Writing home; 7th May

"True it ain't. But there might be one talented man yet tryin' ter do it and succeedin'. " He paused recalling what the figurehead looked like. "Well,.. think I remember now. Haven't payed her much attention' there!"

Thinking more thoroughly about the figurehead:" But.. it aint stopped any storm so far.. 'r tleast t' one we had. N' she was sure bared.. wasn't she?"

(oh, was wondering. What exactly does Terpsy's figurehead look like? )

(OOC - no idea what Terpsy's figurehead looks like. Young woman, with a bit of drapery but a bare chest, flowing hair... Terpsichore was the Muse of Dance, I know that much! )

"Well, mebbe it ain't helped, but you don't know that the storms wouldn't be worse otherwise, do you, now? An' mebbe it would've been worse, else." He traced along the deck-seam again, wishing he'd brought something to do to keep his hands busy. "So, you got any superstitions, then? Mathew."

(ooc - hm, so she might have an instrument in her hand? or a book of notes or such? Perhaps her hands upwards like she were in a dance? Or she has that.. roman.. err lire.. no what is that instrument? )

"Me?.. well 'um... t' one when yer have ter knock on wood like.. if you 'um sayin' I've never had summat bad happen. But is' more a precaution ... I don't believe it would happen but.. uh.. better safe than sorry.. too. Don't need ter tempt fate, no?" He smiled and seeing what Thompson was doing he reached out to grasp at his frist , took his quill and placed it in his palm. "You'um fidgetin' worse than a middie stood before t' cap'n." He spoke amused.

(OOC - lyre. And yes, possibly. )

Thompson looked at the quill pen placed in his hand, and grinned. "Better have that back. I don't want to ruin it for you. An' the touchin' iron's similar, like, though more if people are saying summat bad like than if'n they'm saying summat's too good to last."

He held the quill out. "Me own fault. Should've brought some kit up to clean or summat like that. An' seein' as I don't fidget any time I'm standin' there on duty, I reckon I'm allowed to fidget when I'm on me watch below."

(Ah yes yes, that! Hmm, would she have anything in her hair? like a flower.. since spring would be the 'best time to dance' like?)

"Treat it as gentle as yer do a musket, and you won't ruin it.. even gentler perhaps." He laughed softly and patted Thompson's hand. " Hm,.. " He took the paper which would be much more the scrap, since he had written on it, and they changed their mind about it later. " Wait now."

He popped the ink bottle open and led the hand to tip the quill in then wipe away the excess ink and back to the paper. "T.." He said amused as he made the two marks, holding firm on the marine's hand while he moved it across the paper.

"Yer know I'd take that kit from you."

(OOC. A rose or something, I think. And I see her wearing green, or somthing like that.)

Thompson chuckled. "Don't treat a musket so gentle if you'm in a fight, y'know," he said, and frowned as the lad took his hand.

"If you want to join the Marines, I ain't the one to talk to," he said, and watched curiously at what the lad was doing.

Two lines on the sheet of paper. He frowned, curiously.

(Green would be lovely yes, sort of a well a bit of a royal colour for her. , and also going with spring. Think she would have a more old stlye of drapery over her body? Other than being bare across her bossom. )

"Well not in fight, but when ye'um cleanin' it. "He looked up at Thompson: "Why ye'um frownin'? N' this was T.. like in yer name." He released Thompson's hand, but did look careful at his quill not wanting it broken because the marine didn't know how to treat it right.

"If I were like t' lieutenant or t' corporal or someone in rank aye.. but a marine. .ye get awfully lots of shoutin' at!" He grinned.

(OOC - I think she'd have something over her shoulder, and maybe a ribbon or something in her hair, to match. Sort of Classical drapery.)

"Wasn't sure what you was doin' is all," Thompson said, looking at the paper. "So, that's the start of me name? Two lines, like that? Can you show me a bit more? I'll be careful with y'r pen, though, I promise."

(OOC - ah, perhaps over one shoulder, and not over the other? and a ribbon coming from under the rose or perhaps over her hair, like as if it was holding some back, but not like in a pony tail, aye?)

"Aye, that's t' start of yer name. Two lines.." He nodded and poused taking a hold of Thompson's hand again.".. Now. .remember how I had small letters that I wrote n' big ones... Only t' first of a name is big.. like this one.. Or if yer start a sentence. But all others are small." He grinned. "Like you have only a lieutenant that's big.. n' lots of marines that are small... well.. they are privates.. so small. Not like Branning..cos he's big in size, but he's still a private!" He laughed imagining the big marine.

