2011-03-28 - A Strange Guest, And Her Host

"Sir? Sir. There's a strange woman in the hangar that came in with Miss Yu and the others we picked up in the desert. She's... taken over one of the work tables."

And indeed, the gentlemen reporting the interloper seems correct. A young woman with dark hair and glasses has taken over one of the SuiKyosha's work tables, having pushed everything else off to the side. In exchange, diagrams are laid out, drawn in careful pencil, detailing out what appear to be cyborg parts. Some of it is direct copies of what had been gleamed about Archangel from the infiltration into Crest, others are more elaborate drawings of standard cyborg parts, perhaps being used as a comparison.

The young woman, is leaned over the table, apparently asleep with her head resting on her arms. Her glasses are tipping off of her nose and there is a quiet sound of her breathing. There is a pencil still held in one hand, as if she had fallen asleep that way, and a data display still showing short-hand notes on a transparent blue screen.

"A strange woman?" Xiang was aware of this person already, but he was still surprised to hear about it from the gentleman who'd come in. He hadn't seen Yu since welcoming her on board. She'd barred herself in her room - something that was quite unusual for the woman, so he was already aware that things had gone awry. "I will see what I can do. For now, leave her be. She's not posing any harm to the crew."

Cut to Xiang suddenly standing in the hangar, a saucer with a cup on it - which in turn is filled with a warm substance. A little spoon lays in said teacup, and the man gently sets it on the table, making enough sound that may wake one up, whilst not enough to surprise them. Its a well calculated action. In addition, it gets placed where it can't get knocked off. The man proceeds to look over what is laying out in front of the woman. But he doesn't understand it. He'd seen blueprints and the like before, but cyborgs? To put it simply, he didn't know what he was looking /at/.

The sound that the teacup makes is enough to cause a mumbling from the young woman, who shifts her head on her arms as she murmurs to herself. "Didn't mean it." The words come out garbled, half-asleep and dreamy. "Your boobs just got in the way." Murmur. What a strange thing to be muttering about. The dark-haired woman shifts, then opens her eyes, blinking wearily. "Ugh." That, of course, is when she notices the shadow over her shoulder and squints at it. That, is definitely the shadow of a person standing just behind her.

Suddenly, the woman sits bolt upright, blinking as she seems to come around fully. "What.. where?" Confusion lights her face, glasses sitting off-kilter on her nose. She goes cross-eyed looking at them, which causes her to pull the glasses from her nose, blinking as her vision clears. Her head tilts towards Xiang, green eyes blinking. Those, if anything, might be the only give away of who she is. There is something not quite 'right' about them, but not something that is easily identified.

"Did I fall asleep again?" She asks, sounding as if the few minutes of napping she'd managed to catch just then hadn't been nearly enough to ward off exhaustion. Moving her eyes away from Xiang, she glances at the blueprints and then reaches a hand out for the datapad. That is when she winces, giving a little hiss under her breath. Her head turns, looking at a gash across one shoulder. It isn't deep, the blood already darkened and dried. "Ow... when did that happen?" She asks herself, trying to remember.

The previous day had been a bit of a blur, especially once things started going badly. Sinya had managed to embarrass herself as well as failing to get the information she had come for, so it hadn't been exactly a prime moment for her. Blasting the door? That had to be it. Probably just hadn't noticed it with all the adrenaline in her system. It seems that in her sleepy realization of the untended injury, Sinya has once again forgotten Xiang's presence.

Xiang patiently watches the entire play before him, managing not to blush when the girl mentions a particular soft feature of the female anatomy. He takes a step back as she bolts upright, and puts his hands behind his back, still managing not to chuckle at the off kilter eyeglasses and general look like she'd just woken up. He'd noticed the wound as well, but he believed that she should be fine at this point. Besides, her response whilst waking up was energetic enough. Then, those eyes. Aha!

"Why yes, it would appear that you fell asleep." Is the first thing the Emperor actually says to the woman, and then raises a finger, as if indicating that she ought to wait. But with Sinya so distracted, he isn't sure that she will notice. Not exactly believing this matters however, the man wanders off to one of the workbenches, grabs something, and then wanders right on back to the La Gian catgirl-in-disguise.

Then, arriving again besides her, he holds up... a mirror. "Is this you?" He asks simply, which somehow he manages to make sound like it is a question about life. Like the weight of the universe depended on that very answer. Right along with questions like 'who are you' and 'what is your purpose in life'. Only then does Xiang look at that wound, and turns his head and wags his hand, motioning a man. "Get a medic here, so she can be looked at." He commands softly. "Yes sir!" The guy salutes and immediately runs off.

"Damn." Sinya mutters to herself, first reaching out one hand towards the gash on her shoulder, and then giving another glance towards Xiang. "Sorry. I meant to head back but... I guess I got distracted." Back? Well, by now it was likely that the others from the raiding party had already gone their separate ways. It's likely that between Sly and the cyborg fellow that they'd also made off with the harddrive of that computer they'd nicked from Crest. Not that hacking is exactly her strong point, but she had been hoping to try to wrestle some more information about Archangel out of the machine before it disappeared. Damn.

With a confused look, she glances at the finger that is held up to her, and then watches Xiang walk away and then back again. What was he up to? Of course, the mirror only has her giving a confused look at her own reflection. "What?" Her green eyes take in the mirror, and then shift to Xiang before looking back again. 'Is this you?' What in the world is /that/ supposed to mean. It takes her a moment to realize that the image in the mirror is not what she expects. "Oh." Blink. Her hand reaches up to touch her cheeks, realizing that the makeup was still covering her natural coloration.

"Oh! I guess I was so busy I forgot to take all this off." Reaching her hand up, Sinya winces slightly as she unhooks the clasps holding the wig and the attached prosthetics to her hair, pulling it free as gently as possible. Her long ears are tied back by a bit of rope, which she quickly unties to release them, letting out a relieved sort of sigh. With her ears freed, they seem to swivel every which way for a second, as if stretching themselves after being cooped up for so long.

The look, though, is still quite odd. While her ears may be free, obviously identifying who she is to anyone who bothers to look, her skin still looks human. It's definitely an odd mixture of features.

