Shout out to Hinotori-hime, marbot457, Vintage Sherry, Black-Silver-White, Angy, and Rani-Girl! Loven' the reviews and enthusiasm! :D I present to all of my awesome reviewers a giant imaginary cookie of your choice!

Enjoy!

Lovina woke the next morning to the ship bumping the dock. She stumbled from the bed, peering blearily through the windows as she forced herself to wake up. The sun had just cleared the horizon, and the crew was tying off the Delfín Rojo to the dock. When she looked farther into the port, she felt her heart sink.

Tortuga looked about like what it as, a pirate haven. At this hour, the boardwalks and the few streets she could make out were mostly empty, occupied only by drunks in various stages of a hangover. Most were still out cold, but she did see some starting to mill about, holding their heads.

That said, the docks were well kept, the streets and buildings in no worse condition than those back at Port Diego. The main difference seemed to be that there was more alehouses and brothels. Lovina even made out what looked suspiciously like a bank, though she highly doubted it. Even if it was, who would use it? From what she understood most pirates spent their booty before they could do anything smart with it.

Lovina was still studying the port when the door opened behind her. Turning, she saw Antonio in the doorway, the morning light filtering around him. "Buenos días, Lovi," he said, smiling.

"Buongiorno," she answered automatically, and then scowled. "Why the hell are you in such a good mood? It's mornings, bastard. You're supposed to be grumpy in the mornings."

Antonio took off his hat, brushing some of the dried salt off. As the grains cascaded to the planks at his feet he answered, "The sun is bright, the air is cool, the wind died just when we got to port, and I just got word Kirkland left yesterday morning. I think I have reason to be in a good mood, Lovi." Securing the hat back on his head, he smiled and added, "Come, I will show you."

Lovina folded her arms. "You told me you weren't going to let me off the ship. Why the hell should I go up where you can rub it in my face?"

Antonio frowned. "I wasn't going to rub it in your face, Lovi. It's a beautiful day, I thought it would make you happy. Eat your breakfast and come out on deck. The crew is mostly gone, though I doubt they will be able to find much at this hour."

The pirate left, leaving the door wide open. Lovina scowled after him, but it was more of a habit than anything else. Sighing, she wandered over to the desk. She expected the usual fair of bread and cheese, though the former was mostly hardtack at this point. Her eyes lit on an unmistakable red, and she hurried over to get a better look.

Not only was the bread fresh, they were two rolls still warm from the bakers. A fresh green apple joined them, but what really caught her attention was what sat in the middle of the plate. A bright red, plump, juicy tomato. No, not one, but two.

Mouth watering, Lovina slowly picked it up, cupping it in her hands. Sure Antonio had mentioned a tomato seller on Tortuga, but she hadn't actually believed he'd get her any. Why would he?

Carefully setting the fruit down, she turned to the bread. She ate the rolls first, enjoying the warm fluffiness of them. They had been a staple at Nonno's table, but she'd underestimated just how much she would miss them. She ate the apple next, genuinely surprised by the tartness. It truly was as fresh as it looked, then.

The tomato's Lovina saved for last. She selected one, bringing it to her face with both hands. After taking a deep sniff, she took a bite. There was an art to biting a tomato and not getting juice everywhere, one she had mastered some time ago. Now, as the flavor hit her tongue, she almost forgot to use it.

Delizioso, she thought almost dreamily. While at this point any tomato would be, she had to admit they were pretty good, for a street vendor. Once she had savored the first bite, she hurriedly swallowed and took another.

Several minutes later, a laughing tone from the still open doorway said, "I'm glad you like them."

Lovina, who had been licking stray juice from her fingers, froze mid-luck. Quickly pulling her tongue back into her mouth she admitted reluctantly, "I've had worse."

Antonio just continued to smile. "I'm glad you like them. Come, the day is still beautiful."

Grudgingly, Lovina trailed him out of the cabin. She had to work on that attitude more than usual. The tomatoes had put her in a good mood.

The deck was deserted when Lovina stepped out into the open. A crisp breeze brushed her face, and she grimaced slightly as the full force of port scents assaulted her nose. They were ones she was used to, but after any stent with only being able to smell the sea and an unwashed crew it could be a bit harsh initially. Fish, tar, lumber, brine, cooking meat, and of course rum. The only difference between Port Diego and Tortuga was the scent of various forms of alcohol was stronger. Sniffing, she could make out ale and brandy as well as rum. The most favored drink was only so because it was the cheapest to make and buy. Especially since smugglers still cornered that particular market. Though it seemed with all the pirates coming fresh from raids they could afford the marginally more pricy stuff.

Turning away from the town proper, Lovina looked around the harbor. It was a nice day, she had to admit, the fresh morning light painting an idealistic light over the pirate-ridden harbor. Seagulls circled overhead, barking their calls back and forth, the air itself cool and just crisp enough not to give her a chill.

"What do you think?" asked Antonio, wandering father out onto the deck.

