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Lily coughed as the crew of the Black Pearl shuffled onto the deck, each and every one searching her, studying her.
"Lads, this is your new crewmate, Lily." Jack announced, motioning to the fidgeting Lily. Lily was not a beautiful woman. If anything, she was at the lowest notch of 'pretty'. She had some potential, oh yes, and it's not that she didn't try to harness that potential; it was that she had never really succeeded in grasping said potential. Her dirty blonde hair was cut just below her shoulders and had a slight wave to it. Several white streaks were woven into her hair from her time in the sun.
Her eyes were a quiet gray, but they lacked the kindness that brown usually possessed. Her figure was slim from a months on ships, surviving on water and ships bread. This slimness didn't allow her any curves, and her chest was undeniably flat, something she was occasionally grateful for, but more often suffered for. Her height was not exceedingly tall, but neither short. She was a good 5'1, maybe 5'2 if she forced herself to stand up straight. Her face wasn't hideous, but there was something on it that was off kilter, though one could not really place it. Various scars covered her body, some seen, and some invisible. Her teeth were relatively clean, especially for that time, something she prided herself on.
"She's a girl." One crew member bluntly observed.
"Yes, she is a girl, but from what I know, she is likely to be a better sailor than you." Jack said. The man who had voiced his observances shrunk back behind fellow crewmembers.
"Now." Jack said, walking down the stairs to the main deck. "Come." He said to Lily. She quietly followed, standing on the last step before the deck. "We'll all be introduced personally. And lads, you know to be nice to the lady. Act as if she were Anamaria." Jack ordered. A man who was rather overweight approached Lily.
"'Ello, Lily." He said, his head hung low.
"Hello." Lily said, trying to get a look at the man. He had a shadow of a beard and was considerably muscled. His head had a sprinkle of chocolate hair brushed over it. As he lifted his head, Lily saw bright green eyes staring back at her. She could tell that he was an intelligent man, for sure.
"My name is Miles." He said, extending a hand for her to shake. Lily smiled at the gesture.
"It's good to meet you, Miles." She said, as he shuffled to the back of the line.
"Hello, Miss Lily, it's an extravagant honor to behold your presence on this fine day." Said a squirmy man. He bent down and kissed the top of Lily's hand, a motion she had never before experienced. His hair was a mousy brown and remarkably greasy. His blue eyes bulged from his skull, giving you a feeling he was not mentally sane, and that he was constantly watching you. His height was less than Lily's, and his arms seemed dreadfully weak.
"Thank…you…" Lily said, unsure of how to respond to his actions. As he walked away, he mouthed 'Lance' and winked before turning his head. Lily was a bit bewildered after this experience, but the next person she was to meet would prove to be a great comfort to her.
"Hello, Miss Lily." Said a soft voice. An extremely tall man stood before Lily, with kind brown eyes that showed only a nature of gentleness. Lily genuinely smiled at the man with deep, tanned skin and a head of thick brown hair. "I am Jacob, or Jake if you prefer." He introduced. Lily's smile widened.
"It is a true pleasure to meet you, Jake." She said, shaking his hand. The next man in line was a scrawny lad about as tall as Lily. He seemed rather young, perhaps younger than Lily. His cold eyes reflected a troubled past, as did his greeting.
"I'm Ryan." He said, his voice cold, like steel. Lily got a sound feeling of unrest, especially when she shook the man's hand, which was cold as ice. A portly man waited next, and she recognized him as the man who had told the crew that she was a woman.
"Miss….Lily." He sniggered, holding his nose with a pudgy hand.
"I am not a girl, just so you understand. I believe I have earned the title of 'woman' when I reached eighteen." She seethed. He just chuckled and looked at her as if she was a hopeless creature.
"Well aren't you just the cutest thing." He giggled as he walked off.
"Sean." Said a man, extending his hand in a warm greeting. Lily smiled. The man had light blonde hair, similar to her own, and dark brown eyes. A sunny glow seemed to emit from him, something Lily looked forward to learning more of.
"Nice to meet you, Sean." Lily said, as the last crew member approached. His beard was lengthened and she was sure she saw more than a few crumbs in his beard. The amount of hair covering the man was enough to make it seem as if his face had been pushed into the hair.
"Fisher." Was all he said before he stalked off.
