Coristo Manter Liema AKA Cory's Story

A small, discontented sigh escaped one weary Circe Armeria (or as she was known on this notorious pirate ship as Arto Briggins) as she trudged away from the bustling crew members to the side rails of the ship, trying to escape the simpering heat that arose from the crowd. Through the slit the two bandanas created, through limited eyesight, Circe could perceive the new crew members were going frantic in an attempt to look productive, all chattering about the infamous Captain Skull's first appearance to their unworthy eyes later tonight. Spinning around, turning her loosely clothed white back to the hustle and bustle, the young woman disguised as a man rested her forearms on the wooden railing of the black ship. Staring out into the vast horizon that was only determined by the mere glittering of the water, she couldn't help but shift uncomfortably due to the tightly wrapped cloth bandages around her chest. This is insane.. why did they have to be so big!? I think my circulation is getting cut off for god sakes., echoed her complaining thoughts. Tucking one boot-clad ankle behind the other, Circe assumed a rather relaxed stance, undoubtedly a peculiar sight for anyone watching.A crew member, a new one at that, bundled up like it was the dead of winter, separated from the rest, surely it was a odd.

Yet another sigh escapes the young woman as her rust colored eyes focused onto the waters surface intently, as if remembering something of importance. And remembering she was. Images of the night that changed her life, the night this very pirate ship attacked Port Bellanine 7 years ago and stole away her first love, flitted through her tortured mind. As the screams of the townspeople rang clear as a bell in her head, Circe instinctively bit down onto her rosebud lower lip, as if in an attempt to drive away such maddening sounds. I'll find you. I promise. Then I'll take revenge for you. Not just for you but for everyone at Port Bellanine. resonated the bitter thoughts, her tongue moving behind the pinstriped cloth that concealed her delicate jawline, as if she was speaking the words. Giving the darkened lumber one last tight squeeze, satisfied with the groan it made, Circe spun on her heels in a motion that was a tad bit too fluid for anyone of the male species to carry out, before rejoining the throng of new members.

Threading her way through the crowd with mild difficulty, her short stature not helping in the slightest, Circe couldn't help but wrinkle her nose in disgust at the appearance and smell of some of these recruits. Disgusting.. typical pirates. Not knowing how to clean oneself properly. she thought, repulsed at the members' lack or teeth, appendages or hair. However, she kept her wits in a graceful manner, keeping her head forward with one leather-gloved hand resting on top of the worn pirate hat, as she managed to break through the crowd. Casting a sideways glance through the protective cloth on her face, this young woman could noticeably see people were staring at her in a incredulous manner, a mix between shock and disbelief painted onto their faces. Of course she could see why; it was well into the upper degrees, every man in sight was bare backed, yet here she was; clothed in a ridiculous amount of layers.

Briefly pausing, Circe's eyes flickered over to the sealed shut Captain's door, natural curiosity overtaking herself. What would this man be like, the one who ruined everything for me? Will he be like the rumors say him to be; a brute? A devils spawn? Maybe Satan himself? she thought grimly. However, the metacognitive state was shattered by the rough pushing of a middle-aged wizen man. Circe stumbled forward, colliding with the bare chest on a palely colored man, and as she looked up into the deep red-hued eyes, she realized with horror it was the second mate; August de Sores.

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A few seagulls drifted on the air currents high above the mast of the Black Bermuda as the ship easily slid along the surface of the deep ocean waters. A heat was upon the ship that brought sweat to every man's brow, whether he was busy working, or crowding down on deck as the majority of the crew waited to finally see the man they all called Captain. But high above the ship, in a wooden lookout mounted to the mast, a crow sat in his nest.

Adair pulled the apple he was munching on from his lips and stifled a yawn as the slight breeze above the ship tossed a few strands of the fire red hair about his forehead. He had been up there for some time now, crawling up there to pass out the night before instead of fighting over which dank spot of decking he was going to share with another crew mate. He had only come down to eat earlier that morning and to grab a few bites for later. Staying in the crow's nest was the best way to avoid doing any real work, and it was easily cooler, and much nicer smelling, than on deck with all the mashed bodies moving about. He wasn't overly fond of crowded areas, and he figured the Captain wouldn't smile on Adair for stabbing a fellow crew member...

Boredom tugging at his mind again, Adair began humming a tune from before he could rightly remember and cast his gaze about the horizon once more, hoping to see a ship of any kind. Unfortunately, he was greeted only by the glint of the ocean. Shading his one good eye, he rolled over to steal a look back to the deck. To his surprise, another member was climbing up the netting on the back side of the mast and heading for the crow's nest. As the man caught sight of Adair, he smiled and waved before continuing up. Letting out a slight whistle to catch the man's attention again, Adair dropped the apple core in a perfectly aimed spot right between the man's eyes. Yelping, the man grabbed at his face and fell back to the decking into a few more crew members, raising more than a few shouts in the process.

Laughing it off, Adair was more than amused as the man scrambled back to his feet and motioned a rather rude, but well deserved, gesture in Adair's direction. Ignoring the gesture, Adair spotted the Coristo's cat before calling to the blonde-headed man close to it.

"Yo, Cory!" Adair shouted over the buzz of the crew below, "When's the cap'n supposed to come out?!"

Coristo was sitting on the captains chambers looking at the sky like he always did around this time. The orange colored sky looked as beautiful as ever. There was something about it that seemed to calm him down on this loud ship full of pirates. He didn't know why though. Thinking hard on it, the sky did have some reminiscent feel to it. It was enough to make him feel sick if he stared to long.

Having chosen to throw away his past and forget about his ex-family and friends, why did it seem to be the things that reminded him of his old life make him feel at ease. Maybe their were some good memories back in that time. 'Pft. Yeah right.' He thought to himself turning over to his side towards the bow of the ship. He watched as the sun seemed to sink into the ocean and smiled a little. As his eyes tried to scan down the sun he saw a newcomer staring out towards the ocean. It wasn't a weird thing to do. Allot of people use the ocean view as a way to calm themselves after all. No, it wasn't weird but their was something the person was doing that was. Crossing one leg over the other? That was indeed a weird thing to do. Well, not a normal cross, like a man would do but their was definitely something weird about how this man was crossing his legs. From the back, you would have thought he was a girl. Coristo knew better however. No women would be allowed on this ship during the sail. Maybe this man was just feminine. If so, surely he wouldn't last long. 'I give him about five minutes.' Cory estimated in his head. Man was it a good guess because not much longer after that, did the newcomer bump into the first mate. 'Oh bother. I hope this doesn't get ugly.' He thought in concern. He wouldn't have cared if he was in his demon persona but he was in a normal state of thought at this time. The mood swings sure did tend to confuse alot of the people on the ship, even him sometimes.

