It had been a rough couple of days. Well, to be honest, they'd had a really rough couple of days about a week or so ago, but that had been more of a survival issue than anything. No, what Ash had found rough was telling people what had happened. Not only the families of the four crew who had died - which she insisted on being a part of - but informing the university and museum of the accident that had befallen the Mauretania, not to mention making sure that the parents of her students were fully aware of what had happened and that she, personally, took responsibility for it.

There had been entertaining spots in the last few days, too - the sheer exuberance of her family's welcome home on the dockside; Miranda's excitement when together they had found the perfect dress hidden away in a forgotten corner of her shop; best of all, the look on James' face when Humphrey had informed him in no uncertain terms that he was a captain, and would he kindly report to the shipyard, where a shipwright was waiting to help him design the kind of ship he, James, would be sailing on whenever Ashlyn so much as hinted that she might want to go on another research trip.

The heavy feeling of guilt was slowly fading, but it had left Ash feeling unsettled since all the bad news had been delivered. Thus, when she got the phone call she had been waiting for from Cian, she almost hit the ceiling in her excited leap from the couch. "James! We're going out! Get your coat!"

"Lass, I'm up to my elbows in work," he whined, his voice coming from the direction of a spare room he'd turned into a makeshift office, where he had books and photos and designs scattered all across a table and was slowly sorting through them, while jotting notes. It wasn't the house he was so busy designing - he'd left that to an architect and contractor. What he was so busy at work on was designing a ship.

"Screw work for one day," she informed him, heading straight for the spare room. "You know I'm just gonna whine at you and distract you and get in your way until you agree to come out, so why not give in with dignity for once?" She grinned, bending to kiss his cheek. "I promise, it will definitely be worth it."

He arched a brow up at her, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he crouched over the desk with its myriad piles of drawings and plans. Neither looked any worse off for their latest adventure, though he was more tanned than before. He'd lost a few pounds but had quickly gained them back as soon as they'd made dry land. Whatever wounds they'd suffered had been tended to, and all that remained were memories. "I can think of other ways to distract me," he replied, waggling his brows up at her.

She laughed, nuzzling to him for a long moment. "Trust me, this might almost be better than that," she told him, kissing the tip of his nose. "Please?" It wasn't often she resorted to out and out pleading without trying blackmail first, which suggested this was rather important to her.

He couldn't think of anything better than being seduced by his fiancee, but he was willing to humor her. "Very well. If 'tis that important to you," he admitted. "Might I at least ask where we are going?" he asked as he moved to his feet.

"We're going to the Docks," she told him, backing up as he rose, her smile almost nervous in her obvious excitement. She wasn't entirely sure how he was going to react to this, but she was hoping the good would outweigh the bad, if there was any. "Not far, really. We can walk it from here."

"The Docks," he echoed with a suspiciously-arched brow down at her. What could there possibly be at the docks that she wanted to show him' He'd seen all he could see of her sister's ship, and the ship promised him by Humphrey was still in the design stages. "If you wish to walk with me, all you need do is ask," he said, puzzled by what could possibly mean that much to her and what awaited them at the docks.

"Well, I always like spending time with you, but I do have an ulterior motive this time," she admitted. For someone who could be the world's most annoying toddler when there was a surprise planned for her, she did love to spring the occasional surprise herself. Shrugging into her coat, she smiled at him. "Trust me?"

"Implicitly," he replied, moving to help her with her coat before he went to fetch his own. Upon arriving in Rhy'Din, he'd found a certain affinity for leather, however impractical, and his wardrobe was made of mostly black, with the occasional slash of red.

"You can tell me off afterwards," she promised him affectionately, tying her coat at the waist as she followed him to where he had left his own. She would have mentioned how impractical the leather was, but that might have given away her surprise, so she kept her mouth shut. "Besides, you like wandering the private docks. You get to pick out all the yachts and sloops you want to put on your wishlist."

Thankfully, he chose one of his leathers that was actually lined, hence it would keep out the chill better than some of the others. Though some might find it rather dull, he cut quite a figure in black, with his black hair and sea-blue eyes. "My wishlist, aye, though one can only sail one ship at a time, lass," he reminded her with a grin as he shrugged into his own coat, leaving it open in front.

