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Callie Avis

"I will not become your slave. Never again."

0 · 1,169 views · located in Merrinia

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

Description

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A L I A S || Vera (Vee - RA)

A G E || 21

S E X U A L I T Y || Homosexual

F A C E C L A I M || Nathalie Emmanuel

H E X || #dd5308






Image Image ImageO U T S I D E || ----------------------------------

H E I G H T || 5’5’’
W E I G H T || 122 lbs.
E Y E S || Chocolate brown
H A I R || Dark brown and curly as all hell
O D D I T I E S || Across both of her wrists are two tattoos of broken chains.
A P P E A R A N C E || Creamy, unmarred, light brown skin covers Vera’s dainty frame. Although she isn’t technically short, her height coupled with her narrow shoulders and innocent facial features creates the least intimidating person in existence. However, she is far from slender; sporting robust hips, attractive, feminine curves, and soft eyes. Vera’s face is framed by bouncy brown curls that she refuses to allow to grow past her shoulders. Most of the time, her locks are found flying free. But when she needs to cook, her hair is tied into an updo. On the occasion, she will sit down with a friend and tie her hair into braids, often accompanied by gold beads and other accents. Her wardrobe mostly consists of flowy, light dresses. She very rarely wore pants growing up, so now, she finds them clingy and uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, her shirts are also often short-sleeved and loose. She just loves the feeling of the wind against her skin, so any open clothing is perfect.




--------------------------| | I N S I D EImage
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L I K E S || ✓ cooking ✓ dancing ✓ starry nights ✓ calm waters ✓ fresh meat ✓ exotic spices ✓ playing with hair ✓ bathing herself and others ✓ intimacy ✓ flirting ✓ studying and interacting with animals ✓ children ✓ inconsistency ✓ dominant women ✓ tall women ✓ short women ✓ powerful women ✓ women ✓ physical contact ✓ talking ✓ swimming ✓ reading ✓ background noise ✓ singing ✓ naughty jokes ✓ compliments ✓ being appreciated ✓ the sun on her skin ✓ napping on the deck ✓ being taken care of ✓ sweet and savory food ✓

D I S L I K E S || ✗ cheating ✗ pimps ✗ slavery ✗ poorly made food ✗ sleeping alone ✗ abuse ✗ being treated like a child ✗ being treated like a slave ✗ a chaotic kitchen ✗ violence ✗ her parents ✗ being looked down on ✗ stereotypes ✗ old food ✗ ignorance ✗ overconfidence ✗ forced prostitution ✗

Q U I R K S ||
-- Vera isn’t childish, but oftentimes if she isn’t getting what she wants, she puts her plump lips in a powerful pout. A pout that many people cannot combat.
-- When serving her crew, she often lingers and eavesdrops just so she can hear what they’re saying about her cooking. If insulted, she’s often devastated because she feels that all she contributes on the ship is her cooking.
-- If the weather is lovely, Vera will often find a comfy place to nap on the deck.
-- Vera has never slept alone in her life. Being cramped in a small bed with another person or two has been her favorite way to sleep. So oftentimes, in the dead of night, she gets the urge to crawl into the bed of a friend just for that comfort in shared body heat, whether they are male or female.

F E A R S ||
-- Vera escaped slavery and has nightmares of her pimp finding her.
-- Someone she loves will think that she is unlovable or disgusting
-- Failing her crewmates

S T R E N G T H S ||
-- Cooking || Well, obviously, being the cook for a crew of people would mean that Vera is skilled in the field of her employment. However, Vera likes to think that she is better than the common ship chef. For the majority of life, her only pleasure was in cooking. The meager money she was given was spent on fancy spices to experiment with. Several years later, she’s built up a decent amount of knowledge on cooking.
-- Manipulation || Vera is an astonishingly good actor. Her former profession demanded it on a daily basis, so now, she’s able to use her acting abilities to get people to do what she wants.
-- Soothing || Vera considers herself a diplomat. Her silver tongue and smooth talking has stopped fights both in that past and daily on deck. She’s also been the person that her crewmates have come to to just vent. It can be quite calming to rant and listen to Vera’s calming advice while she works on a meal.
-- Flexible || Vera isn’t intimidating or great at combat, but after many years of stretching to please others, her body is now flexible and lithe.

W E A K N E S S E S ||
-- Opening Up About Herself || Vera could sit and hold a conversation with someone for hours, as long as the topic doesn’t shift to be about her and her past. Then she tends to clam up, growing embarrassed and ashamed.
-- Combat || When it comes to a fighting situation, Vera is useless. The most she could do is wield a dagger, but given the fact that most people have swords and pistols, she’s not likely to succeed.
-- Human Gore || Vera could gut pigs, cows, fish, rabbits, and chickens all day, but the second a human is sliced up in front of her is when she starts to shut down. She’s seen people beaten to death and ripped apart before her eyes, and witnessing that again.. She can’t handle it.



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|| Motherly - Genuine - Closed Off - Empathetic ||

Vera values kindness over all else. To her, she knows that it takes true strength to be kind instead of cruel. When she was younger, the rare moments that she was shown kindness changed her forever, so she knows of the power of kindness. This is why Vera will never turn down a person in need, especially a teammate. She will always be a set of open arms for someone who needs to just vent the night away. She finds so much joy in cheering up somebody in a bad mood, and that is something she is quite good at. Her generally playful and approachable demeanor leads to many good laughs. In fact, her smooth talking is often used to keep the peace on the ship when tensions run high. And hey, if her talking doesn’t work, nothing brings people together quite like a hot, delicious meal. Vera’s cooking is rather equisite for a pirate ship. It’s her pride and joy, so she always puts her heart and soul into making something delicious for her mates. Similar to the past, most of her cut of money is spent on exotic spices and foods. Although she is kind and soft spoken, when in her kitchen, Vera is the boss. It is her only domain, so if you try to mess with her kitchen, she’ll get angry.
As much as Vera loves talking, she almost always refuses to speak about herself. Her past is too difficult to talk about. Her past contains the two things that Vera hates: pimps and her parents. Talking about them tends to put her into a sour mood, leading to her closing herself off from others until she sleeps it off. This can be quite difficult if she doesn’t have someone to silently sulk with. When sad, she will seek out someone she deeply cares for and cling to them physically, silently. Vera doesn’t know how to open up; she doesn’t know how to cry. She bottles everything up, keeps it to herself, and allows it to eat away at her happiness. This being said, Vera wants to find someone to take care of her. Family and love are not things Vera is familiar with, so romantic gestures and compassion make her melt.




---------------------------------------- | | H I S T O R Y
Image Image ImageTwo people with no money or livelihoods decided to have sex because it was
the only enjoyable thing in their pitiful lives. Nine months later, Callie popped out. But to her parents, Callie wasn’t a human. She was a liability that they carried around to garner more sympathy as beggars. Her childhood was spent dirty, unloved, hungry, and cold. She could never bring herself to steal from others or be cruel to those around her, even her parents.
When Callie turned 12, she started to fill out in all the right places. At this point, her parents realized she wasn’t a child anymore, and therefore useless. While they were passing through a town, they visited a brothel for the sole purpose of selling Callie. And they achieved their goal. The pimp and owner realized that Callie would grow into a lovely woman and bought her immediately. Her parents abandoned her there for the chunk of change now in their pockets. Change that they promptly spent over just a few days, leaving them as destitute at they were before.
Callie, on the other hand, was put into a living hell. Her pimp, a brutish man by the name of Pierce, didn’t wait long to start turning out Callie. His first step was the change her name to Venus, advertising her as his exotic beauty. Pierce was a cruel man, forcing “Venus” and her fellow courtesans to work all hours of the day with little to no time to sleep or eat. At the beginning, Callie almost didn’t make it. It was too much for someone so young. Her customers would complain that she kept crying and trying to get away. Pierce taught her a lesson one day, beating her until she passed out. Of course, no sharp objects, staying away from the face. Scars aren’t pretty, and pretty doesn’t sell.
When Callie finally woke up, she was being cared for by a woman named Kit. Kit was almost 10 years older than her and a veteran in this industry. She realized that Callie wasn’t going to survive in this world for much longer, so she took the young girl under her wing. Kit taught her how to take care of herself, how to act for the men, how to treat Pierce. Most importantly, she introduced Callie to cooking.
This was life for a long time. Fucking gross men for hours, being paid pennies, talking with her only friend, and playing with cooking. She hated it. Her resentment for these types of people grew. The worst part was Callie never liked any of her clients. Even the attractive, kind, rich men who offered to take her away from this life didn’t interest her. It wasn’t until she was rented by a woman that Callie realized her tastes lied with the people of the same gender.
After finding out her true sexuality, Callie noticed how Kit was treating her. Small, kind gestures, spending so much time together. Those were the only moments when Callie was truly happy. After hearing that Pierce planned on selling Kit, the two began to plan their escape. However, it wasn’t long before he found out. This was the perfect opportunity for him to send a message to his girls. He took Kit, the girl who wasn’t gaining as much attention, and beat her to death in front of “Venus” and the other girls. Callie sat there and could only watch as Kit screamed, cried, and eventually choked on her own blood. Something died inside Callie on that day.
Callie grew reserved. She did her job and slept when she wasn’t working. She didn’t speak to anyone unless necessary. Little did they know, she was always planning. For a few years, she saved up all of the meager money she was given. Without telling anyone of her plan, she waited. And waited. And waited.
The day came. A ship rolled into town, one that wasn’t full of old, perverted men. In the dark of the night, Callie slipped out of the brothel with all of her few belongings. She walked onto the ship and simply knocked on the door of the captain’s quarters. Probably not the smartest move, waking the man up in the middle of the night, but this was the only time she could get away. When Captain Porter answered the door, Callie begged him to let her join his crew. She offered him all of her money, her cooking services, her life. She just needed to get out of this place. Luckily, he accepted her. He was looking for a new cook, anyways.
So, once the sun rose, Callie set sail with the Stardust and her crew. She made a new name for herself there: Vera. Not exactly the same as her old name, but enough that it reminds herself of her goals in life. That was almost a year ago. Vera hopes to make enough money to start her own group of mercenaries; mercenaries who would go after pimps and abusers alike. And her parents. She wants to find them one day. And when she does, she will be the one to drive the knife through their hearts.

So begins...

Callie Avis's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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H e l l f i r e | | M i d a s

C a p t a i n | | P r i s o n e r

#e6b800 | | #B00000






XXXXCaptain Meghan Cunningham stood amongst the noble people of Astorium in the largest sitting room of Lord Chamberlin's estate, a glass of wine gripped in her hand. While she couldn't deny she looked gorgeous in her attire, she also felt ridiculous. It was hard to move her arms and even harder to breathe at times. Rosia had to lace her up tightly to get Meg the fashionable thin waist, and it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Her First was somewhere in the house, being her eyes and ears. Meanwhile she was stuck here, eyes on the man who owned the very thing they were here for-- the updated map of Merrinia. They needed this map in order to find the keys to the lost treasure of Captain Corso. And they need it to find Arimathea, the garden of Eden. None of these places are expressly marked on the map. Especially Arimathea. But it would get them close enough.

It had to.

Meg shifted her hips beneath her skirts so the dagger she borrowed from Vale, her navigator, wouldn't jab her in the thigh. She made a mental note to purchase one for herself the next time they were at port. While she preferred her twin pistols or her cutlass, they aren’t subtle enough to conceal on her person. Not well anyway. Meg needed this to go off without a hitch. She didn’t need the Land King’s navy sailing after them once they left. And she would like to return here at some point in the future. Besides
 she was only here to borrow the map.

For now, she was buying time. As she sipped at the wine in her glass—an expensive brand that still tasted like dirt to her—her thoughts strayed to the rest of her crew.

James, the former Captain of the ship was in her brig. She buried down the feelings of guilt deep down as she thought of the mutiny. He refused the journey, the search for Corso’s treasure, and the majority of the crew’s wishes. She couldn’t let it continue. Not if she wanted to find that treasure. Not if she wanted to make her parents’ deaths mean something. Rudy, their youngest by far, was keeping watch on the ship along with Tessa—her master Rigger and eyes and ears on the ship, Vale, Jack—the gunner, Bill—her third, Philip—her helmsman, and Sunni—the surgeon.

Somewhere just outside the estate was Vera—their cook and tonight’s distraction—who was awaiting the signal for her entrance. Meg had to admit, when Vera walked out in her getup
 her heart beat a little faster. The woman’s past made her the perfect person to serve as the distraction for the night. Meg did feel a little guilty about this as well. Vera was a person after all and having her play this part was
 not the best, but they had no other choice.

Her finger tips brushed the chain of the necklace she stole from the Lord and Lady’s bedchamber. Not only will it aid in their distraction, but it will serve as the signal. It was such a simple thing, a necklace of diamonds and pearls hardly bigger than her pinky fingernail, but it was definitely an expensive piece. Although, this specific necklace was chosen because it seemed to be the least worn. It was buried under a pile of jewelry. All Meg had to do was loop her pinky around the end and gently pull it away.

