Fantasy On Uncertain Tides

[EclipseRosee]

Silas

The storm had lasted through the night and much of the following day, but soon they were able to set sail. The journey to Port Royale would be a long one, with a ship and crew their size it could take about a month or more depending on conditions… but now it really was the point of no return. The only thing that laid ahead was the open ocean, the only land they would come across would be random uncharted islands they may or may not pass. Their strange crew was finally about two full weeks into their trip, everyone was slowly finding their place and things were running rather smoothly; at least ship wise. People wise? A mess. Hana was standoffish and for some reason still pissed with Silas, refusing to talk to him about it despite his many times of asking. Declan and Adella were simply annoying, like they were both trying to prove something to the other one. Gideon was actually quite mild though in recent days he seemed rather testy. At least Hattie and Rolf seemed to be acting normal… and Astrid. Astrid was honestly something else, she truly didnt have any business trying to handle anything on a ship but she still tried. Her place truly was being their caretaker, cooking and making everything as homey as it could be on a stolen Naval ship. Silas would find things for her to do… “pirate” things like helping her sister with the sails and learning all the terminology and such. Honestly though the meals and comfort were greater than any extra hand any of them could have had. It made the days so much better… at least for him.

“Hana come on. Will you stop giving me the cold shoulder and just talk to me” Silas begged the woman. For two weeks now she had shaken him off, only speaking to him about matters that had to do with their duties and nothing else. It wasn’t that Silas was a skeezeball or anything, truly! He had just grown to know the woman and like her both as a friend and an equal. Whatever they were, it was just fun. That’s what they both had wanted while stuck on the sea, a good way to pass the time. But it appeared as if he had somehow managed to piss her right off. “Seriously, I thought we were all making progress after hitting the sea, it seemed like everyone was getting along and I think we’ve been functioning well.” The two of them had wound up alone up at the helm. Silas was steering and Hana had been up doing some work on the deck when he damn near cornered her.

Silas had only ever had one friend, his entire life his whole family was Declan and only Declan. It wasn’t until he was older that he started to branch out a bit more. It was harder for him at first than it was his brother, he was much less outgoing and charismatic. Silas needed a lot to really trust someone and even though Hana was hired to help, he had grown to trust her and respect her opinions and views so if something was wrong he truly wanted to know.

 

[KAYDEN]

Gideon

Choosing to play along with this little charade was a terrible idea, at first he seemed to have fooled himself into believing that this would all be okay and that it wasn’t literally the worst thing he could have done. But oh, it was. Not only was he quickly getting tired of most of the people on this ship, he was also growing tired of the girls actually acting like this was a feasible lifestyle for them! The way WOULD come that they either had to return home or get caught, it was an inevitable truth. Maybe the long time spent on the sea was making him more and more grumpy every day… which didn’t make much sense because the man was actually quite used to this type of sailing. Maybe it was more Declan and Adella that made him more and more grumpy every day.

The two of them were ridiculous! Every waking moment they were joking and flirting with one another, acting like literal children. So foolish and inappropriate… and maddening. Gideon and Adella were, well he didn’t know what they were. Once upon a time someone would have called them a couple, in his eyes they were… he thought in hers as well. It was when he was twenty four and she was twenty one, it lasted for a year. They of course hid it from everyone, Astrid would have either been wildly happy or wildly pissed and neither of them wanted to take that gamble until they were sure that what they had was worth it, that it was more than friendship. Plus Gideon wasn’t super thrilled about having to explain to his father and the admiral that he was dating one of the women whom he worked for essentially… But after that year Gideon felt they should go forward and get married. Why not? They got along great, it felt like a relationship and Gideon had loved Adella for a long time at that point. Adella however wanted nothing to do with that… in fact even suggesting it turned into a huge thing that resulted in the two of them ending things and she wouldn’t even talk to him for months. Once she finally did they were able to repair their friendship but she said they would be nothing more than that again. That is until one drunken evening that the two entered a pact, that if Astrid were to get married before Adella found anyone she truly wanted to be with, she would marry Gideon.

And here they were! Astrid was getting married and Adella was playing pirate. Lovely.

“Here.” Gideon said plainly, tossing down the dough he had made up for Astrid’s plan for supper and turning away from the small kitchen. The man was at the point that he was going to say something he regretted, he could feel it. So he was trying his damndest to stay away from Adella and Declan and unfortunately that meant being sous chef to little miss thinks she runs a mess hall.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Adella Davies

“Shouldn’t you be chasing around Hattie, it’s not my turn to have to babysit you yet Declan.” Adella spoke with a smirk, looking down at the man below her as she walked along the pole that held the main sail. She had been working on securing all the ties when she was interrupted by the familiar voice of her favorite distraction. At the moment Declan was probably about 15 ft below her, standing on the deck below as she continued down the pole before finally finishing up and heading back to the rope to make her way down. “What? Have nothing better to do than to wait for your angel to fall from the sky?” Her arms crossed across her chest as she looked up at him now that they were standing on even ground. “Trust me boy, I’m not the type of girl who would come from above.”

