Chapter 9

Captain Hook opened the door of his cabin aboard the Jolly Roger and politely motioned for Captain Sturmsi to enter before him, which she did with some mostly faked apathy at his daring attempt to be chivalrous towards her, although she was unwittingly somewhat impressed with the strikingly gallant demeanor that he displayed now after the altercation that had transpired between them before. After that incident, Sturmsi had certainly not been expecting Hook to actually have the gall to invite her onto his ship like this and with only a minor trace of chagrin she found herself being rather amused by it and had thus decided to play along with him for the time being.

The table was set elegantly for high tea and Hook even went as far as to pull a chair out for Sturmsi as though she was every bit a proper lady. Her eyes went narrow at this and with an impish smile she only bowed her head slightly as a thank you before taking the seat. Unperturbed, Hook proceeded to take his place at the opposite side of the table. Sturmsi wondered with heightened curiosity as to where this was going to lead and if Hook could actually be stupid enough to try and patronize her. Fortunately, at least, he hadn't tried to kiss her hand - that would have been a rather unpleasant experience for both of them.

Hook regarded Sturmsi for a few moments in silence while he waited for the crewman that he'd designated to be their waiter to come as he was expected to very shortly. He watched her as she sat glancing around the room, nonchalantly regarding the many object within it as if she were mentally cataloging a bunch of uninteresting items that were stockpiled in some bland warehouse. She appeared to be fully human at the moment, at least on the surface, and she bore no outward indication of the creature that she truly was, save for her eyes; although their basic configuration was relatively normal her irises seemed oddly metallic, like they were made of a smooth foil which reflected strange hues of light that seemed to be coming from nowhere around her diamond-shaped pupils. Her body was a bit stocky for a woman, her shoulders being rather broad, but overall it was quite well proportioned and her wide hips and buxom chest gave her a rather impressive hourglass figure. Other notable features about her were the coarse dark auburn hair that was cropped short and combed backwards on her head so that it was spiked out somewhat in the back and a prominent widow's peak in the front and center with short feathery bangs parted to both sides of it, as well as a pale complexion that had a slight yellow tinge and a face that looked a bit chiseled and gaunt. She was strangely beautiful, in a very odd sort of way, and Hook couldn't help but notice that; if he didn't know better he might have even found himself being somewhat attracted to her, if only because it had been so long since he'd actually been with a woman and he was nonetheless still a man, not to mention a sailor. But, of course, he knew very well that Sturmsi was not a real woman by any stretch of the imagination and thus her deceptively feminine facade instilled within him a feeling of revulsion rather than desire and it caused him to shudder inwardly; it was even worse than when he looked at the mermaids and other such females of non-human species that were common in Neverland and he actually had to suppress the urge to wrinkle his nose at the abomination that now sat right before him.

Hook was just beginning to wonder where the lollygagging lummox was that he was waiting for when, just then, as if on cue, there was a knock at the door that was accompanied by voice on the other side of it that was familiar to both of the cabin's occupants, "Bosun Smee reportin' fer duty, Sir, with yer vittles as ya ordered, Capt'n, to be sure."

"Come in, Bosun," Hook barked. He signed with some relief at the fact that he hadn't had to get up and go fetch him when Smee entered the cabin somewhat apprehensively, carefully pushing in the cart of food and drinks that he'd been told to bring the captain and his guest.

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Smee responded with some cheer that was faked but not noticeably so as he entered the room and then began dutifully serving the meal just as he'd been instructed to.

"Smee!" Sturmsi exclaimed jovially and her previously dull expression lit up markedly with his presence as her shimmering eyes focused on him in a friendly manner. "How good of you to join us!" This was the first time that she had seen him since her return to the Roger and she had been wondering where he was. She'd surmised that he'd been below deck attending to some bosunly duties down there and she was quite happy to see that Hook had chosen him to be their server for this little tea party. However, regardless of Hook's intentions, Sturmsi intended to have Smee sit down with them for a while so that she could actually converse with him for once, something that she was a lot more interested in doing at the moment than conversing with Hook.