All she needed now was the go from Rosia and their plan would be underway. Even if it was the last thing she'd ever do, she was going to get that map and find the treasure.




XXXX Mutinied Captain James Porter sighed loudly as he laid on the wooden floor of his prison cell. Straw crinkled beneath him as he shifted, staying far away from the corner where a chamber pot was chained to the wall. With the waves on the high seas, he couldn’t be entirely certain it was clean over there. Then again, this whole cell was more than likely no better than that chamber pot, but James decided to ignore this thought and stick to keeping from the corner.

He still couldn’t entirely believe he was in this particular position. His crew turned on him
 over greed. He sighed again at the thought. It wasn’t entirely greed. He had denied them adventure, he denied them mystery
 and greed. James knew he was unorthodox as a pirate captain and that most on his crew didn’t mind. It seemed that his refusal to go on Meg’s wild goose chase was the last straw with them. And here he was, in the brig when not even a day prior he was asleep in his quarters, dreaming of the wind on his face and sailing towards the horizon.

When he woke to the nightmare that was the mutiny, he was shocked, angry, hurt, and most importantly
 relieved that no one had been killed. If his family didn't think him a fine captain, then fine. Let Meg squander her winning for a while
 They’ll be begging for him back. His stomach growled loudly and by the light leaking through the side of the ship, he knew it would be about dinner time. Vera was more than likely cooking something up in the kitchen for the crew. He wondered if he’d even be allowed to eat. Meg wasn’t heartless, but he couldn’t be certain of her treatment considering where he’s found himself. Maybe she was keeping him alive for his luck.

Or perhaps
 his luck had run out.

Although, now that he thought about it
 the ship was unusually quiet. He expected a party. Drinking, food, merriment on their victory of taking down Captain Midas. However, there was a noticeable silence. He knew they had docked somewhere, but that was the extent of his knowledge. Maybe he could get Bill to drink with him. Or Phillip. Maybe Rudy? He wished someone would bring him a drink. He needed one after today. And food preferably.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the mutiny.

He was asleep in his quarters, dozing as was previously mentioned, when there was a commotion on deck. He didn’t think it was an invading party since no one had sounded for battle stations. There was shouting and the metallic clanging of swords. However, the commotion was missing the cries of pain that came with a boarding. He crew was never one to give up easily. Well
 not noticeably anyway. So he pulled on his breeches and a simple shirt along with his boots and his cutlass before heading out the door. Right as he emerged, Meg was there, her wild red hair blowing around her face in the breeze, shining in the morning son like a fire. Hellfire.

”I’ve come to relieve you Captain,” she said, fierceness in her tone, but an apology in her eyes. ”Come willingly or face the consequences of your actions.” Behind her were the few who opposed the mutiny, on their knees with pistols pointed at the backs of their heads or cutlasses at their throats. No one looked willing to be in this position, but Meg—the treasure—was worth the sacrifice. He was no fool. He knew the treasure’s worth to each member of the crew.

Especially Meg. Her parents died in search of the treasure and to her it would be for nothing if she doesn’t find the treasure. For nothing, if she couldn’t claim it for her family name. For nothing, if she made nothing of herself


So here they were. James standing in obvious surprise, Meg with a cutlass to his throat, and his crew divided. So, he surrendered. It was better to do so than to be the cause of any harm to his crew. He didn’t believe any of them capable of hurting the others, but they were desperate to cause a mutiny
 how far were they really willing to go?

With his mind caught up to the present, he closed his eyes and let out a few soft notes before continuing through the song:

Safe and sound at home again,
Let the waters roar, Jack,
Safe and sound at home again,
Let the waters roar, Jack,

Long we’ve tossed on the rolling main,
Now we’re safe ashore, Jack,
Don’t forget you’re old shipmate,
Faldee raldee raldee raldee rye-dye-doe!

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Callie Avis
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xRosia “Jack" 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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Rosia was giggly and excited for this whole plan, the only thing she didn’t like was that she was told to just focus on the map, and they had to wear these restricting dresses. While they were pretty and Rosia liked pretty very much, she didn’t like how tight it had to be, and her dress also had sleeves, something she just didn’t like at all. She also had to wear gloves to cover up her injured pinky. Noble and high-class women weren’t scared. Rosia remembered growing up and seeing that the rich always had to “perfect” and didn’t care about anything else besides their looks and their money.

Rosia entered the party behind Meg and in front of Vera, Rosia prancing off to do her part, get information about where the map was Meghan getting the signal necklace, and Vera getting in position. Rosia would much rather just go through each room and tear it down looking for the map but was told numerous times they had to be silent and not suspicious. She talked up a couple of nobles but nothing much more about politics and other business opportunities around the city, as well as overhearing the nuisance pirates were being.

As Rosia walked around and began to listen to the different conversations of the party, she also thought back to the mutiny earlier in the day. Captain James had refused the crews request to go after the treasure, and Meg came up with the mutiny plan. Rosia quickly whispered and questioned to figure out who was with who, subtly asking questions without giving away the plans. When the mutiny finally began, Rosia felt a rush as cutlasses clashed on deck and was a little disappointed when it was finally over, helping her crew mates up and starting their journey for the treasure. Rosia was brought back into he present and her mission when talk about selling items for coin caught her ear

Eventually Rosia joined the circle of a pretentious nobles talking about the items that were going to be auctioned off and being sold for a high coin. “How we know these items are real. I haven’t seen them, especially this so called updated map of a lost treasure.” Rosia spoke up after smaller talk and making sure she sounded proper. Luckily these men loved to brag about themselves and easily gave up information. “Well young lady, I personally have seen ALL of these items, even the treasure map that Lord Chamberlin has shown me up in his study earlier this night.” The conversation then spun off about what these items looked like and if gemstones in some cup was real, Rosia quickly snuck out of the circle and went on to find Meg. She was smiling with happy with herself.

After finding Meg she walked over to her after fidgeting with her dress, standing next to Meg and sipping some wine. “T’is is terrible. How do they drink this? Oh, there’s a study upstairs.” Rosia said under her breathe, with a smile on her face, happy and proud of herself. As she looked through the crowd making sure no one was catching on to them or watching them too closely, she talked “Ey, you look great tonight madam, let me know when were ready.” Rosia ready to get to the next part of the plan.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Callie Avis
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XXXXMeg did a most unladylike thing when Rosia commented on the wine: she snorted. Loudly. Thankfully, no one in the room seemed to give a gold coin for whatever the two ladies were discussing. They were all wrapped up in their own conversations. Meg placed a hand over her mouth and leaned over to Rosia as if to whisper a bit of gossip to a friend and said, "Aye. Right nasty thing. It's like drinking a sandy beach." She paused, giving the room a once over. "Let me dispose of this trinket and we be on our way." She walked over to the nearby open window, the cool night breeze wafting into the room, bringing about the smell of roses from the Lady's garden. Meg closed her eyes a moment, allowing herself to take in the scent as both a part of the act and as a part of the plan. In one quick movement, she had the necklace from her sleeve and tumbling down to the floor below where Vera would hopefully find it. Then she turned to Rosia, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "Lead on."

Rosia giggled upon herself hearing her captain snort. It was a cute little thing that the almighty Hellfire would do occasionally. Usually, Rosia would have to try to get her to snort, but this time it was just natural and perfect. “Heh, I’ll be ‘ere.” Rosia said as she debated in her head to finish the wine that she hated the taste of, but was still thirsty. In the end, she gulped down the rest of the glass and setting it down. Rosia watched as Meg went to the near window and disposed of the necklace, Rosia didn’t even notice her getting rid of it and she was watching it. “Nice move.” Rosia commented when Meg returned.

Rosia looked around the room before walking out the door and down the hall. With Meg behind her, she peaked around the corner before continuing down the long hallway. She finally reached a room that was off to the side. Rosia assumed it was the study since it was locked and there weren’t any other rooms around. “Keepin’ an eye out will yae?” Rosia asked in a whisper to Meg as she fiddled with her dress, pulling out her lock pick kit out from the front of her corset. “Don’t judge, had keep it hidden.” Rosia said before bending over and started to pick the lock. Rosia cursed to herself a couple times before finally getting it unlocked. “The Cap’n may enter.” Rosia said as she stepped back.

Meg left her glass behind as she followed Rosia out of the room and towards the study. Meg silently chastised herself for not being more prepared, but the Lord rarely let anyone in and she couldn't very well replace a servant for the short period of time they would've needed. Servants hold important positions, ones Meg could appreciate more than the nobleman, and if you replace or add to the household, all of that will shift resulting in commotion later on. While it was an appealing idea to cause chaos in the home, Meg wouldn't want to cause trouble for the servants who were already as close to slaves as could be. She was lost in thought and nearly collided with Rosia once her spy found the door.

Her first mate pulled a pick from the front of her corset and whispered in defense. Meg simply smirked. "If ya think that's all I need to judge, ya be wrong. I have a knife strapped to me leg and another garter for the map. With this damned hoop-skirt might even make for a show." She replied quietly as Rosia worked on the door's lock. There was a soft click and the door swung open on silent hinges. "That a lass." She walked in and quietly shut the door behind her leaving Rosia to keep an eye out.

The study was exactly as Meg expected. It was a male's collection of inconsequential things that he parades around to compensate for his small manhood. Meg, being a pirate, was a bit hypocritical with her thoughts, but she began her quiet search. She prayed this wouldn't take nearly as long as she feared. The more time spent searching meant a higher chance of capture... and an arrest for Vera.

Rosia nodded Meg walked in and closed the door behind her as she walked in. Rosia’s next task was to just stay outside the study and keep watch, easy task but she knew it was important, so she couldn’t goof off. Rosia didn’t expect anyone to come investigating upstairs, but Meg still wanted her to keep watch to be safe. As Rosia was waiting by the door, she heard footsteps approaching from the staircase. Rosia leaned against the door and gave three light knocks, signaling to Meg there was company coming. Rosia was getting ready bolt away when she heard talk. “There’s a situation in the courtyard! Something about the noble and some mistress.” Then the footsteps went away from them and silence followed. Rosia gave the all clear two knocks afterward and continued to be on guard.

Meg had checked the desk first, figuring it was the best place to check. However, she had none of James's luck and so found nothing. She checked the pile of rolled up paper on the bookshelf. She found a map of the stars she had to prevent herself from taking for Vale. They had a star map, but it was old and fading. She only had room under her skirts for one map and this one was more important. Her heart sank. It wasn't on the shelf either. She nearly jumped out of the pointy shoes she had shoved her feet into when three quick knocks came. She noticed the window was nearby and looked out. There was a small lip just outside and she decided that was probably a better than getting caught.

She was half out the window when the two slow knocks sounded through the study. She sighed in relief and shut the window. Back to her search. She had already checked the two most obvious places. She really, really hoped that they had heard wrong and he had stashed it somewhere else. Then she saw the corner of a piece of paper behind the large hanging mirror on the wall. She gently tugged on it and it slid away easily. At first, she stared in confusion at the blank sheet of parchment. Then she flipped it and behold the map! She quickly rolled it up, fumbled a bit with her skirts until she had it snug in the garter.

She knocked on the door once, loudly, before she hoped the door and stepped out. She heard the commotion in the other room. Probably caused by their very own Vera. Time to act fast. "Best be off," she said quickly and quietly before moving down the hall. She wasn't running, but it was definitely obvious they were in a rush. They had to get down the stairs and out the door where they'd wait for Vera just on the other side of the rose hedges. She was impressed they hadn't been found. "We nearly done." She said once they were out the front door.

Rosia looked back hearing a knock come from inside the room, and then watching Meg come out, smiling at her. “Sure thang, tired of t’s place already.” Rosia said as she followed behind Meg through the hall and out the door, the whole time Rosia having a hard time in the dress she was wearing. “Ey, slowin’ down.” Rosia said as she finally caught up with her outside the front door. When Vera finally arrived, Rosia perked up and smiled a little. “Good an’ glad you made it. Time to get back to sea?”

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Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Callie Avis
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One in. Hold. One out. Hold. One in. Control your breathing. Control your heart so your head can make all the decisions. As those words of wisdom echoed through her mind, Vera attempted to keep her hammering heart under control. Her mentor’s voice was like music to her ears. It was always the perfect tone. Kind and low. Just recalling it put Vera at ease. Well, then came the sadness. And then grief. Her heart went from out of control to aching. Oh how she missed Kit. Vera couldn’t help but let her mind wander. What would Kit think if she saw her little Vera now? Standing in the middle of her the night in this gaudy dress, right outside of some local lord’s estate. It was almost funny. The cool night breeze tickled at her vast amount of exposed flesh, causing her to wrap her arms around her torso. She was greatly regretting refusing the jacket Meg had pushed her to bring. Jackets aren’t sexy. Jackets aren’t distracting. And that’s what she needed to go for.

