Cold Day In Québec

[Liechtenstein]

Yong Soo shivered as another block of ice skidded against the hull, clenching his hands slightly as he felt the impact gently reverberate the side of his ship, and trying to focus in on the hastily scrawled map and vague exclamations his other half liked to call 'plans' written in the captain's scrapbook log. According to the sketch, the crew of the Lucky Dragon had made port in a town called 'Quebec', where 'Ms. Mattie' planned on showing him around.

Yong Soo propped his chin in his hand, frowning with a snort. "That explains the ice, da ze." Yong Soo shook his head, sighing, and closed the log. It was apparently just another basic supply run. Nothing major. Only with a heightened chance of getting frost-bite. "Joy."

He stands up, working his shoulders and sleeves loose, and makes his way out of the captain's office on the top floor, opening the door to the darkness of the cannon room. Through the windows, the Korean could make out the Saint Lawrence River, with it's creeping blocks of ice, and shivered again. "Definitely have to see about getting winter wear in town, da ze," he murmured, rubbing his arms and moving downstairs to the second level, waiting on his intended 'guide'.

Maybe he could buy something nice in town for Cai, too--the boy just wasn't the same since Libertalia...

Mattie stared horrified at Quebec, dressed in a female version of Captain Yong Soo's outfit, the colors a soft blue and purple. Mattie wasn't planning on wearing any bright colors and had a thick cloak of white faux polar bear fur draped over one arm. Mattie had also slid a wig of long black hair tied up in an intricate korean style onto his own blonde hair, also sliding on brown contacts. Mattie did not want to be recognized in Quebec, even though the providence was excellent at hiding refugees and victims of the Government's policies and the Military's wrath.

Mattie sighed and slid the cloak over his shoulders, wishing that he wasn't so fearful of stepping foot onto Canadian soil again. Mattie spotted Captain Yong Soo and noted that is was the other self that he would be escorting around. Great. Mattie stepped up beside Captain Yong Soo and tugged a thick cloak of faux fur around the man's shoulders, murmuring quietly, " For this trip, you and I are going as Korean merchants, a husband and wife pair, who came to Quebec to gather supplies for the trip home. I know Quebecquois French because I had learned of it and wanted to speak the language with some of the travelers on the ship. We'll get the supplies and we'll go. I don't want to stay any longer than we need to. If you want to pick up something else for a crew member or whatever, tell me now so I won't freak out when we have to stay longer." Mattie smiled weakly at the Captain and led him up to the top of the ship, looking nothing like how he was normally dressed.

Exhaling slightly, slipping his arms down from their huddling-for-warmth stance, Yong Soo raised his head to greet his most recent crew member. Only to be stunned by the drastic appearance change the young woman had undergone. The normally quick-tongued Captain found himself speechless, his mouth closing on the intended words, a bit of color rising in his cheeks as he noted that she was wearing clothes from his native homeland. He hadn’t seen a woman in a hanbok ever since he had left Yeosu with the Lucky Dragon. It made him oddly nostalgic…

The Korean was knocked from his reflective musing as the Canadian approached him, startling him slightly as she came close enough to drape a thick cloak over his shoulders. Yong Soo’s lips pursed, trying not to shift under the uncomfortable proximity of the other, instead taking grateful notice of the warmth. He quirked an eyebrow as Mattie told him their apparent cover story, slightly impressed if not highly suspicious of the need for such an elaborate disguise.

After a measured pause, Yong Soo gave a soft snort, eyes narrowing but not quite threatening at the subtle tone of command the other’s voice had taken. Who exactly was captain here? Still, the Canadian was his guide, and there was no need to be rude…yet…

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this, da ze. Even so, your features are still too Western to pass for a native of my land, so it might suffice if you say that you used to live here. It’s close enough to the truth, ye? And it gives you an excuse to be rusty on your Korean.”

He gently grabbed the other’s arm as she made her way to the top of the ship, shaking his head, “We don’t board the ship through the top, da ze—this is a Korean Turtle Ship. Unless you want your feet and new shoes ripped to pieces by the spikes lining the roof, we’ll be getting out the front door.”

