The Laughingstock Crew made daily stops to pubs and marketplaces. When roaming the seas of Candle Cove, things got lengthy and materials grew low. Percy would sometimes need a new hat and Janice would often run out of food. Whenever either of them happened, the pirate crew always stopped at the market. Sometimes they'd spend a Saturday afternoon socializing on the boardwalks while searching for new quests. Poppy, the captain of the Laughingstock Crew, enjoyed the common and much-needed rum when the Rubber Fishes' frivolities were endless and he'd stop at a pub or two every week.

Today was no different as the crew docked the Laughingstock at a nearby fisherman's market. Poppy tended to the boat while Percy and Janice took a look around the shops. Percy was a doll-like pirate who took his pirating as a hobby while Janice was a young, 7 year old girl who always dreamed of sailing the seas. In Percy's gloved hand was 2 escudos. It was his weekly pay for being second-in-command. Janice got her share in pieces of candy, which was going to be their first stop today.

Tightening his grip on the little girl's hand, Percy led Janice into her favorite sweet shop. "Ye Ol' Sweets" was a candy shop located at the end of the harbor that carried all sorts of glazed nuts, fruits, and candy. Janice's blue eyes widened at the sight of all the sugar and led her friend with her to the back of the shop. She picked some of her usual favorites, which consisted of crystallized candy and taffy. Percy fidgeted with his hands as he watched her gather the candy.

"R-Remember, Janice...4 reale is o-our limit.."

"I know!" Janice happily exclaimed. She picked out a handful before running over to the cash register and dropping it on the desk. The old sailor passed a glance to them as he weighed the sweets and charged them. Percy discarded the Spanish coins, collected his change, and hurried Janice outside. Poppy was waiting for them around the corner. Janice gave the large pirate a hug before shoving a piece of taffy in her mouth.

"Did you g-get the fruits, C-Cap'N?" Percy asked from behind her.

Poppy held a bag filled with citrus and lemons in response. Percy gave his captain a respectful nod before following the two further down the marketplace. They gathered fruits to prevent any cases of scurvy and often used them as a snack or two. Past rumors had it that they'd get sick eating raw fruit but with the hell they endured daily, the pirates didn't mind.

Earlier that day, Janice accidentally stumbled upon the Manbearpig's cave and caused havoc for Poppy getting her out. He was a dangerous, eccentric creature that could've harmed her more than he had. He lived deep in the caverns and shot rather...odd films. The Manbearpig gathered clothes from corpses and would use them to decorate his marionettes. He was the "Master Puppeteer" and, according to rumors, performed stories that would come true and happen. Janice got out of there with a few scrapes a bruises but it was horrifying to Percy. The Rubber Fishes had yet to make their appearance that day and Poppy was sure to be on his feet. A break or two couldn't hurt anyone and it's been hours since he had a drink.

"I'll be in th' Pub fer a bit," He suddenly stopped and turned to Percy. "Call me 'f somethin' comes up o' th' Rubber Fishes come."

Percy nervously stood and saluted Poppy, whom dismissed himself to the pub nearby. Janice grabbed onto the doll's hand and started leading him around the boardwalk. The whole place smelled like raw fish and alcohol. It was common for them to stop at places like these so they could sight see or Janice could have some souvenirs for back at home. She really enjoyed the pirate life, despite being a foreigner who randomly stumbled upon the place one day and joined Percy. Poppy was merely someone whom they needed help for a quest one time, but has decided to stick with them since.

And, since Percy had severe anxiety and a stuttering problem, he became their Captain. Pirates needed someone powerful and menacing to lead their crew so it was the best decision to make. Percy wasn't bad as Captain but couldn't protect Janice when it came to the Skin Taker. He fought off his crew but was weak and vulnerable when it came to Horace. Seeing as that puppet was second-in-command to the Rubber Fishes, they were bound to need someone else. They were currently on the search for another mate but they had little success. They heard the name "Milo" somewhere on their trip but had long forgotten about it.

"Look!" Janice pointed and urged Percy towards a street performer. He was your average puppeteer with string dolls and sock puppets. Percy was a bit clueless as to why it fascinated the girl, but remained silent. She watched in awe as he performed a show about a princess falling in love with a prince. The princess had a long, pink dress and the prince had a scarlet-colored scarf. Janice sat down next to a group of pirates and Percy followed suit.