He was going to try to stop what could have ended in a bloody mess on the ship, but he was stopped by the voice of the person who stole his intended resting spot for the day. "Yo, Cory!" Adair yelled loud enough just for the boy to here him. "When's the cap'n supposed to come out?!" Coristo rubbed his neck, a little bit agitated at this question. He knew he was in charge of getting the captain out of his chambers today, but he was trying to avoid it. 'I guess the first mate is too important for menial tasks like these huh. Damn. Why is it so bloody hot.' He was complaining in his mind as he always had done but he never let it show in his outward expression. He raised one hand up to Adair. "Oi!!! I'll go get him.!!!!" He yelled back up to him as he jumped off the roof and landed next to the door. He knocked pretty hard so the Captain could here him. "He Capt. The new members are ready for your introduction." He said in a loud tone. Not quiet a yell, but still loud all the same.

Captain Skulls

There was this persistent throbbing in the young man's head. Constant, it showed absolutely no signs of stopping, even though he had the majority of the day's length to sleep it off. The Captain had yet to see the outside of the quarters today, and had only recently awoken from his slumber with a groan unlike anything human. "Ah, that's right..." he muttered to himself and nobody else. "I lost again..." He couldn't even remember which crewman had done him in this time. But yesterday (at least the parts he remembers) was enjoyable, and even though this headache was highly severe, he didn't regret drinking last night. Mostly.

Honestly, he had long forgotten that he was supposed to make an appearance for newer recruits to his ship. For the longest time, he sat on his bed wondering the the commotion outside his quarters was all about, and why the deck seemed so much more lively than usual. Only after a while did the memory of appearing before his new men come back, and when it did, he sighed heavily. This headache was killing him. So, as he should, the Captain dressed himself in his casual, purple attire that seemed to have belonged to some noble at one point, and began towards the door.

*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*

"He Capt. The new members are ready for your introduction."

So they sent Coristo to wake me in such a state? I'm unsure if this is some joke or if they're that foolish. Wait, what am I talking about? Of course they are. They've always been.

Slowly, the Captain placed his hand on the door and pushed it open, the wooden door creaking as it did, capturing the attention of everybody on deck. Hopefully, Coristo'd move out of the way, since the Captain didn't stop pushing. The door came to a rest after it had been pushed all the way, and Captain Skull's slender appearance had been shown to everybody on deck. Instantly, all the chatter ceased and their eyes were upon him. Now was his time to make his first impression on his new crew, who would serve him until their deaths. Be that in battle or because of their fault.

He smiled quite innocently, giving him that childish, nonthreatening appearance as he did, and had begun to open his mouth when he was interrupted by one of his new men.

"Oi! The fuck's the capt'n?! This scrawny lit'l shit is fuck'n with us!" he shouted, some of the other men started mumbling and the intensity started picking up. In his mind, the captain decided that (though not surprising) this man was uneducated. His speech was horrid, he probably smelled, and he was dirty. Just like any other pirate. This one, however, was very stupid to have said anything when he should've just kept his trap shut like a good dog.

Skulls did not drop his smile, and simply looked at the young man before speaking to the whole of the group. "Why, I'm your captain of course!" he said in a tone not fit for him, if you knew him. Anyone who went through his last recruitment probably remembered his smile. Something quite similar happened the last time. "Now," he continued. "As you'll be staying on this, well, I can't say legendary yet but... 'soon to be legendary' vessel, I must lay down some rules for the lot of you. Be aware that these aren't hard to follow and some will even be something you're accustomed to, but I assure you that it's all for the benefit to the ship and its crew. Follow them, and you'll enjoy your stay on the Black Bermuda. Simple, correct?" his smiled widened and his eyes closed as he took a few steps forward, stopping near a random member of his crew. "You'll learn all of the rules if you ask your elder members. Trust me, they aren't so bad, but I do wish to tell you the one rule you should never break. Again, it's simple to follow, you just have to remember to do so."

His smile dropped.

In a single, swift movement, his hand dropped down to a nearby crewman's side, where he had his flintlock pistol, and pulled it up, firing a single, well-placed shot between the eyes of the man who had talked bad about him earlier. The man, dead, dropped to the floor like a rock, and a few men took a step back due to the sudden action.

His smile came back, though it had a much darker glint to it than before.

"Obey me. Is that understood?" he asked. Many of the men immediately shook their heads, realizing he was much more than what he appeared to be. The Captain was pleased with this result and gave the man (who was dumbfounded) his pistol back. "If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask." he said as an afterthought.

These men should realize that I'm not fucking around now.

Some men stood around the body of the crewman before picking him up. "Meh, he pushed that other, feminine man. He was probably an ass anyway." one commented before he was sent sleeping with the fishes.

August tipped his head back and let the last drop of wine hit his tongue. Dammit. This had been the last bottle left, besides the three hidden in his cabin. Three bottles of wine weren't going to last long. Wherever the captain took them next, there better be a whole shitload of wine. And women.
After a few moments of frustration, Gus threw the empty bottle on the floor and started walking towards the stairs leading up to the deck. As much as he just wanted to stay under deck, he had to be by the captain’s side when he introduced himself.

The sight that met him when he opened the door to outside was anything but surprising. Almost all members of the ship had gathered in front of the captains suite and among them was a handful of newly recruited pirates. He felt slightly intoxicated from the wine, but it wasn't noticeable in his walk. As he approached the crowd men automatically made room for him - most of them without even realising it. He let his red gaze rest upon every single new member as he walked past them before coming to a stop in front of the door. The Captain was still in there. For a second he considered just banging on the door himself. But the thought of having to deal with a possibly hungover captain didn't appeal to him and he turned around to face the crowd.

As he did this a little person walked straight into his bare chest. At first August thought this was a woman, but when he looked down he realised much to his disappointment that it was just a young man. The boy was strangely dressed and way too clean to fit in. He was even cleaner than that damn noble they called a navigator and that said a lot. Gus' right eye twitched with irritation and he was just about to literally throw the kid out of his way. What was he doing on this ship anyway? He obviously wasn't cut out for this.

But then the door behind them swung open and the infamous Captain Skulls stepped out of his cave before Gus could do anything to the brat. "Don't do that again," Gus hissed through his teeth before pushing the young man over towards a group of pirates to his left. Then he placed himself behind the captain and watched calmly as some idiot insulted Skulls. The pirate ended up being shot and Gus smiled as they threw the limp body down to the fish. Njerëz budallenj. They just never learned did they? It was like watching primitive animals.

The captain finished his speech about punishment and obedience and Gus took a few steps closer so that he now was standing directly behind him. "What do you think of the new members then?" he asked indifferently while glancing at the dirty pirates.

Circe stumbled back slightly at the amount of force August had put behind his shove, causing the young woman to bump into yet another dirty pirate. With some help from the elderly man, Circe straightened herself before giving an apologetic nod, no words said, and threading her way through the front of the crowd. Sending a glare in the general direction of the ill-tempered, obviously hungover, man, about to say something, but just as the words were about to come forth; they fled. Instead, a creaking noise was replaced with her lost voice, already knowing what happened by the hushed whispers by the crew members around her. This is it, Circe. This is your moment, your moment to see that dreadful man.. with clenched fists, her head swiveled to train her now-considerably darker eyes onto the figure that was standing in front of the door. The hell?! THATS Captain Skulls?! No no, there must be a mistake.. wheres the REAL Captain? came her frantic thoughts, disbelieving that this young man, who looked like he hadn't spent a day in the sun, who hadn't even lifted a single weight in this life, who hadn't even looked like he didn't go a day without bathing, this young dandy was the destroyer of her life! With an intense gaze locked onto this young man's face, Circe couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the beauty that radiated from him, especially that warm, innocent smile. However, she couldn't wait another anxious second for the appearance of the real captain, which was quite obvious by young woman's crossed her arms and the tapping of her dusty brown leather boots on the ebony flooring. Glancing up briefly, taking in the silence, "Arto Briggins" noticed the now-lavender sky was beginning to be streaked with hues of gold and rosy pink. Typically, she would have stared longer at the beautiful, painting-worthy sight. Typically, she'd be singing at some Noble's place by now. Typically... Ah.. who the hell am I kidding? Theres no 'typically' on this god forsaken ship! Now where is Captain Skulls?!

