Fantasy On Uncertain Tides

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Astrid Davies

"There's no point. Just send me out to sea, maybe I'll prove more useful to the sharks." Ever the dramatic woman she was this time maybe she was right. She had failed at every turn on the ship. The woman had no upper body strength and had never worked a day in her life, besides a bit of fencing and ballet she was a studious woman. That? And she would rather walk the plank than not wear a dress. Ship or no she was a lady and would dress as such. Besides, the heavy dress didn't impede on any of the tasks she had failed at. Her dainty hands couldn't tie a knot for the life of her, her heeled boots got her twisted on the ladder as she tried to climb to the crow's nest, the sails were heavy, she couldn't lift a cannon to save her life, and scrubbing the deck? Did she look like a deckhand? That was just downright insulting.

It seemed as if her sister found her niche already, Astrid was almost positive at this point that she'd never be good at anything on this ship. Astrid dejectedly played with the frills of the lilac dress she refused to change out of while the girls rested on some crates. "I'm not mad by any means, surprised but not mad. I'm happy to have a little bit of time with you before I-" Get married, but it was still hard to say the words. Her betrothed was a typical hardened military man and she had no desire to spend her life with someone like that. "It's gorgeous out here though. Clear skies, a nice breeze. I could get used to this." Even if she was down right shitty at the labor portion, it was her first day and maybe she'd get better! It felt like being out here was in their blood... she just had to find something she was good at.

Dealing with Declan was not going to be something she got used to though. With a loud sigh and a heavy eye roll she stood to her heels and smoothed out her dress. "And I'll tell him what I told you, this is the lightest dress I own. You both can, respectfully, piss off. I've been on plenty of ships my whole life, I do know how to swim so I don't really know what your issue is." With a flip of her long light brown locks she brushed passed him and sashayed away to head towards the mess hall. Her big blue eyes spotted Hana who was no longer in her warrior armor and she couldn't help but look around for Gideon. "You haven't killed Gideon yet have you? I do prefer the man alive." It was half an attempt at a joke, and half serious. Hana was a scary woman and she already didn't like Giddie.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Hana.

Silas was lucky she didn't knock his ass out for the assignment she had been given. Granted knowing the ship's inner workings was a good thing, but why did HE have to be the show her? Hana would of preferred one of the sisters do the tour! On a good day Hana's disposition was rather prickly, but today she was exceptionally irritable. The girls weren't the bad ones, they seemed willing to learn and to go on this adventure with them. Hana remembered when escaped her home, bloodied and wounded. She had to learn the way of the world too, she could empathize with the girls in that manner. Gideon though? He reeked of entitlement, like he was better than anyone else purely because of status. So what if he had a cushy job protecting some spoiled princesses? That literally meant nothing in the real world. Just his face pissed him off.

During the tour she was exceptionally quiet, though that was her normal. At the end of the tour Hana informed Hattie of the small library she could used, and then proceeded to order Gideon to change out of his dreaded uniform. They were already working on the flag end, they didn't need him traipsing around in something that screamed military. It brought great joy to her when he informed her that was all that he brought. Hana quickly remedied the situation and retrieved an outfit from the most ill-dressed of all of them, dear old Declan. When Gideon refused to change Hana informed him that either he change his outfit, or she'd do it for him. He seemed more receptive after that.

She had considered what he had said earlier, about the soldiers being brand new and what not. She knew that the veteran crews would be out looking for them, bounty hunters, other pirates alike. This wouldn't be an easy venture, they still had to make it to the port, gather supplies, and make it to Royale. There had to be a bounty on all of their heads, dead or alive, and a bounty to retrieve's the girls. All she could hope was that the pirates there wouldn't catch wind of the bounties.

"I would rather make friends with the sharks, you buffoon. He was fighting me on his outfit. His OUTFIT Declan! I mean, who cares about clothes?" Hana was finally out of her armor, in a lightweight black tunic and slacks with a haori pulled over her shoulders. As soon as she seen Astrid all she could do was laugh. "Unbelievable. I can't with these people. I was tasked with dealing with your babysitter, I'm leaving the captain to dealing with her ass." Speaking of, she wondered if Gideon was going to show his face at dinner in his new uniform. The thought brought a smug grin to her face.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Rolf.

One of the things that Rolf admired best about Hattie was how creative she was. Each map she made was beautiful, it was like a work of art. The flag she made? It was simple, yet it screamed their crew. The whole 'dead-eye' thing was bloody brilliant. For the first hour he just quietly sat there and watched her go about painting, handing her a clean brush every now and then when she switched colors. Eventually though Declan wanted the girls to help him with the ship, so of course Rolf was happy to oblige. Even when Astrid accidentally smacked him with the mast while she tried to help with the sail. At least the was trying? It was a good thing the brute could take a building. She apologized and he could tell that she felt bad, so he wasn't mad.

After the girls got done with helping him with some of the basics he moved to working on the more risky part of disguising the ship. Normally you would park the ship and that allowed the shipwrite to shave off the name of the ship. However they didn't have the luxury of time right now, they were actively being hunted and Rolf needed to get to work. Luckily for him he wasn't scared of anything. He had secured a rope tied to him and the bowsprit and pretty much grappled down the front of the ship so he could work on sanding the name off of the ship. the wind felt nice in his long brown locks and beard.

By the time he was pulling himself up onto the ship he could hear Hana complaining to Declan and Astrid storming into the ship. All he could do was chuckle and shake his head. He sat down his tools and gave a long stretch, thankful that it was dinner time. Declan wasn't even considered a good cook, nothing like his mom made at home, but he was the best their crew had to offer. Plus, who could be mad at food in their stomach after a long days work?