He grinned slightly, turning to lead the other back down the central corridor, out the double doors at the bow of the ship and into the brisk Canadian morning. Yong Soo stood there a moment, huddling into the thick faux fur of the cloak, before turning to the other and holding out his hand to lead her down the gangplank. “As for extra trips, I’ve been thinking about buying something for…” he paused, mouth forming a firm line, before he shook his head, “We’ll, I’ll know it if I see it, da ze.”

This half of the Korean captain wasn’t a very open man, and even if his more rambunctious side would probably vocalize his anxieties over the suddenly moody and secretive Macau-an boy, this Yong Soo felt it would have been discourteous of him to bring a stranger into what felt to be a private matter. Especially when there was so much about this stranger he still didn’t understand…

He glanced at Miss Williams, quietly determined to root out her secrets."Now, where the hell are we going?" he said aloud, looking to the city.

Mattie followed to captain quietly, shaking slightly as he stepped off the plank onto his home soil, shivering suddenly at how it felt, like he had returned to where he belonged after a long absence. It was a strange feeling and it caused the younger man to have silent tears trickle down his face. Mattie shuffled close to the Captain and shyly and sadly dropped his head down, covering it with the hood of the fur cloak. Mattie was not happy to be home, and he wouldn't be until the government and military had been destroyed.

Mattie took in a soft gulp of air and closed his eyes, reopening them as he murmured in a whispery soft tone, " Follow me... there's an area of shops that cater to ships and trinkets that are good with prices." Mattie led Captain Yong Soo to the different areas, helping the Captain barter for goods and materials, the Quebequois spilling from his lips fluently. Mattie guided the two of them around, sticking close to his Captain with the fear of being found out. Mattie spotted a military patrol and shrunk into the captain, terrified as the group passed them by, almost bumping into Mattie. As they turned the corner, Mattie raised a shaking hand to his eyes, trembling badly.

Following the Canadian’s lead, Yong Soo managed to conduct a fair share of business, making sure to dominate the conversation as much as possible for the ease of the blonde beside him. It was surprisingly easy—other than the necessary translations, Mattie almost seemed to vanish into thin air.

The Korean occasionally glanced at the Westerner, his expression smooth and thoughtful, and momentarily forgot about picking up something for Cai as he tried to puzzle out the mystery of his lavender-eyed companion. He recalled that the other had mentioned being on the run from the Canadian government, but the details were not forthcoming.

Truly, Yong Soo didn’t feel like pressing at the time, in fear that the other would skitter away. Now though, with him as the Canadian’s only shelter, the Korean recognized he had not only more leverage, but now more necessity to know what secrets Mattie was hiding. For the safety of the ship, of his business, and of his family.

He was about to open a dialogue when the other suddenly clung to him, shuddering. Yong Soo stiffened, pushing down the instinct to shove and reject the contact, instead keeping his arms to the blonde’s elbows. He did not look up, but he caught the sight of a uniform passing him by, and his expression firmed.

“Alright, da ze,” he murmured, dragging him into an alley and setting him against the wall, looking into the other’s eyes with a stern look. “You need to tell me what’s going on. Now. You’ve been shrinking into air all day, and it’s seriously getting on my nerves.”

Perhaps not the most gentle way to handle this, but, this Yong Soo wasn’t exactly great at being comforting.

Mattie trembled in Yong Soo's grip, resisting the urge to flee and/or cry. Mattie was feeling far beyond reasonable fear back at home, he was feeling like at any moment the government would find him and force him back to his prison. Mattie shook like a leaf in a gale wind and whimpered out, " C-c-can we n-n-not just g-g-go back t-t-to the s-s-ship and I-I-I'll explain t-t-there?" Mattie was truly and utterly terrified to be back home and it shone through in how we was acting and the stutter in his voice.

Mattie gulped quietly, holding back tears and gripped Yong Soo's hand, dragging him to the governmental building they had in Quebec. Mattie led Yong through the maze of alleys that devoured the city and stopped in front of a poster slapped on the side wall of the building. There was a photo of Mattie as a twelve year old, a broken, sad smile on his face. It had a Wanted sign on it and spoke of a lot of money in return for him alive. Mattie looked at Yong Soo's face and pulled him away.

