Lev whirled around as soon as Amelie touched him, slamming himself back into the desk as he dropped the charcoal for favor of reaching for his sword. Then he relaxed a little as soon as he recognized her, removing his hand from the hilt of the sword. "Apparently my sense of awareness needs more work," he half muttered to himself. "You seem to have forgotten again that this is a ship. Take your relief anywhere you please, preferably over the rails of the upper deck. If you have a problem with that, then you can try and keep your legs crossed until we find our way back to land," he added with a sneer, then turned back to his map to continue scribbling.

Aiden woke up with a long yawn and rubbed his eyes, then looked over and...where'd she go? He blinked a few times as he looked around the room, hoisting himself up quickly once he realized she really wasn't in here. Where would she have gone on a ship like this? Maybe with Lev? Possible, but somehow he doubted that at the moment as he headed out of the bedroom.

Lev turned to look up from the map when the bedroom door opened again, a frown on his face when his eye's met Aiden's. "Had fun in there with her, eh?" he said bitterly before looking back to his map. Aiden raised an eyebrow at Lev's back and went over to stand next to his friend. "Care to explain that comment?" Aiden asked. "If you want to be so jealous, you should know first that you had your chance to stay in there by her side instead of me."

The charcoal snapped in two under the pressure of Lev's hold, and he sighed in frustration. "Nevermind. Now leave me be. And if you want to know where that blasted girl is, she went to find a proper place to relieve herself." Aiden stared at Lev in disbelief for a moment, then laughed and nodded before heading out the door to leave his friend in peace. By the looks of it, either Lev had found a serious miscalculation in the coordinates or a lazy crew member had ruined the map by spilling rum or water over it. Either way, Lev clearly wasn't having a great time.

----

Aiden found Amelie just as she was hauling the bucket back up, and he crept up behind her with a wicked grin. He bent close to her ear, careful not to brush against her hair, and said softly, "Feel refreshed?"

Amelie didn't notice Aiden was there until he spoke, but her instincts kicked in before she could think. She whirled around, swinging the bucket at him at full speed, as it was still tied to the rope. She hadn't known how tall whoever snuck up on her was, so it hit him in the shoulder. When she realized it was Aiden, she gasped and dropped the rope. "I'm so sorry!" She said urgently, hoping she hadn't hurt him.

Aiden only winced slightly as the bucket hit him. There were worse things to be hit with, but she was definitely strong for a girl her size. He reached down to pick up the bucket after she dropped it and set it on the rail. "Don't worry about it. I deserved that anyway," he answered with a grin. "Lev told me what you were up to. Hope it doesn't make feel too weird. Nothing on this thing was designed for women," he said with a chuckle.

Amelie shook her head adamently. "I don't see how you deserved that." I just thought he was a creepy crew member when he did that. "He told you that? I didn't think he was paying attention." She shrugged slightly. "I've gone in weirder places. And I noticed that this was designed for a man. Some places a sane person would never go willingly." Then she was suddenly curious again. "Hey...how'd I end up on the bed? And why were you in there?" She was wary at first, then she realized he wouldn't do anything like that to her....would he?

Aiden looked just as curious and surprised as she was. So she hadn't climbed into bed herself? Then who...?

Suddenly a realization dawned over Aiden's face, and he shook his head and laughed. "Bloody hell, I'm gonna have so much fun tormenting him over this later," he said to himself with a grin. The he looked back at her. "Lev must have had a soft moment and put you on the bed himself. Don't know why you wouldn't sleep on it in the first place, but..." he shrugged, and left it at that.

"Besides, me watching you sleep isn't half as bad as what you were saying in your sleep," Aiden teased, making his tone suggest that what she said was worse than it really had been. Just to see how much she would blush.

Aiden leaned forward close with a smirk. "Not telling," he teased in a low voice. Then he laughed and turned to walk away, calling over his shoulder as he did so, "But maybe I'll tell Lev, I'm sure he'd love to know." He had to admit, he had so much fun teasing her. It was a nice change having someone to play around with without being thought of as queer by the crew.

Aiden just laughed again and shook his head. "Alright, alright, don't get so flustered. You didn't say anything except how charming you thought my smile was, or something like that," he answered with a grin. "But," he continued, "You also said something about wishing someone else would smile. Am I right in saying you have a liking for both of us?" he asked, his grin widening as he leaned forward with his hands on his hips.

