Ragna suddenly fell into Alfhild's field of view, startling the captain, which was a difficult thing to do, especially with the negotiator's bright pink hair. After their brief exchange, Ragna left the galley. She had a collected, slightly cold attitude most of the time, but Alfhild knew her just well enough to know that she was rather more than<span style="font-style: italic">frustrated</span>. Ragna understood what the possible loss of Coren's business meant. Alfhild didn't particularly like the woman, as Ragna denied the existence of the gods and didn't hold close to the true mission of Hrið, which was to find the high beings. Yet, she was part of the crew, and the captain couldn't help but feel attached to her. Alfhild decided not to mention the possible engine fault to anyone except Ber, a surprising choice for her. Normally she told Kri everything, but there was something about this that didn't seem appropriate to mention just yet.<br/><br/>Deep in thought, she didn't notice her upheld spoon slowly tipping to the side, spilling over her armour. "Oh blast," Alfhild muttered, staring down at the dribblings of nässelsoppa on her breastplate. She wasn't a disgusting eater, simply a hasty one, but she at least had enough manners that she didn't tend to end up with food all over her after a meal. After thinking for a moment, she spotted the cloth in Ber's lap, dropped by the stealthy Isa. Alfhild watched the girl walk into the kitchen, full of purpose, before turning and taking the cloth in her mechanic's lap and wiping at her chest. The nässelsoppa picked up easily, to Alfhild's relief. She placed the now-dirty cloth on the table, glancing up at Ber. The mechanic always seemed to be dirty, through no fault of her own. The bits and bobs that helped Hrið function weren't the cleanest of things.<br/><br/>"That was meant for you I imagine," Alfhild raised one of her thick eyebrows, "I can get another one from Isa for you." With a loud scrape Alfhild pushed back the chair she was sitting in and went through the same door Isa had traveled through just a moment ago.<br/><br/>Not at all to Alfhild's surprise, she found the robot techie putting dishes in the sink and preparing to clean the tables once all the crew members had filed out. Before Alfhild could get Isa's attention, however, the deaf girl left the kitchen, with the same purposeful stride as when she came in.<br/><br/>It was a mission now.<br/><br/>Alfhild didn't spend much time in the kitchen, having little cooking skills and not much need to be in it except to mooch off Kole for extras, when he was in one of his better moods. She glanced over to the apron hooks. Kole had officially left the kitchen, and it would be a waste of time to seek him out to ask where he kept the cloths, as the ship was rather large. The kitchen was filled with drawers upon drawers upon cabinets, and Alfhild knew that at least one would contain the cloths that she sought. The danger was making sure that she didn't rifle through anything in her search. Kole would be furious if anything was out of place.<br/><br/>Opening the first drawer, Alfhild let out a curse. She couldn't even guess as to what the shiny metal implements it contained were for. The next drawer was filled with a variety of peelers.<span style="font-style: italic">Since when did we need this many peelers?</span>The mysteries of the kitchen enthralled the captain as she continued her search.<br/><br/>Having tried her luck on the drawers, Alfhild decided to open one of the chest-level cabinets. Which turned out to be a bad idea. The pots inside had been placed precariously, and as she opened the cabinet, they sprung forth, landing with a loud clatter all around her. Strings of curse words left her lips as she crouched down to the ground, collecting the pots as loudly as when they had fallen. Shoving them in the cabinet, she prayed to Valhalla that Kole wouldn't notice later.<br/><br/>Several fruitless drawers later, Alfhild realized the the cloths were folded neatly beside the dish sink. Either she didn't have functioning eyes, or the gods had been playing a cruel joke on her. Grabbing one, she left the kitchen in a defeated huff.<br/><br/>Sitting back in her seat, Alfhild tossed the cloth to Ber. "I went to Hel and back for that," she grumbled fiercely, though it was clear the frustration was mostly an act. She returned to her meal, taking one last blessed spoonful of nässelsoppa, before passing her dishes to Isa, who dutifully doing rounds through the galley, collecting people's increasingly empty plates and bowls.<br/><br/>It seemed that everyone had finished and were satisfied with their meals. Alfhild tapped her chin thoughtfully. It was about time the whole crew had done a training exercise together. Everyone on the ship had to be properly trained, and in their spell of little work, many had become lax.<br/><br/>Alfhild let her mighty fist pound the table three times to gain everyone's attention, standing up to face the majority of the room. "In ten minutes I expect the<span style="font-style: italic">entire</span>crew to be in the training room for some important exercises! Don't be late, or you may find yourself taking the place of a training robot!" She relayed the same message over the comm system, knowing several crew members had already slunk off.<br/><br/>Before she left, Alfhild turned one last time to Ber. "I'd rather you see to the engine, Ber," she said in a quieter tone, "let's just hope it's good news." Alfhild straightened, yelling one last time for the crew to 'move their butts!', before heading off to prepare the training room. Ragna would already be there, and would help Alfhild set up the simulation for a true, fierce, Viking battle.<br/><br/>Alfhild's blood boiled with excitement.