Mattie quietly led him to a small chinese store in Quebec and guided him inside, quietly whispering to him, " I had a horrible life with the government and military. They believed that I was the key to global and international domination. I was imprisoned there for as long as I can remember. I was forced to transcribe missives from other countries since I had to learn all of the languages of the world. My life was hell on earth, and only now was I free, only now was I safe. I have to hide, because if they found me, they would try and break my legs to keep me from escaping again. Do you see why I'm terrified of being here? Why the very thought of my national land sends such fear through me?"

Mattie sighed and gave up, letting go of Yong's arm and looked around, searching for trinkets of his own to collect for his bedroom in the ship. He wasn't going to explain anymore and didn't care too. He had said enough, and if Yong Soo didn't like it, well, he could jump off a cliff for all Mattie cared.

Unswayed by the Canadian's tremors, the Korean captain shook his head, setting his jaw and letting out a small huff of air.

“No, da ze. Before I let you back on my ship, I need to make sure I'm not dragging the entire navy behind me. So spill.”

He squeezed the blond's shoulders, determined to get answers. Apparently, the intimidation worked, and Yong Soo eased out of Mattie's path enough to let her take the lead, following the trembling woman down the back-alley's and corners all the way to the heart of Quebec's metropolitan area.

The ease with which the other navigated the city surprised Yong Soo, considering the fact that she seemed to have an extreme unease with the area. He almost knocked into her when she suddenly stopped, but held back his sharp-commentary when she pointed to the wall.

His eyes instinctively rose at the reward glaring out in faded red print, glancing at Mattie with new-found curiosity. 'That is not exactly pocket money, da ze. What in the world is she to them?' He soon got his answer in the form of a story; as the other continued, however, Yong Soo found his suspension of disbelief severely tested, his eyebrow climbing higher and Sang Ki forming a matching expression. “Global and international domination, da ze?” he inquired aloud, skeptic. The narrative only seemed to get wilder, particularly at the “all the languages of the world” bit—there had been a few interesting incidents on board with the crew—but the terror was certainly real enough, if nothing else.

Just as suddenly, Mattie turned her back to him, and Yong Soo got the feeling he wasn't going to get much more from her in way of explanation, even if the details were still annoyingly vague to him. The Korean crossed his arms and tailed behind her, brown eyes speculative, even as he idly picked up and turned some brightly painted toys, still thinking on Cai. “If that is all true, then I can see why you would be terrified, da ze.” He began tossing a crying-lion pull-toy idly between his hands, head tilted.

“The fact that you did not choose to tell me these details upfront casts you in strong suspicion, Ms. Mattie. I am not a man that appreciates having things hidden from me, especially when they can bring harm to my crew—my family.” He turned to face the Westerner, face neutral, eyes cool.

“If you have anything else you are hiding, da ze, tell me now. Otherwise, the next time I learn something. . .” Yong Soo left the statement hanging, only pulling the thread through the toy, releasing a shrill and painfully tinny roar.

Mattie felt tears come to his eyes and he immediately moved outside, trembling as he wiped them from his eyes. Mattie hated lying and keeping secrets, but he had to. No one could know, they wouldn't be safe with the knowledge. Mattie slid to the ground and curled up into a ball, shaking. Mattie hated himself at that moment. He hated the weakness he was showing and wanted to disappear. But he couldn't, not here. They'd find him, they'd find him and force him back, turn him into the puppet they wanted. Mattie felt both cold and scared, both wanting to leave and never come back, and the other to stay and hide, in the place where he felt most at home.

