"Balaav'a, all hands on deck means you too."
Silver looked up from the pan he'd been getting ready to season, "Wha' fer? We're moored, ain't we? Wha' d'ye need me fer?"
"Not me," Timetra waited patiently at the bottom of the stairs for him to join her, "Demitria."
He stared at her for a moment, confused, before it clicked, "Tha' time again? Feels like jest a couple months ago we got poked an' prodded…"
Despite his trepidation - alright, it was downright dread - he followed her from the galley and up to the deck, ditching his apron on a table on the way. She smiled softly at him as she took his hand, "I know you're not a fan, but it's good for you."
"Mmm, sure. Gettin' tol' I'm fat te me face feels real good," He glanced around the deck at the other crew members waiting for their turn.
Once a year Demitria demanded everyone get a physical exam. As if he were afraid of her - despite her being hardly three inches taller than Jim - Sidon didn't argue and he always had them moor someplace so they wouldn't have to worry about any spacing emergencies that might interrupt Demitria's work. The entire day was devoted to exams, and afterward - as if apologizing - Sidon let them all have the rest of the day on shore leave wherever it was they moored.
This probably wasn't exactly normal policy when it came to how medical officers performed on other ships, but Silver didn't have much experience with a ship having a legitimate doctor on board and not a random somewhat-medically-inclined individual given the title of 'surgeon'. He wasn't particularly fond of this day, considering how vehemently he disliked doctors, but he'd somehow managed to live through each exam so he silently - and reluctantly - conceded that it wasn't that bad.
"I know for a fact that Demitria doesn't call you fat."
"Tha' little Zora's meaner'n ye give her credit fer," Silver snorted. She hadn't exactly told him he was fat, but she'd hinted that he'd be healthier if he lost weight.
Timetra chuckled, "I know just how mean she can be. You like to conveniently forget that I've been friends with her most of my life."
Silver grumbled a little but didn't argue, "C'n I at least go sooner rather'n later? Ye know the waitin' is wha' kills me most."
Brigit came bounding up the stairs and toward them. She threw herself into Silver's arms with an excited "PAPA!" and he petted her hair, "There's me girl! Did that evil woman hurt ye?"
"That 'evil woman' is ready for you, Mr. Silver."
He couldn't stop the groan from leaping from his mouth at Demitria's voice, but he turned with a smile, "Ah Doc, would ye look at ye, yer a righ' lovely thing fer sore eyes-"
"Cut the fake sweetness, we both know your flattery doesn't work on me," Demitria turned her lavender eyes skyward before beckoning for him to follow, "And it's definitely not getting you out of your exam. Get your half-metal behind to the clinic."
He tried to rush through or block out as much of the exam as possible. It honestly wasn't bad. Demitria didn't come near him with any needles, didn't pester him about his weight - which he'd apparently lost a little of since the last time - and didn't ask for any bodily fluids. He still rushed out of her cabin-turned-clinic as fast as he could when she said she was finished.
"I can't believe ye let tha' woman anywhere near our child," Silver harrumphed as he joined Timetra again. She looked surprised for a moment before she laughed, "Quit your complaining, you big baby! I bet she didn't even do anything to you."
Silver snorted, "How would ye know? Ye didn' come in there with me. She threatened to take me other arm an' replace it with an oar an'-"
"Who's taking your other arm?"
"Jimbo!"
The man squeaked as Silver whirled around and caught him around the shoulders. He embraced him quickly before holding him at arm's length and looking him over, "Ye had yer exam yet? She touch ye anyplace tha' made ye feel uncomfortable? Yer healthy, aye? Ain't hidin' no illnesses from anyone?"
"Wha- I think I'm healthy…" Jim looked up at him with wide eyes and then his eyebrows furrowed, "Did who touch me? Wait- what sort of exam are we talking about right now?"
"He hasn't had his yet."
"My what? I haven't had my what yet?" Jim was starting to look a little alarmed. His eyes darted from Timetra and back to Silver, "Dad?"
His heart nearly stopped beating each time Jim called him that. Which, to be fair, still wasn't that frequently - at least not as frequently as he wanted, though his heart might not be able to handle it - but it was a start! Silver felt his throat tighten. With Brigit's first ever word being 'papa' and Jim finally - FINALLY - calling him 'dad'...his kids were too damn good to him.
