Hey, realized that maybe this isn't a new style, just a new pronoun.
:D
Either way, please read and review. If the cursing upsets you, I really can't fix it. Sorry.
Bumpy Meetings
Waking up is probably the worst feeling in the world. I hated waking up. Waking up meant facing another day of loneliness and despair. Another day of-
"CAP'N INK! WAKE UP!" One of my crew members on deck yelled. Probably Naomi, she was louder than her sister.
"GIVE ME FUCKING SECOND! I GOTTA FIND A PAIR OF PANTS!" I screamed back, rolling out of my fur-lined hammock. I found a pair of blue cloth pants that were two sizes too big, but that's how I liked them: Baggy. I pulled them up and yanked the drawstring, tying it tightly around my waist. On the way out of my cabin, I grabbed my loose fitting, blue tinted, hooded shirt.
"What the hell do you want?" I sleepily asked the little earthbender girl in front of me.
"Breakfast is ready!" She beamed, holding a plate of leftover crab cakes and bread slices out to me.
Naomi looked like an innocent little girl, with her black wavy hair cut above shoulders and bright green eyes, but she was tough. I had never seen a little kid punch a full grown man in the face before I met her. She was one of the most powerful earthbenders I knew, and she was still learning. She went around barefoot (actually, all of us did. Who needs shoes on a ship?) and wore a sleeveless green tunic with dark tan pants that went to her knees. I had made her leather ankle and wrist cuffs with metal studs for her birthday last year, which she was super happy about.
"Thanks, Kiddo." I said, taking the plate and sitting down where I stood. "Where's Ossie?"
"He's diving for oysters this morning." Ren, Naomi's older firebending sister answered. "Said something about a good haul."
Ren and Naomi were exactly the same, at least compared to skin and hair color. Ren's hair was cut so short that most people assumed she was a boy. Her golden eyes were the only thing I thought of as truly girly, the eyelashes were too long for a guy's. Her clothes were shades of red and crimson and meant for much warmer weather than spring. She had her ears pierced with two charms I had made for her as well. Her left ear had a silver Earth Kingdom emblem, while the right had a gold Fire Nation emblem. 'A reminder' she had told me when she commissioned me for the job. A reminder of what, I have no idea.
"Okay." I nodded. "We'll be making port in a day or so."
"Good." Ren huffed. "I love your boat and all, Ink, but being out at sea for so long is boring."
"Yeah, well, screw you." I sighed. "I'm not looking forward to going to the city."
"But Mom's there." Ren said, knitting her eyebrows together. "Why would you hate Republic City?"
"Not exactly the place for a hermit to feel comfortable, you know." I explained, stuffing my breakfast into my mouth. "When we get there, I don't want you two going off the ship without me or Oswald."
"What? Why?" Ren protested.
"Yeah! We can take care of ourselves!" Naomi added.
"You two are seven and five. The only thing you can take care of is your bowel movements." I pointed out, glaring at Naomi. "Little Miss Pees-Her-Pants."
The earthbender girl turned a bright red. "That only happened once and you were the one that jumped out at me when I had to go!"
Ren and I laughed, which caused Naomi to punch us both in the arms out of embarrassment. I chuckled and rubbed my arm, then pulled her into a huge hug.
"Sorry, Kiddo." I apologized, kissing the top of her head. "Anything specific in the city you want to see?"
"Nope. Just Mom." Ren said. She was very attached to her mother, even though she only saw her once a year.
"I want to see a Pro-Bending match!" Naomi said, thrusting both fists into the air.
"Yeah!" Ren said, perking up instantly. "Especially if the Fire Ferrets are playing!"
"I thought you said you just wanted to see your mom." I said, squinting teasingly at her.
"Pro-Bending is awesome." She shrugged. "The nightly radio broadcasts were our favorite things to listen to back home."
Her and Naomi frowned, remembering that there was no home to go back. I felt a pang of guilt, then smiled mischievously and tickled Naomi's sides. She laughed and wiggled free.
"Time to clean up and get this ship in ship shape." I said, standing. "Ren, go get the buckets and brushes. Naomi, go get Newt."
"Awww, why does Ren get the easy job?" Naomi complained.
"Stop whining or I'll throw you overboard." I threatened as she climbed the mast.
"You keep saying that, but I gets less convincing each time." She called.
I shook my head, a smile on my face. Ren returned with the buckets and I leaned over the starboard side to fill them with water. Ossie's head materialized under my chin and as I looked down, I screamed.
"Good morning, Inkara." He said, sticking a finger in his little otter ear. "It's good to see you awake and active."
