A/N: I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed my work, as well as thank you for your constructive compliments and criticism. It has come to my attention that Ashe failed to live up to the image she portrayed in chapter 1, causing her to look childish and immature. I assure you that this behavior was spur-of-the-moment hot-headedness, not a temper tantrum. I would also like to apologize for Ashe on a few other levels. Ashe is my original character, and I have more attachment to her and her point of view than I do Jim's, and as a result it is probable that Ashe seemed a lot more powerful than Jim seemed in chapter 2. Writing can be tough, and I failed to realize that this is supposed to be a "Treasure Planet" fan-fiction, not a stomping ground for my original characters to dominate the plot of a Disney masterpiece. I will continue writing this story as best I can, and look forward to hearing back from you.
Falling For You
Chapter 3: Enter Zoltan Ruslan
Time seemed to stop during that moment that the man had entered the inn. To say that Jim was on edge was an understatement. He still wasn't feeling well; even after getting the sleep spore out of his eyes, he still felt extremely tired. Because of that, he was more irritable than he normally was, and he could tell that he wasn't at his full strength either. Following Ashe's lead seemed to be the best plan: if she knew how to deal with these pirates, than he would not interfere with her. But when the new man had entered the inn, Jim wasn't sure what to think. If he was another enemy, then that would mean that he would have to take him on himself, since Ashe had her hands full trying to hold off Miranda. But when he heard what Ashe had said he was soothed, and his confidence rose.
The man then walked farther into the room and seemed to have the attention of everyone within it. Once he was half way between Jim and Ashe, he stopped and looked at Miranda. Miranda glared at the man, seemingly to forget all about Ashe; who was currently in a pinch under one of her many legs.
"Zoltan Ruslan, the famous Flame Molder, I'd figured you would come," Miranda growled out.
"I believe ya have one of me crew mates," Zoltan said in a thick Scottish accent. "I'd appreciate it if ya let 'er go."
"Not a chance you police dog," Miranda scowled as she made a move towards Zoltan. But Ashe stopped her. She quickly hooked a leg around a few of Miranda's legs and just as quickly, dug the blade of her foot into each of their joints. Miranda let out a howl of pain as she collapsed onto the ground. She lifted her upper half to grab Ashe again. Ashe was slowly lifted into the air and her grip began to crush the air out of Ashe's wind pipe. She was fading fast, and Zoltan and Jim knew that if they didn't act soon, she would probably die. Miranda tightened her grip and guffawed as her victim struggled to regain control. Just as her face began to pale, Miranda howled and dropped Ashe, and just as quickly, fell on the floor unconscious. Above the heap of spider stood Jim, gun in hand, sweating and breathing heavily. It wasn't an easy shot, and if Miranda had looked away from Ashe for just a fraction of a second, she surely would have seen him and disarmed him. But this caused both Jub and Bwagi to go into even more rage at seeing their boss go down. Jim turned then to Jub who was charging him from the front and was readying to fire the gun once again. But he was taken by surprise when something jumped into between Jub and himself.
Jim stood in awe as a large male lion stood in front of him emanating a strong golden flame. The lion stood at the height of Jim's shoulder and was the length of his solar surfer from its nose to the tip of its tail. The flames that formed it seemed to dance on an invisible wind. Its eyes were a much richer gold then the rest of it and seemed to hold an unknown knowledge. What also surprised Jim about the lion was that even though it was made out of fire, it didn't give off that great of heat. It didn't make the tables or chairs that were close to it combust or char the floorboards below it. The heat it gave off was actually soothing in a way. It reminded Jim a lot of the heat he remembered feeling off of the stone that Ashe had attached to her arm. The lion turned its head to look at him for a moment and then stared back at Jub, who had stopped also surprised by the lion's sudden appearance. The lion then crouched down into a fighting stance and started to growl. Jub jumped slightly as he heard the growl.
"Don't worry lad," Zoltan laughed as he stared at Jim. "Let 'im take care of that tub o' lard. I'll take care of lizard face over here; if ya could take care of Angel I'd appreciate it."
