JENNA: * Jo opens one eye to look at him, mouth curving into an amused smile. "I won't ask," she promises, closing her eyes before murmuring a belated "Good night." The next few days continue in cordial fashion, each taking turn at Jo's insistence, until one morning she wakes early -- rubbing her eyes against the flickering lamplight. She sits up slowly, stretching to ease the ache in her back and shoulders -- as today it was her turn to sleep on the floor.

JUSTIN: * This early rising goes unnoticed by Shane, who is still very much asleep. He looks fairly peaceful, lying on his back with the blanket halfway off the bed, but still covering most of his body. A small smile is even on his face, whether left over from the night before, or indicative of a pleasant dream.

JENNA: * Jo takes another scrub at her eyes, deciding to let him rest a while longer -- at least until breakfast. She gets to her feet, straightening her tousled clothes, and walks over to the door, pulling it open to a scene of panic. The kitchen staff is already hard at work -- though apparently behind schedule, judging from the rate at which they're working. She lurches back a step as a small man runs by, muttering to himself, then steps into the hall, shaking her head. The sudden gasp isn't warning enough, and she looks up just in time to collide with what seems at first to be a walking stewpot. She stumbles back again, swallowing a yelp, but not in time to avoid being liberally splashed with the contents -- cold soup from the night before.

JUSTIN: * The sudden escalation in volume from the opened door is enough to bring Shane near the edges of wakefullness, but he stubbornly clings to his slumber. He rolls onto his side toward the middle of the room, pawing at the blanket in his his sleep and dragging it up over himself.

JENNA: * Jo waves away the man's hurried apologies, walking back into the room and trying to hold her dripping shirt away from her skin. She tugs the door shut a little more sharply than strictly necessary, scowling darkly before making her way over to her pack and dragging it away from the wall, using the slinging motion to vent some of her irritation. A moment's search turns up her spare tunic, which she tosses on the floor before casting Shane an absent glance to make sure he's still out. Satisfied, she gingerly takes the edges of the splattered one and yanks it up over her head with a grouchy sigh.

JUSTIN: * The rest of this noise is enough to cut Shane's ties to sleep, and his eyes begin to blearily open. It's a very slow, delayed movement, taking a good amount of seconds just to get halfway open. Everything in front of him is a blur for the first moment, but it is slowly coming into view.

JENNA: * Once it's over her head, she pauses to inspect the shirt, scowling faintly, then uses a relatively clean corner of it to wipe whatever else splashed on her off before flinging it against the far wall with a grumble. It's only then that she turns to the clean tunic, picking it up and tugging it over her head.

JUSTIN: * By now, Shane has ceased breathing, his previously blurred vision now far too clear -- and much to his dismay, he has become paralyzed to the point that he can't turn or even close his eyes. Jo, sadly ignorant of his awareness, is in very plain sight: from the moment her shirt comes off, for all the agonizing seconds she bides her time topless, until she graciously begins to cover herself again.

JENNA: * Jo, completely unaware she's just performed what amounts to a striptease, sits back with a sigh once her new shirt is adjusted, gaze raking the ceiling. Then she decides she's probably better off sleeping a while longer and pulls her pack over, tugging her cloak from where she left it earlier. She mutters a quiet curse in the direction of the kitchen before curling up on the floor and attempting to go back to sleep.

JUSTIN: * Shane continues to stare at her for quite a while after she's already laid down to sleep again, and it is many minutes before whatever magic's had him paralyzed sees fit to release him. The first thing he does with his returned strength is roll quickly away from the sight of the woman, slamming his eyes shut and catching his breath.

JENNA: * Jo doesn't sleep, particularly well, persisting largely for lack of anything better to do. She manages to drift into a doze, though she comes in and out of it a few times before giving up and sitting upright, some of her grouchiness gone. She rubs her eyes, giving a low sigh, and wonders if she should chance the hall to get some water to wash her other shirt.

JUSTIN: * Shane is fairly wide awake, not having succeeded in falling back asleep after being assaulted by such shocking imagery. He's even come to the point of leaving his eyes open, as the memories -- both immediate, and past -- are much more vivid when they are closed. The sound of her stirring causes him to twitch, and he instinctively curls under his blanket as if fearing retribution for his voyeurism.

