Silver taught them how to open the hatches and release the boats. Emily found the whole thing rather boring, but it was the first thing Jim was showing any interest in at all, so she faked enthusiasm.
Silver had to take the life boat out for a spin before the teens could join in the fun, just to make sure everything was working correctly. As Silver took off, Emily watched Jim's facial expression slowly turn from excitement into a confused, sad stare. He didn't seem to be staring at anything in particular. Just before she was about to say something to him, Silver came back, inviting the kids into the small boat. Jim immediately became his old self again and practically jumped into the boat. Emily followed with a smirk on her face. It was nice to see him excited about something for once.
"… and this is the main throttle!" said Silver, finishing up his brief lesson on how to pilot the boat. "Lasses first!"
Emily got into the driver's seat. For it being her first time driving, she was doing rather well. That is, before she tried to do a barrel roll and almost got them all killed.
After the shock wore off, Silver broke the silence with a nervous laugh. "Wow Em, you are quite t'e little dare devil, aren't ya?"
Emily laughed out of embarrassment. "Ya, maybe Jim should drive." She moved to the other side of the boat and Jim quickly took control. He took off right away. His skill was incredible to say the least. Emily had seen him solar surf before, so she was only slightly surprised. Silver, on the other hand, was totally shocked.
The sudden speed made Emily's hair band fall out. Her bright orange was blowing everywhere, but she didn't seem to notice.
Jim saw a comet going past and started racing after it at break neck speeds. When he got behind it, he slowed down enough to take it all in.
A fine glitter like bright blue dust was coming off of it. The dust mixed with Emily's hair, making it look brighter than before. She laughed. "This is never going to come out."
"I hope you're right. It looks really cool!" Jim replied. Emily looked away quickly to hide the blush she could feel spreading across her cheeks. Jim didn't notice that his words had affected her in any way. Emily had no idea why the words had affected her. She rarely blushed.
Silver had noticed Emily's blush at Jim's comment, but he kept to himself.
Jim continued to do what Emily had failed at. He did several barrel rolls and other maneuvers that Emily simply had no name for.
Most of the ride was silent, because everybody was too busy taking in the rush of adrenalin to speak.
Finally, they made their way back to the R.L.S. Legacy.
Jim was all smiles when they all teased each other while tying the boat back up. For the first time during the whole trip, Jim and silver seemed to be genuinely getting along. This truly made Emily happy. She hated it when people fought, it reminded her too much of her parents.
"Oh, Jimbo! lf l could maneuver a skiff like that when l was your age, they'd be bowing in the streets when l walked by today!" exclaimed silver, plopping down in the securely tied up life boat. Morph mimicked him.
"I don't know. They weren't exactly singing my praises when l left home, but I'm gonna change all that," said Jim, settling in the boat next to Emily, who was busy playing with morph.
"Are you now? How so?" asked Silver.
"Uh, l got some plans. Gonna make people see me a little different," replied Jim, getting comfortable.
"Ooh." A moment of silence passed, but Jim didn't notice. "Sometimes, plans go astray."
"Not this time." Jim smiled and closed his eyes.
Silver looked at Jim, feeling guilty. A jolt in Silver's robotic leg caught his attention. He tried loosening a bolt on his leg by hand, but it wasn't working. Morph came to his aide by turning into a wrench. "Oh, thank ya, Morphy."
"So, uh, how'd that happen anyway?" asked Jim cautiously, looking pointedly at Silver's robotic leg.
"You give up a few things chasing a dream."
"Was it worth it?"
"Heh." He sighed. "I'm hoping it is, Jimbo. I most surely am." Silver looked down thoughtfully at his robotic leg for a moment. He looked up at Jim with a mischievous grin on his face. "So, uh, what about you and the little lady?"
"What?!" asked Jim, honestly not understanding the question. Silver looked pointedly at Emily. Jim hadn't noticed before, but Emily had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Jim shoulder was covered with glitter from her hair. The glitter made her look like a fairy. "Absolutely nothing is going on there!" Jim sounded way too determined to deny any relationship with Emily. "Me and Em are just friends!"
Before Silver could question him further, something rocked the ship.
