Klaire didn’t expect him to become a soldier in two months, but the stronger he'd get the better. He was by far the least muscular of the group, which didn’t mean he didn’t have a nice body. She watched him talk to Willow until someone stepped forward, blocking her view.
“What is it, Coffelt?” She asked, giving the cook permission to speak.
“I’m afraid to say this, captain, but there’s a thief among us. Spices and vegetables went missing in the kitchen.” There was repressed anger in his voice, Klaire noticed. It was a matter better discussed in private, but because he'd decided to bring it up in front of the entire crew, Klaire had no choice but to answer.
“The food we have is to be used, Coffelt. I’m surprised you noticed spices were missing, considering the soup you served us last night.” She heard laughter, but didn’t look away from the cook to search for the source. “If you need help, I’m sure Mr. Riasos can give you some tips. He’s an excellent cook.” She said quietly and without malice. Coffelt certainly didn't take it very well, staring down with his fist closed and jaw tensed, but it wasn't Klaire's job to care for his ego. She stepped back, putting a hand on Rowan's shoulder. “I’ll be in my office if you need me."
***
“He drinks anything, and so do I. I’ll gladly accept it on his behalf.” Rob smiled, then turned to watch Coffelt’s conversation with the captain. He’d laughed, and he hadn’t been the only one. “She’s right, that soup was disgusting. I bet prison has better food than that shit.”
After a gruelling first training, Ishaan found himself enjoying a mediocre breakfast. Only this time, it wasn't Klaire sitting in front of him, but a new companion - a friend. Rob. They'd hit it off almost instantly; the man was easy-going and had a great sense of humour, unlike the rest of the proud, disciplined crew. He could laugh at himself and shoot the shit, spending both breakfast and lunch with Ishaan, engaged in conversation that had nothing to do with training or navigation or their assignment. Just normal, regular conversation. It was refreshing.
Lunch passed. Ishaan returned to his cabin and began to flip through some of the texts that Klaire had delivered and neatly arranged on the small bookshelf. It might've seemed boring or tiresome to others - flipping through the pages, absorbing the information like it was air and he was gasping for it. But to him, it satiated his natural curiosity to learn, it indulged his interests, it made him appreciate what extended beyond - a fist knocked on the door.
Head lifting from the book, Ishaan slowly rose and walked over, opening the door tentatively. "Can I help you?" He asked. A crew member stood on the other side. What was his name again? Jay?
---
Meanwhile, before Jay had appeared in the corridor, Ellington had been invited into the Captain's quarters. Arms crossed over his chest, he looked at the Captain, anger clearly evident in his eyes. "I don' know who fucked up, but I think it was Grigory. Fuckin' idiot. I've got three less bottles of opiate, enough wormwood and dragon's blood for one gunshot wound..." he muttered, shaking his head side to side, causing his dark, straggly hair to sway with the movement. "We'll be pissed on in Brimstone for what we should've already fuckin' had."
A seasoned medic, Ellington had always been very particular about his stores. In this case, signs pointed to incompetence - either his assistant had loaded up slightly less than what had been requested, or there was a thief among them. Apart from Klaire, the green Captain, and her damaged hire, Ellington had full trust in the crew. Which meant it was likely Grigory's fault, as he was, in fact, an idiot.
Jay had seen Ellington enter the captain’s cabin, just as planned. He’d keep her busy long enough for Coffelt to have a word or two with the outcast about respect. “The captain is asking to see you. Follow me.” He said, holding back a smile and turning his back on Riasos, leading the way downstairs where they wouldn’t be bothered.
***
Klaire didn’t have much work to do that morning, but she’d decided to eat breakfast in her cabin just to avoid a pair of dark eyes. The afternoon promised to be more eventful, especially after the crew doctor walked in with his complaints.
“I’ll talk to Grigory myself and figure out what happened. Do you have a list of what’s missing?” She asked, gesturing at the seat in front of her desk. “It might’ve been misplaced, but if we can’t find it I’ll write a letter to Brimstone right away to prepare a shipment.”
If the medicine had stayed on port, Klaire would likely have to pay for it with her own salary, since they were close to the budget’s limit. She was hopeful they’d find it, but it was better not to insinuate Ellington perhaps hadn’t looked through the supplies properly. He was a prideful man, she could tell, the kind that didn't like receiving orders from someone younger than him. She'd try to have a good relationship with him for as long as possible.
A frown appeared on Ishaan's face. Gears began to turn, questions started to formulate, yet he didn't even get the chance to open his mouth. Jay was already halfway down the hall, seemingly in a rush. Tentatively, the man closed the door to his cabin and began to follow Jay, down the hallway and away from the Captain's cabin. She must've been busy, but busy doing what, especially in the depths of the ship that Jay was leading him in. "Do you know what it's about?" He asked, extending his long legs to catch up with the crew mate.