Jim nodded at Zoltan. He then pocketed Ashe's gun and took his mother's hand as he then went over to Ashe. Ashe was beginning to regain consciousness, and Jim helped her to her feet, and she quickly reoriented herself with the rest of the room. His mother then started to inspect her injuries.
"Well you're developing a nice bruise on your cheek," his mother said as she lightly touched the cheek that Miranda punched. Even the slightest contact seemed to make Ashe cringe in pain. "Lift up your shirt; we need to see if you have any broken ribs." Ashe obeyed and lifted up her shirt. An even nastier bruise was developing there and it took up all of her stomach. Jim's mother then proceeded to feel along Ashe's ribs, which caused Ashe to hiss out in pain. "Well it doesn't seem like any of them are broken, you still should have a doctor look at them, though."
"Don't worry," Ashe said as she pulled her shirt back down, "I'm going to be forced to see a doctor whether I like it or not."
Throughout his mother's inspection, Jim really wasn't paying attention. He was more focused on the fight between Bwagi and Zoltan. The lion seemed to have taken Jub down in the time it took him to get to Ashe, as it was now sitting next to an unconscious Jub and it was watching Zoltan as well. Jub harbored some burns that were in the shape of claw and bite marks, which the lion seemed to be proud of as it sat there.
Zoltan and Bwagi hadn't moved an inch since Zoltan had declared Bwagi his opponent. Zoltan now wore a smirk on his face as he stared at Bwagi. Bwagi scowled at him as he reached around into his pocket. Zoltan raised a questioning eyebrow as Bwagi drew what appeared to be a metal rod. After pressing a button on the rod, it formed into a metal whip, which Bwagi then cracked upon its appearance.
"I'll give ya the chance now, surrender and tell me everything ya're little group is up to, or ya'll join your friends and have to talk to the police for yer crimes."
"Like I'll go along with that," Bwagi hissed out.
"Yer choice mate," Zoltan said with a shrug. Bwagi then threw the whip at Zoltan. But instead of hitting him, the whip wrapped around the arm that Zoltan had lifted to block the attack with. Bwagi then reached into his pocket again, this time pulling out another gun, and started to retract the whip by the push of another button. Slowly Zoltan started to drag towards Bwagi. Zoltan tried everything to get out the whip off of his arm but nothing seemed to work. Bwagi just smirked evilly as he watched Zoltan struggle. Ashe made a move to get up but she soon collapsed back onto the ground, sitting up with the support of his mother.
Jim then pointed the gun at Bwagi but Bwagi turned and pointed his own gun at Ashe and Jim's mother. "I wouldn't do that boy. You are still feeling the effects of the sleep spore and I'm sure that I'm a better shot than you."
"So that's how ya did it, huh," Zoltan said as a smirk appeared on his face once again. "I was wondering why me son and his friends weren't feeling so well and why they allowed Angel to be kidnapped."
"What?" Ashe growled out as she turned to Bwagi. "You bastards drugged my friends?"
"Oh shut up," Bwagi snapped as his eyes darted quickly at Ashe before going back to Zoltan. Zoltan then seemed to decide that it was time for him to fight back. He lifted his arm and all of a sudden it went up into flames. The end of the whip that was attached to his arm fell to the floor.
"Me flames can melt through anything," Zoltan explained with a smirk. "I'm afraid ya chose the wrong person to fight, mate."
Bwagi growled, re-pointed his gun at Zoltan, and fired. Zoltan ducked out of the way and charged at Bwagi faster than even Ashe could. He threw an upper cut punch right at Bwagi's jaw and finished him off with an instep kick right at his chest. Bwagi was thrown back by the force of the kick and was sent flying through a window.
"I can pay for that," Zoltan said as he looked sheepishly over at the group on the floor. Both Jim and Ashe as looks of astonishment at Zoltan's displayed strength. Jim wasn't sure if his mother's look was the same as his and Ashe's or if it was shock that at least two tables and a few chairs was now destroyed due to the brawl. Zoltan then walked over to the group, the flame lion joining him. He knelt down and cupped Ashe's face gently in one of his large hands. "Ya did a number on yerself, huh." Ashe just looked away at the comment as a faint blush started to appear on her un-bruised cheek. Zoltan then scooped her up bridle style, which this time caused Ashe to verbally protest.
