so take your suitcase, 'cause I don't mind – allie

Mars laughed. "Yeah, usually it's not mine, Marius usually uses this so..." he shrugged, "but he's away for a while so it's business as usual until he's back I guess." He gestured towards the seat, before passing her a cup of tea. He wasn't much of a tea drinker, but he knew she appreciated this stuff, and well, tea wasn't hard to make. He wanted her to be comfortable during this conversation too, after all that had happened so far. He hated making her angry, especially after how well she had treated him when they first met. 

"I guess I just had a few questions," he replied slowly, unsure where to start, "look, I don't mean to drag up old wounds, and I hope you don't blame anyone for telling me this–" Especially Rose, he thought dryly. "–but I just have a question I wanted to ask, and I feel like you're not telling me everything. I know it's none of my business but I need to know what goes on around my ship to protect everyone." 

He sighed, his eyes meeting hers, a serious expression on his face. "So who's Cato?" 

Oh, so there was a reaction. Mars almost seemed apologetic for bringing it up. "Apparently there's a link between that name and Charlie," he frowned, "I don't mean to pry, but...is there a chance that Lord Wharton isn't Charlie's father? I know this might be really out of the blue, it's just that...his powers don't make sense for a child without any powerful fairies in the bloodline...unless he was a changeling. Which would mean even more trouble than the kid having a father with a powerful bloodline." 

He frowned, taking a sip of his tea. "You don't need to tell me everything, just a yes or a no. I won't pry but...it might help. If you want to talk about it. I'm here to listen, you know." 

That was...a lot. If he had expected some sort of story, this had not been it. So the king had a bastard he didn't even know about. Regardless, this put the whole crew on the map for the country, that was for sure. If Lord Wharton continued to believe it was his son, that would be for the better. Kidnapping the king's bastard would mean a death sentence for the rest of them, not just for Lacaille, but perhaps the rest of the world too. The kingdom had way too much of an influence on the rest of the countries around, after all. 

"I'm sorry that happened to you, it should've never happened to anyone, especially someone as kind as you," he replied genuinely, feeling a little disgruntled at how life had treated Elise this way. Of course, the boy would become a king of all things, and everyone else was punished for whatever that idiot did. Now to think of it, didn't Ezra mention he was kicked out of Pyxis for fucking the king or something? Frey, who would've thought the man was such a whore? He probably shouldn't think that badly of the man, but he couldn't help but feel a slight bit of anger, at how the man had just forgotten everything with Elise, how the man was responsible for Ezra's misery...yikes. He was glad he didn't know the king, or he'd punch the guy in the face. 

Part of him wanted to mention it, to tell Elise that the guy she was still defending was a grade-A asshole, that she avoided a bullet with that cheating son of a bitch, but the look on her face said that she was still very much in love with the guy. Maybe later. He needed to make sure Ezra didn't say anything either, he thought, though pointing that out to the man would mean a one-way ticket to exactly that conversation he wanted to avoid. Not to mention, he was the king's guard; there was no way he'd not tell his lover about his long lost son if he ever returned to the guard once more.

This also explained the magic issue. "The Rotherhithes, they're dark fairies, aren't they?" he frowned, "I've heard their name. They do security around Vela. I guess that means we should avoid the busier ports there. Or just Lacaille in general." 

He gave her a sympathetic look. "Are you okay? I mean, that seems like a lot of things to get off your shoulders." 

His expression had softened. "It must be hard dealing with so much at once," he replied, "but...we're all family here, you know. You don't have to deal with it alone. The rest of us have our own burdens to carry too, but if it matters, we're all here for you, and frankly, Charlie's sort of become the mascot of the ship, so the guys'll take care of him if you ever need a break."

The man glanced towards the small window of the cabin. "Well, we'll be arriving to the shore soon, but it's a trek to get through the forest. I've never been myself, but I'm sure there are guides somewhere. Once we get to Dorna, we'll be able to find someone to help, hopefully."

