Alfred did not know what to make of Arthur.
He did not know what to make of Matthew and Feliks' stamina as they ran nearly a mile to reach the ship as fast as they can, either. But Alfred especially did not know what to make of Arthur.
He wore brown knee-high boots that appeared to be made out of thick fabric. They were laced up on the side, and were netted on the inside part of the leg. The bottoms of his tan pants were tucked into his boots and they clung tightly to his lithe figure. His white shirt was looser than his pants, and went almost down to his knees, and was held down at his waist by a simple belt. A short sword hung at his side and a pistol sat on his hip. He had the thickest eyebrows Alfred had ever seen.
When he came off of his ship, he looked out at the ocean with a fond smile, and then turned to the shore with a sigh. He was utterly shocked to have Matthew come running at him, shouting his name; and did not immediately return the hug that the taller man gave him. He was even more thrown off by Feliks doing the same thing, but with more vigor.
He finally returned the hugs of the two enthusiastic men stiffly, and patted their backs awkwardly.
Alfred did not know what his deal was. If he had two friends running at him like that, one of which he had not seen for ten years, he would be ecstatic. But this man almost seemed to hold them at arm's length somehow. And not just in a physical way... Alfred could not exactly put his finger on it.
"Matthew!" Arthur said, once Matthew released him.
"Hey Arthur," Matthew said with a huge grin.
"I thought you... Where... What are you doing here?" he finally asked, still looking at Matthew as if he was a ghost.
"You're never going to believe this story... But first, I want you to meet my brother."
Feliks grabbed Alfred's wrist and pulled him to Arthur so he was hardly a foot away from the shorter man. He stumbled, but caught himself before he fell on the wide-eyed person before him. Feliks chuckled.
"Uhh... Hi," Alfred offered awkwardly.
"Um hello," Arthur replied, just as awkwardly.
"Arthur, this is my brother, Alfred Jones. Al, this is Arthur Kirkland."
Still feeling as if he was a little too close for comfort, Alfred offered his hand for a handshake. Arthur seemed to lose some of his awkwardness and he shook the offered hand delicately. It was a firm handshake, even if Alfred felt as if his hand was being treated as some sort of fragile flower.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said.
"You too," Alfred said with a lopsided smile.
Feliks grinned and pushed Arthur, making him land practically on Alfred. "Oh, come on! He's Mattie's brother! Give him a real greeting!"
A faint pink tinge appeared of Arthur's cheeks as he stepped away and dropped Alfred's hand.
"I believe I did," he replied coolly.
Matthew laughed and hugged Arthur again.
"I missed you and your awkwardness so much!"
Arthur rolled his eyes but returned the hug properly.
"You, Matthew, I missed. The awkwardness, I could do without."
Ludwig came up behind the group with Feliciano trailing not far behind. Both seemed to have discarded their boots, and both had their pants rolled up. Well, Ludwig did; Feliciano was parading around in his boxers.
"Arthur!" Feliciano shouted, hugging the shorter man, who tried to back away.
Arthur struggled to make the shorter man release him. "Feliciano! For goodness sakes, put some clothes on!"
"Everything important is covered! Ludwig doesn't mind!"
"Obviously Ludwig doesn't mind, but I do!"
Feliciano finally let him go and Ludwig tapped Matthew's shoulder.
"Hmm?"
Ludwig muttered something in Matthew's ear. Alfred caught the words 'leaving, urgent, and Government'.
Matthew's face fell and he turned to his brother. "Al, apparently something has come up and we need to leave right now. I'm really sorry, but I need to go with them. Don't worry he'll take good care of you." He motioned toward Arthur as he spoke.
"What?!" Arthur exclaimed, "No one told me about this!"
Ignoring him, Matthew continued, "I'll contact his ship as soon as I can, but don't contact me first, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."
He hugged Alfred close, ruffled his hair, and then ran off toward the airship again.
"Arthur, I'm sorry to just leave him here with you, but he is a fine mechanic and a fast learner. Matthew thinks that with training he would make a decent fighter too," he turned to Feliciano quickly, "We need to go."
The two men ran off after Matthew.
Arthur looked after them with a frustrated expression and then turned to Alfred. "What is going on?"
Surprised, but pleased to have someone finally address him directly, he just shrugged.
"Francis, like, crashed his ship in Mattie's yard and then Gilbert came to rescue them and Mattie went along too!"
Arthur looked at Feliks dumbly. "How on Earth did that damn frog manage to crash his ship this time?"
