To offer an apology

Oxley shifted across to give the midshipman and the sailor a bit more room. He probably should head back down, but Slater had a telescope with him. If there was anything interesting to be learned about the other ship, he'd hear it first up here, wouldn't he.

No, he wasn't going to head back down till he was told to.

"Hm," Mister Slater said absently, the telescope already lifted to his eye. "Three masts, looks like."

Seward rolled his eyes. "Her tops'ls, sar. Lookit her tops'ls."

So, what was it then? The boy had the glass which De Guarde had envied him. Just as Oxley he hadn't wished to go down, if not ordered so. Here he could have heard it sooner, and he could watch the sail better.

Oxley wished he had a telescope, but tried to see what was so special about her tops'ls.

"They're, well, they ain't reefed or nothin'," he said, slowly. "They don't look quite that same as ourn. They're sort of diff'rent at the the bottom." He looked across at Seward. "Does that mean she's a Frog?"

Seward was leaning out over the yard, shading his eyes to see better. "Mebbe is, looks like they're takin' a reef. Mebbe she's a prize that got took."

"I'm going back down to report," Slater said, his voice a little squeaky. "Keep my glass, er, Seward, and keep an eye on her." The midshipman slipped back down the futtock shrouds and was gone, leaving Seward shaking his head wearily.

"Got took by who? I thought we was the only King's ship hereabouts," Oxley said, shading his eyes against the glare to try to see better. The water was sparkling a bit too much, though, and he turned to look at the sailor instead.

"Are we going to follow 'er?..with all our surgeons of ship?" He glanced towards land and where the boat was left and where, further on an operation was certain to take place. He was asking Oxley first, for the little middie left to report their sightings, and Seward he wasn't too sure of. If only he could get a hand at the glass, but he couldn't really.

He bit at his lip uncertainly, and looked at Seward. "Wot' more d' ye see?"

"I dunno," Oxley said. He hadn't thought about it, but yes, all their medical folk were ashore. That didn't promise to be good if they did end up fighting or anything like that. He looked over towards the beach where the cutter was drawn up on the sand. Had Doctor Maturin finished operating yet? He couldn't see any of the individual men, though there was a splash of red that must be the party of Marines who'd gone shore.

He looked back towards the other ship. Would the captain want to chase her, fight her, with nobody left aboard to care for the wounded? He couldn't think that the Captain would do something like that, but you never knew with officers.

They could weigh their options, or rather the captain would. Whether they would chase or at the very least identify their quarry or wait instead till the operation was done, was yet to be decided, but it did fill the young boy with excitement as well as uncertainty.

It was an interesting sight up above. A marine drummer, a younger Tar, and another of age atleast, all crammed in one spot.

"As long as we do not chance on more than one..." Even one could have inflicted damage and injury, and without a surgeon aboard, it might well end as death for more than the very certain lot. IF they would engage. Yet the ship was quite far, and nothing more was certain than, that there was one. He looked down to see where the lieutenants were, and the other middies, along with young Slater that went to relay what he had seen.

"Even one could be pretty bad, though I dunno what the captain'll decide. We might not even get to fight - I dunno if the wind's right and everythin' like that." She was still some distance away of course, and Oxley wasn't sure which ship was in the best position. He wasn't really concerned with all the manoeuvring to get into position before a battle, of course, but the Captain would have to think about the men ashore. Mister Yates, Doctor Maturin, Mister M'Clure, Bridgens, Sergeant Quinn and eight Marines, several sailors... They couldn't possibly go into battle without bringing them back aboard, could they?

"Think we will get closer, see wot' it is.. get back ter see if ..our own .. are done, pick them.." He was ignorant of Oxley's thoughts, though surprisingly they might've strayed in similar directions. "up, n' then go n' engage?" Well that was a rather complicated plan, and hardly ecomonical. If they were to go investigate first, then go fetch and go after again, the time that they might spend returning to land, might draw such great distance between their sighting and them, that they should loose her.