With that Adella turned, hauling the pile of rope in her arms from where it had sat against the deck before turning to Declan and tossing it at him to catch. “If you’re going to gawk you might as well help me with these. They’re all sorts of tangled and I want to get them wound up and stored around the main mast, Silas said. Sometimes if there is a big storm you guys will tie yourself to the deck. I figured it would be smart to not have to search for supplies in that situation.”

Adella took some herself before sitting down on the ground and beginning to try and make sense of all the knots and tangles. Life on the ship was a dream, even now after two weeks of it. Did she probably smell from the lack of easy bathing? Yes. Was her hair a total nightmare from all the saltwater and wind? Yes. Was she sunburnt and achy and sore? Yes in the most amazing way. None of it mattered, it was all worth it. She had always loved the sea, danger, adventure. Never in her world would she have equated all of that to literally running off with a pirate crew but now that it had happened it felt like she was meant to be here. Like it was destiny or something. Honestly the only issue with this entire experience thus far was that everyone was being so weird. Adella was no stranger to being a bitch, but this was all a different type of anger or hurt or whatever you wanted to call it. Everyone was working together for the sake of the ship but beyond that it was all so segregated.

Across the ship Adella could see Silas literally chasing Hana around, you couldn’t hear what they were saying from here but it wasn’t hard to read that sort of body language. “I didn’t realize that Silas and Hana were together. She still charges you guys for her sword despite literally sleeping with the captain? That’s my type of woman right there, knows her worth. Good for her.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Hattie O’Conner

“They’re all acting like a bunch of nuttos right? I mean lordy! They don’t notice it but I do. You do too right?” Hattie was ready to jump ship, swim with the sharks, make friends with Davy Jones. If it got her away from these people it would be worth it. Hana was being so odd! Astrid was - just too much for Hattie to handle. Declan was more annoying than usual. Silas was whiny. Gideon was double whiny. Adella was, well she was simply just doing too much and egging Declan on. Hattie spent her days simply going about her job and doing what she could to avoid everyone on the ship but Rolf. “Aye, it’s just so hard to focus when no one is functioning properly ya know?”

Hattie and Rolf were sitting near the railings of she ship, at their makeshift study table. Below deck was off limits because she didn’t want Astrid to try and “help” and honestly it felt nice to be outside and not cooped up in her little makeshift office in the small library. Rolf had been learning English simply by listening, though he could understand it fully well it seemed that speaking it was a bit harder. “Anyways, let’s try this sentence yeah?” She pointed her thin pale finger towards the parchment before slowly speaking, “Excuse me miss, where is the nearest market?” Hattie then paused and pulled back to look up at Rolf. The last bit of their lessons had been going rather well! His accent was heavy, Hattie could understand him of course but he was the person she spoke to the most in the last few years so she wasn’t exactly the best candidate to test it out on.

“I know some of these seem silly but some basic stuff could really help you when we dock.” Hattie gave him a small smile, turning her face into the wind for a moment and letting it wash over her. If it were up to her Hattie would tell Rolf to tell people to shove it. He spoke just fine in her opinion and honestly she liked his accent! It made him unique! However on the other hand she knew how frustrating it was for people to not understand you, when she first moved to London many people made fun of her accent and didn’t understand her slang most of the time. For a while it made her so ashamed she didn’t speak to any strangers unless absolutely necessary.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Hana.

Two weeks had come and gone and, honestly, she was ready to get off the boat. Hana obviously wasn't part of the official crew but she participated like she was one, she didn't mind doing that. She would swab the deck, help Rolf if the big guy needed it, pretty much anything that would help her avoid an awkward conversation with Silas. They made the agreement that whatever they were was just to pass some time at sea, she grew tired of the same thing day in and day out. It sounded like a good idea at the time. It wasn't like they flirted with each other or anything outside of their arrangement, whatever they had was just casual and she was fine with that! At least, she thought she was okay with it. Silas was a respectable man, he looked out and protected his crew and she admired that. Most of the time Hana didn't get attached to people on ships normally, but the crew here felt as if they were potential friends. They got along well, discussed their travels and adventures and it was fun.

It was the softness that he was expressing for Astrid that irritated her. Granted the food was better than when Declan was cooking and the ship felt a little more homey, she still hated the way he spoke and looked at her. Hana felt... second rate? It wasn't the first time she was used by a captain, and while the arrangement was just for fun she felt hurt. Hana would of much rather been passive aggressive and keep it all inside, however today Silas was making it clear that she wasn't getting away with that. "You are impossible sometimes, you know that?" Her big brown eyes narrowed at him like little daggers as he cornered her. "You can't have the best of both worlds, Silas. I'm not coming in second to some pretty girl in a dress. Do you not see the attention you're giving to her? The way you look at her? All these petty little chores you're giving her just to make her feel included, it's ridiculous!"

