[Log] "I ain't no rumour-monger."

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Crew Commons, Grace O'Malley [Persephone]
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A man, namely Kael, was sprawled out on the couch, his boots were kicked up on the far arm rest. His left foot was rested upon it, while the right was crossed over, the right heel balancing on his left toes. He looks quite relaxed and in better spirits then he normally is, a smile already playing over his mouth.


Saienne can be heard before she is seen - moving not, it must be said, with the same levels of noise that Kael achieves, but clattering up the catwalks and ladders loudly enough all the same. As she ducks into the ship's common area she swipes the broad-brimmed hat from her head and waves it at Kael. "Afternoon," she says pleasantly, as she heads straight for the galley.

Kael Bowen's mouth pulls into a wide grin, his left arm folding up under his head as his eyes watch her, "Hey there, Sai.. Think ya could toss me a water while yer in the kitchin?" He inquires, his right hand hanging off the couch, the back of his hand resting on the floor.

"Surely can," says Saienne as she deposits a box of ingredients on the galley counter. She bends down to root around in the refrigerator and, finding a bottle, steps smartly over to the couches to deliver it to Kael. "Anythin' else while I'm up an' about?" she asks, shrugging out of her coat and letting the thing drop onto the back of one of the benches.

Kael Bowen shakes his head from side to side, his right hand reaching up and snagging the bottle as she offers it, "Thanks." The corner of his mouth pulls up into a bit of a smirk, "Naw.. Thanks though." He takes the top and flicks it between thumb and index finger, causing it to spin off and land close by on the floor. His left arm moved a bit more under his head, putting his elbow under it so it props it up more, "How've ya been, Sai?"

"Right you are," says Sai, stepping back across to the galley. She starts to unpack some of the items in the box and lay them on the counter - root ginger, some unhappy looking bok choi, and some other unidentifiable ingredients. "Thought I'd make the most of bein' dirtside an' spend a little on somethin' green," she says. She inspects the bok choi more closely. "Well. Green-ish, anyhow. Best I could find. I expect it ain't the season." She looks back over at Kael as he asks his question. "Been busy," she replies, "Tyin' up loose ends an' pickin' up new threads." She grins crookedly. "How was your shoppin' trip with our good doctor?"

Kael Bowen lets out a soft chuckle, his head shaking slowly from side to side, "Oh, she just needed to get a pee dee eh." He inhales slowly, his back arching up as he stretches various muscles through out his body before slowly letting out his breath in a long sigh, "Wasn't anythin' really special. We stopped by her parents since we were in the vicinity and I offered to give 'er back up in case they started being a little too pesterin'. Ifn ya know what I mean." His mouth quirks up into a lopsided smirk in her general direction.

Saienne rumages around for a few moments in one of the galley cupboards and comes out with a large chef's knife and a steel. She runs her thumb lightly along the sharp of the blade and peers in closely. She then adjusts her grip on both the knife and the steel and begins with deft, practiced motions, to sharpen. Over the harsh but rhythmic sound of metal on metal, Sai says: "I reckon I do." She pauses in her work and looks up at the man again. "Reckon it might not've gone down too well, neither."

"Eh.. It wasn't bad." Kael responded, his shoulders rising and falling a little in a slight shrug. "I've seen much worse." He continued, his eyes watching her work with the knife for a moment before focusing elsewhere, just at the ceiling. He pulls his water up, careful not to spill it as he poured some into his mouth, too full to drink straight from it yet.

Saienne tests the knife with her thumb again, depressing the skin only very slightly, and considers it sharp enough. She wipes the residue from the steel from the blade with her sleeve and sets both implements down on the galley counter while she brings down a battered old wok and whatever other ingredients she needs. Then she sets to, quickly slicing the bok choi into green slivers. Mindful that the knife is now sharp, she does not look up from what she is doing when she next speaks. "That's a good thing. Meetin' the parents ain't always the nicest of experiences. Leastwise, it never has been for me."

Kael Bowen lets out a laugh, shaking his head from side to side, his mouth parting into a grin as he says, "Aww, I think you're readin' a bit too much into it Sai. I was simply helpin' out. Wasn't there to meet her 'rents or anythin'. Though I ended up goin' in to help save her from that chaos." He looks back over to Sai, watching her work idly before shifting his gaze again down to his bottle of water.

Saienne stops chopping, looks up at Kael, and reaches for the golden gnarl of root ginger. "Is that so?" she asks, passively, and then concludes: "Whatever you say, Kael. Whatever you say." She smiles lop-sidedly at him and shifts her grip on the knife so as to use it as a peeler rather than a chopper. Flakes of pappery ginger skin fall onto the counter, and the smell of the spice soon fills the galley air.

Kael Bowen chuckles, swinging his feet around and standing up, bottle of water still in hand. He takes a long drag from it, emptying about half of what was left before letting out a long breath. His eyes turn to Sai and he shakes his head, "Sounds ta me like you're gonna start some rumors about me 'n' the Doc. Should be mildly interestin', but for now, I should get to workin' out some. See you in a bit, Sai." His feet start carrying him towards the exit.

