You all are fantastic, and lovely people.
Ahoy!
Arika Yumemiya was scared. She was petrified. If only she had listened to her granny and not boarded this silly boat, to venture to the silly Caribbean. She had craved adventure, and had donned a pair of men's breeches to do so. Her granny had warned her, oh had she ever.
But all her regret and perfect hindsight helped for nothing, because it did little good to make the clashing of steel on steel or the hateful yells and oaths go away. Her apologizes to her granny went silent and unheard by the pirates currently looting the ship.
She whimpered, hands over her head, squatting behind a desk in the captain's study. Then, she heard voices. Female voices. Rough and loud, but female all the same.
"The captain was right!" She whispered to herself, standing slowly and staring in mortal fear at the door in front of her.
Before the man had sent her below deck, he had received word that the ship that was pursuing them had crimson sails. And there was only one ship in the sea that flew sails of that shade of red. Crimson.
The voices got louder.
"We looted that one yet?"
Once voice drawled, almost sounding bored.
"Nay. It's fresh for the taking!"
The second voice was a bit higher, but just as rough. Like the pair were used to smoking and shouting over the roar of the sea all day. Pirates.
BAM.
BAM.
BAM.
CRACK.
The wooden door was repeatedly pounded against, and then the frame of the wall gave out with a mighty split. Arika shivered. In strode two women, both with swords drawn. One was of an average height with teal colored hair that was extremely oddly cut. The other was much smaller, with brilliantly red locks, cropped close to her face and head.
"Well, well. Look what sort of booty we've recovered." The redhead said with a gleam in her eye. It wasn't the sort of gleam that a trickster had; it was the cold steely glint of a stonehearted predator.
The teal-haired woman laughed and reached out to smack the other in the shoulder.
"Navvy will be right cut up with ya if you do, you know."
The shorter woman 'tsk'd' reluctantly and nodded. Arika felt ice slide down her spine at the thought of what she might have just been subjected to. Sure, she was as unnatural as they come, but it didn't mean she wanted to be with this- this- pirate.
"Right." Redhead grunted. "Let's take her to the Cap and see what she says."
"Don't you mean the Nav?"
The redhead threw her head back in laughter.
"Isn't that what I said the first time?"
The teal-haired woman laughed with her. She then turned to Arika and beckoned her forward.
"You seem like a nice little lass, so I'll try to make it simple." The woman moved behind the confused girl. Said confused girl swallowed anxiously, and almost choked on her own saliva at the blisteringly cold touch of a rapier's edge on her throat.
"Do what we say and no harm'll come to ye, got it?"
Arika swallowed again, even though her throat felt like sandpaper. She didn't trust herself to speak, so she forced out a nod.
"No harm from us," The redhead sneered. "We never said nothin' about anyone else."
The woman behind Arika laughed lowly and shoved her forward. She stumbled, but followed the shorter woman out and up to the deck. The sounds of battle had all but died, but the cries and shouting was everywhere.
When she reached the deck, Arika saw the flurry of activity.
Pirates.
Pirates everywhere. They were kicking through doors and shooting open chests that had been brought above deck. And there were a large group standing in front of a line of people on their knees.
"It's the crew and passengers." Arika realized.
The trio joined the group, and she was forced to kneel and wait in line. The women didn't bother telling her to keep silent, but it was implied and it was law. Her life now hung in the balance.
She turned her head to the left when large splashes were heard, one after the other. There, two women were standing next to a pile of bodies, and were rolling and throwing them into the open sea far below.
Arika shivered, and felt her insides grow cold.
"Oi, listen up you useless bitches' sons!" It was the redhead, standing before the group of kneeling and nervous crew.
"You all are about to have the distinct honor of witnessing the Crimson Lady's esteemed Captain. And don't ye even think about any of that sniveling, or whining or pleadin fer yer life. Cause you'll only be shot all the sooner. Savvy?"
"That'll be all, Quartermaster." A voice from behind the group said.
"Aye, Captain."
Strode forward a devastating woman. Her hair was long and black as the sea at pure midnight. Her eyes were the green of lagoon water's sunrise; dark and deepest emerald, but set aflame by the heat of the sun. Her face was striking. High cheekbones and a haughty and proud nose.
She wore a long blue coat, heavy with gold buttons and snow-white fur about the high collar, covering a looser white shirt. Her hat was tri-cornered and held a deep red plume. Black breeches tucked into high black boots. Around her thin waist was a wide leather belt holding two pistols, and on one side was a handsomely decorated sword with an enormous red ruby set into the pommel. It was a Captain's garb.
"As you all should have figured out by now, this shithole is being taken by the Crimson Lady, the finest and fastest ship on the open water. As you have done nothing to anger me and mine, you all will die peaceful deaths."
Her voice sounded like gunpowder smelled; smoky, rough, wild, and dangerous. It was a 90 degree contrast to the one that interrupted her.
"Ara, surely they could have their last prayers before they're sent to eternal slumber?"
A woman appeared next to the Captain. She was a hair taller than the Captain, but held a bearing of being taller than even a King on his throne. She was absolutely beautiful in the way that paintings were beautiful; almost surreal, and worthy of hours of devoted attention.
Her eyes were shimmering with play and laughter, and the pools of red were almost comforting as Arika found a familiar emotion in this swirl of disarray and wrongness. This woman with the wholesome hair of silvery wheatgrass differed in all the pirates aboard in that she wore a dress. It was tight in the bodice, but still modest in a sense. The dress flowed down to her feet, but held a huge slit up one side, and you could see that it was rather shabbily rent instead of tailored to be that way.
