7 of 7

March 31, 2009

As Blitz readied the HMS Immortal for sail and ushered straggling crew aboard with frightening glares, he noticed one very vital member of his lot had gone missing. Evi. He let out a very agitated sigh. Evi was a troublemaker now, but he could remember the days when she was younger and more innocent. Had any other member of his crew gone missing he would have easily set sail without them, but not Evi. Ever since the mutiny against her father five years ago, he had protected her from the ravages of the crew and looked over her as a brother. He was her senior by five years, but she had been sailing longer. The way he had always heard Captain Kitts talk about it, she was born on the Immortal, and hadn't stepped a single toe on land until she was nearly five. There was no doubt that she was the best hand he had, but her attitude more than made up for the glamour of her talents. When he had met her, Evi was just 11, still laughing and running around the deck, looking for anything and everything she could help with. Honestly, Kitts kept more men on hand than he really needed, considering Evi's ability to handle the riggings. She was a natural born boatswain and he had given her that title on his ship long ago. She new every crease and every plank that made up the Immortal, and had come in more than handy in a tight spot. But, he did care for her more than just another crewman. She was more or less his sister, even if not biologically. He kept an eye out and attempted to keep her from getting herself killed. Of course she loudly rejected any kind of intervention on her behalf. A good majority of the crewmen were more than willing to get rid of her, but Blitz had his reasons for keeping her aboard.

"Binns!" he called, addressing his seasoned first-mate. "Where's Evi gotten off to?" Irritation rimmed the edges of his striking cerulean eyes. Binns tied off the gun he had been securing to the main deck before answering.

"I saw her last at Vera's Captain." A furrow came across Blitz's brow as he considered this.

"Holster up and grab Falkes." He ordered as he instinctively gripped the hilt of his steel Talwar. Many pirates preferred pistols, but Blitz was well known for his mastery of swordplay, and the reputation was well deserved. He'd not lost a match yet. As Binns returned with Falkes, both armed and ready to go, they exited to the dock and headed for the tavern. Vera's was a shady establishment on the western side of Crimson and many burly and dirty men drank there, often starting ruthless and sometimes deadly brawls over the most miniscule of disputes. Blitz had chosen Binns and Falkes for a reason. Binns had been in many fights with Blitz and his crew, and was nearly as dependable in a fight as the rising sun. Falkes, a newer and younger crewman, was a very formidable-looking fellow who would have made an excellent pirate were it not for the fact that his intelligence was less prominent than his enthusiasm for a good fight. But as long as he kept his mouth shut, which he was apt to do, no one could tell the difference. Both were loyal and had proven it many times over.

Flanked on either side by his carefully chosen crewmen, Blitz strode through the pirate city with a natural grace and abrupt posture. He was not as large as Falkes, and his youth may have made him seem naïve to strangers, but the way he carried himself demanded respect. He was dominant in every aspect of the word, and anyone who regarded the men as they traveled the city streets could easily see that Blitz was the one of the three that should be feared the most. Intimidation wasn't an effort for him; it was a natural aura that just seemed to pulse around him wherever he went. Of course he'd worked long and hard to build his reputation as such, but even as a child Blitz had held a very prominent stern demeanor. It wouldn't have been a stretch of the imagination to believe that he could have been a wealthy politician had he decided to live in more civilized society. In many ways he was already a political man.

He was dressed very formally when he pushed through the doors at Vera's Tavern. He wore a long blue jacket that gripped his waist snugly and it's hem hovered above the air just at mid-calf. His thick black leather boots were thigh high and holstered two old-fashioned custom made pistols on the outside of his left leg. Blitz was left-handed. Some of the more superstitious pirates believed it was a curse of sorts. Blitz, being the reasonable and logical person that he was, refused to give thought to such nonsense and ridiculously unfounded garbage. Or at least that's what his opinion was. Evi told him once when she was angry that his education got in the way of his pirating. Needless to say, her version was quite a bit more wordy and crude. Blitz simply responded that ignorant superstitions had nothing to do with pirating.

