Dake had started to head for his quarters to grab a change of clothes before heading for the bathroom.  He was brought up short by Charlie's comment.

"Ah..." Dake hesitated.  He was not sure how to respond.  "I...um...I will.  I promise I'm not out to hurt anyone."

Dake held his place for a moment more, wondering if the mechanic would have anything that might give him a clue how much Wei-Li meant to everyone.

Charlie's face broke out into a smile at the hesitation in Dake's response.  Apparently she was better at the whole 'protective sibling' thing then she thought, she almost chuckled but managed to hold that in, "Oh, ah'm believin'ya.  But you ain't been here long'n all an' well.  Destiny's family." for Charlie that spoke loudly enough.  You didn't mess with family, hopefully Dake knew that.

[From Santo: Prisma Casino]

Kale, Rhaef, and Geoff reached the ramp leading up to the cargo bay of Destiny just as Charlie and Dake wrapped up their conversation.  He knew that Dake and Wei-Li had some sort of shindig scheduled for that evening although he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.  For a long time his policy had strictly been no crew romances.  But then there was Ren and Acacia (the thought of them still sent a pang of grief through him) and now whatever Charlie and Rhaef had going on ... well there was no stopping it now.

His eyes flickered briefly over to Geoff.  He knew that he and Wei-Li had had something going on and although he didn't know any particulars (and frankly didn't care to) he knew that something had happened and now Wei-Li was going on a date with Dake.  Kale just didn't want whatever was going on to interfere with the running of his ship.  If it did he might just have to reconsider that rule of his.

"How's our girl doin'?" he asked Charlie as he stepped onto the ramp.  He noted with interest that Lei was carrying a very large purple teddy bear as he did so.

Charlie looked up with a smile as she saw the Captain returning with Rhaef and Geoff.  With a quick once over of Rhaef to make sure that he was all in one piece (he had a tendency to get shot most times when he was off the ship) she turned her attention to Kale, "Cap'n!" she said brightly, "Well as 'spected." she said, "Although she could be better'f I had some'f the right parts ..." she ventured.  Charlie was hoping that this job turned out well cause they could certainly use the money.

Rhaef smirked as Charlie looked at him, holding up his arms to show that yes, for once, he'd left the ship without getting shot. Perhaps, he thought to himself, its only as first mate that I get shot.

He looked around the cargo bay, oblivious to pretty much everything that was going on among the crew. Since his return, he'd pretty much been with Charlie, Kale or in his own company.

He turned to Kale, "So you want us to scout out the turf for the job? Get a lay of the land, he paused, "I've been here before, so its not like anyone would be surprised to see me in one of the casinos." After having spoke, he sighed briefly, probably was not a hired gun's place to make such a suggestion, but some old habits die harder than others." </red>

Seemingly forgotten, Dake decided to make his way to his bunk and get ready for the remainder of his evening.  Grabbing a towel from a locker, Dake wet it in the communal bathroom and carried it upstairs to his bunk.

As he moved past the entrance to Kyoko's shuttle, Dake could hear the two women inside talking.  He hesitated for a moment, silently wondering what they were talking about and whether or not he should try to listen further.  It only took a moment for the pilot to realize that not only would it be rude, but it would most likely undermine the relationship he was trying to build with Wei-Li.  He moved on, hoping the women did not notice him.

-> Dake's Bunk

Kale sighed, "I know lil' Charlie, if all goes right with this job we might just have enough creds to make some of those repairs we been needin'."

As he turned to look back at Rhaef he noticed Dake slip quietly away but let it pass.  Instead he nodded at Rhaef, "Yeah, Rha - Uh, Geoff take Rhaef with ya to scout the theater, I'm gonna go over the files that the twins gave us, formulate a plan o' action."

Charlie rolled her eyes at the Captain's words, not in disrespect or nothing, but because she had been hearing those words for long as she had been sailing with Kale.  They were always running one step behind it felt and always waiting on the next big job to get the creds to make needed repairs.  He was just lucky that she knew how to hold things together with what they got.

She frowned then when the Captain said that Geoff and Rhaef would go and scout out the theater, "You sendin'm off so soon an' all?" she said, "Seein' how y'just got back I was figurin' you'd, ya know, be stayin' put a spell."

