Welcome to Gaia! ::

The smile Tybalt gave his enraptured first mate exuded a warmth few, if any, knew the surly pirate was capable of. He knew his first mate would appreciate the gorgeous view--and gorgeous it was, indeed--and had made the decision awhile ago to bring her here, to a place that he held dear. Was Tybalt learning to share? It was doubtful he would willingly give his treasured possessions away, but this...this he could do.

He didn't flinch away as he normally might have when Vidya hugged him, instead relaxing, a wing moving to wrap around her. The gesture was quickly becoming familiar to him, and would likely be something he would only do to Vidya. "I'm glad y' like it," he replied, sea-blue eyes turning towards the bay and all the little ships that populated it.

Tybalt was quiet for a long moment, relishing the quiet companionship and the sight below. "Someday," he said, "that'll be us down there. It'll be us in a ship, a ship've our own. Just you 'n me...and Donny and the giraffe-boy, o' course," he quickly added.

Tybalt grinned indulgently at his exuberant crewmate. He was much more at ease with her vast amounts of energy than he was with anyone else's--most people just tended to annoy the hell out of him, but Vidya tended to happily violate almost every constant in his life. He didn't mind it...but he didn't notice that she did it, either. Things he would never allow from other people went unnoticed and unminded when she did them.

Vidya, it seemed, could do no wrong in his eyes. He was blissfully unaware of this fact.

"Aye, he ain't a bad sort...that neck o' his'll come in handy, someday. Stick 'im in th' crow's nest an' he'd see fer miles, I'd think." Niceness was never a factor when he chose people to serve on his small and as-of-yet useless crew. He had chosen Vidya because of their shared sense of adventure and love for treasures, and Donny simply because he was one big sparkly himself. He'd find a use for the boy, someday, but for the moment he was happy to think of ways to obtain the golddust that seemed to linger on his skin. Skinning him didn't seem to be an option, unfortunately; Vidya was far too attached to her brother for that.

Of course she agreed--it was a good idea! And he was the CAPTAIN and what choice did she have and why, why did her approval please him so much? It was HIS decision, no one else's, but he found her opinion...useful? Wanted, perhaps? Wasn't that the first mate's role, to offer helpful advice, to back up their Captain? It was something to think on later, certainly, when he wasn't smiling at the look on Vidya's face. He often found himself staring at the wide open sea exactly the same way. Sylvester was not the only one he had rightly placed, it seemed.

"Course I do!" he barked sternly, with a bit of disapproval. How could she go from approval to this seeming lack of confidence in him, in them all, so easily? "We could do it with half the crew we've got now! Hell, I could bloody well do it m'self!" Well, he probably couldn't...but if the words got his point across, so much the better. "'Sides, I'll recruit more crewman eventually. Gotta be picky 'bout these things, y' can't very well hire someone y' don't trust, else they're likely t' turn on ya." He felt the need to explain this to Vidya especially, because she seemed to trust EVERYONE.

Tybalt felt a pang of...he didn't even know what. Guilt? Shame, maybe? He hadn't truly meant to push Vidya away, but he was confident in his confidence and it had seemed important, at the time, that he get that point across. He hadn't taken Vidya's "girly" sensitivity into account, however. Obviously.

A darker part of him reveled in his first mate's silent submission, utterly pleased that she proved to be so malleable, so easy to cow. He knew it would take little more than a harsh word to make her do what he wanted and really, isn't that what he was after? To rule supremely, be it from respect or fear? His blue eyes darkened as he thought upon it, his former grin turning almost sinister as he took in Vidya's subdued form. It would take very little, at that point, for his long-buried instincts to come to the fore. If he were a weaker person, he would let these odd, though familiar, feelings control him. It would be so much easier to let himself fall back into that tried and true pattern, wouldn't it?

Tybalt, as he delighted in proving through words and deed time and time again, was hardly weak.

He bit back a growl as he fought himself down, shaking his head to clear it of traitorous thoughts. This was Vidya! He didn't need to invoke fear of him in her to get her to follow him, to respect him--she already did! The wing closest to Vidya extended towards her, soft, multi-colored feathers brushing her outside arm. He sighed through his nose as he strained to calm himself. A red-dusted hand reached towards her, tucking a stray wisp of white and blue hair behind a pointed ear, gently trailing along dove-white feathers.

"Yer entitled..." he started slowly, pondering how to phrase his words, "t' think. T' speak yer mind. T' offer opinions...t' ask when y' don't understand. Else who'd stop me from makin' mistakes, aye?" It was as close to an apology as he had ever come. He couldn't bring himself to utter the words...but he could do this.

Tybalt found himself both amused and entranced by Vidya's reaction to his fingers. It certainly didn't feel as good as Vidya was making it out to be, to him...although he wasn't quite sure. It wasn't as if he allowed people to touch him so intimately, if at all, although he had to admit that he certainly hadn't minded Vidya toying with his feathers earlier. It was easier for him to trust her--she had wings of her own, after all, regardless of how small they were, and she knew enough not to be rough with such sensitive things as feathers. Vidya, it seemed, even in growth, remained one of Tybalt's few weaknesses simply due to the sheer amount of trust he gave to her.

Blue eyes met white as Vidya's smile proved infectious--Tybalt found himself returning it well before he was aware of it. His hand stopped wandering, moving to settle almost hesitantly on Vidya's far shoulder, arm stiff as if uncertain of its place there. "Anytime," he murmured, gaze skating back to the bay and the ships that populated it. He was forgiven, and he was willingly touching someone, and he was feeling remarkably at peace. Rather than feeling weak like he knew he should be, he felt...almost happy.

Life was good, at the moment.

Vidya seemed happy again, and that made him happy. It was an odd feeling, much different than his usual anger or apathy, and he wasn't quite sure how he should feel about it. Of course he had felt happiness before--the shinies in his trunk and the knife hanging from his belt had certainly put large enough smiles on his face--but he couldn't recall ever allowing someone's mood to affect him. It was different, and though he was happy at the moment, he wasn't sure he liked it. It was something he'd have to think about...later, when he wasn't perched in a tree with his best friend. First mate. Whatever.

He turned to look at her as she started speaking again, brows drawing down in confusion. What, indeed? It was certainly an odd question, and right out of the blue, too. "'S alright, Vid...I suppose y' could find me here, if 'm not in th' backyard. 'M more likely to be at home somewhere than out...got a project brewin'." He smiled knowingly, with a hint of pride. "Why d'ye ask?"

Hmm, not only did she bounce back fast, she did it in a major way. Tybalt well-knew of his first mate's exuberance and although it wasn't an aspect he himself harbored, he certainly didn't begrudge her her absolute zest for life. It wasn't an attitude one might associate with a dread and fearsome pirate (and Tybalt resolved to do his best to encourage both things in Vidya, though he thought her incapable), but Tybalt forgave her because she was a girl, and he had long ago dubbed her attitude "girly."

It still took him surprise sometimes when he was faced with it, however.

"'S alright, Vid, 'm used to ye soundin' weird," he replied with a chuckle that sounded somewhere between nervous and indulgent. That, at least, was true. He didn't expect normalcy from anyone in his life, so he was never disappointed when they acted out of sorts. "Aye, 'twas...'m not tellin' ye what it was yet. It'll be a surprise. Ye'll find out soon enough, I'll wager." A sly grin flitted about his lips and his eyes sparkled with secrecy and mischief. He had a grand plan in mind, but he wouldn't reveal it just yet, even though he knew how excited Vidya would be to hear it. No matter--he hoarded secrets like he did shinies, and this one would be well-protected.