Dhel paces the little kitchen, waiting on the caf to brew, datapad in hand, poking and scrolling with a slight frown. Old boots, simple shorts and a shirt with that 'elegantly distressed' feel are about as dressed down as she could possibly be. The planned trip to the swamp in a bit has something to do with that.

There's a relatively large pile of foodstuffs on the counter--flour, sugar, and eggs being the most obviously identifiable.

Petra was within sight, the slow rise and falls of her chest as she yet slept on the couch. A magazine of some sort resting over her face as she'd woken at some point and then promptly fallen back to sleep. Legs crossed uncomfortably the fact she managed to fall asleep like this should probably be considered a small miracle.

Frustrated, Dhel glances up as the brewer beeps. Well...it's supposed to beep, but it's old so more like beeeewooooooooo....

Regardless, she pours two mugs, dumps in a generous scoop of sugar, barely stirs, and heads over to drop into a crosslegged seat in front of the couch near Petra's head, wafting the bitter scent of caff over the sleeping woman as she sips her own mug.

At the sound there was a brief stir, enough to knock the magazine off her face but nothing more than that. Leaving the caf to do the rest of the work when Dhel made her way over. As the scent of the caf wafted down Petra's nose twitched, and then twitched again. There was a subtle shift in her breathing for a few moments as she lay still.

Eyes still closed her hands reached up, searching about for one of the mugs.

"Delicious sugar sludge is at the bottom." Dhel says, handing it over, hanging on till she's sure the semi-conscious woman has a firm grip. "And I need you to wake up and help me figure out a cookie recipe to use. There's like a million of them on the holonet, and I can't deal with the fact that every damn one has this long story about how these were the cookies that made their childhoods sparkle, saved the family freighter, or got the through the Corellian plague. Nobody wants to just say, these are easy to make cookies with chocolate in them and here's the recipe."

Petra's sleepy hands found their way to finding the mug, shifting a little, and then holding the mug. Very carefully moving it with her as she sat up on the couch and twisted a little to sit cross legged beside Dhel. Taking a sip she set the mug aside on a small nearby table. Rubbing her eyes with a singular motion of just her index and thumb inward, "Where better to shout your life history into the void than a buncha recipes that everyone's gonna look up," she said, and groaned a little with a morning stretch.

"Why are we making cookies?"

Dhel watches, as she sips her caf. "Well..one," she holds up a finger, glittery sky-blue nail paint catching the light, "this whole volunteer thing goes better with snacks. Also, I'm checking out Nara's new digs today and wanted to bring a food gift. And...might be nice for the roommates..." She pauses, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "I might also have kinda been trying to do some nice things for people. I blame my toothy roommate...shipmate?"

Frowning a bit, she adds, "why'd you fall asleep here anyway? The bunk on ship's big enough, nobody would notice in that crowd if you wanted to come share for a night...or I'll go knock on Manny's door if you want some space to yourself." She grins. "He definitely doesn't mind sharing."

"Best place to be if something actual is going to happen around here.." she groans, popping up off the couch a moment to get in a good stretch. Arms to the sky, hands linked, down, and then out. "Mara keeps saying that we're making progress, changing minds and inspiring hearts, blah blah blah. Sera's always busy running security and Mylars nose is halfway into a terminal when he's not sleeping," she groans and falls back against the couch. Head leaning back against it, looking up toward the ceiling which wasn't all one color due to plenty of dirt-spots.

"Don't really know Manny anyway.. seen him around but," she shrugs, "going on some weird guys ship to sleep just cause he helped around a bit seems like a good way to wake up on Nar Shaddaa or something."

Dhel shrugs. "So far this schtick's only landed me on Kamda. And Manny's..." she pauses. "I mean, I guess he could be a heck of an actor, but I don't think so. If that ship ends up on Nar Shadda, it's because someone tricked his not-terribly-bright self." With a shrug and a sip of her caf, she adds, "anyway, we're working on some stage bits to throw together too."

There's a long moment as she things about the past weeks. "But, I don't know. She's kinda right, Petra. Haven't you felt it? There's just...a difference sense on the streets here. There's this...buzz, like. But it's like, you know sometimes how you can see a thing at the corner of your eye, but it's gone if you look right at it? There's something like that."

"What is it that should happen anyway? I still don't much know what's supposed to change in the end here."

"I- dunno, somethin' anything really. Just-" she groans, turning her head away from Dhel as she looks off toward the wall, Mylar's terminal he used when this hangout was a little more active. "Everyone keeps talking about how things used to be better, and how we're trying to make that happen again but.. things are just the same, they're always the same, and it's pretty kriffin' crap," the agitation takes to her voice and she sits up with it.

Putting her hands down into her lap they flex a little as she grips her thigh.

Dhel leans back, looking up at Petra from the couch cushion. "I don't know...what was so much better before? Nobody much wants to tell me. Things were awesome and then just...war popped out of nowhere?" She shifts to sit sideways along the couch, one arm up on the seat. "Just...I'm short two sets of parents..well one and three-quarters?...anyway, lost at least some of them to trying to get back to that better they don't talk about. Maybe just starting smaller will...I don't know...let people figure out what better should look like first?"