Saienne calls after him as he leaves the common area, "Have no fear, Kael. I ain't no rumour-monger."

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Saienne is standing over in the galley attending to a wok full of something or other that is sizzling fairly noisily as she prods and stirs it with a wooden spoon. Fine strands of bok choi are piled into a little green mountain on the counter, and the whole place smells of root ginger and soy. She is humming a tune in a low tone, and tapping the end of the spoon to its rhythmn when she takes a break from stirring. Her heavy coat is draped over the back of one of the benches in the dining area. As Aradia enters the room, Saienne looks up from her cooking. "Evenin' Captain," she says, good-naturedly.

Nose wrinkling as she steps into the commons, Aradia sniffs and veers from her path to turn in toward the galley. "Evening, Sai," she says with a smile as she circles into the kitchen and stops beside her, peering into the wok. "What are you making there? Smells awful good," she asks, reaching over to pick up a thin strand of bok choi to inspect closer.

"Just stir fryin' some green things," Sai says, with a lop-sided smile. "Ain't nothin' fancy, an' I certainly ain't got pretentions to bein' a cook." She pokes the contents of the wok around a little, coating everything neatly in the dark soy sauce. "Figured I'd take the opportunity of bein' dirtside to pick some things up - while we got the chance, an' all." She reaches out for some of the bok choi and sprinkles it into the wok. "Just about ready if you're hungry," she states.

"No sense in not eatin' if food's right there even if you ain't hungry, right?" Aradia says with a chuckle, turning and leaning back against the counter as she nibbles on the strip still in hand, one arm crossed loosely over her stomach. "So you figure on still flyin' as a passenger with us awhile or reckon as you might be interested in somethin' a little more permanent?" Aradia asks, glancing up to the woman stirring the wok beside her. "Part o' the crew," she adds.

Saienne is standing in the galley cooking up a wokful of ginger and bok choi. She reaches up for two bowls as Aradia asks her about her intentions. Setting the bowls on the countertop, she turns the heat off from the wok before answering. "Well, Persephone was where I was headin' when you picked me up," she muses, "An' here we are back in town." She frowns. "To be straight an' true with you, Captain, I ain't sure what I can offer you as crew. Sure enough I can shoot, but nowhere near as good as Kael or Hatch. An' though I could hustle up a field dressin' if pressed, I surely ain't no medic - an' you got yourself a mighty fine one in Lucinda anyhow." She frowns, and starts to dish out the stir-fried vegetables. "'Bout the only thing I got goin' for me is my business and the folk I know through it." A beat. "Or did you have somethin' in mind?"

Josephine enters the room from the aft corridor more dancing than walking, twirling on her toes before bowing to her invisible audience. "Thank you, thank you..No really, you're too much," she tells her non-existant fans, blowing kisses and waving behind her. She has a small canvas bag over her right shoulder. Turning toward the real people, she exclaims, "Well, if that doesn't smell like heaven! Hey folks! What's cookin'?"

"Boat's got to make money to keep flying, don't she?" Aradia asks Saienne in response. "Besides, I reckon as you got a lot more to give than you're givin' yourself credit for," she adds as she pushes off from the edge of the counter to grab some chopsticks out of one of the drawers, holding a pair out to Sai as she goes to take one of the filled bowls. Glancing over to Josephine with a small grin, she says, "Stir-fried green things, according to Sai."

"Ain't that the truth," says Saienne, about Aradia's first comment. "You got any objections to me carryin' on with what I do? Fittin' it in with where the ship's goin' and givin' a cut to y'all? Only it's taken me nigh on eight years to build this up, an' I ain't over-eager 'bout givin' it up entirely." She frowns as Aradia alludes to hidden talents and, for a rare moment, her usual composure is destabilised. "Well," she says, pausing for words, "That's mighty kind of you to say so." Another pause. "I reckon we'll both probably find out if I do stay on..." And, in silence, she takes the chopsticks from the Captain, offering a full bowl in return. As Josephine makes her entrance, Saienne's crooked grin returns. "Ain't nothin' fancy," she says again, "Just poked some things around in some soy sauce an' ginger."

"Green things is good. Well, at least they smell good," Josephine insists. "How's my favourite captain today? I know, I know. I'm interrupting an important business conversation. But we already know Sai's going to stay with us. How could she bear to leave?" She smiles endearingly to the woman in question.

"I'm your only captain," Aradia says with a smirk, shaking her head. Looking over to Saienne as she takes her bowl and heads for the table, she says, "Don't much of anything any of us do that we don't all do for Grace and each other. I figure we can work something out that's goin' to be for the best for all of us." Sliding down onto the end of one of the benches, she adds, "Well, Josephine's mighty confident o' you staying, but I won't force you none to make a decision. We'll be on 'sephone a few days yet I reckon. You got 'til we lift off again to decide."

