Catwalk Confessions

But for a few catwalk lamps, the cargo bay was dark, seeming to stretch on into the endless silence of the black. It was also deliciously cool, given the captain’s order not to run the “gorram, pricey heaters” for the almost unused space. Dorian leaned against the railing, one boot resting upon the lowest rung as he tipped the bottle toward his glass. Having just tested out the shiny new Denta-Kiln-Twenty-Five-Hundred, complete with verbal pyrotechnics between the mechanic and himself, the medic was well into listless exhaustion. The whiskey provided a comfortable warmth as he rolled it about his tongue. Dorian was tired…dog tired. There’d been no sleep last night, what with the mechanic’s sudden reversal of the clock, the sliced up whore, and the god salesman’s cracked ribs.

But now, Lunar Veil was away, lurching into the black in more or less order. Thankfully, tomorrow’s task list was blessedly light. All in all, a good night’s sleep would make for a pleasant day, if the good people aboard this boat would kindly refrain from damaging their persons, thank you.

The liquor was performing. He could feel the tensions of the day beginning to ebb. His bed was a relatively short walk away. “But not just yet,” Dorian muttered to himself. This was the first truly quiet time he’d enjoyed in nearly forty hours. He sipped the whiskey, elbows perched on the rail as he stared into the comforting darkness.

It was rounding to the end of Vas’s shift and the ship was winding down in terms of activity, many folk were winding down in the common area or had already gone off the bed. Vas himself was finishing up his duties which at the moment seemed mountainous, there was just so much junk on this ship that needed sorting! He wasn’t looking forward to Ezra either, particularly of repairs had to be done. Nothing like working on top or outside around a ship with the sun beating down on you.

Honestly, though Vas was working to keep his mind off the idea Jacy had pretty much demanded he start courting her and he had no clue where to start! As if he knew anything about Jacy’s breed of woman! See there it was again! No matter what Vas did it always went back to Jacy! That girl had him knots!

Vas padded down the stairs into the cargo bay to line up the empty crates. “Hey, Doc.” Vas said absently. Doc! Yea! That man knew about ladies! Maybe he knows Jacy’s type! “Heeeeeeeyyyyyy Doc!” The boy paused wheels turning in his head backtracked up the stairs. “You know how ladies work right?” He asked thoughtfully.

“Mister Vas,” Adler greeted the youth as he ascended the steps. “Not tah sound coy on tha matter,” he replied, “but that’s a fairly loaded question.” Mind you, he was grateful that the first question hadn’t been “can you teach me how to kill a man?” Looks like the god salesman would live another day. He gestured toward the open spot. “Take a rail,” he suggested, “an’ tell me what prompts tha curiosity.”

Vas padded up nex to the Doc. Loaded question? He had thought he had been clear what was so loaded about it? Vas pushed his question aside trying to stay focus. “Well … Jacy … earlier today … “ Vas started hemming and hawing a bit. “ … she pretty much demanded I start courtin’ her.” Said getting pink around the edges. This was a awkward moment for this kid but the Doc seemed the most knowledgable and easiest to talk to.

“I just … well …” Vas deflated a bit. “ … I don’t know what the hell I’m doing!” Vas said damn near quailing. Jacy pretty most the most proper of ladies he’d been around, though some might stab him for saying so. It didn’t help he felt spun in circles when he was around her and couldn’t for the life of him get a beat on her!

A chuckle or a smirk wouldn’t do; the boy was flummoxed. “Did she now?” Dorian nodded thoughtfully as he offered the bottle. “Drink?” He left it available, should the punk decide in favor of a little reinforcement. “First, let me congratulate yah,” the medic offered mildly. “Now, Ah don’t mean tah pry, but how did she communicate this?”

“She uh …” Vas dragged a hand across his face.” … grabbed my rear real good and said ‘if I don’t start returning the favor soon her feelings will be in jeopardy?’” The boy cleared his throat. “Right in front of some of crew too.” To Vas it was clear the women were marking what was hers. Not that the punk didn’t think a woman capable of doing so! He was as boneheaded as it came. Women like Jacy just where confusing! Hell, he understood Riley better and he only ran into her less than a handful of time since joining up on the ship!

