Nightwind jumped off the side of his ship, a small and agile Sloop. It's shallow draft let's it enter inlets and bays where the water is not deep enough for a large ship to follow—a common ship for pirates. He grabbed the lanyards and ties his ship to port, the midday sun was strong and sweat was already collecting on his brow. He planned on stopping by a port-side tavern for a little drink of rum, but he was stopped by a port officer, a ledger and feather pen handy. "I will need your name and a piece of eight if you wish to keep your ship at this port."
Nightwind rolled his eyes at the nuisance, "Nightwind Sapphire." He said hurriedly, tossing a piece of eight on his book. Before the officer could look up from his writing and say more. He was gone to find a bar.
Nightwind weaved his way in and out of the chaos that is Port Royal. Everywhere one looked, someone was carrying cargo of some kind. He turned and saw a barrel rolling down deck by itself, followed by a pair of your common deckhands chasing after the runaway stock, shouting and flailing their arms in the air. He just shook his head and stepped off the boardwalk and he noticed that the ground was still uneven from the huge earthquake a few years back.
At one time, Port Royal had the reputation of being the wickedest city on earth. Large numbers of pirates and other seedy types would come here to spend the proceeds of their plunder in the taverns, gambling dens, and other houses of ill-repute, paying extravagant prices for everyday items. But the town was destroyed by a terrible earthquake in 1692. Eyewitness reports tell of houses being swallowed up whole by the earth and a good third of the city sinking into the sea. Many supposed that the disaster was an act of God, to put an end to the pirates in the city. Now that Port Royal has been rebuilt, it is no longer a haven for pirates.
Nightwind walked into a tavern/inn and sat down in a vacant bar seat. He casually looked around, the crowd were mostly your average seaman, drinking cheap ales. "Gimme a kill-devil." He said to the bartender, who pulled out a jug of rum, a black mug, and a pouch of gunpowder. A kill-devil is a concoction of rum laced with gunpowder, drunk from tarred leather mugs called blackjacks.
He kept to his own self as he drank and watched the people around him. At one end, a rather enthusiastic bunch were playing cards and at one point the game came to blows after a big play. At another end, several maps were spread on a table and a heated debate on the whereabouts of a pirate was going on. Nightwind wasn't sure if it was the ale, but he felt his shoulders were tense, as if someone was watching over him like a hawk. He sighed and pulled off the bandanna on his head and underneath was striking blue hair, probably dyed with pure indigo.
Nightwind tilted his head back to finish his kill-devil when he noticed the person next to him was turned to face him and staring. Nightwind gulped down the last bit as he put the blackjack on the bar, "You have had your eye on me since I've walked into this bar, you're not perhaps interested in something I have because I don't have anything."
The man turned and looked at Nightwind and his most striking feature was his eyes. His right was a crystal clear Emerald Green while his left was a fierce Amber. He scoffed, "Oh, I think you have something that interests me. Anybody can lie. It's all about whether or not you can keep a straight face." His gaze was as solid as diamond, ready to cut one down at the slightest move.
Night turned and looked into the priceless eyes of the man. "Depends on the person really. I've never lied in my life, well apart from that one."
"Pride like that will get you killed."
Night leaned closer, "So can I ask why you were staring at me? Oh wait, that right, it's your job, Gene, something us pirates don't have. So, what's on the job list today I wonder?"
"You are indeed a sharp one." Gene said with a confident smirk.
"Well, you need to be if you want to break out of jail." Nightwind began unwrapping a piece of fabric, revealing what remains of a broken shackle on his wrist, "And all went well even though these were the hardest to get off. You know, you should know better, being a captain of the Navy, am I wrong Gene?"
"Aye." Gene's own gaze focusing on Nightwind. "Granted, you are no ordinary pirate. Which is why I've kept an extra close eye on you." Gene gave Nightwind a confident smirk, "Anyone else would of given up and be hung at the gallows. Your tactfulness is not a subject to be underestimated, nigh is your cunning."
