a calm morning

[alex]

Bryn was a little taken aback by Sinbad's joyful tone, misinterpretation, and insult to women. She looked at Doubar kind-of lost then looked back at Sinbad. "I, well..." She paused then narrowed her eyes and raised her voice. "I think I can chose a female puppy if I wanted to." She pointed at Sinbad's chest. "And just you remember, captain, I am a female. Are you saying that I have causes nothing but trouble ever since I came aboard? I don't know about Maeve, but I demand some more respect than that."

[Sinbad]

Her reaction told Sinbad everything about the fact that Bryn indeed had seen too little of his humourous side yet - too little to have a remark at the ready without feeling taken aback. For a momet he scowled, then he wondered whether it had been foolish to assume of him that she would get he was joking, after all it should have been obvious from his tone and the context and also from the fact that he had always treatd her with respect. She should know that. But, he thought with an inward sigh, she was not Maeve. Not Maeve who knew how to retort to such remarks.

"But I know about Maeve," he said, doing something unusual and still something not easy for him by using her name "and she would tell you that I´ve always treated any woman on this ship with respect." His voice was calm and there was no smile because he wanted to make a difference, showing that this time, he was not kidding but serious. "and that I was joking."

Maeve would proably have countered with somthing to this that would have rendered him speechless, or she would have added an insult which he would not have taken to heart. But he didn´t say that. Letting those memories close was already more than he had admitted to himself in months.

[Doubar]

At Bryn's sudden change of mood Doubar winced a little. He knew that Sinbad hadn't meant it that way. In fact, what Sinbad had actually done was - and the first mate almost couldn't believe his ears hearing him do so - joke. An honest and simple joking that reminded Doubar so much of the old times. But obviously Bryn had gotten it totally wrong, he noticed. She really seemed to have taken it as the truth. And how could she possibly know it wasn't. She had never known this sailor who enjoyed teasing the only woman on board with things both of them knew weren't true but just a prejudice they used for their little game.
In an attempt to calm the young women, Doubar opened his mouth sightly only to notice Sinbad answering before him.
But I know about Maeve.
At this, Doubar's mouth dropped fully open. Knowing, however, that Bryn and Sinbad could both see him quite well, he quickly closed it again but still caught himself staring at his little brother.
"Aye, he hasn't ... I mean... he's just been kidding." Inwardly Doubar scolded at himself for stammering like he did, but too occupied was his mind with what he had just heard to concentrate properly on calming the sorceress.
Sinbad hadn't used that name in a whole year. Never. And yet, here he was. Talking about her with the calmest of all voices.
"You got him wrong, Bryn", Doubar finally managed to bring his own thoughts under controll again and - being fully aware of his own actions - turned towards the brunette, "it's an old joke we've been sharing from time to time. None onboard had ever treated women disrespectful and none will in the future." Soothingly he then smiled at Bryn, hoping to appease her with this.

[alex]

She looked at Doubar from the corner of her eye, but not moving her head. She chuckled then looked back at Sinbad and smiled evilly. "Of course you know Maeve. She would be very angry if you didn't." She laid her finger on Sinbad's chest and moved it up to his cheek. "And Sinbad likes to play games with me." She patted his cheek. "But be careful who you play games with." With that she sat back down and hid her face and her laughter.

[Sinbad]

Of course you know Maeve. She would be very angry if you didn't.
Sinbad briefly wondered, but never asked aloud, how Bryn wanted to be sure of that. After all, she had never met Maeve and the little tidbits about her she had squeezed out of him (and likely: other crew members) would hardly be enough to give her a full look at who Maeve was and what she was like. Or maybe, he thought briefly, Bryn was simply filling the missing puzzle games on her own … or she just liked to tease him about Maeve and that was something Sinbad was not too comfortable with. He wouldn´t have mentioned that, of course.

He raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes following what she was doing, slightly bewildered. Another thing that reminded him of Maeve and made him wonder what Bryn was about this morning. Maybe she was just so unused to his joking that her reaction was showing him a side of her he did not really know so far.

He watched her sit down, crossing his arms in front of his chest when she retreated, an unconscious gesture of defence. Doubar had been… stammering a few moments ago and Sinbad had an idea why, but didn´t dwell on it now. Instead, he leant back and gave a shrug. “I´m sure if it gets too dangerous I´ll have my big brother watching over me.” He said as if he was indeed a little boy who couldn´t fend for his own. “He´d know fire usually doesn´scare me.” He nearly bit his tongue when he saw the double meaning in it, his mind drawing instant connections to ´fire.´ He decided to just shut up and look casual while he started on his piece of bread, still standing.

