Once more, the Captain has become his livid self, barking out impossible orders and offering punishments of all miserable kinds to anyone who would have the audacity to cross his path on deck. His temper, of course, being most foul toward the girl who stood up to him. She had disobeyed him by stating she would keep the cross, blatantly defying his demands. Not only that, she used the holy symbol for protection against him, the 'Sea Devil' himself. Actions such as these would normally warrant extreme punishment along with months if not an eternity of verbal abuse.
But for the first time in centuries, the boiling and writhing swells of anger cannot become verbalized. No expletives reach her innocent ears over the passing days. It is as if someone has muzzled him, rendering him unable to express his malicious abhorrence for her disobedience.
So instead, he just glared at her. His eyes followed her with a ferocity that the crew quickly picked up on and instinctively avoided. But she, no, she continued on her way as if he was merely glancing curiously at her. This only intensified his ire, causing him to storm towards her with every intent of snapping her neck. Expecting her to cower beneath him like the rest, he was instead forced to halt everything when she looked up at him and smiled.
And she had spoken to him then, something about the weather being pleasant, but that smile never left her lips. And then she turned away to leave him standing there, quickly losing his desire to strike her due to his overwhelming astonishment brought on by her boldness..
As he now makes his way across deck in a driving rain, he ponders out loud to himself, "how did she do it? How can she do it? What is wrong with me? It is like she has some power over me." Jones immediately stops his travels and looks up to the heavens above. The darkened sky reveals nothing, just the constant and unforgiving rain that falls down upon his upturned face. "'Tis Ye who sent her, aye? Your way of trying to draw me back, mayhap? Well, it will not work! No child of Yours Ye send would ever be able to remove the hatred and evil in my soul. I'll show Ye, and I'll show her."
A low rumble of thunder is the only response.
"Bah, pointless talking to Ye!" Jones dismissively tosses his hand towards the sky and continues on his way, checking to see if the ship is secure for the night. To Jones, it is the only possible explanation for the infuriating girl. Never has he come across a creature that stirred him more. Never has he experienced such turmoil of conflicting emotions. Hell, he is not even supposed to have emotions anymore! This girl is bringing back everything he has so desperately tried to escape from.
So she must be one of His. Why else would he be so helpless to rid himself of her? Any other soul would have been cut in half long ago for the nonsense she puts him through. She must have some sort of possessive power over him. And for some blasted reason, it is strongest when she smiles!
The Captain pauses to meticulously check the standing rigging of the mainmast. The newly replaced lines having recently been tarred, he scrutinizes the cordage carefully for any missed spots or signs of weakness. Satisfied, he wipes the rain from his eyes and continues on, enjoying the crushing darkness and solitude around him. If there is anything to keep his mind off the girl, it is his beloved ship.
As he walks along, he allows his hand to run along the weather beaten rails of the ancient Dutch fluyt. This ship has been his existence for so long now; it is as if life beyond her limited borders ceases. Perhaps, someday, when he is not so entirely enraged with the girl, he will tell her what he knows about this type of vessel.
Jones halts, "Dammit! She's in my mind again! Get out!" He reaches up and angrily balls his fist to his forehead, causing his hat to fly backwards onto the deck. Bending down to retrieve it, his eyes catch a glimpse of a traveling fluid mixing with the rain. His eyes have become superb with night vision over the years at sea, and he follows the flowing trail to the galley door.
He does not see a light shining from under the door. No sounds emit from behind it either, so no one is inside. A sudden realization hits him when he remembers what was being kept in this room, and what the fluid beneath his feet actually is.
He sighs and pushes the door open to expose what he had prepared himself for. Jones turns away in disgust at the remaining corpse of the goat named Tess. Death does not normally revolt him in such a manner, normally it is comforting, almost inviting. Why he is not laughing for the cruelty of it makes no sense to him now. This savagery seems unnecessary.
Jones tries to remind himself that this animal was destined for the dinner table, but the image of the girl bending down to stroke its floppy ears with a tender hand repeatedly stabs at him. This wasn't a meal to Liliana, it was a companion, and her only one. And now all that remains of the animal are bits of fur, broken shards of bone still ripe with marrow, and the blood that caught the Captain's attention.
And the only reason it was so savagely torn apart was to torment and terrify her. The realization that he will have to be the one to tell her this causes that familiar rage to begin churning within him. Slamming the door behind him, he disappears into the night only to reappear in the middle of his now relaxing crew below deck.
Before any of them can react, Jones reaches for the bosun's cat-o-nines, ripping it directly from the man's weathered hands, and viciously begins striking any flesh that is nearby.
"Ye all think it is clever to inflict pain on the girl? Well let us see how clever ye feel after each and every one of ye have felt one hundred stinging kisses from the cat-o-nines!"
When the bosun stands to do his normal duty, Jones pushes him away as if he weighed less than a feather.
