Author's Note:
Thank you, Whisperwings, for betaing!
Once the security check over the HMS Aurora had been completed, most of the crew decided to spend the night in port. John decided that the ship's repairs could wait until the following day to allow his crew some rest.
John was soon wandering the main deck, looking out into the Etherium. The Theta Nebula, a wonder in the night sky anywhere in the Etherium, glimmered gently. This was as close to the cloud of space matter John had ever been during his travels as a sailor. The cloud shimmered as it gave birth to new celestial beings.
"How close do you reckon we can get to the Theta Nebula?" Rebecca enquired sporadically, standing beside the young man.
John glanced at the young woman standing next to him quizzically. "Yeh actually want teh get near that thing?" He asked.
"Yes." Rebecca smiled challengingly up to the young man. "And I have a feeling that you want the same thing, Mister Silver."
John raised his eyebrows to this new, playful side of Rebecca that he'd never encountered before. It wasn't to his dislike… it was just different. He smirked down at Rebecca. "Yeh could get in teh trouble from all of that mind-reading of yers, Miss Clarke…"
Rebecca simply kept her smile and then looked longingly up at the nebula. "Well?"
"I must be barking mad…" John chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's do it." He gave her a broad smile, his coal-black eyes twinkling.
"Do you know how to drive one of these vehicles, John?" Rebecca stepped into the longboat as John opened the lower hatch of the ship.
"Why Rebecca," John walked over the front of the longboat. "I've been sailing since I was a young lad." He stepped into the longboat.
"So you do know how to commandeer one of these…?" Rebecca glanced at John.
"Not the least." John smiled broadly, lowering the longboat until it hit the open Etherium and merely hovered in the antigravity.
Rebecca chuckled. "You're going to get us killed, John."
"I'll try not teh, lass…" John smiled, nudging Rebecca gently. He unfurled the longboat's solar sail and then sat down next to the black-haired woman.
The engine began to charge up as John steered the longboat through the port town's solar winds. Once the solar sail was bright amber in colour he looked to Rebecca.
"Hold on tight." He warned.
Rebecca nodded, bracing one hand against the side of the longboat and giving John a warm smile as she tried to prepare herself. John looked forwards, grasped the throttle and fired the longboat's engine. Rebecca let out an unintentional squeal at the longboat rocket forwards through the Etherium. She curled her arm around John's free arm and held on as if for her dear life. John stifled a chuckle and looked ahead, gasping in wonder.
The Theta Nebula was a shimmering mass of multi-hued matter. Within the enormous cloud of space matter, flares of bright light would fire up, as a comet would come streaking out of the innards of the nebula and pass by the two young adults.
"It's… amazing…" Rebecca gasped, releasing her hold on John's arm to crawl to the bow of the longboat. She extended her hand and waved it through the mist-like material making up the cloud. She giggled slightly at the sensation and sighed, looking out at the mass of colours. "Just amazing…"
A pair of bright white comets came streaking past the starboard side of the longboat, their frigid trails leaving frost upon the planks of wood.
Rebecca sat down beside John, as she kept her eyes glued to the visual spectacle. "Look at all of those wishes…" She murmured under her breath, watching more comets fly by the longboat.
John looked down at Rebecca. The bright streaks of light caused her pale green eyes to glimmer like polished jade and the expression of awe stirred something within him.
"Rebecca…" John started.
"Hmm?" Rebecca looked at the young man.
"I –uh- just wanted teh thank yeh…" John rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeh pulled quite a feat when we were goin' through that meteor shower… yeh saved us yeh know…"
"I didn't save us…" Rebecca blushed lightly. "I just… well… I just prevented the ship from hitting that large asteroid."
"Which would've totalled the ship an' killed us all…" John cut in with a warm smile, "so yeh saved us, Rebecca…"
"I- well…" Rebecca simply looked out at the shrieking comets. "You're welcome, then…" She smiled faintly.
After a few moments of looking out at the dancing colours, Rebecca sighed gently.
"I wish I could stay out here forever…" Rebecca closed her eyes and leaned against John's free arm. She sighed as exhaustion began to overcome her.