"True," she agreed warmly. "Doesn't mean you can't lust after other ships at the same time, though." Catching up her keys to stuff into her pocket, she looped her arm through his, only too pleased to be able to say that he was hers. They were an interesting juxtaposition to look at - her light and his dark - but the differences really were only skin deep. "C'mon, handsome, let's enjoy the sea breeze a little."

Fortunately, it was a mild day, weather-wise, or he would have scoffed at such a venture. Though he was accustomed to weather of all kinds at sea, he was almost certain the same couldn't be said for her. "I'll let you keep your surprise for now," he told her, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm as they stepped outside to enjoy a little sunshine. He didn't much mind showing her off either, proud that this beauty belonged to him.

"Have you decided what you're gonna call her yet?" she asked him curiously as they stepped outside, tucking herself close against him even as she fell automatically into stride with his. "Seeing as how Humphrey won't even hear of anyone else being her captain and all."

"Not yet. 'Tis not something to be taken lightly," he replied solemnly. Oh, he'd started a list of possible names, but he hadn't made any final decisions yet. "I thought perhaps to honor the goddess, but I do not know her name," he added with a small frown.

"There are lots of different synonyms for the ocean," Ash offered, hoping she could help out on this point, at least. "Or you could choose a name that conjures up the ocean in your mind. Something like majestic, or divine. Or it could even be something that is personal to you. She's your ship, love."

"Aye, well, I'm sure I'll have a name for her before she's done being built," he said, eyeing her suspiciously. "This isn't about my ship, is it?" he asked curiously. She'd been asking a lot of questions, but as far as he knew, the ship was still in the planning stages.

She snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes. "How could it possibly be about your ship?" she countered warmly. "She only exists on the page right now. I'm just, you know, showing an interest. Should I stop doing that?" Her expression was comical as she offered this, her body automatically steering them down from the promenade as they reached the docks and onto the floating jetties where the private boats were moored. It was a favorite walk of theirs, after all.

"My tits, your tats?" she asked innocently, laughing her familiarly husky laugh as he drew her into his arms and kissed her. He could probably taste her relief in that kiss, her nervous energy that had come to the boil in fear that he might be angry with her for taking this step trickling away as her arms curled about his neck and shoulders. "So ..." she murmured as they drew back from one another. "What now, captain?"

Why would he be angry when she had done something equally wonderful for him' "I believe you said something about a tour," he said, eyes bright with happiness, brimming with excitement. "And then you can explain to me how all this came to be," he said, gesturing with one arm at their surroundings. He knew what she'd told him already, but he thought there must be more to the story.

Ash laughed affectionately, one hand rising to brush her windswept hair out of her face as she looked along the length of the deck at his gesture. "Well, it's not so much a tour as an exploration," she admitted. "I've never actually seen her in person before today. So we're in the same boat here, captain. I pretty much know that this is the blunt end and it's at the back, so the helm should be somewhere near here, and that's my lot for seaworthiness and expertise."

"She's a modern ship, I'll give her that, but I'm willing to bet the layout isn't much different from what I'm accustomed to," he told her, taking hold of her hand to lead her toward helm, located at the aft of the ship.

"The turny-roundy-ship wheel is near the turny-roundy-ship rudder bit?" Ash asked with playful mischief. He knew she knew more about boats than that, but she was riding high now she knew she wasn't going to be scolded for indulging him with a ship of his own, however small Charlotte was in comparison with the ship on the drawing board.

Not that it mattered as they weren't going anywhere, just yet, but he wanted to have a look at the helm anyway. He had started to learn what all the electronic gadgets were for on the Mauretania before she sank, but this ship, at least, had sails. "Something like that, aye," he replied with a grin.

Laughing, she let him draw her to the helm, which on this sloop had the option of being covered or uncovered. It was also conveniently situated behind an open-air seating area, allowing whoever was in charge of the vessel to socialize with their guests while not neglecting the ship herself. The helm was as James was used to - a polished wooden wheel - but there was evidence of gadgets attached, concealed thoughtfully within the mahogany paneling on either side of the wheel itself.

