Jack looked down at Avice, a resigned look on his face. "They said that there will be no physical attacks or anything," he said to her lowly. "It will be okay. I promise."
He studied her face for a moment, feeling that something else was bothering her. He offered his hand, hoping that she'd take it.
Avice looked at his hand, then him. She began to take it, but hesitated at first. "I just worry, because it sucks to be reminded of the bad things."
He laughed slightly, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself," he replied, his gaze shifting from her face to the front of the room.
She leaned her head on him lightly. It was obvious she felt a bit embarrassed, especially since she had never done it before.
He turned his head slightly to look down at her, and he smiled. He didn't want to make any sudden movements, almost like she was a deer that would bolt at any moment, but he squeezed her hand, the movement feeling natural.
She seemed comfortable despite the circumstances. "I'm glad we were assigned as partners." She smiled slightly, only showed by the corners of her mouth.
"Yeah," she said, standing up straight again. The looked at all of the other people with interest, not quite distinguishing who they were and what they were doing. She turned back to look at him.
Natalia waited for a response, and then nodded. "Very well," she said, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "Deal with any final business you need to complete, and sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." The crowd dispersed, murmurs that spread through the room disapated as the hall gradually cleared. Natalia stood, her hands on her hips, and she considered the situation. Nothing could possibly tug at her now, she thought. My heart is stone, she told herself. I will be fine. She exited the room, and was momentarily stunned to find piles of gold bars on the ship. The colony, it seemed had fulfilled their promise. The ore was primitive and pure, and it dominated the floor of the ship. This was more than any of them had been expecting. The bars were all roughly the same size, which would make sorting even. The crowd gathered around, their eyes wide with disbelief. "No one touch anything," Natalia said, holding up a hand. The crowd gave Natalia a wide berth as she came through, and she stood in front of the hoard, he let brow arched. "We will be dividing this evenly," she called. Please go about your business. Anyone spotted trying to steal the gold will be left behind down here. I advise that you don't test me here." She called a few trusted crew members forward, and they began to transport the gold down to the hold, where it would be securely locked away with Natalia holding the only key.
Jared stared in awe at the gold that had littered on the ship. "Holy Jesus. That's an insane amount of gold! We'll all be rich!" He said, astounded.
Ellia stood quietly, mouth slightly open in disbelief. "I mean..." she said, trailing off. "I knew it was a lot, but this... we're all going to be millionaires."
