Well, this was certainly an unexpected turn of events. Sure, they never really thought of a way to handle an emergency, but it was also a plan on the fly along with expecting no one to really be there. All things considered, mid-day was the actual best time for such an act against the former terrible boss. Then again, if the man did not cheat him out of the work he performed in the first place, things would be much different. As for how they handled it… well, it was a tight solution, that was for sure.

The room was nearly pitch black, with mere shapes really outlining what was where. However, it was clearly evident where Mazerine was, feeling her chest pressed against his and her arms around his stomach… While he could not really see her eyes, it was easy to tell where by the shape of the shadow… the shadow whose heat was beating  rapidly with adrenaline from their tight escape… It was beating just like before… like last night… He could picture her smiling and giggling, yet in his mind, her top had vanished within the darkness… along with his own…

His hands started to move on their own, slowly curling around her lower waist as he lowered himself down closer to her. He used his ears to track her mouth… her lips… lead his towards her. There was no real struggle against it as his lean pushed her closer to the wall… her breathe was close to his chin… just a bit closer, and…

The moment was quickly broken as reality spoke back when light flooded the small closet, catching both their attentions away from each other and towards a man in front of them: A butler who looked just like the one that watched their hall… except for the glasses. "Now, while I have nothing against this, one would think your personal room would be a better spot… don't you think?" he asked, reaching his arm around Mazerine's back to grab a mop, pulling away just as quick. "Now then, since you are not guests to my hall, may I ask that you two not make such a mess?" Finishing it off with a bit of a wink, he closed the door once more before walking away.

With the moment passing, the two quickly stepped out, both of them red from it all. "So… uh…. how about we save it for tomorrow…?"

Looking up at Douken, Mazerine giggled nervously, though her laughter died off as she felt Douken’s hands began to snake around her waist, pulling her even closer to him. She could feel him moving, but she wasn’t entirely sure what was about to happen, until she could feel his breath warm on her face - it became clearly obvious that he was leaning down with the intent to kiss her.

At the moment she realized what was about to happen, every moment of the night before came flooding her mind and she wanted nothing more than for him to close the final inch between their lips, allowing herself to be leaned back against the wall, his body as close to hers as it could be… until the door wrenched open and the pair were caught off guard by the floor’s butler coming in for a mop, commenting on how they should be elsewhere.

After he left them alone and the pair stumbled out of the closet, Mazerine’s face was an increidbly bright shade of red- but a quick glance at Douken told her that she was not the only one. ”Um. Yeah. Tomorrow,” she said, shuffling her feet rather awkwardly. Silence fell between them, and after a moment Mazerine spoke up again. ”Maybe we should go back up to the suite and get ready for dinner, since we didn’t end up eating anything during tea?” she asked.

When Douken agreed, the pair walked quietly back to their own floor and into their suite. Their butler happened to be present at the moment, dusting a few things. ”Headed to dinner soon, are we?” he asked the pair as they entered, to which Mazerine nodded. ”You’ve your proper attire then?” he asked, eyeing the clothing both of them wore with mild disdain.

”Um, actually, we’re already dressed?” said Mazerine, though it dawned on her that with such a luxury ship, there were obviously a few requirements that they hadn’t thought ahead on. She frowned at the butler, who gave her a dismissive wave of the hand.

”I assume as much. I’ve taken the liberty of laying out garments in the bedroom. I am a good judge of stature,” he cut in as Mazerine opened her mouth to protest. ”You’ve just enough time to change and get to the dining hall before the first course is served,” he added, and with that he let himself out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Mazerine wandered to the bedroom on her own for a moment before coming back a few minutes later, carrying a rather tasteful black tunic and slacks. The tunic had silver cording up the neck, much was the relaxed style of some nobles. ”I think this is for you,” she said, laying it over the back of a chair and walking away without saying anything else to him.

