[flashback] the scholar and the pirate (nel & hadrian)

[Hadrian]

"All right," he said, going into the kitchen with the gooey remedy and stripping off his tunic again so he could apply it to his first degree burns. It was a strange sort of modesty, but then he wasn't all that much to look at. His body was weak, but his mind more than made up for that.

"I don't have rum," he called, "but I do have something better than the kelp beer, and food. Make yourself at home, I guess, unless you want to wait for me to apply all this salve."

It turned out he had more skin than he thought, and more skin burned lobster red than he had initially surmised. But it soothed, and for that he was appreciative. Still, he hurried. He wouldn't mind showing her all his sketches and the like if she was interested, but he didn't want her touching things and getting them out of order. It would cause so much confusion when he needed something.

[Nel Sayo]

Unfortunately for Hadrian, Nel had a habit of touching things.

Of course, before she'd managed to shuffle all the important documents into utter disarray, she just knocked a bottle of ink to spill across it all.

Blinking down at it, at a complete loss for what to do, she just lifted her hands and called out, "I'm really sorry--"

In the tone of one who'd made a horrible error.

[Hadrian]

"Uhh, shyke!"

He hurried out half-dressed, half-goo'd to attempt damage control of his work space.

"Back, back, back," he shooed, not intending to be rude, but peremptory enough to get her out of the way. It wasn't like he hadn't spilled before, but he couldn't remember exactly what... oh, well, Professor Rochlas was going to have to wait another day for that paper on Konti sexuality, because it was now a Rorschach blot instead of a treatise on lesbianism.

But he could get it on the ground or in the rubbish bin before it soaked into magecrafting schematics and other magical fun.

"All right," he said. "No big deal." But he was quick to collate his papers and get them out of harm's (read: Nel's) way. "Sit, sit, sit. I'll get you something to drink and... put clothes on."

That last bit was going to be horrible.

[Nel Sayo]

Nel backed immediately up, bumping right up against one of his other work spaces, and knocking all manner of books and bottles and things all over the place. She let out an apologetic squeak and started trying to gather everything up into her arms before it could all just topple onto the floor.

"Really, I'm sorry," she was sputtering. "I'm just such a clutz on dry land --"

That was putting it mildly. One had to imagine that if she didn't stop moving, and soon, she might just burn Hadrian's cottage to the ground and call it a day.

[Hadrian]

"Why don't you sit?" he asked, some exasperation sneaking through the courtesy, as he moved over to help her reorient his things. Reorganization, he figured, would have to wait until the little force of nature had left his humble abode. Chances were, she would continue to redecorate the place unintentionally until then.

Just to be safe, he put his hands on her shoulders and sat her down, putting a sketch of his in her hands.

"Look at this: it's a depiction of aerodynamics, which is similar to hydrodynamics, which you're familiar with... how the sea and your ship interact...?"

Hoping that would hold her interest long enough, he scampered back into the kitchen and returned with alcohol.

[Nel Sayo]

"O..." And then he sat her down. "...kay."

And then she had a handful of sketch, which she proceeded to look at. And turn upside down. And rightside up again. And then upside down once more. With a sigh, she just dropped it into her lap and watched him scamper, toes tapping to the hardwood floor.

"Sorry, again. I mean. I hope I didn't ruin anything. What's...what does this say?"

She held up the paper confusedly.

[Hadrian]

"The diagrams show how air moves over a solid shape, which is similar to how water does," he said, returning with two cups and a bottle of something alcoholic.

The design had given him just enough time to return with this new distraction, and while he liked Nel well enough, he was hoping that she wouldn't react poorly to the drink and, say, douse his books with it and start a bonfire. Women were, in his experience, a little bit nuts. Often their insanity quotient was directly proportional to their allure. Well, that didn't bode well for the sanctity of his home.

But in any case, he smiled and sat, poured them both drinks. If he was uncomfortable with his skinny torso being exposed and slathered in her herbal remedy, well, it was better than turning around only to find that she had color-coordinated his bookshelf.

"What shall we drink to?"

[Nel Sayo]

"...Oh."

She had no idea what he was talking about, but smiled anyway. Felt distinctly that she was wearing out her welcome, maybe not on purpose, but certainly because she was unquestionably prone to destroying delicate things. And Hadrian's whole house was basically delicate. So she took the drink and shot it back without batting an eyelash, gaining her feet once more as she set the glass down on the table. Without knocking a single thing over.

"I should go -- in case my Cap'n is looking for me. Look, why don't we -- have -- lunch? Tomorrow -- or something. In a place -- that is not -- here."

The smile faltered, but only because she was trying to make it sound less like she didn't want to keep talking to him, and more like she just didn't want to completely trash his house. Because it was the latter, not the former, though it all came out sounding confused.

"Or dinner. Whatever you like. Maybe your sunburn will have gotten better by then too."

[Hadrian]

He blinked at her sudden backpedaling and shot down his drink as fast. He did bat an eyelash, but did manage not to embarrass himself by coughing and spluttering. Part of him would rest easier for not having all his work destroyed, but he was glad of the company...

"Oh, all right. You can find me here or I'll... what ship should I look for?"

He didn't think his sunburn would be gone unless the herbal remedy she had given him was infused with some kind of magic he couldn't detect, but one could pray. He hoped she wasn't just brushing him off.

[Nel Sayo]

"Great idea," Nel decided, and the smile on her mouth sharpened brightly into a grin. "My ship -- it's the Bright-Eyed Mariner. Anyone down at the docks can point you our way. Just stop by tomorrow."

She actually looked around the little cottage once, like she was figuring out where everything was so that she could walk through it again without breaking anything. Offered him an almost bashful shrug, and then headed for the door.

"It was really nice to meet you, Hadrian -- tomorrow, yeah? Bright-Eyed Mariner. Oh, and put another coat of that stuff on yourself before you go to bed tonight, okay? Otherwise...well, just trust me on that. 'Cause when your skin starts fallin' off, it's not a pretty sight."

She dropped him a wink and then vanished through the door, like some sunlit nymph summoned abruptly home.