Planning for fun

"If I'um behave?" Wasn't as easy when he was a bit under the influence and had found it a rather fine idea that he would tug at those sticks as the other boy had done. "Could ask another sailor.. I know. Wes'dale. He could help I think. He'sa..." But he didn't continue thinking it was possibly none of their business that Westdale had fallen once and injured himself badly. Either they knew, or they did not.

He looked at the sticks and studied them for a long few moments as if remembering their place for later. Then he'd shifted his attention to just one, and so his hold, and tugged once, sharp and quick like. It looked that if things were not halted soon, it could deteriorate and not all to the boy's fault neither.

"If you can behave," Oxley said, grabbing for his drumstick. "You're worse'n Fingers, you are. And you can leave that alone, else we won't have to look no further for a volunteer t'take the rag up."

Fingers looked up, frowning, and nudged de Guarde in the side. "Ain't right, t'take summat once they knows you's after it," he said. "'Speshally as it was him that brung you up here in th'first place."

De Guarde made a frown that could've been thought threatening to Fingers, but then he let go of the stick and he actually smiled a little at the boy as if listening to his advice and thinking it sound. He sat up had both of his hands in his lap and neither holding anything but perhaps each other. He nodded subtly and looked at the boy again.

"Ye'um right." He murmured and looked at Oxley, his face clearer. "We can continue lookin' now!" He held his hands out flat, though Oxley knew he'd not taken anything, it was still important to him that he shows his hands empty, fully empty at that.

Oxley glanced down at de Guarde's hand. Empty but for the scar in one of them. He wondered how he'd got it. He nodded, grinning. "You'll be all right, you will."

"I'm for askin' someone like Young Oates," he said. "He's young 'nough, only a bit older'n me, he won't mind helpin' us, I think."

He didn't know the boy, but even so he'd have agreed as long as it weren't him having to take the rag up. He nodded to the suggestion and dropped his hands, since Oxley had gotten a good view of them empty. he adjusted his sleeves a little and curled his hands in his lap.

"He won't want to play 'swell?" He asked and turned quiet quickly. Being amongst the boys for the first time - ship's boys rather than a more formal existence with the midshipmen - was a bit odd though not completely unpleasant.

Oxley shrugged. "Don't reckon so. He's twenty if he's a day. Won't want to be muckin' around with the likes of Danny here." He ruffled Danny Milburn's hair, only to have the young boy bat his hand away.

Jacky Fisher grinned at de Guarde. "See, Oxley's the oldest of us. Danny's only eight, ain't you, mate?"

Danny scowled and punched him lightly in the side. "Ten, stupid, an' don't you forget it, neither!"

"Wot's t' age of all of ye?" He wasn't sure if he even knew that one for Oxley and if he did he must've forgotten. Danny was ten, eight by Fisher's saying, which made him chuckle a little.

He nodded with a small smile. It was odd hanging about with the younger ones and not seeking out a way to have them do his bidding. He pulled his legs under him and seated himself more comfortably.

Oxley grinned. "Well, Danny's ten, Johnny's 'leven, Jacky's thirteen, Andrew here's fourteen, Bobby's twelve, Sam's twelve too, Charley's fourteen..." He pointed at each lad as he said his name, thinking that de Guarde probably didn't know any of them apart from himself and maybe Danny Milburn.

There were quite a few of them, he thought, the sort you wouldn't look at twice if you saw them in any town. He wondered for a moment what de Guarde would make of them. They were mostly orphaned or packed off to sea to be out of the way, if they were lucky enough to have relations. At least at sea, they had a purpose, and were fed and clothed.

He knew he would have to ask for the names again. It went quickly and he could barely tell one boy from the other, with the introduction. Years, names. He would make sure to mark them down later. It would be useful not to call - hey you there - but rather call - Danny, or Johnny, or Jacky and such. He wasn't sure why it mattered, but perhaps it did.

He nodded every so often in response, and was glad he hadn't gotten so drunk that he would not be able to make reason.

"Ah." He said at last and then a softer: "Thank you. " For explaining and introducing. The powder monkeys and such. And he knew them. So what now, did they decide on the boy to take the rag up, what were the rules? Did they agree on those yet?

"um.. so, 's there anything more ter know.. 'bout that race?" And about the boys. Like Fingers, who seemed to have a set of rather sticky ones.

Oxley grinned. "'S all right, mate. There's a lot of names to 'member, ain't there?" And de Guarde had thanked him, which was... nice, and a little unexpected. Maybe Thompson was right to be friendly with him after all. Oxley couldn't have managed to get him to say thanks, he knew that much, if the older Marine hadn't been so friendly with the boy.


He leaned back against the gun truck. "Lessee. We ask Young Oates to take the rag up, tie it so's it don't blow away an' stay there to see who gets it first. And we all go climbin' for it." He frowned momentarily. "Dunno if that'll work, though. There's a lot of us. What if we do it so's there's two teams, an' it's the team that gets all its lads to the top and back down again that wins? And the last boy up gets the rag - whatever team he's in?"

(OOC - I didn't name every boy - I deliberately left room for folks to add names later if they want. I think there ought to be about 16 boys, one per pair of guns when in action...)

