Why is the rum gone???

[Fyremage]

'Uggggh...' Was all that James could think of at the moment. Why, indeed, was the rum gone? 'Because I bloody well drank it all.' A fresh piss stain lined his trousers as he lay underneath a tattered blanket in the cargo hold of The Antillian Gambit. This was different than any other hangover James had ever experienced. Typically the old spacer was more than capable of simply drinking through the pain, never really caving in to the feeling completely.

But now, as he sat in his own filth, the thought of drinking more was wholly unappealing to him. For a moment, he wondered where he even was. The feeling of complete bewilderment and confusion was near-unshakable, only complimented by the blue hue of his skin. He could barely think about anything, with any thoughts present being the pain and discomfort he felt. At least it was dark, and he could get some sleep... oh... precious sleep.

@Retroboy

 

[Retroboy]

Ni sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Hunting exactly where the captain had gone was something of a chore, given the size of the ship. However, thanks to some good detective work, she was finally able to locate her wayward captain and maybe do something about the predicament he was probably in. Ni was no stranger to drink, and often indulged in it herself, but the amount he had drank the night previous concerned even her. She knew exactly what could happen when someone sucked back that much drink.

When she found him, her worst suspicions were confirmed. She rushed over to him, making a sound that was a mixture of a hiss and a sigh. He did not look good at all. In fact, he looked half-way near death, his skin turned blue, probably from poor circulation.

"Oh, James..." she said, moving to join him. "What did you do to yourself?" Her voice was calm, soft, more gentle than what she normally projected.

She looked him over. This was not ideal at all. Rackham was clearly suffering from alcohol poisoning, and a particularly bad kind. Already, a list of treatments rushed through her head like lightning. She had suffered from alcohol poisoning once, right after she had left the order. She was no stranger to this. She wished she was. Immediately, she fetches a bucket and rushes it back over to the Captain. Gently, she grips his shoulder.

"James, I know you're probably having trouble staying awake, but I need you to do something for me," she says, clearly a little worried but controlling it well. "I need you to throw up into this bucket. You're very sick and this'll help."

 

[Fyremage]

"Oi...!" James half mumbled and half burped. He felt like freshly warm bantha manure, and the chastisement of his companion Ni'wal was by no means welcome coupled with the ringing in his ears. He hardly understood what she was saying, which resulted in him feebly attempting to shrug her off as she materialized alongside him. From what she said next, James thought she mentioned something along the lines of throwing up. A delirious chuckle left his lips at the suggestion, and just when he was about to make a halfway clever remark about the last time a woman asked him to vomit, he felt the cold lip of the bucket touch his chin, which seemed to result in some reflex being triggered. Completely involuntarily, James Rackham, legend of the Tingle Arm, heaved a mighty load of bile and fluid into the bucket.

His muscles clenched all throughout his torso, with an ever-present vein bulging at his forehead. Unable to really control his movements at this stage, James' arms clenched tightly against the bucket, locking it into a death-like vice as he held on to something for dear life. The moments that past felt like hours, with the last vestiges of the previous evening's debauchery (at least for the time being) being spat from his mouth in between haggard breaths. He was by no means cured from the alcohol poisoning that gripped his body, but he could at least feel his senses slowly returning to him.

 

[Retroboy]

Niwal was quick to store the bucket away from the Captain. If things were ideal, she would have pumped his stomach. For now, his heaving would have to do. Quickly, she flicked her canteen from her hip, and held it up to his lips. The canteen was freshly filled with cool water, a result of her general state of preparedness. That, and she was slightly hung over herself, a symptom of one too many shots of whiskey the night before. Having water around usually helped with that.

"Alright, James, you're doing good. I need you to stay with me for a little bit longer and just..." she tried to shift him so he was sitting up, making sure to keep the blanket on top of him. Keeping him warm was important. She could have easily lost the Captain to hypothermia if she weren't careful.

Then, she gently gripped his arms. She didn't have much medical equipment with her, here, and at least for James' dignity she didn't want to parade him throughout the ship. So, she would have to fall back on the most powerful tool in her arsenal - the Force. She had never used it to treat something like excess alcohol in the body before, but she knew that healing with the Force could purge toxins from the body.

"Alright, James, I need you to just..." she said, her voice soft. "Relax and feel the Force flow through you."