"Oi! The fuck's the capt'n?! This scrawny lit'l shit is fuck'n with us!" erupted from a crew member, causing Circe's head to jerk in his general direction with grace. Behind the bandanas, her eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly realizing it was the barbaric man from earlier that had shoved her into the second-mate. As much as she had wish for anything more than to disagree with this wizened pirate, part of herself couldn't help but agree with him. He is really scrawny.. but who am I to talk?, at the dry thought, a half smile appeared on her face at her own little joke.

"Why, I'm your captain of course!" At those very words, Circe could feel her stomach drop, a chill in her bones sweeping over her being and she had to quickly tear her gaze from the Captain's form, paying an extensive amount of attention to her scuffed up boot.B-b-b-b-b-but wheres that fearsome, devils spawn that was always in the rumors!? Th-this.. this can't be right! No no, its all some joke.. I'm sure of it. As their squabbling ceased, silence settling over the crew. Circe took this moment to collect herself and push away the need to vomit.. after all, she wouldn't resort to making herself a fool in the short amount of time she's been on the ship. Glancing up once more, the breath that was suppose to deliver oxygen to her still body was caught in her throat seeing that, somehow, the young man managed to be a few feet in front of her, separated by only a few other pirates, the ones who were protesting the most. In that moment, when she saw the pistol being raised, a feeling a dread washed over the poor girl as she stood by in silent horror. N-no.. he wouldn't! Th-thats his crew after all.. she thought, trying to reconcile her frantically beating heart. Circe barely had any time to react as Captain Skulls pulled the trigger, the bullet burying itself dead-center into the man's bridge. Seeing the corpse fall over, blood now pooling around once-alive man, the young lady could only feel an earth-shattering fear and disconnection from the ship as she watched on how quickly the crew members dispatched the leathery body into the ocean. Only one thought had entered her mind W...what the..hell.. He truly is nothing more than a devil! before she fixated her gaze onto Captain Skulls and August de Sores, who were talking on the platform.

The insolent newcomers voice was like a hammer to Coristo's head. He had to hold in his anger as to not do anything harsh to the potential member. It was to his surprise that the captain, who seemed to be smiling it off, shot the guy in the head. With the shot, Cory jerked his own head in a possessed like manner, almost as if he was the one to receive the bullet and bowed his head down. "Fuck. Hehe." He said as he slowly raised his head, revealing that his once emerald green eyes were now ruby red. "I wanted to be the one to kill the bugger. Guess you beat me to it Capt." He said slyly turning towards the crew. "Since the Captain seems to be finished with his number one rule, how bout I give you some rules of me own." He said whistling at the end of his sentence. With his whistle came a dark shadow that seemed to have a three dimensional body. It formed slowly to form a black cat that looked almost Egyptian. The one main detail that stuck out was his tail that looked like it had a clawed hand at the tip. "Search ém." He said to it. Following suit the cat walked around the area and came back to its master. "Only about thirty percent are scared of what just happened." It said in a majestic tone. At the cats words Coristo couldn't help but let out an almost evil laugh.

"That's classic it is." He said whipping fake tears from his eyes. "You jokers really don't get it do you? You think being on this ship is as easy as just doing as the good captains says!?" He said with his voice slightly raised. "Your dead wrong mate. You see. Your new here the lot of you are. You have to prove yourselves. Don't go thinking it's easy. Let me show you how low you are on this ship to make my point clear. You see the man behind the captain. He's the first mate he is. Don't fuck with him. You see the guy with the pirate hat and the nice clothing. He's our navigator. Unless told too don't talk to him. The next person on the list is the big guy over their. You don't know him do you? Then don't walk around him. Look up." He said pointing a finger to the crows nest, "He's a pretty nice guy, but hes on lookout. So, while hes up there, don't go near him, distract him, talk to him, or anything. Now, as for me. Hehehe." A wide evil smile went across his face. "Me personally think all you dumb bastards should be killed just for thinking your good enough to be on this ship without first proving yourselves. But, then again, I don't have it in me heart to ruin your crazy dreams of pirate life. So I'll give you a warning. Red eyes means don't ask me dumb shit. I still have to answer newcomers questions do to orders but I swear on my damn next bottle of brew, if it's how to tie a freak'n not or something stupid, your dead. No questions asked. Green eyed me however, .....Hmmm.... Don't talk to him unless he talks to you. The last man on the crews main force of entry is the cat you see in front of you. Hehehehe. He wants a scratch, lick, drink, or food then you better give it to him. One more thing. Do not give nicknames to the captain. You've just met him, and haven't even drank with him. So if I here it. I'll cut out your damned tongues. Hahahahaha. Welcome aboard mates. Hope you live to see all the riches yee hearts desire."

He ended his speech with the same wide evil grin and left the floor open for any other member that decided to take his place. He slowly walked to the crows nest ladder well and climbed up to Adair. His eyes turned back to emerald green and he said, "Dang. I hate when I have to tell off the new members. You think I left anything out Crow? Out of all the jobs I get stuck with, why is it taking care of those guys? It's like making James take care of a bunny. You know how violent I get sometimes." He let out a huge sigh as he looked up at the sky. Oh how he wished none of the new crew would break his rules. He didn't feel like killing one of his own men to keep face.

Adair felt the change in the air as the ignorant man addressed Skulls. He knew what was coming as the swift motion of the captain's hand turned into a quick aim and fire, turning the ignoramus into an over-hyped sack of flesh spilling out over the deck of their ship. "Waste of a good shot..." he mumbled under his breath. Any man dumb enough to challenge a captain with the reputation such as the Black Bermuda's aboard the very ship they claimed was better off jumping into the ocean and trying to catch a mermaid. Reputation. He remembered silently. Reputation is a pirate's greatest weapon. A form of intimidation that cannot be topped by any amount of fanfare... And the name 'Skulls' had a reputation that soared all on its own.

Watching the crew's reactions was enough to see they were satisfied that this man was their very own Captain Skulls, despite what they had envisioned the man to be. And with Cory's speech beginning, he could see some of the members rethinking their decisions about coming aboard. Waving as he was pointed out, Adair tried his best not to yawn again as he looked down at their new crew mates. Instead, he dropped a hand to his bag and rummaged around to find his stash of apples depleted. He was going to have to grab a few more from the barrel below deck if he wanted them. And of course, he always wanted them. Luckily, he spotted Cory again as the blonde man made his way up to the nest.

