<div align="center"><strong>-=Vincent - Standing outside of his private quarters - Persephone =-</strong></div><br/>Mae’s gentle caress on his arm sent a current of excited electricity originating from the point of contact that spread through the rest of his body.  A teasing sample of the intimate contact he desired from her like nothing else in the ‘verse.  Vincent became aware that there was something slightly different with this flirtatious exchange; he got the impression that the subtext was more genuine than he had initially suspected.  As he continued to relay the missive, his mind was more focused upon taking in the outfit she had chosen for the evening.  The evening she had known was going to be spent with him.  Hope coursed through his mind as he considered the possibility that her flirtatious attitude towards him had been just as genuine as his had been towards her, only camouflaged by their joking personalities.  His heart raced in response to that possibility, confident that her reply to his overtly flirtatious remark would answer that question for him.<br/><br/>That had all come crashing down around him as a deep masculine voice interjected and in the sudden moment of apprehension Vincent felt as though he was in freefall even though his body never wavered.  He was well aware that only moments before Griff was garbed in nothing but a towel and it was not past him to come bolting out of his room in just that.  The sight of Mae’s enamored gaze directed elsewhere caused a knot to form in his chest as he traced it to the Captain who stood with the only article of clothing upon him being the pair of underwear that was presently being waved around like a flag within his hand.  At the same time, Mae’s touch disappeared from his arm and he had instantly realized that their moment together had been brutally executed.<br/><br/>Vincent’s head whipped around so that the captain would only get a view of the back of it and Mae would only see his profile.  His body froze with tension as he fought to gain control over his mind that had become a torrent of frustration.  In an instant, Vincent had recited every curse word he knew within his mind, his inner voice trumpeting his fury in several dialects.  Most of which the vocabulary was limited entirely to swear words for such an occasion.  As Griff spoke, Vincent’s temper seethed at the notion that the statement might have been mocking.  The co-pilot was well aware of Griff’s flirtatious nature and his casual indifference to nudity, often finding it entertaining.  When it was directed at Mae, however, Vincent had to fight the green-eyed monster within to maintain rational thought.  He tried to remind himself that it was just the man’s nature and that his words were being taken out of context, but the irrational side of him screamed that the interruption had been too well timed for coincidence.  That Griff had intended to snatch Mae away from him before getting a chance to show his affection for her.<br/><br/>After what felt like a brief eternity, though no more than a few seconds had passed, Vincent had finally begun to get his emotions on a short leash to gain enough leverage to keep them in control.  That was until he had heard the faint whimper escape Mae’s lips and his vision suddenly became flushed with red.  Reacting quickly, Vincent redirected that tsunami of anger inward and pictured himself stomping those emotions into the deepest pit of his stomach before they could grab hold of him.  He winced as he got the impression that those primal emotions had gained some margin of tangibility and that it had taken the form of a spiked object that raked at his insides as he suppressed them.  As much as it hurt, Vincent knew that it had to be dealt with quickly before it would drive him to do something extremely stupid that would leave him unemployed, battered, bruised, or some combination thereof.<br/><br/>To lash out against a friend went against one of the key foundations of Vincent’s moral code.  He knew that he would never be able to rationalize Griff’s actions as betrayal, even if he was successful at winning Mae’s undivided affection before Vincent could do so.  Once the heat of the moment passed, he knew that he would never be able to forgive himself should he ever do such a thing.  On top of that, there was no doubt in his mind that Griff would be able to neutralize him almost effortlessly by comparison even while fueled by rage.  Vince believed that Griff was the better man on all levels.  He had more power, strength, command, influence, charisma, and any other aspect that mattered.  Vincent wanted Mae as a significant other, not just a casual lover, which was something he was not sure he would be emotionally capable of achieving if Griff and Mae slept together.  That is why he felt so threatened by him when it came to his flirtatious mannerisms towards her.  If Griff wished to take her from him, there was little Vincent could do to prevent it as things currently stood.