[Naiya is cooking up a storm of scrumptious (possibly?) food when she realizes 
her dilemma.  One of the ingredients isn't in the kitchen.]
* Naiya blinks, stopping her cheerful hum in mid-hum, and glances around for it 
again, just in case, then makes an annoyed face, checks over to make sure 
everything will be fine for a little bit unattended, then goes off on the 
MISSING INGREDIENT HUNT!
[Naiya hunts the ingredient.  FOR GREAT JUSTICE OF COOKERY!  On the way out of 
the gallery, she almost bumps into Filis but narrowly avoids it.  And keeps 
steady below decks even though it's swaying slightly by the pier.  Score!]
* Naiya pauses, and blinks at Filis. "Hello! How are things above deck?"
* Filis almost jumps in surprise at running into Naiya, then takes a deep 
breath. "You startled me.  They're--" She glances back behind her and then 
shakes her head. "Where's Nasira?"
* Naiya shrugs. "I have not seen her. ... or the missing chilies."
* Filis starts to speak and then looks at Naiya in that normal way people do 
when their conversation has been derailed. "Chilies?"
* Naiya nods. "For the dinner I'm making. I seem to have misplaced them..."
<Filis> Oh...
* Naiya glances around more, looking a tad distracted. "Have you seen them?"
* Filis looks at her strangely. "I'd check the hold if I were you... are you 
feeling okay?
<Naiya> Well, I can't let dinner sit too long...
<Naiya> Are you coming with me? We can look together.
<Filis> Perhaps.  First, I wished to talk with Nasira.
* Naiya blinks a moment, a furrow of worry darkening her face for a moment. "... 
oh. I should not impede you, then."
<Filis> Do you know where she is?
* Naiya shakes her head. "Isn't she with Shan?"
* Filis shakes her head and looks off to the side. "Last I saw she was--"
[All of the sudden, the boat lurches.  Naiya and Filis both stumble on their 
feet from the sudden movement.  They must be casting off!]
* Naiya 'eeps!' and falls! She waits a moment before trying to get back to her 
feet.
* Filis pulls herself back up. "Last I saw, she was leaving because of the 
argument above deck.  I cannot say I disagree with her."
<Naiya> ... argument?
* Naiya sighs.
<Filis> Yes.  I wish to know if her and Virgil are always like that.
* Naiya sighs, and gets up. "Sadly, I think she just dislikes all Zaxons."
* Filis blinks. "I doubt that is true."
* Naiya looks up. "I need to find those chilies." She starts walking toward the 
hold, at a slow, easy-to-catch-herself-if-the-boat-moves-again pace.
[Naiya has no luck today.  On the way to the hold, she passes Nasira's open 
door.]
* Naiya pauses, and glances in. Is Nasira in there?
* Nasira is in there! She's folding clothes, both new and old (and ruined) and 
putting them in the trunk for storage.
<Naiya> ... Filis was looking for you.
* Filis apparently still is.  Because she's there!
* Naiya hesitates, as if she wants to say something more, but decides against it 
and moves on.
* Nasira looks up, as Naiya caught her blind spot. She eyes her until she 
leaves, then she looks to Filis and says, "Hey, Lady."
* Filis glances in and stares oddly. "You are saving the old ones?"
<Nasira> Sure.  Never know when I'll need them.
<Filis> For?  Oh.  May I come in?
* Filis hesitates to actually cross the threshold of the door.
* Nasira smiles. "Sure."
<Nasira> And in case I need a handy gag.  Or makeshift rope.  ... Or just 
clothes, 'cause everything gets ruined eventually, and then it's a question of 
how much.
* Filis laughs and half steps in. "Rather resourceful, aren't we?"  She 
hesitates and looks at Nasira nervously. "Err.. the "sure" WAS to come in, 
right?"
* Nasira rolls her eye. "Yeah, it was. You don't need to worry so much; I don't 
cut down everyone I see. Otherwise, we'd have a lot more bodies lying around."
* Filis smiles slightly. "I was not worried about you cutting me down.  It just 
does not hesitate to be polite."  She looks around for a moment. "It's a cozy 
cabin."
* Nasira laughs. "Yeah, like every other cabin." She goes back to folding 
clothes and putting them away.
* Filis then looks at Nasira more seriously. "Are they always like that?"
<Nasira> Who?
<Filis> Virgil and... the one you call "Boss"?
<Nasira> Oh.
* Nasira picks up a pair of pants and hrms, then folds them and puts them in the 
trunk. "Not always."
* Filis sits down on an available space.  That might be a bed or just a jutting 
beam. "Is there tension I don't know about?"
* Nasira snickers. "Not really. Just egos."
* Filis looks at her strangely. "Egos?"
<Nasira> Yeah, they're just stubborn.  The boss is used to having a lotta power 
and being real important.  Virgil's the same way.  Nobody wants to bend.
* Filis sighs and shakes her head. "And in the meanwhile, we're stuck on an 
island going nowhere."
<Nasira> At least we're going.
<Filis> True.
* Nasira keeps folding clothes and putting them in her trunk. Soon, she is done, 
and she closes it! The trunk, that is.
* Filis looks at Nasira cock-eyed. "So is that what keeps you going?"
<Nasira> What?  My clothes?
* Nasira has a seat on her trunk, since that's another place to sit.
* Filis snickers. "No.  The philosophy 'At least we're going.'"
<Filis> I mean... do you have anywhere to go *to*?
* Nasira grins and shrugs. "Nope."
<Filis> And that does not bother you?
<Nasira> Doesn't really matter, does it?
* Filis looks down a little. "I suppose not."
* Nasira smiles. "Exactly." She hops off of the trunk. "I'm gonna get some 
practice in."
* Filis looks back up at Nasira. "I wish I knew how you did it."  She stands 
slowly. "Practice?"
<Nasira> Yup.  Cutting people up.
* Nasira walks out. "It's what I do best... well, besides be cut up."
* Filis snickers. "Understood.  I guess I'll leave you to it.   Sorry to bother 
you."
* Nasira looks over at Filis and winks. "It's not a big deal unless I don't want 
to be bothered." She jogs up to the deck.
[End for Nasira!]