"Dang. I hate when I have to tell off the new members. You think I left anything out Crow? Out of all the jobs I get stuck with, why is it taking care of those guys? It's like making James take care of a bunny. You know how violent I get sometimes."

Adair burst out laughing at that, he would love to see the giant weapons master holding a small and delicate creature such as a bunny. The thought of it was almost enough to keep the laughter going on for much longer than necessary. But Adair checked himself and waved it off to answer the man's question. "You forgot to let them know mutinies are only held on Thursdays..." He chided. "And only between noon and dusk, anytime other than that will have to wait. The rest of the time is reserved for drinking!" It wasn't his greatest joke, but he didn't care. All he wanted now was another apple. "Take over the watch for a bit will ya?" He asked Cory as he hopped down to the netting. "I'm out of apples."

Sliding and hopping his way down, Adair landed lightly on the decking of the ship and walked toward the stairs leading below deck. He spotted Max standing a bit away and gave a small wave to well-dressed navigator. "Winds feel like they're changing, might be a quicker trip hopefully." Adair informed the man. He began walking again as the captain and his first mate were calling out to another new member. "Another one out of line it seems? Oh well. None of our concern right? Anyway, need anything below deck? I'm grabbin' some apples."

Eyes locked in intense scrutiny with Captain Skulls, Circe couldn't help but feel the slight creeping fear prick at the back of her mind. Why... am I feeling so scared?! Snap out of it! came her reprimanding thoughts, disappointed in herself at the sign of weakness, as chocolate brown met a violet hue in a glare reminiscent of a combat, a battle in which there could only be one winner. Reluctantly, Circe broke their locked gazes as she tore away her piercing optics first, instead, turning her attention on the violent coughing of a man next to her. Shying away ever-so-slightly, while trying to remain as "manly" outwardly as she possibly could, the young woman turned her head to the left in an attempt to not breathe the same infected air. How crude.. not closing your mouth! Unbelievable.. the manners are just a muck in this place!

Shifting the little weight her small frame could support, Circe balanced from foot to foot, deep in thought once more. Absentmindedly, she took note of how dark the once glittering blue waters had become as nightfall begun to snake its way through their evening. However, Circe was too deep in debating whether to just waltz out of the crowd or to stay put, to actually take some mental notes of their location. After all, how long did they expect them to stand there in the still simpering heat? Pondering her outcomes thoughtfully, the disguised young lady began to gnaw on her lower rosy lip, the obviously dainty motion hidden by the plain piece of cloth fastened around her neck to hide the delicate jawline. Leaving would draw attention to me... I can't risk that.. but if I stay out here any longer, I may have a heat stroke..What to do, what to do.

However, Circe's little moment of debating was quickly ended by the unmistakable silky voice that belonged to the none-other, notorious Captain Skulls. ["You there." rang out clearly on the ship, the growing clammer of the crowd immediately ceasing at the sound of it. Turning her head slowly, the young woman couldn't help but visibly wince seeing his eyes locked upon her figure, evidently addressing her. Me.. why is it always bloody me? she thought bitterly, regretting not leaving earlier, unsure what he wanted of her. His next words confirmed her very fear, the fear of talking to him: "Come, greet your Captain and his first mate, would you?". By his tone and that innocent smile that she now found frightening, Circe could easily tell it wasn't a request but an order.

Inwardly, a small groan of despair echoed in her mind as her thoughts screamed You idiot! Why didn't you leave when you had the chance?! You'd better not blow your cover so soon!. However, outwardly, she was rigid, impressively not panicking like most of the other crew members would have done. Especially after that... wonderful display from earlier. Taking a slight gulp, Circe easily walked forward through the parted crowd, trying to ignore the curious stares that also held a mix between sympathy and envy. You guys want to talk to him? Go ahead, take my place, that very thought seem to radiate in a manifestation through her body language as she reached the steps, trying to push back the nervousness and fear she was feeling. Trudging up the stairs with reluctance, Circe kept her head down, refusing to make eye contact with either one. Instead, she decided the safest option was to keep her shoulders slouched, head down and eyes trained on the scratched mahogany flooring.

Coristo didn't even have time to decline as Adair jumped from his post. He gave out a light sigh and replaced his comrade in the nest. He really wasn't mad about it after all. It was his intended spot for the evening and Adair did seem hungry. He heard the captain tell the new comers that they were to follow the first mate to their quarters. He decided to give them a little reminder of tomorrows activities. "Oi!!! You boys better sleep well because tomorrow I hash out areas for you to work and train you on the like. You better pay attention or else you'll be on the wrong end of Davy Jones's Locker!!!" His voice was stern but not as fearsome as when he was in his switched personality. After saying his last peace to the tired crew he laid down in the crows nest to look at the sky.

The moon was starting to rise and the stars were now visible. The clear sky reminded him of that day, years ago, when the sky was just as clear but the smell of blood and the light of fire was also incorporated in it. In a sense it was beauty to the beholder. To a demon that is. But, it also frightened him so when this happened for it was the first night he actually realized for himself that his grandfather was right and also the first night he met with Captain Skulls. He smirked a little as his eyes blinked red for a second. Which one was the real him. Was it the nice boy with the kind green eyes, or was it the demonic killer with the red eyes that were darker than his own flame. "It doesn't matter does it." His demon cat said, interrupting his train of thought. "Ten?" He said in reply as he didn't feel his presence before. Ten and Coristo had a mental bond. It might have been a familiar and master relationship thing but they could read each others thoughts and even see what the other saw. Ten was better at this than Coristo since the lad had to actually concentrate to do this.
"You are named after a noble in your human name, but nicknamed after a demon lord of fire. Both of those names hold power and that should be the only thing that matters. Not your personality change. You just feel how you feel about certain things. Who cares if it's a good or bad feeling?" The cat said rustling up against his master.

Coristo smiled at the cats words. He could always confide in it. He decided to follow the felines advice and stop caring. "So." He began to change the subject. "Were their any good smells among the new crew besides fear?"
"As far as I can tell, everyone smelled human. Disgusting ones to boot. One did smell a little strange though." Ten said looking as though he had a hunch about something.
"Meh. Probably took a shower before coming aboard or something." Coristo said passing it off. He raised his head, looking out towards the sea. "So it looks like we don't have a potential new senior member huh?" He said, looking a little bored. "That blows. I don't like humans who think that they can just come aboard and make something of themselves."
"I didn't say they were all human. I'm not quite sure but I did smell something weird."
Coristo would have asked him what was so weird when he spotted a dot not to far from them. He took out the watchers scope to see it better. "Bloody hell." He said sucking on his teeth. "Ten. Go tell Adair that there's a ship up ahead with a blue flag. Let him and the Navigator decide what to do about it." He ordered, keeping his eye on the ship. It wasn't surprising to see a mariner ship out in the ocean. Especially since they were probably near shore by now. Ten nodded and jumped from the post. He walked past the captain and the new member he was talking too rubbing against the captain and purring as a sign of respect and acknowledgement of his presence. He was the lads pet, but he lived on the Captains ship.