He was for a moment glad he wasn't the captain. "..Though's highly unlikely.." He peered at the sail again."There's a man who can do a wee bit of 'injury 'pair' on board, if worst comes to.. " He looked at Oxley. "A Tar."

"Sortin' out bandages and the like ain't much use if a man needs his leg takin' off, though," Oxley said. "I dunno what the Captain'll do; I likely got less idea of it all than most of you Tars, seein' as I don't know the first thing about sailing. I can haul on a rope when needed, and help when weighin' anchor, and I can use the futtock shrouds as well as any Tar can, but the rest of it... I'm a Marine drummer. I know how the beat 'Hearts of Oak' for clearin' for action, and all that stuff, but nothin' about how to get one ship alongside of another for a fight." He shrugged. "See, you prob'ly know more about that sort of thing than I do."

De Guarde nodded. That he should know, but it was nice that he were told so. No matter the wind though, it would still be a captain's decision. "I don't know how far his knowledge extends, tho' 's not wot' we be needing ter consider."

He glanced down trying to locate Slater and see if he was returning. "You'll be needed below later, if there any drumming to be done." He paused and grinned. "We should go up 'ere more." And that was as good as saying thanks to Oxley for inviting him up first time around.

"They's got one of the Shepherd lads on duty at the moment, and then it'll be his brother afore it's me again," Oxley said, a lazy grin appearing on his face. Then de Guarde's last words registered and he looked at him in surprise. "Aye, we should at that. 'S fun up here, like." He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "So, we friends then, or what?"

De Guarde was caught rather off guard by Oxley's question. He hadn't thought any about what they were about when coming up here, though he admitted now, that he had liked it. Friends?

"..uh.." He looked hesitant, but not because he would think Oxley a lad he'd not wish to be friends with. The word itself was..., did the older lad think as Thompson or as another. "..w..what would that entail?" He whispered, he looked embarrassed to ask and looked away and at the foreign ship, as if expecting the enemy's boat to have the answer.

What? Oxley looked at him in shock. "You don't know what bein' friends means?" he asked, completely unable to comprehend that. What sort of boy was it who didn't know what the offer of friendship meant? "It's all sorts of things. Havin' fun. Talkin' 'bout stuff. Sharin' things, sometimes. Not gettin' mates into trouble, or helpin' them out when they are." He shrugged helplessly. "D'you really mean to tell me you ain't never had a friend before comin' aboard here?"

"Well... not one fitting your description no.."He answered still in whisper and rather hesitant. "I mean.. sure I had friends.." A blatant lie. And if by sharing Oxley had meant 'taking from the ones below you' then... no he hadn't meant that. And Thompson was a friend, he thought now a lot more certainly. He fit the description!

"So, it would go both ways?" He quickly asked, turning to face Oxley, then back to the ship ahead of them. Though the ship wouldn't just disappear in thin air, having a look at it, just felt right.

Oxley was unconvinced, but was completely stymied by how he could explain any better what he meant.

"Yeah, goes both ways," he said, trying to think. "It's like, well, you can talk about stuff with a friend. And tell 'em secrets and know that they won't never tell anyone else. And share things. And lend stuff out - like... like if Andrew Shepherd couldn't find his drumsticks when he needed 'em to go on duty, I'd let him use mine. That kind of thing."

He looked at the other boy, suddenly feeling sorry for him. No wonder he spent so much time with Thompson; the older Marine must be the first real friend de Guarde had ever had.

Yes, yes it did sound like Thompson! Not at all like any of Confidence middies, but certainly like Thompson. He smiled at that.

But, did this mean Oxley wanted to be a friend with him in such manner that they would borrow and lend things - though he wasn't quite sure what could be exchanged, and talk with one another in a manner of secrecy? The boy he'd had a fight with just the night before was proving to be more than he'd expected him to be. Well, that was rather... interesting? No, that wasn't the right word to describe his feelings.

