24th May, Morning - Deck

"Most boys end up meetin' the gunner's daughter at least once, whether they'm middies or the ship's boys," Thompson said. "You just got to not get in trouble so much. Like, well, offerin' to help out, an' things like that."

He grinned and stretched a little. looking up at the yards on the foremast above them, with the sails in a neat harbour stow. "It's as much tryin' to help other folks and learnin' things as, well, not doin' things that'll lead to trouble," he continued. "You go an' get some paper or whatever then. I ain't goin anywheres, after all." He winked at the lad as he scrambled up. "I eckon I can 'member most of it all, after all, only I might want a bit o' help in the goin' over it, see." He chuckled and bent to trace the letters on the wood of the decking with his forefinger.

"We'll see! " The young Tar piped in response. He twisted about and ran. He was being helpful, wasn't he? Could only share what he knew, and not what he didn't , and he knew how to write. Descending the companion way and ducking past a small collection of men, jumping over a leg which was outstretched and belonging to one other tall man, he moved forward.

Quickly being about to his and Chase's seachest, he thrust the lid open and made a scowl as he first discovered the clothes that weren't his. He reached in and placed them to the chest to his left, deciding that he would fold it neatly, when he was returning it into the chest's confines. He thrust a pair of his slops aside, glancing at a dark stainmark that spread around the bottom of it and then lifted the shirt, which was crumpled, with a surprisingly neatly folded second shirt just below that. Another bit of fabric that wasn't his - perhaps they'd need to sort the seachest again, a little - he finally reached to the bottom where paper was stored above a pack he'd brought with him from land.

He hadn't yet had time to read what he'd gotten, though perhaps he ought not to have anyway. With a blink he lifted the small bottle of ink, secured in course fabric so that it would not break or that if it would, atleast some of the tint would be soaked up and the rest of the clothing protected. His quill too was neatly protected and with it all now tucked under his arm, and with the clothes returned into the sea-chest, the lid closed back down, he made his way back up on deck.

He'd nearly crashed into one of the ship boys ."Sorry, ey!" He left the boy staring, ducking around him. He grinned. Up the companionway and he was just in time to flatten himself to the side, when a man came thumping his feet down the wooden planks.

"Here I am." He exclaimed, at last arrived and grinned at Thompson holding his paper and the little bottle along with the quill and looking quite triumphant. "..Wish I coulda' gotten ter me stuff in t' hold. Have a proper tablet there. Where you can write n' erase all you want." He concluded.

"That's all right," Thompson said, setting his things aside as de Guarde rejoined him. "I'll try not to waste any ink or anythin', an', well, mebbe we can get some more paper later. Pusser sells it, I know, though it ain't so good as this. if I was you, I'd keep your nice paper for writin' home an' use the not-so-good stuff for anythin' else."

He rearranged himself to sit cross-legged, and tried to remember what he'd already been taught.

"I won't write home for a long while more.. Thompson." He answered and made himself comfortable on the floor beside Thompson. "Though I'd really have liked it if i had me board 'ere. Then it'd be easier to show..but then again, 'tleast you will be able to take the paper with you. Both to remember n' to practice, which ain't that bad either."

He looked at the paper collection that he had with him. Some of it was wrinkled and that , he decided, when straightened some more, could be used for the first lesson. He held out the paper and paused. "You want ter learn letter b' letter, or... with a word or some?" He asked and then grinned. "Ah, and.. please do sign yerself at t' bottom of the paper. Just like I've taught you."

"Which'd be easiest? 'Cause I've never done anythin' like this afore. Well, not since what you tried showin' me last time." He took the sheet of paper and smoothed it out. "An' you want me to do that now? Don't s'pose you've got a bit of pencil I could use? Don't want to damage your pen, see, if I do anythin' wrong."

"Well, I didn' think of that no.. but if you's real gentle you won't be breakin' it I don't think." He looked at it then and looked thoughtful then at the ink bottle which he had uncorked. "Just try slow, a letter at a time. Just so I can tell you if you's doing it right as well." He still looked at it and at the marine, perhaps debating whether there was some sense in the man's warning. "I trust you."

"I'll do me best, of course," Thompson said, looking doubtfully at the quill de Guarde was holding. He gave a shrug and wriggled till he was lying on his belly on the deck, between the carronades, where he could lean on the smooth planking without too much of a strain. "Can't remember all the names, but here's what it looks like. I think."

He started writing his name carefully, one letter at a time. "Dunno if I'm drawin' 'em quite the same way you do," he said, looking doubtfully down at the first E of his first name.

