<div align="center"><strong>-= Lex Rake, Eavesdown Docks, Persephone =-</strong></div><br/>As the door opened and the smell hit him with all the force of a fist to the solar plexus, Lex's eyebrows went up even as his nose crinkled. He knew the ship had taken on a load of Sihnon Coursers - a breed he knew well from his time in Companion training at the Guild House on Sihnon - but he hadn't known they would leave so odious a reminder of their presence. He waved his hand in front of his face as the man standing next to him swore in an unfamiliar language.<br/><br/><strong>"Aghk! Ifreann na Fola!  Gotsan drewllyd Ci !!! ... does she always smell like like unholy shih tzu cac?"</strong><br/><br/>In spite of the smell, Lex was able to laugh at that. "No, not in my experience. It's just a reminder of their last cargo. Hopefully their next won't -" He was cut off by Mae's enthusiastic shouting of his name. He waved back to her as the crew that would be coming planetside made their way out of the ship. It wasn't everyone, but he knew that the introverted medic Dani rarely ever left the ship unless she absolutely had to, and Hayes was probably still buried in the engine room doing some perpetually much-needed repairs. He noticed that Captain Kingston was escorting an old woman with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, and wondered why a lady such as herself should want to disembark in such a disreputable place as this.<br/><br/>Vincent, the handsome young copilot, threw his arms around Lex in a friendly hug, which Lex was only too happy to return. Vince was turning into something of the younger brother that Lex had lost all those years ago, and his affection for the younger man was both genuine and platonic.<br/><br/><strong>"Lex!  It's been too long, my friend. Already bringing work home with you?  I figured you'd be eager for some downtime after all these weeks on the job."</strong><br/><br/>"It has indeed, Di-di. Ha! No, there's no more work for me for a while. I am very ready for a break."<br/><br/>Mae was right next to him, and he wondered if the two had finally gotten over their mutual flirtation and infatuation stage and had finally become a serious couple yet or not. Each of them had spent untold hours with Lex pouring out their hearts to him, telling him how much they were desperate for the other, and Lex's advice had always been the same: Don't tell me, tell him/her.  But he was always there, always non-judgemental, filling the essential role of the older brother, the confidante, the ear and the shoulder. It was a role he was used to and comfortable with. His Companion training had awakened a natural empathic streak in him that allowed him to be an easy man to open up to, and he was used to being the crew's de facto counselor. He felt that it was a necessary function on those long trips out in the black.<br/><br/>"How you been, Mei-mei?" he said as he gathered her into his arms. "I missed you. Did you miss me, too?" he teased, knowing that the firecracker of a girl would appreciate it. He'd spent so much time with the girl, fielding her apparently endless questions about Sihnon and the life of a Companion, that he had gotten to know her quite well during his time aboard<em>The Gamble</em>.<br/><br/>But then he felt a vice-like grip on his behind, and he looked over to notice the old woman the captain had been escorting off the ship looking up at him with pure lust in her eyes.<br/><br/>"Haha! Aren't you a pretty one?" Her voice was strong and solid, in defiance of her apparent physical frailty. Lex looked down at her, took in all the details, and appreciated the work of a master manipulator at work. Was that...? Yes, by God. She even had a kitten in her handbag! What a masterstroke! The woman was nothing that she appeared to be, and was relying on the misconceptions and assumptions of the people around her and their underestimations to get every little advantage she could and have a little innocent fun while she was at it. Just to be sure it<em>was</em>innocent fun, however, he checked to make sure his wallet was still in place. He was relieved that it was.<br/><br/>Reaching around, he grabbed the old woman's hand, removed it gently from his rump, and, bowing low in order to do so, brought it up to his lips and kissed the back. "Dame la plus belle, c'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer."<br/><br/>The old woman laughed then, a deep belly laugh that was full and rich. "And a charmer, to boot! You're lucky I'm getting off the ship, young man! I'd have had you, yes I would!" Her look was one of the most licentious Lex had ever seen in his career, and that was saying something. He grinned.<br/><br/>"Of that I have no doubt, madam. No doubt at all."<br/><br/><hr/>Di-di = Little brother