A Princess, a Knight, and an Assassin Walk Into a Tavern...

Tollie

Watching West in his actual role as Captain was incredibly attractive – I mean it wasn't every man off the street that could manage such a large body of rough men safely through such a large body of rough waters. She just couldn't stop staring as he strode this way and that making decisions and consulting navigating devices.
But it was also incredibly intimidating.
Was this the same man that she had so blatantly adored yesterday? What a fool she'd been. He had teased her about her age, only now could she see the truth in those words. What was she to this experienced capable man? Naïve and inexperienced; perhaps his calling her a 'kid' hadn't been as misplaced as she'd originally felt. How silly she must seem to him.
They hadn't spoken yet officially that day as she'd embarrassingly slept in longer than everyone else. Though in her defense, she hadn't stayed up so late since that night she and Reik had rigged buckets of water over every swinging door in the castle... Which meant that West was already well into his duties by then, able to spare her no more than a passing good morning bow and smile; which really had given her enough thrills to live off of for quite some time.
Besides, it was probably a good thing he wasn't up for much conversation as after her newfound knowledge of who Capt. West really was in comparison with herself, she wouldn't have been able to talk to him. She'd felt his eyes on her a couple times but she hadn't been able to meet them, blushing down at her duties instead.
She HAD talked to loads of other interesting people though. Like the guy who sat in the crow's nest, who they all called 'Crow', and who – interestingly enough, actually had a crow he'd raised from a chick; the bird staying always on his shoulder. He stayed up in the crow's nest even to sleep, saying Japper – his crow – hated it below deck, only coming down to eat. He said Japper could talk...but it was apparently only a language Crow could understand, and most of his conversations consisted of Japper squawking and Crow announcing what it was that Japper had said. Such as how 'Japper' had wanted to know did they really eat off golden plates in the palace and had she really ever eaten any blackbirds in a pie? No to both of those. At the end of their conversation she had been bestowed the great honor of being told that Japper liked her, which apparently was a rare occurrence, and the even greater honor of a peck on the cheek – which both tickled and scratched and made her laugh.
And she had felt West's eyes on her.
Or Peggy, who was only called Peggy because of his peg leg, but confessed to Tollie that he didn't mind as it had been his grandmother's name...god rest her soul. Which, Tollie guessed made a little sense...He had been in the midst of telling her how he'd lost his leg but then stopped mid-story, just as he'd gotten to the part about a dwarf...both of them feeling Captain West's eyes on them...and he'd ended suddenly with. "Crocodile".
But Peggy had not been tightlipped about anyone else's story, which is how she now knew all sorts of things about everyone on board, such as how no one called anyone by their real name, they all had a nickname.
The most interesting story so far had been that of West's giant of a First mate, the one everyone called 'Gov'ner', Peggy not even knowing what his real name even was. He DID stand out from the others, and not just because of his height and those warm amazing eyes of his. He was a gentle gentleman in word and action, though people eyed him with enough wary respect that she knew he was more than capable of backing up his authority when necessary, and had fought hard to earn his place standing at the Captain's side.
Still, Tollie had seen him this morning sipping delicately from a very elegant tea cup and reading what looked to be a collection of 'Poetry of the Sea' – whilst barking orders as they got the ship ready for sailing.
Peggy had told her that Gov'ner had been left on the doorstep of an old noble who, to everyone's shock, had taken in the baby of unknown origin and raised him as his own. Gov'ner had stayed with the man until the age of twelve at which time the man had died. The man's remaining family, ignoring all of the old man's death bed pleas, had promptly kicked Gov'ner out onto the streets without so much as a second glance. As a boy who had known nothing but a life of kindness and plenty, he would have died that first winter had he not had the fortune/misfortune of being kidnapped off the docks on an outgoing ship to be used as cabin boy. It had been a rough existence, but he'd survived, and then eventually...thrived. Still, he'd obstinately held on to the gentility of his youth, as if somehow holding onto the last strands of those years when he'd been happy.
Then there was the enigma of a woman now scrubbing at her side, the one she now knew was named Clarity. A more complex mixture of opposites in one person Tollie had never seen - not that she had seen many people. Here she was, missing a leg, and yet was more capable than most people with two! She slept with swords, had a sword for a leg, and yet had never treated Tollie with sharpness, or annoyance, or contempt – but had instead been...nice, stand-offish in general, but still nice. She was absolutely beautiful, yet took no notice of it, though...she was the only one – they were on a ship full of men after all. Her body seemed ever rigid and ready to spring, careful of everyone and everything that surrounded her...and yet she watched Tollie's savior – whom she now knew was called Hawke – with eyes open and unguarded, with wanting. Wanting what? Tollie didn't exactly know, she wondered if Clarity herself even knew, but wanting all the same.
