<div align="center"><strong>~ Gamble’s First Officer Sasha Dearing ~ At the pub with the boys ~</strong></div><br/>Sasha’s irritated scowl was dragged away from the spectacle of her newest crew member groping the resident belly dancer when Si answered her question about Badger’s threat. Her intense blue eyes turned to focus on the elegant man sitting beside her, and Sasha quietly marveled at the way he was able to fit in, pretty much in any situation they found themselves dealing with so far.<em>Scratch that.</em>Okay, well not exactly “fit in”, but acclimate and adjust accordingly, definitely. For someone who had such a rigidness to him, Si was able to go with the flow much better than she would have anticipated. With the tumultuously unsettling emotions Griff evoked within her, and the complete wildcard the new guy represented, Sasha felt...grateful...to have a solid, even-keel and dependable partner she could count on to have her back.  Nodding in response to his reply, Sasha trusted Si’s assessment completely and was relieved to hear that there wasn’t an impending crisis to be dealt with on that front...at least immediately.<br/><br/>When Si ordered his whiskey, Sasha hid her surprise that the discerning - and notoriously, implacably sober - gentleman would indeed choose to partake of this particular pub’s offerings. Taking a stout swallow of her own drink, she ran her tongue across her front teeth and grimaced as the burning swill caroused its way down her throat. Sasha had never seen Si even the least bit tipsy, but the temptation to imagine an intoxicated Simeon Gaorong was too tempting to resist, and for a few moments she indulged in her humorous mental meanderings.<br/><br/>Perhaps the always-proper gentleman would end up singing karaoke, or maybe he would fling off that crisply starched suit jacket, unbutton his preacherly-proper shirt, and dance with provocative abandon - hell, maybe he’d even sandwich himself in between a couple of lovely and exuberant ladies while he was at it. Sasha’s eyes sparkled with suppressed amusement as she entertained herself mentally while doing her best to keep her expression neutral, not wanting Si to think she wasn’t taking what he had to say seriously. She was, of course; as First Officer she never took anything lightly that could effect her crew even to the smallest degree. But at the same time it had been a long go of it, and she was more than ready to shed the mantle of “all business” for a little while at least, and relax into a bit of something more enjoyable. Which pleasantly reminded her of her soon-to-be-partaken-of plans for something more enjoyable, the purveyor of that enjoyment patiently waiting for her call.<em>Mmm..Jacob...</em><br/><br/>Distracted from her train of thought as she caught sight of a familiar form approaching out of the corner of her eye, Sasha’s stomach clenched in reaction. She heard Si’s question, and somewhere in her mind a curiosity once again sprouted about these new...undercurrents she had been feeling coming from Si. But for the moment both Si’s question and her curiosity were overshadowed as the distractingly imposing captain took a seat across from her, the rigidness of his body and the tight set of his jaw warning her of his mood before he even spoke. His stiff banter with Si had an edge to it that had Sasha narrowing her eyes warily.<em>What the hell’s got him so worked up?</em><br/><br/>Sasha flicked her glance to the man who had followed Griff over to the table, but who now held himself apart without even a nod of greeting. Not bothering to make an introduction, Griff’s manners were obviously somewhere chewing cud back at the barn he was raised in, and apparently the man he brought in tow had been a close neighbor.<em>So this must be Anwar.</em>She recalled overhearing Griff talking to him over the radio, as her gaze took in his proactively defensive stance appraisingly. The man was good looking alright; depending on how things were going between the young lovebirds, Vincent might have some competition on his hands. But the prickly stranger obviously was less than pleased to partake of their company, and looked wary and on edge. Instinctively Sasha’s aggressiveness prepared for a confrontation, ready to handle whatever this<em>Anwar</em>might throw down. As she surreptitiously continued to study the man, her head tilted slightly and she bit the side of her cheek as she tried to put her finger on a feeling running just below the surface of her consciousness. Something about his gruff, unprovoked verbal attack when someone passed too closely by, his seemingly permanent scowl - yes, that was it: something about the man reminded her of....Griff. Griff in a foul mood.<em>Lovely.</em><br/><br/><strong>"So, how'd it go with the old crone?"</strong><br/><br/>Reaching into her jacket pocket, Sasha pulled out the ledger sheet that Ferret had given her. Unfolding it, she smoothed her palm over the creased paper. Tossing back the rest of her Ng Ka Py whiskey, Sasha stared intently into Griff’s eyes.<br/><br/>“I don’t know why the hell you keep getting us mixed up with that snake. I don’t trust her, Cap’n - and I don’t like her much either. Oh, and Badger made sure to share his opinion on the subject as well. I don’t suppose Ferret gave you any more details other than this grade school cloak and dagger crap?”<br/><br/>Turning the paper around so Griff could read it, Sasha also spoke the few sentences aloud for Si and Steve’s benefit.<br/><br/>“<strong>Client:</strong>Abernathy<br/><strong>Specs:</strong>Rendezvous with the crew of the Shāyú on Bellerephon, exact coordinates below. Retrieve cargo. Deliver cargo to client on Haven. Client name and specific location to be provided at cargo pick-up.<br/><strong>Pay:</strong>Standard delivery rate. Bonus of 10% if cargo is safely delivered within one week.”<br/><br/>Her piercing blue eyes impaling Griff with their intensity, Sasha leaned in toward him across the table as she asked with a low growl in her voice, “Abernathy? You feeling shiny about us being errand boys for fucking<em>Abernathy?”</em><br/>