Great, another argument about her. This was really starting to get annoying. She had said that she didn't mind not playing, though Dorothy had sounded like she wanted to. Way too confusing in her mind, but it did make things around the table interesting, sadly it was more relaxed than when everyone was around the table. "Dorothy, would you just stop it," she said, looking over at her sister as she spoke. She didn't care very much about what her sister would probably say in response.

Daphne took a deep breath, before looking at Jahosafat. "If you wouldn't mind Dr. Moreau, would you please deal me in next hand," she said. She was starting to get a little tired of all of the yelling and arguing. Mei and Foy weren't exactly an interesting pair, simply talking about how Mei snuck on board, and something about Foy's shoes. She wasn't exactly paying much attention to it. Looking over at Fitz, she had no idea how to answer his question. After all, she technically didn't work as a member of the crew. She simply shrugged her shoulders in response, before waiting to see what else happened around the table, and she was curious as to see how everyone else responded.

---

---

Anisa stepped into the room and nodded towards Harper as she did. In the room there was a couch on either side, old and worn. A desk in the back center with an older gentleman sitting in the chair behind it. A large man stood behind him and just to the side. There was a door behind the both of them. Other than the one they had come in through and the one at the back there were no other exits in the room it seemed. Three other men were in the room and one woman but the woman was obviously of the establishment and was ushered out quickly with payment in her hand. She flashed a wanton smile towards Harper as she left. Seemed she wanted to get her claws into him, or more so into his pocket as soon as they were finished. That was if he left the room.

Jahosafat smiled broadly. "Oh it must be. We should see about ensuring the water filters on the ship are up to par. Perhaps then we can cure some of those here of their aliments," he said with a slight chuckle. "I see your twenty," he said towards Jackie and tossed in another stack of chips. Turning his attention over to Daphne his smile brightened and he nodded. "I would more than pleased to deal you in during the next hand my lady. Most pleased indeed!" he said happily as leaned back in his chair. Oh he was right proud of himself right then, he had gotten her to speak.

"Bring your date along with you?" the older gentleman said as he laced his fingers together and rested them in his lap as he leaned back in the chair slightly.

"It was either him or my barber and I doubted you could stand his gorham ass," she snipped as she sat down in a chair across from the man at the desk. Leaning back she got comfortable and crossed her legs as she rested her clutch in her lap.

"And do I get to know his name or do you not know it?" he asked with a grin, implying that he was just a one night stand she had picked up at the Lady Luck recently.

Anisa could only smirk. "He can talk, if he wants to tell you he will."

Jahosafats eyes darted over towards Fitz as he spoke. Why had they joined the ship? He couldn't speak for the others. Well he could but he probably shouldn't even if he did have a good idea to why some had. yet a few still eluded him, especially the pilot. The new one. He had seen a few glances exchanged between Harper and his fellow man of leisure. "Other than our captain and her second in command are far more wonderful to look at than most any I have ever served beneath? Why a sense of adventure my good sir. What one can do when out in the black on a ship largely depends on the ship and crew. I currently do desire one with far less strict reigns. Outside of the boudoir that is."

---

---

The room looked seemed designed for intimidation as much as business. Not just because of the placement of the doors, but the placement of the people within it. Obviously the older man was in charge here. You don't sit behind a desk in a room that looked like the setting of a snuff film, surrounded by persons of questionable morality, unless you were in charge. But that was a given fact by the way he casually insulted the both of them in the opening salvo of conversation.

Harper maintained as neutral an appearance as he could, though he was still in something of his Lieutenant persona. It was comfortable and easy to maintain, being as a lot of his actual history was with the Alliance Military, not to mention that up until a few days ago he was actually a Lieutenant in the Allied Fleet. True, he didn't have his peaked cap and black-on-grey uniform on at the time, but it was rather obvious by his demeanor. Only now, his Captain was a brunette spitfire who proudly claimed to be a Browncoat when she wasn't threatening to have people murdered for minor infractions. Nonetheless, she was his Captain, and she did have an amazing amount of leverage on him if she chose to exercise it.

His decision to stay on with the crew of Prometheus was not overly influenced by that potential threat, however, nor were his actions in the situation to which he was now committed. This was his duty now, to see it through to the bitter, screaming end. He wasn't extremely worried about it this time. Uncertain as it was, the older man behind the desk started things off with speech designed to put them at the defensive and/or provoke a reaction. From him or from Anisa, he could not say. And while his instinct had him zeroing in on the largest man in the room to set a quick and dirty example before they had a chance to react, logic pulled him to a different course of action. There were five men against their two. Anisa had been drinking heavily, and while damned handy with a pistol, Harper was not a gunslinger in the traditional sense. He relied on his wits to keep him alive. That and a fairly recently acquired hairline sliver of nigh batshit insanity that he dipped into from time to time.