Feliks shrugged and Alfred asked, "This time?"
"The last time he crashed his ship, he happened to crash into mine. I'd hope that he gained some piloting skills, but apparently I was mistaken."
Alfred could not help but laugh at the way Arthur spoke.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Dude, what are you? Three hundred?"
"I beg your pardon?" Arthur replied indignantly.
Feliks clapped him on the shoulder. "I keep telling you to loosen up man." Then his face suddenly fell. "Oh that means no football tonight!"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Oh the tragedy."
Feliks sighed dramatically, then became slightly more business-like. "So, what did you like, come here for?"
"My compass needs calibrating, a new barometer and a new radio..." Arthur sighed before continuing, "Peter thought he could fix the other one..."
Feliks nodded knowingly. "Great. I was going to go back to town to show Al around anyway. Where is Peter?"
"Staying on deck with Heracles," he said, gesturing toward the massive ship behind him.
Alfred took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the ship before him. It was not as big as the airship, but it was still impressive nonetheless. It looked like a pirate ship right out of a movie. There was a long piece of wood that protruded from the front of the ship, and three white triangular sails attached to it. Two long masts stood proudly on the deck, each with a rectangular sail and a triangular sail on top. A huge triangular sail situated itself between the two masts. All the sails fluttered contentedly in the late afternoon wind. Alfred could not help but to look up in awe. Somehow, it seemed more regal than the airship; and, Alfred thought, it was befitting for the man in front of him. Yes, regal was a good word to describe them both.
Feliks started making his way back to the main part of the island, with Alfred and Arthur following close behind.
"So," Arthur said, falling into step beside Alfred, "You come from America?"
Alfred nodded, strangely pleased that Arthur wanted to have a conversation with him.
"And you just came last night?"
"Well, I've only been on this island for a few hours. But I spent almost all day on Ludwig's ship."
Arthur nodded. "You seem to be taking it well."
"Huh? Taking what well?"
"Everything, really," he gestured to the island at large. "Most people who are suddenly wrenched from their normal lives are scared and just want to go back. They don't want to believe that their government might have done them wrong."
Alfred shrugged. "Maybe it's easier for me because I have Mattie. And everyone on the ship is really nice, even if they are a bit weird..."
The little town was drawing closer.
"Who decided that you would be sailing with me?"
Alfred laughed self-consciously. "I don't really know actually..."
"Didn't they give you a choice?" Arthur asked, with a questioning look.
Alfred shook his head sadly.
"Oh... I'm sorry."
Alfred looked over at Arthur in surprise.
"What?" Arthur asked.
"It's just... No one has really seemed to care about what I wanted since I got here. I mean, I know that they are probably really sticking their necks out by helping me and all, but I didn't ask for any of this," Alfred explained with a sad smile.
Feliks turned to the two men behind him. "I don't want you to think I've been, like, eavesdropping or anything, but I'm sorry too Al."
Alfred smiled a little more genuinely and said, "Don't worry about it, it isn't like it's your fault. Either of your fault, actually."
Feliks stopped walking and looked thoughtful. "Hmm... Tell you what. How about you spend the day here with us, and then you decide whether you want to go with Arthur or stay here with me." He smiled brightly at Alfred.
"That sounds..." he trailed off, looking at the two sympathetic and earnest men. "That sounds great."
Feliks grinned and continued walking. "I'll totally show you all the best stuff about the island. You saw the ocean already. That's what made me want to live here in the first place."
"Do you really run the whole island?" Alfred asked interestedly.
"Yeah! Ever since I left America I lived here," he paused as if thinking. "And I knew that I didn't wanna live in the sky or at sea, so I ended up settling here. And then more and more people ended up on the island with me, and now we have entire cities here."
"Wow." Alfred looked around as they stepped back onto the road. "You mean that everyone here used to live in America?"
"Not everyone. Most of the adults did, but most of the kids were born here."
"That's so cool! Is it hard to run everything?"
"The place kind of runs itself. Most people here just wanted to have their own farms and live in peace. So most people just kind of help by giving supplies. At first everyone here were farmers and it was hard to get supplies. But as time went by, skilled workers showed up and now we can supply everything the resistance needs. Except metalwork... The ships themselves and anything else metal comes from either Ivan or Wang... But the metal is sent here for us to work with it."
