(okay, this one might seem a bit tedious, but it's just to get across
the relationship of some of the crew members)
The wind was blowing rapidly, the Jolly Roger flapping loudly above her as shimmied up along the mast. Her favorite dagger clutched between her teeth, Shail caught a hold of a loose rope and allowed the wildly whipping thing to haul her the rest of the way up to the crow's next.
Crouching on the small railing of the rounded platform, she prodded the scout with the butt-end of the dagger. "Oi, what's up ahead, mate?"
The scout jumped slightly, turning to glare at the girl. Snorting, he shook his head and replaced his glass to his eyes. "Not much, lass. Nary an isle nor a bloody ship. Dunno what we be doin out 'ere to begin wit."
Shail flashed him the characteristically crooked grin. "Oh, quit yer belly achin', Sota. We just got one more run t'do, 'cordin to th'mate."
"Ye believe what tha' man sez to ye? Then yer as much a git as 'e is."
"Careful, Sota. Ye might insult a person talking like tha'."
This said, she hopped off the railing, still holding onto the rope, and flipped down back to the deck. She landed neatly next to the first mate, Smitty.
Jumping in surprise, Smitty bared his teeth at the grinning pirate once he'd recovered. "Why don't ye quit messin 'round and get some real work down, whelp!"
As he stalked off, Shail snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'll quit messin 'round when YOU get a personality more interesting that yer breath, Smitty."
If he heard her, he didn't get a chance to react, because she returned to the air in an instant, disappearing up another pole and going about her usual chores aboard the Nova, seeing to it that everything was ship shape, watching for anything amiss. And there was always something amiss.
She had just finished tying off a rope that had unwound itself, holding onto a separate one to keep herself from falling, when she heard the loud and rough sounds of cheering, shouting, and what was most likely several bets being made. Releasing one handful of ropes, she allowed herself to freefall, the natural course of the ropes tossed her in the general direction of the fight.
She did a light flip to slow herself, landing squarely between the two fighters and shoving them apart without bothering to know who they were.
"Oi, quit actin like a bunch o dibbuns, ye fools! Now wha's all this about?" She snapped when they struggled to get past her.
As odd as it seemed, the two men seemed almost ashamed of themselves under the stern stare of the sixteen year old girl. Hanging his head, one man muttered, "This bloggart thought 'e could whip me, so I taught 'im a lesson!"
"Tha's not true!" Hollered the second man. Shail arched one brow as she realized who this was. He wasn't that much older than she was, perhaps eighteen, but his name was Alex. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and he had been the girl's training partner most of her life.
"Allrigh', then. Tell me wot 'appened." She crossed her arms, an annoyed expression on her face. "An' it better be good, or I'll report ye both t'the cap'n."
Though she thoroughly enjoyed a good fight, one of the few rules that she enforced declared that no fighting was allowed during a run. If there was a disagreement amongst the crew, it was to be taken care of well away from the Nova. Every man present knew this, and every man also knew that punishment for disobeying this rule was rather unpleasant.
"Right.well..it's kind of o' long story."
"I suggest ye spit it out, mate."
"I agree." The icy tone came from behind the lot, from the mouth of none other than Smitty. The crew turned to see him regarding them all coolly, arms crossed and his hat jerked down as if to pronounce his anger. "I do believe that fightin's against the rules ye all live under."
Alex paled slightly and he quickly shook his head. "No, Smitty. We wasn' fightin!" He looked around him quickly for some support on the idea, and received several murmurs of agreement.
"Wasn' ye? Then why would th'liddle precious one be holdin ye both apart like so?" His voice was still cool, and now he turned a nasty gaze upon Shail. As much as he hated the lass, and as little reason as he had to, he knew she was one who followed the rules.
Shail was silent for a moment, suddenly aware that all eyes were upon her. She met Smitty's gaze evenly, her jaw set. After a bit, she released the two pirates and shrugged. "Cause they're both so bloody handsome I couldn' choose which one I liked best, tha's why."
This simple statement was met with a roar of laughter from the crew, who immediately after took off back to their work. Smitty's lips were white as he pursed them, his cheeks bloody red with rage. Shail winked at him and returned to her own chores, as cheerful as though nothing had happened. As much as SHE respected the rules, she enjoyed disobeying Smitty so much that it was well worth the broken law.
