As he neared the ship, Nils helped the old man chase off some gulls, the big birds were always good for a round of cussing. They always sounded so shrill, like old biddies after their son-in-laws, Da said. He grinned now as he sent one winging off screaming, and figured maybe his da was right. “Ah garn, y’old coot, en’t nothing but wrapper there anyways.” 

Then he idled his way down the dock as though he hadn’t a care in the world to offer the celebrity not half a stone’s throw away. Never mind that she was far too big to miss, and he looked exactly the sort to be causing trouble if he could manage. And never mind that there wasn’t much else of interest nearby, and you couldn’t go far wrong blaming him ahead of time for whatever plans he was brewing. He was only really thinking to get as close as he could before he got run off and see just how close that was. Maybe he’d get to see her caulking and all if he was lucky. But he happened to overhear the last of the conversation between the two sailors and scoffed as he turned to look them over.

Beanpole and Baldie. They looked like they might well be able to handle themselves in a blow. And him with the crooked-nose might’ve been in one, or a fight. Or maybe he’d just walked into a door… “Cor blimey, you daft clunkers, what’s so fussed great about a mountain as’ll have it make you heroes for ramming right into it?”

The question, while couched in rudeness as he couldn’t very well let them know he was actually curious, was quite sincere. He’d love to know if they actually meant that, or if they just didn’t have the best opinion of their captain. Had he called it right then? Was the trouble nothing more than a bad crew hired to ship out? Or was there something else about the ship making the captain hesitate?