He was keenly aware how different there worlds were and while he couldn’t be sure if she knew anything on his side of the track he sure as hell had never been on her side!

“Damn,” the dentist muttered, thankful that at the moment his mouth was not full of whiskey. “That is quite an invitation, mah friend,” he responded by pouring a fresh shot. “From what Ah’ve seen, Miss Jacy has a very playful nature. Yah bein’ invited tah play along...that’s a position any man would envy yah for.” Dorian cast a sidelong glance. “So what’s troublin’ yah?”

The poor punk was getting uncomfortable. “I don’t know anything about women. I may have pecked one on the cheek once. I mean I know they like flowers? I read about that once and they like being complimented right?” Vas said racking his brain about what he knew about normal girl's. “T-that’s about it. I mean girl like Jacy … she probably has been courted by men all her life right? So she has an expectation on what I should do … and I don’t know what to do.” He spoke as if women were like dangerous predators that needed an experienced and an expert hand to so much as get near or they would eat you alive and spit you out. If you were lucky.

Dorian took the shot, relishing the mild burn as it traveled his esophagus. “Yah gonna hate me fah what Ah’m ‘bout tah say.” He took the moment to set the bottle onto the catwalk grating. “A woman like Miss Jacy has doubtless been approached by many men,” he said. “An yah can be sure they’ve said and done it all tah try tah win her favor. They dressed nice,” he shrugged, “emptied their wallets, prob’ly made themselves look all manner of foolish by tryin’ tah come across as what they think she’d want. So, Mister Vas,” the medic concluded as he turned to face the deckhand, “fah all their work, where are they now? And more important,” he offered a slight smile, “who is it she’s asking fah emotional reciprocation?”

“Now,” Adlier lifted the empty shotglass, “comes tha part yah’ll really hate me for. Ah’m pretty certain yah were bein’ yahself when she developed this interest. That’s tha trick,” he chuckled, “an Ah’m gorram jealous of yah.”

Vas didn’t know how he felt about that. He was being himself … in away. As much as a gunslinger who gives up his guns or a Samurai renouncing the sword. You never do though. It was always there, in the back of the head. He could deny it, lie even. But it was there. Waiting like a sleeping dragon. What would she think then? Would she even look at him the same?

“Yea … but Ezra ain't exactly a place to take a girl like Jacy around. Probably ain't any pretty flower I can get for her either.” Vas sighed leaning on the railing.

“What’s a girl her even like.” Vas highly doubted she would be giddy over a set of throwing knives! “Jealous? Of me? Now I know you're having fun with me.” Doc was the LAST person on the ship he would imagine having any kind of lady troubles.

Adler leaned on the rail, facing the young punk. “Oh, Ah get it. We’re all programmed tah think we’re not good enough...she’s outta mah league...Ah have tah impress her...and other such *Mǎ shǐ.* Miss Jacy’s seen tha same man Ah see, day in, day out, an’ she’s decided that’s fah her. Save tha flowers,” Dorian laughed. “Return tha feelin’s. Miss Jacy’s proven that she’s not afraid tah tell yah what she wants. Start with that,” Dorian said. “Believe me, tha rest will fall inta place.”

Vas nodded getting it. He just felt so clumsy about it but he supposed you didn’t learn to fight without taking some hits right? Jacy seemed to get that, he hoped. “Yea.” He nodded. “I can do that.” He said not entirely confident but, gorram it, it was a start right? Head in now. Worry about tomorrow when it gets here. “Thanks, Doc. I appreciate you hearing me out.”

“Yah good people, Mister Vas,” Dorian saluted with the empty glass. “Ah hope yah both start somethin’ makes y’all happy.” He smiled as the punk disappeared down the catwalk steps, then hefted the bottle for a final drink. Jacy had her complications...and Vas labored around some inner weight of his own. Buddha only knew how long they might have together, anyway, so they should damned well make hay while the sun shines, as far as the medic thought. Almost by impulse, he opened the pocket watch. There was Maria’s radiant grin, calling him out on his hypocrisy. “Guilty as charged,” Dorian said to the darkened cargo bay.