JENNA: * Jo glances in his direction at the movement, grimacing faintly. "You still asleep?" she asks groggily, considering the notion of sending him out into the fray instead. She pulls her feet up under herself and staggers to her feet, wandering over to the chair and sinking into it with a sigh. Clearly, she remains unaware that she was caught.

JUSTIN: "I-I just woke up." Shane calls back to her in answer, sounding a lot more awake than he should if that were truly the case. "Did I miss breakfast?" He forces himself to uncurl, rigid muscles slow and stubborn in response.

JENNA: "I don't think so ..." Jo doesn't appear to notice, busy tucking her belongings away. "At least, I doubt I slept through the gong." Her expression turns sour for a moment. "Stupid cooks." She turns to face Shane, hands on hips. "I've gotta go get some water ... got soup slopped all down my front. You can rest a while if you want."

JUSTIN: "O-okay." Shane manages to turn over, but his eye contact with her is very brief before he favors the floor with his gaze. "Do you want me to yell at anyone for you? I'll do it, if they deserve it--" He fidgets, noting that he'd probably yell at them for his own grief as much as hers. He feels like yelling, in either case.

JENNA: * Jo glances at him, amused, and shakes her head. "I'll yell at them myself, if I need to." She then starts for the door, pausing to glance back at him. "You feeling all right?" she asks, hand resting lightly on the handle.

JUSTIN: * Shane shakes his head briskly -- then pauses, wondering if that was the right movement for his answer. "I'm fine, really -- just a little disoriented. Crazy dream, heh." He sinks into the cot a little. "...what about you?"

JENNA: * Jo shrugs. "Grumpy, I guess, but I'm all right. At least it wasn't hot soup ..." She grimaces. "Well, I'll be back in a few minutes." She turns away again and stalks out the door, letting it drop shut on its own.

JUSTIN: * Shane lets out a whine when she's beyond earshot, rubbing his face and hiding beneath the blanket to ponder what sort of horrible things he must have done in a past life to deserve this torture.

JENNA: * Jo returns shortly, a basin of water under one arm, and promptly settles herself near the bed with some soap and her shirt, which she sets about washing as best as she can. Most of her irritation has faded by now, and she begins to hum as she goes about the task -- a habit she apparently can't seem to get rid of.

JUSTIN: * Shane tries to inch himself away from her inconspicuously, slowly curling the blanket in his fingers and peeking out to stare. Not consciously, of course, but now it's like a morbid fascination -- one he scolds himself for, quietly. He turns his body to force his sight elsewhere, breathing out a heavy sigh. "Is it a bad stain?" He asks, trying to cover up for any staring she might have noticed.

JENNA: * Jo reaches one wet finger up to scratch her cheek, then shrugs. "No worse than any others I've had to wash out ..." She lifts the shirt out of the water, inspecting it skeptically. "It was mostly irritating that it happened at all. Remind me not to leave the room before the breakfast bell from here on out."

JUSTIN: * Shane nods his head, the motion mostly lost due to how much it's buried in the pillow. "Don't have to ask me twice." He twitches, and the blanket sneaks up a little more to cover him. "I mean, if it's going to be that bad out there -- I don't want you to run out of clean clothing."

JENNA: * Jo sighs and goes back to washing, finally pronouncing the tunic as clean as it's going to get and wringing it out over the basin before hanging it over the back of her chair to dry. She's about to remark on how hungry she is now when the breakfast bell gongs loudly. She gives a faint snort, getting to her feet. "Back we go again." She looks at Shane, who so far has showed no inclination to leave the bed. "You want me to bring you some food?"

JUSTIN: * Shane mutters something that might be a "yes", but he clumsily -- half-heartedly -- stumbles out of bed and straightens his shirt. "I'm coming..." He casts about, eventually remembering to grab his boots and attempt to pull them over his feet, falling butt-first onto the bed again in the process.

JENNA: * If Jo finds this behavior peculiar, she gives no sign, deciding he's simply tired. She waits for him to finish getting dressed, then steps into the hallway, casting her gaze about warily before she starts toward the mess hall. The morning line remains sluggish, affording them a decent spot with little waiting time. "Maybe I'll do some training today," she muses, mostly to herself, as she waits to be served.