"Bosun, who be the foul perpetrators that were above deck tonight? Whom shall I inflict pain upon, hmm? Who shall be whipped until they are begging for mercy and are left with festering wounds to rot and only to be whipped again later?" Jones snarls as he eyes each crewman in front of him. "Bosun!"
"Aye, sir." The bosun, Jimmylegs, squares his shoulders and holds his head high while avoiding the burning eyes of the Captain. Instinctively, he coldly releases any bonds he may have with his fellow men and follows the orders of his superior. On this ship, it is either them or yourself. "Sir, the crewmen that can be accounted for are the coxswain, deckhand Clanker, the first mate, deckhand Bootstrap, the navigator, your bodyguard, sir, and myself. All others were not within my range of vision, sir."
"So, some of my best men were sleeping on the job?" Jones hisses as he harshly examines the men mentioned. They were not responsible but will still suffer for not preventing this.
"Nay, sir. This is our designated rest period." Jimmylegs swallows the tense ball forming in his throat.
Anger bubbles in Jones' voice as he speaks. "From now on, I want a senior officer on deck at all times! Starting now! Get your filthy asses up on that deck before I reconsider and punish the entire lot of ye!" Before anyone can move, Jones reaches out with the whip and strikes at a sideways angle, slashing multiple men all at once. As the men make their escape up the stairs, Jones strikes again. "Everyone of ye shall relearn the meaning of pain tonight! Line up so I can break your skin properly!" The whip comes down hard again on any available flesh before him. "Who is it that makes threats against the girl?" Another crack of the whip makes contact with multiple backsides; each man struck now fighting back screams of agony. "Tell me or this will go on all night!"
Liliana opens her eyes to the dancing light of a promising new morning. Stretching out her stiff muscles, she climbs out of bed with her continued determination to win over the Captain at its highest level yet. She had dreamt of him again last night. For the past week, her dreams have been filled by a smiling face and a tender baritone voice belonging to the Captain.
She looks around the room, squinting in the growing light to identify his form. Walking over to the organ bench, she places a hand on the seat to check the rain water his clothing would have collected last night. He must have left a while ago, she thinks to herself.
From behind her, the door creaks open and the familiar footsteps of the Captain enter into the room. She turns around to face him, sending another smile that she hopes will brighten his mood. "Good morning, Captain. You must have woken quiet early this morning." She drops into a polite curtsy.
Her smile causes his knees to soften and he feels as if they might buckle beneath his massive form. His stomach begins to tumble over as he reminds himself of the terrible speech he has been practicing in his mind while exacting his punishments. He had stayed out in the rain to make sure any blood or bits of torn flesh were washed away before coming inside. "Miss Liliana, I…"
"Oh, come now. How long have I been in your presence? Why, it has been months now. There is no need for formalities, Captain. Plain old Liliana will suffice." She states in a teasing voice, hoping a drop of formalities will get him to relax.
"No, miss. It shall not." Jones looks away from her beaming face, finding he is being swirled into her powers yet again. If he does not focus on her smile, he should be able to tell her the terrible news.
"Is something the matter, Captain Jones? You look as if you have seen a ghost."
"Aye, the ghost of a stupid goat." He mumbles under his breath. He is struggling with conflicting emotions, unable to grasp why she should be so upset over the death of a barn yard animal, or why he should even give a damn about her impending reaction to it. Yet, he is continually being bombarded with images of her smiling face as she caressed the animal's head. It obviously meant something to her, so he must prepare himself for her response. He clears his throat to continue. "Ye may take a seat, miss."
Liliana's brow sinks into a frown. "No, Captain, I am fine standing here."
"Miss Liliana, I…" He pauses when he suddenly catches the concern upon her face. This is going to be a lot harder than he thought it would be. "I regret to inform ye that something vile occurred last night while ye were at rest. I'm afraid the crew got to the goat and…"
"What?" Liliana interrupts with a harsh whisper and walks towards the Captain.
"Well, I will spare ye the details but I am afraid that she is no more."
"What?"
The Captain watches as her face goes pale, feeling as if his might follow suit. "But do not fret, I punished those responsible and they are being held in the brig for a fortnight. I also had the remaining crew clean the galley so there is no trace of the deed."
"What?" Liliana rasps, her voice becoming increasingly breathless with every step she takes. She finally stops within inches of the Captain, staring up into his face to examine him.
He steps back, uncomfortable with her scrutiny and trying to escape the deep, penetrating sadness that now pools in her darkening eyes. "It shall not happen again, miss."
"I should say not, because Tess is dead!"
"Ye were told not to name it. Ye were told not to become attached." Jones reminds her.
"She was not an 'it', sir!" Liliana explodes. "She was all that I had! She was the only creature aboard this ship that accepted me for me! Damn you! Damn all of you!" She reaches out and strikes the Captain's stomach with all her strength, but he only catches her hand and holds her steady. "You have no idea how lonely I have been! You have no idea how miserable it has been for me, to have these men harassing me on a daily basis, threatening my life! Why did you bring me here? Just kill me and be done with it already!" She sobs and sinks to the floor. "I have nothing! I have no one! Do you not understand how despondent I am? I did nothing to deserve this pain, and yet it is inflicted anyways!"