"Thanks, mate." Alex grinned as he took position next to her, going about his own business. "I owe ye one."
"I know ye do."
He chuckled and shook his head. "Gory, if that old ogre'd-"
"Hold up, mate. I know bloody well what he woulda done, and I also know bloody well what I saved ye from..." She smirked at him, earning a somewhat nervous expression.
"Ye ain't gonna rat me out to th'cap'n, now..I know ye ain't.."
"No, but I bloody well could. So if ye want to stay 'board th'ship, I suggest ye get t'work."
"W-what?"
"Hup to it, mate. I've got a load o'chores o'er th'next few months, ye know." Grinning, Shail rested back against the railing and watched as Alex groaned and set about taking care of both of their work.
Several months later, Shail had herself propped up between two barrels, a straw stuck between her teeth as she watched Alex doing her chores, a nasty smirk on her face. "Come on, then, mate. No slackin."
He turned as if to give her a sharp retort, but at the glint of her blue eyes, he quickly resumed working, grumbling, "Aye, miss."
"Thar ye go, mate. Keep smilin!" She grinned and spit the straw into the ocean, hopping to her feet and walking along the railing, checking around to find something more interesting. Even tormenting your friends could get boring after a while. Eventually she made her way over to where Matthew was working. He was a large man, with brown skin and broad shoulders, a few feet taller than most men. Bald and Brawny, she would often call him.
"Oi, wha be ye doin?" He questioned, stretching slightly and arching one thick brow as she went into a crouch on the railing. The wind tugged at her clothing, but she didn't seem concerned.
"Oh, not much. Nothin to do, anyhow."
"Why ain't ye doin yer chores, lass?"
She flashed him a nasty grin. "Cause they be well takin care of, sah."
He glanced over to where Alex, still grumbling, was mopping up the deck. "Ah. I see."
She smirked and hopped off the railing, landing neatly next to him. "So, mate, do ye know where we'll find ourselves next? Somewhere exciting, peraps?"
"Tortuga, lass."
"Oh." She looked somewhat disappointed.
"Oh? Wha's th'matter with Tortuga? Thought every pirate liked it there.." He grinned and leaned against the railing, wiping persperation from his brow.
"Yeh, I likes it allrigh, but I was hopin we'd get a good hit sometime. We been doin a lotta nothin lately, if y'ask me."
"Best t'keep that opinion t'yeself, lass."
She snorted and shook her head. "And why would I-"
"Cause ye never know when it might be overheard.." The sneering voice could only belong to one person.
Shail turned a delighted expression on the first mate, who had been standing right behind her. "Why, Smitty, sah! I didn' know ye was standin thar!"
"Obviously."
"Tell me, mistah Smitty, sah...was it yer idea ter return t'Tortuga?"
"Aye, as a matter o fact, twas." He smirked. "And I take it ye don' like it, girly?"
"Naw, tis a fine plan. But if twas yores, what did th'cap'n think o'it?"
Smitty blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Y'know, the cap'n? The one in charge o'the ship?" She smiled innocently. "Ye musta forgotten t'ask im, eh?"
"O course I didn', ye little gutter snipe!" The Mate hollered, but there was something in his eyes.
"Oh, good. Then I s'pose I'll jus go ask im what co'ordinates e wants, make sure e don' want to make no stops long th'way." She beamed at him, then practically skipped off towards the captain's quarters.
"Hold it, ye little whelp!" Smitty snarled, grabbing her arm and whipping her around. He had completely forgotten the fact that she'd been questioning a higher authoritie's plans. "Now...ye git back t'work!" He shoved her back to where Alex was doing her chores, not quite catching the nasty grin she was wearing. "And ye wipe tha' dumb grin off yer face!" He snapped at Matthew before stalking off to the captain's quarters. He had to remind the captain where they were headed.
And so it continued aboard the Nova, the first mate Smitty constantly trying to play the crew against themselves, Shail enforcing the rules she thought were neccessary and breaking the ones neccessary to torment Smitty, and Captain Torn oblivious to it all.
