As the crew departs, Paris begins her self-assigned
tasks: ship's laundry, turning down and restoring the
cabins to their typically Paris-Pristine condition and,
after getting dinner going in the galley, takes a
bottle of a bit more expensive wine upstairs and
settles down across from Lord Percy with a backgammon
set. "Good afternoon, Milord," she smiles gently at
him, "I thought we'd spend some time, if you don't mind
my being interrupted from time to time with ship's
business."
Percy grumps, "Why didn't you allow me to to with the
others?" But he doesn't turn down the wine she offers.
Paris smiled at him, pouring them both a glass of wine *
and set up the backgammon board. "Because you've been
cornering yourself in your room, drinking yourself into
oblivion and being a poor host--you're the owner of the
ship, and you would choose to represent yourself and your
title--and, I might add, Percy, your world--as a bunch of
boozers."
"No skin off my nose what people think." Percy mutters under
his breath.
She handed him the dice. "I'm the ship's steward--and it
reflects on all of us--I do like you, Milord, but I think
we need to change your behavior." She took a sip of her
wine and smiled kindly. "I think you'd rather talk to me
than Lady Sharda."
"I'd rather find a party somewhere and have some fun." he
grumps, "But I suppose a bottle of this wine and strip
backgammon with you will have to do."
*I had to correct a typo--it came off the fingers as
'whine' instead of 'wine'.
