Joint post with [@Gunther] 

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[h3]Sharin' Stories over Breakfast[/h3]
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Unlike the day previous, Penelope had woken fresh and clean since she’d had mind to stop in the showers before hitting the bunk. That lazy smile of hers curled as she uncurled her body, stretching out to feel the soft sheets on her bare legs and arms before lifting a hand free of the patchwork quilt to pull it off her head. 

Her hair was still damp from the night before, but without the sea salt and sand. Falling asleep with it wet had left her brown locks wavy with no discernible formula to it at all. The orange strip had faded away so the mess could pass as planned, she decided as she fluffed it in the mirror once. 

Mind already moving onto the day’s task at hand before slipping into her pilot’s chair, she knew she had to get started if she wanted time for a nap. Her plans hadn’t included shopping again until Cal mentioned the temperature of the ship. For reasons not quite shared with many folk, all she owned was what she carried in that backpack. The restart to her life had been with O’Malley and his crew. They hadn’t been anywhere that warranted a winter wardrobe, so she was short a few things in that department.

But, as was with every morning, the first order of business was breakfast. Maybe she’d run into someone else who had need of a shopping trip in the galley. It would be nice to have some social time before she was rooted to the flight deck for a spell. Though, she did have Sam, and she was good company, Penelope was growing accustomed to the crew of the China Doll.

That realization had her biting her lip as she pulled up her orange-pallette boho-style of a jumpsuit. It wouldn’t do to go getting too attached, she reminded herself as she fastened the sleeveless straps and slipped into her flats. [i]But…[/i] she countered her own thoughts as she conjured Abby layin’ there on her bed asking for advice, [i]this ain’t the same… [/i]

Abby was genuine. Though Penelope could question herself on anyone else aboard, she was entirely, 100% without a doubt, sure of the younger girl. She thought she’d been that sure about others before, but, lookin’ back, it was easy to see how naive she’d been. How easy it was to blindly follow someone she admired. Loved. Loved? 

Naw, she’d gone a long time without thinkin’ about it, and she wouldn’t now. Tellin’ what she had to the Cap’n must’ve gotten her mind goin’, was all. Some breakfast and shoppin’, then maybe a nap, that was the plan - all she needed to worry on. No sense in thinkin’ on the past and what ya can’t change, no sense in worryin’ about a future ya can’t see. Just here and now. One day at a time. 

Breakfast, she reminded herself, and her smile pushed away that pensive expression as she started up the ladder without difficulty. It was early, so more like she’d just had a long nap, and didn’t miss breakfast at all. Last night had been nice - eating with everyone for once rather than strollin’ through after the masses already ate. [i]Wonder who’ll be in there at this hour... [/i]

Not the first mate, she smirked, definitely needed a much longer sleep from the way he smelled. Took a bit to get that out of a system, and a lot of hydration. Hopefully Abby was resting, and the Skyes probably stayed up late again… maybe the doctor - what was her name again? Or Hook the Cook, as the blue-haired Skye called him - what was [i]her[/i] name? [i]Should prob'ly learn their names.[/i]

That thought got a breath of a chuckle as she crossed into the galley to see if breakfast was a served up thing or just a grab-and-go. Either way, tea was needed, so she'd start there.

Joe had been cleaning the kitchen as he did regularly this time of day. The Captain and the doctor had already passed through, ate their meals and left. He hadn’t seen the Skyes or the first mate yet. Abby was undoubtedly resting as she should be. He heard someone outside the galley making their way to the galley.’

Hook smiled when he saw the pilot. “Hello Miss Penny, what would you like for breakfast?” Hook had the griddle all heated up and ready to drop eggs, pancakes or whatever she may want.

“Mornin’, Hook.” Pen said with a sleepy little wave before she moved along the counter for a mug to pour some hot water in. “Let me get the tea a’steepin’ and give it a think. I ain’t quite used to a cook, truth be told. Didn’t get a chance to tell ya last night’s meal was some of tha best fish I ever had.”

She turned then as she dropped the steel leaf trap into the steaming mug, leaning back against the counter it sat atop. “Ya always like cookin’ for other folks?”

It was a question of curiosity, nothing more. As per usual, her lips curved pleasantly as she waited watched Hook get the preparings for others who might stroll on through. There was less folk on the China Doll, and less structure, but Penelope preferred it. 