Alfred wanted to ask who Ivan was, but he remembered that Toris was with Ivan... Whatever that meant. So he decided to avoid the subject and maybe ask Arthur later. "Arthur, did you come from America?"
Arthur shook his head. "No, I was born on the sea." As he said it, he gave another fond look at the water behind them. It was the same look Matthew had on his face when he was looking at the sky that morning. And it was the same look Feliks had on his face as he looked at the bustling market.
Feliks led them a small ways down the main road. It was just a simple brick road that was pleasantly warm on Alfred's bare feet. Everything seemed to be covered in a fine layer of sand and little rocks scattered about sent brief shots of pain through him, but it was easy enough to ignore. Feliks seemed completely used to it and pointed out different shops. He greeted nearly every single person that walked by, and little kids playing in the streets ran over to hug him when they saw him approaching. It had that small down feel, where everyone knew everybody else. But everyone was friendlier.
A few people that passed by greeted Arthur as well, and some stopped to shake Alfred's hand and welcome him to the island.
As Feliks led them further down the road, the stalls turned into little shops. The shops were lined up down the street and each one had a huge window in the front to attract potential customers.
Feliks brought them to the front of a slightly shabby shop and opened the door for his companions. A merry little bell chimed to announce their arrival. The first thing Alfred noticed when he walked in was that every single wall was covered in clocks of all shapes and sizes. Circles, squares, rectangles, cuckoo clocks, grandfather clocks, watches, pocket watches, and little trinkets with clocks attached lined the walls, dangled from the ceiling, and filled the shells. The vast majority of the clocks took the shape of trinkets, and tables displaying them were placed randomly throughout the shop. A soft symphony of ticks filled the air, all perfectly in unison.
An old man hunched over a workbench sat in a corner and he looked up when the group walked in.
"I'll be with you in just a moment," he called over.
"You can like, take your time. We aren't in a hurry," Feliks assured him, then went over to the nearest table to examine a little frog that was sitting on a clock the size of an orange.
The man nodded absentmindedly and continued tinkering with whatever he was working on.
Alfred busied himself admiring a particularly ornate grandfather clock and Arthur was inspecting a golden pocket watch.
After a minute the man stood up, adjusted his glasses, and ambled over to the counter.
"How can I help y- Oh Arthur!" he seemed to notice the man for the first time. "Wonderful to see you again! How long are you in town?"
Arthur smiled and went over to shake the man's hand. "Nice to see you again as well. I'm not sure actually. I can imagine I will at least spend the night, and maybe tomorrow."
"Excellent, stop by at some point eh? We can catch up over tea."
Arthur nodded. "That sounds lovely."
The man looked at Alfred and his eyes brightened. "Oh an Aviator? Haven't seen you here before, how long you been hanging around?"
Alfred walked up to the counter as well and shook the man's hand. "Only a few hours actually." He briefly wondered why the man would think he was an aviator, but then remembered that the clothes he was wearing would be rather obvious.
Feliks grinned and said, "That's Mattie's brother."
"Really?" the man looked at Alfred again, as if scrutinizing him. "Oh goodness, you look exactly like him, I can't believe I didn't see it sooner!" he shook Alfred's hand in both of his and smiled at him warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, a pleasure."
"Nice to meet you too," Alfred said, returning the smile. He was growing used to people taking more interest in him when they realized whose brother he was. How is it that everyone seemed to know Matthew?
"Well, what can I get you fine gents?" he asked the group once he released Alfred's hand.
"My nautical compass needs calibrating and I need a new barometer," Arthur answered.
The man nodded. "Do you have them with you or would you like me to head to your ship?"
"If you wouldn't mind, then coming to my ship would be easiest. How about around seven? We can have our tea then."
"Splendid," then he turned to Alfred again, "Your airship took off awhile ago, are you staying?"
Alfred nodded sheepishly.
"He might be staying here for like, ever!" Feliks said happily.
"Oh really?" the man said with interest. "Well, everyone is always welcome here."
"He's a damn good mechanic," Arthur stated.
Alfred looked at him with surprise.
The man laughed. "Don't be so modest, boy! Mechanics always have a way with clocks. Tell you what, if you stay, you can come work for me until you get yourself properly situated. And if you like it, you can help me run my shop. Whadda ya say?"
Alfred was thrown off by the sudden offer, but incredibly pleased all the same. "Thanks so much! I'd love to work here, everything looks so..." he trailed off, unable to find a word to describe the array of objects surrounding him, so he just gestured vaguely at it all.