She didn't actually look at Rhaef but her cheeks colored slightly cause she knew that she was being silly wanting him to stay on board for a while.  She knew that this was a job and this is how it was done but she hadn't had him back nearly so long as she'd like and after losing him like she had ... well, it was just nice to have him home.

Geoff followed Kale and Rhaef back into the Destiny's cargo bay.  As soon as they were inside, he spotted Dake and the purple bear grasped in Lei's arms.  He felt his face flush a bit as his blood got a bit warmer, fast approaching that point where it would begin to boil.  All he wanted was a drink right now.  Something to soothe the nerves and get him clear-headed for their next outing.  Just one drink.  Two, at the most.  But Geoff knew it wouldn't stop at two, or even three.  It'd snowball until he made an ass of himself again.

Which he wouldn't let happen.  Couldn't let happen.  Dake was already moving in on everything Geoff loved, held sacred.  Everything that meant even the slightest amount to him.  All because he'd let the booze get the best of him.  First Wei-Li, then Lei.  And it pissed him off, to the point where he wanted to pulverize Dake's face against the Destiny's bulkhead, smear it with his blood and remind everyone that no one...but no one...screwed with Geoff Wolfe and the people he cared about.

He took a deep breath and turned to Kale as the captain began to address him and Rhaef.  And there it was again...another slip, telling Geoff everything he needed to know.  He'd never be first mate.  Not really.  Kale would never trust him as much as he trusted Rhaef.  Geoff would never be more than the hired muscle, the guy who broke things when they needed breaking and shot things when they needed shooting.  He wasn't first mate material...deep down, he knew it...but it still burned the hell out of him that everyone would still hold Rhaef in high regard.  After what he did, the way he'd abandoned them, put all their lives in danger for his own personal, selfish bullshit.  Didn't seem like he had everyone's best interests in mind, but here he was, still the man of the hour.

Geoff wondered when he'd gotten so petty, so jealous of everyone and everything, and couldn't put his finger on it.

He nodded when Kale gave him their orders.  "Yeah.  Fine.  Let's just get this over with, huh?"

Turning to Rhaef, he said.  "Gimme a sec.  I need to take care of somethin' first.  When I'm done we'll head out of here."

Geoff didn't bother waiting for a response.  He didn't much want one, either.  Instead, he made his way over to Lei, a grin...forced as it may be...working its way across his features.  He took a knee next to her and tousled her hair a bit.

"Heya, darlin'," he said.  "How you doin', and where'd you get that mighty fine purple bear?"

Rhaef watched Geoff's reaction, and it was worse than he had expected, the big man was trying to hide his frustrations, but Rhaef knew he'd gone and overstepped his bounds. It wasn't his show any more, and well, he'd better learn that right quick.

When he saw Charlie's cheeks flush, he immediately regretting suggesting scouting the theater, rather than staying ship side, yet a part of him knew it had to be done to make sure they'd all get back in one piece.

"Don't worry, Charlie, won't take long, and then we'll be back pacing the catwalks, just like before, unless you have something else in mind..." Rhaef stopped short, realizing what he had said, and it was not his turn to blush a shade of crimson reserved for warning lights.

Lei had been sitting quietly and observing as the Captain came back with Rhaef and Geoff.  She knew that they had been out getting a job and the fact that they had come back and weren't hollering for Charlie to get inside and Dake to start the engines meant that they had succeeded.  Lei still wasn't exactly sure what all the crews jobs entailed but she knew that Charlie always got a little worried when they all left so Lei had started to do the same.

When Geoff came up to her she smiled but that was all.  There had been a time when she would have run up to him and grabbed onto his leg the moment he was in sight but now she was slightly guarded with him.  She was always half wondering if he had been drinking his magical forgetting drink again.  And maybe she didn't need him quite so much as she used to.  It'd been a while since Lei had been in the white place and she was starting to understand a bit how the world outside worked.  She was starting to become her own person and not just some scared little girl.

She bit her lip when Geoff asked where she had gotten her prize and didn't look at him, _{"Dake took me to the arcade ..."} she mumbled, knowing full well that Geoff always got this look in his eye when she talked about hanging out with the new pilot.  Lei wasn't sure but she didn't think that Geoff liked him very much.

