Welcome to Gaia! ::

Pen chuckled, her lips curving into an amused smile. "Well, the Ecacian's consider the hair to be something akin to strands of your soul. It's very special, should be cared for and the touch of it should be reserved for those who are particularly special to you. Running ones fingers into the hair is," Pen paused, not quite sure how to explain it, "It's a very special moment, a special privilege, granted from trust and love."

She smiled, "at the same time, it's rather provocative to wear your hair loose and flowing, when a complete stranger could reach out and run their hands through it. That is why we tend to keep our hair in braids. It's polite, and modest." Her smile tightened, "particularly if you have very nice and beautiful hair as I do."

She moved to a new section, half his head complete. "It's not bad of you to not know about the braids though. I don't think Jarred knows either, but he's never asked. I'm sure he found it odd that I'd throw a man into a wall though, for giving one of my braids a tug. He wouldn't have questioned my actions if the man grabbed my breast, but for both I'd feel a similar sense of violation."

"Yes. Yes, it is. Which is why I'll have to apologize to a few people when this is over. But as you insist is is something of a necessity, and though we both devoted ourselves to others, you are still someone I trust and care for, and the offer and action is willing. It could be worse, much worse." Pen's eyes dulled for a moment but she quickly blinked and went back to work. "I've heard worse, but I don't let it bother me." Pen moved to his last bits of hair.

"At least your braiding and views on hair are hard to corrupt. You can't rape this. It's always pure, and you HAVE to want it."

((Ah racism based on hair color... now that's something I haven't heard.))

Eric chuckled, and quickly caught himself. Pen's work was delicate, and he didn't really want to mess it up.
"I feel like I'm getting dressed up for my funeral. I guess it never really occured to me that I have a higher chance of dying on this ship than I do leaving it alive. Gives you a sense of clairty. Kinda sucks that the terms I got to know you better might as well be our own goddamn wake."

((Nah. It's efficency. When you go in there with a batton to meet your daily beating quota, if you miss one, you can still hit the other one.))

Pen finished his last braid and gave him a shove. "It didn't occur to you? I told you how many times to get your a** back home to Hattie, and it hadn't occurred to you?"

She let out a brash sigh, and leaned against the wall. She briefly quieted for 538 and then thanked him for the food as he slid it into the prison, though she didn't bother to touch it. "Well it's obvious they want to keep us alive for the time being."

"We need some kind of distraction so you can get out of here." She glanced back at Eric. "You have a knife, right? Let me see it."

(The Kore have no good practices or training when it comes to keeping prisoners, on a general basis, they prefer to kill than take prisoners. I agree, it's a big mistake, unless you've bugged the cell and want to spy on the prisoners to hear if they give you anything good in their conversations.)

Svarly smiled, "I'm one of the anomalies. I'm content to stay where I am." took a step back, standing with a slight tilt to her hips. She was tall, and clearly Ecacian in features, fair of hair, skin and eyes, with her blond hair tied up into the expected Ecacian braids. "Latching becomes rather useless in my case. So, Haldri, are you looking for combat, or staying out of the way in a fancy ship corner. We've got a war coming up, meaning plenty of opportunities to play hero and earn yourself a higher rank. The question is, what direction are you willing to take? Would you play spy, warrior, or support?"