The man laughed again, "I know exactly what you mean," he turned back to Arthur, "I'll see you at seven. Sorry I can't chat now, I'm working on something. Lovely to see you again Arthur. Always a pleasure to see you, Feliks. And- oh goodness, I'm sorry! I never caught your name!"
"Alfred," Alfred said with a grin, "Alfred F. Jones."
"And wonderful to meet you, Alfred Jones."
The three left the shop and Feliks started leading them farther down the street.
"If you do stay, Al, you really should take him up on his offer," Feliks said.
"I think I will... Hey Arthur, where'd that comment about me being a good mechanic come from?"
"If Ludwig says someone is a 'fine mechanic', then you must be a damn good mechanic."
Alfred was starting to like Arthur more and more.
Feliks glanced back at them. "I give you guys like a month."
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Arthur asked indignantly.
"You know exactly what I mean," Feliks replied with a giggle.
Alfred gave Arthur a questioning look. "What?"
"He means... You know," Arthur replied vaguely, gesturing at nothing in particular.
"I don't get it."
Arthur and Feliks stopped walking. "You don't get it?" Arthur repeated blankly.
"No?" Alfred asked more than stated.
"... Like your brother and Francis."
"What do you mean 'like my brother and Francis'?" Alfred was becoming steadily more bewildered. "I don't know what you mean... I mean, I know they fought or something, but aren't they friends now?"
Feliks and Arthur shared a look.
"Arthur, he doesn't swing that way."
"Swing what way?" Alfred asked, getting slightly frustrated. "Would someone please tell me what's going on? No one has been telling me anything! I didn't know who Arthur was! I thought he was a mermaid! And now I'm supposed to be his mechanic! I don't know the deal with my brother and Francis, and I don't know why my government is such a big deal, I don't know why I had to leave, and I don't know why I can't just go home!" unbidden tears sprang to his eyes, "I don't know where I am, or what I'm doing here, or if I can stay here, or what my brother is doing right now! I don't even know how everyone knows him or why people are so eager to have me around once they know I'm his brother! Just... Just tell me what's happening..." the last sentence came out as a whisper.
The two men listened to Alfred's rant first in astonishment, and then with sorrow. They did not know what to say when Alfred was done, and they were even more lost when he wiped his streaming eyes.
After a moment Arthur pulled a handkerchief out of one of his pockets and handed it to Alfred, who wordlessly took it and buried his face in it. He continued crying silently, though his shoulders were shaking
They were suddenly aware that they were in the middle of a busy street when a little girl slowly walked up to Alfred, and hesitantly tugged on his shirt.
"Mister Aviator?" she asked gently.
Alfred looked down at her through red eyes. He sniffed loudly and tried to pull himself together as he bent down to talk to her. "You need something, little miss?" he asked softly.
She shook her head and held a little daisy out to him.
He looked at it for a moment. "Is that for me?"
She nodded shyly.
He took it and tucked it into his belt. "Thank you so much... I wish I had something to give you back."
She looked pleased when he tucked it into his belt. "No, it's to cheer you up!" she said happily, "And you don't need to give anything back, silly!"
Alfred smiled genuinely and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "That is a great way to make people happy... Is that what you do cheer people up here?"
"No," she said with a giggle.
"Oh?" Alfred asked, sounding slightly amused, "Well, how do you cheer people up here?"
She blushed slightly, and glanced around, as if to make sure no one was looking. Then she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "That's how we really do it here, but I didn't want to do that at first because you're not from here, mister Aviator," she explained shyly.
He looked at her in shock, and his hand drifted to his cheek, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks as well. Then he said, "I'm not an Aviator."
She tilted her head and looked at his outfit, "You're not?"
He shook his head and smiled. "No, I'm just Alfred."
The girl smiled back. "Well, I hope you feel better, Alfred." She gave him another quick kiss and then ran back off to meet her friends.
Alfred stood back up, and put his hand back on his cheek.
"Is everyone here so..." He gestured vaguely in the direction of the girl.
Feliks smiled and nodded. "Yeah."
Alfred looked at Feliks properly and asked, "Is that seriously how you cheer people up here?"
Feliks nodded again and laughed.
Alfred looked fondly at the little flower tucked away in his belt and then noticed he was still holding Arthur's handkerchief.
"Oh, uhh, here," Alfred said, offering it back.
Arthur waved it off. "No, you can just keep it."
"You sure?"