Walking away from them he twitched his nose a little as a weird smell hit it. 'Hmm. Interesting indeed. I might need to sniff this out more.' He thought as he made his way to Adair and Maxwell. "Adair. My master says that there is a ship do north of us and wanted you and the Maxwell to decide whether to change course or proceed and alert the Captain for further orders. He says the ship carries a blue flag but he can't make out a symbol for it being too far away and also being nighttime." He said as he groomed himself. If they were going to proceed and head towards the ship that only meant that some fun would made for him and Coristo.

Rummaging through the barrel of apples below deck, Adair picked out the best looking ones he could find and tucked them away into the small satchel he wore on his hip. Below deck was more humid than out on the open space of the deck itself and too crowded for Adair's taste. He preferred to come down as little as possible if he could avoid it. As if to reinforce his point, there was a slight squeak to his right and a flutter of movement caught his eye. In one fluid movement, Adair's dirk left its place on his belt and flew through the air with an audible thunk as it impaled the small rat. "Disgusting..." he said as he made sure it was the only one and retrieved his blade with the limp rat still on it before heading back to the surface of the ship.

Adair was pleased to see the majority of the crew absent from the deck as he resurfaced from the stairs and tossed the dead rat overboard without unnecessarily advertising his kill to anyone. He made his way back to the navigator's table and placed one of his apples on the only space he could find without a map or parchment of some kind on it. Even though Max hadn't asked for anything when he left him a bit ago, Adair doubted the man had taken his eyes away from the papers long enough to eat anything today. Having the only person with any sense of direction passing out on them wouldn't be a very fun situation in Adair's eyes. Turning once more to leave the man to his work, he felt his eyebrow twitch and looked down to find Cory's demonic, feline companion approaching.

"Adair. My master says that there is a ship do north of us and wanted you and the Maxwell to decide whether to change course or proceed and alert the Captain for further orders. He says the ship carries a blue flag but he can't make out a symbol for it being too far away and also being nighttime."

At the mention of the ship, Adair's eye turned directly toward the small dot on the horizon and he shaded his face for no apparent reason in the failing light of the day. "Eh, there's only one person on the ship that can see that thing at this distance." He left his sentence where it was before turning to their navigator. "Not really my decision anyway, I'll let the Cap know."

Leaving Max to his own devices, Adair strode across the deck quickly and paused to poke his head into the stairwell. He took a deep breath and shouted "GUS! MUSCLES! LET"S GO!!" Hopefully August and James would hear the shout, but he wasn't going to waste time running back and forth below deck. They'd get the massage eventually....

Adair made his way over to where Captain Skulls was speaking to a rather scrawny crew member and called out as he came up. "Cap! We've got a ship on the horizon!" Turning to point at the still too far away to see dot, Adair pulled out two more apples to offer them to the Captain and his scrawny chat mate before finally pulling out one of his own. There was no point diving into something on a somewhat empty stomach. "Orders?"

Circe merely blinked at the sudden change that occurred in their Captain, slightly confused at the aura he now produced. What the... We're fighting?!, the frantic voice echoed inside her head as Skull's orders sunk in. Typical pirate! Choosing to fight instead of flee.. by god!. With a shake of her head, more critical thoughts on his decisions rattled on in her mind for a few moments before she glanced over at the commanding young man. For a brief moment, the pirate-tess couldn't help but feel a glimmer of awe and admiration towards her captain at his demanding tone, and how everyone seemingly followed his orders like they were holy words from God himself. Thats what you get when you're a Captain I guess.. "And ye, join yer fellow bilge rats and make yerself ready to best these wenches, savvy?" quickly yanked her out of her own consuming thoughts and glances, jumping ever-so-slightly at the sudden attention. Replying with a mild stutter, Circe simply nodded, muttering an "A-Aye.." before quickly scurrying off to the main deck, wondering what she should do.

The large area was now swarming with pushing bodies, many of which bearing their cutlasses and guns, swinging them around in their hype. Indeed, this was a sight that made Circe rather nervous. Should they really have those out in a crowded area?! A small shudder rippled through her frame as the young lady, otherwise known as "Arto", bit down on her lip in an attempt to quell her nerves at the rival ship's approaching figure. Oh god.. you don't even know how to fight for god sakes! Fidgeting from foot to foot, Circe slowly moved away from the crowd to the outer edges, the glinting weapons enough to make her nervous. Absentmindedly, she glanced down at her body making a mental note of finding a weapon as soon as she could.

Through all of the commotion, Ten and Cory, still mentally instinct were communicating on what to do next. "Dang. This is such a pain. Grab my sword for me will yah?" Cory asked. "Sure thing. I suppose you want me to replace you on the lookout?" Ten pretty much suggested.
"Well I guess that's the best option. Cap just called for steady watch on the ship and your eyes are greater than mine. It's dark and you are a cat after all."
"Understood." Ten responded while grabbing the back handed long sword from Cory's sleeping area with his demon clawed tail. The sword was different from the normal pirate sword. It was the noblemen's sword he stole from his old family a long time ago with the family crest on the handle to prove so. He then proceeded beck up to the deck passing by Reggie on the way. "Sitting this on out sir." He asked the man waiting for a response. After he received one positive or negative, but knowing Reggie it was most likely going to be positive, the cat proceeded back up to the steps. The commotion on the ship was a rowdy as ever in times like these. Allot of excited smells were passing through the cats nose as the men sweated in anticipation. He turned to the Captain saying, "My master and I will switch locations seeing as I can see in the dark and he can't." and walked near Arto again. The man seemed to be twirling his gun but the smell of blood lust wasn't coming off him. "You're pretty relaxed eh. You might just make it on this ship after all." He said. The man probably didn't here him or was in deep thought because the twirling continued. "You know. It's not wise too...." BANG!!! The event the cat was trying to keep from happening ended up happening and most of the newcomers smelt of fear once more. The cat let out a sigh sensing the change in his masters personality.

Coristo bobbed his head once more as the shot rang and quickly dived down from the Crow's nest unsheathing his blade from the tail of the demon cat and held it deadly close to Arto's neck. "What the hell are you doing!!?" He yelled as he looked towards the sound of the landed shot. It wasn't that far above the head of the Captain. "You son of a...." He started as he turned to meet the mans eyes and paused. Looking deep into Arto's eyes he somehow felt a little uncomfortable. It was enough to snap him back into his "Green" personality. Sucking on his teeth to keep up his act he slowly turned away from the man. "Get out of here now. Go down to the berthing and stay seated in your rack. Nah. Forget me last. Fight and if you don't die, I'll deal with you later." He said with a slight mix of disgust and discomfort to the man. His eyes were quick to turn back to red as he looked at the flinching crew. "Are you all wenches or all you men!!? Get the hell up, take you weapons and fight. Your all apart of this crew now so act like it." He took the his swords carrier from Ten and the cat went up towards the post. 'How's it look?' He asked.
'The enemy is near. Should be any moment now.'
Coristo walked towards Adair and James. "Well. Looks like the enemy is close enough to fire upon. Let's kill them all dead." He said as he put on a wicked smile. "My nerves are getting the best of me today. I smell burnt ashes in the nearby future."

