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Julian Bailey

"Freedom is a feeling that I can't quite get over yet."

0 · 1,120 views · located in Merrinia

a character in “The Lost Treasure of Arimathea”, as played by electric

Description

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Nickname || Dragon
age: 24
sexuality: bisexual
Faceclaim: Jason Momoa
hexcode: #B02E04








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O U T S I D E || ----------------------------------

H E I G H T || six foot, four inches

W E I G H T || 235 pounds

E Y E S || light brown

H A I R || dark, long, rather matted brown

O D D I T I E S || scarred eyebrws and cheeks, tattoos spanning his shoulders and arms, including a pattern, this sun design, and this anchor. He wears a black band around his left arm in mourning.

A P P E A R A N C E || Julian is not a small man. He is muscular and large, partially from genetics and partially from his time training in the military before he defected. He has a rather seafaring windswept look, is rather unkempt and wild looking. He keeps his beard groomed, and sometimes wears his long hair back on a particularly windy day. His clothes are a mix of old military and new seafaring clothes, he has gloves that protect his hands against the blasts of the ship's guns and cannons. His signature look consists of a loose white shirt, unbuttoned at the top, a leather vest, brown pants, a belt carrying any tinkering supplies he needs, small ammo, a flask and gloves, and he wears sealskin boots.






--------------------------| | I N S I D E
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L I K E S || āœ“ whiskey āœ“ sunlight āœ“ messy hair āœ“ sore muscles āœ“ freedom āœ“ the smell of wood fire smoke āœ“ organization āœ“ being witty/sarcastic āœ“ the sea āœ“ wind āœ“ passionate people āœ“ motivated people āœ“ fighters āœ“ fighting āœ“ climbing āœ“ laughing āœ“ storytelling āœ“ his tattoos āœ“ adventures

D I S L I K E S || āœ— snow āœ— xenophobes āœ— directions āœ— people who donā€™t listen āœ— drunkards āœ— rapists āœ— unorganized people āœ— dancing āœ— mysterious / sketchy people āœ— messing up āœ— weakness āœ— not being able to fight āœ— fear āœ— illness āœ— getting captured āœ— being in the army āœ— selfishness

Q U I R K S ||
-- runs his hands through his hair constantly
-- tends to side-hug people smaller than him (most people)
-- humming and grinning rather frighteningly

F E A R S ||
-- losing his homemade family
-- isolation and lonliness
-- being lost out at sea, or anywhere really.

S T R E N G T H S ||
-- three to four character strengths:
āž³ shooting | the man can shoot any long ranged weapon that you give him, and boy is he scary when he focuses.
āž³ strength & speed | because of his years training with the military, Julian is extremely strong, it is his greatest asset in a fight. He is also fast because of the time he has spent in dangerous and fast-paced situations, especially on navy ships, still his strength comes as more use to him.
āž³ confidence | Julian is certainly confident, in his looks, in his strength, and in many other aspects of his personality. But this confidence does not make him come across as standoffish or cold, instead his bright personality and confidence give him real leadership qualities, and he is always willing to take charge and make others feel welcome in his atmosphere.
āž³ cleverness & quick thinking | he is an intelligent man, which comes from many years of practice and learning, but more than just his intelligence in a book-sense, Julian is capable and is at his best when ideas are needed on the fly. He easily can survive on his own and help others because he always has one idea or another.

W E A K N E S S E S ||
-- three or four character weaknesses:
āž³ ruthlessness | when Julian fights, he can become to ruthless, mostly due to his no bullshit training. Jules has no patience fro the enemy, and it is never a good idea to cross him in the heat of battle. Following his directions is the best bet.
āž³ planning | Julian is a time and place thinker, he doesn't spend much time planning anything unless he absolutely is ordered too. In general, he does his best thinking on the spot, which can be good in times of peril, but less so on extended missions.
āž³ unforgiving | he can hold a grudge for as long as he feels necessary, which can be an extremely long time, especially if he or his "family" members were wronged. This unforgiving nature can lead to conflict or misunderstanding, but he sticks to his grudges.
āž³ quietness | boy does he love to be loud and laughing, please don't send him places where stealth is a necessity.




D E E PXD O W N | |--------------------
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| LOUD - CHARISMATIC - DISCIPLINED - JUST |

ENFJ, The Advocate. Julian is as a pirate should be. His loud and happy nature allow for others around him to always feel at ease, and he has a way with taking new crew members or young people under his wing and showing them around, teaching them new things in the process. This makes him a well-trusted individual, and his heart is in most everything he does. He is optimistic, but not to a fault, and takes into consideration the realism of a situation. Julian is NOT a planner, by any means. He can't even plan what he'll have for dinner that night. Instead, Jules is a brilliant on-his-feet thinker, and is capable of pulling scenarios seemingly out of nowhere in the heat of the moment.

His kindness and quick thinking also makes Julian the perfect Master Gunner because his leadership qualities are visible to everyone, especially in battle. Julian has a way of leading others that is confident yet humble, and he knows the strengths and weaknesses of most people on his team, especially if they get to know him. He listens well to others, when he wants to that is, and is a relatively good judge of character. Julian's discipline comes from his days in the military. He checks all his weapons the same way every day, and makes sure that his shipmates, especially his underlings, do the same. He is tidy and orderly, which is surprising for such a seemingly physically unkempt man, but in reality his grooming and organizing habits all have a purpose. Order and organized chaos make his life just a little easier, and still different enough from his past to make him feel comfortable in himself.

Julian is also one to always fight for the underdog and fr justice. He has seen wrongdoings that he knows he could have prevented, and makes it his mission to help those who he can, because he understands the difference that can make in a person's life.




---------------------------------------- | | H I S T O R Y
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Originally, Julian's childhood was full of joy and laughter. Born to a poor merchant family just outside of Isccumo. One evening, deep in the summer months, Jules' family was robbed blind to pay off the debts of Julian's father, a former gambler, and the family was left with nothing but the clothes on their back. His happy childhood, which lasted only around four years, came to an abrupt end. Unable to sustain the business he once had, Julian's father turned to the bottle and became bitter and angry in a matter of months. Julian's mother, fearful of her and her son's life, ran from her husband, only to be found days later, dead at the side of a road with a four year old boy crying at his mother's feet. Her death was a mystery that was never solved, and Julian cannot remember the faces of the men that killed his mother, if he did, he would certainly find them.

Julian was returned to his father, who had no time to care for the boy and, in want of money to spend, the man sold his son off to a mercenary group and has not contacted Julian since. So, at the age of five, Julian became a soldier. His life was converted from summer days and peach trees to training grounds and exhaustion. When he was young, the mercenaries used him to trick enemies and sneak into tight spaces, all the while training him with all kinds of different weapons and fighting styles. He became miserable, spending cold nights sleeping in the dirt, running for miles at dawn, and spending the days training and fighting to become a killer on the battlefield at so young an age. His superiors liked him, he was a tough kid, but that did not mean that they let him off easily, and whenever mischief happened, Julian was sure to pay for it. He learned early on that following orders was the best way to keep from going hungry or getting beaten.

This life was not easy, and at first Jules was miserable, but as he grew older, he learned that this as what he was good at, and found that if he could stay optimistic, this life wasn't quite as terrible as it once had been. By the time he was fifteen, Julian was a seasoned child soldier, sometimes beating his superiors when it came to shooting matches or spars. He grew big and tough, and despite his smiles, Julian could be ruthless when his anger was channeled in the right way. His superiors noticed this, and learned how to channel him, he was their most obedient soldier. All was as well as it could be living in camps and fighting when hired, and Julian learned his place and was comfortable in it, until his superiors needed a new small soldier because Julian grew to big for small jobs (he suspected that his father may not have been his actual father because of his build). The mercenaries bought a young boy while passing through a village, and Julian saw that they treated him the same as they had treated a young Julian. The poor boy was run ragged and beaten when he cried, and Julian knew, rather suddenly, that this entire operation was wrong. He was sixteen, and he took the boy under his wing for two years, protecting him and treating him with the only kindness that the boy new. The life Julian had grown comfortable in was no longer a rosy reality, and instead was filled with terror and blood. Nearly two years later, in the middle of a battle, the two boys, one a former and the other a current child soldier, escaped on a ship and traveled across the sea.

They were found hiding in the barrels of the boat, an eighteen year old Julian and eight year old kid, and the crew decided to use them instead of throw them overboard. And so Julian's seafaring days began, the boy, Armand, stayed in port, working at a bakery while Julian traversed the open waters, feeling freedom that he never had before. When he heard of the treasure, it was after a night of drinking in a bar, and he decided he would go after it to buy children out of their lives as soldiers and into freedom. Armand died two months ago, of cholera, and Julian wears a black band around his arm in mourning, but he promised the boy that he would save other children like him, and that is what he plans to do. The evening after Armand's death, Julian noticed a ship docked at the harbor, and advertisements in search of a Master Gunner...which he most certainly is.

So begins...

Julian Bailey's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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xRosia ā€œJack" Hienrik


Everybody in the world knows

Everybody in the world knows
Everybody in the world knows
Everybody in the world knows

I'm a little twisted, twisted

I'm a little twisted, twisted
I'm a little twisted, twisted
I'm a little twisted, twisted
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe Mate//#7C674A
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Rosia stayed towards the back of the three women as they walked back towards the ship, finally arriving after a short walk. Watching Meg and Vera step on board, a small but quick idea popped into her head, one she acted on very quickly. ā€œCapā€™n on deck!ā€ Rosia shouted, giggling a little to herself before pushing past Vera little to get a view of the deck. Well, she didnā€™t mean to really push past her, but the dress she was wearing didnā€™t exactly make it easy get by them. When Rosia looked around the ship she was surprised, by not what she saw, but what she didnā€™t see. She was honestly expecting the others to already be on deck waiting for them to leave, but there was barely a soul on the deck, though she did notice little Rudy laying about.

"First Mate!" Rosia heard Meg call for her, making her jump a little. ā€œAye!ā€ Rosia quickly responded, and listening to what Meg was saying to her. Rosia quickly nodded. ā€œWill do Capā€™n Hellfire.ā€ Rosia said as she went to start heading below deck. She stopped and nodded again after hearing a follow up to let Sunni know she was going to stop by. Rosia tore her tight shoes off leaving her barefoot, and headed towards the stairs, going past Bill and taking his grog out of his hand. ā€œTā€™anks for the drink Py. Hellfire wants all ye on deck.ā€ Rosia said with a smirk darting below deck, guessing Pyrite wouldnā€™t follow her after hearing what she said.

First Rosia ended up running into Julian and the rest of the gunner crew first, jumping onto Julianā€™s back, though it was more difficult than she expected with her dress, taking a sip of the drink she stole from Bill. ā€œEy Big Dragon, Capā€™n wants you anā€™ gunners on deck. Whole crew anā€™ such. See you upon top.ā€ Rosia handed off the grog Julian and continued throughout the ship to find the others, but next thing she knew saw Tessa and Vale coming up from the brig. ā€œEy? Riggknot, Tempest. Why were yeā€™ not on deck when we arrived? ā€˜Nyways, Capā€™n wants to part soon. I not need to say ā€˜ere she wants you?ā€ Rosia asked, she knew both of her crewmates knew their job, and she took off again, not even noticing the small birdie.

Rosia thought about getting food, but quickly remembered she was supposed to tell Sunni about Meg visiting her, plus she still hadnā€™t found Nameless. Sunniā€™s room was only around the corner so it wouldnā€™t be a long walk. Rosia opened the door and stepped in, surprised to see Nameless here with Sunni. ā€œHellfire will be ā€˜ere soon. Anā€™ she wants Nameless at the helm.ā€ Quickly after she had finished talking Meg walked in, talking about her dress. Luckily she snuck out behind her when sh was confused to see Nameless with Sunni.

After running around the ship in the uncomfortable dress, Rosia stumbled into Veraā€™s kitchen and snuck a small potato, equally exhausted and hungry from everything. Rosia assumed that she was probably changing since she wasnā€™t here in the kitchen. As Rosia went to sat down she made a little ruckus and knocked over a chair. ā€œI am goinā€™ to cut tis dress up!ā€ She shouted to herself as she put her snack down and started messing with her dress, almost looking like a feral animal.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: William Morgan III
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The manifest is set, release the mooring lines
From the top, from the nest, looks the perfect night

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So Iā€™ve gone out to sea
But this time itā€™s gonna be a burial for meļ»æ!

