~*~

Animals

“Can you read a map Miss Driscoll?” Captain Englehorn asked, his voice seemed too powerful for the confined space.

They were standing alone, except for the indistinct man at the wheel; a large topographical map covered the table. The chunks of green that she guessed signified land looked foreign and there were numbers, measurements, and other scribbling she couldn’t quite decipher scattered about.

“Sorry, no,” she replied flatly, unable to understand where the conversation was leading and still frustrated at the Captain’s poor timing.

He was looking at the map in front of them, but Ivory couldn’t shake the feeling he was actually studying her.

“That’s too bad,” he said, and he sounded sincere, “It’s a good skill to have.”

“Maybe Jimmy can teach me,” she pretended to study the map.

Captain Englehorn laughed lightly to him self, “Perhaps,” he replied, an uncharacteristic smile pulling at his lips, “I’m sure there are many things Jimmy could teach you.”

The first mate entered then, chortling; he’d caught the Captain’s last statement. He left as quickly as he’d come, handing the captain and small piece of paper, a message. Captain Englehorn didn’t seemed fazed, he stuck it in his pocket after reading it and went back to studying the map.

Ivory wondered if the man knew he was temporary. The way Jimmy had talked about him it sounded like Captain Englehorn went through first mates as often as Uncle Jack went through cups of coffee during a dress rehearsal, which seemed strange for a crew like this.

Ivory pushed away her curiosity for the moment. She refocused on the Captain; he was still smiling, so she proceeded to glare.

“But maybe,” the Captain continued, “there are some things you’re better off not learning.”

Ivory narrowed her eyes, “I’ve always found learning new things quite liberating,” she paused, picking up one of the few instruments on the table and twirled it a few times along the expansive blue, “you could say it’s like opening a cage door and setting the animals free.”

A darkly serious look enveloped the Captain’s face; in a way it reminded her of Jimmy’s expression, though more severe than sad.

“Tell me Ivory,” his voice was gruffer, “did your father encourage this inquisitive nature of yours?”

Ivory started in shock and then her mouth turned down in a hard frown.

“I don’t like being kept in the dark,” Ivory replied, a surprisingly hard edge to her voice.

Captain Englehorn smiled, amused, he opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted. Jack burst through the door looking flustered, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ivory. His expression was overtaken with anger, turning the Captain.

“Did you need something Mr. Driscoll?” Captain Englehorn asked, lighting a cigarette casually.

Jack glanced back to Ivory and she saw as his calm and calculated patience won the battle for control of his emotions.

“Yes,” he replied, “you haven’t been entirely honest with me Englehorn, and I want an explanation.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that,” Englehorn laughed to him self, still amused. “That’ll be all for now, Miss Driscoll,” he added, dismissively.

Jack frowned. Ivory nodded; disappointed to be sent away when it was getting interesting. She exited, eyes to the ground. Preston was waiting anxiously just outside the cabin’s door. He started when she appeared, surprised. She glanced at him questioningly, but before he could answer she shook her head and walked dazed down the stairs.

“What are you doing talking to my niece?” Jack asked, his anger battling fiercely for control.

“Now Mr. Driscoll,” Englehorn’s voice was the unsettling evenness it usually was, “that’s not what you came to talk to me about.”

He leaned over the map, exhaling smoke from a long draw he began measuring and scribbling on the surface.

“No,” Jack said, steadying his voice and setting his jaw determinedly, “I came in to ask what you’re doing with crates full of chloroform, but I’ll hear what you think you have to say to my niece too.”

Captain Englehorn laughed to him self again before letting out a heavy sigh, “A job came in. I’m not a wealthy man Mr. Driscoll, not wealthy enough to turn down an offer like this one.”

“It delays us,” Jack said unhappily, nerves evident on the fringe of his words.

“Yes,” Englehorn answered, “but not by long.”

“What if he moves? Leaves? Before we get there,” Jack asked, worry accompanying the nerves.

“Not a chance,” Englehorn accepted another piece of paper from a random crewman who bustled in and out quickly, “I’ve got my man watching him closely, if he moves, we’ll know.”

Jack physically eased at the words, “so it’s back to live animal capture, then?”

Englehorn nodded minutely, “Nothing fancy.”

Jack sighed, and then remembered Ivory, “What did you want with my niece?”

“Just acquainting myself,” Englehorn paused, “I wonder, is she more like her mother…or her father?”

Jack’s eyes turned hard, “She’s more like me.”

“Perhaps,” Englehorn answered softly, “but if there is one thing you learn in this business, Jack, it’s that you can teach an animal just as you please but they’ll always return to their instinct when the situation arrives.”

“My niece is not an animal,” Jack snapped.

“We’re all animals, Mr. Driscoll,” Captain Englehorn stated, his voice steady, “It’s how we react to situations that determine whether we’re people or not.”

The two men stared for an elongated moment, understanding the unyielding nature of each other.

“I’m prefer if you left my niece out of this,” Jack’s voice was ice.

“And I’d prefer if she wasn’t such a distraction to my crew,” Englehorn retorted, “But sometimes we can’t control things.”

Jack set his jaw turning swiftly he marched out of the cabin, passing the first mate at the door.

Englehorn shook his head with a quiet sigh, “Keep on this Mr. Dern,” he waved the paper in the air loosely.

Dern nodded, “Still headed for the Carolina’s sir?”

Captain Englehorn nodded, “We should reach port on schedule, we’ll pick up the remaining supplies for the job and more food, we’ll need it at the rate we’re taking on passengers.”

“Are we expecting anymore sir?” Dern asked, an aloof curiosity.

Englehorn paused, looking over the expansive map, “not at the moment,” he replied quietly.