a new ship, and that was why he was being a little evasive about it.

He continued to spek, mentioning being the only one maintaining the ship. Though surprised, Kiriku schooled her expression. It wasn't rare for travellers to be one to a ship... but it was common either. But the lack of on hand help would explain the condition of the ship - especially if he wasn't especially well versed in Machina care.

She smiled a little as he levelled her eyes a gaze. His eyes would have made her think he was Al Bhed on first glance, but they were missing the swirling pupil, and his hair wasn't blond, so he couldn't have been. He had the eyes for it though. "Glad you get straight down to business." Kiriku murmured, "I have a proposition... you're on your own, on a ship that looks like it could use some serious TLC - I'm pretty good with Machina... if I do say so myself." She fiddled with the armour on her wrist as she continued, "so... my proposition is that I take on the maintainance of your ship, in return for room, board, passage... whatever. That's my charge."

Kiriku leaned back a little. Usually she wouldn't have been so forthwright about something like this. Usually she wouldn't have offered her services on a plate like this (and rarely would she do it for nothing). But the idea of working on an old airship, and fixing it up, and being able oto travel and see more in the way of growing technology and Machina was too much of a temptation.

Cino gave a bit of a disgruntled look as she seemed to scoff at the ship even though it was only a year old. Did all the Al Bhed think Machina went out of 'fashion' so quickly? Apparently so, however he quickly shook off the feeling. He felt he had done completely fine handling the ship. Oh well, the Al Bhed probably knew more about them right? He watched as she looked back at him, with a business like look, yet with a smile. He could already tell what the girl was looking for.

Work. She was probably trying to support herself while in the slum area of Luca. He gave the girl credit for being so eager to look for potential clients. He had to admit though, he was a potential client for landing in such an area...although it wasn't his choice. He arched an eyebrow slightly at the girl's proposition. It wasn't money she was after, but room and board on his ship? That was quite odd, even for an Al Bhed. He circled the top of his glass with his hand thinking about it. Before he could open his mouth, the waitress had come back, obviously intent on getting an order.

"I'll take your house pasta...with some of the honey tea." He looked over to the girl to show that it was her turn. He was paying for it, but could care less what the girl ordered. He had quite a bit of money on hand anyways. The waitress took the orders and left swiftly away from the table to leave them back to their agenda. His gaze was fixed back on the girl now. It was quite an interesting proposition, however would he need the extra 'luggage' aboard? Then again it did get rather lonely without anyone to talk to...except yourself. "Well now...I suppose...I'll take you up on your offer." He paused for a moment taking another sip from the water. "If you don't meet my expectations...I'm dropping you off at my next stop wherever that might be." He winked at her jokingly. He extended his hand over to her, however not for a handshake, but for a high five. "I'm not one for formalities. Name's Cino." He smiled slightly.

It looked as though he was milling her offer over. It wasn't an all out immediate yes, but Kiriku wasn't about to complain. at least he hadn't turned around and completely shot her offer down - which had happened several times before. It was hard to get a job on board an airship without any credit or referance, neither of which she had. So maybe he was as hard up as she was. After all, it wasn't every day you were presented with someone who'd work for free.

Kiriku waited with baited breath as he looked to give her an answer, only to be stopped by the waitress arriving. Had she been of an irritable nature, she was sure she would have snapped at the waitress and sent her away. But Kiriku's nature of benign and cordial. Her companion ordered, and then Kiriku. "Burger... just... y'know, bread, meat and bread. No fancy stuff inside."

The waitress disappeared, and Kiriku took to leaning forward again as the red-head ship captain seemed set to give her an answer. He was taking her up on her offer. Kiriku tried, in vain, to stop the smile spreading over her face, but it appeared and remained. Today was obviously a good day.

"Oh don't worry - I will exceed your expectations ten fold." Kiriku said her tone rather cocky. She was glad to see he could joke around. Some airship pilots didn't seem to have humour in them - this one was promising.

"Cino, huh?" Kiriku tilted an eyebrow at his raised hand, but returned the greeting after a moment's consideration, "name's Kiriku." She sat back in her chair and stretched, "so... does the ship have a name? What brings you to Luca?" she asked - she wanted to get some information on her new employer now, so she could make an evaluation of him before she was to get stuck on a ship with him.

The girl did seem a bit on the over excited side, or perhaps it was just she wanted to show off her skills. Either way, the enthusiasm might be good. Kiriku also seemed to be overjoyed that he had accepted her proposal which would benefit both of them. Looking around for a moment in the bar, he noticed a few more strangers pop in, they seemed to be blitzball players by the looks of it and immediatly headed over towards the bar, probably eager for a drink none the less. He soon returned his attention to Kiriku who had seemed to find herself a bit more relaxed now. "Ship doesn't have a name at all." He shrugged his shoulders slightly as he rubbed the back of his hair.

"I mostly stopped here to do maintainence on the outside of the ship. Everything inside looks fine. Anyways I..." He stopped as the waitress returned to their table with their food. With that, the waitress left them to their own agenda once again as Cino looked at it for a moment before continuing. As much as he was hungry, he'd tell her a bit more. "I've mostly just been traveling the world. I do love the sky." He smiled slightly remembering the feeling of laying down on the deck of the ship during a night. It was so beautiful. He took his fork and began to take a few bites from his dish. "What about you Kiriku?" He spoke after taking a sip from his honey tea.

When he admitted the ship didn't have a name, Kiriku's mouth almost dropped open in shock. Every ship she'd worked on before had a name. The name was how you got a conversation started. How could be be a captain without a name for your ship. Something long and un-pronounceable - but had a history that spanned decades!

"That's... unusual." Kiriku murmured, resisting the temptation to say 'crazy' and 'not normal'. "For the ship to not have a name. In fact you're probably the first captain I've met who hsan't launched into a history of where the ship's name comes from. Is there a reason its nameless or...?" she left the question open as the waiteress arrived with thier food.

Kiriku's stomach rumbled at the sight of a meal. She hadn't eaten properly since arriving in Luca four years ago. She couldn't really afford big meals and fancy food. She survived, but a few times she'd been in a situation where she'd been carrying on out of sheer determination.

"The sky is... big." Kiriku mumbled after biting into her burger, "but I'm more interested in what's on the ground and under it." He then aasked about her and she blinked, taking a sip of water to help her food go down. "Well.. I was born in the Calm Lands, near the temple. My parents were turned away from Bevelle when they were looking for sancutary. It was probably fortuitous really... my father set up an item shop near the temple, and it was moderately sucessful. It was a good upbringing..." She smiled fondly. She hadn't seen her parents in so long. Maybe with Cino she'd be able to venture back and confirm they were alright without her around.

"But it was quiet... I'm handy with machina and just wanted to learn more, all the time. And it made sense to come to the busiest city in Spira... which is why I'm here. I've been here for four years. Unfortunately my idea of getting taken on by a big ship and being their mechanic and making a name for myself didn't quite go to plan. But I've managed." She grinned, "its not a bad thing to not get your own way... just mildly irritating to begin with."