Harrington watched Joanna as she took in the sights of his quarters, running her finger along the smooth edge of his desktop.  The concern etched on his face was clear, and he waited for her answer in its completion before he sucked in a breath sharply, exhaling again as rapidly, calming himself as if by force.  He didn't seem to care anymore for the idea of her struggling under the backbreaking labor than she did, but he knew moxie when he saw it, and Joanna appeared to have it in spades.  It was a credit to her character, for sure, and brought him more confidence that she may actually be able to stand by their earlier bargain, but he wasn't about to cut her loose on the ship without some level of consideration.  A ship was dangerous, and she needed to learn the perils of sea life first-hand from someone who'd known them most of his life.<br/><br/>"Very well," he replied, beaten by her indefatigable spirit.  "You'll get your chance to show them."  His eyes spanned over her form from head to toe several times, trying to consider tasks she would be best suited for.  "Our rigging has long been in need of inspection, and I suspect more than a few lines on the foremast will need replacement.  Tim is working the mast now, I'll have him show you the ropes."  He lead her towards the door, and was about to open it and entrust her in the first-mate's hands when his fingers hesitated on the door handle.<br/><br/>"Don't let him take you up the mast until you've memorized every knot he's taught you.  Understand?" he asked.  "You'll be 80 feet above deck and your confidence in your knots may save your life.  But this will be a good task to get you started; you weigh half what most of my men weigh, so you will be much faster to traverse the masts than any other."  The captain shot her a small smirk.  "That ought to get their attention, don't you think?"<br/><br/>He opened the door, stepping into the blinding sun from the dim office with the confidence and practice of someone who knew the importance of that transition -- of not emerging blinking into the daylight with even an ounce of weakness.  "Tim!" he called, a half-snarl at the young first mate, who dropped what he was doing and sprinted over.<br/><br/>"Captain!" he asked, at attention.<br/><br/>"The girl is ready to be put to work.  Have her inspect the foremast rigging -- every knot and hitch.  We can't have the fore-stay shredding with the first big storm, now can we?" he asked, giving her a small shove in the first mate's direction.<br/><br/>"Captain?  That's perilous work.  Is it a good idea to have one so inexperienced--"<br/><br/>"I put her safety in your charge, young man," he said with a glare.  "See to it she comes down in one piece."<br/><br/>"Aye, captain," Tim responded nervously as Harrington turned on his heel and stormed back into his cabin.	Slowly returning his attention to Joanna, he made a moue.  "Well, I hope you're not too averse to heights," he mumbled, gesturing for her to follow, leading her to the foremast.<br/><br/>"He's really not<i>too</i>awful a man," the first-mate equivocated as he brought her across the lower deck, climbing the forecastle deck.  "He's rough around the edges, but he keeps things running and treats the men who work hard well.  And we're always paid on time."  He looked of his shoulder at her, cracking a wry smile.  "One of the men once said that they saw him<i>smile,</i>" he mused, as if the notion was lunacy.  "I'm sure once you've had a chance to prove yourself, he'll warm to you quickly."<br/><br/>He passed her a length of rope and showed her how to tie herself a harness, walking through the mechanisms up the mast to make the perilous process much safer, showing her the knots multiple times and having her demonstrate her proficiency before he started climbing with her.  Climbing alongside her, he had her inspecting the line right away, looking for shredded, unkempt ropes, disorganized coils or moldy, cracked sheet.  The higher they went, the more dizzying the sway of the ship was below when they looked down, but at the same time, it was strangely freeing.  "I love the breeze up here," Tim said with a broad smile, savoring the salty spray of ocean air with a deep breath and a loud, contented sigh.<br/><br/>He asked her questions as they perused the line higher up, near the top of the mast.  "What are you leaving behind?" he asked, wondering if they had any family or community to speak of, unaware of their daily scrape for survival.  "How is your sister holding up?  Is she safe downstairs?"  His concern for her younger sister seemed piqued, though he backed down quickly at any narrow glances from Joanna per his inquiry about her.  "She seems a sweet girl.  I fear this is no place for such a creature.  I'm just concerned; that's all."<br/><br/>Once Joanna had the hang of it, he left her to her work, keeping a watchful eye on her from the deck and calling out any behavior that made him cringe.  It was a long day, climbing and swinging and holding herself close to the lines to inspect them as the ship swayed, the merciless sun beating down on her.  It was easy to imagine how an extra 50-100 pounds would turn this terrible chore into a waking nightmare.  She was uniquely equipped for this, and the men below did seem to be impressed from the gawkers.  Some screeched monkey noises at her as she deftly moved between sections up the mast, although whether it was mockery or admiration at her abilities was immediately unclear.<br/><br/>Before she knew it, the sun was starting to hang low in the afternoon sky.  It had taken much of the day with few breaks for her to complete the task.