A/N: This one's a long one. Didn't really realise until it was finished. Hehehehe, oh well. Not necessarily a bad thing if you like to take it down a notch... my apologies in advance for the slow pace of this one. *sigh* I am sorry. Also, hands up who wants to be in a mailing list for an update or future LXG fics from me... I already have another idea ;) Let me know in your reviews! :D Thanks to everyone again!
Breakfast that morning was a slow and gradual affair, where people turned up one at a time, and rather wearily at that. It was as though no one had managed to achieve perfect sleep, instead waking every so often.
Mina had been disturbed by odd feelings most of the night, her senses playing on her mind, alerting her to a presence she could not -despite her best efforts- locate. Something had been troubling her since then, more so than the past few days, and it bothered her greatly that she could not put her finger on it.
She was one of the first to settle into her morning meal. Nemo of course, had been present upon her arrival, as always. The man was never tardy, always first to show himself. He was punctual beyond belief.
The next to arrive had been Dr Jekyll, who had helped himself to some of Nemo's traditional breakfast food, something Mina could not identify, and thought smelt very odd.
Anise had made her presence felt after that, accepting the food Jekyll politely offered her. Mina smiled at her only as she felt it necessary to be welcoming, and then pretended she did not exist. The girl seemed to have everyone in such a blind stupor it was ridiculous. It was as though they were impervious to suspicion. She had just waltzed in without question and been welcomed.
Mina could not understand this herself, but shrugged it off with a quiet sigh over her toast and marmalade, sipping her tea without a word, even as the fourth person entered the room in high spirits.
"Well something smells delicious, Nemo," Skinner chirped, walking to his seat without a break in his pace. "Morning everyone, how are we all today?"
Mina gazed to her right as Skinner made himself comfortable, and found herself asking, "And how much Scotch have you consumed this morning?"
Skinner glanced at her from behind dark glasses and grinned. "None, just yet. Give me an hour or two, and it'll be another story entirely."
"Perhaps the blow to the head has effected you more than you thought," chimed up Anise rather unexpectedly, and Jekyll laughed lightly.
Skinner looked up in surprise, and smiled. "Perhaps so," he agreed, even as the door opened once more, revealing the last addition to the table.
Tom yawned wearily as he approached his seat, scratching his head seemingly as a subconscious action, and offered a weak smile to the other inhabitants of the room. He tucked in the last bit of his shirt as an afterthought as he claimed his seat, and grabbed a slice of toast.
"Morning to you too, Sawyer," Skinner announced, pouring himself some tea, and offering the younger man some as well. Sawyer nodded, and let out a long breath.
"Sorry," Tom apologised half-heartedly, "didn't sleep too well."
Anise cast a glance in his direction with a -not surprisingly- concerned expression.
"Most probably your injuries," Jekyll offered as he sipped his tea. "Your body was trying to adjust."
"You're talking as though I was shot or something," Tom said in response, "you said so yourself, it was just bruising."
"And still is," Mina interjected as she perused a copy of the morning paper collected by one of Nemo's crew. "You should be careful."
Tom rolled his eyes none too subtlely, and sighed, his elbows resting on the table edges again, his hands knotted in front of his face. "Look, it's nothing."
The table fell quiet after that, and none were going to challenge the vehement words Tom had just spoken. He was convinced he was fine, and the others seemed to accept this, even if they didn't believe it. They just knew better than to try and win an argument with him.
Mina turned her attention back on the newspaper, and her eyes perused the headlines printed in bold black, skimming the paragraphs here and there for anything useful or intriguing.
There was a small report on local animal populations acting oddly that made Mina mildly curious for a moment. She read the article, and found herself not quite so interested anymore. They were putting it down to the weather, and something to do with astrology, which wasn't really her area.
Turning her attention from the paper back on to her toast, she continued with her breakfast with the others sitting quietly and pensively all around her.
