Cryin'

He'd swam for a while, then came back up onto the dock. What he had't expected was Morely to be alive. Morely attacked Danger even before he'd gotten completely on to the dock. They fought sword to sword after that, Morely having the upper hand, since Danger was a bit weak after using his powers for sol ong. Suffice to say, they fought long and hard, until Morely knocked out Danger, and accidentally knocked him into the water. Danger sunk like a rock, and Morely figured he'd drown anyways, and left him for dead, starting a search for Serenity.

As it turned out, Danger didn't die. He was caught by current and tossed ashore by the ocean, and ironically right by Serenity. But he wasn't aware of that fact. Only aware of the blood on his forehead, shoulder, and arm. His hand gripped tightly to his sword, tuning his ear to any noise or anything out of the ordinary. And he just lay there, unable to gather the strength to move.

When he heard he approaching, he'd tried to draw his sword, but couldn't move his arm in the right way. After she spoke, Danger was glad that he hadn't. He moved a lagging gaze over to her, shots of pain showing in his eyes as she moved and jarred him up the dune. He didn't bother to answer her first question. It took too much strength to speak. But her second question, he found slightly ironic.

"Are you all right?"

He chuckled, then winced at the sudden movement. "Do I look alright?" he asked quietly, eyes dancing with amusment, laced with pain and distrust. At the same time, he was alert, just in case Morely showed up. "Take my dagger out of my belt and keep it handy." he said it with authority, and sternly, in away that he hoped she wouldn't disobey, for her own safety.

He didn't answer her question. He'd bother with petty details later. Right now all that mattered was that she had a weapon to protect herself with. He lay still, breathing as slowly as possible. A few hits in the side with the flat of a sword probably broke a rib or two, but he's survive. He always did. And then she asked a real doozy of a question.

"James, if your old captain told you to kill me, right here, right now... Would you do it?"

He turned his gaze back to her face, and a flicker of something that could almost be described as pity flashed through them, before being masked once again by pain. "That's the thing, Serenity." he paused, placing a hand on his side in a wince, "The old captain wouldn't tell me to do that." great sadness filled his eyes, and he looked away from her. The problem with being in great deals of pain, and unable to move much, was that it made it extremely hard for him to cover his emotions.

Danger took a deep breath. He could feel a bit of strength returning to him as he warmed up. After being in the near freezing water, he'd been feeling pretty weak, and the air was feeling warm compared too the water. He knew that she wouldn't last long on her own against Morely. As his mind cleared he looked her over. He noticed the unasked questions lingering in her eyes, and the fact that her face was extremely tear stained.

He wondered for a moment if the latter was because of him, but he didn't dwell on it for long. He was focusing on building up his strength for the fight that he knew was coming. He was still listening for sounds, but he decided that she deserved a bit of back ground. "First off, I was putting my sword away when your guardian hit me. I couldn't go through with killing you..." he paused, wincing at the pain of talking. He definately broke a rib or two. "Second, my Captain didn't order your mother killed. The crew mutinied during the night and killed her before we even knew. They took pity on an old man and a little boy and marooned us." he winced again. "Suffice to say, we gathered another crew and took back The Lagoon later on...Neither me, nor the captain had anything to do with the murder of your mother." he spoke firmly, laying his head back and closing his eyes, relying totally on his hearing.

Danger nodded. "Yes I can move." he said, quietly, pulling himself up into a sitting position with a bit of difficulty. After that, he pulled himself into a standing position, gasping, a hand coming to rest on his side. He stooped a bit, breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath from the pain. When he finally raised his eyes to her face, something unplacable flashed in his eyes as he speedily drew his sword and blocked behind her, the clang sounding directly behind Serenity.

Danger quickly stepped around Serenity, positioning himself between her and Morely with the dexterity of an unwounded sword fighter. Morely lunged at him again, and he parried. "I will not let you kill her." Danger hissed, forcing Morely back a few steps. Danger did not look like he was in pain. He was fighting with his Right hand, instead of his customary left, but he was just as good with both hands. He stood straight, ignoring the searing pain in his side and shoulder. He blocked again, the swords clanging.

Morely snarled. "It's not your choice."