"Ain't no bother to me, Josephine, it ain't so private. Most likely wouldn't be discussin' it in here if it were." She smiles back, and adds: "An' there's plenty more in the wok if you're hungry." She leans against the galley counter and regards the contents of the bowl carefully. Her tone this time is devoid of any of the usual humour or levity. "I'd surely like to." She rubs the back of her stubbled head with one long-fingered hand, and lets out a little sigh. "I'm cautious on account of how central to me my vocation is. I built it - an' myself an' all - up out of nothin'. Really nothin'." She pauses, and her gaze slips between the two women. "I reckon maybe that y'all can relate to that." Her hand snakes back down to grip the chopsticks again, and she pinches up a bundle of bok choi and ginger. "If we can work the figures so it's boon to you an' yours to have me aboard, then I reckon Josephine's seized on the truth of things already."

Josephine touches her hand to her heart and sighs wistfully, watching Aradia head to the table. "She loves me, she does," she explains to Saienne, "She's just too stoic to admit it." A wink. "I think I will sample those tasty-smelling green things of yours, actually..in just a moment, thank you." And then she bounds over to the table, "Say, my One and Only Captain, I bought your husband a considerably-belated birthday gift. Will you tell me if he'll like it or just chuck it in the bin and laugh maniacally? I was really out looking for a PDA, but, not only is it more fun to shop for other people, but, well, I never did find the right shop."

"Course I do, Jo," Aradia says with a grin, shaking her head as she glances first back to Saienne and says, "I'll have you sit down with me 'n Max soon then. He's got a better head for business than I do 'n between the two of you, can probably come up with plenty o' moneymakin' ideas." Looking back to Josephine once more, her brow quirks a little and she affects a mock pout. "I didn't even get a cake for mine," she says before her lips twitch into a small grin again and she nods, "Sure. Show me what you got."

'Thunk, thunk, thunk' boots hitting plating from roughly the direction of the Starboard quarters, soon, Kael rounds the corner. His eyes run over the area as his foot scuffs to a stop, then he resumes his walk, heading towards the galley. He looks fresh out of a shower or some such, his blonde hair a bit spiky after being rubbed dry with a towel and still in rough clumps as it hasn't finished drying, "Ara... Jo... Sai." He says to each, giving a short little nod as he addresses each.

"Reckon we got ourselves a plan, in that case," says Saienne, before popping the bundle of stir fry into her mouth and chewing. She pushes off from the counter and makes towards the bench where her coat is draped. Nudging the bench out from the table with her foot, she negotiates the furniture and sits down somewhere near Aradia, setting the bowl on the table in front of her. She looks up expectantly at Jo to reveal the present, and nods a greeting at Kael as he arrives. "Good workout?" she asks the man.

Josephine seems deeply affected by the mock pout. "I didn't know, Ara," she swears. "But, if you want, I'll very happily make you a non-birthday cake this week. I like making cakes. They can be so pretty..." She looks wistful already, probably already envisioning a future cake creation. "Oh! Right. The gift." She opens her little canvas bag and pulls out a navy blue t-shirt which, when unfolded, displays a graphic of a frothy mug of beer. The bold text above the graphic reads 'Do something with your life:' Followed below with: 'Get me a beer.' Josephine holds it up for all to see, looking hopeful.

Looking up to Saienne with a nod, Aradia swallows the mouthful of stir-fried green stuff and then smiles, "Reckon as we do." Turning her head to look up to the presented gift, it's a good thing she just swallowed her food because her first response at seeing the gift in hand is to burst into laughter, her eyes tearing as she tries to catch her breath. "Oh...that's...perfect," she manages, taking a few moments before her laughter turns into giggles and she says, "No, no need," and then asks, "Hey, did you try some o' that chocolate cake?"

"Pretty good, Sai." He responds, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a smile, "Managed to clean up a little afterward, too..." He adds as he reaches the galley. He crouches down in front of the fridge as he starts looking about on the bottom shelf, shifting things about as he searches for something, though careful not to let anything fall out.

"An' for that we can be truly thankful," says Saienne, finishing up bowl of bok choi and standing from the table again. She snags her coat as she stands, and drapes it over her arm. She turns and looks at Josephine's present, and, in the absence of a spare hand to rub at the back of her head, wrinkles her nose instead. "Certainly is funny, although I expect I'd have to know Max better to appreciate the full hilarity." She heads into the galley, she scrubs the dishes quickly and efficiently, leaving what remained in the wok in another bowl in case anyone else fancied finishing it. Poking her head round the corner back into the mess, Saienne addresses the room: "Just got a couple more errands to run in town, an' then I'll be back." And, so saying, she slips into her coat, picks up her broad-brimmed hat, and leaves the way Kael came in - although not with quite such heavy footfalls.

The Captain's laughter ensures that Josephine is all smiles again, looking several shades of delighted as she carefully refolds the t-shirt to put it in her bag. "Oh so you're the mystery cake maker, then?" she asks, sounding amused. "I was wondering. That was a fairly amazing display of culinary aptitude, if I do say so myself. Those cherries..with the chocolate and the nuts..just divine. I was seriously impressed. I'm sure Max was too. I haven't seen the man for ages, myself..he particularly busy lately? Oh! Hey! Kaelkaelkaelkael! It's you." She peers over at the man. "What are you rummaging about for? Bye Sai! Thanks for doing the dishes!"