"So, you come alone to swipe me or did you bring your first mate too? 'Cause you know how hard it is to catch me. Why you think they needed to chain me in a prison cell? But either way, I must really be going now." Nightwind stood up out of his stool, knocking it back and made a bolt to the door while at the same time, Gene got up and chased after him.
Nightwind didn't bother running too far just yet. He stopped and turned around to see if Gene was still following him when he got to the boardwalk. "Quit wasting my time, Nightwind." Gene said, stopping a few feet away from Night, keeping his hand close to his rapier.
"But you see I am a one for wasting time, as having a rapier on me doesn't suit my attire very much, then again if your not here to waste time then you would of brought your squaddies to arrest me while I was in the tavern, or waited till I was outside to get me." Night said in a informative yet slightly sarcastic manner, "Then again, this might be a personal thing. Either way you know what I have to do."
"Well as a true hunter says: 'The chase is always more fun than the catch.'" Gene said with a twisted smile, "And what is a man without honor? One such as yourself should be handled personally."
"A man without honor...," Night mused, "is a chicken, but they usually stay alive longer, 'cause unlike your bold and strong self, a chicken would just simply, run away." And with that, Night quickly grabbed dirt and sprinted off into the busy market, pushing pass all the people buying and selling all the way to port.
Night pushed himself through the crowd. He took a glance around and there was no apparent sign of Gene on his tail. He slowed his run to a fast walk, keeping an eye for any signs of his peruser. He ducked down into a tent of a shop, inside were pieces of extravagant and soft cloth. He spotted a red strip of cloth that could be used as a nice bandanna and he told himself he must have it. The shop keep who Nightwind stumbled upon, sold the red silk to him and wrapped it around his waist for later. He stepped out back into the bright sun and packed streets. He looked back and saw Gene catching up "Ah, yes, forgot about that." Night said as he quickly went back into the crowd.
"Hiding in the thick of the crowd I see." Gene said walking quickly through the mass of people. His sharp eyes searching for Nightwind, darting from one place to another as if tracking a fly. Gene then saw Nightwind's blue hair standing out like a pirate's red flag.
Nightwind heard people behind him yell, as if being pushed out of the way with, "Hey! Watch it!" He turned around to see what was causing the commotion. It was Gene and even through the chaos he could see the fire in his eyes. "Damn! Does he ever give up?" He then got a great idea in his head. Quickly reaching into his money bag, Nightwind pulled out a few pieces of eight, quickly throwing them in the air and blew a whistle as loud as he could. Some of them turned and saw the money flying through the air and everybody made a mad dash for the cash, pushing anybody and everybody to get to it.
"Not so fast." Since everyone in the chaos was bent down to pick up the loose loot Gene simply went around the mass of distracted people.
Night once again began booking it with Gene right behind him. He ran around a corner quickly noticing a small stall full of rum bottles, all for sale, he slows down and walked up to them and picked one up, the looking at the stall owner, a sharp, black haired female, Night quickly made discussion knowing Gene was not to far behind. "Hello there my fair lady, tell me, how many bottles are you selling?"
"Five a piece sir..." She said with a worried look, knowing he only just ran round the corner in panic only to stroll to her stall.
"And tell me. Are the bottles thick enough to say. well, knock someone out in a fight perhaps?"
"Ermm." She worries more, "I think so, yes."
"Ah, I see. Hum..." Night said throwing the bottle into the air getting a feel for it.
Gene ran into the shop not even short of breath. "Cornered in a shop I see. I was hoping I'd have some more fun hunting you." Gene walked close to Nightwind who hid the bottle behind himself right before he came in.
The girl tending to the stall tried to say something, suddenly Night spun around with bottle in hand and threw it right at Gene, hoping it would hit him, then grabbing another, and throwing it, and another and another, ending up throwing four bottles straight from the stall.
Gene's reflexes were quick as he managed to dodge the first two thrown at him by ducking under them and catching the third, but the fourth and last one hit him square on the forehead, knocking him clean out as Night pick up the fifth bottle and was about to throw it. He noticed Gene on the floor, and walked back to the black haired girl, "He you go." He said as he gave her two coins, "Keep the change for your trouble." And Nightwind walk out.
