(((My apologies for the wait. My classes have been taking a lot of time, and I have been without internet for awhile now. I will have it back full-time in a few more days, but in the meantime I got the itch to write while staying at my boyfriend's house. And thus, chapter 3 was born.)))
Elizabeth's eyes went wider than ever, before shutting tightly and waiting for what felt like ages before the bullet hit skin. She knew that Kenyon wasn't aiming for her, but rather the guard. Still, that didn't seem to help control that fear of a gun being pointed in your direction. The woman felt the body of the guard fall away from her, quickly pulling her robes back over herself tightly. She stepped forward and turned around to see the hole in the guard's head. She felt herself getting queasy, so she quickly turned back around.
It wasn't but a few more moments before Will rushed to her aid, the guard he had been fighting disposed of along with the others.
"She'll be alright, jus' git over here and help!" Jack fussed at him while he and Kenyon pulled the guards along the street behind a large building. There was an area with railing where the cobblestone stopped and the water began again. As soon as Will joined them, the group began to lift and push the bodies over the railing and into the depths. The blood on the street... Well, hopefully that would be chocked up to bar brawls and animals.
After all was said and done, Will grabbed Elizabeth's hand and the four of them rushed back towards the ships. They didn't have too much trouble sneaking past any of the other guards patrolling the city. The crew members working on the ships would be working through the night now that they had to leave by daybreak for fear of suspicion. Kenyon made a mental note to let them rest when the seas seemed at peace.
As Will and Elizabeth stepped up the gangplank onto the Pearl, Jack spoke up, "Ah, perhaps 'Lizabeth should go on Kenyon's ship, eh? Ye understand, don't ye, luv?" He looked to Elizabeth, who gave him a questioning look. "Well, ye see.. Last time I let ye on my ship, me crew didn' much 'preciate a woman on board.. Besides, ye might be more comfortable with another woman, savvy?" Elizabeth gave a weary nod, at this point she just wanted to get some rest.
Jack looked to Kenyon with a grin, "What do ye say, luv?"
Kenyon stared at him for a moment, her jaw shifting from side to side gently as she contemplated. What was he up to? "If ye wish ta join me, Miss, ye are welcome on me ship." Kenyon bowed gracefully, hat grabbed in her hand and placed on her stomach, before standing upright once again. She set her hat back on her head and held her hand out towards Saorise to invite the woman aboard.
It certainly wouldn't hurt to have an attractive woman on board, right?
Will released Elizabeth's hand hesitantly, smiling at her as she stepped up the gangplank onto Saorise. "Don't ye worry, I'll take good care of her, love." She told Will honestly. As she passed Jack, he gave her a wink along with that mischievous smirk. All he got in return was a glare and a shake of Kenyon's head. Kenyon stepped up next to Elizabeth, who was standing on the deck and looking out to the ocean. "Ye can sleep in me quarters, Miss. It'd be far more comfortable than the bunks below."
"That is very kind of you, but I do not wish for you to leave your bed for me." Elizabeth was very modest, but she would have a hard time adjusting to that kind of rest, even if she had done so before.
And being chivalrous, Kenyon couldn't let a lady sleep like a member of the crew. "Nonsense, love. Ye need a good night's rest." Kenyon held her hand out to lead Elizabeth to the captain's quarters. When the door was shut behind them, Elizabeth's eyes wondered to the room around her.
As Elizabeth looked to the bed, she noticed the detail that had been put into it. The bed had carved wooden posts, with intricate carvings of the ocean. The upper part of each post held depictions of sandy beaches, with wolves running or howling on the coastline. The lower half was a scene of the ocean as it got deeper, with schools of fish and sharks. At the top of each post sat a mermaid, leaning back as if watching the sun set. The foot and head boards were both the deepest part of the ocean, with rocks and coral beds sitting along the ocean floor.
There were many trinkets hanging on the walls. Most of them depictions of sea creatures, mermaids in particular. Even a large carved stone of a mermaid in the corner. The mirror above the desk had a silver frame of corals and small mermaids. In the midst of admiring it, she glanced at her own reflection. Now that she could see herself in the dim candle light, she could see that blood had been splattered across her face from the guard Kenyon had shot. A gasp escaped her lips, and Kenyon looked to her with sudden alarm.
Kenyon sighed in relief when she saw that it was just blood, she had worried the woman had gotten injured at some point during the fight. "It's jus' a bit of blood, love. I can have a bath brought up if ye'd like."
Elizabeth nodded quickly, "If it isn't too much trouble, I would appreciate it."
Kenyon smiled politely and pulled the carved wooden chair away from her desk. "Make yerself comfortable, love. I'll go get someone to pour ye some hot water."
Elizabeth looked worriedly at the female pirate.
"What's wrong?" Kenyon lifted her head, once again alarmed that she was injured.
"I feel as if everyone has seen me in my night clothes by now." She grinned a little bit, laughing at herself. It was a reserved laugh, but genuine. Very lady-like, one could say.
Kenyon chuckled at the woman, stepping over to where she had sat down. The pirate removed her captain's coat and set it over the woman's shoulders. She left without speaking another word, going to gather a crew member to help her bring the large wooden tub in the room.
While she waited, Elizabeth wrapped the jacket tightly around her shoulders, her nostrils taking in the thick musk of sweat and lavender. It was oddly comforting, she supposed it was because despite being on a ship, the bit of feminine touch to this room made her feel more at home. She hated to admit it, but Jack was right about her being more comfortable here.
A few moments later, Kenyon and another crew member brought the tub in. They didn't stay in for long, only to adjust the tub in place before slipping away to gather hot water.