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Bill had just gotten out of the stores, hearing Meg's orders. He was just about to command the gunner crew and Leigh before he was interrupted by Rosia, who took his grog that he was about to serve James.
ā€œTā€™anks for the drink Py. Hellfire wants all ye on deck.ā€
Bill annoyingly called after her as she darted below deck. He didn't want to follow her, the ship was about to start sailing. She ran down the stairs barefoot, leaving Bill again wondering how a person as small and thin like her was so fast. She always seemed so tireless, yet Bill had the instinct to protect her since the minute he met her. She was like a little sister to him.
"Don't drink too much o' that, Rosie!"
Bill looked around, seeing the crew on deck getting ready, though calling the rest was still necessary. He naturally had a loud voice from singing and the occasional bellowing of orders, eventually taking a deep breath and shouting.
"Weigh anchor and hoist the Mizzen! Get the Stardust ready lads!"
That was enough to get the gunners and some of the crew going. Meredith, better known as Sharktooth, hurried onto the deck. She was carrying her spear and hastily approached Bill.
"Are we gon' start sailin', sir?" She seemed tense as she asked Bill.
"Aye. Call meh' Bill, though." Bill watched the Gunner Crew jump down from the forecastle deck, getting ready to raise the anchor. Raising the anchor was tedious, which was why Bill often didn't participate in the activity.
He quickly rushed down into the ship, passing several crew members. He was quick on his feet as he hurried to get another drink for James, noticing that Jules was carrying the tankard Bill planned to hand to James. The grog sloshed around in the tankard instead of the rum James had wished for.
"Get on deck. Crew needs th' arm o' th' dragon."Bill gave a grin to his friend before he eventually passed the crew's quarters and climbed down into the Stores. Like most other bottom level rooms, the Stores smelled like saltwater. Bill's soles were wet as he looked around in the cold and dark storage room. Barrels filled to the brim with cannonballs and some rations were kept here, though the part further back in the Stores contained some barrels of alcohol, where most of the crew would get their beverages from. Bill grabbed a tankard from a small table and tapped grog. The cup was half-filled with grog, and it had the typical smell and color of fresh grog.
But James had asked for rum...
Bill found the barrel for rum and filled the rest of the tankard with it. The beverage adopted the typical smell and color of rum. Bill held the tankard over his mouth and dripped some beads of the half-grog-half-rum beverage. Perfect.
It had the flavor of the 'dirty, rum-soaked lemon' but was perfectly disguised as a fresh, tapped tankard of amber rum. Bill quickly barged through, walking to the brig at the other side of the ship after walking along the hold. Sometimes, Bill would be isolated, resting in this bottom level of the ship. He had haunting memories from his past he hadn't shared with anyone. No one, not even him, knew anything about the strange burnt markings on his body and the same engravings in his cutlass.
He finally saw James and gave him the tankard.
"Enjoy, lad." Bill darted back up to the deck, not looking James in the eye in fear of him figuring out, though he realized that even if James did, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
Within the matter of a minute, he was back on the deck. He panted, trying to breathe steadily as he watched the Stardust release itself from the mainland.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: William Morgan III
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J U L I A NX| | XD R A G O N

| Master Gunner |
| #B02E04 |
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Julian tipped his head back and put the long cigar to his lips, looking up at the evening sky and listening to the sounds of port. These last two months had flown by, but each day seemed to drag on far longer than necessary, and to day was, for the first time in awhile, blissfully short. Jules was certainly not one for reconnaissance or stealthy work, he was much too conspicuous for that, so he took pleasure in his evening off by reclining on deck, watching the motley crew of hardened pirates and miscreats get sufficiently pissed after a week of surprises and mutiny.

It hadnā€™t really taken Julian by surprise when Hellfire made her intentions clear, and as much as he respected Midas, he frankly had to agree with her. The thought of treasure, no matter how dangerous the journey, was worth it for the dent it would put in his goal. Yes, Julian knew, as he took a long drag of the cigar, this was the start of a journey he wouldnā€™t regret. With one last puff he stood and made his way over to the group of drinkers, standing just outside their circle to listen to Bill sing a shanty and give his usual rousing cheers to the crew. Jules raised his cigar in response and gave a thoughtful smile as he watched the other man make his way down out of sight, no doubt going to speak with the captain.

Loyalty was a funny thing indeed. He looked out portside and wondered how the lassies were doing with their land-legs, they were probably getting up to some sort of trouble for the sake of this crew, and he chuckled to himself, leaning back on the hull and continuing to watch the festivities. He spotted Rudy across the deck, playing cards, and looking up at the sky, and watched as Nameless too made his way across the deck, staggering a little in his buzzed stupor. Julian stood once more and made his way towards his quarters, running into two of the returned lassies on his way. He grinned at both of them and their barrel and continued down, entering his quarters to find his cigar box and replace the no longer smouldering cigar into its place. He sighed. It was too quiet.

Making his way out of his quarters again, Jules heard the telltale murmurs of a few of his gunner crew, and he found them drinking in the mess hall with the door wide open, inviting any and all to come and join them.

ā€œAye ya brutes,ā€ Julian leaned in the side of the door, grinning cheekily at his good friends. ā€œWhaā€™s going on in here?ā€The group cheered a bit at his appearance, and Mead waved him to a seat next to him. He entered the room and sat down at the pulled out chair, joining in their lulls of friendly banter and conversation.

After a while, footsteps sounded on the deck above them, and Julian figured that the daring rest of the lassies yas returned. He stood preemptively to make his way up to the upper deck when little Jack came running down the steps just outside the door. She vaulted herself onto his back and he turned away from her to let her get a grip around his neck.

ā€œEy Big Dragon, Capā€™n wants you anā€™ gunners on deck. Whole crew anā€™ such. See you upon top.ā€ she said, thrusting a mug of grog into his hands. He stepped back and she jumped of as Julian watched her continue to dash down the hallway, making noise as she went. He shook his head and turned back toward the gunners, motioning them out the door.

ā€œCā€™mon you lot, weā€™re need on deck.ā€ they scrambled up after him. He turned to go up the steps as Bill rushed down past him, grinning.

"Get on deck. Crew needs th' arm o' th' dragon." Bill jested, rushing past. Jules rolled his eyes and smiled after him.

ā€œAye AYE, Iā€™m goinā€™, Iā€™m goinā€™, good lord!ā€ he clambered up the stairs and set the mug of grog on a barrel on deck, then made his way toward the red hair of the current captain. The rest of his gunner crew scrambled down from the forecastle and he went over to stand with them as others joined them on deck.

They were off to the seas again, leaving this port behind for the next. Everything was ready and restocked, and Julian felt his heart swell in his chest. This is what he lived for, the open seas, ports fading off into the distance. He watched others join him on deck and waved Bill over to put an strong arm around the man as they waited for their Hellfire to tell them the news of their journey and results of their little conquest on land. He wondered where all of this was going, but he trusted the people in this crew. They would figure it out.

ā€œAlright there, Bill?ā€

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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XXXX Meg continued to stand with her arms crossed against her chest, a frown planted firmly on her face. Of course, her mind was telling her she was being ridiculous. It's not like she had a claim on Sunni. She was allowed to have any kind of romance she wanted. Meg didn't have a say... that didn't mean that seeing someone be so familiar to Sunni in front of her didn't smart a little. And it didn't mean she wasn't going to be mad about it. Especially since their helmsman just waved her off like she was nothing. Like her orders didn't matter. Heat raced up her limbs, her attention no longer on her beautiful surgeon, but instead on her helmsman. Boy, was he in for a rough-talking to later. A sour taste coated the back of her throat as she thought a punishment might be in order. She wasn't one for punishments of the... violent nature, but being a captain meant she had to have better control over her crew. She might have to take a finger...

Once the bilge rat was gone, she turned her attention back to Sunni who was muttering something in her native tongue. The irritated look on her face and the fact that Meg spent enough time around her to know that what she was muttering wasn't friendly... was starting to bring a smile to her lips. When Sunni was angry, she tended to remind Meg of a wet kitten. Meg reminded herself that she was angry with her friend and not to smile... but the self-scolding didn't stick and she found herself smiling again. Especially because Sunni explained Philips presence in tones of unamusement. "Of course he believes himself in love with the boy." She said, followed by the thought, As long as it's not you.

A heat crawled up Meg's cheeks as those dark eyes took in every detail of her, the way a physician sizes up a wound or condition. There was something more in that gaze. Something that sparked a warmth in her core and a quick mental image of Meg's hands on Sunni's waist, her lips at her neck, and Sunni's precise fingers unlacing the backing of Meg's dress...She shook her head sharply. None of that.

The look on her surgeon's face changed. It became more guarded as she sarcastically commented on the attention of the landmen while she was away on mission. Actually, very few men paid her little mind. Any attention given was quickly averted at her terrible etiquette. She wasn't about to tell Sunni about that so instead, she grinned and said, "A few of the women, too. And it was something terrible to be swarmed by so many people. But what can I say? They have excellent taste." She flipped her red hair over her shoulder.

When Sunni requested stories of their mission, Meg's grin brightened just a little. I wish you had been there, too, She thought, Nothing is ever as fun without you with me. Then she started to share the story. "Oh, you should've seen the commotion Vera created." Meg technically didn't see it either, but the aftermath was something spectacular. She could only imagine what the girl had done while they were in that study. "And we retrieved the map. Our lovely Vale is examining it as we speak." At least... she better be. They needed to be on the open ocean as soon as possible if they wanted to avoid any ambushing by the land king's men.

In fact... "Come, my dearest," she said sarcastically, though she meant every word, "Time to oversee the operations on deck and you probably could use some fresh air." She held out a hand to the woman. Whether she took it or not, Meg headed up the steps to the deck, holding her skirts in her hands to prevent tripping. She was definitely going to need to change shortly. She would need Rosia to help her out of this getup. She couldn't ask Sunni... not with the thoughts still swirling about her head. It had been some time since Meg had been... passionate with anyone. Actually, now that Meg thought about it, she didn't have much taste for sharing another person's bed since she had met Sunni. It was beginning to mess with her head.

The biggest problem Meg was having was figuring out what exactly her feelings for Sunni were. Was it because she had saved Meg's life? Was it because she was so beautiful she had a nasty habit of taking Meg's breath away? That she didn't seem interested in Meg? She did always like a challenge. But Meg enjoyed Sunni's company. She enjoyed her brain. Her laughter. The way her eyes took in everything she saw as if to memorize it. Her mind immediately went to the look on Sunni's face as she observed Meg in the dress and a tingling sensation started at her fingertips. She had the sensation often enough around the woman--around those she fancied--enough to know it meant: She desperately wanted to touch her.

This, of course, had Meg stepping away from her as they reached the deck. She cared about Sunni to mess up whatever friendship they had with her... interests. She was definitely going to need to cool off.

She smiled at her crew, moving about the ship. Tessa was up in the rigging, singing a shanty and moving so quickly and expertly, you would think she was born and raised in the rigging. Rudy was now moving about the deck helping Jules. Bill was staring off at the land, making sure they had a clean getaway. Philip was at the helm--which of course reminded Meg that he would need a good scolding later. Rosia must have still been below deck because she was missing from her post. Meg wasn't going to reprimand her first mate though. Rosia had played a part in getting the map today and she deserved whatever break she was getting. "Everything is looking ship-shape, me hearties!" She yelled to her crew as she watched them pull away from land and out into the open water. "Now leaving Hartford Island! We sail for port!"

Which reminded her..."I need to speak with Vale," She said, turning to Sunni, "You're welcome to come along if you wish." Then she strode to the helm to seek the advice of her navigator. "We need to chart a course. Do you suggest going up and around or down and under." She traced her fingers along the map, marveling in the clarity of their new chart. "We'll need to stick close enough to land to supply, but far enough away we won't be stopped."

She could practically see the treasure now.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: William Morgan III Character Portrait: Julian Bailey Character Portrait: Timothy Rundell
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"Alright there, Bill?" Jules repeated, turning to the currently ragged looking man to his right.
Bill panted, holding a tankard he had grabbed and filled with rum while on the way back to deck.
"Yeh... When am I not is th' question!" He chuckled, filling his mouth with the dark, almost ink black rum, before spitting out most of the gulp.
"KRAKEN RUM!? MORE LIKE KRAKEN'S PISS! SHIVER ME TIMBERS." He realized what he had just yelled, looking around deck cautiously. "Was th't too loud?"
Julian gave a bark of laughter and clapped Bill on the back, grinning. "Aye matey, twas a bit loud." He looked into the mug in Bill's hand, eyeing the dark rum. "Nothing we ave'nt heard before... Where th' 'ell is that from? Looks dangerous."
Bill shook his head.
"It's the darned rum from th' Stores. I'd much rather drink gro-" Alistair 'Scotch' Campbell, a part of the Gunner Crew, approached Bill and Jules after raising the anchor with his crewmates. "Shiver me timbers, I was noticed." Bill mumbled, before turning towards the gunner. "Sir Alistair of Dundee, may I be of service?" He gave an ironic bow as Scotch winced.
"What should we do now, sir?"
Bill narrowed his eyes.
"Why do all th' lads call me a sir? Here, look at meh, do I look like a damned sir?" He turned towards Jules, but left him no time to answer as he swiftly turned back towards Scotch.
"Na, I don't. Call me Bill, Alistair. Oh, and, ask ye Master Gunner if ye don' know wh't to do."
"Jules?"
Jules shook his head at his good friend and chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. He stepped forward and eyed Scotch up and down.
"Well, is all the work done that needs to be done?" He raised a dark eyebrow, and the commanding look was ruined by the soft smile on his face. Jules knew that Scotch understood his usual orders, and also knew that Scotch had likely completed every task with a skilled hand.
"Anch'r is raised and the cannons are ready. It's a matter o' time 'till the Master Rigger takes care o' the sails."
"Aye, Riggknot's arready on 'er way." He looked past Scotch towards the hatless woman who had passed him only moments earlier, scowl on her face. "Nothin' to do until little Hellfire graces us with 'er presence on deck."
"LADS! GET THE SAILS READY." Bill shouted orders once again. "We don't wanna piss Riggknot and Hellfire off." He mumbled loud enough for Jules and Scotch to hear. Most of the crew knew that Bill almost only used proper names and only used the pirate nicknames as a joke or when he was vexed or drunk.
Jules turned back to Bill at the mention of their current captain. He knew that Bill was uncomfortable with the whole situation, mutiny was not something to be taken lightly, especially in a crew as loyal and driven as this one.
"We'll figur' it out, Pyrite," He directed this reassurance with the nickname in response to the man's use of the others. "Somethin; will come of everythin' that's happened, whether it's good or bad, we'll see."
"Well, lad. All we can do..." Bill took a short dramatic pause (Jules rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his friend's antics), taking his tankard and preparing to take a huge gulp.
"Is drink!"
He drained the tankard, with his face visibly cowering in pure disgust.
"SHIVER ME TIMBERS, THAT'S BAD!"
Jules didn't hide his cackling this time and smacked Bill on the back again.
"Arright ye dogs," he announced, addressing the gunners who looked over at the exchange. "If Riggknot gives ye orders, listen to 'er, if Hellfire comes on deck, line up all serious-like." He waved them off back to their own jobs and conversations, then turned toward the helm, looking to see if Nameless and Rudy were making any headway at the helm. Bill looked to see Jules eyeing the two at the helm, peering around deck to see a crewmate coming up the stairs.
"Leigh!" The ship's carpenter was back on the deck after getting ready in the quarters, looking at Bill curiously as he called her name.
"Help Nameless and Rudy out at th' helm, will ye'? T'anks."
She nodded, making her way towards the helm. She was used to dealing with crewmates, especially drunken ones.
"C'mon then, let's man the sails with Ale, I think he needs help,"
Jules looked over at the one man who was doing their work for them and started heading over to help after hearing him.


