A thick silence lay on the bridge of the Elsa like butter on a bagel. Long silences usually followed Hammer's bold suggestions or statements. Matthews stared him down, unblinking and unwavering, a thin vain starting to protrude from his skull. Hammer tried to force a smile onto his face, but it seemed more like the look of a man who knew he was about to die. Tony's green eyes darted from Hammer, who was slowly shrinking before the Captain's gaze, to Matthews, whose hulking form shadowed the tiny Hammer ominously. Finally, Matthews broke his silence by slamming his fist onto the arm of his chair with a resounding smack. Both Hammer and the on looking Tony jumped.
"And where the hell do you expect me to get a Christmas tree, ya moron?!" the Captain shouted. Hammer cringed, not only feeling the heat of his breath on his neck, but also the overpowering warmth of the Captain's angered aura. After a minute of shaking, Hammer opened his eyes.
"It was just a suggestion, Captain!" His voice quavered. Matthews seethed, gritting his teeth loudly.
"Yeah, well maybe you should think before opening your trap! 'Find a Christmas tree, Captain!'" He said in a mocking tone, "'Get in the Christmas spirit, Captain!' Ya morons! Even if I managed to find your Christmas tree, do you think we'd have the time or money to buy all your stupid presents?" Tony shifted at his position at the helm.
"You should try to have more spirit, Captain," the helmsman chanced. Hammer shot his friend a look of pure terror. The true wrath of Captain Matthews was about to appear. Eyes blazing, Matthews turned to face Tony, his large fists clenching together with malice. He hopped off of his chair, growling as his face grew red.
"Spirit?" he coughed, seemingly ready to explode. "You want spirit, Tony?" The Navigator threw his hands over his head, readying himself for the oncoming explosion. With one, loud word, the Captain blew his top. "FINE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "You'll get your stupid Christmas tree and your idiotic Christmas presents!" he grumbled loudly. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "But it's comin' out of your pay!" Matthews glared at both of them as if challenging either one of them to object. Hammer nodded vigorously, though he said nothing, still in a state of shock. Tony grinned, though it was a fake smile to mask his frustration.
"You're a saint among saints, Captain," Tony muttered through his teeth. At this remark, Matthews pointed a singular, accusatory finger at the helmsman.
"I better get the best damned present, or I'll eject both ya morons into space!!" The Captain turned on heel and stormed angrily from the cockpit, leaving both of the other men staring into the empty space where he had been standing. After he was sure the Captain was out of hearing range, Hammer threw a statement into the wind, a smile spreading over his face.
"Well, Merry Christmas, I guess, he stammered, still frightened. Tony turned back to the helm in a huff.
"Yeah, yeah.... Merry Friggin' Christmas to you too..." he muttered lowly.
*~*
Matthews chewed furiously at the breakfast that had been bet in front of him by Shion Uzuki. She seemed disgusted at the display that went on in front of her, partially because the food was gathering at the corners of Matthews' mouth as he chewed with his mouth open, and partially because he was trying to talk to her while he ate voraciously. She tried not to look at his mouth while he spoke to her, and instead focused on his bizarre hat.
"The guys want me to go out and buy some stupid tree! The morons don't even realize how much it costs to get a tree, let alone all the freakin' presents they want. Get a Christmas tree, huh? Morons..." Matthews grumbled as he scraped the remains of food from his plate into his cavernous mouth. He shoved the plate under Shion's nose unceremoniously. "More," he commanded. Shion, upset, grabbed the plate forcefully from his hand and stomped off toward the kitchen. MOMO, who was sitting in another booth with Ziggy and Allen, stood up as Shion left. Ziggy looked up, but MOMO just indicated that she was going to speak with Captain Matthews. As she stepped up alongside his booth, he failed to notice her presence. She stepped forward a bit, and he glanced up, noting that she was there. She smiled. He grunted.
"I sense that there are trees on the Durandal, Captain Matthews," MOMO chimed. Matthews' interest seemed to suddenly peak, for he was suddenly at full attention.
