Dawn filters through the portal of the room, striking a young Lapine maid right into her closed eyelids. Reluctantly, she slowly pries them open, taking in her cabin through blurry morning eyes. Anisa clutches a paw to her head, suddenly reminded of her airsick headache. Her stomach growls, reminding her also of her very empty tummy, thanks to losing most of her dinner the previous night.

The rabbit wobbles as she gets up from her bed, and quietly as she can, slips into a fresh change of clothes, having slept in the previous night's. She looks down at her little brother, and nudges him with a foot. "Royce, wake up!"

Nearby, a blotchy black and white lump lies curled on the floor, partially wrapped in a rough-looking blanket, looking uncomfortably wedged between trunks and boxes. Every so often, Royce kicks his leg in his sleep, and some light scratch marks against one of the trunks make it apparent he's been doing this most of the night. At the mention of his name, he merely makes a soft cross between a groan and a grumble.

Anisa makes an expression that is half grimace, half smirk. She doesn't want to leave her brother in the cabin asleep, but she has to get something to eat! Tiptoeing quietly to the door, she sneaks outside the berth, making sure no soul is around to discover Royce.

One soul indeed stands in the lantern-light of the hallway, despite the early hour. A Skeek dressed in subtle shades of blue leans against the wall opposite and slightly down from Anisa's door, looking for all the world like she's simply hanging out there. She looks up when the door opens, and smiles an odd sort of smile. "Sleep well?"

The rabbit's ears shoot up in alarm, not expecting to find anyone in the hallway, let alone this certain person. "Oh, hello, Wanda. Umm… what are you doing up this early?"

"Standing here. I brought you something." Wanda holds up a small ceramic bowl, and removes a lid from it, revealing a ruddy paste of some sort, dotted with small seeds. "It's mashed nik-nik berries. I'm no apothecary, but I know these help air-sickness. I wasn't sure I should wake you, so I decided to just wait here."

Anisa blinks at the berries. They aren't the breakfast she was thinking of, but if the mouse is right, she could sure use them. "They do? Well, thanks!" She takes the bowl, dipping her finger into the paste and tasting it. "How long have you been out here?"

The paste is slightly sweet, and the tiny seeds are tart and crunchy. It does little to alleviate hunger, but seems to settle the stomach somewhat, and take that nasty taste out of the mouth. Wanda shrugs her shoulders just slightly. "Not long. The hall was quiet, and I enjoy any opportunity to just sit and think. I'm never bored."

"Well, I was going to head up on deck," Anisa says as she takes another taste of the berry concoction, fighting to keep from wolfing it down. "Care to join me?"

"Don't mind if I do," replies the Skeek, pushing off from the wall to stand straight. "I think the cook should have something prepared at the mess by now, though it's a bit early for passengers to eat breakfast just yet." Her smile broadens slightly. "Which suits me fine."

A loud rumble emits from the Lapine's stomach, her face grimacing at the effect. "Me too. Let's go." Munching on the berry treat, the white rabbit begins to make her way up to deck.

The air is invigoratingly cool above decks. It's mostly quiet up here, except for the snap of the Sunset Hoof's flags, and the wind itself. A small cookhouse huddles up here, and inside it looks like the place is mostly meant for just cooking, with food brought to a dining room below-decks. However, there are some stools in front of a counter, with a few standing menus listing light breakfasts and snacks for passengers with the munchies.

Going over to one of the stools on unsure legs, Anisa takes a seat, still nibbling at the berries. "What kind of food do they serve on these airships? Er, these types of airships, I mean." The rabbit peruses the cookhouse's menu, looking for anything that sounds good.

Despite the ship's swaying with the air currents, the nik-nik berries seem to be doing their job. Not even the sight of a cup and saucer sliding up and down the counter upsets the stomach anymore.

A Rhian stands behind the counter, the space looking rather cramped for a creature of his bulk. Wanda chooses a seat for herself, giving one of the menus a cursory glance. "Well, they have to look to a wide variety of tastes on passenger airships, so they tend to offer a good selection." The Rhian behind the counter perks an ear, apparently overhearing, and nods. The motion rattles some pots hanging from pegs near his head.

The menu itself reads:

" ~ Welcome to Trevor's Cookhouse, Serving the Sunset Hoof ~ "

"Breakfast:"

"Galleon-Grease's blue plate: Rughrat shikk'ahn fried steak (salted to stay fresh), with two Creen eggs any style, and hardtack biscuit."

Anisa grimaces at this first item, almost nullifying the effect of the berries. Needless to say, that wouldn't sit well with her.

