[Log] Too close to home

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Crew Commons, Grace O'Malley [Persephone?]
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Kael Bowen starts to snicker at that though, hiding his head for a moment before he regains his composure, "I was a little curious myself, to be honest. Are the medical supplies for them, or is it some other thing that we'll be helping them with?" He lets out a bit of a sigh, pulling his water bottle up and taking another long drink from it.


Aradia just blinks at Lucinda for a moment before she objects, "He ain't mine, I mean I'd have, he's five 'n I'm..." She pauses there and says, "Ain't interested in havin' no kids now 'n sure as hell weren't goin' to...'n Max is, we've only known each other a year 'n..." Shaking her head, actually a little red in the face now, she settles for simply saying, "No, he ain't mine, or Max's," before she looks over to Kael and says, "His mum's sick. Real sick 'n she don't reckon she's going to survive it so we're taking Finn to see her, at least this one last time, 'n if we can help out otherwise, we will."

Lucinda is near the coffee urn, filling up two mugs of Joe. Kael's tucked into one of the chairs and Aradia sits at the table. Returning with refreshed cups, Lu sets one infront of the Captain. "And of course, that extends to me. Any help my training can lend.." She lets the offer drift off, not needing to finish it. She notices the flush on Aradia's cheeks as she sits back across from the woman. "I didn't mean to imply, about Finn, I mean."

Kael Bowen looks quickly over to Lu at the sound of this illness, his face tightening up, seeming more then a little shook up about the notion that some kid's mom is sick. He shakes it off though, blinking a couple times and rubbing at his face a little. A low, long sigh escapes from him before he looks back towards Ara, missing the blush.

Saienne slips into the commons from the portside quarters, stepping through the door and onto the calico rugs on quiet un-booted feet. She has her shirt sleeves rolled up to her elbows and she sets herself on a direct course for the galley. "Afternoon, y'all," she says, treading lightly on the deck. "Anyone for a cup of tea?" She turns and leans against the end of the counter and, seeing the cups of coffee Lucinda and Aradia have, and the bottle of water being nursed by Kael, she smiles a wry smile. "Guess you're all fixed up already."

Taking the mug in one hand, Aradia rubs at her cheek with her other hand before propping her chin in her palm. Clearing her throat she looks across to Lucinda and says, "It's ok. He spends enough time with us 'n well he was the reason more 'n anything else that Max 'n I left the last ship we were on." Shrugging, she says, "He wanted Hatch to be his new dad but apparently that requires him to marry Finn's mom as far as Finn's concerned. He's gone off that idea since he lost a ball in Hatch's room 'n wasn't allowed to go find it." Glancing up and over as Saienne comes in, she raises her mug in greeting and says, "Hey Sai," before she looks back to Lucinda and says with another shrug and a grin, "Kids. What're you goin' to do if you can't space 'em?"

Lucinda manages a smile in lieu of serious conversation at Aradia's comments about Finn. Her attention swivels as Sai breezes into the galley, affording her the same smile that now sits easily enough of her lips. Indeed, she's set for drinks, but at Sai's comment she raises her mug in a silent 'thanks' for the offer. "Never thought about a family, myself, so.." She comments back to Aradia.

Josephine arrives, clearly from off ship, looking a little dazed and weary and certainly not her usual dancing smiling singing self. Her cowboy hat is not on her head, but rather resting against her shoulder blades from where it hangs on its leather cord. She looks at everyone gathered there and blinks as if she wasn't quite expecting a crowd. "Hi everyone," she says, with a little wave as she drops her empty canvas bag somewhere out of the way.

"There are kids?" Saienne says, with some consternation evident. "Where are there kids? Here?" She looks in Kael's direction, perhaps hoping for some clarification, and catches instead the fading sound of his long sigh. Consternation turns briefly to perplexity, but rather than puzzle things out or wait for them to be explained, she side-steps into the galley and busies herself with gathering the implements required for making a good cup of tea. The kettle rises slowly to the boil; there is a short swelling of steam; the distinctive sound of bubbling water being poured from a height into a cup full of tea-leaves; finally, the clinking of a teaspoon against ceramics. She steps out from the galley again, a blue china cup clasped in her long fingers. "Afternoon Josephine," she says, "Everythin' fine an' dandy?"

