Chapter 3 - The Voices
As she did, long legs with feet in layers of thick stockings appeared, shuffling down the thin stairs. The Captain, smothered in sweaters and a thick blue blanket, thudded down into the galley. "Ah, Jane, there you are," he said thickly. He made a sideways motion with his head, and Brax and the other boys in the galley quickly vacated. He gestured with a hand holding a red silk handkerchief for Jane to sit back down, then limped close and took a place across the table from her. He sniffed loudly and dabbed delicately at his red nose with the handkerchief.
The man looked wilted. His red hair, usually so vibrant, looked dull and was pulled back in a simple ponytail. He was paler than normal, emphasizing the dark circles under his eyes. He fixed her with his doleful gaze, and she saw the deep sadness there that mirrored her own, but only to a point. Captain Jackson had lost a crew member... Jane had lost a brother. Most of the sorrow she saw there was, in fact, for her.
"I've come to discuss a few things with you, my dear," he began, speaking carefully so that his stuffed nose didn't interfere with her ability to understand him. "The nature of the curse... the ceremony that we must do tonight... what happened on the Maleficent. Firstly. Do you have any questions for me?"