<img alt="" src="http://i60.tinypic.com/2eb7ep3.png" style="float:left; padding:6px;"/><span style="color: #BFBFBF">“And now you steer it left,” she heard him say and gathered her focus.  <br/><br/>The quiet had been heavy as he followed her to the wheel, and she found herself contributing to it just as much as he was.  As soon as he told her that she would be the one changing course of the vessel, she felt a bundle of nerves in her chest threaten to relax into exhilaration. It was a sensation of presence and command, and she could understand why one might be compelled to such a life, but it seemed so strange that such small motions could garner the reaction of such a large ship.  Alas, the wonder of man’s machine.  It was no wonder why God has asked for their love of the race and to give them such wondrous gifts.<br/><br/>That thought put her at ease as the captain subsided from her thoughts with the each turn of the wheel.  It helped that he gave her more space, but it was an idle registration in her mind.  She stared out into the waters, letting her senses carry the motions like they did the Empress of Britain, her focus entirely consumed on the task, literally, at hand.<br/><br/>“Keep the pressure light…”<br/><br/>Yvonne pulled it to the left with just the tips of her fingers, curled to give her enough leverage over the weight of the things itself as much as the resistance ocean beneath it.<br/><br/>“... you will begin to feel the power beneath your fingers…”<br/><br/>She did.  At first it had been easy, giving, then the steer required strength, and within moments that was enough.  The stretch of an entire metal beast was at her command, reverberated through the equipment and swaying gently in the direction of her whim, challenging her authority with one last whine from the woodwork, but she stood fast.  Like ignoring a child’s tantrum, only this was a much more archaic ritual, to see which beast would be the first to back down, to earn that respect, and the vastness of the mechanical creature beneath her grasp rebelling that of the swelling seas sure had hers.<br/><br/>“You will know when the ship has finally responded to your command.”<br/><br/>A smile cornered her lips, but it could not defeat the sense of pride filling her.  It expressed more like a smirk, her eyes still lit upon the reflection of the setting sun against the cerulean surface, an inside joke between just the three of them, the ocean, the vessel, and the angel.  She could sense the world around them through her absently aching toes.  At the count of seven, she held it steady, one hand low while the other was high, gripped full in her gentle fist, ready for the return to starboard and a straight exit.<br/></span><br/><br/><br/><br/><img alt="" src="http://i57.tinypic.com/s6ummo.png" style="float:right; padding:6px;"/><span style="color: #BFBFBF">The moment he knew that it was time for the battle to begin, Luciano slowly, soundlessly stepped back and to the side while the dame was focused with the task at hand; her will taking the place of a reason. And while that reason was to learn, the Captain was not unfamiliar with the will one possesses to show appreciation for something. He watched her every expression as the vessel fought for resistance before falling prey to the female's command, and as a smile of triumph graced her features, Luciano could not help but to mirror her satisfaction.<br/><br/>The simple fact that she put priceless focus in learning, tremendously appreciating the tool she was commanding, showing interest in what the Captain loved most about life itself made him feel the more drawn to respect the being that this woman was. Just as when he invited her to dance, this woman never failed to accept challenges and actually come out of each one victorious.  <br/><br/>Her genuine curiosity, he found very adorable. This woman, he thought, had more than just a pretty face and a body to die for. For the first time ever, Luciano truly looked at a woman with reverence of the person that she was, gazing at her for something other than for the carnal desires they exhibited in him. <br/><br/>When he saw her smile once again, eyes focused on the ocean ahead, the man stepped closer one more time. “Brilliant! Bravo!” he commented quietly and with assurance, smiling down at the woman warmly. At the count of seven, he surveyed her hold on the wheel, with a gentle fist holding it steady as the ship continued its natural course once again. The man laughed lightly, removed his white hat and gently placed it on the female’s head, flashing her a smile from behind. “So, how was the experience, Captain Wojcik?” A pleased smirk on his lips, his words were punctuated with playful charisma and deeply felt high regard as his left hand was brought forward to hold the wheel, placing it closer to hers. The movement of his arm drew his frame closer once more as he lowered his head and uttered his next words in a low, slow tone in her left ear. His greys stared past her shoulder to take one last glimpse at the sleeping sun.“You can tell me about it over dinner, where do you wish to have it?”<br/><br/>In that moment, his breath would have <span style="font-style: italic">unintentionally</span> caught in a caress the rebelling, golden wisps of hair on the base of her neck. If recipient enough to her surroundings, the light frictions of his chest against her back caused by the attempt to let go of the wheel, would have created enough warmth to shield the both of them from the chilling, evening breeze that briefly passed through the room. And perhaps, if she was to feel the skipped beats behind the walls of his chest, vibrating against her own frame through such accidental friction that was certainly not intended, then maybe, just maybe, she would hear his subconscious animalistic longing, painfully crying to merge with something greater than one’s self.  <br/></span>