Several minutes passed. Vera was glad nobody noticed her little hiding place tucked into the shadows of the decorative building. All she needed was the signal from Meg and Rosia. As if on cue, a necklace dropped out of nowhere a few feet away.

The necklace was simple. Not too fancy, just some pearls and diamonds. But the cream color of the jewelry matched that of the dress, so the two fit naturally. Without a second thought, Vera slipped it over her frail neck. Her hands lingered on it for a moment. Her fingers traced over the metalwork; she’d never had the pleasure to own something as lovely as this. Never had the money for it, nor the drive. Already, her mind jumped to food. Oh, how many spices I could buy with this
 And a fat ham, too
 She had to snap herself out of the trance she put herself in. Now it was time for business. It was time for Vera to do her job. It was time to be a distraction.

Vera emerged from the shadows and approached the main entrance. At the door stood a single guard. Not much of a match for her, really. Just one young man who hated his job of dealing with drunk nobles and vagrants that attempted to crash the party. Vera is no normal vagrant. One foot placed perfectly before the other, so she was strutting to the entrance. She could already feel his eyes on her, her body, her hips as they swayed with each step. One hand reached up toward her head, her fingers running through her bouncy locks. She certainly looked the noble part, if not a bit more, ahem, distracting.

“Good evening, madam.” The young man was no older than 18; she could hear the innocence in his voice. “C
 can I help you with anything?”

That stutter, hmm
 It put a smile on Vera’s lips. This wasn’t even going to be a challenge. “Good evening, sir.” A respectful title to fluff his ego. “A friend invited me to this little gala, but she’s an awful friend really. She had me come into a town I’m unfamiliar with and then abandon me to stumble around like a fawn.” A giggle ended her sentence. Her body language was very particular. Both hands folded together in front of her, arms taut to push her shoulders together for obvious reasons. “She’s quite rude, I think, don’t you?” She then bit into her plump bottom lip, making sure to maintain eye contact.

By now, the young man didn’t even stop himself from staring. His eyes danced along every curve. Exactly what Vera wanted. “Aye, she sounds like a right awful friend, hah.” His confidence was building.

“Say, you look like a local yourself, not bad on the eyes, either
” She hummed, leaning forward ever so slightly. “After this, why don’t you
 show me around? I’d love to get a closer look at the town. What do you say?”

He perked up. Vera could see the light in his eyes turn a bit darker, ladened with something else. Something Vera was quite familiar with. “I think that’s a right good idea, I do.” He chuckled. “I’ll be here, waiting for you, madam.”

“Thank you, kind sir. I promise I won’t be long. These parties are rather boring.” With a small wave, Vera entered the building. Just the foyer was immensely lavish, so she was prepared for the fanciness of the ballroom. What she wasn’t prepared for was the number of people. Quite a few more than she thought. But this was fine, possibly better. More people, more commotion. As if out of habit, she toyed with the stolen necklace. Her observant glare swept the room, searching for man of her dreams: Lord Chamberlin. It wasn’t difficult to find him. Her was the most garish man in the room. On his arm was a woman at least 10 years older than Vera. Perfect. Everything was going exactly as it should be.

Her mind raced. Vera already had a small plan formed in her mind. She found one of the servants and got herself a glass of wine. Her nerves refused to allow her to sip. Instead, she tamed her breathing. Chamberlin was talking with some people he was clearly friendly with. She waited, not too long, for a gap to open in that circle of friend. Vera took a deep breath. Now or never.

A loud gasp, loud enough to be heard by the people around her. Then, the dropping of her glass. It shattered as it hit the hardwood floor. That caught more people’s attention “You bastard!” Two words, loud and sharp, pierced the remaining of the chatter. A hush fell over the room as heads turned to see the commotion. Vera’s fists balled in feigned rage. She stomped, over the broken glass, toward the Lord, who looked utterly stunning. “You lied to me!” It didn’t take long for her to close the distance between them. Vera had to the privilege of being an attractive, young, unintimidating woman. God forbid she was a tall, scary man. She’d have been thrown out in an instant.

“I’m
 I’m sorry, who are you?” A valid thing to ask, really. Chamberline was quite confused.

“Who am I? Hah! Don’t play dumb you slimy cock!” A finger jabbed into his chest. He jumped ever so slightly, but no guards attacked her. “You told me tonight would be the night. The night you threw out last week’s rubbish and took me as your rightful wife!” Vera was of course referencing his current wife, who’s face displayed her shock.

“What? What are you talkin-”

Vera couldn’t let him speak much. If he had the chance to speak, people might believe him. “I spread my legs for you, treat you like a king, and this is how you treat me in return?!” She was beyond screaming at this point. Poor Chamberlin, he was white as a sheet. His mouth opened and shut, but no words came out.

“Adam, who is this woman?” By now, Chamberlin’s wife was now more concerned, for she had gotten over her shock.

“Who am I!?” Vera let out a loud, sarcastic laugh. She then disregarded the wife’s comment and returned her attention to the Lord before he could answer. “You know who I am.” The words came out almost as a growl. “You promised to take care of me, take care of
” She allowed her voice to break and trail off. Crocodile tears welled in her eyes. Boy, she was quite good at this acting thing. “If you don’t help me, how am I supposed to take care of the baby?” At this point, you could hear if a pin dropped in the room. “I will not raise our son alone without a father, the father you promised to be!” The sadness turned back into rage.

“Adam!” Chamberlin’s wife’s voice turned to worried anger. “Who is this woman? What is she talking about?”

It seemed as if the Lord found his voice. “I-I have no idea who this whore is.”

Oh, that was a mistake. The fake rage turned real. Vera hadn’t been called that in a long while. It was a punch to her gut, and Vera’s response to pain was turned into wrath. “Whore? Whore?! Her hand grasped at her neck until her fingers wrapped around the necklace. With one sharp tug, the latch in the back snapped. “Would he give this to a whore?!” She waved the broken jewelry it in their faces.

The first person to react was the wife who promptly took the necklace from Vera. After a quick inspection, her face twisted in disgust. Not just for Vera, but for her husband. “Adam, the necklace your grandmother gave me?! You
 you son of a bitch!” Her attention was taken off of Vera entirely as she balled her hands into fists and began to hit the Lord.

By now, the crowd had grown restless. A few moved forward to try to stop the woman from behind her husband to death. As they pushed past Vera, she couldn’t help but stick a foot out. A man tripped, falling into another. The second turned, enraged already. The two began fighting immediately. And from there, a chain reaction rippled throughout the crowd. Men were throwing fists, brawling on the floor, while the women were huddled in a corner out of pure fear.

Vera took a few steps back to admire her work. A gleeful grin spread across her face. Her plan had worked perfectly. This should buy her fellow crewmates a decent amount of time to conduct their business. Vera glanced to the side and noticed she was standing by the servant with the wine. This time, she picked up a glass and pressed it to her lips. The reddish liquid slid down her throat and she let out a pleased hum. “Mmm. A lovely dry red. Wish I had a thick steak to go with this, hmm?” Her clearly happy tone didn’t seem to carry over to the boy. “Mind if I take this?” She pointed to the full bottle of wine tucked under his arm. He seemed to be too shocked to verbally respond, so he just shook his head. “Oh! Thank you very much, young man.” Vera slipped it out of his hands, but she made sure to plant a kiss on his cheek first. “Have a good night!” With that, she exited the ballroom.

Her happy face didn’t change as she once again approached the entrance. She then remembered that she had to face the youthful guard again. Her eyes still felt red, so she tightened her chest and forced more tears to flow. With one arm holding the bottle of wine behind her back, she stumbled through the entrance, right into the guard. “Help, please! Something’s happening inside! Somebody attacked the Lord! You have to go help!” Her labored breathing and shaky sobs only added to the ruse. His eyes went wide; it was difficult to hear all the commotion from out here.

“Stay here, I’ll be back for ya!” His words clearly carried some fear. For his job or for the Lord, Vera would never know.

“Yes sir, I will wait right here for you!” Before she could even finish her sentence, he ran inside.

Vera smiled once more. She practically bounced down the front steps, her flowing skirt following in her motions. She only stopped her delighted skipping once she reached where the trio agreed to meet up once more. Boy did she have a story for the girls back at the ship. She quickly spotted her fellow infiltrators by some bushes. “Hello ladies!” She called in her chipper, sing-song tone. “I think it’s about time we head for home, hmm?”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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xRosia “Jack" 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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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. “Cap’n on deck!” Rosia shouted, giggling a little to herself before pushing past Vera little to get a view of the deck. Well, she didn’t mean to really push past her, but the dress she was wearing didn’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 didn’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. “Aye!” Rosia quickly responded, and listening to what Meg was saying to her. Rosia quickly nodded. “Will do Cap’n Hellfire.” 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. “T’anks for the drink Py. Hellfire wants all ye on deck.” Rosia said with a smirk darting below deck, guessing Pyrite wouldn’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 Julian’s back, though it was more difficult than she expected with her dress, taking a sip of the drink she stole from Bill. “Ey Big Dragon, Cap’n wants you an’ gunners on deck. Whole crew an’ such. See you upon top.” 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. “Ey? Riggknot, Tempest. Why were ye’ not on deck when we arrived? ‘Nyways, Cap’n wants to part soon. I not need to say ‘ere she wants you?” 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 hadn’t found Nameless. Sunni’s room was only around the corner so it wouldn’t be a long walk. Rosia opened the door and stepped in, surprised to see Nameless here with Sunni. “Hellfire will be ‘ere soon. An’ she wants Nameless at the helm.” 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 Vera’s kitchen and snuck a small potato, equally exhausted and hungry from everything. Rosia assumed that she was probably changing since she wasn’t here in the kitchen. As Rosia went to sat down she made a little ruckus and knocked over a chair. “I am goin’ to cut tis dress up!” She shouted to herself as she put her snack down and started messing with her dress, almost looking like a feral animal.

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Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Callie Avis Character Portrait: James Porter
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C a l l i e X| | XR o s i a

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V e r a || J a c k

C o o k || M a t e

#DD5308 | | #D2B48C


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The walk home was lighthearted. It was as if Vera had a skip in her step. The wine bottle swung in her arms; she cradled it as if it was her child. When the ship came into view, she hummed. The Stardust is the only safe place in the world for Vera. There, she is surrounded by friends and allies. On land, who knows where spies may lurk. Sure, they were eons away from Pierce and his crew, but money runs deep. A few months back, she heard the name “Venus” while visiting a bar. They could have been talking about anyone, but it scared Vera back onto the ship. She didn’t touch land for months after.

Her captain hopped on first, then Vera, then Rosia, who promptly announced their arrival. That made Vera’s grin grow wider. These were her people. Meg took charge immediately, ordering her crew to get prepared for sailing. But she was waiting for those words; those words and her name. And they came in the form of a swift order to prepare a meal for the crew. Finally, Vera would be able to enter her element. Her true home. Her kitchen was waiting.

However, the kitchen would need to wait a bit longer. For now, this dress would absolutely need to go. With a swift, “Aye, captain,” Vera headed towards her quarters. Well, their quarters. She pushed into the crew’s quarters and shuffled over to her hammock. A hammock that was often left unattended, whether Vera found solace in someone else’s bed or napping on the deck. She rifled through the small chest that contained her belongings and pulled out a quite different dress. This one was much more simple, no frills or lace, but it was a crimson red. If she dirtied with blood, it would be less noticable. It fell just above her knees with a ragged edge. Clearly it had been cut to shorten it. The sleeves, well, lack there of, had suffered the same fate. As the corset knot was undone, Vera sighed loudly in relief. She certainly didn’t miss wearing those.

Once the dress was on, Vera was off. She raced to the kitchen, humming wildly to herself. She was sure nothing could improve her mood, but as she swung the kitchen door open, she jumped. In her kitchen was a ragged animal, clawing at her dress with desperation. Vera did her best to stifle her laugh, but an unruly snort and chuckle escaped. “Excuse you, ma’am. Need some help?” She joked, approaching Rosia. Then she noticed the stray potato. “Oh my, having a little snack, are we?” Although she was chastising the shorter woman, she couldn’t hide her playful tone. “I need these to make dinner, you little rascal!” Vera snatched it up and walked to the other side of the kitchen, closer to the pantry. They had stocked just a few hours before, so she had plenty of fresh meat to work with. A lovely cow flank sat in her icebox, ready to be butchered. She pulled out a large pot and filled it with a mixture of ale, water, salt, pepper, garlic, and some bay leaves. As that worked on boiling, Vera pulled out her meat and started cutting it into cubes. “You know, you don’t look bad in that dress,” Vera teased her. Although she wasn’t looking up from her knife, a grin spread across her lips.