Mattie looked up, exhausted, cold and crying at his captain and stood shakily, hesitating before whispering in his ear, " I'm male... my name is Matthew Williams and I am supposedly the key to the government's plan to take over. They told me that I was special in some way, I don't know why, but I was. If you don't feel that your crew is safe around me, then leave me here. I can hop aboard another ship and go back to Tortuga. I don't want to be a problem to your crew." Mattie pulled back and didn't look back up, closing his eyes to try and keep himself together. He was scared that he would be left behind and then, and only then, would he run and hide. He would hide every single bit of who he was and never be found.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Yong Soo raised an eyebrow as the other hastily left the warmth of the shop, following Mattie with cool brown eyes. After determining that the Canadian was not going anywhere (after all, where did she have to go?) the Korean lowered the toy back in its place, browsing through and waiting for the disguised blonde to make up her mind and come back. If she did.

He was fingering over a game set of Yut when Mattie came back, aware of her gaze, but careful not to make any move toward the other. Let the Canadian choose her own course. He was surprised when Mattie came up so close to his head, freezing up, and was just about to twist away from the contact when he heard the other speak.

Yong Soo paused, surprised. “Eh?” The Korean turned to face Matthew, opening his mouth, and then closing it, frowning. Well, he wasn’t expecting that kind of revelation;; Then, because he couldn’t resist, the Asian captain gave the Canadian a cursory glance over, trying to see through the disguise. It was…unnervingly difficult to do so. Sang Ki made a curious face.

Yong Soo glanced up at Mattie again, slightly bewildered and still skeptical of the whole ‘government take-over’ theory, but…

“…” The Korean sighed, rolling his eyes slightly at the other’s sudden meekness. “Quit being dramatic, da ze. We’re not about to just abandon you here.” He turned away, moving to the counter to pay for a small box.

“You’ve been a good member of the crew, so far, for all your secrecy, and you’ve served the Lucky Dragon as well as I can expect from a Westerner; probably even raised the bar a little, da ze.” He snickered at his own joke, before looking away to haggle with the merchant a bit more. Once he was done, Yong Soo grabbed the present and turned.

The Korean paused, before coming up to the Canadian, standing before him and looking up with solemn eyes. “…I am not a trusting person,” he said softly, “you’d have to be an idiot not to get that. But just because I don’t trust, doesn’t mean I will leave people behind when they trust me. So trust me.”

Yong Soo waited, wanting the message to soak in, before he smirked suddenly, reaching up to pat the other’s cheek with a chuckle. “Now, don’t go around insulting me like that again, da ze, or I just might have to throw you overboard.” He stuffed his hands in his sleeves, pacing past. “And I’ll give all your dresses to Mei.”

In his own way, he was trying to be comforting.

[mattiemagick]

Mattie listened to Yong's words and sniffled quietly, weakly rubbing at his eyes, giggling tiredly as he turned and followed Yong out, softly murmuring, " Okay, I trust you. Are we going back home?" Mattie immediately caught up with the Korean, picking up the hem of his dress to fall into step with the other. Mattie slipped his hood back over his head, as it had fallen before, and walked a few steps behind like he had been doing the whole trip.

" Thank you." Mattie murmured softly and he followed Yong back to the ship when he grabbed the other and hissed out, " Stop... Please wait Captain. Look at that." Mattie had spotted some soldiers waiting by the different ship docks and noted that each one was showing a poster to each of the travelers and the merchants. Mattie lifted his head briefly and, both scared to death and curious, moved forward to speak with a merchant. They traded talk and Mattie walked back to Yong Soo, white as the very snow on the ground.

Mattie shivered and shifted back into place beside Yong Soo, murmuring, " The soldiers are asking people about Matthew Williams and will detain someone if they feel that they are hiding something." Mattie was nervous, but knew he needed to get back to the ship. " Let's go please... before I lose my nerve."

[Im Yong Soo~!]

The Korean captain nodded, placing the small box he had purchased into one of the pockets hidden in his long sleeves. “We’ve done what we came here to do, da ze—I’ll see to it we’re out of here as soon as possible.” He tugged up the fur collar of his coat, snorting softly and watching the steam rise as he marched out onto the snow-and-soot-speckled streets, glancing at the other occasionally to make sure he didn’t trip.

Hm. He. It was going to take a bit to get used to the pronoun change. Yong Soo allowed himself a malicious little smile, simply imagining how his other half would react to the discovery. Even if it was a bit inconvenient, the Korean couldn’t help but wish he could be there to see it.

