<div align="center"><strong>-= Simeon Gaorong - definitely <em>not</em> drinking - pub on Persephone =- </strong></div><br/>Whether the deflection was entirely successful at diverting the Captain's mood or not, it seemed to have at least suspended his irritability in favor of a more immediate sharing of news and orders. Good enough. There was no need for further attempts at levity, then, which, considering the nature of the Captain's news, was a good thing given Simeon could think of no humorous remarks to offer regarding the recent injury of their crewmates.<br/><br/>His initial response was to glance Sasha's way, looking for signs she was thinking what he was thinking. Possible that Badger decided his sociable version of the message wouldn't get the point across without a more crude rendition of the same notion delivered as well? Seemed unlikely given his tiptoeing around with those oh so polite messengers earlier, but one never could be too sure of the methods or motivations of the craven. Their predictability was limited to knowing they would seek out what profited them at least risk to themselves; intimidation was risky whether forceful or gentle. Possible, but still seemed low on odds.<br/><br/>The veteran was already rising to his feet by the time Griff completed his rescinding of their planned R&R. If they were in danger this was not the time to be splitting up and relaxing in hostile territory, that much was obvious. Not that it seemed to make Miss Dearing happy regardless. For a moment he wondered whether her planned rendezvous was one of the few he had glimpsed on a comms screen or through a crowd on previous visits. It was an idle, useless notion; he soon set it aside. Besides, there were better things to think about with regard to the lady officer, not the least of which being her obvious - to those who'd known her long enough to see it, at any rate - dislike (to put it mildly) of the change in circumstances. He gave the Captain a short nod and said, "I do believe I have the sudden urge to support the heavy bag for someone who might like to hit one for a while. I wonder if anyone on board will fit that description when we arrive."<br/><br/>He slid his glass of whiskey across the table toward the Captain, conveniently replacing the one their First Officer had downed, and followed in her wake at a distance to head back toward The Gamble. It wasn't as though the two of them needed someone to play peacemaker; they had survived one another's moods plenty well enough sailing the Black long before his arrival on the crew. It was something he did out of practice more than anything. He had lived the officer's life for most of his own. It seemed only natural to provide a buffer, thin though it might be, between chafing parts of a well-performing machine during those moments when the metal scraped a bit more harshly than usual. It was why officers had their sergeants as go-between to the crew, among other reasons. If Si could, on occasion, fulfill a similar role for the crew of The Gamble, he wouldn't think twice about it.<br/><br/>It was also possible he relished the idea of enjoying the view while Sasha worked out her frustration...but no, perish the thought.