He shook his dark hair from his eyes as he scanned the dark smoky room. This time of day was slow for business but sure enough, he spotted Vera dragging two bruised and battered men marching fiercely in their direction. The three pirates instinctively stepped aside, allowing her unobscured passage to the open doorway. Blitz watched her carefully as she hauled the men alongside her by the scruffs of their necks and threw them roughly onto the cobbled street outside.

"Come back here again and you'll be missing more than your dignity when I have to throw you out again," she warned. Her tone wasn't incredibly riddled with anger as one might have thought by her intense expression, but anyone listening could tell that her threats held weight. It was a promise, and there was nothing empty about it. She dusted off her hands and wiped her hair, which seemed to have at one point been done up on her head, away from her forehead and out of her eyes. She was breathing heavily and her robust figure seemed to take up most of the doorway. Vera was a beautiful woman. She had graceful and voluptuous curves that were accented by her tightly laced corset. She had a small waist but her large frame made her a formidable figure. Some of her less enthusiastic customers referred to her as The Amazon. It might not have been far from the truth. She was very large, very beautiful, and very confident. The combination of the three had an outstanding effect of uncanny intimidation. Her own little spell of dominance rivaled even that of Blitz's.

She stopped to appraise the three men who had stopped to stare at her. Binns had been more than once to meet with Vera at the side of Blitz but Falkes, (who was one of the rare few who had no taste for rum), had no reason to visit the tavern and had therefore never laid eyes upon her. He gawked at her with his jaw slack. He had never seen a woman so beautifully put together. Vera held his gaze for a moment and he looked away. She had that effect on most men. Blitz smirked knowingly. He kept his eyes on hers once she turned her gaze upon him as if they would communicate without talking. They both carried the same striking cerulean undertones that made them hard to look at without feeling like you were being examined under a microscope. Her pale skin contrasted marvelously with her dark red dress and dark hair. She stood out in a crowd and obviously- judging by the state of the two battered pirates and the manner in which she had removed them from her tavern- in a fight. She took one deep breath and relaxed into her general kind visage. Vera was a lady, in every sense of the word. She dressed like a lady, acted like a lady, and didn't tolerate anyone who didn't treat her as such. She demanded respect and those who failed to comply found themselves bloody and on their asses on the cobblestone outside. She was a bit of a contradiction but no one seemed inclined to want to tell her so. Satisfied with an apparent insight, she gave a slight chuckle and shook her head. She skirted past Blitz to the bar, where she was normally stationed. In height they were eye to eye and the paleness of their skin reflected one another as she passed by him. Only Falkes was taller but he made an effort to make himself smaller as she passed, seeming almost nervous to let even the hem of her dress brush him. It might have been entertaining to watch if anyone were paying attention anymore. At first the nearest tables occupied had been watching them carefully, mainly gauging Blitz's demeanor. In this area, Blitz was not a man anyone wanted to have trailing him. But once the slight grin hit one corner of his mouth, they deemed their own safeties and went back to their drinking and underhanded card games.

Vera was the only pirate, if you could call her that, who Blitz would allow his back to be turned to. It was something of a tribute of respect and trust. He turned to face her after a moment and took a seat on one of the classic bolted down barstools. Binns and Falkes simply stood behind him, facing away while looking around the bar and listening through the backs of their ears. Vera reached down and grabbed an empty glass, which she began wiping with a clean cloth she had previously draped over her shoulder. She looked natural and comfortable behind the bar. It was easy to see why her tavern had run out all the business of other potential entrepreneurs. If other women could be found at all around the pirate city they were either one of two things: prostitutes or plunder. Vera was neither. She was a businesswoman, not just some uneducated brutish female. She had a mind for money and seemed to be more educated than she let on. She played to her looks quite often with pirates and the element of surprise gave her to upper hand when she needed it. Her stiff right hook didn't hurt either. She dropped the sparkling glass in front of Blitz and filled it halfway with a lightly colored liquid that smelt more expensive than the cheap rum she normally served to her clientele. Blitz took a sip to be polite…and also to allow her to speak first. Vera spoke as if she knew exactly what he was waiting for. She knew that he could be irritatingly patient and didn't really feel the need to waste his time.