He did notice the attention of the woman that worked for the establishment. A split second of baser impulse hit him before he forcibly stamped it back down. Harper allowed himself the barest of smiles; a tilt of one corner of his mouth paired with an acknowledging nod as she left. It occurred to him then that he hadn't experienced the touch of a woman in years. Over three of them, to be precise. That was a hell of a distraction. If he let his mind linger on it he might put them both in danger. No. The pursuit of such things was not on the menu. Instead, he chose to react to Anisa's insistence to their new acquaintances that he was perfectly capable of speaking for himself.

"It's fine, Captain." he said coldly, enunciating every syllable clearly. "I'd rather we skip formality and get to business. We are here for business, right?" As he spoke, he walked the remaining steps to the chair Anisa claimed for herself. He remained standing, resting a hand on the back of her chair and leaving his other at the ready in case the situation prompted him to go for a weapon.

At this point, Harper really wanted to be back at the table in front of his baozi. Not that it showed.

---

---

Philistines! Absolute philistines! Giving it ample consideration, Foy was certain that, without context, most of these people had precisely zero idea what a "Madison" was, let alone the distinction of them from other, less appropriate forms of footwear. While extremely suited to formality when buffed to a solid shine, their ankle-high cut and reinforced stitching made them very suited to more strenuous work, with just enough heel to present a forward, classy appearance without being inappropriately gaudy. Foy was fond of those shoes. These people just didn't get it.

Jahosafat understood, that was obvious from his breeding and demeanor, and of course the superior community in which he was raised. Good, stately Farraday. Foy gave a lightly exasperated nod in his direction, being as he was very likely the only person at the table that truly understood his plight; the loss of a custom pair of cobbler-fitted Madisons. Perhaps when this was all over and he had amassed enough personal contacts to do so, he would cut the good doctor in on his plans to expand his business and establish a series of Haberdasheries suitable for men like themselves - or those who wished dress the part.

But enough thought into the future. That was a possibility that had nothing to do with their sub-ideal present. At present, he was holding a hand of cards surrounded by people with guns as he brandished his singular sense of style and jovial nature. Perhaps he should have brought his revolvers with him. It seemed quite the hot spot, packed to the brim with opportunities to perforate individuals that may or may not deserve it. Also in the present, two interesting things happened: A question was posed to the table by means of the increasingly vocal Dr. Townsley, and Daphne joined the conversation!

"Why, young Miss Pender, I am magnanimously pleased that you have found continued use of your verbal facilities! It is an occasion worth note, to be sure. If I may give consideration to the future of our merry troupe of clandestine specialists, I might pose a query: Now, please do not answer immediately, you understand, as we are within mixed company... however, I find myself without a valet. Would you consider the benefits of proper edification thusly? But later, Miss. Now is not appropriate to the environs."

And to the other matter, "Why Dr. Townsley, what an interesting bit of conversation, particularly as it concerns myself, you see. Whilst I agree with the assessment of my dear friend and associate Dr. Moreau on the exemplary aesthetic qualities of our, ah, commanding officers, I must admit to reasons more diverting and potentially lucrative than to which I have been set in recent weeks. Additionally, opportunities to spread civilization to the uncivilized. If I may?" Foy reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small tin of moustache wax. He popped it open, taking a second to apply a minuscule amount to the tips of his fine facial hair, then capped it and slid it across the table to Fitz. There was a slightly caricatured image of himself on the lid, a tiny Foy head, if you will. "You may have seen these fine products in certain higher-end vendors' establishments, places in the grooming trades, or in the water closets of the discerning and well-to-do." Foy regarded his last statement, shrugging, "Or maybe you have not, as is more likely. I wish to change this, you see. Expand marketing and products to those who wish refinement but have not been exposed to it as of yet, all the while plying my familial and personally acquired professions for one who offers opportunity. And thusfar, it has not been a bore." Foy certainly seemed pleased with himself. "Oh, you may keep that, if you prefer."

Spoken to the table broadly, "I shall see the wager and stay."

---

---

It seemed the topic had strayed off of her, at least in terms of the barber, and for that, she gave a prayer of thanks. The stuttering boy had managed to grab his attention as she focused on the card game. She was watching the game intently, seeing how the others at the table handled themselves. Most, if not all, would be her teammates, after all. It was better to get to know them. She wasn't a huge fan of the barber, she could say that right off the bat. Who knows? Maybe he could grow on her.

She looked over to Dorothy and nodded, "And I would not ask you to apologize. I was a trespasser on your ship and you did what was expected of you. You both put up a decent chase, I have to grant you. In case you were curious, I hid in the dress maker's shop. They are the one who patched me up. If you could take a look later, I would be most appreciative. I believe she did a standard job, but having a doctor see it would put me at ease."

