1 June; Stargazing

They were gazing at stars. He chewed on the inside of his cheek. He looked up at as well. The Big Bear, Herdsman, Dragon, he watched the stars and observed how peaceful the sky appeared. With a faint sigh he leaned forward, moved to the side with one leg extended then slowly lied himself down. He could not lie on his back or sit, so he found his position better as that on the side with his head supported by his hand, elbow resting against the ground. There, he was close enough and far enough. It was best so.

"Close," Chase said, thinking he knew which glowing point in the velvet sky that Button had picked out. "Just to the right of it. Polaris, it's called. The North star. Most 'portant one in the sky."

Light curls of smoke from Edwin's pipe drifted about them. "Always tell which way's north by it," he explained. "No matter you're at on the seas."

"So... you know which way we's sailin'?" The awe was clear in Terry's voice. He'd thought that only the midshipmen and officers knew that.

A movement caught his eye and he turned his head to see de Guarde, or someone very like him, in the shadows where he'd been himself before getting called over to join the Tars.

Hmm. Chase gazed up for a long moment, considering this. "See how it look like Big Bear's sorta divin' down, toward Polaris? He's facin' north, see. An' we ain't."

"Runnin' south'ard, we are," Dyer agreed.

"More south sou'west." Edwin held out his pipe to the boy. " 'Nother puff?"

De Guarde observed the stars and tried pointing out each of the stars or the collection of them, that the conversation mentioned. He was testing his own knowledge, and smiled when he felt confident about a certain one.

He adjusted his slops, tugged them a little, winced and relaxed when the fabric gave enough. And then it was back to the sky. Which one was last again?.. Ah, Polaris.

Terry shook his head mutely. "No, fanks," he said. "Made me feel queer, that done." He looked back up at the sky, wondering what it was that had told the tars where they were heading - well, which way, anyhow.

"Smokin's bad fer ya ennaway," a thick voice said. "Wot're ya lads t'inkin', givin' da boy bad habits."

Tommy Edwin smirked, taking the pipe back from Dyer. "Testin' the waters is all, mate. Givin' him a taste of it, like." He held out the pipe. "Care for some yourself?"

The dark-skinned petty officer shook his head. "No t'anks."

De Guarde sighed and closed his eyes. He rolled onto his belly and rested his chin against his hands, folded at the front. He itched to go there, really did. He frowned and yawned.

He hoped they would start talking about the stars again soon. This he could follow and be almost as if he was there, with them. But the offer of smoke, the other chatter he felt more distanced from.

Terry tugged a little nervously at Cob Chase's sleeve. "Wouldn't Buckles like to come 'ere?" he asked, his voice low. "'E's all right, really." Though he'd been a stupid idiot over that scrubbing... but he'd been punished for that, so they shouldn't talk about it. Clean slate, that was the Navy's way.

"Buckles?" Chase tucked his chin to his chest to see where Button was pointing. "He's in this watch, ain't he? Can go anyplace he wants!"

A reluctant grin came onto Dyer's face, mirroring Chase's own, less forced, smirk. "That's so. Prolly better here than up forrard with Seward!"

While his heart skipped a beat, feeling rather hopeful as Button spoke, the replies made him sag back to the ground. Was expected, was it not? He gazed at the stars pointing one to himself, then a few others that the men mentioned.

He was still listening in. He should not have, really, but things like that were just human nature.

"You lot don't want 'im, do you?" Terry said, slightly puzzled by the Tars' reactions. "I mean... I know what 'e done. But... but 'ow's 'e goin' to learn any diff'rent if you don' let 'im get to be... to join in? Like me."

Chase shook his head as best he could. "Din't say that. But he's parta the watch on deck, like us, an' all. Him bein' here's wiser'n him hangin' 'bout up forrard."

"Now..." Edwin chuckled, holding his pipe out toward the half-hidden sailor. "He can join our 'lustrious comp'ny if he can pick out the North star!"

A low rumbling laugh came from Thom Boyles. "No smokin', boy. An' no givin' him trouble ya lads, neit'er."

The lad looked nervously up. So they did think to let him come, permit him that is. Button stood up for him, which made De Guarde feel rather bemused. After all that?