"G-Good afternoon, Capt'n Sturmsi, Ma'am" Smee replied with a tinge of fear in his voice that he tried really hard to hide (without much success) and he paused briefly to give her a courteous bow before resuming his task at hand.

"Thank you, Boson Smee," Sturmsi purred smoothly when Smee poured her some tea and she bowed her head to him to convey her gratitude in much the same way that an Asian person might do. She had, in fact, spent a good deal of time around the Oriental regions and, having developed a fondness of their culture, she had subsequently picked up a few of their habits in the bargain.

Much of Smee's fear was abated by the soft tone that Sturmsi used with him. "Sure now, and you're quite welcome, Ma'am," he replied as he respectfully mimicked her bow in return. Then he went and did the same for Hook after pouring his tea, who, of course, did not reciprocate the gesture, something that Smee had in no way expected him to do. But Sturmsi noted it with a flare of chagrin and her eyes narrowed for a moment at Hook's blatant indifference towards his obliging amanuenses. After that, Smee placed the trays of dried venison, smoked fish, and bread upon the table along with the teapot and a bottle of wine. Now that the serving cart was empty he turned back to Hook for further instruction. "Might there be anythin' else ye desire at the moment, Capt'n Hook, Sir?" he asked.

"No, Smee. That will be all for the time being. You may return to your regular duties until I call for you again," Hook informed him. He was eager for Smee to leave so that he could begin speaking with Sturmsi in private.

"Aye, Sir," Smee responded and he turned and began pushing the cart towards the door of the cabin as he fully intended to comply with Hook's order and make a prompt exit.

But Sturmsi was not about to let Hook just shoo him away like that. "Uh, excuse me, Bosun Smee," she called hastily, halting him in his tracks with a polite expression on her face and he shrank away from her a bit in surprise. "I realize that you must have a lot of important duties to attend to, but...I would be very much obliged if you could sit down with us for a spell and have some tea..." then she switched her gaze to Hook and stared at him intently as her expression changed quite abruptly to one of thinly veiled contempt, "IF Captain Hook would be so kind as to permit it, of course."

"Uhh...w-well, uh...I-I, uh..." Smee attempted, not sure of how he should respond to that request and so he looked to Hook for guidance.

Hook flinched in response and stifled a growl as he stared at both of them with a strained look on his face. He hadn't anticipated this and he thought that the last thing he wanted was for Smee to actually sit down at the table with them but then he realized that wasn't quite true. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to put Sturmsi off this early in the game. So, with a sigh of resignation he motioned for Smee to comply with Sturmsi's wish and while gritting his teeth he said, "Very well. Sit down, Mr. Smee, and pour yourself a cup of tea."

"Uh...aye, Sir," Smee replied, a bit confused about the situation but also glad for actually being allowed to stay. He knew that Hook didn't want this and that fact alone made him want to leave but he was still quite afraid of Sturmsi, almost as much as he was afraid of Hook, and he was willing to do almost anything to keep her from getting angry again. He sensed the precariousness of the situation by the tension in the air as he carefully sat down in a chair at the side of the table on Hook's left and Sturmsi's right and he decided that it would behoove of him to keep quiet as much as possible so as not to provoke any unwanted attention from either of the formidable captains that he was now stationed between. He poured himself a cup of tea then and sipped it gingerly as he grasped the teacup in both of his small, bony, calloused hands and silently prayed that he wouldn't get clumsy as he often did and spill it.

Sturmsi noticed that Hook was at a loss for words at the moment and so she took the opportunity to try and start a conversation with Smee. "So, Mr. Smee...tell me a bit about yourself, would you? I'm curious to know more about your life."

Smee swallowed the swig of tea that he'd just taken a little too hard and barely avoided choking on it. He had not expected to be addressed in that sort of manner, as though he was actually interesting enough to warrant the attention. "Uhh...w-well, uh, i-is there anythin' in particular that you'd be wantin' ta know, Ma'am?" he asked cautiously.