"You look like you've just got the raw end of a pirate's deal." She said, quoting her mother. Her mother used to always say obscure things like that to her and her brother. Her brother had never really taken them to heart but Vera was too much like her mother to really ignore them. She couldn't help but remember them, and they just kind of slipped out on occasion when she wasn't trying to be too formal. Blitz grunted before swallowing his mouthful of liquor.

"Kitts is missing again," he confirmed. Vera showed no look of surprise. On the contrary, she seemed to have anticipated this was the reason for his visit. She also knew that he was in no mood to waste time, though he would be politely patient as ever for any information she could give him. She was wiping down another large mug.

"That's not anything new." Blitz couldn't disagree. Her scrutinizing eye caught his and this time he was the first to look away. She had a habit of knowing things she shouldn't.

"She was here." It was a statement, not a question.

"Earlier yesterday. She had a pint," Vera said. Blitz gave her a condescending stare. As if he were getting onto her in an odd sort of way. "She's old enough," was all that Vera commented in response. There was another pause as she stored the clean glasses on the shelves behind her. There were old but sturdy. She turned her back to him unnecessarily in order to do so. The same could be said about Vera; that she didn't expose her back to many people. She and Blitz had an understanding that Falkes couldn't grasp, but Binns seemed neither perturbed nor surprised by their exchanges. He was older and more experienced, and was the sole proprietor of the insight he possessed.

"She left." He said. It was another statement devoid of tone as the last had been, but it must have meant something to Vera that the others didn't catch because her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. She played it off as if she were rotating her shoulder joints out. She shrugged the rag back over her shoulder with purpose as she leaned over the bar's counter to speak to him in quieter tones. A lesser man might have been tempted to glance down her dress to admire her well-endowed chest as it pressed against the wooden panel but Blitz was no lesser man.

"It was about noon yesterday and she sat there," she said, nodding to the furthest end of the bar nearest the stage where no one was performing currently. The curtains were drawn. Blitz's thick eyebrows twitched ever so slightly, but Vera cut him off before he could even finish constructing the sentence in his head. "She didn't cause any trouble. She didn't start any fights." The tone of her voice sounded almost annoyed with having to address that particular issue. Evi, as far as Vera was concerned, was a perfectly welcome guest at her bar. Vera was no simpleton and she knew very well that Evi caused problems around the city, but as long as she had known her, Evi had never started a fight or caused trouble in her bar. That wasn't to say that she'd never been in one, but she hadn't started any. "She was tired," she added, contemplative and sending Blitz a silent signal. Blitz furrowed his brow and took another drink, though he was hardly paying attention to what was in it. Anyone could easily see his brain working it out. Vera's intelligent features matched his and for a moment they looked like a mirror image of one another; her face round and soft, his square and hard. Despite the differences, they wore the same expression.

"Was it Immortal crew?"

"No."

"The Maiden?"

"It's possible." Blitz knew she couldn't answer a question directly without finding herself choosing a side between crews. It would be bad for business and possibly for her personally if she were to step in. Currently, her tavern was the most neutral accommodation in the city. Pirates there understood to behave themselves or face her wrath. Starting a brawl in her house was more or less like poking a hungry sleeping bear with a short pointy stick. It wasn't adviseable and generally someone ended up hurt. Her skirting answer may have seemed vague but the look on her face told him what he needed to know. Blitz turned his head to the side, now addressing Binns behind him.

