<div align="center"><strong>-=the stowaway – preparing to launder – lower deck of the Gamble=-</strong></div><br/>Comfortably cemented in her private world aboard the ship, the girl still had certain utilities missing from ‘her cabin’, namely a shower and laundry facilities. Anything that needed washing beyond a little sink rinse was outside her control ‘cept for that conveniently situated area right next to the infirmary. Having medical supplies, a full body shower, and clothes washing machine with dryer all right next to each other was genius, and she thanked the designers of this craft for placing them all just at the foot of her favorite spiral staircase. Slipping down from the galley, she listened for movement before looking around the corner at the infirmary, knowing that there should not be anyone there to surprise her… but then, that’s why it was called a surprise.<br/><br/>Sensing no one along the corridor, she smirked and carried her small bundle of pilfered items to the washing machine. Guessing that their destination was about to loom up into the flight deck’s window array any day now, she assumed others would shortly be using the laundering opportunity to have clean clothes aboard Bernadette. Hm… how to get off the Gamble without notice from her crew. Considering the replenishing of water and fuel, the restocking of any supplies, there should come a number of amply suitable situations in which to lose herself off the cargo bay doors. If that area were too closely watched for some reason, she could always create an accidental opening of the bomb bay doors in the center of the cargo area. Even if she just used that for distraction instead of escaping out the hatch, she was golden. No one caring about the Gamble would ignore the strangeness those doors opening unexpectedly. Everyone would have turned for just enough time to slip out unnoticed down the gangplank.<br/><br/>Holding back her sigh of satisfaction lest she be overheard, the girl thought about her appearance as she set the machine to wash her borrowed clothing… as an afterthought, adding any other loose items that were needing a wash just in case someone came around looking for laundry before hers were done. No reason not to be kind. Nearly nude, she tucked into the shower and secured the door, already starting up the water to a comfortable temperature. She hung the reserved towel and stripped off the overly long wife-beater, considering her hair in the small mirror on the wall. Her blond roots were showing, making her henna colored hair appear flame like. Hmmm… she could shave it all off and start anew… but any notices describing her as she’d escaped her initial prison would have mentioned her nearly white blond locks. Maybe she could find another fantastically floppy hat once on the ground. Stepping under the water, she finally allowed that sigh, enjoying the feel of the spray over her skin. Bathing quickly, she lingered with her hair, enjoying the sudsy feel of her curls between her fingers as she massaged her scalp.<br/><br/>Done with washing, she scrubbed out her mouth, the last lovely coffee flavors disappearing with the rinse. If only more crew started up their cups of coffee to leave them sitting around on counter spaces… but she’d nearly been caught by the light step of a tiny crewmember, someone who got too close only a little while ago in the galley. No more risks like that – she’d not even been able to refill the cup to disguise her drinking it.<br/><br/>Glad to have made off with flossing tape from the galley a week ago, she couldn’t remember having a mouth so clean as these last few days. Well… to be succinct, she still couldn’t remember much of anything. At least her headaches didn’t surprise her so badly anymore, filling her mind with other things to focus upon. She’d snatched up a few books from the common area, paged books being a rare commodity in the black. Recalling her stash back in ‘her cabin’, she supposed she should return all the things she’d borrowed so that they could be found later.<br/><br/>Heh, borrowed, found… what’s the difference? It all exists in space and time, nothing owned by anyone but through their perceptions of a relationship with an item, a thing that has no personality or decision-making process for itself. The thing did not decide that it belonged to the person. Did that make the ownership invalid? Was she a thief for taking and not returning something of equal worth in exchange? By most laws, she was… but to starve when there was food available, was that not a crueler fate than the repercussions of jail or beatings? Yes, she determined, better to take without asking and suffer afterward than to allow one to suffer throughout. A rather simple way of protecting herself from the guilt that edged at her brain, but it was all she had, her need to run diminished by the comfort she’d found aboard the ship.<br/><br/>Shaking herself mentally, she exited the shower, dried herself with the towel and tucked her curvy body back into the stretched out sleeveless white shirt, pulling the thin hem down around her hips like a sheath dress. Leaning against the still locked door, she started her countdown to 200, working past the noises of the nearby washing machine to listen for movement along the floor or walls.<br/>