<div align="center"><strong>~ First Officer Sasha Dearing ~ Catching up with Si and Steve on their way to the pub ~</strong></div><br/><br/><strong>“Sasha, this is Griff. I’m back at the ship, getting ready to head to the pub. Just had a little incident here involving Mae and Vince, but everything’s under control.”</strong><br/><br/>Pushing her body away from the wall she was leaning against, Sasha glared at the radio in her hand as if she could compel answers from the device merely by scowling at it.<em>What the hell?</em>Griff’s voice had sounded oddly strained; even with the poor sound quality transmitting through the radio, it was clear to her that he was more than just a little upset. Sweeping her gaze in the direction Si and Steve had gone, Sasha didn’t see any sign of her men among the milling throngs of pedestrians.<em>They sure must have hightailed it to the pub!</em>she chuckled, not blaming them in the least...she was definitely looking forward to the downtime herself.<br/><br/>Sighing and shaking her head at Griff’s message, Sasha had an inkling of what the “little incident involving Mae and Vince” might be. The two young pilots had hit it off right off the bat, but lately their casually fun flirting seemed to be blossoming into something more meaningful. And with Griff’s overt attraction to the beautiful young woman, a conflict of interest was bound to happen sooner or later. The image of a blustering Griff banging down the door to Vincent’s cabin and yanking a happily content Mae from the co-pilot’s arms flashed in her imagination.<em>Shit.</em>She hoped Griff hadn’t lost his temper and gone and done something stupid that he’d regret later.<br/><br/><strong>“All the way to the back, through the port side door. Pick one of the singles that ain’t already taken. Stow your gear and come with me if you want to talk over drinks and some grub. Some of the crew’s gonna be there too. Get the lead out, Anwar. I ain’t got all day.”</strong><br/><br/>Griff’s transmission continued, although it became apparent he was no longer talking to her.  Obviously distracted while he spoke, Griff had left his finger on the radio button while speaking to someone on the ship, leaving Sasha waiting impatiently until she heard the click of his finger releasing the button so she could reply.<em>Hmmm....</em>It sounded like the Gamble had rustled up another passenger...someone the Cap’n apparently wasn’t feeling too politely toward at the moment by the sound of it - so why was he inviting him to the pub with the crew?<br/><br/>“Yeahhhhh....Griff...this “incident” better not involve you interrupting something you have no business interrupting.  And what with pryin’ ears and all, this open channel’s not the place for what I got to say. So I’ll just see you at the pub when you get there, and we’ll talk then.”<em>And who the hell is Anwar?</em>Sasha was all for taking advantage of opportunities as they cropped up, so she wasn’t concerned about Griff spontaneously accepting a passenger. But lately, she had started to wonder if Griff’s decision-making compass was still pointing north.<br/><br/>Shoving the radio back in its holster, Sasha walked briskly through the crowd, her long ponytail swaying back and forth across her back in time to her fast-paced stride, until she finally caught up with Si and Steve just as they were approaching the entrance to the pub. The nondescript, windowless building squatted demurely, minding its own business and doing its best to not stand out. Which of course endeared the establishment to its loyal patrons, most of whom were looking to indulge peaceably and anonymously in their own particular brand of enjoyment. To those who were repeat customers, the cheeky wink of the golden-red rooster on the establishment’s hanging sign was a familiar welcome.<br/><br/>“Hello, boys,” Sasha jauntily greeted Si and Steve as she approached them from behind. When they turned around to face her, she grinned. “Chī fàn!” Looking from one to the other, both men appeared surprisingly tense to her; her eyebrow lifted at Si, but she said nothing. There’d be plenty of time to talk after they were off the street and lounging, a cold drink cooling their palm. Sasha knew Si’s gentlemanly instincts would preclude him from allowing her to open the door, so she cordially waited for him to pull the heavy wooden door open for her and Steve.<br/><br/>Inside, her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim interior, the trio’s vantage point from where they stood on the second story landing allowing most of the pub to be seen from the entryway. Just to the left of the doorway, as was common, rows of lockers stood ready to accept the stowing of firearms while patrons imbibed of the pub’s offerings. Supposedly to keep the customers safe and all.  However, Sasha never offered up her weapons voluntarily; one of the strategic benefits of her overtly feminine and sexy dress was to fly under the radar as an assumed non-threat. Unfortunately, her men would not be so misjudged, and so she waited as they secured their visible weapons within the lockboxes, the pair of hulking bouncers eying them closely.<br/><br/>Her gaze roaming down across the dimly lit pub, she noted pretty much nothing had changed since she had last been here. One of the more reassuring aspects of the place - familiarity. The pub seemed larger than it was with it’s two-story high ceiling, but it had only one large main room, with the majority of the area filled with small square tables accessorized with four chairs each. However, in various intimate nooks around the perimeter, plush red velvet loveseats beckoned invitingly. The overall look was industrial, with the two-story open architecture and exposed wooden beams, but the wooden furniture and of course the sumptuous loveseats gave the pub an overall cozy feel.  A few pool tables were situated all the way to the right, a burly fellow in a biker cap apparently in the middle of showing a busty blonde the ropes; a dart board was mounted on the wall nearby, a couple of neatly-bearded gentlemen deep in serious play; a glorious antique jukebox that had somehow found its final resting place from far across the galaxy glowed in silent jubilation. On the far left of the large room was the hallway that led to the phone booth, restrooms, and around the corner, a long row of rooms that were offered by the hour or night, for weary patrons who needed a soft landing place for some shut-eye, or a convenient intimate spot for amorous couples should things heat up in a lucky encounter.<br/><br/>The long wooden bar at the back had a few diehard customers slouching on stools, heads bent over their cups, but it was early enough that there were several empty tables still available. Sasha knew that Griff was coming and bringing along whoever this Anwar was; she briefly wondered if Lex was going to make an appearance, having just gotten back on board after spending several long weeks on this very planet. She assumed Vincent and Mae would show up for some fun...unless the young couple had finally decided to slip away for some private time together. Ruefully she wished Griff would be able to convince Dani to come, but she knew better; she held out hope that one day the mentally and emotionally wounded woman would heal enough to join them in socializing off-ship....but she knew not today, not yet.<br/><br/>When Si and Steve were finished stowing their guns, Sasha leisurely began sauntering down the stairway, her hips swaying gently as she moved, her heels clicking on the wooden steps as she descended to the floor of the pub.  Moving toward the most invitingly secluded empty table, she figured they could move a couple tables together to make sure they’d have enough seats for their group, in case everyone showed up. Glancing over her shoulder to see if Si and Steve would follow suit, she moved the end chair out of the way and began to pull out the chairs from a nearby empty table so she could push the two together.<br/><br/><br/><em>chī fàn = Let’s eat</em><br/>