She was gone for a few minutes as she changed, coming out in a rather elegant yet simple black gown that met the floor. Designs were embroidered up each side in the same silver as the cording on the tunic that had been laid out for Douken. The sleeves were full length, coming to a bit of a bell at the hem, and the neckline was low but not plunging. As she walked out, she was tying her hair in a braid over one shoulder. ”Ready?” she asked, standing near the doorway, and the pair exited as soon as Douken replied.

They made their way towards the dining hall - which was set up like an elegant dining room in a fine mansion. Each table was labeled with room numbers, and they found their own - where their butler immediately showed up upon their arrival, pulling Mazerine’s chair out for her. He poured the pair each a glass of red wine and brought them each a glass of water as well, before running off to attend to the other. Mazereine’s eyes drifted to the glasses on the table, lingering on the wine for a moment, before she reached and grabbed the water, taking a long drink before setting it down. ”I wonder what we’ll be served,” she wondered out loud, curious about whether the food would be as fancy as what she had been served back in Endapano. ”I’m actually really hungry,” she said, looking ahead of her - the pair had been seated next to one another rather than across. It was clear she was avoiding eye contact with him, but not conversation.

There was almost a bit of regret selling off the clothes they just had before hopping aboard such a luxurious ship, but at the very least their butler knew they were more like well-off adventurers than actual nobles… that, or he went through their items while they toured the ship, seeing the lack of items they had possessed, and went ahead and measured that they had to make sure he had the right items for the two… or he made them in that shorter amount of time to ensure they were ready for the following dinner nights… Either way, impressive butler they had!

It took Douken a moment to get himself dressed in the outfit, though the closeness of the collar had him abandon the key back with his bag. At the very least, the item did not look like an impressive item worth stealing unless they already knew the secret, and with the tool itself being an ancient relic, he doubted many did. Turning his head to the opening of the door, he gave her a nod to her question while adding a moment, "Looks good on you," to it before the pair headed off to the dining hall, decked out with many tables and guests dressed as elaborate as they were: an upgrade of appearance from a mere moment ago.

"Who knows?" Douken replied, his fingers taking a hold of the base of the wine glass, though seemed to dare not do much else with it. However, it did not take long for the pair to get an answer as a woman dressed in white stepped out of the large, double doors.

"Greetings, guests of the Acteon. I am Kristi Ardem, your host to your dinner meals." She was sure to give a bow to everyone with her greeting. "For the next three nights, I shall be the one planning the meals from all over Revaliir to give a taste of the world, crafted by the talented chefs that rest behind these doors. Feel free to enjoy the meals that we provide and to talk with our servers in case issues come along. Now then, we shall start you off with a soup that comes from the Highlands: a chicken and sausage gumbo. This fine, yet chunky dish does have a kick to it, but it is to help wake you all up to enjoy the rest of the meal afterwards. Now please, enjoy."

With yet another bow, Kristi walked back into the kitchen area as waves of servers came through the doors, handing out the dishes. While some guests asked for a milder version of the dish, most were either unphased or took it as a challenge internally and took the dish as is, with Douken and Mazerine being a part of the masses. With steaming bowls in front of them filled with a chunky, thick brown stew-like meal in front, Douken was quick to take a spoonful of it and take it in, slowly taking it in the flavors of the meats, veggies, and rice before swallowing it all down, giving a bit of a sigh. "This is really good," he said before a minor cough came out. "Whew… well, it seems most of the burn is with the aftertaste." Looking over, he went to see how Mazerine was enjoying the dish.