"You ain't run into Finn, or rather he ain't run into you?" Aradia asks Saienne with an arched brow and a small smirk touching her lips. "Quite a feat that," she says, shaking her head as she says to Lucinda, "Well yeah, ain't something we really..." Waving a hand dismissively, she says, "Well, no need to go havin' that conversation now," before her head turns at the sound of Josephine's voice, regarding the woman a moment before she smiles and says, "Hey Jo. Hot out there?"

The hint of a grin on Lu's lips is obscured by another drink from her coffee mug. As the Commons starts to fill with various members of the crew, Lu falls silent. At least she twiddles her fingers on the stonewear mug at Jo in greeting.

Kael Bowen looks about, for a moment he was lost in thought. He frowns a bit and then lights up a bit as Jo walks in, "Hey Jo! How're ya doin'? Ooo, did you visit the grandkid while he was out? I haven't heard hide nor hair in a week." He grins widely, shaking his head slowly from side to side. His hand pulls up the water bottle, taking a long drink from it before letting it rest down beside the chair. He held it between his index and middle finger by the neck. He looks over to Sai then, "Oh, hey Sai.. Sorry I missed ya come in."

"No I ain't," replies Saienne to Aradia from over the brim of the teacup. "He ain't." She pauses, musing. "Mind, I was keepin' myself to myself pretty much while we were zippin' around up there -" at this, she looks to where the sky would be were the upper decks absent "- an' I've been runnin' hither and thither in town while we've been dirtside." As Kael says her name, she turns to him and smiles lop-sidedly. "Ain't no bother, Kael."

Josephine clearly admires the pretty blue china tea cup, even from her distance. "Hello, Sai. Everything is as fine and dandy as ever, I suppose. Maybe a little short on the dandy portion. And it's not so bad out there, Ara..heat-wise, I mean. Sun feels good and properly warm, is all. Sorry, Kael," she says, with complete sincerety, "I did not. I think he's in school today." She seems a bit distant even if she's clearly making an effort not to be. "Did I miss anything grandly interesting?" she wonders.

With all of the commotion and bustle going on around, Aradia gives up even a pretense of working at this point (she was actually, really working earlier!) and shuts down her PDA, slipping it into her pocket and saying to Josephine, "Good. Think I might go get some fresh air soon myself. Stuck my head out earlier before sunrise 'n it was already stinkin' hot 'n humid." Sitting up on the bench, she stretches out and says, "Could do with a good rain, if nothin' else to save me havin' to send Kael out there to wash the dirt off o' Grace before we fly to Ariel."

Lucinda finishes her mug of coffee, heading again towards the urn. She seems intent on the caffeine as she pours out her third mug of the stuff. She, apparently, hasn't done nor witnessed anything grand enough to mention to Josephine. At the thought of Kael repelling off Grace with a scrub brush in hand, she chuckles quietly to herself.

Kael Bowen gives a bit of a shrug, "A shame.." grins widely, shaking his head from side to side. He glances to Ara then, "Awww, washing the ship? c'mon.. well.. Actually I suppose it wouldn't be too bad.. gimme something to do, long hours, no pay.." chuckles his head from side to side, "Sounds like a dream." He looks over to Lucinda then who's getting a third cup, "C'mon and sit down over in an armchair, doc. They're a lot comfier and you'll get more exercise running to the coffee pot."

"I can't say I'd mind cleaning Grace, Captain, if you're ever really serious about it," Josephine offers with her usual strange appreciation for that sort of manual labor. "Kind of sounds like it might be fun." She goes to the cooler to rummage about until she finds one of the few remaining bottles of cider that Hatch had stashed somewhere in there.

"You keep her plenty clean on the inside, Jo," Aradia says with a chuckle before she brings her mug up to drink down the rest of the coffee, pushing herself up off the bench and heading toward the galley. "Next thing you'll be tryin' to convince the doc your lap's even comfier, Kael," she teases, glancing back over her shoulder in his direction before she looks to Lucinda and winks in passing as she goes to wash her mug out in the sink.

Lucinda stays where she is near the urn, drinking some coffee before topping off her mug once more. As Aradia passes, she comments quietly to the winking woman. That done, she does infact head over to one of the chairs.

Kael Bowen's mouth pulls into a wide grin, his eyes flicking over to Lu, looking at her as he says matter of factly "Hey.. Captain said it, not me.." He shakes his head slowly from side to side as he looks to Jo, "Aww, Jo.. really... Ara's right, you do enough work on the inside. No need to clean the outside as well."

