The Crow and the Cardinal

Rikaisa leaned against the railings of the ship, looking outward over the vast ocean waters. He closed his eyes, enjoying the gentle caress of the breeze on his skin. It was a pleasant contrast to the heat of the high noon sun.



"Good day, Captain Lometa!"



Shaking himself out of his reverie, Rikaisa turned to greet his guest, finding him to be Lieutenant Xander Olak, one of his subordinates. He smiled at the young officer, politely acknowledging his salute before turning back to face the ocean.



"Beautiful, isn't she, Captain?"



"What's that, Lieutenant?" he replied.



"The ocean, sir. Quite a lovely sight, yes?"



"Ah." He smiled. "Yes, yes. Thirteen years at sea, and still I marvel at her beauty."



Lieutenant Olak nodded in agreement, joining the Captain at the railings.



After a moment of silence, Rikaisa turned to his fellow soldier. "Just what makes you think the ocean is a woman, Lieutenant?" he asked playfully.



Xander chuckled, "Well, I have nothing with which to compare such exquisite beauty, save for that of a woman."



"I see." The Captain smirked, "A man cannot be beautiful, Xander, is this what you would have me believe?", exaggerating his raised eyebrow.



The young officer laughed. "Well, sir, I suppose beauty is merely a matter of opinion. I myself have found no man that I would call beautiful, but I will concede that such a man may exist."



Chuckling, Rikaisa replied, "It is difficult to judge the attractiveness of a man when your eyes are fastened on women, Xander. I think perhaps you should leave the judging to someone a bit more observant of men."



"You, perhaps?" Xander quipped.



Rikaisa burst into laughter. "Why not? I can't stare at the ocean all day, after all!"



Xander breathed an inward sigh of relief that his Captain had not been offended. He decided not to push his luck, though, and changed the subject.



"It won't be long until we reach Mai, sir," he continued.



"Ah yes,” Rikaisa nodded, “To the capital city, where we will meet the new recruits."



"And let's not forget the banquet in the castle, celebrating the growth and success of our fine military." Xander added, his posture straightening on these last words.



Rikaisa smiled, admiring the pride the young Lieutenant showed in his empire's forces.



"Aaaaaaaaand...after the banquet, the party." Xander finished, grinning happily at the thought of all the gorgeous women he would meet that evening.



The Captain sighed, shaking his head. "Ah, if you were only as dedicated to your training as you are to your ladies, you would have passed me in rank by now."



Xander cleared his throat, blushing slightly. "Er, ah, well....."



"Mm-hmm." Rikaisa smirked and turned his gaze back toward the sea.



Xander, regaining his composure, spoke once again, "Captain, you should join us for the party! You'd enjoy it, really! A chance to kick back, relax, have some fine wine, maybe find a nice young man that you could..." He trailed off, realizing he had no idea how he was going to finish that sentence.



Rikaisa said nothing as he continued to stare at the ocean.



An awkward silence ensued.



‘Damn it. Me and my big mouth.’ Xander cleared his throat. "I, um.....I apologize, sir. That was...not my place to say that...I overstepped my--"



"Bah." Rikaisa interrupted. "Apology accepted, unnecessary, forgotten." He sighed. "I suppose I'm just too old for all that nonsense, Xander. It's not really my kind of scene."



"Captain, you're not that--"



"Merely a figure of speech, Lieutenant. Besides, I'm married to my work as it is. I'm too busy for such fleeting romantics."



Xander sighed. He had really hoped to get the Captain to come out with the rest of them that night. He liked and respected his commanding officer, but the guy really needed to get laid. He'd never say that to his face, of course, but the belief remained. Mostly, Xander felt sorry for his Captain. He seemed happy most of the time, but every now and again Xander would catch a glimpse of loneliness and longing in his eyes.



Xander thought back on all the years he had served under Captain Lometa. To his knowledge, he'd never had a boyfriend, and no gossip of secret lovers was ever heard. It was like the man's love life had just vanished the instant he became Captain. In fact Xander often wondered if his senior officer had ever actually had----



"Well, that's none of my business." he thought.



Deciding he should leave him alone now, Xander bowed slightly and said, "Well Captain, I must prepare for our arrival in Mai. Have to look our best in front of the new recruits, right?" He smiled and saluted before walking back to his own quarters.



Rikaisa barely noticed him leave. He stared out over the ocean, pondering.



"A chance to kick back, relax, have some fine wine, maybe find a nice young man that you could..."



Rikaisa scoffed at the Lieutenant's words. "That I could what, Xander? Love? Marry? Bend over my bedside table and screw his brains out?"



Rikaisa shuddered. "No thanks," he answered out loud, recalling none too fondly his own first night. "Far from my idea of a good time."



Pushing the unpleasant memories out of his mind, he gave the ocean one last lingering glance. Sighing heavily, he turned away from the railing and headed back to his room to prepare for the evening's activities.