She sips at her caf. "You'd feel some better with caf and food in you, anyway. When's the last time you dragged anyone into your bed to burn off some energy, hmm?" The last is teasing. Not everyone shares her attitude on that topic.

Petra felt the rage build but.. she couldn't act on it, it felt wrong to act on it. With her arms trembling a little she closed her eyes tight and breathed in deep like Mylar showed her once. Hand reaching over and finding one of those throw pillows for something soft to squeeze, "Not shoving people into some dark hole under the ground infested with murderous loonies sounds like a pretty good start.." she said, the low annoyed softness to her tone releasing a little of that steam.

"Yea though.. you're right," she looks to Dhel, putting on a smile, "not about that second thing though. Not- never-" she shook her head, "whatever. Caf, food, I'm down. Cookie mix.." she glances over toward the kitchen space. "Or cookies.. both? Both," she said with a little dreamy look to her expression.

Hearing the annoyance, Dhel leaves it mostly rest. "Yeah, getting rid of the murderous loonies seems like a start there." But that didn't seem to be what these folks were gearing up for.

"OK then, no cookie mix...this is all from scratch." She pauses. "Kriff...this'd be a lot easier if I just bought mix, huh?" She shrugs. "Oh well, made from scratch is good. And cookie dough counts as breakfast, unless you want me to make pancakes? It's like...part of the same ingredients for those."

"Hard to do though cause they're all wearing white hats," she waves her hand in front of her face and pushes herself up to her feet. Walking around the couch so she was closer toward the kitchen, "So- cookie dough breakfast here we come!" she says turning around to face Dhel with some put upon cheer.

Pushing herself to her feet, Dhel follows. "Was thinking of the Gonks, honestly. Being stuck between those and...well yeah."

Approaching the kitchen, she glares a bit at Petra. "Right, it's a stupid little thing that's not doing much of anything, but I'm not letting all this go to waste now. You'll eat something before you go back to mucking with all that, at least." She starts opening things, the frown fading as she sighs. Never used to be so hard, just talking. "Anyway...did I tell you the Mirialan dancer who's staying on the ship too has an actual sword? Dunno if you've seen her around since you're not watching the stages much.

Turning about, hands on the counter first, and then a lift she found herself a nice and comfortable spot for the moment. Leaning her head back against the exposed wall there, "That's pretty cool. And no.. been busy trying to.. be busy," she pauses, finding herself coming back around in a circle she watches Dhel a moment. Things had gradually changed over the last couple of years, ever since the last of her parents passed away and her sister took up some career Petra never talks about to keep the house.

"So.. what's with this ship and this Manny guy? They're not like your.." she bites her lip, shakes her head. "They friends? Like- friends friends. Like Mylar, or Mara, or.. Sera," she tilts her head a bit to the right with the question.

Dhel shoves the datapad Petra's direction. "Narrowed down to about 10 recipes. See what you like."

Head deep in a cabinet as Petra asks about her new situation, Dhel pops out with a metal bucket that's going to have to serve as a mixing bowl, and looks like it has done so before. "Manny is...Well, sweet and kind of dumb. Somehow owns a starship? I still want to hear that story." She pauses, running through the chain of events needed for context and, starts at the beginning.

"Short version...he actually dumbass tosses an entire raw egg into our tips, so Sholua-green gal-and I push him for a fancy dinner apology. Somewhere in there he offers space on his ship...and he's not like gross or anything...so we agreed." Dhel shrugs, and leans against the counter. "Never had that sort of arrangement with someone else working the same kind of angle...but it's been fine? Actually a little worried that his short attention span means I'll be moving sooner rather than later." She shrugs, not too concerned about the prospect.

"Also Phroth...biiig Karkaradon, and his girl are on there. Phroth's cool, Leah's busy. But yeah, I guess they'd be friends." She grins, "not like you, since I"ve only known 'em a few weeks. But like...closer for me than Mara and them are, since I'm just kind of listening to 'em in the crowd here, not right up next to 'em like you've been."

Taking the datapad into hand she leans back against the wall again, browsing through the different options with a quick fly through on the first run by. Then going through again slower as she listens to Dhel, that distracted expression as she focuses in on the recipes, "That's good.." she comments at the end, stopping to look at one that seemed like a good option.

Without moving her head she looks to Dhel from an angle behind the screen, "Soo.. Manny, he.." she twisted the corner of her mouth as she thought. "Dumb guy, lot of money, and the galaxies variety basket of friends?"

Dhel nods, cracking open a large tub of blue butter. "Oh...and magician." She raises her hands up, wiggling her fingers with a grin, "good with his hands. Not bad at his tricks that I've seen either. Might works some kind of show together and see how it flies."

"Friends for days. He knows so many people." She continues opening packages of ingredients, scooping out a handful of chocolate bits and holding some out to Petra. "Since it'll be a bit before they're made...breakfast chocolate."

Petra watched her hand raise and then rolled her eyes, looking back at the list of recipes. Scrolling.. not scrolling, focus going distant for a moment. Looking to her side she shifted the hand holding the list and then held out the other for the chocolate. Brief smile, "Best way to start the day," she chuckled.

"So.. he's like, a work thing? A gig? That's the right word for those, right?"