"Sweet merciful..."
"I know. It's something, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"But...?"
Emily brings a hand up to run it through the golden brown waves spilling over her own shoulder, then allows the same hand to trail over pale, scarless skin, watching the figure in the mirror do just the same. "It's just, I look like mother. Erm, well, s'ppose I look like what they tell me she did when she was a gov'nor's daughter, more like, but the point stands."
Jo smiles a bit. "All's I did was lighten you're hair, really. Funny how that works." Getting a little more serious, she runs her own hands through Emily's hair, situating it just so. "Now. You have to be able to act the part at least halfway, so come on. Stand straight. Shoulders back, chin up, chest out. There you go. Now I know nothing feels different with the leg, so on that end you'll just have to make due, but lets see you're walk."
A knock on the door distracts them both. "Ahem. Lady's. 'bout ready in there? It's getting later."
Emily sends a smirk in Jo's direction. Snatching up a shawl borrowed from Ruby and planting a hand on her hip while making sure to hold herself as Jo had told her, she strolls out of her cabin. Sending Alex the most sultry look she's capable of, she struts on down the corridor to where the steps lead up topside and spins back around to face him.
His cheeks have turned a most lovely shade of red while his eyebrows have near shot up to disappear beneath his hair.
Emily smirks as Jo slips out of her cabin. "Oh, I'd say we're more 'n ready, wouldn't you agree Jo?"
Jo eyes the expression Alex is making, and looks quite amused herself. "Oh, aye. Very ready. Alright there, Alex?"
Alex tears his eyes away, abrupt, scowling. "Yes. Of course. Sha-shall we?"
And some very mean part of Peg laughs at the minor victory. The man she knew is still in there somewhere. And now she knows that, she'll be all about proving it to him.
She makes sure she's front and center. She knows she's crazy for it, but she plants herself the closest to the street, leaning forward in just the right way, sending just that right look in the direction of every man that passes by. She gets attention from quite a few, but the other girls are quick to draw it away, willing to help at least that much.
This doesn't go on for too long.
It takes work on her end to keep playing her part, because as he approaches every bone in her body screams 'run'...and usually, when this is the case, she's quick to listen. But she stands her ground, even as he comes in awful close right off the bat, running a hand through the hair that's hers-but-not-hers.
"Mmmm, ain' seen you before. What's ye're name, pet?"
This being the one detail she hadn't thought through before hand, she says what first comes to mind. "Addy."
"Addy." He leans in so close she can smell... she pulls a bit of a face, unable to help herself, and he smirks in a way that's downright malicious. "How much?"
.
She takes him to the room Ruby had arranged for her to use, and doesn't work too hard at feigning interest in him. He seems to expect she'll be reluctant. In fact, she's getting the idea he's hoping she will be. Her stomach turns. Yes, she'll definitely have to find a permenant solution to him when all is said and a breath, she leads him into the room and shuts the door.
He doesn't waste any time. She scarce turns around before she's thrown back against the door and rough, dry lips are crashing into her own. That familiar pressure builds in her stomach, her fists clench. She has to work to put a cap on it quick. Back him up, back him up, back him up... she struggles, pushing him away with all the natural strength she can muster, stomping on his foot for good measure and then darting around him, moving further into the room.
He's grinning. "I don' mind when they bite back." Apparently none too bothered by his foot, he stalks after her. "Come on, pet, that can' be all ye got." He snatches up her arm and pulls her forward, rough. Takes her by her hair, pulls her forward to kiss her again.
The bed, the bed, the bed... blast it. Every sense she possesses screams danger, and her magic is building on some base instinct to mount a defense. She bites his lip, so hard and holding it there for long enough she tastes blood before finally allowing him to pull away.
He spits blood on her, wiping at his mouth. "Feisty li'tle harlot!" He growls, but his eyes are dark and glinting with what can only be lust. "Right, then, pet, ye asked for it." And he produces a knife. His movements are abrupt enough she scarce has time to realize it is a knife, glinting in the candle light, and she has no time to make a move in defense, just braces herself... but he doesn't cut her. He slices through the front of her dress, and then grabs at the tattered halves to pull her forward and toss her onto the bed like a ragdoll.
