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C a l l i e X| | XR o s i a
V e r a || J a c k
C o o k || M a t e
#DD5308 | | #D2B48C
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 âVenusâ while visiting a bar. They could have been talking about anyone, but it scared Vera back onto the ship. She didnât touch land for months after.
Her captain hopped on first, then Vera, then Rosia, who promptly announced their arrival. That made Veraâs 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, âAye, captain,â Vera headed towards her quarters. Well, their quarters. She pushed into the crewâs quarters and shuffled over to her hammock. A hammock that was often left unattended, whether Vera found solace in someone elseâs 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 didnât 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. âExcuse you, maâam. Need some help?â She joked, approaching Rosia. Then she noticed the stray potato. âOh my, having a little snack, are we?â Although she was chastising the shorter woman, she couldnât hide her playful tone. âI need these to make dinner, you little rascal!â 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. âYou know, you donât look bad in that dress,â Vera teased her. Although she wasnât 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. âI donât neednt help.â 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 couldâve used help getting the dress off, or at least loosened, with how she has shorter arms. But she didnât 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. âEy!â Rosia shouted at her, giving a pouty lip when she talked about how she needs it to cook. âIf ye let me eat it now, less food to cook.â 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 wasnât 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.
âIt be pretty, isnât comforâable. Hand me that knife and Iâll be fixinâ it. Yours was much beâer. Ya legs lookinâ nice.â Rosia said as she repositioned how she was sitting on the stool. Rosia wasnât one to flirt, but she was one to speak her mind and what she thought without giving it a second. âSo that sand stuff ye put in the pot, that says âsay-letyâ?â Rosia asked, attempting to pronounce the letters on the salt container.
Vera huffed at Rosiaâs comment about making less food. The entire time she spoke, she never looked up from her meat. âI 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...â As she finished cutting, she placed the knife down on the counter a ways away from Rosia so she couldnât 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. âYou donât want to cut it up! Youâll ruin how pretty it is. Let me finish up here and Iâll help you out.â 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. âNot quite! But you did get rather close, Rosebud.â Veraâs 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. âLook at each letter and pronounce them by themselves. Ssss-aaaâŠâ Vera trailed off, hoping that Rosia would finish for her. She was now slicing the onions into smaller pieces
âBut with knife I could cut like ye do with the meats and stuff.â Rosia commented back to Vera about not cutting up her dress. âAye, fine. Help me afâer food is done.â 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. âLll-tttt⊠Wait! That say salt?! As in the waâer?â Rosia exclaimed and questioned loudly, pointing towards the wall that held water on the other side. âNo. I refuse. Ye said before the second thingy made a âAyâ sound. Like Ace on the cards!â Rosia continued laying her forehead down on the counter in play-like defeat. âTis dumb. How much longâr till food done.â Rosia asked, rolling her head sideways so now her cheek was against the counter. Rosia hated feeling like she couldnât do something, hence why she didnât really try to read or let anyone attempt to teach her, but with Vera she knew she wouldnât 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. âYes, 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!â 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.
âI know, that was a different sounding âAâ though. All the letters sound different depending on what letters are around them. When you say âsaltâ, thatâs why it sounds like âsaltâ.â Vera scoffed when Rosia called it dumb, but the smile never left her face. âItâs not dumb! Just complicated. It takes a while to learn, but youâll get the hang of it eventually. Try reading this one.â She paused in her slicing to hand Rosia the small jar that said âpepperâ 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 wasnât 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. âSo the âArâ thingy changes the sound of the âehâ right? So tâis would say âPeh-parâ?â 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. âBlach. What you given me âere, messinâ up me noseâ 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. âYes! Thatâs pepper.â 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. âItâs a spice! You arenât supposed to inhale it.â 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. âAlright, give that a few more minutes and weâll be good. Wanna read some more?â Although Vera was genuine, there was a light teasing in her tone. âI have plenty more jars.â
Rosia started to regain her composure as Vera told her pepper was a spice. âWell, I see you always sniffinâ the jars.â 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. âDonât know. Alot for today, still confused with salt not being like ace.â Rosia rubbed her nose a couple more times as the pepper still was irritating her a bit. Burgundian partletsâNext time, tell me not to sniff. Please.â[/color]
âWell, I sniff the jars at a distance, I donât jam my nose into it.â Vera taunted her, her devilish grin never once fading. Once Rosia expressed her confusion and irritation, she nodded in understanding. âThatâs alright, donât worry. We can learn some more another day.â Vera checked her pot again; it was boiling nicely. She gave it another good stir before covering it once more. âDonât go sniffing my jars then if you donât want a nose full of pepper.â 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. âAlright, now that just needs to settle for a bit. Want me to help you out of that dress now?â The content of the words seemed so vulgar, but Veraâs 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 tonightâs meal. Rosia wasnât entirely sure what it was but it did smell amazing and Rosia knows Vera always makes amazing food so Rosia isnât one to complain about whatever Vera puts in front of her. âBut your food always smellinâ good, so why donât the jars smell good like the food?â 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. âWell, I mean ye wonât let me go cuttinâ it off, so yes.â 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. âWell, thereâs a reason I only put a little bit of the stuff in my food. Its very intense.â 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. âNow, to get that dress offâŠâ Vera approached Rosia again. As they stood so close together, their height difference was quite clear. Vera thought it was adorable. âHold still.â She walked around the younger woman so she stood behind her. âDresses may seem fancy but theyâre rather simple. Just gotta get this tight, upper piece offâŠâ 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. âThey slide right off! See, not that bad, hmm?â
As Vera approached her, Rosia smiled. âFinally.â She said, reaching her arms back and showing she could only reach a few strings and couldnât 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 didnât 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. Feelinâ much better now. Rosia said to Vera still standing behind her.
âGood, Iâm glad youâre more comfortable. HoweverâŠâ Vera paused to gently squeeze Rosiaâs sides for emphasis, âAs lovely as it might be, I canât spend the whole night standing here and holding you.â 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 wouldnât have minded. She paused in speaking, taking the time to chew the inside of her bottom lip. âMeg-.. The captain must be looking for you, no? Weâre about to set sail! What are you doing wasting your time down here with me?â Vera continued to tease her, but this one seemed a bit more half-hearted. She didnât 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. âAye, do have to do thatâ Rosia put her hands over Veraâs that was holding her dress up for a second, and then took control of her dress and spun around to face her. âTâanks again, for tâe dress, and salt and pepper words.â She gave Vera a light smile before she darted off towards her quarters to get changed and ready to set sail. âPeh-par⊠S-aw l-tâ She said to herself but also out loud as she left the kitchen.
Veraâs smile was subconscious as Rosia praised her. Although she would do it in a heartbeat without being asked, it felt nice to be appreciated. âNo problem, dear. Iâll be here if you need me. Always,â She hummed, giving Rosia a wave as she left. Hearing the younger woman repeat her words caused Veraâs 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 hadnât eaten all day because she was too nervous. But now she was ready to gorge herself. But she wasnât 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 everyoneâs names in her head, thought about portion sizes, but then one name stuck with her. James wouldnât be able join the others in the mess hall. Vera was thought about it but only for a moment. James wasnât 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 couldnât 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. âGood evening James!â Although he was their prisoner, that didnât mean she wouldnât treat him unkindly. âIâve got dinner here for you.â She hummed as she approached the bars.