“Ah enjoy cookin’, if that’s what yew mean, shore,” Hook responded. “Ah learned to cook from the lady o’ the house ah grew up in. She taught me and her daughter, who was also a Penny.” Joe figured he could crack a few eggs in some bowls just to have them ready for scrambling or frying. “It does calm me to cook. Ah guess it gives me a degree of peace, preparing a meal, blending the ingredients and cooking the meal, makes me feel good. Then when folk compliment my efforts, that helps too.” Hook smiled at the pilot, paused and added, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Penelope returned the grin, of course. She could see the rhythm of what he meant, how it could be soothing to a soul that needed a bit of tendin'. Handiworks had helped her in that way. After a beat of stirring the leaves and watching the water tint swirl, she found herself sharing just as easily as Hook had. "My clan of people figure on inner peace bein' all the need a man has in life. Bein' one with the gift of nature, and respectin' all it offers. I was a bit ah trouble for 'em, too adventurous, they said. But, even me as a kid can calm and steady when given somethin' to do with my hands. Never thought about cookin' that way till ya made it sound right poetic."

She weren't teasin'. The last few years tampered that wilder, impulsive side of hers down tight. Did a lot of introspection. Came to appreciate the here and now so she could really be at peace in it. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Hook nodded. “You be right, Miss Penny. I like those remarks about your clan. That seems real nice. Everyone needs a clan.” Hook smiled on that notion. A clan to him was a family. That is what you need in life. “Also appreciate the inner peace. I can get behind that.” Although inner peace was somewhat elusive to Joe Hooker. His head was always twirling in so many directions. Having something to focus on helped, but his head was twisted in ways he may never be able to fix. He guessed one of these days he’d snap...again. He’d done it before. When his demons came out.

“You know Miss Penny. You are nothing like mah other Miss Penny. She had long dark hair, dark eyes, slender face and pouty lips. She was the most beautiful creature ah ever met, both on ta’ outside and inners. Ah shore do miss her. She and her kin were killed by the purple bellies near the end of the war.” Joe Hooker lost his smile after that reflection. “But you don’t need to hear another sad tale. Tell me about what you did on your day off from flying this ship.”

Penelope had thought Hook seemed like the type to understand, not look at her all sideways for the simplicity of her people and their harmonious notions. She was glad to see she’d been right. Man who could shoot another man without hesitation could understand, seemed like more folk could. But it wasn’t somethin’ she worried herself over - or judged anyone by. Her people also weren’t the judging sort. She was glad to have gotten the best parts from her teachers, at the very least, even if she’d been late to the lesson.

When Hook spoke up about his Penny, hazel eyes turned back from the mug once more. They studied the man as he gave almost lovin’ words graciously, and softened sadly with the conclusion of her fate. It’d been said almost as one would tell a story from long ago, but she could tell somehow it might not have been as far past in his heart. 

The change of subject hadn’t surprised her, not really. She picked up some sweetener and liberally poured it into the steaming mug to cool it, letting it blend with the herbal leaves. “I spent some time up the island a ways, on a beach, shellin’. Got Abby a real nice one, and quite a haul to trade when we get to Greenleaf. My people like trades, ‘specially from off-world.”

She flashed a grin to Hook before takin’ a careful test sip of her tea. Just fine, she decided, and moved over to be out of his work area just in case he needed the room, but stayed in sight. “Met some locals. Was goin’ to go wind-surfin’, but got distracted with a project and some delicious food.”

She winked at that, compliments to the chef again. “Ain’ goin’ nowhere, so I’ll get to it next time I’m here, I’m sure. What ‘bout you, Hook? Get into anythin’ in your shore leave aside from catchin' dinner, or stick around the Doll the whole time 'tween?”

“The Doll, that’s great,” Hook gave a toothy grin. “Ah like that nickname.” He nodded to her. “Ah did indeed stick around the Doll. The Captain and I went out fishing on ta’ first day. Ah will admit that also was very calming. He caught five of the fish and I only caught three. But it was a wonderful experience being out near the lake. Like your beach trip, being near the water is always calming. Ah do prefer it.”

Hook looked at the grill and the bowls of egg. “Miss Penny, what would you like to eat?”

Oh, she remembered, food. The conversation while she waited on her tea had been nice, she'd forgotten he'd been waiting to start something for her. Wasn't used to it. "I like veggies and eggs. Can ya do me up an omelette, please?"

Helen would be proud to know she had some sort of manners. Might not believe it. 

“No problem, Miss Penny,” Hook responded, then turned to the preparation table. “How about onion, green pepper, mushrooms?  And maybe some cheese?” Joe simply pulled out a few of the vegetables and a knife, beginning to chop them into small pieces.

“That sounds real nice - we got any leafy greens? Meant to ask Cap’n about the Hydroponics…” Penelope mused aloud before taking a sip of her tea. Greenleaf would have all sorts of seeds. She’d have to make a list, if all turned out alright.

Joe finished chopping up the ingredients. I beat up the eggs with some milk then poured the mix onto the grill. He allowed the egg to begin to harden up, then scattered the chopped peppers, onion and mushrooms over the mix. When the egg was a bit more solid, he started to fold the edges up over the top. He allowed it to cook a few minutes longer then flipped it over.

