Tetra grabbed the handles of the bucket of sloshing water from Niko, staggered over to the railing, and dashed it over the side and then tossed it back to be used down below. They had formed a chain, Senza at the bottom taking a bucket or barrel, filling it with water, and then passing it to Nudge, from Nudge to Zuko, from Zuko to Mako, from Mako to Niko, and from Niko finally to Tetra, who emptied it and threw it back down the hatch to Senza. It was backbreaking work – not to mention wet, but nevertheless they had made a substantial amount of progress. The third level was almost water-free. Soon the trapdoor leading down to the second would be pried open, and she would have to send Gonzo down to replace Mako, who she would send up to steer the ship – the only other person she thought had the skill to handle the ship besides herself and Gonzo. Besides, it looked as if the shrimpy little spectacled pirate desperately needed a break. Gonzo could haul a bucket of water farther than Mako could, adding a much needed distance to their assembly as they descended down the steps to the next level. Once they cleared that level, it would be enough, she surmised, as long as they made sure to seal the trapdoor on their way back up.
She paused for during a rare interval between the passings of water barrels, most likely due to one person before them having dropped the barrel or due to Senza taking too much time with refilling a bucket, and mopped away the sweat gathered on her face with the slightly-soaked scarlet bandanna tied around her neck. It was hot, the sky slightly purple with the gathering twilight, and the slight breeze that blew was fairly warm air, and yet a sheen of cold sweat was breaking out all over her skin. She stomped and rubbed her arms with her hands furiously, before relieving poor Niko of his burden and tossing out its contents.
PLUNK. By now Tetra's ears where trained to the sounds of water as it was united with the sea, so much so that they immediately picked up an unexpected noise not in accord with the usual, even while her brain was still trying to register her reaction. She stood stock still, closed her eyes, and hastily flapped a hand at Niko, signaling that his barrel should be set down. This he did with obvious relief, and right after he motioned for the others to do the same. Niko never missed an opportunity to boss anyone around, however rare the occurrence.
"Oi, put 'em down, the Captain's heard something funny!"
She paid no attention to the commotion that began erupting down below. Her eyes flashed opened, and she glanced downwards, towards the sea. She hadn't been mistaken. She had heard something heavy, like a stone, but with enough weight instead to be metal. Suddenly her memory became crystalline sharp.
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Now where was that stash of rum her men always filched from? She held the lantern high above her head, its glow cast faint shadows all around her, gathering around the corners of old barrels and boxes. She wrinkled her nose as she sniffed something pungent, and definite movement in the shadows at the corners of her eyes kept her on the alert. You never knew, even rats where likely threats in this far down the ship. She'd get one of the crew on extermination duty sometime. She stooped over to examine a rather suspicious crate with an aroma completely different from the horrible odor all around her. As she tried prying it open, something jumped on her, and dug its teeth in her neck. She whirled, and in one movement flung the rat off her and dispatched it in a swift blow from her dirk. She took off her bandanna and amulet from her neck, and worrying it with her hands, rubbing the bite marks it to see if it was anything to worry about. She put the scarf back on, promising herself she'd get it mended.
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"Has anyone seen my gold amulet? The one that was my mother's, with the golden triangle at the on the chain?" she inquired of the crew. She took a quick sweep. Of course none of them would take that from her – every one of them knew it had more value than just its weight in gold to her. She racked her brain. Where had it gone?
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"Clear the floors. We can't be caught with all our food supply ruined in the case of a leak. Move everything up to the fifth level." They had docked at Windfall Island, a friendly enough island that welcomed the pirate crew as long as it continued to cause no trouble. Cannon, of course, the crabby old bombs salesman, was the only one to greet them with a disfavoring eye – but of course he had no hard proof for his grudge against the crew, and the townsfolk disliked the cranky and haughty old man anyway. She always had a good time in Windfall. That day, she brought the Killer Wasp gang to watch her crew load crates up ladders in order to dissuade them from their desires to join her crew.
"It's mostly all grunt work," Nudge told them. Of course in normal situations they wouldn't be refusing volunteers, and Niko, especially was in favor of welcoming them aboard, if only so that he could get himself some "underlings." However, she knew the boys' mothers would just love to personally strangle the blond female captain if they received the notion that she was trying to solicit the boys into a pirate's life. The small gang of boys, however, did not grow disinterested – instead, they eagerly followed Senza around as he transported boxes, and she found them later, climbing over platforms, trying to reach the other room where they thought maybe all the treasure was stashed. She sighed exasperatingly, and checked with her crew to make sure that none would permit the boys to venture down to the other levels. She was fairly certain the rats hadn't abandoned ship as soon as they landed.
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She reeled abruptly around to face her crew. They had gathered on deck, their expressions mystified. She whirled around,again,in an atypical display of uncertainty. She rushed to the edge, and plunked her hands down on the rail. It would be lost at the bottom by the time they got the ship around. Without further thought as an image of her mother, wryly grinning at her at the helm of the ship, accompanied by the small wave of her hand, which the last time she ever saw her mother – alive, flashed through her mind, she jumped. "Be sure to turn the ship around for me," she called as she dived, hoping her voice wouldn't be carried away by the wind.
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Author's Note: Hello all, thanks for reading so far – I apologize, deeply, for the lack of action thus far, and for the slow update. Ahm… also, if you think the mention of her pendant odd, I'm referencing from my memory – I'm actually not really sure that she had a pendant, or if she did, it was from her mother – it may have been her triforce piece, which may or may not have disappeared – I'll just say so that it goes with the story that it stayed with Tetra, that it was from her mother, that it was on a necklace, and it was gold. If there wasn't anything of the sort, then... ah… oh well.