It was one of the rare occasions that Felix had removed the wristblades usually mounted on his arms. He'd dried off the best he could after showering in the shower block, but there was only so much water a towel could remove from one's fur, and as gravity pulled water from each strand of fur, Felix continued to drip himself dry.

He was sat upon a chair in his room, dressed in trousers and not much else. An old rag laid across his lap to make sure his trousers didn't stain, as Felix coated each blade in wax-based oils and polished the body of the weapons with polish and wax, made harder by his constantly shaking hands, and uncomfortable expression

As per usual for Felix's room, the lamp had been removed in replace for an infrared equivalent, illuminating the room for his eyes only. To humans, the room was pitch-black. other than the lights however, his room was practically identical to the others, minus the personal decoration... The only thing he had taken into consideration was a small area in the corner of the room, big enough to house three people comfortably - if they were... Small enough.

the area around his eyes never particularly got much attention, wash wise. he was always having to wear a blindfold to keep the light out, since the shower-block had been designed for human eyes, and whilst the water stunk of minerals, its warmth had been no less pleasing than warm water usually was..

Beside him was a table. Upon the table, a small metal case sat open, four small hand-rolled 'cigarettes' sitting neatly aligned in wait, beside the candle used usually to light them.

It was getting on in the evening back at base, but there was no rest for the wicked so they say, huh. Valerie dawdled down the corridor of rooms allocated to the crew, knowing only where a couple of people 'lived' so-to-speak. It did almost seem like they lived there. A second home, aside from the missions and almost nomadic ways of pirating-lifestyle that they all shared.

It was nice though. To be around people in a comforting environment - as comforting as it could get, these days - where she didn't have to be alone and sneak in and out of places every day to get by. She had it harsh. She knew what it was like to live on the streets as much as any other beggar. The difference was, she didn't ask to take. She just took, and had worked better than the former to say the least.

Felix was one of those few people who's room's whereabouts that she knew. Why she was going there, was simply for some company. It had been a long week. They had gotten what they wanted; the lancaster aircraft, and.. she was one of multiple who had - and were still - paying the price... Hence, no rest for the wicked. Hah.
But hell, she was one of the luckier ones, and she realised that. Well and truly she did.

Lightly, she clicked her knuckles upon the wooden door of Felix's room, hoping he was still awake, and at the same time hoping she was not waking him or disturbing him.. She always had a fear of being a nuisance when she wanted something as simple as company for a short while.. But, she hoped anyway.

Felix's ears with pinpoint precision shot to face the sound's source as the door resonated with a knocking from the opposing side; and for the first time in a while, Felix bothered turning his gaze towards the door. Being blindfolded for most of the day found him in no real disadvantage; like Humans used their eyes for their main sense and their nose and ears as secondary senses, Felix used his ears and nose as his main sense, and his eyes as a secondary; the backdrop of inferred light only augmented a world he could hear, and smell, and touch.

Putting the wrist-blades down softly, he sighed and put the blindfold over his eyes to counteract the light from the hallway as the door would open. "Come in," He called, "As long as you don't mind the dark, mind."

"I don't mind." she replied with a smile in her voice, glad to hear he sounded awake and didn't mind company.. Gently she opened the door, and slipped in with it only ajar, knowing he disliked the light of the hallway. "I, hope you don't mind. I just wanted some company for a little while." Valerie added in honesty.

She had seen Felix - in what little time she had been able to - as someone who kept to himself a lot.. much like herself at times perhaps. Having been taken care of by the medics (and occasionally Mac) for the wound on her waist, she had been bedridden for a while. And that hadn't exactly been how she wanted to spend the first few days around these new people.. She wanted to get to know them, and only now she'd been able to get up without making the wound open again. That had really set Mac off on one...

Once the light from the hallway was cut away from the room, Felix once again removed his blindfold, folded it up and placed it on the desk, before picking up a wristblade in a shaky, furred hand, and continued to wax the long, incredibly sharp blades.
"I don't get a lot of visitors," He said in rather casual tone, although the shakes from his withdrawals were audible faintly in his voice. Well; it wasn't a slave vessel after all, and technically, he was a slave on a free ship; so it wasn't that surprisingly that he never got much attention from the rest of the crew. That, and he kept himself to himself to an extent. He was, after all, the only Pantheran of the vessel.

"So, what brings you here?" He asked, looking up at the inferred image of Valerie, overlaid by the warbling overlay of her sound; her breath, her heartbeat; and the various smudged patterns of the smells she brought and of the room in general, following air-currents. It was a colourful way to see; if it could be called seeing at all. "I apologise for the darkness," He added after a moment, "It seems a little rude that, I'm the only one that can see in the room; but, otherwise I have to wear that blindfold..."

