I don't bother looking over my shoulder to check which spice he's grabbed; I didn't actually need one to start with, it was just an excuse to get his attention. And if I'm making that obvious now, well, maybe I have a purpose for that, as well.

"Yeah, that'll work," I answer, my apparent attention fixed on my skillet. "Come shake a few pinches of that in?"

I'm grinning more these past few days. Not that I've ever been a somber sort of creature, but AkaRed is, and it's easier to take on the general mood around you than keep yours aimed in a contrary direction. Follow the lead of the crowd around you, and things tend to run more smoothly in general. It's a chameleon trait of mine, and with the new kid around, it's probably the reason I've been all the more cheerful. He seems genuinely happy to be here on the Galleon. It's another of his characteristics that makes him, honestly, kind of cute.

"You like spicy food, right?"