Circe could feel the eyes of the crew members, both vets and new-comers, glued to her. Some of them displayed in their eyes disgust as well as shock, others were merely amused, as she slowly lowered the gun. Unsure of what to do or what to say, the young woman simply just stood there for a few fleeting moments before taking the safest escape route; to look at the floor and pretend they weren’t there. As she burned holes into the ebony flooring with her eyes, a small frown painted itself onto her rosebud lips. However, this frown was hidden behind the bandana which made it look like she was rather stoic, not caring about what she had just done.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to address the crew, her words were stopped short by the prodding point of a blade against her neck. Being forced to look up, Circe’s protests fled from her at the sight of the glinting metal, the smothering silence shattered by an outraged voice. “What the hell are you doing!!?” rang out, clear as a bell, the anger seeping from the words was almost tangible. Visibly wincing at the tone, Circe raised her eyes to meet the offender’s blood red hued ones. “You son of a...” . In her eyes, undoubtedly, shone the vulnerability and fragility that women often portrayed when startled. Coupled with bright-as-day fear and the shimmering reflection of the moon in her rust-colored orbs, it was no wonder Cory’s words halted. A small inward gasp escaped its confines as her wide-eyed stare only grew larger in astonishment. The cause? Cory’s blood red eyes suddenly morphed into brilliant green ones, something that had shocked the young lass beyond what was normal. What happened?! she wonder incredulously to herself. Biting her lower lip, the young pirate-tess could feel the flicker of hope bubbling up inside of her being. Maybe he’s forgiven me? came the rather bright and hopeful inner voice, mistaking his trailing off words as a sign of hesitation. However, that flicker was quickly extinguished by his uncomfortable, disgust-ridden words. “Get out of here now. Go down to the berthing and stay seated in your rack. Nah. Forget me last. Fight and if you don’t die, I’ll deal with you later.” Those words and that tone made Circe cringe once more, and part of her couldn’t help but feel that she wished she would have died right there. I don’t want to be dealt with later! she practically screamed in her mind as his lethally sharp blade was lowered.

Suddenly, another angry voice seemed to have filled the entire ship. It was like someone had punched Circe in the stomach as her brain recognized the voice, dread filling her from her toes to the crown of her head. Captain Skulls.. how could you forget about him?! echoed the appalled voice inside her mind, a nervous underlying tone evident. “Well blow me down! Ye be makin' a grave mistake t' be firin' at me, ye landlubber!" Rotating her rather small stature to face the front of the boat, that dread only increased taking in his enraged expression. Why can’t I just sink into the floor!? "An inch nearer and me be restin' at t' bottom of the high seas b'fore me time! Smartly, me lad, ditch ye' flint fer somethin' ye ain't be killin' ye fellow mates with, or ye be Keel Hauled, Aye? Aye." Blinking in surprise, Circe’s eyes widened even further hearing his words. So.. she wasn’t going to have some physical pain inflicted onto her? Not that she didn’t mind escaping that fate. Even though her mouth as hidden, a smile spread its way onto her petal pink lips at how she easily escaped without a scratch. However, to keep up appearances, Circe managed to mutter a rather quiet and suffocated “Aye.” before turning back to the original revolver’s owner.

However, before the lass could hand off the lethal weapon, a resounding BOOM! split the air with a terrifying and ear-bleeding shock. Cringing at the sudden commotion, she was yanked away from the weapon’s master by the sea of pushing forward pirates, eager to see their rival. Giving a small huff of annoyance, she let her gaze wander about before landing on Skulls, eyes blinking in shock. He, along with some other members, were standing on the ship’s railing, brandishing their weapons high above their heads. Apparently, they were all eager to mount the other ship and cause bloodshed. At the thought of blood, as well as the slaughter of innocent men, Circe blanched in horror and gave a small gag. Trying to quell her weak stomach, she casted a rather disgusted glance at Skulls before thinking one simple word “Pirates.”

Adair cringed as he felt, as well as heard, the shot go off as it was almost directly behind him. He waited for the pain to sink in, thinking he was the most likely one to be shot, but when it never did, he let out an audible sigh and turned slightly to raise an eyebrow at the smaller youth. After realizing who the shot had almost hit, he let the matter go and turned his attention back to the oncoming ship. Adair caught sight of the smoke as the resounding BOOM followed. "Incoming..." he muttered on what he knew would be deaf ears.

His eye was trained on the other ship, trying to calculate the exact distances between the ships with his handicapped sight. As the shouting began and cannon fire erupted soon after, Adair gripped the boarding hook tighter, knowing if his grip slipped, the hook could very well catch a part of his own flesh as he hit the water. Not something he was fond of.... But soon enough, the ships were close enough for him to place his piece on the board of this illusionary game they were immersed in.

With a last glance behind him to check if he was in danger of being shot in the back again, Adair looked down at the under-sized crew member and noticed the lack of a weapon. Letting out another sigh, he tugged the Dirk from his belt and shoved it into the youth's empty hands. The kid had a rough day so far, it'd be a shame if they died without being able to fight back... he thought silently. "Don't you die while using one of my knives!" He said over the gunfire and cannons blaring. Taking that moment to hop onto the railing, he called back one last remark. "And don't lose that dammit!"

With that, he launched himself off the railing as far out toward the other ship as he could. Gripping the boarding hook tightly in his fist and his arms extended out before him, Adair disappeared under the surface of the ocean, heading for the other side of the enemy ship...

The thundering sounds of canon fire was enough to set Coristo off. He jumped on the ledge in front of James. "Hey big man, try not to shoot me, 'kay?" He said as he pushed himself off the ledge with flames to make his jump even more higher. While in the sky he even saw that Adair was making his way to the enemy ship as well. In reality, for a blue flag ship of Mariners, those two were the only ones needed in Cory's mind but he was going to make sure to save some blood for the new members of the crew. It was sure going to be a fun evening indeed.

Landing on the enemy ship, Cory just walked around with his hands on the top of his head when one guy yelled, "Hey!! He's not one of us. Get him!!!!!" After this the crew that wasn't on the cannons all dived towards Cory. "You greasy dogs." He said as he twirled to create a light ring of fire that stopped the men in their tracks. "Why don't you guys just chill for a second. Or is it that your in a rush to die hmm?" He said while laughing maniacally and pulling out two handheld bombs from his person. He lit them just by looking at the charge rope connected to them. "Here. Have a little snack before the main course, would'ja. I feel a storm of fire brewing and doubt this ship will make it through the rough waters." He threw the bombs at his sides and dashed to his left as they exploded, leaping over the men to get to the ladder post. The enemy ship was now close enough to get a bridge across. Having his fellow men already throwing lines, he kicked the enemies ladder over to create a bridge in between ships. "Avast yee skurvey sea dogs. There will be blood on the water. ARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!"

