<div align="center"><strong>~ Mae Little aka "MeiMei"- in the Cargo Bay during debriefing before going planet side onto Persephone ~</strong></div><br/>The fabric of her micro mini skirt did little to keep the sting from Griffin’s hand as it landed squarely on Mae’s backside from prickling her skin with a smarting throb. Her brows centered as she scowled and rubbed her bottom, smoothing her hand up and down as a pout grew, tugging at her pretty lips. “Vincent is more than welcome to offend my honour Lao ban.”  Mae challenged Griff with fire blazing in her eyes daring him to suggest otherwise. She was more than willing to flirt with the sexy captain but he always seemed to press her buttons the second he began implying she needed a babysitter. The arrival of Sasha escorting the deceptively innocent Mrs. Sylvester into the mix tore her attention from the Captain and placed it back onto her co-pilot. In doing so the heat in her emerald green eyes changed from a warning to one of uncensored interest.<br/><br/>During the silent exchange another slap was presented, this time however it would be Vincent as the target. Mae jumped as he jumped in surprise, quickly leaning to one side sending her long blond hair over one shoulder only to see the form of their only passenger, Mrs. Sylvester and the pleased expression on her face.  Mae’s expression changed to that of growing annoyance as a scowl formed on her pretty face and deepened, though she bit her tongue due to the presence of Sasha, preventing the teen from saying anything that might have been viewed as disrespectable. Though the annoyance soon changed to that of amusement as she watched Sasha pawn off the old lady onto The Captain, she couldn’t help but hope he would be given a hard time by the older lady.<br/><br/>The feisty pilot’s attention was quickly taken over (once again) by the ships second in command as Sasha distributed the crew’s individual tasks. Mae held her hand out for the list scowling further at the term<em>Xiǎozi</em>as a result she bit her tongue to avoid any unpleasantness.  All she wanted was to get off the damn ship and have some fun with Vincent. It was their time to play, off duty and planet side, as far as Mae was concerned that meant she ought to be able to do what she wanted to do. Getting to be alone with Vincent had been on her mind for some time and now that it was so close she found herself growing impatient. Her mood darkened as Sasha continued to treat her like a child, warning her not to become distracted and mess up with responsibility that had been placed in her hands.<br/><br/><strong>“Xiǎozi, you and Vincent team together to rustle up all the items on this list you can get your hands on. Check the galley before you leave and see what all food supplies we need replenished, and add them to the list. Si can give you the rundown on where to try and score the meds; Lord knows he’s a wealth of information with all his readin' and research, plus he's got some solid contacts. Don’t go gettin’ so distracted you don’t keep an eye out for trouble; tracking down these meds ain’t gonna be like some Sunday stroll at the Sky Plex. I want both of you back here in one piece - and on time. Bao zhong, hao?”</strong><br/><br/>It was extremely hard not to roll her eyes as Mae inspected the items written neatly on the paper and noted the list of galley items on the reverse side. She carefully refolded the list and tucked the it inside her top, snug between the silk fabric of her top and the softness of her breast. “Dani seems to be one step ahead of us as always, the galley list is on the other side.” Her voice was even and purposely emotionless though her eyes held entire volumes of attitude her mouth refused to release. Mae Knew better than to mouth off to the stern older woman before her, deep down she respected Sasha, but as always when treated like an irresponsible child Mae couldn’t help but act the part. The now emerald green orbs spoke clearly as they grew sharp and cold, shutting down the softer sensual side of her personality causing the young pilot to step out of the arms of the man she fancied.<br/><br/>The rebellious flags flew proudly, with Mae completely aware of her reputation as a wild card and how certain members of the crew viewed her. Sasha and Simeon both seemed old fashioned to her, living in the past with their strict rules of conduct. Mae pleased herself, not interested in improving her station in life. She had that life once having lived in a home where reputation ruled. It was like living in a fishbowl with everyone telling her what she should do and what she should say. With each passing day her rebellious personality urged her to do the most outrageous things not caring a spit for the bad reputation she was creating. Speaking plainly, Mae just didn’t give a damn what the others thought of her, or at least that’s what she told herself. The shields came up in the form of rebellious attitude glowing in her eyes daring any authority she came across to try and hold her down and make her conform.  She pushed everyone she loved to their very limits until that fateful day when her father had had enough.  Finally the embarrassment had outweighed the family loyalty and just like that, Mae found herself without family.<br/><br/>Just sixteen and alone on the streets with nothing to her name but a bag of clothes and a few credits, she drifted feeling confused and scared, not that she would have admitted her true feelings. Mae learned quickly to trust no one but herself. Her instincts served her well as she fell in with a crew of youths on the streets, her talent as a pilot drew attention, both good and bad and soon she found herself working for a local mafia boss, Zarek Akando. So there she was, one of the best pilots around working for Akando, the racing circuit boss. Becoming a jockey in the highly illegal Bai Hu races, a no-rules cross-system set of races that are highly promoted and regularly held. Mae blossomed and proved a star drawing folks from all over the verse to bet huge sums of money on the adorable little girl-racer. The stubborn and spontaneous woman-child grew wilder by the day, having no real authority figure to question her actions.<br/><br/>Mae was young and ruled by her curious nature. Her life became a long series of wild parties, fast dangerous races that fed her adventurous needs and yet a part of her longed for the one thing that seemed to always be beyond her grasp. Mae wanted to be loved, unconditionally and without question, something her own parents couldn’t seem to do. As a result Mae was convinced that kind of love just didn’t exist. Though it didn’t stop her heart from longing to know such a love, she wanted to be loved completely for everything that she was including all her faults. However, if a parent's love for their child isn't strong enough to endure her flaws, then surely love itself is flawed and, therefore, cannot be real. Mae secretly held a hope in the depths of her heart and promised herself if she should ever find the myth then she would hold on to it with both hands, never letting it go.<br/><br/>As the scene unfolded with Sasha reminding the young pilot of her place on the ship and member of the crew, Mae looked past her shoulder and fixed it upon the distant wall. She began counting down inside her head the seconds stolen from her fun and games.  Inside her mind Mae was telling herself she would soon be free, Sasha could think what she wanted of her, it didn’t matter. Mae knew she wouldn’t let the others down, even if they didn’t hold an ounce of faith in the defiant and stubborn youth. She would go with Vincent and find what was needed and have each item delivered back to The Gamble in an expeditious manner but once that was complete she would be gone. There would be no chaperone, even if that meant she had to ditch Vincent, there was no way in this verse that she would be treated like a child ever again.<br/><br/>Standing now with one hip cocked to the side and her arms folded in front of her, Mae’s eyes were directed to the ship’s hull as the loading bay doors began creaking as the hydraulics slowly and noisily cracked open the great ship connecting them to what might be waiting for them on the planet side.   It was then that Mae saw the form of her friend Lex Rake, looking as gorgeous as always and talking to another man she had never seen before. Her expression instantly changed from stubborn scowl to excited grin.  “Lex!” she called out waving a slim arm over her head to gain his attention, all thoughts of being treated like a child now slipped from her mind as once again Mae’s expression took on that of her normal fun loving self.<br/><br/><div align="center">~~~~~~~~~~~~~ </div><br/><br/>Boss: Lao ban<br/>