Happy Birthday, Sweet Fifteen (13 June)

"Ain't right you teasin' me like that." De Guarde pouted and finished his drinking jack with a slight sigh. He would have liked to drink more right now, but couldn't. He did have a little stash of collected drink somewhere, so that could be dipped into later. But certainly he would not drink himself silly before having to go up for duty.

"You know, I drank lots more back on me other ship." He shrugged. He thought about the frigate they were in now. "It is better ter be on a frigate... might not be as strong as one of them big ships, nor as grand, but all the same..it is an agile ship, goes far,and can' hold herself together.. and Terpsy. She's a neat lady, I guess. She's taken us fairly far so far, without problem." He arched a brow. "What do you think of the new middies, Thompson? The ones who'd come ter replace t'.. missin' ones on board?"

"Well, what am I s'posed to tease you like, then?" Thompson wanted to know, quite reasonably. "I mean, how's a man s'posed to have a bit of fun if he can't josh a mate now an' then?" He stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankle. "Ain't seen much of 'em, but they seems all right to me. An' Terpsy's a proper lady, right enough, weatherly an' dry - an' fast, too."

"Oh fine. You can tease me, jus' ... I need ter get sort of used ter being teased, couse.. it ain't summat I've....well, I jus' need ter be used to it, a'right?"

He smiled. "But...now that you're a corporal.. may I tease you at all, back? Couse.. if you misunderstand I may end up in right a pickle, can't I?"

Thompson smiled, a little sadly. "O' course you can - when we'm relaxin' at times like this. Not when we'm on duty, all right. An' you'll have to get used to it."

"Then I will. Be warned. You might regret sayin' you'd let me...next I do it." He smiled brightly. "Jus'.. don't tease me when you're on duty either, couse then it'll right frighten me.. you know. Couse I'll think you were serious, for sure. Not a good thing when you know you might get in right proper trouble!"

"Don't do anythin' to get yourself in trouble, or that I'll have to report you for, will you? 'Cause I'd hate to have to do that," Thompson remarked. "An' I won't - don't want you lookin' the colour of me shirt, after all."

"I wouldn't want ter do that. George. Couse I don't want yer t' get to do it. I know 'tis not summat you'd like to do. Generally, and for me either.. well 'gainst me as it were." He smiled and hugged the man briefly before making himself again, quite comfortable where he was.

"An'.. don't think I'll expect special treatment, jus' couse we's friends. When you're on duty,yer Corp'ral Thompson.. and while I consider you a friend even then, it's.. well a duty you, so you do as you have to, an'... Well ter say it short, I get it. How about that?" He grinned. "And anyway, you won't be able to catch up with me, with ol' bones, like those!" He ducked playfully as if expecting a blow.

"I'm still young enough t'grab you and turn you over me knee," Thompson pointed out mildly. "Jus' 'cause I'm older'n you don't mean I'm ancient, y'know."

"You're so ancient that t' Ancient Greek would call yer their grandpa!" De Guarde chuckled and scurried back a little. "So Ancient that ..that.. um'...If you'd been in t' right place you'd seen, well.." He shrugged and grinned. "Could never have me over your knee! Nor is it dignified!"

"You ought to respec' your elders an' betters," Thompson said. "I never knew such a cheeky monkey as you afore. Didn't your folks learn you any manners?"

" Me folks learned me lots of manners, 'specially how ter stick me nose up like this." He straightened and give an expression of a stereotyped nobleman. "And they taught me perfect manners of swish and swoosh." He added, waving his hand this way and that.

"Oh.. you mean.. not ter call you old' bones?.. but you've claimed ter be that! So many times!"

Thompson rolled his eyes and tackled the young sailor, wiggling a finger against his side. "Jus' acause I say it don't mean you can," he said, laughing. "Shouldn't stick your nose up like that - wind might change an' then your face'll be stuck like that always an' forever."