Xiang says nothing again, even when she blinks and begins touching herself all over; her face, that is. The man very patiently watches, like always, as she proceeds to take things off. Whilst he hadn't been able to quite tell it was Sinya, there was no surprise visible when she reveals herself. He'd noticed that this 'person' had seemed unnatural, and the voice had been familiar. But those had been his only true tip-offs. No reason to let others know that reasoning however. His men after all, immediately showed their surprise. "Ohhhh." And "Ahhh." And "How did he know it was her?" At no point had he claimed this to be Sinya, but the engineers seem to make their own version of reality.

"It's quite alright." Xiang comments however, when Sinya finally breaks free from her disguise. He still knows that she doesn't look right, and whilst it doesn't bother him, it feels so unnatural. He'd never been one for excessive makeup. He preferred to see people in a natural state, although the Geisha that he had shared company with before could at times be kind to the eye - though they'd never bedded with him.

His hand comes up and goes to his chin, and the man observes her for a short moment more, letting his gaze quickly look her up and down, before the hand lowers again. The Emperor crosses his arms to his chest, hiding his hands in the opposite sleeves. An old lady then suddenly comes running down the ramp. That's right, running. This lady, whilst she may look old, with hairpins holding up her hair - wrinkly skin - and all of that, she was quick on her feet. She stops a few feet away from the Emperor, then bows. Xiang turns about, and nods at her. "No need for such formalities, please, will you look at miss Leland for me?" He inquires, and eyes the girl's shoulder. "Of course." Is the answer, and the lady quickly wanders up to the feline to inspect her.

There isn't a great deal of surprise from Sinya that she hadn't been recognized. The disguise was meant to keep her from being easily identified, and it had done it's job very well. Even though her face was certainly on Crest's camera recordings, no one would ever be able to connect that image to her real self. Reaching back, she unhooks a pouch from her belt, which releases her tail. The fur is mussed up, clumped in some areas, and generally not looking the greatest. The fact is, after running for dear life out of the Crest facility, she hadn't really had a chance to clean up.

Stroking her fingers down along her tail, the girl manages to smooth some of the fur, although it seems a fruitless effort. Instead, her nose twitches, and she picks up the cup of tea, downing it almost in one gulp. As usual, Sinya hadn't eaten since she'd left for the desert mission, and that had been almost twenty-four hours ago. She doesn't make any sort of leaps of judgement like the others, although she offers them a weak smile. "Sorry for worrying you guys." Setting the cup of tea down, she sighs, looking over the redrawn instructions.

"I'll get this cleaned up soon. I'll need to bring it back to the 'nest anyways." What would Archangel think about all this? Well, she certainly has no idea. Perhaps if the others come through with some more information from the computer it might make the trip worthwhile. She seems just about to rise when the old woman comes up to inspect her wound. Not one for being touched much by strangers, Sinya only tolerates the poking and prodding as long as necessary to disinfect the wound and wrap it in a waterproof bandage.

"I'm afraid I have a favor to ask, Captain." Sinya looks up at him as she gives a nod of thanks and daws her arm away. "I could use a shower, and some food, and a change of clothes. I didn't exactly come prepared for corporate espionage." This gets a strange look from the medic, but most of the others are too far away to hear. "If you wouldn't mind the imposition." Her voice still has that tinge of exhaustion to it as her eyes look towards Xiang, obviously asking the question more of him than of any of the rest of the crew.

The messed up tail and all of that also gets an odd look from the Medic. Xiang catches this, and tosses her a quick glance, which has the woman quickly straighten herself. "I assume the mission didn't go too well?" Xiang asks her, after she told him that she was sorry to have had the crew worried. A few thumb-up Sinya though. "Not worried for a second, chief." They chuckle in unison, before turning about and going back to their work. As much as Sinya got a hard time from the SuiKyosha's hangar crew, it seems a place for her had grown within their hearts.

When the tea is finished and set down, and Sinya is back to talking and wondering about Archangel, Xiang suddenly reveals a small teapot from within one of his sleeves and pours her another glass, before sticking it back into his sleeves and making it... kind of disappear. The doctor proceeds to do her work, and indeed bandages off the wound. Though the disinfection was done by strange leaves and herbs which she had stored in a little pouch.

"Hrrm?" Xiang then finally makes a sound again as she looks up at him. And least she wasn't giving him that upturned eye look some women decided to give him at times. "We are currently on our way to the Raven's Nest. But it will take a while, for SuiKyosha is not as fast over the desert." The man replies, whilst taking in the fact what she was asking from him. He noticed that exhaustion. "As for getting you cleaned up... the SuiKyosha isn't feeling up to making a room for you. So I guess I will guide you to the guest quarters." He nudges his head, and then begins to lead the way, leaving the Doctor to quickly calls out some things about resting and changing the bandage.

"Let's just say I'm glad to have made it out with my hide intact." There is a glance towards her arm, and the smallest of smirks, "Mostly." She manages to give a short stare at the magic trick with the tea pot, although it probably is for the best that she doesn't ask him where he just stuck a steaming pot of tea. Sometimes, you just don't want to know. Pushing herself to her feet, she polishes off the second cup almost as quickly as the first.

With a second nod of thanks to the medic, and a half-smile to the hangar crew, Sinya turns her attention instead towards Xiang. Even so, one hand can't help but go up to her shoulder, touching the bandage for a brief moment. Cats usually tended their own wounds, but she'd have to put up with it for now. "We weren't able to find nearly as much as I was hoping to. Not nearly enough to free Archangel from Crest." This is said as they begin to walk, making sure her voice doesn't carry further than the battleship captain.

That is when something he says catches her off-guard. Make a room for her? She gives Xiang a perplexed look, and then shakes her head. "I wouldn't ask her to. This is only temporary, anyways." Had she just referred to the SuiKyosha as 'she'? At the very least, it's understandable that she'd pick up the reverence that the people have for the ship, but just where she gets the gender from is anyone's guess. Still, her ears twitch back a few degrees, her tail laying limply behind her. If nothing else, it shows just how tired she is.

When Xiang notices just how limp that tail is, for a moment it comes to mind to hold it and raise it - to see if it was broken. But, the man proves to be stronger than to merely heed his initial impulses. Instead, he concentrates on Sinya as a whole, and especially her voice. "I am glad that you got out safely." When they walk up the ramp, and get move into the fourth floor hallway, Xiang words this. Without as many people around, this being the 'guest & tourism area' of sorts, he speaks more freely and with some sense of emotion, and actual worry.