Josephine shrugs a little, "I like cleaning, actually. As strange as that may seem. But I'll stick to cleaning the inside of Grace, as per the Captain's orders." After smiling faintly to Aradia, she finds the bottle opener and takes a small sip of the cold liquid within. Followed by a second larger sip.

Aradia just hums quietly to herself with a big smile as she turns on the faucet, wiggling her fingers under the stream of water until it runs warm and she begins rinsing her mug out. Shaking it out over the sink as she turns the water off, she reaches for a towel to dry the mug off and then put it away before she wanders back out of the galley and says, "Right. I'm going outside then to see just how dirty Grace has gotten and try and estimate just how much soap Kael's going to need to scrub her down." Still smiling, it widens just a touch into a grin in Kael's direction before she starts toward the aft hallway and asks, "Anyone want to come with me?"

Lucinda sits on the arm of one of the chairs, commenting lightly. "If I keep getting dragged outdoors I might actually get a tan. The horrors."

Kael Bowen shakes his head from side to side a little, "I'm alright Ara.. Thank you though." He continues to grin as he pulls the water bottle up to hislips, taking another long drink of it as his eyes flicker over to Lucinda, "Oh god.. what a horror, Lu.. I mean.. a tan. What's next? Little kids running around?"

Josephine eyes Kael at that statement, suddenly deciding that the beststrategic move is to get as far away from Lucinda as possible. "I'll be out in a bit, Captain," she promises, heading starboard, "but I think I need a moment to myself. Maybe I'll lie down a bit and see you a little later."

Lucinda has no other way to respond to Kael's comment, other than clinically. "Extensive tanning and exposure to nature light can breed all forms of complications, such as cancer. As to children, that's an incredible burden for anyone to endure. Not only emotionally and financially, but physically. I am afraid that is a commitment I am unwilling to make." Mmm..coffee. There is never a long pause between her sips.

Saienne emerges from the galley again, from whatever tinkering she was doing in there, and moves over to sit down on one the benches around the dining table. She places her little blue cup down on the top of the table and leans forward, both elbows on the wooden surface. "We seem to be somewhat fixated on children this afternoon," Saienne says, evenly. She straightens one arm to pick up the cup again.

Kael Bowen chuckles, shaking his head from side to side as he watches Lu, "Nor I.. Not now anyway. To bring a life into such a world.. well.. I think that one should wait until they're sure they can take the physical, financial and emotional commitment involved." he looks back towards Sai, and then shrugs, "Naw.. idle banter." He grins widely and pushes himself up only to slouch a little again.

Lucinda comments, her voice echoing into the emptiness of her mug as she looks at its bottom again, "I suspect Kael is just interested in the practice of conceiving them." She's distracted, and when she is, her tongue is much more loose and her speech is frank.

"Well that ain't hardly no surprise," says Saienne, sipping from her rapidly cooling tea. Her attention is caught by light glinting off her silver ring, and she regards it in silence for a few moments. After the pause, she sighs a little sigh and says: "But I do agree with Kael. Bringin' up children in this world ain't no kind of fun an' games."

Kael Bowen lets out a bit of a barking laugh at Lu, taking a quick swig of the water as he shakes his head, commenting, "Ooohh sure. I make a comment 'bout kids 'n' all of a sudden it's procreation." He looks over to Sai, "Taking her side too? You think ifn I talk about ice planets I'm referring to milk 'n' vanilla, eh?"

Kael's last comment seems to go right over Lu's head and she just blinks at him. Shaking her head, she lifts off of the arm of the chair and heads back towards the galley. Slipping a bottle out of her pocket while she's in transit, she pops a couple of pills into her mouth and washes them down with the last of her coffee.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged," begins Saienne, in an imperious but exaggerated tone, "That two women in the company of a gentleman will always side with each other." She grins crookedly at Kael. "Fact of life, that. Ain't no point tryin' to deny it, nor worry about it none neither." She twists on the bench as Lucinda rises and heads to the galley. "You feelin' all right, Doctor?" she asks.

Kael Bowen laughs again, starting to shake his head from side to side. He lets out a long sigh and looks towards Lu as well, "Yeah, Doc. You alright?" His brow furrows a little, his hand with the water swirls it in it's bottle.

Lucinda glances back over her shoulder, a bit sheepish at the questioning of her crewmates. "Yeah, yes.." She clears her throat. "Fine, fine...just a headache." She quickly tucks the bottle back into her pocket, moving to the sink to rinse out her mug.

