<div align="center"><strong>-=Simeon Gaorong - following dat Dearing - the best little hot house in Persephone=-</strong></div><br/>It was not the first time Simeon received a less than welcome reception from crew or civilian alike, indeed it was becoming more and more common since the incident that ultimately directed him to his present position took place. The man was quite prepared to sally back when Sasha took up post between them. That was his cue to stay the fuck out of the way - as she would no doubt have said if a verbalization were needed - and he did so, still and silent at his officer's back while she chewed out the new recruit for his unsatisfactory attitude. There was no need to help her, and she certainly wouldn't appreciate assistance where it was not requested in a conflict over authority aboard her ship. By the time she'd finished there wasn't really anything left to say at all.<br/><br/>Not that that stopped him from adding an afterthought anyway. As Sasha lead the way down the ramp Simeon generously offered Stephen his assistance should further confusion arise: "If you have further questions about life on the ship, I took the liberty of leaving some flash cards in your cabin to study later. Don't worry - they have pictures." Straight-faced and unruffled, Si followed in Sasha's wake off the ship, his shorter strides needing to be taken somewhat more quickly than he could make look unhurried to catch up to her, but falling into his usual pace once he was within a few feet of his fellow crew member.<br/><br/>Once they were all off the ship together Simeon let himself unwind a bit. It wasn't a question of alertness - if anything he was more on edge off the ship than aboard it, for obvious reasons - but of propriety, stiffness. On The Gamble he fulfilled a certain role, occupied a necessary space within a fairly strict set of guidelines. In the Eavesdown Docks he was a bodyguard, more or less; making a point of holding himself to certain standards would only draw attention. Drawing attention was rarely something they wanted or needed. He loosened his stride somewhat, relaxed his posture a few degrees. His hands idled at his sides rather than finding pockets or resting near his belt. He fell back a few steps with each corner they turned to eventually take up the rear of the group, deciding that after their little snit in the cargo bay their new man could hardly feel any less welcome for having a man at his back. Let him be insulted if he felt the need; it was better for their route in the narrower sections anyway.<br/><br/>By the time they arrived Simeon's admittedly rather fine clothing was dusty and rumpled from moving through packed bodies in conditions less than concerned with hygiene. It didn't concern him. One simply could not walk through the docks without getting mussed in the process. Expecting otherwise was only setting oneself up for disappointment. At the entrance to the floral meeting spot Sasha stopped and held off a moment, saying, "Always found the name rather amusing myself; although ‘delicate beauty’ or ‘sweet smelling’ might describe some of the flowers inside, them sure ain’t words that ever come to mind in relation to Ferret."<br/><br/>"I would say it suits Ferret perfectly," Simeon answered. "Delicate beauty and sweet smells are the intended product of a hot house, that which the managers of such facilities hope for their customers to see and desire. However, the practices performed to produce those beauties involve tight quarters, slave labor, perversion of short, wasted lives. I do believe that is fair close to the mark."<br/><br/>"Shall we?" He took up position immediately behind Sasha as they entered, preferring to have her back rather than keep an eye on Stephen's at that moment, and stepped aside to her right once there was room to do so.