“The truth, Captain Silvercloud,” Xander continued, though he spoke Dexter’s name with emphasis, “is that when you drop me off at the next port I’ll have to start from nothing and rebuild everything I’ve had. I’ll have to perform parlor tricks to earn a meal and scrape together what coins I can in the hopes of one day reestablishing myself. And then I’ll have to worry about finding a way to pay you back one day for saving me.”
He paused and stared up at Dexter, the shock now missing. “Now either let me up or kill me, Captain. Either one would be appreciated.”
Dexter stared at him for a long moment, considering the wizard. Finally he consented and lowered the hammer slowly on his pistol. He straightened and held out his hand to Xander. “Think you’d have been able to figure out what that thing was or where it came from if Keshira hadn’t mashed it up so bad?”
Xander’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he accepted Dexter’s offered hand anyhow. He let the man help pull him upright and then rubbed his back where it had bitten into the table. “Perhaps,” he offered. “I’m not familiar with anything with tentacles though, as your crew described it. Creatures are not my primary interest, although I have dabbled some in them.”
“What is your interest?” Dexter asked.
“Magic,” Xander said with a shrug. “Instilling it into whatever I can and making it last. Extra-dimensionality, for example, or making the sounds of a bell ring more clearly.”
Dexter raised an eyebrow. “Extra what?”
“Dimensionality… remember what remained of my tower? It seemed larger on the inside than it was from without, that’s an extra-dimensional effect.”
“Oh,” Dexter said, pretending it made sense. “Wait, you mean you can make an area bigger on the inside than it really is?”
“Well, that’s a simplistic way of saying it, but with enough time and effort, it’s possible. It can require special thaumaturgic materials as well,” Xander explained.
“Thauma-what?”
“Metals, powders, jewels, and other items that can be imbued with magical properties,” Xander explained with an aloof smile.
“Huh, well that’s something then,” Dexter offered. He gave Xander a brief smile then said, “might just find a use for you after all.”
Xander’s smile faded as Dexter turned away and opened the door. He stood there, trying to come up with something witty or justifying but the door shut behind the Captain instead.
Jenna pounced on Dexter as he passed her cabin on the way to the ship’s bow. “Dex- Captain, can I…can we talk?”
Dexter slowed as she fell in behind him. He frowned a little but let it pass. “What do we need to talk about?”
She was silent a moment, allowing them to pass the cargo holds and come closer to the ship’s bow. “About Kragor…and Xander.”
Dexter pulled up short. He turned to look at her and then motioned towards his cabin door. She nodded and moved past him to open it and step in. He followed, shutting the door behind him.
“What is it?” Dexter asked, turning to face her and finding her standing far closer than he expected. He jumped a little, but the door kept him from moving very far away from her.
“Dex,” she began, looking directly into his eyes with a seriousness that left him uncertain.
Dexter opened his mouth to respond but she held up her fingers and pressed them to his lips, silencing him.
“I won’t pretend to know how much Kragor meant to you, but I know it was a lot,” she continued. “I just want to say that I’m here, if you want to talk. I know you probably won’t, but you should.”
Unbidden, memories of Kragor popped into his head. He forced them down and smiled around the sudden lump in his throat. “Thanks,” he said softly. “But you’re right, I probably won’t.”
She scowled. “Damn you and your kind,” she snapped.
“Back to being a human hating elf already?” He inquired with a sweetness that was designed to infuriate her.
“No,” she snapped. “I’m talking about you being a man! All men do it, elf or human.”
“Oh,” Dexter said, at a sudden loss for words.
She looked at him and crossed her arms, frustration evident on her face. Finally she let out a grunt and, catching the captain off guard, hugged him.
Dexter looked down at Jenna, confused and uncertain of how to respond. On the one hand he felt uncomfortable; he had not invited the contact or wanted the intimacy. On the other hand he was intently aware of how long it had been for him since he had been that close to a woman, especially a woman that had declared her interests in him. Ultimately, Dexter’s feelings of appreciation for her attempts at offering consolation won out. He placed his hands gently around her and returned the gesture.
“You’re not so good at this either,” Dexter pointed out, realizing that she had seemed just as awkward and uncertain as he was about sharing an emotional moment.
“With all due respect, Captain, shut up,” Jenna replied. “I’m trying something new too, something someone I respect very much taught me.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Dexter asked, amused.
“Putting aside what I’ve always done and doing what I know should be done,” she said, looking up at him. “Now tell me how you and Kragor met.”
Dexter thought for a moment, his mind traveling back to a time a few years past. He smiled in spite of himself, then tried to push it away and deal with the present.
“I appreciate what you’re doing… really,” he said with a genuine smile. “But I’m keeping those memories for myself. I’m not hiding or denying, death’ll find us all out here sooner or later.”
She nodded after a long look into his eyes. She smiled her understanding and detached herself from their hug. “Just remember, if you want to talk…”
The Captain nodded and smiled. “Now what about the wizard? You said you had something to say?”
Jenna shrugged. “I lied; needed to get you alone…sorry.”
Dexter frowned but found himself chuckling at her expression in spite of himself. “Alright, but don’t let it happen again.”
“Yes Sir,” Jenna said, slapping her fist to her chest in mock salute.
“”Way I see it, I got a rough choice off my bow,” Dexter said, moving past Jenna and sitting down in his chair. He gestured towards his bed and she raised an eyebrow then sat down on the edge of it.
“What’s that, Captain?” Jenna said, glancing at his bed and wondering if she might be stretched out on it anytime soon.
“I’m not knowing if Jodyne will be staying with us,” he admitted thoughtfully. “Rosh’s dying to have a chance to boss people around, and Xander’s no stranger to wanting control. Bekka’s got no interest in it either, I’m for thinking. What about you? What’s your take on it?”
“On what? First mate?” Jenna asked, guessing correctly what Dexter was pondering. Her only surprise at his question was that he mentioned the wizard’s name.
Dexter nodded.
“Why the mage? He’s a castaway, not crew.”
“He got nowhere worth going and nothing to help him stand on his own. Might be we could use a caster on here. Plus he’s got some tricks that might help out, stuff like adding dimensions or spaces or something to the holds.” Dexter shrugged in admittance of his lack of understanding things magical. “It’s magic, I don’t know it and that don’t make for smart sailing. Might be handy having someone around that does.”
“Bekka’s got magic,” she pointed out.
“Aye, but she’s the first to admit hers ain’t book learning. She knows what she knows because it just comes natural,” Dexter replied. “Xander’s got his nose high enough to snag it in the rigging, sure, but he’s also got some book learning on all that finger wiggling.”
“You didn’t tell me about yourself yet,” he pointed out before she could pursue the matter further.
Jenna smiled and shook her head. “A week or two back I’d have said yes. But now I don’t think I could fill