“The Captain mentioned the hydroponics before we left Persephone, but it wasn’t complete. Maybe we can work on that when we reach Greenleaf. We can get some spinach and kale, maybe broccoli and a few other vegetables. Ah had some asparagus but used that last night.” 

When the omelet was ready, he scooped it up, slid it onto a dinner plate and set it at the table for the ship’s pilot. “Here you go, Miss Penny. Breakfast is served.”

Penelope had moved over to have a seat at the table, sippin’ at her hot tea, and watching the chef do his work. Seemed like he was in his element, so she didn't want to disturb him. Before she knew it, the omelet was sizzled up real good sittin' pretty before her. 

“Thank ya, Hook, smells wonderful.” She smiled up at him. “Ya ate anythin’ yourself yet?”

“Thank you, Miss Penny. I had my breakfast two hours ago.” Joe turned to the coffee pot, picked up his mug, poured a cup, then turned to take a seat at the galley table. He sipped from the mug and felt the taste was still good. He could clean up a bit later. He expected more of the crew would wake up and want to eat soon.

From having watched the fella at his work, and the way he’d been reminiscing a little bit previous, Penelope wondered how much was tusslin’ around in that head of his. The way he’d go quiet between tasks, his eyes check out… she’d seen it before. Felt for him, despite tryin’ her best not to form attachments to folks. Her words were comin’ out before her mouth could hold them in. "Ya know Hook, I wouldn't mind one bit hearin' any of your tales - sad or not. Sometimes it helps - to talk about it, make it hurt less or maybe figure somethin’ out."

Joe sat at the table with his mug cupped between both hands. He stared at the wall across the room as if in a trance. He lifted the mug to his lips and took a sip. A sigh brushed past his lips signifying a form of surrender. It made Penelope think she’d gone done crossed a line in invading privacy, but just as she was about to apologize, he started speaking.

“When ah was small, there was a boy on ta McGinnis farm named Leonard. Mr. McGinnis called him Lenny. If one of us called him Lenny, he would beat us. There were seven of us boys plus Leonard.” Joe stared into the wall across the table. He took another sip. “Leonard was the oldest. He came to the farm first. Obviously, he had been abused before he was orphaned. He wanted us to call him Leo. So, we called him Leo.” Joe gulped more coffee before continuing, allowing an uncomfortable lengthy pause. “Leo beat the daylights out of me. I might have been six or seven, ah can’t remember how old ah was. Ah might have been older. He kicked me betwixt the legs. ah doubled over in pain falling to the ground. He then proceeded to kick me all over. He kicked me everywhere. I had a bloody nose and bruises all over when he was done. Leo was at least a teenager. He was more than a head taller ‘an me. He was mean. A bully if you will. Just an angry boy and he was going to take all that anger out on me and my brothers. But his torture caused the rest of us to bond tightly; brothers formed by misery.”

“Penny was a ray of sunshine in a dismal existence.” Joe thought that last comment over more. “Ah shouldn’t say that. Not everything living on the farm was bad. It was just Leo. but he raped a girl in town and then kilt her. He went to jail ah think, then died in jail. He was juss angry. He also taught the rest of us to fight. Ah don’ know if it was his intention or if he just wanted to release all that pent up anger, but he taught us to fight. Kind of the way a dad drops a child into a lake to teach em to swim.”

“When ah was eleven or twelve, Mrs. McGinnis invited me into her kitchen to learn to cook. We started with baked goods, cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, and breads. Then she taught us some rubs and marinades, soups, and more detailed ways of preparing meats. Eventually, we learned some more complex recipes involving varying temperatures and cooking some parts of a dish separately. Anyway, Penny and ah became close during our cooking classes. She and ah shared everything together. She was mah best friend. Ah knew when ah was about 18 or 19 years old that ah loved her. She was not mah real sister. Besides, she was white, an ah am black. No way we were real siblings.” Joe chuckled at that idea.

Joe pictured Penny in his mind, sipped the coffee. “She was taller’n you, maybe average height for a woman. The lass time ah saw her, we were in our early 20s. Mah brothers and ah were about to head off to war with the Heran Militia. Ah remember mah last night on the farm. We were alone and ah was starin’ into her eyes. We both had tears streaming down our faces. We did not know when we would see each other again or ever. Ah wanted to kiss her, but her mother walked in on us. We abruptly parted and I blurted that I needed to go pack. She wasn’t there in the morning when we left. That was the last ah saw of her. I thought of her often when ah was fightin’ them purple bellies.”

“When the war ended, my brothers were all gone. There were only a few survivors left from the fight in Serenity Valley. I wanted to go back to the farm. But the closer ah got to the farm, the more ah learned about what had happened. The purple bellies had taken over the farm and killed the family that lived there. The McGinnis’ were all gone. Ah was the sole survivor. No one survived from that farm, but me.”

