Clockwork Dream

x The Trouble With Plans

Curiosity gnawed at Alice as she and her unfortunate companion came to a quick decision about what to do next, which was go their separate ways and pretend they had never seen each other if caught. The boy, Leo he'd said his name was, couldn't understand why she was so determined to try her luck as a stowaway, and she wanted to know why he was there in the first place. Neither of them had time to find out more though. At least he had given her directions to a better hiding place.

They approached the entrance to the storeroom in sync, arms barely brushing against each other in the darkness. Alice placed her ear against the door, wishing that the frame wasn't sealed with rubber so she could know for certain that no one was coming. The sounds of construction could mask footsteps farther down the corridor. Leo did the same, most likely unwilling to trust her judgment, not that she blamed him.

Leo moved first, shifting closer to the door handle. His hand brushed her shoulder, asking for permission to go on. After a few more moments of listening to silence she nodded in assent only to realize he couldn't see her in the pitch-blackness. She was glad he couldn't see the flush on her cheeks as she returned the gesture.

The hall lighting which had seemed so dim before was nearly blinding but even before her vision cleared she could make out the outline of a giant standing in the doorway. Her body tensed, breath stilled and silenced. It was some remnant of an animalistic instinct that claimed that if she held perfectly motionless she couldn't be seen.

As her vision adjusted the outline's face came into view, carrying a grim smirk that quickly morphed into an expression of confusion.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence the man was the first to speak, stating the obvious. "You I was expecting, you I was not," he claimed, jabbing a finger at each of them in turn.

"How on earth did you figure out where I was?" Leo asked. He was trying to sound nonchalant but she could hear the edge it had, sharp enough to cut through steel. The two knew each other, but they certainly weren't friends.

That triumphant smirk returned to his face as he lifted his hand to reveal a ratty pair of boots. She stared at them for a few seconds before the memory of the ratty pieces of leather being absconded earlier surfaced.

Leo groaned bringing his hand up to cover his face. "How could you have possibly known that those belonged to me? There is absolutely nothing special about them."

"You mean aside from the fact that you have midget feet, I bet my big toe wouldn't fit into this." The man's tone, unlike Leo's was genuinely lighthearted. They could have been talking about the weather. Or at least that was how it sounded on the surface; she knew all too well how easily emotion could be faked. Finally though, attention was shifted back to her. "Who's your friend?"

Before Leo had a chance to open his mouth she cut in. "My name is Alice Dresden sir, and while this isn't exactly how I envisioned this going, I want to ask to be a part of this crew." At first she had contemplated playing the lost runaway card, but there was a certain glint in the man's eye, one that demanded boldness and scorned regret.

He stared at her for a long moment, appraising whether or not he should just throw her off and be done with it. She didn't turn away from his gaze, didn't dare to even blink. His next words were what finally broke the silence. "May I ask what on earth made you choose this particular ship to be your new happy home?"

That was a question she had been expecting. Before she had time to say anything though, Matthew raised his hand to cut her off."No, never mind, I won't make you repeat yourself. Tell it to the captain. I'm Matthew by the way." With that he grinned and grabbed Leo by the wrist, giving her a little 'come along' gesture with his hand.