Taking a couple of steps in - as far as she could see from when the light had faintly entered the room before the door closed -, she decided to just sit herself down on the floor, not wishing to make a fool of herself by trying to feel her way to a seat.
His room felt cooler than her own, perhaps he had set the temperature to be lower because his fur serviced as good enough heat. It was different to try and use senses which were usually only secondary. But she tried.
"I hadn't really gotten the chance to talk to everyone properly yet.. Being stuck in my new room all day and night didn't exactly help." she replied with a light laugh. "Mac had told me where you are, and as it wasn't too far, I thought I'd come by."

The lingering smell of the cleaning oil he used on his wristblades was clear enough to even her nose to identify. And also, the smell of catnip.. She knew the scent well from slave traders back in Norune who used it as enticement for pantherians to obey, or sometimes to simply subdue their willpower.
"You know," she added, "You shouldn't have too much of that nip..." Valerie knew it wasn't really much of her business, but the tone of her voice showed her genuine concern. She had seen what it could do in the long term...

Felix gave a faint smile as she talked. It was nice to have a little company now and then. As soon as she mentioned the catnip, mind, he chuckled. "You think if I had a choice, I would?" He asked, turning his ears and eyes in her direction.
"It's highly addictive to Pantheran, even second-hand smoke can get us hooked; and once hooked there's no coming off it. It's not just something you can throw off. Which is why the slavers use it." He gave a pause in an attempt to stop his hands from shivering, although failed. "Once we're hooked, we need it, and only the slavers have what we need; as far as the slaves are aware anyway. So even if slaves escape, given a few days they'll always return for another hit." He gave a 'hmph'. "They don't even need to addict their slaves, because the second-hand smoke does it for them. Even if you took them out of the slavery, their kids would be exposed to it... It's an addiction passed down through generations that way."

Putting the wrist-blade down, he picked up the second one to start gently stroking the oiled cloth over the blade of the blades. "Doing better than I was; used to chain-smoke the blasted things, but, less now. Just can't concentrate properly after a few hours."

She nodded faintly in understanding, though wished it weren't that way.
"Surely there's a way to come off it. As you say, you don't as much as you used to, and that's a start in itself."
Valerie replied, not believing for a second that once they were exposed to it, they were stuck with the addiction for the rest of their lives. As much as it seemed that way, it would be for anyone who didn't believe there was a way out at all.
"Anyway, It's not much my business, and I didn't come here to nag, I'm sorry." she added, not having meant to start a debate over something like that.

Felix shook his head; a motion that was lost in the utter darkness. "Maybe for Humans," He replied, "But we're infinitely different. Like, I have two hearts and hollow bones; and can hear your heartbeat."
Putting the wrist-blade down for a moment, he picked up one of the 'cigarettes', lit it in the small, faint candle and popped the cold end between his lips, taking a drag. The smoke filled his lungs, quenching the fires in his mind and lessening the shakes racking his system. It was... A light dose; enough to quench his habit without too severe effects of other kinds. A light dose at least for the hyper-fast metabolism of a Pantheran.
"So, what about you?" He asked with a faint smile in her direction. "Why're you here on the ship?"

Valerie blinked slightly in confusion at the question he put forward, though thinking on it for a second, it was likely as he had just said. Lack of concentration.
"I got here on the Lancaster with you and the crew, I guess Lepper liked the look of me rather than have his sniper decimate me." she replied with a small laugh, but grimaced half way through it from the sudden pain it caused her wound. "God help me if this stupid wound opens again, Mac'll have my head for not resting.. But I'm fed up of just laying down doing nothing.."

She sighed a little, hoping this decision to join the crew had been a good one. It was still early days, yet.

"Oh, right; it'd slipped my mind." He replied, and with somewhat stilled hands picked up the blades again and continued to clean and condition their bodies. At the mention of Lepper, Felix gave a grin. "Yeah; Lepper does seem a bit like that... Likes his Women. If you wanted to kill him, you'd need a Female assassin," He laughed, before adding, "And no; he'd probably have MY head for letting you in. Any excuse..." He huffed.

Huffing the catnip smoke from his nostrils, he slipped the blades back into their bodies and then strapped the blades to his arms by the belts. "What's your story?" He asked. "I mean, before here?"

"Mhm, it would be that way with him," she agreed with a smile, "He seems a nice enough guy though. Can't fault welcome friendliness." Val added, glad that there were some gentlemen still around. They were hard to come by nowadays.
"I get the feeling you and Mac don't get along so well." she sensed, laughing lightly.

"I was a taker and courier of stolen goods. Which was pretty much what I was up to at that airbase when I bumped into you guys. Found a good stock of ammunition and figured it was worth trying to take it. Of course now, I gave it to Lepper to have for the ship." she said.
"Mainly I'd trade back at Norune, not that I like it there." Valerie admitted in a grumble. "Don't get me wrong, I get things sold for a good enough price.. It's just the way the society works there that I dislike. If you get me." she added with a raised brow, implying to the slavers.