"Send word to Danes by Wickham." Liam Wickham was a messenger for hire that scoured the city. He was a young and dirty little Irish runt, but ran faster than anyone Blitz had come across next to Evi. The boy couldn't have been more than 12 years of age. He was surprisingly quick with his scrawny legs, and had never failed to deliver the message he was given. It was somewhat understood that he was to be left unharmed when running his errands and most pirates, even the nastier ones, let him be. He was bound to no one. It was in no one's best interest to see him dead or incapacitated. Blitz knew Danes wouldn't kill the boy. If he sent any of his own crew, Danes was likely to beat them bloody if not kill them just on principal. He was a savage man, and the seas had made him cold and blood-thirsty.

Binns waited dutifully for the message, though he knew already what it would be. "Send a note of diplomacy." Blitz cast a glance at Vera from the corner of his eye, checking her reaction. Nothing could be told from her face. It was her silence that compelled him to continue. She didn't say that it was Danes' crew who were responsible for Evi's sudden disappearance, but she didn't say it wasn't. It was her way of setting him on the right path without being held responsible or liable for any of it. Her silence spoke volumes. She had to be wary of who overhead their conversation, but she did make sure it was heard, so that none could speak against her under false assumptions. "Inform him that I have misplaced our Bowstain. It would be inadvisable to sail without such a vital ranking crewman. Inform him that the Immortal will temporarily be in port until she is found. If our crewman is not recovered by noon tomorrow, we will petition the Crimson Council for a raid of allegiance. Due to our deference we will be leaving the eastern side of the island Edlan unclaimed for several days. As such, it would be unwise for him to leave such a trafficked area uncharted for any amount of time if a struggle over territory is to be avoided with incoming parties. With respect, I have informed him beforehand so that I am not in breech of contract," he articulated diplomatically, putting strict emphasis on the last few lines. In the contract Danes and Blitz had signed over bounty share and pirating rights, there had been a specific clause about neutrality between crewmen. It more or less served to keep both Captains from bringing downfall to the other by harming the other's crew. If Danes had Evi, which Blitz was sure was the case; he would be in breech of contract. The Crimson Council kept a very close eye on the Crimson City, and though petty fights were ignored, something as large as this matter would not be overlooked. There would be serious penalties for Danes should he violate their contract. Blitz had written in this clause for Evi's protection specifically. He knew Danes was no man of his word and that he would come for her if given the opportunity. He continued after a pause to reinforce the importance of that last sentence. He turned back to Vera. "Regards. Captain Blitz Von Krieg."

His deep voice was calm and political. Every syllable was pronounced with delicate distinction. Binns nodded and left the tavern. Blitz stood and nodded at Falkes who followed Binns directly. Blitz stood for a moment, one hand on the hilt of his gleaming Talwar, and the other on the counter. Vera looked at him with a wary glance.

"She'll resent you," was the only thing she said. She folded her strong feminine arms across her chest and shifted her weight. It was a stance Evi would have taken when she was indignant about something.

"She always does." Blitz made a concerned face and placed several galleons on the counter. It was nearly three times what the bottle of the liquor he had merely sipped was worth. Vera didn't reach for it, and neither did her eyes leave his face. They held a silent gaze for a moment, saying things with flashes of their eyes and body language that were difficult to discern.

"I would behoove you to be cautious in your diplomacy. You tread too heavily on glass floors. Sometimes the ends aren't worth the means Blitz," she added, turning from him and pouring a mug of rum for the man who had just taken a seat down the bar. She slid it to him with graceful ease without sloshing any head over the rim. Blitz looked away tensely as she shot the balding dirty man a smile that could have sent ships to war. There was no doubt she was beautifully entrancing. She used it to her advantage. He didn't look back at her as he responded.

"Sometimes we don't choose our ends. Our means are the only will we have." Vera looked up at him in a warm way. It was different from the put-on kindness she used with her regular patrons. It was deeper and more telling. Her eyebrows flexed inward ever so slightly, giving the effect that she was mildly distraught on some underlying level.

"I will be vigilant."

"With gratitude. The pleasure has been mine Madame." Blitz gave her a slight bow in a very formal fashion and turned to exit the pub. Vera watched him go, wiping down the countertop until he was out of sight. The tension left the room with him. She took a deep breath once again when she was able and put on her perfect smile once more. He had his business and she had hers. His should not trouble her so.

