Mornings were usually really quiet on board. Early shifts would be mopping, cleaning the cannons, checking the sails and other routine would be done at these hours. You could peacefully sit on the rail and sip your coffee. Behind your butt the waves would crash on the ship's hull and in front you could watch the crew to their work, provided you weren't the one with the mop in the hand cursing the morning sun.
Slowly the ship's lull would be broken by chatter and yelling orders. The Captain wouldn't be up till noon, the owl mostly slept till lunch and even than it wouldn't be a guarantee he'd wake. Killer would be mostly patrolling and checking on the crew. As one of the core members of the Kid pirates he was respected and feared alike.
Mostly because you'd either get a knife under your jaw or salt water on your head, depends on which mood you'd catch him. Valerie ignored his stares and the way he'd make sure they don't cross paths. From the moment she was brought on board he made sure they never spoke. Funnily she didn't care about his treatment, the only ones that spoke to her the first few days were Heat and Izo.
Heat was in charge of watching over her, the moment she opened her eyes he shot blue flames that were a clear message. Don't over step your shit. Izo was the makeshift doctor of the crew, a lanky man with a shiny bald head. He wore shades on his eyes constantly and never changed from the green-purple set of cargo pants and a shirt.
She remembered the dry throat, salty skin trying to shrink on her and the headaches. They said she had been probably hit by a plank while the ship was sinking. Why she was wrapped in a blanket she couldn't recall. They left her in the blanket while they waited for her to wake up.
Now the coffee seemed warm and inviting, steading her on the rocking ship. The crew was indifferent to her save for Heat and Izo. She liked it. Kid would usually poke his head during lunch/dinner and give her a stare before leaving for his chamber with a bottle or something in hand.
She had never heard him speak to anyone in the week she was with the crew.
Was his voice loud and brash or short and precise? Killer sounded almost bored all the time, regurgitating orders and yelling at people. Heat on the other hand was a soft-spoken individual with a potty mouth and a tendency to tell poop jokes. Amidst doing chores or just relaxing he'd drop a poop bomb, grin and leave her. Izo was the troublemaker of the crew, it was obvious with all the pranks he pulled on the crew. Leaving trails of socks, painting the door handles in bright pink, leaving small notes with drawings of penises under pillows and other utter childish pranks.
They were both endearing to her.
Trouble was they were both vicious killers. The first time she was splayed with blood was by Izo's hand who sliced a marine in half in front of her. He just went on, no shrug or reaction whatsoever.
She was on a pirate ship after all, not a cruise and certainly not on a way back home.
If home even existed anymore…
"Captain…uh you up?"- one of the crew man said. It was too close to Valerie. She sipped on her coffee and waited.
"I can fucking walk on my own pirate ship as I please Brian" – came the reply. The voice was deep and rumbling even with the cussing. So the captain sounded husky. Or maybe he just woke up like the rest of the normal world.
"Oi..you talk or what?"- the voice was in her near as Eustass Captain Kid leaned into her. She turned to his face, a pale wide face, a high perched nose down to darker thin lips, high arched barely seen eyebrows and a pair of amber eyes. What a combination, it worked though. His scarlet hair was up and sticking in every direction held up by a pair of goggles.
She swallowed her coffee and straightened. It seemed appropriate to show some back bone and address the captain in a respectful way.
"Hello"- it was a greeting, nothing more respectful than that. His eyebrow lifted in question.
"The dove speaks. Good. Now what are you capable of? If you don't come up with a reason in the next few minutes, the next island is your drop off"- He leaned on the railing next to her and watched the crew. Valerie's eyes blinked a few times. The confusion was met with her brain giving her a pure blackness. Where she was a rational being with a head full of thoughts now she was scaled down to a sea slug, existing in her flesh.
She turned to match his stare. Two of the crew men were talking while carrying a barrel, perhaps gunpowder for the cannons.
"How useful could I be? I'm just an engineer"- Finally she said. It seemed to break his train of thoughts as he turned to her sharply.
"Just. An. Engineer. What kind?"
"Mechanical"- His eyebrows went up and a surprised expression morphed his face funny. She knew the prejudice and prepared for the onslaught of questions and even a few snide comments.
"Good"- With that he rose and left to the inside of the ship, leaving her thinking into what she had found herself in.
Latin word 'Valere' that means 'to stay strong.'