And here we are at chapter 2…

Thank you to GraySparkles, joystersm, PikaMewGirl, omaysruB, mangaluverjc, and Yel-kun 310 for following and/or adding this to your favorites – I would like a review, but whatever floats your boat. Thank you to GraySparkles, Raven Kat, Kidd Icarus, and blazelight790 for reviewing and following and/or adding this to your favorites! Also: Kidd Icarus, thank you for pointing out that Sapphire is a little OOC. I'll try to fix that, but it probably won't work.

Um… let's see. I changed Black's personality way much because I didn't know how to exactly fit it in. And I probably messed up a few others' - okay, maybe I messed up the whole lot of them. I don't know! Please tell me. And finally, if I get any ship/boat terms wrong, I'm sorry! I did research, I really did, on pirate terms and ship terms, but I can't guarantee I'll get it right!

If I owned Pokemon, trust me, they'd be some major changes in the anime and the manga and the games.

"He refused."

Yellow's head whipped around, her ponytail whipping along with it. "What?"

Ruby blinked. He had been half-expecting it, or so he had thought; now he felt taken aback, shocked, betrayed. "What?"

Sapphire looked at him, eyes wide with surprise. "He doesn't want to pay."

He blinked again and looked away from the two girls, confused. What the hell? His father had refused the ransom? What kind of man was he, anyway?

He felt himself go numb with shock; and then, suddenly, an overwhelming wave of sadness crashed upon his shoulders, and he drooped, as if he carried the weight of the world.

His father had abandoned him?

What the hell. What the hell. What the hell?

A few minutes of silence passed. Yellow cleared her throat once, and Ruby was careful to keep his face and voice expressionless when he looked up and said lightly, "Well, I was sort of expecting it. Are you going to throw me overboard now?"

Sapphire – the girl captain made a face. "Why would we do that?"

He shrugged, wincing as the ropes scratched his arms. They would be rubbed raw by the end of this. "I'm deadweight, right?"

"Your father just refused to pay ransom and you don't even care?"

He tilted his head. "Oh, I care, all right. Maybe he'll actually let me go and do something exciting for a change." Arceus, he felt like he was betraying the man when he said that. Well, maybe he was. No, actually, he was. Part of him cared about what his father thought and was shrieking in pain; the other part screamed rebellion and was rejoicing in freedom. It was hard which one to choose, but Ruby was pretty sure he knew which side he was leaning toward.

"So… I'm useless deadweight. Now what?" He waited patiently for his fate, watching as the girl captain bit her lip and looked away. Yellow rested her hand lightly on his shoulder before she walked out of view, and despite himself, Ruby was touched. These pirates… they really weren't so bad. They were just normal kids fighting to find their place in the world, supporting each other through the chaos and hoping for the best.

Or something. He really wasn't much for deep poetic analyses like that.

"Well…" Ruby looked more carefully at the girl captain as she spoke again. Then she looked him in the eye. "You have a strong mind, to not break from losing a parent's love."

He couldn't help it – he snorted. "I lost it long ago, Captain."

Her eyes flashed, though she still registered her title by a swift, almost imperceptible nod to him. "Whatever. Do you want to join our crew?"

That brought everything he was aware of to a dead standstill. What? What? It was the whole 'what the hell' thing all over again.

Join the pirates? The people who killed his mother? The people who killed the little girl's father?

Stalling for time, he raised an eyebrow. "Why ask me? I'm nigh useless on boats, mostly because I've never left Petalburg in my life after – the – incident."

She didn't question his last halting words. "Because you lost your home, and I should think you want a new one." Terse, quick and without a trace of malice. Was she being sincere or playing him for an idiot?

But then he met her eyes and knew she wasn't kidding. She truly felt sorry for him – however that worked, her being a pirate captain – and was offering him a place to stay. And from what he knew from the pirates he had met so far, they were far from a bad bunch.

But still. Pirates. Should he really be affiliated with them?

"I get that this is sudden, but it's not like we can just return you home. Obviously, that would give us a bad reputation, and also, your father seems to be a… troubled man, so I'm not entirely sure it will work out well for you."

Oh, she had no idea. He'd probably be killed by his old man for being kidnapped, even though it wasn't even his fault. Really, at this point, he didn't even know why he was hesitating.

Well, no, he did. Because he hated pirates. He had sworn to hate pirates, and to find the pirates that had killed his mother and the little girl's father (ah, there was her name again, gone as soon as it had come) and to get revenge. Of course, that had quickly been crushed by his father insisting he remain home, but still… perhaps he could find the thugs if he joined this motley crew.