Obviously he was having the time of his life. He couldn't help it. Being on the ship all day. Acting quiet and nice. Hashing out orders when needed. It was a nice break to just play with the pirate hunting wannabees. He had a secret disgust for the Mariners seeing as his grandfather use to be one and continued to support them through his old age. He enjoyed cutting them down. He heard a clicking noise behind him and turned around to see that one of the men was pointing a musket at him. He enjoyed this like a kid enjoyed playing dodge ball. The man fired the gun and everything slowed down. He could see the spinning bullet hurdling towards him. In a quick reaction he slid his head and dodged the bullet. Going back into real time action he dove at the man and stopped dangerously close to his face. "You mate, are just having a bad day eh?" He asked with a sly grin on his face as he trusted his long sword through the mans stomach. He then proceeded to burn the man from the inside out. The fire started at the blade point and ran throughout his whole body. The man gave a loud scream before he quickly dissolved into nothing but ashes. Do bad for him that Coristo didn't like being shot at. "Let's kill them all!!" He declared in a proud roar.

Maxwell opened fire. One shot, one kill.

The rifle round went right through the cannoneer of the opposing ship, silencing that particular cannon discreetly instead of with an obvious explosion. He reloaded his flintlock rifle and searched for another target, looking to silence more cannons. That was how he fought.

Five shots. Five kills.

Deciding that he would make a greater contribution to the battle from the Black bermuda instead of storming over towards the other ship while making a fool out of himself, he stayed on board, far from the close battles and shooting at any unfortunate enemy sailor or crewman who happened to stand still for more than two seconds. Here, he was safe and he could kill effectively.

Stopping his shooting for a moment to take a look at how the battle was actually progressing, Maxwell sighed. As he expected, the newcomers were a bit surprised at the... "less than possible" feats of his fellow peers on board the ship. It was something that caused quite a stir every time, with every new batch of crewmen. All he could do was hope that they got used to them. Was he going to help them cope with it? Of course not - that's not his job. His job was to shoot, navigate and enjoy a nice book and a glass of wine at his side.

Speaking of that battle, he noticed that the new recruit who was wearing too much for the season did not seem to be dead yet. Perhaps he had underestimated him; maybe that excess clothing was a deceiving layer of incompetence that secretly hid cunning.

Perhaps. He snorted before going back to shooting hapless cannoneers.

Ten watched as the paint of red brushed across the enemy ship. Oh how he loved it when his master's made art. Especially his one true master who was the wildest fighter of them all. He seemed to swing his blade carelessly, switching from forehand grip to backhand grip, but it always seemed to connect. It was almost as if the lad was a genius when it came to fighting. Of course, to the untrained eye, Coristo looked almost as if he was just swinging away, but through sparring and observing, Ten knew that his master was the drunken fighter of the seas. Even if he wasn't drink, he could still fight as if so. Hopping from one end of the enemy ship to the other. He left a majority of men alive which Ten never thought made sense, but when he killed a man, he made sure to do it in style. The cat almost wished he could join but then again if he was to use any of his power, he might end up killing one of their own. He saw his master dodge a bullet and then Arto dodged it as well. 'Wow. Same bullet huh. Sir Arto you are a person to keep my eyes on if I've ever seen one myself.' The cat thought liking his lips. He was a cat but some might confuse him for a small thin panther the way he looked.

Coristo on the other hand didn't notice that Arto dodged the same bullet. He was having too much fun. Taking lives or just hurting a person. It did not matter to him. What mattered was the fun of dirtying his family's blade in the same noble blood it had been sworn by his grandfather to protect. Ahh the irony. It was utmost fulfilling to him. He slashed and burned many a men before he decided to go for the grand prize..The Captain of said ship. Kind of think of it. Where was he. Hiding wasn't very noble at all was it? No it wasn't. It sickened him to think that the captain had tried to hide from the pirate crew that laid waste to his ship. In battles like these all things could be handled with the death of a captain. Was this man not willing to die for his crew. Coristo couldn't stand the thought of such a bloke.

He weaseled his way past the crew to the captains chambers killing or burning any man who got in his way. Of course the door was locked. He let out a loud hearty laugh. "Locks. You think you can hide from me with locks. You devilish fiend, I am the man holding the title of Ratatosk, the fire demon that once burned even the seven seas. Let me show you my power!!!!!" He roared as he put his hands on the door, setting fire to the whole hut. "Die by the flames of the judge. You cowardess Nymph."
Stepping back away from the door it wasn't long before a shot came through. It zipped past Coristo and hit a Mariner straight in the bladder. 'Ouch. That had to hurt.' The lad giggled to himself. The captain came out with his saber in hand. Coristo poked at him a bit before stepping off. "On guard." He said as him and the captain traded blades and made lightning like sounds throughout the ship. The captains moves were too weak and too slow for him though because he was disarmed in a second. "Hey Skulls. I got a prize worth killing!!!" He said as he forced the man over to his leader with the tip of his blade at his throat.

Parrying another ill-timed stroke with the swept-hilt dagger in his left hand, Adair brought the cutlass in his right hand forward to stab the point up and through the man's gut. Feeling the blade barely miss the mariner's spine, Adair stepped forward and drove the man to the deck as he jerked the blade upward to sever through the heart. Ripping the cutlass from the corpse, Adair flung the remaining blood streaking down the glimmering steel at the onrushing enemies. Two shrieked back and one brought his hands up to his face as the blood splashed into his eyes. Adair's speed was incredible as he strode forward several feet with a single step, closing the distance in an instant.

Adair's mind was miles away from the opponents in front of him as the man fell to the decking, already dead from the arcing slash that opened him from collar to stomach. Each of Adair's movement's felled another enemy who was unlucky enough to engage the fiery-haired man with the eye patch. Luck... that seemed to be the theme of this battle he thought ruefully. The lack of luck for this ship to attack this band of pirates, the abundance of luck at making it out of water alive after coming face to face with something out of legends, and the horribly unlucky timing of the men who tried to lock blades with myself. Adair was a horrible pirate after all. He never played with his enemies, he defeated them as quickly and unmercilessly as possible.

Grabbing another mariner swinging an awkward swing with a dagger, Adair rolled into the man and felt the impact of the musket shot as it buried itself into the man and he was shielded. A quick push sent the makeshift shield of a man over the railing of the ship as Adair's weighted dagger flipped once in the air before burying itself into the shooter's throat. Retrieving his dagger once more, he sheathed it after wiping it clean, and began heading up into the enemy's crow's nest. Cutting the netting behind him, a few followers toppled into the carnage below as Adair grabbed the lookout by the shirt collar and hauled him over the edge where he landed with a sickening crack on the deck below.

Out of the corner of his sight, Adair thought he spotted a black tail in the water and turned quickly to another empty sight. At this point, he didn't know whether his mind was playing tricks on him, or if he was just too distracted to catch the sight. Instead, he took in the sight below; members of his own crew littered the ships, none of which were anyone he recognized. Meanwhile, the vet's of the Black Bermuda were devastating the mariners: James, a blending machine of body parts and blood as he moved, Cory was leading a terrified-looking man to Captain Skulls who, in his own way, seemed to be enjoying himself. Catching sight of Max, Adair watched an enemy crew member drop at each muzzle flash from the sharp-shooting navigator.

Even Reggie, near the crew member with Adair's dirk, was participating in the fray today. All in all, the battle was over before it had even begun, but his distraction still pulled on his mind as he searched the waters below. "Where did she go...? He asked to no one as he tried to spot the raven-haired siren once more.