When the taller blond suddenly tugged him to a stop, Yong Soo had to resist the urge to jump and cringe, glancing at the other with mild discomfort. He grunted softly as Matthew met with the merchant, trying not to rub the lingering feeling off his arm.

This Yong Soo decidedly did not appreciate persons outside of family touching him, and even if he accepted the Canadian as part of his crew, that did not make the blond family. But, it wouldn’t do to make too much of a production of it—his other half would be too confused if the Canadian abruptly changed his behavior around him, and if he made too many inquiries…

Yong Soo looked up again when Matthew returned, setting his jaw slightly and letting out a low hum, before straightening himself up and nonchalantly walking past him. “I wonder if they do that to everyone who chooses to dock here, da ze,” he inquired, chuckling. “Seems like a rather tedious duty, y’know?”

Even as the Asian made deliberate light of the Canadian government’s paranoid obsession, Yong Soo couldn’t help but quietly twinge at the potential difficulties harboring a national fugitive could cause. He’d have to avoid sailing around Western waters, at the very least. How annoying. The Korean sighed, glancing out across the icy bay, reflecting on the inconvenient behavior of Western nations.

As the two approached the bay-side market, they passed a street-performer with an animal. He was apparently trying to coax the white bear cub to perform for a dwindling crowd, but the creature seemed far more interested with the occupation of licking his paws.

“C’mon, you stupid beast,” the man pleaded with a hiss, approaching the point of tearing his hair at the roots as yet another potential spectator slipped away. “You’re a wild animal—can’t you act a little more…I dunno, wild? I thought having a miniature tame polar bear would be interesting, but…”

The bear’s nose twitched, before he suddenly lifted his head, vacant gaze honing on Matthew with an almost…quizzical expression. The performer pouted, setting his hands on his hips. “Eh, at least look at me when you’re ignoring me…”

The bear only tilted his head in response, flicking his ears as he continued to stare at the approaching Lucky Dragon members. Once the two were close enough, the bear unexpectedly opened its mouth and let out a soft, inquisitive, "Who?"

((Korea mod would at this time like to remind people that manipulating NPCs is A-OK~))

[mattiemagick]

Mattie was walking with his Captain past a male with a cute, white polar bear when the animal asked, " Who?" and Mattie froze, his heart fluttering in his chest, looking down at the bear with stunned and amazed eyes. Mattie knelt down to the polar bear's height and held out a solemn hand, murmuring unconsciously, " Kanata." The bear gripped onto Mattie's dress and stayed holding onto his clothes. Mattie blinked and shook his head, scratching the bear behind one ear, a spot that the bear seemed to absolutely love. Mattie looked at the animal and then up at the entertainer who was white as a ghost and staring at both Mattie and the bear in shock. " Sir? May I ask how much the bear is worth?" Mattie had utterly forgotten about his Captain, hands becoming buried in the animal's fur.

The performer licked his lips and knelt down to Mattie's height, murmuring, " I normally would say that the bear was not for sale, but... if your husband allows it, I will sell you the bear for twelve gold libres. Its a good price, especially since the bear has taken a liking to you." Mattie's fingers dove into his purse and quickly pulled out twelve gold libres. Mattie had been saving them for another dress, but the bear was more important to him than anything else at the moment, not even his own safety. Mattie kept one hand buried into the bear's fur and looked up at Captain Yong Soo, murmuring softly in a begging tone, " Husband, may I please buy the bear? I promise I'll take care of it and make sure that it will not be in the way of anyone." Mattie hoped that he was allowed to have the bear, willing to pay for it himself.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

When Yong Soo first glanced towards the bear and performer, raising an eyebrow, he had assumed it was the latter that had spoken. Then he saw Mattie bend down towards the animal, murmuring a soft word the Korean didn’t recognize offhand. He was about to caution the other not to get to close to a potentially ill-mannered animal, but was brought up-short by the sudden affection shown between bear and human. The Asian man blinked, tilting his head slightly as his hair curl gave another curious bob.

