Rattle The Stars

Chapter Nine: Hot Water

“Take this to the galley, would you?” Captain Amelia stacked a pile of platters in Alice’s hands a couple weeks later.

“Yes, ma’am.” Alice made her way across the deck and headed down the rough wooden steps to the galley. She turned into the washing room to find Jim there.

She stifled a laugh. He was fast asleep, curled over a giant pot he’d scrubbed to sparkling, with a coat laid gently over his shoulders. Piles of clean dishes surrounded him.

Alice glanced down at the platters she carried. She wouldn’t make him clean these, when he’d already cleaned the entire galley’s worth of dishes—and so much else besides. She’d seen Silver working Jim nearly to death, scraping barnacles off the side of the ship, scrubbing the deck several times a week, and countless hours of cooking and washing, peeling and grating, in the galley.

He deserved to take a little break, she thought with a smile.

She left him quietly and went to the basin to start her task. As she lifted the cloth and got to work, a gleeful little blob popped up in front of her face.

“Oh!” She stepped back as the little creature opened its eyes and stared into hers. “Hello.”
“Hello!” The blob shivered, then formed itself into a tiny replica of Alice.
Alice laughed, staring back at her minuscule clone. “What a clever little thing you are!”
“Clever little thing.” The blob parroted.

“I see you’ve met Morphy.”

Alice turned to see Silver limping into the galley.
“Is that his name?”

“That it is, lass. He’s a mischievous little thing, but affectionate and loyal as a dog.” He paused, eyeing the platters in the sink. “You know, the cap’n may not like you taking it upon yourself to do the cabin boy’s job.” He scratched his chin. “I’m not sure I like it, either.”

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s just a few platters, and besides. Jim looked like he’d cleaned a month’s worth of dishes already.” Alice turned back to her task and rinsed the platters, then stacked them neatly at the edge of the basin.

“That he has, lass, and there’ll be far more than that to do before we get where we’re going.” He stomped off toward the washing room. “Think it’s about time he rise and shine, come to think of it.”

“Why won’t you let him rest, Silver?” Alice asked pointedly, putting her hands on her hips.

The cyborg paused. “I don’t know how much you understand about your young friend, but methinks he’s been in need of some good, hard work for quite a while. He needs something to take pride in and own. It’s doing him a world of good, lass. You’ll have to trust me on that.”

“That may well be true, but what’s wrong with a little help now and then?” Alice pressed.

Silver stomped back to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Lass. I know your heart’s in a good place, and I don’ fault that one bit. Everyone’s got to struggle some, got to be put through hot water, to get to anything worth getting to.” He tipped her chin. “If he wants to soar through the skies, he’s got to start on the ground.”

Alice sighed, then nodded. Her sister and her boarding school teachers had all told her similar things, countless times.

Still, her compassionate heart longed to come to Jim’s rescue. He was, after all, only a young man, roughly her age…and had been through abandonment and trauma already.

Just like her.

“Go on back up to the Captain.” He tipped her chin affectionately and winked. “I’ll take good care of Jimbo, don’t you worry.”

Alice gave half a smile. “Alright.”

“There’s a good lass.” He ruffled her hair, then limped off toward the washing room.

*

Three days passed in a blur of cleaning dishes, scrubbing decks, and stolen moments of exploration with Morph and Alice.

Jim shuffled wearily across the deck late on the third day, dragging the mop and bucket behind him.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder, and Alice stepped in front of him.
“Here.” She took the mop.

“Silver’s gonna gripe,” Jim reminded her as he rubbed his eyes.

“I’m no stranger to his complaining,” Alice retorted. “You look like you need a week’s worth of sleep.”

Jim gave a half-hearted grin. “That’s the truth.” They traipsed down the galley steps together, and Alice stowed the mop away.

“Would you like some tea?”

Jim snorted. “Coffee sounds better.”

“It’ll keep you up all night.” Alice went to the stove and put a kettle on. “Besides, I needed to make a fresh pot for the captain.” She wrangled some sort of netted fabric over the serving kettle, but one of the threads of yarn snapped. “Oh, drat this tea cozy!”

“Here.” Jim got up and stood beside her, then studied the snapped thread. He pulled the pieces back together into a knot like the one Silver had been showing him, then tugged on the strands. They stayed put.

“Thank you.” Alice studied his knot with fascination. “I’ve never seen a knot like that.”

Jim shrugged, though he couldn’t hide a pleased grin. “Just something I’ve been practicing.”

“What else can you do?” She pulled a worn notebook out of her pocket with a broken band.

He smirked. “Watch and see.”

She smiled and handed him the notebook.

