Amy swung the door shut after she's half swaggered, half stumbled through the porthole. She was alone, Sandra obviously being out mingling with the others. The bottle teetered a little when she set it down on her bedside table, now with little more than a third of the rum left in it. She was perhaps drunker, by volume if nothing else, than she'd ever been in her life, and yet she did not feel woozy, and her vision was clear. The heat of the rum flushed her, it's bitterness turning the bile in her stomach to venom, cleansing her. She felt... animalistic, her head clearer than it had been in weeks. Viciously, she ripped her new scarf away from her neck, and started down at it, clenched in her fist.
A gold rose, and a red one, twining together...
'A lie! A bad joke! A silly trinket to keep you distracted, cowed, while they laughed at you!'
Her imagination was her enemy, conjuring up images of Pixie and Bennie together. Her tongue reaching down his throat, as his hands lifted up her clothes. She wanted to be sick, to stop looking, but when she shut her eyes it only made the image clearer.
'They made you give them everything. Your work, you sister's, your... control. Everything that mattered, everything you needed, and together they took it away from you.'
Both her fists were clenched now, at either end of the fabric, it would be the easiest thing to rip the offending garment in two, burn the pieces, and spit on the ashes. She tensed, ready to tear... but she couldn't do it. She had the strength, but she just couldn't.
She'd hurt them, somehow. She'd make them feel the way she felt. However, the drink hadn't made her so bold as to not know that her threats to Bennie were hollow. He wasn't Pixie, he really would throw her off the ship if she tried to seduce the crew so blatantly, before she could do any lasting damage. For now, it served a purpose just to keep him perched uncomfortably, looking over his shoulder wondering what she would do next. It helped that she was‏ drunk. She could pass her words off as inebriated rantings. Bennie still wouldn't believe her at first, but after a while of apparent calm he might just let his guard down, and the time that would take, would give Amy time to figure out how to hit them, just the two of them, where it would really hurt.
"Can I come in? It's Sprout."
And there it was, as if served up to her on a plate. Amy suppressed a broad grin.
"Sure."
Sprout opened the door and stepped in, ?Hey, I was jus--? His words died in his throat when he took in the girl before him. Despite whatever measures she?d taken to clean up, she was still quite obviously drunk off her ass. Sprout took a step back. ?Oh, sorry. If now?s a bad time I reckon I can come back later.?
"No, no. It's a perfect time. Come on."
Amy beckoned him to sit. The cog's turning in her head. Axel was a smart kid, and he was devoted to Bennie and his mother. This wouldn't be easy, and she'd only get one shot at it. She'd have to play this well, which for now, meant playing it very, very carefully indeed.
"You want to chew me out too?" she asked, not sounding too accusatory. "S'alright, I'd rather listen to you anyway."
Sprout swallowed his anxiety and did as he was told. Something seemed... off about all this.
Jus? relax. You can handle her.
Sitting down on the edge of Sandra?s bed, his eyes found themselves glued to the bottle, ?No, I ain?t here ta? chew you out. Hell, I barely know you.? He pursed his lips and looked at Amy. ?I-I jus? wanna know what?s up. Ma? leavin? all of a sudden?s hard ta? swallow fer all of us. Trust me, no one knows that better than I do.? There was something extra heavy behind those last few words. He sighed. ?I care about this hunk of junk more?n anythin? in the world. Not jus? the ship, obviously, but what it means to me an? everyone else who has ever served on it. I used ta? take a back seat on these thin?s, but with my Ma? gone I?ve gotta step up. If I see a potential problem it?s my duty ta? sort it out.?
He searched Amy?s eyes, ?So please, tell me, what?s goin? on??
"What's going on?" Amy repeated, bitterly. "You want me to start at the beginning, because that might take a while..."
She lifted her head, her eyes searching his face as he sat across from her. If she'd met him a couple of months ago, Amy reckoned that she might find it hard to believe that there was only two years in age between them. However, Axel had the look of someone who had aged a lot in a short space of time. Maybe not so much physically, but it was written all over his face all the same.
"I don't know who I am anymore." She told him, eventually. "What I did before... I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it was always pretty, but I had a place. I belonged. I knew the rules to the game and I played it better than anybody else. Is... is it so wrong to admit that it felt good to be wanted, by so many people, even if it was all an act? Maybe I enjoyed it so much that I forgot what was inside, or maybe there never was an inside? I don't know, so when people look at me and see the worst, when they don't trust me..." she shrugged, and laughed half-heartedly "who am I to say they're wrong?"
She picked up the bottle once more and drank, dipping her head when she was done. Her voice grew softer, and quieter, forcing Axel to lean forward to hear.
"I left it for her. I left the place I belonged, because I thought I might belong here... and now she's left me, The Gentleman's off God Knows Where doing God Knows What. I'm alone, and Maiden or no Maiden, I'm useless. There's more than a hundred other girls out there who I promised I'd look out for, and I can do nothing for them."