"Captain's Early-Riser: Spiced porridge, with choice of dried fruit, and optional cheese pastry."

"Boatswain's Special: Frosted fruit turnover: peach, apple, or pala."

"Milk, fruit juice, or grog, add 1/4 Sk. Cider, ale, mead, or blood, add 1/2 Sk."

" ~ Enjoy your meal! ~ "

The rabbit openly gags at the thought of drinking blood, and the idea of eating shikk'ahn has already helped bring her appetite down a bit. Nevertheless, she's still hungry. "I think I'll have a peach turnover, with a glass of fruit juice please." She looks to the Skeek. "What are you going to have?"

Wanda considers briefly, then says, "An apple turnover, and a glass of Rughrat milk."

The Rhian, presumably Trevor, grunts acknowledgement, and begins squeezing his way over to a brick oven, beneath which the fire seems to have dwindled. Upon opening a stone hatch on the front, a sweet smell fills the cookhouse, and a tray brought out reveals a number of pastries kept warm by the bricks. As Trevor frosts a pair with a piping bag, he looks over one broad shoulder, banging a dangling skillet with his nose as he does so. "What kinda juice you want? Apple, orange, pala, pop-fruit, cloudmelon… "

Anisa twitches an ear in thought, "I think I'll have pala juice." She gives one of her fake smiles to the horse, then stretches to wake herself up a bit.

"That's two shekels. Pala's hard to come by," replies Trevor. He finishes piping frosting, and sets the pastries and Wanda's glass of milk on the counter. The Skeek doesn't touch her breakfast right away, apparently more interested in casting her gaze around the cookhouse.

The empty stomached rabbit, on the other paw, grabs her food treat and begins to quickly tear into it, simultaneously digging into her pocket for the needed money. "Well, I guess I can handle that!" She pulls out the change, plunking it down onto the counter. She stops in between a munch, and turns to Wanda. "What ya looking for?"

The pala-fruit juice is soon served up, and the shekels whisked away. The spicy scent of cinnamon teases Anisa's nose as she bites into the turnover. The fruit is surprisingly fresh … slightly tart, setting off the sugar of the frosting, and the crust's flakiness adding a pleasant texture. Wanda barely seems to notice her own breakfast, however. "Oh, nothing, Anisa. I just like to be aware. It pays to be aware, you know."

Anisa wipes some frosting and crumbs off of her face in a rather un-ladylike manner, licking the leftover frosting off of her fingers before taking a swig of the juice. "Aware of what? I mean, what's there to be aware of on an airship? Aside from the drop-off that is." She grins, and takes another bite of her breakfast.

"Just aware. You'd be amazed how many people aren't." Wanda finally nibbles at her turnover, and washes the bite down with a swig of milk. "Lots of people, they go through life with tunnel vision. They don't pay attention to anything but what's at hand. It can work to their disadvantage a lot. But when you're aware, you can spot things that will tell you about what's going to happen, which can be almost as good as knowing what's going to happen just by itself."

She raises an index finger. "For instance, I know Baleforte', that copperhead Naga, is going to be here soon. He's a merchant, and didn't have time to eat before loading his goods aboard the ship, so he'll be starving when he wakes up. Charuman and his wife will be here too… Charuman is a young Khattan sheik; you can tell by his manner of dress. I think they finished fasting yesterday for some obscure ceremony, because they smelled of incense, and carried some strange religious icons aboard."

Anisa blinks at the mouse, taking another sip of her half-empty juice cup. "Wow, you could tell all that just by looking around?" She nibbles at the last of her quickly vanishing pastry. "Do you know why they're all here? Besides the obvious I mean."

Wanda shrugs slightly, and munches on her pastry some more, twitching her whiskers so some crumbs fall off. "This was based on what I observed from last night. Baleforte' had been unloading things from a caravan, and I didn't see a lump in his stomach, and I know how harried merchants are, so that made sense. It must be valuable, because he didn't have much to bring aboard, and anything less wouldn't be worth the trip. I know less about Abu Dhabian affairs, so I might be off on Charuman, but it seems a reasonable guess that he and that other Khatta are newlyweds. Their jewelry and clothes look new, probably gifts from their family. This could be a honeymoon. I'm not sure what the fasting has to do with it."

Finishing off her meal, and downing the rest of the rather expensive drink, the rabbit turns to the Skeek. "The woman Khatta's clothes were very nice, so I suppose whatever they're up to is important." She eyes the mouse, curiosity mulling inside her brain. "You haven't told me why you're on here though. Are you from Half-Valley?"