The bed. Finally. He jumps as if to pounce right on top of her, and she rolls right off the bed just in time. Thinking quick with the magic she couldn't keep from building, she throws up two glowing hands and watches as the ropes tied to the bed posts all snake up to wrap around his wrists and ankles. By some miracle he ends up in just the position she wanted, on his back.
The knife is just within his reach, on the bed, and she shoots forward quick to grab it. Chest heaving and hands shaking, she holds it up to inspect the rusted old blade. "Damn. S'a wonder this thing could cut through anything." She tosses it aside, careless, and brushes back the stray strands of the hair-that's-hers-but isn't. Glancing down to inspect the dress - borrowed - she sheds the now ruined peices and stalks over to snatch up the coin purse tied loose to his belt. She shakes it a bit and gives a half-hearted grin at the jingling from inside. "Sounds like just enough to pay for this." She gestures to the dress. "Though, s'ppose it's really my fault. Should've used my magic to start, but I wasn't intending to take you with me, see."
"Take me..." He just seems to have got over the shock, is beginning to pull at his restraints. "Ye're mad."
With a snort, she hauls back and throws a solid punch to his nose, knocking him out clean. "Pot calling the kettle."
"This wasn't the plan."
"I know."
"He's trouble, you know that, they'll come looking for him."
"I know."
"Well! What's in your head now, then?"
"Jo! I'd work on that if you'd give me half a moment!"
"You're just..."
A soft groan reaches Emily's ears, and she waves Jo off. "Shush it, he's waking up."
Jo scowls, but notes that Emily's right, so she sets her hands on her hips and remains silent.
Muttering a string of curses, the man with the scar works his way into a sitting position, surveying his cell with unfocused eyes. Eventually, those same eyes land on Emily and he squints a bit, apparently bewildered. Well, understandably bewildered, as the spell has warn off by now.
"Mornin' sleeping beauty."
"What manner of devilish sorcery is this?" He breathes, crawling closer to get a better look. "You were..."
"What I was isn' what should concern. What I am, that's what concerns you and what I am, curren'ly, is fully prepared to relieve you of your manhood if you don't be'ave."
But he doesn't look concerned. Actually, his eyes are once again dark with lust, and it sends a shiver of disgust shooting down her spine. He licks his lips as he looks her over slow, as she's traded the dress for her usual lady pirate rig. "What you are is possibly the most glorious li'tle creature I ever laid eyes on. Hairs a pity, though."
Reaching through the bars, making Jo jump, Emily pulls the man forward, slamming him against the door to his cell.
He laughs. "An' strong as an ox! Whew, ye're really somethin, ain' ye? Who are ye, anyhow?"
"I'm the devil's daughter and I will find a bloody way to be your worst nightmare, I swear it, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut 'til I decide what question to ask first." She's got out one of her knives now, and is pressing it to his manhood. "Savvy?"
His eyebrows raise, but for the first time she sees some real fear behind his eyes. He nods slow. Jo comes up to place a hand on her shoulder, coaxing her to back off. "Eas-easy Cap'n, he won't be much good to anyone if..."
Jo has a point. Grudgingly, Emily pulls the knife away and lets him go. Knowing just as well that she also needs some time to settle herself, she sends one last scathing glance at her new prisoner before allowing Jo to pull her along out of the brig.
Night has long since fallen. Emily retrieves the half bottle that's been sitting in her cabin and shoos Jo off for the night, and though the older woman hesitates...
("You're sure you won't be going back..."
"No, I'll let it alone for the night, a'right? Now stop your clucking. Like a mother hen, hones'ly."
"Well, it's just you went through all the trouble, is all, and it don't seem very..."
"Jo!"
"Alright, I'm going!")
Emily is soon left alone to her thoughts.