JUSTIN: * Shane holds his arms over his chest the entire time they move through the line, as if protecting something fragile inside. "It's been a little while, hasn't it?" He answers just as absently, and if she hadn't made her previous statement, it would likely sound as though he was also talking to himself.

JENNA: * Jo nods absently, taking her food and moving along to pick up her rationed drink for the morning. "I've been missing a lot of practice lately ... should probably make time for it on the caravan routes." She moves out of the line, waiting for him -- carefully out of traffic''s way.

JUSTIN: * Shane isn't too far behind her, despite his lagginess. "It's really not a safe environment for me to practice my marksmanship. I suppose I should probably wait on that." He looks oddly happy about this revelation. "Perhaps I'll spend the morning reading one of the few books I've got packed."

JENNA: "If you want to ... there's always swordwork if you get bored." She starts back to the room, shaking her head at his lack of interest. "I mostly want to get out of the room.. get some fresh air." She pauses to shove the door open, holding it for him until he catches up.

JUSTIN: * Shane puts a hand to the door, motioning for her to go in first. "I just thought you might like a moment to yourself." He shuts the door once they're inside, making his way slowly to the table. "You haven't had more than a minute apart from me since we left Juno, after all."

JENNA: "I suppose." She ambles into the room, seating herself in her chair and tucking into the food, finding herself quite hungry for some reason. "I hadn't really noticed, I guess." She glances up at him. "After all, the deck'll still be there later."

JUSTIN: * Shane chokes on some misguided water, turning away to cough embarrassingly. "H-hadn't really--" He pauses to fight back another cough, chest shuddering with the effort. "--noticed? That's... a change..." He winces, coughing again and then turning back with a weary sigh. His face looks like he hasn't slept in days for some reason. "Best to take the offer while it's on the table... never know if you might regret passing on it later." He tries to smile, but it looks utterly nervous.

JENNA: "Are you sure you're all right?" Jo looks at him with some concern, though she does pick up the pace of her eating, anxious to get out in the air. "You haven't looked good since this morning. The food's not that bad." She continues to wolf it down, not paying too much attention to Shane's expression.

JUSTIN: * Shane's face is red, presumably from his previous choking. "Maybe I just had a bad batch..." He keeps his head low as he continues his eating, this time with much less choking. And a lot less breathing, by the rate he's pushing it in.

JENNA: * Jo looks at him doubtfully, as his food has come from the same batch hers has. "Maybe ..." Whatever the case, she decides he probably wants time to himself, and she manages to shrug off her initial annoyance, as the sentiment is fair enough. Finishing her meal, she gets to her feet. "Can you take care of the dishes?"

JUSTIN: "Of course--" Shane lurches up to his feet, as if her question implied an unspoken 'immediately'. He starts getting the dishes together with the ones from last night's dinner, stacking them without looking at her. "How long -- uh. How long are you going to be on deck?"

JENNA: "A while." She shrugs. "Not really sure. I'll be back for dinner." She tilts her head, almost asking why, but deciding she probably won't get a straight answer anyway. "I can stay out all night, if you want," she adds, sounding a mite testy.

JUSTIN: * Shane looks hurt -- and guilty -- and gives her his best puppydog eyes. "I didn't mean it like that, Jo. I was just... I might take a nap. So if I'm in the bed when you get back, just wake me up, okay?" He snatches the dishes up in his arms and makes for the door hurriedly.

JENNA: * Jo glares after him for a moment, folding her arms crossly and almost stamping her foot on the floor before slouching over to retrieve her pack and head out the door herself. She doesn't catch sight of Shane on her way out, for which she is irritably grateful.

JUSTIN: * Shane manages to avoid dropping any dishes on his way to the mess, piling them all into one of several collection bins when he gets there. There isn't much of a crowd, most of the passengers taking a more leisurely pace with their morning meal. Even so, he doesn't waste any time heading back to the room, catching a brief glimpse of Jo before she disappears topside. He does exactly what he said he was going to do, collapsing on the bed and trying very hard to fall asleep.

JENNA: * Jo, as promised, spends the bulk of the day on deck, stretching, exercising, and practicing with her knives. When she gets bored with that, she spends a fair amount of time looking out over the water. Though a couple of sailors approach her, her lack of interest is enough to put them off, and it's sunset before she returns below, having forgotten her promise to be back by dinner.

