Disclaimer: IOOMOC
J.L.: So yeah, holy shit RE fans, Capcom's dropping a huge RE year on us. Revelations just came out, Operation Raccoon city and RE:6…and then there's the fifth movie (I'm abhorring the thought, but shit's like crack) and a sequel to Degeneration all planned for this year. So, what the hell, let me cash in on this! (Not actually cash in, since I do not own the rights and will not be selling anything copyrighted.)
Jill
I studied over maps in my cabin, searching for possible routes the enemy could have taken. Time and time again I found myself at a loss. The attack on the Muluki tribe definitely struck a nerve and I could only guess that the massacre was aimed for me specifically. Leon and Wesker had kidnapped Claire in order to have me pursue them, and Wesker had known my relationship with the tribesmen to be personal. Weeks had passed since the island, and the trail was now cold. A knock rattle me from my thoughts. Rebecca entered with my dinner.
"You really need to start putting weight back on, Jill."She said as she laid the plate on top of my maps. I sighed out and locked eyes with her.
"Why are you here?" I asked her. She looked shocked.
"I'm bringing you dinner." She answered. I shook my head.
"No, I mean why are you on this boat? Don't you have a clinic?" I reworded. She looked to the side, at my portside window.
"You and I are part of sea. No matter what happens out here, its part of who we are. We grew up out here. Just as you're never happy on land, always itching to go back out…well don't you're alone in that sentiment. My dad's buried out here, and so is my husband. Being on land just seems like I'm running away from that. Besides, you need me on your crew more than you'd like to admit. You need me, you need Barry and dammit…you need Chris too." She answered.
"I need to find my brother." I replied harshly. Rebecca got up in my face.
"It's not just your mission. Keep in mind that you are responsible for the men aboard this ship, more so than just as their employer and Captain. Everyone on this ship is your family, and if you keep ignoring them, you will not succeed in this mission. You look like shit, Jill. Dark circles under your eyes, your bones are really starting to show and you are paler than a ghost. Either you eat something or I will administer it to you." Rebecca threatened. I ran my hand through my hair and released a breath before picking up my fork and stabbing it into the food. As I lifted the fork to my mouth and began the process of eating my dinner, Rebecca backed away, a bit of tension being released from the looks of her relaxing her shoulders.
"Are you going to watch me eat?" I asked as I went for another bite. She crossed her arms.
"As a matter of fact, I think I will. You haven't exactly been very social since we left port." Rebecca answered. I finished the bite and went for another.
"My apologies. I'm sure you can understand why." I replied.
"I know, but come on Jill, are we not sisters of a kind? I've never known you to shy away from getting to know your crew but I don't expect you to make light conversation with a bunch of strange men either. Me on the other hand…now that hurts." She responded.
"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, shoveling more food into my mouth. It was as if my body was remembering what it was like to eat again.
"Well, Um…let's start with you and Chris." She tried. I glared at her as I swallowed my dinner down.
"Pass." I replied, going in for more.
"No, I'm not letting you out that easily. Something happened. Something you haven't told me or Barry. I can sit here all day and guess or you can just tell me." She demanded. I dropped my gaze to my half devoured meal.
"I slept with him." I answered.
"What?" She asked, as if she hadn't heard me.
"It was part of a deal I had with Spencer. He needed an heir and wouldn't be able to produce one. Spencer told me to take a lover in secret, and I…I tried to." I answered. I looked up at her, surprised to see that the young woman was speechless. He mouth was agape and her eyes held shock in them.
"Y-you…oh…um…I-i…"She tried, but her loss for words was stopping her ability to form a complete sentence.
"It was…we found ourselves working late one night and I told him about the deal. I thought he was accepting it when we…anyways, the next morning he informed me that he would only have me as his wife. At that time, I was under the impression that I had financial obligations to Duke Spencer so we broke off on a very bad note." I continued to explain.
"So what now?" She asked after a period of silence, in which I finished my meal, passed by.
"That…is the question. Renold's sorting through the paperwork that Duke Spencer and I signed prior to the ceremony. Leon and Wesker are nothing more than fugitives headed for the gallows. I am now the last member of my family and therefore the full proprietor of the Estate…which means I am now free to pursue whatever my interests lay as long as the royal court denies my marriage." I admitted.
"What about Chris?" Rebecca asked. I ran both of my hands through my hair.
"I don't know anymore." I answered. Rebecca walked around the desk and wrapped me up in a hug from behind.
"I guess you're playing the waiting game then, huh?" She said.
"Yeah." I answered. Rebecca rested her forehead on my head and I felt the tension she had been keeping in her body slowly release through relaxation.
"Richard's father denied my claimed to being Richard's wife. He also denied a permit to start my clinic. I was going to pay you a visit as soon as you absolved the governor from his seat to ask those favors from you. I pretty much have nothing left now that…with what your brother has done and that is why I have returned to sailing." Rebecca admitted. Another person had their life ruined because my brother and I felt a twinge of anger and resentment spark up. Rebecca was right, this ship was my family. I had always felt happier in their presences than in those of the ones in my bloodline. My brother may have been on my mind a lot of the time, but only in the form of memories long since gone. The smiling little boy who was trying to put hermit crabs into my bed, who got into mud fights with me, who hid behind me sheepishly during the first time we saw a fertility dance was long gone as well. In his shoes stood a ruthless man who killed men and women without a second thought, a Pirate Captain who would understand the concept of no quarter to be had. Suddenly, a thought dawned on me.
"Rebecca, I want you to choose your bodyguards." I said. Rebecca backed off of me and walked around to look me in the eyes.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I know where I can get a lead, on Cutthroat Cove." I started.
"You want me to pick who'll be my escort on the island? I'm sure we'd be fine, the two of us." She replied.