"Hmm..." Sturmsi pondered as she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Ah, I know," she said, leaning forward again. "How did you become a pirate?" she asked as she cinched both of her hands together in a unified fist on the table before her and looked at Smee intently, eagerly awaiting his response.

"Well now," Smee began, setting his teacup down, as he tried to figure out where to start, "that's...a bit of a long story, it is."

"Do tell. I really would like to know," Sturmsi insisted.

Smee then began telling her the rather complicated story in the clearest way that he could manage, beginning with the day that he'd first left his homeland as a young lad to venture forth on the briny, explaining how he'd met and come to be employed by Captain Hook, and ending with their acquisition of the Jolly Roger. He paused every so often to scratch his head as he painstakingly recalled the memories and put them into words as comprehensively as he was able to.

Hook, meanwhile, occupied himself with the wine. He used his claw to remove the cork by impaling it and yanking it outwards to pop the seal and displace it from the bottle then he picked it off the point of the prosthesis with his fingers and set it aside. He poured himself a generous glass of the burgundy liquid that was made from fermented Neverberry juice and spiked with a generous amount of homemade brandy, which he drank rather quickly, and then he poured another that he sipped at a more subdued pace while Smee finished telling his elaborate and somewhat embellished version of his life story. Hook noted, however, that he had at least gotten most of the significant details right, as far as he knew, and that amazed him. He also wondered incredulously at the steadfast attention that Sturmsi gave him the entire time, especially when he realized that it did appear to be genuine interest that she was showing rather than plain courtesy. It's not like the story was all that interesting, at least not to him.

"...and, well, uh, that be about it, me thinks," Smee said, wrapping it up. "Be apologizin', I do, if anythin's a mite outa sorts there, Ma'am, but I do hope 'twas well enough to be answerin' yer question, uh, satisfactory-like, to be sure."

"Yes," Sturmsi replied, nodding her head in approval. She had been sitting forward, listening with her head cocked in rapt attention while she deciphered the gist of the story through Smee's thick and sometimes confusing (but nonetheless charming) old Irish seaman's dialect. She had, indeed, found it quite interesting and now that it was finished she eased back into her chair in a less studious posture. "That was a very interesting story, Mr. Smee. I appreciate you sharing it," she assured, tapping the table in front of her with the tip of her index finger a couple of times for emphasis. She understood that speaking at lengths was not one of Smee's strong points and she appreciated his honest effort to please her by spicing up the story with a few really cute, albeit obvious, embellishments. Then she looked at Hook who was leaning back in his chair with his half-empty wineglass in a posture that implied boredom. He would almost have looked to be drowsy except for the fact that his sharp blue eyes were fully alert and drawn to every movement that was made before him, no matter how slight it was. "Do you have anything to add, Captain Hook?" Sturmsi asked then, although it was more of a way of granting him permission to speak than it was a real question.

Hook cleared his throat and sat up in his chair as he set his wine glass down and then he placed his hands together on the table on front of him before speaking. "I do say, that was quite an adequate summary of the long, illustrious, and somewhat sordid history of Bosun Smee's pirating career. Speaking of which, that is something I am looking forward to the further practice of, if he would be so kind as to continue it. I do very much appreciate your work, Bosun. It is very important to me and I do require it to be completed on a daily basis," he said, looking at Smee with derision as he tried to convey his intense desire for him to voluntarily take his leave now without making it too obvious to Sturmsi that it was a prod, an endeavor that was only halfway successful - Smee got the drift but then so did Sturmsi just as well, and although it irritated her she decided not to press the issue and she waited quietly for Smee's reaction. She was also a little amused by the fact that Hook had actually thought that he was capable of sneaking something past her like that while simultaneously expecting Smee to get it and she half expected it to go right over Smee's head in the bargain.

But during his career Smee had become attuned to Hook well enough, especially after their arduous stay together in Neverland thus far, that he was able to take the hint. "Oi, thanky, Capt'n Hook, and you're quite welcome now, I'm sure," he said hastily before turning to Sturmsi. "Eh, be there anythin' else that ya might be wantin' ta know from me, Ma'am?" he asked politely, hoping the answer would be negative so that he would no longer be required to remain in the presence of his growingly anxious captain.

