Chapter 46 - Soothing the Tides
The Nautilus, Mediterranean Sea: October 16th

Mina knocked on Skinner's door and waited. Now Nemo and Sawyer were back on board after the funeral and everything had been explained, Mina had offered to speak to Skinner, make sure he was alright and perhaps get an explanation out of him. Hopefully, he'd be more honest with her.
"It's open," he called although he didn't sound too enthusiastic about it.

Mina opened it and found Skinner buttoning the last of the buttons on his coat. "Sorry, Nemo, but- Oh." He stopped in his work. "You're. You're not Nemo."
"Nemo is trying to speak to Lupin," Mina explained. "Although I doubt he'll have much success. I'm hoping for a better reception here."

Skinner gave up and sat down on his bed. Mina could still smell the alcohol on his breath, but he seemed to have his wits about him. "Believe it or not I'm not in the mood for talking."
"I know," Mina said softly. "But I need to know what's gotten you like this. You're acting cold, Rodney, and harsh. None of us likes to see you in such a way, it's not you. Please tell me what's bothering you so much."
"Him, Mina, him. I can't stand the sight of him. From the very beginning of this, people have been getting hurt because of him. He's a self-centred arrogant little prat. Why should I roll out the welcome wagon now he's onboard?"

"Lupin has tried to make amends where he can," Mina said. "He certainly saved Nemo's life."
"Please don't come here trying to defend him. It's not about what he has and hasn't fixed. People are hurt, inside and out. We've all gone through hell and he can't do anything about that. He shouldn't have done what he had in the first place. Why am I the only one who can see that?" Skinner answered.

"You aren't the only one," Mina insisted but with a softness to her voice. She didn't want to argue with him. "It's not like that, I promise you, but Nemo is trying to heal, inside and out, and we are trying to help where we can, but I think you know that… I can't help but wonder if there's more than Lupin that has caused this," Mina said, sitting on the bed beside him. "And I think I know what that may be… Pavan, isn't it?"

Skinner let out a deep sigh and looked to make sure his door was shut. He lowered his head and didn't look up from the floor. "Yeah, I. I guess… The whole fire thing… I tried so bloody hard to fix that, get better and save Nemo and Ishmael, and I still messed up. I technically got you killed, I got Pavan killed."
He sighed and looked down. "So, yes, I'm angry at myself, and I'm furious at all of them for getting us in that situation in the first place. And then! Lupin got a one time ticket away and he still caused trouble by luring Robur back toward us. I see his smug little face and I just can't help it."

"I understand, I do, but you can't take out your every frustration on him. These conflicts are affecting everyone on board. Talk to me, talk to one of us, but you can't let your anger upset your friends. It helps no one and it's clearly not helping you."
"I know, I know," Skinner grumbled, he amused himself by rummaging in his pocket for his gloves, passing them from one hand to the other, "but none of you see what I see; when Nemo's by himself and upset or when he's terrified of losing Ishmael to Robur. Even before it kicked off at Belgium, you saw how much Ishmael was suffering. I hate seeing them like that, and then I see that little… sod, pretending to be hurt and making more trouble and I just can't help it. I can't keep my mouth shut."

Skinner sighed and looked away, "well there's your reception. I'll probably relax a little when he goes. At the minute I daren't turn my back on him in the likely event he'll try something else."
Mina nodded, she reached out and squeezed his hand. "Thank you. But please, should you see him again, try to be civil with Lupin, for Nemo's sake. And I think you owe an apology to Ishmael at the very least."
"I will. I realised I'd been a right prat back there. I can't wait to see the back of Lupin anyway."

Mina made a hm noise, "I expect this is not going to be the last we see of the Mysterious Men."
"Me neither, and that's what frustrates me the most."

Cassis, Marseilles, France: October 18th

Sawyer knew there would be a fight at some point on the way to France. He was just surprised it had taken as long as it did. From what Quatermain had told him, Skinner had pushed Lupin to his limits by talking even slightly about the Mysterious Men. The Frenchman had snapped. Lupin hadn't appeared since; he had not even left his room for as much as a moment.

