Who: Aurora Kaye, Eli Gray
When: Evening
What: Eavesdown Docks, next to the Huria's bay

To describe what she was doing as cheating was not strictly accurate in Aurora's opinion. True, there were more than a few cards secreted in the cuff of her jacket. True, she currently sat smugly next to a generous pile of credits at her elbow more due to her skill at subterfuge than from her own abilities at the game. But cheating implied that there was something underhanded about what she was doing. How could that be the case when she was almost certain that the two men who sat across from here were busy doing the same thing? The men were silent at the moment, sullen and silently weighing their options in light of the three cards she had just laid down.

The three gamblers sat at opposing sides of the crate that had been turned into an impromptu card table, each one shifting uncomfortably from time to time on the smaller boxes that served as chairs. Aurora tapped a few round cards in her hand thoughtfully against her pursed lips, head tilted up at the sky as if the goings on of her opponents was the furthest thing from her mind. As her opponents two weighed their options, Aurora remained silent, her gaze fixed contentedly on a passing flock of birds above.

“What do you say gentlemen?” Aurora asked sweetly after a bit, finally glancing in their direction. Her expression was a portrait of innocence, all wide eyes and thoughtful, down-turned mouth. "My game?"

Seeing the others hesitate, she moved to collect the remaining credits on the table in one sweeping gesture, confident now in her victory. The spoils would go a long way towards making up what she had squandered on Persephone, caught up in a superfluity of spending possibilities its market had offered. She glanced back at the Huria's loading dock, affection visible on her face as she gazed at the ship she called home for the past two months. Maybe her new-found funds would go a measure towards equipping the ship as well, Aurora thought serenely, the weight of the credits in her open hand giving her a sense of satisfaction.

Time: Afternoon
Place: Eavesdown Docks, near the Huria's loading bay
Cast: Eppie and...whomever should happen to wander up!

It was an absolutely lovely day. This was due to several things, none of which Eppie Cardiff had any control over - that made the day all the brighter. Eppie thought to herself, fanning herself in the heat and sipping at gin, that it was all very well to arrange things pleasingly; this was of course the sensible thing to do if one wanted to end up satisfied. Yet how much nicer somehow when things just naturally sort-of...fell that way? The sun was bright and clear in the sky, there were steady drafts of fresh, clean air that swept down the street from time to time, fluttering skirts and tumbling the litter along gaily. There were people coming and going, an endless parade of colour, scent, and cheerful uproar. Children run about, shouting and laughing, and there were blushing girls and weary old men, every sort, all for her amusement. There was even a faint whiff of curry floating by, which made the plate of papadums in Eppie's lap taste all the better (she'd gotten them for a kiss). And the best, the best thing about Persephone was that it was far, far away from the glorified refilling station of a moon that the Huria had whisked her away from a week before. In all this sensual glory, the only thing Eppie had anything to do with was that she was wearing her second-favourite dress. The rest all just...worked out.

She sat, watched people go by, and once in a while she saw someone interesting and wished they'd stop and talk to her. The gin was cold and burnt her throat, and everything was beautiful.

Who: Eli Gray, Jonah Bryce
What: Booking Passage
When: Day Two, afternoon
Where: Eavesdown Docks
Rating: PG-13
Status: Ongoing

Eavesdown Docks was almost always busy, a mix of people who regularly did business, ships' crews, and people looking to book passage. Eli was one of the latter, and slipped in and out of the crowd, looking at docked ships.

Nothing too fancy--while he had the funds and liked his luxuries, the quality ships tended to be higher-profile and more interested in proper papers and identification. While his ID was as perfect as the best forgers could make it, Eli wasn't interested in the high profile aspect of traveling those kinds of ships. He didn't want to run the risk of someone remembering his face and raising holy hell. He'd rather avoid Alliance interest.

He dismissed the lower class of ships immediately; he'd like to actually get to his destination, thanks. So that left the middling ones, and those were the ships he looked at now. He strolled from one to the next, his hands in the pockets of his long black coat, eyes running over their lines, trying to judge space-worthiness. Actual mechanical work was beyond him, but he liked to think that he could at least pick one that wouldn't fall apart before next planetfall.

Eli stopped at the next-to-last ship at the dock and studied it. Not bad. Clean lines--not fancy or built for show, but utilitarian, practical. The cargo ramp was down, showing the inside--the shadowed interior looked fairly neat and tidy from what he could see. He could do worse. He schooled his face into mild, slightly curious lines, softened his body language.

Stepping up to the ramp, he spied someone moving inside. He shuffled through the accents he could use, and picked one that would proclaim him a middle-class Greenleaf citizen. "Hello? Is anyone around?"