"YES I FUCKEN NEED HELP, LADS!" Ale said with a visible strain.



ā€œOi.ā€

Rudy was a practiced heavy sleeper. Living on a boat chock full of loud, (and often drunk), pirates with heavy amounts of explosives always ay arms reach had done that to him. But with the light kick of a heavy boot, the hundreds of noises heā€™d been blocking out came rushing back. Meg and Rosia yelling. Vera stomping down towards her kitchen. The Gunner Crew finishing their supply and stocking runs just beneath his head. And most prominently, Phillip calling for him.

ā€œI be needing ye help. So come along boy.ā€

Struggling to his feet, Rudy rubbed his eyes. The various lights were too bright, and the shadows were too dark, melting the whole scene on the boat into one of a watercolor painting. Suddenly, his brain finally kicking back into gear, Rudy gathered his cards together and tucked the bowl, now full of crumbs, behind a nearby barrel. Shoving the cards into his pocket, he followed the staggering helmsman up to the wheel.

"See boy, I was a lad much younger than ye when I learned." Philip said motioning towards the wheel with his mug of ale, spilling a good amount of it as he did. "Get on with ye then, take the wheel."

By the time Rudy had been unceremoniously shoved onto the wheel, he was still blinking the sleep from his eyes. Still groggily tipping back in forth, he was more holding the wheel for support than for anything else. The swaying of the boat was only matched by the swaying of his new tutor. ā€œWhat exactly am I supposed to be doing with the wheel?ā€

Philip sighed and looked out on the waves, small as they were so close to the dock. This was where he truly belonged, at the helm of a ship, with wind in his hair. "To really be made for life on these seas ye got to feel it your guts boy."

ā€œA feelā€¦?ā€ Rudy looked over his shoulder. ā€œWhatā€™n the hell is ā€˜at supposed to mean?ā€

Rudy turned to fully look at Phillip, gazing off into the distance. ā€Ey! Nameless, ya damned fiend, Iā€™mma need some actual instruction erā€™e.ā€

He turned back to Rudy still manning the wheel and slapped him across the back. "What ye doin'? We want to be takin' this ship away from land. Not ridin' it ashore." Philip motioned for the boy to turn the wheel to the right.

Looking to the right, Rudy smiled. ā€œAye aye. Starboard it is, Mister.ā€ Giving the wheel a turn, he laughed. No wonder Phillip liked the wheel, the power. The control. While the pilot plotted the course, you were the one moving the ship. Even if that ship was moving rather slowly.



"It's not the first lover ye ever bedded. Ye don't need to play with it first."Philip said grabbing the wheel off Rudy and roughly wrenched the wheel around to the right with a lot more force than Rudy had been using. And the ship did indeed swerve the right, but the jerkiness of the movement resulted in an unaware Philip being on the receiving end of some glares from the deck.

"EASY ON TH' WHEEL, DAMMIT! NAMELESS IS THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND!"

"AYE, SAYS THE SAILOR SHOUTING SHANTIES TILL EARLY MORN!" Philip yelled back down the deck to his biggest critic. Then he turned to Rudy and slung and arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. "Let me be tellin' you boy. Everyone 'ere think they be doing ye job better then ye."

Stifling a laugh, Rudy avoided Phillipā€™s eyes. ā€œā€˜Specially when yeā€™ve been powdering hair for the last two hours. Youā€™re drunk as the damn rats at the distillery.ā€ Rudy whispered.

That was when Leigh appeared, taking the mug out of Philip's hand. He shrugged, agreeing that perhaps he'd had enough tonight.
"A drink while steering? Come on, Philip."
"Aye, I'm not steerin'. The boy is." Philip stepped back from the wheel and let Rudy take full control again. "And don't ye go spreadin' that name around. Would'n want Bill thinkin' his rumor was goin' to waste."
Leigh rolled her eyes, taking a short peek at Rudy, who was having a difficult time at the wheel.
"I'll take th' wheel. The boy needs rest, Nameless."
"Aye, but th' boys a natural. He's got it in his guts he has." Philip slapped Rudy on the back once more to be sure, unaware of how exactly how well his teaching had gone. He nodded to Leigh and headed away from the helm. "If Leigh's got the wheel then, why don't ye go fetch us some grub boy?"

Pride swelled up in Rudy, as he puffed out his chest. ā€Well aā€™course I am! Iā€™m a natural born at everything. Natural pirate, taste tester, powder monkey of course, and helmsman. Not a natural scholar, unfortunately. Neā€™er did get the hang oā€™ that one. But even then, Iā€™m better than you lads! You watchout now Mister Nameless, Iā€™ve gotchā€™er number and itā€™s your job Iā€™m coming for next!ā€ It was about here in his speech that Rudy realized nobody was listening.

His ego bruised, he deflated. Canā€™t win ā€˜em all. At the mention of food, however Rudyā€™s eyes reignited, their spark returning. Vera! Donā€™t you men worry none. Youā€™re about to see a natural food-wrangler as well!ā€ Rudy took off from the helm, running into the depths of the ship, past the battery, past the quarters, straight into the kitchen. ā€Miss Vera! Iā€™m here to request food on behalf ofā€”ā€ The kitchen, while lit and full of piping hot food, was completely unattended. ā€Damn. Dogs couldā€™a gotten it ā€˜emselves.ā€

Leigh put aside the two planks she was holding and laid her hands on the wheel after Rudy had left. She often had a mundane task and uncommonly had to repair or board up the ship, and she would usually spend her time with the gunners or Bill and Philip.
They had been sailing for quite a bit now and the warm, gold color of dawn would eventually slowly overtake the dark, moonlit nightfall. Under the starry night sky, the silhouette of Hartford Island slowly faded.

"A beautiful sight that is, the shore fadin' away like a woman in th' night."

Unceremoniously grabbing a larger plate, Rudy poured the stew into several bowls, arranging each on the plate. He stood to leave, grabbing the collection. It was only just as he was about to leave, when he noticed the lack of spoons. Chuckling to himself, Rudy set the bowls down and grabbed a single spoon. He dropped the spoon in his pocket, grabbed the rest of the food, and made his way back up to the deck. ā€Itā€™s what they get. Makin me get the food, didnā€™t even get to run into Vera. Whereā€™d the hell she be, anyhow?ā€ Finally reaching the top deck Rudy called out, ā€Oi! Nameless. Bill. Getā€™cher arses here and grab some stew foreā€™ I eat myself or feed the damned fish with it!ā€ As his eyes scanned the deck, they landed on a girl. An unfamiliar one. A stranger. His voice dropping in pitch and volume, he asked; ā€Who the hell is this?ā€

Setting

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Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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>Four Days Later<
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XXXXOnce they left the island of Hartford, Meg had requested that Vale set a course for the smaller islands off the coast of Snitinlos. These small islands were really part of the Guicona territory, but they were so far from the mainland that they remained empty. Well... empty of people. The islands were used as storage for the Land king's men as they sailed from island to island. They were also used by pirates. James's crew had been multiple times to stock up when they expected to be on a long journey across the sea. Or, like in this specific instance, they were being chased and they needed supplies fast.

The island typically contained alcohols, nonperishables, and barrels upon barrels of fresh water. Meg knew water would be the most important. You can go for days without food but not very long without water. And while they'd be surrounded by water on their journey, Meg knew that the ocean wasn't a water source. So, they were there for the water, some of the nonperishables, and whatever fruit, veggies, and meat they could find. Sometimes they found a few barrels of goods that were fruit and vegetables based, but they were only there when the king's men had dropped them off to be back for them shortly.

As she stood on forecastle, salty sea breezes blowing through her hair, Meg took a deep, relaxing breath. She so badly wanted to dive into the sea and swim for an hour instead of lug supplies to and from the ship. They had reached the island now and Meg decided she'd split the crew into two groups. Half would stay on the ship and keep a lookout for enemies and the other half would go on land to haul off goods. She wanted Rosia with her on land. As the first mate, she was technically Meg's second in command due to lack of a quartermaster. She wanted Tessa on the ship to keep an eye on the ship for her. While Bill was the boatswain, she wasn't sure she could trust him just yet. He was the one opposed to the mutiny. Vale would be good to have on land in case they came across any trouble. Bill and Philip she wanted on land with her. Both so she could keep an eye on them and so they could do some heavy lifting. She had a difficult time deciding whether or not to bring Jules. Primarily because he was excellent for heavy lifting, but if trouble arrived on the seas he would need to ready the crew that remained there. So Jules would have to stay. Rudy will be staying too. Meg wanted him up in the crow's nest to keep watch. They really needed someone devoted to lookout so Rudy could help Jules more easily. Vera and Eva will need to stay as well.

Meg felt guilty about having to leave Vera behind, but she wasn't sure Eva was trusted enough on land and they needed people watching the ship. She had enough people joining her on land. She'd have to look for something special to bring back for Vera. Maybe a sack of sugar if they had it.

As Eva came to mind, Meg realized she still hadn't figured out who had brought the girl on board. However... she was spending a good amount of time with Tessa. Meg's stomach squeezed a little at the possibility of her friend doing such a thing without even telling her after the fact. She would have to talk to her before they left.

Which reminded her... she needed to inform James of their leaving. Not to request permission or even because she was in the habit of informing her prisoners of her whereabouts. James was different. James had been a friend. And... maybe she could convince him that things were going to be worth it. As she made her way down to the bring, she decided that she'd give orders when she returned to the deck.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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XXXXEva smiled as she saw Tessa. She had unintentionally been hanging around Tessa more than she should have. She had been avoiding Vale like the plague. Evangeline didnā€™t want to get her dearest friend hurt by Meg. Since Tessa was with Vale when they met, she decided to stick to her. Eva felt like she could trust the blue eyed woman. It hadnā€™t clicked for her that if she hung around Tessa, people would think she brought her on the ship. Tessaā€™s back was to Eva, so it was easy for Eva to walk right up behind her. She went on tippy toes and stroked Mangoā€™s, the bird they had found, head with a finger. He was sitting comfortably on Tessaā€™s hat. The little fella, who they assumed was a fella, seemed to be doing better.

ā€œHello Mango, is Tessa being nice to you?ā€ she asked. Tessa jumped hearing the voice behind her. She was getting ready to punch whoever it was but stopped short seeing it was Eva and scolded her.

ā€œFuck do you want now?ā€ Tessa said, the scold on her face not easing up. Evangeline flashed Tessa a smile.The woman did amused her.

ā€œI just want to spend time with Mango. You seem to be hoarding him,ā€ she said playfully. Tessa turned to start walking away, looking at some nearby ropes.

ā€œIt isnā€™t my fault little birdie wonā€™t get off my damn hat,ā€ Tessa said as she walked.

ā€œWell...can I have your hat then? Iā€™ll give it back to you once I get him on my shoulder or something,ā€ she replied. Eva walked alongside Tessa to keep the conversation going.

ā€œFuck no. You cannot touch me hat. Fuck off,ā€ Tessa said, not sounding as angry as she would when speaking to others. Eva placed a hand on Tessaā€™s shoulder to try to get her to stop walking. ā€œPlease?ā€ she asked.

ā€œHmmm,ā€ Tessa stopped for a moment and looked at her. ā€œFuck your please.ā€

ā€œIf you said please when we met at the tavern, you wouldnā€™t owe me a drink,ā€ she replied, only risking the words as no one was nearby. Eva got on her tippy toes again. Carefully, but quickly, she lifted Tessaā€™s hat off her head. ā€œI am going to check on James. I donā€™t think he has seen Mango since I got here,ā€ she added before she headed down to the brig. As she walked, she placed Mango on her shoulder.

Rosia had just woken up from a small nap upon the crowsnest when she heard some talk below her. As she rolled over and peaked her head over the edge she watched as Tessa and the stowaway interacted. Tessa seemed to have taking a liking to the girl. She giggled to herself when she heard Tessa curse at the lady for asking to touch her hat. But when she heard the stowaway talk about a tavern, Rosia stopped giggling and was confused, The ship hadnā€™t docked for days, how would they gone to a tavern toge- Rosia interrupted her own thoughts with a gasp, realizing it was Tessa who had brought the stowaway onboard.

Tessa followed after Eva, trying her damndest to get her hat back. As she followed, she muttered curses under her breath. Though they were directed at Eva, she wasnā€™t expecting the girl to actually listen to a word she was saying. ā€œYa donā€™t need to grab someoneā€™s hat like that. Just take the fuckinā€™ birdie, donā€™t need my whole fuckinā€™ hat.ā€ Eva stopped in front of bars that kept James a prisoner. She looked away from him to look at Tessa.

ā€œI said I would give it back once I got him off the hat, but you refused to give me the hat,ā€ she replied, matter of factly. Her gaze returned to James. Tessaā€™s hat was held between her hands. She smiled at James. ā€œHow are you are you today James? I brought Mango down to see you.ā€

ā€œAhoy there, James,ā€ Tessa said with a small wave as she tried to grab her hat. Eva turned slightly, so Tessa couldnā€™t grab her hat. Mango was on her shoulder, but she didnā€™t want to give the hat back yet..