"Captain, I can stand on my own!" she said as Zoltan walked over and placed her gently into a chair.
"From what I saw, ya'd have trouble standing with that bruise on yer stomach." Ashe opened her mouth to protest once again but shut it after Zoltan stared her down. He then climbed out the broken window and walked out of sight for a moment. He then came back with some pieces of rope and went about tying up Miranda and Jub. Once the two pirates inside were tied up, he lifted Miranda with great ease and went back out the window. He repeated the process with Jub, seeming to struggle slightly more this time. He stayed out slightly longer than he did before, but came back in with a satisfied look on his face. He then turned to Mrs. Hawkins. "Ma'am, if I couldn't trouble ya for a first aid kit to see to the lass here, I have a doctor on board me ship that will look at her when I get her back. For now I need her to at least be able to walk."
"Oh yes," Mrs. Hawkins said as she stood up. "This way, B.E.N, could you help as well? I think I might have more bandages somewhere else." She then made for the stairs but stopped when Zoltan started to go through some of his inner coat pockets.
"I'd gladly help Mrs. Hawkins," B.E.N. said for the first time in awhile.
He pulled out a small bottle that looked like hand cream and tossed it to Jim, who caught it. "Put a bit o' that in your eyes lad. That should get out the rest of the spore. It doesn't take much; we need it anyways for anyone else affected by the spore." Jim muttered his thanks, gaining a smirk from Zoltan before Zoltan went off with his mother to get a first aid kit.
That left himself and Ashe alone. Jim glanced over at Ashe before dabbing a little bit of the cream onto his fingers and then rubbing it into his eyes. Instantly he started to feel better, tired but not as irritated or dazed. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Ashe had been watching him, which he guessed she had been the whole time. But when he returned her gaze she immediately looked away. They stayed like that for at least another minute before Ashe sighed and looked back at him.
"I want to apologize for the way I acted earlier," she said as she rubbed her right arm. "It was wrong of me to yell at you like that. Distrust on the battlefield will only bring death and we were fortunate that didn't happen. Again, I'm sorry."
"Its fine," Jim said as he let her words sink in. "I wasn't in the right state of mind anyway."
"You hurt your back again didn't you?" It was then that Jim remembered the fall and the pain that had went through his back afterwards. It seemed that the pain wanted to be remembered at that very instant, and it came back at full force. Most likely the adrenaline rush he had gotten from being in the fight had kept the pain at bay, but now that the adrenaline wasn't there anymore, it came back.
"Yeah," he grunted as he started to rub his lower back. Ashe jerked her head at a chair in front of her, telling him to sit down.
"Here, I'll heal it once again for you. Sit with your back to me and lean on the back of the chair." Jim did as he was told. Ashe lifted his shirt and soon he felt her hands on his back once again. Ashe whistled as she looked at it. "This might take longer than before. I'm not preventing a bruise like before; you've actually managed to cut yourself this time." This time the pain didn't vanish as instantly has it had earlier that night. But the feeling of whatever she was doing was just as soothing and he welcomed the tingling feeling instead of the pain. He jumped slightly when he started to feel small pinches going along his back. "Sorry, I should have warned you about that." The pinching feeling soon went away along with the pain.
"Thanks," Jim sighed as he sat right in the chair.
"No problem," Ashe said as she leaned back against her chair, but then sat back up with a look of pain on her face. "Damn it to the Void, I guess that's what I get for being a smart ass."
"Why don't do you heal yourself up?" Jim asked. He had been wondering this for awhile. He never encountered someone that had the strange power that Ashe did. He was curious has to how it worked since it was now apparent that it wasn't limited to healing wounds but also to make clothing magically appear on her.