Was she getting louder at this point? Maybe. She was sure everyone on the ship could hear her yelling. Her anger had been boiling day by day on the ship and she had done her best to swallow it. He wanted the truth though, so she'd give him the truth. "You can't sleep with me and fawn over someone else. I'll go back to being your sell sword, let's clear the air and there won't be any more bad blood here. Alright?" With an exacerbated sigh she ran her hand through her dark and shook her head. "Just-- she's going to be leaving eventually. Remember that and don't get too attached." Getting all that felt better, it had been building and building for weeks. It felt good not being mad at Silas anymore. Not that she approved of what he was doing. "Are we good?"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Astrid Davies

Being away from home for so long Astrid was sure she'd be home sick. She had spent most of her life making sure everything at home was squared away, making sure her father wouldn't be disappointed in them, making sure she was perfect. While she was worried about their father and how he was reacting to their disappearance she still had her sister and Gideon, she felt home on the ship with everyone. Astrid was always trying to help everyone when she wasn't in the kitchen, Hattie always shut her out of the library and basically told her to bug off, if looks could kill Hana would have killed Astrid day one so she tried to stay away from her. At least Shark Bait enjoyed her company. And helping Adella was fun! Well, helping was a strong word. More like... she held things for her sister, learned the names of parts of the boat. In retrospect she was pretty useless still, but Silas seemed okay with what she was doing.

Thankfully being tucked away inside of the ship her hair hadn't received the lashing from the wind and saltwater like Adella. The lack of daily bathing was something she missed at home(thankfully she brought her perfumes), but other than that? Astrid was loving taking care of everyone. She was getting used to cleaning, cooking was now something she actually looked forward to, and she lived for making everyone tea. Well, tea and 'grog' as Declan called it, the man wanted even his water mixed with alcohol. Even Gideon joining her in the kitchen was fun! Not that he seemed like he was having a good time, she didn't know what was up with the tension on the ship.

"Don't take your frustration out on the poor dough." Astrid gave the ball of dough a small pat as she placed it down on the tray next to the others, letting a small sigh out. "Giddy you know you can talk to me if something is wrong, right?" Just as she shot him a small smile she could hear loud voices up on deck. "Oi, what now?" With a heavy sigh Astrid dusted off her hands and hung up her apron before moving out of the small kitchen and up the stairs.

She should of stayed in the kitchen. Just as she stepped outside she heard her sister mention something about Hana sleeping with the Captain and her stomach flipped. It shouldn't of mattered to her, it was none of her business. Hell, Astrid would be married off after this trip, she shouldn't have felt so upset about something like this! It wasn't like Silas would ever actually like someone like her, he would never think she was an actual member of the ship. Adella fit in perfectly, Astrid did not. "Everything okay up here?" She gave Silas and Hana a small, weak smile. It was best to pretend she didn't hear anything.

 

[Sir Damien]

Declan Murphy

"I believe Silas specifically assigned you to babysit me, Adella." This woman. The past two weeks had been probably the best few in his whole life? Y'know, other than when Silas and him first became pirates. With Adella she met his energy, he was absolutely living and thriving on spending time with her. She was vibrant, sassy, and she was impressing him at every turn. It shocked him to no end that his lady was in fact a lady, that she wasn't just born and raised a pirate. As he stood on deck watching her secure the ties he couldn't wipe the ridiculous smile off of his face, a smile that he had whenever he looked at her. "Oh baby girl please, I'm the one that's fallen for you." The tall man toned man shot her a quick wink and a chuckle. At this point he was sure that everyone was sick of their back and forth but, he didn't care. "Boy? Oi, please. If you can't recognize a man in front of you I'd hate to see your men back home."

As she moved to pick up the pile of rope he didn't flinch as she flung it towards him, his large gloved hands quickly catching them. He began to untangle the mass of rope and gave a small chuckle to himself at her words. See? The woman was a natural, he had never seen someone take someone to being a pirate so well. "Aye, that's a good idea milady. Must be that educated lady thinking that brought upon that idea, yeah?" Even though he heckled her about being a lady he was wildly impressed at how she was adapting to the pirate lifestyle. Workload aside, the life was hard. No clean linen, no daily bathing like he was sure she was used to, no hair products, cosmetics. The sun was harsh, rope burns, hell, even the wind could burn depending on harsh it was.

When Declan wasn't distracted with thoughts about the treasure, work on the ship, or Adella he would find himself thinking about the time when they have to drop them off back at home. It hurt more than he expected it to. Silas agreed to let these girls join their adventure, sure, but they all seemed to agree that this was only temporary. They were only a few weeks into this trip but already Declan didn't want to lose the girls. Even Gideon! Though, the man was giving off some major anger vibes. Declan wasn't quite sure what he did, but he was sure Gideon would get over it... eventually. Hopefully? "Here you go, lass. All untangled." He wasn't a stranger to untying knots, at this point it was second nature. "Need help on your end? I hate seeing the love of my life struggle." Declan gave a handsome, toothy grin as he plopped down next to Adella.

"Huh? Oh, Silas and Hana? Together is a funny word, more like.... well, they enjoy each others company. Pirates don't really do relationships, it makes things messy. Not me though, I've waited for the love of my life to find me. Glad you've finally made your way here. Now I can spoil you, milady." Declan couldn't help but chuckle quietly. That's when he noticed Astrid popping out from the door. She looked... upset? Not mad upset, but sad? "Do you get homesick at all? Do you think that's what's wrong with your sister and Gideon? He seems extra moody lately."