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James had been in the brig for four days. Well five if you count the day before they actually left port. He had been visited a couple times by the crew and by Eva. Apparently Meg hadnā€™t chewed her up and spit her out. In fact, it seems she had made her a member of the crew. It surprised him, but he couldnā€™t deny that he was glad. He rubbed at the stubble forming on his chin and continued his song, ā€Nobody knows the trouble Iā€™ve seen. Nobody knowsā€¦ me sorrow.ā€

He heard voices and footsteps coming down the stairs and into the brig. The first person to make their appearance was Eva, a familiar hat in her hands and an orange and green bird on her shoulder who was looking much better than when he last saw him. A smile formed on his face, but it quickly turned to one of distress when he saw the scowling woman stalking up behind Eva. Oh Tessa was angry.

Eva greeted him first. He was about to respond when Tessa interrupted with a greeting of her own. He gave a strained smile, feeling the tension in the air. James had known Tessa long enough to know two things: Donā€™t make her angry and never, ever touch the hat. Unless you were Vale. ā€ā€™Ello Eva. Tessa. What brings you to me quarters on this fineā€¦ā€ He glanced to the side of the ship where a small bit of light was peaking through. ā€Day?ā€

By the time Rosia roped her way down from the crowsnest, Tessa had already followed Eva downstairs, Rosia quickly followed after them below deck towards the brig. As she caught up to them, she overheard Tessa and Eva talking with James. Rosia had only come down here when she followed and helped Vera bring James food. ā€œOi! Riggknot ye turncoat! It was you that brought the stowaway onto the ship.ā€ Rosia said, announcing her presence to the others as she came down the stairs. ā€œCaptain Hellfire wonā€™t be likeā€™n this!ā€ Hearing the familiar voice, Tessa knew exactly who it was. She rolled her eyes and turned towards the voice.

ā€œOi now! Does it really fuckinā€™ matter anymore?ā€ As she spoke, Tessa made her way over. At the back of her mind she got the thought that she was lucky to always carry a spare rope around with her. ā€œLook at ā€˜er! Sheā€™s a fuckinā€™ kitten, for christ sake!ā€ She kept moving forward until she was a foot or so in front of her. ā€œDoes it really look like the girlieā€™s any harm?ā€

Rosia took a quick glance at Eva, who smiled and gave a small wave to Rosia, before looking back up at Tessa right in front of her. ā€œNay, but ye went behind the Capā€™nā€™s back.ā€ Tessa nodded at this.

ā€œAlright, if thatā€™s how yaā€™r thinkinā€™,ā€ Tessa said then cracked her knuckles. What proceeded was something that youā€™d have to see to believe it. Tessa seemed to pull what seemed to be an endless rope out of nowhere. ā€œEy, whatcha doinā€™ with th-ā€ The rope went through the air it what seemed like endless directions. There was cursing. There was kicking. There was a near escape then back into the rope hurricane that was Tessa, a mere rope, and her hands. ā€œTessa! Stop that right now!ā€ Eva scolded, crossing her arms under her chest. Tessa actually listened to this, but is was more because she was done. She stood up and Rosia seemed to fall a few centimeters onto the ground, now tied up completely with her arms bound behind her back, her legs bound, and a gag that seems to be a spare handkerchief. ā€œAye, I think that may be good enough,ā€ Tessa said showing that she may be a bit proud of herself.

James sat and stared wide eyed at the events unfolding before him. He raised an eyebrow at Rosiaā€™s accusation. So they didnā€™t know that it wasnā€™t only Tessa, but Vale as well. The fact that they had to guess meant Eva hadnā€™t told Meg. Interesting. When Tessa pulled out the rope, he honestly thought it was for Eva. I meanā€¦ she had touched the hat. He was thrown for a loop when instead she began to tie up Rosia. ā€What are ye doin?ā€ He asked them, more surprise in his voice than concern. It was the most bizzare thing to James.

Thatā€™s when Meg made her way down into the brig. She stopped short at what she saw. Her first mate tied up. Tessa, the only one who couldā€™ve tied up Rosia, standing beside her. Eva standing off to the side, Tessaā€™s hat in her hand anā€¦ is that a bird on her shoulder? She thought she had heard chirping while visiting Sunni the past couple of daysā€¦ It appears Eva wasnā€™t the only stowaway.

And James just sat there and watched. Watched her rigger tie her first mateā€¦ shit. ā€What the bloody hell is going on!?ā€ She demanded, eyes simmering. ā€Me first mate is tied up. Me rigger the culprit andā€¦ā€ Then she remembered why she wanted to talk to Tessa earlier. ā€Tessa Locke. Were you the one to bring aboard the stowaway?ā€ Her eyes narrowed. Her plan had been to pull her aside and speak to her privately but the scene before herā€¦ and with James watchingā€¦ Sheā€™d have to punish her friend or risk the crew questioning her leadership.

Hearing her name - her full name - Tessa knew then that she had fucked up. She let out a long low sigh and turned to face her captain. ā€œAye thatā€™s the question, isnā€™t it?ā€
She sighed again, and looked over at Eva then rolled her eyes. ā€œAye, this is a fuckin mess,ā€ She mumbled, putting a hand to her forehead and sighing again. ā€œI guess there be no more reason to keep it a secret nor lie.The short answer to that, Captain, is yes. Yes, I did bring the girlie aboard,ā€ Tessa admitted. Then added under her breath, ā€œEven though I didnā€™t want to.ā€ Eva very slowly, silently, walked towards Tessa as she spoke. Once she finished speaking, she took a step to the side to stand in front of Tessa. Evangeline moved the hand with the hat behind her back to give it to Tessa. Her expression was blank as she stared at Meg.

James whistled in the cell beside them. ā€Ye fucked up.ā€ Megā€™s glare turned on him and he stepped away from the bars. She turned her attention back to the women before her. ā€Iā€™m listening.ā€ She took note of the fact that Eva now stood between them. The girl was going to get herself killed one day doinā€™ that. Tessa sighed once again. She took her hat, placed it on her head, and walked around Eva until she came face to face with Meg.

ā€œThe long answer,ā€ Tessa started. ā€œI was at a whorehouse and met this lass. The lass told me she had.. No family left. As you know.. I donā€™t have any family. But I found one here on this ship. I figured ā€™oi, this young lass could use some help.ā€™ So.. I helped. Stuffed her in a barrel and here we are now.ā€ She paused a moment for it to sink in as she hoped nothing about her gave away this this was only half the truth. ā€œIā€™m sorry I hadnā€™t told you from the start, Captain. But I knew where we were going and that we didnā€™t need anyone new,ā€ She added, then stood and waited for a reply. Eva just smiled as Tessa spoke. She gave the woman a quick and tight hug from behind once she finished speaking. Evangeline was grateful and now in debt to Tessa.Though, Tessa still owed her that drink.

Meg sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, the skin tight around her eyes. ā€If you had told me sooner, it wouldā€™ve been fine.ā€ She looked up at Tessa, their blue eyes meeting. ā€But you went behind me back and you hid her.ā€ She motioned down at Rosia, still tied up. ā€Now you go and do this?ā€ She sighed, her shoulders rising with command, but slowly as if they were pushing up against an invisible weight. ā€One hour from the mast.ā€ She said simply. Tessa had been the one to string ā€˜em up so many a time. She knew what the punishment was without Meg needing to explain.

She kneeled beside her first mate, pulled the knife from her boot Meg knew she kept there, and cut her loose from the ropes. There was no untying a rope Riggknot had tied. ā€I was planning on leaving you in charge of the ship. Iā€™ll have to leave Vera to that.ā€ She returned the knife to her first mate, handle out with one hand and helped her up with the next.

Rosia wiggled out of the ropes and stood up with the help of Meg, and putting her knife back in her boot, nodding her head and thanking her captain. Rosia looked over at Tessa. ā€œYe still a turncoat...ā€ Rosia said with a slight smirk, she wasnā€™t one to hold grudges, plus it would entertain her to see Tessa hanging from the mast. Meg shot her a warning look before walking back towards the steps and up to the deck to give orders.

ā€All hands to the deck!ā€ She yelled as loudly as she could, her voice edged with anger. They would know she meant business. Once her crew assembled, she began. ā€Weā€™re going onto the island for supplies. I will be going ashore with Rosia, Vale, Sunni, Bill, and Philip. Jules, Rudy, and Eva will stay on the ship. Vera will be left in charge. And Tessa.ā€ Meg paused. Upset at the words that were about to leave her mouth. ā€Tessa is to hang by her ankles from the mast while we are gone.ā€ While she didnā€™t normally explain her orders, she felt this one needed an explanation. ā€While I donā€™t punish me crew for small indiscretions such as bringing aboard a new crew member, Tessa did so behind me back and was found tying up the first mate below deck. Because of her actions, she must undergo this punishment. Alone.ā€

She pointed to the horizon. ā€We meet back here when the sun is three hands high off the horizon. Dismissed.ā€

Setting

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Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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| Master Gunner |
| #B02E04 |
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It had been a long four days. There was tension among the crew members, not violent tension, but tension nonetheless. Jules tried to stay out of it as much as possible, and instead woke up early every morning, did the usual morning gun rounds with the gunners, and stayed on deck, usually with a cigar, until midday. Then they did the rounds again, and Jules supervised his crew, especially little Rudy, to ensure everything was done professionally and quickly.

On the second day, Jules finally noticed the new young woman on the ship, somehow not noticing her at dinner the night before. He asked her questions about herself, and she called him Mama Bear teasingly. She was a polite girl, vaguely secretive, but werenā€™t they all. Jules hadnā€™t seen James all that much. Heā€™d delivered food once or twice, and the two had made some effort to talk to one another, but it was odd. Jules supported both Meg and James, each for different reasons, and he wasnā€™t quite sure how to express that to either person.

On the fourth day, he heard the call of land ho! from the deck, and looked out at the approaching island. He adjusted the black band around his arm. Two months, five days, and thirteen hours. He had no idea how long he would keep count for, but the guilt still ate at the back of his mind and he took a drag from the cigar in his hand. It was, at least, a sunny day, that made the guilt feel a little less intrusive. Steps sounded coming up from the brig, and Hellfire made her way purposefully on deck.

ā€Capā€™n on deck,ā€ Jules muttered under his breath, and put out his cigar between his calloused fingers and sticking it in his chest pocket.

ā€All hands to the deck! Weā€™re going onto the island for supplies. I will be going ashore with Rosia, Vale, Sunni, Bill, and Philip. Jules, Rudy, and Eva will stay on the ship. Vera will be left in charge. And Tessa.ā€ Meg paused. ā€Tessa is to hang by her ankles from the mast while we are gone. While I donā€™t punish me crew for small indiscretions such as bringing aboard a new crew member, Tessa did so behind me back and was found tying up the first mate below deck. Because of her actions, she must undergo this punishment. Alone. We meet back here when the sun is three hands high off the horizon. Dismissed.ā€

Julian raised an eyebrow and turned to Riggknot, eyeing her hatless form. That story was a bit unlike her, but Jules brushed it off and made eye contact with Eva, who was holding the little bird that the crew had taken a liking to, and Riggknotā€™s hat. Interesting. He gestured his head towards the usual place of punishment.

ā€Been awhile since weā€™ve had to string anyone up, ey?ā€ he moved up behind Riggknot after Meg was off and nudged her with his elbow. ā€Shame its gotta be you. But donā€™t worry, Iā€™ll do the tyinā€™ and I wonā€™t do it as tight as you do, Iā€™m not as skilled as you anyhow, none o' us are.ā€

As much as Jules wanted to stretch his land legs, he understood that it was important for the Master Gunner to stay on deck in case something were to happen or an attack were to occur. Heā€™d much rather a quiet day anyway, not sure that he could handle the business of trade and crew's rambunctious nature at the moment. He made his way over to the mast to start preparing the usual tie-up.

Passing Bill on his way, he turned to his friend and flipped him three silver. ā€Oy, pick me up some tobacco and leaves, Iā€™m runninā€™ low.ā€ Bill knew what he liked. Heā€™d tobacco habit a few years ago, after the militia, where most of the other men smoked. He had never invested in a pipe, instead using leaves to wrap makeshift cigars, something odd for someone who worked around gunpowder so often. Of course, he never lit one below deck , and only ever smoked on a clear day, over the gunwale above the water, to avoid any danger.

When he reach the yardarm, he reached up and began the tie, and then turned back the Hellfire, now prepping her little departure crew.

ā€ ā€™ow long is this t' be for, cap?ā€ Hopefully not too long, Jules wasnā€™t a punishment sort of mood. Sometimes, especially when Riggknot wasnā€™t the one being strung up, this whole process could be rather fun. But if most of the crew would be off-ship, and he had to do the tying, it wasnā€™t as nice of a process. He could only hope this wouldnā€™t be too long a punishment, Eva was a nice girl anyway, not that this mattered to Riggknot's participation in bringing her aboard, but Hellfire seemed to like her enough to keep her. He looked around at the rest of the faces of the crew, wondering which of the other members could have been an accomplice in the endeavor. Perhaps there was more to do today than Jules had originally planned. That was good, he supposed, despite his reluctance for punishment. It would keep his mind off Armand. An interesting day had begun.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Callie Avis Character Portrait: Julian Bailey
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XXXXMeg walked away from the mast and over to the row boats the crew had readied at the side of the ship for them. She tried to ignore the voices around her. She didn't want to hear the criticism from her crew, her family, for the decision she made. But there were rules, codes, that they followed and if they didn't respect them, there had to be consequences. Otherwise, there would be chaos on her ship. And Chaos... is not what she wanted. She walked up to Eva, wanted to make sure she knew what she was getting into, and said, "I don't know if Tessa informed you, but the ship you're on... Is headed for death. We're after a treasure no one has ever found and many have died trying. Those on the ship right now chose this. You haven't. You have the hour to decide if you'd like to stay or leave." Right before she stepped onto the boats, she heard a deep, rumbling voice behind her. She sighed, knowing the voice of her master gunner and turned. Most of the fight leaving her. "One hour," she said to him, "An hour and a half at the most."