"Just a physical exam, nothing intrusive…unless you need to be checked more closely," Timetra regarded him quietly. Jim blanched, "I…I don't think I would need to be intrusively checked…"
"When was the last time you went to the doctor?"
He hesitated, clearly thinking deeply, "Uuuuuh…"
"That's too long!"
"Eh, it can be a bit longer," Jim flashed a bright smile and quickly turned to walk away. Silver shouted after him, "Run fer it, Jimbo!"
He started to do as Silver warned, but Timetra caught the back of his coat by his collar and he jerked to a stop with a small yelp. He reacted quickly and threw his arms back to easily slide from his coat and escape her grasp. It was such a smooth motion Silver briefly wondered how many times he'd had to do it before. Timetra seemed to be anticipating this move and she reached out with her other hand to clamp down on the back of his neck.
"Everyone gets an exam, no exceptions," She spoke with the decisiveness and assertiveness that only a mother could possess and even Silver didn't argue with.
Brigit trotted over from wherever it was she had disappeared to with Morph floating happily over her shoulder. She looked at Timetra holding Jim in place with confusion and then understanding and she patted his arm reassuringly, "It's ok, papa doesn't like to get his exam either. But Miss Demitria is really nice and she'll make sure you're healthy and strong."
Jim grinned, "Thanks Bri."
"Yes, thank you Brigit."
What is it with you popping up out of nowhere all the time?! Silver scowled at Demitria, but she ignored him and beckoned to Jim, "Since I've never seen you before this might take a little longer than normal. And I have some…particular questions for you."
"Particular...questions?" Jim shot a pleading look at Silver, but he followed Demitria down to the clinic.
The Zora doctor had already seen most of the crew at this point so the deck was, for the most part, empty except for them. Brigit kept bouncing excitedly as they waited for Jim to get done, "Can we go somewhere to eat?"
"Wha's wrong with me cookin'?"
"Nothing!" She answered quickly, "But we haven't had anything new in a looong time and we've never been here before!"
Silver snorted a short laugh at her excitement.
"And we can all go as a family!" She danced on her toes. Her eyes landed on Jim's discarded coat and she scooped it up to hug tightly to her chest before she wriggled it on. It was too big, though it probably wouldn't stay that way in the next year or so with how quickly she was growing, and she rolled up the sleeves so her hands were free.
Too damn cute-
Morph squealed and zipped away from them.
Jim hustled back, red-faced and clearly embarrassed, with Demitria right on his heels and heavily berating him, "-can't believe the state of- AH! Mr. Silver! Exactly the man I wanted to speak with."
That's not good-
"This man needs to gain weight. A significant amount of weight. I am giving you direct permission to force feed him if you must," The purple-blue Zora spoke in an exasperated tone, her mouth pulling into a scowl as she stared at Jim. He avoided looking at anyone.
"How severely underweight we talkin'-"
"It's not that bad-"
Demitria whirled on Jim and waggled a finger in his direction, "Don't even start with that! You should be at least one hundred and eighty pounds at your height and age and you're not even-"
Jim raised his hands in defeat, "Ok! Ok! I'll eat more! Can we be done now? I feel like I need to go…I dunno…bathe or…something…"
Silver's eyebrows rose, "Eh?"
"Dad, she touched me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable," Jim joked, but in a way that also looked as if he partially meant it. Silver put himself between him and the Zora and puffed up his chest, "A'right, ye did wha' ye needed to an' gave me yer orders. Go on now!"
"Hylia help me…Timetra, I don't know how you put up with either of these two," She groaned as she turned away and took the next poor soul down into the depths of Hell with her.
As soon as she was gone Silver moved closer to Jim and rested his organic hand on his shoulder, "Ye a'right?"
"Yeah, just…embarrassed really…" His cheeks lit up in a blush again. "I've um...never been touched by a woman like that so...um...yeah..."
Timetra finished detangling Brigit's hair - which had apparently gotten snagged in the buttons of the over-large coat - and glanced at him, "Well, you are…active. Sometimes you have to get checked for things."
