Chapter 5: I Heart Birchwood Isle

As days turned into weeks, and weeks became months, the unlikely friendship Aylin and Rocinante had formed eventually settled into something familiar and even comfortable, much to Aylin's surprise. Rocinante would find reasons to go and visit her in her office, bringing snacks he'd managed to pilfer from the cafeteria, and they would simply sit and talk until they'd lost track of time. She was not as forthcoming as he at first, but the more she came to know him, the more she would divulge to him. Gripes, inside information, likes and dislikes, weird dreams she'd had. They often found themselves trading humorous stories; Maynard's antics being among the more popular topics.

Sometimes when her shift ended, Aylin would exit the building to find him waiting for her, leaning against the brick building and pretending he was only there to have a post-work smoke. Often he was singed from his tendency to light himself on fire, which at first alarmed her until she came to accept that it was simply one of his odd quirks. Soon it became a tradition for them to meet up after work and go for coffee a few times a week.

Around Rocinante, Aylin began to find herself much more at ease. Lighter. She hadn't really realized how lonely she had become until she actually had someone else to talk to.

One day she received word that the Inner Circle had called her into a meeting again. These meetings only happened when Aylin was being assigned an important mission; all other lesser assignments were usually written into a formal document and delivered to her desk by one of the Inner Circle's errand grunts.

Stepping into the office they had reserved that day, she first noted the familiar black suits worn by Blackburn's most trusted associates. But what stuck out to her most was the tall, hunched figure who barely fit in the leather seat he was perched upon.

Aylin's eyebrows arched momentarily, making brief eye contact with Rocinante before quickly moving to seat herself. She wondered for a moment if this was about the cargo incident a while back...but as she had understood, that had all been resolved some time ago. She was replaying the last meeting over in her head when Scarlet stood and cleared her throat.

"I'll make this is quick as possible," she said, looking from Aylin to Rocinante. "The reason I've called the both of you in today is because Blackburn has elected to send you on another mission together."

Rocinante's eyes lit up and he tried not to immediately fling his gaze at Aylin. This was exciting! This meant they were beginning to trust him more. He was getting closer to his ultimate goal! It was even happening a lot faster than he had initially predicted.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, nodding at Scarlet, nearly falling over in the cramped space as he attempted to sit up straighter.

Aylin herself maintained the same cool demeanor she'd walked in with, merely fixing her gaze on Scarlet and waiting for her to continue.

"One of the companies we've been in contact with recently has mentioned some interest in striking up a deal with us," the dark-haired woman continued. "They're a little hesitant in becoming involved with a black market organization, as most usually are at first. However, this particular company would be extremely beneficial to associate ourselves with." She crossed her arms and cast a knowing look to Aylin. "We want to make a good, lasting impression on them."

"Of course," Aylin replied, tenting her fingers on the table before her. The fact that Scarlet wasn't naming the company told her that they must be very well-known if they wished to keep such a low profile.

One of the men spoke up next. "Yes...it's very important that this mission is treated with utmost care and consideration. We weren't going to select just anyone to handle it..." His eyes bored into Aylin's, and she knew he wasn't exactly complimenting her.

"I understand," Aylin replied, noticing Rocinante fidgeting a bit in his seat across from her. "What does this job entail, exactly?"

"You will meet with representatives of this company," Scarlet replied. "Charm them. Convince them that a contract with us would be the smartest thing they'll ever do. But be warned...if you're unsuccessful, it may be more than just your job on the line." Her sharp eyes left Aylin's and fixated on Rocinante next. "And you...Blackburn is rather impressed with how well you've acclimated here in just five months. I'm told you've a certain charm to you as well. It's time to put that to good use. You'll assist our Red Fox on this mission. You are to be her second, her back-up." Scarlet glanced at each of them. "Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Rocinante said again.

"Yes," Aylin replied with a short nod as one of the men slid a manila envelope across the table toward her.

The Inner Circle turned their attention away from the pair and began talking quietly amongst themselves. One of them was jotting down notes in a large binder. They seemed to have already forgotten the presence of the two already, promptly ignoring them without so much as a goodbye, so Rocinante and Aylin took the hint and let themselves out.

Rocinante managed to exit the room in a professional manner for once, not even bumping his head. He tapped Aylin on the shoulder, motioning for her to accompany him on his smoke break.

It wasn't until they were out in the open air that he whooped for joy.

"LIN, THIS IS SO GREAT! I'm really excited about this mission!" He resisted the urge to scoop her up and swing her around like a doll.