---

---

As the others talked, Jackie went into work mode. She tried to read the others at the table to see how their hands were at. Fitz seemed to not have a good one (she would talk to him later about that). Dapper Doctor seemed to have a good hand, but perchance she had a better one? Barber Boy she could not read and that irritated her. She prided herself on being able to read people. However, one thing remained true. Others did enjoy talking about themselves. Fitz already paved the road so Jackie took the reigns.

"So, Barber Boy, what's your story? I'm dying of curiosity if you would be so kind. You're an interesting one and I bet you got a mile high long story you weave. Apart from what I've already gathered from the others, of course." She figured he loved talking about himself. Whether or not it was all lies or not didn't matter. How others lied often spoke more about a person than them telling the truth. She was eager to hear what he had to say.

---

---

---

Fitz glanced down at his cards once more, giving them a proper look over. His hand wasn't great but it wasn't terrible either - it seemed to be somewhere squarely in the middle. However, Jahosafat's explanation that part of his reason he joined the crew was over looks caused Fitz to blush in a sort of second hand awkwardness. Had he said that back on Osiris, Fitz was fairly certain that whatever woman he was speaking out would promptly smack him silly - and then tell his twin, who would then proceed to beat him up once more.

However, he could understand the driving force that a sense of adventure could bring. "Th-that's sorta why I left Osiris," Fitz admitted. "N-n-not the good looks b-but the travel. Only s-so much you can learn from books a-and engines." He rubbed the back of his head a bit bashfully, before following Foy's explanation. At first, it sounded a bit classist to him - but then, he brought out what Fitz assumed was a tin of mustache cream. When Foy slid it across the table, though, Fitz recognized it instantly. "M-m-my f-father uses this stuff," Fitz said. "D-don't think I have the facial h-hair for it though, thanks," he then replied. He didn't want to waste it if someone else would actually use it.

Fitz then waited patiently for Jackie to take his turn, still mulling over what choice he would make exactly. Meanwhile, Dorothy had turned her attention fully to Mei. She had been a bit shocked at Daphne rebuking her, but she decided to just drop the subject. While she wasn't the best sibling out there in the 'Verse, she at least knew to respect Daphne's wishes - especially after everything that had happened that evening. "You'd be surprised - some people can do a bang up job even if they aren't called doctor this or that. Just matters if they got the skills," Dorothy couldn't help but mention. She had started her medical training as a small child in a bar, tending to her father and on occasion his customers after drunken brawls.

Dorothy then considered Dr. Townsley's question - why she had joined this crew. "I fought for the wrong side the first time around - thought it stood for something it didn't," Dorothy said. "Got red in my ledger. Abandoned my only family. It ain't a pretty story - but yeah, joined the crew to right some wrongs - hopefully I've got it the right way around this time," Dorothy admitted. While it was a bit of a personal story, she also felt it was an important one to share. There was a stigma about switching sides that Dorothy felt was counterproductive. People were human - they made mistakes. It mattered to her more what they did to make things right than what the mistake was in the first place.

She bit back a snarky remark in response to what Foy said to her. Everyone seemed to respond to Fitz's question pretty well. There wasn't really much of a reason for her to respond. Her answer was pretty similar to her sister. They seemed surprised that she had spoken at all, but considering what had happened the last time she spoke, she didn't know why they would be. She had almost been shot for joining in, and was still amazed that she wasn't dead.

Perhaps she should answer Fitz's question. Her answer very different from Dorothy's but it still was different. Besides, it might cause Foy and Jahosafat from making comments about her not talking. She was having problems coming up with a way to say why she had joined the ship. There wasn't much to say about it. She reverted back to silence for the moment, waiting for the hand to end so she could be dealt in.

---

---

Things at the table were moving along interestingly enough. Cards were being dealt and exchanged. Jahosafat leaned back in his seat and observed what was going on around him. He wasn't a card player really but he did enjoy the psychological aspect of the game. The way people acted during a game could be most intriguing. How a facial expression changed depending on what cards were in hand. What ticks a person had or didn't during certain exchanges. How quickly they discarded a card, how slowly they took the one handed to them in replacement. It was all very telling, if one knew how to read such things. Thing was, it normally took a round or two to get an idea of how each person was and that was only if one was very lucky.

Cards weren't the only place where reading peoples facial expressions could pay off. Negotiations and business dealings were another. Sure the Captain was more adept at playing cards but right now that wasn't exactly what she was doing, granted being able to bluff always came in handy. Glancing out of the corner of her eye towards Harper she smirked a bit. "Yes, to business," she said with a nod. That was exactly what they were there for. Granted she had to wonder if that was going to work for the one behind the desk considering the look on his face.