“Ah wandered around Hera for a spell, trying to find direction. I drank a lot back then. Whiskey, wine, beer, whatever I could find. I got into a lot of fights too; beat plenty of men cuz ah knew how to fight. And ah was angry. A Shepherd gave me some wise advice. To find peace within me first then, ah could more easily deal with my past. So, ah hitched a ride on a passing freighter. Served as a deck hand and cook. Ah’ve been doin’ that ever since.”

“But Penny? She was beautiful. She had a great sense of humor, a lively wit; the life of the party. Ah shore do miss her.” Joe looked at the pilot and smiled, “Fortunately, you do not look like her.” Joe meant that last comment more as a relief that she did not remind her of Penny, just the name.

“So tell me about your clan.” Joe looked at Penelope Randall.

Somewhere along the story, Penelope had stopped eating without noticing. As he spoke, she could see it unfold as if she were watchin’ a picture. And it was heartbreakin’. Her lot in life hadn’t been easy, but it sure hadn’t been that hard. When he turned the question on her, she gathered her fallen expression and gulped against the tightness in her throat. “That… sounded like it was a hard time, Joe. Real hard…”

Since he’d turned the topic, she wasn’t sure how much he’d want her lingering on it, but her brows knit before those hazel eyes turned back on him. “Did ya… ever look for Penny? I know ya said the folk on the farm had been, well, murdered an’ all. But ya also said she weren’t around when ya left. Maybe she wadn’t there?”

[i]That’s just like you, Pen - bein’ hopeful. Always finding the silver-lining.[/i] That thought wasn’t her own, but a voice of disdain she heard every time she cared enough. Been hearing a lot more lately, but she brushed it away. Wasn’t about her - never was. Instead, she held her gaze on Hook in there here-and-now.

Joe couldn’t meet her eyes. His expression, placid. “Yea, mebee she still alive. I been thinkin’ an hopin that for the past twelve years or so. Ah don’ even know how long it has been.” Joe sipped his coffee. “Ah did look for her and her brother, Walter. Ah never saw either of them. Anyone and everyone ah spoke to, tole me they was dead.”

That last bit had Penelope biting her lip, thinkin’. She knew that if someone didn’t want to be found, the best way to make it happen was make everyone that knew you think you were dead. Maybe Walter and Penny didn’t figure on anyone good in their life bein’ alive to come lookin’. She sighed, and picked up her fork. “Well, I do hope they’re out there, Hook. I do. Ain’t right to have lost everyone like that.”

“Ah agree, Miss Penny. Ah agree.” Joe thought to himself for a few minutes, “but that form of hope is painful.

Penelope gave a sad smile down at what was left of her omelette. “I know.”

But when she glanced back up at him, cheer was back on her features. “Ya asked about my clan? All of Greenleaf is mostly jungle ‘cept the one massive city cut right into the green. There’s all sorts livin’ in the jungle still, refusin’ to move on into the city. Barefoot folk, is what the city folk call us. Well, I’m a transplant. Was born just before my family moved to the city, then ended up back out in the jungle for a spell. Ain’t rightly fit in either world, wantin’ to be in the black an’ all.”

She waved a hand at that and continued, “But anyway, my clan took me on when I was about … maybe nine, maybe eleven. Tree folk - safer livin’ up there than on the forest floor, ‘specially at night. Most clans out in the jungle live in the trees. Simple way of life, really. They’re peaceful tradesmen. Give thanks to the spirit of the jungle for all its bounties. When I left, the Alliance was tryin’ to weed ‘em out. There were skirmishes over the forest - that’s where all the medicinal plants are, ah course. Them purps don’t respect the forest, so even peaceful folk will go to war to protect it. Ain’t did too good without weapons, ‘least till the city folk sympathizers started helpin’.”

Penelope took a bite, pausing as she chewed and thought. “Got all sorts now workin’ against the Alliance. Smugglers, guerrilla agents… it escalated for a while, but tampered down on account of not wanting to damage the forest. The clans actually united on that, became nomads on their own planet. Shameful, the way the Alliance disrespects an entire planet and its people.”

It was the closest to being worked up Penelope had been in a while, heat coming out in her words. She sighed, closed her eyes, then opened them again to look at Hook. “They’re good folk, my clan.”

“Sounds like you had a good rearin’ in the trees. Yo not fear a the heights then, arn’t ya?” Joe was smiling again, happy to listen to Penelope and not telling his woes. “Yo right about the purple bellies. They be messin’ wit too many folks lives. It is awful.”

Penelope laughed a little about the question about heights, shaking her head as she did so. Quite the opposite. The levity of that notion didn’t fade all that much with the comment on the Alliance. She’d been good at avoiding feelings for a while, even if she was gettin’ more tangled up these days. “Ya know what ain’t though? This here omelette. Been a long time since I had one so good. Thank ya, Hook. If it were up to me, I’d have chewy eggs and burnt cheese.”