She also wore a sword loosely around her elegant figure.
"You think this lot would have prayers?" The Captain asked plainly. The new woman laughed.
"You would deny them the opportunity to address their makers?"
The shorter woman shook her head in a disbelieving manner and waved a hand, humoring. The woman laughed delightedly and clapped once, smiling. She turned to the teal haired woman who had lead Arika up to deck, and nodded at her. The woman smirked and went to the far end of the rows of prisoners.
The beautiful woman went to the other end and approached Arika. The girl's hands were clammy and she was trying to regulate her breathing.
"I'm going to die." She thought to herself.
"Ara, and what are the thoughts going through your head now, my girl?"
Arika looked up at the graceful woman and couldn't look away from those engaging crimson irises. And blurted out exactly what she was thinking.
"That I probably should have listened to my granny more, that I wish I had known my mother." She paused briefly before just rushing out, "And I regret not kissing my best friend Saki at the carnival last year, even though she probably thinks it's gross."
"It's not like it matters what the judgment of this woman is; I'm going to die."
But to Arika's surprise, the mysterious woman's judgment is exactly what she should have been concerned with. Those full and red lips parted in a smile. An elegant and refined one, but a full, happy smile all the same. She turned her body half away from Arika and made a beckoning motion.
"I'm so glad you've been honest with me." She said lightly, her voice a soft broken accent that skimmed the sound waves like a bird barely flying over the sea. She then turned completely, and moved on to the woman next to Arika.
"Come on, lass." A woman said to her, pulling her out of the line.
Arika complied. How could she not?
"So, do you want to live?"
Arika focused completely on the tall woman in front of her. She had soot-colored hair, and sharp brown eyes. Her mouth almost automatically flickered into a devilish smirk, but one could tell she was trying to remain serious.
"Y-yes."
The woman nodded.
"Then you'll have to join us."
"Join you?"
She crossed her arms and nodded in the affirmative.
"The only way we let folks live from a-plunderin is if'n they join us at sea to become our sisters in arms. The Crimson Lady don't take no one except women, and not just any type of woman, neither."
Strangely, the tall woman winked at Arika and she felt herself almost completely pacified, only for the fear to be replaced with an enormous cloud of confusion.
"And what type of woman is that?"
Arika tried to think about anything special about her, and narrowed it down to the short conversation she had with the beautiful woman a minute ago. She gasped, and the tall woman barked out a laugh.
"You- you're all- Are you?" Arika practically cried out in excitement. Just like that, the woman who stood in front of her was no longer a life threatening pirate, but a sister. Someone who liked what Arika herself liked in secret. Someone who maybe had lied awake at night, wondering if there was something wrong with her. Someone who understood!
"Name's Chie Hallard, little lass." The twinkling brown eyes shone on Arika in delight, and the feeling was mirrored back at her. "And what be your name?"
"Arika!" The girl shouted. "Yumemiya." She finished rather lamely, just now recognizing how she had sounded. Chie didn't seem to mind, as she nodded her head and spoke again.
"I'll explain everything to ya when we're aboard the Crimson Lady. The Captain's about finished here anyways, let's go."
Arika followed Chie to a set of planks spanning from one ship to the next, and as carefully as she could, she ignored the treacherous potential fall down to the waters below, and grasped the hand held out to her on the other side.
Her feet hit the sturdy planks, and she was immediately surprised. Not only were the Crimson Lady's sails a startling red, but also were absolutely beautiful, along with the rest of the ship. The railings were polished and waxed, the deck scrubbed and clean, the ropes were whole and intact with fresh wax making them all the stronger. If she hadn't known any better, and if several rows of barrels of ale weren't right in front of her, Arika would have thought she had just boarded the Queen's Prize, the largest and most decorated ship in the Imperial Navy.
As it were, this ship was even better.
The sun was beginning to fall, and Chie took Arika to below deck to give her proper clothes and a weapon.
"Now, you'll be a grunt first comin aboard." The tall woman said, leaning against one wall of a storage room. The banging and hollering sounds of the pirates transferring goods to the Crimson Lady was ignored.
"Don't worry though, the cut's still good, so you'll be paid handsomely for your efforts. As you can probably tell, the Navvy likes it to look nice around here."
"I thought the Captain told everyone what to do?" Arika interrupted. The soot-haired woman plowed on though.
"But the effort's worth it. Everyone appreciates it in the end."
The brown eyes, which had been lazily wandering the storage compartments, focused back on the girl.
"But I do have to ask you something, Arika Yumemiya."
"Yes?" Her voice was only slightly timid; Chie had been kind to her thus far, and she felt she had no reason to fear her.
"Are you ready to commit to this ship? If one day we stop in port, and you're collared by someone lookin for someone among the crew, are you gonna filtch?"
"I don't understand-"
"I'm talking about loyalty here, girlie." Chie's eyes softened slightly, seeing her intensity was getting a little scary. "Lemme explain something to ya about this ship. Here, you are among friends and family."
Her hand touched the light colored wood behind her softly.
"Every last one of us aboard this here vessel is a right idiot." She laughed. "A right idiot who loves other women. And in most places, that's a hangin offence, as I'm sure you know."
Arika nodded grimly. She was very aware of this.
"But here, not only is it alright to be like this," She flicked a hand towards herself generally. "but it's encouraged, and even expected." Chie's gaze leveled on Arika. "It's normal."
The words made Arika's heart feel light. The Crimson Lady was a safe haven.
"So, we were scattered about, each one of us; our predispositions defining us. Then, some way or another, we were round about saved from our own tendencies' fate by the Captain."