The performer, hidden behind the stage and maneuvering the puppets, continued with his show.

"-She fell under a curse that day and turned into an ugly being. The prince, now being conflicted with his feelings for her, left her in order to find a new princess. Rosanne was devastated and locked herself in a windmill far beyond the land. She was disgusted with herself and was sure no one would ever love a hideous creature like her."

The set changed to a domestic building that housed a windmill. A globin-like creature wearing a pink dress hid in the house and did not come out. Janice tilted her head curiously at the change of setting and the bit of story she heard. She suddenly exclaimed, "That's not right!"

The group of pirates next to her shushed her. Percy shook in fear when he noticed how big and muscular they were. The puppeteer ignored the interruption and continued:

"Little did she know that a traveler whom was roaming the lands nearby stumbled upon the windmill. He entered the building and called, 'Is anyone there?'. Afraid, the princess hid herself in a closet and watched the stranger roam the windmill. Soon, he peeked inside the closet and found her..."

A puppet suddenly came onto stage that was dressed rather formally with brown clothes. He wore a hat with a purple feather tucked into the side of it. The puppet opened a door between him and the goblin. The two heard the other pirates gasp in anticipation. Janice leaned forward with the others and waited to see what would happen. Percy looked completely lost.

"She screamed and ran past him. The traveler eventually caught up to her and admitted that the sight of her was terrifying. Yet, as he looked in the creature's eyes, he saw beautiful brown ones staring back at him. It was then that he knew, something beautiful inside was trapped..."

The puppets got close together as the traveler caressed the goblin's face. As the two inched closer, the curtains suddenly closed. Disappointed noises came from both Janice and the group of pirates. The puppeteer revealed himself from behind the stage and dropped the sticks he was holding. He was a very short man, around Janice's height, that hid himself behind a peculiar mask. He wore foreign clothes that looked very formal.

He exclaimed, "Visit tomorrow to see the end of my story and the beginning of the new one! Tips are welcome."

He bid farewell to them and began to pack his puppets and belongings. Janice, curious to know the rest of the story, came up to him. Percy tried to stop her but came to no avail as he followed behind her. Once they were close enough, the puppeteer jumped in surprise. Janice gave him a rather bold look.

"Hi! My name's Janice and this is my friend, Percy." She motioned to the doll. "I was just wondering...how does your story end, Mr. Puppeteer?"

He laughed. "You'll have to come back for that, sweetheart."

"But..." Janice was at a loss for words. "But I won't be here tomorrow! Won't you tell me?"

"It s-seems really simple, J-Janice..." Percy shifted his weight behind the girl. "Th-They kiss a-and the spell is b-broken..."

The Puppeteer mocked Percy. "G-Gee, I-I d-don't k-know." He regained his posture. "Look, kid, I can't spoil the stories. This is my only source of money and if I tell anything to anyone, people won't come back."

With that, the Puppeteer closed his box of puppets and dismissed himself. He was a rather rude fellow, but you got a lot of them at the marketplace. Janice stomped her foot angrily and Percy panicked. He urged her forward on the boardwalk and pat her back reassuringly. The child continued to fume and Percy knew he wasn't doing any good. The doll sighed and held her hand.

"I-I know, Janice. H-He's mean. I'm sure I w-was right on the story, t-though."

Janice nodded in return and Percy felt her relax. They passed by many sailors, pirates and occasionally a foreigner or two. The two looked at all the fish packed into crates, barrels, and shelves. Some looked appetizing while others had their guts piled out or were too raw. Percy purchased a couple of fish himself and made sure to make haste back to the pub Poppy was in. They could only endure the smell of fish for so long.

Once they came to the pub, Percy looked around nervously. He went on his knee to look at Janice and handed her the bag of fish. She took it and eyed him uneasily. He said, "S-Stay here, please."

Janice gave him a worried look "Wha-? Percy, why?"

"Because P-Poppy doesn't usually t-take this long dr-drinking. S-Something may be wr-wrong, and you can't e-exactly come i-in."