"Sure I told you. I talked with you because we're seeking the same thing." The indigo-clad Skeek's eyes twinkle, looking back at Anisa. "I'm going out on my own to seek my fortune. To prove myself. I'm not from Half Valley, no. Really, it has little meaning to me. Just another location."

Anisa scratches a few crumbs from her whiskers, "Well, yes… but that's a bit vague, isn't it?" She readjusts herself on the stool, giving her tail some better movement space. "How do you plan on doing so? And where are you from – Rephidim? I can imagine why you'd like to get away from there."

The door to the cookhouse opens, and sure enough, a Khattan couple let themselves in. Both are dressed as if in sunbursts, the loose zolk of their outfits dyed with vivid yellows, bold oranges, and sunset reds. The lady's peaches-and-cream fur blends nicely, such that in some spots you can't tell where the fur starts and the zolk ends. Charuman's tabby markings similarly complement him. They somehow make their way to the lunch counter while only looking at each other, while Wanda replies to Anisa, barely sparing the felines a glance.

"Well, perhaps a better way to phrase it is that I'm here to let my fortune find me," says Wanda, speaking in the unhurried pace of one who carefully chooses her words. "I watch for opportunities, and when they present themselves, I take them. It often works so well, I seldom have to plan where to be or go."

The white rabbit, on the other hand, is visibly enchanted by the Khattas' finery, her eyes sparkling at the female's outfit like those of a person who hasn't eaten in days when they come upon a four course meal. "So you're just going there on a whim?" she replies to the Skeek, still watching the felines. "Is that a very wise thing to do? I mean, how do you know you won't go broke and get stranded, or something like that?"

The felines seem to have eyes only for each other, such that they don't even look at Trevor when he manages to fight through his cookware and see to their orders. Loose bracelets of polished wood dance around the woman's wrists, embedded with chips of onyx, and opal earrings adorn her wide, triangular ears. Wanda shrugs again, tapping a short claw on her glass thoughtfully. "If I'm aware, I'll know whether or not I'll have a problem before it inconveniences me. I'll admit, I'm not perfect at it yet. Still, there's no other way to practice, right? You're a kindred spirit; if anyone could understand, it'd be you."

Anisa looks back to the Skeek with a start. "Oh, yeah, I suppose I get what you mean." She feigns a small air-headed shrug, "It's just that I like to have at least an inkling of what I'm getting myself into ahead of time. Kind of my own way of being aware." She smiles, pushing her plate and cup aside. "Do you have a place to stay when you get there? Maybe you can stay with us – er, I mean me?"

The door opens again, admitting the earth-toned copperhead Naga. Baleforte' slithers his way to the counter, and wraps himself around a stool, his head quirking from side to side a few times. He takes up a menu, and flicks his tongue at it as if to taste the items on the card.

Wanda doesn't waste a lot of time looking at the Naga either, instead answering Anisa. "Different things work for different people, sugar. I haven't thought that far yet. If it's feasible, I'd be delighted to stay with you. Perhaps our fortunes cross." She smiles one of those odd little smiles of hers. She finally spares a brief look at the Naga. "There's Baleforte'. He must be very hungry. Look how alert he is."

The lagomorph blinks as the Naga enters, proving the mouse's predictions to be true. "Wow, that's amazing! I guess I shouldn't even ask what you know about me so far." She gives the Skeek a grin. "You'll have to teach me how to do that sometime." She looks back over to the snake, "Umm, what does he usually… eat?"

"Probably the same thing most Nagai eat," replies Wanda, cupping her hands around her glass. The crust of her turnover remains on her plate. "He's mid-sized, so I'd guess he's mostly interested in small animals like yiffles. I don't know if Trevor will have anything like that in stock, so he might have to settle for swallowing several steaks. That could take him a while, because they'll roll up in his throat, and stick a lot." She grins back, a smile more easy to identify as warm. "I'd be happy to teach you, sugar. You've already got the ears to be a great listener. To me, and to your surroundings."

Anisa closes her eyes and shudders at the thought of the steaks. Why do some people have to eat that stuff? She looks back to Wanda, her gaze avoiding the snake. "Oh, these things?" She grabs one of her ears and holds it in her palm, "Well, I do overhear things quite a bit, more than I'd like, really." She lets the lobe go, and it falls back behind her back, then stands up from her stool with a stretch. "You gonna eat that? It'll get cold."

The Skeek bobs a paw, pointing at one of Anisa's ears. "They should come in plenty handy, I'm sure. You just need to learn to use them effectively." Wanda also gets to her feet, tossing a few shekels onto the counter. "Feel free to have the rest of the turnover, sugar. I'm just about done. I've got to go attend to the little drudgeries that so like to eat up everyone's time. I'll see you around the ship later, hmm? There's still a ways to go before we reach Half Valley."