"Why do you do that?"
Well. She thought she was alone, anyway. She sends Alex an acknowleding glance as he comes up alongside her at the rail, brows furrowing in genuine bemusement. "Do..what, precisely?"
"Well, it's just, the way you speak, the way you..."
"Way I...?" She prompts.
"Well you...I don't... I'm uncertain as to how to explain."
She smirks a bit, amused now. "Now there's something worth a laugh. You talked us right out a prison cell once, what happened? Silver tongue turned to lead?" He only looks away, shaking his head. She snorts now. "Tell me more 'bout this lass of yours, then."
"Not much more to tell."
"Bloody awful liar you are too, now."
"See." He points at her. "That is what I meant. The way you talk like..."
"All the thin's you used to throw a hissy over about me, and that's it now? You're worried 'bout the way I talk?"
"You didn't always sound so..."
"Finish a sentence, love, or don' you 'member how?"
He turns to her, growing frustrated. "You didn't always sound so - so common."
"Common?" She snorts, rolls her eyes, takes a swig of her rum. "You're not making any sense."
"No, but I am." He says, quieter. "I know that look. You know just what it is I mean."
A pause, she glances at him with a huff. "Why do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"You talk almost like you could be as much a gen'leman as this lass of yours is a lady. Why?"
"Because - because it's less embarrasing for her." Another thing that isn't like Alex. His honesty is pure, uncensored. "That was all in the beginning, at least. Somewhere in trying to impress I - found myself. I finally figured out what I am, so now I try to be sure that's what people see."
Silence. Emily stares at the bottle in her hands. "You want people to see you as more than what you are." Voice soft, and more well spoken, as he'd remember it. "I've learned there is, at times, also a considerable advantage to be gained from people thinking you are less. They think you're less, they get careless. Stop paying attention. You get clever, they don't realize, add in just the right amount of luck and you live to fight another day."
She's startled him in some way. She can tell by the way his eyes have softened with something that might be worry as he studies her. "What's 'appened to you?" He asks after a moment, more subdued.
Oh, no. He lost the right to questions like that a long time ago. "Maybe if you hadn't been off courting pretty little heiresses and forgetting who your real friends were, you'd know." It slips out without her really intending for it to.
"Real friends?" He snorts, apparently incredulous. "You and I fought more than we did anything else. Do you want to know what, when I think about it, the only real friends I 'ad out 'ere 'alf the time were Jo and Adrienne."
Her knuckles turn white, she's clutching her bottle so hard at the mention of Adrienne's name. She has to remind herself of all the things he simply doesn't know, because that's the only way she can keep from throwing a punch. She swigs her rum again instead. "Good night, Alex." She slips past him on her way to her cabin, calm as ever in appearance at least.
Even as she can feel his eyes on her back as she goes.
He comes with the intention of apologizing. Emily had been his very best mate, and he'd loved her - still does, he thinks, perhaps. Just in a different way, of course. But it had been cruel, to say what he did. He doesn't know whether she'll be awake, doesn't really think it through as he can't seem to sleep much at all knowing what danger his Imogene is in, but he has sense enough to be quiet as he approaches her door.
It's been left open a crack. And he hears murmuring from inside. He freezes a moment, unsure of what to do. Should he slip in anyway? He listens a moment. Who is she with?
"...don't talk like that."
He recognizes that voice. It's Riley.
"No, but I'm serious." She snaps back. "I should've known better than to think..."
"You'd have regretted not helping him, with a case like this." Riley's voice is softer.
Alex opens the door, just a little further, just far enough to see that Riley's just pulling her in to sit between his legs, in the window seat. She relaxes back against him as he hands her the bottle he was holding. She drinks from it as he brushes her hair back from her neck and trails kisses along it.
"Probably." She concedes after a moment, relaxing slow. "It's just, he's so..."
"He's a bloody high-class whelp, is what he is now." Riley snorts."I wonder if he even remembers how to use that sword he's carrying."