"You misunderstand; I intend to search for a lead on Cutthroat." I responded and Rebecca's jaw dropped open.
"You know that's a stupid idea and dangerous to boot, Jill!" She protested.
"That's Captain Jill, thank you. This is my mission, and I will not have any men die in my place any more. Now who do you want to escort you?" I asked.
"No need, I'm going with you." She answered.
"Now that's a ridiculous notion." I dismissed. A knocked rattled my cabin door and then Barry stepped inside.
"I need Rebecca to come look at Billy. He got his ankle caught in one of the nets and well…we're not sure if it's sprained or broken." Barry explained. I grinned at Rebecca.
"Escort found. Go tend to Mister Coen, and when you're finished you can inform him that the two of you will be accompanying each other on the island for a week while I find my lead." I instructed her. She scowled but didn't refuse; instead she briskly walked out of my cabin. Barry examined me.
"Cutthroat Cove?" He asked.
"Yes. Have one of the sailors cut their hair and save it for me. I'm going to need a beard." I answered and Barry walked out, shaking his head.
CHRIS
Only a few of us were up for Cutthroat Cove. I nearly choked on the piece of dried meat that I was eating when Jill announced that we were going to scour the Pirate town for information. I did choke when she announced that she would be leading the investigation. It was the undeniable proof that she had lost her mind, driven mad by the quest for her brother. Further proof came about when Forrest cut his hair short and Jill crafted the hair into a beard for her to wear. I didn't even want to know how she had managed to make her chest flatter. In the end though, she managed to pull it off and by the time she dropped Rebecca and Billy off on the island she was in full drag and comfortable in it.
Which lead to her asking the remaining crew for volunteers to accompany her into the town. Most of the crew were fresh to the sea, and were secretly dreading stepping foot in a town of scallywags and renegades. Barry and Sullivan, though veterans of Cutthroat Cove, were now in positions of responsibility and were to remain on board the ship. Forrest stepped forward first; he was a man who had nothing left to lose. Carlos and Bruce stepped up next, curiosity and a need to prove themselves driving them. That was when Jill's eyes fell on me for the briefest of moments, a different life in them than I had ever seen before. She knew exactly what she was doing. I sighed out and agreed to be the fifth man, or at least the fifth person.
Right now though, I found myself regretting that decision as the five of us rowed our way into the Cove.
"Basically, if you don't wanna get killed, don't make eye contact. Don't go into the alleyways and don't forget to pay for your booze." Forrest advised.
"Captain might want to avoid talking." Carlos tried joking. Jill shot him a glare.
"Of the five of us, if anyone is to worry, it might be you Olivera. You lack experience and the ability to keep your trap shut." Jill coolly warned in a tone deep enough to be considered natural male.
"Bruce is just as fresh as I am." Carlos argued.
"I think it's your mouth she's pointing out more." Bruce retorted. Carlos grunted and kept rowing.
"You sure you want him with us, Captain?" Forrest asked.
"It will work in our favor actually. If all their attention is on him, that's less attention on me." She said, a small amount of laughter escaping her. I looked over and noticed a slight improvement in her health as well. Something had been corrected in her mind, and she was starting to recover. Her eyes caught mine and for a brief moment there was tenderness in her blues.
"I hope this whole drag thing isn't a permanent thing." Carlos teased back. She grinned, the bushy beard moving along with her cheeks thanks to the use of an unnamed adhesive that Rebecca had cooked up.
"If I get more wenches than you, then it might." She dared.
"Oh, that's a good one." Bruce laughed out as our boat neared the docks.
"I'm serious. Let's see who can get the most." She pushed.
"Fine. I accept your challenge, Cap'I'ton!" Carlos declared as we pulled into the docks and Bruce set about tethering our line to the dock.
"Forrest, go ahead and see about our accommodations for the next three days. Carlos and Bruce, go ahead and enjoy yourselves this evening. Chris, you may go with them if you'd like." Jill ordered as she disembarked from the rowboat.
"I think I'll stick around with you." I replied and followed after her as she made her way towards a pub.
"Probably for the best." She replied once we were out of earshot.
"Do you have any idea what we're looking for?" I asked her.
"A man like Wesker stands out, no matter where he goes. Someone is bound to have seen and heard him around here." She answered.
"So…?" I tried.
"We play the waiting game, Chris. We wait until we hear something." She admitted.
"Why are we always playing that game, you and I?" I asked rhetorically. She shrugged and kept walking.
"Such is the hand we've been dealt my friend." She replied shortly before we entered the pub.
JILL
I found a table off to the side for Chris and I to sit at after we each grabbed a pint of what the pub considered to be rum. I wasn't convinced that it was, but I didn't think that making a spectacle of myself was a wise idea. Instead, I focused my attention on Chris. My life had been changing rapidly and the people I just recently come to realize were my family were all drifting apart. Barry was looking to retire, and Rebecca had already sought to shift from sea to land. Chris caught my gaze and returned his own questioning glare. It would be so easy to run off and elope, as he had proposed months ago. Easy, if not for the fact of his sister.
"Come on, we better get back to the inn before Captain Leon skins our hides." I overheard and my eyes shot over to where two men started heading for the door. I stood up and starting following after them, keeping my eyes locked on their back as we left the pub and walked through the muddy roads. The men entered an inn and I thought about following but Chris grabbed my arm and yanked me into an alleyway, pinning me up to a wall and covering my mouth with his hand.
"Waiting game." He muttered. I stopped struggling and nodded, allowing him reason to release me. I kept my eyes on him, my heart starting to skip beats. A group of pirates walked past but they didn't notice us. We were alone together, and it was suddenly noticeable. I pushed the emotions aside and lead Chris back towards the inn Forrest was suppose to book for us.
J.L.: Again, my apology for the long wait, but I hope this chapter is good enough for you guys.