Henry retraced Sawyer's steps of the previous night with the young man, the two rather quiet as they walked, unarmed other than the concealed Colt pistols at the latter's waist. They did not wish to appear suspicious to the general public, who wandered around them -and sometimes into them- as they travelled.
They had broken up into groups, so chosen by Mrs Harker, who seemed to have somewhat taken on the mantle of leadership as of late. Nemo and Skinner had been chosen to browse the dock and its surrounding area. Harker and Miss Delacroix were investigating the area closer to the city centre, where they would be able to use -as Skinner had so tactfully put it- their 'charms' to get information.
Henry strode into the area where Hyde had found the disturbance the previous night, and looked into the fenced-off quarter where several dogs were resting theirselves. They looked up at the intrusion, and one pined at the sight of them and retreated into a hastily built shelter, tail between its legs.
Sawyer wandered up to the fence thoughtfully, and stared inside. His arms crossed over his chest as he observed the animals, and Henry came over to him curiously.
"Is something the matter?" Henry inquired. He noticed the intensity of Sawyer's gaze, and stood at a distance, not exactly afraid of the young man, but wary from experience.
Sawyer tilted his head in reflection, and replied quietly, "They moved the dead ones."
Henry felt the twin confusion from Edward in his mind, and chose to persist with his curiousity; "Dead ones?"
"The dogs," Sawyer informed him with a brief glance for accompaniment. "Evans killed two last night for making noise."
"For simply making noise?"
Sawyer nodded with a furrowed brow, and frowned. A dog had padded forward timidly, and stuck its wet nose against the fencing to smell the strangers. Sawyer touched the fingers of one hand to the wire so the dog could get his scent. The animal's tongue thrust out lazily and licked him, making half a smile come to the man's face. He allowed himself to tickle the dog's nose and muzzle, and it panted, whether in the heat or from enjoyment Henry did not know, nor did he mind.
Henry smiled, and patted Sawyer on the back lightly as he continued to investigate the area, which was starting to look like a sort of yard. There was litter, such as newspapers and cigar butts down here, and something Edward seemed to notice more than Henry.
Blood. He walked over to inspect it closer at greater length as he asked, "What exactly transpired before we arrived last night?"
Sawyer took a while to reply, but when he did, he seemed distracted, as though he were still petting the animal through the fence; "We heard the dogs making noise, and I mean a lot of noise. They were going crazy, like they'd felt threatened or something. That was when Evans killed the first one, and he and some of his men showed up. He killed another dog, and Anise told him to stop it. We had a little bit of a heated discussion, and that was it."
"A heated discussion?"
"There was some..." Sawyer hesitated, "name-calling, I suppose you could call it."
"Sounds a little juvenile," Henry added light-heartedly, simply glad Sawyer and Miss Delacroix were unharmed. There was a lot of blood here.
Sawyer laughed quietly. "Anything but. Anise got quite angry with Evans."
"She did? Do the two have a history then?" Henry crouched to inspect the blood, some of which hadn't fully dried yet. With the amount of it present, he wasn't surprised.
"I think so." Sawyer had left the fence, and came up beside him now. "He asked about her 'investigation'. I think he knew she was chasing him... and me."
"I see," Henry mumbled, taking his handkerchief from his pocket, and dabbing it against the wall, bringing it away with an impressive amount of blood on it.
"He was about to kill us both when Skinner threw the rock."
Henry turned his gaze upon the younger man, confused and a little humoured. "He threw a rock?"
"Hey, it worked," Sawyer said with a smile, looking around the floor before shoving something with his boot. Henry's gaze followed the kick, and he saw an impressively sized stone wobbling from the shunt. He moved to it, and examined it. He put his handkerchief in his left pocket, and withdrew another fresh one from inside his jacket, wiping more blood from the surface of the makeshift weapon.
"I wonder who moved the dogs," Sawyer mused quietly, looking back over to the enclosure, narrowing his eyes.
"Most probably an owner from one of these buildings. Maybe they all keep their animals in the same area for safekeeping."
