"Look... I'm sorry about climbing on board without asking. Thanks for giving us all a lift to the carnival, though. We would have made it on foot, but flying in on a ship is waaaaay cooler!" She tossed a glance at the massive bag slung over Cory's shoulder. "Plus we get to keep all of these prizes! Much better than giving them away!" Carol thought to ask "What's with all the toy ships?" and "Do you use that helium to fuel the ship?" and "How do you remember which pockets you keep your crystals in? You have so many!" But she resisted.
"Heh, no problem, Sis!" Cory gently stroked Carol's ears. "I had a blast hanging out with you and wailing on your friends-"
"Funny, I seem to remember a dragon taking the price money," Carol interrupted. 
"-but now that you're alone, we need to talk."
"Come on, spill the beans already."
"We need to talk in private."
A shadow moved in the windows of the Cory's cabin. She halted Carol with a hand on her chest, silently lowered the goodiebag to the ground, grabbed her pistol, and ninja'd her way through the door.
Carol leaned an ear to listen.

"YEEP! Oh! Cory! You almost gave me a heart attack, heh heh-"
Cory's hand grabbed the intruder by the neck. There was the fswoosh of a fire igniting and a flash.  At once, all of the windows went black and darker than night.
TH-KRACK. Wood split, glass shattered, metal clanked, and bones snapped.
"OW! Knock it off, it's me! We're still pals, right?"
"That's three strikes, Buck." she purred. TH-KRACK. "Three times, Buck." "Three," CRACK- "Buck!" The name lashed the air like a whip, adding extra punctuation where the slams didn't.
"Stoppit you stupid witch! Is that how you greet an old friend!?"
"Now, I know I've told you nobody enters my cabin without my say-so, Mister Money-back. Especially not with daggers under their sleeves. And you know exactly what happens when people don't follow rules on my ship." 
Buck grunted.
"And you fancy yourself a clever fox. I sure hope you threw your life away for something worthwhile. Or was it for the money?" The voice was coaxing. Almost sultry, but with an ever-present edge of malice. Buck growled. His bashed and battered mouth conspired to reduce the growl to a  mild bubbling simmer. 

Air shuttered as muscle impacted hot metal. There was a hiss, a crackle, and bitter-sharp scent of burning fur. The howl became a whimper. Carol reached for the door handle, then froze. If Cory wanted her in there, she wouldn't have stopped her from entering in the first place. It was "none of her business" after all.
Cory gave a sinister snicker."That works better on boys. Especially when they don't wear armor. Want a demonstration?"

There was a forced hack-filled spit of disdain. "Money talks, and you walked off with over six-thousand shard, Captain. That's enough to feed a house of three for well over a year back in the islands!"
"Or enough to blow for a fun night in the Shang Mu Gaming District. Did you think nobody heard about the 'lucky golden vixen in a shiny red dress'? Or did you think a wardrbe change would be enough to throw everyone off?"
"Okay, okay fine. Fine! Throw me overboard! But if you just let me take half money and a safe landing, I can pay people. I know people. I can get the collectors off your tail. You're making a mistake!"
"Sorry, Buck." This came with an almost musical tone. "Walking the plank is for tresspassers." Her tone cut deep like claws, "Not. For. Robbers."
Two clicks, and the flits of dancing fire.
"No! No, just keep the money! I'll do whatever you want! I have a wife! I have kids!"
"Like I buy that!? If you cared about your kids, you would have thought of them before getting yourself killed, Buck!"

There were two pops. Carol knew of Cory's fire abilities first hand after the fights in the Battlesphere, but this was new!

Sizzling filled the air, like fresh fish on a skillet for a time. The gentle chinkle-chinkle of crystal leaves settling on a wooden floor signaled the end. The roaring died away. The dark shade over the windows dissipated, allowing the sunset to shine through. The cabin became silent save for the faint mumble, "Did he break my broom? Just bought it last week..."

Carol's guts churned as she rose back to her feet. Did any of that just happen? She shook her head and forced her thoughts back to bouncing and launching here and there through the air with her friends at the carnival, all the racing and the fighting. She smiled, slightly. The door opened.

"Sorry sis, had to clean out a place for you to sit. I haven't had proper guests in months." Her voice was right back to the same cool, laid back tone she was used to hearing. She gave a toothy grin, gingerly brushed a rubbery scrap from behind Carol's ear, and escorted her in. "Don't mind the mess. No matter how much I sweep, there's always bits and scraps somewhere. Have a seat, make yourself comfortable, sis! Want a drink? I've got milk in the fridge!"