"Hm," he said thoughtfully. The ship was in sight now, lit up by the lanterns within. "Tempting," he said, smiling ruefully. "But you don't have to worry. I can take it."
He noticed her tone and turned his head to look back at her. "Seriously, Avice. Don't worry about me, okay? Whatever happens happens." They got to the ship, and he set her down and stretched, yawning slightly.
He raised an eyebrow, and then nudged her playfully. "You have a right to be annoyed, and you have a right to worry," he said, entering the ship. "But who knows? Maybe I won't even have to volunteer."
She followed, then shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose." Chuckling lightly, she pat his head. "I give my thanks for helping me walk."
He laughed, glad to be back into familiar territory. "Between the head patting, and the giving you a ride, I feel slightly like a horse."
"Well, at least you have hands instead of hooves." She took his arm and held it up, giving him a high five.
"Heh. Yeah. They make it a little difficult to work with ropes, anyway," he said. The crew gathered in the center, hungry for news. "Didja find the treasure?" "Did you find a way out?"
Avice looked at the people, feeling slightly overwhelmed. "Yes and yes?" was all she could think to say.
Jack stood next to her protectively, his hand brushing hers. "The captain is going to discuss it with all of us in the mess hall. Go ahead and head on over there and we'll all talk about it. Okay?" There were grumbles and murmurs, but the crowd quickly dispersed.
Avice watched them go, her eyes flitting from person to another. She let out a sigh of relief. "How annoying," she said, brushing off any looks of nervousness.
He chuckled lowly, and they began to walk towards the mess hall. "We're the talk of the town, I suppose," he said.
"Curiosity killed the cat," she said, raising an eyebrow. "But satisfaction brought it back. On that note, I wonder what will happen."
"I'm not sure," he said as they walked under the archway into the mess hall. "It's bound to be quite a conversation though." The Mess Hall was full of chatter, and grumbling tired bodies. The mood was tainted with wariness. Everyone was in a foreign land, with very little idea of how to get home. Natalia stood at the front of the room, her hands on her hips as she gazed out into the crowd thinking upon the situation. She took a moment and finally took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Ahem." The crew fell silent almost immediately, and they all turned to look at her. It was easy to forget that she was as young as she was, Jack reflected. The burdens she carried seemed too big, too enveloping, and her air about herself was one that had seen the world, and maybe not liked what it saw. No one that young should feel like that. "We.. have potentially found a way out," Natalia said, choosing her words carefully. "There is a colony of people among us. There is a chance of achieving a symbiotic relationship between the two of us, and if we decide that they can be trusted, I think we should take this opportunity." She told the crew of the curse, and the people, and their conditions. The hall was as quiet as a tomb as she spoke, and when she finished, no one could think of anything to say. "So," she said finally. "What are your opinions?"
Avice was silent. She needn't say anything, and instead, she waited. Patiently watching and listening to the others. Normally, she would have been loud and obnoxious with her opinions, but this time she couldn't think of her preferences.
(Sorry. Sorry. I've been very busy with college.) "Sulphuric? Hmm... Let's hope not." He said, chuckling. He took a few steps forward. "For some reason, I get a... light feeling here... like I weigh less. Maybe it's just me." He said, hoping he's not going delirious just moments after stepping on dry ground.
(You're totally fine! Glad you're back. We've moved on a little bit since you last posted though. They met some people who offered a proposition to them, and now they're on the way back to the ship to discuss it.)
(HA! Double posting! Sue me!) Natalia waited for a reply, but when none came she nodded. "I understand your hesitation," she said. "It is an otherworldly circumstance. However, I personally believe that we have very few options. The conditions are very acceptable to our needs. The gold out there is beyond our highest expectations, and if we can return to the surface with all of that intact, then our mission will have been a success." "Yeah, well, who's gonna do that transmitter thing? The spooky one?" called out a voice from the crowd. Natalia cocked her head. "I will certainly be volunteering," she said, after a moment's pause. "Although their leader said we will probably need one more person." There was a silence that deafened the ship. Jack took a deep breath and raised his hand. "I will also volunteer," he said quietly. Natalia paused, her eyes landing lightly on Jack's for a moment, and then she nodded. "Very well. That takes care of that. So, we have our volunteers, and we have our decision, yes? Any opposed?" There were murmurs from the crowd, but no one said anything immediately.
Avice bit her tongue. She knew it was for the better and stood silently, her thoughts were obvious from the expression on her face, but her lips were shut.
