The Captain's Quarters

At last. The men returned their thanks to the captain and there was a general scuffling and murmuring as chairs were pushed out and parting pleasantries were exchanged. Crozier nodded at Findlay on his right and expressed a hoped that the major would be favored with good health for the rest of the voyage so they might all continue to enjoy his company.

Someone who would not be feeling well, however, was De Guarde. Crozier conversed with himself silently. "I wonder if I should pay him a visit? No, probably not necessary. He'll probably be asleep, and he hasn't merited the special attention anyway. He's lucky not to be spending the night lashed into his hammock with six turns. Mister Yates," he said aloud, turning to the midshipman who was beginning to file out with his mates. "I should hope our friend Mister De Guarde will be feeling more himself tomorrow, but you must fetch me if he grows worse in the night." Not very likely, but he didn't want Yates as youngest to be obliged to play sicknurse to a bully. He added quietly, "But don't worry. He'll probably just sleep all night and wake up with a headache."

The doctor had called him back, and Peter turned back. He was not convinced that de Guarde feeling more himself would necessarily be a good thing - the de Guarde who had been sick and had allowed himself to be helped had been a much less troublesome companion, for all the vomiting, than the arrogant young man who had come aboard. And that bully, with a headache, was an even worse prospect. But he nodded, and said that, of course, if de Guarde showed any signs of not recovering he would fetch the doctor. Although the decision would actually be taken by Chandos, as senior in the mess. But Chandos would not hesitate if he thought de Guarde was really sick - he was not a spiteful boy.

"Thank you, Dr Crozier," he finished, and then with a bob of his head, he followed the others out.

At the captain's dismissal Leat rose from his chair, stretching his legs which had grown somewhat stiff during the dinner, relieved to be up. He'd overheard Edrington's comment about taking a smoke on deck, and although he did not smoke himself, he thought he may take a turn or two before retiring.

Though he had frowned somewhat at Edrington inviting Thompson along. That the two had been in communication throughout the dinner had not escaped him, and struck him as somewhat odd. Usually one did not engage in conversation with a servant or footman at table (his own had stood mutely behind his chair all evening), and the lieutenant wondered if the colonel was so desperate for company in a redcoat that he had turned to the Marines. Though he had not thought to enquire of Major Findlay...

The middies have mostly cleared for their berth, with smiles clear on their faces, and a calm demanour of each of them. Fletcher was urging himself to be wide awake, as he was not yet welcomed by the hammock's tight embrace.
Dunnock was the first to enter their humble abode, tightly followed by Kinsella, while Chandos had waited on Yates for a moment longer.

In the sole hammock that carried life in it's arms, stirred De Guarde, shifting against the coarse fabric. Kinsella passed the mess table, placing his hat atop of it's hard surface. He shrugged his coat off and folded it neatly. The example was followed by Dunnock who grinned and spoke clearly:"..that was some nice dining. Ey?" He grinned and reached to his neck cloth slowly loosening the knot. "The delight of many a soul, and a heart's joy to all."

Kinsella shook his head at the young boy, Dunnock's delight in the art of word was well known among his peers, and moved towards his hammock. He undressed the rest of the clothes that were in no need to be messed and wrinkled while they slept. The shoes were near last in line, after which the youth began to climb into his 'bed'.

"He's not even taken 'is coat off.. 's not goin' t' look fine in t' morning."Dunnock observed with a normal tone, as if there was nobody sleeping just yet.

"Quiet, Mr. Dunnock."Kinsella was in no mood to listen to more jabbering, when their strength and fitness would cleary be needed in the morning. Or at the chosen watch.

"Aye, wos' just saying."Dunnock yawned and nestled himself comfortably in his own net. De Guarde slept tight for most of the dinner and had remained near 'dead asleep' till the arrival of the middies. "They won' like it. Not at all."

"Mr. Dunnock.. I would kindly request that you desist with your talk, and give us all a chance of some night's sleep. 's sure well we need it. "He was a lad more quickly to irritate than his senior, Chandos. His words were not mean, their tone indicating though that Kinsella was loosing patience and was much too tired to try make effort for anything more. A small groan was heard, coming from the hammock of their new messmate.

"Hope he don't snore."

A startled yelp followed as the Dunnock's face got struck with blue n' white striped bolster pillow.
"Aye, aye! I'm sleepin' allready."He retaliated rubbing his face, the earlier attacking subject, lying on the floor.

A few moments passed and then :"...Can you toss it back to me now, Dunnock?" There was some silence."..Mr. Dunnock?" And just after that a thump announced the return of Kinsella's prized, flying possession. And with it, a few muffled chuckles that finally turned into silence.

The Captain gave his dismissal, and the meal broke up. Thompson pulled the chair out for Edrington and waited politely for him to move past before tucking the chair back under the table,

The midshipmen had filed out before the Captain indicated that the meal was over. There was a scraping of chairs, a round of polite thanks to the Captain and the movement of the guests to the door, while the servants set the chairs back. Edrington managed to smile his thanks to Thompson, but with the resumption of movement, the space around the table seemed to narrow, and he found himself moved towards the door and then out onto the deck, caught between Leat and his other neighbour, Lieutenant Bush. The salt-tasting air, slightly damp and chill, was incredibly refreshing after the stuffy cabin, with its lingering smells. Above them the sails slowed and creaked.

