She laughed. She seemed happy, down there in the warm kitchen. She went to the sink and washed off her hand, the warm water spilling over her palm. "Don't worry," she said gently, looking down at her task. "It's not that bad. Go. Sit. Eat."
(@Stuffy McPatch) When Avice didn't respond, he turned back to Natalia and glared. She sighed, and then stood up. "Fine. I'll be back in a little while. I have to go talk to some people and then I'll be back." She turned to leave, but then glanced back at him. "We really do need to talk, though, okay?" Jack nodded, and she left. He watched her go, frowning, and then settled back in next to Avice. He sat there, wanting desperately to return to slumber, but he was unable to sleep from worry, and so he instead just sat there, his thumb lightly rubbing Avice's hand as she slept. * * * (@Proxy) Natalia walked across the deck until she spotted Cobiah and Jade. "Could I talk to you for a moment?" she asked Cobiah.
(Oh, crud nuggets. The one post I managed to miss was one I was supposed to reply to.) Avice shifted, discontent crossed her face. "Hmm?" Her eyes flitted open, and she looked at him in confusion. "What's going on?"
(No worries! You're fine.) He broke his trance and looked down at her. The tip of his nose had a slight smudge of dirt on it, and it contrasted with his pale eyes. He gave her a half smile. "Nothing," he soothed. "The captain just wanted to talk to me about something. You can go back to sleep."
She smiled softly, gently wiping the dirt away. "No, it's okay. I'm not very tired, anyways. I'll probably find something to occupy my time."
She raised her eyebrows, turning away and crossing her arms. "Maybe I'll climb high enough somewhere to where you can't reach me," she said teasingly.
He leaned over to her, a smile on his lips. "I hate to break it to you, Avice," he whispered. "But we're kind of in a cave. Pretty difficult to climb high enough to escape me."
She pursed her lips. "It was worth a shot. Also, that wall was not my fault." She paused a moment, thinking in silence. "When.. when you get back, I would like to talk about something."
"After talking with the captain. Or tomorrow. Just not now." She blew hair out of her face, as the subject had been on her mind awhile now.
She shook her head, looking down. "I would hope not. There's just something we need to talk about soon."
He watched her carefully, trying to read her face. Eventually, he simply took her hand and smiled at her softly. "It will be okay," he said, trying to catch her eye. (Just so you know, this was the first draft of my response: He looked at her seriously for a moment, and then took her hand. "You're right," he said, nodding. "We do have to talk about something." He held his other hand to his stomach and looked at her with dead seriousness. "I'm pregnant.")
(Oh my goodness. She would have punched him. No joke.) "Well, I hope so." She looked up at him with uncertainty, pulling her hand away slightly.
He let go of her hand and his expression, although he tried to conceal it, was a mixture of hurt feelings and confusion. He was unsure of what could be making her act this way, and he worried as he tried to figure it out. They sat in awkward silence for a moment until he stood up. "Well, uh... I guess I should go get some work done before tomorrow. Is that okay?"
(I feel so bad for making her do that I might die.) She quickly stood up as well, remorse hinting on her face. "Wait, I'm sorry," she said, loosely grabbing his wrist. "Come back soon, alright?"
(lol. I get where she's coming from, though. The thought just would never have crossed Jack's mind, so he's confused. I get the feeling that there is going to be some drama between the two of them pretty soon, if you're up to that.) He smiled at her, although he still seemed a little concerned. His wrist slid through her grip, and he squeezed her hand. "Don't feel badly. We'll talk about... whatever it is. I just have to go pack. You can come if you like, but it might be a little boring."
(I'm fine with that. I'm sure it was inevitable, with how she behaves.) She shook her head. "It's alright. I'll just stay here," she said, sitting back down where she was before. (Also, I had one thought before typing this. "Mr. Elliot can suck it.")
(lol heck. I really need to develop him more in the next section. He just rolls barrels around and gives mildly threatening one liners to various members of the crew. He's about as effective as a starfish.) He studied her for a moment, his eyes gentle but unsure. "Okay," he said eventually. He looked at her kindly, and smiled, showing his dimples. "I...." He hesitated, as if he was about to say something he shouldn't have. "I'll see you soon. Shouldn't be any longer than 15 minutes."