Janice looked to the floor before nodding. Percy gave her a quick hug before going inside the pub and leaving the child alone. She made sure to stick as close as she could to the door and gave the other pirates scared looks. Each one of them looked like they could tear her apart to shreds. Many stories were rumored that pirates would take girls of any age and bring them back to their ships and rape them. Other stories were that they'd murder her, dump her in the sea, and leave her body floating endlessly. Some even said they'd take children and they'd disappear forever!

Needless to say, she was scared. Especially when she heard a familiar scraping noise calling for her.

"Jaaaaannniiiiccceeee...""

The child turned around in the direction of the voice, only to find pirates walking past her casually. She looked petrified as she turned 360 degrees trying to find the source of the voice.

"I'm waaaiiitttiiinnngggg..."

Janice gasped. The voice sounded closer. She backed up to the wall of the pub and searched through the crowds. It sounded like...

"I love your skin."

The last voice felt like it was crawling down her back. The child gave into her fears and let out the loudest scream she could manage. Pirates around her gave her a surprised look and some drunkards jumped back in surprise. She felt a hand pull her back and Janice screamed again. When she found that a knife wasn't going through her chest, she opened her eyes and saw Poppy giving her a worried look. She was too focused on screaming that she hadn't noticed she started crying.

Percy wiped her tears for her as Poppy held her close. The pirates around them resumed what they were doing before, assuming that the child was just a crazy lass. Janice sobbed into Poppy's shoulder and held him close. It felt like she was going to die at any minute and it scared her. Poppy rubbed her back in order to soothe her. Once the child was calm enough, he held her at arms length.

"Janice, why were you screaming?"

"I-I thought..I saw...I heard..."

Poppy held her close again and motioned for Percy to start heading back to the Laughingstock. Janice dug her head in his shoulder as she gripped onto his coat tightly. Once they came to the boat, he put Janice down and started untying the ropes. Janice dangled her legs over the ship and sniffled. Was the Skin Taker really there, or was she just hearing voices? She could have sworn he was right behind her.

"Are you al-alright?"

The child looked up and saw Percy standing behind her, twiddling his thumbs. He sat down next to her and gave her a hug. Janice nodded and wiped another tear that fell from her cheek. Percy held onto her tighter and started shaking his head.

"I sh-shouldn't have left you there. I'm s-so sorry..."

"It's okay, Percy." Janice assured her friend. "I guess I'm imagining things."

Percy let go and patted her shoulder before dismissing himself to help Poppy release the Laughingstock. The sound of the waves hitting the side of the boat calmed Janice a bit. She was glad they were leaving the market. She didn't want to be there any longer than she had to. The Laughingstock noticed that Janice had been down and its widened grin ceased a little.

She asked, "ARE YOU OKAY, JANICE?"

The child nodded and rubbed a nearby pole to assure the ship. She stopped interrogating her and continued floating down the sea. Janice heard Percy come behind her again and saw an accordion in his hands. The child whipped around excitedly and stood, clapping her hands to encourage the doll to perform a shanty. It was one of Percy's hidden talents that he was able to both play the accordion and sing pretty well. His stuttering problem went away when he sang, which was a skill to possess as is. He rarely sang anything but knew Janice liked it so he did it from time to time. Now seemed like a good time to sing to her.

He asked, "H-Have any songs, J-Janice?"

The child clasped her hands together and exclaimed, "'All For Me Grog'!"

Percy nodded and began playing his accordion, locking eyes with the child as he started to sing the shanty. He did his best to censor out the inappropriate parts of the shanty. It sounded pretty lame without them, but Janice barely noticed as she danced around in circles. When the Laughingstock Crew was in desperate times, Percy would sometimes perform at markets for extra doubloons. It was nice practice and Janice absolutely loved it when he played!

Percy soon ended the song and gave a little bow. Janice clapped and giggled, clearly feeling better. Percy gave her a smile before storing the accordion again and following Janice up to the quarterdeck. They found Poppy steering the ship and he tipped his hat to them. Janice skipped over and peeked to see where they were going. The Laughingstock was headed back to Candle Cove. Its infamous dark atmosphere could be seen a mile away.

Janice gave Poppy a scared look. "Poppy? Why are we going back to Candle Cove?"