---
"Misplaced?Misplaced in my fuckin' clinic? I don't think so, if you'd been down there yet, you'd know I keep it spotless. Everything is accounted for." It wasn't a lie - Ellington was obsessive over the clinic; he kept it impossibly clean and organized, each supply or herb or medicine belonging to a precise location. His records were neat, definite. There was no mistake about it - either these supplies didn't get on the ship or someone stole them.
And from the way she'd responded - misplaced, his ass - Ellington almost began to consider whether her wonder boy had anything to do with it. He had already stolen food - that was a fact confirmed by the Captain herself.
"How much do you trust that fuckin' navigator of yours, huh?"
"Do you know what it's about?" "She'll tell you when we get there."
Rob recognized these voices. He'd been lounging in a dead end hallway and overheard Ishaan and Jay, an unlikely duo to be walking down to the brig together. Something about it wasn't right.
He followed after them quietly, hoping to be wrong about his assumption. Jay was one of the few that frowned after Coffelt's food had been criticized, and Rob recognized a bully when he saw one.
***
Klaire frowned, standing up from behind her desk. The question of how much she trusted Ishaan wasn't as much about his character as it was a question about her judgment and authority as captain.
"I trust him as much as I trust everyone on this ship." She walked up to the door and opened it for Ellington. "Get me that list and tell Grigory I'd like a word with him."
Another turn and the two men stood before yet another staircase, descending further into the depths of the ship. Ishaan hadn't gone this far yesterday; he had no idea what lay below, whether or not it was a place the Captain would frequent, much less require his assistance. "Are you sur-" he began to say, only for Jay to nudge him forward, forcing him down the narrow staircase. Jay took the rear, blocking the way back, their footsteps heavy against the creaking wood beneath. It was fairly dark below, thanks to the lack of windows, though a faint flicker of light allowed some visibility. Ishaan had barely placed his second foot down when a fist connected with his jaw.
---
A safe, diplomatic answer. It was robotic, rehearsed, and incredibly insincere - the medic wondered if it originated from the Captain's handbook. Surely she needed step by step instructions on how to manage a crew, as young and green and female as she was.
"Here, I'll tell you exactly what," Ellington muttered, ignoring her pathetic attempt of dismissing him. He trudged towards her desk and grabbed a sliver of paper along with a pen, dipping it into the ink container. Silently, he scratched out the missing ingredients and their quantities, his handwriting messy and frantic. Once he was done, the man shot out his arm and held out the list to her. "Like I said, Captain Byrn, I'm missing opiate, wormwood, and dragon's blood."
"You can give me some tips, can't you?" A familiar voice said, stepping out of the darkness. Jay smiled upon recognizing Coffelt and Billy, who'd just punched the navigator's jaw. "No one steps into my kitchen uninvited, do you hear me?!"
"Answer him!" Jay screamed, kicking Ishaan in the gap between his deformed wings.
***
Klaire grabbed the list from his hand, holding back the urge to punch him in the face. That was not the way she handled conflict, but he sure as well deserved it. Instead, she forced out a polite smile.
"I'll handle it from here, Ellington. You'll have your opiate, wormwood and dragon's blood before we leave Brimstone." She stood by the door, holding it open for the medic who didn't seem to want to leave. She'd already given the order, and wouldn't want to say it again.
A sudden pop, followed by a burst of pain radiated from his jaw, snapping his head to the side, away from the impact. Despite being caught off guard, Ishaan's gaze naturally searched for his attacker, head instantly turning back towards Billy. Coffelt stood beside him, triumphant and seething, his figure radiating nothing but tension towards the navigator. He was fucked, outnumbered three to one - three well-trained soldiers to his measly one.
That's not to say that Ishaan didn't know how to fight; he'd been in a couple fist fights as a young man, back when Cilma had seen him as troubled adolescent in need of guidance, and then later in his life, in his early twenties, when he'd joined a pub brawl or two to defend a friend. That's when he'd gained the two scars that decorated his face. So although he was severely outnumbered, he found that the scrappy side to him was eager to reappear.
Without warning, Ishaan lunged, arm swinging, fist managing to connect with Billy's nose. A crack beneath the contact, and blood began to pour, down his cupid's bow, over his lips and then his chin. Still, it didn't seem to phase the man, who did nothing but smile, his teeth staining a pinkish colour.
Coffelt began to speak, drawling on about his kitchen, on the words Klaire had embarrassed him with. Ishaan didn't have much of a chance to respond as the force of a boot sent him sprawling forward. The nerve endings connecting to his wings, sitting in the crux of his back tingled, causing a dull ache to spread. On his hands and knees, Ishaan spat out a mouthful of blood and spit, before answering the cook. "It won't happen again."
