yet."
"I'm glad you're friends with France." was all the near one, John could say and he received his burger from Cheesy and turned his attention to it. He seemed put off with her blunt willingness to use force.
The serving baskets Cheesy used were covered with a loose bright red checked cloth that was slit but pulled closed by an elastic band along the inside edge. That kept things from floating away. April had been reaching in with two fingers and snatching garlic fries out, but when she reached in with both hands and pulled a second burger out the Frenchmen were astonished.
"Where does it go?" the newbie protested.
"Hey, I haven't eaten in hours ," April said in her defense. She leaned across and dabbed a little spot of mustard with her finger tip on the sullen one's neck and he stiffened, not sure what she was going to do and still unhappy with her, but too proud to flinch away.
She leaned closer still, legs almost straight from the toe bars to reach him, but slowly so as not to scare him and licked it off with a single slow lap of her tongue that trailed off behind his ear. He couldn't help an involuntary deep breath and a visible shudder. "I'm glad you're friends with Home too." she breathed in a warm stage whisper on his ear, "but you can be glad I'm not really ravenous," she said sweetly and play nipped the edge of his ear.
His friend hooted and drummed the counter a staccato roll with his hands flat. Cheesy had an old fashioned ships bell behind the counter, he rang when he got a tip and he gave that three good strikes, laughing. A year ago she'd have never have had the nerve to do such a thing. But traveling and dealing with port officials and businessmen, had given her new self confidence.
"My God, Paul," he said to his friend, flustered, face red, leaning away from April. "tell my family I was brave to the end."
"Oh, I'll describe your sad fate in careful detail to your mother," he promised too easily.
That seemed to restore the damaged civility to their dinner and they bantered about lighter things until she had to go. She beamed her payment off her pad to Cheesy, seventy-eight dollars NA, plus a ten buck tip. Cheesy came over and took her empty basket, but her surprised her by leaning across the counter and taking her head in both big hands and solemnly kissing her well to each side high on her cheeks. "You won't be back until the new year. You have a very good, safe new year and be careful out there," he commanded seriously. April had seen Middle Eastern men do that to each other, but she was touched he'd do such a comradely thing with her. She just hugged him around the shoulders which felt much more natural to her and assured him, "I'm always careful – don't you worry," and gathered her feet under her ready to jump for the door, but paused. "What ship are you from, so I'll know if I meet you out there?" she asked at the last moment of the Frenchmen. She was impressed they hadn't made fun of Cheesy's concern for her, after all the other banter.
"We're from L' Arch de Ciel . The Arc of Heaven," he translated, "a fine ship of the Republic out of Tahiti. I am John and my friend is Paul. And you, what ship are you traveling on mademoiselle?"
"The Happy Lewis , out of Home as you've figured out. I'm April. It was nice meeting you John, Paul," she nodded at each and jumped for the door.
"The Happy Lewis ?" the newbie John asked, suddenly interested. "Un navire de guerre," he acknowledged with respect in his voice - a warship. "If I had but known, we could have asked her about the ship and the crew before she left. I hear it's a tiny vessel for all its deadly reputation, so certainly she would know everyone aboard from even a short passage."
"Oh, she knows them all," Cheesy informed them, from across the counter, all amused. "She's April Lewis, Master of the Happy Lewis, " he said, emphasizing the last name for them.
Both of them turned to look at her again, surprise written on their faces, but she
"I'm glad you're friends with France." was all the near one, John could say and he received his burger from Cheesy and turned his attention to it. He seemed put off with her blunt willingness to use force.
The serving baskets Cheesy used were covered with a loose bright red checked cloth that was slit but pulled closed by an elastic band along the inside edge. That kept things from floating away. April had been reaching in with two fingers and snatching garlic fries out, but when she reached in with both hands and pulled a second burger out the Frenchmen were astonished.
"Where does it go?" the newbie protested.
"Hey, I haven't eaten in hours ," April said in her defense. She leaned across and dabbed a little spot of mustard with her finger tip on the sullen one's neck and he stiffened, not sure what she was going to do and still unhappy with her, but too proud to flinch away.
She leaned closer still, legs almost straight from the toe bars to reach him, but slowly so as not to scare him and licked it off with a single slow lap of her tongue that trailed off behind his ear. He couldn't help an involuntary deep breath and a visible shudder. "I'm glad you're friends with Home too." she breathed in a warm stage whisper on his ear, "but you can be glad I'm not really ravenous," she said sweetly and play nipped the edge of his ear.
His friend hooted and drummed the counter a staccato roll with his hands flat. Cheesy had an old fashioned ships bell behind the counter, he rang when he got a tip and he gave that three good strikes, laughing. A year ago she'd have never have had the nerve to do such a thing. But traveling and dealing with port officials and businessmen, had given her new self confidence.
"My God, Paul," he said to his friend, flustered, face red, leaning away from April. "tell my family I was brave to the end."
"Oh, I'll describe your sad fate in careful detail to your mother," he promised too easily.
That seemed to restore the damaged civility to their dinner and they bantered about lighter things until she had to go. She beamed her payment off her pad to Cheesy, seventy-eight dollars NA, plus a ten buck tip. Cheesy came over and took her empty basket, but her surprised her by leaning across the counter and taking her head in both big hands and solemnly kissing her well to each side high on her cheeks. "You won't be back until the new year. You have a very good, safe new year and be careful out there," he commanded seriously. April had seen Middle Eastern men do that to each other, but she was touched he'd do such a comradely thing with her. She just hugged him around the shoulders which felt much more natural to her and assured him, "I'm always careful – don't you worry," and gathered her feet under her ready to jump for the door, but paused. "What ship are you from, so I'll know if I meet you out there?" she asked at the last moment of the Frenchmen. She was impressed they hadn't made fun of Cheesy's concern for her, after all the other banter.
"We're from L' Arch de Ciel . The Arc of Heaven," he translated, "a fine ship of the Republic out of Tahiti. I am John and my friend is Paul. And you, what ship are you traveling on mademoiselle?"
"The Happy Lewis , out of Home as you've figured out. I'm April. It was nice meeting you John, Paul," she nodded at each and jumped for the door.
"The Happy Lewis ?" the newbie John asked, suddenly interested. "Un navire de guerre," he acknowledged with respect in his voice - a warship. "If I had but known, we could have asked her about the ship and the crew before she left. I hear it's a tiny vessel for all its deadly reputation, so certainly she would know everyone aboard from even a short passage."
"Oh, she knows them all," Cheesy informed them, from across the counter, all amused. "She's April Lewis, Master of the Happy Lewis, " he said, emphasizing the last name for them.
Both of them turned to look at her again, surprise written on their faces, but she
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