"You might need a bit of practice on them, but so far it's important that I'um able to read it." He smiled leaning over the marine, to see what he was writing. With each letter he made sure that it was the right sort, and so far was satisfied even if it were only two that George had managed to write.

"Ter write like you don't care if anybody can read it comes later. " He grinned and tapped his finger close to the G saying its name. "N' this one. "He gave the letter e again the name that belonged to it. "You're starting with your first name. Then.. uhm.. we'll teach you how to write private and how to write marine. " He looked thoughtful. He wasn't a learnt tutor, which showed in the way he was teaching too. "After that maybe.. we can start with each letter n'..n' that, aye." He nodded. "From t' beginning ter end , though not all of them at one time, n' you'll recognise some you've already learnt so far."

"You sure that's right? It don't look right to me," Thompson said, and turned the sheet of paper over, concentrating as he wrote an 'e' and then a mirror image of it. "Which one of 'em's right, then? 'Cause I don't think either one of 'em look quite right, but I can't see which one of 'em's wrong."

He turned his head to grin at de Guarde. "You'll show me how to write it proper, then? You'm real nice, learnin' me all this, y'know, Mathew."

"Ah, he's leanin' this a way." The boy replied and took the pen from Thompson's hand to write the proper e beside the last one. "See, like that." He smiled and offered his quill to the marine again.

"Make several so you get t' feelin' of 'im. Will help you best that a' way." He folded his legs under him and glanced at the paper. "Oh. I.. .I'um glad ter do it." When he smiled, it was genuine. "Hope it gets to be of use for you sometime. Is best you can read a bit, they say. Even more if you'er doing business."

"Oh. I see." He took the quill back and carefully copied the letter as de Guarde had written it, though his was bigger and more shaky. He did a few more, memorising the shape and the movements to make that shape.

"Business? Ain't likely I'm goin' to end up doin' any sort of business. Though, I might end up with that pub, o' course. An' if I ever end up gettin' promoted, I dessay it'll be useful for things." He passed the paper over. "How's that look to you, then?"

"Better, much better. Shows you didn't practice though." He grinned and shook his head , as if a tutor would've been scolding his pupil. "But is good now. So.. you've got G and E. What else is there in yer name, hm?" He smiled bringing a part of his own queue to the front, where he tugged at it absentmindedly till he noticed the action and then paused only a moment, before giving it a light tug again, grinning. The queue held fast.

"Will you still remember me when you're promoted?" The lad teased, as he took a paper for himself debating what he could write on it and with what, while the marine was busy. He could prepare some of the lessons for him after all, which might enable him to remember and turn the letter the right way even after a while.

"It might be a bit of a bore for you , to learn all those shapes n'.. well letters really, but trust me.. it makes a book look much less like a weird messy art and more like something with content." He made a scowl. "' 'cept the books of learning. Those are mostly boring too."

"An' just how'm I s'posed to practise when I ain't got the paper an' stuff to practise with?" He grinned, blew on the paper to dry the ink before turning it back over. "Right. It's..." he paused to think. "It's the round one next, ain't it?" he said and bent to write it, concentrating hard as he finished writing his first name, looking up when he'd done it. It looked a bit straggly and uneven, of course, but he was still proud he could actually do it.

"Well you are taking this'un. if you write small enough, you'll have enough space to practice with. I will also give you summat more paper, but.. if it were possible I would ..like some compensation fer that. Not that I'd like ter rip ye off or summat... jus', it does cost a little. Won't tell you to pay me none for my lessons though. I promise." He felt awkward at asking for something for the first time and when it happened to turn no better he hastened to say. "Ah..never...mind."

He looked instead at the o and nodded. "Try it again, but it's very good. Done all in t' right way. now, write five o's one after another and then write Geo... know what I want. The letters you know so far. Just under t' o's too. N' nevermind what I said earlier."

"I'll do me best." He shrugged. "Don't mind payin' for paper an' all that. Jus' let me know how much you want, that's all. Can't help you out if I don't know how much you need, after all. Well, I can, but I want to give you enough, don't I?"

He grinned and dipped the quill again, careful to drain off the excess ink. "All right," he said, and concentrated on writing the letters asked for, making the O's as tidy as he could, despite the strangeness of holding the quill. "Here, how's that look?" he said, showing the paper.