He made his way across the deck to be nosy and see how the flag was doing. "Hungry?" He flashed Hattie a small smile, his green eyes glancing over at the flag to see how it was coming along. He was so excited to cast the flag and mark this ship officially theirs. One step closer to the treasure.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Hattie O’Connor

Hattie was more than thankful for the peace and quiet, for the time she could spend focusing far too hard on this stupid flag. She had always been an artist of sorts, she liked to paint and sketch in her free time since she was young. It wasn’t until one day a friend of her fathers saw her working on a constellation sketch that she ever knew that was really the stepping stones to cartography. Once she started studying it and looking into it more she was hooked! And the rest was history. Sort of at least. But that was for another time. While the others were off handling their tasks she remained below deck hunched over the fabric and supplies. By the end of it she was covered in paint, smeared over her hands and clothes.. even a few smudges on her face.

Across the way she could hear the ruckus of Declan finishing their meal and Hana complaining. Which meant it was time to finish up here. Hattie stepped away from her work, wiping her hands on the brown material of her skirt before nodding slowly. It looked good, good enough for her to call it finished. “Very.” Hattie chuckled, looking over at Rolf as he looked over the flag. “Looks good yeah? I think if I spend any more time on it I’ll ruin it. I weighed it down with a crate on the corner, it’ll mess up the paint but keep it from flying away before we can get it hung.” She turned and started walking towards the noise. “Did ya get the side sanded good? I still can’t believe you were just hanging over the edge like that.”

The two joined the others around the table, Hattie looking around before taking a seat. “Aye why’s the prissy one look so upset? Did yer cookin already made her sick Declan?” Hattie was actually asking, it wasn’t meant to be a dig. That’s what she meant when she said she wasn’t excellent at the socialization thing. The girl mentioned Hana killing Gideon and Hattie snorted as she poked at her food. “If Hana killed the bloke you’d know it, something tells me she’d brag about that one.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Adella Davies

It felt good to hear that Astrid wasn’t angry, that she actually seemed to be a bit excited about this all. “You don’t have to marry him you know… I know you just want to keep father happy but I think at this point you could burn down the house and he wouldn’t care. You’re the good one remember?” She gave a small chuckle at the comment before standing up from where she was sitting, pushing her bangs away from her face and smirking a bit. “I mean you can’t be as disappointing as me right?”

The two girls found their way to the table and Adella rolled her eyes as Astrid’s clothing became the topic once more. “You would literally have to cut her dresses off her dead corpse to get her to change her mind yeah? The girl loves her clothes.” Adella was slowly showing her true colors, while she was trying to get everyone to allow them to stay she had been fairly mild but now that they were in… the true Adella could shine. “Maybe focus more on your poker skills than outfits.” She winked before taking a seat and looking around the table at the food. Honestly she was was kind of pleasantly surprised, it wasn’t the type of food she ate… but it wasn’t as bad as she imagined for something this baffoon had cooked.

“Gideon will grow on you once he chills out. And my chills out I mean once he’s over being right pissed at me.” Adella shrugged and leaned back in her chair, looking over to Hana. “Plus he’s insane so throwing him overboard won’t do much. He’ll be back up on deck before you can even turn around. I’ve watched the man free climb the side of this ship with nothing but a dagger before.” At first glance a lot of people thought Gideon was just a glorified officer, one that got his rank through politics and not work. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

[KAYDEN]

Gideon Hawthorne

How in gods name he was given the task of tour guide was beyond him. Gideon knew this ship better than anyone but still.. and of course it had to be the woman who wanted to throw him overboard. Despite this Gideon made sure to show her everything, well mostly everything. There was a safe aboard with the girls jewelry and money for when they had arrived in Liverpool. That wasn’t a necessary thing to disclose so Gideon simply chose to graze by it. At the end of their walk around the ship Hana insisted Gideon change, she wasn’t wrong. If they ever went to dry land walking around in his uniform would get him quickly recognized. But he really didn’t understand why it mattered now but he also wasn’t in the mood to argue. Well… much. Gideon tried to avoid it by sharing that he had nothing else but that quickly backfired when Hana HAPPILY went and gathered him what she claimed were clothes… more like rags.

“This is ridiculous.” Gideon sighed, smoothing over the loose white, well it was more yellow or tan but he assumed it was meant to be white, tunic. He had tucked it into the tight brown pants and secured his normal belt around his waist, his sword fastened at his side. Thankfully his boots were non discript enough to keep on. The outfit smelled. He looked ridiculous. He felt grimy. This was awful. “Aye.” Gideon stopped obsessing with the outfit and shook his head, choosing to go find the others rather than wallowing in self pity any longer.

It appeared as if everyone gathered for a meal, Gideon being one of the last to join. When he did he caught the end of what Adella had said, “I’m already over being upset with you Adella, my dislike for that woman has outshined any previous annoyance that I had.” Her nodded his head in the direction of Hana, choosing not to hide his annoyance with her. If she wanted to complain about him without knowing him, he would gladly do the same.

“You know, you keep calling me a babysitter like it’s some insult. You try to keep up with those two for a day. They’ve already managed to outsmart your first mate, neither gave up today and they hid from your idiot crew without trying. I think I’m going a fairly good job. So I think I’ll take it as a compliment.” Gideon flashed her a toothy smile before sitting down and crossing his arms over his chest.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Silas

While the others all handled their tasks Silas found himself behind the helm once more, they needed to slightly adjust course to make it to a nearby island off the coast. They didn’t have a big enough crew for a night watch so they would have to find shallow enough waters each night to anchor. From where he stood he watched as Rolf and Declan tried to help out the twins. Adella seemed to be getting the hang of things and watching her climb up to the crows nest was something next level, he couldn’t even climb that quickly. Then there was Astrid… she was trying? Well trying at everything but cleaning but honestly everyone should have expected that. Silas had only known the woman a few hours and even he could have called that one. And her choice of outfit was… ridiculous. But for now Silas was hoping she would realize that on her own.