He slurred his 's's, making them sound like 'sh's. It made listening to him talk quite enjoyable, like listening to a band's new record every time he opened his mouth.
"Mornin' Os." I grumbled, straightening. "Catch anything edible?"
"Found an octopus and a good helping of oysters. When do we make land?" He asked.
"A day I think." I shrugged.
"Hm." He nodded, jumping onto my ship's deck. "I saw a few fishing boats out here and a rather speedy one zipping around. Pretty dangerous if you ask me."
He shook him self off, spraying me with salt water.
"How is that dangerous?" I asked. "As long as they stay the hell away from us, we'll be fine."
"Yes, but the motor boat was going terribly fast. I was afraid one of the passengers would have fallen off and we'd-"
THUMP
The sound was accompanied by the sudden sway of my ship. I looked at Ossie with a crazed, worried feeling swelling in my chest.
"CAP'N!" Naomi called from the crow's nest. "WE HIT SOMEONE!"
A scream echoed internally, my head completely hollow. But my thoughts were back within moments and stampeding like a herd of Komodo Rhinos.
"DROP THE DAMN ANCHOR!" I ordered at the top of my lungs before I dove into the water.
My mind raced. Oh my spirits. I HIT someone! They could be dead or worse. What if it's someone important? *gasp* What if it's someone I KNOW! Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry! I swear, if you're dead, I'll pay for your funeral. Oh god, why is this happening to me?
I finally reached the floating, unconscious lump of a man and pulled him toward the ship, which was difficult because I was swimming for two without any help from Mr. Driftwood. Once we made it to the ship, I had Ren and Naomi lower one of the row boats and haul us up.
On deck, I rolled the still unconscious seafarer onto his back. His hair clung to his forehead in wet tendrils, his clothes were common, and the only identifiable feature were his eyebrows, which looked like two mammoth caterpillars and decided to hibernate on his forehead. I was afraid to think of what his dad's eyebrows were shaped like.
"Is he breathing?" Ren asked, crouching next to him and poking his temple.
"I can't believe you actually hit someone." Naomi said, leaning down to stare at the young man, her hands on her knees.
"Uhhh." Our victim groaned, his eyelids closing tighter in reaction.
"At least he's alive." Ossie sighed, straightening out his fur, which had become ruffled from worry.
"He's not gonna be happy when he wakes up." I said. "Pull up the anchor and release the sails. I want to be in Republic City by sunset."
"Aye aye, cap'n." Ren said, scurrying off.
"Naomi, go grab some towels and tell Newt to come down right now." I ordered.
She nodded and raced into the cabin, then ran back out carrying a mound of dry towels that eclipsed her field of vision. She unloaded all of them onto Mr. Driftwood's stomach, which made him grunt, and started pushing towels on either side of him until he was completely buried.
"You look like you have this covered." I said sarcastically, but stood anyway. "I'm gonna get Newt."
She smiled at me. "'Kay, cap'n."
I nodded and thought of how our new shipmate would react to opening his eyes and finding himself under a mountain of towels. I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of him squealing and throwing towels around. I climbed to the helm, finding Newt, my astral newt, curled around one of the wheel spokes, guiding the ship across the water.
"You know that I know that you can guide the Unagi from anywhere, right?" I said as I uncurled the tiny black amphibian from the wood. "This is the best place to sun yourself, though. I guess I can't be mad. I'd probably be downing the same."
Newt looked up at me with unnaturally purple eyes, the color of amethyst. She chirped and rubbed her head against my thumb, then rose into the air to float in front of me. She chirped again, then flew over to Mr. Driftwood, chirping thoughtfully. Her skin changed a muted blue color, conveying her feelings for worry.
"Yeah. I kinda hit him with the ship." I said, walking back over. "Do you think you can get us to port a little faster?"
Newt turned red, angry at the suggestion.
"I know you're completely capable of getting us there." I snapped, crossing my arms. "But if I have to carry your half-dead carcass for a week, I'm putting you in my pocket. And not the clean one either."
She glared at me, turning a darker red, and trilled. The thing about astral newts is that, if they attach themselves to an object or person and depending on the object or person, lend it their cosmic will or share the same emotions. It's… complicated. But when she trilled, my ship moved faster across the water, as if a huge gust of wind was being directed into the sails.
"How long 'til we reach land?" Naomi asked.
"About an hour. Dry the urchin up. We'll figure out what to do with him when we get there." I explained, grabbing a towel from the horde and drying my already crazy hair. "When we make port, we'll inform the dock master about our little find and then go get some lunch."
She nodded and rubbed the towels frantically, giggling as the poor soul underneath grumbled in his sleep.