Right after, Sunni walked up beside them. She smiled softly at her and said, "Lets go." She turned, climbed into the boat, and waited for the others to join them. Once everyone had climbed into the rowboats, she ordered them to lower, and just like that, she was off the ship. The water beneath her was as smooth and clear as a plane of glass. The ripples the rowboats caused were like dancing wraiths beneath the waves. She wanted to reach down and touch the water, to feel its cool touch kiss her fingers, but they were here for a reason.

As the boats reached the shore, she leads the others through the trees and towards where she knew the storage bunker was located. "We're here for water mostly. If there are things we are in need of, make sure to take it, but don't take everything. We can't have them suspecting they're being robbed from. A few things go missing, could be chopped up to error. We take it all, and they'll move their stores." She pulled a folded piece of parchment from her corset and handed it to Vale. "This is a list of things Vera has requested from us." Her eyes softened, apology written in her blue eyes. "Please gather them for her."

As they continued through the trees, she looked behind her at Sunni, watching her reactions to the world around her. "Figured you'd want to stretch your legs after being cooped up on the ship so long. We weren't able to take you with us at port." All the fire was gone from her eyes. All the fight. Her friend went behind her back to bring on another mouth to feed. "It'll be a bit of heavy lifting, but if we can find medical supplies for you, think it would be worth it?"

She resisted the urge to reach for her hand. "Is there anything you'd want to see?"

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Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Evangeline Casper Character Portrait: Julian Bailey Character Portrait: Timothy Rundell
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Four long days. The stranger aboard the ship, or Eva as she was called, spent her days with Tessa, or talking with James in the brig. Each and every time Rudy saw her, he made a point to huff and look away. He'd spent his hours either helping Vera in the kitchen, or talking to Jules, Bill, or Rosia when things were calm. Mostly though, Rudy had played his games whenever his cleaning duties were resolved. Well, mostly resolved. Cleaning a ship from top to bottom was hard, especially with naught but a scrub-brush. Phillip hadn't even let Rudy steer the ship since that first launching from the ports. Something or other about the importance of keepin track of the waves and the stars. Mostly, he was met with drunken banter and excuses that seemed as shakey as a landowner's sea legs. On the good nights, he slept above deck, but on the rougher ones, it was within the battery. The bitter, smell of gunpowder and cannon polish, mixed with the latent brass, wood, and sea of the world around him became his comfort smells. The most eventful thing to happen, from Rudy's perspective at least, was his attempt to swindle some of the more potent drinks from the ship's stores.

It was only when they had approached thier next destination did the monotony change. Jules, the rest of the gunner crew, and the whole ship seemed to come to life in and of itself. Hustle and bustle, commands being barked from the top to the bottom, each and every available hand bringing the crew to come to rest just beyond thier target. Again, Rudy was left with the very important task of lookout. What exactly he was to lookout for had been left unclear, as there hadn't been any sign of King's men for quite some time. At first he was thinking to lookout for strangers, but the last time they found one, they'd recruited her. And so, Rudy sat in the crow's nest, a beautiful brass and copper spyglass resting in his hands. He'd been scanning the island shores and culverts for any sign of... anything but pretty much found what he'd expected to see. Dusty sandbanks, tropical trees and half-marshes of submerged jungle. It was a beautiful untamed locale. If only those bastard teachers could see him now. Who needs to read books when you got views like this?

Finally he turned his attention down towards the ship. Vera was down there somewhere. He knew Meg had wanted her aboard, keeping an eye on the new girl. Rudy wasn't sure why it mattered someone kept an eye on her or not, the girl had that air of lightness, dreaminess, of far-fetched dreams. The kind of girl who could be thrown anywhere, crack a smile and reach towards her skybound dreams. Rudy knew her kind well. Back on the mainland, amid the endless readings from scripture and the time spent cleaning the nooks and crannies of the church, a single other girl always seemed to drift in and out. The nuns had said she was homeless, and that it was only her faith in the Almighty that kept a smile on her face, food in her stomach, and coin in her hand. Rudy had always suspected thievery or even that her dumb smiles got pity from seabound men, and in their infinite shortsightedness, gave chunks of their wages to help keep her aloft. At least, that's what the other owl-faced acolyte kept saying. So in the end, it didn't matter who kept on eye on her, sheā€™d manage to find trouble one way or the other. Almost as if on cue, Meg burst out from the lower decks of the ship. She seemed angry. If Rudy knew anything from living on this ship, it was that Hellfire earned her name. She was steaming. Announcements were made, but only the most prominent was heard.

ā€œTessa is to hang by her ankles from the mast while we are gone.ā€

Rudy was surprised. He'd been waiting for the upstart, but not for Tessa to be involved. She was strong, firm, quiet, and grouchy for sure, but also didn't seem like the kind who would take the bait often left by those like Evaā€™s kind. He sighed. He needed to let them cool down first, before he stepped down to figure out what was going on. He pulled out his grubby, misshapen cards. The 8th of spadesā€™ corner was completely torn now, but Rudy shuffled them as good as he could anyway, and set up a game of Patience. Halfway through, the Captain disembarked. Rudy didn't bother looking up. The sound of ropes and knots being toyed with pinged a long discordant tune, as if the strings of a massive instrument had been plucked. It was only when Rudy reached again for that 8 of Spades did a sharp, throaty Kaw interrupt his train of thought.

Rudy snapped to attention. A large, black-beaked, bird sat at the edge of the nest, watching Rudy with a single glossy, midnight eye and the remaining crew with the other. It was a Raven. A bird of vile connotations sent from the pits of the underworld to plague the world of the living with terror and misfortune. It was a creature of infinite bad luck, and a premonition of terrible things to come. A living bad omen. Still, Rudy watched the creature. There's no way it was here for them, right? No nobody else could see the bird, But that would meanā€¦ This bird is for me..

A chill ran down Rudy's spine. He looked for something to toss at the bird, and dug through his pockets when he didn't find anything. Finally his fingers grabbed something hard and smooth. In one fluid motion he pulled out a dark brassy something and threw it straight at the fiendish bird. The brass rivet scrap sailed off the edge of the nest, and the raven took to the sky with another menacing Kaw. Rudy couldn't bring himself to move for a few seconds. He needed a minute to calm and collect himself. Finally, looking around the edge of the nest for any sign of Meg, he swung his legs over onto the ladder and began his descent. He needed to be near people now, damned if he was disobeying the Captain's orders, everyone else was doing it, why shouldn't he?

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Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: William Morgan III Character Portrait: Julian Bailey
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T H EXxN A M E L E S SXxH E L M S M A NXXX||XXXB O S U NXxB I L LXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXX.XPHILIP WALKERXXX||XXXWILLIAM MORGAN III
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"I swear an oath to ye. I saw more than three, over near the horizon."
Philip frowned and stared out at the open waters. He was convinced he'd seen a whole swarm of mermaids, even if Bill refused to believe him. He'd just been checking the roughness of the seas when he saw them, well, their tails. Well, what he thought was their tails. All he'd really seen was a few sparkly dots that looked like the mermaids the legends told of.

"Ye liar! Mermaids don' come up. They stay many fathoms below th' surface, Nameless."

The rowboats had finally reached the land. Bill's arms were aching and his sore muscles were bugging him the whole day, but he tried to ignore it. A pirate's sore muscles were a pirate's least worrisome problems. Bill dragged himself out of the rowing boat, adjusting to the hard surface beneath his boots. "Nameless?"

Philip slowly stretched himself out of the rowboat, already feeling the gloom of being on land. He was a child of the sea and would be for the rest of his days. "Aye Bosun Bill?"

"Hellfire wants us to carry the heavy things. We better get goin', lad." Bill frowned.

"Me and ye?" Philip asked eyeing Bill's lanky build, knowing that his own was no better. "The Cap'n would'a been better bringin the little lad along."

"Exactly, Nameless."

As they continued, they went through some trees and reached storage bunker.

"We're here for water mostly. If there are things we are in need of, make sure to take it, but don't take everything. We can't have them suspecting they're being robbed from. A few things go missing, could be chopped up to error. We take it all, and they'll move their stores."

"Aye Cap'n." Philip said without a hint of his earlier disdain, ever since that night the girls went to retrieve the map, Philip had been on his best behaviour around Meg. And he'd rather not question how he escaped any real punishment for his drunken behaviour.

"Arright, Nameless, let's carry som' very light barrels of water."

"Aye, maybe just'a tankard of water." Philip said once he was out of Meg's earshot.

"If ye do that, you'll end up with a rusted piece o' metal in yer arse." Bill joked, making his way into the storage bunker.

"Oof. Ye'd be knowin' how that feels then?" Philip asked as he found the barrels of water at the back. The lot of them looked big and heavy, Philip's back and arms ached already at the thought of it. "We be takin' back one between us then? Cap'n did say not to be takin' everything."

"What, Nameless, too weak to hold a barrel fo' yourself?" Bill chuckled as he tried lifting a barrel of water. It was slightly moist at the bottom and 'Water' was carved into its top. He strained, quickly putting it back down. "Ye, one barrel fo' both of us." He panted. The humid air around him and the heaviness of the barrel caused him to shortly sweat profusely. "WE NEED JULES HERE!"

Philip couldn't help a booming laugh at Bill's display of 'strength', and even slapped the barrel. "Jules be busy runnin' the ship. Notice the Cap'n didn't be leavin' ye in charge." Then Philip grabbed one side of the barrel, preparing for the tough walk back to the rowboats.

"Sweet little Hellfire migh' as well demote me to swabbie. She hung Tessa up, promot'd Rosie to her second and THREW JAMES INTO TH' BRIG, but that's a discussion fo' another time, Philip." Bill grabbed the other side of the barrel, waiting for Philip to walk back as his back was facing the exit.

Philip started walking backwards, with his head turned to make sure he didn't run into anything. Bill would rather steer him into trouble than direct him away from it. "Ye know I 'aint got much love for mutiny." He sighed, Bill and him had this conversation a lot, even though Philip had never been the most vocal pirate on James' side, he had a lot of allegiance to his old friend.

"Me neither, la-" As Philip started walking, Bill was interrupted and the barrel tipped to his side as his friend had turned his head. The heaviness of the object caused a great strain on his arms as he muttered quiet curses, barely managing to hold up the barrel. "Fook, fook, fook..."

Philip swung his head back to look Bill with a confused, yet slightly worried frown.

"Ya tipped the god dam' barrel to me side!" Bill winced as he painfully tipped the barrel back, maintaining the balance.

"Mother of sea beasts!" Philip cursed and almost dropped the barrel. "I thought death himself was coming for ye." Of course, Philip didn't care much that he caused his friend harm, he was more angry that Bill had made his heart race for a minute there.

They would eventually get the barrel onto the rowboat. It creaked slightly as it gained more weight.
Bill blinked. His eyes were burning as sweat dripped into them and he panted: "Two more..."

"Two?" Philip cursed under his breath. "What manner of water guzzling beasts has Hellfire got us carting across the seas?" Nevertheless he wiped away his sweat, tied his hair back and headed back to the storage bunker.

"I don' fucken know, Nameless." Bill shook his head, spraying gushes of his sweat everywhere as he also made his way back to the bunker.

By the time they had all three barrels of water on the rowboats, ready to be carted back to the Stardust, Philip's muscles were aching and his clothes were drenched in sweat. "I may as well 'ave taken a dip in the seas," he said as he collapsed onto the sand.

Bill collapsed next to him, pure sweat covering his body. "Aaff....aaa..." He could barely push out words as the hot sand stung into his sweat-covered skin. "Aff..."

"Now I be rememberin' why I was wantin' to be a helmsman." Philip said, wishing he was at the helm of the ship not lying in a pool of sweat and sand next to Bill. He could almost feel the cool air rushing off the waves and ruffling his hair.

"Now I be rememberin' why I was Boatswain!" Bill wiped sweat off his forehead. "I order the lads to do the work." He coughed.

Philip hoped the other's were almost done collecting the rest of the supplies. He sighed and looked out to the Stardust, bobbing up and down on the seas. "We needed Jules."

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Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Evangeline Casper Character Portrait: Callie Avis Character Portrait: Julian Bailey
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XXXX

Tessa followed Meg up to the dock. Though she knew the punishment and she was more than willing to take it, she wasnā€™t at all happy about it. And she wasnā€™t happy about what she had to do right now. ā€œEva,ā€ she started under her breath and leaned closer to the girl as she took her hat off her head. ā€œTake me hat to Vale,ā€ she paused a moment and said even more softly, ā€œplease,ā€ Then handed the hat to the smaller girl then walked out on deck.

Vera had spent the majority of the sailing day cooking; she used the meat scraps from the past few days to make some sausages. It was a grueling, slow, and messy task, so once she had set the completed meat-links to the side, she decided to take some time to herself. On the deck, she took in the sun, only to fall asleep under its warmth. As much as she needed it, the sleep was a fitful, uncomfortable one. Vera would have thanked Meg personally from rousing her if she hadnā€™t been too busy beginning to bark orders at her crew. She couldnā€™t help but scowl as she heard of Tessaā€™s wrongdoing. Werenā€™t Tessa and Rosia friends? At least, thatā€™s what Vera thought. Ah, well. Sometimes scraps happen...

As Meg spoke, Tessa listened. Her usual scowl was on her face and she wasnā€™t looking nowhere in particular. As the final orders were given and Jules came up to get this over with. She stopped herself from saying something along the lines of ā€™I coulda tied meself up, yaā€™knowā€™ thinking itā€™d sound too much like a joke. She followed Jules, ready to be hanged by her souls.