He got to work, threading the leather bands back through the holes in the cover. With a few deft motions of his fingers, the broken thread was whole again, the knot tucked into the spine where it couldn’t be seen.

“Wonderful,” Alice breathed. She tugged the band to make sure it held her pages in place. “Thank you, once again, Mr. Hawkins.” Her blue eyes held a hint of teasing amusement. “How shall I repay you?”

“Well, Miss Tea Cozy, if I can have a cup of that famous tea of yours, we’ll be even, I guess.” He winked at her.

Alice blushed as the kettle began to whistle, then hurried away to the stove.

Jim huffed a quiet laugh through his nose, then sat at the table and watched her work. Her dainty fingers lifted the lid on the serving kettle with a delicate, practiced motion.

Jim thought for a moment that the whole scene would have looked more natural had her pretty blonde hair been piled into an elegant bun, and not spiraling into loose, messy curls around her cheeks and ears, spilling from the bright blue scarf around her head like a waterfall.

He changed his mind. He liked her this way. Something about the adventurous spirit of her clothes and hair suggested there was far more that lay beneath the surface, more than her outward charm of tea cozies and prim propriety.

“Would you like cream and sugar?” She asked, and he snapped out of his reverie and cursed the heat in his cheeks.

“Yeah. Please,” he added as an afterthought.

Alice poured them both a steaming mug of tea and stirred in the cream and sugar, then brought the mugs to the table and sat down across from him.

“Go on. Try it,” she pressed as Jim sniffed tentatively.

He raised an eyebrow and took a sip. It was still piping hot and nearly scalded his tongue, but the flavor was nice and strong, buffered and sweetened by the cream and sugar.

“It’s good.” Jim wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “I see why the Captain likes to drink it all the time.”

“Do you still prefer coffee?” Alice asked with a teasing smile.

Jim shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe the tea will grow on me.” He gave her a playful grin in return.

Alice’s cheeks flushed, and she took a sip of her own brew and looked away. He didn’t know why, but it was fun to fluster her. Really fun.

Maybe it was because she seemed a little too prim and proper, just like the Captain. But under the surface, he sensed a young woman who was more like him than she’d ever admit, who was wild and loved the wind in her hair and the stars surrounding her.

He’d caught glimpses of that girl a few times since they’d set off…and he wanted to see more of her. She was a kindred spirit, somebody who could understand him, he felt sure…if she would just let him see beneath the surface.

But what did he have to give her in return?

His playful smile faded. He was all bluster and bragging, but under his surface…he was scared and hurting, floundering in this world without someone to look up to, someone to teach him.

“Jimbo! Where are you, lad?”

Jim’s shoulders sagged. It seemed every time he got a moment to actually enjoy not working, Silver came along to ruin it.

“Oh, hello, Silver!” Alice called sweetly. She glanced at Jim with a knowing look in her eyes. “I’ve just made some tea. Would you like some?”

“Well, Miss Alice,” laughed the cyborg as he tromped down the galley steps. “It’s not often I’m greeted with refreshments in me own galley. At least, not ones I didn’t make myself.” He bellowed heartily. “What a way to butter up an old cyborg…but you win this time.” He gave her a wink, and she smiled and got up for the kettle. “I expect the moppin’s all done, lad?”

“Yes, Silver,” Jim muttered as he raised his mug to his lips.

“And you’ll be cleaning up after the lass’ hard work, I expect?” Silver pierced him with that gleaming red eye.

“Yes, Silver.” Jim stifled the urge to roll his eyes.

“I quite like this new attitude,” Silver quipped as Alice brought him a mug. “Thank you, lass.” He sat next to Jim at the table, across from Alice. “It’s a fine evening for a cup of tea.” He fixed Alice in a pointed gaze. “Don’t you think the cap’n will be expecting hers soon?”

“Oh, yes,” Alice answered, “but she’s quite busy speaking with the Doctor and Mr. Arrow at the moment. He’ll send for me when they’re finished speaking, I was told.”
“I’m glad he’s put away that suit,” Silver remarked. “All that clanking and clomping around.” He shook his head. “T’was getting ridiculous.”

“You’re one to talk,” Jim snarked. “That’s all you ever do is clank and clomp around.”

Silver laughed and clapped Jim on the back, a bit harder than necessary, nearly making him spill his tea.
“Right you are, lad.” There was a twinkle, almost like friendship, in Silver’s eye, and Jim gave him a lopsided grin.

He’d enjoy this moment, here in the galley with Alice and Silver. After all, they didn’t come that often. For once, Silver wasn’t barking orders at him…and with all the hard work he’d been doing, he felt he’d earned this moment of levity.


AlyCatAuthor