"Not so safe after all," Sawyer corrected.
"Apparently not," was Henry's agreement as he placed the second cloth in his right pocket, separate from the first. He would have Mrs Harker examine it at length with him back on the Nautilus.
The two men fell quiet as their investigation of the area continued.
Jacques Beauvais ached all over as he patted down the last of the soil on the small grave. If Charles knew what he was doing out here, he would have Jacques exterminated. He would consider him weak and pathetic.
Who was he to leave those dogs to rot in that cage? He wasn't just some animal like Charles seemed to think. He had compassion, albeit in small doses, and he cared for creatures such as the ones put down by the other man not twelve hours ago.
Jacques had been lucky not to be spotted by Charles when leaving the mansion, and had decided against taking the animals back through the building. He had carried them over the high wall into the grounds, and buried them at the foot of the impressive garden, in a flowerbed that had been ignored for some time.
Jacques hoped Charles did not suddenly feel the need to have a little scenery in his gardens, or the graves would be discovered.
But why had he taken such pleasure in destroying the animals? In front of Jacques and the others as well... he should have known better. There was talk. Talk that Charles did not care for them as much as he claimed. Talk that he would betray them when he had gathered what he wanted.
He was not the only one concerned, he knew. There were many like him. Many that had looked upon Charles after escaping the fight and regarded him with hidden disgust, even fear.
If Jacques and the others made such a disturbance, regardless of the importance, would they be put down so heartlessly?
The marvel that she was able to walk unharmed in sunlight had always been a great blessing to Mina, and she revelled in its intensity as she made her way back to the Nautilus, the girl behind her somewhere, taking in the sights with a childlike awe.
It was no different than any other city, so what had her so fascinated? It was growing quite aggravating. She even quickened her pace to try and indicate that they weren't here for their own leisure. They were here to do a job.
Finally, the girl seemed to realise they had a schedule to keep, and came up beside Mina, and asked, "Have you visited America before, Mrs Harker?"
"I have, on a number of occassions," Mina replied haughtily, and glanced about. They were approximately ten minutes from the Nautilus at their current rate of travel. They were making good time. They would be able to report what they had found to the others soon enough.
"And do you like it?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Her face was like that of some child when they opened a gift, and she restated, "Do you like it?"
"It is simply another country, with more people, Agent Delacroix, nothing more, nothing less." She could have looked upon her behaviour as rude and abrupt, but if the girl insisted on asking silly questions, she was going to get less than polite responses. It wasn't Mina's job to make her feel welcome. Sawyer seemed to be doing swimmingly on his own.
"You have no opinion?" Delacroix inquired lightly, and when Mina turned to look at her, she noticed the younger woman wore a smile.
"I have my opinions, but they are my own, and not often shared," Mina informed her.
"And why is that?"
"Because, Miss Delacroix, you will quite often find that not everyone thinks the same way, and arguments and disagreements can soon break out, some ending rather badly."
She picked up her pace a little then, hoping this would finalise the discussion, but she was surprised to find that the girl was at once by her side again, more confidence in her words as she said, "You are referring to your fight with Tom?"
"No," Mina replied at once. "It was merely a statement."
"Why did you have an argument? Was it about me?"
Mina couldn't believe the ego of this woman. "No it was not. It was really quite private."
"I could just ask Tom what happened," Delacroix had the nerve to say, even though she added it quietly as though she thought Mina would not hear.
Silly girl, Mina thought with a scowl into nothingness ahead, she knows of my heightened senses.
"Oh, yes, by all means, run off to poor Tom and ask for his version," Mina scoffed, rolling her eyes from behind the webbed veil of her hat.
"Why is it that you are so rude to me, Mrs Harker, if I may be so bold?"
"Rude? You find me rude?" Mina asked of the young woman coldly. "Oh, then I must apologise, because you see, I find it very hard to trust complete strangers. I'm unusual that way."