Rosia at this point was close to just getting a cutlass and cutting the dress off of herself. She was startled when she heard a voice talking to her, looking up and seeing Vera, smiling back at her. “I don’t neednt help.” She said back to Vera. Rosia gave up on messing with her dress, and settling down at the table she was sitting at. In reality she probably could’ve used help getting the dress off, or at least loosened, with how she has shorter arms. But she didn’t exactly want to ask for help with such a simple task of taking off a dress.

As Rosia reached for the potato she took out of the pantry to snack on, Vera snatched it up. “Ey!” Rosia shouted at her, giving a pouty lip when she talked about how she needs it to cook. “If ye let me eat it now, less food to cook.” Rosia said as she watched her take it back to the pantry. Rosia got up from the table and dragged a barrel closer to where Vera was working and sat upon then, struggling to get comfortable with the dress still on. Whenever the ship was steady flow and calm, and Rosia wasn’t asked to worked anywhere else, she liked to come down and watch Vera cook and prep food. As she saw the cook bring out all her ingredients and seasoning, she noticed and remember Vera had started painting the jars and bottles with labels to try to get Rosia to read. Rosia was just staring at the labels trying to decipher the symbols when Vera brought up her dress.

”It be pretty, isn’t comfor’able. Hand me that knife and I’ll be fixin’ it. Yours was much be’er. Ya legs lookin’ nice.” Rosia said as she repositioned how she was sitting on the stool. Rosia wasn’t one to flirt, but she was one to speak her mind and what she thought without giving it a second. “So that sand stuff ye put in the pot, that says ‘say-lety’?” Rosia asked, attempting to pronounce the letters on the salt container.

Vera huffed at Rosia’s comment about making less food. The entire time she spoke, she never looked up from her meat. “I enjoy cooking, dear. Why in the world would I want to cook less? I would have to cook less if you stole all of my ingredients...” As she finished cutting, she placed the knife down on the counter a ways away from Rosia so she couldn’t snatch it up. Vera scooped all of the meat up and dumped it into the pot. With a stir, she covered it and let it sit.

Then came the compliment. Vera laughed curtly. Although the comment was said in a rather terse tone, it was a compliment none-the-less. She decided to ignore the heat in her cheeks and continued working. “You don’t want to cut it up! You’ll ruin how pretty it is. Let me finish up here and I’ll help you out.” Vera glanced over at Rosia if only for a moment. Her mind wandered off track for just a moment before she jerked herself back into awareness. Next came the onions. She began peeling them and tossing the skins aside. Then Rosia fixated on the salt, attempting to read it out loud. “Not quite! But you did get rather close, Rosebud.” Vera’s voice was always kind, but when she began teaching, you could tell it oozed with patience and warmth. That nickname was thrown in there just to tease. You know, in a gentle way. “Look at each letter and pronounce them by themselves. Ssss-aaa
” Vera trailed off, hoping that Rosia would finish for her. She was now slicing the onions into smaller pieces

“But with knife I could cut like ye do with the meats and stuff.” Rosia commented back to Vera about not cutting up her dress. “Aye, fine. Help me af’er food is done.” She finished after reaching for the knife before Vera moved it out of her short reach Rosia sighed when she was told she was a wrong about how she pronounced the labeled word. As Vera started the word, Rosia figured out what she was trying to do. “Lll-tttt
 Wait! That say salt?! As in the wa’er?” Rosia exclaimed and questioned loudly, pointing towards the wall that held water on the other side. “No. I refuse. Ye said before the second thingy made a ‘Ay’ sound. Like Ace on the cards!” Rosia continued laying her forehead down on the counter in play-like defeat. “Tis dumb. How much long’r till food done.” Rosia asked, rolling her head sideways so now her cheek was against the counter. Rosia hated feeling like she couldn’t do something, hence why she didn’t really try to read or let anyone attempt to teach her, but with Vera she knew she wouldn’t be judge.

Before Vera even spoke, she had dumped the onions into the pot and stirred the mixture. It was starting to smell lovely. A few more herbs and spices found their way into the pot. “Yes, salt. They take out the ocean water and let it dry up in the sun. Then they scrape the stuff up and it makes food taste better!” Vera heaved the bag of potatoes out of the pantry. It seemed to be half her size but she hoisted it up anyways, almost miraculously. Then, she began to cut them up. Generally she would soften them first but everyone, including Rosia, seemed eager for the food to be finished.

“I know, that was a different sounding ‘A’ though. All the letters sound different depending on what letters are around them. When you say ‘salt’, that’s why it sounds like ‘salt’.” Vera scoffed when Rosia called it dumb, but the smile never left her face. “It’s not dumb! Just complicated. It takes a while to learn, but you’ll get the hang of it eventually. Try reading this one.” She paused in her slicing to hand Rosia the small jar that said ‘pepper’ on the front. Then her hands went back to cutting. She was half way done.

Rosia lifted her head up as Vera told her it wasn’t dumb and then took the small jar Vera was handing to her. Rosia looked at it for a couple seconds as her mind turned and she tried to figure it out. “So the ‘Ar’ thingy changes the sound of the ‘eh’ right? So t’is would say ‘Peh-par’?” Rosia asked curiously. She knew Vera would sniff most things as she put them into her dishes, so Rosia decided to smell the small jar she handed it. Immediately Rosia sneezed to the side, almost dropping the jar. After she put the jar down she sneezed a couple more times. “Blach. What you given me ‘ere, messin’ up me nose” Rosia said as she scrunched and then rubbed her nose.

Vera listened intently as Rosia went through pronouncing the words out loud. Her smile widened when she said it correctly. “Yes! That’s pepper.” In one quick motion, she rounded up the now diced tomatoes and began picking them up and putting them into the pot. When she looked back, Rosia stuck her nose a bit too far into the jar which resulted in a sneezing fit. “It’s a spice! You aren’t supposed to inhale it.” Vera took the jar back so she could toss a few more peppercorns into the mixture. She churned everything in the large pot, making sure it was all mixed nicely, before covering it and letting it sit. “Alright, give that a few more minutes and we’ll be good. Wanna read some more?” Although Vera was genuine, there was a light teasing in her tone. “I have plenty more jars.”

Rosia started to regain her composure as Vera told her pepper was a spice. “Well, I see you always sniffin’ the jars.” Rosia was happy that she pronounced the word correctly before she started her sneezing fit. She felt a small sense of accomplishment and was smiling to herself and towards Vera for helping her. Rosia shrugged her shoulders before talking again. “Don’t know. Alot for today, still confused with salt not being like ace.” Rosia rubbed her nose a couple more times as the pepper still was irritating her a bit. Burgundian partlets“Next time, tell me not to sniff. Please.”[/color]

“Well, I sniff the jars at a distance, I don’t jam my nose into it.” Vera taunted her, her devilish grin never once fading. Once Rosia expressed her confusion and irritation, she nodded in understanding. “That’s alright, don’t worry. We can learn some more another day.” Vera checked her pot again; it was boiling nicely. She gave it another good stir before covering it once more. “Don’t go sniffing my jars then if you don’t want a nose full of pepper.” Vera smiled. She liked the way her dish looked, but she wanted more. It needed more punch. Humming to herself, she disappeared into the pantry again, coming out with some colorful peppers in her hands. She cut them up, stripped their seeds, and tossed them into the mixture. That should add some extra warmth. “Alright, now that just needs to settle for a bit. Want me to help you out of that dress now?” The content of the words seemed so vulgar, but Vera’s intentions were nothing but innocent. Well, mostly.

Rosia continued to watch Vera move elegantly through her kitchen, checking her pot and getting more ingredients to add to tonight’s meal. Rosia wasn’t entirely sure what it was but it did smell amazing and Rosia knows Vera always makes amazing food so Rosia isn’t one to complain about whatever Vera puts in front of her. “But your food always smellin’ good, so why don’t the jars smell good like the food?” She commented before standing up and pushing the barrel she was using as a chair back where she got it from. As walked back towards Vera, she heard her ask if she still wants help with her dress. “Well, I mean ye won’t let me go cuttin’ it off, so yes.” Rosia answered, as she smiled towards Vera.

Vera loved talking to Rosia. It gave her the chance to teach someone, and teaching was always so satisfying and rewarding. “Well, there’s a reason I only put a little bit of the stuff in my food. Its very intense.” Vera walked over to her cleaning bucket and wet a cloth. She cleaned her hands, making sure to scrub the smell of onions and raw meat off of them. “Now, to get that dress off
” Vera approached Rosia again. As they stood so close together, their height difference was quite clear. Vera thought it was adorable. “Hold still.” She walked around the younger woman so she stood behind her. “Dresses may seem fancy but they’re rather simple. Just gotta get this tight, upper piece off
” Vera grabbed at the strings tying her corset together. With nimble and calculated movements, she untied it. Immediately it started loosening, but Vera was fast enough to catch the sides of the dress before the entire garment fell. “They slide right off! See, not that bad, hmm?”

As Vera approached her, Rosia smiled. “Finally.” She said, reaching her arms back and showing she could only reach a few strings and couldn’t really do much. As she fidgeted around, Vera quickly told her to hold still, Rosia sighed and just let her arms down as Vera walked around behind her and started talking about the dress. Rosia didn’t wear these style of dresses often, not exactly her style, so she knew very little about them. For a second she felt one string come undone,but then very quickly they were all loosened. Rosia jumped as it came loose, but more from Vera quickly grabbing and holding her sides. Rosia stated to blush lightly, not entirely sure why though. Rosia just stood there for a second before cutting the silence. Oh, yeah. Feelin’ much better now. Rosia said to Vera still standing behind her.

“Good, I’m glad you’re more comfortable. However
” Vera paused to gently squeeze Rosia’s sides for emphasis, “As lovely as it might be, I can’t spend the whole night standing here and holding you.” She giggled. For some reason, her instinct was to just lean forward and hug Rosia like this, place her head on her shoulder. It seemed like it would fit perfectly. But that last thing Vera wanted was to lose her grip and embarrass the poor girl, no matter how much Vera wouldn’t have minded. She paused in speaking, taking the time to chew the inside of her bottom lip. “Meg-.. The captain must be looking for you, no? We’re about to set sail! What are you doing wasting your time down here with me?” Vera continued to tease her, but this one seemed a bit more half-hearted. She didn’t want Rosia to go quite yet, but both of them had a job to do. It took her a lot to stop the disappointed sigh from leaving her lungs.

Rosia giggled and jumped a little again when Vera gave her a light squeeze. Rosia just nodded when Vera commented about not being to just hold her, though she was comfortable right now, Vera was right about what she said. Rosia might be needed up top soon if they start to set sail, Bill might need her up on the sails, or Phillip might need someone to steer the helm while he goes off to do more things. “Aye, do have to do that” Rosia put her hands over Vera’s that was holding her dress up for a second, and then took control of her dress and spun around to face her. “T’anks again, for t’e dress, and salt and pepper words.” She gave Vera a light smile before she darted off towards her quarters to get changed and ready to set sail. “Peh-par
 S-aw l-t” She said to herself but also out loud as she left the kitchen.

Vera’s smile was subconscious as Rosia praised her. Although she would do it in a heartbeat without being asked, it felt nice to be appreciated. “No problem, dear. I’ll be here if you need me. Always,” She hummed, giving Rosia a wave as she left. Hearing the younger woman repeat her words caused Vera’s heart to swell with pride.

A few minutes passed. Vera busied herself with other tasks. When they stocked up on meat, they essentially purchased the entire cow, intestines and all. So Vera went out of her way to grind it all up and make her own sausage. For now, she just needed to mix the chunks with some spices and let it sit for the night. But that kept her occupied for a decent amount of time. After cleaning her hands once more, she approached the pot. Upon opening it, her body suddenly remembered how hungry it was. It smelled so delicious; she hadn’t eaten all day because she was too nervous. But now she was ready to gorge herself. But she wasn’t the only hungry person on deck. As the cook, it was her job to feed everyone. While mixing it again, she wondered if this would be enough for everyone. She ran down everyone’s names in her head, thought about portion sizes, but then one name stuck with her. James wouldn’t be able join the others in the mess hall. Vera was thought about it but only for a moment. James wasn’t a bad a man. He was always kind to her and treated her with respect. With a sigh, she pulled out one of her large wooden bowl and filled it with the stew. After adding a spoon to the mixture and pouring an extra tankard of ale, Vera left the kitchen.

Once on deck, Vera saw all of her friends and crewmates working hard to begin setting sail. A part of her felt weak and useless, causing a pit to grow in her stomach. She couldn’t hoist the sails or steer the ship or even shoot a gun. Vera frowned. Her disappointed facial expression remained as she walked down the stairs once more to enter the brig. “Good evening James!” Although he was their prisoner, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t treat him unkindly. “I’ve got dinner here for you.” She hummed as she approached the bars.

