"You're angry," Logan stated. "And you've been drinking again."

"Only enough to take the edge off," Roman said, trying so hard to keep the snarl out of his voice. He wasn't angry at Logan. He wouldn't take his anger out on his friend. His only friend.

"That's always what it is, isn't it?"

His only friend who was skating on thin ice.

"Always 'just to take the edge off'," Logan continued. "If I may offer my medical opinion-"

"You may not," Roman cut him off. Logan pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Is that an order, Captain?"

"Yes." Roman took a breath and rubbed his hands together. "Virgil wants to talk to you," he said, trying to move on quickly. "Something about our heading."

"If he intends to show me a map, you should warn him it will not work." Logan sounded reluctant to move to a different topic of conversation. Well, as reluctant as he could sound while still staying cold.

"No, he's good enough at reading maps," Roman said. It was infuriating. "He just told me to get you."

"And you listened to him?" Logan asked, surprised.

"He was threatening to kill me, so, yes, I did." Roman rubbed his hands together again. "It wasn't my finest moment, I'll admit."

"Hardly," Logan agreed. That was the problem with having a brutally honest friend. No tact. "A prince should not take orders from a subject."

Roman had to laugh at that. "Yeah, I don't think I'm anything royal on this ship."

"That is their failings, not yours." Logan dropped his voice conspiratorally. "You are still the only captain I will listen to," he whispered. "I will be by your side throughout, whatever you decide."

Roman nodded. That was... reassuring, to say the least.

"Thanks," Roman muttered. He realised how suspicious they must look, stood whispering in the middle of a corridor, so he continued walking quickly.

"However," why was Logan still talking? "we need someone who can read those maps."

"What's your remedy, then, Logan?" Roman asked. As much as he hated to admit it, Logan often had the better ideas.

"Wait it out." That was really the best Logan had? "See who is useful and who is expendable. We still have a good chunk of our crew alive. They all look to you as I do. We will follow where you lead."

"So why not kill Virgil's crew now and get it done with?" Roman asked. "I can already tell you who's useful - my brother and Virgil's First Mate. Kill the rest."

"What about Virgil himself?"

Roman shrugged. "He's an irritant," he said. "I don't see why we need him."

"Captain, if I may be frank," Logan said, "that is not the best judge of character you could provide."

Roman sighed in annoyance. His hand twitched toward the hip flask in his belt. He thought about how Logan would glare, however, and rubbed his hands instead.

"What do you know about him?"

For once, Logan didn't answer. Roman glanced over to see his eyes were downcast. His posture had slumped slightly too.

"Logan?"

"Nothing springs to mind," Logan said quietly. "Nothing of use, at least. Two brothers, at sea from a young age, Patton is his oldest friend, went to jail, escaped, has been free ever since-"

"Went to jail?!" Roman repeated. "So he lied to me!" He laughed. That was great! Virgil wasn't so high and mighty as he pretended! "He's just as bad as the rest of us. What was it, how old was he?"

Logan stopped in his tracks. "He... was 12," he said slowly. He sounded unsure. He'd never sounded unsure before. "I can't tell anything else. It's all guarded, I've never not known before."

"Guarded?" Roman repeated.

"Perhaps you told him something?" It was a question but sounded like an accusation.

"I'd never and you know it," Roman snapped.

"You would not on purpose, I know that much," Logan said calmly.

"I never told him anything," Roman said. Maybe he was being harsh but Logan shouldn't even have... How dare he! "Why would I?"

"You are interested in him," Logan said. "Perhaps you want him to be interested in you too."

"I'm only interested in what he has to offer," Roman hissed. "I would rather die than-"

"Then why call him what you do?" Logan interrupted. Roman glared at him but he remained passive.

"This conversation is over," Roman said abruptly. Logan began to speak. "And, yes, that's an order. Come on, I don't think Virgil will take too kindly to tardiness."

Are you really friends with your First Mate if you don't threaten him when he tries to pull out some exposition on the plot? Are you really?
Bye,
Blaize