Happy Birthday, Sweet Fifteen (13 June)

"Yeowch!" De Guarde opened both eyes. Nope, Thompson was still there, so was his sewing kit, so was the empty mug of his. The Midshipman was not yet there, but it was obvious that he would take a little time to come back.

" Guess... guess I ain't dreamin' or drunk. While t' latter will be remedied afterwards... I'm quite happy to find that I'm not dreamin!" He grinned at Thompson. "Nothing bad will happen all of a sudden.. right?"

Thompson shook his head. "Nope. 'Course not - this here's Terpsy, not some other ship I ain't goin' to mention. An' it's a nice sunny day an' it's your birthday. Prob'ly the best one you've ever had, am I right?"

"Yeah." De Guarde grinned. "Wish this day'd never end.. jus' couse it's so nice." He admitted. He was not showered in gold coin, and though he would not mind getting some hot chocolate and then sharing it with Thompson, he could hardly complain with what he had on offer.

Excellent company. And there was the blue coat again. "He's coming!"

"Play nice," Thompson said with a grin, looking up. "Hello again, sir. This here lad thinks he's dreamin', though why he'd be dreamin' about a midshipman an' a Marine Corp'ral, I got no idea!"

"I'd be worried." Mister Bailey said cheerily and held a booklet to De Guarde. It had no images or letters on its front. "Since, I do believe you can read, I've got you that. "He had already finished that book, and decided he could pass it on to this boy. It was one of those sorts with racy content and while probably costing, it seemed Bailey's guilt did extend just far enough even if he would not openly say it.

"Here, you can both read it." He had forgotten that being a corporal did not exactly mean that one could read as well. "It's...well I am certain you'll enjoy it." That grin was there again, the cheeky, mischievous sort.

Thompson grinned, and nudged de Guarde. "Say thanks," he said, though he knew he didn't really have to remind the lad. He wondered what the book was... from Mister Bailey's expression, it probably wasn't what it appeared to be.

"Thank you." De Guarde accepted the book, studying the front then the back and then he slowly opened it. He blinked as, while the book had many pages of writing, it also had pictures, and those pictures were...

He was red up to the ears as he closed the book quickly. "Thank you, sir." He said, as if remembering just then he ought to have said something of the sort earlier.

"You're welcome." Tobias grinned. "Make sure none of the officers get hold of it." Though it would not be as problematic, as it would have been catching Bailey with the book, in a book, pretending to read something serious and actually study, but in all honesty avoid that as best he could.

Thompson had only caught a very quick look at the page de Guarde had opened and grinned. So it was like that, was it? "You oughta see the pack o' cards one of the lads has got, sir," he said. "Though I ain't namin' no names."

"A pack of cards, you say?" That peaked the young midshipman's interest. "Could you ask this.. unknown source of goodness." He laughed softly. "Whether he would be eager to let a humble midshipman borrow them,.. simply for a glimpse or two. He promises that the source shall remain unnamed, and the cards dutifully returned."

"Oh, I daresay I could do that, sir," Thompson replied, with a grin. "Might show 'em to this young'un an' all afore I give 'em back." He was pretty sure that Vining wouldn't mind lending his his cards for a bit, though he wasn't sure he'd let on just who was borrowing them.

"Better you do. Always good bit of education, these things. Much more interesting what...." He shut up and grinned. "What I was saying is.. it would never go amiss to learn and see other things than the perfectly important studies of our own." He thought that he could trust this man not to hold his previous statement against him.

"I've imposed on the pair of you long enough." He glanced at De Guarde then at Thompson. " It was very pleasant to meet you, I seem to be stuck on this ship for the rest of eternity. So you shall certainly be seeing more of me." He was a cheeky bugger, a friendly midshipman though at least.

"No longer than the rest of us, sir," Thompson replied. He wondered if Bailey and de Guarde could have been friends if things had worked out a little differently and de Guarde hadn't been disrated.

"Yeah. " De Guarde looked at Bailey, who was already saying his farewells. ".. uh.." He opened his mouth , then closed it. This was a midshipman, and he would remain in the company of other midshipmen, happily enough, not Tars or marines.

"Was nice of you, all that.." He finally said instead and looked at Thompson. He wondered if he could stand table at the captain's table sometime.. maybe even for the middies. He would have liked that. To be there even if he was not going to enjoy the delicious food that they served!

Thompson grinned as the midshipman made his excuses. "Seems to me that book's a lot about what we was talkin' about earlier," he said, and shrugged. "Least from the very little bit I saw of it, it is."

De Guarde watched as the midshipman left, skipping away as merrily as when he had come. "Hmmm. Who'd have thought a middie would have you get such a book, eh?" He blushed.

"Don't tell anyone I got this book, promise? I'll read it to you if you want.. or let you borrow it, jus' don't go spreadin' it around."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Same way you never knew anyone had a pack o' cards like it - an' still don't know who they b'long to," Thompson pointed out equably. "Let's have a quick look, then, see if it's anythin' good."

"Well, can start with pictures first. Quickest those. And then, well for a proper readin' I don't think it's safe ter do it on deck. See... I don't really want to have a middie come over, not Mister Bailey, hearing us readin' that, and I doubt the Tars will have me live it through if they learn of it either." He grinned. "But come over, scoot closer. See..." He was about to say more, but the picture was... rather enough.

Thompson had to tilt the book toward him a little and hold the pages still because the wind was threatening to riffle them. "Oh, that's a good'n," he said with a grin. "Nice curvy figure she've got an' all."

"She's t'. .main protagonist I think." He read the name under the picture. "She's with a lord... but she's more like...a simple servant girl." He was not sure, but he had not yet read to know what the twist of the story was, because it was not purely educational. It was a sort of fiction and...not quite.

"Oh.." He spoke with the next picture and looked even more flustered. "..Though this un'.. I think she's waving good bye ter her man.. only she's already in bed with this'un...real.....uh.."

"Nice curves though," Thompson said appreciatively, and grinned as the lad turned the page. "Definitely nice curves. Only thing better'n lookin' at a picture would be lookin' at a real girl with them, though."

"I honest can't believe he's reading that sort of thing! .. I thought he was.." De Guarde shook his head and read a couple of sentences on one of the pages. It was written in the style of those simple romances, with the details described well enough, but leaving some space for near theatrical quality.

"Well, it takes all sorts," Thompson replied with a shrug. "Not all middies are as, um, innocent as you'd think, though."

There was writing with the pictures, probably telling some sort of story, but Thompson didn't really care about that so much.

"Never thought they were innocent just..." He shrugged. "It's a certain way you judge people...and I know you tole me not to judge , so I'll shut up now. " He flipped to another picture and blinked. "....Well.. 'least he's not readin' summat real boring like."

Anything further from 'boring' Thompson couldn't imagine. "Though, if he don't read the borin' stuff, he'm goin' to have trouble passin' his examination."