Again another look at that limp tail. With the makeup, the wound, and the general low-energy look of the catgirl, it all felt so odd to Xiang. He was used to seeing the La Gian female either asleep, or running at full power. This in between state wasn't something he was used to. Indeed, worrysome. "I am sorry that you were unable to find what you were truly looking for, or needed. I admit, I do not understand a lot when it comes to these... cyborgs." Xiang admits. "Yu knows more, she's had experience with techno-organic humanoids before." That's quite the all-encompassing word he uses there.

"As for the SuiKyosha, she normally doesn't mind changing rooms about. It is not a big deal for her, as long as she has the water reserves. Besides, you are on-board this ship quite often." Is he seeking an excuse for her to have a room here, even though she'd probably just fall asleep in the hangar anyhow. Again a glance at that tail, then at Sinya. "Are you alright? It is... really odd to see you in such a state." Their walk continues further, until they hit a large squad again, with a big ice-rink in the middle.

"Me too." Sinya replies, letting out a breath. Even her walking is a bit sluggish, as if she were dragging her feet. "Up until a month or two ago, you'd never have seen me risking my tail doing something as stupid as breaking into a corporation. Leave that to hackers and mercenaries." Her gloved hands linger at her sides, claws showing through the ends. "But that's the problem getting to know people. It gets you involved. The more you care, the more you're willing to put on the line for them." She's tired, and thus the words seem to come more willingly, rambling thoughts that had lingered in her mind lately.

Mostly, she seems to walk on auto-pilot, not even really paying attention to where she's going. Even more oddly, she's following Xiang rather than her usual attempts to walk beside anyone showing her around the ship. "I don't know a great deal about them, myself. I've been trying to do some research, but it's a whole other monster from mechs." Her ears droop a bit further, seeming slightly embarassed. "If you can, please apologise to Yu for me. I was trying to help and kind of made an ass of myself." Reaching a hand up, Sinya rubs against the back of her neck before sighing, rolling her stiff shoulders.

She makes no comment about the SuiKyosha, or about the room, just simply nodding her head without any real enthusiasm. Instead, her eyes get drawn to the ice rink, blinking in surprise as she heads closer to the wall to get a better look. She actually lags a bit behind in doing so, and the question only reaches her brain at a delay. "Huh?" She looks from the ice rink to Xiang, and then back again before drawing her attention away. "Oh. I think I'm running on maybe a few minutes of sleep since yesterday morning." It seems likely that Xiang's wake up had cut off some of the little sleep she'd gotten.

Xiang walked fairly slow, so that Sinya would have an easy time keeping up with him. And he kept glancing back at her figure, to make sure she was keeping up. "Yes. Involvement with people does indeed do that. But doesn't that make people somewhat amazing? That there is actually this metaphysical web of people who know eachother, and care about eachother through one way or another?" Of course, there were some exceptions. But the concept was amazing to him.

"I don't think it is you that is bothering Yu." There's a pause. "Though she /has/ locked herself up in her room, and is refusing to come out." Was it because Sinya had gotten a rather intimate encounter with the woman? Perhaps, but she had seemed completely unphased at the time of the encounter in question. "But I am sure it wasn't you." he tries to reassure her. "Trust me, I'd know." He nods his head, and then halts when the girl herself stops.

The Emperor simply raises an eyebrow as she words that 'Huh?' to him, wonder what had her confused. Had she missed something he was saying? Ah, she hadn't responded to him asking her if she was okay. But she does in the end, which gets a nod from him... before he suddenly walks up to her in an abrupt manner, until he halts before her at a... perhaps uncomfortably close distance to her. He looks straight down at her, though with kind eyes, not that cold straight look he gave when trying to judge someone's character. What was he doing?

For the time being, Sinya lingers near that view of the ice rink, her brain and her body not seeming to be able to work at the same time - or at least not without some effort. "Hrm." A soft, considering sound lingers in her voice as she bobs her head once. "I guess so." Her ears lift a little, as if she hadn't truly considered it before. "I don't regret coming to the 'nest. Even if it does get me into trouble." Her lips quirk into a slight smile, but it doesn't last as it quickly gets overcome by a yawn.

The catgirl - who looks more human than normal, stretches her arms above her head, arching her back as the yawn slips into a 'nya' sound before it finishes. She'd gotten so caught up in her own business with the data from Crest that she hadn't even checked in on Yu, which probably shows how single-minded Sinya can be at times. "I'm not sure what it could be. I mean, other than me, or failing to find anything really helpful to the cause." She shrugs her shoulders, eyebrows drawn in with that same, puzzled look.

She seems about to continue down the hallway when he steps closer, causing her to freeze in place, blinking slightly as she looks across at him, ears folding back. "What?" She asks, hesitantly at first, her tail giving a faint twitch behind her. The presence of someone so close certainly seems to push off some of the sleepiness, at least for the time being. "what is it... why are you looking at me like that?" She might just have stepped back away from him, if her back hadn't been to the wall looking out on the ice rink.

"The nest seems to be a good place. It shows both the bad and the good of humanit, but there is a sense of family amongst those that live there. Much like there is on the SuiKyosha." Xiang replies, still staring at her, catching that her ears fold back and that tail twitches. "As for Yu, she has her own issues and problems. She garners ties very easily, and gets attached to people easily. That's why she usually is standoffish towards certain people - where-as she is kind to others." Basically, he is saying that Yu Zhi Wu falls in love too easily. Though the reason for this still is not mentioned.

He moves his head only slightly closer, before standing further upright and tipping his head a bit to the left, looking at her, then down at the icerink, before returning the gaze back to the feline. "You shouldn't excert yourself so much. You are obviously way too tired to be walking like this." Or so he claims. There is something about his voice that has changed away from that coldness, deeper into warmth than normal. In a ways, the way he is looking at her is romantic.

The Emperor, looks left and right again, making sure that nobody is nearby, then looks back again. Slowly, he then raises a hand up towards her cheek. "I ask you, would you permit me to carry you to your guest room?" It's hard to quite guess what this man is thinking, as his expression is in somewhat of a flux, his eyes hard to read. Worry? Something else.