Mazerine had just lifted her glass to her lips to take another drink of water as the woman who emerged from the large doors began to address them. She lowered it back to the table and set it down as quietly as she could, not wanting to disrupt the speech that the woman who had come out had begun. She listened intently as the woman introduced herself and explained who she was, before explaining their first course to them. She grinned as Kristi explained that their first course would be a bit spicy, as she had always favored spicy food over bland.After they had been served, Mazerine began to eat the stew, letting out a laugh as Douken coughed at the after burn of the spice. “Oh, you clearly weren’t prepared for that,” she said, snickering. “I grew up eating spicy food, my father was a big fan of it, as was my brother,” she added, her grin faltering slightly at the memory of her family. She took another bite of the gumbo and chanced a sip of the wine. “Oh… she paired the wine with the gumbo,” she added, nodding in approval before continuing to eat a bit more.When most of the guests had finished their first courses, the staff swept through rather quickly and cleared their plates as well as their wine glasses. The wine was swiftly replaced with another wine - it was clear that the chef was carefully pairing the wines they were served with what . Kristi then came out and explained their next course - a filet of pheasant with some exotic root vegetables. It was served and was rather decadent yet a small portion, which saved room for the guests to enjoy the dessert that they were served shortly after.Dessert came in the form of several kinds of fruit with a hot pot of chocolate to dip it in, as well as a rich, sweet wine. As the pair enjoyed the dessert, Mazerine enjoyed the sweet beverage they had been served so much that her cheeks had turned a bit pink and she found herself a bit giggly. “Oh, I got carried away!” she said to Douken, clapping a hand just above his knee briefly before snapping it away as if she had been burned. “Sorry!” she said, smiling sheepishly. After they finished their desserts, the staff cleared away the dishes from them as well as the remaining guests. The butlers then announced to their individual sections that cordials would be served in the lounge, as well as music for entertainment and dancing, before excusing themselves. Many of the guests left immediately, while some mingled and chatted for a while. Mazerine looked to Douken. “What shall we do?” she asked. She wasn’t sure if he would want to go back to the lounge and participate in the entertainment that was offered, be it a card game or the dancing, or if he would want to go back to the room. She decided that she didn’t care what she ended up doing, and that she would allow him to choose.

While the initial heat of the gumbo was a shock, it was nothing he could not bear, enjoying the meal with the sweet wine to help counter, yet compliment the spicy stew. When most was done, they pushed forward towards the next meal, being a bird he rarely ate: pheasant. Then again, he doubted they would enjoy meals a "commoner" would enjoy such as a hamburger or chicken. It was about as big as a chicken, but the meat was certainly different, along with the wine, which was made to work with the seasoning of the bird, just like the wine before.

The last meal was a simple desert: chocolate fondue, served with numerous fruits to dip into it. They even set the fondue ablaze a little bit, burning as a vivid purple as it broke away the alcohol inside it before letting the guests enjoy. While they each had their own plates of fruits, the fondue was served on hot plates between the guests by their rooms, placing it as Douken and Mazerine sharing the same pot of chocolate while they enjoyed the sweet dessert. While the alcohol in the fondue was burnt away, the three different wines made his elf partner's cheeks glow a cute pink as he felt her hand lightly rest on his knee, before quickly snapping back, as if it was the inappropriate thing to do. Still, the two enjoyed their own meals until Mazerine tried to sneak her hand over to his plate and take his last strawberry. A move that did go noticed, as he responded by taking her last cherry, grinning at her before dipping it in the chocolate.

Once all the plates were cleared away, they announced the last activity was being hosted in the lounge. Mazerine's eyes locked into his, as if seeing what he would wish to do. "Well, we do have a bit more time to kill before we are guided back into our rooms. Why don't we go ahead and see what they have going on over there?" Getting up, he helped her out before guiding her over to the "tavern" before, except all the tables were either moved to the walls or removed altogether. Bards were near the bar region playing music together, this time vocal-less as the guests danced along to the music, having Douken scratch the back of his neck. "Uh… dancing has never really been my forte…"

