Captured Sea [1x1 private]--Story Complete

[ZahraMoon]

☦Ҟȃʑυҝɨ Ⱦѳφȃʑ☦

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The Captain stole one more glance towards the cat now happily nestled against some frabric which was previously laid in his basket before slipping off his shoes and shirt and settling into the bed. Truth be told, when Toby first snuck on board his ship at one small port on a little island full of well-meaning, but poor people the young man had been ready to toss the feline over-board. Kaz wasn’t a fan of stowaways. But Ven had been so insistent on black cats being good luck and throwing one overboard bringing forth a storm worthy enough to tip The Dark Selene that Kazuki reluctantly allowed the creature to stay. After that day the cat quickly warmed his way into the Captain’s heart. He was a bit of a coward, but he worked efficiently and tirelessly on reducing their rat population. Plus, he was great company on dark nights when most of the crew slept and Captain Kaz stood alone at the helm. In fact, Topy had gained so much favor with Captain Kazuki that Kaz had laid down a ship rule completely revolving around him. ”There is only one thing you really need to remember about Topy.” he says looking at the woman on the bed, ”And that is to not hurt him.” he explains while maneuvering his pillow beneath him, ”Hurting him will earn you a date with the sharks. Lucky enough only three men so far have been fool enough to test that rule.”

Catching the woman looking again at the beautiful material she had selected the young man watches her carefully place it against the desk with a delicacy as if one wrong touch would dissolve the material to dust. He shakes his head thinking to himself that her cautiousness was kind of cute on her, ”You know if that tailor is still aboard I’ll have him turn your material into something to wear if you want.” he says, ”I think there is enough material on that for an outfit and a nightgown.” He reasons.

”Now then, I believe I said one of your jobs was a musician.” he says looking up at the ceiling of his quarters”Play me something soothing” came a tired order while gesturing to a harp on the other side of the room. Putting his head down, he closes his eyes ”And remind me in the morning to tell the crew there will be no more singing “Hoist the Colors.” he adds as he remembers how much she had disliked that song before. Now that he knew her as the Goddess he could understand why. Quite frankly, now that he knew it to be more than just a song he wasn’t much of a fan either.

[RubyMoon522]

The King and his men
Stole the Queen from her bed...
And bound her in her bones...

Adrienne
Nerissa, Goddess of the Sea

Adrienne smiled gently toward the cat, now sound asleep in his basket, knowing that following that rule wouldn't be a problem whatsoever. It touched her that such a dangerous, sometimes cruel man like Kaz was so incredibly fond of the little creature. She wondered what kind of heartless fools had even entertained testing that rule, given it meant harming the innocent little thing and also the result was Kaz's wrath.

She turned and looked over her shoulder at him when he mentioned having the silk she'd selected made into something for her to wear. "That would be lovely," she said softly, her voice as like a song as ever in all its natural intonation and allure. At his haughty command, Adrienne smirked a little and gracefully rose from the edge of the bed, moving toward the harp across the room that he'd indicated. Adrienne found that she could rely on Kaz to treat her in one constant fashion, whether she was a human woman or a goddess.

At his statement revolving around the pirates' anthem, she paused, looking over her shoulder with surprise plain on her face before shaking off the strange flattered sensation that crept through her and stepping forward again.

Smoothing her hair back from her face as she sat down on the accompanying stool and carefully tilted the harp back to rest against her right shoulder, she sat for a short moment, thinking through all the symphonies and songs she had both learned and composed, herself, for one that she felt would catch his ear. She kept the polished surface away from the soft, ripped skin of her neck to both save herself some pain and to keep the harp in perfect condition. It looked like it had never been touched.

Her ocean's eyes skimmed the strings along with her fingertips as she warmed up her hands, finally zeroing in on a particular melody she had composed herself while stowing away in the hull of a French merchant's ship perhaps forty years ago. Their inventory had consisted mostly of instruments and she'd tried out all of them, seeing as by then she'd known how to play most every instrument. For the most part, anyway. She soon began to play her sweeping, soothing lullaby, leaning her cheek against the polished pad of the harp at her shoulder as she listened to her own music swirl forth to gently fill the cabin.