Besides, he'd rather not go home at the moment.

"Thank you," he told her, casting his red eyes toward the deck to Zuzu, still resting at his feet. "I'm indebted to you."

"No need," she said in response, a small frown on her face. Her canines, he noticed, were longer than an average human's, and for the first time he noticed they stuck out of her mouth even when it was closed. The word vampire crossed his mind as she said, "We all know what it's like."

Did they? He had to wonder.

"Right, first I'll show you where Crystal is. Come along, Zuzu."

The Mudkip chirped at Yellow before padding obediently at Ruby's heels, but Ruby just ended up scooping him up and carrying him in his arms. He had missed the little creature and he wasn't about to lose him again that easily.

"The gangway is pretty self-explanatory on deck… and this door leads to the interior, see. Then the stairs here…"

Everything here was polished and well-cared for. Ruby observed this with an expert's eye as they continued down the stairs and arrived at the lower level.

"Crystal's place is at the end of the hall here. This door." He followed the smaller blonde down the hallway and, sure enough, there was door with Crystal's name and the words 'Doctor' engraved neatly underneath. Yellow knocked once before calling, "Crystal? It's Yellow. Gold is nowhere in sight, and I'm just showing the new guy around."

Ruby was reminded that he actually hadn't told anyone his name. Well, no matter.

Crystal opened the door a moment later, looking harried and slightly singed. "Damn Gold's Typhlosion!" she growled, letting them in and closing the door behind them. Ruby felt slightly faint at the change in temperature; it was hot in here. Zuzu squirmed in his arms, not happy to be in such heat, but Ruby didn't quite dare let him go. "He keeps randomly igniting, and he almost got my face a few minutes ago! Do something about it, Yellow, please!"

"Calm down, Crystal." Yellow went over to the Pokemon as Ruby watched. It was really a magnificent creature, but the bandages wrapped on its leg were burning off and he could see a long cut in the skin. Ah, so Crystal had wrapped the wound multiple times but it kept burning the bandages off…

Yellow seemed to have a staring contest with the Typhlosion, and after a moment, it snorted and bowed its head. "There. Now you shouldn't have any trouble," the blonde told the blunette across from her. Crystal's pigtails bobbed as she gave the smaller girl a quick nod of thanks. Yellow turned to Ruby as the other girl started treating the Pokemon again. "Well, on to the next place."

As they exited someone yelled, "Crysta-al!" and a blur of white and black ran right into him. He didn't even think; lightning-quick, he spun the assaulter around and jabbed at the pressure points on the shoulders and legs, watching with satisfaction as the person fell to the ground, unable to stand.

"What the hell – ? Oh, you're not Crystal. No wonder." Gold was cackling despite not being able to stand up. Then he abruptly stopped and said, in a voice of a boy who had just been scolded, "But now I can't move!"

Yellow murmured to Ruby, "No one's been able to get Gold to stop moving. You have my respect." Ruby grinned shyly in response.

Gold muttered, "This sucks." Then he asked, "How long am I going to lie down here, new guy?"

"It should wear off momentarily," Ruby told him quietly, looking down at him. The boy was taking it rather… well, for someone he had previously assumed crazy.

"All right, as long as I can get up later. Man, Crystal is gonna freak when she leaves her room…!" He started cackling again, and Ruby shared an uneasy glance with Yellow. Then she shook her head and composed herself.

"Right, so anyway, our next stop will be Cheren." Ruby hurriedly looked up and trotted after Yellow to catch up.

"Who?"

"He's our quartermaster. With luck, White'll be with him. Cheren!" she called, knocking on the door next to Crystal's once. "I'm coming in!"

"It's a mess in here!" a female voice warned as Yellow opened the door.

There were two desks and bookshelves lining the sides of the cramped room with one window letting moonlight through. Other than that, lanterns were lit, there was a lack of any mess and there was a harried-looking boy sitting at one desk, writing frantically with a quill pen. He was wearing the standard clothes as well, white shirt and black trousers with brown boots, but he wore a dark blue overcoat and his fingers were stained with ink. "Is there any reason for this visit?" he asked irritably, pushing his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose. "I have enough work as is without interruptions – "

Ruby watched, amused, as a girl with luxurious brown hair and a pure white overcoat walked to him and leaned on his head with her hand, pushing his face into the desk. "Shut up, Cheren. It's just the new guy whose father didn't pay ransom." Her blue eyes softened when she saw Zuzu being held in Ruby's arms. "Aww, look at the little guy…"

"Ah… Ruby of Petalburg. Of course." Ruby started; how did this boy know his name? And why wasn't he at least winded from slamming his head into his desk? Cheren stood up from his desk and looked him over, blue eyes running over his figure before he abruptly turned and nodded to White. "Put him in the log. We'll need to adjust pay and put money aside for his clothes and welfare."