“Hey!” Mazerine feigned disbelief as Douken snatched the last cherry off of her plate. Of course, she knew it was in retaliation to her own thievery, but she still playfully acted appalled at his actions. When they had finished and decided to check out the activities going on in the lounge before retiring for the evening, Mazerine accepted Douken’s help at standing from the table. She did not necessarily need the assistance, but he had been nice enough to offer so she accepted happily. When they arrived in the lounge area, Mazerine’s face lit up. “Oh, fun!” she said, looking around at the guests who were enjoying drinks together and dancing to the wordless music that the bards were performing. She turned to look at Douken, about to ask him to dance with her, when she saw him awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck, mentioning that he had never been very adept at dancing. “Oh, rubbish… come on,” she said, grabbing his hand abruptly and pulling him out onto the floor without waiting for him to consent.Once they had reached a vacant space on the dance floor, Mazerine pulled Douken a bit closer to her, taking his hand and placing it around her waist. She took his other hand in hers and held it out to their side, in the same style as the other couples dancing about the floor. “Come now, it’s simple, really! Just follow my steps. See the others around us? As he steps back, she steps forward, and vice versa… and then spin,” she said, attempting to guide him in the manner she had explained. Instead, she took a step forward and rather than stepping backwards, Douken stepped forward into her as well, their bodies bumping into one another.“Oops! No, not like that, Douken,” she said, giggling quietly. “Like this!” she said, attempting to show him once more, choosing not to comment as he somewhat stepped on her foot. He seemed to get a bit better as time went on, though his movement were still somewhat stumbly. She got him to dance through a few songs, before the bards switched the tone of music and it was clear that they were taking a break from playing the numbers the guests usually danced to. She looked up to him briefly as the music faded into something softer, and gave him a soft smile, her eyes locked onto his own, her mind thinking back to the broom closet where he had most certainly tried to kiss her, and she had most certainly been willing to let him. She snapped out of her reverie after a moment, however, and stepped away from him, slipping herself out from his arm still being about her waist. “Well that was fun, and you could have been much worse than you were,” she said, grinning at him. “So,” she began after a moment of silence as the pair walked off the dance floor, standing off to the side slightly. “Shall we have a drink before we head back to the room?” she said. Quickly, she continued speaking. “I mean, just some tea, or something,” she said, offhandedly, glancing away from him. She hadn’t wanted to give him the wrong impression that she wanted to drink a bunch again and have a repeat of the night before, though she was unsure at that point if that would have really been such a bad thing…Her mind snapped back to Douken in the present time and place, waiting to see if he wanted to have a drink or if he just wanted to head back for the night. There were various tables set up with various games where folks could enjoy their beverages while playing, perhaps the pair could have chosen one to play.

Even with Mazerine's guidance, it was clear Douken was dancing with two left feet, often working to keep up with the rhythm of the music and his elven partner's movements, once slipping and stepping on her foot. Luckily, as time went on, things did get better, but at the same time, he was getting a bit tired from so much repetitive movement they went through. Same went for the bards, as some rested their instruments down to rest their fingers, leaving those who wanted to perform to play more entertaining music than tunes to dance to.

There was a brief moment when Mazerine caught her eyes on his, a slight blush hitting her cheeks before sliding away, covering it up with a grin, asking about having a drink before bed… Though was quick to jump for a tea instead of anything else. A little odd for her. "Um… Why not a simple wine?" he asked. "After all, when we first met, you were not shy when it came to drinking really strong items like Dwarven brews… and yet here you are, feeling shy with having a simple wine…" Then again, so was he a bit ago, but pulled himself out of it to enjoy for dinner. However, that moment popped into his head… which probably explained why. "Or was it because of…" his face turned flush as he thought about those events, "last night?" It had been nearly an entire night, and it was still a moment the two still seemed nervous about with each other.

As if to challenge her (as well as himself), he stepped up to the counter gave a wave to the bartender, asking, "Is it possible to have a drink delivered to our rooms?" He was given assurance before asked what they wished and where for it to be delivered. "A small bottle of sake limoncello please with two small glasses. Room 213.With a nod, Douken headed back to Mazerine before saying, "Why don't we enjoy the rest of the night by ourselves?"

Headed back over, the brightness of the room was reduced to a dim light, filled by small light cores in the corner and the moon that shined through the window, stars dotting the sky. While he let her step out of the dress (if she wished), Douken dug through his bag to pull out some simple items they could entertain each other with. Cards were the first to hit the table, of course, but it was soon followed by a box of other games and some parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink.