Jahosafat thumbed at his cards for a moment before laying them down. Waiting for the rest to do so before saying anything else. What happened was a surprise. (As it turned out, the winning hand that round would go to the stuttering boy by the name of Fitz. Not just a winning hand but a perfect winning hand. The dice fell in love with Fitz this round and not only gave him the winning hand but the kid picks up a Nat 20 roll and a new skill - Gambler)

"Well isn't that the most outstanding result of the falling of the dice as it were. Luck is surely a lady tonight when it comes to you my young lad. A better hand could not be held by the Lady herself in such a circumstance. Bravo. Are you sure you have never tinkered with this particular set of games before?" he asked as he conceded the hand to Fitz and motioned to the pot which was now the engineers to take.

"Yes, ve are here to do business but I do like to knov vho I am doing business vith," the older gentleman behind the desk stated as he eyed Harper.

"You are doing business with me. Who I have on my crew or on my arm is none of your concern. It is mine. Now, we can either talk business or you can find another captain to deal with," Anisa said firmly as she sat up and leaned forward some.

---

---

People were pushy. It didn't matter where you were in the 'Verse, be it the Core, some blip of a barely terraformed moon along the Rim, or a frigid penal colony in a cluster of lifeless rock in the Halo field. People were pushy. Moreover, unless you had a hell of a reputation wherever you were, you had to be pushy to survive. Acceptable alternatives to pushy were "invisible" and "could-snap-any-moment-crazy". At the moment, Harper wished to be invisible. Blending in was his thing; being nondescript and not volunteering personal information had kept him alive. A dash of crazy was helpful, too. More helpful than he would like to admit most times he had to dust it off, to the point that it was difficult to separate himself from the learned mannerisms that he had picked up during the years-long tertiary education he received at the behest of a government he used to work for. It was no secret that Harper was once an officer with the Allied Fleet; Anisa had met him while he was still wearing his black & grey Class B uniform. The timetable of his actual, voluntary involvement differed, however.

But back to the present. People were pushy, like this man with the accent that stemmed back to Earth That Was. Maintaining it over generations meant that his people either lived in cultural isolation since Colonization, or he came from a prominent background in one way or another. Or both. Even if it was birthed of his personal history, the man thought himself important enough to control the situation, detail for detail. It was likely that the muscle around him felt the same way. So while Harper did not wish to indulge anyone with personal information (such as using his name around people who might be inclined to research it), he also had no desire to cost Anisa business or upset the local black market bigwig. The Captain's livelihood had become his own, and pissing off the criminal element would get him noticed in a hurry - at best.

"Apologies for speaking out of turn, Captain." began Harper, keeping his eyes on the man behind the desk, "If I'm correct, the gentleman just wants to know he's respected in his own home." He nodded in a manner that suggested acquiescence. "But the Captain is right. I'm not the guy putting my X on the dotted line. She is. And my business is with her directly. You need a word to put with the face, okay. Call me Anjin." It was a name he picked up years ago, perusing one of the libraries back home. If he were a well-read man, he might have been exposed to a copy of Shogun. Anjin was the name given to an English pilot contracted to a Dutch ship that ran aground in the Japanese islands during the European colonial period. It was a complete work of fiction, but somehow being put adrift into strange waters such as this made it all make sense to him. Had this man read the book, he would be able to figure out that Anjin readily identified him as a Pilot and Navigator, formerly military. And who knows? He might have some Japanese in his background he didn't know about.

---

---

Foy slapped his cards upon the table with a hearty chuckle. "Ho hoooo..." he chortled, "Well, isn't THAT a fine How-Do-You-Do? Why, Fitzy old boy, I should declare that you have had the most ensorcelled slice of happenstance that I have ever held eyes upon personally; at least so far as cards are concerned. That, my good sir, or you are the most charmingly convincing hustler to enter this place in many a year!" With a chuckle, Foy pushed his wagered monies farther in the direction of the younger Engineer.

He did give a quick glance over to Mei as she mentioned the dressmaker's shop. Of course! Even though the tracks went somewhat cold in the busier market area, it stood to reason that she might have holed up there. If the owners were feeling particularly kind, that would have also explained why the business was closed up during the day, barring some little known cultural holiday that they were observing. He gave a knowing, "Hmm!" to the commentary and nodded to Dorothy. They hadn't failed, persay, more than cut their losses from a "maybe" situation and returned to base, which happened to have transformed into a totally different vessel by the time they returned. Life was funny that way. Foy did mean what he had said earlier: Though it was not his usual type of contract, thusfar working for them was not boring.