Arthur nodded and then turned to Feliks. "How about you take care of the rest, and I'll head back to my ship with Alfred."
Suddenly feeling as if people were deciding things for him, Alfred opened his mouth to protest, but Arthur cut him off.
"Alright Alfred, I'll tell you everything you want to know."
Any protest Alfred had died in his mouth, and he felt bad for having doubted his friends' intentions. Then he simply tucked the handkerchief into his belt beside the daisy.
Feliks waved goodbye as he continued up the street, and the other two started walking back to the ship.
"So," Arthur began, "What do you want to know first?"
Alfred thought for a second, and then asked, "Why did Francis call you a mermaid?"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Because he is a complete and utter immature twat."
Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Aviators refer to Mariners as 'mermaids' and Mariners started calling Aviators 'fairies' in response," Arthur elaborated.
"And Francis started that?"
"More or less."
Alfred took a moment to chuckle appreciatively before he said, "And speaking of Francis, what's going on between him and Mattie?"
Arthur sighed and adjusted his belt nervously. "I don't know how much I can tell you on the subject, since it really is none of my business, but I suppose that you will either figure it out or find out eventually... He and Francis used to be together."
"Together?" Alfred repeated questioningly.
Arthur looked increasingly uncomfortable. "Yes... Together... as in boyfriends."
"Boyfriends? But... That... What?"
It had never even occurred to Alfred that two men could be together. It did not seem possible. Not that it seemed wrong, exactly; just foreign and unheard of. Things like that did not happen in America. Men dated women, and women dated men, that's just the way it was. That is all Alfred ever knew.
"I know that it may sound weird to you... Please don't think any less of your brother for it. You can't help who you love, and if you love someone, then something like gender shouldn't come between you. Your brother is one of the finest men I have ever had the pleasure to meet, and I sincerely hope that you can accept him all the same."
Alfred nodded. It was certainly something to think about. Something unexpected and unorthodox,-just like the airship crashing in his front yard- but something that really changed nothing about Matthew in the long run. He already knew that Matthew was exactly the same, and the same he would stay.
"I guess things have really changed in America," Arthur said bitterly.
"Huh, what do you mean?" Alfred asked.
"You know... America used to be called 'the land of the free and the home of the brave'. Everybody used to be accepted there. Everyone could say whatever they wanted and they could have any religion they wanted without having to be afraid of the Government chasing them down... But that was a long time ago."
Alfred was enthralled. "What happened?"
"It's a rather long story, but I suppose we have plenty of time," he paused as they stepped back off the road and onto the powdery sand once again. "I suppose it starts with World War Three. This is something you never would've been allowed to learn in history, so I'll just have to explain it as best I can... Well, the world used to be separated into different, uhh, geographical groups. And each group was called a country. Boundaries between countries would be decided mostly through war, but then a sort of stalemate was achieved with that after the second World War... After that, countries were more defined by the people who lived there... It would be hard to explain to you, but in simple terms, English speaking people would be grouped into one country, French in another, and so on. After that though, wars were fought for political reasons. People with disagreeing political or religious views would wage war on each other just because they could. Governments would lie to their citizens about different countries to make the people mad at each other. Tensions built for a long time for a number of reasons, but after awhile, World War Three happened," Arthur paused to look at Alfred. "Are you following so far?"
Alfred nodded. "Yeah, but I feel like there is an entire world of things I don't know. I feel stupid for thinking this now, but I didn't even know any land existed outside of the American landmass."
Arthur chuckled dryly. "There actually is an entire world of stuff you don't know, but don't worry, it will be easier to understand when I show you a map."
Alfred nodded again, and Arthur took it as an invitation to continue his explanation, "So, after World War Three, the world was pretty much in economical tatters. And whenever countries have it particularly bad, there tend to be outbreaks of communism. That's the kind of government America has now, by the way. After awhile, communism spread. And now America is just one big country run by one communist government."
"What's wrong with that though? Communism, I mean?" Alfred asked.
"The people don't know the truth. They don't know about all the people that have died trying to escape America, or tried to tell people about democracy. They don't know what it's like to believe in a God, or have pets, or fly in airplanes. They don't know what it's like to farm on a piece of land and know that that land and what they can make of it is their very own. That their hard work will pay off. People don't know about science or history, or anything that lies beyond what they can immediately see. They don't know about any of the things that makes life worth living, and they aren't allowed to. If they get a taste of freedom, if they know the truth, they can't go back or the Government will kill them."
