"I coulda takin' 'im," Nikolai was still muttering almost an hour later, much to Macduff's annoyance. The ship had been easily taken after the captain had been cornered by a Russian with a sword and an Irishman with a much more effective gun. Nikolai was obviously still smarting over the later.
"You been sayin' that already," Duff growled.
Nikolai retreated to Russian, muttering darkly in a tongue that sounded all too fierce. Macduff rolled his eyes but let him mutter. They were in the process of loading goods onto the Destiny from Clarabella, the merchant ship. It was a fairly boring process in comparison to seizing the ship, but after the excitement, Macduff actually found the quiet soothing.
Johnny came up on them from behind. "Wha's goin' on? Ye two ain't fightin' 'gain, righ'?" he asked pointedly.
"Naw," Duff answered.
"Good. If ye two keep fightin', we're all gonna be drven from our minds!"
Nikolai heard that one, and actually switched back to English speech for a moment. "'Ow d'you 'spect me to act?" he demanded. "I'm bein' cap'ned by a witch!"
Duff's fists curled, and for a moment his rage was so black he didn't realize it when Johnny grabbed his right wrist to keep him from drawing his sword. "I though' we knew a thin' or two 'bout that. I'll take me age, I'll take me inexperience, bu' I wasn't able to help who I am, man," he growled, shaking his friend off of him. "I'll 'preciate not hearin' that talk 'gain."
Johnny made another grab for Macduff's sword hand, but the Irishman was too quick for him. "Duff- don't be doin' nothin' stupid, now-"
"I ain't plannin' it."
Nikolai himself looked a bit nervous. He had seen what Macduff could do with fire, after all, and he'd been threatened with it's being turned on him before. Macduff obviously meant most of it, too. "Lightin' me afire's stupid," he announced to the younger man.
Johnny grabbed Duff's hand again, and this time he refused to be shaken off. "It is rather stupid," he informed his friend. "An' ye don't wanna have 'im on yer conscious."
Macduff glowered at him, a withering look that would make less experienced men shrink back in fear. Johnny didn't waver, just stared back with a calm stubbornness that he usually lacked or drowned in drink. Finally, the Irishman gave up. "Leggo. I ain't gonna 'urt 'im."
"You'd better not," Johnny said softly as he released Macduff's hand, still not backing away from the impending fight.
If he weren't worried 'bout me temper, Duff realized, he'da split this part o' the ship ten minutes 'go. It was both touching and annoying- heaven knew Duff could handle himself by now.
Emmanuel joined them while Duff and Nikolai were still trying to stare each other down, Duff's hands still clenched into fists, Nikolai muttering darkly in Russian. The Spaniard took a quick look into the situation, and nodded to Johnny, tapping both the Irishman and the Russian on the shoulder simultaneously.
Both turned on him, from the looks of it with a snarl on their lips. Emmanuel was Spanish, and with their kings used to overbearing ideas. "We're done," he informed them in an almost bored voice. "I ain't gotts ask to see you're both rearin' an' ready to get on."
Nikolai muttered something that sounded a bit odd on his lips, for all the other three couldn't understand it, and stalked off. Emmanuel shook his head. "Woulda though' an Irish witch woulda been the last one to be sensitive," he commented.
Johnny shot Macduff a pointed listen-to-the-man look.
Macduff glared ast both of them. "I ain't sensitive," he announced. "I'm sick o' it! I'd love to give 'im the fight 'e's lookin' fer, bu' tha'd kill me in the crews eyes." HE growled something more in his native language, something that sounded so sinister that not even Johnny had ever asked what it meant.
Emmanuel was used to being cursed, too. He barely blinked. "I think you're in a mood," he observed. "Fiery young cap'n indeed. Johhny, don't think you'll get anywheres wi' 'im, least not today." With that, he walked off to change ships.
"I ain't the only one who don't think like Nikolai," Johnny observed to his friend. "There's still spirits on the ship, righ'?"
Duff nodded, for once not adding that Johnny needed to break the habit of drinking away his troubles. He knew quite well that Johnny and Emmanuel were right, or at least part of him did. The rest wondered if there wasn't some truth in the opinions of everyone else.