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Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Evangeline Casper Character Portrait: Callie Avis Character Portrait: James Porter
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XXXXJames heard another set of footsteps coming towards the brig. These were softer and, judging, by the smell, it was someone he was expecting. He knew he was right when he heard Vera greeting him. His eyes flashed to Eva, but found she was gone. She was probably hiding behind the barrel. Good, he thought, Stay that way. It’s not that Vera would show any animosity against the lass. More in the opposite. She’d probably see the lass as something similar to a lost puppy.

As she came closer, the smell of food filled his nostrils, his stomach letting out a loud growl in response. ”Well
 It’s a better evening now that you’re here.” He said to her with a smile and noticed the disappointed look on her face. ”Why the face? Is it because of the Mutiny?” His fingers twitched in anticipation of a meal considering he hadn’t eaten since the night before. It took all his control to keep from reaching through the bars for the bowl of stew in his cook’s hands.

Of course, as Vera approached, James tossed her a kind, flattering phrase; one that wiped the foul look off her face. “Are you sweet on me, James? It’s starting to sound like you are,” She teased him as she approached the bars, her usual smile sitting comfortably across her lips once more. Once he brought up the mutiny, it took some effort to keep from grimacing. It was brutal; they had to take the ship from a man who had never truly done them any wrong. And what was she supposed to say to him now? Vera had sided with Meg. She needed this money. She helped take the ship from him. “No, no, nothing about that. Was just hoping the food tastes good,” so Vera did what she did best: acting. She couldn’t let James know how she really felt. “But I suppose I won’t know that until you taste it, hmm? Here, eat up,” As she finished speaking, Vera passed him the food and drink through the bars, hoping that would be enough to stop him from asking questions she didn’t have answers for.

James snorted at Vera. ”You? Make something that isn’t absolutely delicious as if the angels of heaven prepared it and served it to us mortals as a sign of divine mercy?” He coughed into his fist. ”As if.” He smiled at her and winked once. When she passed him the food and drink, he took them with a quick ”Thank you.” before he downed the entirety of the drink. He needed to get the taste of lemon out of his mouth. He tried to be patient enough to blow on the stew before shoving the spoon into his mouth, but he failed significantly. In fact, he burned his tongue and the roof of his mouth on the stew and let out another string of colorful--and partially made up--swear words.

Evangeline was in an uncomfortable position behind the barrel. She was squatting and the wooden end of her axes were digging into her soft flesh. Eva didn’t dare to move as she listened to the friendly conversation. Relief filled her when James finally said thank you to the woman. She assumed the woman would leave soon. Eva couldn’t stay in her current position for much longer. Just as she hoped she wouldn’t get a splinter, James let out a string of swear words. Evangeline was surprised again by James.


Soft laughter escaped her lips and she fell back onto her bottom. “James and his swearing,” she whispered under her breath. Instead of staying still this time around, she stood. She used the barrel in front of her to steady herself. Her eyes glanced over James before they found the woman. Evangeline gave her a sweet, but small and shy smile. She broke eye contact for a second to fix the skirt of her dress. When she looked up, she was still smiling.


“I’m Evangeline, or Eva if you prefer,” she paused to move around the barrel. She stood between James and the woman. Eva stood a bit to the side, so she wouldn’t block anyone’s view. Eva held her hand out to the other woman. “Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?” she asked.


Vera couldn’t help but giggle at James’ embellishing compliment, “Oh stop that, James.” She couldn’t help but linger as the man started eating. She really did want to know how her food tasted. As he began scarfing it down, she frowned and furrowed her brow. Before she could open her mouth to scold him for not waiting for it to cool, Vera heard something moving behind her.

At first, she assumed it was just Rosia or Rudy scampering about and causing trouble. Her motherly reprimanding would have continued if she hadn’t turned and faced an entirely new person. Immediately, Vera went on edge. Her knees bent, lowering her stance somewhat. The dagger hidden in the back of her boot was now in arms reach. However, this strange woman didn’t appear aggressive or hostile in any way, so Vera allowed herself to relax, but just so. She was ready to defend herself at a moment’s notice. “Hello, Evangeline
” Her uneasiness was evident in her tone. She eyed the young woman up and down. “My name is Vera. If you don’t mind me asking: what are you doing here?’ She shifted her position, taking a slow step towards the exit of the room. Vera wanted to be able to flee if need be.

Eva watched as she lowered somewhat and tensed up. She was unsure of what the woman was going to do. When the woman spoke, she relaxed. Evangeline knew the woman was uneasy, but she couldn’t fix that issue. She wrapped her arms around her waist as she listened to Vera speak. Eva gave her a nervous smile now. She was only nervous as she wasn’t sure if the woman was going to start screaming or running or both. Evangeline had noticed she took a step towards the exit. She parted her lips to speak, but closed them again. Eva realized she shouldn’t tell her exactly everything. Though, she didn’t want to lie either. Slowly, to not frighten the woman off, she used her right hand to run her fingers through her hair. She smiled at Vera as she processed her thoughts.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Vera. The food you made smells lovely
” she paused to glanced at James, but her gaze returned to Vera, “I am here because of a friend
I knew they couldn’t stay with me
so we decided I’d stowaway.” Eva tried being as honest as possible, but at the same time she didn’t want to give away too much information. She didn’t want to say Vale’s name yet. Eva knew she could not mention Tessa. Though, she hoped Tessa wouldn’t rat herself out. She knew she couldn’t keep Vale out of the mess. Eva imagined Valentina would come to her defense when she was exposed.

James was about to eat another spoonful when Eva popped up from behind the barrel. He hadn’t realized she had been making noise before now, but when he looked to Vera to gauge her response
 she was on edge. She probably thought the girl was a threat. James snorted and went back to his stew. Let the two females work it out. What could he do stuck behind these bars anyway. When he heard that Eva thought the food smelled delicious, his first response was to say, ”Oh you have no idea. I don’t think anyone else could make a meal fit for kings out of what we pirates manage to scrounge together.”

Then, after spooning another bite into his mouth, he realized that she was probably hungry. He looked longingly down to his bowl before holding it out to Vera. ”Here. Hand this to her. She probably needs it more.” He sat down, bowl still being held out. ”What do you think Meg will do when she finds out the lass is here?” It wasn’t polite to speak of such things in front of the subject of conversation, but he was hungry and it made him a tad unfiltered. ”I doubt she’ll do anything too terrible right? I mean I was mutinied against, and I’m still here in one piece.”

“Eat James, I’ll be fine,”
she interrupted. She gave him a smile to reassure him and thank him for the offer. Evangeline hadn’t been hungry since the incident happened. She pushed her thoughts away, but couldn’t help the shaky breath she took next. Eva looked at Vera, her smile now slightly faded. Her heart stung a little at unwanted memories. “What is Meg like?” she asked softly, wanting a distraction. She vaguely remembered how Meg had spoken to James earlier that night.

Vera just stood by as the two of them exchanged words. Truly, she didn’t know what to make of this situation. This woman didn’t seem to harbor and ill will, but she still could have asked for a job on ship instead of just stowing away. “No, James. Eat your food. I have plenty for everyone.” This was something she would speak sternly about. She returned her wary gaze to this Eva, who was asking her about her captain. A part of her was screaming to run and get Meg, but she couldn’t help but feel for this poor girl. If James hadn’t accepted her in the past, she likely would have stowed away too. “First, she’s Captain to you,” Vera corrected her in the same motherly scold that she had sent James’ way. “Second of all, Meg isn’t cruel, but she also has rules. I’m sure she would have let you join from pure compassion alone. But I’m not entirely sure if she’ll take kindly to someone stowing away on her ship.” As time went on, Vera’s posture relaxed more and more. However, she was still ready to defend herself at a moment’s notice. “Why don’t you meet her for yourself? Might as well get it over and done with with.” Vera took more steps toward the exit, but this time, she ushered Eva along with her.

James sighed after Vera’s scolding and retracted the bowl of stew. Secretly grateful, he continued eating spoonful after spoonful of the now cooled food until little was left. In fact, the last spoonful he had stuck into his mouth
 was the one he choked on when Vera suggested she meet Meg now. He whipped his head to her. ”You can’t be serious.” Then again
 she had a point. If they all waited until they were in the middle of the ocean to reveal the lass
 it might make Meg even more angry with them. So
 ”No. Nevermind. She’s right. With Meg, things must happen now. Not later.” He sighed, feeling for the poor lass. ”Might as well follow Vera. Her presence might prove helpful.”

As the two began their leave up to the deck, James was sure to add. ”Just remember this when dealing with Meg: the lass is a hellfire.” He made sure to give his empty bowl and tankard to Vera before they left as well. ”I wish ye luck lass.” He said to Eva, his accent emerging.

Eva smiled as she listened to Vera. She took note to refer to Meg as Captain. Evangeline was relaxed and stayed relaxed as James put in his opinion. She decided to listen to them. It seemed like it would be better to meet Meghan sooner than later. Before she let Vera usher her out, she grabbed the chest and pouch from the pillowcase in the barrel. The only thing left in the barrel was the fruit and her pillowcase. Though, the pillowcase did have two dresses and makeup inside. She opened the small chest and stuffed the pouch in there. Eva closed the small chest, but it wouldn’t close completely. She tucked it under her left armpit before she followed Vera. She flashed James a smile to thank him for his advice and the luck.

“Vera, there are sacks of apples and mangos in the barrel I came in
” she said as she followed. She assumed Vera would want to know as she seemed to be the ship’s cook. Eva cleared her mind as she got ready to meet the Captain of the pirate ship.

Vera was ready to argue with James, but he seemed to realize his mistake. “Don’t worry, James. Meg can’t say no to me,” Vera was exaggerating, of course, but she just wanted to have the two of them relax. A few steps up the stairs, Eva told her about the fruit. Without hesitation, she jogged back down the stairs and went straight for the fruits. She hadn’t had mangos in a long while, and she was already planning on a what to cook. A pie perhaps? Hmmm, yes, mango rum pie. Her mouth was already watering. She had to shake her head to return to reality. No, she had to face this. Show Meg the stowaway now, make pie later.

Once the sack was slung over her shoulder, she started back up the stairs. Vera was already trying to come up with a plan, but she knew that there wouldn’t be much she could do. She would never dare challenge Meg’s final word. In that past, she’d bartered with the woman for better funds, but once Meg made up her mind and said no, Vera knew not to press her authority. Perhaps this was why they got along so well? Who knows. For now, she just needed to introduce Eva to her captain. As soon as she stepped on deck, Vera swiveled to find that head of fiery hair. It wasn’t difficult to spot Meg, standing beside Vale. With a silent nod to Eva, she stepped over to Meg.

“Captain.” First, the proper greeting. She bowed her head down for a moment, almost out of instinct, before continuing. “Pardon me. I don’t mean to interrupt, but we have
 a guest on board who wishes to speak to you.” Vera then stepped to the side, gesturing to Eva to step forward. She bit her lip nervously, her doe eyes trained on her captain to see her response.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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Being stopped by the captain made Vale almost break out in an internal sweat. She watched Tessa take a few more steps before turning slowly but when Meg handed her the map, she breathed out a soft sigh of relief and nodded. She even did a double take heading up because Vale had to admit, the captain did look stunning in that dress. In her mind she also hoped Eva would be safe for now. Vale knew she was going to be found out sooner or later but she preferred a little later. At least long enough for her to work on the map and hopefully not be caught off guard. With it now in her possession, Vale was expected to get to work fast but the small bird she carried was taking more of her attention. Right before heading above deck, Valentina did stop at medic but she saw that Sunni was preoccupied at the moment with...Philip.

Vale didn't make herself known but she did roll her eyes at the helmsman. You have such bad timing, she thought before glancing back down at the bird. The colorful little thing had it's eyes open now but was still weak. It couldn't move much other than blink at her and Vale felt sad for the poor thing. She softly rubbed the back of it's head as she climbed above deck.

The navigator was just in time, everyone was at work getting the ship out of port. Tess was at the rigging and the anchor had just been lifted... they were finally going back out to sea. Heading towards the helm, Valentina climbed up onto the small wooden platform she had installed herself. It was sort of her own little spot and also where she built in her sundial/compass. She had been working on the contraption for years after learning a few things while traveling with her uncle. Some adjustments and teaks were needed which is why Valentina took the task of building it into the ship herself. Everything needed to be just right for it to work properly.

Vale placed the hat with the bird down on the wooden platform. She took a moment to pull off her jacket and folded it into a comfy square to lay the bird on before placing Tessa's hat on her head. Then it hit her. "water!" she blurted out under her breath, reaching for the pouch of fresh water she had laced to her belt. She shook her head as poured a little into the cap, placing it next to the bird. "Sorry lil pajarito, it has been a big day for the both of us, huh?" The colorful bird responded by sapping up the water. She sat next to it, pouring out a little more then criss-crossing her leg. Finally, Vale pulled the map out and unraveled it out in front of her. Her eyes scanned every inch of it, she was getting deep in thought when Philip and Rudy came to the helm. "Aye, Rudy." smiled Vale from where she sat, tipping Tessa's hat in his direction but gave another eye-roll towards the helmsman. "Philip." she simply said, returning her attention back to the map. Vale began tracing her finger over the parchment, figuring out which way to go best.

