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"I am yours to command," said Lucius gallantly, bowing with a flourish before opening a nearby bunker to search through for the sacks of corn flour.

"I must say, the captain seems to have taken a special liking to you," he commented innocently, reaching down to lift a hefty bag marked "SALT" but clearly filled with flour. "From what I understand, this is not your usual line of work. Tell me, my dear, what brings you to this disreputable ship?"

He phrased the question carefully, a coy smile in his voice that indicated he was half kidding and half serious, and following it up with a compliment: "A woman of your talents could do well in Hawke's employ, you know."

"Haha. Truth be known I went in for a john and came out a cook." She picked up another sack of the corn flour. "I'm a poor muluku girl with little to no skills, aside from cooking, cleaning, singing and a bit of acrobatics. When I saw the captain in the Black Dove, I scoped her as a possible source of income. This be one of the more reputable pieces of work I've done in awhile." She sidestepped around the comment about the captains affections; while it was not unkind, she couldn't say why having the slick sailor say it made her feel like a pet. And it was hard to keep things secret on a pirate ship. Might as well be out with it that I was a whore, not like they couldn't tell. She adjusted the weight of the bag, ready to leave but willing to hear him out.


Noe turned, eyes curious and intrigued. She hadn't much thought of the brothers since her first days in Old Rose; she'd been terrified they would sweep her away to some secret base and do all sorts of awful things. But she'd been a sandback right from mugroba; she hadn't know any better. Now she did.

"Hmm, really?" She wanted to hear more; this voyage wouldn't last forever. Noe hated the idea of being back on her rear in the streets. And Hulali knows when Lacey will tire of me. It was a depressing thought, but one not uncommon to the small girl. Everyone does, after all.

Lifting the bag up to his shoulders, Lucius began heading for the kitchen, stepping over the messy and cluttered floor of the ship. "How long have you been in the harbor?" he asked politely. "With the benefit of a Muluku citizenship, you must have had quite pressing reasons to leave. Hawke is always looking for expatriots to help strengthen his ties to the island lords."


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Picking her way through the same mess, Noe considered her words before answering. "I've been in Old Rose for a bit now, less than a year." She fixed her grip on the heavy bag, looking ahead instead of at the pirate.

"I grew up in the islands, but when my father's family visited when I was a girl, I was so enamored with the idea of a big city I left with them for a long time." She sidled up to the galley door and bumped it open with her pert rear, leaning into it for Lucius's sake.

"I left Thul Ka when I got word my mother died. My father didn't want to run the plantation on his own, so we got him in with his family, got some managers for the farm, and I took off. Since then I've been over most of the Mugrobi desert and after I tired of that, Anaxas seemed like the place to go." She laughed a little, smiling. "It must sound so boring, but really that's it. I still own shares in the family business, and really I am heiress since my brother gave it up for studying technology. And I'm likely still welcome so far as that goes..." the blue eyed cook shook her short hair, and grinned suddenly up at the greasy man.

"What's Hawke like? Personally, I mean." She flounced into the galley, placing her flour on the table and leaning to look up at Lucius. So long as old thoughts were stirring, might as well ask. Besides, if he sounds like the kind of man I could work with, I'm more likely to find someone in his employ who wouldn't mind a girl who likes... well. She grinned lightly.


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"He's a gentleman and a scholar," said Lucius, in the way of high praise. "Men like myself, you see, we are thugs, muscle - though with appropriate modesty I do consider myself a cut above the typical slobbering mongrel under the employ of the King..." Lucius took a moment to cough and straighten his cravat.

"Hawke is, as they say, the brains behind the operation, and he has them in spades. Old Rose Harbor was a malignant cesspool before he came into town. Now, we have businesses, trade routes, technology, money...everything the galdori could not give us, we have made for ourselves under his leadership."

The oily man looked around, seemingly appreciating the sights in the tiny, cramped (but very clean) galley. "You have done wonders with the place," he commented. "It is true what they say - Mugrobi women have an eye for beauty, even in unlikely places."


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Noe nodded seriously, beginning to pull out her equipment for preparing the evening meal. She restoked the fire underneath the stew pot, tapping the cooling metal pans of biscuits that she had prepared with the good flour. Pulling out potatoes, carrots and anything else that still looked good enough to add to the on going stew, she tilted her head girlishly at Lucius.

"Well, that's a relief. I was raised with tales of the Old Rose that was unfit for man or beast. Hawke really turned the place around. He sounds like an excellent leader... and an intriguing man." She began chopping the carrots, fingers deftly wielding the blade, slicing through them and in a fluid motion throwing the bits into the pot. Her thoughts however were focused on his words. He sounded like an interesting character... if not exactly a 'gentleman and scholar.' Though, technically, Noe herself fit those same criteria, and no one would have ever assumed that of her. I shall need to know more... but this looks promising.


Noe smiled at the compliment, fluttering her eyelashes a bit. Old habits die hard. "Thank you, you are are far too kind! Haha, it was an effort, but I finally think it's at least halfway decent." The entire kitchen had been a disaster area. After taking care of the ships ledger, she had put all her energy into cleaning the hellish pit.

However the work had paid off. It was scrubbed and nearly gleamed with cleanliness. Looking into the pot, she added more of the greens and searched for the jerky she had thrown a fit about having, adorably standing on tiptoe to reach one of the higher, awkwardly placed shelves.


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Lucius felt slightly confused at Noe's behavior.

Normally by now women had given him the cold shoulder, but she was giving him the warm shoulder, plus a little more. Not knowing quite what to say to follow up, he began looking around, suddenly uncomfortable. Was she attracted to him, or just trying to torture him? His insecurities began playing up, rising unbidden from the depths of his subconscious. Was she playing with him? Making a joke of him? What was this trickery?

While Noe was busy fixing up the flour, he slipped out quietly.

Phew, he thought. That was close.


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Noe looked back, expecting a response and finding none. Lucius was gone, without a trace. Shrugging delicately, she finished grabbing her jerky, and after throwing a chunk of it in to flavor the stew, set things up so she could return to the deck.

I wonder what was his problem. Dze. Cleaning her counter, she walked out into the sunlight again, catching sight of Lacey and Vik.

Mm, this looks like it could get fun.