-1Playing Pirates

Chapter two: Getting to Know You

By: Chamzi

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Great, now that the easy parts done with time to write the story…

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Raven watched Richards eyes as he watched her back. She watched for any hint of distrust but all she saw were those familiar eyes. She simply couldn't put her finger on it…

Had she stolen from him before? Maybe he was an old lover? Perhaps she had fought him once? What ever the answer was it didn't seem rather important at the moment anyway as they were still making their way out of the British ship's view. Not that it was difficult seeing as their main mast had been broken clean off.

"You have a name?" Richard asked after feeling slightly uncomfortable under her intense gaze.

Quickly she searched her mind for a fake name to give him. For all she knew her suspicions might be right. Some how she figured escaping the British officers just to be decapitated by pirates wasn't her idea of a particularly good escape.

"Rachel… Rachel Roth," Raven said with a hard stare as if challenging him to doubt her.

He nodded as if to say he was listening, "So, what happened back there? You tried to take them all on at once?" He grinned amused at the thought.

"Aye… That's exactly it…" Raven rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest in a silent gesture to tell Richard exactly what she thought of him so far.

"Yes… I'm the idiot…" He said reading her gestures. "I'm the one who got captured by the British Navy…"

Raven glared. "In case you didn't notice, I was the only one who managed to escape. The rest of my crew is locked down in the bilge of that ship or were sent to Davy Jones' locker. So don't call me the addlepate(1)!" She stuck a finger in his face to threaten him but he merely smiled. Something Raven definitely wasn't used to. Back on her ship, her crew would cower for fear of being keelhauled(2). He took his hand and forced her hand back down.

"You were a captain?" He asked amused as he checked her over again trying to determine just how that would be possible. She certainly couldn't be very strong or threatening. Obviously she must have had skill and cunning. But that was already evident from her escape.

She glared harder. How dare he doubt her. "Should I prove it?" She asked in a low tone.

He smiled as he drew his cutlass from it's sheath and planted a solid footing on the deck of the ship. "I'd love it if you would."

She grinned as she drew her cutlass and took the same stance he did.

Drawn in like moths to a flame the crew of 'The Robin' soon found themselves watching in amusement as their captain was challenged by this new female pirate. Most men on the crew would believe having a woman on board was bad luck. But not because they're evil or in anyway an actual bad luck charm but because they're a distraction to the men. The crew smiled wickedly as the two stared each other down in silence before taking small careful steps to circle the other. A few of the men made quick bets in hopes of gaining a few more doubloons. Most bets obviously on Richard. He was much stronger, and from what the crew has seen, very skilled.

A quick slash by Richard had Raven jump over his cutlass before landing light footedly on the deck again. A small smirk crossed her face as she picked up the pace. Their swords met between them in quick clangs before withdrawing and coming together again. Raven watched and studied his form, she would admit, he was strong and skilled. But she had one thing on him… She was quick. Her footing was light and fast, Richard was actually surprised that he didn't trip over her own feet as she moved them. Ducking under her cutlass he turned quickly slashing over his head but with a quick duck and dash she was behind him again, giving him a quick boot in the butt. He turned and his face told her everything she needed to know; He was impressed. And more than that a little…worried.

She was awfully fast and light on her feet. Much more so than he. But he was cunning, he just needed to find a way to take her off her feet. Watching her feet for a moment he studied the way she moved her feet, criss-crossing them behind her as she moved. With a quick dash she let her cutlass gleam over his arm creating a small gash. He clenched his teeth. She was good… another quick dash at him and Richard didn't know quite what to do… So he kicked her. Square in he face. Needless to say she was down and out.

Richard quickly sheathed his cutlass before kneeling down beside her. A little shocked at his actions but in a way proud that he taken her down rather quickly, albeit a little cheaply. Her cutlass was dropped beside her as she covered her face with her hands trying to ward off the pain.

"Are you alright?" He asked slightly worried. He didn't mean to hurt her quite so bad but when she nearly had him on the tip of her cutlass again he panicked. He pulled her hands from her face to reveal a bloody nose.

"Just peachy…" Raven said sitting up while pulling her hand away from his to nurture her nose again.

He helped her up for the second time that day and handed her a white rag for her bleeding nose. "How is it you learned to fight like that? Were you in the navy?"

Raven shook her head lightly, "I learned from years of experience." She pulled back the rag to see just how much blood collected and put it back quickly when she felt more run down her face. Richard winced, he really hadn't meant to hurt her.

"I'm ah… sorry 'bout that."

Raven grinned. "Don't be. In a real fight you wouldn't be."

"Ha ha! I told you, Vic! I Knew our Richard could take her! Pay up!", a small young man with messy green hair caught Raven's attention. Watching in amusement as a much larger man fished a few doubloons from his pockets and handed them to the younger man with a sour look to his face. The younger man was full of energy, a large smile etched across his face as he graciously took his winnings. A small monkey on his shoulder proceeded to take his winnings and chew on them lightly before becoming bored and placing them back into his owners pockets.

"It was a cheap shot…" The darker man grumbled. Raven watched him somewhat confused that he would bet on her but guessed that she was the only choice he had when the betting started.

" We're pirates, Victor… Winning is winning."

Victor pushed the smaller man playfully in annoyance watching him stumble backwards before regaining his footing.

"Shut up, Gar…"

The one named Gar walked up to Raven and Richard before quickly scanning Raven over. A small grin on his face. "Want to see why my Roger is so Jolly?" He asked.

