<div align="center"> <strong>~ S. McPherson, FNG  - On Persephone with Sasha and Si - between a rock and a slippery place ~</strong> </div><br/>"<em>Zhe Zhen Shi Ge Kuai Le De Jing Zhang.</em>" he muttered as he looked over at Si outside the shop. "Flowers?"  He let it go at that.  Si had to be intelligent enough to fill in the rest, even if he was<em>buhn dahn</em>enough to be buying flowers when he was supposed to be on security.<br/><br/>Steve McPherson wasn't having a good day, but it was made somewhat better by reminding himself that (a) he had a job, and (b) this job, however<em>shiang jing</em>, put him on a ship that would soon be pointed away from the place he didn't want to be.<br/><br/><strong>“I know the Cap’n has mentioned he wants to visit that favorite pub of his; Si - why don’t you and McPherson start heading on over toward the Slippery Cock, and I’ll catch up with y’all in a minute.”</strong><br/><br/>Socializing?  With Si?  In a bar called the Slippery Cock?  His day just got worse.<br/><br/>The nice thing about the dynamics of life in a place like Persephone is that when things get worse, you can always count on them not staying that way.  They would either get better, or they would get<em>much, much</em>worse.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>"<em>Ta ma de hun dan!</em>" The frustrating part was that he wasn't even staring at the pretty girl.  No, McPherson was rusty, and had let his guard down after leaving the shop.  First he dipped his left shoulder and started to pivot as he felt the man grab him from behind, but it all happened so quickly, and the knife was in a place before he had a chance of disabling his attacker.  In another instant, it was clear to him the man wielding the knife was hesitating for a reason:  They only wanted to talk.<br/><br/>It was over quickly.  The girl said her peace, then took Blondie and left.  McPherson was in no mood for witty banter before, and was in no mood for any conversation whatsoever now.  Had something like this happened in the flower shop, he could have given Si the "this wouldn't have happened if you were doing your job" treatment, but this ... this was all someone getting the drop on McPherson.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: comic sans ms;">"<em>Zao gao!</em>"</span>He accentuated this sentiment by slamming his right fist into the wall, leaving a bit of flesh and blood behind.<br/><br/>------<br/>Zhe Zhen Shi Ge Kuai Le De Jing Zhang:  This really is a happy holiday.<br/>Buhn Dahn:  idiot<br/>Shiang Jing: nuts<br/>Ta Ma De Hun Dan: Mother-humping son of a bitch<br/>Zao gao:  damn it