Ashe looked at him questioningly as she rested her chin on her palm that was leaning on the table, finding this to be a more relaxing position that didn't cause her pain. "You're wondering how I perform my magic- right?" Jim nodded his head, a little too tired to do anything else. Ashe looked over at a painting before sighing once again and looked back at him. "I guess I can tell you the basics, I'm still learning myself." She once again sat up but kept her arm resting on the table. "Performing spells is actually quite easy. Everyone can do it if they have the right patience, concentration, and teaching. But even though it's easy doesn't mean it is for everyone. First to perform a spell, the person has to have complete control of their mana."
"Mana?"
"Mana, is the life force of everything." Ashe then turned to look at the living flame that was sitting next to them. Jim looked at it as well and was slightly surprised. Instead of it being a lion it had now taken the form of a wolf. It was still the same size as the lion was though. "Charge is an example of just that. Captain brings to life a flame that he produces and combining his own mana and that of the flames, Charge is created." Charge then decided to walk over to him and started to sniff his pants leg. Morph, who had decided to come out of his pocket a while ago and who was currently sitting on his shoulder at the time, took great interest in the living flame. Morph floated down and began his own inspection of Charge. Charge followed Morph's movement with great curiosity.
"Why is he called Charge?" Jim asked as he watched the two interact.
"That's a long story," Ashe said as she too watched them. "And I think I should first finish my explanation before I tell it." Jim nodded and then returned his gaze to her. "Anyway, once a person can control their mana then they can perform spells. The spells that a person can perform depends on how much mana they can release and the type of spell they are using."
"What do you mean?"
Ashe looked around the room again, trying to find a better way to example. She then looked at Charge once again. "Flame molding is probably the best example I can think of that you've seen so far. Any Flame Molder can engulf a certain part of their body in flames, like Captain did to get the whip off of his arm. But for Captain to create Charge, it takes a lot. Also right now, Captain is a good distance away from Charge, which causes him to use up even more mana. Right now the only reason why Captain isn't passed out is because he has a lot of mana, so he can perform spells like this."
"So if a person uses up too much mana, they go unconscious?"
"Yes, pretty much. Since mana is the main life force of everything, if a person uses up too much then they will feel that effect as a loss of fatigue. Using up all of a person's mana can also result in death but that can be avoided as long as someone close by knows mana manipulation."
"So your Captain uses his mana to create…" Jim looked over at Charge who looked back at him before going on, "objects." Charge nodded his head in approval before going back to whatever game him and Morph were playing. "How does your magic work?"
"Mine? Well, my healing is simple mana manipulation. By sending my mana into a person's body, I can cause their mana to heal their wounds, both internal and external, at a much faster pace then it would normally. As for my ex-quip magic, the magic that changes my clothing, it's a little more complicated.
"My ex-quip magic is mana manipulation but on a far larger scale than that of my healing. I make my own clothes out of mana absorbing thread. By manipulating the mana around me, I can store several outfits into an alternate space which then when I manipulate the mana around me causes the clothes I want to appear. The mana absorbing thread is used so I can locate my clothes easier since I know what my mana feels like. It also allows me to inscribe each outfit with a different-strength- if you will."
Jim was about to question about this, seeing how it sounded interesting how she could get a different power from just putting on a different outfit, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of Zoltan and his mother coming back. Both Ashe and he turned to see that his mother and Zoltan had acquired two more members of their group. Amelia and Delbert had joined the group now, most likely due to his mother asking Zoltan to help them like he had done with Jim. Delbert seemed to be in a somewhat heated argument with Zoltan, who was calm as he led the group back down into the dinning area.
"What you are saying can't be done!" Delbert declared as they walked down the stairs.
Ashe let out a groan as she covered her eyes with a hand. "What have you done now, Captain," Jim heard her mutter.
"Sir, if ya would please be so kindly as to keep yer voice down, I would gladly tell everything I know of the drug. But as of right now, attending to me crewmember's injuries and making sure that I pay Mrs. Hawkins for the damage that both me self and me crewmember has caused, comes first," Zoltan said has turned to Delbert with the sternest look on his face. Once he was sure that Delbert would not speak out again, he then turned and walked over to the two teens. Ashe uncovered her eyes and looked up at him as he knelt down in next to her. "Now, we can't return to the ship right away since it seems that whatever is affecting the ship has gotten into the long boats as well. I plan on sending Charge back up to the ship to request that Cloud comes down and repairs the long boat that is here. But we will most likely be spending some time here."