 

[Colt Voltage]

Rolf.

"Aye. They're nutty." While he wasn't ready to swim with the sharks he was ready to lock everyone in one room until they resolved their differences. The ship was supposed to be fun! While a whole month on sea wasn't necessarily pleasant, the tension and whining was making it far worse. Plus, he had to avoid Astrid and her overly helpful spirit. The last time she helped him she nearly gave him a concussion, he wasn't ready for that again. "It'll get better. Probably." The thick accent rolled out effortlessly as he busied himself with typing a few complicated knots in a rope. He was on deck next to Hattie avoiding the rest of the crew who, thankfully, seemed too busy to argue.

Well, so he thought. Silas had cornered the angry Hana and her words were a bit heated. She didn't want to come second, he could respect that. But was she really coming in second? It wasn't like the captain and Astrid were flirting. At least, not on the level Declan and Adella were. Those two practically needed a room to themselves sometimes. Gideon was angry... they needed ice breakers, though he didn't know what. Most of the ones he knew were drinking games and he wasn't quite sure how those would go with this crew. He had a feeling Adella would out drink all the guys...

With an exhausted sigh he shook his head at everyone and turned his attention back to Hattie. The girl was a saint trying to help him, he knew that she struggled with speaking for a while on their old ship and she tended to fall in the background. Rolf found himself in that category too, but if he was able to speak he'd have an easier time on land. That was his hopes, anyways. Rolf was a big intimidating guy, he was hoping speaking better would help him not seem so scary. "'Scuze me lass, where's the market?" Not exactly word for word, but he did struggle with a few pronunciations.

Another heavy sigh passed his lips. "It's hopeless. You're stuck with me on land." Truthfully he liked it that way, he could ensure her safety and stay in her company. Plus, Hattie didn't seem to hate his accent. Would she understand him if he spoke his native tongue? Definitely not, but at least she could understand the words that he was able to say. The tension near the helm of the ship only felt worse when Astrid came out. The girl looked defeated... he felt bad. She was really trying. He didn't know why she was trying so hard though. They all had their niche, Rolf was the ship and repairs, Hattie was books, maps and knowledge, Declan's was... questionable at times but he did a variety of things. Adella was clearly good at getting to the high places, fixing knots up there, keeping lookout. Captain was, y'know, the captain. They all had their own things.

"Sour candy on a fight later." As per usual he was placing another bet.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Astrid Davies

Another week had passed, and according to Silas they were only a day or two away from Port Royale. Thank the heavens, because Astrid was going out of her mind! From the tension in the air to the crankiness of both Gideon and Hana she felt stressed, more stressed than she had been about her impending wedding! Astrid was doing everything she could to pull her weight and cheer everyone up, but, alas, it didn't seem to be working. She wasn't quite sure what was going on but, dammit, she was sick of it! Her sister either didn't notice or didn't care about Gideon's disposition, she was having far too much fun with her pirate duties. Astrid was the one stuck in the kitchen with his ass most days.

The weather today seemed to reflect the energy of the ship; it had been raining all day, it was cold, miserable. She thought London's weather was dreary! Still, in hope to cheer everyone up she made some tea, and even made some crumpets. Surely something warm and sweet would lighten the moods of everyone on board.

After Astrid finished setting the table the boat rocked, nearly knocking her off of her high heeled boots. Luckily she had caught herself, but gods, between the weather and the shaky waters they couldn't catch a break today! Even the heavy light blue dress and long sleeves weren't keeping her warm enough, and she hadn't even stepped foot outside.

Being the lady that she was, Astrid didn't do rain. With the umbrella she had tucked away in her room in case of emergencies she walked up the stairs that led to the deck, the frilly umbrella instantly opening to prevent her hair from getting wet. "It is dreadfully cold out here. How are you people not freezing?" With a small shiver she walked up the steps towards Silas, holding out the umbrella over his head. Not that it would help much, he had been in the rain all day. "You'll catch your death if you stay out here much longer. Come in and warm up with some tea." As always she was bossy, though she had been trying her best to 'let loose' as Silas had requested of her.

"You too Adella, and don't slip when getting down from there!"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Hana.

After the spat Hana and Silas had gotten into a week ago Hana's attitude towards him became slightly better. She knew that she was a catch and, while she enjoyed the fun times they shared, Hana wouldn't be second fiddle to anyone. It was done and over, she already moved on. Mostly. She still didn't like Astrid, but she was keeping her distance from her and being on her best behavior. The last thing she wanted to do was add more to the captains plate, so she minded her own business. Hana begrudgingly helped with whatever Declan tasked her with when Adella was busy, tended to their weapons to make sure they were battle ready, and even helped Rolf at times.

Basically she did everything she could do to avoid the annoying, bothersome twin.

She also found herself around Gideon more often than not, y'know, when he wasn't busy being sous chef. Like today, Astrid was shockingly competent in the kitchen and Gideon was free from being her sous chef, and there was no way Hana going up top into the cold, miserable rain. So the pair of them were below deck taking inventory. "What's up with you and the not annoying twin?" Obviously there was something bothering him, she couldn't tell what but she could see that it was eating him alive inside. The tension between the two of them was almost as bad as her and Silas not too long ago.