"'Cause, lassy," He replied. "We be lookin' fer a new recruit, eh? Me Milo be livin' on th' other side o' Candle Cove."

"Milo?" Percy asked. "You m-mean that guy w-we heard the bartender sp-speak about?"

"Aye." Poppy nodded. "He's a good mate o' mine. Th' Rubber Fishes be havin' a new siren on their crew. Best t' find another matey fer' us!"

A crack of thunder boomed across the horizon and made the three of them jump. Poppy simply shrugged it off and continued steering straightforward. Percy looked scared to death while Janice held onto Poppy's leg nervously. The Candle Cove inhabited the Skin Taker and Horace the Horrible, and, as Poppy said, they recently recruited a new siren. She was deadly to the trio as she was able to hypnotize Poppy and Percy and would often try to lure them into rocks. Janice would be the one to break them our of their spell and saved their butts once she did.

Her name was Susan Siren and she was dangerous. Luckily, they only brought her on the sea, for she posed no threat on land. She could only cause your ears to ring, which was temporary and didn't slow them down. Janice gulped at the memory of meeting her. She was barely clothed but had the eyes of a normal siren. Ones that would lure sailors to their death and ones you should surely fear. If the Laughingstock Crew could get another mate on their team menacing enough to face her, perhaps they could stop the Skin Taker once and for all.


On the northern side of Candle Cove was a hidden shipwreck. It was one of the remnants of ships Susan Siren lured and crashed onto the island. Pirates who discovered it scavenged it down to the brim, leaving only bits of wood and cloth. The wreck looked rather skeletal and seemed like it would turn to dust at any moment. It was of no use to anyone now, not even to the common people. This was the perfect domestic opportunity to Milo Buck, whom was currently hunched over a small fire at the wreck.

The pirate was short, only coming to 5 feet and 2 inches. He wore a blue polk-a-dot bandana and a white sweatshirt underneath his jacket. His black boots were soiled in sand and his fingerless gloves were cut and torn. He was one of the whitest pirates known to man and had blonde hair and blue eyes. His voice was very light, yet snobbish at the same time. He was a foreigner from Britain and they were known for their attitude.

To the pirates at taverns, Milo was known as the "bilge rat". He was an egotistical fellow who bragged about various adventures, such as facing the Skin Taker head on and skinning him alive. Other tales consisted of him sailing the whole world or stealing Davy Jones' treasure. None of them were proven, but were believed by many.

"Heh," The pirate muttered under his breath. "I totally nailed that parrot. Didn't see a thing coming."

Over the fire was a carcass of a bird being twirled on a stick. Milo continued to roast the side it was currently on before plucking it off the stick and taking a bite. He gagged at the taste and spat out a bone or two before going back and chewing on the little meat it had. Footsteps came near the fire and he looked up in surprise.

"Oh," Milo spat out another bone. "Hey."

Across from him was a sock puppet taller than him, yet thin. He wore one monocle over his full mustache and he had tall, yellow teeth. His bald head was concealed with a hat and several seams and stitches were placed in various places on his body. Loose limbs were barely hanging by literal threads and a belt was wrapped around his waist, as if being one of the few things holding him together. He wore a badge labelled: "ST". To pirates everywhere, it was a big warning sign.

He replied, "T' Master says ye' 'ave 1 day left."

Milo yawned. "One day, really? I could totally come up with the gold by morning."

The man rolled his eye in the monocle and crossed his arms. He said, "'Tis th' final warnin'. Expects it by sunset. Don't come crawlin' back t' me."

With that, the man left. Milo shrugged it off, playing it off as it were nothing. He could probably raid one of the ships at the harbor and steal some of their gold there. Crews would abandon their ships on Sunday mornings and drink at the pubs all day. One of his favorite hobbies was free looting on unsupervised ships. He got most of his money through that way and both freeloading and scamming. Guess he truly was a pirate, in a way.

Truth be told, he barely had a quarter of what the Skin Taker wanted. If he let his slave know that, the skeleton would have hauled his pelvis down there and skin his face in a blink of an eye. Milo's easy demeanor kept him alive this far. And, tomorrow, it was going to earn him some good doubloons.