<div align="center"><strong>-= Griffin Kingston, Captain - in the Captain’s quarters Aboard The Gamble - landing at Eavesdown Docks on Persephone =-</strong></div><br/>To say that Griff was unaffected by Sasha’s presence in his room would have been a grossly inaccurate assessment. Would<strong>would</strong>have been an accurate assessment was that he was pretty damn good at masking the manner in which she affected him… save for his initial reaction whenever he first lays eyes on her and seems to forget everything else in the verse for those first few moments before it all comes rushing back in, like the waves of the ocean surf crashing against rocky cliffs. In actuality, as Sasha stood before him looking so damn sexy leaning against the door jam with her legs crossed at the ankles, her hands clasped behind her back, and the way she caught her succulent bottom lip, he forgot himself and nearly ripped off his boxer briefs right in front of her. Catching himself only just as his thumbs hooked the elastic waistband and began to push the material down over his lean, muscled hips, he poured the remainder of his concentration on getting himself in the shower and briefing her on the pressing tasks at hand, delegating responsibilities to the various members of the crew. He was dangerously unaware of the telltale signs of Sasha’s burgeoning, impetuous temper fueling her indignation to critical levels.<br/><br/><strong>“whattaya think two or three hours be time enough to see everything done and meet back here?”</strong><br/><br/>No sooner had those words left his lips than he had ducked back inside the bathroom, slipping out of his boxer-briefs and tossing them out the open door to the couch. Letting the bathroom door close almost completely, Griff pulled back the shower curtain and stepped under the hot spray of jetting water that billowed steam into the small, cramped room. Grabbing the bar of soap, he began lathering his broad chest under the stream of water, soapy suds washing down his athletically toned body, careening into every dip and crevasse in his physique. Suddenly the door was flung open and the room was filled with an animatedly incensed Sasha. Griff was so surprised by her sudden invasion and outburst he hadn’t the presence of mind to pull the shower curtain closed. Instead, he slowly turned to face her, his jaw slack and eyes wide as tea cups as she ranted and raved, stabbing her slender finger at him. Standing mere inches from him inside the tiny bathroom, Griff was flabbergasted by her sudden outburst, though it was something he had witnessed before. He knew better than to interrupt her by interjecting his meaning, correcting her interpretations, clarifying or trying to clear the confusion. He knew that she just needed to vent her frustrations, whatever might be the cause.<br/><br/>Griff winced as the door slammed and silence filled the closet-sized room once more as Sasha turned and stormed out of the room, plopping herself onto the couch with a huff. He decided to leave her for a minute or two to cool off and finish with his shower. Not one to squander their water reserves, Griff was all too aware of the precious commodity and its price to replenish. In a matter of minutes, he was scrubbed clean and rinsed free of the cleansing suds. Shutting the water off, he grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist, tucking it in on itself before stepping out of into the main living quarters once more, dripping wet. He normally air dried from the shower and used the towel to stand on, but with Sasha still in his room…<br/><br/>Stepping from the bathroom, Griff placed both hands on his hips and watched Sasha quietly for a moment, gauging her temperament and trying to think of what to say that wouldn’t cause her to erupt again, possibly inflicting bodily harm upon him. “This is not a gos se piece of fei-oo.” He began before interrupting himself and taking a deep breath. He cleared his throat and began again, more careful in his words this time. “ –Ahem- Sasha… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply… I mean… I know you can take care of yourself. I know that better than anyone else. But, as long as you’re a part of my crew… you won’t<strong>have</strong>to take care of yourself. Not alone. Someone will always have your six. I prefer that someone to be me… and most of the time it is… but I need you to handle Ferret ‘cause no one else can do it better than you. Si’s filling in for me, doing the job that I normally do which is to make sure you watch your back so you can focus on doing what you do best. I would go myself, but I can’t trust getting this catamawhatzit to anyone else other than you, but I need you to focus on Ferret.<br/><br/>As far as two the three hours of shore leave… if you think the crew needs more time to enjoy themselves a little, then just say so. You know I value your opinion, Sasha. Hell, that’s why I asked you in the first place.<strong>YOU</strong>tell them when to rendezvous back here, whatever you think the crew needs to make them happy. Just let me know what you decide. In regards to Ferret, you know how to handle her. You’ve dealt with her before and I have full confidence in your ability to snag us some more work. If she ain’t got nothin’, she ain’t got nothing. We’ll figure something else out, go meet another contact. Somethin.”<br/><br/>He stood stock still as he spoke, but when he finished he moved closer and finally sat next to her on the couch. He wiped his hand on the towel against his thigh and reached up, placing the hand at the back of her neck and massaging gently. “I’m sorry for upsetting you. You okay? I need you, Sasha. I can’t make this work like it’s supposed to without you. You know that. Are you with me?”<br/>