Chapter Nine: Son of a Biscuit Eater
Since they had set sail back to port Emily had spent most of her time on deck with Captain Campbell; she was growing to love the feeling of the wind in her hair and the sway of the boat all the more. She was making fast friends with Mr. Cook's parrot, though she still didn't quite hit it off with the first mate himself. It wasn't that he was unfriendly, or even the mild flirting he threw here way from time to time—there was just an underlined feeling she picked up from him; something that made her feel he didn't quite like her as much as he put on. However, JJ was becoming good company when Cook would occupy Naomi's attention with strategy and business talk.
"Ems, Ems, Ems," the parrot crooned in her ear. "Quite a looker, pay the ransom."
The redhead giggled as she fed him another cracker. "Charmer…I bet you say that to all the ladies."
JJ nibbled the biscuit proudly and then let out a soft coo and ruffled his feathers.
"I'm on to your little game. You only love me for my biscuits," Emily whispered to the bird.
"You can trust me sweet cakes," The parrot shocked her by imitating Cook's voice perfectly.
Emily blushed—obviously this was something the bird overheard often and she couldn't help but laugh so loud that that both Cook and the captain turned to look at her like she had gone mad.
"Oi! Don't you go teaching him any high-class words I'm not going to understand," The bird's owner teased.
"I wouldn't dream of going over three syllables," The redhead teased back.
"Stick to two," Naomi corrected. "We can't take any chances with this one," she added giving him a playful punch in the shoulder.
"JJ, you going to let them talk to me this way?" the blonde man said in a mock hurt tone.
The parrot flapped his wings aggressively, but didn't seem to know who he was supposed to be scolding. So instead he let out a few sharp squawks at each of them in turn and then tilted his head back to Emily, begging for more treats. The two turned their attention back to the ship and the redhead gave JJ another cracker.
"Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered to the bird.
JJ bobbed his head up and down excitedly; it amused her how much personality this little creature had. Sometimes she swore he knew exactly what was being said. What could the harm be in telling him? He still couldn't properly say her name; he only really seemed to learn words from his master.
"I don't want to go home; I want to stay here with Naomi," Emily confided in her feathered friend. "Now that's a secret so don't go telling the whole crew."
"It's a secret," JJ mimicked in Cook's voice again.
Emily's eyebrow raised a little. "What's a secret JJ?" she tested.
The bird flapped his wings aggressively again and the girl could swear he was giving her a suspicious look. She took out another scrap of bread and held it temptingly just out of reach.
"What's a secret?" she tried again, not really expecting it to work.
"Naomi's prefect," the bird caved in the face of biscuit bribery. "I love Naomikins. It's a secret."
Emily fed the bird quickly and returned him to his owner. "I think I need to lie down for a while…it's hot out here…" she lied as she brushed past them and rushed to the captain's quarters.
Captain Campbell and her first mate watched as she shuffled down the stairs.
"What did you say JJ?" Cook laughed, imagining some of the lewd things the bird might have quoted to her.
The bird just ruffled his feathers and leaned forward to nibble at one of the captain's buttons.
"How long have you known Cook?" Emily asked a few days later.
"Has to be about four year now…" Naomi answered. "Why?"
"I don't know…just curious…" The redhead didn't know how to ask if Naomi and Cook were involved, or if they had been at some time.
"Curious about Cook…" the blonde said with her eyebrow lifted.
It was to be expected; her first mate had that effect on a lot of girls and, for the first time, the captain found herself jealous of his appeal.
"I just mean…you two are very friendly and natural together and you're not that way with any of the rest of the crew…so I just…I don't know…" the girl continued uncertainly. "I mean he's a nice guy…surprisingly nice when you get to know him a little…so…" she faded out with a shrug.
"He's always had a way with the ladies," the captain agreed. "And to be honest, he's the best friend I have; he was there when things got pretty dark for me."
The redhead rested her head back on her knees and sighed. The room was beginning to feel cramped and she desperately wanted to be back out on the ship so she could move around a little.
"It's weird; I wish he would settle down, but at the same time, I would hate to lose him," Naomi added, not noticing the look on Emily's face since she was still looking over some documents. "Is that what it's like to have a sibling?"
"What?" Emily asked.
"I mean, when your sister gets married…you'd be happy for her, but wouldn't you miss her?" the blonde clarified as she turned to look at the girl. "Oh! I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you miss her now! I shouldn't have brought it up," she quickly added, misinterpreting the look on the redheads face.
"I…well…" the redhead stammered. "I guess so…I hadn't thought of it…wait do you mean you think of him like a brother then?"
"Well of course." Naomi laughed. "What else would I think of him as?"
"I kind of thought…you might…" Emily shrugged again.
The captain began to laugh as she put down her papers and turned her full attention to the girl. "And I just thought you might…you know…since he has a way with women…"
Naomi laughed again at the face Emily unintentionally pulled at the thought of her and Cook together and the redhead began to blush.
"He's not my type," the girl dodged.
The blonde leaned back in the chair. "Yeah, he's not mine either."
The two giggled a little and the laughter slowly faded into silence.
"So…what is your type…" Emily found herself asking.
Naomi shifted uncomfortably in her chair as she thought. She couldn't seem to wrap her head around a suitable answer while her mind kept thinking cute redheads with warm brown eyes and a little too much backbone for their own good. The blonde could feel herself beginning to blush and she turned back to the papers quickly.