As Douken questioned Mazereine at why she was so quick to go for something nonalcoholic, Mazerine’s face turned a deep red that was not brought on by the wine she had with dinner. “I wouldn’t call it shy,” she said softly, nodding as he mentioned it having something to do with the night before. “I don’t want you to think that only happened because I was drinking,” she said, though she immediately began to stumble over her words. “I mean, it did only happen then because we were drinking, but it’s not like I didn’t want it to happen eventually anyway! I mean, I didn’t. Well I did! I just… I don’t want it to happen again just because we’re drinking? But I do want it to happen again… wait… I mean… oh, no. I’m talking too much,” she said, her voice trailing off and her cheeks turning even redder.

She watched as he walked off to order them something to be delivered to their room, a bit surprised that he did, but she didn’t mind. It didn’t sound like it would be enough for them to get as inebriated as they had beforehand, and besides, hadn’t she just made it incredibly awkward with her inability to shield what words she spoke to him?

When they got back to their room, she took a brief moment to pause by the large windows and take in the moon and stars outside, before slipping back to where her belongings were to change out of the dress she had been wearing. After a few more moments, she walked back out into the main area of their suite. She had changed into a long tunic that fell just above her knees as well as a pair of shorts - clearly dressing for comfort rather than style.

Wandering over to the table where Douken had set out a few things, she ran her hand across the cards for a moment, lost in thought about the night before, before she was snapped out of it by a knock at the door. She walked barefoot across the room to open the door, where their butler stood with a silver platter containing the drink that Douken had ordered. He walked in as Mazerine stepped aside, and set the platter on the table near the things that Douken had set out, before pouring out a cup for each of them. He bowed to both of them, bid them a good evening, and left just as briskly as he had arrived.

She glanced back at the items on the table as she grabbed the two cups, handing one to Douken. “Cheers,” she said, tapping her cup against his own and taking a sip of the beverage. It was slightly sweet but sourer than anything - a good offset from the sweet drinks they had with dinner. She looked back at the items on the table. “You know, when I was a kid, we used to play a game where one person would start to draw a picture, and the other would try to guess what it was before they were done drawing it,” she said, picking up the quill and twisting it about her fingers. “It’s not some extravagant drinking game, but it would be entertaining,” she said, giving him a smile, her eyes catching his for a brief moment before she looked away and set the quill back on the table.

She wandered back over to the window as she waited for his response, leaning against the windowsill slightly and looking up at the stars. “The stars look so much bigger up here,” she said offhandedly, clearly finding the sight beautiful. “Brighter, too,” she said, looking back over to him.  "They make me feel really small," she added, with a soft laugh.

By the time Mazerine stepped back into their main region of the room, Douken had already thrown out what he brought with him before he worked himself out of the suit, setting the set out much better than the suit before, considering it was being borrowed, though it did mean when she came up, he was in his boxers throwing on some sleeping slacks as the door rang with a knock. Douken watched from where he sat, seeing the butler pour the drink from a short, yet fat bottle stuffed with thin lemon rings, which gave the rice wine a yellow tint. It was clear it was not a lot in there, considering with the lemon slices, the two drinks took up around half the bottle.

Taking the glass in hand, Douken smiled to her cheers, clanging glasses together before taking a sip, feeling the sour punch hit him much harder than it should, considering the amount of sweet they had for dessert. Hearing her talk about a small game they had, Douken could not help but chuckle. "Guess there are some things in our cultures that are the same," he chuckled, though it was more crude chalk drawing than it was with quill and ink.

Watching her stare out the window, Douken pushed himself out of his seat, walking behind Mazerine without his shirt on before looking out as well. "Its always amazing. Even when work is rough and hard to find, it always feels worth it sleeping under the star-filled sky… Oh, hey!" Holding his hand out to the sky, he said, "That is Hextra, taking on a hydra!" Looking down at her, he locked eyes as she stared back in confusion and curiosity, causing Douken to smirk and his finger to spark with mana. Tracing out out on the window, he connected the dotes in the sky to show forth the constellation before telling his tale. This, in turn, had Mazerine chuckle before pointing another one out and telling an old tale of hers in return, the two enjoying their small drinks as the night turned later.