Captain Skulls

"Hey Skulls. I got a prize worth killing!!!"

Amongst the audible death cries and the sound of fighting Adrien heard his title, Skulls coming from a familiar voice. Though the front of his clothes were painted in a crimson color, he was not actively in a struggle at the moment and could afford to turn his head to the voice without too much worry of being killed. So, he did. He spotted Cory who wasn't looking much more innocent than he, holding a man hostage with the edge of his blade. The man, obviously, must've been the captain of the ship they were currently attacking, as he had that stereotypical look to him. That, and who else would they even care much about? Smirking, the Captain sheathed his blade.

"Aye, that be t' catch o' the day!" he proclaimed ecstatically. Since they had the captain, the fight was now over. That's how it was typically. Fell the captain and you've won, and there was nothing else left to do but move the blade against his throat from ear to ear. That could be done instantly. "Be it yer will, ye may have t' honor of sendin' t' man to Davy Jones' locker yerself. Smartly, me lad, then we be done with all these wenches!" that, of course, was the okay to kill the man. That's all they needed to do, and this boat didn't hold any incredibly important individuals, so there was no use in keeping a hostage, for nobody was going to risk dealing with pirates to get them back. That, and they wouldn't fetch much of a price.

(Short post is short)

With the captains okay, it wasn't hard to see what Coristo would do next. "I'm sorry chum, but you have to learn to swim one way or another, right? Hehe." He took his sword and led the captain to the edge of the ship. Stabbing through his leg, he lifted up and tossed the man to a watery grave. With that he burned a couple more men before yelling, "Oi. Everyone off this dainty vassal. Unless you want to smell like barbecue!!!" He then sheaved his blade and spread his hands out as fire started to envelope different parts of the ship. He had to admit it was his favorite part. He didn't burn it fast, he loved seeing it slowly whither away. That and he had to give a chance for his fellow crew to escape.

Ten watched as Coristo's light show went up in a blazing fashion. It was as beautiful as always. He jumped from his post and landed gracefully on the deck watching as some of the new crew were running and screaming, "That guy's crazy, as they came back on board. Coristo wasn't far behind them walking and scratching his head. "That was bullshit." He said aggravated. "I only had fun for about ten minutes. Seriously."
Ten laughed at his master's aggravation. He never could seem to get a full blast out of attacking a human ship. Ten didn't blame him though. Humans were so frail and easily broken. He then turned his eyes to the Arto fella. He didn't seem to be as easilly broken as most humans. But, then again, the lad seemed easier in some ways. Ten knew that whatever was to pass in the many travels after this, things would definitely get interesting.

'Ten, whats the matter?' Coristo thought to him. 'Why does it seem like you're deep in thought?'
'No reason. I'm just having fun is all.' Ten replied. Coristo just gave him a blank stare, wondering what was so fun about the end of a battle.

Arto clung to the rigging, her legs and arms dangling above the ebony railing thanks to the gaps between the ropes. Giving a small sigh, the female pirate raised her eyes to peer out from behind the bandanas, curious about the port they were currently docked in. No, it wasn’t the prospect of having fun and no it wasn’t for the drink that made Circe love seaports; it was the people . However, since she begun travelling with this ship, it always seemed to be the same; the bustling townspeople would pause whatever they were doing to train their curious gazes onto the ship that was painted in the color of Death before eyeing the ship’s name, The Black Bermuda. This would either result in 2 things; a hasty averting sideways glance or running away with paled faces. My... I can’t help but wonder if those dreaded tales have reached this far.. mused the inquisitive inner voice as Circe observed some vet members stomped down the boarding planks, danger and raw power emanating from the brutes. A small eye roll followed their proud display of the wealth to the passing by townspeople, disgust washing over her. Pirates and nobles... not a big difference; one is just dirtier and more brash.

"Hey, see the sky? Its pretty, ain't it!?" directed Circe’s attention upwards to gaze at the male pirate she was currently assigned watch under; Reggie. A small scoff was directed to his comment but more or less the idea of having to be babysat.”I was doing just fine on my own.. stupid damn Skulls. Now I have HIM. Hmph.” muttered her muffled voice, a bitter underlying tone to it. Seeing as many of the crew had already left, Circe jumped off the rigging with a tad bit more grace than she allowed herself to show before turning on her heels, waving a gloved hand at Reggie. ”I’m going below for a bit.. not feeling too well.” was all that spoken before the pirate-tess descended into the damp darkness of below deck. Moving with a lethargic speed, dragging out her actions for as long as possible in an attempt to wait it out for the remaining crew members to leave, Circe went about gathering items for her bath. Just because I’m on this infernal ship doesn’t mean I have to be as dingy and disgusting as the rest of them.. scoffed the offended thoughts. However, they soon directed themselves into a traitorous territory. The image of the vet crew members who, unlike the rest of the misfit crew, were clean and well-dressed materialized in her mind, bringing back the memories of their spat form before and the inhuman power each one held.

An impatient shake of her head followed close behind those images as her attention became focused on the now leaving member that had lingered below deck. A slight smile crossed her china-doll mouth as she went about filling a bucket from a spout, clean water filling the wooden pail. Sliding her rust-hued orbs over to the grate in the middle of the “room”, a frown suddenly banished that smile at the thought of having to take a shower. Shuddering at the prospect, Circe reached up and undid the bandana that hid her jawline, her voice now it’s normal, silky smooth tone. ”What can you expect? They are barbarians after all..”

After hearing of news of the first mate changing, Cory wondered why he had been picked out of all the men on ship. Surely Adair, James, and Maxwell, heck, even Reggie, would have been better choices. The who thing exhausted him. He slept like a log even when they reached port leaving Ten bored, searching for chatter and scuttlebutt's around the ship. The cat being as sneaky as he was heard and saw almost everything but told his master not even the half of which. Of course, if he did, then there would probably be allot of dead bodies floating on the seven seas.

He leaped downstairs and tried to wake his master inside the berthing area. "Wake up Cory. There's news." He said, but to no avail did the boy even twitch. The cat's tail waved in a snake like motion and zipped towards his masters side lightly scratching him but giving the boy just enough of a feel to sent his head straight towards the air.
Sleepily he yawned and opened his eyes rubbing them with the back of his hand.

"What is it Ten? We reach port yet." He asked in a drowsy manner. shifting off of his bed to get dressed.

"Yes but...." The cat had no time to say anymore. With notice that they were now on shore, Cory sped lightning fast to get himself ready for his entrance into town. "Oh boy!!! C'mon Ten. We gotta get a move on." He said now clothed and running up to the deck. He quickly jumped off the side of the ship and rushed to shore not caring if the cat had any want of following or not. The smell of the ocean was good and all, but the smell of restaurant food and delightful pastries was even more intoxicating. They were his one and only drug if he had to name one.

The cat did indeed follow him however, trailing him like a shadow of his being. He was going to tell Cory something very important. Something that he thought he should let the captain know, but, to his future dismay, he fell for the smell of fried fish in the air. Both pirates painted themselves a picture. The picture of a boy in his cat. Just for a little while Cory got to be a normal kid again. Just for a little while of course.