Shui walks into the Passenger Lounge.  There is music playing quietly, and Corlan, Eneris and keryn are all present.  They appear to be playing cards... Keryn has a large mound of coloured plastic chips in front of her, while Corlan and Eneris have somewhat smaller hoards.

Keryn looks up as Shui enters, "Hello Shui, I'm just taking a break from my studying."

Corlan sounds almost overjoyed to see Profit Margin's medic.  "Miss Tiesi!  Are you here to save Eneris and myself from certain bankruptcy?  If I were you, I'd advise Captain Lanza against gambling with young Keryn, or he'll lose his ship."

Eneris, meanwhile, scowls as he make a rough estimate of how many chips he has left...

"One would think you would have have learned your lesson by this point, Mr. DeSant," Shui notes, doing a quick qualitative comparison of the sizes of the chip piles.  "I have been listening to you and Mr. Armusezash grouse about Ms. Taylor's skill with the cards for the entire trip."  It's not acid, only amused.  "I fear there is little I might do to assist, especially since I will be preparing for a large dinner."

A small bow to Keryn follows.  "Pray continue fleecing the gentlemen, Ms. Taylor."

Moving to the various lockers, Shui begins checking her stores.  "On that note, we shall be having a moderately casual dinner with the crew of the Ore Hound, should Captain Lanza succeed in persuading them to join us.  You, of course, are invited; one hopes you will accept the invitation, but it is obviously not compulsory."

One eyebrow cocks.  "I offer a well-stocked table, and one can only guess at how interesting the conversation will be."

Corlan's face breaks into a smile, "Ore Hound?  Ore Hound is here?"

Keryn's expression is more curious, "What's an ore hound?"  She looks from Shui, to Corlan, to Eneris, then back to Shui.  "Another ship?"

"I'd imagine so." Eneris replies, "Prospecting ship, by the sound of the name."

"Indeed," Shui confirms, nodding, before turning to Keryn and Eneris. "Mr. Armusezash is in essence correct, Ms. Taylor.  The Ore Hound is a prospecting ship with which we once partnered to deal with a pirate ship.  The situation worked out quite well, with no loss of life on either side." Thank goodness, she thinks to herself.

"It is an...interesting story.  I'm certain that Mr. DeSant can tell it with more verve and vigor than myself."  When it comes to tales of derring-do involving violence, Shui's delivery might charitably be described as 'flat'.  "Though the pirate ship was a rather sad affair - a crew forced into their situation by others."

They made, Shui feels, the wrong choice, but it's an understandable error.  Few people want to die, even for others to live.

"In any case, it does mean there will be a great deal of people about the table.  I say this not to hint at any problems, but to prepare you." Her head cocks, and she offers a small smile.  "In case you wish to go shopping beforehand."

Keryn takes a moment to digest the information, while Corlan gets up and makes his way across to the wall controls,

"It'll be nice to meet the crew of another ship." the young woman says at last, "Is it a big ship?  How many of them are there?"  The walls flicker, as if in answer to her question, and display a view of a frigid wilderness with a domed structure nearby, and a brightly coloured starship parked on the ice amidst drifts of wind-blown snow.

Eneris groans, "Now I feel cold."

Corlan ignores him as he points to the ship, "I believe that's Ore Hound.  Smaller than Profit Margin, as I recall."

"Ore Hound has a small crew," Shui clarifies.  "Only three men, all decent enough."  A personal thought, and without a ton of evidence behind it, but Shui didn't see anything to indicate a lack of morals in their time together.  "Quite small, only half the size of Ms. Blake's favoured child," she continues.  "Their crew will certainly not overflow our table - fortunate, for me." 

"Oh... all right." Keryn replies, and then Shui's addendum registers, "If you need any help, let me know.  I can cook.  Well, a bit, if it's something simple."

Her smile looks a little uncertain as she continues, "Roast groat and that sort of thing.  Or deep fried shredded groat in yamok sauce.  Um... and boiled groat with hasperat.  Or... well, I know mostly groat recipes, and not much else.  So if we're having groat, I'm your girl."

"Oh, and noodles."

Shui laughs along with Keryn's exposition.  "I hadn't planned on groat, Ms. Taylor, though I will most certainly keep the offer in mind.  Not to worry - I should have things well in-hand, if my errand-fellows arrive back with the food I have ordered."  Patting the woman on the shoulder, she shakes her head. "No, you area  guest here - a passenger.  It would shake my very universe to its foundation if I had a guest assist with the cooking, unless there were great need."

An exaggeration, of course, but less of one than people might think.