"If you're mad you should get it off of your chest. It'll do you no good bottling it all up." Her tone was very matter of fact, finalizing some markings on a pad of paper as she made sure to take accurate account of everything. Whenever Declan took inventory the words were always upside down, scrambled, it was a complete mess. He couldn't be trusted with it anymore.

 

[Sir Damien]

Declan Murphy

"Aye, look at that clap of thunder there in the distance! I tell you, this is the life." Off in the distance across the never ending water they could see a large bolt of lighting, just as the waves rocked the boat a smidge. The wind paired with the cold rain on his skin felt like tiny bullets, though far more pleasant than a real bullet. He would know, he caught a bullet in his side one time! Of course he was the invincible Declan Murphy and wouldn't be taken down by some measly piece of metal. Regardless, the rain certainly made him feel alive.

He was up in his most favorite spot on the ship with Adella keeping watch for... he didn't even know at this point? Other pirates surely weren't going to attack them in this weather, and they were far from the reach of England Naval forces. They were clear to enjoy the beautiful, dreary weather. "Now lass I'm built for this tough weather, ya sure you don't want to go inside? I can come get you when the rain lets up. Or, are you finding yourself so taken with me that you can't stand to part with me?"

Declan couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he looked over to the adventurous twin. He couldn't remember the last time he enjoyed someone's company this much. She was always eager to learn everything he had to teach, Hell, she was just as good if not better at some of the things! He'd never let her know that though, his ego was still hurt from her beating him at cards. Twice.

Down below he could hear Astrid hollering up at Adella and it caused the tall pirate to grin from ear to ear. "Well now Adella it seems you're being summoned. Let's go warm up for a bit." With that said he stepped off of the crow's nest ledge and began to climb down the rope. He glanced over at Astrid as he climbed down, laughing to himself about that damned frilly umbrella. How were the two girls SO different?

 

[Colt Voltage]

Rolf

To be honest, Rolf didn't quite understand the drama on the boat. Hattie seemed to be the only normal one! Other than the usual stubborn attitude of Hana, the twins were a nice fit to the group. Having Adella meant that he had to help Declan less and could focus on his own tasks, and this 'tea time' that Astrid started was lovely. It felt like a proper English boat of a mismatched group of pirates.

After being out all morning adjusting the sails, masts, and getting soaked from the rain Rolf managed to finally dry off. It wasn't so much a storm, more like just constant rain with the occasional gust of wind, it wasn't bad enough to haul in for the day or anything like that. Pirates, vikings, they were built to sail in this type of weather. After making sure the sails would hold he found himself changing into dry clothes, tossing his long dark locks into a bun, and wandering until he found Hattie. Well, he didn't have to wander, he knew where she'd be.

On his way he noticed that Astrid was getting everything set up, so he figured that would be a good excuse to bother Hattie. He knew how serious she was about her map making and making sure they got this right this time, but even she needed a break at times. "Knock knock," Shark Bait had found his way to his shoulder, squawking and imitating the sound of Rolf knocking on the door.

"Want to take a break?" The burly man gave the fiery red head a small smile as he walked in. "How is it going in here?" He knew she was particular about those who came in and bothered her (mostly Declan), but Rolf never seemed to face her wrath. Plus his English was coming along rather well, he liked being able to communicate with her! His blue eyes looked around the room to see what she had been working on.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Adella Davies

The sky roared, a flash striking far off in the distance. The storm was moving away from them thankfully, they were getting the rain and the wind but not much else. It was nice that way, Adella had always loved what others may call dreary weather, something about it made her feel so whole. At home on days of storms or rain in general it was a safe bet that you would find Adella in a window or on a balcony if she was able to escape Gideons disapproving glance. “Wicked one isn’t it?” She spoke in response to Declan without removing her eyes from the horizon.

The weather had been like this on and off over the last week, it didn’t seem to slow anyone else down so Adella learned quickly how to work on a ship in the rain. It wasn’t much different, your clothes weighed you down and things were much more slippery. Besides that it was close to the same. At least now they were closer south and it wasn’t so freezing during the day, though at night it was quite nippy.

“I like the rain.” Adella said simply, turning to face him where he stood besides her on the crows nest. She had gotten more used to his empty flirting, honestly at this point it was damn near conversational. “I think it’s the other way around love, or do you not recall that I was up here first and you came to join me?” She winked and moved to the edge, her hand grasping the wet wood of the railing as she looked down to see her sister yelling for everyone with her parasol raised above her head. “Thank the lord we’ll reach land soon. The girl has to be running out of baking supplies and no one wants to deal with a bored Astrid. Restless mind and all that.”

