Vi gasped for breath in-between riotous giggles. The dwarf was still ranting in the background, though his thumps remained within the bounds of the kitchen, and she tried to pull her legs in so she didn't completely trip Thren as he backed out. She finally managed to open her eyes as Thren came down to sit beside her, her hand over her chest to try to get a rhythm back to her breathing. Her body racked spontaneously with laughter, but as he explained, Viara slowly lifted a brow in his direction. The urge to tease him waged war with the desire to placate his embarrassment. As he actually blushed, she decided to compromise and do a bit of both. "I'm sure nothing about you is small." She cleared her throat, and then chuckled, "Bob was merely echoing my concerns about the function of..." She trailed off, reddening herself before she laughed again, shaking her head. "Your heads. Which I am likely to bite off. Apparently."
The blush deepened, and he felt himself apologizing for the redness. "I'm sorry, I'm not a child, this is the dumbest situation in a life full of dumb situations." He found himself laughing, regardless. Thren looked at her, convulsing with effort and fought the urge to kiss her, the thought was fleeting, and surprised him. He maintained his distance until it passed.
Vi smiled gently, feeling her own redness flush down her neck. She didn't try to fight it but rather let it wash over her; it would pass more quickly that way. The top of her stomach contracted and she let out a long breath between her lips. In an odd way, she was flattered by his passing embarrassment - she interpreted it as acknowledgement that she was, in fact, a woman, and he was a man. A very confusing man. She cleared her throat, which suddenly felt dry, and took a breath before replying "I've been in odder ones. Although Bob always seems to up the ridiculous factor of anything." Her lips ticked upwards and she glanced away from his face, feeling unnerved.
"I'm placing the blame on you for this one." Thren smiled at her, but noted her glancing anywhere but him. "We were having a nice conversation, until you implied he was in love with Alerrin." He nearly said 'the elf', but stopped himself. Elf had nothing to do with it, and while it was Dwarven to remark about the race, it didn't feel right.
Vi smirked, but it was as much rueful as mirthful. "Yes, I always take things too far." Her mind was dense with thought, confusion crackling annoyingly at the sides of her head, and she was angry at herself that being reminded of her femininity was causing such an overblown reaction. She had a sudden buzzing rush of energy and she had to force herself not to fidget or try to release it any other nefarious way that the dark recesses of her mind were suggesting. Vi kicked herself, hard, and then looked back at Thren with a wide grin once she'd wrestled herself back under control. "He usually wins, you know. I take my shots where I see them."
"That's twice I've heard you concede victory in an hour- I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised." He tipped his head against the wooden planks. Pulling up a knee. "This is-" He gestured at the ship around her. "This is insane." He patted her knee briefly. "It's a good kind of crazy though. Now that I'm here, I couldn't imagine the Star any other way. You have something special here."
Viara smiled, looking at the boards of wood that made up her little universe. "Oh, I concede more than you'd think. I just... don't admit it out loud." She rolled her head on the boards to glance towards Thren, studying his profile. "If this is crazy, I suppose normal must be very dull. Sometimes I look around, and I remember how it was like when it was just me, and a few other people. Trying to figure out how to run a boat. Making very bad decisions. I had no idea if it would actually work, but... I couldn't go back. Had to go forward. She's got her own personality now, I just... try to keep everything together. Everyone. It's beyond me." Her voice had slipped into a sentimental, private range and she smirked, shaking her head at herself.