"All right." White slid into the other desk, just as neat as Cheren's, and began paging through a large book placed on the wood as Cheren turned toward Ruby. But before he could speak, she said, "Wait, your name is Ruby? Isn't that a girl's name?"

"Was that necessary?" Yellow said tartly and immediately, surprising Ruby into silence. "So what if he's named Ruby? I'm named Yellow and you're named White, for Arceus's sake."

"I know, but I'm just curious – sorry," the other, taller girl said hastily, noting that all three were now glaring at her. She busied herself with her quill, writing slowly and beautifully, and didn't look up. After a moment, Cheren started speaking again.

"Yellow and Platinum should be able to make your clothes in a few days," he told Ruby, absently tapping his chin with his finger as he thought. "You don't look like a sailor, so perhaps your duties can include something along Diamond's… er…"

"He's really good at sewing," Yellow interjected, and Cheren looked at her, finger paused in mid-flight. "Plus he just stopped Gold cold just now. Go check the hallway."

Cheren went to the door and opened it, poking his head around the doorframe. Gold's voice floated down to them; then the raven-haired boy shut it, shaking his head with a rueful smile on his face. "You are full of surprises," he told Ruby, going to White's desk and pointing to where she had evidently put his name. "He can work on deck, but he can also sew well."

"And I can cook," Ruby added, noting Cheren's raised eyebrow.

But all the raven-haired boy said was "Good, Arceus knows we need more of those. Put him down as a cook, White."

White snorted and smacked Cheren's pointing finger away. "I do have ears, Cheren."

"I think we're done here," Yellow said as the other two began to go back and forth about Ruby's duties and what he could be able to do. "Next stop is Silver the navigator, then the cooks, and then we'll go on deck to meet the rest of them."

"Who is 'them'?"

"The other people who don't have specific duties. Or who are swinging the lead right now. Most likely that," she said with a shrug.

Ruby could tell that Silver wasn't exactly the friendliest guy when Yellow hesitated before knocking on his door. "Silver, I'm coming in."

Ruby entered quietly after the smaller blonde, noting it was darker and more somber in the room. Except at the desk; there, brightly illuminated, were maps and tools, currently resting on the wood while a redhead clad in a sheer silver overcoat sat in a chair behind it. "Yellow, why are you here?" the redhead asked irritably, his eyes shut and his head bowed, hands clasped before him. He looked to be praying.

"Don't be an ass." Ruby looked over at Yellow, startled. She didn't seem to be one to swear, but she had steel in her, from the way her hands were propped on her yellow overcoat and from the way her brown eyes gleamed. "Ruby, this is Silver. His personality could use a little work, but he's the best navigator on the seas. Silver, this is the new guy, Ruby."

"Ruby, huh." The head lifted, and hands brushed aside a curtain of red hair to reveal silver eyes gazing at him intently. "An interesting name for a male. I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but it really isn't. Get out, would you?"

Yellow sighed but complied, motioning Ruby out the door before closing the door behind herself as she left. "You'll have to forgive him," she said apologetically as she began walking again, toward yet another door. "He's had a hard life. His mother died when he was young, and even before that, he was kidnapped."

Ruby suddenly felt guilty; compared to that redhead's past, his own was a walk in the park. Zuzu squeaked at him, sensing his master's sudden change of feelings, and Ruby smiled down at the small creature. It really was a comfort in times like these.

"Here's the galley. Bianca!" Yellow called, poking her head through the door. Ruby could smell food, and his mouth watered; when was the last time he had eaten? Not dinner, because his father had been in the kitchen and thus he'd been unable to cook… "Bianca, meet the new guy. He's probably going to be helping you."

After a moment, a taller blonde worked her way over, sweat on her brown and her green eyes alight. "Yellow! A pleasure to see you! And you must be the new one," she said warmly, rubbing her hand on her black trousers before holding it out. Ruby shook it hesitantly, noticing the lack of an overcoat and seeing her white shirt was relatively unmarked; she must only use her trousers to wipe her hands.