Chie seemed to be on a roll.
"Now there's a right fine woman, right there, the Captain." She grinned at Arika's raised eyebrows. "Oh aye, the Captain's a marvel, that one. She's a righteous woman, and strong and hard as steel. We don't know much about where she comes from or what motivates her, but we all do know one unchanging fact."
In full story telling tune, Chie paused to hear Arika ask wondrously, "What?"
"We know that the Captain cares and loves one thing, and one thing only. And I'll tell you right now, that woman is drowning in riches of the fanciest kind; rubies, emeralds, gold, diamonds, platinum, you name it. And she doesn't give one whit for the lot of it. She really only goes to plunderin ships because the crew likes it, and we get extra pay for it. We also know that she's very interested in some stone or another. But,"
She sighed lightly.
"Nay, there's only one thing that sings to the Captain's heart."
"And?" Arika couldn't quite contain her query. "What is it?"
"Well, lass, it's nothing else besides-"
"You're called up on deck, Chie."
The door had opened suddenly, and a girl with dark blue hair and amber eyes appeared. She was absolutely stunning with sharp, striking features, and a coolness to her voice that slipped down Arika's back bone with a thrilling chill.
"Damn." Chie replied. She looked at Arika. "Looks like you'll have to hear that particular tale another time." To the girl who had appeared, she spoke. "I'll leave her to you then, Nina."
The other girl started, as if just now noticing that there was another soul in the room. She startled and stared at Arika with a sort of shocked look on her face, but quickly composed herself.
Chie only laughed and shook her head.
"Nina, this is Arika Yumemiya, we rescued her from that ship we just boarded. Show her around, will ya?"
Nina nodded her head slowly and seriously, conveying to Chie that she would ensure that even this small duty would be taken care of to her best abilities. Chie looked like she was trying very hard not to grin. She succeeded and left the room, long strides carrying her away quickly.
"Uhm, pl-please follow me." Nina spoke softly and quietly, and Arika smiled largely at her.
They made their way back through the small maze of below deck and Arika was introduced to the setting sun, somehow even more beautiful than she'd ever seen it.
"For a sunset, it sure does feel like a sunrise." She thought while taking in the activity on the new ship she was about to call home.
"Please stand here." The soft voice called out to her again, and she stood where indicated, out of the way of the hustle and bustle. She spotted Chie calling to someone above her in the mast while tying off a rope.
"So, what exactly is going on?" She asked the quiet girl next to her. The amber eyes met her own for a moment.
Nina cleared her throat lightly and looked away, seemingly relieved of something.
"Well, we're about to set to sail. So, Chie's in charge of the rigging and such, you know." The eyes cast about for more, and she started to point people out.
"Up in the crow's nest is Haruka Armitage. She's got a good eye on her, and can out holler a bugle." Nina said the last part a bit deadpan, a joke in her tone. Arika laughed, and the tiniest flicker of a smile skimmed the corner of Nina's mouth.
"See, there on the starboard row?" Arika nodded along. It was the short redhead who had found her. "That'll be Nao, the Quartermaster. She's the Captain's left hand, and takes care of anything the Cap needs."
Arika nodded, smiling. Nina seemed to relax slightly.
"Though between you and I, it's less of a duty to her. See, the Captain saved her from certain marriage, and the Quarter thanks her every day."
Arika laughed heartily, and Nina actually did smile faintly. The girl definitely took notice of how handsome the expression was on Nina.
"I believe it was Nao and Tomoe who found ya, didn't they?" Arika frowned in thought.
"It was the Quartermaster, as you say, and then a teal-haired woman with grey eyes. Is that Tomoe?" Arika asked hesitantly. Nina nodded lightly, a kind look in her eyes. She pointed to a different spot on deck.
"That's Tomoe. She's a rigger, too. But she also counts as the second helmsman."
"The second helmsman?" Arika asked. She'd never heard of such a thing.
Nina nodded, the same light expression in her eyes.
"Aye. It's a sort of made up position, I suppose. But seein as it's unfitting for the Captain to do the work she does, we all insisted."
"What's wrong with the Captain?" Arika asked, bordering on alarmed.
"Oh, nothing's wrong with the Captain," Nina said gently. She looked slightly apologetic. "It's only that she insists on helming the Crimson Lady herself, instead of having someone else to do it."
Nina pointed to the raised end of the ship. The enormous wheel and a large table were the only solid pieces on the end, and Arika saw several women. The first being the Captain herself, ready at the helm, and observing the orderly hustle around her with her hands behind her back.
"Behold there, Arika." There was a tone of unrepressed awe in the soft voice. "There be the greatest Captain to ever sail," Nina said, nothing short of respect in her words. "Natsuki Kruger, Captain of the pirate ship the Crimson Lady, scourge of the Caribbean."
The two girls continued to admire the Captain in all of her mysteriously beautiful glory. Then, a figure at the table behind the Captain caught Arika's attention.
"Nina," she began. The girl called to attention went a curious rose around her ears, but otherwise remained unchanged. "Who is that, there? Just behind the Captain? In the dress?"
Even as they watched, the elegant figure glided to the Captain's elbow, and began to speak to her in a closed manner.
"There?" Nina looked at her quickly to notice her nod, then returned her gaze to the pair of women.
"That's the Navigator, Shizuru Viola. There was never a more brilliant woman to guide a ship, either. She's gotten us out of many a jam before, and led us to the most gloriously loaded boats and islands to ever be laid eyes upon. They make a fierce team, they do, the Captain and the Navigator."