She gently placed her palm over his chest, taking on a lotus position for herself. She breathed in and out, relaxing herself as she called upon the ebb and flow of the Force to aid in the process of healing her Captain's poisoned body. She could feel the bloom of the energy, the faint warmth of it that she remembered so clearly from her youth. She pulled into James, using herself as a conduit. Breathe in, breathe out she thought to herself. A part of herself was legitimately terrified. She had been with the Captain only for a short amount of time, but the man had managed to endear himself to her and the idea that she might lose him like this, so senselessly, seemed wrong to her. However, years of training kept her far from panic. No matter how badly she wanted to indulge it.

@Fyre Mage

 

[Fyremage]

While Ni'wal did her best to keep James calm and to help him cope with the obvious overindulgence on his part, all James could think of is how miserable he felt. His body shook as if subjected to freezing temperatures despite the rather comfortable conditions on the ship, the shaking no doubt resulting from the severe strain his body was going through to reject the substances flowing through him. He so desperately wanted to close his eyes and fall asleep, and he likely would have if not for the insistence of the Devaronian doctor keeping him alive. He mumbled something indistinct as she placed her hands upon him, which was no doubt wanton and partially sexist knowing James.

Yet, when Ni'wal drew upon the force and allowed it to flow through his body, James started feeling very, very different. The pain radiating through his body began to settle, with his uneasy stomach and hangover also easing. Several moments passed as he allowed whatever Ni'wal was doing to take effect, with a brutal realization striking him: this was the first time in a very long time where he could feel himself sobering up. Fully sobering up. His mind, almost instinctively went to the aspects of his life that led him to alcohol.

It was a warm summer day on Mandalore, with the sun threatening to set and therefore end the day that had been long in the making. He could see her face in his mind's eye - her very eyes smiling upon the sight of him, with her dimples puckering ever so slightly. Today would be the day they would give it all up for each other and be together forever. He could still feel the dull ache in his heart after reading the note she left for him at her apartment. Harsh, bitter tears streaked down his face as the words she ended with echoed in his mind. 'How could I ever love a pirate?'

Indeed, how could she ever love a man like him...?

James suddenly came to his senses after an unknown amount of time had past, at least from his perspective. His whits were about him, and it was then that he was able to realize the situation he was in. Ni'wal was still in deep concentration over him, her hands placed upon his chest. With a weak smirk, the old spacer couldn't help himself: "Oi always knew you 'ould conjure an excuse to lay yer 'ands o'er me. Enjoy it while it lasts, love."

At least he was beginning to feel like himself.

@Retroboy

 

[Retroboy]

Niwal cracked a sad sort of smile at that little comment. He's coming to his senses, at least, she thought to herself. Now that some of the worst effects had been mitigated, Ni was letting herself feel things again. Damn. She had really almost lost him. To something as stupid as this. The stupid, sexist drunken layabout had almost gone and killed himself and left her with no friends in the Galaxy again. With the collapse of the Accord, he really was all she had at the the moment. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She sniffled, and then laughed.

"I'm... Uh, I'm glad you can see the humour in this," she said in a tone that skirted the line between good humour and chiding. "Can you do me a favour and not scare me like that again?"

She wiped some moisture from her eye. Was she on the verge of crying? She was. How strange. This was probably the strongest emotion she had felt in a long time, beyond the usual self-loathing... and of course she she had to go and give good old Captain Rackham the benefit of seeing her crack like that. She was never going to live this down, she knew that now. No matter how professional a face she put on, this was going to be something that would hang in the back of their minds every time they interacted. Maybe, if he had a heart, he'd not let any of the other crew know.

She sighed, recomposing herself and continuing to keep the Force flowing. There was only so much healing she could really do, of course, but that didn't mean she wanted to risk not doing as much as she possibly could. After this, she could let him get bedrest... Maybe after getting him cleaned up and getting some more water in him.

@Fyremage

 

[Fyremage]

Quite unexpectedly, James grew quiet as he observed Ni'wal's reaction. And as tears flowed down her cheeks, he extended one of his hands shakily to her face, and gently wiped away a tear. Despite his salty bluster, James had the capacity to be kindhearted and sympathetic. Perhaps it was because he could feel his own pain as the effects of the alcohol he consumed began to fade, but regardless it was clear he was revealing a little more about himself in this moment. "Trust me, love." He began, a slight smirk on his lips:

"It'll take a lot more to kill me than drink'n my weight o' Rum. When Oi'm about to die, you'll be the first I invite to the event, you can lay to that." While his tone bespoke humor, a fatherly look of care lined his face as his thumb rubbed her cheek. As time passed, James became ever more conscious of the fact he was indeed wearing soiled trousers, to which he let out a grunt.

"Looks like I need to clean up a bit, eh?"

