Eli laughed. "I believe that's the most complimentary thing anyone's said to me in months. Thank you. I suspect that your company will brighten up a long, drab journey."
He slid his hand from hers. He'd noticed the little squeeze she'd given it. That could prove interesting later; he'd see how things played out. He liked to see developing patterns, see the lay of the land, so to speak, before committing to a course of action. Reaching up, he shifted the strap on his duffle bag to a more comfortable position.
Within the shadowy hold was the neatly-stacked and well-secured cargo, and he had a momentary larcenous itch, quickly squashed. Foolish in the extreme to try and rob a ship he'd be stuck on for a while. Most likely it wasn't anything that would earn him a profit worth the risk, anyway.
"Jonah had told me we'd be leaving today. I would've expected a bit more activity, but perhaps they're already already loaded everything and are waiting for passengers to make their way in."