My entire being is simply restless. There's my foot tapping an irregular rhythm on the deck. I can't stop my teeth from grinding. But mostly, it's in my hands. They're twirling a fan, folding and unfolding, circles and loops and dances from a simple motion. For a moment, it's in the air, end over end, spinning like a top and then it's back in my palm. I keep it simple for a moment, just going through my knuckles.
The seasickness did its best to stem the tide. That faded after the first day. I took to pacing the deck. I got in the way of the hands moving ropes and hauling sailings, so they shut me back down below. I tried my hands at the card games but lost too much of my money too fast. I even tried planting myself next to the kind lady with a guitar. However, that caused more problems than it solved.
The restlessness in my fingers keeps the fan moving, but it's also moving through me. It's crawling up my arms, up to my shoulder, then back down through my spine like a column of army ants. My neck tenses. My hands keep moving. The fan keeps moving and now my leg's jittery and shaking. I'll capsize the whole ship at this rate. We'll all have to swim to shore. Some of us will probably drown. Probably me first.
The fan goes up again, snapping open. It catches the air on the descent and it spirals like a whirligig seed. And then it's back to me, back to my knuckles, over, under and through.
A small shot of applause snaps me out of my anticipation. I see the remnants of it flow out with a jab to the ribs.
"I apologize for my sister," says the rib jabber, "I'm afraid she has yet to learn any manners."
Even with my concentration back to the world around me, it takes a moment to make them out in the smoky hold. It doesn't help that the first pass over my new companions leaves me confused. I seem to be seeing double. And then I see that they are twins. That is one mystery solved. I can also infer that at least one of them is a lovely young woman. And I am left pondering for a moment as to the other. I settle on another lovely young woman based on the clothing. Really, both of them are the same, except for the scarf around their necks, one red, one blue. It seems their mother's habit of dressing them the same didn't wear off once they went off on their own. Or maybe their mother still dresses them. I am still somewhat unfamiliar with aniso customs. My travels didn't take me that far west.
"I don't mind," I say, "I usually do this with a pan out so people can toss in coins."
I like the blue one. She actually starts rummaging through her packs for her purse. The red one has to step in and stop the con. I stop the show. I think that's only fair. No money, so the curtain falls.
"Why'd you stop her?" I say, "I could use the help."
"I saw you at the card game" says Red, "You did that to yourself."
"And I thought of a way to get myself out. Until you came along and ruined it."
Blue is sheepish and meek and trying to reassert herself as something respectable. It comes back easily, although her eyes keep glancing up to my ears. I make them twitch for her and she jumps. We are all simply waiting and watching and hoping that the next second will be the one where we dock. I doubt it. Everything the crew has said points to another day on open water. That's terrible. My hands are also terrible. They've decided that the fan needs more movement again. It's just through the knuckles though. It will only fly when someone decides to show some cash.
They're scholars. Or academics. Or intellectuals. Not that much difference between the three and I've met them all. They tend to get testy when they're called the wrong thing. They have a metal band linking three of their respective fingers on their respective left hand. It's a stamp, technically. And it's a brass knuckle, practically. I move the fan I smooth circles and they're hypnotized again. All that brain and brawn can't do too much against a slighted hand.
"I've got a question for you two," I say as the fan goes still once again, "What do you call our destination?"
"The new world," says the red one. She's slipped down a bit on my list of favorites. The blue one goes up with that same jab to the ribs.
"It's not really a new world if people were already there, Bethan," says Blue.
"If you do that again Carina, I will take your arm off," says the newly named Bethan, "And besides what else am I supposed to call it. Professor Pilkington called it that in his lectures."
"If you actually went, then you'd understand that was what it was called at first. Once contact was made with the local population, the academy changed the name to match their name."
"And what might that be?" I ask. There's an odd smile on my face. A bit too mean to be something sweet, but the joy I've had as they try to come to a conclusion is fun. I watch as Carina's ears turn red, right to the sharp tips. The prodigious mind is turned over and working and coming up with nothing.
"Starts with an 'A,'" I prompt.
"Does it rhyme with 'within?'" asks Bethan. I nod. She keeps shooting up. Might even surpass that lovely lady with the guitar at this rate. Carina keeps trying and I am in no mood to actually help her. She looks adorable flustered and frustrated.
"Aldyhn," she eventually offers. There's confidence in the answer, tempered a bit with the obstacles to the conclusion. I smile and nod. She does not get a grade. She does not get a 'job well done.' Not even a thumbs up. She looks so absolutely devastated at the lack of approval. I might as well have just taken the sky from her.
"See," says Bethan, "It's not so easy to remember things."
"And then one for you," I say, "What's my name?"
She is now on the top of my list, because she falls for the ruse. She's rattling her brain for that particular fact and she does not have anything to go on. The twin is also going through the motions and has nothing. An exam without a trick question is not a good exam. And to my immense pleasure, neither of them catch on.
"Johnathan," I say.
"I knew that," says Bethan.
That sets me off and I am now laughing at them. That sets off Bethan in just the same way as the faint praise did to Carina.
"You're a very rude man," says Carina.
"I am. I really, really am. I should be ashamed. Being so mean to the guests of my home. I apologize. You clearly mean no harm. But can you blame me? I've had so little entertainment on this trip."