"Will oh.. or we may go by your suggestion n' buy some more paper from the purser for practice. Else.. I could go and ask t' captain if I could have summat retrieved from me middie's chest." It was rather odd to be without most of the things, that he had stored there. Though the little tablet of a black surface and with it smooth enough that chalk could be written on and erased from, he missed at that moment, the most.

He studied the paper and nodded with a grin. "That's very good, I must say. Soon n' I'll be asking you to write t' letter home for me." He smiled and then added. "Now..what latter comes after O? Write it n' try to name it if you can."

He thought for a moment. "The one that looks somethin' like a shepherd's crook," he said. "R, I think. Like this," he said and wrote it carefully on the paper." He looked up and shrugged. "I can get some paper from the pusser, next time I know where he's at. That's all right - don't 'spect you to pay for the things to teach me, after all. That ain't right, that ain't."

"It isn't that." He frowned. " What I meant is... wait till I go ter t' captain.. or atleast a lieutenant ter make t' request. If I succeed we won't need ter be worrying." He looked at the R, his frown still there. "Is good." He murmured. "From the first try, is very good. Go on and try the next letter. You'll know what its name is, though it writes a bit different than the first one you know." He looked thoughtfully at the paper. "Do you think.. Lieutenant Bush would consider, if I asked him?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Thompson glanced down. "I don't reckon Mister Bush'll mind, if so be you ask p'litely, like." He moved on to the next letter. "Looks like a goat, sort of, this'n," he said. "It's the same name as the first one, though it looks diff'rent. And the last one's the same as the second one, there." He finished writing and looked up, frowning a little. "Hope that's right, anyhow."

"George." He nodded gazing at the name written. "That's quite alright, now you've named them letters enough, and what they remind you of, which is just as fine. Makes it easier to remember. There'll be other things that will be a bit harder. Like the C.. who if it's beginning the word usually reads like a K.. unless there's an H with it.. where then it reads like a ch." He paused looking at the marine hoping he wasn't already confusing him with the details that were not yet necessary for them.

"Anyway, We're by t' last name now. Thompson. There's some of t' letters you've already written, n' much more that you haven't yet. But enough talk, shall we. Write it down, here." He decided to go ask Bush later, right before he would be on duty. He hoped that he would be granted what he asked for, though feared facing the man whose lap he had so long ago - so it felt - soiled. Hopefully he did not still feel upset about that.

"All right then. D'you want me to write it all out right away?" he asked, absent-mindedly nibbling a little at the tip of the quill. "Oops. Sorry 'bout that," he said, and laid it down, nibbling at his lip instead as he tried to remember all the letters for his last name, and the order they went in.

"You're already turning inter a proper student.... Chewin' on t' means fer writing like one too." He shook his head, though he could not be upset with the marine, even if he stole a quick glance at the pen to make sure it hadn't been damaged by this.

"I want you to write it out, first letter to last, but do name them while you write them, or indicate with t' motion of your hand what you mean to do, so that I can correct you if it's the wrong sort." He smiled glancing up to see a man pass, and then gazing at the marine again. "I'm sure you remember 'least some of it, don't you? I hope I won't have ter 'birch' yer bottom for not practicing when I told you to!" He mock threatened the man, placing his hands together a bit as if he were holding the said object in them.

Thompson snorted. "I oughta turn you over me lap, suggestin' such a thing," he said, and started writing, concentrating on what he was doing. "T, h, o, m, p, s, o, n," he said, carefully making each shape after he said it. "Well, I think that's right, anyhow." He passed the paper over to de Guarde, and looked hopeful.

"Now now, you can't do that. I'um the teacher here, so what I say goes! N' so's with if you don't do like I've told you n' misbehave!" He chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand to stifle the sound. He waited for Thompson to finish and while he did so, he gazed upwards, wondering if the weather would hold them or if it would rain.

"..There." He said as he took the paper and studied it thoughtfully. He made himself make that serious look, the sort that would say something was seriously wrong. He even shook his head and gave a heavy sigh at how awful it had to be. When he looked at Thompson it was as if he was picked to be the one to tell the bad news to a candidate failing his class.

"You....." He began and then in a moment, an instant his face brightened and he grinned. "Did excellent here!" He paused and added as if sounding disappointed. "No birchin' ye.. this time. Ah well!"

Thompson bit his lip nervously. He grinned in relief when de Guarde gave his final verdict. "You... that ain't nice, makin' a man think he'd done it all wrong like that," he said. "I've a good mind to tie you to the signal halyard an' haul you aloft." He couldn't stay upset for very long though, and grinned. "It's real nice bein' able to write your name, though. I'll say that."