ā€œAye love,ā€ Jules grinned, knowing Tessa didnā€™t particularly enjoy his nickname for just about everyone on board. ā€œHere we go then.ā€ He grabbed the ropes and began to complete the complicated knot that would tie Tessa up just high enough so he could get her down again, which was relatively high because of his size. It took him a moment, much longer than it would have the famed Riggknot herself, but he tied it nonetheless, then took a step back and bowed her towards the knot. ā€œAfter you, madam.ā€

Tessa nodded as she mentally prepared herself to be upside down for an extended period of time. She stepped forward to the knot, taking a quick once over look at it to ensure she wonā€™t just fall. Then into the knot she stepped, one foot at a time.

Julian shook his head with laughter, as if he couldnā€™t believe he was actually doing this, then pulled down on the opposite rope, making sure Tessaā€™s head didnā€™t hit the deck. The rope pulled her up into the air over Jules head, and he watched her sway back and forth with the movement of the ship. ā€œDoinā€™ alright up there?ā€ He asked, as her face was now level with his, though turned upside down.

Tessa watched the world - or more like the ship - go from being right side up to upside down. She was a bit disoriented at first, but didnā€™t pay it much mind as everything slowly came to a gentle stray. ā€œAs alright as Iā€™d ever be in this position,ā€ she started then stared at Jules for a moment. ā€œYa know, you look a bit like a bearded wench from this angle.ā€

ā€œYou git,ā€ he nudged her gently, and she swayed more. ā€œAh, ya look pretty much thaā€™ same from this angle.ā€ He turned away to find if Vera was standing anywhere near them to see her reaction to the whole endeavor.

The whole situation made Vera uncomfortable. She didnā€™t enjoy the barbaric nature of these punishments. Of course, Meg had her reasons clearly. It often works, but it just as often doesnā€™t. Seeing Tessa hanging there caused her stomach to twist into knots. She approached Jules, unable to understand the almost gleeful look on his face. ā€œAye, leave her be, Jules,ā€ She scolded him, albeit half-heartedly. The absolute beast of a man would likely do as he pleases, but she hoped the title of ā€œin chargeā€ would help persuade him. ā€œSheā€™s already hanging. Donā€™t need to double the punishment by having you bat at her like a kitten.ā€

Jules jumped to attention, hand to his head in a salute. ā€œAye aye Madam captain in charge.ā€ He then went at ease, smiling down at Vera, who had a concerned look on her face. He patted her on the shoulder good-naturedly. ā€œSeriously love, though she may deserve it sometimes, I donā€™t like it as much as you do, jusā€™ havenā€™ some fun.ā€ He turned back to the woman hanging at his height. ā€œNow you jusā€™ let me know if ya start feelinā€™ queasy, ya hear? Rudy wonā€™t wanna have to swab thā€™ deck all over again.ā€ He turned back to Vera to see if she needed anything from him other than the usual arms checks.

Even though she knew he was teasing her, Vera couldnā€™t help but pout. She wasnā€™t put in charge very often, and it was something she quite enjoyed. ā€œQuit that!ā€ She huffed, landing a light slap on his arm. ā€œItā€™s no fun being punished, even with your charm and wit sprinkled about.ā€ Vera flashed her own grin, standing up a bit straighter. Unfortunately, as much as she can try, she would never be at eye level with Jules and his immense stature. ā€œDonā€™t you have something you should be doing? Make yourself useful,ā€ She continued with her chiding tone, almost like a mother speaking to her son.

Jules huffed and pouted childishly down at her, crossing his arms. ā€œYes mum, I mean maā€™am.ā€ he replied to her chastising tone, then waved a hearty goodbye at both Tessa and Vera and made his way over to join the gunner crew, currently playing cards on the starboard side of the deck. He sat down among them, making a few of them jump, and waved at Rum to deal him a hand, simultaneously pulling out his cigar and lighting it with a match that he promptly threw overboard so as not to catch the entire damn ship on fire. He would play until it was time to order the crew to get off their lazy arses and get to work, all the while keeping an eye on Tessa to make sure she was still alive and kicking.

Vera had to bite her tongue to stop another sharp remark directed at Jules. She couldnā€™t help but let out a sigh, one of both relief and stress, as he wandered off the rally his own little crew. Vera was now able to return all of her attention to Tessa, who was hanging several inches higher than the top of her head. She paused, unsure of what to say. Eventually, a soft, ā€œSorryā€¦ā€ slipped out, buying her time to think of what she actually wanted to say. ā€œIā€™ll be around. So will Jules. If you need anything, just shout, alright?ā€

When Tessa heard the soft word of sorry come from Vera, she tilted her head up - well more like downwards to look at her face. When she finished speaking, Tessa blinked at her a few times. ā€œOi now,ā€ she started. ā€œNo need to be sorry. To be perfectly honest, this is quite...ā€ she paused trying to think of the right word. ā€œRelaxing,ā€ she tried to shrug.

Vera couldnā€™t help but chuckle at that. ā€œIt must be, not having to run around and work.ā€ She agreed, allowing a small but genuine smile to show. ā€œLike what Iā€™ve got to do now.ā€ The smile faded as quickly as it appeared. As much as Vera was grateful to be on the ship, nobody enjoyed the manual labor. Ah, well, it could be worse. ā€œIā€™ve got to clean the storeroom. Iā€™ll be back to check on you in a bit.ā€ With that, Vera turned and walked to the stairs leading to the storage.

In the blink of an eye, thirty minutes had passed. Veraā€™s pale orange dress was dusted with dirt and grime now. She had spent all of that time gathering together any rotten perishable foods. It was a grueling, gross task that had to be done often to keep their supplies free of additional germs and vermin. The crew on land would be back soon to refill their stocks, and Vera wasnā€™t even half done. With a groan, she hoisted up a bucket of grime and carried it up on deck. She promptly tossed its contents overboard where they belonged. Before diving back into her task, Vera cast a glance at Tessa, who, shockingly, hadnā€™t moved from her hanged position. She approached, both wanting to check on the woman and a break from her task.

While tied upside down from the mast, Tessa had a lot to think about. Mainly how she got into this situation and placing all blame on one in particular person who shall not be named. And as the minutes continued on and blood continued rushing to her head, this made Tessa a bit more that talkative. ā€œOi, itā€™ll be fine! Oi, she wonā€™t get caught! Fuckinā€™ knew this was gonna happen, hadnā€™t I! Oh, but was me own fault, werenā€™t it? Fuckinā€™ barrel. A barrel! Lass donā€™t know how to take a joke, ay?ā€ She let out a long sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a growl. ā€œI fuckinā€™ hate everythinā€™ now, donā€™t I,ā€ she added in a dead paned tone then closed her eyes to just hang there and breathe.

Vera could hear Tessa cursing to herself before she even approached. Upon hearing about the barrel, she realized the woman was talking about sneaking Eva onto the ship. Curious. She hadnā€™t pegged Tessa as the one. Regardless, she walked over, mucky bucket still in hand. ā€œTessa.ā€ She spoke her name, hoping to catch her attention. Vera then hesitated. An idea popped into her head. It was a stupid one, but she hated seeing her friend suffer like this. It would upset Meg, but it would also get the storeroom cleaned faster. ā€œI know Me-... I know Captain isnā€™t back yet, but I need your help. Iā€™m not going to get this mess cleaned up in time. I need to cut you down.ā€

Tessa looked in the direction her name came from and watched Vera as best she could. Her eyes widened however at Veraā€™s statement. ā€œAre ya sure you wanna be doin that, Vera?ā€ Tessa paused a moment and looked to the deck below her then back to Vera. ā€œActually.. Iā€™d mighty appreciate it.ā€

Vera hesitated. ā€œIā€™m not entirely sure, but Iā€™m going to do it anyways,ā€ She then nodded, as if the reassure herself, while moving towards the knot that Jules had tied. It was slightly over her eye level, which isnā€™t surprising considering who had tied it. Vera wasnā€™t great with knots or ropes, so it took a few moments of observing to figure out what she needed to pull. Upon working it, it came undone. Now, Vera isnā€™t as frail as she seemed, but Tessa also wasnā€™t as light as she seemed, so once the knot was undone the rope jerked upward. If it wasnā€™t for her quick instincts, she would have missed grabbing the rope. The momentum pulled her a few inches off her feet, but she slid back down slowly. After letting out a stressed breath, she slowly lowered Tessa from the mast. ā€œThat could have gone terribly,ā€ Vera commented, unable to keep the smile from growing on her face.

ā€œRight, I couldā€™ve fell on my head,ā€ Tessa said as she was lowered. Once she was on the ground, she sat up and looped the ropes off of her fairly easily. It wasnā€™t until she stood up however that she felt the effects of being vertically inverted.

Jules noticed the interaction between the two women from across the deck, and made no move to stop Vera from taking down the tied up rigger, who, after being untied, looked a bit unstable on her feet. No, he didnā€™t mind at all, in fact, he agreed with Veraā€™s decision. He turned back to the card game at hand, smiling to himself at the mercy embedded in Veraā€™s bones. He agreed, allies were made to help, not hang.

Vera let out a nervous laugh before speaking, ā€œYeah, that wouldnā€™t ā€˜ave been good.ā€ But as Tessa stood up, Vera prepared herself, knowing what would come next. She lowered her stance, increasing her balance, and held her arms out to help steady Tess. ā€œEasy, careful.ā€ She spoke softly.

At that, Tessa lost balance and went to wrap her arms around the closest thing. Which was Vera. She ended up more or less hugging Vera. ā€œTisā€™ like beinā€™ drunk without the good taste anā€™ feelin,ā€ Tessa complained.

Tessaā€™s loss of balance was expected, so once she fell upon Vera, Vera held fast. One hand rested on the taller womanā€™s waist, while the other gripped under her arm to keep her from collapsing. ā€œEasy now,ā€ She repeated, though the kindness in her voice didnā€™t change, ā€œGive it a minute. Youā€™ll get your bearings soon. Just breathe.ā€

After a few minutes and some steady breathing later, Tessa slowly stood on her own trying to make sure she was steady enough. After a few more moments, she gave a quick nod and looked to Vera. ā€œThank you,ā€ She started then took a quick look around deck before she looked back to Vera. ā€œSo, boss, whatā€™ll you have me doing again?ā€

The pout from earlier returned. ā€œOi, Iā€™m put in charge for the mere hour and you all decide to tease me about it. Perhaps I should have left you tied up there,ā€ Vera crossed her arms and glared at Tess, though the glare was more akin to the fierceness of a kitty. It wasnā€™t long before her gaze softened. ā€œ... I didnā€™t mean that.ā€ She mumbled, glaring down at the ground. It was then that she saw her bucket and was reminded of her job. ā€œOh yes! The storage room! Itā€™s a mess. I swear, I send Rudy down there to get one thing and itā€™s a disaster soon after.ā€ She picked up her bucket again and started her way towards the stairs. ā€œFruits and vegetables fall to the ground and rot, mold starts to spread, you get the idea. Just need to make sure our food is stored in a clean place. I wanted to get it done before the others return with the new stock but I knew I couldnā€™t do it alone. Henceā€¦ā€ She then gestured to Tessa. ā€œThat andā€¦ā€ Vera bit into her plump bottom lip: a nervous habit. ā€œI couldnā€™t stand to see you like that.ā€ She looked away from Tessa, hoping she wouldnā€™t notice her pained expression accompanied by a certain tightness in her chest.

A small amused smile made its way onto Tessaā€™s face at the last bit Vera had said. ā€œOi now, donā€™t feel bad,ā€ Tessa started as she made her way over. ā€œI am immensely grateful to you lettin me down,ā€ she gave a small bow with that amused look on her face growing slightly before standing and heading to the stairs. ā€œAlright, letā€™s get to cleaning, Honorary Captain Vera,ā€ she said as she walked.

ā€œYouā€™re welcome,ā€ The comment was rather sharp, implying that Vera didnā€™t want to speak on the subject matter much more. Once they wandered their way down to the storage room, it was obvious which side of the space was clean and what was dirty. In the middle of the room was a broom, mop, another bucket of fresh water to clean with, and some rags. ā€œNow, instead of hanging, your punishment will be to clean this retched place with me before the others get back. A truly equal punishment, no?ā€ She smirked, placing her trash bucket down. ā€œNow get to work, you lazy sack of bones.ā€ The tease was made in jest, apparent by the light laugh that followed.

At the ā€™ordersā€™, Tessa did what she was told and began cleaning. Vera worked alongside her, scrubbing mold and tossing the dirty remain in the bucket. The only solace she had was in knowing that she could take a nice bath after this. But until then, she was stuck here, cleaning with Tessa, anticipating what punishment may throw at her. ā€œHey, Tessaā€¦ā€ Vera finally broke the silence. Her words were cautious; she didnā€™t want to upset Tess or make an enemy of anyone else. ā€œWhen Megā€¦ When the Captain announced your punishment, she said you tied up Rosie. What was that about?ā€

With a sigh, Tessa dreaded needing to try to explain without revealing that she twisted the truth. Though she wondered if Vera could be trusted. Then a thought came to her. Of course Vera can be trusted, you dolt! She let out another sigh, this one a bit more relieved than the previous one, and paused her cleaning to turn to Vera. ā€œIt was because I know how she is, Vera.. though, yes, it may have made things worse. For me,ā€ She paused a moment, unsure of how to go about this and decided to present a question of her own. She took a step forward, leaned on her broom, and locked eyes with Vera. ā€œVera, do ya know how Eva got aboard?ā€

Vera couldnā€™t stop her curt chuckle as soon a Tessa spoke of Rosia. She as well very much did know how the young woman could be. However, upon being asked about Eva, Vera grew much more curious. ā€œI have no idea, genuinely. I just happened to be giving James his dinner when she stumbled out from behind a barrel.ā€ Vera was being truthful; she really had no idea where Eva came from.