No one had wanted to tell Nemo everything that had happened when Sawyer and the captain, along with a few members of the crew had been laying Pavan's body to rest. Nemo's reaction was better than Sawyer expected. He was the only one who could speak to Lupin, though the captain could barely get a few words out of him. His meals were still brought to him, though it was found on most occasions that the plate remained untouched. Lupin was blocking everyone and everything out. Sawyer hoped he wasn't trying to make himself suffer more. Hell, he knew that feeling a little too well.

Mina had already had a word with Skinner about what had happened. No one was mad at him, for the League knew that they had all been just as judgemental and unfair as what he had. When Nemo heard about what happened, he'd gathered everyone together and explained that he needed Lupin to track Robur down. They all knew how much Lupin had done for Nemo and whether Skinner liked it or not, Nemo owed the French thief his life. It was a debt that had to be repaid.

Mina, with Skinner's permission once he had left the room, had explained to Sawyer and the others that as well as hating Lupin, he felt guilty for Pavan's death, and that anger had found an escape. Sawyer knew the weight Skinner was carrying on his shoulders. It was strange to think that at the beginning of this nightmare that he had been in Skinner's position. When Sawyer was able to speak to Skinner, he told him the only man responsible was he who pulled the trigger and Sawyer was sure to make sure that this message got through to him. This was not his fault.

Sawyer decided to try to get through to Lupin before he left the Nautilus. He didn't really know why he wanted to help him, though he imagined it was out of guilt. Nemo had tried to speak to Lupin several times but with little result. Sawyer hoped he could be more successful. He wanted to make sure he was alright at the very least.

Knocking on the door to Lupin's room, Sawyer waited outside for a few moments before he knocked again. Lupin finally spoke up.
"Who's there?"
"It's Sawyer. Lupin, I need to talk to you."
Nothing.
"Please," Sawyer continued genuinely. "I'm not here to cause trouble or lose my head."

Silence filled the air but finally the door opened to reveal the thief. He wasn't in his usual pristine condition but he was presentable all the same, save for the stubble which was sprouting on his chin. There was a towel resting on Lupin's shoulder which suggested he was just about to shave. He wasn't wearing a jacket, but only his white shirt. Sawyer wondered if he had put it on in haste when he had knocked. Lupin's left wrist was still bandaged up, although thinly. He seemed to be growing used to not using that hand as much when he could help it. He wore a heavy expression as he looked at him, not knowing what to say.

"Can I come in?"

Lupin seemed to know Sawyer wouldn't give up until he spoke with him. He wordlessly invited him in by stepping back and gesturing with his injured hand. Sawyer entered somewhat awkwardly and Lupin shut the door behind him.

"Please, sit yourself down. What can I do for you?" Lupin asked, though he seemed just as on edge as he was. Sawyer knew what he had to say.
"Nothing. I've just got three things to say to you," he explained, accepting the seat offered to him. There was no going back now. Lupin stood facing him with a worn look on his face, waiting for more insults no doubt.
"Well?" he inquired.

"Firstly, we're almost at Marseilles. You'll be free in less than an hour I think."
Lupin seemed immensely relieved to hear the news. "Ah, Capital. I was beginning to think Nemo was sending us around in circles," he said, taking the towel from his shoulder and putting it on the dressing table.

Sawyer followed the towel with his eyes and found that he had in fact been about to shave. The shaving set was waiting for him. Sawyer found Lupin looking at him curiously, waiting to see what he said next.
Sawyer just shrugged. "I get that you'll want to get out of here as soon as you can. If you were gonna have a shave you can go right ahead, y'know. There's nothing stopping you."
"Ah, thank you," Lupin answered slowly. Sawyer could see he seemed to slowly relax at realising Sawyer hadn't come to just shout and scream at him.