Aylin made a face at his outburst, but he looked so delighted that she had to smile. "I think you're probably the only one who would celebrate walking into a hornet's nest," she said, watching as he lit his cigarette and then intervening just before the flame could jump to the sleeve of his shirt.

"ACK, thank you!" Rocinante began puffing away and pacing at the same time. "Do you think we'll have to dress up really fancy? I'll wear dark sunglasses and carry a bazooka and I won't say ANYTHING. I could just grunt, that's how they'll know I'm tough. But maybe I should practice walking through doorways first…"

"That might do more harm than good," Aylin snorted in reply.

Rocinante rubbed his head absentmindedly at the spot where he usually injured it, nearly setting himself on fire once more. "AH! Well, I say we celebrate our mission together with dinner tonight. Then we can think up code names!"

"Actually, I don't..." Aylin trailed off, about to tell him that she usually didn't bother with code names, but he looked so happy about it that she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Instead, she conceded with a nod. "Alright, kid. Dinner it is." She smiled to herself. She had to admit, if anyone were coming along with her on this mission, she was glad it was Rocinante.

oOo

A few days later, the pair was off on a smaller and thankfully nicer ship than the last one they'd sailed on. They took a very small crew, this time men from the Syndicate and not mercenaries. Since this was supposed to be just a meeting, a negotiation, there'd be no need for heavy manpower. At least that's what they hoped.

Aylin was not comfortable going in unarmed, although she was confident in their ability to make the transaction go smoothly. The worst thing that could possibly happen was Rocinante falling over during the meeting and setting the room ablaze.

She snorted at the mental picture.

"Hey! What's so funny?" Rocinante had been gazing out to sea at a small pod of dolphins that had joined them for their journey, using the momentum from the boat to glide faster through the water.

"Just thinking about something a kid like you wouldn't understand," she replied in a teasing manner as he walked over and nudged her.

"HAH. You always say stuff like that, like you're SO much older than me."

"Aren't I?" Aylin arched an eyebrow as she stared up at him. "What are you, eighteen?"

"Twenty, actually."

She waved a hand dismissively. "I still have eleven years on you. You may be gigantic, but that baby face makes up for it." She smirked as he rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"So you're saying I should grow a beard?"

Aylin let out a small laugh. "Oh, I wouldn't recommend it. Beards are far too flammable." She scanned the horizon, the wind tossing her short hair about.

She scanned the horizon, the wind tossing her short hair about. They were about a day's journey from arriving at the port where they would be meeting the representatives. The company in question still remained a mystery, although Scarlet had said it was a very promising young corporation. Scant details were nothing new to Aylin, so she wasn't terribly concerned about it.

"We're making good time here," she observed as the ship steadily propelled them toward their destination. "If you don't mind, I'd like the crew to make a quick stop at the next port."

Rocinante had been rubbing his jaw line as if he were seriously considering growing a beard. "Hmm? You need to stock up on something? I know I'm running a bit low on cigarettes…" He pulled out a crumpled up pack, smacking it against his palm a few times before pulling one out and lighting it up. "Damn, only have two left in this one. Yeah, let's stop at the next port!"

"Alright. You know those things will kill you one day," she remarked, knowing full well that he was already aware of the risks. "Anyway, I...have something I need to mail out. It shouldn't take long at all and we'll be back at sea in no time."

oOo

In a matter of hours, just as Rocinante was taking the last drag on his last cigarette, a port came into view. A summer island from what he could see through the telescope. He let out an excited yell and alerted the crew who let the sails out full to hasten their docking.

He was the first one onto the sandy beach, tripping and landing flat on his face, desperately trying not to inhale the sand. "AHHH!" He yelled and jumped back up, holding both his hands high above his head. "I'm okay!"

The ridiculously tall man dusted the sand from his shirt and pants while taking a good look around, from his height he had a great view. There was a boardwalk along the sandy beach with couples strolling and eating ice cream and children running in the sand and making sandcastles.

Roci grinned as if he were a child himself. "Lin, we should get ice cream!"

Aylin sighed at the spectacle, watching him for a moment before she leaped down from the ship, landing neatly and then adjusting the messenger bag over her shoulder.

"And you wonder why I call you 'kid,' eh?" She contemplated his request a moment longer, glancing up as a seagull cried above her head. "Well...I need to find a post office. If you can find an ice cream stand while I'm doing that, then dessert's on me."

Rocinante nodded as they continued walking. Aylin had to take about three strides to match one of his. He suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, his eyes widening. "OH, wait a second, I'll be right back!" He yelled as he dashed across the street.

Aylin looked on, folding her arms over her chest while he went running into a corner store that stood at the edge of a busy intersection. A few minutes later, he returned with a bag containing several cartons of cigarettes.

