You Never Can Tell [Jillybean]

[emma]

Not for the last time, Malandra adjusted her exomask.

Being out in the field was a lot more nerve-wracking than she’d care to admit. She did, after all, happen to be one of the few base personnel without an avatar. Of course, that couldn’t be helped. What with the unfortunate mess she’d had back on earth- evading capital punishment, changing her identity, and earning herself a spot on the Pandora expedition, and as its leader no less, finding the charity for avatar funds would have proved difficult, even for her. And it wasn’t worth twenty million dollars anyway- she was rather fond of her human form, and strutting around as one of those overly towering blue savages was nothing short of unattractive.

But sometimes, like right now, she found herself almost wishing she’d made an exception. In the two months she’d spent on Pandora, Malandra had been bogged down with base malfunctions, paperwork, and get-to-know meets and greets, and had therefore hardly been out of the compound at all, except for the few trips she’d made to the Pen. This was probably her first time in the field, and she didn’t like it. Again and again, she checked the air supply on her exomask, and feared the effects of the Pandoran sun and atmosphere on her delicate skin. She hadn’t been made for the outdoors.

Between the calls of some savage creatures and the constant danger of a Na’vi attacking, Malandra wasn’t holding up as well as she’d have liked to think. On top of it all, she was out doing sample-collecting with Christopher, a scientist she’d been meaning to get to know a little better ever since she’d first met him on earth. He was attractive, intelligent, and on the shy side- a perfect yin to her confident, dominant yang. Of course, when she’d found out she’d be doing the sample-collecting with him, she’d been overjoyed. But now, worrying about death waiting for her behind every tree, adjusting her exomask and trying to look cool and collected the whole time, Malandra didn’t think she was in any shape to even try to seduce her fellow scientist.

She didn’t even have nice clothes on. Granted, delicate pantyhose and corsets weren’t appropriate outer gear, but Malandra couldn’t help but feel like such a peasant in her clunky hiking boots, hideous khaki shorts and oversized exomask. At least the t-shirt was a silver lining. It was an attractive indigo shade, and showed off her curvaceous figure. Otherwise, though, Malandra didn’t think she’d have much effect on Christopher. She tried to concentrate on the twisted lily she was currently examining, not on her exomask or the tall avatar somewhere behind her. It was ultimately a losing battle, however, and she had the urge to strike up a conversation. They’d been collecting in silence for some time, silence that was looking to stretch into awkwardness. After a few moments of frustrated thought, Malandra loudly cleared her throat.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it, Christopher?” She mentally cursed how hollow the exomask made her voice sound. “I didn’t think Pandora would be so sunny.”

[• Aerys •]

It was hot. And in spite of his inclination to complain, Chris would be lying if he said this was worse than being shut up in the lab analyzing samples of feces or urine. Collecting really wasn't that bad; no matter how many times he ventured or, even if it was the same exact spot he had been to the day before, Christopher always stumbled across something new. The exotic flora dripping from the canopy above, creeping forth from the soil below...it was a boon for the young botanist, and it took a great deal of willpower not to sneak off from the path and go find how many new species of plant he could find.

The guard lingering beside the Hummer a few hundred yards back kept him from straying, however. And, well, the fact that he was with Malandra.

He had been sitting in his little cubicle that morning, flipping through some notes and scans he had taken a few days ago, when she approached him. The invitation was both surprising and flattering; Malandra rarely strayed from the compound proper, not unless it was obligatory. This trip seemed little more than routine collecting, though, so Chris couldn't help the smug feeling that settled in his chest at the thought that she had chosen him. The other members of the team would kill to be out with the brains behind the whole operation and the woman who had been, more or less, responsible for his presence on the planet.

They'd spent a good deal of time together during training prior to the exodus from Earth. Nothing much more than the standard of all scientists on board, but to Chris it seemed as if she had shown a little extra support for him. This was the first time he'd spent any significant time alone with her since then.

“In all honesty,” Chris answered at length, stepping down a small knoll towards a towering cluster of chalice plants. He eyed it curiously, ears flicking. “I have yet to experience a shitty day here. Even the worst weather on this planet far surpasses the most glorious day on Earth.” He knelt and produced his datapad, pressing a small needle into the base of the Pseudocenia rosea.

A reading flashed across his screen, his brows shooting up as the nature of the plant scrolled down the small computer. This was the first he'd encountered any of these types of creatures, and for good reason. The beauty of Pandora often came with a price, Chris had found. Sweat trickled down his temples, a product of the unyielding sun above, prompting the boy to draw an arm across his forehead. “Even if it has man-eating plants. Have you gotten all of your samples? We should probably head back soon, before the asshole back there comes yelling after us.”