"Hoohey!! " De Guarde squirmed, trying not to show just how it tickled him or that he was indeed ticklish. "Off, you big, ancient oaf!" He uttered and squirmed some more, but more with the intent to get away.

"Don' you tickle me. Don'! It is awfully undignified!"

"An' stickin' your nose in the air ain't undignified?" Thompson enquired, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't refrain from chuckling, though this was probably not the sort of antic that people would expect of a corporal. Ah well. A bit of fun never hurt anyone.

"Well, you see 'em do it lots, so it must be t' mos' dignified expression of all!" He squirmed and tried to drag himself out of Thompson's grip.

"I remember yer ain't ticklish. That ain't fair at all, you know! Ain't fair, what I say. You should have a weakness other n' ancient age!"

"I'll let up when you 'pologise for callin' me ancient an' not till then," the Marine replied, laughing at de Guarde's squirming.

"Aww, come on! I wos' jus' sayin' all truth n' nothin' but t' truth!" He tried again, though saw that somebody being so much bigger than him certainly had an advantage. Thompson had been able to keep him stationary before, and that was when he was ready even to hurt him, to make him let go. Now that he wasn't he was short of a few options.

"Come ooon, Geoorge!" He whined and began to laugh again.

"I told you when I'd let you up, young feller-me-lad. You 'pologise like a gent an' up you'll get," Thompson said, with laughing good humour. "Ain't a child no more... though you'm still a brat, times."

"I'm so very, very, very sorry about you bein'.. an ancient ol' bones!" De Guarde grinned up and looked cheekily at Thompson. "There, I 'pologised all proper, like a gent, see!" He exclaimed proudly and could barely hold laughter in.

"But you's right. I ain't a child no more.. though I ain't a brat!"

"That ain't what i said to 'pologise for, you young limb," Thompson said, renewing his attack on de Guarde's sides. "Y'are a brat an' all. Cheeky young monkey!"

De Guarde squirmed and laughed and could not find breath enough to actually apologise for the moment. There were tears at the corners of his eyes, but they were tears of joy rather than sadness. He swatted at the hands that assaulted him, and then had to hold his belly because it was hurting from laughter.

"Stop, stop!" He begged, inbetween hiccups and chuckles. "Air, I need it!" He tried to catch a hold of those hands and hold them away from his sides atleast for a few moments.

Thompson stilled his hands for a moment. "You ready to say sorry yet?" he asked, wondering if the lad had ever laughed so much in his life before.

"Yes, yes, yes!" De Guarde hurried to say between gulps meant to collect enough air back in his lungs and relax his poor belly muscles. "Hold on!" He hesitated and took a few deep, heavy breaths.

"There. Jus' a moment more, will you!" He added then with the final few gulps and a quick nod. "I am sorry.." He made a dramatic pause, which stretched on for a couple of moments and when it looked as though he would not say anything more or have a cheeky reply. "I am sorry.. that. "He grinned at Thompson as if seeing how far his patience would go. "I'vecalledyeroldasearthandancientasAncientGreek'sforefathers!" He grinned, knowing much of it had been muffled up.

"There. Can't say I did not say!"

Thompson sat back. "There, wasn't so hard, was it? Apology accepted. You c'n get up now."

De Guarde looked flushed, but it was a healthy pink and not a blush of shame. He looked much more relaxed and far less strained, to Thompson's eye, than he had for a long time.

Even if he was pouting when he sat up, De Guarde could hardly keep a surly face for long. He smiled and swatted his hand at Thompson playfully. "You drive a hard bargain." He spoke and made himself comfortable.

"Will remember that! " He grinned. Even if he had lost he had such a laugh that his insides still hurt, and he had completely forgotten of any hardships that one could encounter on the ship. It was a pleasant feeling. Similar perhaps to when he was drunk and the troubles were gone, only now he was near perfectly sober!

He wiped at his eyes. "I did not know you could have this come out from just laughing." He announced, amused. " Or that hurtin' belly muscles can feel so... neat." He chuckled.