Without having to be told twice, the rabbit snatches up the pastry, and takes a bite, then remembers the certain little brother down in the cabin. She stops her munching, and wraps the turnover up in a napkin. "Thanks! I'm sure I'll see you around more. I enjoy our little chats." She smiles, starting towards the door, but not before giving the room's occupants one last look over.

Baleforte' gives Anisa a cursory glance before returning to staring at his menu. Charuman and his wife seem to have finally allowed themselves to be occupied with things other than one another, and they both flash friendly smiles at Anisa when they notice her scrutiny. "Pleasing to come and sit with us, rabbit-missus!" purrs the lady. "You are one whom my beloved hitted with wrapped roll of zolk in hallway, yes?"

Anisa halts halfway to the door, and looks at the Khattas in surprise. They want to talk to her? "Why, y-yes, that was me." Hesitantly, she starts over to the cats, and sits next to them, her eyes once again looking in envy upon the female's finery. "Sorry about snapping at you back then… "

Charuman bows his head deeply, looking just as sheepish now as he did when he beaned the Lapi. "A thousand apologies to you, long-eared one. It was most gravest error for Charuman not watch where zolk was going. I tell my flower of desert, Laiji, what happen, and she to be say we make it up to you, but Charuman not find for being busy with fasting, yes?"

The rabbit fights back an amused smile due to the feline's accent. She hasn't heard many non-Rephidimites before. "Well, it's no big deal. I've taken harder lumps than that before." She shrugs, giving a smile. "Fasting, you say? Have you two just gotten married?" She looks at the female's outfit again. "I must admit that I love your clothes."

The husband nods happily, the couple taking a moment to gaze into each other's eyes. "Yes to be having joined hearts, we both," affirms Charuman. "We fast to purify our hearts and souls, to show our love. For ending of ritual, we may eating once more, and to have coming place order for food to room." Laiji holds a bright swirl of cloth away from our outfit with dainty fingertips, twirling it to let the zolk catch the light. "To be liking it, do you, rabbit-missus? Not all families being value women like ours… to repay, you would like zolken clothing, yes? Strong, dye easy, highest quality from al-Zanin family!"

Anisa does a double take. "Y-you mean… you'd give me that?" The Lapine's face breaks into a look of near shock. "I-I couldn't! It must have cost you a fortune!"

Laiji giggles merrily, her high-pitched laughter mellowed by an underlying, friendly purr of amusement. "To not being silly, Lapininy! Laiji wears the dress of wedding for which did give heart to Charuman. It is many sizes different from you, yes-yes? You will coming to room back with, and fitting to you a zolken outfit shall being. Laiji must knowing what outfit best for, for show off, or for turn heads, or for cool from sun and sandstorms."

The white rabbit's ears blush deep crimson in embarrassment, and she gives a shy smile. "O-of course! I'm sorry, I got confused a bit there." She looks back up to Laiji, still a bit stunned at the Khatta's words. "You'd make me my own outfit? Are you a clothes maker?"

Both the Khattas' tails raise proudly when Laiji nods. "Charuman harvest zolk and raise Gooshurm, to selling and trading for be. I for to be making outfits to showing off quality of zolk. I making good, yes?" She turns once on her stool, the smooth cloth fluttering out a bit in swaths of fiery color and fur. "Maybe not to be having time to making whole outfit from scratch, but can trimming much large number of wares to matching you, alter for. Many beautiful, you will seeing!"

The young rabbit's eyes light up at the prospect of having her own zolken finery, something she never would have gotten back home. "Well then, I would be more than honored to have something done by you!" She smiles at the felines. Looks like this trip had turned out good after all!

"When would you like me to come by? Er, whenever you want, that is … " stammers the Lapine.

"Ohhh, you must coming right now!" trills the peaches-and-cream Khatta, who claps her paws together gleefully. "Charuman will ordering food for us, and Rhian will be to for take food to room, in first class section. Come, come, come!" She makes playful 'hustle' motions at Anisa, as if to hurry her along, and every so often takes the opportunity to appraise the Lapi's garb, making critical 'hmmm' noises.

Anisa has hardly any time to protest before she is whisked away by the Khatta – not that she'd really even protest at all anyway. The wrapped-up pastry, now crumbling and cold, is dropped into her trousers pocket in all the commotion. "But I really must… Did you say first class?" Looks like Royce will have to wait a little bit longer for breakfast…