Clearly that wasn’t the case because as Silas joined the others to grab a plate the topic of discussion was bouncing between Gideon and Astrid’s dress. “If you wear that sort of nonsense tomorrow you won’t step foot on my deck.” Silas said simply, filling a plate with food before leaning against the wall with it in one hand, mug of ale in the other. “You may think it doesn’t hinder you but it does, and I’m not wasting Declan’s time with your nonsense.”

“If you care more about your dress than helping, you can count the ship’s inventory tomorrow.” Silas glanced over at her, his eyes narrowing slightly as he wondered how she would respond. Inventory wasn’t something they NEEDED but it would be nice to have actual counts of everything, that and it was a nice punishment.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Astrid Davies

WHY was everyone on this ship unreasonable? Scratch that, just the fucking captain and that Hana girl were unreasonable. Hattie seemed nice, just a tad standoffish of the girls. Astrid was a socialite normally but not in this situation so she just stood back and followed orders. It was all very reminiscent of being at home and she didn't like that. Only, at home she could wear what she wanted! The captain couldn't give her one good damn reason why her dress impeded her work on the deck. But, he was the captain and Astrid wanted to play nice. Aye, aye captain. She absolutely lived to regret those words.

It had been four whole days of tedious tasks and, at this point, she was convinced the captain enjoyed watching her suffer. No sun, no fresh air, just meaningless tasks below deck. Inventory was done in a matter of an hour so she was tasked with peeling potatoes next. Potatoes. And when she said potatoes she didn't mean just four or five. BAGS of potatoes had to be peeled along with other oddly shaped vegetables. Do you know how many tiny little cuts she had all over her pretty hands? This went on for days. Thankfully Declan let her at least help cook in between the countless potatoes. Meals were better, she made sure there was always tea available, that part of the kitchen she didn't exactly hate. There was so much tension at meal time Astird felt as if she would explode.

Today was the day she snapped. She was a highly educated woman, she could knit, sew, identify plants, schmooze, she didn't deserve this. All because of a DRESS. Astrid cut her poor finger yet again and she screamed in frustration. She was DONE. After throwing the peeler in the sink the woman marched her heels up the stairs, her pretty seafoam green dress flowing in the wind. "Listen you, I will not peel you one more potato!" Astrid stormed up to the captain and let out an angry exhale. It was rare she got this angry, usually she used her words in a dispute but Silas hadn't listened to anything she had to say. She was done with being polite!

"You're a gambling man, correct? I challenge you to a battle. I'll borrow a sword, we'll duel, and when I knock your sword from your hand you shut up about my wardrobe. If I can beat you in a dress then I can do ship work in one. Of course if you win I'll peel potatoes until my fingers fall off, I'll even wear bloody pants. Do you accept these terms, or are you too big of a chicken?" Astrid had a gift at reading people, he'd probably laugh at her, underestimate her. That's what she wanted. "Gideon, dear. Your sword please?" Astrid held out her cut up hand towards Gideon in hopes he would help her out here. Surely he'd want to see the captain be made a fool of.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Hana,

The longer Hana spent breathing the same air as the girls she realized that Gideon had a far worse job than she did. Granted, she had to watch over Declan, but the twins were impossible. One was wild and seemed like she had been a pirate since birth, and she had never seen someone quite as stubborn as the dressy one. Together it was like they fed off of each other and got worse, and truthfully she kind of felt bad for Gideon. He had to have the patience of a damn saint, because Hana could not get paid enough to deal with them for more than a day. Plus, what Adella said kept running through her head. Climbing the side of the boat with a knife sounded impressive but she had already promised no throwing him overboard.

So what was an appropriate reaction? A heavy chore list. She wanted to see what he was actually made of. Adjusting the cannons, helping her sharpen all the weapons, pushing around heavy barrels and organizing things with her. Hey, at least her tasks were better than peeling potatoes. "Alright. We're done. You win, I tried to break you, but you're actually rather resilient." With a small, defeated sigh she gave a small shrug as she threw in the towel like she hadn't just run him ragged the last few days. "And, maybe I was still a little mad about your attitude the first day we met. Now I'm over it, it's no fun if you don't fight back."

With a small smile she took the mop from him and stuck it back in the bucket. "Shall we call a truce?" Just as she posed the question, however, the doors flew open and out stormed Astrid. She looked upset, and truth be told it was kind of hilarious. There was no way she could be more stubborn than Silas, she didn't even know why the little lady tried. Plus, why make this fuss about a dress? "Have you taken ill, girl? Why should the captain take such a silly bet? Just give in, I'll lend you some pants for crying out loud."

 

[Sir Damien]

Declan Murphy

All right, maybe Silas went a little too far with the peeling potatoes punishment. At first it was funny, but the girl was stubborn and she didn't give in. It seems as if he had finally met someone as stubborn as Silas himself and he was actually pretty impressed. Hell, she even took over cooking duty for him! There was even tea, he couldn't remember the last time they had that on a boat. It was an issue that only Silas and her could resolve though so he decided it was best to not stick his nose in their business and keep about his. Which, presently, was training Adella. The woman was a natural! She was catching on to everything so quickly and he was colored impressed.

The tension in the boat was at an all times high, it was like the captain and Astrid had some intense unspoken war going on and Declan hated tension. So in response he was eager to get far away from them! Which meant being in the crows nest nearly every day to keep lookout. They were less than a day away from Faroe and that meant they had to remain extra vigilant. The crow's nest usually fell on Declan since he was rather quick on the ropes, it was kind of nice to have company! Adella had seemed to love the crow's nest, and truth be told it was his favorite part of the boat.