"How long," Ashe asked.
Zoltan stood up, turned and started to scratch under his chin. He glanced over at Ashe before saying, "At least two weeks."
"Two weeks?! Captain what about the mission, the deadline to meet with all those clients is in a week and it takes at least four days to get to Zealand."
"I know Ashe," Zoltan said with a sigh as he turned to her. "But yer health comes first. There is no way ya can move on your own and ya can't heal your own wounds like ya can with others. The others will skin me alive if I went back to me ship without ya, even if I could."
"Captain, I don't mind being left behind. Tell Cloud to come down and repair the long boat and head off to Zealand. I'll heal up here and on your way back to the Core you can pick me up."
"No, Ashe," Zoltan growled. He knelt back down so they were eye level again. This action caused Ashe to look away from him but he forced her to look at him by cupping her chin in his hand. Then in a much more soothing voice with a smile on his face he said, "We are Nakama and the health of one of our Nakama always comes before a job." He then stood up and looked out the window while scratching the back of his head. "Anyways, I'm going to try and fix it up the best I can till Cloud gets here. I was thinking of bringing it to a mechanic in town but I only brought a little Gil with me."
"You need a mechanic?" Sarah said as she returned the room with a tray of cups, which Jim guessed she left to get when she came back downstairs.
"Yes, the long boat I used to get down here isn't working properly. I hate to ask ya but I was hoping that Angel and I could stay here till one of my mechanics can come down to fix it."
At that moment, his mother looked at him. It had crossed his mind that he could at least attempt to repair their long boat. But it sounded like Zoltan wanted a professional to do the job. Now that his mother was in the room and heard what Zoltan had said though, he bet she was going to ask him to do it. "Jim can take a look at it for you." Yep, he knew it.
Zoltan looked at him with a curious gaze. "Ya're a mechanic?"
"Yeah, I build my own solar surfers and I have worked on a ship before, but not as a mechanic."
"Built his first solar surfer when he was eight," his mother said proudly as she handed Ashe a cup that smelt like tea.
"Really now," Zoltan said as a daring smirk came onto his face. "Well I would appreciate it if ya took a look at it. Like I said I only brought so much money with me. I have enough to pay off Angel's debt," at this Ashe glared at Zoltan over her cup of tea but Zoltan either ignored her or didn't see it, "and to pay for any repairs that need to be done to this room."
"Alright, I'll take a look," Jim said as he stood up.
Ashe made a move to stand but his mother stopped her. "We need to get you bandaged up." Ashe looked up at her, then at Zoltan, and then nodded her head. His mother, with the every watching eye of Amelia and Delbert, started bandaging up Ashe's stomach once Ashe took her shirt off. It was then that Zoltan and Jim left the dining area with Charge and Morph following behind them.
"Well, here she is," Zoltan said as they arrived to the long boat. Jim examined the outside of the boat but found nothing wrong with the hull or that of the main thrusters. He then climbed in and started to inspect the engine. Zoltan climbed in as well and watched him from his sit at the bow of the boat. With his feet propped up on the bench in front of him, he watched as Jim went about looking at some wires. They stayed in silence for the most part; the only noise being made was Morph and Charge continuing their game outside.
"It seems like some of the wires that are connected to the solar source have been worn down. You'll need to replace them, but I can do a temporary fix so that you guys can at least get back up to the Space Port," Jim said as he turned to look at Zoltan.
Zoltan sighed, "I'm not too surprised by that. I've been low on mechanics for awhile now, so letting something get pasted them like that would happen. They are too concerned with getting the main ship going and haven't really been paying attention to the long boats."
"How many mechanics do you need?" Jim asked as he went about fixing the wires.