"Really now? That would mean I wouldn't have to pay a thing for a tree, and that would save money. I like it!" He stood from the booth stretching slightly. "Hey, MOMO," he said, "You wanna come with me to the Durandal to show me where this Christmas tree is?" MOMO's face lit up like, forgive the expression, a Christmas tree.
"That would be so much fun!" she laughed. Then, for a moment, she faltered, her eyes glancing to her cyborg companion, who seemed to be staring at his breakfast in disgust. "Do you think... Could Ziggy come too?" She asked, turning back to Captain Matthews. The Captain pulled a face.
"Uh, don't you think he's kind of, oh hell I dunno, a downer for the holiday season?" he asked. MOMO's face fell in an instant, and Matthews tried to rectify his statement. "I mean, er... He might... Well..." Matthews caved, unable to stand MOMO's sad face any longer. "Sure, you can bring the cyborg along." The Realian's smile jumped back onto her face almost as quickly as it had disappeared.
"Oh, thank you, Captain! I'll get Ziggy, and then we'll go, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Matthews grunted, wondering how he had been roped into this. MOMO cavorted to where Ziggy sat. The cyborg, now thoroughly disgusted by his breakfast, summarily dumped his food onto Allen's plate. The Vector engineer didn't seem to notice, for he was so absorbed in his portable U.M.N. module.
"I wonder what the Chief wants for Christmas..." Allen mumbled to himself, scrolling through some sort of list. Ziggy shook his head, placing his head in his hands. It was then that MOMO decided to appear, a smile lighting her features.
"Ziggy, do you want to go to the Durandal with the Captain and me? We're looking for a Christmas tree!" MOMO asked. It was just what Ziggy had been waiting for: a way to get away from Allen without hurting the man's feelings.
"Sure," Ziggy answered, pushing himself up from the booth, "That sounds like a great idea." The three of them passed through the door, just missing Shion entering the cafe from the kitchen. She surveyed the room, her temper rising.
"Allen, where did Captain Matthews go?" she asked, turning to her co-worker. Allen, surprised, nearly shot out of his seat. He reddened in the face, placing his U.M.N. module to his side.
"Huh? The Captain was in here? I was too busy enjoying the breakfast you made to notice anything else," he stated. Shion looked at his plate, which was piled high with Ziggy's unwanted food. Her temper flared.
"You must have been too busy enjoying it to eat it, Allen Ridgely! You could have at least tried it! Ziggy managed to finish his! Is my cooking that bad?" Shion flew, in a rage, back into the kitchen. Allen looked from his plate to Ziggy's empty one.
"I know I finished my food..." With a low moan, Allen covered his head in his hands, trying to hide himself from the world. "I'm hopeless," he sighed.
*~*
It was as they were exiting the Elsa for the Durandal that the small party met chaos. The thin boy had been hanging up a string of garland in the hallway, and he met his Captain with an airy smile.
"Good morning, Captain," chaos said. He looked at the party of three headed for the Durandal. "Where are you three headed?"
"Oh, man, chaos," Matthews said, looking at the garland the boy was hanging up, "Did Tony and Hammer con you into this?" chaos laughed lightly and shook his head.
"It's just the Spirit of Christmas, Captain," chaos answered. Mathews gave him a blank stare. He shook his head sadly, then sighed.
"You comin' on this escapade too, then?" Matthews asked. chaos cocked his head.
"I'm still not quite sure what you're doing..."
"We're getting a Christmas tree from the Durandal!" MOMO explained, smiling. Her smile made chaos smile too.
"That sounds like fun. Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked. Everyone shook their heads.
"We may need help carrying the tree back," Ziggy put in, "considering that we may need quite a large tree."
"I'd be glad to help!" the younger boy said, stepping into line behind the others. Matthews opened the exit, muttering under his breath. The odd quartet stepped onto the Durandal's dock amid confusion and turmoil. It seemed like everyone on the Durandal wanted to go to the Kukai Foundation, and everyone on the Foundation wanted into the Durandal. That's what you get for buying your presents so late, folks. The four of them shoved their way past the throngs of people to get to the train that would take them to the Park. It was a tight squeeze, but they managed to barely fit into the back compartment. Matthews glared around him, at the bodies packed against him and the packages in their hands.
