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Day 14 ^� early morning

Dolfis stared morosely at the scepter in his hand.  After the little
scene last night he^�d snagged it off the dais and headed back to the
ship.  A night spent alternately seeking comfort from the scepter and
from a whiskey bottle had provided none from either.  At least he^�d had
the sense to stop before a hangover was inevitable.  Now he ran a hand
down the golden length of the scepter and sighed.  If only it was really
Ythfaru^�s ^� though frankly, Dolfis doubted whether even a god had the
power to fix the mess the pirate had made.  Her whole life she^�s gone
without you ^� and for nearly ten years without anyone ^� and instead of
breaking it to her gently, you have to go an embarrass the hell out of
her.  Dolfis knocked himself none too gently in the head with the
scepter. "Gods grant me another chance," he muttered sourly, before
setting the scepter in the velvet-lined box he kept for it.

Might as well go for a stroll on the beach before he had to leave.  He
didn^�t really want to watch Griffin load up Rufus and his gang of scum
onto the ship.  It would be a positive pleasure to maroon those idiots.
Men like them gave all sailors ^� pirates and "respectable" merchants
alike ^� a bad name.  Well, the sea air would at least clear his
head^�he^�d stopped drinking before winding up sick this morning, but it
was a near shave.  He slipped over the side of the Marquesa and set off
down the beach.

******
later - after meeting with Tara

Gus wandered down toward the beach with her thoughts in a whirl.  Simply
too much had happened in the last day or so.  It had been years since
she^�d lived openly as who she was.  And there was this morning^�s
"news"^�.  Jerram of all people, how could she? She couldn^�t remember
last night too clearly, but clearly enough to know she hadn^�t said word
one to stop anything.   She turned to glower out at the waves, but found
no comfort there.

"Augusta?"

She spun to blister whoever was stupid enough to call her that, but
found herself staring into a pair of dark blue eyes ^� eyes eerily like
her own.  "Gus," she corrected shortly.

"Gus," Dolfis nodded agreement. "Sorry."  He cleared his throat
nervously and turned to stare out at the waves.  "Um^�about last night^�"

Gus stiffened.  No three words could freeze the blood faster^�and
especially not after the night she^�d had.  "What?" she asked warily.

"I just wanted to apologize.  I never meant to embarrass you like that.
I just ^� I lost my head when I saw that^�," Dolfis paused, his jaw
working as he struggled to find the word, "that Jerram person kissing
you.  Damn it, he isn^�t good enough for you."

Gus blinked in surprise, but managed to keep her jaw from going slack.
Not good enough for her? A warm glow welled up from deep inside and she
frantically fought it down.  I don^�t need a da, she reminded herself. He
aint never done nothin^� for me.  I do NOT care what he thinks. Trying to
act nonchalant, she shrugged.  "Aint none of your business, nohow."

Dolfis sighed.  "Yes, I guess you^�re right.  I always figured once I
found you, I could make it up to you, but I can^�t, can I?"  He sighed.
"I am sorry.  I tried to find you, please tell me you at least believe that."

"Can^�t have tried too hard, everyone dockside knows me."  Gus set her
jaw.  She did not need a da, did not need Dolfis.  She didn^�t.  Really.

"Well, but they didn^�t know you were the GIRL I was interested in
finding, did they?" Gus squirmed guiltily, but said nothing.  Dolfis
smiled ever so faintly at the evidence that he could get through
somehow.  The silence between them lengthened and he turned to watch
her.  

Gus stood miserably, every line of her rigid as she fought against any
softening toward her wayward father.  He didn't come when you needed
him, she reminded herself.  He was nothin' to her - nothin'.  When that
failed she tried reminding herself that she didn't need nobody.  Safer
to be alone.  

The Seathief sighed.  He didn^�t know how to reach Augusta and didn^�t
even know if he should try. "Well, we^�re sailing with the tide, I should
go."  No response.  "We^�ll be back again in a year with the tithes^�
unless you^�d rather I come back sooner."

"Makes no odds to me."  Gus bit back hard on the sudden urge to beg him
to stay and kept her face averted.  Dammit, why did everyone leave her?

Dolfis gently brushed a stray lock of hair out of Gus's face.  Gus
flinched, startled beyond words at the tenderness and Dolfis shook his
head.  "I guess it really is too late.  I am sorry, Gus.  If I'd been
thinking like the father I'd become, I would have let his lordship," his
normally urbane tone twisted in derision at that title, "steer whatever
course he would, helmsman be damned."

"NO!"  The word burst out of Gus before she could stop it and she
inhaled sharply at the stabbing reminder of how much she'd had to drink
last night.  "If you've ever done anythin' right - and I aint sayin' you
have - but IF, then that's it.  You can't never let bullies go, you
gotta take 'em down, every time."  Gus half turned to face Dolfis,
clinging to the only thing this morning that she was sure of.  "You aint
a hero dockside 'cause you're a pirate. Or, well, not mostly.  And it
aint 'cause you never kill nobody neither."  On a roll, she didn't
notice Dolfis's flinch.  "You're a hero there, 'cause for once you made
the big guy take it instead of all the little guys."  Gus skidded to a
halt, suddenly embarrassed by her fervor and worried that he'd think she
cared.  Which she didn't. Much.  She turned back to stare out at the
waves, struggling for control over her unruly emotions.

Dolfis smiled faintly.  Perhaps a second chance wasn't too much to ask
for - if he played his cards right.


___________________

Submitted by:

Katrina aka Gus/Loki and Dolfis Seathief

NRPG: More to come.  Stay tuned.  Same dragon time, same dragon channel. <G>