Maris grinned benignly as Crahsystor Thrawn made his way out of her quarters. He was so charming, so handsome and groomed, so... Unlike Rak. She loved Rak, but he so was pig ignorant , chauvinistic and unnappreciating at times, what girl couldn't fall for the mysteriously handsome Thrawn and those manly wide set shoulders of his?

She swung her legs around on her stool and stood up, her legs a little shaky from the pins and needles buckling around her knees. A loud swipe of the door behind her let her know someone had entered the room. Her grinned widened, a little mischievously as she apprehended the subject and turned around, striking a sultry pose and then loosing it completely.

"Maris, are you alright?"

It was Jorj. Her smile lessened and she walked over to the cooling cabinet to grab a bottle of unknown fruit juice.

"Fine".

She was lying through her teeth. She knew it, but then she didn't fancy being dictated to by anybody, especially her juniour pilot on the ship.

"You looked a little disappointed to see me... Have I done something?"

Maris smiled as she picked up two bottles and walked over to him, handing him a cool bottle of the fruit juice.

"I'm fine, and you haven't done anything. I just... Thought..."

"Thrawn?" Jorj snorted in a scornful manner then swigged his icy juice down his gullet too fast for the taste to linger on the tastebuds.

"And what do you mean by that?" Maris' eyes flamed up, her nostrils widened in a defensive manner and her posture stiffened, Jorj had hit the nail on the head, if rather insensitively in true human male fashion.

"Nothing. It's obvious that you..."

"That I what, exactly?"

Jorj gulped. He'd taken this too far too early, and he'd hate to bear witness to a hormonal woman defending her fantastical romances, real or otherwise.

"That you like him?"

It came out as more of a question than a statement, a pleading question, the kind that young children use on their mothers when they can't bear the confrontation anymore. Maris' maternal side cottoned on and she loosened her joints slightly and sat down in her seat more.

"Carry on."

Jorj squinted into his empty bottle and wondered how long it would take for him to grab another and live, or even if Maris would let him live if he kept her waiting longer than a couple of tens of seconds.

"I mean, you look at him. Different. To how you look at us."

Maris' left eyebrow cocked upward and she laughed at Jorj, spluttering droplets of cold fruit juice on the cool table in front of her. Jorj frowned slightly, disturbed only as the metallic door made a "swoosh" noise.

"It is good to see that you can enjoy yourself so thoroughly Ms. Ferasi."

The careful intonation of Sy Bisti syllables caught Maris off guard and she spluttered again, only this time for air as she realised who the voice belonged to. She had thought it would be Rak, coming in to check the progress of the jewels they had plundered. But Thrawn? He'd just left her moments ago. It was all too embarrassing, all so undignified! Thrawn was meant to swipe her off her feet in a gentle embrace and then they'd dance to that popular Holo-Song she'd heard so often in Spacing Bars. He was not meant to see her spluttering for air and laughing like a Visigoth. Her cheeks burnt with embarrassment and Jorj grinned wildly as he chuckled silently at Maris' predicament, childish songs prancing around his head with glee as he saw her cheeks redden.

"I noticed Car'das enter the room and thought a group session of Basic and Cheunh would be a feasible way of passing time. Have I arrived at a bad time?"

Maris stared into the desk with all the determination she could muster.

"No. Your timing is... Great. Just perfect."

Jorj grinned even wider as he heard the sour sarcasm from her voice. She was really angry, and this only confirmed his early suspicions- Maris was in love with Crahsystor Thrawn! This could either be great ammunition, or it could send Rak overboard. Jorj mentally gulped, Rak was a headcase at the best of times, and at the worst of times... He couldn't really bear thinking about it. For now, it was best to stop Maris from doing anything she might later regret. Still, alls fair where fun is to be had.

"2 minutes earlier and we'd really be having fun right now, right Maris?"

Thrawn's mouth twitched slightly into a slight smile as he seemed to notice the goings on earlier in the room, with Jorj's innuendo and Maris' embarassed air mixing together into a lovely cocktail. His thoughts were interrupted however by the brash voice of Jorj, as the latter noticed the stagnant feeling of uncomfortable silence and sought to fix it.

"So, we were talking about fishing boats earlier?"

A little vignette type thing for a competition over at the TFU (ThrawnFansUnite) Lounge. Link in my profile should you want to visit there!

-Rhi