Ronin - S02E02 Aside - Land Locked Talks - Victorian and Mike

[Ian Dugan]

<<Mike and Victoria continue here from Ronin - Season 2 Episode 2 - Land Locked and Down pg. 6 >>

Mike sat at the desk, Victoria on the bed, an unused chair sat, forlorn. near by.  The aroma of the Mac and Cheese Bake spread throughout out the room.  It could be said, by smell alone, that Victorian had out done herself with this simple food, the simple gesture that went so much farther.

She looked at Mike and Mike looked back.  His voice resonated with the scent of the food in the room.

"So have you come here to listen to my long list of complaints."

"If you think it would help, I'd listen,"

Hers joined his.  A positive note on the subject.

"How are you doing?"

The note and with it the mood went south just a tiny bit as she answered.

"I'm sad ....  I feel like little pieces of me have been snapped off and lost. ....  How about you?"

More was said by her posture and what she didn't say in answer then what was actually said.

[Michael Keats]

   Mike held Victoria's gaze, feeling something should be said to her but not being the one who knew what to say. He looked down to the ground, this was the kind of thing much better suited to another woman, like Abigail. He had expected her to be the one to comfort Victoria through these times. Maybe a change of subject was what was needed here.
   "I'm just really..." he trailed off, avoiding the much wanted use of expletives. His sentiment felt somewhat lacklustre next to Victoria's feelings but he soldiered on. "Ever since I came on this ship, nothing has agreed with me." Michael turned back towards the desk, getting into a comfortable rhythm of complaining. "And everyone I do seem to agree with leaves." Quick thoughts of the few people he had found pleasant on this ship, flashed through his head. "You might as well pack your bags Victoria. The way I see it your next." It was a comment with layers of a joke and, among other things, a compliment.
   On that point, Mike finally got some food on the end of his fork as he still pondered. "Or maybe I should be packing mine," it was muttered, but in the silence over white noise it could be easily heard. He finally took a mouthful of the Mac and Cheese, chewed it up and swallowed it down.
   "That's another thing." He turned back. "I've never been in a good enough mood to thank you for your cooking."

[Victoria Dare]

As Mike spoke, Victoria seemed content to listen, her eyes on the floor as she rocked slightly in her usual, fidgety way.  Victoria was almost always in motion, a trait which made her seem anxious or shifty to some, but ultimately just one of her harmless quirks, and as Mike thanked her for the food, she paused briefly, a smile fluttering onto her face.

"I think maybe it's my food that's kept you here," she remarked, "in spite of all the disagreeing nature of the ship."  Her eyes met his with a good-natured smile, and for a moment, Victoria seemed like her old self again.  The shadows were quick to return to her expression however, and she quickly grasped for more conversation.

"As bad as things are now, they used to be much worse," she went on.  "When I first joined Ronin, it was crewed entirely with individuals affiliated with organized crime.  Back then, the general attitude on the ship was not overly concerned with the well-being of others.  It wasn't until Lin became Captain that that started to change."

She began to rock again where she sat, her gaze studying some random spot on the wall as though she found it intensely interesting.

"In any case, if your frustrations ever threaten to overwhelm you, I'm here to listen," she said.

[Michael Keats]

   Michael ate through his meal slowly as he listened. He pondered over the idea of Ronin being in a worse state of affairs that it had been in his short tenure. He found that hard to believe. Mike studied Victoria for a moment. He couldn't help but feel that because of her relationship with Lin things had been easier on her and that she would of course have a higher opinion of the former captain. However, any airing of that opinion would be redundant. Lin was out of their hair now and all attention was at the new man at the front of this ship.
   Michael stopped his actions, wanting to really take in Victoria's answer to the question that followed. "What do you make of Jax?"

[Victoria Dare]

"What do you make of Jax?"

Victoria seemed to consider her words carefully before responding to Mike's question, but her words, as they always did, carried a weight of sincerity.

"He is a good person," she said at last.  "He will listen to what his crew has to say, but he needs guidance."  There was a pause as her expression darkened.  "He's going to need all the help I can give him."  Her voice changed as she repeated what Monty had told her in the diner, the weight of her responsibility to the new, unwilling captain bearing down on her small shoulders.  It wasn't just Jax she was protecting, either--she knew Abigail's feelings for the man, and if anything happened...well... Victoria didn't want her friend to have to feel what she was feeling right now.

[Michael Keats]

   Mike nodded. "Maybe the change will be good. Lin was..." he trailed away from what was going to be said and bit his lip a little. "Well you know my thoughts on Lin." He also knew hearing them was not going to be very enjoyable for her. "Point is, Jax has his own way of handling matters and I have yet to see it. I should give him a chance."
   "I am sure that your guidance will be an asset. to him" Mike began, switching away from the former captain again. "You understand this ship, this crew," he laughed lightly, breaking off from his sentence. "You just understand most things in general." He pondered in his own head what that might be linked to before continuing. "You know I was ready to jump behind you as captain. Despite the fact that you did not seem favourable to the idea."

[Victoria Dare]

"Maybe the change will be good. Lin was..." he trailed away from what was going to be said and bit his lip a little. "Well you know my thoughts on Lin."

"I do," she replied, and a faint smile fluttered onto her features.  As much as she had cared for Lin, she knew how difficult it had been for Mike to get along with him.  "Lin was a good person and a good captain, but he had his own idea about how things should be done and there wasn't any room for compromise.  That worked most of the time, but sometimes it didn't."

It was her own way of agreeing with Mike that maybe change would be good for the crew, without saying something she didn't mean--that they'd be better off without Captain Lin.  Mercifully, the subject changed, and she followed the shift in dialog gratefully.

She said nothing as he spoke of Jax--there was little else to say--but when he made the comment about her being the captain, her gaze lifted, and an amused, baffled smile appeared on her face.

"I'm sure you would have, and you're right... I didn't like the idea," a heavy sigh escaped her and she seemed to deflate a little.  "I was programmed to follow orders, not give them.  They never intended for me to be in a position of authority.  Perhaps someday I'll come to a point where there's more of me and less of them in my head, but I still have such a long way to go..."

[ribsource]

Victoria and Michael talked for a couple more hours. They talked about the crew who were on the ship, and those that had come and gone.