4 June; A romp on deck

Seward cursed, feelingly. "Neither do you. Now piss off."

"No... and yer can't make me." He answered calmly, and smiled. There was something about that man, when he cursed but no, He was just a daft brute. " Yer goin' ter lay off of Button too." He added as an afterthought. Wise if'n you do that."

Couldn't he? The brat had no idea.

"Piss off," Seward repeated, "or I damn sure will make you!"

"Not 'front of everyone you won't." De Guarde answered , still smiling. "So.. jus' swear you're goin' ter lay of t' other folk n' I'll go." He stood there, as if nailed to the spot and not budging and moving for no money or reason.

"Won't I?" What in the hell did this brat mean, 'lay off other folk' anyway? Seward did his best to keep out of other people's business and preferred them to keep out of his in return.

"No, you won't." He answered calmly. He did not know what upset Button, but it had to be something to do with Seward. It was hard to demand that the man not do something when he was not exactly sure, what that something was.

Right. That was just about it for his patience. Seward flicked a hand out and grabbed the brat by his neckcloth. A sharp upward twist of the loose-hanging fabric was all it needed. Just enough to signal his disinterest in playing about.

"You got one more chance," Seward growled, "to get outta my face an' stay that way."

De Guarde gasped. Seward had been too quick. He hadn't expected it. He ought to have been running the other way but instead he found himself in a firm grip of the man. "We's on t' ship. Ain't gonna walk double t' length jus' so you'.." He bit his lip, momentarily unnerved. "you's happy." He continued, his hand reaching to his neck cloth and making an attempt to have it free over his head where it could cause no further discomfort.

"No," Seward snapped. "But you can damn sure stay clear 'way of me. Bad 'nuff havin' you 'fore the mast, without you bein' of the same watch."

"You wan't me back ter middie station, you're welcome to help." Though he knew full well Seward did not want him there, or possibly, by the looks of it, anywhere. "Put me down." He demanded, tugging at his neckcloth. If he had tightened it nice and alike his middie self, it'd be much harder to use it against him!

"Seward," a firm voice barked. "T'at'll do." Thom Boyles was approaching, his dark face set in a cross expression.

The maintopman scowled and released his grip on the brat's neckcloth, employing enough force to propel the little bastard away. "Don't you come near to me again," he snarled.

De Guarde fell, his feet slipping on the hard planks, just as he was propelled to the side. The landing was not as hard as he made it seem.

He yelped in the pain, caused by his rump striking the wood. He had a mind to make Seward more guilty than he was and put a good act for it. He uttered a quiet. "Or else...?" And silenced himself. He touched at his rump gingerly. It wasn't all an act. He didn't need to say it. Boyles saw that Seward caused the fall. He only then realised he was back to his old - trying on getting others in trouble. Great...

Well, Seward deserved it.

"Or not'in'," Boyles said flatly. He had seen enough of the altercation to know who was most at fault. "Clear off, boy. An' don't be makin' trouble wi' t'lads again."

Seward stood back and folded his arms over his chest. The sooner the mast captain went away, the sooner he could go back to enjoying himself.

De Guarde was quiet. He wanted to protest and even opened his mouth to do that. Then he closed it. He pursed his lips in a thin line and with all the effort in his small body, he kept himself silent even as he made a walk past Seward.

He was making trouble? He?! He bit down the anger that surfaced at the accusation. He may have challenged the man and held his ground successfully, but he had not caused trouble. No, he wanted that man to not cause it for...others. His friends.

"Aye, Aye." He murmured, when he trusted his voice not to betray his feelings. He walked awkwardly enough, the fall having stirred some of his injuries into a more 'sensitive' state.

That was part of the problem out of the way. Boyles narrowed his eyes at Seward. "Din't I warn ya, Seward?" He asked. "Nex' time it'd be the bo'sun?"

Seward only shrugged. Like as not Boyles was simply blustering. That thought was quickly proved incorrect when the mast captain turned partially away and called for the boatswain.

Hell.

Terry had watched the whole thing wide-eyed. When Mister Boyles turned away, he sidled up to de Guarde. "Don't go messin' around wiv him," he said, jerking his thumb in Seward's direction. "He's bad cess, he is."

"He is.." He turned and held his hand up to silence Button. Wait, the dark skinned man had not yet left. He turned around and cursed himself for not waiting somewhere near. "...Wot's that there..." Which was answered by the call of the boatswain.

"He's.. in trouble. Look, Terry!"

Mister Watts was not long in arriving, his gaze moving naturally to rest on the scowling Seward.

"Stirrin' trouble wi' t'younger lads," Boyles explained, gesturing toward De Guarde as he spoke. "Near fightin' wi' 'im."

"I ain't - "

Watts frowned. "Stow it. Below with you. Cap'n'll sort you out this time."

What was going on there? Gunn was enjoying the music up till that moment. He still heard it, but listened to it more distractedly now that the strange scene caught his attention. The seamen were at it again, getting themselves in trouble. He shook his head.

"Play another one, yes?" His attention averted back to the entertianment though he was but a spectator.

The three musicians were only too happy to oblige, having little enough interest in what was going on elsewhere on deck.

Tide kept his gaze on the scowling Jonny Seward until the maintopman had been taken away below. He remembered what the lad Button had told him, and subsequently the captain, and knew from that he was seeing one of the two guilty parties. There was no proof of it, but something told him Seward had had a hand in the incident.

"You lads pay that'un no mind," the quartermaster cautioned the two boys. "Stay well clear of him. 'Specially you, De Guarde."

"Aye, aye." Though how he could stay clear of the man when they were on the ship, De Guarde did not know. He was just wise enough to not ask that very question, thinking it might bring the wrath of Tide on him. "'e'll be long there?" He asked instead, his gaze shifting from the disappeared Seward to Evans. Unlike Button, he was not aware how close he had come to one of the culprits that had nearly done him in. All seamen smelled a similar smell, so finding anything familiar in that when he was held up, did not raise alarm. He could not right remember much more about that night.

The music was back and Fingers was cheered by it. This was no time to be long-faced!

"C'mon then!" He giggled and launched into a slightly-stumbling sort of hornpipe.