Offers

Wisely, Noah spent some extra time in his quarters and cleaned up.

When he did make his way to the deck the boat had been heading upstream again for almost an hour, so he emptied and cleaned his wash basin and then washed his clothing and bedding at the stern, as he often did. Captain Amaruq, at the wheel, gave him a nod and polite hello, and Shirisha stared at him with a focus that could be off-putting but wasn’t actually unusual for her; but beyond that no one seemed to have any reaction to Hitty sleeping in his bed.

It didn’t last. He was hungry, so he decided to press his luck and see if Fatima would let him have a scrap of bread. He tried to be casual, but as he walked down the deck Ipellie gave him a broad wink and then Macha said, “Tough getting out of your bunk today, Noah?” with a sly chuckle. Hitty was at the mainmast with Kireama and Ashe, pulling staysail on the mizzen, and the other two sailors of course laughed and looked between Hitty, who looked back impassively, and Noah, who blushed and looked away for reasons he could not quite identify.

But that was the extent of the reaction that Noah saw, and as he entered the crew area, he hoped that Hitty wasn’t bothered by it at all.

“You missed breakfast.” Fatima was, as usual, blunt. She was already preparing the evening meal, the usual mid-day fare of bread and tea or weak beer waiting to be set out.

“Yes, sorry, I will wait until the next bell for lunch, I see you’ve already cleaned up everything from breakfast…” Noah still glanced around the galley just in case.

Fatima grunted, not fooled in the slightest by his words, and turned to grab a dish with a cloth on top. She removed the cloth cover and then held the plate out to the steward, his face lit up by sudden hope. On the plate was a pair of fresh breakfast biscuits, along with a few pieces of thick bacon.

“You, uh, you did good with Yutu,” the woman said, her normally gruff tone softened. “The lad was very pleased, and the crew enjoyed him being so cheerful.”

Holding the plate, Noah said, “I’m very glad. It was enjoyable for me, as well.”

“Look, Noah… is there a way…” the cook trailed off, then shook her head. “Nah, go eat, and don’t tell anyone I saved your breakfast for you or the others will be slacking off on mealtimes too thinking I’m going soft. But maybe we can talk, ok? About your job.”

The man nodded, and Fatima said, “Not for me! Well, not really. No, never mind, just get going. I’ll tell you later.”

The steward said, “Of course, whenever you wish Fatima.” He looked at the biscuits and then looked at the cloth she had used to keep it covered. “Uh, can I use that cloth, actually? I’ll bring it back?”

Fatima crossed her arms, a smile growing on her face. “I gave Hitty a bite to eat already, then a boot on the backside for missing the meal. She won’t be starving to **** waiting for lunch, don’t you worry! If that was your plan, to sneak her a bit of your breakfast?”

His face blushing, Noah chuckled and nodded.

In his cabin after the mid day meal, Yura kissed Noah on the cheek as he rubbed his cock up and down her slit. She had immediately undressed and hopped into his bunk, but he wanted to make sure she was ready.

“That’s for being available during the day,” she woman said with a crooked grin at Noah’s questioning look.

She wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him in for a proper kiss, her mouth on his for a minute or two, ending it with a smack. “And that was for what you did with Yutu. Thank you, Noah, it meant… a lot to him. And to me.”

He paused. Yura’s gratitude was sincere and appreciated, but he had to admit that being thanked by a woman you’re about to fuck for fucking her twin brother two days previous was a new experience.

“I was glad to,” Noah said, for lack of anything else.

Underneath him, the woman smiled, rubbing her hands on his skin as he propped himself up on one hand while the other held his cock poised at her slit. “He tells me everything, and it sounded very… exciting to me. To imagine it.” Her voice was husky and she bit her lip while studying his expression. “I hate to rush you, but I only have a half hour and I’ve been wanting your cock in me.”

“Yes ma’am,” he laughed, then pressed down into her. She was indeed wet, and still just as tight around him as she had been her first time. Holding his cock fully inside her, Noah pulled her legs up. She was tall enough, and seemed flexible, so he brought her legs up further so her knees were at his shoulders and he was pressing down on her.

She let out a gasp, and he pulled out and then thrust in firmly and she closed her eyes at this new angle and her fingers dug into his back. “Ah Noah, you feel so big inside me! Just ride me hard, like you did to Yutu!”

