Mairi hauled on the mooring line, turning to the captain as she did so. "We're ready to cast off, Captain," she said matter-of-factly.
"Excellent, Miss Sinclair," Davy Jones responded in his usual, thick Scottish accent, his aqua eyes looking at the ocean behind her rather than at the woman herself. "We'll be heading to open water for a while… I trust you'll be able to keep this crew in line?"
"Of course," Mairi reassured, pushing her inky black hair from her face. "When have I failed you?"
"Not yet, but there's a first time for everything," Jones joked, and moved to the helm, while Mairi tried to keep herself from staring.
"All hands on deck," she bellowed instead, watching the rest of the crew spill onto the deck of the Flying Dutchman as she knotted a red scarf around her head to keep her hair back.
"Any luck with the captain yet," Maccus asked while he stood next to her, his blue eyes regarding her in a rather guarded fashion.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mairi said stiffly, and Maccus rolled his eyes.
"Do you think I was born yesterday, Mairi," he chided lightly. "I'm your half-brother… I've known you your whole life, and most of my own. You fell for the captain a long time ago."
Mairi shrugged. "He wouldn't have me, I'm sure of it," she said introspectively. "If I keep quiet, at least I can still be on the same ship as him."
Maccus rolled his eyes. "I still think you should try," he encouraged. "New ship, new crew… You and the captain could do some wonderful things together."
The Flying Dutchman's quartermaster simply shook her head, moving to the helm of the ship to take the wheel. "Give me that horizon," she muttered distractedly to herself as she looked over to Jones. "Our heading, Captain?"
"South-southwest. I'll let you know when it changes."
Mairi frowned, but nodded. It wasn't like him to be so vague, especially where a destination was concerned, but she supposed he must have a perfectly good reason…
"I see those gears turning, Mairi," Jones teased. "You're wondering what I'm thinking, aren't you?"
"As always," Mairi teased back, easing the wheel to the left. "Full canvas," she shouted to the crew, and glanced back at Jones. "So… What are you thinking?"
Jones chuckled. "We're headed to the Caribbean," Jones explained. "I'm going to see her."
"Her?" Mairi frowned. "Who?"
"Calypso," Davy Jones explained, something akin to reverence in his voice. "She's incredible."
"That she is, Captain," Mairi said a bit distractedly, and Jones walked over to her.
"You're a real gem, Mairi," he said warmly. "You and your brother both. You never give me any trouble, you would follow me to the ends of the Earth, if I were to ask it of you…"
Mairi smiled. "You'll find that our loyalty is not easily bought and sold, Captain," she said simply. And that was true enough—just last week, she and Maccus had both been offered positions as boatswains on another pirate's ship; Mairi first, and Maccus after she had turned it down. The offer the captain had made had been a difficult one to refuse, but refuse it they had, Mairi stating simply that she "liked what she was doing now plenty well enough."
She felt something settle in on the top of her head, and a glance upward told her it was a hat. "You really ought to keep better track of this," he teased once again. "I've taken the liberty of putting a new feather in it for you—the old one was getting rather beat up."
"Well thank you, Captain," Mairi said warmly, and slid her long-lost chapeau off her head to look at it. The familiar black material had a black silk band around it, and tucked beneath the band was a large red feather—an obvious replacement, as the previous feather had been a much less expensive white one.
Mairi rolled her grey eyes and stripped off her long, black coat. "It's rather warm today," she said offhandedly, tossing the offending garment onto the deck. "Mr. Turpin! Kindly stow my coat in my cabin for me."
The deckhand in question did as he had been commanded, and Mairi swung the wheel a bit further to the left, spotting a ship in the distance. "Orders, Captain?"
A brief consult with his telescope left Davy Jones frowning. "Do nothing," he instructed. "The ship flies Henry Morgan's colors."
"A bit far from England, isn't he," Mairi responded, and bellowed, "Hoist the colors, and didn't I ask for full canvas?"
"The sails are torn," one of the men responded, and Mairi rolled her eyes.
"Then mend them," she snapped, "you blubbering idiot!" She sighed. "Sometimes, they really do astound me, Captain… How hard is it to intuitively grasp the fact that a torn sail is going to need to be repaired?"
Jones chuckled. "I must admit, Mairi, that your patience is a constant marvel." He placed a hand on her shoulder and bellowed, "You heard the woman, you sorry lot! Mend the sails and hoist the colors!" He shook his head, giving her a pleading look. "You see? Nothing ever gets done when you're, ah… Incapacitated. They leave the mess to be dealt with when you're feeling up to it."
"The curse of my gender," Mairi grumbled, watching as a crewman scrambled up the mast to retrieve the sails. "Put the spare set up," she ordered her half-brother, who was standing nearby. "They're a bit dingy, but they'll keep us moving, at least."
"Aye," Maccus responded, and went to retrieve the spare set of sails, collecting a few more crewmen to help him in the process. The Flying Dutchman was a big ship, to say the least, and even some of the simplest chores on board required multiple crewmen to complete.
"There's something about a powerful woman," Jones muttered, leaning in close to her, "that's incredibly attractive. Do you realize that, Miss Sinclair?"
Mairi very nearly started in spite of herself, but managed to keep her cool, shooting Jones a very level glance. "I don't suppose I've ever given it any thought," she said simply, and Jones leaned in even closer.
"Very attractive, Miss Sinclair." He kissed her fiercely on the mouth, a hint of possessiveness glinting in his blue eyes.
"Captain," she responded sharply, "I do realize that all this time at sea can make a man rather desperate for the companionship of a woman, at times, but you must contain yourself… You're causing a scene."
Jones drew back as if he had been stung, carefully regarding the girl. "Apologies, Miss Sinclair… I had no intention of disrespecting you." He nodded curtly, and walked away.
A moment later, Maccus sprang up onto the deck, standing by her. "What was that all about, Mairi? You're very nearly ruining your chances with stunts like that, you know."
She glared at him. "You didn't see the look he gave me," she said levelly. "There was no passion in his eyes… Only a need for possession."
"And you need to be free," Maccus finished for her, nodding understandingly. "I'm sorry, Mairi… Do you think there's any chance that some other time, things would be different?"
Mairi shrugged. "I don't know," she said softly. "But I'll certainly be around, so we may just have to see."