Pots nodded. âAnyone that specializes in only one part of the body and doesnât listen to the others is a fool. Land dentists are to be trusted, sea dentists are not-â he said as though that were a wise and commonly held belief. âAny pirate worth their salt believes cats are more than they appear to be. And whatever that is- they are certainly extraordinary creatures who deserve respect-â he answered. Though it wasnât really an answer to the question, it was obvious that a catâs blessing or curse made a great deal of difference to things.
âWell, people donât like being called out as foolish, especially navy and navy adjacent ships-â Pots noted. âCats are a good measure of a shipâs power- celestially speaking. If a cat wonât stay, Iâd abandon. Donât even care what kind of oaths I taken otherwise-â he said, shaking his head.
There was something to be said for being superstitious, one could suppose.
âDonât worry about the Below though. It doesnât bother you if you donât bother it. Thereâs no amount of gold worth those caverns to me, thank you. And Iâm the curious one-â Pots said.
Pots gave Mani a little smile. âWell, hey, thatâs a good and piratey attitude. And after the way they treated you, nobody would blame you for getting your revenge. We come upon them again, youâre welcome to be on the boarding party, huh. Weâll make sure youâre handy with a weapon of your choosing first. Besides your good looks-â he said in even tones, obviously in approval of Maniâs desire for vengeance/revenge of what was owed to him.
âIt doesnât make any sense-â Scout concurred with a nod. âBut the Parson understands it better. Good to ask him about the nobody story. I think itâs a trick but a lot of things are happening at the time so itâs hard to pay attention so much. The Greeks were good at tricks though. Theyâve a wily bunch of gods if you ask me. No good there-â he said, wrinkling his nose. Not in disgust necessarily but in the way it was where too much information was distributed at once.
Scout grinned, a little purr in his voice. âAww, it is fun. I like fun-â he mused. âWhatâs the point of being a pirate if youâre not having fun, eh?â He smirked at Mani. âNo. Iâm going to tease you until youâre right and properly besotted, just like I want-â he said, grinning at the other. Obviously not meaning harm but certainly *implying* things of a desirous nature.
Pots nodded. âOkay. But let me know if you ever find you have trouble swallowing. Then weâll know. You might find even a regular fruit diet like what we use here will help to uncover things that already shouldâve been dealt with. Itâll be fascinating to see.â
Pots shook his head. âYou donât have to. The deck is as splinter free as any deck is and nobodyâs gonna be flinging anybody overboard anytime soon, time out of your shoes will help with the healing. Ship doctorâs order-â Pots said, a nearly cheerful warning. âYou could probably walk around naked if you wanted but I know modesty is a thing for some people. I try to be sympathetic.â
âNothing to be modest about on Mani-â Scout said. âBut modesty only makes for all the more attractive.â
As the examination of Maniâs member and area wound down, Pots thought some massage might be good. Bruises would heal but some massage could help speed it up. Or perhaps theyâd be too tender. In either case, he gently ran his hand along Maniâs member. Both as a professional and as a man.
âWhy not let yourself melt a little then?â Pots asked, working now to stroke evenly. Seeing how it affected Mani. Seeing how hard the man became. Scoutâs thick, warm fingers slid right up and gently began to pinch the nipples.Â
âLet Doctor Pots bring your pleasure Mani. Itâs quite nice-â he said gently.Â
Scout smiled. âNobody will think you weak after seeing the healing lines on you with Pots medicines but a shirt will be nice. To take off later too-â Scout said thoughtfully. âShirts are easy! Sometimes we steal them from barmen who donât keep an eye on their washing lines!â
Pots made sure Mani was asleep. âWill you hold him? Iâll make sure the captain knows whatâs going on-â Pots said in a low voice.
âPoor Maniâs been through a lot.â
âMhmm- like you- but not as much.â
âDo we know his gods?â
âWeâll see-â Pots said with a breath out. âNo matter what happens, he certainly needs as much healing as we can give. Donât pressure him with too much affection-â
âI wonât-â Scout said, making a face.
âAlright, you gentle giant. See you at dinner-â Pots said, running a hand along Scoutâs face lovingly as Mani slept, wrapped in Scoutâs arms.
--------- Dinner and Watch ------
Captain Lilt tended to know himself as a sort of abrasive figure. Heâd always been described as a young lad as âon the windâ and growing into piratehood hadnât abated that at all.
âHey, he calls me captân already! Thatâs a good lad!â Lilt said cheerily. âSee, he knows whos in charge-â
Lilt caught the piece of fruit that was thrown at his head with ease and munched on it. âThatâs how I get extra dessert, hmm lad?â he said with a grin. âYou know, weâve got a lot of the world to catch you up on, so you canât be shy. Life doesnât wait for any man-â he chirped.
Lilt grinned. âOoh- sir. I like that.â
Cofina grunted. âDonât call him sir. It just encourages him. Save it for the bed chamber, your highness-â Cofina said, arching his brow at the captain. They exchanged a look.
âSee how they treat me?â Lilt fake pouted. âNo, lad. You just keep calling me sir. Iâll like that just fine-â he said with a wink. âNow lads, Iâll be doing the evening draw in half a bell, aye?â
âAye-â came the chorus as people chewed.Â
âParson, how are we doing on the inventory from the navy crawler?â
The parsonâs wife interjected before the parson could speak. She had a voice made for singing or possibly to ride the waves. âWell captain. Weâve got some cloth, some rations, a few maps, and a few sundry items of interest. Shall we report?â
âOh yes. Tell us what we snuck off, eh-â Lilt said with a grin and he nudged Mani shoulder to shoulder gently. âThis is my favorite part of being a pirate. What we scavenged off-â he said with a grin.