The seas be ours,
And by the Powers,
Where we will, we'll roam.

Dressed in this.

[ZahraMoon]

☦Ҟȃʑυҝɨ Ⱦѳφȃʑ☦

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂ ☠☠☠ ▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

Captain Kazuki had been just about positive that the woman was going to make a scowl or snide remark about still having to serve him, even if it was as a musician playing a song as he fell asleep. But to his surprise she merely rose up and gracefully rested the harp against herself as he had a few times seen seasoned harpists do. This woman, or Goddess, or whatever she was confusing to him, he decided, but let it go with a shrug of his shoulders. It wasn’t like he had been looking forward to the complaining after all, he had just expected it. Since none was coming the Captain laid back gratefully.

His relaxation swiftly ended upon the first strokes of the delicate strings. Opening his eyes he sat up a bit and watched her play not even bothering to hide the awe in his expression. One thing was for sure, he had never heard this song before even though he had roughly traveled the world upon this ship and his father’s vessel, another thing he was sure of was that it was the most beautiful piece his ears had ever had the pleasure of hearing. Almost instinctively, the Captain closed his eyes as the melody continued to drift through the cabin, he was reminded of when the Sirens had invaded the ship and how gracefully they had swept through the deck but unlike with them there was no harm in relaxing that he could see. Which was good because relaxing was the only thing he could think to do.

Laying his head back again slowly, Kazuki let the days excitement and dangers and exhaust finally take their toll. It wasn’t the first time he had brushed death before but truly this was the first time that brush had felt so real. Nonetheless the rhythmic playing of the Goddess put his mind at ease and he shifted a bit to close his eyes. He had wanted to stay awake to tell her how beautifully she played, and also mention how stunning she looked with that gaze of peace upon the golden instrument, but he wouldn’t be able to either one because he soon drifted into a silent peaceful sleep during his attempt to hear the rest of the song. He’d just have to mention that as well, in the morning.

[RubyMoon522]

The King and his men
Stole the Queen from her bed...
And bound her in her bones...

Adrienne
Nerissa, Goddess of the Sea

Adrienne smiled a little when Kaz sat up to watch her play; hadn't the entire point of her playing for him been to put him to sleep? Instead she'd made him more awake, she was sure she would be hearing about that soon enough. However, she noticed the awe in his eyes and she relaxed back into the instrument, holding it tenderly against her body like a lover. As the song drifted toward its close, she heard Kaz lie down in bed and finally remain still, the blankets rising and falling with his every breath.

She continued to play until the notes slowly dropped off in sweet, slightly melancholy tones and the melody brought itself to an end. Adrienne's eyes flickered to Kaz's sleeping form, the learned hardness of her gaze melting slightly upon the peace and relaxed vulnerability in his features.

Her heart gave a strange flutter, which she decided must be from exhaustion as she carefully tilted the harp back to an upright position, wary not to squeak the stool when she stood from it. Leaving her sandals on the floor, she paused beside the bed, knowing Kaz had already said they would be sharing tonight, but feeling as if she would be invading his space if she got under the covers with him. Battling the urge to just leave and sleep by the helm, she tentatively slipped into the bed, only relaxing once fatigue brutally crashed over her and she loosened her tense, strained muscles into a dull, sweet sort of pain of unwinding.

Adrienne finally found peace when her body stopped aching and her eyes slowly began to close. Dousing the candle beside Kaz's bed, she let the darkness envelop her and snuggled into the covers, but opened them again when the bed trembled the slightest bit. Topy had decided to join them, experimentally nearing Adrienne's face to sniff at her nose to acquaint himself with her, she supposed. Smiling, she patted the space between herself and Kaz and the sweet little creature mewed quietly as if introducing himself before he curled up snugly against her chest. Her arm lightly folded around him and she gently kissed the top of his head before she finally plunged into the blessed sleep she sorely needed.