The slim hand of Shizuru Viola reached out and placed a thin lock of midnight hair backwards.
"And again, between the two of us, if you want to know, the Captain's sweet on the Navvy."
Arika furrowed her eyebrows and looked back at Nina.
"Chie told me that the Captain only cares about one thing." She turned back to look at the pair quickly. "Is that it? The Navigator?"
Nina let a tiny laugh. "I see Chie's already let the cat out of the bag, eh?"
Arika smiled. "Is that it? Do the Navigator and the Captain love each other?" She was excited.
Nina smiled back at her.
"Like the wind loves the sea."
Arika laughed joyously. Turning, she observed what should have been obvious to her the first time she saw the pair. The way the Captain's face was soft as fresh baked bread, and the curling smile that adorned the Navigator's face, admiring and affectionate in every line.
"They're beautiful." She said in awe.
"Aye," Nina replied lightly. "The Navvy's the other reason Cap likes to helm the ship herself." She chuckled at Arika's questioning face. "Tomoe is sweet on Shizuru in the real way, ya see."
Arika laughed.
"Really?"
"Aye," Nina grinned. "It's only through the good grace of the Navigator that she's still breathin. The Captain doesn't want her workin any closer to Shizuru than is proper, in her mind."
She shrugged.
"Don't know why it's so tough for Natsuki to let Tomoe helm though, its the Captain's bed that Shizuru goes to every night."
"Really?" Arika asked, almost scandalized that Nina had said such a thing.
The girl herself colored around the ears a bit.
"Well, yeah. If the Captain were a man, they'd be well and truly married by now, so. Why not?"
Arika nodded her head, smiling brilliantly. Sharing quarters with another woman was normal here.
"Oh this is a blessed place indeed."
It had been about a fortnight since Arika boarded the Crimson Lady, and she knew that she belonged nowhere else in the world. Every last woman on the ship was a friend, even in argument.
The arguments were few and far between, most were about money, and the ones that weren't were in jest. Sometimes, an argument and following fisticuffs were forged purely out of boredom for sport.
It had been a fortnight, and Arika knew that being with these women was what she was meant to do. Still, she wouldn't have complained about being re-assigned duties. Cleaning the ship was all well and good because Chie hadn't lied; she was paid quite handsomely for it. Still, it was not very glamorous. But her handyman companion made it worth it. Nina was the best person Arika had ever met.
The day was coming to sunset, but the Crimson Lady was too awake to notice. Oil lamps were being lit and a mood of joviality burned even brighter. The crew had just scored a fabulously wealthy ship smuggling sterling silver, jewels, and all kinds of fine folk tableware and decoration.
Thanks to the Navigator's instruction, of course. In the morning, they were bound for a port Arika had never heard of and were going to sell their wares for profit. For now, they were celebrating.
Arika had never had ale before, and she determined that she really liked it. It made her heart and stomach warm, and gave her the courage to stand up to pull Nina toward the women playing out a jaunty tune and start dancing. Nina had gone wide-eyed, and she only laughed at her.
"Oh, this is a merry night!"
For the first time, Arika had partaken in the plundering. She played a role so minor it almost didn't count; but one shining example of Chie and Nina's swordplay lessons had saved a life.
The Captain's life, to be exact.
Well, maybe not her life. But it was a damn good thing she caught it anyways. Arika had really only been there to add one more body to their force. She stayed on deck of the intruded-upon ship and held her sword in front, ready, yet not ready, to defend herself. Everything had gone smoothly, and soon there were a couple dozen men and women with their hands tied behind their backs, kneeling above deck. Waiting for the Captain to sentence them to an honorable death.
Arika had been one of the girls to hold the captives at sword-point to make sure they didn't cause too much of a disruption to the rest of the Crimson Lady's women. It happened when the Captain had her back turned, sorting something out with the Quartermaster, when suddenly a man had stood up quickly, free of his bonds. He stood, knife in hand, and with a great yell barreled toward the turned-around Captain.
A cry of "Natsuki!" seared everyone on the ship about the ears, but the enormous 'clang' of steel on steel echoed longer. Arika had jumped in front of the Captain and swung her sword upward, hoping beyond hope that the man was aiming for the neck or chest.
And now here she was, a conquering hero. Nao had quickly shot the man and personally dumped him overboard. After that, the goings ons kept going on, and now it was time to raise a glass.
Nina shouted in surprise but quickly relaxed into the jumping music, mirth tearing from every note. Arika threw her head back and laughed at Chie trying to take her own shirt off when Aoi, a very pretty and brunette rigger, slapped her hands down.
They danced and whirled around until Nina tapped her on the hand and they went and found places to rest on deck. The dark haired girl smiled at her and told her she'd be back with more drink. Arika nodded happily, clapping along to the chanting rhythm of the next shanty.
"Ara, are you enjoying yourself, my dear?"
Arika looked next to her to find that the Navigator had snuck up beside her and was watching her with mesmerizing crimson eyes. The lamplight reflected off of them and made the eyes sparkle with a siren's calling.
She quickly shut her mouth and nodded in glee.
"I'm so very glad!" Shizuru clapped. Arika only continued to smile. "I wanted to thank you." The Navvy said.
"For what?" The girl tilted her head.
The peaceful and merry smile hitched downward for a tick of the timepiece.
"For saving my Natsuki on that ship." The woman sighed and clasped her hands together, frowning lightly. "Never before has she been that careless."
Arika only chuckled good-naturedly.
"If I hadn't had been there to stop him, Nao would have." She chirped. "Did you see the draw the Quartermaster has? Incredible! Quicker than a wink!"
