Nerdy and the Beast

As they finally got back on the water, Emma was being involved a little bit more in the navigation process. She was the only one who could read the map and decipher the ancient language of Cantaricas. It was a mix of hieroglyphics and a variation of latin script, but it just looked like scribbles to some. Emma sat in a chair and cross reference some of the scripts with her notes, trying to translate some things written on Lawrence's old treasure map. The map itself was so fragile that it had to be preserved between glass.

Natasha and Kamon seemed impatient as Emma slowly translated, and she was grateful Liam was there with her. He was enough of a friend to keep them from spatting at her, anyways. She was straining a bit in the dim light and it was starting to make her eyes feel sore, but she didn't dare complain in front of them.

"There's something here about 'the skirt of the fall', but it makes no sense," she explained. "I can only imagine it made sense in their language, but the direct translation makes no sense in ours. Whatever the true meaning is may have been lost in translation."

"So basically," Natasha said, "We brought you here for nothing."

"No," Emma said quickly, eyes wide. "I mean, I was able to translate the rest. It's just this one line that-"

"Will this one line get in our way?" Kamon interrupted, bored.

"It might," she admitted. "But I think with a little more work and the right context clues-"

"You can do what we brought you here to do," Kamon finished. "Otherwise, it would be a grand waste of Mr. Bardot's money, don't you think?"

Emma went pale and looked over her shoulder at Liam, who was glaring hard at Kamon. Natasha had a smug grin on her face and seemed to be enjoying all of this.

"I'm sure Miss Cunningham will do a fine job," Liam said. "Whether or not we find this place isn't solely on her shoulders. Our captain and navigator have a map to follow, too."

Emma's eyes flit back to Kamon, who was now glaring at Liam. She felt like she was about to get hit in the crossfire of the daggers they were shooting at each other.

"Well, I'll keep working then," Emma promised. "I will do my part. No money will be wasted."

She didn't wait for a response before picking up her things and packing them carefully in their box. It was a heavy thing, but she was eager to get out of there. She hated to think she was wasting Liam's money because she was distracted by a girlish crush on him. She was better than this.

Someone appeared next to her and she gasped in surprise when Natasha seemed to materialize out of thin air. She was smiling, but it wasn't a sort of smile that made Emma feel comfortable. She felt more like she was about to be swallowed whole.

"Why don't I walk you back to your room," she said. "We can have a little girl chat."

"Girl chat?" Emma frowned. "Um, yes. Of course. Thank you, by the way. For offering your room to me. It's very kind of you."

"Don't mention it," she said. "Ever. Don't ever bring it up again."

"Sorry," Emma mumbled as the neared the room. "Do you mind getting the door?"

Natasha blatantly ignored her, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You know, you really are too pretty to be doing this kind of work."

"Um, what?" Emma asked as she struggled to open the door with one hand holding the heavy box. "I mean, thank you, but I'm not sure what you mean."

When she finally opened the door, Natasha entered before her as Emma struggled with the box. She set down the heavy box with a thud, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"What I mean," Natasha continued, "Is that you're too pretty. Cutesy. You should be sitting at home with a husband and children, picking out frilly ribbons to wear in your hair. This sort of work is too rough and tough for you."

"I'm passionate about what I do," Emma said.

Natasha sort of just gave a light shrug, looking at an ornate hand mirror on Emma's dresser. She tilted the mirror to see Emma in the reflection. She seemed satisfied with how much Emma was squirming. She set down the mirror and turned to face her again.

"Of course you are," she said in a mock sweet tone. "But if you were to fail everyone, at least you have a pretty face to fall back on."

She gave Emma's cheek a pat, then left the room. Maybe it was the seasickness, but Emma felt like throwing up. She quickly changed into more comfortable clothes and sat at the desk, getting to work right away. She was not about to be the failure on this voyage. There were so many people to prove wrong. People much bigger than Natasha and Kamon.

She wasn't sure when she fell asleep slumped over the desk, but she was startled awake at a sharp knock on the door. She quickly wrapped herself in a night robe and went to answer it. It was a relief to see Liam there rather than someone else on the crew that seemed to hate her. He was holding a plate with a cloth covering it to keep the contents warm.

"Oh, good evening," Emma said, unconsciously fixing her braided hair

"Evening," he said, eyeing her up and down for a moment and making her blush. She suddenly realized the robe she wore was open, and the low cut silky nightgown she wore underneath was clinging to her body a bit. She quickly wrapped the robe around herself, clearing her throat awkwardly.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"That's what I came to ask you," he said. "You missed dinner, so I brought something up for you."

"Oh, that's very kind," she said, stepping to the side to let him inside. "I suppose I lost track of the time. I was caught up in my notes and trying to find the context for the translation."

There were pages and pages of messy notes and failed translations on the desk, and she rushed over to organize it a bit.

"Sorry, I usually keep things much tidier than this," she stammered.

"Emma, it's fine."

He set the plate down on the nightstand and held her hands, looking her in the eyes.

"You're fine," he repeated. "Just breathe. In and out."

She nodded and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

"Is this about what Kamon said earlier?" he asked.

"Among other things," she admitted.

She wouldn't say anything about Natasha yet. She already felt some tension between her and Liam, and she didn't want to make him more concerned on her behalf.

"You're doing a great job," he reassured her. "They don't know anything about Cantaricas. That's why they need you. Despite their threats, they can't get anywhere on their own."

"I don't want to waste your money," Emma said softly, feeling a little warm with him holding her hands and gazing down at her.

"You could never," he promised. "This voyage will be a success one way or another."

There was a beat of silence and Emma felt like she couldn't breathe. For a moment, he leaned in and looked like he was about to kiss her. She felt her heart pounding as he did, but the kiss never came. He paused just an inch from her face, then sighed deeply.

"I need to go," he said suddenly. "I'm sorry. Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

He placed a kiss on her hand and left before she had a chance to process what had happened. The only explanation she could think of was that she had stepped way too far over the line. How could she be so stupid? This was a business transaction. She must have made him so uncomfortable with her stupid little crush.

She slumped against the pillows and resisted the urge to cry as she thought about it. She was jeopardizing Liam's money and the reputation of the tavern because she wasn't good enough to be here. Natasha may not have been nice, but she wasn't wrong either. Emma should have been married off instead of getting caught up in all of this.

She decided that the next morning, the first thing she would do is apologize to Liam for making him uncomfortable. If anything was going to go right on this voyage, she had to clear the air between them. She would stay focused and out of his way, like he expected from her.