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Jim had been set to work swabbing the deck with Morph keeping an eye on him. Jim wasn't quite sure why he let himself be pushed into this. Probably because Silver had pointed out that it was quite certain that there was someone else out there who could open the map, which made him expendable. Jim had to keep himself alive if he wanted to see his mother again, and so that was probably why. It was only for now, he reminded himself.

So far, no one had bothered him. The most any of the pirates who'd passed him offered was a smile. These pirates were a strange bunch for sure, all of them (aside from the extra hands that had been hired for this particular job) acted like a family. They teased each other, they joked and laughed, they all-in-all they seemed quite a friendly bunch. Strange, considering all of the horrible stories Jim had heard about pirates during his years at the Benbow Inn. These pirates acted like…Like normal people. Then again, they were people, Jim mused. Despite having made such a bad reputation, pirates were living beings, just like any other.

Though the terrible attitudes of the extra hired hands made it clear that some pirates were far less empathetic and held no morals at all.

Jim glanced up at the small group of hired hands that had gathered by a barrel. They were all laughing over a crude joke, not paying attention to their work.

One of them, a large, deep red Arachnitoid, seemed to sense they were being watched and turned his amber eyes to Jim, meeting the teen's gaze. Jim stared back unflinchingly, pausing in his work on the deck. Morph gave a concerned chirp when the Arachnitoid stalked forward, and Jim's shoulders hiked up high and tense, his fingers tightening around the handle of the mop. The Arachnid leaned down, face mere inches from Jim's.

"Don't ye know itssss rude to sssstare, cabin boy?"

Jim feigned confidence, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Could say the same to you, bright eyes."

The Arachnitoid scowled, a low hiss leaving him as he grabbed Jim by the collar of his shirt and dragged him towards the stairs that led below deck. Jim struggled fiercely, but it did little good. He caught the sight of Morph taking off somewhere before he was dragged under deck and out of the sight of the rest of the crew. A slight sound of pain left Jim as he was slammed back into a wall, his feet dangling a few inches off the ground. The Arachnid glared up at him, lifting his other claw uncomfortably close to Jim's throat.

"That ssssmart mouth issss going to get you into trouble, boy. I be thinkin' I sssshould teach you a lesssssson."

Jim glared back, struggling slightly in an attempt to get free, though it didn't work.

"Funny, never would've thought you to be the teaching type."

The Arachnitoid growled lowly, bright yellow eyes narrowing. He went to speak-

A rasped gasp of pain left the Arachnid when the arm that was holding Jim aloft was seized by a metal vice-grip. The Arachnitoid released Jim, and the teen managed to land in a crouch, his boots thudding lightly against the wooden floorboards from the force of his drop. He looked up, surprised at the sudden rescue.

And there stood Silver, his robotic arm in its vice-grip extension and clamped down on the Arachnitoid's arm. Jim felt a shiver race up his spine when he saw the pirate captain's expression.

The man, usually appearing as a cheerful soul, was most definitely mad.

Jim quickly regained his senses and stood, shuffling back a few steps, making sure he was out of reach of the Arachnid.

Y'know. Just in case.

Morph darted forward, nuzzling against his cheek, and Jim realized that the little blob had gotten Silver. The teen gently petted the little blob in silent thanks.

"Mr. Scroop." Silver spoke slowly, his voice low. "Might I ask jus' what ye were thinkin'?"

When the Arachnitoid went to reply, Silver twisted his arm in a painful direction and the Arachnid made another wheezing sound of pain.

"Need I remind ye tha' teh lad's teh only one who can open teh map?! Have ye lost yer bloomin' mind?!"

"The boy needed to be taught a lessssson in mannerssss." Scroop managed, feigning bravery. Silver scowled, releasing the Arachnitoid's arm and shoving him back towards the stairs.

"Get yer daft, brainless head back up onta deck an' get back t' work!"

The sulking Arachnid quickly did as he was told, retreating back to the safety of the deck above. Once Scroop was out of sight, Silver turned to Jim. The teen tensed, anticipating a beating or scolding…

But neither of those things happened. Instead, the Cyborg frowned in concern, turning to fully face Jim.

"Ye sure have a knack fer gettin' inta trouble, don'cha lad?"

Jim scowled, brows furrowing as he glanced away, uncomfortable. Morph cooed, circling around Jim's head before nuzzling his cheek again. Jim smiled at the little blob, while Silver chuckled slightly.

"Yer lucky Morphy came an' got me. Poor lil' fella was real worried 'bout ye."

Jim only gave a small hum, lifting a hand to let Morph twine about his fingers. Silver gave the teen a once over.

"Looks like yer unharmed, aye?"

"I'm fine." Jim replied gruffly. "Always am."

Silver sighed, shaking his head to himself.

"All teh same, I'd appreciate it if ye try t' stay outta trouble from now on. I may not always be 'round t' help."

Frowning, the teen sent the pirate captain a half-hearted glare.