He looked down and brushed himself off, but he was interrupted as someone bumped into him, "Will you watch where you're going!" Snapped a female voice.
"Oh hello there, hold this will you?" Night gave her the fifth bottle as he walked away from the busy place, he would of disappeared into the crowd if his hair wasn't so easy to spot.
Valaree unwilling had the bottle forced into her own two hands by the unknown stranger walking past her. "Hey! What's-" Nightwind turned his back to her and went about his way. She would have usually drawn her pistol and let her loaded round teach the stranger some manners towards such as someone her self, but now wasn't such a time. Valaree prolonged watching him as she wandered blinding further down the main market street; she had to find a local bar or some form of a hang out for misfits or others of her kind. She stopped as her feet tapped into someone else's. She turned to see a pair of boots at the tips of hers. Valaree gasped as she looks up to see the Navy officer starting to sit up and rub his forehead, groaning. She quickly turned as he threw a glance at her and started in the other direction, hiding the bottle the stranger gave her.
"Son of a..." He groaned, hold his head. Looking up, he noticed someone suspiciously walking away from the area with the same kind of bottle in their hand. Gene got up but almost stumbled back down from the dizziness. "Filled with drink or not, glass bottles can leave quite the headache..." Gene said to himself walking out of the shop and following the suspicious figure.
Valaree saw and gave the man a unseen smile as she turned the corner back into a side ally and walked down it. She recognized his face anywhere, and those eyes. He was the same Navy officer commanding the ship that had sunk hers' months ago. Her life had never been an easy one since the beginning. Originally she was from England, the Old World, but when it was rumored the Hierarchy was about to fall, her brother rounded up a crew and her to head to the New World. Though the Hierarchy didn't like one of their high ranking officials stealing a ship and venturing unordered to the New World without notice. The Royal Navy cut them off and shot their ship down off the coast of the New World. However, before he died, Valaree's brother had helped her to escape on a side ship. Since then she had dedicated her life to stopping the Navy from slowly taking over this new world. She had formed a crew and made sure to cut off several major ports by force, and when they rebuilt she would take them out once more. Last time she saw this man, he was the one that ended her streak. He had destroyed her ship, killed her crew, and flawed her life dedication. He was the reason she had been ship hopping and searching for replacements of both ship and men.
Valaree turned another corner at the end of the ally as the officer turned the corner a few feet behind her. She pushed her back to the wall and listened around the corner as he walked down it. She pressed hard against it in hopes he would just walk by and not see her. She had always been good an stealthy moves such as this. Though, as she did this, she didn't notice the wanted posted beside her head sporting her picture.
Gene stopped right around where Valaree was hiding."You old dog," He said to himself, "you're losing your edge." Gene leaned against the wall and unknown to him, Valaree was right around the corner. The alley was a dead end, so she has no where to go until Gene either left or found her.
Valaree softly grunted and reached for her pistol. Her hand wrapped around the handle and slowly started to pull it from her belt. She smiled and raised it to eye level beside her face, her body still tightly pressed against the wall. She looked to the corner's edge where she heard him standing and pushed the pistol's hammer back. She winced at the click it made.
Valaree, knowing the click gave her away, turned the corner and pointed the gun down the wall, exactly parallel to it. She smiled seeing the Naval officer at it's end. She flicked her ivory hair out of the way of her eyes. Revealing them to to be light blue and almost white like the rest of her hair. "Ghost of the Beauty" she was known as amongst the stories survivors had told. "Hello, Gene. It's been a good while."
"I recognized that figure somewhere." Gene said with a smile of nostalgia, "So sorry about your brother, Kyllik, Valaree, but that's how it all goes in this business." Gene's eyes peered into the barrel of the pistol but he was still facing the street.