Emily chuckles, a smirk pulling at her lips. "Easy way to find out would be to challenge 'im yourself." She's closed her eyes, is leaning her head back on his shoulder, her voice thick with drowsiness and probably drink.
"Ooh. Now there's an idea. I could do that." Riley plants another kiss on her neck. "Permission to do that, Captain?"
"Mmmm. Ask me in the mornin when m'sober."
"...You mean, at least more sober than you are now."
She opens one eye to give him a look. "Samantics."
Alex scowls at the implications behind that, but decides he wouldn't be surprised by any of them.
A pause. Riley seems to grow more serious. "Peg."
"Mmm."
"What do we do with them both? Once we've the girl."
"What d'you mean?"
"Mean...do we take them to Port Royal ourselves? S'just, you know, questions come up, with what we'd be risking..."
She sits up a bit and scowls back at him now. "I know very bloody well what we'd be risking, which is why we won't be taking 'em anywhere. S'the advantage to havin such a lovely pile of shine still locked up in the hold. I'll set 'em up at the Goddess with a letter to Cap'n Kristoff and payment for him, too. Problem solved easy, tell that to whoever dared question at all."
"Easy, now, don't shoot the messanger." Riley says, placating. He thinks on what she'd said a moment and relaxes back again. "...and the hope is Sparrow and his little damsel'll be paying us back for that ten fold, aye?"
"Mmm." Emily turns herself so she's strattling Riley, running a hand through his ginger curls. "One hopes. Come on, love, tell me I'm good."
He pulls her in for a kiss. "Oh, you are so good." And he's already reaching for the laces of her corset...
And that, decidedly, means 'time to go' for Alex. He spins on his heel and makes to beat a hasty retreat...too hasty. He's not careful, and a board creaks awful loud beneath his feet. He weighs his options. Can he make the steps leading back above decks before someone makes it to the cabin door? If he doesn't...
Heavy footsteps hit the deck and begin stomping closer. A shot rings out, slamming the door closed. It's mere seconds before it's being thrown open again, Riley's hulking figure hovering in it. "Who's there! Come on, you lily-livered son of a gorgon, you had guts enough to come n' listen in on us!" HIs voice has gone gruff in a way that Alex thinks there's nothing for it now. The boys no less a pirate than his captain.
And if Alex moves a muscle from where he's hiding in the shadows, he could very well be shot. Several long moments pass wherein he doesn't dare to even breath.
Softer footsteps sound from within the captain's cabin and sure enough, Emily appears next to Riley, a hand on his arm as her honey brown orbs sweep the hallway. For a moment, another very long moment, Alex would even swear she's looking right at him. But her expression never changes; she looks a little amused, and mostly just annoyed. "Whoever it was s'gone now. Scared off by the bullet you just wasted on my door, likely as not."
Riley lowers the pistol and glances down at her. "Still. Doesn't sit right. Want me to stay out here a while, keep watch?"
Emily's eyes once again trail along the hallway and land, very possibly, just where Alex is barely hiding. Her lips twitch upward; she shakes her head. "Nah. Bet he's long gone now. Jus' come to bed, love."
She's never been able to explain it. But when something isn't right on her ship, she just knows. So it's not too much a surprised when she wakes before the sun has decided to make an appearance. There's a light scratching at her door, and though this couldn't possibly be what woke her, she's quick to her feet and crossing the room all the same.
It's her mangy little tabby cat, sitting patient now and mewing up at her.
"A'right." Emily says, and she knows it's madness, but she swears the cat is smart as a human. "Lead the way, then." It brushes up against her leg before prancing on down the hallway. It leads her all the way back down to the brig. Coming to stand just at the entrance, Emily crosses her arms and leans lazily against a wall, just watching.
It's Alex. Both he and the occupant of the nearest cell are too preoccupied to notice her; Alex has Scar-face up against the wall and is sporting a look that screams rage, though he sounds calm and collected as ever. "I'm not asking for much. The name of the ship would be more than enough. Tell me and I may even be persuaded to let you go."
