Jo was bored. Jo was frustrated with her life. Jo was a bit scared she might get in trouble for being where she was not supposed to be. Jo knew these were not good excuses for her actions, but she just couldn't help it. She made herself look furious, beyond angry. Her eyes flashed at the man. "I demand to see the captain of this vessel at once! Immediately, sir! And I will not take no for an answer!" She bit down on her tongue to keep herself from laughing at the expression on the man's face. He seemed confused and even a little worried, but he couldn't hide the slight indignation he must feel at being addressed so. Before he could speak, a voice traveled from inside the bridge.
"What seems to be the problem, Mr. Hayes?" Jo was surprised to hear the familiarness of a German accent in the voice and hoped that if the captain didn't hate her after this incident, he might speak with her in the German language since her skills had been getting rusty lately, having no one interesting to speak it with.
Brushing past the man, Mr. Hayes, before he could stop her, she got an even angrier look in her eyes as she stalked into the bridge. For one short moment, her glare faltered as she studied the man at the wheel who was staring at her, one eyebrow raised. She gathered her composure fairly quickly, however, and became angry with herself for letting her attentions waver. She glared fiercely at the captain. She was surprised to find that he did not shrivel at her look. He seemed taller all of a sudden, as he met her gaze steadily without a blink.
"May I ask what you are doing on my ship, let alone my bridge?" He asked her, surprisingly soft, though his voice held a dangerous tone. Jo nearly found herself swallowing and backing down from the heat of his own subtle glare, but she found resolve and standing straighter, approached the tall man until she was nearly two feet from him.
"How dare you address me so, sir! I am a passenger on this ship! A paying passenger! And I demand answers of you immediately!" As she yelled at him, Jo found her eyes kept straying from his gaze to study his handsome, chiseled face. Her eyes traveled up to his hat, which hid his hair, and she could not help but admire the hat and the superiority of it over her own worn out hat.
"Is that right?" He asked calmly with a raised eyebrow, seemingly mocking her as Mr. Hayes watched on from the doorway.
"Yes, it is!" Jo realized he was making her feel slightly foolish, but she refused to back down. "You see..." She paused, running her eyes disgustedly up and down his form, though rather than blanching at it inwardsly, she admired it. "Captain," she said the word mockingly, "I am rather unhappy with life at the moment, so I was trying to throw myself overboard. Kill myself. You understand." She said casually with an airy wave of her hand. It took all she had not to burst out laughing at the surprised, wary look of the captain, as she continued.
"What I would like you to explain to me is why this ship isn't going as fast as it should be. I mean, look at the speed you're going." She gestured to the wheel, then out to the water. "Do you really think anyone who jumped from this vessel going at this speed would die? No." She answered herself, hastily. "They'd probably be unwillingly rescued immediately and dragged back on this sorry-arse excuse of a ship! That is if they couldn't drown themselves first!" Jo finished with a shout, her eyes wide. She resisted the urge to bite down on her lip to keep from laughing at the bewildered expression of the captain. He stared at her for a long moment, during which she couldn't help but let one of her lips twitch.
He noticed the slight movement and his own posture changed. He raised an eyebrow at her high as he could and stood taller. Jo began to grow nervous, realizing he really was a lot bigger than her. And stronger. He spoke suddenly, making her jump. "Well then, Ms..." He began.
"Katunacatchorly." Jo blurted out without thinking. She smiled bashfully at him. "But my friends call me Josalianubiget." She was surprised she was able to get such a long word out of her mouth. She noticed a short-lived flash of amusement on the captain's face before he glared at her stonily once again.
"Well, Ms. Katunacatchorly." He said with not one mistake. "If it's suicide you want, I have something to make your way a little easier." He said, gesturing to the door behind him. "Pistol." He clarified.
Jo hesitated a second, delighted he was playing along, however bedgrudingly it seemed. Before she could say anything or move, he spoke again.
"Of course, this is my ship, and I would prefer no messes to clean up, so.." He turned to the doorway. "Mr. Hayes. The wheel."