Lupin walked over to his dresser, where he sat down, applied the foam to his face using a strop brush and took out his razor. He was able to shave quite easily with his right hand and his left no longer causing him as much pain. Sawyer stood up and walked over to him, leaning against the wall beside the dresser and crossed his arms.

"Second thing I want to know is if you're alright."

Lupin paused in his work, having only shaved the smallest amount of foam from his neck. He looked up at him in mild surprise. Sawyer just looked back seriously waiting for an answer.
"I didn't expect you to be so considerate. I'm quite alright. I'd just rather stay in my room to avoid any more conflicts," he answered, deciding to get back to shaving.
"Yeah well, the fact is you ain't alright though. I'm not gonna ask about it, unless you want to talk that is. Either way, Nemo is worried about you and he knows you're not yourself."

Lupin swished the razor in the bowl of warm water, being sure to force himself to make eye contact with him.
"I appreciate the concern. But I assure you, once I'm back on dry land I will be fine. I suppose you could say it has simply been a stressful few months."
"I agree with you there," Sawyer remarked dryly, watching as Lupin continued to carefully work. He chose not to reply to Sawyer.

"Look, umm… I'm pretty sure you've gotten the impression we blame you for… well, all this," Sawyer began, itching his lip as he knew he was venturing into deeper water. He had no idea how Lupin was actually going to react.

Lupin hesitated to continue his shave, this time he turned his head away as he slowly resumed. Was that to get a few stray hairs, or to hide his awkwardness?

"It's not a matter of thinking. I know I am being blamed. Monsieur Skinner has made that quite clear. After all, I was the one who planned the capture and the League is correct in their judgements to hold me responsible for everything thereafter. It was wrong of me to react in the way I did to Skinner. There's nothing more to say."
"Well, I definitely don't think you were out of place with telling Skinner to stop. I think Quatermain was surprised with how long you actually lasted," Sawyer explained.

"No, Monsieur. Skinner was justified in his reasoning for disliking me. I chose the most inappropriate time to release my anger. That is why I have remained in my room ever since. I'm hardly the most selfless of people but I know that I have been inconsiderate. But saying anything about my group… that was different."
"Lupin, you haven't actually done anything wrong- I mean, you sent that message but nothing came of it. I don't blame you for everything," Sawyer countered.

"You'd be the first." Lupin realised that the argument was starting to go in circles. "So, what was the third thing you wanted to say?"
"Actually, I want to thank you," Sawyer admitted.

Lupin ended up nicking his skin as he jumped. He could not help but smirk slightly as he wiped the blood away from his chin with his thumb. "You want to thank me? By Jove, what on Earth for?"
"Don't get too excited. It's about what you said in the library. If you're telling the truth-"
"Which I am."
"If it's right about you trying to stop any chance of war, then your reasoning for taking Nemo is... understandable- far from justified, but I guess I can see where you were standing. Then there's what Nemo has told us about his time with you. You went out of your way to help him. I've gotta be grateful for that. If it weren't for you, we might have lost him."

"I did what anyone else would have done in such a situation, there's little need to thank me."
"Well, I wanted to. Didn't want you leaving here with a foul taste in your mouth, y'know?"
"I understand... You should know that, when I get back, I hope to look into the incident with Nemo and Robur. At the moment things are not adding up as they should be," Lupin sighed.

"What's there to make sense of? Robur captured Nemo and his family and killed them in cold blood. I don't think there's anything else that can be said," Sawyer pointed out.
"No. No, you don't know Robur quite like I do."
"Then what am I missing exactly?" Sawyer asked curiously.

Lupin continued to shave whilst he began his explanation. "I have known Robur for about seven years. Seven years is a long time to work side by side with someone almost every day. I know who Robur is, and he is no killer."
"How did you meet that long ago? Our League only formed this August." Sawyer asked. He decided that he did want to know a bit more about Robur whilst Lupin was here. It would perhaps answer some of his own questions.