Her attention was taken again by the Captain herself striding right up to her. Vale looked up, greeting the captain with a nod and a grin. "Tis a beauty," she referenced the map. "We need to chart a course. Do you suggest going up and around or down and under." Valentina looked back at the map contemplating it when Rosia joined in. “Sorry Cap’n. I was b’low deck with Vera, she was takin’ me dress off.” Rosia said non-chalantly.

Rosia scanned the map they had laid out, mostly just seeing shapes as Meg traced her finger across it. Rosia pronounced the words to herself in her head, thinking back to her reading lessons with Vera. “Whenev’r we go up, it gets colder
” Rosia mumbled out loud, but mostly just to herself.

Vale acknowledged Rosia's comment giving a subtle nod to it. She traced the first path, "We can go up and over but," Vale paused for a moment looking up at Meg. "there is the possibility of running into ice and fewer ports... I don't think going north is worth it. The best is to go under." she explained, tracing out the second path going south. "We'll need to stick close enough to land to supply, but far enough away we won't be stopped." said Meg and Vale instantly agreed. "Yes, if we go under we have a few more places to port in between if anything." Vale pointed out Guicona, Snitinlos, Quinlterra, Isccumo, Serbe, Mobe and Beweyma.

When she went to look back up her eyes instantly locked with the two lasses coming up behind the captain. It was Vera and... Eva. “Captain.” Vera began. Valentina visibly gulped, she wasn't per say afraid of Meg, Vale just didn't want to go through the drama that might ensue. “Pardon me. I don’t mean to interrupt, but we have
 a guest on board who wishes to speak to you.”

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Characters Present

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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xRosia “Jack" 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 lightly skipped down the hall towards the stairs that led to the officer quarters. She had only recently moved her stuff in there after the mutiny and Meg moved into the Captain’s quarters. Luckily Rosia didn’t have much to move, she had a chest that she kept the majority of her clothes bundled up in, and then a couple barrels of miscellaneous items that she collected, her gold and treasures mixed a little bit everywhere in her stuff. Rosia didn’t really care about how she organized her stuff, to her it was organized and she knew where all her stuff was, mostly.

Rosia entered the quarters she tumbled onto her bed, quickly slipping out of the dress since it was already loosened before by Vera. After she took off the dress, she looked stared at it for a second, thinking back to Vera. She was right, it was a pretty dress, and she giggled back to thinking about how Vera squeezed her sides and how soft her hands were. Rosia was brought out of her thoughts by the waves hitting the side of the ship. “Oi. Leavin’ land ‘nd I ain’t even up top!” Rosia said to herself as she rolled off the bed to her chest and flipped it open, quickly grabbing some better clothes to wear on deck than a dress.

Quickly digging through she chest, she threw on the black short black vest that was basically her trademark and then a simple white shirt under it and dark blue pants with her boots that went almost up to her knee and sliding her Jack card into her left boot and small dagger to the side of her right boot. Rosia stood up quickly and grabbed her pistol belt as she headed towards the ship deck to where the fun was sure to be happening, and hopefully them getting to the treasure sooner rather than later. Rosia was going to check in Meg first and see if there was anything specific that needed to be tended to and then see if anyone needed help, maybe Tessa or Bill on the sails or mast.

After running up the stairs to the deck she turned and looked around, seeing everyone on the ship doing their part, giving Rosia a smile on her face. Everyone had a part of the ship, even though Rosia’s was a little looser than most, she still helped around as an extra pair of hands and being Meg’s First Mate. Rosia spotted the Captain shortly, on the helm talking with Vale and Sunni behind her, and skipped towards them, knowing she was a tad late. As she got up to the helm, Rosia buckled her pistol around her waist and adjusting it so it was behind her and out of the way, a little confused that Meg was still in her dress, but walking around to an empty side of the table they had the map laid out on. “Sorry Cap’n. I was b’low deck with Vera, she was takin’ me dress off.” Rosia said non-chalantly.

Rosia scanned the map they had laid out, mostly just seeing shapes as Meg traced her finger across it. Rosia pronounced the words to herself in her head, thinking back to her reading lessons with Vera. “Whenev’r we go up, it gets colder
” Rosia mumbled out loud, but mostly just to herself as she put her shark tooth earring into her ear. Rosia walked away for a second as Vale and Meg discussed more about the route they would take. She walked around the sundial and to the edge of the ship to lean over the railing, looking over the side, watching the waves hit the side of the ship. Rosia even thought about jumping in for a second if they weren’t already on a rush for this treasure.

“Captain.” Rosia heard Vera's voice, being a little surprised she was up on the helm. She quickly turned around and walked to the side of Meg before stopping in her tracks and seeing a woman she’s never seen before. Rosia looked at the woman, looked over the edge of the boat to see they weren’t near land anymore, looked at Vera and then back at the woman, turning her head for a second in thought. Where did t’is woman come from, and why she here? Rosia thought to herself, sliding her right hand behind her back and gripping onto her pistol, prepared for whatever could happen. Rosia trusted Vera wouldn't bring someone hostile up to the captain, but she was still confused. She was positioned so that Vale and Meg could probably see where her hand was, and Vera could more than likely assume where her hand was. But honestly, Rosia wouldn't care if anyone actually knew, including the new woman on the ship.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Evangeline Casper Character Portrait: Callie Avis
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M e g X| | XE v a

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H e l l f i r e | | T. B. A

C a p t a i n | | S t o w a w a y

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XXXXEvangeline stayed close to Vera as they walked. Eva crossed her arms and kept her eyes on Vera’s legs. The last thing she wanted to do was see Vale and or Tessa. She’d likely make it obvious she knew them and get them in trouble. When Vera began to speak, she listened carefully. When gestured to do so, she stepped forward to stand next to Vera. Eva only glanced at Meg’s face for a second before her eyes wandered down the woman’s dress and stayed at her feet. She noted how lovely the dress was. Eva wondered if the Captain always dressed so nice. Surprisingly, Eva wasn’t nervous. What was meant to happen would happen, and she had faith the outcome would be positive.

“Greetings Captain,” she paused to press her crossed arms closer to her chest, “My name is Evangeline, but I do go by Eva.” Eva kept her eyes on Meg’s feet. She wondered if Vale or Tessa was nearby. She knew others were near her and around the ship. Eva had to fight the urge to look around as the curious cat in her awoke. The last thing she wanted to do was seem distracted and offend Meg. Her expression stayed blank as she waited for a reply.

Meg’s gaze was on their brand new map, her mind working its way through the maze that was their journey. Talking with Vale helped, of course. She was an expert at what she did. Make no mistake. Rosia joined not soon after her own arrival, giving her own advice on their voyage. It was always appreciated and it helped to work out their options.

The three were huddled around the map when Meg heard Vera’s voice come from behind her. Judging by her cook’s tone, something was amiss on her ship. A
 guest? Meg turned around, sure Vera was simply joking when she came face to face with
 an unfamiliar face. Or, at least, she would have, had the girl not been a whole head shorter than her. The heeled shoes on Meg’s feet weren't helping either. Though, the girl didn’t look frightened. No
 she looked curious.

Meg’s eyes narrowed a bit. Obviously, this dress was taking some of the seriousness of her position. The thing had to go. But first
 She propped a leg up on the nearest railing to her, pulled the knife she borrowed from Vale from the garter strapped to her leg, and leaned against the table, cleaning the dirt from her fingernails with the tip. ”What brings you aboard my vessel, Evangeline?” She asked, purposely using her full name. Eva looked up through her eyelashes to make eye contact as she spoke.

“I would say fate has brought me aboard your lovely vessel. I saw my dearest friend for the first time in years tonight. Since they were needed here...I decided to come along. T-they are my only family left...”

Meg’s eyes narrowed a little more at the idea that someone had brought her aboard. Obviously, it was for a reason Meg
 couldn’t exactly sympathize with since her family was dead or she had never known them to begin with, but
 if her parents were still alive
 she knew she’d want them with her, too. Still, that didn’t change the fact that they hadn’t asked permission of their captain before bringing aboard another mouth to feed. ”How did you get aboard my vessel?”

“Well, I came in a barrel. Sacks of mangos and apples are in the barrel...a gift from my prior home.”

Well
 at least she didn’t come empty-handed. She thought, finishing with the cleaning of her left hand, she shifted the knife to her right hand. ”And who brought you aboard?” She didn’t really think it mattered much, but she would have to have a talk with them regardless. Otherwise, the others might start bringing on strangers willy-nilly.

“Captain, I can only tell you if you promise not to hurt them or have someone else hurt them. I won’t have them come into harm’s way because of me.”

Wrong answer, lass, she thought, her eyes turning to narrow slits. ”I don’t make promises to stowaways who tell me how to run my ship!” In a split second, she had the knife flipped, blade facing out towards Eva. ”Tell me who brought you aboard!”

“I am sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to make it seem as if I was telling you how to run your ship. I would have never done that intentionally...Also, I apologize that I came on your ship in secret. It seemed like the only way of not being separated from my friend,” she took a solid deep breath as she prepared for the worst, “But I refuse to tell you if it means harm to anyone, but me.”

Eva’s tone was serious at the end and her lips were set in a stubborn pout. She apologized, and Eva would rather die than have Vale and her friend hurt. She glanced at the blade and finally looked around as the curious cat won. If she were to die, then she may as well see what the ship looked like. Eva saw Vale and some other woman nearby. She forced herself to keep her gaze on the other woman. She didn’t want to give Vale away. She noticed the woman had her hand behind her back, but she couldn’t give it much thought. Finally, she returned her gaze to the Captain with sad eyes. At least she saw Vale once more before she died.

If it had been a member of her crew, Meg would have strung them up and left them to hang by their wrists for a few hours. Which was a tempting punishment for Philip...but Eva was not a member of her crew. The way she spoke was eloquent enough for her to know she was no slum wench. At least that wasn’t how she had begun her life. Meg sighed, the fire remaining in her eyes, but she leaned against the table once more. She’d figure it out eventually anyway. ”What are your skill sets?” She flipped the knife back around so it was no longer pointed at Eva, but it was also no longer set to cleaning her nails.

Eva let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. She forced herself to keep her gaze on Meg. Evangeline really wanted to look at Vale, but she knew that was a bad idea. Now filled with relief and with a question she would willingly answer, she smiled at the Captain. She heard her heart pounding in her ears, but she was happy. It looked like everything would be okay. James may have said Meg was like hellfire, but fire kept people warm and safe. It could burn and cause pain, but everything could have a bad side.

“Thank you, Captain,” she paused to loosen her crossed arms; she had been tense, “I am best at sewing, and I have worked with a blacksmith for some time. I had taken a break when traveling, but I can make good weapons...I have always done odd jobs as well. The odd jobs most recently involved cleaning, running errands, and or just fixing things. Though, I am a quick learner and am always willing to learn. If you need me to do something, I’ll happily do it and do my best to do it well. Although, I don’t do well with things that involve...heights...”

Meg tried her best not to smirk at the idea of putting the lass in the ropes with Tessa.

“I can defend myself though. I don’t own any knives at the moment, but I do know my way around them. I have upgraded to boarding axes for my weapons of choice...” she added. Eva smiled to herself as she remembered why she upgraded. She pulled herself from her little memory to look at the Captain. Evangeline smiled at her with warmth in her expression. She was grateful to Meg now.

“Although, the question I should ask is, what kind of person do you need most on your ship Captain?” she asked. She knew she likely just rambled, but at least she answered the Captain.

Meg smiled smugly, taking to flipping the knife in her hand now. ”That’s the thing
 we don’t really need anyone else on this ship.” Not entirely true. They could always use the hands if there was room and right now there technically was. However, those they added would need to have a place. ” However, I could find a place for you if you’re willing to work. There is no room for useless individuals on my vessel. If you have no use, I’ve no use for you. Savvy?”

“I am always willing to work Captain.”

Meg thought for a moment. Her skill sets were wide and largely
 only useful as an assistant. She had one already in Rosia. Vera could probably use the help and Rosia could probably use an underling as well. Right now, they needed the ship underway which was more or less a success considering there was wind in their sails and the land was shrinking in the distance. They would soon have their heading as well.

”If you’re to stay on my ship, you will work under Rosia,” She nodded to her first mate who currently had one hand on her pistol. Meg tried not to roll her eyes. ”And Vera, whom you’ve already met. I’m sure they could use your help. If you’re going to be aboard my vessel you’re going to work. Hard. I want no complaints and you will obey my orders or you’ll be keelhauled. Savvy?”