"At least fifteen men I reckon to take care of the main ship and the long boats. A rival of mine bought out nine of them to work for him," Zoltan growled the last part out and had a look of disgust on his face before he went on, "Thankfully me best mechanics stayed, but the ship is too big even for them to keep track of all its problems." They fell into silence once again. Zoltan was the one to break the silence this time. "Tell me, have ya ever been a part of a crew before?"
"I was a cabin boy for a short time. I was taught how to take care of a ship but not the mechanics behind it."
"Still," Zoltan said as he went about rubbing his chin again, "Ya've experience with a crew and seem to know yer way around machinery." He then looked up at the sky, as if deep in thought. When he looked back at Jim again he had that same daring smirk he had before. "I have a" he paused "offer for ya, lad. I told ya how I've lost some of my mechanics and how me current ones can't really keep track of all the problems on me ship. I was wondering if ya'd be interested in working for me."
Jim stared at him wide eyed. Either he had zoned out due to the lack of sleep or he believed that Zoltan just gave him a job. "What did you say??" Jim said wanting to make sure he was hearing the older man correctly.
"I'm giving ya a position on me ship. Ya have a mighty fine head on yer shoulders; one I think shouldn't go to waste. If ya work for me, ya'd be made into an apprentice to me head mechanic. Ya'd be paid the same amount as the rest of the crew on the flat rate, and more if yer on a mission. How about it, lad?"
Jim looked away from him with a solemn look. Having been offered a job on a boat had sent a wave of joy through him, but then he remembered why he hadn't taken jobs at all, even if they had been offered to him before now. He didn't want to be like his father and leave without a word. 'But that doesn't mean I can't ask Mom what she thinks of the idea. It sounds like I'd be paid well even from the start, and that would help out the inn.' Suddenly, Jim realized the prospects of this job. From what Ashe made it sound, there were constant adventures and just knowing that sent a thrill through him that he thought he lost forever after his trip to Treasure Planet.
Morph and Charge seemed to have stopped their game in favor of listening to what their masters were talking about. After Zoltan's offer, the two had decided that they wanted to be a part of the discussion as well. Charge morphed into a bird of prey; by the looks of it a hawk, and sat on Zoltan's shoulder. Morph went straight to Jim and started to rub his cheek, jerking him out of his train of thought. He looked over at Zoltan, who still had that smirk on his face, before replying, "I'm not sure. Right now it's just my Mom and I, so I'm not too sure about leaving."
Zoltan nodded in empathy as he said, "Aye, I know where yer coming from. Felt the same way whenever I left me family for a mission. How about this, ya work for me for a month; if yer mother or ya feel like it isn't the right kinda life for ya, then I'll send ya home with the pay ya earned within that month. If ya do decide that ya want to stay then ya'll be made into a permanent crew member, till ya decide that it's time for ya to leave."
Jim rolled the new offer around in his mind, before nodding in acceptance. "Alright, but I'll have to talk it over with my Mom first. When do you plan to ship off?"
"Me mechanics think they can have her air born by midday tomorrow. I'll come by at about ten o'clock tomorrow to get yer answer." Jim nodded his head in understanding as he finished up his repair.
"Alright, you should be good to go now."
"Excellent," Zoltan said as he stood up, causing Charge to leave his shoulder. Charge flapped around his master, letting out cries of excitement as if to agree with his master. The two got out of the boat and walked back up to the inn.
On the way up, a thought came to him. "How much do you pay your crew?"
Zoltan glanced down at him before replying, "Let's see, I normally pay them in Gil but ya use pounds here if I remember right. So yer pay in pounds would come out to be…five hundred pounds a month without any mission rewards added in."
"Five hundred!" Jim said as he looked up at Zoltan with shocked eyes.
Zoltan laughed. "Remember lad, I pay me crew in Gil. Gil is worth much more than pounds. In Gil each crew member earns about two hundred and fifty a month. The real money is in the reward from missions." Even with this information, Jim still couldn't handle the amount. The amount that the inn managed to get in a whole year was a little bit more than the amount he could get in a single month as a part of this crew. And then by the sounds of it he could increase it even more if he took part in missions. He could easily have his mother retire by the time he turned twenty-five.