Then, as if on cue, something inquisitive came from the mouth of the blonde grifter across the table from him. "Barber Boy, madame, is the name of my sidekick whilst I toddle off upon one of my more altruistic crime fighting benders, naturally." The sarcasm was heavy in his voice. "I must disagree with you, you see. Though my background might be chock full of intrigue and mystery, business dealings and random 'stache-ry, I would be more proper to inform that the details of my life are inconsequential, given the breadth of informality and levity to which our present situation holds us. I do stand by all of my earlier statements about myself, if this is of any support to your query, madame." He thought about it for a moment and piped up, "One may surmise that I have talents beyond my capacity for style, though truthfully, what more does one find truly requisite in life? In all fairness, I am verily replete with history, but my willingness to follow the letter of contractual obligation prevents detailed discussion."

Foy gave a little smile and sipped a good amount of his whiskey. He set down his glass and concluded coldly, "I sincerely doubt that talk of business dealings and intellectual properties are your cup of Chamomile, by the by. But what of yourself? Lady of clandestine self-making, I should imagine?"

---

---

Mei had been watching the game intently since she folded. She had to admit, she wasn't expecting the bumbling boy to win the hand, but win he did. She had to give him credit. Maybe he was better at games than he led on. It seems the others at the table shared her feelings. Either way, she leaned back in her chair. She took a glance back at where the Captain and the other fellow left to go dance and saw they were no longer there. She took a large sweeping glance around and didn't immediately spot them.

"Does anyone know where the Captain went off to? I thought they were going to go dance?" Mei wasn't too worried. The Captain seemed like a woman who could handle herself well. Still, it was worrying they were no longer in view. Mei's attention was no longer on the game. In case something happened. The bar seemed like just the place for things to go wrong.

---

---

Jackie had been so focused on reading Barber Boy that she completely missed the fact she should have let the cards go. In the end, Fitz won. Well, fuck her. She hadn't expected that. She gave Fitz a hard pat on the shoulder. "That's my boy! Way to go!" She had to admit, Fitz was surprising her more and more with every passing minute. She knew she liked him.

However, one at the table she still couldn't get a handle on. And that worried her. Immensely. Barber Boy didn't want to share his story eh? It mattered not. Secrets always came out around her. She would just have to bide her time. But now she was more than interested in being on this ship. "I'm actually a traveling nun. Going around on each planet sharing the good word of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, may he forever reign." Jackie did a quick motion with her hands as if praying. Then she tossed her cards on the table with a grin. "Couldn't even get through that with a straight face. If that's fancy talk for "I lie and cheat people out of their pants", then yes. See? Sharing stories isn't too hard."

---

---

---

Fitz beamed slightly, looking down with shock and surprise at his hand. He hadn't imagined that it would be that good - but luck seemed to have been on his side, just as Jahosafat said. He pulled the winnings from the middle of the table towards him, before quickly doing a bit of probability estimates in his head. Would it be better to bow out now or go another round? There wasn't much to go on, but his quick maths told him that it couldn't possibly hurt to go another hand. The worst case scenario was he lost all of his winnings and then a little more. "N-no, it's just as you said - l-luck," Fitz explained. "I'm n-not sure that I'd be very good at hustling people...I'm b-better with machines," he then admitted.

Dorothy was keeping an eye on their general surroundings. With the Captain off in the back room and there being no sign of her or Harper returning, she felt a certain responsibility to keep tabs on everything. Knowing the Captain, there was a good chance another round of gunfire would be set off shortly and they'd need to book it. "Something came up," Dorothy informed Mei. "I wouldn't worry too much - she didn't go far." And while she could have pointed out exactly where Anisa went, she didn't feel a need to. If Anisa wanted people to go and check in on her, she would have said something - and Dorothy then would have done a quick check for a concussion to try to explain the odd behavior.

Of course, Dorothy was also keeping an eye on her sister. While she wasn't skilled in psychology, she was able to get a basic idea of her sister's wellbeing. Fortunately, it didn't seem that Daphne was still in shock - just being a bit overly cautious. She supposed she couldn't blame Daphne. The last time she had opened her mouth, she had been fired and nearly killed. But hopefully as Daphne joined in this hand, she'd realize she didn't need to be this cautious about things.

Fitz then turned to look at Jackie with clear confusion on his face. "Wh-why do you take their pants?" he asked. He couldn't have looked more gullible, naive, and innocent in that moment. Maybe he really was that good of a hustler. "W-wouldn't th-their valuables be more...v-valuable...than their p-pants?" Though he supposed that Jackie might have taken people's pants as some sort of practical joke. He had seen that happen once or twice before in the dorms - usually the day of final exams. Some poor engineering student would have to take the test in just their boxers.

She was surprised that Fitz had one the round. He never really seemed like the gambling type, yet he beat a few people who have gambled in the past. He did say he played games at one point, just not so much gambling, at least that's what she thought he had said. Everyone else around the table seemed as surprised as her that he had won the hand. "Nice job Fitz," she said, before going back to listening to the rest of the table.

