Evening, 24th May - Lieutenants Ashore

Leat knocked on the door of Dwerry's cabin, smart in his number two uniform (from which he had managed to pick the vast majority of the cat hair), and with a decent amount of his last prize money in his breast pocket. He hoped his new messmate was ready.

He had dressed in the best of his clothes, cleanest slops, his favourite shirt and a pair of shoes. He even wore a Tar's coat draped over his shoulders. Waiting by the boat in anticipation, the permission to go ashore made him grin with delight. He still remembered the terms upon which he was leaving the ship. Behave, and it could possibly be the first of many. Misbehave and he'd probably not have known land by the time he was grey and wrinkled! Even a year would've felt that long.

The other fellows that were coming in the first boat as well as himself, were all waiting for the lieutenants to arrive. When he'd heard that they were coming too, he felt nervous and his mood had nearly been lost to thinking he would better be turning around and not going. But now, he decided, the captain did say he could go, he would behave and be quiet and anyway the two men would have had eachother's company so that they would not notice who was coming with them too.

Now if only they would arrive soon! Of course he'd come the moment he was relieved from duties and had gotten dressed and it was still early, but his anticipation for the trip hadn't diminished even with the one done a day ago.

Receiving no reply, Leat hammered on the door again. Dwerry couldn't have dosed off at all, could he?

(Sorry, sorry, so sorry!! D: And of course he didn't dose off. The little bugger's not done anything lately to warrant exhaustion! xP)

Dwerry started and cursed under his breath at the first knock on the door. He glared at the blot now spreading over the pages of his notebook. Again? he thought, a little exasperated at himself. Frantically, the lieutenant tried to blot it and dry it.

At the second knock, he started again, this time more with guilt than surprise.

"Be right there!" He called.

Hastily, the man set down his journal. With one last despairing glance at it, Dwerry pulled on his second-best coat and opened the door.

[S'alright - the post had got a bit buried, so I'd thought I'd bump it up the ranks a little for when you got back. I'm glad you're feeling better now.]

Leat jumped a little in surprise as the door swung open suddenly and Dwerry appeared at the door, looking somewhat flustered and with his coaat not quite settled, as if he had just pulled it on in a great hurry.

"Are you alright, Dwerry?" he asked, forgetting the formal courtesy of 'mister' in his surprise. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I thought I'd tell you the boat to go ashore tonight is being swung out. That is if you still want to go ashore this evening, or have thought better of it...?"

The sailors who's name had been on the list were standing, with the boat secured and ready to take both them and the lieutenants on their leave ashore. Many had looked prettier set then ever even for when they were ordered to stand in line for inspection. It was near too much, and those merry faces were quite something too.

De Guarde felt his heart beat with a trill of the moment, of the thought that he could, with all permissions given, with all good spirits, go on land. Not to fight but to enjoy himself. It was a bit of a downer that he could not entertain himself as much as the other Tars but the very feel of freedom had his mouth hurt from all the grinning again. That, and he would be away from that master-at-arms which had made him quite nervous only a short while ago.

But then, the lieutenants were still not there. He spared quick glances, hoping that there hasn't been a change of plan. But would there not be a midshipman sent to inform them? No, certainly it was just the lieutenants being late.

Dwerry grinned sheepishly at Leat; the other lieutenant was clearly startled. He shrugged his coat into a more respectable position before replying.

"Ah, yes, yes! That is, I would still like to go ashore I just..." he waved his hand vaguely, as though to indicate some fluttery thought, "lost track of time, is all."

[*g* Fair enough! And poor Matthew, I'd say we're worrying him.]

Leat vaguely returned the lop-sided grin.

"Easy to do, I suppose." Though not usually the case; the continuous routine and toll of the ship's bell were usually second nature to a sailor, but Dwerry had only just moved ship, and that was enough to upset any man's rountine.

He gestured towards the aft companionway.

"Shall we go, then? They're probably champing at the bit above."