He had glanced sharply at Matthew when the blond first made an inquiry on price, bewildered by the whim and about to comment on it. Then the other produced the necessary amount of money, with no visible hesitation, giving the brunet captain pause. ‘Twelve gold libres is good money, da ze—that he’s able to part with it so easily for a pet…’ Yong Soo looked down at Matthew again when the Canadian placed his softly-spoken request, frowning lightly both at the situation and at being called ‘husband’.

“…” The Korean sighed, shifting his faux fur coat and looking at the performer. “He is tame?”

The performer blinked up at Yong Soo, still recovering from the strangeness of the situation, before hastily standing up again, rubbing his nose across his arm and shrugging. “Eh, ‘bout as tame as you can expect from a bear. At the very least, he’s too lazy to hurt anyone that’s not between him and supper.” The performer grinned mildly, a vague hope of profit in his features.

“Which he’ll be expecting how often, da ze?” The Korean asked flatly, quirking an eyebrow.

The performer’s grin shrank slightly, and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Eh, not too irregular—I figure maybe…ah…” he hastily coughed, murmuring a figure of pounds that made Yong Soo’s mouth tighten. The Asian took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, before looking at Mattie again. The pleading, earnest hope in the Canadian’s eyes made the Korean squirm on the inside, and he hastily averted his gaze to the bear, who was giving him a steady, placid look. Yong Soo deliberated for a moment longer, before looking at Matthew again, snorting softly.

“Be sure that he won’t, da ze,” Yong Soo cautioned. “Otherwise, I’m not opposed to the idea of tossing extra baggage overboard.”

The bear snorted at this, licking its paws with an affectation of extreme boredom. Meanwhile, the performer beamed, clearly eager to get the strange randomly talking beast off his hands.

[mattiemagick]

Mattie's eyes lit up in delight at the Captain's words and immediately paid the man, the performer nodding to the two before dashing off with his things. Mattie immediately scooped the bear into his arms and held it in a certain position, nuzzling the bear's fur softly. He turned to look at Korea and, biting his lip gently, kissed his cheek with a soft-spoken, " Thank you, Captain." Mattie nervously looked at the soldiers and, squaring his shoulders, moved to the ship beside the captain, adopting a faintly submissive posture accepted for wives. Mattie kept a strong hold on the bear and, when the men stopped them, allowed his fingers to slide into the animal's fur.

One of the men eyed Mattie carefully and growled out, " Good afternoon Miss, may I ask what you have there?" Mattie ducked his head and murmured softly, " A new pet sirs. My husband allowed me to buy it from a street performer." The soldier raised a brow and roughly grabbed Mattie's face, the young man startled from the sudden movement. " I'm not sure if I believe you Miss. Excuse me, Sir?" The solider gestured to Captain Yong Soo sharply, still holding Mattie's face harshly, unaware of the bear's low growling at the mishandling of it's new/old owner. " Is this your wife? I will need you to confirm her statements in regards to the animal she is holding." Mattie was not comfortable with how the man was holding his face, but couldn't do anything to stop it without ruining his disguise. He hated being trapped like this, and it always gave him new bruises to deal with.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Yong Soo crossed his arms as Matthew gathered up his newly attained ursine companion, quirking an eyebrow and quietly wondering. Then the Canadian approached him, causing the Korean’s eyes to widen as he tried to withdraw from the sudden invasion of his personal space. “Mwohane-?” he managed before the Canadian leant in, kissing him on the cheek.

Stiffening up, Yong Soo clenched his fists, mastering the urge to either lash out or shudder, trying to keep calm and maintain the disguise. It would only attract negative attention if he shoved the blond away from him as he so desperately wanted to. After all, the other Yong Soo was very expressive and liked touching others. But, goddamnit, did Westerners have no concept of when to back off!? After a second, the Korean recovered, forcing his breath even as he opened his eyes, glaring flatly. “Don’t mention it, da ze,” he murmured through slightly grit teeth, before taking a deliberate step away from the other and turning his back. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Naturally, it only took a few more steps before they were interrupted, again. Yong Soo stopped, clenching his fists again as the guard called out, glaring a hole into the gray clouded sky before slowly turning about. Giving the public officer the frostiest look he could manage, the Korean slowly stepped up and between the guard and Matthew, craning his carefully expressionless face close to the law man while being very careful not to actually touch him.