---
Billy crept forward, looming over the navigator, nose still bleeding freely. "What was that? Don't think he heard you." Then he swung his foot forward, connecting the boot with Ishaan's side. Frustratingly enough, that earned him nothing more than a pained hiss. "We can't fucking hear you," Billy spat out, this time sending his boot towards the side of the man's head. That got him a groan. Better.
---
"Thank you, Captain," Ellington muttered, joining his hands together behind his back. "I'll send Grigory your way once I manage to find him." With his point communicated, the medic gave her a slight nod before leaving her cabin.
This was clearly an ambush. Rob didn't have to go all the way down the stairs to hear the voices - Coffelt and Jay, and it wouldn't surprise him if Billy was in there too. For a second Rob considered surprising them and helping out his new friend, but the odds of it getting out of hand were too big so instead he did the sensible thing and rushed up and back to the officers' quarters.
***
"Captain!" Klaire followed Ellington out of the cabin to see who called for her. It was Rob Willow, panting at the end of the hallway.
"What happened?" She asked, assuming by the look in his eye it was an urgent matter. He looked from her to the doctor, and seemed to have made up his mind before answering. "Follow me, the both of you. Now!" He ran back in the direction he'd come from and Klaire followed, hoping the grumpy medic would do the same.
***
"That's what I thought." Coffelt said, looking down at the fairy. "Hold him up."
Jay and Billy obeyed, each grabbing one of Ishaan's arms and pinning him against one of the columns of the brig. Coffelt knew better than to keep punching him in the face. The plan was for the boy to walk out of there alive and without having it traced back to them, so he pulled out a knife and held it up in front of the navigator's face.
"You'll tell the captain you fell down the stairs. And this-" he pulled down the side of his trousers, only enough to expose skin that was normally kept hidden. "This is going to be our little secret."
Suddenly he was up on his feet, back pressed into one of the wooden beams, arms and shoulders pinned back by Jay and Billy, while Coffelt stood in front. Despite the pain he felt, this new position allowed more of an opportunity to fight back. And so he did, thrashing around, trying to get an arm free to inflict some sort of damage. He was outnumbered though, and the strength of a single arm could hardly compare against the strength of an entire soldier. Still, he tried, until the glint of knife caught his eye. Ishaan froze, dark eyes trained on the blade, on the flickering light that danced across the sharpened edge.
"I'm won't say anything, I promise," the man said, the sudden dryness in his mouth emulated by the hoarseness of his voice. "I'll stay out of the kitchen. Please, you don't have to do this."
The light brown skin covering the upper portion of his hip was revealed, his hip bone and the planes of his lower abdomen stiffening against the cool air. Coffelt crept forward, the knife drawing closer until the cool blade touched his skin.
How the fuck did he get here?
Realizing that these men couldn't be reasoned with, Ishaan grit his teeth, chest rising and falling with each ragged breath, accepting and waiting for the first slice.
---
Ellington didn't plan on getting into the habit of taking orders from the crew, despite knowing and liking Rob for many years now. Still, the urgency in his face and voice conveyed a more serious issue. So he followed after Rob and the Captain without a word, their route and eventual nearing of the brig eventually making him wonder what the hell was happening down there.
Klaire ran after Rob, growing more desperate by the second. For something to be so urgent to the point he couldn't even explain what it was beforehand, it was likely someone's life was on the line, and she had her suspicions about whose life it might be.
She was right. Rob pushed open the door to the brig and Klaire ran past him, recognizing Ishaan's dark hair despite the rest of his body being hidden behind Coffelt. Without giving the officer an opportunity to react she pulled him by the collar, using all her strength to toss him to the side, his body slamming against the metal bars that made the uninhabited prison of the Dragonfly.
Klaire's violet eyes looked like flames reflected in Coffelt's, and one of her arms pressed against the cook's throat while her other hand reached down to grab the blood stained knife he held. "Ellington, take care of Mr. Riasos." She said, without taking her eyes off him. Her arm pressed harder against Coffelt's neck, making him gasp for air. "You're done here." Her voice ran cold, threatening. She turned to his sidekicks, screaming: "All of you!"
Klaire released Coffelt, tossing his knife on the floor and unlocked one of the cages, while her right hand hovered over her sword.
"Inside. Now."
***
Coffelt had never heard the captain this mad. She was smaller and weaker than him, but there was something frightening about her. He knew strength wasn't all, and that in a swordfight he didn't stand a chance. He lowered his head and so did Jay, walking into the cage before she felt the need to repeat herself.