Alfred looked solemn. "Is that why I can't go back?" he asked quietly.
Arthur just nodded, mirroring Alfred's solemness.
They were approaching the ship now, and a rope ladder dangled off the side. The two men climbed up and Arthur showed him the first world map that he had ever seen. He saw the world how was before the third World War. Arthur showed him the countries, told him their languages, told him of their people and their customs. He told Alfred about cellphones, airplanes, cars, computers, and the internet. About gay people, straight people, religion, dogs, and guns. About the things that people's beliefs can drive them to do. About democracy, and about capitalism.
"So, my government isn't okay because people don't know the truth?" Alfred asked.
Arthur contemplated his answer a long time before he responded. "Not exactly... It is more the fact that the truth is kept hidden for fear of people realizing all that has been done to them. Of course, I can't just declare that your government is wrong. That is for you to decide. If you agree with our cause, then you can help us achieve our goal, and if you don't, then we will see what we can do to get you back home."
"What if that doesn't work though? What if I can't go back?"
Arthur shrugged. "Well, no one here will hate you for it as long as you don't hinder our attempts. You can stay here with Feliks and he will set you up with a job or a farm and you can just live your life however you please. But all of that is for you to decide."
Alfred looked down at the world map. Canada, the United States, and Mexico stared back at him. "What exactly is your cause?"
"We want the people of America to know the truth. We aren't trying to force democracy on them, we just want them to know what their government has been doing, so people will stop getting killed."
Alfred swallowed hard and nodded. "I want to help you however I can."
A smile spread on Arthur's face. "I thought you would say that."
"Not that I really want to go back... Even if I do miss home... But, why did I have to leave in the first place?"
"I don't know for sure, but if I was to guess, I would say that it is because you are Matthew's brother. I'm not sure if Matthew has told you, but your parents were the revolution leaders almost since the beginning. And when they got caught, Matthew took over for them. The Government probably never would have believed that Francis' airship just happened to crash in his yard. So that means Matthew would have to flee. If he left you there, then the Government would either kill you because they would think you were spying, or hold you prisoner and torture you for information that you didn't have. Matthew really was just trying to protect you."
Alfred was almost dumbstruck. It never would have occurred to him that the Government would take him prisoner to get to his brother.
"They would really do that?"
"It wouldn't be the first time."
The thought made Alfred queasy, so he changed the subject. "Why is everyone so interested in me after they know that I'm related to Mattie?"
"Like I said, Matthew led the resistance for awhile. And I'm sure you've noticed, but Matthew is just the sort of person that other people look up to... And I'm sure you've thought it at some point, or maybe you will soon, but people here aren't just nice to you because of Matthew. People here just genuinely care," Arthur offered Alfred a small smile, "The man at the clock store would truly love to have you work there. You should take him up on it."
Alfred smiled back. "I'll think about it."
Feliks opened the wooden trapdoor in the back of the room and stuck his head down.
"Hey guys, am I like, interrupting?" Feliks asked, a grin spreading across his face as he saw the two smiling at each other.
Arthur shot Feliks a look. "No, not at all."
Feliks' head disappeared and he threw a pile of clothes on the floor below before he climbed down the ladder himself. The clothes landed with a much louder noise than Alfred expected. He scooped the clothes up and he made his way over to where they were sitting.
"So," he began conversationally, "depositing the clothes on the table on top of the maps, and pulling another chair out from the table, "I grabbed your clothes, Al. And you can pay in the usual way for the supplies, Arthur. Are you going to take care of your debt while you're here?"
Arthur nodded. "Yes, I may as well stay awhile," he carefully pulled the maps out from under the pile and rolled them up neatly.
"Great, the wheat fields are short-staffed," he said, and then started going through the pile of clothes. He pulled a vest, gloves, and boots out and pushed them into Alfred's lap and gave the rest of the pile to Arthur. Then he stood up and rummaged through his pockets for a folded piece of paper, which he also handed to Arthur. "Those are the instructions. This will take care of your tab, and you can take care of the rest in the fields," then he turned to Alfred. "You need a goggle hat right?"
Alfred watched the exchange with interest and replied, "Yeah... But I don't know how I'm going to pay for it."
Feliks laughed. "Well, we don't bother with money here. We barter."
"Barter?" Alfred asked.
"It means trading one thing for another," Arthur explained, "I do embellishing and embroidery whenever I'm here, but it only does so much, so I work other odd jobs as well."