@Retroboy

 

[Retroboy]

Niwal smiled softly as the Captain wiped the tear from her eye, her face downcast. She was never one who favoured inelegant blubbering, believing it beneath her dignity. She had only cried a few times in the past decade, and she didn't want to break that stride. After all, she had a reputation to maintain as the ice-queen doctor and dangerous bounty hunter.

"Yeah, let's take care of that," she said, looking down at James. "You want me to fetch you some clothes from your room? You can wait here, rest a bit."

For Ni, appearance was a lot of things. Though the ship was quieter than it used to be, the idea of her Captain walking around in wet trousers seemed a little bit perverse to her, and she wanted to preserve a sense of dignity for him. She knew she would want the same for herself in his situation, and besides, a ship's captain had a right to a certain level of respect and esteem that couldn't really be compromised.

"Maybe after that I can get some more water in you, and after you've rested for a bit, see about feeding you something that'll stay down."

 

[Fyremage]

"That would be much obliged, love..." James said as exhaustion from the state he was currently in began to settle upon him. James had to admit he was lucky to have someone like Ni'wal on his crew, and for more than just her looks. From the relatively short time he'd known her, she had watched his back and helped him in countless ways, to the point where he wondered how he even got on without her. A faint smile flashed on his face as he gave her a cheeky wink, with his hand instinctively wandering to one of the bottles of Rum on the ground.

Old habits die hard.

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry for the crappy short post.

@Retroboy

 

[Retroboy]

Ni was not a stupid woman. She saw his hand reach for the bottle, and she promptly grabbed it, putting it out of his reach. She wasn't even mad at him, his judgment was impaired, and frankly, it was pretty clear that the Captain couldn't help himself at the moment. She wondered, privately, if this was something she would have to face again. Perhaps it was something she'd have to expect in herself some day. Her own drinking had gotten bad lately.

"No drinking, James," she warned. "Not until you've had time to recover. Let your liver rest. The Force is strong but it can't fix cirrhosis very easily. At least not through me."

She didn't give the Captain time to respond, figuring it'd be either complaints or some witty comment anyway. She moved quickly, walking double time through the halls of the ship, not pausing for a moment. She knew the longer she took, the more time that James Rackham had to get up to mischief. Something of a specialty of his, being a pirate. And given his state, the mischief would be especially damaging.

She moved into his room, gathering new clothes quickly. She didn't favour anything in particular, although she tried to avoid anything that might be clash. She didn't know why that mattered, in the scheme of things. Maybe best to not make him look ridiculous.

Then, she wheeled on her heels and went back to meet the Captain, hoping desperately he hadn't done anything particularly dumb.

@Fyremage

 

[Fyremage]

Within the span of time that had passed between Ni'wal leaving and returning with a fresh set of clothes, James had managed to slid himself up against a nearby wall and prop himself up where he could rest somewhat erect rather than laying crumpled on the floor like some drunkard, although he couldn't deny how fitting that would be. As he waited for Ni'wal's return, James pulled out a photo from within the folds of his jacket of a young and breathtaking woman. Her hair was a deep red mixed with brown, with her hazel green eyes able to penetrate his heart and soul. Yet, a look of joy lined her face as she kissed the cheek of a much younger (though equally handsome) James Rackham in the photo. The picture itself, while clearly older (as most pictures came in the form of digital files and holograms in this day and age), was clearly well maintained, which was quite surprising given James' lifestyle. Of course, most of what he had was well maintained even though a bit aged, as living the life of piracy and general mischief required your effects to be in good condition. If a man couldn't depend on his blaster firing when it needed to or his blade cutting when required, then he could be as good as dead in this life.

But, this photo looked altogether very well maintained considering. It was encased in a small plastic case, thin enough to fit in his pocket and flexible enough to resist cracking, which was able to preserve the photo even more. Wordlessly James stared at the picture, his thumb caressing the face of the woman depicted in it. His breathing stilled as he gazed upon it, with a single tear falling from his eyes. The old pain welled up within his heart again - the same pain he felt so many years ago. "I need another drink. James thought to himself, although no sooner had he thought it that Ni'wal reappeared in the cargo hold. James quickly slid the picture back in the pocket of his jacket, which was clean and wearable unlike his pants and shirt. In fact, as James stumbled to his feet, he began taking off his jacket and setting it down with great (and rather uncharacteristic) care while saying to his companion: "Much obliged Ni. You're very kind." He cleared his throat as he sucked away the tears that threatened to stream down his face, wiping away what little escaped along with the sweat that lined his brow on the sleeve of his stained shirt.

