Feeling groggy, Tobias flutters his eyes open. Whatever wonderful brew the doctor had given him for the pain has certainly taken the agony out of the snake bite, but at the same time the accompanying numbness in his shoulder is disconcerting.

"Ah, Doctor," he murmurs sleepily, "Thank you again for doctoring my wounds. Rest assured, I won't try anything like that again. Good idea, poor execution." He eyes the steaming mug with interest. "I don't suppose that would be hawthorne tea by any chance?"

Tobias smiles dreamily. "And I of her. I will be honest with you here and now... Lily. And should you breath a word of this to anyone else, I shall say it was the drugs talking."

He takes a heavy pull of the tea and frowns. "I think I prefer the hawthorn," he mutters as he hands the mug back.

Settling back into the hammock, he regards Lily with a serious if somewhat glazed expression. "Finding out that I have cousins... An actual family... It made me think of what it would be to be part of something greater than myself. I, er, told her as much in my letter."

Tobias shifts uncomfortably, not quite good at doing the whole heart-felt confession bit. Despite his lifetime of shipboard hardships and work, despite his attempts at being the business minded professional, he suddenly looks less the hardened and experienced captain and more like the tired young man of twenty-four that he is.

"In a way, it makes me feel weak... vulnerable. Before now I could charge into the fray without much concern; if I died a pirate's death, my mother wouldn't be surprised. She might mourn me but not for long. I have not been so much brave, but fearless. It wasn't until I was trapped in that hole with the snake slithering about that I realize there's a difference.

"But now... If something happens to me, what becomes of my cousins? My family? What becomes of Iris if... if she'll have me?" He shakes his head. "I never had to think of anyone else before except the crew, and now...?"

He clenches his fists, his bad shoulder twitching in pain he does feel. "But at the same time I feel driven, Lily. I have cousins out there, cousins being raised to hate men and cousins out there somewhere on the run. I have to do everything I can to try and help them..."

"Does any of this make sense?"

Tobias grins wickedly through the haze of the medicines. "I look forward to it."

The joking leer fades as his face takes a more serious set, his hand reaching out for Lily's. "But seriously, Lily. As the eldest of her tribe present, I assure you my intentions are honorable and... long term, as it were. If your people accept me as they accepted your father... Well, I doubt I can give up the sky entirely, but perhaps the Chesapeaks's trading influence would be widened if they had their own airship."

The look of alarm passing Tobias' face is near comical. He rolls in eyes. "Oh-dear-God. The groom price. If she finds out how important it is your people, she'll try and take as big a slice of the pie as she can muster. I doubt she'll just leave it a matter of money, either." A thoughtful look comes across his eyes. "Lily, is there any taboo in your tribe that keeps a man from helping to pay his own groom price? On the sly, as it were?"

"And while we're at it, are there any other formalities I should be aware of?"

He gives her an owlish look, blinking in confusion. "Sorry? I'm not quite following your line there, about mothers raising their children. I mean, my mother raised me. It's just that my uncle helped out. So did most of the crew on whatever ship she was working on at the time. And I doubt my mother would have any problem 'presenting' me. She'd think it's all stuff and nonsense, but as long as she gets what she thinks is her due, and I'm happy, she'd go along with it."

Tobias lets out a sigh of audible relief. "Well, I would hope so! I mean, Marigold and Heather are pretty girls but... ah... they're just girls. Mind you, if Mr. Winters continues his pursuit of Heather, someone might want to explain the facts of life in your tribe to him." He looks up at Lily critically. "No, perhaps not just yet. The first time he sees you dancing after he's told is going to open up his imagination something fierce."

The first part of her statement catches up to him. "So... both Peregrine and I also have to sleep with all of the sisters eventually...correct? I mean, it's just the sisters, not the whole extended family, right?" He thinks on it for a few moments, his face quite serious and devoid of any lecherous or ribald expression. When he does speak, his voice is full of honest curiosity. "How does such a thing work, Lily? I mean... Is there a pecking order as far as who goes when and with whom? How are such things decided without feelings getting hurt? How much say does the husband have and how much say do the wives have?"

Suddenly he blanches, going quite pale as he realizes the implications of what they are discussing and who he is discussing it with. "How do-" He gulps. "How do you feel about... about sleeping with me? And, and Rose? Gods know what Heather thinks!"

"That's... reassuring, Lily. I feel much the same way towards you. And when it's just us, outside of ship's business? Please, call me Tobias, not sir or captain." Tobias raises his eyebrows. "And strange? Maybe. The further I get out into the skies, I less I find is normal anyway."

"The idea of having another man sire children off of Iris... It's a little hard to swallow," he admits calmly. "I can see right now that there are going to be a lot of questions I have for your father, man to man. But seen from the point of view of the family as a whole? I'll not gainsay it. Seeing you and your sisters working together shows that it's system that works."

Tobias chuckles. "Mind you, if we're following your tribe's customs, we should find a way to follow some old pirate traditions as well. What makes it difficult is not knowing whether to have just Iris kidnapped on the wedding day or all of you at once! Well, those of you who are of age at any rate."

Closing his eyes, he gives a soft smile. "When Iris is awake... Would you have her come see me? I think... I think there are things she and I need to talk about, whether my tongue trips or not."

Edited at 2013-01-11 05:56 pm (UTC)

His eyes don't open again, but the smile remains. He gives her hand a final squeeze before letting go and sleepily saying, "Aye-Aye, Doctor."