He pulled a pack out, slapping it against his palm multiple times and fumbled for a fresh one. "Dang it, they're always stuck in there so good when it's a new pack!" After nearly dropping the entire thing, he finally stuck a cigarette into his mouth. He lit it, taking a long drag and then groaned with pleasure. "That's the good shit right there…"

They began heading toward the town and Aylin chuckled, nudging him back on course as he began to divert from the path. "Don't get too distracted, you'll end up in a ditch. On fire, too, probably."

He chuckled sheepishly and nodded, following along and trying to match his pace with hers.

The town had a laid back, cozy atmosphere and it was such a nice day out that Aylin almost regretted resigning themselves to just a quick stop. The salty smell of the ocean drifted by on the light breeze, and she thought that in another life she probably would have loved to live in a place like this. There were lots of small, brightly colored shops on each side of the street and the native islanders casually browsed local goods as they passed by. A handful of children raced after each other, cutting across the street in front of Aylin and Rocinante, who nearly tripped over himself trying to avoid colliding with them.

Aylin laughed, grabbing onto his trousers to steady him. "Little speed bumps," she joked, feeling lighter than she had in quite some time.

"Haha, whoa! Thanks Lin." Rocinante managed to regain his balance as he walked beside her. He was so happy that they'd gotten to go on another mission together. He hadn't had many friends in his life and for good reason, but lately he felt closer to her than to anyone else. It was a nice feeling. She had become his best friend, he realized.

He wanted to feel content in that moment, but a pang went through his chest as he once again thought of the secret he was still hiding from her, best friend or not. It gave him so much pause that his cigarette dropped from his mouth and he didn't even try to catch it.

There was still so much that they didn't know about each other. So much that he had to keep from her. As much as he tried not to think about it, every now and then those thoughts would creep up on him when he least expected it. How long could he go on like this? Eventually she would find out...there was no way around it. He still hadn't quite decided on what the best course of action would be when that time came.

Rocinante stopped briefly to stomp out the fallen cigarette and then light another, holding back a melancholy sigh that threatened to escape from his chest.

"Hey, I think that must be the post office up ahead," Aylin commented as she waited for him to finish, breaking him from his gloomy train of thought. When he looked up, she gestured toward a small building with bleached siding and a wooden sign bearing an emblem of an envelope. "You keep looking for that ice cream stand and I'll meet up with you in a few minutes. Shouldn't be too hard to find the tallest man in the crowd," she added with a smirk before turning on her heel and taking long strides toward her destination.

Her intent was to hurry this along as quickly as possible and to get back on track with the mission, although they had made very good time thus far. She supposed it couldn't hurt to give in to one of his whims.

Rocinante reached his hand out after her retreating back, but then thought the better of going after her, recalling the look he'd seen in her eyes. It wasn't his place to ask why or what she was mailing. He smoked his cigarette, watching her until she was safely inside the post office before he began to search for a place that sold ice cream.

There were still so many things he wanted to ask her and to know about her. He hoped there would be time for all that soon...this wasn't a pleasure cruise, after all.

oOo

Aylin ducked under the colorful fabric divider hanging on the doorway of the post office, stepping inside and giving the woman at the counter a courteous smile. As she stepped in line behind two other customers, her hand grazed over her messenger bag, almost as if she were checking to make sure its contents had remained intact.

During the last mission, when the mercenaries had stolen their ship, they had also sailed off with something she had intended to mail out during the trip back. She imagined that ship was probably at the bottom of the ocean by now, along with the box she had brought along on the journey. This time, should anything go awry during their current assignment, at least Aylin could take some small comfort in knowing that this package would surely reach its destination.

The line moved along with relative quickness and before long, Aylin had paid the postal worker and passed the package over. She thanked the woman and stepped away from the counter. A warm breeze flowed through the building thanks to the fabric divider and she followed it back outside, shielding her eyes momentarily as they readjusted to the bright sunlight.

She had only been gone a few minutes, so she wouldn't have been surprised to find Rocinante still searching for his coveted ice cream stand. After walking a block or two down the street toward the very edge of town, Aylin noted a mop of blond hair atop a tall and lanky frame.

She'd been right; it wasn't hard to spot the largest man in the crowd. Particularly when he was in the process of wildly spinning in circles, patting out the flames scorching his shirt.

Aylin's eyes widened in a near comical fashion before she broke into a sprint toward him. He didn't notice her until she shouted, "Rocinante! Drop and roll!"