"A warning would have been nice before she just… grabbed me…"
"You and John with your over exaggerating, I swear," Her long hair swished as she shook her head, "She had to look you over!"
"She didn't have to be so rough! That's the whole reason I don't go to the doctor…they're all…touchy and…mm…" Jim pulled a face and made a motion with his hands. He shuddered a little.
"You can't always stitch yourself back up."
"Watch me," Jim snorted defiantly, and then he grinned, "Oh wait, you already have."
He opened his arms to Brigit, who had been inching closer to him with every passing moment, and hugged her back as she clung to him. Silver looked between Timetra and Jim. They were talking about a specific event. A specific event he hadn't been made aware of. His arms went over his chest as he posed the question, "Wha'd'ye mean she's already seen ye stitchin' yerself up?"
Both of them stiffened. Jim shrugged quickly and mumbled something under his breath. Timetra sighed, "I found him in the cargo hold stitching up a cut he got while rescuing Brigit."
"An' ye didn' think te tell me?" Silver wasn't sure who to be more upset with.
"It wasn't big, only took five stitches."
He groaned, "I know ye mean well, but tha' don' make me feel any better, Jimbo."
"In the hold?" Brigit unburied her face from Jim's chest and looked up at him, "Is that where you were sleeping? It smelled like you in there and was always strongest in the morning. I was really confused about it every time I went to get more supplies for the galley…"
Silver studied Jim's face - which had gone very pale - and then Timetra's to see if what Brigit said had even a scrap of truth to it or if she had just misinterpreted why the hold would have smelled like Jim. They both looked incredibly uncomfortable.
It should have been impressive how many emotions he felt all at once - anger, shock, dismay, shame, confusion, worry - but he was too overwhelmed to really process any of them properly and his voice came out louder than he'd expected, "YE WERE SLEEPIN' IN THE CARGO HOLD?!"
"It's not as bad as it sounds!" Jim waved his hands in a frantic manner, his eyes darting over to the meager amount of crew that were still waiting their turn. Silver wouldn't have cared if the whole crew was there to hear him, "Jimbo! Why in blue blazes were ye sleepin' in the cargo hold?!"
"Seriously, it's not that bad! Can we drop it, please? It's not even the worst place I've ever slept-"
His eyes widened when he noticed Brigit staring up at him with a bright, curious expression, and snapped his mouth shut. Silver almost pushed further, only barely stopping himself from berating both Jim and Timetra - he knew she had a hand in this too by the immense guilt on her face - but he held his tongue. We WILL be discussing this later.
"Fine, but I ain't lettin' ye off the hook tha' easy. We c'n at least enjoy the rest o' the day first," Silver huffed after a moment. Brigit's face lit up, "We get to go now?!"
"Aye, me girl, we c'n go now."
Jim grinned at them and pulled away from Brigit's intense grip on him, "Have fun-"
Silver caught the back of his shirt, "No ye don', yer comin' with us!"
"Wha- oh, were you waiting on me? You shouldn't have- I mean, I appreciate it, but-" Jim grimaced a little, "I don't get to leave the ship."
"Wha'?!"
"WHY NOT!"
Jim stepped back from both Silver and Brigit's onslaught of intense questioning, both following the same line of thinking; Demitria had said something was wrong and he needed rest.
"Are ye sick?!"
"Did you get hurt?!"
"Wha' do ye need?!"
"We can stay with you!"
He raised his hands, "No, no, I'm not sick! I'm fine! I just- well, I've got direct orders from Sid- the captain that I'm not supposed to leave the ship."
"I wasn't aware that you were never allowed to leave," Timetra spoke softly.
Silver bristled a little, "I'm sure he c'n give ye one day off the ship!"
He knew better than anyone how much being stuck someplace affected Jim; when they'd been back on The Legacy , the boy had gotten restless to the point he started running laps around the perimeter of the ship whenever he had downtime. It had seemed that during the moments they had long, calm stretches of spacing that Jim's emotions took a sharp turn toward depression no matter what anyone did. He'd perked up instantly the few times they made port, but Silver had been worried he'd have to attach a beacon or leash to him so he wouldn't lose him.
"I'll be fine, dad," Jim had to have seen the look on his face. He smiled a little, "Don't worry about me-"
"None o' tha'. If yer stayin', I'm stayin'."