At hearing about how Vera found Eva, Tessa put her hand to her face in disappointment. ā€œFuckinā€™ idoit,ā€ she mumbled then let out a sigh and looked back to Vera. ā€œI want ya to hear me out on this and know that I was pulled into this mess. And the barrel was a fuckin joke that someone thought I was being serious about,ā€ She started. ā€œYouā€™ll needā€™ta ask Vale about that but theyā€™re like family. And, in short, Vale wasnā€™t allowed to stay so the kit-fuck! So Eva had to come. Anā€™ we put ā€˜er in a barrel.. Anā€™ carried ā€˜er on,ā€ Tessa more or less mumbled the last bit as fast as she could. ā€œAnā€™ now listen, donā€™t tell Meg about Vale.. I may have twisted the story a tad to where she wasnā€™t there,ā€ She added then stopped and waited for a reaction.

Eager for details, Vera leaned forward. Her eyes widened over time, but once Tessa stopped speaking, she forced her face to return to a normal expression. ā€œMy. Thatā€™sā€¦ quite the tale.ā€ She hesitated, not quite sure of what to say. ā€œWell.ā€ She sighed, ā€œI trust Vale. If she brought Eva aboard, she must really care about her. And the lass must have been in a shit place. It takes a lot for someone to board a ship, not knowing if theyā€™ll ever return.ā€ For a moment, her gaze seemed to unfocus as she looked off, somewhere past Tessa. She blinked once, snapping out of it only to stare back down at the rag in her hand. ā€œIā€™m guess Rosie found out? Not sure why youā€™d try to truss her up. It wouldnā€™t have lasted very long.ā€ She continued to work while speaking, not once looking up now.

ā€œHadnā€™t thought about that,ā€ Tessa said softly as she looked out over the room. It just occurred to her that Eva had dropped everything to board a ship just because Vale was on it. Then when Vera spoke about Rosia, she scoffed as she resumed cleaning. ā€œMore like accused me. She may have been partly right, but she only figured me. And I knew it wouldnā€™t last long,ā€ she paused a moment as she thought about saying something else then decided to stop herself. She hoped that wasnā€™t too obvious.

Vera stopped her scrubbing to tilt her head up, allowing her to make eye contact with Tessa from where she was crouched on the ground. ā€œThat it?ā€ She let out a short laugh, ā€œThat was your plan?ā€ She cast her a playful smile before going back to cleaning. ā€œNot a very good one, love.ā€

Tessa rolled her eyes at this and continued cleaning. She did her best to avoid looking at Vera as she spoke. ā€œNo, that wasnā€™t the plan atā€™all. The plan was that if I was going to get caught, seeing Rosia I surly was, then Iā€™d make the punishment as hard as possible to take any suspicion off Vale,ā€ she paused but only for a second. ā€œOr anyone else that might have some suspicion. If I could take full blame, I would. Just so we donā€™t need to worry about this shit plan anymore,ā€ When she finished speaking she just continued cleaning as if nothing happened.

Hearing the words coming out of Tessaā€™s mouth made Vera pause. Having her explain this true act of kindnessā€¦ Veraā€™s chest swelled with warmth. A faint but natural and subconscious smile had spread her lips. It laced her tone with a much more happy, upbeat sound, ā€œIā€™ll be damned, Tess. Didnā€™t know you were so soft on Vale.ā€ Vera teased, glancing up from her work to see how the woman would react. ā€œItā€™s over and done with now. And likely for the best. Weā€™ve got Eva and board and as long as she provides useful, Captain wonā€™t have an issue.ā€ Speaking of this made her think about the time she had just joined. She was weaker then, more fragile, both physically and mentally. Although now she wasnā€™t exactly the picture of health, she does feel stronger. It may just be that she now has a real place where she can call home, or maybe it was the people who empowered her.

If there's one thing Tessa isn't used to it's being teased. Heat rushed to her face and she turned to Vera with a soft scowl. ā€œI ainā€™ soft!ā€ she yelled.

Tessa gave Vera the exact reaction she had been looking for. She giggled before responding, ā€œSure you arenā€™t, love. Whatever you saaayā€¦ā€ She trailed off before busying herself with her cleaning.

Conversation between the two lulled to a silence. It wasnā€™t tense or uncomfortable. The two just worked quietly, almost comforted by each otherā€™s presence. It wasnā€™t too long before Vera stood up and did a once over of the entire room. It wasnā€™t spotless, but it was considerably cleaner than it had been before. More clean meant less having to throw out ruined food. She wiped the sweat from her brow with her wrist because her hands were covered in grime. ā€œAlright, Tess. I think thatā€™s enough. Letā€™s dump this waste out and call it. The others should be back soon.ā€ She picked up one of the buckets full of nasty water and made her way to the stairs.

ā€œAye,ā€ Tessa nodded at what Vera said. She found herself feeling a bit proud at their work. Cleaning wasnā€™t much in Tessaā€™s eyes, but it sure was a hell of a lot easier than taking care of all of the rigging. Then again, she did like and take pride in her ropes and knots as well. With Vera leading the way, Tessa grabbed another of the dirty water buckets and followed.

Even though the two had been below deck for less than an hour, Vera welcomed the warm sunā€™s rays as she stepped on deck. With a pleased hum, she shut her eyes and tilted her head back, absorbing that lovely warmth. However, it was a short lived pleasure as she had to open her eyes and finish up her job. With a sigh, she tossed the murky water off the edge of the ship. Only after looking up from the clear ocean water did she see the crewā€™s boats approaching the ship once more.

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Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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xRosia ā€œJack" Hienrik


Everybody in the world knows

Everybody in the world knows
Everybody in the world knows
Everybody in the world knows

I'm a little twisted, twisted

I'm a little twisted, twisted
I'm a little twisted, twisted
I'm a little twisted, twisted
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe Mate//#7C674A
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Rosia followed her captain upstairs and stood off to her captainā€™s side as she gave out everyoneā€™s orders. Rosia gave Vera a slight smile when Meg said she would be in charge, a little surprised but still happy for her. It also made sense to have Jules back on the ship in case another set of sails came into view and wasnā€™t exactly friendly, and little Rudy could be a help to Jules or Vera around the ship to prep for the rest of the journey to the lost treasure. Rosia gave one last look and nod to her crew mates staying on the ship before climbing down the side and into the stiffs to get to shore.

When they arrived on shore, Meg gave some follow-up instructions and warning them to take too much or next time they come here there might not be anything at all. Their first trip here, James made Rosia put back a couple of barrels of supplies because he knew they wouldā€™ve noticed if they took too much, and Rosia not really getting at first that they canā€™t just take everything. Rosia watched as every split up into groups. Meg walked off with Sunni following her, Bill and Nameless went in one direction rambling to each other as they got a couple barrels, so Rosia decided to go with Vale to get some of Veraā€™s supplies. It made sense why Meg didnā€™t give the list to Rosia, it wasnā€™t exactly a secret that Rosia couldnā€™t read so giving her a grocery list of items wouldnā€™t be beneficial.

ā€œOi Tempest, what the list say for Vera? What we need to scavenginā€™?ā€ Rosia asked as the two women walked a little ways looking for some food supplies and whatever else the list would say that Vera needed. Rosia skipped ahead of Vale a couple times, stopping and waiting for her to catch up with her walking speed. ā€œAye, can you believinā€™ it though? Riggknot beddinā€™ the stowaway before being seduce to sneak her on? Wonder if ye wonā€™t be the only one allowed to hold ā€˜er hat.ā€ Rosia said spinning around and giving Vale a light smirk with her last comment. She knew Vale and Tessa were close and wouldnā€™t pass up a chance to tease either one, plus Vale was less likely to throw something at Rosia than Tessa.

As the two women talked they finally found some barrels that seemed to be marked with letters and symbols, Rosia finding an empty barrel and started loading supplies from other barrels into it for them to take. After finding some of the items Vale had listed off to find, Rosia started being nosy and looking through a couple crates before finding a bottle of a golden color. She held it up out of the crate to get some light on it and attempt to read it, but the only word she was able to decipher was one of the first words Rosia had requested Vera to teach her, rum. ā€œEy! Found some sort of golden rum!ā€ Rosia said as she ran over to Vale, handing the bottle over to her. A couple seconds passed by as she read what Rosia couldnā€™t, revealing not only was it rum, but some quality Spanish rum. Both girls were a more than happy about their discovery and pinched the bottle away for later before finishing up and started heading back towards the ship, Rosia carefully rolling a barrel.

The hike back to the ship seemed a lot longer than the walk to the supplies, though that was probably because now they were coming back with more than they arrived with. Rosia rolled the barrel the row boat she had arrived on and heaved it into it, almost tumbling herself over. As she got in the boat with Vale, they floated behind their Captainā€™s boat and looked towards the Stardust, Rosia quickly noticing something was. ā€œWhy isnā€™t Riggknot hanginā€™?ā€ Rosia asked out loud, confused but also worried. Looking towards Meg, and seeing she wasnā€™t happy. As the group reached the ship, Rosia quickly climbed out of the boat up and behind Hellfire to see what was going on and what Hellfire was about to do. Whatever was about to happen, Rosia guessed it wouldnā€™t be too goodā€¦

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Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Evangeline Casper Character Portrait: Callie Avis
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Evangeline X
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Stowaway
#F54747
Once Tessa had taken her hat, Eva laced her fingers behind her back. She stayed still when Tessa went face to face with Meg. Her heart sped up as she grew nervous for Tessa. As she listened to Tessaā€™s ā€œlong answerā€, she was grateful the woman didnā€™t give Vale away. The story was simple, and Eva reran it in her head. She knew the details of the short story could become important later. When Meg replied, Eva wondered if they should just tell her the truth. Would Vale get in more trouble if Meg found out later? Maybe it wouldnā€™t matter later when, if, Meg found out. She pushed her thoughts away. Evangeline just watched as Meg helped Rosia from her predicament. She was glad to see that Rosia was okay after her tussle with Tessa.

Evangeline listened to Tessa as they followed Meg up to the dock. She couldnā€™t help the huge grin that graced her lips when Tessa said please. She wondered for a second if she could teach Tessa manners. Before she gave the idea anymore thought, she simply nodded in reply to Tessa. Once they were on the deck, Eva found Vale and gave her the hat. She quickly left Valeā€™s side once she gave her the hat. Eva knew she couldnā€™t explain what happened to Vale at that moment. Vale questioning her would likely have caused suspicion from Rosia and or Meg as well. She didnā€™t need Vale to get in trouble. Evangeline stroked Mangoā€™s little head as she listened to Meg speak. She had wanted to go on the island, but knew sheā€™d be more of a help on the ship. Eva didnā€™t plan on going against Megā€™s orders either.

All the blood seemed to have left Evaā€™s face, hands, and feet when Meg described Tessaā€™s punishment. Eva felt herself go cold. She couldnā€™t help, but fear for Tessaā€™s safety. Her own fear of heights made the fear worst. Evangeline pushed away the memory of what happened to Victoria when they were little girls. It was easy to do so as Meg came up to her then. Evangeline listened and knew she would be staying. James had mentioned Meg was on a suicide mission. Iā€™ll be heading for death with Vale and Tessa. If I can save one of their lives on this journey, then staying will be worth it.

As she thought, she watched Mama Jules deal out Tessaā€™s punishment. A chill ran down her back and her stomach tightened into a hard knot. She couldnā€™t watch Tessa just hang there. Sheā€™d be too tempted to take her down, and she knew thatā€™d piss Meg off. She stroked Mangoā€™s head once more as she went off to find Sharktooth. The woman had mentioned she wanted to catch some fish once they were docked. When Sharktooth decided they caught enough fish, they stopped working. Eva wiped the sweat from her face. She took in a deep breath as she took in the salty scent of the ocean. The scent was pleasant to her. As she looked around the ship, she spotted Tessa. Evangeline smiled. She was glad her punishment was over. Her gaze then went to blue ocean as she saw the crewā€™s boats approaching.

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Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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XXXXMeg's smile was soft a first. Guilt at Sunni's having to stay in medbay so often while they were on land dulled the edges. She claimed their find would be worth it which made Meg feel just a little bit better. A flush crawled up her face as Sunni mentioned liking to look at beautiful things, with her gaze trained on Meg. She handed her one of the flowers she had picked and Meg brought it up to her nose to sniff it. It didn't have much of a smell, but it was beautiful. Meg's first instinct was to tuck it behind her own ear, but the red would probably get lost in the red of her hair. So instead, she reached out, brushing Sunni's hair back from her ear and sliding the stem of the poppy behind it. Her pulse raced, her heart beating so loudly that even with the birds singing, she was sure Sunni could hear it. Being here, surrounded by life and sounds, the sunlight streaming through the treetops like a spotlight on her friend. On the girl who undoubtedly held her heart. If only Meg had the guts to tell her. Her fingers paused on Sunni's cheek, her hand cupping her face. It took everything in her not to close the space between them and kiss her.

She forced herself to pull her hand away and made her way out towards the others. "We should check on the others. Have to make sure Bill isn't drinking all the rum and Rosia isn't stuffing her pockets." It was largely a joke. She knew that Rosia would never go against her orders, but the thought of the woman with pockets full of different things she found only because they were things to take... made her smile a little. "How's the find?" She asked no one in particular. When she saw they had pretty much finished, guilt hit Meg between her shoulder blades. She hadn't been there to help them like a captain should. Like a quartermaster would have. Instead, she was picking flowers with her surgeon in the middle of an island jungle. She had responsibilities to her crew. She had to remind herself not to stray from them again.