Declan moved to the rope first, easily taking himself down as usual. Once the coast was clear, Adella went over the side and slowly made her way down. This wasn’t her first time up there during the rain or the first time climbing down but she did admit it was a bit tougher than in dry weather. As she reached about 3/4 of the way down Adella felt the bottom of her boot slip against the rope, losing her grip with her feet and having to trust her upper body strength to hold her up. That worked for all of about two seconds before she began to slip, the rope burning against her palms as she slid a foot or two before she decided the pain of falling on her ass was better than continuing to rip up the skin on her hands. So she let go and let herself fall the remaining few feet, bracing herself for the impact of the deck.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Hattie

Hattie wasn’t the greatest deckhand which meant in poor weather she was close to useless. In situations like storms she could handle her part of the emergency but…. Weather like this? It was best for her to just stick to her small office and do what she was here to do rather than try and be helpful and not be. So for the last week Hattie was basically holed up at her desk, when she’s wasn’t there she was with the others after being summoned to another one of Astrid’s little meals, spending time working on English with Rolf or sleeping. Today happened to be another day of rain, Hattie was sitting the window, her spyglass up against the porthole and watching the waters while a few different maps were sprawled about the floor around her. A lot of what she did was making her own maps and additions to old ones. This trip to Port Royale was one most people knew well but that didn’t mean new things couldn’t be found.

The door behind her creaked open and Hattie turned at the sound of Rolf’s voice, giving the large man a little smile and a wave. The bird on his shoulder let out a squawk and gained a wave from Hattie as well. “Aye, I could use one. Feels ‘ike my eyes are about to abandon ship out of my skull.” She set down her tools before stretching her arms above her head. “It’s going fine, nothing really eventful. I know these waters are well mapped but I keep hoping for the day we find a small island or something no one else saw. Or a ship wreck. Or mermaids.”

Hattie rambled a bit before standing up and wiping her hands on her skirt, “Not that l’d let the world know about em if we did find em. The mermaids that is. Better to have them owe us a favor the way I see it.” She smirked and gave Rolf a wink before moving towards him, “I take it the princess has called us all to another tea time yeah?”

Hattie had to admit that the twins were less annoying than she originally thought. Gideon seemed as if he was useful even though Hattie had barely spoken ten words to the lad. At the very least it seemed the crew was getting some entertainment out of the new additions and at this point Hattie had to let go of her worry and trust that things would be okay, it had already been a while now and besides so strange tension there really was no new dangers by adding the girls and their handler.

“Well, let’s not keep ‘em waiting then. Shall we?” Hattie offered her arm with a goofy smirk before grabbing her satchel to go join the others.

 

[KAYDEN]

Gideon

It had become clear that Gideon had lost the battle and that they would be sticking with this adventure for now. At first he thought about just holding up in the stateroom he and the twins shared, lounging and treating this fallacy like a fucking vacation. But then he quickly realized he would get bored and end up stewing in his own anger. Instead it seemed better to stick to business as usual and help out around the ship. It seemed he and Hana kind of naturally fell into step working together whenever Gideon wasn’t summoned to help Astrid, whether it be likewise work ethic or similar angst, Gideon wasn’t complaining. At least not most of the time.

“Hmm?” Gideon hummed from where he sat on a crate, bent over another that was open so he could count the remaining bits of dry goods. “Oh you’ll have to be much more specific at this point because both of them are rather good at getting under my skin.”
It was clear Hana was asking about Adella, the way the question was poised made it fairly obvious. That and Gideon wasn’t really trying to hide his annoyance at this point, he hasn’t spoken to Adella in days. She chose to run around on deck in the freezing rain and play pirate with that… that … pirate! It was so frustrating! As far as Gideon was concerned he and Adella were basically engaged, their pact made it so. It wasn’t as if he wanted to trick her or trap her but… gods was what they had not ever real to her? Were they not at least close enough to have a real conversation about it rather than whatever avoidance she was doing.

Just thinking about it all made Gideons anger rise and he tried to push it down but at this point it just erupted like a shaken bottle. “I- I just do not understand what she’s doing! She’s better than this, she’s intelligent and adventurous and witty. She’s always had this insane wild streak and a knack for ignoring any form of authority but this is a whole new world of bullshit. Out there in the rain catching death all to swing around on some ropes and play pirate.” He rambled, standing from his spot and starting to pace. Then it was when he started to actually admit what was bothering him, “We left on this trip to take Astrid to her fiancé which meant Adella was also going to settle down. That’s what she told me! That was the deal, that once Astrid was taken care of we could- ah! Whatever.”

Gideon threw the list he was holding down on a crate and shoved a hand through his hair before turning to Hana with a look on his face that screamed annoyance. It was probably the first time in a long time true emotions leaked out and he wasn’t quite sure he liked that he did it in front of her. It made him feel inferior and weak. Lovely.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Silas



Silas and the others had sailed through tougher weather plenty of times, though this rain did really seem to be sticking around. Thankfully it was fairly mild and made their trip a little longer than expected but not too bad, most everyone kind of fell into their normal routine despite the cold although Silas found that Hana and Astrid were rarely found on deck this past week. Which was probably for the best, it gave Silas a natural reason to avoid Hana. Well both of them really busy mostly her. When she had her fit the other day Silas literally didn’t even know how to respond, he just yelled and stormed off to his quarters to ramble to himself. He fully didn’t understand what in the ever loving hell Hana was talking about. Fawning over Astrid? As if! The girl was just so …. Soft. No that was a very poor way to put it because the woman was basically a cactus in a frilly dress. What did Hana want him to do? Throw her a sword and say figure it out sweetheart? Well actually that seemed like something Hana would expect…



It was so frustrating. Silas had spent the last week standing in the rain at the helm and trying to figure out just how anyone thought he was fawning over…. Her. Silas was all tough and gruff and surly. At least he liked to think that he was. The type of woman Astrid was, it wasn’t really his type right? Though he supposed when pressed to explain what his type was… he didn’t really know.