Charlie shocked her own self at the images that came leaping to her head when Rhaef mentioned her perhaps having something else in mind.  Oh boy, she certainly did have some other things things in her mind none of which she was going to be explaining to anyone, anytime soon though.

Her cheeks probably flushed a bit darker as she stuttered, "Ah'm ... well there's'a ... no .. no ah'm not havin' nothin', nothin' in mind'f sorts an' ...."

She shook her head, she hadn't babbled on like an idiot nearly so much before Rhaef had gotten back.  Now she felt that her already limited vocabulary had been cut in half most of the time.  She supposed that was just what happened when you always had something else on your mind, someone else.  Charlie had never really felt this way before and when he had been unattainable it'd just been a fancy she could push to the back of her mind.  Now each little fancy was something that might actually happen and she just couldn't seem to ignore them the way she used to.  Fancies of Rhaef's hands, so deadly when in a fight but startingly gentle when he cupped her chin, or his lips ... his lips so soft when ...

"Port manifolds." she said suddenly, trying to back-peddle out of this whole line of discussion, "They've been hangin' loose'n ah've been meanin't get workin' on them so I should'b doin' that'n y'should probably be goin't scout."

Geoff felt that familiar swell of anger, felt his insides begin to get a bit warmer.  He quickly reigned it in, however, when he heard the tone of Lei's voice and saw the look on her face.  Over the past few months, she'd been growing increasingly distant from him.  Part of it had to do with her growing up, he knew, but the rest was due in no small part to his own vices.  It killed him to think how much he had caused his own suffering, and how he'd pushed all those close to him away.

He needed to change.  To fix things.  And he'd start today.

"Well, that was nice of him," he said, suppressing the anger and smiling as brightly and naturally as he could.  "Hope you had a good time, kiddo.  Maybe when we finish this next job, I can take you somewhere.  Anywhere you want.  If you'd like me to."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:11, Tue 02 Feb 2010.

Kale looked from Rhaef to Charlie and back to Rhaef again before deciding it was best to just stay out of whatever it was that was going on.  Inwardly he wondered if his ship was turning into some sort of melodramatic romance novel, that couldn't be good for business.  Deep down, he wondered how it was that his crew were able to find connections out here in the black and he was still alone ... deep down he was jealous of their blushes.  He didn't let any of those thoughts interfere with the running of his ship though and so he went right on with his business.

"Well, that's settled then, we'll head up to the bridge an' pull up the directions to the theater an' you guys can have a look around."

Lei wasn't looking at him so she missed the flash of anger that crossed Geoff's face for a brief moment, which was probably all for the better.  She was no longer a child that got scared when someone raised their voice but other displeasure still put her in a state of unease - perhaps more unease then was warranted.

When Geoff spoke, however, Lei looked up to find him smiling.  Her brow wrinkled for a moment, this was not the response she had calculated.  People were very confusing to Lei.  She couldn't figure them out like she could a math problem or the games at the arcade.  They didn't always behave in predictable patterns and that was frustrating to the young girl.

She ventured a small smile, "I did." she said softly, "I won this bear." she said, nudging that large purple teddy bear at her side, "I'm good at arcade games." her smile widened just a bit.

She tilted her head to the side then when he offered to take her somewhere as well, her response really seemed to matter to him, "Okay." she said, "I'd like that."

The anger faded, becoming little more than a distasteful memory as Geoff sat there with Lei.  She was something special alright, and Geoff wondered if he'd ever be able to have a daughter like her someday.  If he would even be able to find someone willing to have a child with him.  If not, he hoped he'd be able to get his shit together enough to keep from losing Lei...and Wei-Li, when he thought about it...altogether.  More motivation for him to keep himself in check and start to fix everything he'd started to break.

"Darlin'," he said, "you're good at anythin' you set your mind to.  Tell you what...I'm gonna go out and try to get this job done, so we can get out of here.  You try to come up with some ideas as to where you wanna go next, and I'll do everythin' I can to make it happen.  I promise."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:38, Sat 06 Feb 2010.

