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[weifengyiyu]

Got some new faces on board, eh?

I'm Second Mate Meifeng, y'need somethin' let me know.

[Locked to Crew]

Mehrkesh an' his whores, it was a fuckin' circus down on the lower decks.  Never thought I'd be glad t'come an' face the cattle up here again.

[/Locked]

[She pauses for a moment, then clears her throat.  The smug, proud grin is obvious in

Comments

[Audio // Al-Hebb]

[shenghuanzhe]

Shit, where'd you hear somethin' like that prayer?

[Audio // Al-Hebb]

[weifengyiyu]

[The grin is threatening to split her face. She is so proud of herself.]

Some piece a shit Naw'Ruzzian told me t'read it.

[shenghuanzhe]

[Kage just goes and knocks on her door. He's grinning wide enough that his face hurts a bit and he leans against the door.]

A Naw'Ruzzian?

[Kage speaks through her door, loud enough for her to hear.]

I think I beat the shit outta one'a those rats a while back.

[weifengyiyu]

[She laughs under her breath and unlocks the door.]

Y'sure? I hear 'im squeakin' around out there.

[Opening the door, Meifeng holds up the sheet of painstakingly scripted characters. Her handwriting's improved immensely since she last showed him, but it's still childish and clumsy.]

Y'couldn't choose somethin' easier?

[shenghuanzhe]

What, you wanted me t'write out some bullshit for you?

[Kage pushes his way in, rolling his eyes as he snatches the paper out of her hand and glances at it. Her writing is clearly childish, but there's a huge improvement since she first awkwardly scrawled out a few characters.

Kage flops down on the couch in her quarters and holds out the sheet, looking at it.]

Zeshat fuckin' wept, you read that fast, kital.

[weifengyiyu]

[Latching the door behind him, she follows him over to the couch and sits down beside him. The coffee table is covered in sheafs of notes, covered in multicolored lettering and simple sentences. There are more papers stuck to the walls at eye-level, post-it notes stuck to almost everything in the room, labeling items with their Al-Hebbian name.

Meifeng stretches lazily, then rests her arm across the back of the couch and her cheek against her arm.]

Nothin' better t'do on downtime. S'it good?

[shenghuanzhe]

Bashah. I can read it, looks good. You just gotta practice till you got the whole flow down.

[Kage's galncing it over. There are a few minor mistakes, but he doesn't see any point in nitpicking. She'll correct them herself soon enough. The important thing is that Meifeng is now functionally literate.

For someone from their world, that's a huge accomplishment. Kage turns his head to the side and kisses her forehead.]

Nice work, Second Mate.

[weifengyiyu]

Ch'aqal jalali. Ain't somethin' I thought I'd ever do.

[It's a huge thing for Meifeng. She never thought she'd ever get the chance to read or write, to actually be able to read the communicator. Already her workload was easier to handle, jobs took less time now that she could read lists and check things off the roster.

She grins and fidgets slightly, looking for all the world like a praised child, a far cry from an ex-pirate working on a cruise ship. It's not a side of her she'd ever want the passengers to see.]

[shenghuanzhe]

[Kage understands. He doesn't let most people see him kiss someone's forehead. It's only with a few select individuals, and it feels good to add another number to that very small roster.]

You got your numbers down good?

[weifengyiyu]

[Meifeng nods once.]

Better at readin' than writin' 'em.

Shit, gets work done faster now I c'n read the comms. I get more done in a day than I did before.

[shenghuanzhe]

But you gotta deal with readin' the shit the cattle put up on ShipNET. Mixed blessing, naam?

[Kage swings his arm around Meifeng's shoulders and he relaxes back down on the couch, his head thunking back.]

Pff.

[weifengyiyu]

[Meifeng shifts over and tips her head back against his shoulder, smirking slightly.]

So much t'say, and they don't say a damn thing.

[She reaches up and brushes her knuckles across his chin, over the stubble there.]

Heard they took care'a th' strays.

[shenghuanzhe]

Eh. Not after a shitload got themselves killed--got one who's under a heavy hex, he's gonna be out for a while.

[Kage turns his jaw into the hand brushing across his face.]

Wish Redd would'a let us take 'em out. Shit, cattle're too fuckin' lucky.

[weifengyiyu]

Hmm.

[Meifeng hums thoughtfully.]

Who'da thought they'd be so bloodthirsty.

They'd make good pirates, this batch.

[She leaves her hand there, opening her palm.]

[shenghuanzhe]

Some. You thinkin' a recruitin', pirate?

[Kage nods his head slowly to feel the soft pads of her fingers run along his skin. He's tired, and just laying around and touching someone is a good rest to him.]

Mm.

[weifengyiyu]

[A smile pulls at the corner of Meifeng's lips.]

Maybe I am.

[She traces her fingers along his strong jawline. It's nice, with Kage. They both speak the same language, have the same expectations. She can relax around him.]