The wind was blowing rapidly, the Jolly Roger flapping loudly above her as shimmied up along the mast. Her favorite dagger clutched between her teeth, Shail caught a hold of a loose rope and allowed the wildly whipping thing to haul her the rest of the way up to the crow's next.
Crouching on the small railing of the rounded platform, she prodded the scout with the butt-end of the dagger. "Oi, what's up ahead, mate?"
The scout jumped slightly, turning to glare at the girl. Snorting, he shook his head and replaced his glass to his eyes. "Not much, lass. Nary an isle nor a bloody ship. Dunno what we be doin out 'ere to begin wit."
Shail flashed him the characteristically crooked grin. "Oh, quit yer belly achin', Sota. We just got one more run t'do, 'cordin to th'mate."
"Ye believe what tha' man sez to ye? Then yer as much a git as 'e is."
"Careful, Sota. Ye might insult a person talking like tha'."
This said, she hopped off the railing, still holding onto the rope, and flipped down back to the deck. She landed neatly next to the first mate, Smitty.
Jumping in surprise, Smitty bared his teeth at the grinning pirate once he'd recovered. "Why don't ye quit messin 'round and get some real work down, whelp!"
As he stalked off, Shail snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'll quit messin 'round when YOU get a personality more interesting that yer breath, Smitty."
If he heard her, he didn't get a chance to react, because she returned to the air in an instant, disappearing up another pole and going about her usual chores aboard the Nova, seeing to it that everything was ship shape, watching for anything amiss. And there was always something amiss.
She had just finished tying off a rope that had unwound itself, holding onto a separate one to keep herself from falling, when she heard the loud and rough sounds of cheering, shouting, and what was most likely several bets being made. Releasing one handful of ropes, she allowed herself to freefall, the natural course of the ropes tossed her in the general direction of the fight.
She did a light flip to slow herself, landing squarely between the two fighters and shoving them apart without bothering to know who they were.
"Oi, quit actin like a bunch o dibbuns, ye fools! Now wha's all this about?" She snapped when they struggled to get past her.
As odd as it seemed, the two men seemed almost ashamed of themselves under the stern stare of the sixteen year old girl. Hanging his head, one man muttered, "This bloggart thought 'e could whip me, so I taught 'im a lesson!"
"Tha's not true!" Hollered the second man. Shail arched one brow as she realized who this was. He wasn't that much older than she was, perhaps eighteen, but his name was Alex. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and he had been the girl's training partner most of her life.
"Allrigh', then. Tell me wot 'appened." She crossed her arms, an annoyed expression on her face. "An' it better be good, or I'll report ye both t'the cap'n."
Though she thoroughly enjoyed a good fight, one of the few rules that she enforced declared that no fighting was allowed during a run. If there was a disagreement amongst the crew, it was to be taken care of well away from the Nova. Every man present knew this, and every man also knew that punishment for disobeying this rule was rather unpleasant.
"Right.well..it's kind of o' long story."
"I suggest ye spit it out, mate."
"I agree." The icy tone came from behind the lot, from the mouth of none other than Smitty. The crew turned to see him regarding them all coolly, arms crossed and his hat jerked down as if to pronounce his anger. "I do believe that fightin's against the rules ye all live under."
Alex paled slightly and he quickly shook his head. "No, Smitty. We wasn' fightin!" He looked around him quickly for some support on the idea, and received several murmurs of agreement.
"Wasn' ye? Then why would th'liddle precious one be holdin ye both apart like so?" His voice was still cool, and now he turned a nasty gaze upon Shail. As much as he hated the lass, and as little reason as he had to, he knew she was one who followed the rules.
Shail was silent for a moment, suddenly aware that all eyes were upon her. She met Smitty's gaze evenly, her jaw set. After a bit, she released the two pirates and shrugged. "Cause they're both so bloody handsome I couldn' choose which one I liked best, tha's why."
This simple statement was met with a roar of laughter from the crew, who immediately after took off back to their work. Smitty's lips were white as he pursed them, his cheeks bloody red with rage. Shail winked at him and returned to her own chores, as cheerful as though nothing had happened. As much as SHE respected the rules, she enjoyed disobeying Smitty so much that it was well worth the broken law.