He slowly got up, gritting his teeth, tightening his fists. As he was straightened he looked at the sky, glanced at Edwin and spoke in, what he hoped was a level, confident voice: "T' North star.. ern' ... Polaris... she's at t' end o'.. t' ..well there, over by t' little Dipper asterism. At t' end of t' bob' of it." He scoffed. "T' brightes' one... as...n' you all know any'ow. She's a navigation star." Which was really not what they asked him about. "..easy t' find if yer follow t' two stars further from t' handle of t' big Dipper." He felt terribly nervous saying that or even speaking out infront of all these men.

Terry couldn't believe that he'd stuck up for the other boy - and in front of a group of grown men, too. And de Guarde hadn't been the most pleasant boy ever, but Terry had rather liked talking with him the other day - something he'd never dreamed he would. He'd shown himself to be pretty spry aloft and not beyond a joke and a laugh. Just like Terry himself, and the rest of the ship's boys, in fact.

So why didn't the men let him in, in that same way they'd called Terry himself over, earlier?

"Good eyes," Edwin said approvingly. "Have a puff. For a reward." He held out his pipe.

Boyles shook his head. "Ya gives dat to him, Edwin, I'll pitch it over t' side."

Both Chase and Dyer laughed. Chase said, "Whattabout a pinch of snuff, Boyles? Ain't gotta be smoked. You'll take a pinch, wontcha, mate?"

De Guarde glanced at Button, thinking the boy could give a hint if this was some sort of a game that was played on him. He looked down at the offered pipe and saw the smoke swirl just a little from it.

"I'd....never done it." It went for both. He was curious as any boy would be, and he missed seeing Button choke himself nearly on one such puff. If he had seen that, he would probably not have felt tempted. "don' ..know." He took another step closer, so very nervous. "Button?"

He looked up. "C'mon and sit do... pull up a plank," he said, hastily rethinking his words. 'Sitting down' would probably be the last thing de Guarde would want to do. "Cob's tellin' us 'bout the stars."

He fell silent, waiting for Cob to continue with his stories about the bright specks of light and the patterns they made.

Despite lying flat on his back, Chase was able to fish out his pouch of snuff. "Take a pinch," he offered, holding it out.

"Funny how the Dragon's between the Little Bear an' the Big Bear," Dyer observed, his gaze once again skyward. "Lookit. A'most like a strange sorta hunt."

Tobias stretched slightly, glancing up into the sky. It was as clear a night as he could remember. Very pleasant. He idly tamped a bit of tobacco into his own pipe with a calloused thumb.

Voices caught his attention, and he wandered over to find a large group of the evening's watch settled in. It looked right companionable.

"Evenin', lads," he said, nodding.

"Evenin'," Chase greeted, tilting his head up to see who had joined them. "Ha, there's another smokin' type for ya, Edwin. Best not offer these lads a puff, mate. Or Boyles'll nag atchyer 'bout it!"

Terry shifted a bit to let Danver sit down. "Evenin'," he said politely, and shut up. Adult sailors didn't want to have an earful of boys' chatter, after all, and Terry didn't want to risk getting a clout from one of them.

Tobias sat down in the space Button had cleared for him, and gave the boy a smile of thanks.

He blew a bit of smoke out, purposely away from the lad next to him. "Ah wuhn't, then," he said mildly to Chase. He glanced back up at the stars. "'S a fair naht," he offered.

De Guarde thought to crouch, changed his mind, and then thought to stand on his knees, which worked rather better and then carefully took some of he offered snuff. He remembered how he saw the others take this so he distributed some on his hand, on the side of his thumb.

He looked up, glanced sideways at Button and then brought his nose to the snuff. He inhaled it through one nostril and made felt his eyes water. He sneezed less than a second later. It sounded a bit like a little cat sneezing after it had gotten some dust in his nose. He managed a:" Thanks." And then turned to look at the new arrival. Another smoker. The joke that the boys could not get a pipe was now running rather constant.

"Aye, that's so," Chase agreed. "Near to perfickt. Goes in your cheek, mate. It ain't powder!"

Dyer smirked and held his hand out for Edwin's pipe. "Should just let him smoke it. No harm in that!"