Shizuru laughed openly. Her eyes looked slightly grateful.
"I'm sure." She hummed gently. "Still, I am in your debt." Those crimson irises were very soft, the way that a flame looked soft almost. The woman's beautiful face leaned forwards and gently kissed Arika on the cheek. The girl practically went rigid in shocked delight. Even before Shizuru's full lips pulled away, her mouth had formed into an awed grin.
The Navvy backed away by a hair's breadth and chuckled lowly, one slender eyebrow climbing.
"Anything you want, my dear, anything at all." She winked at the stunned young lass. "Tell me, and it's yours."
A large clearing of the throat startled them both out of their own small world, and Arika looked past Shizuru and went pale.
The Captain herself was standing rigidly, hands behind her back, a blankish agitation clear on her beautiful visage. Her gleaming emerald eyes held no harm toward the girl, only clear irritation toward the tendencies of her Navigator.
"A-actually," Arika blurted out before she could consider the consequences. Shizuru had half turned, but faced her completely again, a curious expression on her face. "There is one. Er, one thing."
The woman smiled, and waved a hand forward by her side.
"I was wondering," the girl kept on, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with those vivid red eyes gleaming at her. "Do you have spare dresses aboard, ma'am?"
Natsuki appeared at Shizuru's elbow just as a real, full-mouthed smile took over the woman's face. The Captain cocked an eyebrow but didn't interrupt. She held an arm out.
Shizuru took the offered arm gently without even looking.
"Ara, ara." She giggled. "I think I may have just the thing for you, my dear." The woman winked, and Arika went into a full-faced blush. Shizuru laughed once more while Natsuki actually frowned.
"Tomorrow, dear." The elegant woman turned with a swirl of her dress's skirt and threw over her shoulder, "Come to my quarters tomorrow morn, if you feel up to it."
Arika only nodded lightly as she watched the strict and precise movements of the Captain contrast beautifully with the almost imperceptible bounce of the Navigator. The pair joined the circle of jovial dancers and started immediately to sing and laugh along.
She breathed out a sigh. That had been oddly nerve-wracking, especially with the presence of a slightly jealous Captain. Arika turned back to the other side, and spied a very curious expression.
Nina was stood before her, two mugs of ale in her hands, and staring directly at the deck of the ship. Arika tilted her head.
"Nina?"
The girl's dark hair swayed as she glanced up. The expression on her face was a sheepish sort of hurt and Arika furrowed her brow. What would cause that face?
"Nina, what's wrong?"
The girl stammered and shut her mouth before handing over a mug without a word. Arika took it worriedly. Nina traced the rim of her own mug and spoke below a hum.
"I didn't know you had eyes for Shizuru."
It was almost a whisper.
And Arika almost burst out laughing. As it were, she only smiled. A slow, wide, understanding smile. She set her mug down, and grasped the one in Nina's tight hands. As a reflex, the girl let go confusedly.
Arika set that one down, too and instead took the slim and powerful fingers into her own.
"Aye, it's true that I do have eyes for someone." She smiled. "But I swear to ya, it's not the Navvy." Her smile was a cheshire grin.
Nina's eyebrows had shot up at the physical contact, but descended in confusion when the girl spoke of being besotted. Arika heaved a great put-upon sigh, giggled, and very quickly kissed the girl on the lips.
Nina blinked, not understanding what had just happened. Apparently, others were cleverer than her.
"HA!" Chie howled, "Twenty silver pieces go to me!"
The two girls turned and saw that the entire crew was staring back at them, intoxicated grins on their faces.
"Uh-" Nina began. Only to have the small band immediately strike up again and a hand grabbed Nina in celebration and forced her to dance, heavy hands slapping her on the back as she was swept away.
Arika laughed and took a long draught of ale.
"Captain!" "Captain, dance!"
"Shizuru! A dance, come on then!"
The Captain was thoroughly drunk, a rosy red hue on her cheeks. The Navigator faired a slight bit better, but she swept out into the ring anyways. The shanty shifted, and all of a sudden an addictive, fast-paced song started up. Synchronized clapping and stomping accompanied.
The Captain's dark hair whirled and dipped with her as she danced intricate patterns around her honey-haired lover. They both laughed gaily, breath coming in quick gasps. The skirt Shizuru wore spun around her legs, every so often revealing a creamy thigh or calf through the slit in the side. Their teeth were on full display as they chanted along or exchanged a word, laughing through it all.
Arika had never seen the Captain so relaxed before; the Navvy either. They kept a careful composure in everything they did; one stoic, and one calm. They were both columns of strength, the two pillars that held the entire ship afloat. But dancing and laughing, Shizuru twirling around and giggling like a girl with Natsuki grinning and flushed as a young groom, they were so human. The two stepped in time and played in rehearsed steps.
It was like being transported to the past, when they might not have been the Captain or the Navigator. But simple crewmembers; meeting and dancing for the first time. Their secretive smiles and sure hands wiped away that possibility, but they interacted with the refreshing affection of newlyweds.
The crew drank and danced all night, and she found herself being helped to the barracks by Nina. Her head spinning with drink and affection for her family.
When the sun rose, Arika met it with a jumbled groan. She sat up in her bed, feeling a little more than groggy. She held her head and rubbed at a gently pounding temple. Arika spared a small laugh. Dancing all night to raucous music after a good score and getting drunk; she was most definitely a pirate now.
She twisted around to notice the snoring and slumbering around her. It was the vast majority of the crew. Making her way through the chamber room and above deck proved her theory; hardly a soul was awake. She fetched some fresh water and refreshed herself in the barely risen sun. Maybe when Nina woke up they could watch it rise together.