As if on queue he suddenly felt a presence behind him and turned to see Astrid standing there with her stupid parasol, scolding them all for being out in the rain. “Yeah? And what would you rather us do. Anchor the boat and wait for sunny days ahead?” Silas smirked and moved away from the helm, turning fully to look at her with his arms crossed over his chest. “If we did that we would run out of supplies for your lovely little tea parties before we even saw land.” Something in him was always pleasantly tickled by poking fun at her. Maybe he just liked to see the reaction it warranted.



Silas turned to glance at the crows nest as Astrid yelled at her sister, giving a slight scoff before turning back to Astrid. “You know you could afford to learn something from one another, you could use some of her grit.” He chuckled, looking Astrid up and down and trying to even imagine her climbing a rope the way the others did. He had to give her the fact that she could handle a sword fairly well but… the rest of it seemed far stretched at best. Behind him Silas heard a commotion and turned his head to see Adella slipping. Thankfully she wasn’t too far from the ground, Silas moved slightly to try and help but before he could Declan was there, prepared to at least try and catch the reckless woman. “And maybe your sister could use some of your thoughtfulness.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Astrid Davies

For some reason Silas knew just the right things to say to press her buttons. Or, at least he did. After dealing with his cocky attitude for a few weeks she had learned how to deal with it, which was giving it right back to him. He always seemed to underestimate her, him and Hana both, and she was growing quite tired of it. "And who would steer the ship should you become bedridden with fever? Declan? We'd end up right back in England. Besides, I'd be the one nursing you back to health. That alone should deter you from falling ill." The hand that wasn't holding the parasol went to her hip and a small smirk played on her pretty lips. "And be careful there captain, for a minute it almost sounded like you enjoy our afternoon tea."

She hated to admit it, in fact she would never admit how much she enjoyed matching wits with Silas. Back home no one dared challenged the twins like these pirates did and it was rather fun. It was painfully obvious Astrid wasn't cut out for the manual labor side of things like tying knots, climbing, and don't even get her started on washing the deck. Still, no matter what she was tasked with it sure as hell beat running off to Liverpool to be some boring commander's wife.

Her attention went back to Adella as she climbed down the nest, her brow twitching with irritation as Silas spoke again. Before she could even respond her sister was slipping from the ropes, damn near giving her a heart attack! Luckily for all of them Declan had been right there, but, still! Astrid specifically said don't slip, her sister couldn't even listen to that instruction! "Oh my grit this, my grit that. I think thoughtfulness on this ship is exactly what you lot needed. You poke fun, but deep down I think you enjoy having me here. Now, chop chop captain, or the tea will get cold."

Carefully Astrid stepped down the steps to the main deck, her eyes narrowing as she began to scold her sister. "And you! I said DON'T slip. Has all of this rain deafened you? Come inside so I can look at your hands." It wouldn't of been the first time she had to patch up her trouble making twin. Her eyes darted to Declan and thought to scold him for something, but considering he had saved her sister from even further bodily harm he was the one person on deck that was safe. For now.

With a heavy sigh the lady and her parasol retreated back inside so she could fetch the first aide kit.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Hana.

The snark in Gideon's voice paired with his words were enough to cause Hana's tough exterior to crack for a brief moment, so much so that she found herself smirking. It was obvious that something was eating him up, but she didn't think that both of the twins would be driving him insane. Here she thought that he was immune to their attitudes.

Suddenly he was spilling everything, and when she said everything she meant everything. Either he felt safe enough with Hana to reveal all these juicy details or it was simply because he had been bottling them up for so long, she supposed that the reason didn't matter. She had been in the same frustrated situation not even a week ago when she blew up on Silas; it had just been building, and building, and when he backed her into a corner she couldn't contain her feelings anymore. Hana's dark eyes watched him as he paced and rambled on, her small frame moving to sit on a barrel to pay him the attention he deserved. Someone needed to listen to the poor guy, and it was clear that Adella didn't care enough to ask.

"If it makes you feel any better you're not the only one getting scorned on this misfortunate adventure. Captain thinks that he can sleep with me and flirt with Astrid every chance he gets. He doesn't see it and thinks I'm delusional, but he doesn't taunt any of the other girls like he does her. Which is fine, we were nothing but a casual fling and it was my fault for crossing the boundaries of our relationship, but still. I feel your pain, at least to some degree." Hana wasn't completely heartless, she could see that he was hurting over this situation and wanted him to not feel alone. It had been years since she had found herself feeling sympathy for someone, it was an odd emotion.