Lei could see him appear to relax slightly and she felt herself relaxing as well.  She nodded, her big eyes staring up at Geoff, "Promise." she echoed quietly and there was no doubt in Geoff's mind that she expected him to keep that promise.  This was a fragile truce between them.

Geoff winked, his smile widening as he realized this was the first of what would hopefully be many small victories.  He winked, and said, "I'd love to stick around, but I got some work to do now.  And the sooner we get it over with, the sooner you and I can start makin' some plans.  So you hold down the fort while I'm away, alright?  We'll be done in no time."

With that, he stood up and made his way back over to Rhaef.  He was still in the middle of what looked to be one awkward conversation with Charlie, so he leaned against the nearest wall and waited for him to wrap it up.  He'd been kind enough to let Geoff work his business out; he at least owed him the same courtesy.

Noticing that Geoff had wrapped up his conversation with Lei Kale motioned to his new first mate to follow him up to the bridge.  He cast a look in Rhaef's direction as well and figured the other man would follow suit when he was done here.

"The twins said they were sendin' up all the info on the theater." he said, "Should give us a jumpin' off point."

[To Destiny: Bridge]

Rhaef watched as Kale and Geoff left for the bridge, his initial instinct to follow them up there immediately. But, he reminded himself, he was just the hired gun now. The plan needed to be Kale's and Geoff's for this to work - and if Rhaef was poking his head into the conversation before the plan was formed, then things would always be awkward.

He had to wait and have Geoff bring him the plan and ask if he had any thoughts, the way Rhaef and/or Kale had done when Geoff was the hired gun.

Now that the others were gone, he turned to Charlie, "Now tell me, Ms. Bourdain, do you really want to be working on port manifolds or did you have something else in mind?"

As the cargo bay began to empty Lei got the feeling that perhaps she should slip out as well.  She'd heard Charlie talking with Kyoko one day in the dining hall about how she and Rhaef never really got to be alone on Destiny.  Lei didn't know exactly why they needed to be all by themselves but she remembered that Ren and Acacia used to talk about that all the time too.  She wrinkled her nose up slightly, people were strange.  Still she liked Charlie (she still wasn't too sure about Rhaef) so she'd let them be alone.

Without a word Lei slipped from the room, her feet not making a sound as she moved towards the passenger quarters where she had left the book she was reading.

[To Destiny: Passenger Quarters]

Charlie felt even more embarrassed as everyone left the cargo bay on their account but fervently pushed those thoughts away as she turned back to Rhaef.  A huge whoosh of air escaped her lips, blowing a bit of stray hair up and out of her eyes, "Now don'b gettin' all romantic on me." she said wryly at Rhaef's formality at calling her Ms. Bourdain, "Not when I'm covered in all sorts'f engine grease an' oil an' all."

She pushed herself to her feet, wiping her hands on her coveralls as she moved towards Rhaef, "The port manifolds really do need fixin'." she said, almost stubbornly as she stepped right up next to him.  She had to tilt her head up a bit to stare into his face.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:16, Tue 16 Feb 2010.

Rhaef craned his neck down at Charlie, as he slid his arms around her back, "Well, I guess its a good thing that I don't mind getting my hands greasy, and a better thing that even covered in grease, you look great."

With that, and a quick glance around the bay, Rhaef leaned and kissed her.

Charlie opened her mouth to respond and was promptly cut off by Rhaef's lips against her own.  Their soft touch sent a surge of warmth through her entire body and she felt herself relax into his embrace, perhaps against her better judgment.  The cargo bay wasn't exactly the most private of locations.  After a few moments she finally managed to pull away slightly breathless, "Now - now yer just tryin' t'be distractin'." she scolded playfully.

Rhaef shook his head ruefully, "Guilty as charged, Charlie," he said still holding her close. "Hopin' maybe I could 'stract both of us long enough for Kale and Geoff to figure out the plan, and I'd not have to go up to the bridge."

He paused, and slowly let her go, "But that don't appear to be the case," he said quietly. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, "don't work too hard on those manifold, we're both due from some R&R when we get back" He said with a smirk, adding as he turned for the bridge, "And I'm guessin' you can come up with some creative ways to spend it." He winked at her and slid into the hallway toward the bridge.

[To Bridge]