"So.. T... and then there's a silent letter. .. like h..I think." He led the hand across the paper. "Small h though. We'll just have that , alright?" He grinned. "To write yer name. Dip it into t' ink, wipe of some of it n' then try repeatin' t' two like I moved yer hand."

(OOC - that sounds about right, yes. )

He nodded. "So there's a big letter, then all the others are small ones." He looked at the two letters that were on the sheet of paper, and concentrated to try to copy them, being careful to neither hold the quill too tight nor to press it too hard on the paper.

He looked back up. The letters looked shaky, but it was clear what they were. "How's that look, then?" he asked.

"Ye'um doing very well. " He replied honestly looking at the shaky lines. For someone who had written his first letters in his life it was a job well done. He could read what it said, and that was the intention anyhow. " Now..Ye'um write t' next letter. " He decided to continue with guiding Thompson's hand first and then letting him try himself. " This is o. Little circle. Like you move your lips when you say it. That one is easy to remember."

"Right. Circle."

It felt strange, holding a pen. He'd never really held a pen before, only when signing his name in the muster book when coming aboard a ship - and that wasn't even signing, properly, but making his mark.

The paper crackled a little in his shirt as be leaned over the sheet of paper, being very careful of de Guarde's pen, which looked fragile in his tanned, calloused hand as he carefully wrote the letter he'd been shown.

"Very good. So.. Tho..that's how much we wrote so far.. now comes m.. like t' letter in the marine too." He looked thoughtful how to explain it easy. It's like..t'.. like.."He looked around trying to get some inspiration. "like three waves coming fast one after another. See." He lead Thompson's... George's hand across the paper. "Like this. Now.. p is like this. What does it remind you of?" He asked as he leaned back a little, feeling more relaxed to trust the marine with his quill seeing that he did put great care to it.

He looked. Two arches, and then... "Looks a bit like a sail on a mast," he said, dubiously, and carefully copied both letters. His copy, underneath de Guarde's - Mathew's - much neater word - was sloping across the page, the letters large and untidy, but the first time Thompson had ever written anything. He grinned up at the youngster, proud even of the untidy writing he'd managed so far.

"Aye, lets call it a sail on the mast then.. now.. S... like a snake or..like on a belt ter keep it together. Such like. " He showed the first letter. "And now..another o, the one you know how to write, aye? So after o comes an n'. " It's like the m, just one less arch... could've been t' bossoms of a lady... but. .an old one." He grins, and stifles a giggle waiting for Thompson to follow.

"Then ye'um goin' ter write t' whole in one! N' tell me what each mark is,alright?" Mathew found the little lesson an enjoyable one. The letters under his own were sloppy, large and heavy. Yet, he'd done a well job for one who had never done much but a mark on a piece of paper. And it did make the boy feel proud that George was learning something because of him.

"Looks like two arches, that'n," he said, pointing to the 'm'. "And that's only one arch." He pointed at the 'n'. "An' that's an arch with, well, it's longer on one side. Dunno quite what it looks like." He indicated the 'h'.

"So, it's a wriggly snake, then another round one," he said, writing them both carefully. "Then the one arch thing." He looked up. "Is there any more, then?"

(Thought written ones were three for m and two for n, while the keyboard ones are... er well how they are right XD, that's what matters!)

"Thompson. " He points to the Letters and names each as it should be written. "Now these are all you need for your name. It's a .. quite long one." He smiled. " And o appears twice. See. " He nods to the letters. " No more for your name.. now,.. only if we go ter write yer Christian name as well. Then there are more. N' ye'um going ter recognise we have another one repeated!"

He paused: "But first I um' askin' yer to try writin' all those letters together to form t' name we were makin' . Alright? Want ter be sure ye remember the order. As t' order's right important. Change t' order of different letters n' ye have different words. That's all to it!"

(OOC - I'm just going by how I write it! Cotton's writing lessons led to an interesting discussion about writing, but I can't remember where said discussion happened, or I'd link to it.)

"So... it's just learnin' all them letters, an' changin' the order they'm in to write summat else - another word, I mean?"

It seemed so simple when put that way. He looked at the letters, frowning a little in concentration. "Um, T, h, o, m, p, s, o, n...." He pointed to each letter in turn as he said it, before dipping the pen in the bottle, wiping off the excess ink inside the bottleneck, and carefully writing his name again, trying to make it a bit neater than the first attempt.