JUSTIN: * It took most of the day, and a lot of pacing, but Shane eventually wore himself out enough to fall asleep. He lies on the bed, boots off and shirt unbuttoned, closed eyes up toward the ceiling. He's quiet, breathing slow and even -- not in a deep sleep, but not a light nap, either.

JENNA: * She finds she's not particularly hungry, despite all her exercise, by the time she makes it back to her room, pushing the door open and glancing in to see if Shane's still asleep. Seeing that he is, she huffs a faint sigh and walks in, tossing her pack in a corner and wakling over to a chair, seating herself and leaning her elbow against the table. She watches him boredly for some time, resting her cheek against her fist.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't stir for quite a while, but some sort of sixth sense pokes at his sleeping brain, alerting him that he's being stared at. It eventually leads to him shifting, a quiet murmur slipping out as his eyes open to slits, looking back at Jo's staring face.

JENNA: * Noticing him wake, Jo's gaze immediately shifts away, coming to rest on the table, for lack of anything better to pretend she was staring at. "Evening," she says drily after a moment. "You hungry?"

JUSTIN: "A little..." Shane starts to sit up slowly, eyes still half closed as he wakes up. "Is it evening already?" He leans forward, slipping his feet off the bed to rest on the floor, and rubs at his face with a long exhalation. "How long have you been back?"

JENNA: "Not long," she lies idly, shrugging. "I wasn't hungry, so I didn't get any food.. and you were asleep, so. You can go get some if you want." She straightens, rubbing her cheek a little where it's sore from leaning so long. "It was nice out. You should go tomorrow."

JUSTIN: "I... might..." Shane is worried what her reaction would be if he outright refused again, and he doesn't want to press his luck. Sadly, he doesn't feel much better than he did this morning, and he can only hope that a proper night of sleep will help to calm his thoughts. "I'll be okay 'til breakfast..." He starts buttoning his shirt absently, staring at the far wall.

JENNA: "If you say so." She gets to her feet in a lazy movement, hands coming to rest on her hips. "Hurry up -- it's my turn for the bed tonight." She cracks a grin, indicating that she's largely joking, though she doubts he's paying attention. "At least we'll be reaching Izlude soon."

JUSTIN: * Shane bobs his head in a clumsy nod, climbing to his feet with only a little difficulty. "That's true..." He waddles wearily across the floor, stumbling side to side in his half-awake state. "The bed's all yours."

JENNA: * She glances at him curiously, making her way over to it, and seats herself, bending to tug off her boots and leggings. "You sure you'll be able to sleep after staying in bed all day? Then again, if you're feeling sick ..." She straightens, looking at him with a bored expression, though her eyes are quietly piercing. "Guess you should get all the sleep you can."

JUSTIN: * Shane slumps down against the wall, blinking blearily. "I didn't... I only went to sleep after lunch time..." He obviously doesn't say why. Stretching once and yawning, he slouches down to the floor and lies their limply, not feeling motivated to get into a more comfortable position.

JENNA: * Jo frowns slightly, wanting further explanation but aware she isn't going to get it. "Well, all right. Want to play cards or anything? I'm kind of tired.. don't care either way." She glances at him warily, expecting this offer to be turned down as well. She wonders vaguely if she's done something to offend him, though this isn't his usual manner when she's done so.

JUSTIN: * Shane attempts what might be a shrug, though it's hard to tell when he's flat out on his back. "You should probably get to sleep. If we stay up too late, we might miss the breakfast call." He doesn't even sound like he believes that for a moment, but he rolls over onto his side facing away from her, and apparently intends to leave it at that.

JENNA: * Jo's expression becomes distinctly annoyed, and she resists the impulse to fling something at him -- something heavy and hard, preferably. "Fine." That said, she flops down on the cot and rolls away from him grumpily, pulling the blanket up over her head. She feels petulant and childish, but the feelings fade rapidly, as she's wearier than she imagined. Before long, she's fallen comfortably asleep.

JUSTIN: * Shane takes a bit longer to return to unconsciousness, feeling entirely miserable with the whole situation. The only thing keeping him from explaining his innocence is that he's worried he'll get an even worse reaction. He sighs sadly and squeezes his eyes shut, waiting for his body to give in to sleep.