"This is why I hate Christmas," he mumbled.
"And where the hell do you expect me to get a Christmas tree, ya moron?!" the Captain shouted. Hammer cringed, not only feeling the heat of his breath on his neck, but also the overpowering warmth of the Captain's angered aura. After a minute of shaking, Hammer opened his eyes.
"It was just a suggestion, Captain!" His voice quavered. Matthews seethed, gritting his teeth loudly.
"Yeah, well maybe you should think before opening your trap! 'Find a Christmas tree, Captain!'" He said in a mocking tone, "'Get in the Christmas spirit, Captain!' Ya morons! Even if I managed to find your Christmas tree, do you think we'd have the time or money to buy all your stupid presents?" Tony shifted at his position at the helm.
"You should try to have more spirit, Captain," the helmsman chanced. Hammer shot his friend a look of pure terror. The true wrath of Captain Matthews was about to appear. Eyes blazing, Matthews turned to face Tony, his large fists clenching together with malice. He hopped off of his chair, growling as his face grew red.
"Spirit?" he coughed, seemingly ready to explode. "You want spirit, Tony?" The Navigator threw his hands over his head, readying himself for the oncoming explosion. With one, loud word, the Captain blew his top. "FINE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "You'll get your stupid Christmas tree and your idiotic Christmas presents!" he grumbled loudly. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "But it's comin' out of your pay!" Matthews glared at both of them as if challenging either one of them to object. Hammer nodded vigorously, though he said nothing, still in a state of shock. Tony grinned, though it was a fake smile to mask his frustration.
"You're a saint among saints, Captain," Tony muttered through his teeth. At this remark, Matthews pointed a singular, accusatory finger at the helmsman.
"I better get the best damned present, or I'll eject both ya morons into space!!" The Captain turned on heel and stormed angrily from the cockpit, leaving both of the other men staring into the empty space where he had been standing. After he was sure the Captain was out of hearing range, Hammer threw a statement into the wind, a smile spreading over his face.
"Well, Merry Christmas, I guess, he stammered, still frightened. Tony turned back to the helm in a huff.
"Yeah, yeah.... Merry Friggin' Christmas to you too..." he muttered lowly.
*~*
Matthews chewed furiously at the breakfast that had been bet in front of him by Shion Uzuki. She seemed disgusted at the display that went on in front of her, partially because the food was gathering at the corners of Matthews' mouth as he chewed with his mouth open, and partially because he was trying to talk to her while he ate voraciously. She tried not to look at his mouth while he spoke to her, and instead focused on his bizarre hat.
"The guys want me to go out and buy some stupid tree! The morons don't even realize how much it costs to get a tree, let alone all the freakin' presents they want. Get a Christmas tree, huh? Morons..." Matthews grumbled as he scraped the remains of food from his plate into his cavernous mouth. He shoved the plate under Shion's nose unceremoniously. "More," he commanded. Shion, upset, grabbed the plate forcefully from his hand and stomped off toward the kitchen. MOMO, who was sitting in another booth with Ziggy and Allen, stood up as Shion left. Ziggy looked up, but MOMO just indicated that she was going to speak with Captain Matthews. As she stepped up alongside his booth, he failed to notice her presence. She stepped forward a bit, and he glanced up, noting that she was there. She smiled. He grunted.
"I sense that there are trees on the Durandal, Captain Matthews," MOMO chimed. Matthews' interest seemed to suddenly peak, for he was suddenly at full attention.
"Really now? That would mean I wouldn't have to pay a thing for a tree, and that would save money. I like it!" He stood from the booth stretching slightly. "Hey, MOMO," he said, "You wanna come with me to the Durandal to show me where this Christmas tree is?" MOMO's face lit up like, forgive the expression, a Christmas tree.