When the ship began to move into the clouds, Douken let out a yawn, setting his empty glass next to the bottle filled with the thin lemon rings. "Why don't we call it a night?" he asked her, heading out to pick up a shirt and throwing it on. "After all, tomorrow will be our first full day in the sky."

Mazerine rather enjoyed the conversation the two had, taking turns telling stories about what their respective cultures believed in the stars. The sake with lemons soaking in it tasted rather good, but it was not nearly enough to carry on the bit of a flush her cheeks had picked up at dinner from drinking the wine that had been served with their food.

Sure enough, she set her empty glass down next to his own, watching him as he walked to put a shirt on, her eyes lingering on him for a few seconds. “Sounds good to me,” she said, his yawn becoming contagious as she let one of her own out. “I wonder what else we can find to do on the ship,” she said, her voice taken on a rather absent-minded tone. Of course, she knew that there were plenty of options. She just couldn't be bothered to choose at that particular time.

She wandered over to the bed and climbed in beneath the linens and blankets, soaking in the smooth feeling of the silk sheets. It was a luxury she had been accustomed to when she had been at home in Endapano, but it had been an awfully long time since she had felt anything like it. She gave Douken a soft smile as he slipped in next to her. "Goodnight, Douken," she said, before rolling over onto her side, her back towards him. It had cooled down considerably in the room, so she scooted back slightly so she was closer to him. They were not near enough to touch, though she could feel the warmth radiating from him. Not long after, her eyes closed, and she drifted off into a very restful sleep.

Mazerine awoke to daylight coming in through the room's large windows. She could not be sure what time of day it was, only that it was still fairly early. As she opened her eyes, she realized that in the night, she and Douken had become entangled with one another. She had rolled onto her side to face him, and her top leg had draped itself over his lower half. Her hand had slid up under his shirt and onto his chest, and her head was nestled into the crook of his neck and shoulder. His arm was beneath her, wrapped around the small of her back as though he were holding her to him.

She lifted her head up slightly, able to see that Douken was in a fairly heavy sleep still. She couldn't help but grin to herself and she lay her head back down on his chest, basking in the warmth of his body and the blankets combined together for just a few more minutes. After a bit, she slowly worked his arm down from around her and slipped off of him, sneaking out of the bed without disturbing him. She stood idly near the edge of the bed for a moment, deciding what she would do.

She wasn't hungry, so she opted for heading to the large bathhouse that the ship boasted - though it wasn't any bathhouse, she realized, as she padded barefoot into the establishment with only her pajamas on. It was more like a grand spa, complete with boutiques for new attire. Within moments, she had been whisked away, where a few human women proceeded to bathe her with scented soaps and oils, washing her hair and her skin as though she were about to present herself at court - at least that was what it made her remember.

After she had been pulled from the tub and washed and dried, she was sent to another room, where a rather handsome elven man proceeded to give her one of the most relaxing massages she had ever experienced. From the massage parlor, she was whisked to a boutique, where she argued for several minutes with the drow women who were manning the store. She was adamant that she was to wear pants, but they would have none of it. In their small talk, she had revealed that she had a male traveling companion, to which the ladies shrieked their delight and seemed to make it their goal to make her as beautiful as ever.

Mazerine finally agreed to wear a dress but insisted that it be green, as she always wore green. "Nonsense," the ladies had said, before outfitting her in a stunning sapphire dress that fell in a tea length style, fashioning some rather interesting heeled shoes onto her feet. She was then tossed into a styling room, where her hair was done into curls cascading down her shoulders, and makeup was applied to her face. "Now you'll look the part… and your 'traveling companion' will appreciate it," said one of the drow women, smirking at her - the emphasis on her phrase indicating that she could sense something when Mazerine had been explaining who she had been traveling with.

As she walked down one of the large halls of the ship, she could see that the women were right - many people were already dressed in finery as she was, both men and women alike. As she walked, she heard a commotion coming from one of the nearby corridors, and the explorer inside her felt the need to check out what was causing such a ruckus. She saw the sign above the hallway that indicated it was a training area and proceeded with caution as she pushed open the doors to see just what was happening.