“I’ll be happy to help in any way I can,” she replied. She glanced at the woman who she assumed was Rosia. Meg had nodded at her. Evangeline wondered if the woman had her hand on a weapon. I guess a stranger on a ship could be seen as a danger. After the thought, she glanced at Vera and flashed her a smile before her eyes went back to Meg.

“Anything else Captain?”

Meg watched the newcomer a moment. And then another. Hoping the girl would squirm even a little. Then she flashed a smile, spun the dagger around, and said, ”Welcome aboard neophyte.” Then she stabbed it into the wood of the table beside the map and began to walk towards her quarters. ”Vale! Set a course! If Philip is still drunk, take the helm!” She waved her hand in the air. ”Rosia! With me!”

She walked by Rudy and Philip just as they were walking by. ”Our new crew member. Treat her nice now, lad.” She said as she ruffled the powder monkey’s hair. Then she continued to her quarters.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Evangeline Casper Character Portrait: Callie Avis
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xxxxxPYON SUN-AH
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plague || the surgeon


Meg had a way of telling stories, one that made Sunni smile, no matter how else she was feeling. Meg had a talent for making Sunni smile anyway, for making her feel wanted, important. She knew she was important on the ship. And, well, for now, Sunni had to ignore the butterflies that she felt every time Meg looked at her with that smirk, with those dangerous eyes. What she wanted was not important. She wasn't about to ruin the ship's dynamic. She wasn't about to ruin their friendship. She had Meg in her life, and that was what was important. She had somewhere where she was valued as a doctor and a person, and that was important.

But when Meg held out her hand, Sunni took it, lacing her fingers through Meg's, and followed her through the decks of the ship. In those moments, Sunni's imagination got the better of her. The thought of running anywhere with Meg like this, anywhere people could see. Of a soft kiss, a shared joke, and of more. So much more. But then they reached the deck and Meg stepped away once they reached the deck. Sunni swallowed and raised her chin a little, folding her arms as she watched the activity on the ship. Captain Hellfire was needed. Not Meg.

The ship was full of activity. It brought back a little of her smile as she watched the activity, and watched as their ship started to pull out of the bay. Meg said she was going to talk to Vale, and Sunni followed. Most of the terms would probably go above her head, but anything for a few more minutes around their captain.

Vera's voice made Sunni raise an eyebrow, partially because of her presence, but more so because of her words. A stowaway. She folded her arms and made the decision to watch, not interfere. She sincerely hoped her skills as a doctor wouldn't be needed. She doubted it would. But still, she watched.

At one point, Sunni started questioning her duties on the ship. Not her loyalties. But as a doctor, she was expected to aid all, no matter who. Would that include someone her captain had declared an enemy? If Meg injured this girl, how would she react at Sunni helping her? She internally gritted her teeth. She'd just have to do her best to stop that from happening. She didn't want to cross Meg under any circumstances. But sometimes it needed to be done.

Thankfully, something about the girl seemed to impress Meg. Sunni did her best to suppress the burning jealousy in her stomach. She watched her captain head back towards her quarters, and simply looked at their newcomer. "Welcome on board. Sun-Ah, the surgeon on this ship. People call me Sunni. Or Plague. Don't annoy me and we'll be fine," Sunni said, barely managing to keep the edge out of her voice. "You need a hand in the kitchens, Vera?" She asked genuinely, turning to her friend.

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Characters Present

Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham Character Portrait: Evangeline Casper
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xRosia “Jack" 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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Rosia stood and watched the conversation between Meg and this stowaway happen, she thought about commenting something at first, but could tell Meg wouldn’t have wanted to be interrupted right now. So Rosia just stood aside and waiting and took mental notes, waiting to see what the situation would turn into. Though if it was Rosia’s choice, they might bust out the plank for a little bit of fun.

During most of the conversation, there wasn’t much going on. Rosia heard what the Stowaway called herself, Evangeline/Eva, but Rosia quickly dismissed that. She wasn’t one for actual names, as seen around the ship when she calls everyone by their alias and not really caring about what their name was, like with Nameless. But Rosia did need to know everyone’s names since some people still used them when talking about others.

One thing did catch Rosia’s attention and get her a little excited. Meg had asked a question about who brought Eva onboard, and giving an answer that Meg didn’t exactly like. When Meg turned the blade to Eva and raised her voice, Rosia’s heart skipped a beat with excitement, her grip on her pistol tightening. Rosia didn’t exactly want Meg to stab this girl, or be forced to draw her pistol, but it would be a little bit excitement, though she was also a little disappointed when Meg leaned back and the situation didn’t escalate.

Towards the end of the conversation the hostility died down, and Rosia realized there wouldn’t be a need for much violence. She was surprised when Meg said the stowaway would work under Rosia and Vera, depending on what was needed. Rosia subconsciously bit her bottom lip when Meg said the stowaway would work with Vera, maybe a little jealousy, or maybe just upset there wouldn’t be a walking of the plank.

Rosia was snapped back to reality when Meg called her name and told her to follow. Rosia let go of her pistol for a second and turned towards Vale. “If ye need me, I’ll be ‘round, especially if Nameless needs me on t’e wheel. Just yell.” She said towards Vale and skipped along to catch up with Meg as she walked towards her quarters. As she walked past the stowaway, her pistol would be revealed to be behind her back, but she wasn’t too worried. Also, when Rosia walked past Vera, she put her hand on Rosia’s arm and told her to be careful, Rosia replied with a nod and a smile, getting a warm feeling inside before she followed the captain into her quarters.

When Rosia entered the captain quarters behind Meg, she closed the door behind her and quickly grabbed a small crate stood upon it. it would help her be at an easier height to assist Meg in taking her dress, since she is taller than her. “Stowaway huh? Wonderin’ who brought her aboard
” Rosia said towards Meg.

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Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Philip Walker 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.

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Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Philip Walker 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 didn’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 hadn’t clicked for her that if she hung around Tessa, people would think she brought her on the ship. Tessa’s back was to Eva, so it was easy for Eva to walk right up behind her. She went on tippy toes and stroked Mango’s, the bird they had found, head with a finger. He was sitting comfortably on Tessa’s hat. The little fella, who they assumed was a fella, seemed to be doing better.

“Hello Mango, is Tessa being nice to you?” 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.

“Fuck do you want now?” Tessa said, the scold on her face not easing up. Evangeline flashed Tessa a smile.The woman did amused her.

“I just want to spend time with Mango. You seem to be hoarding him,” she said playfully. Tessa turned to start walking away, looking at some nearby ropes.

“It isn’t my fault little birdie won’t get off my damn hat,” Tessa said as she walked.

“Well...can I have your hat then? I’ll give it back to you once I get him on my shoulder or something,” she replied. Eva walked alongside Tessa to keep the conversation going.

“Fuck no. You cannot touch me hat. Fuck off,” Tessa said, not sounding as angry as she would when speaking to others. Eva placed a hand on Tessa’s shoulder to try to get her to stop walking. “Please?” she asked.

“Hmmm,” Tessa stopped for a moment and looked at her. “Fuck your please.”

“If you said please when we met at the tavern, you wouldn’t owe me a drink,” she replied, only risking the words as no one was nearby. Eva got on her tippy toes again. Carefully, but quickly, she lifted Tessa’s hat off her head. “I am going to check on James. I don’t think he has seen Mango since I got here,” 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 hadn’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 wasn’t expecting the girl to actually listen to a word she was saying. “Ya don’t need to grab someone’s hat like that. Just take the fuckin’ birdie, don’t need my whole fuckin’ hat.” Eva stopped in front of bars that kept James a prisoner. She looked away from him to look at Tessa.

“I said I would give it back once I got him off the hat, but you refused to give me the hat,” she replied, matter of factly. Her gaze returned to James. Tessa’s hat was held between her hands. She smiled at James. “How are you are you today James? I brought Mango down to see you.”

“Ahoy there, James,” Tessa said with a small wave as she tried to grab her hat. Eva turned slightly, so Tessa couldn’t grab her hat. Mango was on her shoulder, but she didn’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 hadn’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 couldn’t deny that he was glad. He rubbed at the stubble forming on his chin and continued his song, ”Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Nobody knows
 me sorrow.”

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: Don’t make her angry and never, ever touch the hat. Unless you were Vale. ”’Ello Eva. Tessa. What brings you to me quarters on this fine
” He glanced to the side of the ship where a small bit of light was peaking through. ”Day?”

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. “Oi! Riggknot ye turncoat! It was you that brought the stowaway onto the ship.” Rosia said, announcing her presence to the others as she came down the stairs. “Captain Hellfire won’t be like’n this!” Hearing the familiar voice, Tessa knew exactly who it was. She rolled her eyes and turned towards the voice.

“Oi now! Does it really fuckin’ matter anymore?” 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. “Look at ‘er! She’s a fuckin’ kitten, for christ sake!” She kept moving forward until she was a foot or so in front of her. “Does it really look like the girlie’s any harm?”

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. “Nay, but ye went behind the Cap’n’s back.” Tessa nodded at this.

“Alright, if that’s how ya’r thinkin’,” Tessa said then cracked her knuckles. What proceeded was something that you’d have to see to believe it. Tessa seemed to pull what seemed to be an endless rope out of nowhere. “Ey, whatcha doin’ with th-” 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. “Tessa! Stop that right now!” 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. “Aye, I think that may be good enough,” 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 Rosia’s accusation. So they didn’t know that it wasn’t only Tessa, but Vale as well. The fact that they had to guess meant Eva hadn’t told Meg. Interesting. When Tessa pulled out the rope, he honestly thought it was for Eva. I mean
 she had touched the hat. He was thrown for a loop when instead she began to tie up Rosia. ”What are ye doin?” He asked them, more surprise in his voice than concern. It was the most bizzare thing to James.

That’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 could’ve tied up Rosia, standing beside her. Eva standing off to the side, Tessa’s hat in her hand an
 is that a bird on her shoulder? She thought she had heard chirping while visiting Sunni the past couple of days
 It appears Eva wasn’t the only stowaway.

And James just sat there and watched. Watched her rigger tie her first mate
 shit. ”What the bloody hell is going on!?” She demanded, eyes simmering. ”Me first mate is tied up. Me rigger the culprit and
” Then she remembered why she wanted to talk to Tessa earlier. ”Tessa Locke. Were you the one to bring aboard the stowaway?” Her eyes narrowed. Her plan had been to pull her aside and speak to her privately but the scene before her
 and with James watching
 She’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. “Aye that’s the question, isn’t it?”
She sighed again, and looked over at Eva then rolled her eyes. “Aye, this is a fuckin mess,” She mumbled, putting a hand to her forehead and sighing again. “I 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,” Tessa admitted. Then added under her breath, “Even though I didn’t want to.” 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. ”Ye fucked up.” Meg’s glare turned on him and he stepped away from the bars. She turned her attention back to the women before her. ”I’m listening.” She took note of the fact that Eva now stood between them. The girl was going to get herself killed one day doin’ 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.

“The long answer,” Tessa started. “I was at a whorehouse and met this lass. The lass told me she had.. No family left. As you know.. I don’t have any family. But I found one here on this ship. I figured ’oi, this young lass could use some help.’ So.. I helped. Stuffed her in a barrel and here we are now.” She paused a moment for it to sink in as she hoped nothing about her gave away this this was only half the truth. “I’m sorry I hadn’t told you from the start, Captain. But I knew where we were going and that we didn’t need anyone new,” 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. ”If you had told me sooner, it would’ve been fine.” She looked up at Tessa, their blue eyes meeting. ”But you went behind me back and you hid her.” She motioned down at Rosia, still tied up. ”Now you go and do this?” She sighed, her shoulders rising with command, but slowly as if they were pushing up against an invisible weight. ”One hour from the mast.” She said simply. Tessa had been the one to string ‘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. ”I was planning on leaving you in charge of the ship. I’ll have to leave Vera to that.” 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. “Ye still a turncoat...” Rosia said with a slight smirk, she wasn’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.

”All hands to the deck!” She yelled as loudly as she could, her voice edged with anger. They would know she meant business. Once her crew assembled, she began. ”We’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.” Meg paused. Upset at the words that were about to leave her mouth. ”Tessa is to hang by her ankles from the mast while we are gone.” While she didn’t normally explain her orders, she felt this one needed an explanation. ”While I don’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.”

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

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

| 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 weren’t they all. Jules hadn’t seen James all that much. He’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 wasn’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.

”Cap’n on deck,” Jules muttered under his breath, and put out his cigar between his calloused fingers and sticking it in his chest pocket.

”All hands to the deck! We’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.” Meg paused. ”Tessa is to hang by her ankles from the mast while we are gone. While I don’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.”

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 Riggknot’s hat. Interesting. He gestured his head towards the usual place of punishment.