"Thanks, mate." Alex grinned as he took position next to her, going about his own business. "I owe ye one."
"I know ye do."
He chuckled and shook his head. "Gory, if that old ogre'd-"
"Hold up, mate. I know bloody well what he woulda done, and I also know bloody well what I saved ye from..." She smirked at him, earning a somewhat nervous expression.
"Ye ain't gonna rat me out to th'cap'n, now..I know ye ain't.."
"No, but I bloody well could. So if ye want to stay 'board th'ship, I suggest ye get t'work."
"W-what?"
"Hup to it, mate. I've got a load o'chores o'er th'next few months, ye know." Grinning, Shail rested back against the railing and watched as Alex groaned and set about taking care of both of their work.
Several months later, Shail had herself propped up between two barrels, a straw stuck between her teeth as she watched Alex doing her chores, a nasty smirk on her face. "Come on, then, mate. No slackin."
He turned as if to give her a sharp retort, but at the glint of her blue eyes, he quickly resumed working, grumbling, "Aye, miss."
"Thar ye go, mate. Keep smilin!" She grinned and spit the straw into the ocean, hopping to her feet and walking along the railing, checking around to find something more interesting. Even tormenting your friends could get boring after a while. Eventually she made her way over to where Matthew was working. He was a large man, with brown skin and broad shoulders, a few feet taller than most men. Bald and Brawny, she would often call him.
"Oi, wha be ye doin?" He questioned, stretching slightly and arching one thick brow as she went into a crouch on the railing. The wind tugged at her clothing, but she didn't seem concerned.
"Oh, not much. Nothin to do, anyhow."
"Why ain't ye doin yer chores, lass?"
She flashed him a nasty grin. "Cause they be well takin care of, sah."
He glanced over to where Alex, still grumbling, was mopping up the deck. "Ah. I see."
She smirked and hopped off the railing, landing neatly next to him. "So, mate, do ye know where we'll find ourselves next? Somewhere exciting, peraps?"
"Tortuga, lass."
"Oh." She looked somewhat disappointed.
"Oh? Wha's th'matter with Tortuga? Thought every pirate liked it there.." He grinned and leaned against the railing, wiping persperation from his brow.
"Yeh, I likes it allrigh, but I was hopin we'd get a good hit sometime. We been doin a lotta nothin lately, if y'ask me."
"Best t'keep that opinion t'yeself, lass."
She snorted and shook her head. "And why would I-"
"Cause ye never know when it might be overheard.." The sneering voice could only belong to one person.
Shail turned a delighted expression on the first mate, who had been standing right behind her. "Why, Smitty, sah! I didn' know ye was standin thar!"
"Obviously."
"Tell me, mistah Smitty, sah...was it yer idea ter return t'Tortuga?"
"Aye, as a matter o fact, twas." He smirked. "And I take it ye don' like it, girly?"
"Naw, tis a fine plan. But if twas yores, what did th'cap'n think o'it?"
Smitty blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Y'know, the cap'n? The one in charge o'the ship?" She smiled innocently. "Ye musta forgotten t'ask im, eh?"
"O course I didn', ye little gutter snipe!" The Mate hollered, but there was something in his eyes.
"Oh, good. Then I s'pose I'll jus go ask im what co'ordinates e wants, make sure e don' want to make no stops long th'way." She beamed at him, then practically skipped off towards the captain's quarters.
"Hold it, ye little whelp!" Smitty snarled, grabbing her arm and whipping her around. He had completely forgotten the fact that she'd been questioning a higher authoritie's plans. "Now...ye git back t'work!" He shoved her back to where Alex was doing her chores, not quite catching the nasty grin she was wearing. "And ye wipe tha' dumb grin off yer face!" He snapped at Matthew before stalking off to the captain's quarters. He had to remind the captain where they were headed.
And so it continued aboard the Nova, the first mate Smitty constantly trying to play the crew against themselves, Shail enforcing the rules she thought were neccessary and breaking the ones neccessary to torment Smitty, and Captain Torn oblivious to it all.