"So when we get to port we'll have to obviously stop for supplies. We'll all be leaving the boat and going to the pub like usual I imagine, I'm thinkin' you ladies may want to wear a disguise. That is, if Silas let's your sister come with us, I suppose." He gave a small chuckle at his words though there was some truth to the matter, Silas would probably not let her walk around port like that.

Declan was sitting on the edge of the crow's nest like an idiot of course but, hey, that's what he did best. Down on deck he heard a disturbance so he pointed his spyglass down towards deck. Uh-oh. "Say, uh, Adella. Why is your sister reachin' for a sword? Does... does she think she's going to beat Captain?" He reached over and handed the spyglass to Adella so she could take a look.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Rolf.

Now, Rolf wasn't very chatty but he did enjoy a good show. Someone was bound to break down, he was sure that this was more work than any of them were used to. So the obvious answer was to put money on when someone was going to lose it. Someone was either going to yell, cry, or argue. Either Astrid lost her mind on captain or he would lose his mind with her, same said with Gideon and Hana. It was clear that Adella wasn't going to be the one to break down, but someone was going to and it was kind of fun guessing on who! New person, new reason for their breakdown each day. Other than the bets though he busied himself with making sure all the sails were in order and the ship was functioning properly.

Today he was putting money on Astrid losing her mind on Captain. The woman seemed more and more angry as each day passed, but there was no way she could win against the captain. "Perfect." Rolf and Hattie were on deck taking down the old flag and flying their 'Dead-Eye' one up the flagpole. It looked great, like an official pirate ship with an official flag. He tied off the rope so the flag was at the top and he just grinned over at Hattie. However, the moment of peace was quickly ruined as Astrid stormed out onto the deck.

"I win?" Rolf couldn't help but grin as he whispered over to Hattie. The girl challenging the captain wasn't what he had in mind, but he supposed it still counted. Right? All Rolf could do was lean against the pole, cross his arms across his chest and chuckle. No matter how this played out it would be a little funny, it wasn't often that someone sassed the captain like this.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Adella Davies

Adella felt for Astrid, truly she did... but there was nothing she could really do! If she would just change her damn clothes she wouldn't be below deck peeling potatoes but she was so damn stubborn! It was something the two of them had in common she supposed. It seemed so silly to Adella but clearly Astrid wouldn't be budging no matter what was said to her. So for the past few days the girls were kind of separated, Astrid working on tedious tasks below deck and Adella training with Declan. Adella had taken quite a liking to the crows nest and it seemed like Declan was okay with her focusing on look out duties so that was a win for her.

Today the two of them were up high again, Adella sitting on the floor with her legs poking through the spokes of the railing and hanging in the air. There was a lot more to being lookout than Adella thought. You had to watch for possible hazards, other ships, weather, land... hell even sea life. Yesterday they even saw a whale! She knew a lot about the different signs of a storm coming but up here it was insane how far you could see... it was amazing.

"Makes sense. There is a small outpost of officers on Faroe, I doubt you guys would have to worry about them recognizing the boat but father was always a real stickler about Astrid and I making appearances and getting to know his men. Mostly I think it was him trying to marry us off but... whatever." Adella rolled her eyes at the thought and leaned back on her hands. "I've tried to get her to just borrow some of my clothes. I have simple skirts and dresses, obviously." The girl gestured to the loose linen skirt and tunic she was wearing. "She just had this thing about having to be right so... I think they'll be at a stalemate on this one for a looooong time."

Or at least she thought.

Below them Adella heard a scream and leaned forward, peering through the railing to see her sister storming towards Silas at the helm. "Oh this is going to be good." Declan was getting a closer look with his spyglass and what he said had Adella DYING. "She asked for a sword? Bloody hell." She snatched the thing away from him and focused on the scene below. Astrid was absolutely flustered and upset, her hand held out towards Gideon and gesturing for his sword. "I believe that she does. Oh hell." She set down the spyglass and turned to Declan with a smirk, "Let's bet on this yeah? Astrid wins, you buy all my ale at port. Silas wins I buy. Fair?"

 

[ZombieBaee]

Hattie O'Connor

"Aye you win." Hattie said with a grumble, reaching into her pocket and pressing a candy into Rolf's palm. "How have you been right every single day? Bonkers. Truly." The two of them had placed silly little bets each say since the girls arrival, resulting in Hattie giving out half of her damn sweet stash to Rolf within a matter of days. This was the ONE day Hattie put her money on Astrid not freaking out and here they were. Dammit.

Hattie turned her attention from the captain and Astrid, to her flag, to Rolf. Then she shrugged. "At least they have a good back drop for this mess now yeah?" The red haired woman turned back to where Astrid was standing toe to toe with Silas and demanding Gideon's sword. Did this little girl actually think she had a chance at winning? She had to have some form of confidence right? She was challenging a literal pirate to a sword fight...

"Oi! If you two are really going to do this at least fight down here so everyone has a clear view!" Hattie yelled from where she stood before hopping up on a barrel for a front row seat to the show.

 

[KAYDEN]

Gideon

It was clear to anyone with halfway decent eyes that Hana was trying to break Gideon, to no avail, but he had to give her props for trying. Gideon had been working on ships since he was ten years old and training with the navy since he was twelve. If he hadn't broken yet it was going to take a lot more than this to do so. "It's not about winning Hana." Gideon sighed, standing up tall and brushing some sweat from his brow with his sleeve. "But, I'll take it. Thank you." He didn't like the situation they were in one bit, he knew that the admiral must be freaking out, his father must be freaking out, there was no doubt they had sent out officers to search. He couldn't help but be highly stressed about the situation back home. "You know, you guys stole my boat. I apologize if I wasn't very polite in our first exchange." He looked at her with a raised brow and a sligh smirl, "But sure, truce."