"Family." Sinya repeats the word, feeling that strange sensation on her tongue that comes along with it. Every family that she's ever had has met some untimely fate. It is the sort of thing that might make someone blame themselves as the source of that kind of suffering. Still, there is that need to be with others that's unmistakeable. She nods simply, "Probably the most disfunctional family in the entire universe, but still..."

Whatever he has to say about Yu, it certainly can't change the many times that Sinya has seen her be able to pull off some pretty amazing things as a woman. Far more than Sinya herself, Yu knew how to use her natural assets for her purposes. "I kind of wish I could be as strong as she is, really. Tall, beautiful, self-assured. She could charm most anyone." Alas, she tends to be the type to be oblivious to her own beauty, or just how to use it properly.

Luckily, her mind doesn't have time to linger too much on that topic, as a confused look reaches her face. "I'm okay, really." She stammers, biting at her lower lip with an almost shy expression. There is something about his expression, the softness in his eyes that makes her want to accept, regardless of her own reservations. It's that look up and down the hallway that has Sinya looking away with a shake of her head. Slowly, almost tentatively she reaches a hand out and places it to his chest, a fleeting gesture to try to let him know she wasn't rejecting him, just... going slowly. "You know what they would think. Come on, I can walk. Promise." Drawing her hand away from his chest, she tries to step around him, motioning with her chin for him to continue leading the way.

"You are strong and beautiful in your own ways, miss Leland." He'd wanted to say Sinya, but realized just how much he would come off as trying to get 'closer' to her. Whether or not this was a desire of his, is left up for the imagination. His head tips slightly, as he observes the turbulence of emotions within her eyes - as well as the rest of her body, which was reacting. It was easy to tell what was going on within Sinya's mind.

His gaze then turns down, as she touches his chest. This time, he didn't move away, or make any abrupt motions in reply. "One day, no matter what they think..." Xiang whispers, before clearing his throat somewhat loudly and letting her pass by. "Very well." He corrects his posture and expression again, and attempts to lead the way for her. He keeps a constant eye on her by now looking at the reflection of the 'aquarium wall' of the hallway they pass through, leading them further in to a less used part of the ship, until finally they stop before a somewhat beautiful looking house - compared to others.

"The guest house." Xiang Yuan announces, opening the door. Inside was a table, a few seats, a two person satin-sheet covered bed. Most tones of the room were red, with that beautiful red wood that one saw inside of the Emperor's home. In fact, this place looked a lot more beautiful, filled, and refined.

There is a small dip of the catgirl's ears at the compliment, although the flush that would normally be visible on her cheeks ends up covered completely by the thick makeup it takes to make her appear human. The flux of emotions on her face is hard to read through, although her exhaustion seems to be paramount to most anything else. There is an almost dreamlike quality to things, although being half-asleep is probably to blame for that.

Xiang's words ring in her ears though, 'One day, no matter what they would think'. What did he mean by that? There is definitely a look of confusion on her face as she follows him through the hallways. Unusually, her nose isn't twitching as it would normally do, to track her path in case she needs to find it again. At the very least, though, she is able to keep walking, one hand lightly trailing along the wall as if for balance.

When they arrive at the 'guest house', Sinya can't help but lift her head, eyes widening slightly. If this was the sort of thing set out for guests, then the SuiKyosha could sure be impressive to anyone visiting. Her eyes take in the room, blinking as she reaches forward to run her hands along the edge of one of the wooden chairs. Yu had not been kidding when she spoke about the artistry on the ship.

With a shy glance, Sinya looks towards Xiang, "I hate to trouble you more, but would you mind terribly having your people bring in some food while I catch a shower." She thumbs over her shoulder, having picked out the direction of the bathroom easily enough. As Sinya walks towards the bathroom, she seems to realize something else half-way. "And... I'll need a change of clothes." With that, she disappears into the room, shutting the door behind her.

The SuiKyosha had always been a great place for guests to be. Though Sinya was not aware of this fact, it had been the host to some diplomatically sensitive missions, and had served as a neutral ground between territories. "It is no trouble." Xiang replies with his low voice, still sparking that bit of emotion within, and nods at the same time. "To all of those. Perhaps miss Yu will be willing to share some of her clothing with you." He places a hand along his chest, then bows at her almost like a servant. He'd not always been an Emperor. Xiang knew how to show hospitality, or care for others, without being in a position of power. "I will be back soon." He then adds, and almost like he'd never been there, somehow, within the blink of an eye, he's gone.

The bathroom seemed to be fairly simple. Unlike what one may expect from the somewhat lower tech looks of this ship, it actually has a showerhead... of sorts. The area is walled off by a metalic material that still manages to look like red wood. As for the previously mentioned shower head, it's basically a sieve like pattern in the ceiling. To activate it, there is a twosome of ropes hanging outside of the area. One for warm, one for cold water. And there's another one that is labeled 'aroma'. Whatever that may be.

In the meantime, outside, Xiang is in fact trying to get Yu to open up on him. That is, after he'd asked for food to be prepared for the girl. However, unlike what miss Leland might suspect, he was not intending to have servants bring it to her. No, he wished to bring it to her personally. But getting his XO to open the door to her room showed itself to be quite the challenge.

Within the privacy of the bathroom, Sinya is able to simply let out a sigh, resting her back on the doorway. Why was her heart beating so quickly? It takes a few breaths to calm herself before looking around, shedding the clothing from the Crest operation. It's a strange look, as she eyes herself in the mirror. A human face on atop the rest of her multi-colored skin. But the truth is, she could never be human, best to just be herself.

Stepping into the shower, Sinya tugs on the warm water, letting it stream down as she lathers up her hands, scrubbing at her face to get rid of the makeup. The warmth and the water itself is enough to wash away some of the weariness as well as the grime from a firefight. It doesn't take long for her to shampoo her fur, wash her hair, and generally get herself back into something of a presentable state.

As she steps out, grabbing for a towel and pulling it close around her chest, Sinya gives another glance at the mirror, offering her reflection a small smile. "Good to be back to normal." She comments, although the dark circles still linger under her eyes. Grabbing up a smaller towel, she ruffles it up around her hair, causing it to puff up a bit. Then, with a laugh, she sets to doing the same for her tail. Not exactly attractive, but necessary for it to dry.