Mei asking where the Captain had gone did make her wonder, her sister quickly responded though, so she didn't say anything. Once again, Fitz was proving just how innocent he was. The conversation had turned to Jackie, and what she did, but Fitz's question just made her want to laugh. He didn't know much about things outside of his university did he? None of it really mattered, though it was funny to watch. The conversation was entertaining, but she was just waiting for the next hand to start now.

---

---

Leaning back in his seat, the doctor glanced around and chuckled a bit. "I would not waste a breaths second on worrying about our dear captain. That woman is one of fire and ice, a quick draw and a quicker temper. I dare say that she could both start and end a war if she so chose to and if she were perchance in any happenstance that were to put her in a position to throw away this mortal coil we would have been made privy to it by now just on the simple wafting notes of her bellowing voice cutting through the clamor of this establishment with her spewing some sort of language along the lines of there be fuckery afoot!" he laughed as he sat there and shuffled the deck.

Now that one hand was done, it was time to start another. Dealing out the cards, he made sure to include Dorothy this time as she had spoken up about it during the last. Giving her a bit of a wink as he did. Picking up his own cards once he did he gave them a once over before picking up a chip or two and tossing it in the center of the table. "The dealer opens for thirty," he said as he laid his cards face down and then turned his attention to his drink. Letting the scent waft to his nostrils before partaking of the liquor and enjoying the taste on his pallet.

"Though sitting here after such a day, it does make we want for more active activities. Toe tapping is a must today and after I finish skinning or being skinned this hand I will be jaunting myself over to the so called dance floor and giving a grand exhibition of my talents and skills. I dare say, I would not be opposed to a fellow from Faraday forthcoming to my side for a fine fight of the jocular persuasion," he chuckled as he looked over towards Foy. That was a rather long winded way of saying his ass was going to dance after this hand and he wanted Foy to join him.

---

---

Foy accepted the cards as they were being dealt to him, setting them one atop another facedown on the table. He did not choose to look at them at this time, though when Jahosafat called that he was opening for 30, Foy snapped his fingers and peeled off the appropriate scrip from his stash of per diem that he allowed himself for the evening. Wordlessly, he set the money on the table in front of him and pushed it forward slightly, indicating that he was, in fact, in. His temporary lack of verbiage was due directly to the fact that he was looking across the table at Jacqueline, his initial mote of distrust in the woman broadening. As it happened, the level of interest he had in her words and actions were broadening as well; it was not everyday that someone self-identified as a Chiseler. The bit about being a nun was mildly amusing, too.

"Very well, madame. I acquiesce to your insistent prodding as to my, ah, function within the confines of my existing personnel. Without being too horribly succinct, I shall endeavor to relate my role in simple yet descriptive terms." Foy held his gaze with Jacqueline, even going as far as to allow a slight smile to grace the space underneath his fine, well styled moustache. There was a dramatic pause (as befitted his nature) while he swirled the whisky in his glass and casually took a sip, but then he did begin speaking in earnest. "Prior to taking the reins and expanding the Coiffeur industrial legacy into something spanning planetary systems, I engaged in varied rigors that have made me knowledgeable in, and valuable to, a number of contractible entities. The people under whom I have generously given terms of service in exchange for this training understand the value therein, alongside a certain sense of both moral flexibility and professional ethic, resulting in highly lucrative offers for my services as an Independent Contractor. Reputation has a way of spreading about, as reputation will, and recent years have borne my witness of offers for contractual obligation from many sorts of parties, be they Allied, Browncoat, or less flamboyant private parties who choose to remain anonymous, generally."

Another sip, followed by, "My last such contract, which I have unfortunately had to terminate early due to factors most mitigating (though with my financial needs attended) was as a crew's Tracker, among other roles, one of which being Gunman. In shorter terms, my dearest, I am a specifically backgrounded Soldier of Fortune, who already possesses the Fortune." Foy smiled a toothy grin, demonstrating the finest of dentistry that money could buy, complete with dental bonding the likes of which were usually reserved for persons in the performing arts. "Though the family's ancestral occupation is of prominence among my people, hence the fact that before everything else, I took only the most serious of studious attentions toward style, haberdashery, and of course, a masterful grasp of all things Barbering. And might I say, I should adore getting you in my chair, young lady."

The smug Farradayan gave a glance to Jahosafat and added a vigorous, knowing nod to the motion. "Oh, indubitably my fine sir, a rug-cut shall be most satisfying following this hand. Shall we commence with the hand then, Dr. Moreau?"

---

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Mei waited and listened as the cards were dealt. The Barber was opening up a bit more. They told her not to worry about the Captain, but part of her still had to. If she didn't, who would? She had no doubt the Captain was capable of handling herself in tense situations. Not to mention she had someone with her. But in her experience, when things went belly up, it was better to not be alone and away from others. Especially your crew.

