Armitage x Fynn

If it was morning Fynn couldn’t tell it and that would need adjusting too. He lingered aboard the ship much of the “night” until he saw MarV rise some hours after everyone went to sleep. So Fynn took his leave and slipped to the captain’s quarters and smiled, closing the door to a slightly renovated room. Yet on the morrow, Fynn still rose some hours before most of the crew. One of the crew was awake alas.
 
He found Armitage alone at the bow looking at his--- weapons from what he could tell and the angle Fynn approached him from. The black before him made it intimidating as ever. Fynn knew he needed to learn who his crew were, even if they seemed hard men to know.
 
Fynn crossed the deck to meet the Giff, without knowing it he began to mutter; “Imthecaptaintimthecaptainimthecapt… oh, good morrow, Armitage. Just taking my morning rounds.” Fynn stopped knowing Armitage heard him mutter as he got too close. Hiding his embarrassment, he went to the edge of the ship and tried to play it off. Letting stars pass as they twinkled in the distance.
 
Fynn broke the silence as he tended to do “There was this job my mom pulled off many years ago. I was there, but I wasn’t the point,” Fynn told Armitage. “When her crew was in its early stages, back on Toril.” Fynn paused to think back on what he told Songbird the night before. His chin dropped for a moment and he sighed.
 
“Mom planned it for weeks. We sailed in flying the friendly colors of some governor or some such, I just went first, playing the role of a bored deck guard while SHE, her first mate Chance, and a few aides walked aboard like they owned the place. No shouting, no rushing, just confidence. She cracked the strongroom and they lifted the entire chest of tax gold, hauled it across the gangplank, and had it on our deck before anyone knew what was happening. The jig only went sideways at the end, when a sailor finally realized something was wrong and I had to cut him to keep him quiet, but he fell in the water… and the crew dropped anyone else who tried to stop us. By the time the harbor woke up, we were already gone, and the only thing left behind was confusion and a very angry governor.”
 
Fynn stopped for a moment gauging the temper of the large Giff. His nostrils flaring alone were unnerving enough. That was just the man breathing though, right?
 
“Anyways…” Fynn stumbled a bit . “… we uhh, they were really a CREW.” he let that float for a moment. “I get the sense you’ve been all over, and Liza ‘cashing’ in on your bounty tells me you’ve got friends in…good places” Nodding to his last word Fynn let a smirk touch his lips.
 

 

 
Armitage heard the kid mumbling his way up behind him, and he took a deep, long breath.
 
This Fynn character was lucky he’d gotten a decent night’s sleep last night.
 
He continued cleaning Thoughts & Prayers and listened to Fynn recount his tale.
 
So, a pirate then. That explains his familiarity with the ship. He thought.
 
The kid was clever, trying to subtly pry some information out of him with that last bit. Not a chance.
 
Armitage picked up Thoughts, turned toward the smaller elf, and began polishing with his cloth. He let his gaze linger for a long while on Fynn as he pondered. This chipper, sly, young man was just trying the best he could in a very fucked up situation, he knew. But Gond knows it takes more than a wink and a smile to survive out here.
 
I need to push this kid’s buttons. Try to bring out something other than this Captain’s persona he’s wearing.
 
Armitage continued his appraising stare and finally broke the awkward silence.
 
“So then, your first gig. Everything’s going well and you mucked it all up then?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
 

 

 
Fynn’s eyebrows raised and smirk faded as he stared at the guns Armitage tended. His bravado already fading upon the sight.
 
“First?” Fynn asked a bit offended placing his hands on his hips.
 
“’Course not. We had to steal the uniforms, an’ that went well, and into some Lords villa no less! Sure I usually minded the ship for most jobs…she always told me I were too important, ‘had to be safe’…” he paused, thinking hard and growing thoughtful.
 
“…this one did go south on my account sure…but we handled it and— I don’t think I killed him… I just—, I tried to be a good sailor. I often forgot I was son too…” Fynn shifted uncomfortably resting his hands on his sword pommels.
 
Fynn locked his jaw and tried to carry on “I only meant to share a story—” he turned away from Armitage and leaned out against the hull railing, cupping his hands nervously “— they seem to be what remains eh? And knowing your crew was something my Mom said was ‘of the most importance’… You named me captain in front of that Liza woman, and she seems like her word could make or break a reputation reaaaal quick.” Fynn’s shield of bravado all but shattered.
 
When Fynn turned back to face Armitage his face was cooler than the sea. “Am I a patsy who you'd mean to take the fall for YOU? Or just a lucky kid? I’ve seen more than most may guess and I won’t be played.” He stopped himself took a deep breath. “Sorry. Got carried a way a bit.” then smiled crooked and shrugged his shoulders.
 

 

 
To take the fall for you.
 
Armitage recoiled at the words and barely comprehended the last of what Fynn was saying. He stared at the Astral Elf, his polishing coming to a full stop.
 
Ever since he’d first seen Fynn in that cell, Armitage had been forcing the uncanny resemblance from his mind. The kid’s appearance, the smiles, the nonchalance; but firm where it’s needed.
 
Those 5 words and the young man standing before him broke a flood gate that he’d been holding back for a very, very long time.
 
Broken, hazy memories coursed into Armitage, and he felt the urge to run away. Just like he always did.
 
“Listen, kid. You wanna get to know your crew...?” he growled, dropping the cloth and slamming Thoughts down into its holster. He took a step forward, a grimace forming on his face. “Then know that I would never let someone take the fall for me.”
 
But Armitage stopped dead, noticing that instead of running, he’d defaulted to intimidating the poor lad. Realizing this fact, however, just seemed to make him even more angry inside.
 

 

 
The giff filled Fynn’s field of vision and he couldn’t help but keep his chin up to meet Armitage’s gaze as he faced the looming man.
 
“Well…good!” Fynn managed to say after a moment, then looking a bit dubious after another moment.
 

 

 
Armitage took in the sight of the smaller man standing tall and couldn’t keep down a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. He snorted, turned, and picked up Prayers to stuff it into its holster as well.
 
“You got spirit, and that’s a good thing.” Armitage said.
 
He began to walk away, but stopped to add, “But know that all jobs go sideways out here, kid. Especially around me.”
 
“You start to get to know these people and that spirit of yours will become a torturous burden instead... when their cold, dead eyes are staring up at you from the floorboards.”
 

 

 
As those words hung in Fynn’s mind he missed Armitage storming off. Before Fynn could jest to himself about how well that went, the giff had gone.
 
Just as planned, captain…Some fool you are.