"You're good at stories."

"I've had practice."

"You apply it well."

"You hand out praise very freely."

"Not normally."

"Oh, so you are trying to flirt with me."

"Only trying?"

"As far as you know."

"Playing hard to get, then?"

"I'm not quite ready to jump into things quickly."

"I can slow down the flirting, if you'd rather."

"I don't know if that's necessary. I do find it... enjoyable, at the least."

"I'll keep it up, then," she says with a wink. 

"You warm an old man's heart."

"Good."

Elsewhere...

"Picked up a few new passengers, hm?" Ellie asks her sister.

"Some interesting people. Maybe even as interesting as me."

"Doubtful."

Giggle. "Definitely not as cute."

Heh.

"Any problems, do you think?"

"Probably. But more opportunities."

"Tell me about them?"

"First two are Blossom and Moriya... They're from - another universe, I think? Physics works really differently in their memories."

"That's a first."

"An interesting first! But they also haven't been very subtle - I bet the Alliance knows about them, and they pissed off the governors here."