JENNA: * Jo sleeps straight through the night, waking long before the breakfast bell but feeling lethargic enough to stay in bed until it rings. She rolls over, having moved enough in her sleep that the blanket is only half covering her, and blinks quietly at Shane. Remembering last night's irritation, she scowls and rolls away again, glaring at the wall, which doesn't seem to care one way or the other.

JUSTIN: * Over the course of the night, Shane has migrated halfway across the floor and is sprawled out on his stomach, feet pointed back at the bed. He is sleeping soundly, the occassional quiet snore sneaking out, and completely unaware of Jo's reaction to the mere sight of him.

JENNA: * Jo finally sits up again, fist clenched around the pillow as if to fling it at his sleeping form. Then she scowls and releases it, pulling her boots and leggings on and stalking up to the deck, closing the door none too quietly behind her. For a moment she's torn about the fairness of waking him, but after a moment she decides she doesn't care after all and goes on her way, ignoring hunger in favor of a good, brisk workout.

JUSTIN: * Shane sits up quickly at the sound of the door slamming shut, the room spinning as his brain attempts to process the sudden sensory input before it's even awake. "Jo...?" He manages to ask, even before he's aware of where he is or what's going on. He rolls over to sit on his butt, staring at the empty bed for a couple minutes before it registers that she's not in it. With some difficulty, he gets to his feet and to the door, practically falling into the hallway after he's gotten it open.

JENNA: * Jo has rounded the corner by then, still making her way to the deck at a rapid pace, and the kitchen staff are bustling around frantically to get breakfast ready. No one seems to pay Shane much heed, aside from a young man who nearly collides with him and shuffles away apologetically.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't seem completely aware of his surroundings as he flies across the messhall, all the light, color, and sound a huge blur as his brain struggles to keep up. By some miracle he reaches the stairs to the top deck without falling or crashing, and finally pauses to finish waking.

JENNA: * Jo hasn't arrived much sooner than him, but she can be seen chatting with a sailor briefly before ambling to the rail, her exercises temporarily forgotten. Appearing suddenly weary, she leans against it, gazing out at the horizon as if searching for something. Some of her anger does seem to have faded, however.

JUSTIN: * The sunlight itself almost knocks Shane back on his butt when he bursts up the strairs, and he almost groans out loud as he shields his eyes. Looking about hurriedly, his hazy vision made even worse by the squinting, he spots Jo and half-jogs over to her. "Jo... Why'd you leave in such a hurry?"

JENNA: * Her shoulders jerk at the sound of his voice, irritation in her expression when she looks over her shoulder at him. She elects not to answer his question, instead looking back over the water. "They say we'll be in Izlude by afternoon. Apparently we got a good wind." She slouches further, resting her forearms flat against the rail and leaning her cheek against them.

JUSTIN: * Shane frowns at the look he gets, and the good news loses pretty much all of its potency in the process. He walks over to the rail next to her, staring down at it with a little shame in his face. "That's good, right?"

JENNA: * Jo nods. "It means we're that much closer to getting this damn job done." She still doesn't look at him, gaze still fixed on the ocean. "I guess you're feeling better?" she demands after a moment, straightening and drumming her fingers on the railing.

JUSTIN: "Oh... uh --" He'd almost forgotten about that. "Yeah... I dunno. I mean, I just woke up, I followed you --" He grips the rail for support, at least the physical variety. There isn't anything to provide him with the emotional kind. "Are you angry...?"

JENNA: * She turns her gaze to him, irritation and injury clear in her expression. She debates for a moment, then looks away again. "Well, I'd like to know what I did that you suddenly don't want me around," she growls finally, thumping her elbow against the railing and leaning her head on her fist.

JUSTIN: * Shane stares at the railing even harder, biting his lip in nervous aggitation and poking the tips of his forefingers together. "W-what makes you think you did anything?" He swallows, resisting the urge to dive overboard and save himself the trouble of finding a way out of this unscathed. "Heh -- just a few months ago, you'd be mad because I'm always around, and now it's the opposite?"

JENNA: * Jo glares at him, and for a moment it seems as if she's going to haul her fist back and whallop him again as she has several times before. Instead, however, she drops her hands and pushes away from the railing. "Fine. Whatever. I'll stay out here. They'll let you know when we get there."