Arika suddenly remembered that she had a very special someone to pay a visit to, as per their request. Just the thought of the beautiful Navigator made Arika smooth her hands over her rumpled shirt and comb out her hair slightly.
The girl made loping steps toward the middle of deck. The raised portion of the ship that held the wheel and navigation table made up the Captain's quarters' roof. She took a deep breath and raised a hand to knock lightly.
And she got no answer.
Knock, knock, knock.
Arika waited patiently, rocking on her toes nervously. The Captain had seemed rather drunk last night. Perhaps she was still asleep?
Just once more.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
The voice was heard so softly Arika might have imagined it. But it was no doubt the soothing caress of a voice that belonged to the Navigator. Arika took another deep, quick breath, and pushed down on the ornate handle. The door easily fell open when pushed, and she stepped inside.
Arika had never been in the Captain's quarters and was surprised by what she found. Chie had told her that the Captain was a very wealthy woman. So it would make sense that her personal quarters be outfitted in exotic animal furs with shining weapons on the wall. Or even whole jewels sitting atop lavish pieces of furniture. But none of those things were found.
What Arika did find, was that two of the four walls of the room were covered from ceiling to floor, in books. Thick, bound, expensive-looking, books tucked into very average shelves. There was a modest desk, a dresser, and a table that was sat upon by an oil lamp and a hand mirror.
The third side of the room was backed into by a large bed. A bed that currently held the sleeping, wrapped and sheeted form of Captain Natsuki Kruger. The Captain was lying almost diagonally across the large, white bed on her stomach. She had a sheet wrapped tightly around her waist and legs like she had kicked them down to her feet and then rolled around on the bed in her sleep. She was also hugging a pillow. The Captain was also very, very naked.
Arika was sure than were any one of the other crew members here, they would beat her out of sheer jealously for getting to see so much of the Captain exposed. Her skin was truly flawless, and the sheet wrapped so tightly around her only made it painfully clear how slim and feminine her figure was.
Two doors were on one side of the room that most likely led to the Captain's personal washroom. And it was this doorway that the Navigator made her entrance from.
She wore a dangerously short red robe of the finest silk Arika had ever seen. It shimmered and twisted, and made her eyes look like they were alight with flame. The skin of her face, neck and chest was wet, like she had just finished washing. A daring bead of water rolled down the luscious throat, between beautifully crafted collarbones and disappeared into the forbidden depths of the robe. Those places were only for the eyes of the Captain. Anyone else would surely lose their eyes for being too bold.
Arika snapped her eyes to meet the amused rubies looking at her and she tried to keep herself from panting. She felt the sudden urge to apologize, but the smile twisting the Navvy's mouth made her relax.
"Good morning, my young dear." The woman crooned, "Did you sleep well?"
Arika felt her heart get lighter. The Navigator was a deadly sort of beautiful, but once you ignored that, she was just a woman. She could practically hear Chie in her mind, though. Telling her that Shizuru was not a kind woman. That all she cared for was currently asleep in the bed behind her.
But the girl shrugged this off. As long as she did no wrong by the Captain, she did no wrong by the Navvy.
"I did." She answered happily.
Shizuru smiled a bit teasingly. "As would I if my sweethear had confessed her feelings to me."
Arika's mouth slacked, and Shizuru laughed, eyes twinkling.
The girl felt a grin spread across her face.
"Well, Nina didn't so much say anything, she just sort of threw a wee bit of a fit."
The golden eyebrows rose in curiosity. A delicate hand rested on her face and the other arm supported.
"Oh?"
Arika nodded, opening her mouth to elaborate when she focused on the sheet-clad Captain and closed her mouth quickly. Shizuru turned to follow her sight and laughed lightly.
"Don't worry, dear. Natsuki still has to be woken when the ship finds herself in a thunderstorm. If you manage to wake her, I'd even commend you."
Arika laughed, and Shizuru waited for the girl to continue her narrative.
"Nina didn't so much say she loved me or any such thing." Her hands found each other and started to wring. "She was just a bit jealous, that's all." The big, blue eyes glanced up to find a slightly confused expression on Shizuru's face.
"Jealous of what?"
"Well," Arika started. "If you'll excuse me, ma'am, she was jealous of you, to put it rightly."
"Ah." The older woman had sat up in thoughtful focus and tapped her finger to her lips. "I see."
Arika waited.
"Then I suppose you would like a dress to, hm, woo her affections your way? Out into the light, I suppose."
The girl nodded slightly bashfully.
"I see." The Navigator murmured lightly. She clapped her hands. "Well then, what sort of colors does Nina like? If I could give you advice, I would say to wear blue, my dear."
Arika smiled brilliantly and nodded her agreement. The Navvy smiled and swept to the dresser. She removed two dresses from it and held them up to Arika.
"What do you think?"
"They're beautiful!"
And they were. For dresses that focused more on function and less on looks, they were brilliantly crafted. Not overly frilly, but still pretty. With a soft-looking texture that would withstand wear and tear, they were very nice. Arika didn't want to think about the price affixed to each of them.
"I'm glad you think so." Shizuru said warmly. "Natsuki has been searching for something for quite some time so we'll sail in for a long while. When we get to port, we'll take them to a tailor so they can do you justice, my dear." She winked a crimson eye at Arika, and her jaw dropped.
"Them?" She cried. "Both of them?!"
Shizuru laughed.
"Of course."
"Really?" Arika shrilled.
"Yes!" Shizuru pealed, amused at the girl's excitement.