Gadgets or not, it was the wheel that was important to him - the most important piece of equipment on the ship and the one that was delegated to the captain or whoever the captain left in charge. There was no question he was the captain of this vessel, and that most likely made Ashlyn the first mate. "I shall have to teach you how to sail," he remarked, as he ran a hand along the smooth polished wood of the wheel, as tender as a lover.

"I'm a quick learner," she promised him, ducking down onto the communal seating area, which was set a little lower than the rest of the deck. "Oh, wow ....we could actually invite people to dinner," she laughed, experimentally extending the foldaway dining table like a child with a new toy. "I guess that leads down into the cabin bit, right?" she asked, pointing to the closed door not so far away from them.

"You bought the ship sight unseen?" he asked curiously. Of course, she'd mentioned that she'd had help from her cousin Cian - the one who had married a mermaid, if his story was to be believed. "Aye, love. Would you care to have a look?" he asked, presuming she was right.

Ashlyn offered him a slightly guilty smile. "Well, I asked Rica if there were any yachts or anything for sale in the harbor before she left while we were on The Star, and she gave me a couple of names," she confessed. "So when I called Cian, I told him to choose the one that looked and felt most like a real sailing ship. He knows a lot more about boats than I do, and we were kind of on the water when he was doing the deal."

"Dare I ask how much it cost?" he asked, knowing a ship like this had to have cost a small fortune, perhaps even more than the house he was having built for her. "He has a good eye for ships, your cousin," he said, as he led the way toward the stairs that led to the lower deck and living quarters.

"More than a shed, less than a castle," was her evasive answer to his question. After all, he hadn't told her how much the land and house were costing him; she figured she could spend a ridiculous amount on a little ship and still be winning in the thrift stakes. "Cian knows his stuff," she agreed. "And you can bet he asked Leilani to take a look at Charlotte's keel and hull, too. He's like you; prefers natural wind-power to engines."

"Engines have their uses," he admitted, as he led the way down the stairs. They were better than using oars when the wind died - far more efficient and without the need for so much manpower. "A true sailor lives to feel the wind in his sails," he said, about as close as he got to poetry. "I suspect your cousin is a true sailor, aye?"

Stepping down onto the first of the lower decks, they found themselves in what might be equated to a living room in a house on land. There, too, were signs of navigation equipment disguised within the paneling, but the space was set up for entertaining and relaxing, with comfortable seats, tables, windows and couches, and even a bar. Ahead of them was another set of steps down to the lowest deck, where the cabins and bathrooms were, and access to the engine room should it ever need to be used.

"He used to be part of a crew on a wooden wall, yeah," Ash mused. "He was shipwrecked while he was sailing on one, too. That's how he met Lani, actually."

"It seems we have much in common, your cousin and I, but I would venture he is not so old-fashioned as I," James guessed, an amused gleam in his sea-blue eyes. "I presume she saved him from drowning, aye?" he guessed further, as he paused a moment to look around what appeared to be a lounge or the equivalent. He wasn't sure if the bar was stocked, but he intended to find out, once they'd looked over the rest of the ship.

"Yeah, she did," Ash grinned, undoing her coat as she wandered toward the steps downward to peer at the lower deck. One hand searched out the light switch, and lo and behold, there was light. She looked over at James with a warm smile. "From what I hear, she dragged him nearly two miles underwater while he was unconscious, and then half a mile on the surface before she got him high enough on the beach that he wouldn't wash away again. Now that's commitment."

"Underwater," James mused aloud. "Then the legends are true. The kiss of a mermaid saved his life, aye?" he asked, curiously. There was no other explanation, if he was underwater for that length of time. But then this was Rhy'Din, and anything was possible here.

"Apparently that's something different," Ash told him. She'd talked all this out with Cian and Leilani once they'd exacted a promise from her not to get overexcited and start treating Lani like a specimen. "What she was doing was sucking the water out of his lungs and replacing it with air from her own, and then just replenishing his air supply over and over. But apparently her kisses, if she loves you, can heal wounds."

"Well, that's something anyway," he replied, taking her at her word. "And she is happy on land?" he asked further, as he started toward the door that led to the cabins, anxious to see if they were as luxurious as the rest of the ship.