Feliks nodded and said, "Yeah. So, you can, like, work in the fields with Arthur today and that will take care of your hat. But if you would prefer something related to mechanics, I could talk to the man at the clock store and work something out with him."
Alfred shook his head, "I wouldn't mind farming, since they need the help but... I've never done any field work before."
Feliks waved his insecurity off. "Oh don't worry about that, you'll get the hang of it."
"And um... This may sound like a silly question but how exactly will working in a field pay for a hat?" Alfred asked sheepishly.
"Well, everybody needs something, right? So I set it up so that if you work in the field, the managers of the farm will barter with other people for other things and so on until you can have a hat."
When Alfred looked even more confused, Arthur stepped in. "For instance. I'll work for the people who usually do embroidery. And then the son of the usual embroider will work for the clock man for awhile. I can't do any clockwork myself, so I have to go the long way to get some of his goods. But if you wanted a clock, then all you would have to do is work for him for however many hours, and then that would be the payment."
"That's a really great system," Alfred said, getting a better look at the cloth on Arthur's lap. It was all thin and smooth, like silk.
Feliks nodded. "Yeah, we tried a money system, but we are too agricultural for that... When I say I run the island, it's more like I'm the finance manager."
"Hey," Alfred began, turning to Arthur, "Why don't I just work for the clock man for you? It might be easier... I'd offer to just try to fix the compass and baro-thingy for you, but I wouldn't know what I was doing."
Arthur looked slightly surprised at the offer and replied, "You certainly don't have to. I'd have to do some work any way to get the radio."
Feliks looked thoughtful. "Hmm, how about you do the embroidery for the radio and your tab, and Alfred works for the horologist for a few hours, then you can help him in the fields for his hat and have tomorrow night free."
Arthur looked at Alfred, asking him silently if that was okay with him.
"That sounds fair," Alfred said, understanding Alfred's look and then nodding at Feliks.
"Yes, I agree," Arthur said after.
"Great. I have other things to do right now, but you can tell the horologist when he comes over, he should be here soon. Oh, and Al."
"Hmm?"
"Mattie radioed. He should be back tomorrow night. So you might want to decide where you want to go by then."
Alfred was suddenly apprehensive. Everything was happening so fast. He could not seem to relax and stay in one place for more than a day. Part of him was convinced that all of this was some sort of fantastic dream and he would wake up any minute, part of him was sincerely hoping that this was the case, and the last part was hoping that maybe this whole thing was real. It seemed too fantastical to be true, yet too fantastic to be false.
Arthur looked at him with concern. "You look really tired... How about you turn in early and just worry about it tomorrow?"
Feliks nodded. "Fieldwork is good for thinking."
Alfred was touched by their concern and he nodded. "That sounds nice."
Arthur stood up and opened a wooden door off to the side. "We have a spare room down the hall in the last room on the right. Hold on and I'll get you a change of clothes."
Alfred said goodbye to Feliks and went through the door. The door led to a long narrow wooden hall. There were doors on each side and little lamps hung on the walls, casting a soft glow down the whole hall. Alfred noted that the lamps were real oil lamps as he passed by. He tentatively opened the last door on the right and found a simple guest room. The wooden walls were carved into delicate designs along the top and bottom, and a neatly made bed sat in the corner. A wooden chair and desk were against one wall, and a circular window was on the wall above the bed, and a little bureau was at the head of it. Another gas lamp sat on the desk and a packet of matches was next to it. It had a nice homely feel and Alfred admired the carvings as he sat on the- surprisingly comfortable- bed.
He had not really paid attention to the gentle swaying of the ship, but that and his tiredness were even more apparent to him as he sat. Alfred gave into the urge to lie down, falling asleep almost immediately.
"Hey, Alfred, what do you," Arthur began, walking into Alfred's room and seeing him soundly asleep. "Think of my ship?" he completed with a small smile. He gently placed the clothes on the end of the bed and was about to leave the room, when he noticed that Alfred still had his glasses on.
Arthur quietly walked back to the bed and gently took the glasses of Alfred's face. He folded them and placed them on the little bureau. Then he noticed the daisy and the handkerchief still in the sleeping man's belt. Feeling as if it was the most awkward thing he had ever done, maybe on par with hugging Feliciano in his boxers, he carefully removed both. The handkerchief was folded neatly and the daisy was placed on top of it on the bureau.
"I change my mind," Feliks said from the doorway, making Arthur jump, "I give you guys like, two weeks."