"Oh, thank you!" She cried loudly. Her happiness was such that she completely let go of herself and flew towards the woman. She engulfed Shizuru in a hug and practically jumped in excitement. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Shizuru!"
The Navigator bent backwards to lay the dresses over the desk and wrapped her arms around the incredibly grateful girl. She chuckled deeply, her heart warming slightly at the adorable creature in her arms.
"It's no problem."
"Zuru?"
The standing women separated slightly from their embrace and glanced at the bed. In any other context, Arika would have laughed. But it was this context, and this context had Arika, lowest member of the crew, embracing a semi-nude Navigator in the Captain's quarters. With an unhappy and totally-nude Captain three feet away, in bed.
"Ara, ara." Shizuru smiled, delighted her lover was awake, while totally ignoring the all of a sudden tense atmosphere. "Good morning, my Captain of the slumber. Are you thirsty, Suki?"
The Captain's eyes focused to a whip-sharp stare, almost demanding that Arika explain what the hell she's doing in her quarters at the same time that her face and ears went bright red at her lover's welcome. Her arms pressed the sheets around as much of her as possible, trying to hide her bare skin from the foreigner.
Shizuru turned back to Arika and kissed her sweetly on the cheek. Softly, she spoke.
"Leave as quickly and quietly as you can or Natsuki will take your head off."
The elegant woman swept away from the stilled girl and brought the still bed-bound Captain a goblet of water. Arika didn't wait to see what happened next. As soon as the Captain's green eyes left hers, she backed slowly towards the door. Once she hit it, she gripped the handle and gently pressed down.
The viridian eyes stayed on Shizuru, who had leaned over to sit on the bed. The last Arika saw was the Navvy's creamy neck bending downward, and Natsuki's soft smile as she arched upwards.
"Phew."
Arika leaned against the now closed door to the Captain's quarters.
Would the Captain really take my head for hugging Shizuru?
"What the blood hell do you think you're doing?"
Arika jumped at the silken growl.
It was the redheaded quartermaster, Nao. The woman had her hands on her sword and pistol-belted hips and a suspicious scowl firmly affixed to her face.
"I was seeing the Navvy." The girl replied, wary of angering Nao for something she had no idea she'd already done.
"Right." The brusque woman replied, crossing her arms. "What for?"
"She called me to the Captain's quarters." Arika answered hesitantly.
"Is that so?" The intense lime eyes reminded Arika not of the Captain's dangerous gaze, but of a wild dog's, just waiting for a break in defenses to strike. Arika swallowed shallowly. This wasn't exactly the way she pictured herself going out.
"Oi, lay off the lass, would ye, Quarter?"
Nao turned at the sound of Chie's voice. The tall and handsome woman swaggered up to the pair, still yawning and buttoning her shirt. Nao snorted at the sight of her.
"You make shit look good, Rigger."
Chie ran a hand through her short hair freely. She stretched, shaking her limbs out relaxedly.
"Aye, that may be. But I'll tell you that there's nothing quite like sleepin good and long after a long night of drinkin and plunderin." She winked at Nao, who only laughed some more.
"Uh, we didn't plunder any ships last night? That was morning." Arika asked confusedly.
Nao and Chie stared at the girl with identical looks of incredulousness. They glanced at the other.
"I'm guessing Nina didn't-" Chie started.
"Nay."
"Did you want to explain to the lass-"
"Nay." Nao finished, and walked off.
Chie sighed and smiled lightly. She roused herself and glanced back at Arika.
"Well, come along then, the day's late already." Her eyes focused even further. "And get away from that door before the Navvy comes out if you feel like keeping your head. That's not a joke. We lost a cannon woman that way."
I guess she would.
It was another week before the Crimson Lady and her crew sailed into Cape Bevenides. Once they weighed anchor, the crew just about threw themselves over the side to touch dry land. Before the Captain would release them, she gathered them for a small meeting before hand.
"You all know the rules," Her voice was deep and stern. "And if you find anything about it, you know what to do." There were several murmurs and the Captain nodded her dark head.
"Aye. Then begone with ye lot." And a hand wave later, they were gone.
"Nina," Arika asked sometime later, walking through crowded markets with her comrade. "What are the rules?" The pirate had pulled Arika's elbow the minute her foot touched land and told her to go nowhere Nina wasn't. Apparently, Cape Bevenides was a pirate haven, and while there was such thing as honor among thieves, they were still thieves.
"The Captain's rules, you mean?" Nina asked, her eyes warily watching Arika move away from her, and copying the girl step-for-step. Arika laughed smallishly at her and purposefully moved closer.
"Yep!" She said, smiling. In a moment of pure bravery, she reached out and twined her hand with Nina's. The girl jumped but held her hand like she was a lifeline. The pale girl's ears pinked and she desperately tried to smother the smile threatening to light her face.
Arika simply smiled at the adorable reaction.
"W-Well, the C-Captain," Nina started, her traction lost. She stopped to swallow and then restarted, calmer than before. "Cap'n's got a few rules that comes with bein on land and a crew of the Crimson Lady both together." Her dark brows grew together seriously, and her eyes slid to a figure to the right, tugging Arika closer to her.
"First one is no stealin of any kind. Be it food, cloth, jewelry, woman, drink or any other fanciful thing. If it ain't yours, you ain't earned it yet."
Arika nodded, fascinated.
"Second one is that you fight in any fight that shows itself to ya. The Crimson Lady's crew is the deadliest crew alive. We don't tarnish that reputation by any means."
Nina followed Arika to a stall with warm rolls and a few trinkets to let the girl buy them both bread.