It takes maybe twenty minutes in all before her fur is brushed, but damp, and the transformation back into herself is complete. With the towel still on, she peeks outside the door, looking around to see if Xiang had returned, and trying to find something in leuw of clothing for the time being.

As much as Xiang could work miracles, twenty minutes was too short of a moment in time for him to complete all that needed to be done. Between walking, requesting, paying, and dealing with Yu, who'd needed someone's shoulder to cry on - it takes him a good thirty to fourty minutes. So Sinya ends up being a bit alone in that room for a while. The room is fairly quiet, but not unpleasant to be in. There is that same slow sound of water that one finds all throughout the ship. Very soothing to some, sickening to those who have bad memories of ships in storms and all that.

As time ticks by, Xiang finally manages to wrangle some nice evening wear from Yu - of a similar material as her normal dress... way too fancy for some, perhaps, but incredibly warm and comfortable none-the-less. Folded up in a nice almost perfect rectangle, he carries this clothing through the 'streets' of the SuiKyosha, continues to pick up food on a wooden tray, and then wanders off to the guest room. Sure, this whole display gets some incredibly odd looks from the crew. Their captain, doing mundane things like this - it was somewhat odd to them. Not unheard of - he'd done this for those previously mentioned ambassadors before. But still. There were no high ranking people on board as far as they knew. Right?

So, when those fourty minutes since his departure have finally ticked down to zero, the captain finally appears within the room, closing the door behind him, and proceeds to the table and puts down the tray first - then the clothing. It even contains some slip-on shoes. "Sorry for the wait." The Emperor announces his presence.

With the room empty, Sinya hazards stepping out in just the towel, taking the opportunity to explore the 'guest house' without the need of a guide. Like most places on the SuiKyosha, the walls fascinated her. Fish of all kinds swam by, which could be entrancing enough if they weren't making her stomach rumble audibly. Continueing to look at them would not be a good idea.

Next stop is the bed, where the sheets get a momentary touch of her fingers before she shakes her head. Luxurious, definitely. It was far beyond anything she'd normally have, especially figuring her own bed back at the Raven's Nest was nothing more than a tiny one-person bunk with a quilt thrown over it and a stack of pillows she'd managed to collect over the past weeks. There is definitely a temptation to just curl up and try to catch a few minutes of shut-eye, but not with the prospect of Xiang returning.

No, instead Sinya grabs for her discarded uniform and plucks out a few writing utensils as well as a pad of paper and sets to work. By the time the captain returns, there are three or four sketches of what appear to be robotic parts strewn across the table. She looks up as the tray of food is dropped off, and then reaches for the clothing. Luckily the towel is well in place, even if she isn't exactly ashamed of her appearance. "I'll get changed and be right back." Then, clothing bundled into her arms, Sinya makes for the bathroom again, leaving the sketches out.

When Sinya appears to Xiang - who immediately becomes aware she is only wearing a towel - the Emperor gets a sudden pang of embarrassment. That is, his face flushes slightly red, and he immediately turns about face. He hopes that the cat-girl is incapable of noticing this display of emotion at the time. After all, he was quite used to keeping to himself when it came to things like this. "I hope the clothing will suit you." Xiang comments. "Of course, I will need to insist you make use of the facilities here." After all, he had this feeling like Sinya would be likely to just take a nap, and then head right back to work. The fact that she'd drawn some mechanical drawings - something he'd only caught with a single glance - only worked to reinforce this belief.

It is only when he can hear that she's disappeared into the bathroom, that he ventures a quick glance. He can tell now, that she'd tried the bed - or at least, touched it - but had not laid down on it. He wondered how fruitless his request to stay in this room would be now. She didn't seem like someone who'd be at ease in this kind of place after all. He wondered sometimes, if Sinya would be better off on the ship of wood or something. But then, she'd said that she was more human than cat-girl. So perhaps that was a bad thing to think. He lets his thoughts trail off elsewhere.

Wandering the room a bit more, he finally decides to pull back one of the seats and settles down at the table. His hands go onto the table, and he intertwines his fingers. Xiang's eyes close. And he just sits there, looking like he is meditating on something.

As different as Yu and Sinya may be, physically they aren't all that different, so it's no surprise that the clothing fits pretty well. There's only one minor issue for the cat-girl, and that is the distinct lack of a place for her tail. Normally, she'd take care of this issue on her own, but there is no way she's going to damage borrowed clothing. So, the tail just will have to stay covered for now as she ties off the outfit, which looks kind of like a simple kimono. If nothing else, the material is far more silken then she is used to, but comfortable enough.

As she re-emerges, Sinya gives one small glance towards Xiang, and then slides back into the seat she'd been occupying, all too quickly reaching for the tray of food. As single-minded as she can be, food seems a priority at the moment. "Thank you." She hazards in a quiet voice, lifting the cover off of what appears to be a very big bowl of ramen, complete with an extra serving of sea food. There is a snap as a set of chopsticks are separated, and then a slurp as she dives in to the food, seemingly not caring too much if a few drops spill over the sketches.

At the very least, she now at least looks like herself - stripes and all, chowing down at full speed. That is, until she realizes that it probably isn't the most proper thing and slows down a bit, swollowing. "I..." She trails off, not sure exactly of what to say, and then smirks slightly at herself, looking down into the bowl of noodles. "I really appreciate this. And... you don't have to stay. I promise I'll go to sleep. Cat's honor." She taps her chopsticks against her forehead as if saluting, but then swirls them again around the bowl. It's almost as if she's convinced herself the only reason he's here is because she's overworking herself - protecting an investment.

Xiang does not open his eyes again until the cat-girl finally settles down next to him. He slowly turns his gaze towards her, catching a look on her legs - covered in the Yakuta of course - and flowing quickly up towards her face. The Emperor could have taken it slower, but he didn't want to embarrass the girl. After all, what kind of 'Emperor' would he be if he'd do something as rude as staring? That was unheard of.

"You are welcome." The captain replies, after the second time she thanks him for his hospitality. Catching that she suddenly changes her eating habits however, he then quickly follows this up by; "There's no need to change who you are before me." And to show what he means with this, the man does a little magic. That is, a 'snap' sound voices itself from within his sleeves, after he'd moved one hand in there, and then with lightning speed, catches a prawn floating in her food and puts it in his mouth using a new set of chopsticks.