"Funny, that ain' what that delicious creature you call Cap'n seemed to be intendin' on."
"Mmm. Lucky for you, mate, she isn't really my captain."
A pause, Scar-face seems to be deliberating. "She ain' known for bein' too merciful with men of my profession...ye swear ye'll let me go?"
Alex slams him back against the wall a bit. "Tell me what I need to know."
Another pause. "The Mary Lee. Ships called the Mary Lee and it ain' come in yet. Can't be more n' a few days out now, though."
Alex relaxes, slow but sure. He lets Scar-face go, backs up and out of the cell. Emily shoots forward a step, ready to stop him from doing anything stupid as he holds the key to the cell up... and slams the door closed with deliberate movements, locking eyes with Scar-face as he does so.
"Oi! You said..."
"I made no promise to you." Alex replies, calm, as he locks the door.
"But she'll - she'll kill me!"
"And I certainly wouldn't be the one to help her. By no means, 'owever, does that imply that stopping her is any of my business either." And with this, Alex leaves the man...
...only to freeze upon finally taking note of Emily, who'd gone back to leaning casually against the wall. "Emily. How long..."
Emily glances at Scar-face, and smirks. "Long 'nough to be impressed. Wasn't sure you'd still have a move like that in you."
A scowl contorts his features. He pulls her along and out of the brig. "Now, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Well. I could see you'd gone soft, nearly faintin' on me yesterday, I'm just glad to see you still have some nerve, is all."
"Gone..." He snorts, incredulous. "Imogene is... to hear that she'd been...you wouldn't understand."
Emily holds up her hands, placating. "Fair 'nough. You were mum as to just exactly how close you are to you're damsel, after all."
"Because it's none of your business." He replies, awful quick.
She studies him a moment, and he's actually just told her all she need know. "Ah."
"What?"
"Le'see how far you've got, then. Earned 'friends' yet?" He rolls his eyes. "Well. Obvious, that one. Trying to woo her a bit?" Now he scowls. She plows on. "You had a hard time of that, I'm sure, bein' just a shop boy. But once a charmer...nah. You're past that. Courting proper, then?" Glaring now. She raises her brows. "Color me surprised. You've past that right up, too. S'ppose...s'not you're wedding, is it? This ball you were readyin' for?"
"Emily..." Now he looks worried. "Don't be angry."
"It is you're wedding!" It doesn't even dawn on her at first, what his last statement implies. She's too busy thinking... "Oh, Alex." She breathes, feeling a bit of genuine sympathy. "I mean, that's wonderful news, but what terrible bad luck, all this just before you...hold on." And it finally hits her. "Why did you lie?"
He hesitates, a hand snaking up to rub the back of his neck. "I only stretched the truth, and only because I was worried...I'm sorry. It was foolish of me."
"Alex. Why?"
"Because...I thought you'd be upset. Me poppin' back up after so long just to beg your 'elp getting my, my fiancée back."
She just blinks at him, truly not understanding. "Upset. Over what? I just told you. M'happy for you, love, really."
He looks bewildered. "Really? I mean... I thought..."
She scowls now, a hand coming up to rest on her hip. "You thought..what? Tell me, Alex. What would make you think the idea of seein' you with another woman would be upsetting?"
"Well, I..."
"No, hones'ly. You're really something, you know that?" She stalks past him all at once, is very done with this conversation.
"Emily, wait! For heaven's sake. I just, I didn't want to 'urt you anymore, that's all!"
She stops short, is abruptly so angry she thinks she may be sick. Her fists clench and tremble and for a moment she wants to turn right around and hit him... but she doesn't. She does just the opposite. She breathes a moment, and the impulsive response subsides. She turns around, calm and collected. "Sweet, Alex. We'll get you're lass back, get you home. I promise. Seems to me... seems to me you'll make a fine husband, now." He just nods, looking bewildered and defeated and overall just very unsettled. She comes up slow, leans up to place a kiss on his cheek. "Relax, love. I learned all my lessons long ago when it comes to those you get close to." Spoken simply as fact, not meant to hurt. "Now come on, we've got work to do. Wonder where Jo got off to..."