"Don't give me any of that!" She yelled out, swinging her pistol a little in anger. She stepped off from the corner of the wall and walked around him to the other side, keeping the pistol at his head. "This is how this little encounter is gonna end." She started, "You're going to lay down your pistol and your sword and I'm going to out run you like I always have been able to, sov'ee?" Valaree asked, but it was directed more as a demand.
"So quick to part? You should enjoy the moment, it's not often you get to meet an old friend of your brother's." Gene said dropping his pistol and setting down his rapier. "And why must you always run? The past has a nasty habit of hitting you with an ugly stick when you least expect it."
"Mmm, that's not my style. I usually don't hang around with men that offer me nothing but meaningless talk. Oh! Also those that intend to send me to the gallows." Valaree started to back off, slouching a little as she backed away, not lowering the pistol from it's aiming position. Valaree still had many question she needed answers to, many thoughts of hatred she wanted to let consume her and shred him. She sighed and brushed such vengeful thoughts aside for the moment and following through on her questioning. "Alright you can spend a few more moments with my beauty if you answer me a few little questions. Okay?"
Gene raised an eyebrow, "What kind of questions?" Gene didn't have much room to talk with a pistol aimed right at his head.
"Aye, one, perhaps the very question that has been plaguing my mind since that night my brother's ship went down. What does the Hierarchy want in the New World?" Valaree slung her head to the side and flicked her ivory hair out of her eyes again, so she could see. "...And secondly, how has it lasted so long?. When my brother set sail for this world it was dieing in England!"
"Let me tell you one thing." Gene said fiercely, "The rulers here are nothing but greedy fools looking to stuff their pockets with fresh gold. Even I don't like it, but I have my duties and I can not simply turn my back to them." Gene was almost yelling but he quickly calmed down, "Who knows, if I wasn't tied down back then. I might have been sailing those wide open seas along with your brother. But what is done is done and I can't turn away from my life with a flip of a coin."
"Yet you have no remorse for being the one in command under Lord Noshia, when it came to sinking his ship..." Valaree drew her sword and held it along side his neck, but just lower than her pistol's aim. "I should kill you for what you did! It's because of you and that damn Hierarchy that I became a pirate! And I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Just because I show no remorse doesn't mean I have none." Gene said through gritted teeth. "It was that very hierarchy that forced me into the Navy life. Took me away from my parents, friends... Everything! If you wish to kill me, go right ahead an do it. All I have now is remorse for the world."
Valaree bit hr lip and started to pull back on the trigger, lowering her sword to her side as she squints her eyes, before her bangs fell back down in front of them, blocking her visibility. Her hand started to tremble as thoughts of her brother and the life she once had filled her head. Emotions swarmed Valaree's mind as she pulled on the trigger more and more. Would such an action make it all go away? Then she smiled and flicked her hair out her her eyes again. Pirate, she though. Valaree gritted her teeth and pulled the trigger. Click! She hesitated in silence for a second and remembered she had forgotten to reload the gun with an additional shot after it's last firing. "Oh bugga."
"You miss your brother, don't you?" Gene said softly, "Your not the only one." Gene looked at Valaree straight in her eyes. "We were friends, you know that." Gene paused and sighed, "You're not the only one who wants to stop this corruption. I'm just stuck on the inside." Gene turned away and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Valaree with those words.
Valaree, tears in the eye with thoughts of her brother, looked back at Gene as he spoke, but he was gone, disappeared into the crowd. She sighed and puts her sword back to its sheath and then her pistol into her belt. She laughed slightly and pulls it back out and started reloading it with a new round, just in case for next time. He let her go, but there were others that wouldn't be so kind. Strange though, she was sure he was going to send her to the gallows or to rot in prison awaiting to be sent to the gallows. Was it her relation to her brother that allowed him to spare her arrest? Her pistol was now reloaded and she slid it back into her belt, and looked further on down the road. Should she try and find him again? Or would she prolong looking for a crew to steal a ship, and return to the high seas? She didn't know. Valaree then caught the sight of his rapier and pistol on the ground to her left. Would be rude not to return them? She thought.