Jones follows her down, not releasing her arm from his grip. "Do not assume that I do not understand your sorrow, for I live it myself every day." He states quietly.
"But you chose this for yourself! You chose to live your life alone! And you chose it for me when I would not want it otherwise!"
He releases her hand and allows her to fall flat on the floor, watching her body shiver with grief, listening to the pain in her moans of agony. "I see it now." Jones mumbles softly. "I saved ye because I was in the exact state ye are in right now. I didn't want to be alone. So I selfishly kept ye here hoping it would improve my existence, but all the while not caring about your own."
Liliana lifts her head from the floor, tears streaking down her face. She quickly tucks away the mess of disheveled hair that hangs in front of her face. "What are you saying?"
Jones takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "I am saying that ye can go. Ye deserve better."
"Go? Go where?" Her voice escapes as a distressed laugh.
"Wherever it was that ye were going that night. Perhaps heaven. No, most likely."
Liliana sniffles as she looks around the room in despair. "And what about you?"
Perplexed, Jones stares down at her with his head turned to the side in an attempt to understand her. "What about me?"
"You say that you needed me, now you are willing to let me go?" Liliana lifts herself to settle on her knees in front of him. Her eyes blurry with tears, she wipes them to get a clearer image of the man before her. "What about you?"
"Bah! It doesn't matter." His eyes close tightly and he turns his face away.
Her hand reaches up and cups his cheek, turning his face back to hers. She stares intently into his eyes, examining the fear and sadness within. "Yes, it does matter. You matter to me."
"No." Jones pulls away and tries to stand but her arms go around his claw in a desperate attempt to keep him down.
"Will you please listen? Selfish or not, you needed me. But now you constantly throw me back into the water whenever I make an attempt to offer you the help you so urgently crave."
"Why do ye even care?" Jones snarls defensively.
"I don't know! But I do. But we seem to have a lot more in common than we previously thought. We're both lonely; we both need assurance that life is going to be okay. We both feel isolated and despised by the world around us. Don't you see? I need you as much as you need me!"
"I'm the reason ye are in this mess!"
"What has been done is done! It's in the past. I am here now and now you are the only thing I have! I need you to stop pushing me away, Davy!"
His eyes dart over to hers at the mention of his Christian name. There, he studies her pain, watching the tears that continually flow down her cheeks. He sees a pain that is not only hers but his as well. She holds his agony deep within herself, even though it is not her burden to bear. It is as if she puts it upon herself so that his suffering will lessen.
Unable to control the urge, he reaches down and cups her face with his massive hand, bringing his lips to hers. She trembles underneath him, but quickly melts under his possessive kiss. She presses back to silently urge him to continue. Through his lips she can feel the centuries of loneliness and despair escaping with his tender touch. Her arms reach around his shoulders to pull his body closer, to allow him to soak up her comfort. And underneath her, warmth begins to replace the coolness on his skin, flooding in from some unknown source. All she wants now is for him to let go of the past and let her in to heal the scars inside him. The tension in his muscles quickly fades as he explores the mouth he has longed to kiss since the moment he laid eyes on it.
He suddenly pulls away and pushes her back from his body. "I'm sorry, that was improper of me."
"No. Don't apologize." She whispers, "come here." She reaches up and guides his face back to hers. She needs this sweet embrace as much as he does. She needs to know that someone out there cares for her well being, that someone wants what is best for her. And in his touch, she feels this overwhelmingly with Davy. No one could possibly harm her now, for she has him by her side. And now it no longer matters what he is, or what he was and will be. All of a sudden, his appearance means nothing to her as she openly accepts him for who he is deep inside. His lips tell a story of a kind and gentle man buried far too long under a world of pain and desolation. A man he has tried to hide from her but failed tremendously to keep secret. Now she finds herself craving this man, enjoying the taste of his kiss and the budding warmth on his lips.
This time he pulls away slowly and a grin forms where she had just passionately kissed. "I am afraid I am slightly out of form. It has been a while." He chuckles as he re-examines his performance. Her lips were incredibly soft and surprisingly skilled beneath his own. She may not know it, but he can tell she has definitely done some practicing of her own before her accident.
She gazes up at him softly and laughs to herself. "You are a very good kisser." She pauses, "may I call you by your name now?"
"Aye." Davy reaches down to pull her forehead to his mouth and places a gentle kiss on the innocent girl. It's an innocence he craves, so fresh and vibrant in his world of cruelty and suffering.
"Hmm, Davy." She smiles as he continues to feather kisses on her brow. "And do not think I will allow you to call me Miss Liliana any longer."
Davy chuckles as he inhales the feminine scent of her existence. "Very well, Liliana."
"Call me Lil."