"Can you... can you show me me Christian name as well, an' then..." he looked up and grinned. "I c'n sign me name on me letter, then. An' won't they be surprised at that!"

(OOC - ah, I remember now.. well the letters being shown, but also not where from. Aye.. it doesn't matter. Those two know how it's right! *blinks* ..well atleast one of them does and the other one is learning!)

"Exactly! " Mathew beamed at George, and grinned at him, looking very proud. "Right so. You learn all t' letters n' then you can write anything yer want. Anything at all. Just have ter know t' order of letters in a word." He didn't want to frighten Thompson with the fact that some words did not write as they were spoken. He omitted the fact that as in Thompson's name, there were other words that had sounds that you did not say, but did write , that for some reason there were letters together that made a different sound. Best to start slow. Have him enjoy the lessons and learn each time a little more.

He suddenly found himself considering to teach the marine and blinked. That had gone far from just telling him how to write his name. Distracted he looked at Thompson for a moment longer before recognising what he asked.

"George." He said:" Now again, its a name, right?.. So a name has one big letter first. This time.. it's a G." He drew it. Like as...well like this. See. Big G." He paused. "Now second is. .an e.. " He made the little letter with one swift move. "Try them. G and e."

How this had gone to a lesson on writing his name, Thompson couldn't tell. But he was enjoying it, which was something, and learning to write your name... Well, that wasn't something you learned every day, was it?

"G... and e. They'm both curly, like," he said trying to see how the lad had actually formed the letters, before making his own attempt at them both.

"How's that then, Mathew?" He looked a little shy as he used the ex-middy's first name, twisting the paper round as he spoke, to show his own attempt.

It felt odd. Still did. he tried to pay it little attention, though his name being called sounded so personal. He looked at the writing, studied it the moment and smiled." Yer can make t' e a bit smaller like, but otherwise is fine." He said softly and nodded. "You'um a good student. Learn quick, Very quick!" He grinned and then :" there's another o.. see, the one we learnt earlier. It''s here too. Now next is an r. "He showed the letter after o. "Up n' down... R is a bit like t' p we had.. but doesn't have such a long line downwards.

He placed the r beside the p. "See. a bit like.. jus' a bit. Anyways. here you'll see the difference between the big G and the small g. Like this." And he drew it beside the big letter." See, big, n' small. N' last letter you already know! Another e."

He motioned for the marine to try it this time. "I'll give yer t' paper later. So you remember, see how i's written and remember ter try it again."

Thompson grinned, feeling proud, and bent to try writing the rest of the letters de Guarde had shown him.

"There's a lot of them," he said. "An'... are they all different, the big letters an' the little ones? Like these two?" He pointed at the two different G's.

"Yes, well some are very similar. but some are a bit more different." He smiled and pointed to the paper." Now I want yer ter write it all together, George and Thompson. But remember. They are two words, so you leave space between them, like I did in the letter. s' how it is right. The space tells you where one word ends and another begins. Very important! Oh n'.. well, think that be best for now aye. Yer practice how yer write yer name." He leaned against the floor, and watched Thompson curiously.

" 'ye'um... ye'um enjoyed it?"

He looked up for a moment. "I... yes. Never wrote me name afore. Never had the chance to learn to."

He leant forward again to try to write it, attempting to keep the letters neat, though not totally successfully.

"How's that look?" He looked a little shy. "An'... thanks. F'r showin' me how to do it."

"'twas either that.. or see yer drive a hole in t' ship with yer fingers. Don't fancy a swim." He smiled, for he teased and did not mean that he hadn't enjoyed the teaching. It was the feeling of being important and of having taught someone else a thing that he knew. Since he was young it was little that he could teach others, even as a midshipman. He remembered how he had promised Yates that he would teach him. And how it never came to it, how it was the argument just about that which ended in a fight.

He looked more sober a moment, and lowered his gaze to study the marine's writing. It was better than his first attempt. Of course he would need to write more for it to be as neat. But it was well enough to write elsewhere and easy to read. "is good." He spoke gazing down at the drying ink. "Ye'um a fast learner.. George." He lifted his gaze. The argument lingered at the back of his mind. And the thought of how Yates might be very much glad that he was a sailor now. He tried to shove it right of his mind, not to let it ruin the moment and somewhat succeeded.

"You should be proud of yeself." He was giving a compliment and felt right to do so. George did write it very well. And seeing as it was his first few attempts, very well indeed.