It was clear he didn't want to speak about whatever Ni'wal may have seen or noticed as he began unbuttoning his shirt, looking at her as he said with a wry grin: "I don' suppose you'd want to stay for the show, eh?"

@Retroboy

 

[Retroboy]

Ni saw her Captain fight back tears, but years of dealing with her own issues had left her sympathetic to the idea that he might not want to talk about them. There had been barely anyone she spoken to about what had happened on that space station... What had happened to her master. So she decided to let the matter drop.

When James suggested she might like to watch him get undressed, she made a pained expression and spun around to look at some particularly interesting boxes. Close as friends as they had become, Ni had very little interest in seeing her friend's body any time soon.

"Just make it quick," she said, arms folded. "We need to get food in you."

She wasn't entirely sure what they had, and much less what the Captain would actually be able to keep down. If they were lucky, they had something like rice, which would be bland enough that it shouldn't trigger any gag reflexes without being wholly useless to him. If they didn't have rice, she could perhaps try oatmeal or maybe some unseasoned white meat. She really just needed to get his strength up and give his stomach something that could perhaps dilute whatever alcohol remained in his system.

She wondered how long she'd be able to keep him from drinking any more of that stuff.

 

[Fyremage]

In short order, James changed from his soiled pants into the fresh set Ni'wal had brought for him, and the shirt she brought as well. He was in the middle of buttoning up the shirt as he said: "I... er.. Thank you, Ni." His gaze remained upon her for a few moments before grasping his coat and sliding his arms into the sleeves. It had been a long time since James had a real friend. Most of his mates in the past would have merely let him be to fight through the effects of his overdrinking alone. He had been through worse as a younger man, but it seemed his age (and the sheer volume of alcohol he had consistently consumed over the past few years) was beginning to creep up on him.

He was still a bit inebriated, and after collecting his effects and piling his soiled clothing into an empty crate nearby, he stumbled slightly over to Ni'wal. He gave her a smile, and before she could really object, a small kiss on her forehead. It wasn't a slobbery, rum-addled kiss of an uninhibited pirate, nor was it a passionate kiss full of lust. It was a genuine, appreciative kiss upon her head. It lasted but a second, and thereafter James continued on his feet with some effort out of the cargo hold, making way to his quarters. He wasn't very steady on his feet yet, but he could at least make his way on his own power. Plus, it wasn't exactly out of the ordinary to observe the Captain stumbling about now and then, crate in hand.

@Retroboy

 

[Retroboy]

Ni was briefly shocked at the kiss on on the forehead, not expecting something like that from someone like James A. Rackham at all. She chalked it slightly up to the alcohol, of course, but that he was capable of it at all surprised her in a pleasant way. After all she had been through for the past almost decade of her life... She had at least made a friend in him, and she was happy to have done so.

She caught up to him after a moment, gripping him by the arm and then pulling him into a hug. She was not given to touching people much, and it was probably something she'd not replicate any time soon, but this was something of a special occasion and if she was lucky, the alcohol in his system would make him forget this bit. Unused to hugging, she held him a little tighter than might have been normal, although not enough to hurt. In that moment, she realized just how similar in height both of them were. For some reason he always seemed taller than her, but apparently only by a little. Not that it bothered her.

Letting go of the hug, Ni stepped back and walked with him to his quarters.

"You wait here, lay down a little, I'm getting you some rice," she said. "No drinking." She wagged her finger in his face. "I mean it."

She walked off, heading for the mess. She figured she would just make plain sticky rice, no spices or anything like that. Anything more than that would probably not stay down.

@Fyremage

 

[Fyremage]

James smiled warmly as Ni gripped him in her warm embrace, and put his arms around her as well. They hugged for a few moments, and just as she started to release him, James ventured a wandering hand on her 'aft,' giving it a slight squeeze before stumbling his way into his room and onto his bed while she went off to get him some food. At the mention of no drinking, James grew a bit ponderous. Did he still have that bottle of Corellian Rum somewhere around here? He attempted to rise to his feet but fell backwards once again.

Letting out a deep sigh, the old pirate let himself settle and sit alone with his thoughts: as unseemly as they were.

@Retroboy

 

[Retroboy]

Niwal grimaced at James' little stunt with her rear, but she decided to be the bigger woman and forgive him that considering how close he had gotten to dying. Still, she hoped that the kindness she had showed him wouldn't lead to him trying to take any more... liberties with her. She loved James, she really did, in her own way. But it was as a friend and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of letting him make her one of his conquests.

