[u][b][center]Main Deck --> Aircraft Hangar[/center][/b][/u]

Her smile wavered but did not break as the reporter corrected her, and she was about to explain to him that even if it already did have a name a new one that evoked a sense of ownership was better than a bland, neutral one created by UINC when a voice cracked over the PA system. Once again she found herself jumping at the unseen voice, it reminding her so much of the emotionless, disembodied foremen that signalled the beginning and the end of their mandated lunch breaks back in her warehouse days. Edward was already beating feet towards the hangar by the time she parsed the message, the old feelings of dread invoked by memories of factories quickly smothered by the exciting realization that she’d be taking a flight in the VTOL earlier than she anticipated (and with a significantly less amount of pleading).

She chased after Edward, slightly annoyed that he had left her behind and with full intention of beating him aboard the plane regardless. Although she was no longer dripping wet thanks to the sun starting to dry her, she did find herself still somewhat exhausted from the earlier storm and dropped further and further behind in the race that only she knew she was in. She caught up to Edward by the time a scarred man called Krauss introduced himself as the pilot of the blue, bizarre aircraft behind him. His name was vaguely familiar, although she tended to pretend that all names were vaguely familiar to her, as if her social circles spread so far and wide that it encompassed the entirety of the Isles and that none of its citizens couldn’t be a friend of a friend. Her eyes narrowed onto his outstretched hand like a hawk as she slowed her pace into a cool, confident stroll. Despite knowing that the handshake was intended for Edward, she seized it greedily with both hands as she sided past the reporter. 

“It’s truly wonderful to finally meet you, Krauss. That was you flying earlier today? It was an absolutely fantastic display, I must say. Truly marvelous,” she said, not letting go of his hand. “I’m Constance Holloway.” She paused, as if to let the gravity of her name sink in. “I have a handful of crashes under my belt as well,” she added with a smile, finally forfeiting his hand. It was unclear, but it almost seemed as if she was actually [i]bragging[/i] about crashing instead of attempting to be playful. 

She brushed past Krauss and began to make a loop around the plane, as if she was performing her own safety inspection. However, despite owning aviation companies and taking flight lessons, let alone being involved in manufacturing airplane parts in her youth, Constance knew very little about airplanes. The times she had flown were with a copilot, whose job was to get the bird off of the ground and to make sure that she was ejected with a parachute when she inevitably tried a maneuver that was not only beyond her skill level but absolutely impossible to pull off in the first place. Her companies had been run by actual people in the know, she had just thrown money at them. And tightening bolts as a hunk of metal came down a conveyor belt taught her nothing except for how she could hardly deal with tedium. Yet, she still made approving nods and noises as she circled the VTOL. 

“Not bad, not bad. A few questionable aesthetic choices, if anything, but she seems solid enough,” she said as she made her way around, a hint of eagerness seeping into her voice as she poked her head inside of the interior. She looked back at the two with a grin and then hopped inside, determined to take the seat with the clearest view. The craft was small, maybe able to fit three or four with some shoulder rubbing. She took what she assumed to be the co-pilot seat, the meters and buttons of the control panel begging to be fiddled with, and plopped herself down in the chair. Excitement flooded through her body as she twisted around in the seat and climbed over the headrest, allowing for her to peek out through the doorway at Edward and Krauss. 

“What’s the hold up, lads? If you two bum around any longer, I might just take this baby for a joyride,” she said, her head disappearing back into the plane.