Delacroix furrowed her delicate brow in what looked to be feigned upset. "You do not trust me..."
"No, to be quite frank, I do not," Mina assured her, and even stopped in her walking in the middle of the street to emphasise this by turning on her. She was a number of inches taller, and her shadow fell over the younger woman's face. "In my opinion, you have simply invited yourself along on our mission, hoping to aid your own on the way, whilst making your feelings about Agent Sawyer more than public attention." She scowled. "Why, I'm quite surprised I haven't yet found the two of you kissing at the dinner table like the love-sick children that you are!"
Delacroix did not waver beneath this attack, and retaliated, "And why does this bother you so? Why do you let it matter? I would be quite interested to know why you seem so intent on making me feel most unwelcome."
"Because, dear girl, as you said, I do not trust you, nor frankly, to be brutally honest," she paused, perhaps for dramatic affect, "do I like you, Agent Delacroix."
"Well that is really not of importance, is it, Mrs Harker? You see, the others have made me feel most at home onboard the Nautilus, and if I choose to stay, then I shall do so. Tom has made it very clear I would be welcome." Was that triumph on her face?
How dare she? Mina growled in her mind, wishing nothing more than to slap the girl for her impertinence.
"How very sweet of him," Mina rejoined quietly with one last glare, before she turned back on her previous path and continued on her way, knowing with a sense of begrudging that the silly girl would follow, if at a distance.
Anise reeled internally from the clash with Harker, and took only some small satisfaction in the fact that the older woman had gone very quiet after her tale of how Tom had invited her to remain with them.
Words from the heated discussion flowed in and out of her thoughts, and one phrase stuck there after a while; 'How very sweet of him'.
So it had been Harker to shoot Tom down as he had stated a few nights previous. She had been the one to tell him that this trait was not a positive thing.
Anise found herself scowling at the back of Harker's head then, and she was quite tempted to throw something at the spot she concentrated on. She resisted with some difficulty, and wondered how anyone could deny the charms of Tom Sawyer. He was a compassionate, honest and sensitive man, whom anyone should have felt honoured to have the attention of.
But then, Anise supposed, women like Harker probably scrounged for the attention of snivelling, vain gentlemen with more money than intelligence, ones whose own portraits adorned their wealthy abodes, and men who liked to bore their company with tales of their own implausible greatness.
Ignorant, self-centred, and impossible to admire or grow attached to sincerely. That was how Anise categorised such 'men'... such creatures so full of pride and undeserved sense of self.
No, to her, men were something to be respected for who they were and what they accomplished. Men like Tom Sawyer. He was brave, noble and considerate, as she had seen so far. He was strong too, she could tell, but had his own undeniable weakness that he tried to hide from the world. But he had let her see it... she wasn't sure what this meant.
What was it he thought of her? How did he look upon her?
She knew he admired her in some regard at least, for the kiss that night had told her so. His attitude towards her, of happiness and warmth, encouraged her to think that he perhaps more than admired her.
The kiss. She was still feeling the effects of this contact with him, such sudden passion that had thrown her for a loss. He had left her yearning for more of his touch, of his smell and of his taste. She had felt as though he had been what she had searched for secretly since her life had taken a turn not long ago... a turn that made her feel empty and alone. Utterly alone.
Tom took all that away, washed it aside like the refreshing waves of the ocean as it beat against the shore. He made her feel safe, made her feel like she belonged, something she had not experienced in some time. He filled her with content and a fire that he seemed so intent on sharing. When he was with her, she did not feel so vulnerable, so cold, or so selfish as she did sometimes.
And even as she felt all of this, she knew in part that she should not allow herself to succumb to its intoxicating highs. She was here for a reason. Evans. That could not be so easily shoved aside as an unwanted item of food. No. She had pledged herself to this, and no matter how much she longed for some peace and some security with Tom Sawyer, she couldn't help but give in to her duty. She had to concentrate.
But there was still nothing stopping her from falling in love like never before.