"Tell her how you feel." Her tone was very point blank as she reached down to pick up the paper he had thrown, folding it within her paper and tucking them into the pocket of her dark tunic. "Feelings don't mean weak, it's running from them that makes one weak. While I can't guarantee that it'll be the most comfortable conversation I can guarantee you'll feel better getting it off your chest. Maybe she's just as oblivious to what she's doing, maybe it'll open her eyes and realize that you're right, or it'll make her mad at you for even bringing it up. I don't have the answers you seek, I do wish I could help you. I'm pretty sure Silas is avoiding me like the plague and yet, I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders after being honest about my feelings."

There was movement above them meaning that everyone must've been gathering for the silly tea time Astrid insisted on. "Would you like to join the others, or skip it? I'd say we're about done with inventory but, they don't know that. Your call."

 

[Sir Damien]

Declan Murphy

Adella was... everything that Declan had been missing in life. All his life it had been him and Silas; Hattie was constantly irritated with him and Rolf was like talking to a brick wall more often than not. He flirted with a slew of woman, charmed countless of them for the night, all to fill the empty spot in his heart that desired companionship. Declan would be the first to admit that he was a lot to handle sometimes and he always feared that he'd never find another friend in life, that it would always just be him and Silas. Pirates didn't make friends, and while he was a proud swashbuckling pirate he also craved friends. Just as Silas wanted friends and comfort so did Declan.

While Silas was completely oblivious to his feelings, Declan was well aware of how much Adella had grown on him. Everyday the normal and mundane chores seemed a whole lot more fun with her at his side. They chatted about just about anything from the weather, what they'd expect at the port, the island, and even shared some fun bar stories. They would spend hours in the crows nest, he was pretty sure she spent more time in it than he did! And Adella didn't even seem to mind his constant flirting, though he was starting to feel that his flirting was something a bit more than what it had been with anyone else. Truthfully he had never thought another soul would have been able to deal with him like this. She was leagues above him; gorgeous, brilliant, damn good at cards, and yet she didn't seem offended by his company. Dare he say they had fun together.

Once his feet had met the ground he looked back out at sea to watch the storm pass by in the distance. The moment didn't last long though; above him he could hear the sound of Adella sliding down the rope, which in this weather only meant trouble. Low and behold she was plummeting to the deck! "Oh shit shit shit shit!" The fall wouldn't kill her but it would certainly hurt like hell. Declan stretched his long arms out and before she could collide with the deck he caught her, his body standing firm and holding her gently to his strong chest.

"Aye lass, are you alright?" His brows furrowed as his light green eyes looked her from head to toe, his usual fun, flirty demeanor completely gone. It was clear he was genuinely concerned about her, especially when he looked at her burned hands. Luckily, or possibly unluckily for Adella, Astrid was there to scold her before she was off getting the first aide kit. "Those look painful. Come on." Now, he could've let her down, but this was a rare form for Declan Murphy pirate extraordinaire. Without another word he was taking off down the stairs, his strong arms still holding her to his chest.

It was only when they had gotten to the dining hall with Astrid did he notice he was still carrying her. Suddenly his face lit up red and he gave a small nervous chuckle. "I- um, are your legs alright Adella? I suppose I could put you down now, right?" Gently he placed her on her feet, pulling out a chair for her so she could sit down and let Astrid tend to her.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Rolf L.

In truth the little Scottish lass was the smartest, most interesting person Rolf had ever met. He couldn't help but smile as she talked about what she was up to, a small chuckle passing his lips at the mention of mermaids. Now that would be a new one even for the seasoned shipwright. The bird sat on his shoulder as the 6'6" man leaned against the wooden wall, his eyes glancing over at all of her tools. No matter what it was Hattie did it was always fascinated him to no end. Like with all the maps on the floor, Rolf couldn't read a map for the life of him despite spending most of his life on boats, it amazed him to no end that she could both draw AND read them.

"Now what favor would a mermaid offer?" His dark brow arched curiously as he looked at her, genuinely intrigued to hear her answer. Had they come upon the elusive sea creature he would be more than interested in one. "Mm. Tea time." With a small smile he nodded his head. Now while he knew everyone poked fun at Astrid's tea time he actually quite enjoyed it. Not saying that this group was a rough band of pirates by any means, he had been with far scarier vikings, but they didn't ever have a mandated break during the day. The tea was nice, and there was always some type of snack with them. All Declan knew to cook was slop and biscuits.

Plus Gideon and Adella were lively company. He liked that they joined their crew.

Hattie offering her arm had Rolf fumbling for a minute. With most people he was so awkward, mainly due to the language barrier, but with her it was different. She was his best friend (only friend?), and yet she always made his heart beat funny whenever she was close to him. "Aye, sounds good." His warm arm looped through hers once she obtained her satchel, taking off for the dining room.

Nothing was ever boring with this group. As they entered the room arm in arm, parrot on his broad shoulder he instantly noticed the frantic Declan who was carrying Adella for some odd reason. Astrid was coming in with the first aide kit, and all he could do was blink a couple times. "Hmm." With a small shrug he pulled out Hattie's chair for her, a small smile on his lips as he looked down at the petite woman. They were apparently the only ones that never got themselves in trouble.