[Doubar]

Doubar felt his face fall when he watched Bryn's reaction. The tone her voice held and the features her face suddenly showed were totally unknown to him and for a moment the first mate really wondered about this woman who he had believed he knew by now. And seeing Sinbad cross his arms and raise his eyebrows at her told him that most likely the younger man was just as bewildered about her behaviour as he himself was.
"I´m sure if it gets too dangerous I´ll have my big brother watching over me." At those words Doubar pricked his ears. Slightly he tilted his head and listened to what was to follow them. "He´d know fire usually doesn´scare me". And once more Doubar felt his mouth being on the verge of dropping open but this time was able to prevent the same from doing so. He was keenly aware of the double-meaning this sentence held, but for his brother's sake decided to ignore it for now.
“I…", Doubar’s voice vanished to an irritated sigh before he even really had begun to say something. Looking from Sinbad back to the sorceress then, he tried to make out if she had been kidding or not, but only found her hiding her face from both the brothers.

[alex]

She looked at Sinbad, wondering where he was going. “Fire? Where did fire come from? And why do you need you big brother watching over you? Can’t the Captain of the Seven Seas protect himself?”

[Sinbad]

Sinbad pointedly ignored her first question, mostly because he only now realised that his words had had a double meaning. Maeve was fire.
“Backup protection of course.” He said, faking seriousness, taking a last swig from the water flask. It wouldn´t be long now till Basra and as much as he trusted in the skills of his crew, it was a habit of his to see to everything whenever they reached a port. “but other than that: you know me, I´ve managed pretty well so far, haven´t I?

[alex]

She squinted at her captain. With his last words she chuckled. "Yeah, so far," she said sarcastically.

[Doubar]

Having the odd feeling that a slight tension was lying between the two of his friends, Doubar, after watching the scene for yet another moment, finally decided to try and ease the two with a remark that he hoped could give this conversation a new direction.

"Well, from cabin boy to captain", he playfully answered Bryn and smiled at her, "indeed I'd say that's quite a career."
The first mate knew that mentioning Sinbad's early years was most likely something the young sorceress was interested in; and although being kind of embarrassing as well, was much easier to endure for his little brother than what they were beating around the bush right now.

[alex]

Bryn looked at Doubar surprised. “Cabin boy. Captain.” She looked at Sinbad then burst into laughter.

[Sinbad]

Sinbad gave a shrug and a smirk at that, somewhat amused by the amusement Bryn got from that little tidbit of his personal history. “We all have to start somewhere.” he said, tossing half a glance over at his older brother and taking a mental note that he owned the older one at least one decent pint of ale.

[Doubar]

Doubar chuckled at the laughter the young woman gave on his remark.
"Well, I dare say that he was the best cabin boy the Adventurers ever had", he added with a beaming smile, noticing his brother's glance in the same moment. Slightly he tilted his head back at the younger one - somehow knowing exactly what he had wanted to express that way - and winked at him.

[alex]

She stopped laughing and tried to hold back her chuckle. "Sorry, sorry, excuse my rudeness. But I can't imagine you, Sinbad, as a cabin boy." She looked at Sinbad and laughed. Then she turned to an imaginary figure in the room. She made her voice sound manly. "Hey, cabin boy, bring me some water. And make sure to mop the deck."

[Sinbad]

Bryn would probably have been astonished that this was not even too far from the truth. He had always been treated decently on the ship he had first been hired on as a cabin boy, nevertheless, life had not been easy, not as the youngest on board who still lacked the physical strength of a man. He had shown a talent for the whole seafaring business, even as a kid, but still he dismissed Doubar´s word as words influenced by the fondness of an older brother (and probably, as he guessed by now, words that were softened by the attempts of the older one to make raise the mood). He inwardly chuckled at the memory. It felt like a lifetime ago and not all of the memories were fond ones. But he guessed that held true for almost all times… or… for most.

He placed down the water flask and grabbed for a last piece of bread. He rolled his eyes slightly at Bryn, in a humorous manner though. “One of those reasons why I´m glad I´m captain today. Means I can order others around for chores like that. Especially those that deserve it for teasing the captain.”