"Maybe both of you check your charts? And then check each other's? Has it crossed your minds that both of you might be wrong? Sure, the presence of Mirod and Exilum isn't exactly a good omen but heaven's sake not everything means death and destruction. Maybe just a nice little skirmish or two, little bit of carnage, swords are rattled, and then everyone goes back to their staring contest."

That made the two bickering astrologists shut up. They looked at each other sheepishly, the human poking at his food and the djinn looking off into space. The human looked back up when Zodiac mentioned the food possibly being poisoned. "I should hope not!" he exclaimed. Then, in a softer voice, "You've never been on one of Captain Calhoun's ships before, have you? He makes it a point of treating his passengers well. This isn't what I'd call an extravagant meal, but it's better than what most long term sailors are used to. It's the Captain's way of drumming up business, you see? Offer food and decent accommodations at affordable prices, and people take notice."

"As do pirates," the djinn casually mentioned. "They say Calhoun has an unlucky streak. Loses at least one or two ships a month, due to privateers and other unsavory sorts."

The human harrumphed. "And I say Calhoun's learned his lesson. He's stepped up the guard recently, and this is his own ship. If pirates did show up, they'd be in a for a tough fight." Indeed, looking around, one could notice that all of the sailors still in the room had a scabbard and sword, and that there seemed to be a lot more than would normally be necessary on a ship like the Mighty Gull. 

The djinn shrugged. It stared at Mercer for a while, sizing him up perhaps. After a solid minute, it spoke up. "That cane of yours, the one I saw you walk in with... it's a foci, isn't it? Are you with the Elsinian, perhaps?" It was as good as asking if Mercer was a mage. The djinn's tone was neutral; it seemed more curious than anything, and was trying to drum up a conversation.