S. Welles - To Ocean's End

Jessie swung her steel toe at his injured leg. The cast wouldn’t completely protect him. He let out a cry and clutched his leg. Jessie said, “As much as you liked that. Don’t you ever dare try to lay a hand on me.”

“Just wait until my leg heals and we’ll see how confident you feel then. Go home and stay home if you don’t want to find out.”

Jessie wanted to kick him again but she had a feeling her element of surprise had vanished. As much as she wanted to physically and verbally rip him a new one, she made herself head to the cargo hold. She slammed the door open and navigated the maze of crates, then dumped her gloves and began beating the crap out of the punching bag before Mido could finish greeting her. She imagined herself bashing Jacobi in the face with every blow.

“Whoa. What happened?” He picked up her gloves.

“Nothing,” she said flatly between blows.

“Then why are you pissed off?”

“I’m not.”

Mido stuck a hand between the bag and her fists. She stopped and he shimmied between her and the bag. “I don’t mean to piss you off further, but you’re a lousy liar.”

“Then just forget about it. I don’t want to talk about it.”

He hesitated before moving out of the way. “Well I do,” he said unhappily. “I don’t like seeing you upset, but I’ll let you burn off some energy first. Are you at least not too angry to let me teach you how to fight?”

She heaved an anger-releasing sigh. “Yes. Let me put my gloves on.” She slipped them on one at a time. They fit snugly halfway to the elbow, yet allowed full range of motion with her fingers. She gripped the rods in her fists and tapped her padded knuckles together, then did a couple of experimental swings at the air. For some reason wearing the gloves made her feel invincible. She felt like she could take on a recovered Jacobi.

“Now there’s an interesting smile,” Mido said. “What brought that on?”

“I’m liking my new gloves. For some reason I feel really good with them on.”

Mido took her hands in his, then slid his touch to her elbows and gave her a kiss. “That’s because you have a fighter’s spirit.”

Jessie wanted to get in some more kisses but they both heard footsteps headed their way. The two stepped apart and Mido picked his own gloves up off the floor. Sam, Sauna, and Cancer came around the corner and stopped.

Sam, the sandy-haired one, said, “Looks like we’ve got extra practicing buddies.”

“Want help training her, Mido?” Sauna said.

“Sure!”

Sam pointed, saying, “Those are some nice gloves Captain got you there, Jessie. Let’s break ‘em in.” He and the other two donned their gloves.

“You three teach,” Cancer said. “I need to do my workout.” Mido and Jessie stepped away from the bag and he took their place, then began stretching out his arm, neck, and torso. The rest of them stretched as well but when the good doctor began punching away, Jessie stopped and stared. Cancer was built like a bear but he could move. He busted out a steady stream of street fighting punches.

Sam chuckled. “Yeah, and it’s such a shame that Captain usually bans him from getting involved in fights.”

“Why?”

Cancer paused in his assault. “Who’s going to tend to your injuries if I’m down or dead? I only join the fray if the numbers are stacked against us. Most of the time Captain just whips out his gun and the quasi-children scare off our aggressors. Unconventional but effective.”

Sam said, “Captain did that to Tethys the day we picked you up.”

Mido said, “Jessie, you missed one priceless expression on Tethys’s face. I thought he was gonna pass out.”

“I would’ve liked to see that,” she said in a subdued tone, then spoke a little louder as she stood up straighter. “If he’s got enough smarts, he’ll be afraid of me if we ever cross paths again. I’ll rip his dick off. I’m not kidding.”

“Get in line,” Mido said.

“Ladies first,” she said. The others laughed, even Cancer. For a moment she couldn’t believe her ears or eyes, but she recovered from staring. She didn’t want to kill the relaxed atmosphere. “So what’s my first lesson? All I ever do is start swinging when I feel threatened.”

Mido adjusted the velcro straps to his sparring gloves. “We’ll teach you how to throw combos, how to not broadcast where you’re gonna strike, some footwork, and the basics of street fighting.”

Sam said, “I can teach you some sword fighting as well, or at least how to defend yourself while unarmed. The sword might need to wait until after Le Havre. We really need you light and quick for now.”

“Sounds good,” Jessie said.

All of them, including Cancer, spent the next few hours tutoring Jessie, along with her getting to know them a bit and discussing her role aboard the Pertinacious .

After some blocking drills, Cancer said, “I still don’t want you to become a permanent crew member. It’s nothing personal, nor does it have anything to do with a woman’s ability to fight. You’re turning into an excellent fighter. I very much like strong women, and I’d be very grateful if you help me and the rest of the crew stay alive and whole, but only for as long as Dyne need’s help with his curse. I’d rather you be home safe, like my wife.”

His words floored her but she stopped gaping and said, “Thank you. I’ll do my best for as long as I stay.

“How long do you think you’ll stay?” Sam asked.

Jessie practiced her five-hit combo on the punching bag. She looked at Mido, then back at Sam. “I don’t know. It depends on a lot of things. Right now I’m just trying to build the courage to help lift Dyne’s curse. I don’t want any of you to die because I try to help.”

“Why thank you, Jessie,” he said. “All of us really hope you stick around and help.”

Thinking of Jacobi, she looked away.

Sam lost his smile. “What’s wrong?”

Damn it. She was so transparent. Her only solace was that at least she’d kept secret her desire to steal their cook to Paphos. So far. Now if only she could downplay the tension between her and Jacobi. She faced the punching bag and executed her newest combo. “How’s this looking, now?”

“Uh, great,” Sam said, “except for you suddenly broadcasting your moves again.”

She sucker punched the bag as hard as she could. “I think I need a break.” She started heading for the exit.

“It’s Jacobi, isn’t it?” Cancer said unhappily.

Jessie stopped mid-stride as a wave of fear seized her. She didn’t want this to get out of hand. “No. Everything’s fine.” She marched off as she heard Mido tell the others that he’d talk to her. The sound of his jogging footsteps and him undoing his velcro straps hurried up to her. She caught a heavy whiff of sweat and deodorant.

He said, “Let’s go shower.”

They hung their sweaty gear in their respective cabins, then headed to the showers with sandals in place of their boots and fresh clothes in hand. Since Mido was with her, she didn’t bother locking the door behind them. They grabbed towels from their lockers, then stepped inside a stand-in shower and Mido began washing her down.

There was something soothing about Mido scrubbing her body with a soapy wash cloth. There was a hint of sexual energy—they were naked—but overall they were just taking care of each other. Soothing company with no expectations. This was exceptionally good at the moment because she still felt quite satisfied after their intimate time together in Revivre. They kissed now and then since this was one of few private places on the ship. Mido finished scrubbing Jessie’s feet and toes, then she took his own cloth and soap and set to work on his amazing back.