<br/><br/>Vincent watched from his peripheries as Mae began to head towards the stairs, observing the enticing sway of her body, but still too tense to fully enjoy the sight.  It would take him a few more moments to completely recover from his inner turmoil.  Being with Mae and out of sight of Griff's naked body would make things a lot easier for him to manage.<br/><br/><em>“Coming Vince?”</em><br/><br/>For the first time since he diverted his gaze from Griff, Vince looked away from the wall that led into his room to meet Mae's eyes.  The mere sight of her was enough to bring a smile back to his face, though it had been more restrained than the one a minute earlier.  He was certain that there was an element of discomfort to his expression, but that would be easy enough to explain away with the excuse of him being uncomfortable in the presence of his boss when he was naked.  Professional proprieties towards an employer and the like.<br/><br/>"I would love to."  The double entendre hadn't been intended, but he had caught it just as it left his lips and accompanied it with a slight smirk.  He slung his pack over his shoulder when Mae's attention returned to Griff along with a suggestive remark.  Hopefully he had timed it just right so that he had been facing away from the both of them to hide the flash of heartache that washed over him before he could conceal it behind his facade.  As he walked towards Mae, he met the captain's eyes for a brief moment; his expression neutral and emotionless as though his mind had been preoccupied by other matters.  With a slight nod of the head upon passing him, Vincent acknowledged Griff with a simple "Captain." so that his behavior didn't come off as contemptuous in regards to the chain of command.  Just like his expression, Vincent's voice was level, concise, and devoid of emotion when addressing the naked man.<br/><br/>As he followed Mae down the stairs, he couldn't help but find her laugh bittersweet.  In of itself, it would have been music to his ears; but it had been for Griff's benefit as well as his own.  The past few moments had been a painful reminder of just how tenuous his position was in regards to winning Mae's affection in the long term.  If he didn't act soon, there was a very real possibility that he would lose her.  Vincent used that reasoning to strengthen his resolve.  Tonight would be the night he would win her over, come hell or high water, he will let her know how he feels.  With that he was able to pull himself out of his funk, allowing him to once again delight in the lithe sway to Mae's body as she walked.<br/><br/><em>"Looks like we have our first customers."</em><br/><br/>"Customers?  Are you saying you're the one selling us the supplies that we were told to retrieve?"  Vincent's playful banter had returned with a mischievous grin directed at Dani.  "Assuming you have the list on you, that would officially make our objective complete."  He proceeded to clap his hands together as if cleaning a layer of dirt from them and rotated his shoulders with a light groan as though he had just finished lifting a heavy load.  With him finishing all the necessary motions following a hard day's work, he leaned against Mae's side, wrapping his arm around her lower back as he did so, and shot her a wide grin.  "Well, now that that's taken care of, shall we head out and enjoy our evening?"<br/><br/>Mae's presence against him was enough to make him put Griff's interruption behind him, allowing him to focus upon the immediate future.  As it was, that very well might have been the closest he's ever come to embracing her intimately; all other times he's attempted this maneuver, he'd hesitate and his arm would be around her shoulders rather than the small of her back with his hand rested upon her hip.  There was the exception of the night she passed out in his bed with him of course, but he was only counting times where the both of them were conscious this time around.  Vincent never took a step towards the exit, knowing that they hadn't gotten off the hook that easily and simply waited to be handed the shopping list.  That and he wanted to see how Mae would react to his touch.  It was innocent enough to an onlooker, but could potentially have a bit more context to it for the two of them.<br/><br/><em>"If you two are going out I expect you will be keeping a close eye on our pilot. The Captain would undoubtedly be distraught to hear she her resume was too attractive to ignore and resulted in some aggressive recruitment into another crew."</em><br/><br/>"You heard the man," Vincent said with a flirtatious wink at Mae.  "Si has given me explicit orders to ogle you throughout the evening.  Those had been my intensions all along, but now any negative repercussions can be redirected at him."  His eyes then met Simeon's to express that despite the joking, Vincent had planned on making sure Mae would be in good hands.  Namely, his own.  Hopefully literally.  "No worries, Si.  The only way you'd find yourself looking for a new pilot is if you suddenly find yourself in the market for a new co-pilot as well."