Mars laughed. "Frey imagine if he picks up all that," he sighed, shaking his head, "let's hope that if he does, he never meets the royals after. I'll be put in prison for corrupting that kid." He leaned back, thinking of what he knew of Kama.

"I'm not sure but I always heard the coast might be more dangerous. If we get a guide, it should be fine, earth fairies are pretty good at figuring this shit out, but you hear rumours of what's in that forest. If you mean it harm, they say you'll never find your way out."

He shrugged. "It can't be more dangerous than the sea," he offered, though it sounded rather uneasy, "but let's just say we should avoid any of those creatures out there. There's a rumour there's some kind of spider lady out there, and I hate spiders."

"They are, aren't they?" he chuckled, "it's just the thought of their creepy little legs, not to mention the poison. Eugh. Don't know how the earth fairies deal with that shit." He had a smile on his face as he leaned back in the chair, holding his mug in both hands.

He was surprised Elise stayed. Most of the time, it seemed as if she was trying to avoid him, especially after the incident. "Exotic creatures? Well, you know the story about the kraken. That one wasn't a lie; it really did tear my arm off. The selkie lie...I was trying to figure out whether I could trick her mind fairy powers if I lied really well. Apparently there's a trick to it, but I probably shouldn't tell. It makes her job a lot harder if word gets out, you know?"

Mars hummed. "I've also seen a kelpie before. Ever seen one? They're like horses except they run on the water. Amazing creatures really, rather wild but they respond nicely to food sometimes."

Mars shrugged. "You live in Vela, who knows?" he chuckled, "there's plenty of sea around there to take a look at." 

While he had promised Rose that he'd keep her little secret on the down low, Elise was someone he trusted, and well, he wasn't going to give her the entire secret, just a hint. "Try meditation," he replied a small smile, "apparently it's good for clearing your mind." 

His expression turned into a pensive one. "I suppose it makes sense," he replied, "though to be honest, it was only something recent from what I know. I'm just curious...what brought all of this on? I don't mean to be rude or anything, but he sounded like a fling from school. Do you still have feelings for him?" Even after all he did to you? he wanted to ask.

Mars took the well-worn photograph from her hands, peering at it closely. Two teenagers, one laughing while the other made a face at the camera. They looked happy. Elise looked happy, happier than he had ever seen her. He could even see the resemblance of the boy in the picture with her son; the same curly dark hair and bright eyes were evident on Charlie's face. He felt a pang of sympathy for the other woman; how it must hurt, he thought, to have the world throw stones at you while your lover is crowned in diamonds and gold. The world truly was cruel. 

"He doesn't deserve you," the words slipped out of Mars' mouth before he could stop it. 

Even if the boy didn't know it was his child, to abandon someone because of a rumour seemed far-fetched. It seemed cruel, if he was honest. Promising something and then never hearing a single word after was more than just irresponsible, and he hated that someone as kind as Elise suffered because of this, because a man decided that she wasn't worth his time. 

Oh he didn't care if this guy was Ezra's lover, he was going to have some strong words with the guy if they ever met, perhaps words starting with a fist to the face. Surely he'd be able to cash that favour from Ezra after; the man still owed him plenty for the last couple of times. 

Mars sighed. "I'm sure it must be difficult," he replied somberly, sounding serious for once. He rarely shared anything about his past, especially anything that made him vulnerable. "It may not be the same, but when I lost my arm, I thought I'd never be the same again. Even now, I guess I'm not really the stupid kid who went running into a battle he couldn't win, you know?"

He put a hand on Elise's shoulder for comfort. "–but you know, eventually you get used to it. It never really goes away, and there are days you feel useless again, but eventually, you'll start getting used to it. You start learning how to cope and adapt to things when you start moving forward. You never really let go of things completely, but one day, you might find that things get to a new normal that isn't so hard to deal with anymore."