"I never really thought about it…" she lied offhandedly.
"Well you have to have dated someone before…" Emily continued.
There was no way the redhead was going to believe that the beautiful blonde hadn't had a slew of men ready to fight over her. Every day she liked the captain a little bit more; the brown eyed girl was beginning to see straight through Naomi's sharp words and bravado.
"What kind of men have you courted?" the captain asked, steering the subject as best she could.
"I haven't," the redhead answered.
The papers fell back on the desk once again and the captain turned a disbelieving eye on her guest. She fixed her with a no fucking way look.
"I haven't," the girl insisted.
"But you were being set up to marry…" Naomi pointed out. "You can't tell me that your mom didn't want you to date before marriage."
Emily sighed. "That's why I am being set up to marry…odds are Katie would pick someone for her and then she or mom would have picked someone for me and thrown me at them."
"That's a little sink or swim isn't it?" the blonde said. "Do they pick everything for you?"
"Katherine has just always been in charge…" the redhead said. "She never had any trouble with men; they flock to her and she picks through them like selecting the right dress for the evening. I just…never got it…so in time, mother just left it up to her to show me who I should be interested in."
"And how does that work out?" the captain asked.
"Terribly," Emily answered sadly. "Neither of them seem to know me at all. The boys they push me on…it's like oil and water…and then they get irritated with me if I do strike up a friendship with the guy instead of…well you know…and suddenly I'm not allowed to spend time with him because it's not ladylike anymore."
"Your world doesn't make a lot of sense," Naomi said sharply.
"Maybe it's me that doesn't make a lot of sense…no one else I know seems to have trouble with…the right kind of liking." The redhead was beginning to wonder if she was saying too much. "Maybe I'm just crazy. Maybe you won't get your ransom because you happened to take the defective daughter."
Captain Campbell didn't know quite what to say; so instead, she moved over to the bed and sat down next to Emily. The redhead was trying to hold back tears and the blonde found herself very angry with anyone who would make this beautiful girl feel this way.
"That can't be true." Naomi struggled comfort her. "And your family is bloody crazy. From what I am hearing, you are the best of the whole lot. And there is nothing wrong with not falling in love with every person you meet…it never got me anywhere good. No, you're just the kind of person who is smart enough to only fall for someone who is worth it." She finished with an encouraging smile.
Emily brushed away a few tears and forced a smile. She could easily see why the first mate would be in love with his captain.
Once again, Katie found herself standing on the deck of the Bloody Whore as Captain Stonem directed the ship. In the distance she could see gulls circling and she knew that meant somewhere just out of sight there was land, but strain as she might, she couldn't see it. She wanted to ask for the telescope, but the light was fading fast, which made it not worth the effort of asking the wild woman at the wheel for it.
"How much longer?" she asked instead.
"Week, week in a half if the weather continues to improve," The brunette answered.
The redhead couldn't believe her luck; she'd asked a question and gotten a simple answer for once.
"So what is your interest in the Lament?" Katie tried her new found luck once again.
"Just want to stop by and say hello. You know…shoot the breeze and maybe have a cup of tea when this is all done…" Effy said with a sly smile.
So much for that Katie thought. Why couldn't the captain just be straight forward, like she imagined the men her father dealt with were? No matter, she focused on the fact that in a mere week or two she would undoubtedly have her sister back safe and sound and then life could begin again. The redhead began to imagine all the punishments that would be charged against the kidnappers and the joy of seeing Emily again. She allowed herself a daydream that they would marry a very wealthy set of twin brothers so that they could all live together forever in large mansions—far away from any large mass of water.
Her daydream was interrupted when she noticed a set of piercing blue eyes watching her.
"What?" Katie snapped.
An impish smile crept across Effy's face before she turned back to the wheel. "Sea shells?" she chuckled.
The captain stifled her laughter as the redhead stomped past and down to their quarters.
"We should make port," her first mate commented after Katie had gone. "Just long enough for supplies."
"We have enough to make it," Captain Stonem said.
"But the men…" Mr. Thomas. "With her on board…they are restless…"
The captain handed over the wheel and scanned the deck before leaning on the stair railing to face him. "The lads can make it. Fuck knows I have."
"Then half of them have lost their bets already," the first mate said with a weak smile.
The impish smile was back on her face. "Have you lost your bet then? If I knew you had money ridding on it I would try harder," Effy teased.
"It's nothing to me…" he said. "...was she?" His words trailed off.
"Oh are we talking about her now?" The captain said brightly, knowing that the subject had finally worked its way back to the witch from the island.
Thomas' face went hard again; he checked the compass and adjusted the wheel slightly.
"Guess not," the brunette corrected herself.
The captain wished he would talk about it; she knew he still cared for the witch, even if she had broken his heart. They had found her on that island almost two years ago and he had fallen madly in love and Effy had made the mistake of letting him bring her aboard. Things had gone well for a while; the captain had certainly benefited from her free counsel while she was with them—but then, as life goes, they had landed in a port and Pandora had met Cassie. Suddenly all she wanted in life was to return to her isolated home to train her apprentice. There had been no talking her out of it. The brunette still felt guilty for his pain, but she rarely let on that she was aware of it.
Effy turned and made her way slowly down the stairs, stopping at the bottom to add, "It's a shame too…you would think being stranded on an island like that, she wouldn't last a month, but a full year later and they're just thriving away…" before she entered her quarters.
I'm having a hard time writing lately. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
