Author's Note:

And here's a new addition to the story, edited by the greatest beta I've worked with: Whisperwings!

Thanks so much!

Chapter 5: You are Evil

After several hours of trying to explain the damaged mast, and several rounds of pointing appendages at each other, Ariah and Scroop had thoroughly baffled both Mr. Arrow and Captain Amelia; up to the point where the well-brought-up superiors had to cut short the discussion for a calming tea break.

"They'll be back..." Ariah grumbled, turning to face Scroop, who was the only sailor that hadn't retired to dinner besides her.

"What?" Scroop hissed, noticing Ariah's very angry expression.

"Why did you have to use your stupid, bloody claws?" Ariah asked hopelessly.

Scroop snorted, rolling his golden eyes. He then rose up to his full height on his red and black stick-thin legs, looming over the human sailor. "If you didn't force me to crash into that last boom, then the captain would've never known about the challenge…" He pointed the tips of his red pincers at Ariah's exposed neck.

Ariah glared back into Scroop's buggy, golden eyes; pushing aside his pincers and rising to her own full height; which wasn't much considering Scroop's tallness. "And if you had the smallest bit of grace then you wouldn't have smashed you freakin' face into the forsaken boom." She snapped, while poking Scroop's torso. "Furthermore if you didn't challenge me in the first place, then nothing would've happened!"

"I challenged you so I could pry you and that cabin boy... apart." Scroop glared down at her, his yellow orbs narrowing. "Methinks, that over the past few days you and him are getting a little too close…" Scroop stroked the side of Ariah's face with the tips of his pincers malevolently and sneered. "I didn't expect you to win." The crimson alien swiftly clicked away towards the mess hall.

"You expect too little, Mister Scroop…" The female sailor hissed venomously. "And you still owe me a full day's worth of slavery!" Ariah shouted at Scroop, she shook her fist at the threatening sailor. "I get to choose the day, and then I'm sure you'll regret challenging me and for snooping into my business!"

Scroop gave Ariah a sharp back-glance, noticing that his intimidation had been taken far too lightly. He groaned to himself, knowing first-hand about Ariah's tormenting trails.

The galaxy seemed to grow darker; the nearby stars were orbiting behind planets and other space matter, blocking their twinkling rays of light from the Legacy's view.

"What was that all about?" Jim asked; he had just finished swabbing the Legacy's deck and was very curious about the whole mast-racing affair.

The cabin boy wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead; glancing at Ariah and waiting patiently for an answer.

"Which part?" Ariah enquired bluntly.

"Um… first the old-couple-like arguing, then the racing." Jim stated.

"Meh..." Ariah shrugged. She turned to face Jim. "Scroop and I always seem to argue like an old married couple." Ariah spotted Jim's suspicious look. "Uh… not that there's anything of that kind of relationship between us." She cleared her throat. "As for the racing, it's one of those random things we sailors do when nothing exciting happens around here…" She stated nonchalantly.

"O-K…" Jim gave her a strange look, like she was a crazy oddball.

Ariah wiggled her eyebrows at Jim curiously. "What, do you have any other ideas about what to do, Mister Hawkins?" She offered, leaning close to his face.

"Mmm…" Jim smirked slyly; he leaned closer and whispered softly in her ear. "I might have a couple."

Ariah smirked mischievously back at Jim. Her bright copper-brown eyes flickered with intense curiosity.

"Jimbo!" John Silver's familiar boom called out in the cool space air. He lumbered up to where the two teenagers were. "Oh…" He locked his eyes on both of them standing so closely. "Pardon me for ruining yer moment." Silver chuckled heartily, lifting his triangular hat from his head and turning back around to his kitchens.

The two teenagers looked awkwardly at each other; and when Morph made kissing faces they laughed aloud. They both had to grasp the railing along the side of the ship to avoid falling overboard from laughter, their arms clutching their stomachs.

After their long-lasting laugh-attacks, the two flush-faced teenagers happily looked at each other, leaning against the railing of the Legacy.

"Maybe we should go down to the galley for supper," Jim offered.

"Yeah…" Ariah walked beside Jim towards the lower deck. "But at the rate I've been getting into brawls, I'll be in the brig by the end of the week." She stated.

"Don't give the Spider Psycho any ideas…" Jim raised his eyebrows in interest.

Morph quickly transformed into his mock image of Scroop and he whispered "Spider Psycho…" under his breath as he stalked both Ariah and Jim; his abnormally large claws snapping at them like hungry beasts.

Ariah laughed light-heartily. "You can guarantee that I'll cherish the day I choose for him to be my personal slave."

Morph gave himself a pair of wrist shackles and a steel ball attacked to each of his spindly legs.

The caricature of Scroop fell to the deck with a comically high-pitched, "EEK!"

"You are evil…" Jim stated. Morph returned to their eye-level, giggling loudly.

"Oh, I have my moments…" Ariah smirked; nudging Jim's shoulder playfully and pushing the doors open to the galley.

They all entered the noisy mess hall, hungry after a day's work.

Author's Note:

Short: Yes...

Futile to the plot: Nope.

Thank you my dear beta, you're the best!

MG#6