He nodded at her, playing along. "Oh, yes, I can tell. The coolest. Provided, of course, one could actually interpret the words you were speaking. I hate to admit it, Avice, but you have proven to speak quite..." He paused, as if looking for a polite word, "...rapidly."
Her face turned slightly red as she became flustered. "I was just excited, that's all..." She raised an eyebrow, "and you never know when speaking quickly could come in handy!"
His laughter was silent, but it shook his shoulders as he watched Avice become more and more flustered. "You're right, you're right. Fast-talking is a skill I should not be disdainful of," he relented. He stood from leaning on the side of the boat, and looked over at Avice. "Don't worry. I still think you're 'the coolest'." He stretched his arms out, thinking for a moment, and then he turned to her. "You generally go and tend to the cannons now, yes?"
He gestured for her to lead the way. "I thought you liked the cannons?" Jack asked, brushing imaginary dust off his hands.
"Oh, of course I do! They're my favorite of all. Though, it can get a bit dreary in the dimness." She said, hopping under the deck. "You know?"
"I guess I can see that," he said, ducking so as to not hit his head on the ceiling as he followed her below deck. He blinked in the sudden darkness and he squinted, trying to follow his companion. "Good thing you don't have to spend all your time down here, then." Avice would then hear a loud thud, and a small groan. He emerged from the darkness, rubbing his head and looking sheepish. "..how do you move so quickly down here? It's crazy."
Avice turned and looked at him with a hint of worry on her face. "You get used to the surroundings after a while. Are you okay?" She asked, and you could hear the smile in her voice.
He sighed, his hand rubbing the crown of his head, and looked up at the ceiling. "Don't you dare laugh," he warned, "but I'm pretty sure I just walked straight into one of the supports of the ship." He shook his head in disgust. "It wasn't even moving, but I still managed to hit it."
Avice forced herself not to let out a single chuckle. Her mouth was shut without a sign of laughter, but her eyes told a different story. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Are you okay?" She asked, but ended up letting a small snicker slide at the end of her sentence.
He looked at her, and smiled a little bit. "I appreciate the pain that you are enduring currently to keep yourself from laughing. I'm alright, thank you." He walked around a coil of ropes and continued to follow her. "Do you have a nickname, Avice?" he asked suddenly.
She thought a moment, continuing her duties while speaking. "That's a strange and random question, but I don't believe I do. Why?"
He laughed slightly, shaking his head, seeming to regret bringing it up inthe first place. "I'm not really sure. I was just about to call you by your name, but it felt like your name seems to be begging to be shortened. Like 'Jack'? The best you could do with that is 'ack', which is not good at all. But I feel like the name 'Avice' is full of possibility." He paused for a moment, and then laughed sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling again." Embarrassed, he turned towards her work on a cannon, and then looked at the others. "Can I help at all?"
"Of course you can help. I normally just take a rag and scrub off all the sparks and filth on the inside," she said while cleaning, a half smile on her face. "And.. I don't mind the talking. I actually think it's nice to listen."
He grinned, and grabbed a rag, sat down next to the cannon, and began cleaning. He cleaned it section by section, starting at the very back and working towards the front, diligent with his movements. "How long does it normally take for you to do this?" ( I have to go to sleep now :-(. Good night, Stuffy!)
"Not very long. Around five minutes each, I'd say, but your hands might hurt after a bit. Just a warning." (Have a good night!)
"Damn it. I shouldn't have volunteered to help then," he said with a wry smile. He sat for a moment as he scrubbed at a particularly tough spot. "It's kinda therapeutic, though. I can see why you like them." His fingers traced the scratches within the cannon for a moment, thinking on the countless shots these weapons had fired.
"Cleaning them is a nice part of the job, but there is something else that tops that," she began, starting to clean another, "because there's nothing like the deafening boom before it tears into another ship." Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment, as she found a spot that deemed difficult to clean due to deep crevices and cracks.
"Not so great for the other ship, I suppose," Jack said, moving on to the next cannon. "Do certain ones fire better than others?"
"Not typically," Avice paused a moment, thinking, then continued, "But if you don't load them properly or clean them well enough then they don't fire as far." She looked up at him. "What about you? What are your jobs?"