The man then stands up, pushing the chair back, and quickly turns his head away. Why'd he just done that? Such a thing was childish. So unbecoming of someone of his stature. But then, he'd been going beyond what an Emperor should be doing on multiple occassions as of late. And it'd all started with the visit of that strange man, followed by the arrival of Sinya onboard the SuiKyosha. "Ahem. I appologize." The chopsticks which he'd grabbed the prawn with disappears again, and the man takes a few steps away from the table.

Having been to engrossed in eating, Sinya missed completely that the Emperor had been checking her out in the borrowed outfit. It isn't particularly revealing, so there isn't a great deal to be seen. His comment has her shaking her head a little. "Just trying to be polite." There is a twitch beneath the kimono gown, her tail moving perhaps. "I've gotten too used to eating fast, I guess. You don't have a lot of time in my business." What she doesn't say, and is perhaps written in her features - is that the behavior came long before that, back in earlier days.

Still, her eyes widen and she sits up a bit straiter when the chopsticks suddenly appear and one of her prawns gets stolen. "How do you do that?" She asks, almost laughing in wonder at it. Sure, she'd seen it a few times already, but had never actually asked about how he managed such a trick. But then, he's pushing back from the table and her expression goes from wonder to confusion. What had just happened there?

"Hold on just a second..." As tired as she is, Sinya manages to sit up a bit straiter, using a commanding tone of voice. "Just what exactly are you apologizing for?" She runs a hand through her hair, which has mostly managed to dry in the mean time and looks at him.

"No matter how hard I try, you still confuse the living daylights out of me, Yuan." She'd actually used his name, gasp, although she doesn't even seem to hesitate before continueing her train of thought. "Your a ruler alright, the king of mixed signals and I've got my wires all crossed." She sighs, leaning her head on one hand. By the gods she is far too tired for this. With another look at her food, the catgirl sighs to herself and scoops up some more noodles. "Maybe... maybe you should go for now, before I say something even more stupid."

"Magic." That's his simple answer when she asks him about his ability to just pull things out of his sleeves and make them disappear again. And it wasn't that unlikely for that to be the truth. Or rather, she was on a ship where fish swam in the walls, and which could make the desert suddenly be in the midst of a blizzard. What was so impossible about just claiming a gesture like that to be magic? The Emperor peeks over his shoulder as she gives him that confused look. He seems hesitant.

But when she tells him to hold on, he does exactly as is asked. "I behaved unlike myself." That was, unlike who people expected him to be. He turns about fully again; so that he wouldn't be so rude as to talk to her with his back facing her. The fact that she'd used his name also kind of had taken him off guard. At first, he'd just wanted to walk away - to save himself from embarrassment. But almost as if she'd done her own magic, he stands there, giving her a rather confused look. His gaze goes down for a moment, pondering.

"I appologize, if I am being a source of turmoil within your mind." The Emperor finally finds his words, and turns his gaze up towards the cat-girl once more. His hands move before him, and he hides them within his sleeves again. His eye twitches then, when she tells him that he should probably go. He looks conflicted. And it's that very conflict that has him just stand there, grounded, like a statue. The only thing that played on his body was the expression of uncertainty. Did he want to know what other 'stupid' things Sinya had to say?

"Magic..." Sinya repeats the word, as if it were something she were only just starting to take faith in. The amazing things she'd seen on the SuiKyosha were nothing in comprison to the wonders out there in this world and the world below in La Gias. There were so many things that couldn't be explained, so perhaps that word is proper enough for it.

As much as there is a part of her wanting to just ignore him and finish off her meal and then find bed without any more trouble, there is another that has her setting the chopsticks down, leaving them leaning against the side of the bowl. "Unlike yourself, or unlike how others expect you to be?" She asks, lifting her head to meet his gaze for a moment, her green eyes tired, but seemingly not angry. She sets her hands on the table, palm down, "One of these days, you're going to understand that the only person I expect you to be is /you/."

His apology brings no real comfort, only a small exhale of breath that causes a few strands of her mostly-dry hair to blow away from her face. "Set me strait right now, so I know where I stand." She slowly balls her hands into fists, although it isn't an angry expression on her face, simply one of her gathering her will. It isn't unlike that first explosive meeting on the SuiKyosha not that long ago, where she'd confronted him on his odd behavior. "Are you here because you want to be, because you want to spend time with me or are you here because you're a king protecting an investment in his people?"

"Magic." Xiang too repeats the word again, but much softer, trying to distract his mind of what was bothering him. But Sinya doesn't give him much of a chance at doing so. She is soon facing him again, asking him a question that is hard to answer. Or rather, it isn't that the question is a difficult one, but rather, he has to concider how to portray himself. He always had this problem when dealing with the cat-girl. He'd first truly slipped up with the circumstances around the Neo-Japan II ball. And it'd only gotten worse since. There's but one thing he remembers his master telling him once. The truth goes a long way. His eyes trail away from her eyes, towards the floor, like some child who was geting chided by his mother, before coming back to look at her once more. He seemed determined somehow. "How others expect me to be." The Emperor... no... Xiang... states with certainty.

The Captain of the SuiKyosha quickly glances down at her hand, and fiddles with his own hands underneath his sleeves. He felt uncomfortable, but at the same time, also 'lighter'. Though if one would ask him to describe this feeling, or how it was possible to suddenly feel 'lighter', he would not be able to do it. Then... another difficult question. Those fists get looked at warily, but the expression on her face tells him that he needs not worry.

That is, not to worry that she was angry. Again, he is stuck with that same problem. Though this time, it is much easier. "I am here with you, because I want to be - and because I want to spend time with you - even if it can only be a little. I personally brought you your food, and your dress." Xiang nudges his head forward a little to point at that dress of hers. Sure, it was actually Yu's, but that was besides the point. With that said and all however, he takes a half step back. Again, he looks hesitant. Not sure what to expect as a response. After all, for years now had he been Xiang Yuan, the Emperor, the Captain of the SuiKyosha. Not Yuan, the young man, hidden beneath that rigid mask.

The answer given is not surprising, but perhaps what does surprise Sinya is that he actually admits to it. Her head tilts ever so slightly, giving a strange expression with one ear up and one ear flopped to the side. It certainly isn't her intention to chide him, but to get him to understand that she isn't a member of his people or his crew, and thus she doesn't fall under the same set of rules they do.

