<div align="center"><strong>-=Griffin Kingston - The Gamble - Arriving at Capua Docks on Avalon, moon of Albion=-</strong></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/Corvus269/Characters/griff-2-headshot.jpg)</div>Wiping his hand over his face as though he were trying to wipe the sleep away from his eyes.. and the dreams from his mind... Griff's booted feet carried him through the quiet, darkened corridor that lead from the captain's stateroom to the flight deck where he hoped one of his pilots sat at the controls. With his room being directly across from Vince's, sleep had not easily found Griff ever since the two had become an item and he wondered how it found them at all. He'd considered moving Vince's quarters farther away so he wouldn't have to listen to all the grunting and groaning and moaning and screaming, but he needed his two pilots to be bunked close to the flight deck in case some emergency should arise during the "night", then at least they would be just a hop and a skip away from the controls, and on this side of the security coded blast doors.<br/><br/>Groaning softly, Griff mulled over everything in his mind. So much had happened lately, so much had changed yet he still had a job to do and people to look after. He was captain of his own ship with a crew of his own, though now mostly dispersed, yet Griff had never felt more alone in his entire life. It had never been an issue in the past, in fact Griff had always preferred to be a loner.<em>"I don't need anyone"</em>persona. But now... now something was different and he wasn't exactly sure what it was that troubled him, he only knew that it did, and that pissed him off all the more. He didn't know what was going to happen to Si, he didn't know if Sasha hated him or if he would ever see her again, he didn't know what to do with the stowaway that had saved Mae's life... he just didn't know anything anymore where he used to be so full of confidence even when he didn't know.<strong>"What the fuck am I doing."</strong>he mumbled quietly to himself just before pushing open the door the to flight deck.<br/><br/>Vince sat at the helm wearing nothing but his boxers as he flipped switches, dialed knobs and checked readouts. Looking through the front view port, Griff squinted as the harsh, bright light of the white sun assaulted his chestnut eyes maladjusted to the white sun. Without saying a word to Vince, he turned from the flight deck and mad his way back down the corridor. He keyed in the security code to open the doors that sealed off the flight deck, captain's quarters, and the pilot's rooms from the rest of the ship before his feet carried him out of habit to Sasha's door. He caught himself just as he raised his hand to wrap on the heavy door. He sighed audibly as he opened her door, stepping inside almost as if he make sure she wasn't really there. The subtle scent of jasmine lingered in the room and he inhaled deeply, torturing himself with the scent of the woman who had an effect on him like no other before her. Growling in frustration, he exited her room and closed the door, leaning against it quietly. He was motionless, lost in thought when he heard quiet footsteps approaching. Turning to investigate, he caught sight of the scantily clad Mae just as she slipped into the small bathroom, no doubt to enjoy a morning shower. Griff wished he could enjoy a shower as well to wash everything away. Suddenly, he found himself imagining his young pilot's naked, wet body beneath the warm spray of the shower. He had enjoyed the young woman once before and memories from that encounter frequented his thoughts with torturous purpose. He cursed himself silently as he struggled to push away those indecent thoughts. As much as he tried not too for Mae and for Vince as well as himself, he could never fully suppress those memories or the other images they helped to conjure.<strong>"<em>Ta ma de</em>... I need to get laid."</strong><br/><br/>With long and purposeful strides, Griff made his way almost angrily down to the lower deck. He heard Vince make his trademark speech over the ship's intercom and rolled his eyes in a humorous sigh that betrayed the unpleasantness he felt inside. Drawing the Python 6 LG revolver from his holster he opened the door to the room serving as jail to the remaining crew of Shayu. With a rough hand he forced the two to their feet after un-cuffing them from the bulkhead, taking out some of frustrations on them... after all they were responsible for much of what had befallen him to cause him such angst.<strong>"Get on your feet, you <em>qing wa kao de liu mang</em>!"</strong>he said, yanking the male up by his arm and shoving him towards the door. They were both still blindfolded with their hands cuffed behind their backs. Grabbing the Shayu's captain, between the shoulder and elbow he yanked her behind him like a dog, kicking the man in the ass and sending him stumbling from the room blindly and running into the wall in the corridor outside.<strong>"Watch where you're going, <em>Chun</em>"</strong><br/><br/>After marching the prisoners out to the cargo hold, Griff secured them on top of one of the crates of mysterious goods they transported on behalf of Abernathy.<strong>"Y'all don't wander off now. I'll be back momentarily, don't you worry. You two have a date with old man Abernathy soon."</strong>There was a noticeable, if quiet gasp that came from them both, accompanied by a tensing of their bodies against their restraints. Griff moved back to the stateroom that served as Cherish's jail cell, unlocking the door with a metallic<em>click.</em>He re-holstered his gun and reached out his hand to her as she sat on the bed.<strong>"Come on. We need to get you dressed. Can't have you traipsing about wearing a sheet and ill fitting boots, now can I? I think you should fit into some of Dani's stuff, her room's just here. Come on, step to, I ain't got all day."</strong><br/><br/><hr/>Ta ma de = Fuck<br/>Qing wa kao de liu mang = Frog-humping son of a bitch<br/>Chun = Dumbass