"I'm Bianca!" she said cheerfully, "And while I'm clumsy and no good up on deck, I do make a pretty good meal. I look forward to working together!"

And just like that, she turned and immersed herself with a pot full of simmering… something. "She probably forgot about us, and it doesn't look like Diamond's here right now," Yellow said, undeterred. "We should go above deck. Ready?"

"Er… yeah." These people were pirates? He would have a hard time believing they weren't a circus.

Up the stairs and back up into the night air they went, Zuzu trotting at their heels. Now that Ruby could actually see the entire ship, not just the section he had viewed from his place at the mast, he could see the deck was alive with figures. Yellow searched the place with her eyes and focused on a pair of boys seemingly arguing with each other. She waved them over as well as catching the eye of the girl Blue Ruby remembered from yesterday. "My closer friends," she explained as the three ambled over.

"Hey, Yellow. So you're the new guy?" Blue looked him over, one hand on her hip, the other smoothing down her blue overcoat. After a moment, she nodded, satisfied. "So, how'd you like the mast? Not bad, right?"

Ruby was about to reply when he saw the tallest brunette was looking down menacingly at him, green eyes glinting in the moonlight, hands moving from the pockets of his emerald green overcoat to cross on his chest. Ruby eyed them as muscles bulged with the motion; this one was a seasoned sailor. The brunette noticed his look and snapped, "I'm Green. Try to stay out of my way."

"Oh, shush, Green." Ruby turned to the last boy, one with black hair like himself. His thin overcoat – all of the overcoats he had seen, actually, had looked to be made of silk, thin and pretty and thus practically useless – was a deep shade of red. "Look at him. He has red eyes, just like me."

Ruby met the boy's eyes and felt a shiver pass through him. The other boy was right; not only did they have the same black hair, they also had the same iris color. "I'm Red," the raven-haired boy said with an easy smile.

Yellow nudged him, reminding Ruby of his duty to be courteous. "I… I'm Ruby."

If any of them thought his name odd, they kept it to themselves. Red played a bit with Zuzu, Blue said how nice it was to meet him, and Green simply waited off to the side. Then Blue insisted that the brunette shake Ruby's hand, which led to an interesting conversation between the two that Ruby didn't quite dare interrupt. Finally, after another brief squabble, Green and Red left, leaving Blue to catch up.

"If Silver gives you a hard time, I'll have a word with him. I like you enough to do that for you." And then she was gone, trotting after the other two boys and shouting something incomprehensible to them.

"Aren't we supposed to be quiet?" Ruby asked after a moment, leaning down and picking up Zuzu. He balanced the little Pokemon on his shoulder as he added, "And why does Silver listen to her?"

"We're far enough from the town, with enough trees to shelter us, that the sound shouldn't carry. But you're right, we should be quiet. And Silver listens to her because they're foster-siblings."

Foster-siblings? Those two? They weren't alike at all! But at Yellow's sharp glance Ruby kept his thoughts to himself and instead he meekly followed her was she walked. She soon arrived at a group of three, of which both boys were playing chess and the girl was watching. "Diamond, Pearl, Platinum," she said as she drew near.

They immediately stood at her voice and the boys sketched a quick bow while the girl dropped into a small curtsy. "Senior Yellow," the girl said in a distinct accent, one that came from the richer families. What was a noble's daughter doing here? And what was with the 'senior Yellow'? "Is this the newest member?"

"Yes. Ruby, this is Platinum. She's my – excuse me, our fellow seamstress."

"You may address me as Platina," the girl told him, crossing bare arms over her silvery-blue overcoat. "I hail from the Berlitz family, which is why my accent may seem familiar."

Ruby had heard about the Berlitz scandal. That family had lost everything they had because of… something his father wouldn't tell him. He hadn't even let Ruby see the newspaper article. "I am sorry for you loss."

She smiled at him, a small smile but a smile nonetheless. "Someone who knows how to speak properly at last. We shall get along, you and I." Zuzu dropped to the ground and butted her leg, instantly gaining her attention.

"He's the other cook you didn't see, Diamond," Yellow said, indicating a droopy-looking boy with black hair and blue eyes. Ruby flicked his eyes over the overcoat; blue, with some sort of sheen that glowed in the moonlight. He was beginning to realize he could identify members by the colors of their overcoats. Whoever had thought of it was pretty smart. "And that one over there is Pearl."