Bush moved purposefully towards the quarterdeck and George, the officer of the watch. From the other side of the table, Major Findlay was followed out by Dr Crozier. Edrington showed the cheroots to the others and moved purposefully to the rail. He was not sure if anyone else would join him, either to smoke or just to breathe the fresh air.

And Mister Leat was frowning at him. Well, in his direction, anyway. It wasn't the Marine's fault that the soldier had had to ask about the way things were done in the Navy, and what was he supposed to do? Ignore the officer?

He sighed. And being asked whether he smoked just made him realise how long it was since he'd last had a smoke. He'd have to go find his pipe now. At least the foc'sle sounded as though the skylarking had come to an end. He needed time to think, and he hoped Mister Leat wasn't going to pull him up when he got out of here.

But that was what Mister Leat wanted to do.

"Thompson," he said quietly, when the others had dispersed over the deck, Edrington going over to the rail. "A word if you please."

Oh crap. He was in trouble. He moved over and stood to attention.

"Sir?"

"Did I hear incorrectly," the lieutenant asked quietly. "And I hope I did; but did His Lordship just invite you take a smoke with him?"

"No, sir. He only axed if I smoke, which I do. He never axed if'n I'd take a smoke with him, sir." He swallowed and looked straight at the Lieutenant. "He is an officer after all, sir."

(OOC - must dash. Got work this afternoon. )

"Thank you, I thought I did." And the lieutenant was glad to hear it, though he did not make his relief clear. "Carry on, Thompson."

Leat then turned and strolled over to where Edrington was standing at the rail with his cheroot, making sure he arrived on the upwind side.

"Mind if I join you, my lord?"

"Of course not, Lieutenant." Edrington turned from his contemplation of the sea and sky, to face his companion. The smoke drifted from his hand along the rail.

"Thank you," The lieutenant gave the colonel a small smile, before leaning ontherail and staring down at the white crests of foam splashing past the Terpsy's side below. "I always find that I am in need a breath of air after one of the captain's dinners."

Deciding on discretion, Edrington smiled and responded: "Below decks always seems stuffy - cold and wet sometimes, but none the less stuffy. Yet there is so much air up here. A breath of it is welcome, even if I am mixing it with this." The tip of the cheroot glowed as he drew on it.

"It does certainly get very close, sir," Leat agreed, fancying he saw a clump of seaweed catch up in the foam andthen disappear again. "Sailing these waters and at this time of year it is not so bad, but further south, in the Pacific or the Indies, it can become quite unbearable."

"I have not been further south than this voyage to Lisbon. Most of my sailing has been in the Channel, and across to the Low Countries. Which probably explains why I think of ships as cold and wet. And too often associated with the unpleasantness of retreat." The tip made a circle of light as he moved his hand, and sparks fell to the foam below. "Have you sailed in the Pacific? Or to the Indies? A posting I would try to avoid!"

"The East Indies aren't so bad, sir, but the West Indies are certainly to be avoided." Leat watched the sparks from Edrington's cheroot rop into teh darkness below. "Fortunately I have not had a posting to either, but I have sailed the coast of Africa, India and the Cape a few times."

"Postings to the West Indies usually result in any officer who can afford to pay for it transferring from the battalion concerned. I should have done so myself. Battle is one thing, and there are risks, but the death toll there is too high. India, too, has a bad reputation in that way, though at least now ther are the French, or rather their allies, to fight." He breathed in the sea air, before drawing again on the cheroot. "Were you on the Terpsichore when you went to India?"

"Oh no, sir, Terpsy's only new commissioned," the lieutenant said, bringing his glance up from the water to the colonel. "That was years ago when I was on the Pallas, under Captain Simpson."

"I did not realize she was a new ship. But not your first posting as lieutenant, I assume," Edrington said, although the lieutenant was still very young for his post, younger he thought than the third lieutenant Mr George.

"New crew, sir," Leat corrected respectfully. "The last was paid off four months ago - though she's not exactly an old maid, she's not quite a spring chicken either."

The lieutenant noticed a piece of Emily's fur on his cuff that has escaped his attention before, and picked at them in irritation. That animal's hair got everywhere...

"And before here I was fifth on the Amazon, then fourth on the Boadiccea, seeing as I passed for lieutenant two years ago."

The names meant nothing, but the ships were clearly bigger than the Terpsichore since they had more lieutenants. Working your way up in the ranks of lieutenant sometimes must mean working your way down in the rating of ships. Edrington tossed the butt of the cheroot into the sea, watching it spin down trailing sparks like a firework until it fell into the foam. "At what age did you start your career? I know some midshipmen have been on the books at least since they were mere children - not that yours do not.." He stopped, realizing that that might be tactless - unnecessarily tactless.

The stall in Edrington's conversation quirked a small smile from Leat, but only for a minute, because the question in itself was an awkward one.

"I was fourteen, my lord, when I came aboard my first ship; though I must confess the progression of my career was quite different to those of most young gentlemen, in that I never had the slightest desire to go to sea. It could very much be said that I had no choice in the matter."

[OOC: Going walkies again. Back in a while.]

"At fourteen, you should have been able to choose your own career - although one does wonder how much a child understands of the dangers." There was a note in the lieutenant's voice which suggested that there was some embarrassment, and Edrington knew when not to probe. He took out another cheroot, and then offered them to the Lieutenant. "Would you care for a cheroot?"

[OOC - I'll be off myself for a while now. Have a smoke!]