Aiden shrugged. "I hear what I hear, princess. Don't be so embarrassed about it. We like you too. It's hard not to," he said with a wink. "Now, I better get back and see what Lev's up to. He rarely ever changes that map except in emergencies," Aiden explained. "You can come too if you want."

When Aiden returned to Lev's quarters, his friend was pacing back and forth in front of the desk, staring intently at the floor. Aiden gave a warm smile as Lev paused to look up curiously. "You've got the mischievous look again. What's in your head this time?" Lev asked casually as he finally turned back to the map, getting out the piece of charcoal again. Aiden went around to sit back in Lev's chair, only glancing briefly at the map. "Come to see if you need any help with that map," Aiden answered. Lev stared at him blankly for a moment, then shook his head and focused his attention again on the map.

Amelie looked like she was both confused and embarrased. She had to look away slightly, though a tiny smile appeared on her face after he winked at her. Having at least him like her wasn't such a bad thing. Then she blinked and looked after him. An emergency.....would probably effect her in some way. So, she just decided to follow him back inside, though she didn't forget the bucket.

She came in a couple moments after Aiden did, slipping inside soundlessly and standing by the door. She set the bucket in the corner quietly and just watched. She'd only caught the second half of their small conversation, but she could tell something was wrong. She stayed quiet though, not wanting to have to defend herself if Lev happened to decide to actually draw his sword this time.

Lev sighed and straightened to look back at where Amelie stood in the corner. He had tried to ignore her presence for a few moments, but her quietness set him on edge. "Do you have anything to say?" he snapped. Out of Lev's sight, Aiden laughed silently, then winked at Amelie as he set his feet on the desk, careful not to mess up the map.

Lev frowned at her answer. He was sorely tempted again to snap at her, but he held it back. Instead he gestured for her to come over. "At least come stand where I can see you. You standing back there so silently would put anyone on edge," he replied bitterly, then turned back to his work on the map.

Lev glanced over at her, frown still in place, and sighed as he shook his head. He was beginning to think this girl was useless. She never talked much, or made any sound whatsoever. Is this all a real princess was? She was hardly anything like the chatty flirtatious cliches he'd sometimes see acted out on tavern stages. A woman like that would be a little annoying, but at least more enjoyable than this scared looking mouse.

Aiden gave a small smile though, catching easily Amelie's unease at being around Lev. He didn't blame her a bit. Unless his friend was stoned off his ass, Lev was a bit hard to get to know. So, Aiden swung his feet off the desk and gestured for Amelie to come closer. "If you want, there's a few books or scrolls you can read over on the shelves," Aiden offered, ignoring the dark glance from Lev. His friend could get defensive of those stupid things all he wanted, but they both knew there was nothing important in any of the texts. Lev just had a quirk about strangers touching his stuff, women in particular.

"Of course, you..." Aiden began cheerfully, before Lev interrupted him suddenly. "Only a few," Lev snapped, his back still to her as he worked. Aiden glanced at him, then shrugged and smiled over at her again. "Pick a good few then," he added, ignoring Lev's bitter muttering.

Lev sighed and set the charcoal down with a sharp snap, then looked over at her. "You can take at least three. Now, please, go read and occupy yourself," he said with a small wave of his hand. Aiden smirked and shook his head, but said nothing more to Lev as he got up.

Aiden went back over to the shelves with Amelie, leaving Lev in peace. "Tonight," he whispered, "When the crew gets to drinking again, remember to come back around here. A few ales, and that stick pops right out of his arse," Aiden said with a grin. "For now though, best you pick out some books and be on your way. No body goes up to the wheel when Lev's not there, so you can read up there," he added.

Amelie didn't really know how to respond to that, all she did was nod slightly. Though, she looked a little down. She looked at Aiden and smiled gently at him. "Alright...but if one of them comes near me and I suspect anything, I won't hesitate to defend myself." She warned, going now to the books again and grabbed two.

Aiden laughed quietly, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm sure you can take care of yourself," he replied, then went back to join Lev.

After Amelie left, Lev finally let out a long sigh and set down the charcoal, turning to Aiden. "You're determined to get under my skin, aren't you?" he said, giving Aiden an accusing glare. Aiden grinned and shrugged. "Hey, you just need to be more flexible with her. She likes us both. She just opens up to me more because I do so with her. I can't hurt to try, Lev," Aiden added.

Lev rolled his eyes and gathered up his map. "You may be carefree around her, but that doesn't mean its what best. Furthermore, you know sending a woman out and about alone is dangerous," Lev finished, shoving his way past Aiden to head for the door with the map bundled in his hands.