As tired as she is, Sinya's eyes seem to watch the little hints of emotion that show not only in his features, but in his body language. Her nose twitches, and her ears lift as she seems to be zeroing in on various sounds. Her hands tense as he starts to speak, and then relax again as she closes her eyes, listening to the words. There is a moment of silence after he speaks, one that carries on just long enough to feel vaguely uncomfortable. Then, she lets out a breath, "Then stay."

When her eyes open, they are back to the same, exhausted expression. Her hands unclench and once more her fingers reach for the chopsticks. "Eat with me. Talk with me. Keep me awake long enough that I don't face-plant in this bowl of noodles before I make it to bed." The last part, at least, is a joke, and the faint quirk of her lips shows it as such. She doesn't know how to respond about the food, or the dress, so she just takes a mouthful of noodles instead, passing a moment to think while she eats.

To be asked to eat with her like that, to talk with her. It's not that he doesn't want to, but he's not sure he is up for it. After all, he's rarely done so without some kind of other motive - and in a much different manner for that matter. That is, as a mediator, or a consultant. The Emperor looks uncertain for a moment, before he nods at her and finally pulls up next to her again. "Very well." He still can't quite talk naturally however. Xiang is after all, still a bit uncomfortable.

But when he sits down, he crosses his arms before his chest, and just sits there looking at the table. He's uncertain exactly /what/ to do now that he is sitting next to her. Watching her is no problem what-so-ever. But what to talk about? Ohhhh, why did this all have to be so frustrating and hard?! She could perhaps detect the turmoil within his mind through his eyes. After all, when he wasn't trying to harden his face, his expressions were often very clear.

Perhaps the hardest part of dealing with the enigmatic Emporer of the SuiKyosha is trying to make sense of his intentions and his feelings. It has the feeling of trying to walk against a heavy wind - something constantly trying to push you backwards. Still, she leaves the decision in his hands, pulling more noodles up towards her mouth. As he sits, there is that silence that follows, causing her to pause mid-slurp. It could be an almost comical expression as she lifts her eyebrows, then uses the chopstick to fish out another prawn, setting it down and then nudging it across the tray before she finishes the noodles. The last bit flips up as she pulls it into her mouth, bapping her on the nose.

There is a little wrinkle of her nose as she then lifts a hand to rub off the little bit of broth lingering there. "You don't actually just sit down and talk to people very often, do you?" She asks, licking at her hand before running it a second time over her nose. "I mean, in a situation that isn't wrapped up in politics or business." Sure, technically Sinya still is an employee, but that had been more her choice than anything else, and there never was a real written contract for her services.

As she plucks out a piece of fish, holding it between the chopsticks, the catgirl headtilts at him, and then seems to consider that inner turmoil. "Let's start simple then. How old are you? Were you born in the Spiral King's wastelands like the rest of the crew?" The first question is one that's been bugging her for a while, the second simply trying to fish out more about his past.

The Emperor turns his head towards Sinya just before she speaks, catching that piece of noodle slapping up against her nose. And... he chuckles. He lets out an actual heartfelt chuckle. Of course, he quickly stiffles it; closing his eyes and gently placing his hand to his mouth, followed by clearing his throat. "No." The hand comes down. "I do not." Xiang opens his eyes again and watches the feline lick at her paw. "Right." He nods again, when she clarifies. She was right. He didn't.

And then... she starts asking about him. He suddenly looks hesitant. His past. Things the crew of his ship should never find out about. His face freezes up a bit and his gaze trails towards the table again. "I am about twenty-seven years old." He replies, still looking away from her. As for whether he was born in the Spiral King's wastelands. He ponders. Should he lie? "I... traveled a lot during my youth." Is his wishy-washy answer. "I spent most of my life in Byston Well however, with my master." That would have to do for now. As much as he wanted to trust Sinya, he realized that he'd only known her for a 'short' period of time. And with the balance of power and trust on his ship being what it was... he could not risk someone slipping up.

Xiang turns his head back towards Sinya. "How is the ramen?" He figured out a different topic for small talk. Oh you weasel you.

With the tip of her chopsticks, Sinya nudges that offered prawn again in his direction, then looks down at the bowl of soup. As usual, she's made short work of most of it, chewing on the largest of the pieces of fish as she ponders trying to cast about in the broth for more. Her nose twitches, taking in the smells even as her eyes glance towards him when he lets slip that chuckle. "Laughing is good. It's human." She notes, the corner of her mouth quirking upward slightly as she manages to snag another piece of fish as it floats by.

With the bowl mostly empty of noodles, she chews thoughtfully, swirling the chopsticks through the broth with a distracted, sleepy motion. "I'm... not entirely sure how old I am. Twenty-something. We didn't have birthdays really." What she doesn't say is quite clear - birthdays of slaves were not recognised by Zaibach. Her ear twitches, almost as if she could somehow sense that this wasn't the entire story. Still - some is better than nothing at all. "You've mentioned your master before." She notes, plucking up a noodle, then twirling it around the small stick of wood. "Who was he? I mean, why were you sent to him or... how did you end up training under him?"

As vague as he might be, she does seem to be able to come up with things to ask about, places to poke and prod in the weak points of his story. With the noodle wrapped around, Sinya places it into her mouth, nodding approvingly. "Good. All the food here is good." She notes, then lifts the bowl in both hands, tilting it to her lips to drink. What's left at the bottom when she does is only a bit more broth, one or two noodles, and some more bits of seafood. Licking at her lips, the catgirl closes her eyes, savoring the warmth.

When she nudges that prawn at his direction again, apparently only now realizing that something was floating before him, he reaches a hand towards it, and follows up with his head, in order to very carefully pick it out from between the sticks. Nom. There goes the prawn, and with a few chews, it is gone. Seems he enjoyed it. The prawn, that is. "Thank you." He can't help but thank people for the things they do. It's who he is after all. The appologies are similar int hat aspect.

He then sits back a bit, listening to her own claim at age. He too knew about the whole birthday thing. In fact, he'd learned a lot about the culture Sinya had been brough up in from Yu Zhi Wu over the past few days. A bit more than he ever intended to know, perhaps, but the woman had been intrinsicly tied to that life. But he has no need to reprise these lessons at the moment, as Sinya brings up the topic of his master. "Xian Zhe Shui, that was his name." He begins.