"And lastly, is that the Crimson Lady takes care of her own. Whether at sea, or on land, we'll be fightin to the death for one another. No matter what."
Arika nodded, pondering. They all seemed very much like the Captain. They almost didn't need to be said, and she supposed that was why Natsuki didn't restate them when they were aboard. Those three rules were just the way the Crimson Lady was run. Anything else was dishonorable.
The two girls went from stall to stall, one more fascinated with the culture than the other. Arika delighted in every little ware that she came across, and spoke to so many people, Nina nearly fainted with the stress of it all.
At one such small shop, Arika asked another question.
"So what'd the Cap'n mean by that last bit? The finding part?"
Nina put down a handsomely stitched kerchief to give Arika her undivided attention.
"The Captain's been lookin for some stone or another for a long time. Every port we go to she searches every corner. Any effort has been for naught, but she still looks."
"What?" Arika asked, confused. "What's so special about this stone?"
Nina studied their clasped hands with great interest.
"Well, nearly no one knows this but the Quartermaster and myself, but I heard Natsuki tell Nao that she was fixin to give it to the Navvy." Nina's nose flushed prettily. "As an engagement present of sorts."
Arika 'ohh'd excitedly.
"Well let's help then!" She crowed happily. Nina's amber eyes snapped up to meet hers, and the girl frowned a little confusedly.
"I don't think we can, Arika."
"Why not?" She replied, unperturbed.
"The Cap'n has been lookin for goin on 6 years now, and she's searched every port, asked every trader, bribed every official from here to her majesty's court and found not a trace. It's rumoring that it's the only stone of it's kind." She said quietly, afraid of hurting Arika's happiness.
The blue eyes were narrowed in thoughtful concentration.
"Hm." She pondered. "I know!" She turned her attention to the handful of pretty little rocks in a sand box on a table in the ware's store. "What's it look like?"
Nina couldn't help but smile weakly at her optimism.
"The Captain says it's beautiful. By the light of day, it's a pitch lighter than an emerald, and more clear than one. But when you hold it to a light when the sun goes down, it glows like a ruby set on fire." Nina shook her head, allowing Arika to pull her closer to the table as the girl picked up the lamp there and waved it over the sand.
"I can't even believe that it might be real." The serious girl frowned lightly, concentrating. "Nao swears she's seen it too, though. Says it was beautiful. Fact, it was Nao who lost the damned thing. Gave it to a jeweler to turn it to a ring for the Navvy, and never got it back." Nina grimaced lightly. "That was a rather painful death, that one." She shrugged. "Still, she says it was beautiful. 'Bout the size of a fingernail, to boot."
"Like this!?" Arika exclaimed.
Nina laughed, looking at the small black rock in the girl's hands, squinting lightly through the darkening dusk.
"Don't jest about that, girlie. Captain doesn't lose control about anything except what has to do with the Navvy."
Arika pouted lightly, tugging on Nina's hand. The girl swallowed at the intimate reminder.
"Just look at it!"
Nina sighed and nodded, taking the rock from her. Only, it wasn't just a rock. It was already cut and polished and fancy. She shifted her feet and let the torchlight hit it. Her eyes widened fractionally before she cleared her face. Nina frowned and looked to the shop keeper.
"Oi," Her voice returned to the rough and deep tongue she usually used; it was almost foreign to Arika's ears. "How much for the pretty rocks?"
The old woman called back to her.
"A pence!"
Nina scoffed.
"Hardly. A sixth."
The keeper scowled.
"Two."
Nina nodded, fished in her purse and withdrew the coin. She grasped Arika's hand and led her out of the shop, slapping the money on the counter. Without a word, they made their way back to the ship, Nina's grip tight on the smaller hand.
"Nina," Arika began hesitantly. "Did I do something wrong?"
Nina glanced back at her, the determined and focused look in her eyes fading away to give a soft expression.
"No, Arika," Nina's eyes burned fierce and bright. "I think you did just about everything right."
Arika smiled.
Three months later, Arika and the rest of the Crimson Lady found themselves once again weighing anchor and standing on solid land, sand beneath their boots. Arika wore her favorite dress and held Nina's hand securely, her eyes filling with happy tears.
Though the dress she wore was beautiful, it was tatters compared to the woman it used to belong to. Shizuru was draped in a beautiful red dress, her hair clean and honey-colored in the light wind. She was standing hand-in-hand with Natsuki, who was adorned in the finest white shirt to ever be made, handsomely tucked into tight black pants. Their hands were clasped, an enormous emerald ring on a hand, in front of a holy man reading from a book.
Arika felt a tear escape her at the naked joy in their usually so stoic Captain's eyes. The man finished reading and made a small gesture. He was jerked backwards and away as Nao led the man to a different location, gun still firmly against his back.
But the two being wed couldn't be bothered to spare a glance away from the other. And for the first time that Arika had ever seen, she got to experience the sight of the Captain taking the Navvy into her arms, and seal their lips together in a kiss so gentle it looked like it was all the things that love should be.
Shizuru relaxed and tangled her slim hands into the ebony hair, the emerald ring glinting in the sun. The crew erupted into loud, raucous cheers as the kiss grew deeper and the two newly-wed pirates paid them no mind.
Their only separation came when their smiles became too large to keep their lips connected. Shizuru pressed herself into the Captain, who wrapped her arms around her Navigator.
She smiled at her crew.
"All aboard."
Arika laughed happily. It was time to sail into the sunset.
I'm not as happy with this as I had hoped to be, but school is kicking my ass. Please give me your story suggestions and let me know what you think!
With Love,
Konstantine