Lovina snapped back to the present. She glanced around, locating the gangplank as she started to wander forward. The pirate's back was to her, and she'd always been very fast. If she could at least get to it before he noticed...

"Lovi," he called idly, turning around. "What are you doing?"

Lovina scowled at him. Either he was paying more attention than she thought, or she was being more obvious than she thought. "I want to get off the damn ship."

Antonio arched his eyebrows. "That was hardly a long sail, Lovi. Sometimes we go weeks without making port."

"I don't care. I want off."

"And what's to keep you from bolting the moment you have an opportunity?"

"I'm on an island, bastard. Just how far do you think I'm going to get?"

The pirate just looked at her for a moment, and then said, "I know how far you could get, but I doubt you would be able to manage it. I'm keeping you on the ship as much for your own safety as to make sure you don't run off, Lovi."

Lovina stabbed a finger at the dock. "Look around, bastard. Everyone's either passed out drunk or hung over. How much trouble to you think I can get into?"

"This is the quiet part of Tortuga, Lovi," sighed Antonio. "If you don't stay willingly I'm going to have to lock you in the cabin, and I would rather not do that on such a nice day. It should be enjoyed."

Lovina gave him a dirty look, unwilling to admit she agreed with him. "I can enjoy it in town too, bastardo."

"I was under the impression you didn't mind being on a ship," mused Antonio, wandering in her general direction.

"I don't, what I do mind is being cooped up while we're docked."

The pirate seemed to consider this, though it was apparent he wasn't inclined to give in.

"I still need spices, and I don't like sending an errand boy to do the shopping for my kitchen," she informed him, folding her arms.

Antonio chuckled, stopping a few paces away. "I suppose. Very well. If I let you off my ship, there are going to be conditions."

Genuinely surprised but working very hard not to show it, she waited.

Holding up a finger, he began, "First, you don't go anywhere without me to company you."

Lovina grimaced. Irritating, but she was confidant she could ditch him once the crowds picked up.

Only when she'd nodded did he lift a second finger, "Dos, you listen to what I say. If I say let's go, we go. I say jump, you ask how high, comprendes?"

"This only applies while we're on land, right?"

Antonio chuckled. "It seems that's as much as I am going to get, doesn't it?"

"Fine," huffed Lovina.

"Tres," he continued, adding a third finger, "we go straight to the market, and straight back. No side trips, I don't care what the shops have, I don't care how good the food smells."

"Why the hell would I care? I'm not going to take long enough to get hungry, and I'm not one of those prissy bitches that sees something in every window she has to have. It's irritating and impractical."

Taking her comment as agreement, he lowered his hand and nodded. "Bueno." Walking over to the gangplank he said, "Let's go. Try to keep up. The market can get crowded."

Perfect, thought Lovina, trailing him down to the dock. Then it's just a matter of bargaining my way out of this buco infernale.

BREAK/BREAK\BREAK

Lovina soon discovered that her idea of crowded and Antonio's didn't match up. When they got to the market she already found herself sidestepping more than one person as she tried to keep up with him. It wasn't that she wanted to, it was just that she wanted to be strategic about her escape. If she tried and got caught he'd never let her off the ship again.

Tortuga itself wrapped around a point of the main island, as did much of the harbor. She was sure that if she get away from the pirate she could keep her distance easily enough. The hard part would be bargaining her way off the island before he could find her.

The more Lovina thought about it, the less she realized she had to work with. Honestly, what did she have? The boots on her feet, the clothes on her back, and the head cloth keeping her hair in place. She didn't fancy the idea of using her identity and possible reward money to bribe a captain into helping her. She had no money unless she wanted to try her hand at stealing, and she would rather take her chances with an angry Antonio before she sold herself for passage.

I'll have to stowaway, she decided grimly. Find a ship that's leaving today for a nearby port. At least if they catch me they'll be away from Tortuga, and they don't come down on girl stowaways like they do boy ones. Right?

She was still debating on that point, and trying to form a story should they discover her prematurely when Antonio found the spice merchant he was looking for. By then a decent crowd had gathered in the market, which she was glad of. It would make it that much easier to slip away.

Lovina tried to take the chore of getting spices seriously, which was easier than she'd expected. Planned escape or no, the supply of spices on the ship were pathetic. All they had was salt and a few small cases of stale oregano that had been taken by chance several years ago.

When she'd made her selection and Antonio made arrangements for them to be brought to the ship, Lovina started scanning the crowd as subtly as possible. His back was to her as he spoke with the merchant, and the crowd had gotten even thicker while they'd stood here.

She saw her chance when a cart of fish rolled down the street. Taking a deep breath, she took a slow step back, and then another. Glancing over her shoulder, she kept one eye on Antonio, the other on the cart. As he paid the merchant, she took several quick steps backward, turning to dart in front of the cart. Not enough to make the horse balk, but enough so that it was easy to duck on the other side of the cart and keep pace with it.