"A few months before I met Robur I joined the army. As it turned out, the government knew I was away fighting. They left me to fight until they found a use for me later, away from the battlefield."
"A use, huh? What was that?" Sawyer asked.

"For you to understand I'd have to start from the beginning- don't worry, it's not a long tale. Robur has a habit of showing off his ship to those who believe in 'lighter than air' travel, ships carried by gas and the like. But his actions over time revealed to France his name, who he was, how he worked but most importantly they discovered he had the Albatross. Afterall, before the Albatross was built, Robur was a French citizen. Now, in 1882 the Triple Alliance was formed between Germany, Austria, and Italy. It was a promise to support each other should war ever break out. France became surrounded by potential enemies. She needed support, and she needed information to help to keep herself safe.

"To get information, you need spies, which is where I came in. The French were able to trap Robur so that they could persuade him to become their -how do I put this- messenger, I suppose you could say. As I'm sure you know, spying carries great risk and a large amount of time to travel- especially overseas. By having Robur on France's side, the amount of time it would take for someone to travel back to safe ground was more than halved. The Albatross was ideal and immensely improved communications."

Sawyer had to admit, in his own line of work, having a ship like that to get him out of danger would have come in handy.

Lupin continued "They gave him his mission the very night he sprung the trap. He had to come and collect me... By the time Robur made his way to Dahomey, he was almost too late. I'd been shot. There was only so much the field medics could do to help. He took me back to France where I could heal. Thus I owe Robur and his Albatross my life.

"The French Government asked me to become one of their agents. My rewards, however, were different from that of Robur. They offered me amnesty. Every charge against me would be dropped if I was successful. They knew I wanted to try to leave my days of stealing behind and this was the best way to go about it- providing I wasn't caught and killed. Since then Robur and I have worked closely together for about seven years. He would take me to wherever it was I needed to go and I would get the information for him to take back.

"Then Moriarty came along. I won't bore you with the details that you already know but once the League was made official, France knew she needed to take action. They still weren't sure about what side Britain will take should war break out. Britain and France have been at war with each other for a very long time- hundreds of years in fact, you understand? France asked Robur and myself to get a team together just in case. That was how Les Hommes Mysteriéux was formed. With the race for arms Moriarty had triggered, France wanted better weaponry and were becoming interested in aircraft. Robur had been working on something for a while but he was not finished designing it at the time. We decided to take Nemo to save time. I wasn't expecting such a mess to come of it."

By now, Lupin had finished his shave and was drying his face with his towel. Sawyer was still leaning patiently against the wall, waiting for Lupin to finish his story. "It would have been nice if we could have worked alongside your League, but Robur obviously knew Nemo wouldn't do it even if a deal was struck between the governments, not that he told me why. I hope you realise that this really wasn't about Nemo and Robur. I will find out who was responsible for the death of Nemo's family. I know it wasn't Robur. I just know it!"

"To be honest, I don't think it will matter. Nemo and Robur will never get on," Sawyer muttered.
"Perhaps not, but if I can clear Robur's name then I will do it. I owe him that much… But what I would like to know right now is how you managed to catch up to the Mysterious Men and realise it was us who took Nemo."

Sawyer decided to briefly explain how they had gotten on the trail.

"Not to sound blunt about the matter, but there should have been no way for you to follow us. We never left a flag," Lupin said.
Sawyer nodded "You left it on a painting- the Madonna of the Meadow, the painting you left once upon a time. That's another reason why Skinner doesn't trust you, he thought you left it."
Lupin was taken aback. "By Jove, things are moving quickly," he muttered to himself.

Sawyer sighed. "So suppose it wasn't Robur. If he didn't kill Nemo's family then who did?"

"This is what I plan to find out. Not only do I owe it to Robur, but to Nemo. I swear I will not stop until I find out who is responsible for it. They will not be getting off lightly with what they have done."
"Even if it turns out it is Robur?" Sawyer asked seriously.
"Especially if it is Robur."