Pearl's overcoat was whitish-gray and the sleeves were rolled up all the way to his shoulders. Ruby had to wonder if he put gel in his hair; the blond strands stuck up in a very strange fashion. "You know, you stayed pretty calm while tied to the mast. Most of us started screaming our heads off after thirty minutes of complete silence."

"I didn't," Diamond said, just as Ruby told the blonde, "I was meditating."

Pearl raised an eyebrow but didn't question the explanation. Ruby wondered what his role was until he absently stretched an arm; then he had a clear view of wiry muscles, most likely used for climbing the ratlines and perhaps rigging the sails. "Well, you seem to be a decent person. So… nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Ruby looked the two over. They seemed to be commoners; why were they friends with a noble such as a Berlitz?

As if reading his mind, Diamond said, "Her father appointed us as bodyguards before he... you know. Died."

Platina bit her lip and looked away while Pearl told Ruby, "It's best not to talk about that with her; you know how recent the scandal was. Really, though, Diamond; couldn't you have had a bit more class?"

"Let's go. You still have a couple of people to meet," Yellow interrupted, hooking her arm through Ruby's and dragging him away. Ruby, in retrospect, would thank her later; had he stayed any longer, Platina might have very well lost control of her emotions. Zuzu was quick to follow, never leaving his master out of sight.

They stopped at the main mast and Yellow tilted her head up. "Emerald!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "You need to meet the new guy!"

After a moment, a very short blonde dropped down out of nowhere, scaring Ruby enough that he squeaked in alarm. "This is Emerald," Yellow told Ruby, indicating the short boy with her fingers. "He likes to stay up in the top."

"It's nice up there," the short boy said defensively, eyeing Ruby with intelligent green eyes. "And I'm taller than everyone else."

Yellow chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "I know what it's like being short."

"At least you're not too short," he said, disgruntled. "I mean, sure, you're seventeen, but I'm still eleven and look at how tall I am!"

Seventeen? Yellow was seventeen? Ruby had thought she'd be younger…

Emerald soon was back up at his post, saying something along the lines of "It's too warm down here". Yellow explained, "Since he stays up there a lot, he and Silver make a good pair; with them we never get lost. He's also the one who hoists our Jolly Roger flag, and he likes to help Green."

"What does Green do?" Ruby asked, curious.

"He's the armorer. Basically, he repairs our guns and swords whenever we hit land. Plus he's a great sailor."

"Oh… guns." Ruby wasn't surprised, but he still didn't like it.

Yellow gave him an apologetic smile. "None of us are wearing ours on our person at the moment, though we all know where they are if we need them. Mostly, though, we use our Pokemon."

"I was wondering about that. Where are they? Since you don't seem to keep Pokeballs on you," Ruby added.

"Pokeballs are bloody expensive," she said with a chuckle, leading him further astern. Ruby snapped his fingers once, summoning Zuzu to his side, as she continued, "Right now they're sleeping – or partying, one of the two – in their quarters."

After a moment they had reached the stern of the Zaffiro, and this is where Yellow called softly, "Black? You need to meet the new guy."

A figure he hadn't seen previously stood up and stretched before walking gracefully toward him. Each step was precise and controlled, and no movement was wasted. Then a person came into view, brown eyes warm, a light smile on his face. An overcoat dark as the night was snug around his shoulders. "Hello," he said quietly, holding a hand out to Ruby.

Ruby shook it, feeling the calluses on the boy's palm. He looked thin and weak, but he really wasn't, Ruby supposed – just like everyone else on here. He could see Yellow or even Platina wielding a rapier with ease. "I'm Ruby."

"I'm Black," the boy replied unnecessarily (his overcoat said it all), slipping his hands into his pockets with a smooth motion. Everything he did, in fact, was smooth and controlled, elegant and graceful. "It's very nice to meet you." With that, he went back to his dark corner and sat back down, bringing his knees up slightly and resting his folded hands on them.

Yellow made Ruby walk a distance away before telling him quietly, "Black is the boatswain, so once things get underway you'll be under his command. He's overall a nice guy, but when he gets overexcited or angry, it's best to get out of his way before he hurts you. At least – " She gave Ruby a looking-over – "That's how it used to be, before I saw you completely disarm Gold. He didn't even have time to draw his knife." Ruby gulped, wondering just how close he'd been to getting hurt when he'd attacked the other boy.