When she didn't hear an immediate outcry, Lovina let out a breath. Okay, she was away from Antonio. Now she had to get back to the harbor. Preferably at a point as far away from the Delfín Rojo as possible.

BREAK/BREAK\BREAK

Lovina kept pace with the fish cart for a few blocks before leaving it, trying to weave her way back to the harbor. She soon found this to be difficult, the winding streets of Tortuga laid out with little rhyme or reason. She lost count of how many times she got turned around before she finally found the docks.

When she scanned the nearby ships, Lovina was pleased to find she didn't recognize any of them. The Delfín Rojo was nowhere in sight. Okay, so maybe spending the last hour making what had originally been a ten minute walk wasn't without benefits.

The sun was getting higher in the sky, bringing heat with it. More crewmen were up and about, and she didn't see a face among them that didn't look crabby. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to find anything that looked like she could get onto easily. What's more, they all seemed to be docked solely so their crew could enjoy the local drink and women. This was a port town, for pities sake. Not everything could come in on pirate ships, could it? There had to be the occasional cargo vessel, no matter how disreputable. Considering how much rum all these pirates had to go through, one would think a shipment a week was needed at minimum. Though admittedly some of the ships did look like they could haul quite a bit of cargo...

Lovina was still weaving her way along the docks, wondering if she should lower her standards to a rum transport ship when a familiar voice behind her asked, "How did you get off the ship?"

She swung around, heart sinking as she found herself face to face with Juan, Antonio's helmsmen of choice. He'd been picked up in a Spanish port when he'd tried to pick the pirate's pocket. Apparently steady hands were handy in pick pocketing and manning the ship's wheel. (Okay, so she got board and he was naturally chatty. It was better than staring at the water or cleaning the spotless kitchen.)

Thinking quickly, she propped her fists on her hips and told him tartly, "Because your boss let me, idiota."

Juan obviously wasn't buying it. "He told us if any of us found you off the ship, we were to bring you right back. He said if we didn't we'd lose an ear. El capitán doesn't make threats he doesn't mean."

"He changed his mind," argued Lovina, trying to ignore that last bit. She knew it was true, and while Juan was one of the more tolerable pirates she didn't like the idea of being the reason he had an ear cut off.

"Since this morning?"

"Sì."

"What did you give him to let you off?" he asked, looking interested.

Lovina resisted the urge to punch him. It didn't matter what the story was so long as he believed it. "None of your business. He let me leave the ship, that's all that matters. I just have to be back by sunset."

Juan hesitated.

Seeing she almost had him, and rationalizing she'd never see him again, Lovina took a few slow steps toward him. Trying to remember how Feliciana behaved when she wanted men to do things for her, Lovina tried her hand at an art she had previously scorned. Desperate times call for desperate measures, she thought grimly.

"I just wanted a little time on land," she said sweetly, pouting a little. "It gets boring on that ship." When she was close enough she reached out, putting a hand on his chest and made her first ever attempt at a flirtatious look. "I'm a lady, remember? I can't discuss certain things. But if you promise to leave me alone I might show you how I got him to let me on land."

And the nuns had thought her a devil child before. Lovina mentally cringed at what would happen if things went south and she ended up back on theDelfín Rojo now. All the more reason to get out of Tortuga as soon as possible.

Considering her previous tactics around men had involved swearing and scowling, her untried technique worked quite well. Juan took a moment, looked her up and down, and then turned right around, marching smartly back down the dock. Lovina waited until he was out of sight before sighing in relief, wiping her hand on her skirt.

Muttering under her breath, Lovina continued working her way down the docks, increasing her pace. It was another hour before she found what she was looking for, a large ship docked next to a pulley tower. Crewmen were rolling barrels down the planks, parking them next to it.

Well, a rum ship is better than no ship, thought Lovina wryly, making her way towards it.

As she got closer Lovina could hear the captain bellowing orders to the crew, cracking a whip in the general direction of those who weren't moving fast enough. She hovered for a few minutes, watching them from a distance.

From the look of it, they were loading empty barrels onto the ship. She doubted she would be missed if she got in one before it was loaded, but they were certainly large enough to make a decent hiding spot. If she could get on board and hide in one of the barrels already stowed...

Lovina was studying the ship, trying to work out just how she could get on it without being seen when, for the second time that day, an unpleasantly familiar voice spoke up from behind her.

"I really wouldn't. He's not called Captain Whiphand Willis for nothing."

Very slowly, shoulders tense, Lovina turned around. While his tone wasn't cheerful, it wasn't icy either. She was startled to find him not two feet from her. How had he gotten so close?

Slowly, reluctantly, she looked up into Antonio's face. He didn't look very happy.

Buenos días- good morning

Buongiorno- good morning

Delizioso- delicious

Dos- two

Comprender- understand

Tres- three

Bueno- good

buco infernale- hell hole

Yes, it has been established that tomatoes are, in fact, fruits. At least they were last I checked. :P

Please Review!