"Please, Ms. Taylor, sit back and enjoy the meal." She pauses.  "Much like this two will, of course," with a wave to Corlan and Eneris.  "Besides, unlike them you have important work to do.  Either studying...or divesting them of their savings." 

"Well, if you do need a hand, let me know.  Everybody on Profit Margin has been nice to me since I arrived, and I want to help out.  At the very least I can make sure you always have clean dishes and things."

Keryn looks across at Corlan and Eneris, "And I think these two could use a short break, or they'll have no credits left before we leave here."

There is a chuckle from Corlan, "I assure you, Miss Tyler, you are only winning because I am allowing you to.  Should I choose to do so, I could easily prevent you taking any more of my savings."

Eneris snorts, "And how do you reckon you could you do that?"

"By the simple expedient of declining to play any further games against her."

"Absolutely, Ms. Taylor," Shui assures their guest.  "I will be certain to let you know."  Having said as much, she's already planning how she might call upon Keryn for assistance in a way that doesn't impinge upon her own duties.  Shui perfectly understands the need to feel useful (as well as the need to give back, oh, that she comprehends completely), and doesn't want to take any of that away from Keryn.  It wouldn't help her guest.

"As you see, Mr. DeSant is a canny player.  He certainly knows when to fold them...and bow out of a game.  Now, apparently, is not the time," she finishes with a quick wink at her longtime guest before ducking back into the pantry for a look at supplies.  Good; she has enough for a pair of largish salads, with the fresh produce 'on the list'.  There's enough here for a pair of main courses as well, giving a choice of meat or vegetarian options, and soups.  They'll need soups, yes - choice there as well, Shui decides.  And dessert, well, she has a plan for that, included in the list.  Another choice, this time between a lemon meringue pie and brandied fruit.

She expects people will go for both.

"None of you will be going out to see the port?" she inquires.

"I can see it from here," Eneris says, nodding at the live feed on the wall, "and it looks fracking cold.  Too cold for me anyway."

Keryn's response, after a quick slap at Eneris' hand, and a rebuke for the former Navy man's use of bad language, is more thought out, "It does look cold out there, and isn't there some sort of disease in the air?  I'd rather not risk getting sick.  But it does look very scenic... see how the light shines through the ice at the top of that ridge, and lights it up with all those different colours."

Corlan looks where Keryn points, and smiles, "Oh yes, it looks like a frozen rainbow."

"A what?"

"A prismatic effect," Shui notes, "referred to as a rainbow due to the cause due to distant rain coupled with sunlight.  The water refracts the white light into its constituent wavelengths, much as the ice does here, forming a colourful arc in the air.  It's a planetary phenomena." The steward pauses.  "I have...had interest in science in the past."

Along with everything else.

"Perhaps we'll get to see one on a planet," she wistfully considers. "It has been a long time.  I've spent most of my own time aboard ships."

"Oh, I know about prisms." Keryn replies, "But if one of these rainbows is made by rain... well, I lived all my life underground on an airless rock, until Yas rescued me.  I know absolutely nothing about weather, except what I've seen in holovids."

She thinks for a moment, then, "In fact, now you mention it, I think I did see one in a vid that I was watching one time, but I just thought it was a flaw in the recording."

Shui smiles and nods at Keryn's anecdote. "It must seem rather odd to someone who has never had the opportunity...we shall have to schedule more landings on planetary bodies, and more 'field trips' for crew and passengers.  It's not difficult; one must simply prevail upon Captain Lanza.  With enough persuasion - possibly including promises to forgive gambling debts, Ms. Taylor, should you be so lucky to play with him - he will capitulate."

Frowning, the Steward considers beverages.  "I shall have to message Mr. Orgesh and request he pick up some wine and an after-dinner drink or two.  Do you have preferences?" she inquires, directing the question to all persons in the room.  "Obviously I will have coffee and tea -" no question there "- but people might wish for something stronger."

Eneris shakes his hed, "Nothing special for me.  I don't mind a good Darrian ale, but I promised Saskia I'd cut back on the stronger stuff while I'm aboard the Margin.  From the looks of this place, I don't think you're going to have a lot of choices anyway.  Don't suppose they have much in the way of vinyards."

Corlan leans back in his chair and stares at the ceiling, listening to what others are saying.

"I probably shouldn't drink much just now either, and I didn't drink much before, so I don't really know much about the subject." Keryn adds her own input, "So I don't really have any preference.  I'll probably stick to water and coffee in any case."

"I think... " Corlan finally chimes in, "... I'll accept my companions' choices in this matter.  It would be rude to insist on an imported wine, a Dalbei Seventh District '64, for example, if I'm the only one drinking it.  And, as Eneris says, you probably would not be able to obtain a bottle here."