Binns had found Wickham and sent him with a written message, carefully scripted and signed. Blitz had taught Binns to write himself, and used him often as a stenographer of sorts for various reasons. Binns, due to not being able to read and write for most of his life, had a large capacity for remembering things. His mind was a steel trap, and it seemed that nothing escaped it. Blitz was not bothered with the fact that he might have obscured the message. He knew it would be just as he'd directed. There would be no mistakes there. Binns was intelligent, despite his lack of schooling, and it was the reason Blitz kept him close as his first mate. Falkes and Binns were both striding back to him from down the cobbled path.

"Wickham will deliver it by the evening." Binns assured, his short gray-streaked beard bobbing with his speech. Falkes stood silently. Blitz nodded. His face was set into a stern rigid set of lines. His concern for his crewman was evident. Falkes took a step forward. Blitz looked up at him and waited for the question he knew was coming. Falkes liked Evi very much. In fact, he was one of the few crewmen that Evi cared to be around at all. He wouldn't call them friends, but they understood one another. Blitz could never understand how. They were such unlikely people. He supposed there were still things he had to learn about Evi. At times, it was uncanny how predictable she was to him, but at others, he wondered if it was the same person standing in front of him. Falkes interrupted his train of thought.

"Captain, is she aboard the Maiden?" No doubt Binns had already come to that conclusion before they had left the Immortal. Falkes was slow, but you could see it in his unusually uptight posture that the answer was important to him.

"We can't be sure." Blitz said decisively. After all, she did have an uncanny ability to wriggle her way free of that damned ship. Even he was confounded as to how she'd done it. She would never tell him. This wasn't the first time she had been taken aboard the Bloody Maiden against her will. Of course, Evi would never admit to having been captured and held there. She had too much pride for that. But Blitz was no idiot. He knew. But her absence this time held some explicit intensity for him that he couldn't quite explain. Anxiety perhaps. He looked back up at Falkes' face. He looked angry about something, but it was only the effect of him trying to think too hard. No doubt he was trying to decide what could be done about Evi. Blitz had been as forward as he could be with Danes without starting a war between the two crews. The only important part of that letter was the line about breeching contract. The rest was just fancy diplomacy to hide the message. He hoped it would be enough to hustle him into setting her free. If of course, she hadn't already escaped herself.

Blitz never would have claimed that Evi was one who could take care of herself, but he knew that when push came to shove, she was relentlessly determined and persistent. If nothing else, she would never give up fighting. That, in itself, was part of the reason he kept her around. She might be fighting for all the wrong reasons, but at least she fought. If only she could control that temper…

He looked over at a very drunken brothel girl whispering into the ear of an equally drunken pirate against the wall on the street. The sun was setting, but brothel girls had little to fear from the darkness. Everything men wanted, if you could call them men, these girls would give them. For a price of course. He could see her practiced hands work their way down the man's chest and into his pants. Blitz looked away disgusted. He thought of Evi. Evi had a raging libido, but most of the time Blitz was under the impression that she was being promiscuous just to piss him off. There was no way to tell. Either way, her actions did just that. Infuriated, he would track her down and punish the glutton who thought it wise to take her up on her offer. Lately, there were few men who dared to take the chance. Evi had become frustrated with her exhaustive search for a man unafraid of her overprotective Captain. But she had found one. Danes.

Unfortunately, Danes wasn't what she had in mind, and nor did she want him. She wouldn't be in control of the situation as she normally was. It would terrify her once her pride had been pushed aside enough to allow for any healthy amount of fear. Blitz knew that it would only take a few simple things to break her of that. The mere thought enraged him, and his eyes flashed dangerously. His fists clenched in on themselves impulsively, as if the hideous man's neck were between them. Blitz was a civilized man, but the thought of what Danes would try to do was more than enough to bring out the savage in him.