Be that as it may, she would continue to play. She had no real investment in the game. She was merely here to gauge her new teammates. So far, she didn't trust the lot of them, but could you blame her? Could she blame them? They met by circumstance. That was all. Even though the doctor offered to look at her leg, which she was thankful for, there was still the fact she was a spy on board and the doctor did shoot at her. That didn't offer much in the way of friendship.

---

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Jackie chuckled and looked over at Fitz, pinching his cheek, "God you are just so cute!" It wasn't until a bit after he started that Jackie realized Barber Boy was speaking to her and was actually opening up! Well, fuck her sideways. She hadn't expected that. It was odd though. His story, while it seemed genuine, she still couldn't help but feel he wasn't telling the whole story.

However, he told enough, and Jackie had to respect that. At least somewhat. Ok, a little bit. Ok, she didn't HAVE to, but she did. His story could be similar to hers, in some ways. "Even if I believed for a second you were an actual barber on this Gorram ship, I wouldn't let you anywhere near my locks, Barber Boy." To showcase such, she did a hair flip before returning to her cards. Fitz seemed to be one to watch out for. And now the silent girl was joining in. She felt a bit more confident. She had a reading on most involved now.

---

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"Th-thank you, Daphne," Fitz said with a beaming grin. Dorothy was trying to keep a decent poker face after Fitz's adorable and sadly naive comment. She glanced at the engineer, seeing with each passing second how sheltered Fitz must have been - but also that he was putting in an effort. She had to give him some credit for that. Most people in his situation would have been content to live blindly in a bubble - to live in the supposed paradise that the Alliance provided. It was a shame that the Captain wouldn't hire him - though Dorothy wondered how Anisa would feel about taking on Fitz as a passenger. The entire time Dorothy was thinking about this, the engineer in question was rubbing his cheek - it stung a bit after Jackie pinched it.

Dorothy then glanced at her own cards, reorganizing them quickly. It was the first thing she always did - put her cards in numeric order. She couldn't stand having a 3 next to a 7 when there happened to be a 4 in the hand, for example. Her eyes then flashed up towards Jahosafat, seeing the gamble that he had opened with, before mentally tuning out the word vomit that he and Foy exchanged. At either rate, it wasn't her turn in the hand quite yet - there were a few people to rotate through before it got to her. If she was lucky, this hand would be better than the last one.

"I have to agree with her," Dorothy mused with a bit of a smirk. She didn't trust the barber near her hair - not yet, anyways. The implements and tools at a barber's disposal could too easy be turned into lethal weapons. Until she knew she could trust the new hires, she didn't want to put herself in that type of position. There was already enough tension and drama amongst this crew - she didn't want to invite any more of it.

"I-I'm s-sure he's a great barber," Fitz said encouragingly, missing the point of the conversation. He had assumed their suspicions about letting Foy near their hair was a matter of skill. But from everything Foy had said, he seemed to be completely overqualified. If there was some sort of barber competition, he'd place in the top ten at least - and get the Golden Mustache? That seemed like an award they'd give out at that sort of event. He then thumbed through his own cards, reorganizing them in a bit of an unconventional method but one that made sense to him. He was starting to understand the mechanics of this game.

"I'm sure he is as well - how are you at scalping?" Dorothy then quipped, looking at Foy.

Alright, now she was in the game. No more just sitting back, listening in on the conversations. She needed to figure out what to do now, the conversations around her was still an interesting thing to listen too. Jackie pinching Fitz's cheek was a little weird to her, there wasn't much she could do about it. The woman seemed to have a few screws loose to her, then again, a lot of people around the table probably did when she thought about it. That wasn't a very comforting thought to her.

She looked at the others, Jahosafat as making a comment about going off after this hand with Foy, something she wouldn't mind. Those two leaving the table wasn't a bad thought, it wouldn't be too bad in her opinion. The new girl Mei was quiet as well, after her question about the Captain. She shouldn't be too worried, Anisa was probably fine, there was no need to worry about the woman all the time. Mei needed to relax a little, though she herself could probably use that advice too.

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Jahosafat grinned sightly as he leaned back his chair. Trading out cards as they went around, taking bets, countering calls and raises. It was what the dealer was supposed to do and while he didn't truly have much skill when it came to dealing for this sort of game, it was a good time to sit back and watch the people play so he didn't mind taking the reigns as it were and being the dealer. This was one of those moments when he got a chance to study people. Get to see how their mind ticked. How they played certain things, how easy it was to read them, how well they were able to cover up being able to be read. If they could deceive people into thinking they were easy to be read or not. It was all very psychological. Dr. Penderslaugh would have enjoyed this moment.