It was then that they reached the inn and they started to hear an argument from inside. Zoltan sighed, "That girl is more of a hand full than zaber cubs." They then entered to see Ashe and Delbert in a conversation, if you could call it that.
Delbert had on a face of mix between bewilderment and anger. Ashe on the other hand, looked to be completely calm as she sipped her tea. Amelia didn't look that happy as she watched from the chair Jim was in earlier. "Sir, I told you everything I know about the drug. Those are the symptoms and if you don't believe me then you ask Jim about them. He is the one that experienced it the most, not I."
"But a drug like that just can't exist! For one I've never heard of it," Delbert said in a completely calm voice.
"It's more common out in the Cerberus Cloud area, really. My guess is that those three tried to get the drug out here, but when I found them, their plans couldn't be accomplished. So they tried to get rid of me, hence how we ended up in this situation."
Delbert opened his mouth to say something else but Amelia cut him off, "Delbert, shut you're howling screamer," she growled out. Delbert did what he was told.
"Sir, tomorrow I'll bring ya all the information on the drug I have on me," Zoltan said seeming to want his and Jim's presence known. All three at the table turned and looked over at them. "But as of right now, I would like to get Angel up to me ship to be looked at." At this Ashe's head slumped a little bit. "Angel ya knew I was going have ya looked at."
"I know but that doesn't mean I have to like it either," Ashe retorted back as she looked over her shoulder at him. "She's going to have me sit in the infirmary for at least the rest of the day. That's going to bore me out of my mind, Captain! Can you at least tell her to have me rest in my own room while I recover?"
"It's whatever Maroon thinks is best for ya," Zoltan said as he went over to help Ashe up. Ashe let out a groan, either from standing or whatever it sounded like she was going to go through once she got back to the ship, it was hard to tell. Zoltan reached into an outer coat pocket and then tossed a small leather pouch at Jim. "That should cover for Angel's expenses, when I come by tomorrow I'll have the rest of the payment. If ya could tell yer mother that I'll greatly appreciate it."
"Yes sir," Jim said with a nodded. Zoltan returned it himself, and then, with an arm wrapped around Ashe's shoulders, he started to walk out of the inn.
"I'll talk to ya tomorrow, Doc. Have a nice day Mrs. Doppler," Zoltan said over his shoulders as he and Ashe reached the door.
"Bye," Ashe said with a small wave. Both of them then left the inn. Charge had decided to linger for a little bit, still in his hawk form. He chirped a good bye to Morph, who mimicked the sound. He then flew in front of Jim and hovered there. He chirped what sounded like encouragement before following his master out the inn. Jim watched from where he stood as the long boat, now with another attached to it from the stern, took off into the sky.
The room was quiet for a moment before Delbert decided to break it with a slight cough. "So how was he?" he asked looking at Jim. Taking a wild guess, Jim figured that Delbert meant Zoltan.
"He's alright. He seemed nice at least," Jim said with a shrug. He had debated on telling Amelia and Delbert about Zoltan's offer but figured that he might as well wait for his mother so then he only had to say it once.
"I've heard a bit about him," Amelia said as she sipped her tea. "Good fellow, if I remember correctly. Has done a lot for the Core. He's rumored to be in charge of one of the strongest Guild's that the Core has ever seen. That girl was nice as well. Very polite, even though she didn't seem that comfortable once you and Mr. Ruslan left."
"She told me she doesn't do well with people she doesn't know," Jim explained as he remembered Ashe's apologies from earlier. Amelia nodded in confirmation. Then his mother came back in.
"They left already?" she asked as she looked around.