Because of how unsafe it was to have fire on a ship made of wood, it was a rare time when one could get a hot bath, or heat food. When they made port, Kenyon usually took the advantage to catch fresh fish, buy fresh meats and vegetables, and cook everything she and her crew could come up with that would taste good. She also took advantage to use a large cauldron to boil lots of water for hot baths. Despite being a pirate, she still partook in some of the luxuries she had been taught as a child. A hot bath was definitely her favourite.
It didn't take long for the pair to strike up a fire and set the cauldron above it to boil a barrel of water. It took some time, but soon enough they were hauling two buckets each back on board, and filling the tub up with water. After it was half full, they put in two buckets of cold water to ensure it wouldn't burn the lady's fair skin. By that point, Elizabeth was about to doze off, the only thing keeping her awake was the knowledge of how gross she felt.
Between the blood on her face, neck, and in her hair, and the dirt that had scuffed up onto her legs when running in only her bedroom slippers, she was anxious to get into the tub. Finally, Kenyon thanked the crew member and sent him on his way.
"There are oils and scrubs in those drawers over there." Kenyon pointed out a small built-in storage space, sitting between the desk and bed to give it some seperation.
Elizabeth nodded, "Thank you, thank you so much." She was so grateful for the hospitality being given to her, she didn't know how to thank the captain beyond saying it many times over.
"Ye're welcome, love. If ye wish to borrow a gown, jus' look in the dresser at the foot of the bed. Ye can come get me when ye're finished, I'll be outside."
Elizabeth thanked her once again before the door closed and she was left to herself. She looked in the drawers Kenyon had pointed out, surprised by the array of oils the woman had. The pirate had enough oils to match her own. After deciding on a lilac oil, she poured the liquid in the bath and set the bottle to the side. Usually the maids kept her in strong scents, but the lilac was soft and beautiful. Petals had broken away from each other during their long time in the bottle of oil, so they settled at the top of the water in a way that made her pine for it even more.
After choosing one of many plain night gowns and laying it out on the bed, she pulled the ribbons and pins from her hair so that it could fall out over her shoulders. The woman gingerly removed the captain's coat and set it on the back of the desk chair, then removed her gown and bed slippers. She chose a scrub of crushed flower petals and fruit juices that had been sealed in a jar for a single use.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, she settled into the tub, her back arching as her skin adjusted to the heat. She sunk down in until her breasts were covered by the top of the water, her knees sticking out just a bit as well.
A sponge had been set on a short table near the tub, which she reached for to soak her hair while relaxing in the steaming water. After a short soaking, she loosened the tight cork from the bottle of scrub, pouring it onto the sponge and scrubbing her body from head to toe, taking extra care to remove all the blood from her face and hair. After a few more moments of soaking and rinsing, she slipped out of the tub and onto the thick strip of fabric that was set next to the tub.
She used it to rub her feet dry before stepping off of it to dry everything else, then wrapping it around her hair. The candlelight was so relaxing, she didn't realize how long she had been in there. She scrubbed at her hair a bit before removing the towel and setting it on the edge of the tub.
Elizabeth slipped on the night gown, pausing momentarily to decide if she was going to put her robe back on. It had blood and dirt on it as well. Her head turned towards the captain's coat on the back of the chair.
A gentle hum escaped her throat before she smiled and pulled it over her shoulders. After making sure she was properly covered, she opened the double doors and stepped out onto the deck bare-footed. Her slippers were a mess by now. Kenyon had been leaning against the railing of the ship, admiring the shimmer of the moon across the night tide. "I'm finished now.. Thank you for letting me borrow your things."
"Ye're welcome, love. Feelin' better now?" Kenyon took a moment to reply, having been captured by the crescent moon. She turned to look at the woman, having a hard time ignoring how attractive it was to see her hair still wet and now only in her night gown. The captain's coat covered her decently, but it still left the mind wondering. Elizabeth nodded, smiling genuinely. She was absolutely gorgeous, the moonlight clinging onto each of her lovely and detailed features, and following the upward curve of her lips.
Kenyon had to tear her eyes away long enough to walk over to the gangplank and call out to a few crew members who were warming themselves with the fire earlier built on the sand nearby. They came quickly at her call to remove the large wooden tub from the captain's quarters to dump it into the ocean. "Thank ye, fellas."
"Yes, thank you so much." Elizabeth chimed in, not wanting to forget that they had done just as much work as the pirate woman had.
They smiled with crooked teeth, saying "'Welcome." at the same time. Once they had placed the tub back below deck, they returned to their fire with the captain's permission.
Kenyon once again stood at the railing, next to Elizabeth. "And thank you for allowing me to use your coat as well."
Kenyon shook her head, holding a hand up. "No need ta keep thanking me, love. As long as ye're comfortable, tha's thanks enough."
Elizabeth smiled once again, it was intoxicating to the pirate. "Well, I shall never say it enough."
Kenyon smiled in return, "I hope ye're ready for a long sail. We don' be plannin' to stop for days."
Elizabeth nodded, looking back to the city. "I look forward to it. I love my father, but I find it hard to stay here when he insists on my marrying someone of high standing."
Kenyon was appreciative of that, though the look of slight pity on her face could show. She knew how it felt..
"I also look forward to an adventure." Elizabeth added, feeling how Kenyon's attitude had changed before she looked back at the pirate with a grin.
Kenyon chuckled in return, setting a hand on Elizabeth's mid-back to lead her to the room. "Well, fer now ye look like ye could use a rest. We'll be sailin' as soon as me ship is repaired."
Elizabeth nodded, lifting her hand to cover a yawn that she couldn't hold back any longer. The woman settled into the sheets before Kenyon blew out the candles, the only light left in the room coming from the moon through a small porthole window. "Thank you." She said. Kenyon's head could be seen shaking in the light, "Get some rest, love."