He'd tried to squirm away, inhaling deeply, as if trying to suck himself through the beam. But the knife was upon him, slicing through his flesh, carving. After the second incision, Ishaan felt his eyes close tightly, head turning down and away, accepting his defeat. And then the sound of urgent footsteps descended. The knife was gone, his hip slick with blood but burning with relief. He felt himself drop slightly, the rough hands pinning him to the post suddenly gone. His legs were strong enough though, keeping him upright for a moment longer, until he felt another set of hands steady him. Rob. And then Ellington. Both men assessed him instantly, noticing the slight bruising on his jaw and temple, the sharp, painful intake of his chest, and of course, the wound on his hip.
"Can you walk?" The medic asked, eyes focused on Ishaan's.
"I think so," the man responded with a nod. His first steps her careful, tentative, but he managed, leaning against Ellington for support. Eventually they made it up to the clinic, where he was instructed to lay flat on the table, a cloth pressed tightly onto his hip.
"It'll be easier to clean," Ellington had explained, his movements within the clinic being fast, precise. He flitted from one end to the other, wordlessly grabbing supplies, pouring water. Once he was ready, the medic appeared by his side and slowly removed the blood soaked cloth to check for bleeding. "They're mostly surface level wounds, but here - open your mouth," he instructed. Obedient as ever, Ishaan obliged, only to be rewarded with a chewed up root, straight from Ellington's mouth. "Don't swallow."
Slowly, gingerly, the medic began to pat away the remnants of blood, revealing what lay beneath. A crude, incomplete star shape. "Fuckin' idiots," the medic muttered, shaking his head.
---
Billy, unlike his companions, didn't go away without a fight. Hands rising slightly into the air, his sign of defeat, the man began to bargain. "You think your boy is so innocent? Look what he did to my nose. Unprovoked too."
Rob wasn't sure what to do, but after a moment of hesitation followed Ellington and Ishaan on their way to the clinic. The captain seemed to have it figured out, and he wouldn't leave his new friend behind to fend for himself again.
"Do you need any help?" He asked, even though the medic seemed to have it handled.
***
Klaire didn't usually have a problem with anger management. She was the oldest of four siblings, not easily pushed over the edge, but they had done it.
Three men didn't corner an inexperienced soldier if they had any respect for their captain. She had learned from her father that an iron fist was needed to be worthy of respect. Klaire would choose diplomacy over violence most times, but diplomacy wouldn't work in this case.
After Coffelt and Jay entered the cage, Klaire closed her hand on a fist and punched Billy on the nose, like he'd said Ishaan had done to him. While he was disoriented, she tried to grab him by the collar to push him through the metal gate.
"I will not stand bullying in my crew." She said, firmly. "And I will not repeat myself again."
"Cut his shirt open," Ellington instructed roughly, without sparing a glance in Rob's direction. The difficulty holding his weight and occasional wince seemed to be a sign of hidden damage, likely around the abdomen. Hopefully it wasn't bad - bruising, swelling, even a broken rib were easily fixed, but anything worse? Their navigator would be in trouble - and their mission? Without a navigator, they certainly wouldn't get very far. "Scissors are in the far right cabinet. Cut it then stay out of my way."
Meanwhile, the medic finished cleaning the wound on Ishaan's hip, bandaging it nice and snug. Although the Captain would likely want to see the handiwork of her crew, his priority was ceasing the bleeding and preventing infection.
---
A second fist connected with Billy's nose, shifting it ever so slightly towards the right. Blood began to pour more steadily again, the man's hand automatically reaching up to cup his broken nose. "Fuck," he groaned, stumbling through the metal gate to join his partners. It took him a couple seconds to get orientated; her punch had him seeing stars. Slumped against the bars, he slowly slid down, sending a wad of bloody spit to the other side of the cage, towards the Captain's feet. "You're a day in and already down three good men. If you think bullying is most of your problems, you're already fucking dead, Byrn."
The officer nodded, following Ellington's instructions. He found the scissors, cut Ishaan's shirt while mouthing 'sorry' and took a few steps back, giving the medic the space he needed.
"I should've come sooner. I didn't think they'd be this violent." He apologized, regretting not going in and fighting alongside Ishaan.
***
Billy was right, and that's what scared Klaire the most. Not getting lost in the desert or being groped and later killed by pirates, but being seen as a joke of a captain. She wanted to cry or punch Billy's nose again, but didn't do either of those things.
"You'll spend the night here, and have a fair trial in the morning." She said firmly, turning her back on them before her eyes began to water. With deep breaths every couple of steps, the brunette slowed down her heart rate in time to get to the clinic. Her feelings would have to wait until later that night, when it'd just be her and that bottle of rosé.