But, as she and Duhningham were now the only women unrelated to herself that Tollie had spoken more than three words to, she was pretty sure that meant they were almost friends...soon to be epically best friends by the end of all this, she just knew it!...though she'd keep that exciting news to herself for now. Still, she couldn't help but smile happily over at Clarity as they went - who glanced up at her smile then back down at her work, but when she still felt Tollie's smile on her, she looked back up again and, after a slight pause, gave her a hesitant smile in return; her expression conveying an obvious hope that the action would be sufficient to satisfactorily end this particular interaction.
Tollie then looked around to find her other soon-to-be friend busy tying down a sail, Gov'ner offering the occasional instruction. Either none of them had been brave enough to put Duhningham on such menial work as scrubbing, or they had decided to make better use of her particular stature and strength. She had been afraid last night that the Knight was going to be overbearing in her self-appointed role as princess protector, but so far Tollie had found the opposite to be true. It seemed so far as she was safe and conducting herself in a way that was appropriate for a lady...well a lady in the company of pirates and such, Duhningham seemed satisfied to keep watch from afar. Maybe she, more than anyone, had respect for the fact that ladies...were also just people, people who needed to be useful and involved in their own lives.
She looked down at her hands now pink and raw from the wet and the scrubbing, then out at the endless ocean surrounding them and felt content.
She had wondered what being out on sea would feel like. Would she get sick? Would she feel overwhelmed by the vastness, having spent all her life so far surrounded by walls? But instead it felt freeing, open, a body of endless possibilities. Something she could definitely get used to. A thought that naturally sent her eyes searching out Captain West again – it had been like what...a minute since the last time she'd seen his form? Probably a record for the day so far.
She was startled to find him not where she had last spied him, but instead walking purposefully towards her. She froze panicking for a moment, wondering whether she should stop scrubbing and stand, or...not, or if she should say something, or...not. Judging that for her, 'not' was probably always a better choice. His amused smile as he observed her quandary seeming to show that her every thought right now was broadcasting obviously across her face.
Saving her from having to make many decisions he said as he came, "Come on, that spot's gotten as clean as it can possibly be, and I want to show you something." Reaching down and pulling her up by her hand. "You too, swords-fer-legs."
"Clarity." Tollie corrected as Clarity got two solid legs back under herself, dropping the scrub brush with as little remorse as Tollie had herself.
"Clarity," West said easily, as if Tollie correcting him had been something that had always been happening, instead of just in the last 24hrs. "You shouldn't be working anyway, you're my guests." He smiled, pleased with himself, knowing just as well as the girls did that he hadn't bothered to say so until they were all done.
He lead them the other direction towards the front of the boat, passing Hawke as they went, who gave up his mop with equal abandon to follow them. Duhningham and Gov'ner joining them soon thereafter. Once all the way to the railing he took out his spyglass, easily spreading it to full length then pulling Tollie to stand in front of himself, putting it up for her to see.
As an intelligent 19yr old she had no real need of having help looking through a spyglass.
BUT as an intelligent 19yr old she also knew, that that was hardly the point, now was it?
The point was that West was pressed tightly up against her back, on leg up around her, his foot resting on the railing, one arm at her waist to steady himself, the other arm around her to hold up the spyglass, his face at the side of hers, his breath at her ear.
"Do you see that dove?" He said, his voice low due to their proximity.
He waited while she adjusted it up and down again, until suddenly she saw it, a dark line ahead of them, hearing her exclaimed 'Oh!' when she had.
"Echo Isles, straight ahead." He said loud enough for everyone to hear, Tollie passing the spyglass to Clarity there beside her. "Should be there by nightfall...just as things start to come alive."
The spyglass had moved on, but he stayed as he was, both hands on her waist now, staring over her shoulder at the horizon ahead of them. He wouldn't stay there unless he wanted to right? He had to like her a little bit to be standing that close? And just for a moment, standing there with the fresh sea air in their faces, him feeling so safe and sure against her – she let herself imagine that he didn't need someone as capable and strong and experienced as himself. Maybe, just maybe he needed someone sweet and soft and kind.
It was nice to imagine, if even just for a moment.