Turn 52

    In the course of his morning, Val also asks about for information about the _Silver Swan_, hoping to get some news about her whereabouts, but no one on Bral seems to have any news of her. He still feels obligated to find Teague and make sure that Ginevra and her child are cared after.
    Ginevra... 
    Back in his room at the Lion's Tail, Val relaxes and let's his mind drift back to the voyage out to Janik. It has been some time since he allowed himself to think about Ginevra, and it still hurt a little to know she wasn't a part of his life. He wonders what she'd think of his appointment as captain of the _Distraction_ ...

* * *

    "Dohwar?" Val asks casually, not overly familiar with the species. Nyala's tone suggested she was much more familiar with them, but she lapses back into her usual impassivity.
    Ibn Fadil has interrupted his curious study of the Dohwar ship to ask Alais the new question he thought of the day before. "Master Zeremin, do you think the inversion would affect the function of ship's equipment such as locators, or even helms?"
    "Well, that depends on helm method. A standard helm operates on the first vector principle, but series helms operate on the second, and death helms and the like on the Nullification Viteness..." After going in that vein for a while he concludes firmly, "It depends."

* * *

    "The second matter is of course that of the _Twist_. I understand that Master Alais," he nods at the mage, "is still investigating some of the items found aboard, but the rest have been thoroughly appraised. I'm pleased to tell you that your collective share works out to 2,500 apiece in gold."
    Ibn Fadil seems to be having trouble taking all of this in; the look he first directs at Valarin contains a rather unflattering amount of disbelief. As Delmar goes on, however, he seems increasingly fascinated by the proposal. The share announcement is equally jolting - he has never before had that much money at his personal disposal.
    When no one else says anything for a few moments, the Zakharan asks, "Is Three Trees willing to bank some of that for us for a while, sir?"
    "Of course," he replies with a faint smile, pleased and somewhat amused by their collective response.
    At the first opportunity ibn Fadil draws Nyala aside for a private discussion (in Elvish, of course). "What do you think? Would you go?" His enthusiasm for the idea seems barely containable.
    "It sounds agreeable," she says cautiously. "And five years is not long. I am surprised, however--were you not intending to travel homewards?"
    He lowers his voice further, though he is fairly sure no one is trying to listen to them. "If I passed up an opportunity like this my uncle would strangle me himself. And my mother would probably agree."
    "I see." She looks thoughtful but does not elaborate.
    "Agreeable, then," he says, amused by her restrained response. "I could almost be grateful to those damned pirates for this." He looks around to see where Valarin has gotten to, and winds up hanging around on the _Distraction_'s deck waiting for him to finish talking to Delmar. When the new captain appears, ibn Fadil approaches him with a smile and a deep bow. "If I might have a word, Captain?" Nyala watches with interest from a polite distance away.
    "Captain?" he asks in mock seriousness. Val is amused by the use of the new title. It will certainly take a while for him to get used to that. "Does this mean you'll be staying on?" He smiles to show his good will towards the Zakharan.
    "If you will have me. Us," he corrects himself.
    "Is there any reason I would not?" Val asks evenly. He has not forgotten the uneasiness that built up between them, and still feels the half-elf thinks him a fool. Better to get these things out in the open now, rather than pretend they did not exist.
    Ibn Fadil seems perplexed. "My history of falling into debt? I believe I have overcome that ..." He can see from Valarin's expression that this is not what the man meant. "I am not sure I understand you."
    "I think you do," Val tells him plainly, "and I would like to think we could put our...differences behind us." Why must this man be so difficult?
    "Besides," he goes on with a wry grin, "I'm going to need *someone* who can recognize trouble when they see it, even if it *is* disguised and under an assumed name." Val gives the half-elf a searching look before offering his hand his hand.
    For a moment ibn Fadil looks blank, and then: "Ah! You refer to our disagreement about the lady." He is pleased to have figured this out. "I cannot promise never to disagree with you again, Valarin, but I assure you I do not hold grudges. And I will do my best for you." Guessing that the gesture will reassure the other man, he takes the offered hand. He does not seem to have had a lot of practice at shaking hands, however.
    That was *not* what Valarin was referring to, but he doesn't go into it. If ibn Fadil has apparently put everything behind him, so be it. Maybe he just imagined everything back on the dwarven citadel? They were *all* under a lot of stress.
    "Life would be too boring if we all agreed about everything," Val says with a smile. "Welcome aboard," he offers his hand to Nyala as well. "I'm glad to have you both." She hesitates but accepts the gesture. Her grip is surprisingly strong from someone so delicate-looking.
    Gratified, ibn Fadil moves on to the next topic on his mind. "Do you have any thoughts on what position I might hold?"
    "I'm working on it still," Val replies truthfully. "Why? What did you have in mind?" he asks, interested to hear what the Zakharan would say.
    Struggling a bit with his habitual self-effacement (putting himself forward this much makes him rather uncomfortable), he says, "I know I have less experience than you might want to look for but I, er, had hoped to at least keep the position I had on the journey here. And ..." He hesitates, then shakes his head. "Never mind."
    "And?" Val prompts him.
    He stares at the deck for a moment, then looks soberly up at the much taller man. "As a captain you may find yourself dealing with a different sort of people than you are used to. The sort of people I grew up with." He manages a wry half smile that does not reach his eyes. "It took quite an effort for me to become the dead loss I was a year ago."
    Val places his hand on the Zakharan's shoulder and holds his eye. "If it took an effort to become a dead loss," he says somewhat seriously, trying to piece together what the other man meant, "then it should be no effort to be your best." He seems satisfied with his twisted logic. "And I never thought you a dead loss a year ago," he adds with his characteristic smile.
    "We have need of a crew willing to do what is necessary on a ship this small," Val continues. "I see no reason not to have you keep your position, provided you keep an open mind when it comes time to learn new things.
    "And speaking of learning new things," he says quietly, changing the subject, "have you learned anything new of the Victor since our return?"
    "Nothing but that he is here and not saying much about things. I told one of the most talkative people I know that the real 'culprit' was not aboard our ship, but I doubt that will have much effect on the Victor's views. He is still not popular, but is also still powerful." He considers for a moment. "If he is rational at all, it might help to make this new arrangement with Three Trees as public as possible -- he should think twice about tangling with them, even indirectly."
    "Thank you," Val considers the news, which matched much of what he had gathered. "Make it public, eh? Perhaps we need to throw ourselves a party then. To celebrate. Hm..." There is little joviality as he says this, but there is a familiar gleam in Val's eye.
    "We'll gather our friends and talk about that later. Thank you again. Will you stay here to see who else signs on?" Val asks casually, as if speaking of the weather.
    "I suppose," ibn Fadil says, glancing around to see who else is still here; no one appears to have left yet, and most of them appear to be deep in thought, contemplating their futures. Yestin looks troubled, but that's normal; he hasn't said yes or no yet.
    It is some time before Val thinks to himself that ibn Fadil may have had reasons for wanting to leave the Rock of Bral other than a chance at exploration and a shot at owning a piece of the _Distraction_. He sets the thought aside, content to worry about it later...
    

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