His dark eyes went over to his Faraday friend and his smile broadened. "Oh yes my good man. Some toe tapping, a penchant of flair. We shall show these ruffians what it means to be proficiently practiced in the titillating exhibition stylings of Faraday. Yes, I dare say some education is needed and some right exuberant entertainment as well." Jahosafat did love a good dance.

Looking down at his cards he went over them once again and then back to those sitting at the table. Looking over their facial expressions, over how they were holding their cards, how they were drinking or eating if they were. So many traits to look at. He held for a moment before setting his cards down. "Call," he said as he brought his bet up to the current amount. It was final call, any more raises on the bets would have to come now from his fellow card players.

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The next round of what Foy could only describe as conversational posturing gave him a mote of amusement. This was typical of contracts he had taken in the past where he was expected to work as a part of a team that had not been previously established. Everyone had their tiny pieces of self-aggrandizing behaviors to flaunt, and if one looked closely at what was said, one might be able to glean the general nature of the role they would play in the group. In his estimation, the trick was to maintain one's composure despite the various verbal slings and arrows that were unerringly flung about. And today, it seemed that he was the recipient of many of those pointy projectiles despite his insistence at being polite. Well, polite enough for the plebeians, anyway.

The pseudo-charming smile of the dapper gentleman continued, even as he looked at his cards. Finally. He gave them a few second's consideration, complete with a raised eyebrow "Aha" look, before unceremoniously dropping his cards facedown in front of him. Maybe Foy had something, maybe he did not. No one would know now. It did give him the opportunity to collect his thoughts and peer at the people at the table around him.

"I assure you madame," he stated, addressing Jacqueline, "that I am an exceptional Barber (and thank you so much, Fitzy). In manner of a resume analog, one need look no further than the immaculate jawline and tightly styled shock of hair upon our fine and glorious dealer. Or for something more along the lines of the contemporary, our absent Moral Compass has likewise received the professional attentions of my strop and razor. It is not the end-all-and-be-all of services readily available because of my illustrious presence, certainly, but you should consider the extreme serendipity in the opportunity you have been presented by an invitation to my Parlor, despite your sardonic resistance to the notion."

The question from Dorothy came as a bit of a surprise. It certainly raised one of his eyebrows. "Why, Dr. Pender, I am surprised at you. Scalping? The very idea is barbaric, not to mention a pointless endeavor of trophy hunting. The most unsanitary sort of trophy, as well. Far be it for me to engage in such a practice." Foy shook his head in apparent disgust, and finished off his glass of whisky. With the burn of alcohol still in his throat, he finalized his thoughts on the matter with, "Not unless the client is particularly specific about the matter."

Foy rapped his glass upon the table and stood, pushing the chair back behind him. "I shall attend to matters upon the floor, my good man; see what music can be had in this place. Would anyone care to join?"

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Mei had to admit that this lot was good for a laugh. Just the conversations alone, how they flowed from talking of being a barber to dancing astounded her. She prided herself on her ability to carry a conversation if it suited her and she didn't think she mastered that quite as much as this lot. Especially the Barber.

However, game time came and her hand was shit. Again. She flung the cards down almost as quickly as she received them, "I fold. Damn cards..." She hated this game. Why they insisted on playing this was lost on her. She took a sip of her drink in front of her before she glanced over in the direction of where the Captain and her escort disappeared to. Sure, she was told not to worry, but it was best to make sure.

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"The last person to touch my hair lost a finger. And that was because he kept pulling on it while he.... Jackie took a look at Fitz and shook her head. Not for his ears. Not yet. Instead, she picked up her cards and looked them over. They were decent, but she knew from body position, subtle twitches, and their expressions (even deeply hidden) that both Barber Boy and Dapper Doctor had better hands than her.

Now the question remained. Did she stay and try to con them? Or take a loss? She had a feeling Dapper Doctor would be easily swayed, but Barber Boy was another matter. She set her cards down and chugged her drink, finishing it before pushing it back on the table. "I fold as well. And I'll take your offer up for a dance." She didn't dance on a regular basis, but she had been to a few different events where dancing was necessary. It often opened things up more between dance partners.

Looking around the table, she couldn't tell what most people had, though with several people folding right off the bat made it clear that she wasn't the only one who didn't trust her hand. Fitz really needed to learn how to not show what was in his hands on his face. The kid was sitting there, with a facial expression that practically showed what he had, apparently this kid had luck, but didn't know that you are supposed to try and not seem all happy over there when you had a good hand.

"I fold as well," she said, placing her cards down. There was no way Daphne could win, not with the look on Fitz's face. Her hand was about average, not horrible, but not the best. She didn't trust that she would win. Her sister's face was impossible to get a read on, so she thought to just get out of the round right then. She still wasn't even sure why she had joined the round, but decided to just let it be. The others were talking about going off to dance or something, but she was perfectly fine staying at the table.