Brigit hugged around Jim's waist against, "Me too!"
"You don't have to do that!" Jim's face twisted with guilt.
"I want to spend the day with you!"
He rested a gentle hand on Brigit's shoulder, "I want to spend time with you too, but I don't want to trap you on the ship with me."
There it is. Silver had known Jim felt imprisoned, at least to some degree, on the ship.
"Why won't Captain Sidon let you off the ship? Can we ask permission for you to come with us?"
"Screw askin' permission," Silver grumbled, avoiding the sharp look from Timetra and continuing, "I'll make 'im let ye come."
"Dad, it's fine, really. He's…he's got his reasons."
Silver didn't like the look on Jim's face. He stared as if he weren't quite seeing what was in front of him. If he and Sidon had wanted a moment to themselves, that would have been one thing, but from the melancholy expression Jim wore he guessed that they hadn't planned on being… intimate. Which meant that there was no reason that Jim shouldn't be allowed to leave. This realization started to turn Silver's annoyance to something closer to anger.
"What are you doing on the ship still? I granted shore leave," The captain came up from Demitria's clinic. Silver scowled at him, "Ye didn' grant it te everyone."
"Wha-" The Zora stared at him with wide eyes - likely because of the harsh tone he'd used - and then jumped as Timetra hurried over to him.
"Captain, may I request you grant Mr. Hawkins shore leave with the rest of the crew?" She bowed her head respectfully to him. Silver slung an arm around Jim's shoulders and he heard the man grunt as Brigit tried to hug the life out of him. Sidon stared at Timetra as if she'd requested something ridiculous, "Why are you being so formal with me? What-"
"I will act as his personal escort."
Silver, despite his frustration at Sidon, felt his eyebrows jump up at Timetra's offer. She'd been more relaxed around Jim, and he could see she was clearly making an effort to allow him and Brigit time to bond, but she hadn't exactly been jumping with excitement to spend time with him herself. He certainly hadn't expected her to volunteer to practically be Jim's personal escort.
"I-" Sidon looked just as startled as Silver felt, and he blinked after a moment. He stood up straight and gave her a slightly quizzical look, but didn't argue, "Very well. Have a good day, all of you."
Brigit squealed and released Jim only to grab his hand and drag him toward the gangplank, "LET'S GO!"
The two of them hurried ahead, Morph appearing from one of their pockets to flit happily between them, and very quickly Brigit was attached to his side again in a tight hug. Silver snuck his own arm around Timetra's waist as they trailed behind, "Wha's got ye bein' so sweet on Jimbo, eh?"
"Making up for some of my shortcomings."
He glanced over at her guilt-stricken expression and hugged her tighter. He was annoyed that she'd let her own grudge against Jim force him to feel as if he had to fend for himself, but she was clearly regretful and trying to make amends. And it wasn't just on her. Jim could have talked to someone to find better living accommodations. He could have talked to Sidon, or Ash, or Hell, Jim could have talked to him . Silver bumped his head against hers gently, "Don' beat yerself up, Safflina. Ye made a mistake, an' Jim didn' do anythin' te change his own situation. So I may be frustrated, but it ain't jest at ye."
"Oh, what a relief," Timetra arched an eyebrow at him. The hint of a smile touched her lips and she finally leaned into his embrace.
They trailed after Jim and Brigit at a distance, both grinning at the poor man getting dragged everywhere by his coat-thieving adopted sister. Silver felt himself melting at the bright expressions on both of their faces. But that couldn't stop the little something that had been niggling at the back of his mind recently.
"Safflina…"
"Hmm?"
He hesitated, "Do ye think the cap'n'll hurt Jim?"
"What?" Her head snapped toward him, eyebrows raised, eyes wide, "Why would you suggest that?!"
"Ye know they're…I dunno exactly wha' they are, but there's somethin' goin' on between 'em an'...well…I dunno, I jest don' want Jim te end up gettin' invested in a relationship if Sidon ain't lookin' fer tha'..."
Timetra snorted a little, "Oh! No, if anyone were to get hurt from whatever they've got going on it'll be Sidon."