"It was a minor problem," Jim said as he walked over to her. He handed her the money as he explained, "Zoltan left this. It's the rest of Ashe's payment." His mother nodded and took it from him. Now came the hard part. He wasn't sure how he should put it. Remembering how she acted when he and Delbert wanted to go Treasure Planet came to mind. Course now he was older, but that still didn't mean she wouldn't act the same. Oh well, might as well tell her straight out. "Zoltan also offered me a job. Apparently he doesn't have as many mechanics as he needs and was wondering if I would want to take on as an apprenticeship with his head mechanic." His mother stared at him and he went on before she could say anything. "It would only be for a month, and just working with his mechanics I'll earn five hundred pounds, and then whatever I earn from going on missions." His mother then looked at him wide eyed, along with Delbert and Amelia.
"What do you plan to do?" His mother then asked, seeming to get over her shock.
At this, Jim had to sigh. He still didn't know what he wanted. Part of him really wanted him to take the job. The ideas of having an adventure again and of being back out in space were all fascinating. But then there was also a part of him that reminded him that he didn't want to do what his father had ten years ago. The image of his mother crying at a table in the inn when his father left came back as well. He couldn't do that to his mother, especially not after putting her through the years of his delinquency. "I don't know," he finally said. Morph whimpered and rubbed his cheek in a comforting manner. Jim patted him in reassurance as he felt one of his mother's hands run through his hair.
"Jim, you're eighteen now, you have no idea how proud I am of you. I know when your father left that it was hard on you, but you've grown so much since then. I don't want you to feel like you have to stay because of what you've done in the past. If you want to take on this job then I won't stop you." With that said she kissed him on the forehead and then went about her business with the inn.
Jim wasn't sure what to do or say. He stood there for a moment, knowing that both Delbert and Amelia were waiting to see what his response was going to be before heading back outside. Throughout the rest of day, he kept busy trying to keep his mind from wandering. He fixed up the hole that once held a window to try and keep the warmth of the inn inside till the glass was replaced. He then went and took out the remnants of the tables and chairs to be made into firewood. It wasn't till later that night did he decide to return to thinking about what happened earlier in the day.
So there he was, lying on his bed looking at the ceiling, trying to organize his thoughts. Morph was curled up on his chest, sleeping soundly without a care in the world. Jim wished so much to be like him at that moment. So much had happened to him in the last forty-eight hours that he didn't know what to make of it all. During the day he had thought of what might have happened if he hadn't saved Ashe, but at the time he pushed it in the back of his mind to think of later. Now that he had the time to think it over, he knew that all that happened wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him meeting her. He wasn't blaming Ashe, hell if he hadn't met her then he wouldn't have been offered a job nor know how his mother felt about it. If he felt anything for what she had done it would be gratefulness. This thought just led him back to the matter at hand. Should he take Zoltan up on his offer? Or shouldn't he? His mother wasn't against the idea; she actually seemed to encourage it. But that still didn't mean he would automatically take it either. Even though nothing seemed to happen on Montressor, that didn't mean anything couldn't happen. It was that thought that made him reconsider. So many "what ifs" were running through his head that he lost track of most of them.
But still, he could go and take the job, at least to try it out. That sent waves of excitement through him again. He could actually do the one thing he had been longing for these past three years. A small smile appeared on his face at the thought. He glanced over at his window then. The Space Port was visible, even with some clouds coming in. He could be up there and off on a ship by noon tomorrow. That is, if he took the job. Jim gently picked Morph off of his chest and laid him back down on the other side of his pillow, thankfully without waking the blob up. He then rolled over and went to sleep himself, having made up his mind on what he was going to do.
A/N: Well, I most say, after writing this I'm pretty proud of it. I went through some rough spots, reasons why this chapter wasn't released sooner, but I think it was worth it. I would also like to give some credit and thanks to a person that deserves it. When I first came up with this idea, I kind of wasn't sure if I was going to actually write this. I talked about the idea with my boyfriend one night and he encouraged me, much to my surprise, to go through and write it. He offered to edit my work as well, which I'm more than grateful for. My boyfriend has helped me so much with this and not just in editing. He's helped me develop my ideas beyond belief as well as support me through all of this so far. I'm happy to work with him and believe that this fanfic will be a complete success with his help. I'd also like to encourage my viewers to post comments about this, so that both he and I can make this the best that it can be. Thank you in advance.