*Which is followed by a jumping high five from a small purple dragon* August allowed Leng to ease into the experience. It was clearly her fist kiss. After a few moments, he broke off. He was smiling with the warmth of a sun. He took her hand in his and kissed it softly. "Thank you. As much as I hope that meant to you, it also meant a great deal to me."

"Not at all." August said as he reached up to her face. He cradled her jaw in his meaty paw deftly, and ran his thumb along her scar tenderly, as not to possibly cause her pain. "Is it rude to ask how you got this?"

"Granted." August nodded. He leaned in again, but this time prefaced his move with a kiss upon her scar. He then rejoined their lips. August took the lead this time, adding a bit more passion but still going slow and tender.

"I feel wonderful. How do you feel my lady?" He asked, concern just as much as jubilation flashing across his mind. Deeper probing would reveal he wants to bring her a sense of solace after the torments she's been put through.

August rolls his eyes. "Tell me about it. Spike keeps trying to get my attentio-" He looks off to the side. "Hey! You're not supposed to be on those kinds of sites!"

"Well, with that. I think it's time this character made his exit." August rose and offered his hand to Leng for her to stand with him. "I hope I'm not presuming too much in saying we should do this again sometime."

August departs with an accompanying hand kiss. "Definitely." Grabbing his weapon by the door, he leaves. *Spike, take a letter. *Spike pops out a quill and parchment. "Tell Leng I had a wonderful time and post to her automatically when our ship is near Mars again." *Spike rolls up the scroll and fire breaths it into thin air. An AR tag appears at Leng's door with the attached ship alerting app.

"Has the movement responded to my message yet Jiminy?" "No Captain, your primate display of dominance has been resisted thus far." The Raven said. "Hey! It's a test of character. Literally! He's the leader of a movement on Mars and his name is Carter. As a loyal fan of Burroughs, I MUST ensure that his character is not being misrepresented in reality's closest approximation." "You did get a call back from that chick you picked up though." "Oh Leng! Thank you my friend, I'll send her a correspondence from my quarters. See What May? Please bring us around the Martian orbit and dock at the New Shanghai port." The octo-pilot gave the response that August knew was the equivalent of a nod and walked off to tell his friend he was on his way.

"Totally! August wants to bring Leng aboard for a tour. Uhhhh . . . this may sound weird, but you ever get the feeling you've met somepony before?"

*He says whenever she's ready, she's welcome.* *Uhhhh maybe we should ask August and Leng about this? Maybe they'd know.*

*Uhhhh sure!* August prepared himself, this time wearing an oriental kamishimo, and tying his mane back into a top knot. He was hosting after all.

"Ms. Peng?" A raven uplift called from a perched sign.

"Right, Leng! Whatever, look your boyfriend is this way. AR tag me and follow the cookie crumbs." He then took off to the docking port where the Accelerating Returns was.

There August stood in his Japanese finery. "Jiminyyyyy were you nice?" "I got her okay? You don't pay me for pleasantries." "Your my first mate. It's expected." "Not in my contract." "You don't have a contract!" At Leng's approach, August waved his hand to dismiss Jiminy. "Shoo, you buzzard." "That's racist AND inaccurate." He said as he flew off. "My lady." He greeted Leng with a kiss upon her hand. "How are you?"

August just rolls his eyes and smiles. He guides Leng into the interior of the ship, still holding her hand. "He's all right, not a people person, but he's my best friend. I wouldn't trust him with the position if I didn't feel like he could do the job. He has remarkable leadership capability and gives good advice." August then spreads an arm out wide. "Welcome to the Accelerating Returns, specifically the hangar bay." The hangar was what one would expect of a mid size ship, large enough to carry cargo and perhaps one small ship. Various unthinking bots and thinking workers around at various places doing their employed tasks.

"Well I've been trying to get in contact with the Barsoomian Movement, but they haven't returned my messages. The ship itself was actually sold to me. The old Captain was retiring and he thought the ship would be best served under my command. Hey, since our muses will be busy, what do you want to do first? We could go up to the bridge and meet my crew or we could just go to my quarters?"

August holds up a hand. "No please! I sent Spike to enjoy it. I just hope to two make the connection of their shared origin. Come." August took her hand and guided Leng over to an elevator. "Speaking of which, did you purposefully design your muse that way?"

"Hey I don't blame you." He said as the elevator ascended. "I only ask because Spike became who he is by sensing my need for him, not because I made him that way. It was . . . during the Fall." August rubbed the back of his neck. "I watched a lot of the show then. One day he just, appeared. I knew the technical reason why, but to have my muse just take on this appearance and personality. To go from an emotionless voice to this comforting friend . . ." August looked off to the side, an AR window showed Spike laughing at something on screen. August smiled.

"Well they are in our heads. They know us better then we know ourselves." DING "Oh we're here! Come, let me introduce you." He offered his hand to her as he exited to the hallway that leads to the bridge.

"Captain on deck." Said an AGI. The crew turned and extended lazy salutes of various kinds. "At ease. Everyone, this is Leng Plateau, she's a private investigator here in New Shanghai. My lady, this is my crew." He gestured to a mist-like eidolon with a brightly glowing center atop an emitter platform with spider-like legs. "That's Fae-3, she's our technician and resident scientist." He looked to an octomorph, suspended in a floor to ceiling tube of water that also included his console. "That's See What May our pilot and navigator." "Although most of us call him, Mary." Jiminy squawked. See What May returned with a tentacle gesture. "Flipping the bird? That's so funny I forgot to laugh." "You've . . . already met Jiminy, my first mate." With a loud, clanking, step, a heavy synth approached the two. "Weapons have been calibrated, Captain. May I punch out and return to my true form?" "In a moment. Leng, this is Baldev, he's our artillery officer."

Laughter goes up all around. "I would say this is pretty large. Not as much to Baldev's taste, but few places can fit his natural morph at all. Speaking of which, yes, you may resleeve Baldev, we won't have need to blow this city up." Baldev nodded then slumped with a power down noise. The synth then got up, but the ego piloting it wasn't there anymore. It just plodded over to sit by it's console. A sort of rumbling could be heard below.

"As you mentioned. Most of us aren't bothered by it, but as you can tell from the presence of a ship in the first place, we'd rather transport ourselves wholesale. Well where else would you like to see? There isn't much beyond the passenger dorms, batteries, and well my quarters." August shot a "don't you dare" glance to Jiminy.

"Well there is another place, the mess hall! You hungry my lady?"

"Nonsense! We have one of the chef's from the Noodle, the culinary district of Extropia. She can make practically anything your pallet desires." August lightly wrapped his hand around Leng's waist and lead her to the elevator. He wondered if this contact was perhaps inappropriate for Leng.