Upon hearing her voice, Rocinante shrieked and flailed. "LIN!" He cried out as he immediately hit the dirt and began rolling. But instead of rolling back and forth as he should have, he picked up too much momentum and before he knew it he was rolling downhill like a runaway barrel, heading straight toward the ocean near where their ship was docked.

Aylin could only stand and stare for a moment as he whirled past her as a blur of legs kicking up clouds of dust.

He emitted muffled yells and groans as his speed increased, hitting every rock or stray stick in his path. He rolled over and over and then at last onto the sandy beach, coughing and wheezing, sputtering as he tried to keep the sand out of his mouth. Finally he rolled into the ocean and was able to sink his hands into the wet sand, bringing himself to a stop.

It was only an inch or two of water, but the man immediately felt weak. He was still face-down in it for a few more seconds before he slowly managed to raise his head, spitting out mouthfuls of saltwater and sand.

Rociante attempted to stand up, only to fall over onto the beach again, coating his wet clothes with the dry sand. "Hnnnnnnnngh…" He wrapped his arms over his chest as he curled up on his side, willing the dizzy feeling to go away. He felt thoroughly embarrassed. Who knew how many people had seen that stunt?

Aylin's voice suddenly came from behind him. "I really can't take you anywhere, can I?" Her tone was stern, but she also sounded slightly winded, as though she'd been chasing after him as fast as her legs could carry her.

He turned over to face her, looking rather sheepish, and she extended a hand to help him up.

"Come on."

His lower lip was jutted out as far as it could go as he took her hand and was able to bring himself up onto his knees, where he attempted to shake the sand out of his hair.

"I'm sorry…" He then grimaced as he reached into his pockets and pulled out a waterlogged pack of cigarettes and sighed. "Damn!" He shook his head and threw the pack out into the ocean as far as it could go, yelling, "ENJOY THAT, FISH!"

Aylin snorted as she watched the display. As she'd gotten to know him better, she'd seen several sides of him. He was generally a kindhearted, easy going guy, though on a few occasions she had seen him really lose his temper, during which he could actually become quite violent. It was a little unexpected and she had to admit, she was secretly very interested in seeing what would happen if one of their enemies ever really pissed him off.

Meanwhile, Rocinante stood up to his full height, yanking at his wet, tattered shirt. He made a face and then decided he'd be better off without it, so he unbuttoned it and removed it. He hung the ruined shirt on a nearby rock while thinking to himself how lucky he was not to have hit THAT.

A shudder went through his body as the wind hit his bare, wet chest. Suddenly his eyes went wide. "Damn it! Damn, damn…I just realized I dropped my bag of cigarettes! Some stupid kids probably stole them. Ugh..." He reached up to scratch the back of his head and pulled off a chunk of seaweed in the process. "Wow...I'm a mess."

It was at that point that Aylin couldn't hold in her laughter anymore. She let out a few loud guffaws, slapping at her knee and then struggling to remain standing as she doubled over. The whole thing was entirely too much, and she couldn't stop picturing the wide-eyed look on his face as he'd rolled off through town as an unstoppable miniature hurricane of limbs and dust.

Rocinante couldn't help but smile at how amused she was. "Lin, hehe…I didn't know you were so cute when you laughed. And that little snort at the end!" He grinned down at her as she gave him a half-hearted shove.

Finally pulling herself together after a moment, Aylin chanced another look at him, smirking as she wiped tears from her eyes. "You know, I think I saw a stand selling some 'I Heart Birchwood Isle' t-shirts. We could go back and get you one of those if you fancy looking like a tourist."

He laughed himself this time. "As a matter of fact, I DON'T love this island…so I was thinking something cuter, maybe a pink shirt with a heart print on it or something." He grinned down at her as they made their way back into town. "...I can't wait to get some damned ice cream after all that."

"Did you even manage to find a place where we could get some?"

"Yeah, I saw some kids go in there, it has so many kinds! At least fifty flavors. Let's go ask for samples of all of them and then not actually buy anything! Hehe!" Rocinante rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. "Oh yeah, but I will need to get that shirt first…no shoes, no shirt, no service, ehhh..."

Aylin shook her head in amusement. Sometimes he acted like such a child that she had to wonder if he'd ever even had a real childhood. Though like her, he seemed to avoid speaking of his past, and she hadn't ever brought it up. She figured if he ever wanted to tell her about it, he could do it on his own time.

She pointed to the rainbow-painted shop they were approaching, having noted racks of clothing set up outside its doors. "Alright, how about here? I bet you could find something decent in this mess."