JUSTIN: "Jo...!" Shane looks fairly distaught, caught between a rock and a hard place. "I didn't mean... I don't want --" The ocean is looking more inviting by the second. "It isn't you, I swear! Please believe me...?" He's not sure what he's asking her to believe, though. After all, if it isn't her, then why would he be acting like this in the first place?

JENNA: * Jo looks at him doubtfully for a moment, then frowns, folding her arms. "All right," she says. "Fine." She doesn't sound any less annoyed, but she isn't moving away, either. "We should just get our stuff together and wait up here after breakfast," she says shortly, changing the subject. Then, as if in a divine effort to end the conversation, the breakfast bell gongs, echoing muffled from below.

JUSTIN: * Shane looks at least slightly relieved. Mostly because he doesn't have to go through the agony of making up a suitable excuse, because he knows she's only dropping it out of weariness. He nods quickly and steps to the side to let her go ahead of him, eyes still quite firmly set in a downward direction.

JENNA: * Arms still folded, Jo stalks back down the stairs, hoping some food wil help ease her temper. She isn't sure whether she believes him, but she doubts pressing the issue will get her anywhere. She takes her place in line with a creeping feeling of resignation, hoping whatever it is he gets over it.

JUSTIN: * Shane wisely keeps his mouth shut as he follows her, trying hard to look humbled by their conversation. Any relief he felt is quickly being overcome with fear again, knowing that not coming clean with her now is probably going to be a decision that will come back to haunt him in the not too distant future. Now he can slowly go insane before being put out of his misery, instead of just cutting to the chase.

JENNA: * Jo takes her food in silence, angling for a table this time instead of heading back to their room. Her assumption seems to be that the crowd will ease his tension more than being stuck in the room alone with her. All the same, she isn't terribly happy about eating with the other passengers.

JUSTIN: * Shane does seem a little perplexed by the choice, knowing Jo's usual preference well enough, but he doesn't make any comment about it as he sits down beside her with his plate of food. He takes one bite, and seems to think on it for a while, chewing endlessly for a whole few minutes.

JENNA: * Jo eats her food at a measured pace, deliberately trying not to rush, no matter how much she wants to. The chattering crowd makes her nervous, particularly now that she isn't inclined to steal from them. The thought of stealing, however, causes her to lift her head, looking around at the patrons curiously as if to measure them up. The task seems to amuse her, mouth twitching into a smile as her gaze drifts from person to person, sizing them up.

JUSTIN: * Shane finally decides to swallow the piece of food he's worked nearly to a liquid in his mouth, eyes sliding over to Jo and then widening somewhat in alarm. "Are you all right?" Her strangely amused expression is absolutely nothing like the dire glare she'd been wearing earlier.

JENNA: * Jo jumps, glancing at him quickly -- startled out of her inspection of a burly man who appears to work on the ship. "Ah.. yes. Just.." She shrugs very slightly. "Just sizing up marks. ... I was bored." She turns back to her meal, keeping her eyes on her plate.

JUSTIN: * This causes even more alarm in Shane's eyes, and he gives her a disbelieving look. "Jo, you wouldn't -- not with..." He lowers his voice, as if sharing secret information. "Not with the amount of money we already have! And right in front of me, too..." He sniffs, looking rather hurt. "I thought you were past that."

JENNA: * Jo gives him an irritated look before returning to her meal. "I wasn't going to actually /steal/ anything. I was just looking. It doesn't hurt to keep in practice." She decides this last probalby won't go over terribly well and continues eating in silence, not interested in arguing about her habits.

JUSTIN: "Keep in practice for /what/?" Shane looks horribly upset now, having just one more thing piled onto the stack of worries he's collecting. "You're not going to need it!" His food is all but forgotten at this point, and he stares at Jo as if she just stabbed his dog -- if he ever had a dog. "Aren't the jobs enough to keep you busy?"

JENNA: "The same reason you keep anything in practice," she replies testily. "/Just in case./ I didn't say I was going to pick pockets regularly or anything." She continues eating, avoiding his gaze and wishing the food would go a little faster so she could get back out in the open.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns his eyes to the table in front of him, crossing his arms tightly over his chest and behaving as though some great trust has been broken. "There won't /be/ a just in case... If you ever need something that bad, I'll just /give/ it to you..." He lays his arms on the table and sinks into them, looking rather crestfallen.

