"Oh-kay... I getcha," he said, winking and taking another swig. "I'll continue to refrain from using fish in my dishes."
"Thank you," she said, settling back into her seat. "I appreciate it." There was a moments silence where Ellia seems lost in thought. She was rather short, and thin, but she was built for the ship in ways that most sailors weren't. She was quick, and her eyes were alert and ready. She looked up at him, her expression thoughtful. "So what about you?" she asked. "What's your character like?"
"I... wouldn't know how to explain it. Just the regular, old cook on the ship. Nothing special, I guess." He said, resting one leg over the other as he settled down.
"Well.." she said, her eyes searching his face curiously. She seemed to be very interested in learning for the sake of discovery. She was the same about the sea creatures too. "What brought you here?"
"Ruined by the Mafia. Father killed by goons. Mother fell ill and passed. Wound up here." He took a final swig before seeing that the flash was empty. "I feel like we've had this conversation before..."
"You and I? I don't think so," she said thougtfully. "Although we've had to hang out a lot lately because of the partnerships, so maybe I just forgot." Her eyes widened with an idea. "Speaking of which," she said, turning to look at him. "You were totally right about the attacker thing."
"Rhys? Yeah... It was surprising. What were his motives?" He asked. "Just to take the treasure all for himself?"
"Probably. I mean, he was a criminal when we got him, and he was arrested for stealing, so I guess old habits die hard." She shook her head, her nose crinkling in disgust. "What an awful thing to plan to do," she said. "I mean, we saved him from prison for God's sake. You'd think that there was a little bit of loyalty there."
"Not anymore, I guess. Once a criminal, always a criminal. Nothing can change that I guess." Jared said. Over in the corner, he could see some steam coming from the pot and a couple of bubbles peeking their domes over the edge. Jared stood up and went over to check on it. He extinguished the fire in the sandbox and took out a wooden ladle. "Looks like it'ts ready." He said with delight as he ladled out the vegetables into a couple of bowls. He put them to one side to let them cool.
Ellia laced her fingers together and stretched. "It smells good," she said languidly, yawning. Had it really only been this morning when they had plunged through the dome? It felt like weeks, months, centuries.
Jared had become accustomed to the smell of the food he made, so each meal just smelled to same to him. "Thanks." He eventually said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Of course," she said, standing up with a grin. "I don't want my role in this to be overlooked. I cut those apples very well. Maybe I should be the cook."
"Oh-kaaay... Let's not get too hasty." Jared said with a chuckle. He divided the apple between the two bowls and handed one to Ellia. "It may still be too hot. Be careful." He warned, trying to find a couple of forks or some kind of utensil.
"Thanks," she said, taking the bowl. She placed it on the table quickly to avoid burns, and then joined Jared in looking for utensils. "Here's a fork," she said, passing it to him. "And.." Rummaging around among the dishes, she cursed as she accidentally cut her hand on a knife. "Damn," she said, frowning at it.
Jared looked over at Ellia. "Jesus! Are you alright?" He asked, taking a surprisingly clean cloth and giving it to Ellia to put on her wound.
She took the cloth, patting the cut. "Thanks. It's alright. It's not deep." She pointed to the offending knife with a chuckle. "Don't use that one. Its got blood on it." She gestured to the table with her head, still holding the cloth to her hand. "Go ahead and sit down. I'm just going to wash my hand really quickly."
Jared cleaned the knife with a separate cloth and put it away. "A-Are you sure?" He asked. "You sure you don't need anything?"
