“I don’t think you want to trust me scratching anything into your skin Elissa” the Captain laughed loudly, “I think you should get that which feels right in your skin” he replied as she asked for his opinion, tattooing for him at least had something of a spiritual element, that wasn’t to say his work necessarily had deep meaning but, there was something to be gained in the patience, the pain, the healing and the permanency of that which was by someone else’s hand.

“No..” Joseph shook his head “I can’t read it” he seemed to laugh to brush off his slight embarrassment, he wasn’t sure why it bothered him to admit it to Elissa. It wasn’t unusual for people to not know how to read, particularly amongst the lower classes, but what he’d never tell anyone was that the words and letters seem to move on the page - how could you describe such a thing without sounding crazy? It made the task of reading incredibly difficult and rather tedious, although he felt he understood the concept, he knew this, as there were instances when the words were clear and made perfect sense. In any case, it was easier to say he simply couldn’t read, this was something even Rhea didn’t know, and whether it had been something he had perhaps mentioned to Elissa in passing all those years ago, he would not have been able to recall. “I look forward to you telling me all about it, then” he smiled, “I will come back here later” he confirmed.