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“I hear you are called Deathblade.”
Miryam absolutely did not jump at the rumbling voice high above her head. Absolutely not. She was a dignified and calm captain who held herself to a high standard. After all, her actions reflected on the Gotch family, and it wouldn't do to undermine them.
Then again, the Gotch family had just somewhat imploded, with several awful members (she never had liked that rat Hatwell) attempting to kill the Gotch brothers who were a part of the whirlwind adventures of the Zephyr. These were her two favorite Gotches (Maxwell Gotch had brought her along on this adventure and set her on this path, and, well, Wealwell was Wealwell), so she didn't much appreciate them being assaulted, by their own family no less.
So perhaps Miryam didn't need to worry about reflecting badly on the Gotch family. Wealwell had corrupted her enough, anyway.
All that to say, she absolutely did not jump but it would have been alright if she did.
Also to say that Miryam had been ruminating on this for far too long and there was now an awkward silence that lingered after the question asked and never answered.
Oops.
She turned around and, as expected, the strange creature Torse was looming over her. Miryam had learned a lot about Torse in the course of their adventures, but he was still in many ways an enigma. She knew that he was very mighty in combat, fierce in spirit, and nearly as awkward as Freyja in conversation. Torse was close with Master Maxwell Gotch and Captain Junkova as well. Despite his dire nature, he was liked by most of the crew, respected for his battle prowess and his dedication.
Despite knowing all this, Miryam was relatively certain they had never once spoken. Whether that was because she was afraid of the metal man or because she was so far beneath his notice, she didn't much care. She knew her role on the ship was not to be the main character, and she felt comfortable in her role.
But apparently now she had caught Torse’s attention, and that was a very frightening turn of events.
Miryam Deathblade Dawderdale was interesting enough for this great hero to speak to, apparently.
“Ah, yes, well. I think there may be some sort of misunderstanding.”
Torse cocked his head at her. The lack of facial expressions made it hard for Miryam to know what he was thinking.
“Then you are not called Deathblade?”
Miryam blushed. She never used to blush but these people seemed to bring it out in her.
“Yes, see, that's where the misunderstanding comes in. My name is technically Deathblade, or rather Deathblade is one of my names. I'm not called Deathblade as, you know, a description of great actions or anything like that.”
“But you are named Deathblade?”
“No, well, yes technically. It's my middle name. My father lost a bet and somehow managed to convince my mother to let him name me that. It doesn't really come up much, since most people don't ask your middle name and it's not really, I guess, polite conversation to tell people you're called Deathblade.”
“Yet in the battle you yelled out this descriptor?”
Miryam blushed again.
“Yeah, that's not my proudest moment. I was caught up in the energy of the battle and wanted to prove a point, I guess. I wanted to be cool. I wanted the Wind Riders to think I was cool, that is. I think I really just ended up like a fool. Me, Deathblade? Can you imagine? Mousy Captain Dawderdale?
Torse gave an amused sort of huff.
“It is my understanding that you have done many ‘cool’ things on this journey. I have heard that you were in the very fires of Zern, fighting off the queen’s pawns and helping Olethra stay safe as you built your escape vehicle. From how Olethra tells it, you acquitted yourself well and were instrumental in helping our crew escape.”
“Oh, well,” Miryam floundered. “Olethra has a tendency to make things seem more grand than perhaps they are.”
Instrumental in helping the crew escape? Well!
“I have heard from both Van and Marya that you have been excellent support crew. Van says that you have demonstrated far more spirit than she anticipated, which I think is a compliment. I'm not very good at understanding those.”
“Hm, I guess that's a compliment? Though it does imply I made a bad first impression.”
Vanellope Chapman and the Captain Junker thought she had spirit? Great skies!
“And Maxwell speaks very highly of you.”
Miryam might faint.
“You didn't have to come on this adventure. In fact, Maxwell indicated that your very willingness to break free from staid rules allowed him to even get started.”
That may have been an over exaggeration of how things went, but Miryam wasn't about to contradict the massive metal warrior.
“You have gone into battle and emerged whole, you have challenged the fiends of Zern, you have done far more than I think you give yourself credit for. I'm not sure I see any ‘mousy’ captains in front of me.”
Miryam stared up at Torse, this great hero who apparently thought she was a hero too, and suddenly felt the absurdity of the situation. Nervous giggles emerged as she tried to reconcile her image of herself with Torse's idea of Deathblade.
“I thank you, and all the crew, for their kind words. This adventure has been so outside anything I've experienced before, and I have tried my best. It is nice to know I've made a good impression.”
A massive hand, giant knives jutting from the knuckles, rested surprisingly delicately on her shoulder.
“I think you seem quite a lot like someone who would be named Deathblade. That's a compliment, by the way. In case I did it wrong.”
Miryam shook her head and smiled ruefully. Just another hero in her life, which gets stranger by the day.
“It was a lovely compliment, thank you. But I don't feel like someone called Deathblade.”
“Then who do you feel like?”
“I'm Miryam, Torse. Just Miryam.”
“I look forward to more adventures on your crew, Just Miryam.”