Second chapter,
For the Mouse fans, sorry but I am writing him the first couple of chapters as the guy you love to hate.
Chapter 2.
"Okay, Will…right?" Lynn is on his best behavior trying to be nice. Because Will is the only thing between him and another trip as baitmaster. And that Josh Harris likes being baitmaster, fine, that is his decision, Lynn would rather do things that don't include sixteen hours a day up to the elbows in raw stinking, chopped fish.
"Yeah, Will works just fine. And your name was?"
Giving his biggest smile Lynn takes the hand offered to him and starts rambling with 80 miles a hours.
"I'm Lynn, this tall guy is Crosby. Never mind the others. If you have any questions come to us. We'll help you. We newbees have to stick together." Opening the door to one of the staterooms and ushering Will in Lynn keeps talking. "You can store your gear over there. We share a bunk, that's because we will be having the same tasks for a big part once we get going. So we trade places. Eighteen hours of work and six's of down time." By now the duffels where stuffed into the drawer underneath the indicated bunk and Crosby was leading the way back to the galley taking over from Lynn in the explanations, pointing his long arms in every direction and every now and then opening a door.
"This is the galley, food is everybody for themselves. If somebody wants to cook fine, but nobody likes cooking and in general it tastes bad. So stick to poptards microwave stuff and ice-cream, it's your safest bet. Freezer is here. Coffee machine, make sure that there is always coffee. So if you take the last cup be sure to make new. The head, Keith will blow a gasket if there isn't any toilet paper so make sure to put up a new roll if you use the last bit."
Will just takes it all in making sure to nod his head at the right times. It is pretty much the same as on any other fishing boat he ever worked on. Work hard, keep your mouth shut and don't make waves, never ever change the routine, and then everything will be fine.
Lynn, feeling slightly cut out by Crosby takes the fact that Crosby has to breath as his opening. Grabbing Will by the elbow he pulls him to the table and pushes him into the bench. Grabbing three cups and pouring coffee all over the table he takes the floor again.
"Some of the guys will give you a hard time. Or try to at least. Just ignore them and keep working. They still call me Barbie and I am now on my third year on board. One rule, don't take your complaints up to Keith, he won't like it and just fire your ass. And then I'm the new guy again."
Will just smiles and takes the half empty cup of coffee, making sure the drops don't fall on his still clean T shirt.
By now the other guys feel that the new guy has had enough time to settle in and it is time to start teaching him his new job, and try to get in some hazing, just to see how the new kid is taking it. The shore is now far away enough that jumping overboard won't work anymore. Only boat around to pick him up is the Wizard, so no escape possible.
Travis enters and sees the three sitting at ease drinking coffee while the rest has been working to undock. And yeah he knows that there were enough hands to do the work, and more people would just have gotten in the way. Only that doesn't change the fact that the new greenhorn is sitting down in a nice warm bench drinking coffee.
"Barbie… get out there and clean stuff."
Lynn jumps up and scrambles into his raingear to get going.
"You…..Greenhorn, what's your name? Never mind princes will work just fine. Princes get ready, I'll show you how to do bait."
Princes? Now that is a nice touch. Will looks at the table and raises his eyebrows a little, before getting up and getting his raingear. Grinning to himself, Princes. Whatever. Completely missing the concerned look on Crosby's face.
Will takes his time getting ready. And by the time he gets outside Travis, Mouse and Sopher are standing by the cookie grinder, clearly bored by waiting.
"Okay princes, here we have the bait grinder, or cookie grinder. This thing doesn't care whether it grinds herring or you so be careful. This is the on/off switch. Unless you're using it make sure to have it turned off."
Travis was doing his best to teach something, the others were just there to enjoy the show and be irritating. Making sure to stand in the way with their arms crossed over their chest, clearly not helping one bit.
They did managed to get on Travis his nerves, even if he knew that they were going to do this. But the new greenhorn seemed completely unaware of their presence. And that pissed off Travis even more. Grabbing a load of frozen herring he pretty much threw it at the new greenhorn, hard, hoping the princes would topple over. Even more annoying the kid caught it without even a stumble.
"Now put that into the goddam cookie grinder, then turn the thing on and keep your arm over it, so it doesn't scatters raw fish everywhere. Because that stuff is slippery as hell and dangerous."
Travis is clearly not amused. Will does as he is told. And within five minutes the bait station is filled with shopped up herring and Will is looking expectantly at Travis for further instructions.
And Travis is at a loss, because he expected some gagging or jumpiness from the new kid. And nothing. So unsatisfying. Even Monte and Sopher start losing their interest for now. Looks like the new princes is too stupid for hazing. So as long the guy works well and doesn't complain, why bother while they aren't stressed?
Lennie takes over from Travis and the three potential bullies take refuge in the galley with some hot coffee and real cookies send by the fans.
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