"Now I am not a begging man, and I do admit I would be quite disappointed if you did not join my crew at this point, after all the teasing you've just gone and put me through," Malcom Vane replied after tossing a jingling sack of coins in her direction. The extra incentive actually swayed her mind a bit. There was nothing Jasmine loved more than wealth. "So I will tell you that I promise adventure and riches. It is my intention to sail the Unresting Abyss. There is legend a plenty of lost treasure and I am going to find it."
Jasmine froze, blocking out everything else the makeshift captain proclaimed. All of the hairs on the back of her neck arose as soon as he mentioned the infamous Unresting Abyss. She had never sailed that part of the sea before, but from the tales she'd heard from the frightened men who were unfortunate enough to tread those waters, the place meant certain death. Most of the pirates who sailed through the Unresting Abyss in the morning ended up in Davy Jones' locker by nightfall. Vane was crazy to think that he, as well as a ragtag group of marauders, could sail across that watery graveyard unscathed. He was crazy just to mention the place.
"It goes without saying, Captain Vane, that I'll follow your lead to the end of the sea. You have my allegiance," the spirited redhead immediately replied, unaware that allegiance would probably be the death of her. "Out of curiosity, when are we to set sail?" she smiled excitedly. In response, Jasmine rose a single finger in her direction.
"Woaaahh," she cried as though tugging on the reigns of a horse. "Little lady, I don't think you understand what he's saying..."
Suddenly, she could feel the vibrations of heavy footfall from behind. “Oi, Doe-eyes! Whatta ya doin’ here!?” hollered a lumbering man to the woman from the brothel. He wore a large smile and filthy beard that paled in comparison to Vane's. Jasmine had encountered him many times before, and naturally knew him to be an asshole. “O-oh, Ro, I just… got off my shift a little while ago and decided to come drink with some friends.” Doe-eyes replied. Her attention wavering, The French woman turned back to the table from whence she came, and was delighted to find Tobias and his friends still gazing at her from afar. They had been watching her every movement, chuckling at every taunt she threw at Malcom. Excusing herself from the uninteresting chatter of the meaty man beside her, she shifted her way through the crowd until reaching their table again.
"What'd he say?" Tobias eagerly asked. She shook her head, sliding her lips into a half-smile.
"Despite my skepticism, he's offering me an incentive if I join him. He wants to sail through the Unresting Abyss..."
Instead of wincing, like she expected them all to be doing after mentioning that abysmal place, the table snorted in laughter, some of the men covering their mouths and crinkling their eyes in uncontrollable glee.
"What's so funny?" Jasmine asked, beginning to grin.
With his long, thin fingers, Tobias Mulligan motioned for her to put an ear to his lips. In that moment, he told her a secret about Vane that if revealed to the women surrounding his table, would prove to be the bearded man's undoing.
She joined her friends in laughter. "Seriously?" she giggled, incredulous. After taking another sip of his ale, Tobias nodded.
Suddenly, the warm noise of the tavern stopped for a moment as the sound of a toppling chair echoed throughout the room. Doe-eyes sprung into action, her irises turning cold and fierce. She pressed a knife into her attacker's stomach, and pulled down on his beard until the two met at eye-level. “Listen here you horny fucker," Jasmine heard her say, “If you ever, ever try to make me or one of my sisters do anything we don’t want, I’m going to gut you like the fish I cooked for dinner last night. And if I don’t get to you, you know Juane will. He doesn’t like it when you fuck with his girls.”
Jasmine looked to Tobias, smiling once she saw that his auburn eyebrows were risen high upon his head. His expression told her that he was just as impressed with the prostitute as she was.
“Are we clear?” Doe-eyes finally hissed at her assailer.
“I-I… Yes, we’re clear.” he choked. By now, everyone sitting in the tavern was as quiet as a mouse.
"Yes ma’am. You may call me a slut in bed, but out here, you will treat me with respect. Are we fucking clear!”
Something about her words tugged on Jasmine's heartstrings. This woman inspired her; it was clear through her mysterious demeanor that she had been a slave to the sexist patriarchy of the world for most of her life, if not all. Maybe she hadn't been a whore for all of her life either, but she certainly knew that the title held years of disrespect and mistreatment. She was fighting a battle every day just for the survival of herself and others, and now, Doe-eyes didn't want to be a joke anymore. It was a desire Jasmine knew all too well...
Unsurprisingly, the man agreed to her terms for a second time. The whore released him from her dainty grip, and Tobias, as well as the rest of the table, clapped in delight. Perhaps their applause wasn't out of genuine respect, but the men were certainly impressed by her theatrical display and corrosive actions. Jasmine smiled. Doe-eyes deserved the attention. She was intelligent. And brave. And humble.
"I'm heading back," she whispered to Tobias. This time, her tone was genuine, involved. Now she knew that one of the women sitting at Vane's table was capable of a pirate's life.
"I'll be right here," he nodded, and she flew away, hands behind her back as though she were an old, pondering soldier.
She returned just as Atticus Stuart had appeared, catching the last of his words.
"I notice you're still quite in need of a crew for your...voyage. I'd like to extend my services." he said. Unlike the other faces at the table, Atticus had a quite name: a reputation. Or at least in Jasmine's eyes he did. And it wasn't a great reputation. He was one of those sailors who joined the life simply for its pleasures, not to prove a point or attempt to put himself in the history books like she did. He often left crews as soon as he joined them. Surely, it would be the same with this one.
That is, if he could survive the Unresting Abyss first.
"Listen Stuart, Redhead, Pistols, Doe-eyes," Jasmine paced, preparing herself for another monologue. "Your courage is well-appreciated and inspiring to say the most, but I fear you are all blind to what Vane is asking of you." She crossed her arms, a rugged scowl on her face. "I haven't sailed the Unresting Abyss myself, but I know if its dangers. The bag of coins Vane has rewarded you with will surely be spent towards your funerals. How many people have actually made it out of the Unresting Abyss alive?" she glared at Malcom. "Maybe two, three people out of hundreds?
She waved her hands to her sides, motioning to everyone seated around the table. "Need I remind the crew of Vane's first attempt at sailing into the Unresting Abyss?" she said, boldly spilling the secret Tobias had told her in confidence. "His whole crew turned against him. Men just like all of you. Like me. They were smart: they chose life instead of death. I don't want any of you to die for my own self-interest..." she looked towards Dominique for a second time, "but does Vane?"
She approached him, nose crinkled and eyes wide with intensity. "You failed the first time. What makes you think history won't repeat itself?" she debated. "You haven't persuaded me to join your side yet, captain. You say this whole thing is going to be an adventure - that lost treasure and riches await us. What kind of treasure could be worth risking your life, as well as the lives of others? Do you even know what this lost treasure is?" she pressed.
"My words were callous and teasing before, captain, but this time, I'm serious."