Noah had the leverage to really press down on her, and soon his cock was drilling into her eager pussy so hard he could feel her juices splashing his balls and thighs. “You, you liked hearing about what I did to your brother?” he asked, breathing hard. After the minor surprise had worn off, Noah realized he didn’t mind the thought of the twins comparing notes about their experiences with him. Maybe he didn’t mind at all.

Her eyes opened and Yura gave him a wicked smile, “Loved it. Wished I could see it - oh yes Noah harder! - and Yutu said he wondered what it looks like when your thick cock is spearing a warm pussy.” She gasped as Noah, growling, slammed into her even harder, one hand griping her breast.

With a final push, Noah pulled out, then moved back on the bed. Before Yura could express her disappointment, he said, “You want to know how I did your brother?” in a low voice and grabbed her hips, all but flipping her on her stomach. He raised her up on her hands and knees as she moaned in delight, then he entered her again, pulling her hips back on each thrust as she cried out.

“Yes! Hells yes, finish in me Noah!” It didn’t take long for either of them by that point, and with a final rush and a push Noah emptied himself deep in Yura while the woman rubbed her clit frantically, her own orgasm only a few seconds behind.

Catching his breath, Noah pulled out and then got to his feet to wash himself. He wondered at what he had said to Yura, and while in the moment she had clearly enjoyed it he had to worry that after the fact she would think differently.

He needn’t have been concerned. After recovering for a minute on the bed, the sailor stood up and stretched with one arm, holding her other hand clasped in front of her sex to keep his semen inside her. “That was great. Wish I could lay in bed and give your cum every chance to work, but I have to go.” Regretfully, she let go of her hand and used the wash cloth Noah offered to wipe herself without vanity or embarrassment before putting her drawers back on and then her pants.

“Look, Noah,” she said quietly as she put her undershirt on, “I don’t know what you are up for or not. I don’t think it would work here, it may be more of a personal interest that other people don’t understand, and we don’t have time here under way on the boat, but if… if you are in Anglet. Or if you go with the boat to Currielle and we have a few days in the sailor’s inn while in port, well, Yutu and I wouldn’t mind seeing you. Er, together.”

The woman looked away and then back at Noah, her face scrunched up as she brushed at her hair nervously. “If you’re not into that, we get it. But, uh, if you are?”

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Noah said honestly, “and I’m not sure really. I’m not, like, instantly against it I suppose? But I’d need to think about it.”

“Fair enough!” the woman said with relief. “I just wanted to broach the idea. Gods know Yutu is too shy. But hey, he said he’d wear a pretty dress for you. Something a shameless girl would wear to try to find a boy to take home. And I could scrounge up some makeup, put it on him. He’d be such a pretty boy, neh? And if I watched some of it, and you finished in me, you know, not to waste the seed or what have you. Or we could try different things, just saying.” Now the woman shrugged with a shaky attempt at nonchalance.

“I can’t say yes right now, but I’m definitely not saying no,” the steward said, his own imagination starting.

“Excellent, well, I’ll be off! Thank you for the tumble, steward. Seriously, I spent so long worrying about women grabbing at Yutu without respecting his wishes that I never paid much mind to trying to get with a man myself. Turns out, it’s not half bad, hah!” With a final laugh, the woman reached into her pants and took out some coins, which she placed on the desk. She hurried out before Noah could insist she take the money back.

“Well, fuck.”

Noah stood in a narrow corridor that connected the main storage hold of the Nawyet to the crew’s quarters at the bow. The large package he had bought from the shipping supply merchant in Anglet was opened on the floor in front of him.

The cook Fatima and the second mate Hyvin had been loitering in the area since Noah had asked Lisa where she had stored his delivered provisions. Now, the steward had actually unwrapped the stiff, waterproof tarpaulin that had been used to bundle it all up in a large rectangular bale.

The gear seemed fine. A small tent with a blanket (the tarp that had wrapped it all up was actually the floor of the tent, an adroit touch Noah thought) was the biggest item, and it came with some pegs and twine but no poles. The gear seemed acceptable, a few camp plates made of metal to double as cookware, utensils, a small axe, a hand lantern, an alchemical tube for easily creating sparks to make a fire, and a few other useful items only some of which Noah immediately knew the purpose of.

The other packages were a different matter. A dozen containers of food, some in metal tins, a few wrapped in what looked like parchment paper, they had been sold to Noah as concentrated foodstuffs - not tasty but filling and dense.

But while he was no expert, even Noah could tell that the discolouration on one of the wax paper containers was a bad sign. It seemed to be leaking a greenish-brown liquid that smelled vile.