"Ye sayin' Jim's playin' 'im?!" Silver bristled for the second time that day. She merely snorted again, "No, that's not what I'm saying. I guess what I mean is that Sidon doesn't have casual relationships. He goes in hard, whether he realizes it or not. I think it's far more likely that we'll finish this journey and Jim will do whatever it is he plans to do next whether or not it involves Sidon or any of us."
"Mmm."
He felt her eyes on him, followed by her soft voice, "You don't sound pleased."
"I ain't."
"He's an adult, Balaav'a. You can't hold him down if he doesn't want to stay."
"Ye talkin' physically or otherwise, 'cause I c'n definitely hold him down and he wouldn't be able te do nothin' 'bout it."
She laughed, "You know what I meant!"
"WOAH!"
They turned at Jim's startled shout. Brigit had hopped up on his back and clung to him with her arms and legs locked around him tightly. He staggered a little under her weight - she came up to his shoulders after all and he was TINY - and managed to steady himself and start walking again. He whistled for Morph, who transformed into a tricorn, and ducked forward before hat-Morph could plop onto his head. Instead the transformed critter landed on Brigit's and she practically beamed as she nuzzled into his neck.
A mischievous look went over Jim's face right before he swung them around wildly. Brigit shrieked with laughter so loudly that it was certain Jim's hearing was shot, but he smiled and laughed along with her. And damn was it good to hear Jim laugh; it seemed as if it had been an eternity.
Silver saw his foot catch on a raised cobblestone and the two started to tumble over.
"There ye two are, though' we lost ye," He scooped them both up and swung them over his shoulders as easily as if they were sacks of flour.
"Papa!"
"Hey!"
They squirmed in his grasp, but were both unable to break free and Silver smirked at Timetra, "See, Safflina."
"Yes, yes, you've proven your point," She didn't even look over her shoulder at him as she paid for two decadent looking treats from a booth in the market they'd been wandering through. Silver eyed them curiously; it was some sort of pie with a perfectly golden crust and thick, rich-looking mouse with colorful pieces of fruit and what looked to be a dollop of whipped cream on top. Surely one was for Brigit, but the other was far too sweet looking for Timetra's tastes and he was sweet enough as it was that he didn't need any additional sugar-
"Would you mind putting the children down for a moment, Balaav'a?"
Jim had propped himself up on his elbows and he barked mutedly from behind Silver's back, "Children?!"
"O' course, me darlin'," He set both his kids on their feet and ruffled their hair affectionately. Timetra presented Jim and Brigit with the two desserts. Brigit - of course- took hers immediately with a delighted squeal and a "thanks mama!" but Jim hesitated for a moment, "What's that?"
"For you."
He accepted it cautiously, "Um…why?"
"I felt like it," She answered nonchalantly, casually, and turned away before he could question her any further. Jim stared at her with his big, round eyes before his shock faded a little, "Thanks, Timetra."
She produced a small cookie for Morph from her pocket, who trilled with glee and perched on her shoulder to eat it. It seemed as if she were specifically avoiding Silver's gaze, so he took a large step closer until he was right beside her and leaned in. He made sure his grin was as wide as could be.
"I know what you're thinking," Timetra turned her face away even further.
"An' wha's tha'?"
"I might have a very small - very small, mind you - soft spot for…" Her voice trailed off before she finished.
Silver slipped his arm around her waist again so she couldn't escape, "Fer who, me love? Who do ye have a little, tiny, speck o' a soft spot fer?"
"For Jim," She barely even whispered. And then she snapped around and pointed an accusatory finger in his face, "I don't want to hear you gloating for even a second or I'll make you sleep in the cargo hold for a couple months, you hear me?"
He laughed, feeling a heady, contented warmth spreading through his chest, and pushed his luck the tiniest bit, "Now wha' was it I told ye- oh, tha's right! Somethin' 'bout ye learnin' te love 'im on yer own, or somethin' along those lines-"
"I hope you enjoy sleeping on the floor, because that's going to be your new bed."
Silver laughed again and scooped her into his arms now, "I will gladly accept tha' punishment as long as I gotta if it means I c'n keep sayin' 'I told ye so'. Ye know what'd be music te me ears te hear?"
Timetra giggled a little, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned her cheek against his, "Fine. You win. You were right."