A Moonlight Conversation
As usual Andy and I fell into character during an unrelated chat and this RP is the result. Thanks, Andy!—Maer.
Monday, March 2nd, 1868
The Odyssey
Nile River, Egypt
Evening
The last marks of the battle had been erased from the deck and Josephine leaned on the rail at Odyssey's prow, reluctant to shut herself up in her cabin. Assassins, cat headed gods, temples and knives and blood—they chased her friends behind her closed eyes. She opened them to banish the visions and stared at the desert shore sliding by. The moon and stars were bright enough to lend a glamour to everything and the night was advanced enough that the breeze of their passage felt cool and pleasant, softening the harshness the land held during the day. Josephine cast a glance aft toward the cabins and wondered how Rebecca felt in the aftermath of Ezekiel's dressing down. Privately Josephine thought the woman's idea of using a freeze spell was a good one, if a touch unrestrained in scope. If she'd had finer control over the area of the spell, the risk to the party would have been much lower. But I doubt the spell was designed with such control in mind. Even so, Josephine was encouraged by the other woman's resourcefulness under pressure. Rebecca had done what she could under the circumstances and Josephine admired her for it. However, even a child could see how it could have horribly backfired on everyone and the nearness of it sent a grue down Josephine's spine.
For an intense moment, Josephine wished madly, desperately, to ask her Father how he managed the consequences that followed a near escape. Did his pulse gallop like an unfettered horse? Did his imagination paint alternative outcomes both hopeless and deadly? Of course, Josephine had engaged in combat before and such reactions were not unknown to her. She longed for a cigarette but had smoked her last one days ago. Since then they had been going at too breakneck a speed to go shopping for more. Lacking the comfort of either sire or tobacco, Josephine leaned into the wind and hoped it would blow away her disquiet.
Ezekiel completed his prayer and crossed himself as he rose. Not normally a man given to temper, he nevertheless had vented what had been for him considerable ire upon Rebecca Spenser, and he'd felt a bit of prayer and meditation on his actions were in order. He felt more at peace when he rose than when he'd knelt and decided to take a turn once around the deck before seeking his rest. He doubted they would be attacked again but one last look wouldn't hurt.
The Milky Way arched impossibly bright overhead as he emerged from below deck and struck by the beauty of it, Ezekiel paused to take it in. Guide my steps on the road, O Lord, and may it lead me to Katherine … A touch selfish, perhaps, but understandable. A shadow fluttered at the edge of his vision and Ezekiel dropped his gaze to find Josephine leaning against the rail, her head tipped back and her arms held out to either side. The wind of their passage tugged at her sleeves, making them billow. She looked as if ready to launch into flight or into the river below. Frowning slightly, he strode forward, primed to catch her should she fall.
Josephine's sharp ears caught the thrum of footsteps on the stairs and listened intently to the walker's progress as the wind wafted over her. Her lips lifted in a small smile as she recognized the cadence of the stride.
"Hello, Ezekiel," she said softly when he drew close enough to hear her. She opened her eyes and turned to face him."Trouble sleeping?"
"I might ask the same of you, Josephine." Of course, it was foolish to think she hadn't heard him, Ezekiel thought. Her hearing was almost as sharp as Evie's and he hadn't made any effort to muffle his steps. He leaned a hip against the rail and crossed his arms, comfortable in his shirtsleeves and her company. "I trust you are well?"
"I asked first," Josephine said, echoing his pose. "But if you must know, I needed to have my thoughts spin out before turning in." She shrugged and looked at the water again. "It happens sometimes after battle. I must let my mind dwell on it until it's satisfied. Trying to sleep otherwise would be impossible."
"Yes," Ezekiel said evenly. "Tonight has provided much to dwell on, if one were of a mind. What conclusions have you drawn?"
Josephine raised a brow at his tone but did not remark on it. "Several things, not the least of which is Rebecca can be a valuable asset. I think her idea to use a freeze spell was a good one, even if she underestimated the area of effect. Her instincts are good but with just a little bit of training, she could be better."
"Underestimated is the significant point, yes." Ezekiel maintained his calm demeanor. "However, the battlefield is a place for precision, Josephine."
"I agree. With a sword, you can be." Josephine's fingers twitched in a casting gesture. "With an area spell—as with a grenade—you cannot. However, there is a time and place for both, Ezekiel."
