After her brief introductions with the doctor, Pen moseyed around the ship for a quick look to get familiar. Not wanting to be underfoot in the galley with Hook preppin' meals, she ventured down the stairs to have a glance over the hold. She had always been pretty good with visuals, and collecting a pretty picture of what made the ship herself was a pleasant enough way to spend her time till take-off. There was a hustle and bustle still goin' on - Abby had her hands full with directing the cargo, and not doin' a bad job, likely been at it a while. Folk were moving along here and there, and she opted to be one of them so she could see the other half of the ship. 

Some of the folk offered a polite smile as she moved through the common area, getting a peek at the infirmary only so long enough to see if the doc was in before heading up the stairs to get an eye on the engine. That’s what she’d been seeking out, in truth. She might be the pilot, but if the console she worked was the brains, this was the heart. All was quiet while the girl rested, but soon… well, she'd conclude her self-guided tour in time for that. 

The smell of dinner cookin' was nice and it seemed like some folks had found their way up, but it was no one's surprise that she found herself back at the dash by the time the captain came a'callin, opting to pass through with a wave rather than sit down for a chat. Had some secondary checks to do to make sure she knew what was what and all.

She was just getting her hands on some loose cords to bundle when she heard the ruckus from the galley echoing up. That small ever-present smile spread a little with a glance over her shoulder turning back on the cables in her hand. In the lull that followed a short while later, perhaps mouths being filled up with the good cookin’ wafting up this way or havin’ horfed it all down and departed, Pen heard a pounding behind her. Knit brows of concentration turned a glance to see what the noise was, but beings she was over her console, she couldn’t see much of nothin’ elevated up like she was. It was more’a instinct than anything else. Besides, after the second thumpin’, she heard an unfamiliar voice huffin’ about being distrubed, sounded like. 

Then she heard her captain’s name, and that had her interest. And so did the panel closer to the door that needed some tinkering. It was crooked, at least from this angle, and definitely was from the side she stood against to adjust it. Hazel eyes happened to get a glance down the hall just before they slipped down to the panel her fingerless gloved hand was moving towards, and sure enough, there was her captain. And she’d seen the formidable figure emerging from the hatch below. Another crew member, her eyes crinkled at the thought.

Couldn’t be the mechanic because there’s no way he’d be down in his bunk before a take-off, and from what she could catch of their tone, they sounded friendly. So, they knew one another - had stories. [i]Fun[/i] stories, she grinned a bit as the panel she was harassing finally shifted the way she wanted. Easier to get to know a person listenin’ to them talk to someone else, but that wasn’t somethin’ Penelope wanted to make a habit of - so she told herself - as she started to return to the console. But, then something interesting popped up again, and there she was tightening up the strap holding up a length of cord. 

[i]So we’re all new, ‘cept this big guy…[/i] The thought didn’t bother Pen, not at all. She was used to working with new folk regularly. Though she was most familiar with O’Malley and his crew, she didn’t stay solely with them. Pilots can have their pick of the starlit sea if they were flexible and willing, and Pen hadn’t found any roots to tie her up just yet. She liked one thing - and that was to fly. Shore leave was fun once in a while, but more often than not she was back out - caring less about where or when and more about what and how. Now, the answer was a Firefly at full burn for three days. 

She was lost in her thoughts on that now as she retwisted and wrapped rather than paying attention to how hushed the conversation had gotten. Comms coming up with Abby’s voice got her attention - that meant soon. Penelope’s bright grin returned as she returned to the flight console, giving the edge a nice stroke outward of her gloved hands across it, fingertips uncovered and feeling the cool metal. “Soon it’s going to be just you and me, girl. I can’t wait ta get ta know ya.”

There’d be time for the crew later. A pilot’s first mate was the ship. And she had one more diagnostic to run and a few more cables to attend to if she wanted the China Doll lookin’ pretty before take off.