”Been awhile since we’ve had to string anyone up, ey?” he moved up behind Riggknot after Meg was off and nudged her with his elbow. ”Shame its gotta be you. But don’t worry, I’ll do the tyin’ and I won’t do it as tight as you do, I’m not as skilled as you anyhow, none o' us are.”

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. He’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. ”Oy, pick me up some tobacco and leaves, I’m runnin’ low.” Bill knew what he liked. He’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.

” ’ow long is this t' be for, cap?” Hopefully not too long, Jules wasn’t a punishment sort of mood. Sometimes, especially when Riggknot wasn’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 wasn’t as nice of a process. He could only hope this wouldn’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.

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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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Tessa followed Meg up to the dock. Though she knew the punishment and she was more than willing to take it, she wasn’t at all happy about it. And she wasn’t happy about what she had to do right now. “Eva,” she started under her breath and leaned closer to the girl as she took her hat off her head. “Take me hat to Vale,” she paused a moment and said even more softly, “please,” 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 hadn’t been too busy beginning to bark orders at her crew. She couldn’t help but scowl as she heard of Tessa’s wrongdoing. Weren’t Tessa and Rosia friends? At least, that’s what Vera thought. Ah, well. Sometimes scraps happen...

As Meg spoke, Tessa listened. Her usual scowl was on her face and she wasn’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 ’I coulda tied meself up, ya’know’ thinking it’d sound too much like a joke. She followed Jules, ready to be hanged by her souls.

“Aye love,” Jules grinned, knowing Tessa didn’t particularly enjoy his nickname for just about everyone on board. “Here we go then.” 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. “After you, madam.”

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 won’t just fall. Then into the knot she stepped, one foot at a time.

Julian shook his head with laughter, as if he couldn’t believe he was actually doing this, then pulled down on the opposite rope, making sure Tessa’s head didn’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. “Doin’ alright up there?” 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 didn’t pay it much mind as everything slowly came to a gentle stray. “As alright as I’d ever be in this position,” she started then stared at Jules for a moment. “Ya know, you look a bit like a bearded wench from this angle.”

“You git,” he nudged her gently, and she swayed more. “Ah, ya look pretty much tha’ same from this angle.” 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 didn’t enjoy the barbaric nature of these punishments. Of course, Meg had her reasons clearly. It often works, but it just as often doesn’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. “Aye, leave her be, Jules,” She scolded him, albeit half-heartedly. The absolute beast of a man would likely do as he pleases, but she hoped the title of “in charge” would help persuade him. “She’s already hanging. Don’t need to double the punishment by having you bat at her like a kitten.”

Jules jumped to attention, hand to his head in a salute. “Aye aye Madam captain in charge.” 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. “Seriously love, though she may deserve it sometimes, I don’t like it as much as you do, jus’ haven’ some fun.” He turned back to the woman hanging at his height. “Now you jus’ let me know if ya start feelin’ queasy, ya hear? Rudy won’t wanna have to swab th’ deck all over again.” 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 couldn’t help but pout. She wasn’t put in charge very often, and it was something she quite enjoyed. “Quit that!” She huffed, landing a light slap on his arm. “It’s no fun being punished, even with your charm and wit sprinkled about.” 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. “Don’t you have something you should be doing? Make yourself useful,” 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. “Yes mum, I mean ma’am.” 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 couldn’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, “Sorry
” slipped out, buying her time to think of what she actually wanted to say. “I’ll be around. So will Jules. If you need anything, just shout, alright?”

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. “Oi now,” she started. “No need to be sorry. To be perfectly honest, this is quite...” she paused trying to think of the right word. “Relaxing,” she tried to shrug.

Vera couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “It must be, not having to run around and work.” She agreed, allowing a small but genuine smile to show. “Like what I’ve got to do now.” 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. “I’ve got to clean the storeroom. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.” With that, Vera turned and walked to the stairs leading to the storage.

In the blink of an eye, thirty minutes had passed. Vera’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 wasn’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, hadn’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. “Oi, it’ll be fine! Oi, she won’t get caught! Fuckin’ knew this was gonna happen, hadn’t I! Oh, but was me own fault, weren’t it? Fuckin’ barrel. A barrel! Lass don’t know how to take a joke, ay?” She let out a long sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a growl. “I fuckin’ hate everythin’ now, don’t I,” 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 hadn’t pegged Tessa as the one. Regardless, she walked over, mucky bucket still in hand. “Tessa.” 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. “I know Me-... I know Captain isn’t back yet, but I need your help. I’m not going to get this mess cleaned up in time. I need to cut you down.”

Tessa looked in the direction her name came from and watched Vera as best she could. Her eyes widened however at Vera’s statement. “Are ya sure you wanna be doin that, Vera?” Tessa paused a moment and looked to the deck below her then back to Vera. “Actually.. I’d mighty appreciate it.”

Vera hesitated. “I’m not entirely sure, but I’m going to do it anyways,” 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 isn’t surprising considering who had tied it. Vera wasn’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 isn’t as frail as she seemed, but Tessa also wasn’t as light as she seemed, so once the knot was undone the rope jerked upward. If it wasn’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. “That could have gone terribly,” Vera commented, unable to keep the smile from growing on her face.

“Right, I could’ve fell on my head,” 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 wasn’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 didn’t mind at all, in fact, he agreed with Vera’s decision. He turned back to the card game at hand, smiling to himself at the mercy embedded in Vera’s bones. He agreed, allies were made to help, not hang.

Vera let out a nervous laugh before speaking, “Yeah, that wouldn’t ‘ave been good.” 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. “Easy, careful.” 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. “Tis’ like bein’ drunk without the good taste an’ feelin,” Tessa complained.

Tessa’s loss of balance was expected, so once she fell upon Vera, Vera held fast. One hand rested on the taller woman’s waist, while the other gripped under her arm to keep her from collapsing. “Easy now,” She repeated, though the kindness in her voice didn’t change, “Give it a minute. You’ll get your bearings soon. Just breathe.”

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. “Thank you,” She started then took a quick look around deck before she looked back to Vera. “So, boss, what’ll you have me doing again?”

The pout from earlier returned. “Oi, I’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,” Vera crossed her arms and glared at Tess, though the glare was more akin to the fierceness of a kitty. It wasn’t long before her gaze softened. “... I didn’t mean that.” She mumbled, glaring down at the ground. It was then that she saw her bucket and was reminded of her job. “Oh yes! The storage room! It’s a mess. I swear, I send Rudy down there to get one thing and it’s a disaster soon after.” She picked up her bucket again and started her way towards the stairs. “Fruits 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 couldn’t do it alone. Hence
” She then gestured to Tessa. “That and
” Vera bit into her plump bottom lip: a nervous habit. “I couldn’t stand to see you like that.” She looked away from Tessa, hoping she wouldn’t notice her pained expression accompanied by a certain tightness in her chest.

A small amused smile made its way onto Tessa’s face at the last bit Vera had said. “Oi now, don’t feel bad,” Tessa started as she made her way over. “I am immensely grateful to you lettin me down,” she gave a small bow with that amused look on her face growing slightly before standing and heading to the stairs. “Alright, let’s get to cleaning, Honorary Captain Vera,” she said as she walked.

“You’re welcome,” The comment was rather sharp, implying that Vera didn’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. “Now, instead of hanging, your punishment will be to clean this retched place with me before the others get back. A truly equal punishment, no?” She smirked, placing her trash bucket down. “Now get to work, you lazy sack of bones.” The tease was made in jest, apparent by the light laugh that followed.

At the ’orders’, 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. “Hey, Tessa
” Vera finally broke the silence. Her words were cautious; she didn’t want to upset Tess or make an enemy of anyone else. “When Meg
 When the Captain announced your punishment, she said you tied up Rosie. What was that about?”

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. “It was because I know how she is, Vera.. though, yes, it may have made things worse. For me,” 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. “Vera, do ya know how Eva got aboard?”

Vera couldn’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. “I have no idea, genuinely. I just happened to be giving James his dinner when she stumbled out from behind a barrel.” 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. “Fuckin’ idoit,” she mumbled then let out a sigh and looked back to Vera. “I 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,” She started. “You’ll need’ta ask Vale about that but they’re like family. And, in short, Vale wasn’t allowed to stay so the kit-fuck! So Eva had to come. An’ we put ‘er in a barrel.. An’ carried ‘er on,” Tessa more or less mumbled the last bit as fast as she could. “An’ now listen, don’t tell Meg about Vale.. I may have twisted the story a tad to where she wasn’t there,” 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. “My. That’s
 quite the tale.” She hesitated, not quite sure of what to say. “Well.” She sighed, “I 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 they’ll ever return.” 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. “I’m guess Rosie found out? Not sure why you’d try to truss her up. It wouldn’t have lasted very long.” She continued to work while speaking, not once looking up now.

“Hadn’t thought about that,” 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. “More like accused me. She may have been partly right, but she only figured me. And I knew it wouldn’t last long,” she paused a moment as she thought about saying something else then decided to stop herself. She hoped that wasn’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. “That it?” She let out a short laugh, “That was your plan?” She cast her a playful smile before going back to cleaning. “Not a very good one, love.”

Tessa rolled her eyes at this and continued cleaning. She did her best to avoid looking at Vera as she spoke. “No, that wasn’t the plan at’all. The plan was that if I was going to get caught, seeing Rosia I surly was, then I’d make the punishment as hard as possible to take any suspicion off Vale,” she paused but only for a second. “Or anyone else that might have some suspicion. If I could take full blame, I would. Just so we don’t need to worry about this shit plan anymore,” When she finished speaking she just continued cleaning as if nothing happened.

Hearing the words coming out of Tessa’s mouth made Vera pause. Having her explain this true act of kindness
 Vera’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, “I’ll be damned, Tess. Didn’t know you were so soft on Vale.” Vera teased, glancing up from her work to see how the woman would react. “It’s over and done with now. And likely for the best. We’ve got Eva and board and as long as she provides useful, Captain won’t have an issue.” 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 wasn’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. “I ain’ soft!” she yelled.

Tessa gave Vera the exact reaction she had been looking for. She giggled before responding, “Sure you aren’t, love. Whatever you saaay
” She trailed off before busying herself with her cleaning.

Conversation between the two lulled to a silence. It wasn’t tense or uncomfortable. The two just worked quietly, almost comforted by each other’s presence. It wasn’t too long before Vera stood up and did a once over of the entire room. It wasn’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. “Alright, Tess. I think that’s enough. Let’s dump this waste out and call it. The others should be back soon.” She picked up one of the buckets full of nasty water and made her way to the stairs.

“Aye,” Tessa nodded at what Vera said. She found herself feeling a bit proud at their work. Cleaning wasn’t much in Tessa’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 sun’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 crew’s boats approaching the ship once more.

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Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Philip Walker Character Portrait: Pyon Sun-Ah Character Portrait: Rosia Hienrik Character Portrait: Meghan Cunningham
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xRosia “Jack" 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 captain’s side as she gave out everyone’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 wasn’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 would’ve noticed if they took too much, and Rosia not really getting at first that they can’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 Vera’s supplies. It made sense why Meg didn’t give the list to Rosia, it wasn’t exactly a secret that Rosia couldn’t read so giving her a grocery list of items wouldn’t be beneficial.

“Oi Tempest, what the list say for Vera? What we need to scavengin’?” 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. “Aye, can you believin’ it though? Riggknot beddin’ the stowaway before being seduce to sneak her on? Wonder if ye won’t be the only one allowed to hold ‘er hat.” Rosia said spinning around and giving Vale a light smirk with her last comment. She knew Vale and Tessa were close and wouldn’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. “Ey! Found some sort of golden rum!” Rosia said as she ran over to Vale, handing the bottle over to her. A couple seconds passed by as she read what Rosia couldn’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 Captain’s boat and looked towards the Stardust, Rosia quickly noticing something was. “Why isn’t Riggknot hangin’?” Rosia asked out loud, confused but also worried. Looking towards Meg, and seeing she wasn’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 wouldn’t be too good


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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
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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 Tessa’s “long answer”, she was grateful the woman didn’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 wouldn’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 couldn’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 Vale’s side once she gave her the hat. Eva knew she couldn’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 didn’t need Vale to get in trouble. Evangeline stroked Mango’s little head as she listened to Meg speak. She had wanted to go on the island, but knew she’d be more of a help on the ship. Eva didn’t plan on going against Meg’s orders either.

All the blood seemed to have left Eva’s face, hands, and feet when Meg described Tessa’s punishment. Eva felt herself go cold. She couldn’t help, but fear for Tessa’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. I’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 Tessa’s punishment. A chill ran down her back and her stomach tightened into a hard knot. She couldn’t watch Tessa just hang there. She’d be too tempted to take her down, and she knew that’d piss Meg off. She stroked Mango’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 crew’s boats approaching.

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Character Portrait: Tessa Locke Character Portrait: Valentina De la Torre Character Portrait: Philip Walker 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?