"I wasn't trying to get into trouble in the first place." He retorted. "I was swabbing the deck. Y'know, making sure I stayed useful so you don't feel the need to find someone else who can open the map."

Silver grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly while Jim stared down at his boots quietly, toeing the floorboards. After considering the boy, Silver gestured down the hall.

"Prob'ly best if ye stay in yer room fer now, lad. Don' want t' fire up tha' blasted Arachnitoid more than he already is, aye?"

Jim's eyes narrowed into a glare, though he didn't look up.

"Don't you mean my cell?" He asked darkly. Morph cooed sadly, little face falling into a sad expression, and Silver couldn't help but wince slightly. Sure he was a pirate, but putting a child in a cell sounded wrong even to his ears.

"It ain' a brig cell anymore, lad. Th' door's been removed an' a belogin' chest's been put in. It ain' a prison fer ye, lad. It's a room. Yer room." The Cyborg chuckled, smiling. "An' not jus' any'ne gets a room on a pirate ship, le'me tell ye."

Jim only grunted slightly in acknowledgement.

"Fine." The teen said, voice quiet and low. He turned and started down the hall and Morph, after a moment of self-debate, followed the boy. Silver watched, rubbing the back of his neck once more as he watched Jim vanish around the corner.

Silver had done many horrible things in his life, hurt many people without a second thought, yet somehow this boy made him feel…guilty.

Frowning to himself, Silver quickly shook his head. No, he refused to let this boy get under his skin. He was simply a means to an end, only there to open the map. Yet there was still that nagging hope that, if he played his cards right, then the boy may just turn into a valuable member of his crew. That meant he was allowed to care at least a little bit…right?

And that reminded him, he had to get to work on the boy. He had to rip apart the boy's trust in others- a hard but not impossible feat. And then rebuild the boy's trust bit by bit. First he'd have the boy trust in him, then the others of the crew. Glancing back at the stairs to the main deck, Silver made a mental note to show the boy a way to defend himself against the violent hired hands. They couldn't have another incident like this, or Silver was liable to strangle someone.

Jim lay quietly on the cot in his cell, arms folded behind his head and steel-colored eyes staring up at the ceiling. While the door to the cell was, as he'd been told, left open and unlocked for his benefit, he couldn't help but feel the suffocating sensation of being trapped.

He'd always wanted to be among the stars, exploring the Etharium, but this wasn't how he'd wanted it to happen.

How was it that he always managed to get himself into such trouble? It wasn't as if pirates made a habit of kidnapping, they were more into the 'kill, pillage and plunder' sort of thing, from the stories Jim had heard. What were the odds, he absently mused, of someone like him being kidnapped by pirates?

He couldn't help but to also wonder how his mother was. After two days or so, she would obviously know what had happened. The thought of his mother made Jim's eyes sting slightly, and he rubbed at them fiercely, refusing to cry. He hadn't cried since his father had left, and he wasn't about to start now.

Everything was almost dead silent, most of the crew asleep no doubt. The only audible sound that Jim could hear was the soft, moaning creak of wood as the ship gently drifted along. It was strange how a pirate ship of all things could be so peaceful…

Tired of sitting around and doing nothing, Jim sat up. Swinging his legs over the side of the cot, his feet thudded gently against the floorboards. Pulling on his boots, the teen stood and crept out of the empty brig. He saw no reason he couldn't explore: the door was left unlocked, and if he woke no one up then it would cause no harm, anyways. He quickly and quietly hurried down the corridors of the lower deck and up the stairs, feeling considerably better as he finally breathed in a lung-full of fresh, clean air.

Feeling a small sense of freedom, the boy grinned, eyes searching for something to do. His steel-colored gaze then turned up, falling on the crow's nest.

Perfect.

Excitement making his pulse quicken, the teen ran to the shrouds, grapping onto the netting and hefting himself up. As he carefully climbed higher, he felt free.

Silver wasn't often awake so late, but today was an exception. After a long day and having to have a word with the hired hands, he was glad to have some time alone on the upper deck.

The large Cyborg had been surprised, to say the least, when the lithe form of Jim quietly slipped out of the stairwell that led below deck. Silver, intrigued (and somewhat worried), kept to the shadows and watched the boy curiously.

Jim looked around, then eyed the crow's nest, a grin splitting the youth's face. Within moments, the teen was footling about in the shrouds, climbing his way up towards the crow's nest with more skill than any who'd never been on a ship should have. In the dim light cast by several of the ship's lanterns, Silver could see Jim's cheeks were flushed red with excitement as he climbed higher and higher. The boy was fearless, showing no anxiety despite being so far from the ship's deck. There was a second when the teen let go with one hand and swung out to stare at the wondrous expanse of the Etharium, holding onto the shroud with only his right hand, and Silver swore his heart nearly stopped. But the boy quickly swung back around, his left hand rejoining the right on the netting, and he continued to ascend towards the crow's nest.

Silver smiled, chuckling to himself and crossing his arms. The boy could deny it all he wished, but he was made for a life sailing the Etharium.