Then Astrid came burtsting out and Gideon quickly knew everyone was in for a terrible time.

"I'd really rather you NOT do this, but something tells me that if I don't give you a sword you will simply hurt me and take it so... here." Gideon pulled his sword and handed it to Astrid with a sigh. This was going to be a mess. "Are you sure about this? I mean Astrid come on." Across the way Hattie was yelling to bring the fight front and center and Gideon let out a small groan. Astrid had used a sword before, Gideon knew this. But it was fencing. Fencing swords are much much different. Plus to his knowledge she hadn't fenced in years! Despite his begging, he knew she wasn't about to back down. It was this look in their eyes that both girls got that always told him it wasn't worth trying to talk them out of something.

Gideon looked to Hana and shrugged, "So far I feel like a lot of this crew runs on silly little bets. I mean we are here because of a poker game are we not?"

 

[EclipseRosee]

Silas

Silas could be a real dick sometimes, he knew that. Part of it was simply wanting to be right and be in charge but the other half was usually because he was looking out for everyone’s best interests. Astrid working in a dress like that could end badly, she could simply trip, or get caught on something, she could fall overboard and be weighed down, she could overheat ! Most of all he said no! So if she wanted to play hard ball so could he, so potatoes it was.

It had been a nice quiet day, a slight breeze, all around pretty good. That is until a scream interrupted his peace and before he knew it Astrid was barreling straight for him. Honestly it made Silas laugh, she looked so delightfully disheveled. Then when she asked for a sword fight? He laughed even harder. “Are you quite serious? What you think if you act this desperate I’ll feel bad and give up on the dress thing.” He raised a brow at her as she took the sword from Gideon. “Well think again sweetheart, I’ll take on your challenge.”

Silas rolled his eyes at Hattie but moved down the few steps to the main deck to provide more room, twisting his sword around in his hands. “Is looking pretty really worth all this? I mean really.” He looked the small woman over a few times before taking a casual stance with his sword, watching her as she moved. Silas was less than worried about this, even if she was half way decent with a sword he had a foot plus on her and probably weighed two of her. “Let’s get this over with yeah? There’s a lot more potatoes with your name on it.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Astrid Davies

Gideon was right, she would push him down and steal his sword from him should he not deny her. Astrid was completely seeing red at this point, nothing would stop her. Did she know this was a stupid idea? Of course. Silas was a pirate, he was the captain of their crew, she was more than certain he had more experience than her. It was completely ridiculous to think that she could beat him just because she was a top notch fencer. It had been years since she picked up a sword, but it had to be like riding a bike. All Astrid knew was, she was sick and tired of being treated like she was some dumb girl. If she lost this fight and got stuck with potatoes until they were sent home then fine, so be it, but at least she gave it her all.

Was she sure about this? Hell yes. Was she sure she was going to win? Absolutely not. The man towered over her and truth be told she wouldn't want to be on his bad side. That didn't stop Astrid from holding onto the sword, the sword clearly ill fit for her size, and storming down the steps after him. She hated that he was getting a laugh out of this, she was serious! Maybe if she took him by surprise she would earn at least some respect from the man? That's all she wanted, to be treated like an equal. She was part of the crew, she deserved that much!

"Calling me pretty won't earn you any brownie points! Put up or shut up!" Astrid had the determined glimmer in her eye that her sister and mother used to get, showing absolutely no fear as she held up her sword. She was going to get her ass kicked, but at least everyone else would get a good show. Preferably she would of used a one handed sword but Gideon's sword was heavy and required both of her hands, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. Astrid was little, she was quick on her feet (even in heels) as she ran towards him and clashed steel with him. Despite the dress she moved about the deck effortlessly as she swung the sword.

Maybe he was a little right about the dress, already she felt like she was overheating, but that was her decision on when to switch outfits! It didn't seem like he was breaking a sweat either, he seemed like he was rather enjoying this. The fight went on for a few minutes and all that could be heard was the smacking of swords and her angry, frustrated groans when swinging the damn sword. She'd definitely have to invest in something smaller. Just as she was about to drop however, Astrid hooked the tip of the sword in the hilt of Silas's and flung it across the deck.

It took her a minute to process what happened. She won, yes, but she was almost certain that he let her win. "I...did it?" Astrid suddenly got a wide smirk on her face. Whether he let her win or not, she won. "Well, well, well. The dress stays." With a smug grin she picked up Silas's sword and handed it back to him. "I like the kitchen, I think I'll stay there if that's all right with you. Other than that I suppose I'll be seeing you on deck more often, Captain."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Hana.

Did it put her more at ease that her and Gideon had somewhat cleared the air? Of course. She hated tension, it made time on the ship pass by more slow than usual and he was proving himself to be a worthy pirate companion. That, or a worthy adversary and she'd rather not fight him, so she'd rather have him on their side. "And I do suppose we owe you an apology for stealing your boat. I don't make the decisions here." Hana gave a small sigh and ran her hand through her long dark hair. Now that they were on (somewhat) good terms, they had to do something about the defiant twin.

Who, presently, was borrowing Gideon's sword in order to fight. "Does your girl have a death wish or something? I swear, some pirates are not as nice as this crew. This isn't my first ship." Some pirates were violent, other were handsy, others thought their word was law. Silas was... reasonable, at times. Him and Declan, hell the whole crew, were fond of bets and keen on keeping their word. It seemed as if Silas was going to entertain Astrid's challenge and it looked like he was rather enjoying this. A waste of his time but, hey, it was his time. She just worked for him, that's what she had to keep telling herself to try and stay out of his business.

