<div align="center"><strong>-=’<em>Wu ming shao zu</em>’ – single stateroom 1 – the Gamble=-</strong></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l533/KeikoShinju/Cherish%20and%20her%20big%20Gamble/Blued-Eyed-Drew---Red-Top.png)</div>The relaxing thrum of the ship’s systems was interrupted with a claxon. Sitting bolt upright in the lonely bed, the stowaway who had been reluctantly accepted as a freeloading passenger blinked and scrubbed her face, acutely aware that she didn’t know how long it had been since she’d last met with the captain. Rising from her sleep, she washed quickly from the fold-up sink as a voice announced their need for sunscreen if going off ship. Very nervous about the captain’s possible decisions for her fate, she paid close attention to her appearance, rinsing her mouth again. Glancing at the telltale sign of her blond roots, she hoped the red curls lying atop them would keep from showing her white-blond hair. Playing at some semblance of order with her fingertips, she arranged the wild curls haphazardly around her face, big blue eyes centered in the middle of her mirror.<br/><br/>Moving from the sink to retrieve her sheet for use as a dressing gown, she heard boots approach in the hallway… then pass her door continuing down the corridor. Taking this opportunity to secure her clothing, she ran her hands down the material of her toga, glad she’d not been subjected to the indignity of a strip search. Nothing under there to find but one well-stretched undershirt and… well, nothin’ but skin. Knowing that if the boots passing by had belonged to the captain on his way to feed and clean up his prisoners, he’d not be very long in returning to her door. He’d acted as a decent captor, visiting twice each day to bring her food and potentially grill her for information. She’d avoided the impossible to answer stuff – who she was, why she was on the run. Distracting him hadn’t seemed terribly difficult, especially as she noted his increasing tension and the simmering point of stress he worked under.<br/><br/>They weren’t exactly charming each other – each meeting was a contest. Would she answer to his satisfaction enough that she deserved her meager meal? So far, she’d not starved. Last night, he’d caught her with the sheet merely wrapped around her body, hands holding it together. As she started to open the cloth and retie the ends over her shoulder, he’d practically frozen in place for a moment, apologies whispered as he stared. Lingering as she rearranged the long sheet over her curves, he finally shook his head, cursing vaguely in Chinese, before tossing the food packets inside and locking her door without asking her anything that time. Maybe he was done with talking to her? She almost hoped not. She was tired of being alone. She craved contact and wanted to be something acceptable here – not some anonymous and faceless guardian/stowaway. She’d tried begging him for a position, a real job, in order to start paying him back for the air and water and food she’d taken that first month when he hadn’t known she was aboard. While Griffin had appeared willing at first, his sudden departure of the night before made her nervous. Was he likely to leave her upon this planet with nothing more than her wits?<br/><br/>She fretted and changed positions upon her bed several times, trying to find a comfortable one. Finally sitting up with her feet on the floor, she concentrated on her breathing, listening to each exhale as she counted the seconds. The lock clicked and she leaned forward, her eyes wide with anticipation. It was the captain. She felt an incredible weight slide off her chest, breathing more deeply in response to seeing his familiar face.<br/><br/>"Come on. We need to get you dressed. Can't have you traipsing about wearing a sheet and ill fitting boots, now can I? I think you should fit into some of Dani's stuff, her room's just here. Come on, step to, I ain't got all day."<br/><br/>Just happy that he wasn’t tossing her into the black without a suit, she stood and practically danced to his side, ready to follow him anywhere. Her smile couldn’t be helped, she was too excited to finally be out among people… again? She tried to remember the last time she’d been in a happy crowd with friends, not just strangers. The very nudge of her memories trying to access something forbidden created a feedback loop and shot her mind full of pain, grasping the doorframe as she walked past the threshold into the corridor. Her wince might have been covered by the half-stumble over the kickplate, but she couldn’t concentrate on the captain’s reaction for trying to keep her eyes from watering. She blinked away the tears before they fell and kept her eyes down as if contemplating her feet. She took the opportunity to comment on her borrowed boots. “<strong>I thought they fit quite well, actually. Not genuine suede, perhaps…</strong>” She tried to calm herself, hiding her reaction with a shrug of her shoulders. Where had that formal turn of phrase originated? Why did her voice seem more clipped and … and snooty?<br/><br/>The captain seemed preoccupied with moving her from one cabin to the other, introducing her across the hall to a room that was half covered in pretty pictures and drawings of flowers, lily pads and seedpods. Turning in surprise, she asked, “<strong>I can take what I want?</strong>” She was referring to the clothing, of course, but if he didn’t bother to limit the scope of her interest, some of those pretties might be coming with her as well. There were too many to just leave behind.<br/><br/>Griff growled a curt answer, demanding fast action. She selected the pieces of her outfit for its social flexibility, making the ensemble both covering and attractive, ready for any situation just in case she didn't get to repeat her shopping later. She did not react to his notice of her form, his own hands finally relaxing from being crossed over his chest to protectively button up his wine-colored shirt. Finishing off with cover enough for outside, she followed him as he nearly retreated from the space, his voice just a register too low for her to hear his unintelligible mutter as he stormed down the length of the ship. Tripping along behind him, she watched in fascination as he leaned one arm into the skiff, grabbing his brown duster and donning it while still on the move - so ... balletic. Cursorily inspecting the cargo hold, the captain slapped at the controls to lower the ramp. Turning to face the outer world, he squared his jaw and tugged his cuffs into place. The woman waited in the shade, watching him for her cue.<br/><br/>*****<br/><em>Wu ming shao zu</em>= Small fry<br/>