JENNA: * Jo gives him a very strange look before turning back to her food. What kind of thing is that to say? She doesn't bother arguing with him, however, sighing faintly as she cleans her plate. "I was just bored," she mutters, making a mental note not to tell him the next time she does something like that.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns his head, lying cheek first against his arms. "Would you like it if people appraised you when they're bored?" He mutters, though it doesn't sound like the muttering is intentional. He is just far too caught up in his act to help it. "Because they /do/, you know. All the time."

JENNA: * She pushes her dish away, looking at him sharply. "What are you /talking/ about?" she asks irritably. "What people don't know doesn't hurt them -- and if anybody tries stealing from me, they'll regret it fast enough." It's clear from her cross, puzzled expression that she has no earthly idea what Shane is talking about.

JUSTIN: "I didn't say anything about stealing from you, did I?" Shane's brow furrows in a strange glare, like he's trying to will his thoughts into her head. "And they don't know, and you don't know, but I sure do. Do my feelings not count, is that it? Huh?"

JENNA: "Fine, next time I won't tell you," Jo replies, now almost wishing he would go back to being afraid to talk to her. "And I don't see any other reason to size a person up, except maybe if you were planning to fight them -- they'd regret that pretty fast, too." She grabs her glass, taking a long drink before setting it down again.

JUSTIN: "For someone who's so world-wise, you sure can be dense, Jo." Shane pushes his plate further away and fights his lethargy to gain a standing position. "If you can't figure it out, I'm sure not going to be the one to spell it out for you." He thinks this is a good turn of events, in any case -- because he really, really didn't want to discuss the topic, anyway.

JENNA: * Jo doesn't dignify this with a response, determining that he really doesn't know what he's talking about. She stands, shrugging pointedly, and wanders back to their room to get their packs and cargo, happier than ever that they'll be able to complete their delivery in a matter of hours. Even if it does mean getting right back on the ship again.

JUSTIN: * Shane, losing his initiative, is forced to follow after her again, looking terribly confused with a mix of different emotions. He helps to gather up their things, becoming quite anxious to get ashore, even though it won't separate them from each other, or from their problems.

JENNA: * Jo sighs as she pokes her head into the room, remembering just how heavy the crates they're delivering are. Deciding to worry about that when she has to, she settles her pack, making sure everything's in place, then slings it across her back and eyes the crates again.

JUSTIN: * Shane busies himself with making the bed, for no apparent reason, and it is during this process when he finally notices his boots lying in the corner. He turns a look down at his stockinged feet, and makes a face. "Oh, for heaven's sake." He grabs his boots and sits heavily on the bed, looking somewhat grouchy as he yanks them on and ties the laces with unnecessary roughness.

JENNA: * Jo gives a very faint snort at this, unsecuring the crates and selecting one to haul up on deck. She doesn't go anywhere immediately, sighing and doing a few stretches before making the attempt. "I wonder if it really is alchemical supplies ... it's all pretty heavy."

JUSTIN: * Shane looks up from his work, finishing in the process, and shrugs. "You could open it up and look... as long as we don't start messing with anything, who would know?" He gets to his feet again with a low sigh of discomfort, stretching as if he's just woken up again. After a moment to straighten his clothes and fix his pack, he wanders over to heft his own crate of goodies.

JENNA: "They're nailed shut," Jo replies drily, heaving her crate up and starting out the door. "Probably better to just let it lie ... besides, we may not want to know what it really is." She steps into the hall, walking at a quick clip to get back on deck before the crowds start moving from the breakfast table.

JUSTIN: * Shane sighs again, and follows Jo with a moody pout on his face that is unrelated to the crates or the job, but rather to life in general. If anything else goes wrong before they get back to Alberta where he can finally relax, he may just hang himself from the bow of the ship. At the moment, he is trying not to think about the return trip at all -- in fact, he is pretending it doesn't exist until he has to face it head-on.

JENNA: * Jo doesn't appear to notice -- or if she does, she's ignoring him. When she reaches the deck, she heads over to her usual spot by the railing and sets the crate down, sighing and seating herself on it. "Just a few more hours," she mutters, glancing over the railing. Off in the distance, the smudge of land that is Izlude is growing steadily closer.