"Can I kick him?" Raven asked Richard in a serious tone.

He raised a questioning eyebrow to see if she was maybe joking, but her expression didn't change. "No…" Raven looked slightly disappointed. But soon found herself amused again as the larger man Victor picked Gar off his feet before placing him farther away and taking his spot.

"Cap'n, where are we to be heading?"

"Nassau, we need word," Richard said quickly.

"Nassau? Any chance we could head back to Tortuga? My ship is still there." Raven asked Richard.

"Later. The Navy will probably be heading there to catch you. For now, you'll come with us. We'll bring you to your ship in good time."

"If it isn't stolen by then…" Raven grumbled.

"Do you want to do the hempen jig(3)?" Richard asked. Raven didn't say anything. "Go find a hammock in the crew's quarters."

Raven didn't argue as she made her way to the prow of the ship and down into the lower levels where the crew's quarters lay. A rank smell filled the air. It was obvious to her that a lot of the men that resided there didn't bathe much. Finding a small free hammock near the back of the large room, Raven lied down into the fabric and let herself hang suspended for some time merely thinking to herself.

Those eyes of his… where had she seen them? They haunted her mind. As hard as she tried remembering she just couldn't figure it out. Maybe she was just thirsty and imagining that she had seen them before. She listened to the wood of the large ship creek as the waves slightly rocked it before falling into a light sleep.

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Hours later she awoke feeling the much needed affects sleep had on her. It felt good. She stretched as she watched men climb down into the large room to sleep for the night. Sitting up in her hammock, Raven couldn't help but wonder how long she had been sleeping. She could admit that the air in the filthy room seemed much cooler than it had before. As the men seemed to pour in tired and groggy, Raven stood feeling the exact opposite affects on her body. Her bleeding nose had stopped long ago and her rest had given her an intense amount of energy. She climbed up the wooden stairs passing more tired men as she entered the main deck of the ship.

The crisp night air met her in a cooling shock. Had she really slept that long? The ships sails were lowered and the ship fairly stationary in the waters aside from the slight rocking of the boat. Small gusts of wind carried mists from the water on board. The sound of the waves hitting the sides of the ship and the old wood creaking were the only sounds reaching her ears. She was shocked to see the deck completely empty. She wondered the deck admiring the handiwork of all the small details. Breathing in the night air and letting it cool her lungs. A small shimmer on the ground caught her eye and she picked the object up. It was a small bottle of liquor. She smiled as she undid the top and took a quick drink. Holding it by the neck she continued to wonder the deck until a voice reached her ears. Some one was singing a shanty(4). She followed the soothing voice towards the aft of the ship before silently scaling the ladder that led to the poop deck. She could see the silhouette of a man near the very end of the ship looking out over the edge, singing quietly to himself. Donning only his pants and a belt that held his cutlass and pistol. She approached him silently before seeing a gash on his right arm and realizing that it was Richard. He simply had shed his shirt and captains hat. Taking the rag he had given her earlier for her bleeding nose she doused it with the liquor she held and applied it to his wound. He yelped in surprise grabbing her hand and drawing his cutlass.

"Relax! It's only me…" Raven said soothingly as she reapplied the rag to clean his cut. And as she did she admired his strong lean muscles. He was even more impressive without his shirt on.

"That's what I'm worried about…" He said as he calmed down and watched her clean his cut.

"Aren't you cold?" Raven asked as she added more liquor to the cloth and ignored his comment.

He shook his head. "I'm used to it." He watched her eyes as she concentrated on cleaning his wound. The care she put into cleaning off the dried blood and making sure any dirt or grime was removed was odd. Not many people shared any compassion to people they didn't really know . Her soft touch sent chills down his spine and he shivered slightly.

"You aren't cold?" Raven asked incredulously.

He merely grinned as Raven shook her head at his stubbornness.

"How was it you got yourself caught?" He asked as she removed her hands from his cut and placed the rag on the ledge of the ship before taking another drink from the bottle.

"The Navy took us while we were drunk… we couldn't fight back, at least… not well…" Raven said somewhat bored with the thought. She quickly changed the subject, "You're a turn coat… aren't you?"

"No…" his eyes gave a slight confusion at her question. "My parents were."

"That where you learned to fence?" Raven offered him the bottle and he took it graciously before taking a swig and nodding.

"Hungry?" he asked avoiding the subject.

She nodded and he handed her an apple he was playing with before she joined him. She took it and took a small bite enjoying the first bit of food she had eaten in over a day. He watched her silently for a moment. The moonlight did wonders on her face. She didn't seem quite as angry as before but she also wasn't under the gaze of 20 men at the time either. She caught him staring and couldn't help but feel a strong tension between them. What was he searching for?

"What's wrong?" she asked breaking the silence.

"Nothing." He smiled lightly before returning his daze to the sea. "Nothing at all."

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Thanks for all the reviews guys! They're very much appreciated! And they inspire me to keep writing! And also thanks to Dragonslayerraven for mentioning Kingston by Starlight. Thanks to you I ordered myself a copy after reading a few reviews. I havn't gottin it yet but I look forward to it . I heart Anne Bonny. She's the best pirate to ever sail the seas! Arr!

(1) Addlepate- Fool, idiot.

(2) Keelhauled- A means of punishment, being dragged under the hull of the ship against the barnacles. Some people die from it.

(3) Hempen jig- Ropes were often made of hempen there for hempen jig was another word for being hanged

(4) Shanty- A pirate song.