"N' no pushin' or shovin'.. jus' clean climbin, right?" Well he knew how to do all the earlier mentioned but he prefered to stay alive till the end of this competition no matter whether he.. they won or not. "T' prize'll be split between t' side that wins then, won't it?" Which meant it did have to be such a prize that more than one boy could have it. It was a team's game which had actually gotten the boy worried a little. Those other boys were certainly well with each other. How would they set teams? Call out the names , which was a reasponable manner indeed but it meant one boy would have to be called last.

He bit at his lip. And if they came at an .. he hadn't even counted how many boys there were, it could well come to an odd number and then someone would not be competing.

He hadn't thought of that. "Could do it so we race in pairs, and the winners race. That'd mean that 'venchally you'd get one winner, though it might take a bit of time." Not enough time that they'd be at it after hammocks were piped down, though.

And de Guarde looked a little nervous suddenly. Maybe he was worried about teams? "You'll be all right," Jacky said, shifting over to get a bit closer to him. "Us'll see you fine - you's one o' us, see."

"That'd be good, get mighty tired too." While if they raced as a team each would run up just once, but then the prize would go for all, that was a certain. So the prize would have to be something shareable or them having some stamina in climbing.

He blinked at Jacky and found himself oddly comforted by what he'd just said. He was one of them as in, they accepted him. While they had accepted his apology he thought that they had gone no further than that. A team game wasn't something he was adapt in, but that reassurance had him nod before he knew why.

"A'right." He said also before he was certain of his answer. A bit less worried even if, well more had to be seen.

" Could..do that the ones who loose do summat for t' ones who win? If.. that is we'um doin' it in .. in groups 'stead of pairs." And if in pairs, the boy who was strongest would possibly win, strongest and quickest of them all!

"Mebbe that could work." He glanced across at Andrew Shepherd. "That don't mean I'm doin' your duty and Tom's if I lose, though, arright?"

There were nods from the other boys. Having a bit of free time was something to be treasured, so maybe that could be a decent prize, even it wasn't something you could actually hold.

"Well since we'um unable ter do marine duties.. should there be summat else for that?" They couldn't do drumming instead of the boys even if the boys could possibly do holystoning or the like instead of them. He reckoned at least that it wouldn't do, not for the captain or lieutenant even if the crew might not have minded.

"Summat you do that we do? If it comes to it?"

Oxley gave a half shrug. "If there's one of us on each team, then we can cover for each other. I reckon that'll be easier, anyway."

And it wasn't like the two Shepherds didn't rearrange their own duties between themselves, anyway, so it wasn't like it couldn't be done. Just so long as someone did it, Oxley didn't really think anyone would mind whp it was doing it - and it would only be for one day, after all.

"There's three of you and two of the teams. " But he reckoned it didn't really matter and he nodded leaning back a little. "Um...Wot' if there's a tie?"

Oxley rested an arm on the wheel of the gun carriage behind him and grinned. "If there's a real proper tie, we can say they both won it. Or give 'em a rest and make 'em do it again later, if we want a real proper winner."

"That could work." And when was he deciding on it. He flushed and looked down. "..Well, so we've got t' prizes n' t' ways o' competin'.... once we run up,... wot' we do then? I mean.. once we've finished racin' n'all?" He looked at the other boys and hoped they didn't mind him saying this. And when on earth did he start caring what others minded?

Though perhaps only a fool would not, when they outnumbered him by such a great number, no matter what their age might be.

Oxley grinned. "Dunno. Mebbe they'll have a bit o' dancin' on deck, summat like that. Or singin'. Or we can just play tag after. Can't plan everythin' - gets boring when you know all what's goin' to happen, after all."

The other nodded and grinned. "Ain't never bin a skylarkin' where ever'thin' was planned out, arter all," Johnny Stenhouse said. He was still a little wary of de Guarde, but the other lad's apology had gone a long way to reconciling him to the thought that the ex-middy was going to take part in whatever plan they came up with."

"..." He bit his lip before he'd have asked what Oxley just meant. Play tag? Didn't play that at home, nor aboard Confidence. And there was another lip biting moment when Johnny commented on never being on a skylarking where everything was planned out.

Double success had the boy looking relieved. " Allright then. We'um.." He yawned and covered his mouth as he did, feeling and looking every inch the sleepy ex-middy that he felt.

The two times de Guarde had gone to say something, but hadn't said it didn't escape Oxley. Nor did the yawn. The older boy grinned and looked across at Andrew Shepherd. "So what d'you think to it all, then, mate?" he said, wondering if the other drummer could spot any other flaws in their plans.

Andrew grinned. "I think it's sorted out jus' fine. No fun in settin' it all into one plan, izzit?"

De Guarde leaned back a little. The boys knew full well how these things were served, and he felt somewhat excited to see it and experience it in full. Could turn out just fine, couldn't it?

"We dun' need ter set teams now, do we?" He looked between Andrew and Tom.

Oxley shook his head. "Nah, mate, that there ain't." He grinned at de Guarde. "Prolly we don't, seein' as we all know the idea. Not less folks want to do it now, anyway."