Saienne's gaze flicks to the antique copper urn positioned on the galley counter. "I expect that'll be the coffee takin' revenge on you for bein' quite so keen on it," Sai says, good-naturedly. She drains her own teacup and sets it back on the table, pushing it a little away from her.

Kael Bowen nods slowly and goes back to just looking around at nothing in particular. He lets out another long sigh and then slowly pushes himself up from the chair. The bottle comes back up, draining the rest of it with another gulp. He looks over to Sai and nods sagely in agreement, though still managed to pull off the look that he was joking. With a final swallow he tossed the empty bottle towards the trash.

Lucinda jumps as the empty water bottle comes sailing into the kitchen, richoceting off of the fridge and clattering on the linoleum floor. "Ta Ma Duh!" She curses. Then bends over to pick up the projectile and depositing it where it belongs. Slightly dizzy when she straightens, she lifts a hand to her forehead.

Saienne sits a little straighter also at the sound of the impact, but also at the doctor's expletive. "You ain't been practisin' enough," she admonishes Kael. "Ain't sensible to go throwin' things at the doctor, of all people." She looks over at Lucinda. "She might remember it at an inconvenient time, like." Saienne's mouth curves down in a little frown and the wrinkles on her brow crease as she observes Lucinda's discomfort. She stands, hooking up her blue teacup as she does so, and starts to walk over to the galley with it. "You sure you're fine?" She asks, with a gentle note in her voice. "Can I get you a glass of water or somesuch?"

Kael Bowen smiles a little sheepishly and then grows slightly serious as he looks to Lu, "Lu.. you sure you're alright?" He starts to move over towards the galley, his foot falls making their usual sound as he closed the distance. He lightened up a little, grinning over to Sai and saying, "Looks like I need to work on my throwing, eh? Hey! I wasn't aimin' at the doc, was goin' for the trash" He lets out a bit of a forced chuckle, his eyes flickering back towards Lu.

Lucinda makes a pinched smile appear on her lips. "Don't go fretting over me. Besides, haven't you heard the saying that 'doctors make the worst patients'? I told you, just a headache is all. Like you said, coffee is just catching up with me. Now that I have my second wind, I may just head back down to my work."

Saienne glances up at Kael in a sideways manner. "You were tryin' for the trash? Gorram, that makes it even worse! Woman wasn't nowhere near..." She shakes her head, but is distracted from Kael by Lucinda's emphatic response. She stops short of the galley and Lucinda and, looking a little awkward, crosses her arms across her chest. The blue teacup dangles from the crook of her little finger. Sai stands silent for a moment, adrift in the open space of the crew commons, and looks boldly at the doctor. "Fair enough," she says, quietly. "Ain't no business of mine." A pause; a crooked smile. "Ain't that so?"

Kael Bowen grins a bit, shaking his head and saying, "Well.. You still owe me a lemon drop.. I'm not takin' a cracker as payment for that blood." he waggles a finger a little at Lu and goes for the fridge, opening it and snagging another bottle of water. He closes it and looks back towards Sai, saying teasingly, "She takes my blood and then gives me a cracker, not even a lollipop. Can you believe that?"

Lucinda smoothes her hands over her stomach and tugs the hem of her sweater down, righting her appearance that was never so much as wrinkled. "I told you I'd find you your damnable candy." She grouses, heading out of the galley and vaguely towards the corridor leading back towards Med Bay.

Saienne watches Lucinda go, waiting until the galley is nice and clear before she enters to wash up the blue teacup. "Lemon drops an' lollipops?" As she muses, she rinses the dregs of tea out from the blue china. "Ain't never had sweets from a doctor before. Lectures, needles an' stitchings up, but never sweets." She gazes into the middle distance again, and smiles lop-sidedly. "Still, times change, an' all."

Kael Bowen chuckles softly, heading out the opposite direction, "I used to get a piece or two a year.. Right 'round November. My parents said it was something they used to do as a kid, I never understood it much myself. Anyway, I should check on things 'n' get ready to wash the ship.. I'll see you later Sai, yeah?" He tosses a smile over to Sai, grinning from ear to ear even if it does look a little empty.

Lucinda's crisp step takes her out to the corridors and she disappears behind a corner.

"Wash the ship... as if it ain't all goin' to get burned off as we break atmo anyhow." She mutters that, mostly under her breath. "Surely will, Kael. You take care, then."