"Wait, I thought Gold was second-in-command?"

She chuckled. "He's an officer, I suppose you could call him. He's in charge of the boarding crew; other than that, he's useless. You'll probably be more valued than him."

Valued… apparently all of these 'ladylike' skills his father had loathed would come in handy. "I see."

"And finally, to the captain," Yellow said after a moment, sensing Ruby was suddenly uncomfortable. He bit his lip at the mention of the girl captain; he was pretty sure they would be at each other's throats in no time. Still. She was fun to irritate.

Yellow led him back to the front of the ship as Ruby scooped up Zuzu in his arms to boost his confidence. In the hallway again, Ruby remarked that it seemed spacious from the outside, but each room was small and cramped. Well, they didn't need a bigger boat, since their crew was unusually small. He knew that most crews had contained at least one hundred men, usually more. "Sapphire, I'm coming in," Yellow called, opening a door. Ruby obediently walked after her, observing the room around him.

Sapphire was standing at her porthole, looking out at the trees. She didn't turn even when Yellow had taken a step toward her. "Let me talk to him alone, please," she said in a clipped tone. Yellow murmured assent and turned to Ruby, indicating he should give Zuzu to her. He did, sighing, and the Mudkip squeaked in protest as Yellow closed the door behind her. Ruby felt about half of his self-confidence leave with the small blonde and his Pokemon.

"So." The girl captain left it at that, waiting for him to speak.

After a few minutes of uneasy silence, he murmured, "A band of outcasts, brought together under a girl of merely twelve years."

"Excuse me?" He could see the anger glint in her eyes as she whirled to face him.

"Exactly what I said," Ruby replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "How did a young, inexperienced, hot-blooded girl like you possibly do it?"

Sapphire merely glowered at him, crossing her arms as well. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages; then she said, blatantly ignoring his previous jab, "Listen, I have a job for you."

He raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware you were capable of thinking ahead."

Her blue eyes narrowed but she didn't retaliate. "Do people know what you look like?"

"Of course not. My father never let me out of the house ever since the – incident." And that had been when he was five. He still blamed the man for not giving Zuzu to him when the little girl's father offered it to Ruby; instead, his father had taken it, saying he'd give it some training before he gave it to his son.

He had trained it, that was true – Zuzu was probably the strongest Mudkip in existence. But that still didn't mean Ruby had to forgive him.

"Good. I need you to gather information."

Oh? This sounded interesting. "Where?"

"In towns and ports we stop at. We need to make sure we keep a relatively low profile, and besides which, we need information on certain things."

"Such as?"

"People, mostly. Potential prizes. And also a ship called the Ingenium."

Ingenium was Latin for 'natural' – where had Ruby heard it before? It was as familiar as the word 'sapphire'. "So basically, I'm the only one who ever leaves the ship and goes into town?"

"Exactly."

He nodded. Then, just to irk her, he asked, "Can I refuse?"

Instead of getting mad, though, her lips pulled up into a small smile. "I don't think you're in a position to do that."

He shrugged, mustering the most innocent expression that he was able. "I was simply curious."

"Also, I will be relying on you to recruit as necessary. Though I doubt that will work well," Sapphire added. She sighed, drumming her fingers on her thigh, before muttering, "Dead men tell no tales…"

Ruby's heart thudded painfully in his chest. "So you're saying if I do offer a place and they refuse - "

"You might have to kill them, yes." Sapphire looked just as uneasy about that idea as he did. "Hopefully that will be avoided." After a moment she said, "You can go now; ask someone to show you where to sleep. Is Gold still lying on the floor out there?"

"If he is, perhaps I hit him harder than I thought." Ruby was about to turn around when he caught the girl captain's eye. She was staring at him in disbelief. "What?" he asked, slightly apprehensive.

She propped her hands on her hips. "You did that to him?"

"Of course I did that to him. Do you know anyone else on here who could?" He watched her face as several expression flitted across it before it ended up with a neutral look.

"No," she said good-naturedly. "No one."

"I take my leave." Ruby turned and was at the door when he remembered something. He looked back and asked her, "Am I free to render him immobile as I desire?"

She grinned at him, the first time he'd really seen her smile. "Please do. And don't hesitate."

The reason the ship is in the lagoon is because the crew was careening it. You might want to look up what that means. I also tried using more pirate/ship lingo (and I might've failed miserably, too). And I used Latin, which may or may not have worked.

Review, please! Expect an update either next week or the one after.