Sturmsi cocked her head and looked at Smee for a few moments with a thoughtful expression, honestly trying to make sure that there wasn't anything else that she really wanted to ask him at the moment while simultaneously taking some perverse pleasure in the obvious discomfort that she knew Hook was experiencing by not being able to order Smee out of the room in her presence, let alone being able to pick him up and physically throw him out of it as she knew he was itching to do. Finally, she decided to relent. "No, Mr. Smee, not at the moment. Nothing in particular comes to mind, anyway."

"Oh, well then, I should be gettin' back ta me duties now then, to be sure. There do be a wee bit o' things what needin' ta be finished up afore I can be callin' it a day," Smee said as he stood up from the table and stepped away from the chair he'd been sitting in. Then he turned back around quickly and pushed the chair in under the table, having almost forgotten to do so, and he flashed Hook an apologetic glance as he did it.

Surprisingly, Hook's gaze had softened quite a bit at his bosun's unexpectedly hasty compliance with his subtly given order to vacate the scene as well as his equally unexpected tact in doing so, something that Hook felt almost as grateful for as the simple fact that the lummox was finally leaving.

Smee grabbed the handle of the food cart and pulled it behind him as made his way towards the exit but then he paused a few feet away from Sturmsi. "Sure now, Capt'n Sturmsi, Ma'am, I do be thankin' ya fer bein' so kind as to've tolerated me in yer company," he told her quietly as he bowed to her again with sincere appreciation and then, before she had the chance to reply, he quickly resumed his progress towards the door. Upon reaching it he pushed it open and, after finagling the cart through the threshold before him, he stepped out of Hook's cabin.

"Bosun Smee!" Hook called after him loudly just as he was about to close the door behind him.

Smee was jolted by his captain's harsh-sounding tone and he halted the progress of the closing door just before it was latched and then he pushed it open again just enough that he could peer back inside to face Hook. He was afraid that he'd forgotten something or done something wrong. "Uh, aye, Sir?" he asked with trepidation.

"You may forego the remainder of your duties for the rest of the evening," Hook informed him flatly.

"Eh, um, what now, Sir?" Smee questioned with a puzzled look on his face.

When Hook saw that Smee was genuinely confused by his statement he sighed before rewording it for added clarity. "I'm giving you the rest of the night off. Get some rest, Bosun. I'll have Cookson clear the table when we're finished," he told him. "Good night," he snapped then, as an afterthought.

"Oh, uh, aye, Sir!" Smee replied happily when he finally got the point and then he closed the door and made a hasty retreat to return the food cart to the galley and to go ahead and finish up a few other things that he didn't want to leave undone before actually retiring to his hammock down in the ship's fo'c'sle.

Hook sighed with great relief and eased back into his chair as he noticed the subtle smile of approval that Sturmsi was giving him just then and he silently commended himself on the smart move he'd just made - he'd managed to use Smee to break some of the ice between himself and the other captain while keeping the bosun in his place and then he'd managed to dismiss him while preventing the demoness from getting irate about it by openly granting him an unexpected reward for his obedience that would also keep him from being a further distraction - a shrewd accomplishment that he felt rather proud of at the moment, and he smiled back at her to convey a sense of reticent camaraderie as he truly hoped that this little social he was having would be the beginning of the end of her hostility towards him. He felt that if he continued to play his cards right then it very well could be and that alone would be well worth the effort. However, he also thought that it could potentially lead to the actual alliance that he ultimately wanted to gain with Sturmsi - and what an immeasurably valuable ally she had the potential to be. He also understood with some foreboding that if he failed to play his cards correctly then the results could be quite disastrous, and so he proceeded with a fair degree of caution. "Would you care for some wine, Captain?" he offered politely, holding up the bottle with his hand in a friendly gesture.

(Continued...)