"That would be so much fun!" she laughed. Then, for a moment, she faltered, her eyes glancing to her cyborg companion, who seemed to be staring at his breakfast in disgust. "Do you think... Could Ziggy come too?" She asked, turning back to Captain Matthews. The Captain pulled a face.
"Uh, don't you think he's kind of, oh hell I dunno, a downer for the holiday season?" he asked. MOMO's face fell in an instant, and Matthews tried to rectify his statement. "I mean, er... He might... Well..." Matthews caved, unable to stand MOMO's sad face any longer. "Sure, you can bring the cyborg along." The Realian's smile jumped back onto her face almost as quickly as it had disappeared.
"Oh, thank you, Captain! I'll get Ziggy, and then we'll go, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Matthews grunted, wondering how he had been roped into this. MOMO cavorted to where Ziggy sat. The cyborg, now thoroughly disgusted by his breakfast, summarily dumped his food onto Allen's plate. The Vector engineer didn't seem to notice, for he was so absorbed in his portable U.M.N. module.
"I wonder what the Chief wants for Christmas..." Allen mumbled to himself, scrolling through some sort of list. Ziggy shook his head, placing his head in his hands. It was then that MOMO decided to appear, a smile lighting her features.
"Ziggy, do you want to go to the Durandal with the Captain and me? We're looking for a Christmas tree!" MOMO asked. It was just what Ziggy had been waiting for: a way to get away from Allen without hurting the man's feelings.
"Sure," Ziggy answered, pushing himself up from the booth, "That sounds like a great idea." The three of them passed through the door, just missing Shion entering the cafe from the kitchen. She surveyed the room, her temper rising.
"Allen, where did Captain Matthews go?" she asked, turning to her co-worker. Allen, surprised, nearly shot out of his seat. He reddened in the face, placing his U.M.N. module to his side.
"Huh? The Captain was in here? I was too busy enjoying the breakfast you made to notice anything else," he stated. Shion looked at his plate, which was piled high with Ziggy's unwanted food. Her temper flared.
"You must have been too busy enjoying it to eat it, Allen Ridgely! You could have at least tried it! Ziggy managed to finish his! Is my cooking that bad?" Shion flew, in a rage, back into the kitchen. Allen looked from his plate to Ziggy's empty one.
"I know I finished my food..." With a low moan, Allen covered his head in his hands, trying to hide himself from the world. "I'm hopeless," he sighed.
*~*
It was as they were exiting the Elsa for the Durandal that the small party met chaos. The thin boy had been hanging up a string of garland in the hallway, and he met his Captain with an airy smile.
"Good morning, Captain," chaos said. He looked at the party of three headed for the Durandal. "Where are you three headed?"
"Oh, man, chaos," Matthews said, looking at the garland the boy was hanging up, "Did Tony and Hammer con you into this?" chaos laughed lightly and shook his head.
"It's just the Spirit of Christmas, Captain," chaos answered. Mathews gave him a blank stare. He shook his head sadly, then sighed.
"You comin' on this escapade too, then?" Matthews asked. chaos cocked his head.
"I'm still not quite sure what you're doing..."
"We're getting a Christmas tree from the Durandal!" MOMO explained, smiling. Her smile made chaos smile too.
"That sounds like fun. Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked. Everyone shook their heads.
"We may need help carrying the tree back," Ziggy put in, "considering that we may need quite a large tree."
"I'd be glad to help!" the younger boy said, stepping into line behind the others. Matthews opened the exit, muttering under his breath. The odd quartet stepped onto the Durandal's dock amid confusion and turmoil. It seemed like everyone on the Durandal wanted to go to the Kukai Foundation, and everyone on the Foundation wanted into the Durandal. That's what you get for buying your presents so late, folks. The four of them shoved their way past the throngs of people to get to the train that would take them to the Park. It was a tight squeeze, but they managed to barely fit into the back compartment. Matthews glared around him, at the bodies packed against him and the packages in their hands.
"This is why I hate Christmas," he mumbled.