Wordlessly, she held the bottle out in front of her, offering to share with him.
"I should ask... It doesn't bother you, does it? Me, talking about what I a-what I used to be?"
Sprout took the bottle, hesitating for a moment before taking a sip. It was strong.
Laughing off the bitter taste, he shook his head and forced it down. He was certain he looked like a moron, ?Of course not,? Sprout offered a warm smile. ?I don? remember much about my childhood, but there was this woman... Ma? tells me she was, well... you know. Anyway, she stayed with us fer a bit. Took care of me when Ma? was out thievin? an? shit. The only thing I really remember ?bout ?er was the warmth an? the lullabies she sung me.?
He shrugged, ?I doubt Ma? had a problem with yer profession so I see no reason why I would. ?We do what we gotta do?. That?s what ol? Chromey always used ta? tell us. ?Don? doubt yerself, an? always know yer doin? it fer the right reasons?.? He looked down at the bottle in his hands. ?I?ve spent a lot of time wonderin? about who I am. What I?m doin?. I mean, it ain?t normal fer a kid ta? grow up doin? what I do, right? Well, I ain?t got any answers yet, but the ol? man?s words keep me goin?. I know that, whatever route I take... no matter what I do with my life, as long as I am doin? it fer a good reason, it?s worth doin?. Success or failure, it don? matter.?
He took a swig.
'Time to test the water.'
"That was pretty inspirational." Amy said, not at all patronising. She looked up at him and smiled. "Maybe you should be Captain?"
Sprout laughed, ?Yeah, maybe some day. I reckon I gotta long way ta? go before that day comes, though.? He nodded. ?Ma? would probably want me to do somethin?... safer, but that don? mean she ain?t been preparin? me jus? in case. I?ve learned a lot from her. Hell, I?ve learned a lot from everyone.? His grin slowly faded into a frown. He rolled the bottle between his hands and continued. ?Bennie loves the Iron Maiden, but I hope it doesn? get to ?im the same way it did Ma?.?
I wish I could do more fer her...
"I... I think having you beside him will help a lot." Amy replied. Tentatively, she stood up, gliding over the distance between them to sit down beside him. "Bennie and I, well... we haven't exactly got off on the right foot, or any kind of foot really. I won't lie to you Axel, I don't know if he's ever going to trust me, and I'm not sure if I can ever respect him... but if it counts for anything." She looked right into his eyes. "I respect you."
'Don't get greedy now. Let his head make all the suggestions.'
Amy held the stare for just long enough that she was beginning to get a little dazed herself, at how warm Axel's eyes were. She blinked and looked away. It was probably just the drink.
"You don't need to say anything." She said. "I don't want to always be the one in need of an ear." A smile formed at the corners of her mouth, mischievous. "Why don't you tell me something I don't know. Anyone giving you a hard time, or just rubbing you the wrong way?"
Sprout blinked stupidly as he stared back at the girl next to him. There was something... enchanting about her.
An? somethin?... off-puttin?.
Sprout wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it was hard for him to shrug off the feeling he was being played somehow.
Jus? play along. She seems nice enough...
Sprout chuckled nerviously, ?Oh, no... there ain?t anythin? worth complainin? about really. I mean, I really miss my Ma?, but I don? think bitchin? about that?ll make me feel any better at this point.? He sighed and looked away. ?She?s doin? what she thinks is right...?
"Oh come on!" She said, nudging him playfully. "I don't actually get to gossip very often, believe it or not. You'd be doing me a favour. Surely you're not so nice that you like everyone? None of the newbies getting your goat?"
Sprout laughed, sadly, ?Nothin? serious, no. There?s that fresh ****** who?s tryin? ta? woo all the ladies, but that?s an easy fix.? He looked at his clenched fist and grinned. ?I reckon he ain?t thrown a punch in ?is life. One good wallop an? I?ll set everythin? right, don?t you worry.?
Amy beamed. She couldn't move on Axel directly, not yet, not while Pixie's shadow loomed over the pair of them. She'd have to find a way to provoke him into making the moves himself. For that, a rival would be ideal.
"Oh, does that mean any of the ladies have caught your eye?" She said, reaching over and taking back her bottle, taking another drink.
Sprout laughed like the pervy teenager and nodded, ?Hell yeah! All of them ?ave my eye!? He closed his eyes and pointed his finger to the ceiling. ?I don? discriminate. There?s enough Sprout ta? go around!?
Amy laughed with him.
"Really? Even the fighty one that's hanging onto Jake's ankles? You know, big hair, bigger accent, would probably be more into you if you had engine grease running through you instead of blood?"
She laughed again.
"Come on," she said, getting up and grabbing his hand. "We should both go and get more acquainted with them. I want to do something fun for once."
Sprout blushed slightly and nodded enthusiastically, ?They were talkin? ?bout playin? cards earlier. Let?s see if they?ve got it set up!?