"They bet on anything. How many drinks they can drink, card games, drinking games, it's non stop with this crew." With a heavy sigh Hana gave a small shrug. Guess this was happening? "Let's grab a seat to watch this mess." Hana made her way down the stairs and took a seat on the railing of the ship. "Are all the girls stubborn like this where you come from, or just these two?" As she Gideon her big brown eyes watched as Astrid struggled with holding the sword. It took everything in her not to laugh. Hana had sparred with Silas before and he was impressive, definitely worthy of his captain title. It was always Hana's first task on a ship to assess the captain, most disappointed her but not Silas. He held his own, they had a good spar, and he earned her respect.

Now she was hoping he would put her in her place. Only, the girl seemed rather decent with a sword that was clearly not meant for her size. She was quick as she dodged to either avoid his swings, or in her attempt to get the upper hand on him. It was clear that Silas was enjoying this, and that kind of pissed Hana off. Why didn't he just put her in her place?

And then the sword flew from his hand and Hana's mouth fell open. No. Fucking. Way. "Did you suddenly forget how to use your brain today, Captain? Or your sword?"

 

[Sir Damien]

Declan Murphy

"I don't think you have the funds to pay for my ale, but if that's the bet you want to make I'm all on board!" Declan laughed at the thought of Astrid even lasting more than a minute with Silas! The boys had been training since the orphanage, practicing with sticks and what not, and he was always bested Declan. Hence why he won the title of Captain. Plus, steering the ship bored him. He liked the adventure, the climbing, the cannons, the treasure hunting, all the things that came with the title of first mate.

"I never understood that whole noble marriage thing, so he just picks a mate for ya' and that's it? You're married?" Declan picked the spyglass once again to watch the fight closer as he continued their conversation. The thought of Adella being told to marry someone was kind of comical. He didn't know the girls that well. Declan knew they were well off, noble, headstrong, stubborn as all hell, but he knew that bossing them around wasn't an easy venture. It was clear that nothing was going to tie Adella down and he was honestly surprised that Astrid was fine with being married off. No wonder the girls wanted to join their rag tag pirate crew.

"We'll be fine, Silas is smarter than he lets on and he'll know how to go about things on port. Just stay close and I'll protect ya'!" Declan may have been an idiot at times but he was quick on his feet and wouldn't let anything happen to his crew. They had already lost one person on their last crew and the guilt was constantly weighing on Declan, he wasn't going to let it happen again. "Aye, lassie, some people are just born stubborn. You look lovely in the skirts, I think she just likes to butt heads with the captain. He'll end this quick I'm sure."

The fight started and surprisingly she was lasting longer than he thought. It was clear she was struggling, it was kind of funny and maybe Silas was getting a good laugh out of it. The man seemed to like to play with his food but Declan was sure he'd end it soon. However, when his sword went flying Declan's jaw dropped. "Oi! What the shit was that mate?!" Now he had to pay for her ale too?! What was he, made of money! "C'mon, I have a bone to pick with dear ol' captain." With a small huff he wrapped his arm around Adella's waist and held her securely to him. Without so much as a warning he grabbed hold of the long rope that was attached to the crow's nest with his gloved hand and slid down the rope until they were just hovering over the deck, the wind flying through their hair as they flew down the rope.

Gently he deposited her before he jumped off himself. "Do you know I just lost another bet, Silas? ANOTHER. BET. Next time you decide to throw a match let me know will ya'?" He didn't know what had gotten into his brother. Playing with your food was one thing, it was another to let her win!

 

[Colt Voltage]

Rolf.

The gentle giant couldn't help but grin like a child as Hattie pressed the candy into his palm. The man wasn't normally a gambler, but when it came to sweets there was another side of him. The big guy had a major sweet tooth, they didn't have very many sweets back in his home land and that was another reason he loved traveling. That was another reason him and Hattie got along so well, she always seemed to have a stash that he couldn't sniff out. Rolf was never able to keep sweets long enough to build a stash. "Bet she wins." Was that a risky thing to bet? Of course, there was no way a little girl could win against the captain! Rolf always liked to bet on the underdogs though, when he was little he was a tiny boy and no one thought he would amount to much. Hattie could say the same though, right? She was an underdog in the pirate community, no one would thought she would amount to much because she was a woman. Here she was proving them wrong though.

"Yum." Rolf leaned against the railing next to Hattie's front row seat and plopped the candy in his mouth. The poor girl looked so bound and determined to show the captain a thing or two and Rolf couldn't help but chuckle quietly. He knew this would be interesting.

The fight began and the girl was rather quick on her feet. The sword looked like it weighed more than her but she was bound and determined to show the captain a thing or two. The girl had failed at every duty on the ship so far save for kitchen duty, he was happy to see that she was doing somewhat good at something. The battle continued and Rolf just quietly sucked on the butterscotch. One minute turned to five, and before any of them knew it Silas's sword was flying across the deck. "See? Girls rule." Rolf gently nudged Hattie with a small smile, hoping that Hattie would finally give the girls a chance.

Everyone seemed to be giving the captain shit and Rolf felt a little bad for him. So what did he do? He moved to Silas's side and pat him on the back. "Good job, Cap." Hey, all that mattered was he had fun. He couldn't remember the last time the captain had a good duel.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Silas

Astrid wasn’t joking, it was quickly apparent that she was indeed, quite serious. As the two of them began their battle, Silas was pleasantly surprised. This girl had definitely held a sword at least once or twice in her life, and maybe it was wrong of him to assume otherwise. But could you blame him! Look at the woman! “ I’m not looking to earn brownie points, sweetheart. Do I look like I need ‘em?” SiIas winked at her and have a small smirk as the swords clashed, the sounds of metal ringing through the air.