Rocinante stared at the racks of clothes as if they were another enemy to fight. "I'm so bad at this…ugh. Lin…just pick something for me please, whatever it is I'll wear it. Just remember though, I'll be wearing it, but you still have to be seen with me. Oh, and size…uhh…size REALLY BIG. Haha…"

"Alright, so I suppose that rules out all of the flower prints," she said as she strolled through the display while he followed behind her, snagging himself on nearly every coat hanger and leaving a trail of crumpled shirts in his wake. Aylin continued, "We also have to bear in mind that we're meeting with those representatives. I'm thinking if you show up wearing a bright orange 'Life's a beach' t-shirt, we'd risk being shot on sight." She made a teasing face at that and stopped to sift through a rack of 'big and tall' shirts toward the back.

Rocinante looked over his shoulder at the mess he'd left behind. "Whoops…dangit…ah, Lin what are you going to wear?" He got down on his knees and began re-hanging all the shirts that he'd knocked over behind them, blushing and giggling when one of them was a bright red, skimpy bikini top. He turned and held it up for her to see. "How about this one?"

Aylin rolled her eyes. "Are we discussing a business deal or seducing them?" She flung a ruffled yellow article at him from the nearest rack, watching as it landed on his head. "I think you'd look real cute in this one, though. How about you go try it on?"

Rocinante's voice was slightly muffled under the cloth. "Don't you think you're pretty enough to seduce them, Lin?" He pulled the shirt over his head, noting that the ruffles were actually feathers that made a ring around his neck. "I think you are." He grinned and stood up walking over to the mirror to do a little pirouette in front of it. The shirt was a little small, stretching over his taut chest and back, accentuating the contours of every muscle.

She held back a snort, watching the grown man in front of her strike an array of silly poses. "I'm afraid I wouldn't stand a chance against you in that get-up," she retorted, willing the flush in her pale cheeks to fade. She wasn't used to compliments, and he was rather liberal with them as it turned out. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she reached into the rack of clothes once more and retrieved a dark blue button-down. "Here, this might work. Much fun as it is to watch you admire yourself, we've got to get a move on shortly."

Rocinante managed to wriggle out of the yellow shirt, getting it stuck on his head only twice in the process, and then he put on the blue shirt. "Perfect fit! Thanks Lin, you're the best." He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze. "I think I'm going to get BOTH, because the world just can't live without seeing me in this yellow shirt. I really just want to see Maynard's face if I show up to work wearing it."

He sniggered under his breath as he pulled the tag off of the blue shirt and brought both articles up to the register, knocking his head on the sign that hung above it. "OW! WHOOPS!" He scrambled to catch the sign that was swinging rather rapidly, then he placed the shirts onto the counter. "Just these, please, unless my partner wants that cute bra." Rocinante turned and winked at Aylin.

Aylin gave him a look before shaking her head at the cashier. "I'm all set, thank you."

Rocinante paid the cashier and thanked her as she handed him a small paper bag containing both the shirts he'd bought. Then he and Aylin made their way back to the street.

"Alright, now show me where you found that ice cream shop," she said as she scanned the market place. "Might I suggest using that yellow monstrosity as a bib?"

"What? NO! I told you I'm going to wear this to work! Or I can take you dancing in it when we successfully complete our mission." He grinned down at her, taking long strides towards the ice cream shop. "Hmmm, well now, after picking out my clothes it's only right that I treat you to the ice cream…or we could get that giant sundae that has one scoop of each flavor and share it!" His eyes sparkled as he thought about all the delicious ice cream and he clenched his fists in anticipation, a thin line of drool escaping from his mouth.

"You're incorrigible," she remarked as she playfully smacked his arm, though she nearly had to stand on her toes to do so.

He looked at her and practically beamed. "But really…the best thing about this mission is that I get to spend it with you."

The smile disappeared from her face just then and Aylin found herself a bit lost for words. Her mouth hung ajar, although no sound came out until she was finally able to force a chuckle from her throat. "Well...I wouldn't expect the rest of it to go so smoothly," she managed to say.

What she couldn't say, though, was that she felt the same. He had become an unexpectedly good friend to her over the past few months. Even though most of the time she would simply shake her head or roll her eyes at his antics, the truth was that he, with all his silliness and kind words, had brought a bright light into her dark and dreary world.

She would even go so far as to think of him as her closest friend...not that she'd really had any to start with, but it was a very nice change. One she could definitely get used to.

Notes: This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I swear, Roci's clumsiness adds so much to the whole writing experience, haha! Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who has followed/faved so far and a special thanks to fabia77 for the kind review! Much appreciated c: I'm actually in the midst of moving across the country, so the next chapter will be delayed but fear not, it'll be posted as soon as possible! -Kade