"I AMthe Pirate Queen! All who go against me will rue the day they met me! If you wish to join me on my quest for glory, I welcome you with open arms. My crew is of every type. Sign up is there. Place your name, occupation, skills, and why you wish to join. No one will be denied access to the greatest pirate ship alive, The Black Swan!" The notice read. The young girl, almost a woman now, looked down at the sign up list and read.
"Name: Arureyu Lockheart. Occupation: Well duh! PIRATE QUEEN! Skills: Skilled at everything! Why You Wish to Join: This doesn't even need to be answered." The girl looked at the other names.
"Purple Squirrel, navigator/ cook; Rye, knight; Kaname, Sharp Shooter; and Kami, traveling swordsman." The girl took a pen out of her apron pocket and kneeled, so that she was eye level with the bottom of the list. She uncapped her pen and started to write.
"Name: Rosette Jacklyn (Rose) Occupation: bar waitress. Skills: gun slinger, directions, and mind tricks. Why You Wish to Join: Only one of the family still alive, looking for adventure...That just about sums it up. I wonder what will happen to me when I'm finally gone...The Black Swan huh? Sounds interesting," Rosette said, turning away from the list and walking back toward the square. Harbor boys running around, throwing balls of mud at each other, called greetings as she passed.
"Rose...Rose! The master wants to see you," yelled a young woman from the middle of the town square, as Rosette stepped onto the busy road. The master wants to see me? I wonder what's happened? she thought, as she crossed toward the Rusty Sword Inn. She had worked at this dump of an inn ever since she could remember.
"I wish I could just get away from here," Rosette sighed, opening the door and walking into the inn. It took sometime for her eyes to adjust to the dim light coming in through the windows and lit pipes. She had come through the side door as to not attract attention, but as soon as she walked in, some of the rowdy up-town boys started calling her name. Rosette winked at them and walked to the back where the master always sat. She could see him now, his unsightly mop of hair sat on his head, greased up with unnecessary oil. His potbelly was swollen with ale from the bar. He was surrounded by customers, mostly women, of course. Rose was filled with disgust but hid it under a solemn mask.
"Where have you been wench, your shift started five minutes ago?" the master asked, narrowing his eyes at Rose.
"I was at the wharf Master," Rosette replied, gritting her teeth. One of the other waitresses came over and whispered in the master's ear. The master's face twisted with anger.
"She WHAT?" He roared, grabbing Rose by the hair and tilting her head down towards his. Rose's eyes were wide with fright. The inn grew eerily silent.
"I will never let you leave here, you are mine. The Pirate Queen never comes for those who sign up. Your life at sea will never come true. Now get to work," the master said icily, letting go of Rose's hair. Rose turned away slowly, head down.
"Your wrong," she whispered. A loud crash came from behind her, and the next thing she knew, Rose was turned around facing a man who looked like the king of the Youko himself had risen from hell. Rose's blood froze as she faced this devilish nightmare. The master brought his hand up, and without hesitating, brought it down hard on Rose's cheek. She fell to the ground, hand on her cheek, tears stinging her eyes.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY! You DARE to go against ME? You DARE say I am wrong?" the master yelled, outraged. Rose cowered on the floor, eyes turned defiantly toward the master. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her after him as he stomped toward a back room. The inn was deathly silent now, the only noise came from the meaningless prattle of the people in the square outside, and Rose's cries as she was dragged off.
Just then, the door was blast open and the pure light of noon shone in on the dark and dismal inn. Two shadows stood in the doorway. One, a man, told by his size wore a white cape over a black shirt that tucked neatly into white pants with solid white boots on his feet. A black belt wrapped around him and from it hung a silver fencing blade. The other, a woman, wore a brown trench coat ripped at the sleeves over a black shirt and jeans, ripped and torn in many places. They tucked messily into tall brown boots. Her golden brown hair waved down her back in layers, beads of every color braided into it. On her head she wore a cap, much like that of a military leader's. Guns and knives could be seen hanging on a belt around the woman's waist. All eyes were on them as they stood in the doorway.
"What a shady looking inn... yet the owner looks even shadier… Ah! Sir, I suggest you unhand that girl," the woman said, looking at the master and Rose.
"Lady, I suggest that if you wish to live 'till you're at least thirty you leave now. Insulting this place isn't the best of ideas, most of us get our kicks here…unless... you wish to give us your services as well, if you know what I mean," a man near the door said, pointing a gun at the woman, she didn't even bat a lash.
"I would have liked to have advised you not to point your gun at me, but I guess I'm to late," the woman sighed. A great gust of wind swept through the room, and when everyone looked back at the lady there was a young man standing next to her, pointing the tip of his sword at the man with the gun's neck.
"Now, Sir, do not make me repeat myself, let…go…of…that…girl," the woman said, drawing out the last part. She walked over to where the master and Rose were, the master just stared at her blankly.
"If I were you, I'd do as Mother says. Trust me, you don't want to see her mad," came a voice from the doorway. A small girl, the woman's daughter, stood there looking right at the master. He let go of Rose and, grabbing a gun from his waist, pointed it at her. A "click" came from the direction of the woman, her own gun barrel was pointed at the master.
"Ooooooo… bad move," the child said. The master looked from the woman, to the gun, then back at the woman.
"Who are you?" he asked. Rose looked up at the woman, recognition written on her face. The woman smirked and stood on the table closest to her, making sure everyone could see her.
"If you do as I say, then I will tell you, if you don't…well, then there will be consequences. First offense, the second floor will be blown off; second, the stables; and third we will blow up the rest of the inn. Kat, Rye, go and fetch the guests from their quarters, and make sure they're dressed," the woman said, giving the master a cold stare. "Now, hand me that girl!"
"Why should I? She is mine," the master said, spitting at the woman. A slight smile briefly crossed over her face as she brought out a skull with a medium sized garnet engraved in its forehead.
"Kaname, can you hear me?" she asked, speaking into the skull. Rye and Kat descended the stairs, the guests between them.
"Loud and somewhat clear…Capitan, what are…your orders?" the skull said, cutting off every now and then.
"Kaname, where are you?" the woman asked. The skull chuckled statically.
"Funny you should ask Capitan…we're all the way near…Avani…We ran into some navy trouble…on the way and…they chased us all the…way out here…" The master laughed .
"Your only plan has failed." The woman just smiled slyly.
"Kaname, can you shoot us from where you are?"
"Do you really…have to even ask…Capitan."
"Good, then shoot the second floor off this building."
"It will lower the rum stock…buuut, if it's the Capitan's orders…roger that, over and out," the skull clicked as the line was cut, the woman jumped down from the table and stood a couple of feet from Rose and the master.
"No one can shoot that far, it's like shooting half way across the ocean." The woman just smiled and started to count.
"30…20…10…5, 4, 3, 2, 1." The inn started to shake uncontrollably as debris fell from above and screams came from everywhere.
"First offense. NOW HAND ME THE GIRL!" the woman said, loosing whatever patience she had left. The master dropped his gun and Rose ran over to the woman.
"J-Just who are you?" the master asked, shaking, Kat scoffed.
"Next time you should know who you're fighting before you pick the fight," Kat said, walking out the door. Rye followed, beckoning the man with the swords. "Let's go Kami." The woman turned to leave, Rose in front of her.
"I AMthe Pirate Queen! All who go against me will rue the day they met me. If you wish to join me on my quest for glory I welcome you with open arms. My crew is of every type, and no one will be denied access to my ship,The Black Swan. Nice to make your acquaintance…Master." The door shut behind them, drawn by some unseen line, leaving the inn in the dark and all it's occupants in awe and shaking with fright from the beauty of what had transpired there today