The two of them went on like this, for a few minutes, the longer it took the more and more Silas found himself impressed. There was some thing admirable about the anger that was showing on Astrid’s face. Something that made him decide to let go. She was working up a sweat, her face going red and her breath getting heavy. Not that Silas wasnt, he could tell that if she were given a weapon appropriate for her stature than she would be a scary opponent. However in this battle? Silas would simply put endurance her. That is unless his hand slipped at the right moment. As Astrid jabbed towards his hilt, Silas loosened his grip and watched as the sword flew away from him.

“Oi if all you wanted to do was COOK the potatoes as well you could have just said so.” Silas smirked, taking back his sword and looking down at the woman with a raised brow. What an interesting lady. “Fine the dress stays, the moment you snag it though I don’t want to see any tears over your ruined clothing. And you can’t wear it off the ship, you’ll be far too noticeable amongst this crew. Sound fair miss?” He put away his sword and held out his hand to shake, offering a truce.

Declan and Hana were quick to scold him because of course they were. “Declan stop taking stupid bets and that would stop that now wouldnt it? How many times in a few day span can Adella outsmart you and you let it happen?” He sighed and looked between his dear friend and the small girl at his side who had an equally cocky look on her face as her sister. “Awful women truly. Aren’t noble ladies like raised learning etiquette and tea and that sort of shit.” Silas walked away and headed back up the few steps to stand behind the helm once more. They should be close enough to anchor soon, they would then wait until nightfall to head ashore to help with anyone who might possibly recognize the ship or the patrons.

“Everyone be ready to anchor, should reach land in a few hours here.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Adella Davies

“I don’t need to be protected. Trust me I’ve spent my fair share of time on the rougher sides of the docks.” Adella scoffed, looking over at Declan with a small smile. She meant it, most nights she found herself with her hair tucked into her shirt and a hat on her head, bouncing between different taverns and what not down by the docks in London. The crowd that stayed by the water and didn’t move to the city was often pirates, drunkards or gristly jaded naval officers. They weren’t exactly easy to deal with. Adella held her own, she wasn’t a fighter like her sister but she was one hell of a shit starter and runner. Climbing up and down from a forty story bedroom window had gotten her pretty well in shape. It was probably why she had taken to the crows nest and climbing the mast so quickly. Below them then fight was still going on until it suddenly wasn’t, Astrid knocked the sword from Silas’ hand. Adellas eyes went wide, she had bet on her sister but… it was kind of a joke. Sure she was a fencer but… “Well I’ll be damned!”

“Oh don’t worry Declan, I can only drink so much.” Adella smirked, that was a bold faced lie. Before she could say anything more Declan wrapped an arm around her and the two were sliding down the rope in a moment. Adellas arms quickly wrapped around his neck and shoulders, a small laugh erupting from her lips as they stopped and he let her down. “Okay one, that was fun. Two, don’t do it again without a warning you git.” Declan went off to yell at Silas alongside Hana and Adella moved to her sister, giving her a small nudge in the ribs. “Good job.”

-

Within three hours they were arriving to shore, the docks were packed with ships of all kinds and the crew found themselves having to anchor slightly off shore. They would just have to take the pinnace to shore. Adella took her sister down to their cabin to prepare their appearance for going ashore. At this point she was a pro at this. Her hair was done in a braid, her face void of any cosmetics and her clothing consisted of black leather pants, a billowy tunic and a brown vest to which she tied her money pouch and other things. Brown boots pulled up over her feet and her body covered in different little accessories. Her sister got… similar treatment though she refused to “look like a man” oh well. Hopefully Silas dealt with it fine…

They all made their way to shore, Silas gave out assignments and told everyone to head to the tavern once done. Adella and Declan were sent to sell some goods from the ship in exchange for beverage so off they went.

“I don’t know why you guys are going through the trouble of selling things, isn’t your thing betting and gambling? Or are you too scared because your currently on quite the wicked loosing streak.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Hattie O’Connor

The lass couldn’t believe her eyes! Hattie turned from the now over sword fight in front of her to the large man besides her looking smug, “Listen I didn’t take that bet but the fact that you called it… bloody hell.” Hattie reached into her pocket and pulled out another candy, tossing it to the man with the stunned look still plastered on her face. Hana was yelling as was Declan but Hattie, well she was just shocked. Rolf chimed in with his girls rule comment and it made her turn to look at him with the same stunned expression before a laugh escaping her lips. “Right- I guess you have a point.”

Hattie turned and looked at the twins, she had to admit that in the last couple of days they had been putting in the work. Obviously not at the rate of a true member of a ship crew but way more than she thought they would have. Maybe she should try and cut them a break… but she did still mean it that her library was OFF limits. That rule wasn’t just for the girls either, it also extended to Hana and Declan. Hana was just too rough with some things and Declan was… well he was a bloody idiot.

“Aye…” Hattie sighed out an agreement to Silas as he mentioned the arrival on the island. Rolf went off and gave Silas his congrats, then everyone began focusing back on their tasks to get the ship ready to dock for the night.

-

“I’ve never seen this place this busy? Bloody hell. It’s like every merchant ship and crew I’ve ever seen is here.” Hattie gasped as she looked around the docks, they had just tied up their small boat and climbed up on to the old rickety wood. “Oi!” She yelled as someone shoved past them. What was with all these people? “Oh hell, yeah yeah! We will see ya. Rolf let’s go.” Hattie reached out, wrapping her arm around the man’s and pulling him with her towards the crowd of people in the market. They needed more dry goods and meat, Hattie would fucking kill for a vegetable that wasn’t a bloody potato. So they were off.