She found herself in the mess hall, walking to the kitchen. She dragged out the rice, and set it up in the food prepper. She decided that sticky rice would probably be better for James. Within minutes, the rice was ready. Truly, Niwal was lucky to live in such advanced times. Taking too long seemed dangerous, given certain circumstances. She ladeled the rice into the bowl and then pulled out a wooden spoon and dropped it into the bowl. Making James use chopsticks seemed cruel, although it might have been funny to watch him try. She also poured a glass of water for him, adding some lemon juice as an afterthought.

Then, she padded back down the hall, back for James' room once more. She had only been gone for a few minutes, nothing too bad could have happened, right?

"Alright," she said. "I'm coming in."

She pushed open the door and entered the room after a moment.

@Fyremage

 

[Fyremage]

Ni'wal would be greeted by the sight of a half asleep James laying on his side. His eyes flickered open and closed, with the weight of exhaustion creeping in on his person by virtue of the alcohol in his system. He shouldn't fall asleep, yet that didn't stop his body from trying to accomplish the nefarious deed nevertheless. As the doors within his room parted, James slowly turned to see her standing in the door way.

He offered her a weak wave as he grinned hysterically. "Oi jus' need o'bit'o shuteye theeere, love. Do be kind and hit the lights on yer way out, eh?" Although this would normally indicate more alcohol in his system, Ni'wal wouldn't find a bottle or any such object in his room. It appears the alcohol was beginning to fully set in, at least whatever was remaining in his system.

 

[Retroboy]

Niwal sighed, nodding. She walked over to the side of James' bed, looking down at him with a sort of half-smile. She realized he should probably get some food in his system, but rest was just as important. She set the rice bowl down beside his bed, and adjusted his sheets before holding out the water.

"Alright, Captain, but I'm going to need you to drink this first," she said. "You need it."

She wouldn't let him sleep until he did. The last thing she needed was going to all this trouble and then having him die because he dehydrated his body to the point of death. Once that was done, she'd set a commlink down beside him, turning it on but keeping the volume on it low.

"Alright, now if you need anything, you just call me on this," she said. "Now get some rest."

She walked to the door, and flicked off the lights. She realized she really needed a drink herself. There was a bottle of something in her room that hadn't been opened yet and after all this stress, it seemed particularly appealing to her. She wouldn't overdo it like the Captain did, just enough to save off the headache she had and help her relax a little bit. It wasn't anything like what had happened here.

Right?

 

[Fyremage]

He slept long and hard. So hard in fact, that when he groggily awoke, he had a piercing headache. Or was that a hangover? More than likely it was a hangover. It felt familiar, although he had done well to avoid the sensation by and large for the last decade or so. "Can't have a hangover if yer always drunk!" One of his mates always used to say. A part of him wished he had more to drink to satiate his pain. As he stirred to life and look about his surroundings, he felt quite out of place.

Last he could recall, he was getting pissed in the cargo bay, and yet he was now comfortably in his room laying atop his bed.

He never slept in bed. Typically he just fell over somewhere random.

So it turned out he actually had a fairly comfortable bed. Perhaps he should sleep in it more. As he moved about in the bed, he glanced over at a set of soiled clothes tossed half-hazardly off to the side. Then he noticed his clothes were altogether unstained. When he espied a bowl of rice on his table, which had since grown cold, his eyes grew wider. "What happened last night?" He said to no one in particular. Who changed him out of those clothes? Who made him rice?

"Ni'wal."

The thought echoed through his head, and he at once pulled himself out of bed. He was very unstead at this point in time, and nearly toppled face down onto the floor, but was spared the indignity thanks to being able to support himself on a nearby shelf. As if through the irony god itself, the shelf collapsed and allowed him to fall in a heap anyway, with a loud crash echoing through the ship. "Karking 'ell!"

 

[Retroboy]

Niwal laid in bed, thinking about the previous days events. The Captain had not yet called for her, which both relieved her and worried her. She had been able to get a full night's sleep, although with how stressed she was, she felt that maybe, if the Captain slept all day then so could she. She remained in the darkness, listening to the fan she kept by her bed to manage the mild case of tinnitus she had.

Then, she heard a crash ring out through the ship. She bolted upright for her bed, not even needing to think about who it would be. She raced out of bed, not even bothering to get dressed which left her only in an over-sized t-shirt. She raced through the hallway. What had happened? Was the Captain going to be okay?

What if he had found alcohol and gotten drunk again?

She didn't bother knocking, simply opening the door and surging inside. She must have looked wild with the ferocious case of bedhead she had combined with the frightened look in her eye. She rushed over to James, moving to help him up.

"James!" she said. "Are you alright?"