[ And here's what Hatter's been up to, on-and-off, during the last two months. Turns out the one and only Camellia Senensis had already been growing in the garden; things had gone from there, and he'd managed to get a good amount of home-dried and fermented teas, fruits, and spices sealed up in jars, to be distributed to the, er... general public. A taste of home. Kind of.

Now, for the required advertisement: ]

TRANQUILITY TEA HOUSE
( tranquilitea, if you like )
directions.
officially open from lunch & supper hours
( 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, 5:00 - 8:00 PM )
by the ship's clock
unofficially open all the time.

( OFFERING: )

( locked :: CHAPEL HILL :: encryption 100% )


( locked :: DUNDEE :: encryption 100% )


( locked :: ROBB STARK :: encryption 100% )


( locked :: TECH STUDENTS :: encryption 50% )


[ ooc; attempts to hack, monitor, or otherwise poke at the private encryptions will flag aberdeen's attention. and, depending on who you are, she will poke you back. the 'tech student' filter is specifically for individuals who were paired with aberdeen as a result of spock's call for security tech instruction. if you haven't dropped yourself onto aberdeen's student list, please free to do so now and just assume that aberdeen's included your character on the filter. ]

[ Her father has inquired on the matter of coin and the ship's answer is clear enough: money has little weight aboard the Tranquility and so the counting of coppers must be abandoned for a different kind of ledger keeping. Favor is a kind of currency, though only the most clever know how to wheedle it to greatest yield and best effect. Petyr Baelish is one of those kinds of men — to what extent is hidden behind his genial smile, but Alayne has seen behind her father's mask and knows the true measure of his mettle.

Where names and lands and titles made the worth of a man in Westeros, the passengers of the ship must find their wealth elsewhere: in skills offered and objects bartered, in resources hoarded. In usefulness. Alayne looks to be useful but also looks to be wealthy, if not in object then in favor. It is better, her father teaches her, to be owed than to owe and such debts can be accrued in both the most meaningful and the most harmless of ways.

The smile she gives the Tranquility is modest and fair. She is in better health than her last appearance and her spirits seem much revived. With a dip of her head she bows and then offers to the camera: ]

My good Tranquility. It has become known to me that there are those upon the ship who are in need of the skills of a seamstress. I am not a tailor by trade, nor have I studied under the tutelage of any grand stitch-sewer. But I am skilled and there are those who have told me my embroidery is without flaw.

I may sew a dress or fashion a shirt or mend what has been ruined and torn. There is the matter of needles and thread, of which I have been provided plenty. Though— cloth is lacking, save bedsheets. I am also skilled in the stitching of sigils. Of finery and delicacy. [ Her smile broadens, grows sheepish and knowing. ] For ladies and lords that find luxury in smaller, more mindful details.

I, Alayne Stone, offer my skills to the ship, in exchange for trade or equal favor. [ A pause and then she considers, adding: ] And— if anyone has insights into the care of birds, please also send word.

[ Again a smile and Alayne dips a second time, neatly. ] Thank you.

[ When the video clicks on, the Network is greeted with the face of a man in his late twenties — five o'clock shadow, hair mussed in a way to look absolutely careless, a bemused smirk on his face. When he tilts his head and realizes the device is recording, that smirk spreads to a smile that shows teeth, charming and beatific. For a guy who's just been through the ringer of a nasty space-time anomaly, he seems fairly good shape. Or maybe he's just good at taking things in stride. (Or maybe he just likes pain.)

Whatever the case maybe, when he tilts his head he lifts a hand and waves. A lazy, unaffected wriggle of his fingers before he puffs up his cheeks and gives a kind of blow-hard sigh. ]

So. Anybody out there feel like helping a guy out and cluing me in as to who exactly is in charge here? [ A simple enough question, punctuated by the exaggerated lift of his eyebrows. He moves to switch of the device and then thinks better of it, leaning back again to add: ] And if you're gonna say Ward, I'll stop you right there, cause I've already done some of my homework. [ A beat, a tiny shrug. As if to say well, kinda. ] I'm not looking for the guy whose on the nameplate of the bridge. I'm looking for whoever's actually in charge.

Capiche?



[ ooc; Ladies and gents of the Tranquility, meet Vepar, one of the OCs for the demon plot! Unlike the possessed passengers, he was already well-settled into his host 'Evander' before coming on board. For more information on him, see his profile while he tries to get a lay of the land and maybe stir up a little strife in the process. ]