If it was fitting the description of the elder marine it meant it was not obligatory and binding as duty ot an order was, but was something one did, willing it. "It's like Thompson." he said and slowly nodded. "Wot' ye said, is like that, so I think... I'um understand you."

He hesitated: "And you shall be willing to share or t' like with me, if I do with you?" If the other marine had only seen this, he probably would have been proud. He'd said as much. Although he migbht comment that by getting friends he possibly hadn't meant among the marines.

"Yeah, like Thompson. Well, what I seen of you and him together, seems like you're friends, anyway." He sighed. "I... I tried to be friendly the other night, and then I went and messed it up just 'cause I didn't think. And, well, not all friends are the same. You mightn't want to tell me things you'd tell Thompson, and maybe you'd do things with me that you wouldn't with him. Like... I don't think you'd come up here with with him, would you?"

And if de Guarde decided he didn't want to be friends with Oxley, that was fair enough. Though Oxley wondered if he'd turn the offer down, if he really hadn't had friends before.

"Not now certainly. With 'is injured leg n'all. It would be terribly inconsiderate of me to ask him summat like that." He'd been in a miserable state that night and Oxley was unfortunate in some of his wording. Possibly both to blame after all.

"Though, I dunno." Would he have asked him? Well , atleast Thompson wasn't afraid of heights, or climbing, and was able in the latter.

He held his free hand out to Oxley again, as he did when their apologies had been sealed with a shake of their hands. "...um.. friends, then?" He wanted to go up again, as they did and when Oxley hadn't been saying the wrong things he was a fairly good lad. "Bu'.. I'm allowed t' make mistakes.. f'r now, alright?" He managed a smile.

(ooc - and now I have to depart for a while! See you in the evening! Don't drop any lads form the tops while I'm gone! :3)

Oxley nodded and shook de Guarde's hand. "Friends, then," he said, smiling. "And even friends make mistakes, at times, an' argue and all stuff like that. Like I said, ain't none of us perfec', like."

Well, it was something, anyway. Maybe he'd learn, eventually, that folks weren't out to get him. He wondered how long it would be before he started being friendly to other folks without waiting for them to make the first move. And one of these days, he'd get the lad involved in a proper skylarking with the other boys. He wondered if he could ask any of the young gentlemen if they'd like to join in, races and suchlike. Mister Yates might like to, of course. Mister Fletcher might not... he was still very young, but if he wanted to, Oxley was sure the other lads wouldn't mind.

But that was for later, and of course Mister Yates was still ashore with the others.

"Here, let's go down a bit," Oxley said, glancing at Seward. It was a bit off-putting, having a grown man there as well. Maybe it'd be a bit easier to talk in the maintop.

"Aye, lets. We might be called down fully soon, I'd expect. After yer'" He waited for Oxley to go first, and gave the ship a last glance from that high of a platform. Now, that was odd, having a drummer boy as a friend. He grinned. He liked that. Odd ways how they got to know each other too. First quite the kind of 'enemies' and now, well now they were climbing down a mast together.

Terpsy, she was an rather odd ship with a strange crew, but saying it all with compliment.

Oxley swung himself over the edge of the platform and felt for the ratlines with his feet. His chin was level with the platform as he said, "Don't you go fallin' off, will you?" and vanished, scrambling down to the maintop. He was a strange one, de Guarde, he thought as he swung round to stand on the top. Fancy getting to the age of fourteen with nary a friend - ever. No wonder he was the way he was - especially as his first ship had sounded so awful, what with officers who liked seeing the cat out at every opportunity.

"Won't if I can 'elp it." The youth smiled. He followed suit, swinging himself over as well. It took him a moment to find the ratlines, but as his feet came in contact, he began climbing down.

He glanced over his shoulder, not for the fear of being unable to see anything otherwise, but more out of curiosity to see what went on on deck. "There we are." He murmured and stood beside Oxley.