"Yes, Captain." The man said, looking beyond amused at the confrontation, though warily at Jo.
"What..." Jo began to ask, now nervous beyond belief. She stopped talking at a gesture from the captain to stop. He approached her as Mr. Hayes took the wheel.
"It is settled then, yes, Ms. Katuna?" He asked her patronizingly. "I will have to help you along by throwing you overboard."
Jo became scared, but before she could do anything, she was swept off her feet and tossed over the taller man's shoulder. She couldn't believe the captain's daring and could say nothing for a moment as she tried to regain her composure. Suddenly she wondered if he was serious as he stalked towards the door. "Stop!" She screamed. "Put me down!" She began to beat on his back with her hands. Devilishly, as she hung there over the man's shoulder, she began to hit not only his back but also his behind, but he would not stop.
"Stop!" She screamed again, finally feeling the cold night air on her face. The captain complied. "Besides," she said, breathing hard. "It wouldn't be suicide then. It would be murder." She looked up to find she could see the crow's nest where Jimmy, it seemed, was now sleeping.
"Just consider it a helpful push." The captain said with an exasperated sigh at her words. She felt herself slide to the ground and stood in front of the captain wobbily. She leaned on him slightly as the ship rocked. She backed up to look at his face. He looked frustrated, but his face wore a slight smile. "You don't give up, do you, Ms?" He asked her.
She gave him a wide smile, her eyes twinkling as she shook her head. Her hat had fallen off and rested in her hands, and her fair fell to her shoulders, curtaining her face, red from the excitement, elegantly. She held out her hand. "Jo Williams. It's nice to meet you." She said sweetly.
He took her hand hesitantly for a moment before dropping it with a sigh. "You are crazy, Ms. Williams." He told her simply, his face growing less amused with each second.
Her smile grew. She was left undaunted by his coldness. "Why thank you, Captain. I pride myself on that and my contempt of formal, conventional introductions." She bowed to him comically before placing the hat securely back onto her head. "I do believe you and I will rather enjoy each other on this journey. Just don't let me have all fun." She winked at him wickedly before skipping around him to peek into the bridge. "Good night, Mr. Hayes" She called before turning and skipping down the stairs and out of sight.
For a full minute, the captain stood there looking after her, wondering if that had just happened or if it had all been a figment of his imagination. He turned slowly and joined his first mate back on the bridge, silently watching the night sky from his position. He spoke after a moment. "Did that just happen, Mr. Hayes? Or am I going crazy?"
The first mate looked at his captain with a bemused smile before replying. "I don't think you're the crazy one, Captain."
After a second, the captain shook his head as if trying to shake the memory away. He took over the wheel again, ordering Hayes to check their navigational position. When Hayes joined him once again after having dimmed the lights of the bridge, the captain spoke again.
"She will be of the engaged couple then? The one that actor, Baxter, vouched for? From London?" He asked in a quiet tone.
"She must be. Besides them, there was only a older man and an older woman."
"Older than us, you mean." The captain said with a chuckle.
"Aye, Captain." Hayes replied, amused. "If that's possible."
The captain chuckled once more before glancing at his watch. "Well let's hope she won't be more trouble than she's already been. It's getting late. Have Unger relieve Jimmy. The boy needs some real sleep tonight."
Hayes nodded appreciatively to the captain before departing to do his job. The captain stood in silence, guiding his ship through the choppy waters of the Atlantic. He thought again of the unexpected incident not too long ago. It had been unwelcome, but he couldn't help but admit that it had put him on alert. At the memory of her surprising words, he couldn't help but smile slightly. He shook his head again, though, in disbelief a second later. The woman must be out of her mind. Though he had to admit, even though she was lacking in sanity, she had the looks to make up for it. He nearly rolled his eyes at his thoughts. The girl was crazy. Or at least a bit unstable. Still, he couldn't help but grin wryly at her antics.
"Godamn lunatic." He muttered under his breath with another shake of his head.