"And of course…" Jack said from behind her. "Mister Gibbs." A slightly overweight man with incredible sideburns appeared from behind Jack. He seemed reluctant to even approach Lily.
"Hello Lily I'm Gibbs." Was what he said quickly before running of to the starboard side of the ship.
"Jack?" Lily asked. Jack looked down at her.
"What?" Jack asked.
"Why is Gibbs so…scared to be around me?" She asked.
"See, Gibbs believes that women are bad luck on a ship. For me, I only think they are if they don't do well." He said with a wink. Lily nodded without fully understanding.
"Aye captain." She said, running off to the bow of the ship. There she let her thoughts flow around in her head before someone interrupted her.
"Hello lass." The voice said. Lily turned around sharply to face Sean.
"Hi, Sean." She said, smiling. She leaned back against the railing, looking at the sails. He stood beside her, leaning on his own piece of railing.
"How did you end up on a pirate ship, of all things?" He asked.
"How did you?" Lily replied with a smirk. She looked at his hat and plucked it off of his head, placing it on her own and over her eyes. Sean didn't seem to mind, and began to tell how he had wound up on such a ship.
"I saw an advertisement for it in a tavern a while back. Sounded like a good offer. I told my mum, she ended up screaming at me, ordering me to leave the house and never return. Since then I've been sailin' on the Black Pearl." Sean retold.
"Why didn't she want you back?" Lily asked, looking at him. He smiled slightly.
"My mum's an honest woman. Married a merchant sailor, abided by the law. When I told her I had signed up on a pirate ship, you can imagine how she felt. Lectured me on good morals and how this was spoiling the family. Then told me to get out." He said calmly.
"I'm sorry, Sean." Lily said, letting her head hang slightly. Sean chuckled.
"It's no deal. That was years ago, I've since leaned to live with it, I've even forgiven myself. And I was right, it was an amazing offer. I tell you, lass, you're lucky to be on this crew." He said.
"Why?" She asked, honestly curious to the exact details. He smirked.
"Me, of course." He replied, flashing a smile. Lily scoffed. "Oh, what?" Sean asked.
"You?" Lily repeated. Sean nodded.
"Yes, me." He said smugly. Lily giggled, and after a few moments, Sean was as well.
"Do you say that to everyone?" She asked. He shook his head.
"It's usually just the men… but today I decided to make an exception." He answered, sending Lily into a fit of giggles.
"FULL SAILS!" The order came barked from the helm, the captain himself voicing it. Sean shrugged.
"Captain's orders." He said, walking to the rigging. "You get the mizzenmast's third yardarm, and I'll get the foremast's fifth yardarm, the rest of the crew decide the rest, aye?" He asked. Lily nodded.
"Aye." She said, running to the next set of rigging. She climbed it hurriedly. From the helm Jack watched his newest crewmember scamper about, expertly letting the sail go then tying it back to the yardarm. She climbed down before some other crewmembers.
"Damn…" She said, walking up next to Sean.
"What?" He asked, a smile playing across his face.
"You beat me!" She exclaimed. He nodded.
"So I did." He said with a smirk. Lily rolled her eyes, watching the rest of the crew scuttle down the rigging and to their earlier places. "Now, you never told me how you ended up on the most fearsome pirate ship in the Caribbean." Sean reminded.
"Oh, yes. Well, my family was never really rich. My mum married a local trader. He didn't have a stable income, but they loved each other. They had two kids, my older sister, Katharine, and myself. Katharine had to be sold into prostitution for money. None of us wanted her to do it, but she told us it was a sacrifice she had to make for the family. The first day she started my mum and dad begged me not to go down her path when I got older. I knew that I would anyway, and probably not voluntarily, Katharine would most likely force me into it somehow. So I left. Started sailing on merchant vessels, heard that the Black Pearl was a good ship, finally found her last night… and here I am." She told, smiling at her finish.
"Well, I am grieving for you family, but on the other hand, I am glad that you came here." He said with a smirk. Lily chuckled, blushing slightly.
"Alright Sean, speak as you wish." She said, rolling her eyes. "Hey, do we get dinner?" She asked eagerly. Sean nodded.
"Of course! Should be ready soon, I suppose."
A/N- Well…. You've met the crew… and learned some about Lily.
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