As they made their way towards the boats, Vale had called out to them about a medical supply bunker. Despite her warnings to herself, she turned and grinned at Sunni. "Lets see what they have." The bunker was full of different medical supplies. Enough that they could take a quarter and it would probably still go unnoticed. However, Meg instructed Sunni to take what she needed. If something was too big or there was too much, Meg carried it for her. Once on the boats, Meg was full of pride. They had a good amount of supplies. Enough water to last them a good while. Medical supplies. Food. Each other... she thought, glancing at Sunni again. Meg warred internally with herself, debating whether or not she should finally tell her. Maybe it would help Meg stay in the right mindset when Sunni rejected her. The thought hurt. And the if Sunni rejected her, filled her with a buzz of nerves.

She was pulled from her thoughts as Rosia commented on Tessa no longer hanging. Meg looked up with a start. She was right. There was no Tessa hanging from the mast. Anger coursed through Meg as she wondered if Vera had even honored the punishment, to begin with. Meg was the first one on board, her fiery gaze searching for Vera. Once they landed on Tess, hatless and working hard in the sunlight and Vera working beside her. All the of the anger left her. Instead, she was left with a feeling of... emptiness. What good was a captain without respect from her crew? What good was a friend if she couldn't trust them? Instead of confronting them, she turned to make her way towards her quarters. She needed to be alone for a moment.

That's when she heard the thud. She turned, thinking Bill or Philip had dropped something. Panic and worry filled her at the sight of the unconscious Valentina on her deck. "Vale..." She whispered at first as the panic set in. "Vale!" She yelled, running to her navigator's side. The woman was pale, her breathing slow, and her skin was clammy. "Sunni! Tell me something! Anything." She touched Vale's face. Softly at first and then decided to see if one good smack would rouse her. She groaned but remained unresponsive. "Don't you die on me." She whispered so quietly that only Sunni would hear her. She thought back to the island. What could have happened? Was Vale sick before and just hadn't mentioned it? No... no she had been fine... right?

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Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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plague || the surgeon


Their moment alone, among the trees and the flowers and the sunlight, with Meg's hand on her cheek, made Sunni feel light-headed and breathless. It felt surreal, like a dream. There was a moment when Sunni was nearly leaning in to kiss Meg- and then reality returned as Meg moved her hand away and said they should check on the others. She stayed quiet as Meg checked on the others- but seeing the medical bunker they found made her break into a grin and made her good mood return. Taking as much as she deemed they could get away with, she carried it back to the boat with Meg's help.

Their discovery that Tess was no longer hanging changed the atmosphere. It suddenly felt like the hours before a storm, where everybody knows it's coming and nothing can be done. Meg would surely be furious, and a force to contend with. Juggling what she could, she started making her way down to the medbay, anxious to get away from the confrontation. But a thud, a sickening sound that Sunni instinctively knew wasn't just their precious stolen goods, made her turn, already running. Vale had collapsed, and Sunni's gut was telling her this wasn't good. She reached their navigator at the same time as Meg. "No-" she tried before Meg slapped her, before shaking her head. "Did she eat or drink anything on the island?" She asked, almost ordered, at those who had been around her. Meg's comment did nothing to settle Sunni's feeling of unease.

"Somebody, help me get her down to the medbay!" She yelled, already thinking. Vale had been apparently fine a few minutes ago, so this had to be fast onset. A weak pulse and weak breathing wasn't good. Then she remembered a conversation she'd overhead what felt like a long time ago, when she'd still been serving ale to rowdy sailors. The land king's men had made a rare stop off at the tavern, and had been boasting about all the ways they were going to catch and kill pirates. Traps. Nets and tripwires and...

Poison. She swore to herself in her native language, trying her best not to alert Meg. Trusting somebody would carry Vale down after her, Sunni all but sprinted down the steps down to the medbay, where she started opening books and searching through pages and passages. If she knew exactly what the poison was, she could cure it. But the symptoms were so generic, and so dangerous. Even Sunni felt unsure, and that wasn't good.

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Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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RiggknotX| | XMaster Rigger
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With the dirty water poured overboard and sight of the boats coming back to the crew, Tessa was preparing herself for a word. She knew perfectly well that Meg - The Captain - would not be happy seeing her down from hanging already. That and she really hoped that Meg wouldn't need to punish Vera now too. Maybe I can convince her that I had talked Vera into letting me down? No no, somethin' tells me Vera wouldn't like that. Maybe we should just be honest..? Tessa tried working out how the confrontation will go in her head. She felt that either way, whether she honest or not, it's going to be trouble.

With Meg and all coming back aboard, she was surprised when she saw Meg turn the other way. Was she not going to confront them? Part of Tessa felt guilty about that. But that left her when she saw Vale come aboard. Tessa's eyes narrowed as she watched her. Something wasn't right. And not a full moment later, Vale dropped. Without a second thought, Tessa made her way across the deck hurriedly. She got there just in time to see Meg give her a good smack across the face. If it had been at any other time, if it had been anyone else, and if it hadn't been a clearly unconscious Vale, Tessa would have slapped back, maybe even go as far to beat said abuser unconscious with the words of "No one's allowed to touch her." But this was different.

With wide eyes and everyone gathering around like they were, Tessa just watched unsure of what to do, hoping Sunni would bring some ease. But hearing her yell for someone to help her take down to med bay however, Tessa got even more scared. Then Bill stepped up to carry Vale without a word and, though Tessa was grateful, she let out a soft mutter of "Please don't drop her," then she followed closely behind them as they made their way down. She hoped - no, she prayed that Sunni would be able to do something, anything to help Vale. But she couldn't help but think the worse. What'll happen if I lose her? She thought. No, no, I can't. I won't. This kept going back and forth in her mind as she walked, or ran, behind Bill with Vale in his arms. "You need to be okay," She said quietly looking at Vale just as they made it to med bay.

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A few Days Later
---------------------------

XXXX"Just. Fucking. Brilliant," Meg muttered under her breath as another wave bashed into the side of the ship. Her hands were already cramping from holding on to the helm so tightly. The salt water and force of the waves weren't helping. She gritted her teeth as she locked her stance in an attempt to be immovable. She had relieved Philip not too long ago. Can't have one man at the helm at a time like this. Too long and he could weaken and lose control. It was best to take shifts. It would've been better to have her navigator on deck but since the island... Meg shook her head and thoughts flew into the sea of her mind. She couldn't think about Vale now. She couldn't allow the guilt to gnaw at her bones.

Her crew needed her.

The storm had been raging only a short while, but it was one of the strongest--if not the strongest-- storms Meg had ever sailed in. "Bill! Make sure every man has a lifeline!" She called out to her Boatswain. "I don't want to lose a single crew member to the sea!" She grunted under the weight of the wheel and suddenly regretted her decision to take over. "Philip!" She called out to her crew, hoping he wasn't far and that the wind wouldn't cover her shout. "Either take the wheel back or find someone who can!" She wasn't about to voice her regret. "Julian! Stow the guns!" She tried to make a tally of her crew based on what she could see, but a wave slapping into the side of the ship sent salt water stinging into her eyes and she resisted the urge to rub them with her hands. After all, they were a little preoccupied.

She knew that Sunni was in the med bay working on a way to fix Vale. She hoped her rigger was out--already tied to the ship-- and finishing up on the masts before the winds tore 'em in two. Bill was on deck, she could hear him giving orders to the [NPC] crew. Philip had been relieved of his position temporarily, though Meg did wish he'd take it back. She wasn't sure where Vera was but prayed she was safe. Same went for her first mate, wherever she was hiding. She hoped little Rudy had been the first to be tied to the ship since he was so small. Her heart suddenly ached for her crew. If only she could lock 'em up like James so she knew where they were and that they were safe instead of this chaos.

James... the poor sod was still down in the brig. Meg ignored her wonderings--not for the first time, mind you--if their bad luck the past few days had been due to the fact that Midas was below decks as a prisoner and not above them and free. Which also brought to mind little Eva who had taken to following Vera around the ship. Meg still couldn't believe that Tessa hadn't told her about the stowaway and she also couldn't believe that Vera would disobey her orders like that. A bit of her hellish flame went out. No one was taking her seriously. Maybe she wasn't going to be the captain she thought she could be.

Without respect, how could she keep a ship in order and a crew from falling apart?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: William Morgan III
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J U L I A NX| | XD R A G O N

| Master Gunner |
| #B02E04 |
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Julian was ready to step forward to defend Riggknot at little Jackā€™s announcement. As much as he mothered the girl, she was quite loyal to Hellfire, something he wasnā€™t sure he was comfortable with just yet. He looked over to the non hanging woman and nodded his support after flicking the last of his cigar overboard. Then Vale fell, and fell hard.

He dashed forward with the captain and reached out as Bill grabbed the woman, and Jules placed a heavy hand on Hellfireā€™s shoulder. How much could go wrong in one day.

***

Jules leaned back and watched the pensive captain as she gripped the helm so hard her knuckles turned blue. She was angry and tired, and nothing had worked out as well as the rest of them thought it would. Jules had taken to calling her captain now, it seemed appropriate after the time had passed, and though he had visited James down in the brig, there had been no efforts that he knew of to overthrow Hellfire. Which he had resigned himself to willingly. Rebellion was too time-consuming. The angry water slammed against the ship, throwing several of the unaided crewmen towards Julian. He caught Mead in between his hands and steadied the boy. ā€Iā€™d wait for capā€™n, but she oughta tell us to tie ourselves off soon, stormā€™s cominā€™ in strong.ā€

As he left the boy to his duties, Hellfireā€™s voice rang out above the winds, and Jules heard her orders. The gunners maneuvered their way towards him, and he gestured at the remaining guns on deck, only eight. ā€Lifelines first ya scoundrels!ā€ He winked at Bill and they tied themselves off to begin heaving the guns down to the stores so they wouldnā€™t cause problems on deck. Each gun, especially the eight-pounders, took to crew members to roll and carry, but the process didnā€™t take too long with the whole gunner crew working together.

Julian made his way back into the wind on deck after the second to last gun was carried down and saw two of his crew, he couldnā€™t tell who at this distance, were already securing the wheels and dragging it towards the steps. The captain had a wistful look on her face and he figured she could use some guidance, or a hand, or a break, really. He glanced around, making sure everyone who he could see was secured to the ship, and then made his way toward the helm, shouting out as he went.

ā€Who needs aid? Riggknot, where are ya?! Capā€™n, need me to handle the helm? Iā€™m not sure where Nameless ā€˜as gone!ā€ He climbed the steps to the helm, and stood next to Hellfire, looking down at the deck below them. Everyone was carrying out her orders without fail, though he supposed that with a storm coming they didn't particularly want to be thrown overboard in the spray. He put a hand on Meg's shoulder and grabbed the helm with the other. "I've got this until Nameless appears, you go, deal wit' your crew now li'l lady. This is a good chance to show 'em yer strengths." He waved her off and looked down again, feeling a bit like a mother hen. He hoped Plague was handling Vale like she had been for the past few days, and wondered how James was feeling down in the brig. He looked out for Rudy, making sure the boy was safe before nodding him over. He supposed now would be a good time to learn about emergency ship mechanics. For a moment, when lightning flashed, he was certain he could see Armand's face flash on Rudy's body, but in a split second, the memory was gone, and all was as it was before, slick with rain and thunder. The ship tossed upon the waves, and the Dragon stood strong.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: William Morgan III
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RiggknotX| | XMaster Rigger
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#54002a

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It seemed as if nothing was going right the past few days. First there was Vale. Tessa had been spending almost all her time by Vale's side and doing her best not to get in Sunni's way. She'd hardly even be up on deck, leaving the duties of the rigging to Rosia or Bill or whoever else would be able to help out with it. But now with the storm raging, Tessa had to go up and do her job. Before she went up, she looked over Vale once last time. ā€Well I'll be, don't ya look like shit,ā€ Tessa said in a soft voice and a small smile on her face. She then took her hand and moved a stray strand of hair away from Vale's face. Tessa's small smile left with a sigh. ā€I'll be back once the storm calms,ā€ she said this a little louder so Sunni could hear it as well. Then she pulled her hand away, looked over Vale one last time, then made her way up.

Looking over the ship in its chaos, she could just see Meg take over the helm through the mist and water. And she could see the sails being blown about. ā€Fuck,ā€œ Tessa muttered under her breath. She made her way past crew to the main sail. Making her way up quickly, she beat herself up a bit forgetting about lifelines in the chaos as she could just hear Meg ordering Bill to make sure everyone had one. Grabbed a rope that was tied to the mast and tied it around herself quickly and tightly then braced herself as the ship rocked and a wave rushed over the deck from below. She could see some of the newer crew having trouble staying on their feet. And though she wanted to warn some of them she had a job she had to focus on first. Now more than ever did she feel she had to be 100-and-ten-percent. The sails where getting tied up quickly.

A bit later she was caught a bit off guard however hearing Jules call her, she looked over to Meg at the helm seeing Julian step up. ā€Oy! Cap'n! Jules!ā€œ She called to them from up on the sails. She was more or less just letting them know where she was and that she was on it. But now wasn't the time to go about talking.

As the ship rocked again, she went about hurriedly pulling up the last sail and tying them tight. The last thing they needed was for any of the sails to be torn. Once all the sails were tied she made her way back down to the deck, tying herself to a long life line as she looked over the ship quickly. She began making her way about making sure everyone's lines were tight. When she heard Rosia over the storm, she made her way over as water came over the deck yet again. ā€Oy, why not get tied first?!ā€œ Tessa said loudly enough to be heard and tied a rope around Rosia, making sure it was secure and tight. "Sorry if that be a bit too tight or uncomfortable, but we can't have ya fallin' overboard, now can we?" Then Tessa was back to making sure the rigging was tight and making sure everyone was securely tied to the ship as well as making sure anything loose was tied down.