"He took me in as his son, after I somehow found my way to him. Call if fate, if you may. He claimed to have been waiting for me." The Emperor shrugs, eyeing Sinya as she closes her eyes and licks her lips. He audibly swallows, and puts a hand before his mouth again and clears his throat: trying to get himself to concentrate. "He taught me Martial Arts, as well as told me stories of the Mystic Moon." Obviously, that was not all.

With another small salute of her chop sticks, Sinya seems to give her own reply to his thanks, making short work of what remains at the bottom of the bowl, leaving only the broth behind. As always, the catgirl has an unusual ability to polish off food in an alarming period of time. Leaning back on the chair, she sinks down a bit, a motion that causes the yakuta to shift slightly, showing a bit of the white skin of her chest. "Thank you again for the food." She hesitates, watching his expressions. "You don't have to go out of your way for me, though. You could have always sent someone..." As usual, she seems to be giving him reasons to get out of any obligation he feels.

Still, it doesn't linger long as she listens, picking out the 'somehow found my way' as a sneaky way of weaseling out of actually telling the real story. "Xiang Zhe Shui." She repeats the name, taking in the strange pronunciation of it and rolling it on her tongue as if it had a weird taste. Then, she tilts her head, considering the word he uses. Fate. She'd lashed out about that word once before - about how fate is determined by a person themselves, but her expression is thoughtful. "Do you think it's fate that brought you to the SuiKyosha?"

Scootching her chair back, the catgirl pushes herself to her feet, stretching out languidly with a sigh that arches her back. Then, her hands fall back down, one of them going to rub at one of her eyes with a drowsy expression. She takes a few steps towards the edge of the bed and then sits down on it, running her fingers along the cloth for a second time. It almost seems as if she's ready to settle in and catch up on her sleep, but at the same time, she also hasn't asked him to leave.

Xiang pushes the chair back a bit and turns about as the girl shift, seeming a bit uncomfortable as that yakuta shifts along Sinya's chest. Or perhaps just that he could see the skin beneath. It wasn't that he'd never seen skin before. "It's quite alright." He repeats again. "I wanted to come." He adds, deciding to be a bit honest about himself. He distracts himself for a short moment by turning his attention towards the foodbowl, and then actually stands up from the seat as the cat-girl makes her way towards the bed.

"And yes, you got his name right." He adds, stepping a bit away from the bed, taking a gander at its blankets though, and turning himself to face Sinya sideways. ""I don't know if it was truly fate that brought me to the SuiKyosha. I don't truly know if fate exists. But there's only so much circumstance that can occur, now isn't there?" Though he does believe people are in some ways 'connected' through some kind of medium. Metaphysical or not. His hand goes up to his head as he explains himself, moving his fingers towards the 'tail' of his hair, playing with the braid a bit, letting it slip between his fingers.

When she finally settles down on that bed, his hands go into the sleeves again, in front of his belly, and he turns his head to look at her properly again. "Getting drowsy enough to sleep, I presume?" He inquires.

"Zaibach... the higher ups were always obsessed with destiny. Engineering fate and twisting it to their own devices." The thought is enough to set some of her fur on end, but then again... any talk about Gaea tended to do so these days. "I don't know what to believe, really. I think no matter how well written our stories might be, we still are the ones making the choices." With a shrug, she sprawls back onto the bed, scootching herself over onto one side and grabbing up a pillow.

The motion is distinctive, kneeding the soft fabric with her hands before settling onto it, wrapping her hands around it and then curling her body around. The posture is distinctly cat, even if it is a human body making the motions. "Pretty tired." She admits, laying her head down, although she seems to keep her gaze aimed in his direction. "How long have you been growing your hair out like that?" The question seems almost random, although it seems drawn from him playing with the braid. Her voice is certainly getting quite sleepy, tail swishing across the satin in a slow, easy motion. "Must have been forever..."

"Yes, that's about for how long I've been growing this." Forever that is. "Ever since I was a child, I've been letting my hair grow." He moves the tip of it towards his face, showing just how long it was. "It's kind of my pride." It's one of the few things he didn't have help from others with. He'd just been able to grow it. "And somehow, it just keeps on growing. Slowly. But it keeps on growing." The man mutters, distracting himself with his hair, until the feline has finally settled in. He drops it, which causes it to swish back towards his back.

"But you are right. I don't want to believe that our entire story is chosen for us. And even if it was, there's no use to pondering about it." He shrugs a little. "Honestly? I believe that man writes his own destiny. Perhaps, sometimes we get a bit of help from outside sources. From beings or people that were are connected to. Either way, life is... interesting." If not sometimes incredibly cruel. "Anyhow." He stares at the cat-girl, getting all curled up there. "I should probably go, so you may sleep." He stiffles a little yawn of his own.

Normally, Sinya is either active, or asleep, and this halfway between is certainly making her act a little bit strange. One hand reaches out, lightly batting at the dangling braid of hair as it sways behind Xiang. Somehow, the gesture brings a faint smile to the cat-girl's face. "It's... kind of beautiful." Oh, she must be /very/ tired if she's talking like that. There is more, but it ends up being murmured and garbled as she nuzzles her head into the pillow. If nothing else, Sinya is quite adorable when she's sleepy.

At first, there is simply silence. It seems as if she might have already fallen asleep. But then, as soon as he turns to go, there is a flick of one ear. "Thank you, Yuan." She murmurs, pulling a hand up over her head, curled into a paw. "For the food, the bed... and for talking to me." Her tail twitches one last time, and then all too quickly, Sinya is asleep, her breaths coming in little soft half-purrs.

That kind of sentiment simply brings a smile to Xian's face. And how could it not? It wasn't often he got such a well meant compliment, aside from his crew. He grabs hold of it after she batted at it, and looks at it for a moment, as if pondering the reason of life, the universe, and everything. And no, there were not 42 wrappings in the braid. "Hrrm?" He was about to say 'what was that' when he notices just how far on her way Sinya is to the land of sleeping catgirls. Of course the adorableness is registered, visible by a slight blush to Xiang's face.

"You're welcome." He turns and places a hand to her head, about to touch her, when he flinches and decides that he's best off just letting her sleep for now. "Have a good rest. Sinya." He uses her name. The man then turns to the door and wanders out.