“My wife is not a dishonest woman, da ze, and I do not appreciate this hostility. We are foreign visitors, and thus, wards of the state, and it would be in your best interests to avoid causing a negative incident.” He took a step forward, forcing himself closer and glaring up at the man, unconsciously drawing on some sort of subconscious authority that made the officer before him seem to be an ant on the ground, a mere insect in the presence of gods. “We have made a lawful purchase, da ze, and wish to be on our way.”

Mwohaneungeoya = What are you doing?
Silly human—authority is for Nations!

[mattiemagick]

Mattie blinked and bowed his head as he backed away from the guard, letting the Captain take charge, a bit cowed at how much damage he was causing the expedition. A soft sigh slid past his lips as he saw the Captain defend him, shivering at the change in tone his Captain had, shrinking a bit at how powerful it seemed. ' What was going on?' Mattie thought, as the guard, cowed by the smaller asian male, backed down, letting the two of them pass by and onto the ship.
Mattie's hands curled around the bear, the small animal not minding in the least with how the young man was gripping him. He slid into the ship with his Captain and murmured, " Thank you, so much. I apologize for being such a problem." Mattie bowed in his costume, hoping that he had the posture and movements correct. He didn't want to offend his Captain any more, nor be a problem. Once he could go into his cabin, he would take off the dress, change into something more comfortable, and get Kuma settled into his bed, hopefully being able to find something for the animal.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Flinty brown eyes watched the bowed officer depart, and Yong Soo gave a soft snort of derision. Impotent coward. Clearly, the public servant was long used to exerting dominance afforded to him by the law and his position, making up for the unfortunate accident of his existence by stoking his pathetically inflated ego. The fact that such a brute managed to make it anywhere closely resembling a governmentally enforced station of authority did not speak well of the region.

Apparently the lawman was smart enough to back down when in the face of superior men, but in the Korean’s opinion the Westerner still needed an education in humility, especially if he had the audacity to try and intimidate him. Turning his back with open contempt, Yong Soo sardonically mourned that he was denied the opportunity to ensure the lesson would stick. Bullets and bruises left such lovely reminders on offensive skin.

Disavowing himself of further thoughts on the conquered obstacle, the Captain proceeded to board his vessel, unconsciously relaxing as he entered the sanctity and warmth of his ship-made-haven, a reassuring piece of Asia that never failed to soothe him. And then the Canadian spoke.

Yong Soo spared him a cool glance, the authoritative ire still fading from his features. “I prefer progress over apology, da ze," he returned with no particular malice, “It’s a better indication of sincerity.” He glanced at the bear, who proceeded to give him the same sleepy-eyed placidity he had greeted the majority of events thus far, before looking back at Matthew.

“Use the aged fish stored in the back of the kitchen, da ze. That’s the only freebie you should be expecting. Remember you have gun-cleaning duty tonight.” Without further consideration for the blond, the Korean turned away, stuffing his hands in his sleeves and fingering the purchased present he had hid in them. Hopefully, the Macanese boy would be receptive toward company today.

[mattiemagick]

Mattie shifted Kuma in his arms, quickly following behind his Captain to make sure that no one else tried anything. He quietly ducked his head at the Captain's words, nodding quietly to them. His eyes flicked up to the male and he murmured, " Thank you Captain. I will do my duty." He shifted a bit nervously and moved to disappear into his room, stripping out of the dress and hanging it up, absentmindedly humming a song* he faintly remembered under his breath. He picked up he favorite black shirt and loose pants, tugging on black slippers and tying his long hair back into a high ponytail. It was time to get Kuma fed and to start his work, best to not slack off.

He picked up the small polar bear and carried him to the room where there was fish for the animal. He quietly plucked out a salmon and carried it and the bear to a separate area to eat, quietly stroking the bear's ears with no fear as the the vicious sounds of the animal ripping it's meal apart. Things would definitely be different now, and Mattie was somehow welcoming the change.