“What the deep hells is this?” Hyvin had stopped pretending to be looking at the cargo and walked over to Noah, Fatima right behind her. They crowded around Noah and his gear, and he was glad to have someone to ask.

“I bought, uh, what was it called - siege dust and long rations? The merchant said it took up little space, but you can put a half a cup of the powder and a few scoops of the dried stuff or boiled meat into a bowl, add water and heat it up and it would be a full meal. Is this… that?”

Fatima peered at the discoloured container, “I never heard of a dust that turns into food, but I do know spoiled preserves when I see them. Whoever sold you that probably had some of their supplies that didn’t get slow cooked and dehydrated right, and instead of tossing it they put it in your big pack because you said to wrap it all up and send it to the boat instead of inspecting it all before you handed your coins over.”

Noah winced, both at her angry look at him and the fact she was probably right.

Hyvin picked up a tin of salted meat and said, “This seems to be sealed correctly, should be good, but this one - oh no this one is bulged.” The second mate picked up the other tin and held it up to Fatima, who shook her head angrily at the tell-tale sign of spoiled canned food.

“Those thieving snakes. That meat is certainly rancid - and I doubt it went bad in the past week. Selling spoiled provisions!” The cook grabbed both heavy tins and gestured to the other food packages and said, “Noah, bring those too. None of these are fit, and I won’t let you take any of it. We’ll open up that mystery dust in the galley and see if it’s actually edible.”

Noah sighed. “Dammit, I’m sorry Fatima, I don’t want to be a bother. I guess I should have thought of this when I bought my supplies, but the woman seemed very knowledgeable about what I’d need to survive in the wild, and she promised it would be more than enough!”

“I’m sure she was very confident she wouldn’t have to deal with an angry customer anyway,” Hyvin said dryly as Noah put the tent and gear out of the way and followed Fatima. With a thoughtful look, Hyvin went to the hatch to the deck.

A quarter hour later, Fatima frowned at a bowl with a grey, soup-like substance in it. “This won’t kill you, but it won’t feed you either,” she announced. She and Noah had added boiling water to the dried powder and found it created essentially a thin porridge of some cereal she couldn’t identify. “It’s not oats, and I doubt it does much other than as a base for other, real, food.”

Noah looked downcast, clearly embarrassed. Fatima sighed, “We have plenty of victuals, I can set you up with some proper food that will last if you insist on staying there. If the girls don’t just tie you to your bunk until we’re past the Empty City, anyways. I rather hope they do.”

Footsteps behind them and the cook and the steward turned to see Captain Amaruq in the door to the galley. The newcomer said, “Hello. Hyvin told me what happened.”

Noah felt his face on fire at the thought of the woman he respected so much seeing what a fool he’d been. “Sorry Captain, I feel like an idiot. I’m sorry for being such a nuisance and taking up everyone’s time.”

Amaruq studied the young man for a moment, then shook her head, “Do not be, Noah. You may have been too trusting, for certain, but you are our crewmate. I insist you tell me where you bought those provisions, so I can let others in Anglet know what kind of businesswomen they are. But beyond that, I wanted to ask you and Fatima about tonight’s meal.”

The cook nodded, clearly understanding, but Noah of course did not. At his confused expression Amaruq continued, “I had mentioned the possibility with the officers before. Noah, tonight if you like I would appreciate it if you would dine with Hannah, Hyvin, and myself in my cabin. A sort of officers meal.”

“Oh! Uh, certainly I would,” Noah said.

“Wonderful. We have some things to discuss about our sailing schedule for the next few days, and I have an offer for you. The issue with your provisions means it will be well timed, and the other ladies and I wanted to tell you about the wars.” Captain Amaruq paused, her expression cloudy, then a smile quirked one side of her mouth and she said, “Well I suppose ‘want’ is not quite the right word, but we should tell you about these lands and the wars that shaped them. We won’t try to talk you out of your quest, but we do want to talk about your preparations.”

As Noah nodded, he felt his face flush again, “I understand. Thank you, Captain, that means a lot to me… and I realize my plans for studying the Empty City must seem careless and, well, risky. If not totally stupid.”

Fatima snorted and muttered something in a language he didn’t understand, and even Amaruq smiled. “We will talk tonight at dinner. But I have taken the liberty to tell the crew you will not be available this evening; I expect the meal and conversation to last a while and I intend on sailing past dusk.”

With that, she nodded at Fatima and left Noah to wonder what kind of “offer” the captain was going to make.