"Here. Allow me..." Alex bends down to scoop up a rum barrel. There's a pause, and he huffs a bit, but manages to stand with it. He'd near forgotten how heavy some of the basic supplies could be.
Riley snorts, looking amused, as he picks up a similar barrel with relative ease. "Shop boy, huh?"
Alex has no response. They make the trek down to the hold in silence. He makes it to where the barrel should go and ends up leaning against a larger barrel, huffing.
Riley lumbers in and sets his own burden down, and pauses to eye Alex up. "You know, from what I know, a shop boy does some pretty heavy lifting himself."
Alex runs a hand through his hair. "I, erm, I s'ppose, were I a lesser man... I'd blame the woman who's to be my mother-in-law. She's been attempting to fix me up so I can care for my Imogene 'proper'. Seems these days I'm attending more meetings for the company her husband owned than I am 'elping Mister James at the shop." He's not sure what the old woman hopes to accomplish by it, but he goes along because it makes Imogene happy, too.
"Damn. Guess Peg wasn't wrong. You have gone soft." Riley mocks him. "Funny thing is, when she told me she'd seen you, I was half hoping..."
"Hoping...?" Alex pries.
"Nah. Wouldn't be fair now, by the looks of it." Riley waves him off, turning to head back out of the hold.
Scowling as he thinks he knows where this is going, Alex follows. "I'm as good with a blade as ever, if that's your meanin', Connelly." He comes out with, voice a growl, and he's startled himself with the echo of the pirate he once was. It's just, with the conversation he'd overheard between Emily and Riley...
Riley turns back to stand toe to toe with him, arms crossing over his barrel chest and he's just...how could the skinny little whelp he knew have become this? Alex has a good few inches on him, but he thinks Riley could snap him like a twig were he so inclined. "You want to put that to the test, then, Sparrow?"
Alex's belly twists itself into a knot as pride wars with common sense.
"Oi!" Emily's voice carries over to them. "You two! Step to! Alex, come here, I've an idea to run by you!" She had sobered up some, then. Probably a good thing for Alex.
Riley glances in her direction, and snorts. "Next time, Sparrow, I'll be sure Cap'n's not around to save you."
And Alex just stays put a moment, trying to stop his heart racing at the strange combination of anger...and stark relief.
"Now I know how this'll sound, love, so I need for you to promise me you'll just listen."
Alex crosses his arms, feeling wary and already growing tired of, well, just dealing with Emily in general. "If it will be enough to get you to the point, then very well, I promise."
"That's the spirit." She grumbles flatly. "To the point, then. I think you should stay here."
Not likely. But he can play nice. "I'm listening. Why?"
"Because the fact is, we don't know that Scar-face down there wasn't lying. Could be the ship did come in already, or it could very well get by us somehow if it hasn't... how can we know? And..." She loops an arm through his, pulling him aside. "I've a plan -"
"Oh, here we go." He snatches his arm back and crosses it with his other over his chest.
"Oi! You promised. I've a plan to shut this whole thing down, at least for the foreseeable future."
"How?"
"Don't you trust me even a little?" She scowls, indignant.
"Only about as far as I could throw you." He replies, blunt. "How?"
She huffs. "I've got a friend or two in higher places then you'd expect, a'right? My plan is to round 'em up and drop 'em someplace the Navy can get their hands on 'em."
"Who's to even say the Navy will know what they're dealing with?"
"This is, I promise you, not the first time they've taken a group of girls like your damsel." She gives his arm a playful tap. "Come on, Alex. You haven't forgotten how good could I can be, I know it."
He sighs, a hand snaking up to rub the back of his neck. He can't argue. She could be very good. "Alright." He concedes, albeit begrugingly. "What am I to do here, then?"
:)