Now he was getting somewhere! Always knew he’d struck a nerve when someone told him to do something stupid and life threatening. Hard to miss that particular sign. Kept his grin pasted right front and center brilliant too. It was the bald man’s answer that made him hesitate, smile fading as he also wondered where this was going now. 

Useless was exactly the sort of insult he’d been wanting to throw at them. What’d this fellow mean, going about calling it down on himself instead of getting uppity? Where was the fun in that? Well, no fun, but it might get him the answers he’d thought to look for. The explanation blew him away so thoroughly that he stood there blinking for a full ten seconds before throwing up his hands in exasperation. “Pfah! Time was right two hours gone and you’re set there telling me the cap were being partikler about his own crew believing in him?”

He was scowling as fiercely as he knew how, almost as fed up as he had been enjoying himself moments ago. He couldn’t tell if they were playing him or not. But core… If they weren’t, the notion of a spot on board the [i]Annabella[/i] was damnably tempting. And there wasn’t anyone as could tell him no, either. Well, not anyone nearby anyway. “What’s he supposed to be anyhow, the bogeyman? You saying there’s openings?”

The second question emerged a good sight less scornful than the first, though he remained extremely suspicious. It was probably too good to be true.