"She was an amateur in a field of professionals."
Josephine turned away and leaned against the rail, but her tone was mild as she watched the moonlit water slide by. "We were all amateurs once." She looked back at him, the small smile playing at the corner of her lips again. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"And when I was an amateur, I stayed out of the way of the professionals until I knew I could handle myself." He looked over at Josephine. "Her intent was well meant, but her tactics were risky and not thought through. What would have happened had one of the ruffians resisted her spell and Bertie and I had not? A quick and defenseless death."
"That possibility did cross my mind. Would you like me to talk to her about it? Or do you think you've put sufficient fear of God into her on the subject?"
"No, I will talk to her and apologize for my attitude."
"Then I would suggest you do so sooner rather than later. As a conscientious soul, she will take your harsh words to heart and as an amateur, misinterpret their intent."
"Come the morn. It is inappropriate for me to disturb her in her room before then."
"As soon as it is appropriate, then. It is not a large boat. It shan't be too hard to find anyone on it. And speaking of what is appropriate," Josephine added. "I owe you an apology, Ezekiel, and I do not think it can wait until morning." She regarded the water again. "It has waited unconscionably long already."
"I cannot imagine what you would need to apologize for, Josephine, but please say what needs to be said."
"When Katherine was taken and Rebecca and I were devising what strategy we would use to find her and get her back, I let slip that I thought perhaps Katherine was pregnant." Josephine winced internally at the word, knowing it was not entirely proper for a woman to use in mixed company. Then again, I haven't been entirely proper for years. Why start now? "I was so focused on the task at hand I completely neglected to warn Rebecca to keep it in confidence. It was a slip of the tongue followed by a lapse in judgment and I am very sorry for any consternation it might have caused you. Surely now is not the time to burden you with yet more worries over Katherine's welfare."
Fate had, Josephine mused sourly, a truly rotten sense of humor. Why was she constantly thrown in the company of men that made her feel she must either walk on eggshells--as in the case with Alexi--or constantly misstep in the dance of friendship, as with Ezekiel. Especially now.
Ezekiel shook his head as a smile crossed his face. Even hearing Josephine say it again made him smile. "I am going to be a father. That knowledge can never be a burden, Josephine. My faith in God carries me through. He would not give me this only to take it away. Not the God that I am so familiar with."
He walked over to the rail and looked out over the water, seeing life in every movement of the river. "You have nothing to apologize for, Josephine. You will help me bring Katherine back home and that is worth a thousand misspeaks."
"Then I would gladly utter a thousand more, if it would bring her home," Josephine said to the night, wondering if God were listening. She shut her eyes and pinched the bridge if her nose, tired but unwilling to seek her bed. Through the deck beneath her boots she could feel the engines of Alexi's boat thrumming and she briefly wondered if he expected her to come to him. She had no doubt he'd make it an enjoyable interlude but ... No. Not until Katherine and Flora are back in our hands. Til then, I can't risk turning my head. "It's late. Perhaps you should rest. Who knows what tomorrow will throw at us."
"We will have her back, Josephine," he said as he turned from the rail. "She has probably already made her way free and is now waiting for us, wondering what has taken us so long."
"Doubtless she has." Josephine turned with him and breathed a laugh. "Perhaps she will have lashed the bulrushes together and is even now floating her way downriver like Moses. I would not put it past her." She sobered. "I confess I had always dreamed of someday exploring Egypt, but certainly under less dire circumstances. Still ... it is a beautiful land, if harsh, and perhaps when we are reunited we can see more of it on the way to Abyssinia."
"Assuming Katherine's condition allows for it, of course."
"Of course." Josephine slid a sidewise look at him and then spoke to the night. "Take care you do not stifle her with your concern, Ezekiel. I doubt it would suit her ... or you."
He nodded back curtly as he left the deck. Josephine was right, of course, but he felt he was allowed to worry about the future a trifle. It kept from being concerned about the present and what the dark jackal cult might be doing with his wife and unborn child.
Nine hundred ninety-nine more to go, Josephine. She didn't delay him with word or gesture, reckoning she'd done enough for one night. So she turned back to the rail and watched the moon glint off the water sliding by, and tried not to think of everything that could still go wrong.
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