Thankfully being with Rolf made a lot of people move out of their way. Good. Fuck em. “What do’ya think big guy? Carrots look good, what about these turnips? Gosh they all sound good.” Jesus it was stupid to be this excited over vegetables but it had been so long with meat and bread and starch. “We can also find a place to re stock on some candies too yeah? If I keep losing bets I run out before next port.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Astrid Davies

It was weird, growing up all her father told her was that pirates were drunks, swindlers, murderers, that nothing good came from being around them. She had thought that Silas would thrive on making her days here miserable, she had thought that the crew would torture the three of them and make them regret joining. Adella was having fun, Gideon was still clearly against this but was participating none the less, and Astrid was enjoying the freedom! ... you know, other than the potatoes. Silas didn't have to take on her silly little battle, he didn't have to keep his word, but he did. For that he had her respect, and her appreciation. So she made the truce and trusted the pirates a little bit more.

For the first time in a few days Astrid was in a good mood. They were getting to stretch their legs, but as far as that she knew nothing of the rough side of the docks. Her mood quickly soured when Adella tried to make her look like a man. Don't get her wrong, Adella was a dashing male so Astrid was sure she could pull it off, but no. She refused. Instead the lady chose a tan skirt and a loose tan tunic with a cap over resting on her head. While she agreed to take her jewelry off she also refused to take off her cosmetics or change out of her heeled boots. Surely this would suffice.

Silas gave her a look but he also didn't tell her to stay on the ship, so she was marking that off as a win. Initially she thought she'd get to go out with her sister and Gideon but she supposed it made sense to split them all up. Astrid had her money pouch tucked away in her boot so that she could buy a cook book, she wanted to do her very best considering this was all she was good at. Even if they had a limited amount of options, at least she could learn a few tricks.

"Are you sure we're safe out here?" As they all went their separate ways her big eyes looked at all of the people. The street was packed, everything was loud, it was definitely not an atmosphere she was remotely familiar with. "Anyways. Which one of these shops is the book store? I'll meet back up with you at the pub." Her going off on her own was obvious a terrible idea, but she was sure that Silas would be more than happy to get rid of her for a bit.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Hana.

Why did Silas being nice to Astrid make her so angry? Not too long ago it was the two of them pairing off and going out to gather supplies. When the two of them sparred he never went easy on her, not that she'd want that, but it was like he was handling the girl with child gloves. Maybe he pitied her? Yeah. That's what she'd go with. Besides, it wasn't like the two of them were even an item. Just... something to pass the time on the ship. He wasn't her first fling, and he definitely wouldn't be her last.

"If these guys gamble anything else we may lose the ship, so I'd strongly advise against it. Maybe we should have you do all our gambling from here on forward if we'd like to win." With a small sigh Hana watched as everyone headed their separate ways in the heavy crowd. At least Gideon and her were on speaking terms now and she wasn't entirely afraid he'd run off to find some officers. If he did though she brought some rope. "Lucky for us port seems busy. Must be the incoming storm." Behind them they could see the dark clouds in the distance and the heavy rain that it would be bringing. If Hana was advising them they'd get their items, head back to ship, and buckle down for the night. But these idiots of course wanted to go to the pub.

"This way." The dark haired woman headed into the hustle and bustle of the crowd and straight towards the weapons shop. "Is there anything you need while we're out? Last chance before we head across the Atlantic." It didn't take them long to reach their destination, and surprisingly it wasn't as jam packed as she thought it would be. The door chimed as the pair walked inside, Hana wasting no time and heading straight for the shop keep. "Gunpowder. Lots of it." With that said she deposited a pouch of coin on the counter, turning her attention back to Gideon as the shop keeper walked off to gather the powder.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Rolf.

An incoming storm meant a rough ride for the ship, which in turn meant more work for Rolf. He had to make sure that the ship wouldn't get damaged, flooded, he had to secure the masts, booms, barrels, and should the storm be heavy enough the cannons. Usually ships like theirs had a much bigger crew and they were all capable of battening down the hatches rather quickly. Rolf was only one man though, every man (and woman) would have to prove their worth tonight. If they didn't... well, they risked losing not only the ship, but their crew could get injured.

As the eight of them squeezed into the small boat Rolf was the one, per usual, that rowed them to the docks. After he made sure everyone was off safe he effortlessly jumped up onto the deck after everyone, just in time to see someone bump into Hattie. He let out a small, disapproving groan and made sure to stay close to her. Her fiery hair was always noticeable but she was a tiny woman. After so many months on boats men would lose their chivalry (if they had any) and would plow through anyone vulnerable. Lucky enough for Hattie he was the biggest man he knew and he'd be sure to knock some sense into people if needed.

He was quick to follow besides her as she wrapped her arm around him, his green eyes looking around to keep an eye out for danger. The place was busy and while they wouldn't have to worry much about the girls being spotted, they always had to be on the lookout for their old crew. Hattie and Rolf didn't do anything wrong, but should they spot Silas or Declan they'd be in trouble.

"Beans good, too." They approached the busy market and Rolf was thankful he could look over everyone's heads. The market had fruits (which would go bad a few days into their journey), a candy stand, and several meat and vegetable stands. He handed the list Astrid had given them for the market. It was longer than their usual list that Declan made them, but more food meant more choices other than salted meat, potatoes, and bread. So away they went, gathering all the necessities before hitting up the candy.

Lucky for them, Rolf always had candy money tucked away. "My treat." He noted the coin pouch he pulled out as they started picking out their candy. He had been winning so often he was sure her stock was getting low. He felt bad, but not bad enough to stop winning.