John wrapped his free arm around Rebecca's waist and pulled her closer, so the young woman's head was resting just in the crook of his neck. He looked up out into the Etherium and sighed gently. "Me too, Rebecca…" He murmured softly. "Me too…"
The next day, the majority of the crew enjoyed a free day in port while Jarred and Jim made the appropriate repairs to the ship. The young mechanics assumed that the ship would be fully functional by the following day.
The entire day had been allotted to restocking the ship's provisions and making sure that the repairs would be doing more good than bad. Both Juanita and Jarred insisted on remaining under the security of the ship's hold while everyone else ventured through the port town.
Eventually, the day began to come to a close, leaving only a few of the crewmembers on board the HMS Aurora.
He seems like a polite young man, and despite how brash and barbaric sailors tend to be, he's different.
Rebecca flickered through her pocketbook. 'He's different, he's different, he's different… it's all the same, and yet…so very true…'
She looked up from the pages of her book at the young man in question. He was calmly coordinating the mechanical repairs for the ship while analyzing the route to Emery with Henry. The warm, kind smile never left his face as he instructed to his crewmembers what it was that had to be done.
'A gentleman among commoners…' Rebecca smiled faintly. She blinked and sighed to her self. 'But a commoner nonetheless… I should stop these growing feelings of affection for him. If I stop considering him as a friend and as something more…' Rebecca shook her head at the thought. 'I could never.' Her gaze returned to the young man at the helm of the ship. 'Then… what are these feelings, exactly?'
Rebecca clasped her pocketbook against her chest and forced her self to look away. She chewed on her bottom lip and pondered about the situation she was in.
'He is a good friend after all… handsome… kind…and he cares about others…'Rebecca's eyes widened as the pocketbook slipped from her fingers and hit the deck with a soft thud.
"I feel for him as more than a friend!" She murmured to her self.
Her pale green eyes watered at this revelation as she turned from the railing of the ship and bolted to her quarters, leaving the pocketbook at the bow of the ship.
John quickly checked up on his younger brother and Jarred's progress with the ships' repairs while Tommy decided to start up the crew's dinner.
The young man turned from his work, spotting Rebecca hurrying to the lower deck. He could tell by the troubled look on her face that she was likely upset about something.
John made his way towards the lower decks when he noticed something on the deck at the bow of the ship. He walked over to the bow and plucked a small pocketbook from the deck. It had landed opened on a page, folded over. As John smoothed out the crease in the page, he couldn't help but read what was written on the page.
What have I done? Of all of the things I've ever done in my life this… kiss… it's completely random.
John skimmed the page until his eyes caught the last phrase written upon it.
But this kiss… no… it was completely sporadic. I hardly know John, know nothing of his past or background, and he's a sailor for crying out loud.
John's heart sank as he closed the pocketbook, no longer wishing to dabble in its contents. 'So this is what she thinks of me…' He looked bitterly at the Etherium. 'I'm… just another sailor teh her…' He stuffed the journal into one of the deep pockets of his jacket as he tried to keep himself composed. 'I'm just another of those…disgusting bilge rats…' He smashed his fist against the railing of the ship as his calm evaporated.
'How could I 'ave been so stupid teh fall for her? She tricked me…'
His jaw set as he kept from showing his despair. The kindness and warmth, which he had only felt moments ago was replaced by bitterness and an uncharacteristic coldness.
John turned on his heel and hurried to the helm of the ship. "Jarred!" He ordered to the young Shikaran. "Get the repairs done for tonight!" He then turned to his younger brother. "Jimbo, tell the crew that they're teh be on the Aurora by morning, tomorrow, that's when we're leaving." He stated.
"But…" Jim began.
"No buts!" John shouted. "We're leaving Shikari tomorrow, whether the crew likes it or not!" He turned away and stomped towards his quarters. 'The sooner we're off teh Emery, the sooner she can be outta me life…'
Author's Note:
I think I'll keep the trip to Shikari short… after all Emery's the goal in mind.
MG#6