The seas be ours,
And by the Powers,
Where we will, we'll roam.

Dressed in this.

[ZahraMoon]

☦Ҟȃʑυҝɨ Ⱦѳφȃʑ☦

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂ ☠☠☠ ▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

He didn't know what exactly had waken him up. Perhaps sound of men shuffling around the top of the deck going about their morning chores, or the gentle light peeking through the port hole to reveal a slow rising sun. All he knew was that he was unusually reluctant to actually wake up this morning. Not only was there a nice soothing sound that could almost be called a 'buzzing' though much more inviting settled upon his neck, but his pillow was unusually warm, so warm that it made him curl up closer this day and actually longer too...and not only that it was rising and falling just a bit...and there was a very pleasant smell... Kazuki furrowed his brow as he finally allowed his foggy mind to actually think about all his senses were picking up from his supposed pillow. Finally he opened his eyes only to realize the 'pillow' was actually Adrienne. Somehow in his sleep he had rolled over and put his arms around the woman, and to top it all off Topy had abandoned his blanket and settled against his neck.

Slowly the Captain sat up careful to avoid both sleeping parties near him. He gazed into the relaxed face of the Goddess. She really was pleasant to look at when she was sleeping, not that she wasn't beautiful to see when she was awake, but now he realized just how tensed and guarded her expressions were when her eyes were open. Somehow this look just seemed more natural and sweet, and right now that look was saving him from either accusations or a chillingly cold glare. Deciding to take advantage of the fact that she had slept through his mistake, the Captain carefully picked up the dozing cat and placed him beside her before changing pants, slipping on his shirt and walking out to the helm. Already below and watching the crew was Ven who nodded to him in greeting, "So what are we going to do now Captain? You got what you wanted right? The Greatest treasure of the seven seas? Is it time to retire?" he asks

Captain Kaz snorts, "You're kiddin right? Let's head to the nearest port and trade our excess supplies." He explains before looking out and over the waters, "I suppose after that we have to hunt down the Singapore pirates."
Ven blinks, "Really? Why?"
"Obviously because they are the last clue we have as to what those 'keys' to free the Goddess are." He says looking back at his friend finally he blinks, "Oh and before I forget, that song 'Hoist the Colors?"
"Will end with any crew member having his tongue cut out?" Ven finishes with a smirk, "I passed it on already, had a feeling you would say that."
Captain Kaz smiles back at his first mate clearly impressed, "Good, and what happened to that tailor we had on board?"
"Sherring? He's still on board. You really have to start learning your crew better Kaz, or at least caring more when someone dies..." Ven says in exasperation at their Captains callousness. Still, looking up he answers with a frown, "This request I didn't anticipate..." He admits
"Ugh, too much work for too little payout. He's got an order to take the fine material the Goddess picked out last night and make something for her to wear with it." He tells the man while patting his shoulder, "Now I have two plates and a bowl to fetch." He tells him with a wink before disappearing below deck. It was true he only knew a handful of his crew members but why did it matter? He did at least know that in all of the commotion the past two days between the attack on The Moon Dust, the Sirens, and the Kraken he had lost only ten men. Since they were headed to a new port and The Dark Selene was a well known pirate ship, soon to be ever more infamous now that they had a run in with Davy Jones himself and survived, he was positive he would be getting more than adequate replacements.

[RubyMoon522]

The King and his men
Stole the Queen from her bed...
And bound her in her bones...

Adrienne
Nerissa, Goddess of the Sea

Adrienne woke slowly with a tender stretch of her limbs, wincing when her numerous wounds announced themselves on her body. Although all her nausea and strain-based weakness had passed with the hours that night, she was still not in the best shape. However, she was at the very least at full awareness of her environment and her state of being. She opened her eyes to find the bed empty beside her except for Topy, who was slowly rousing as well and, once he found that he was without a human pillow, pushed himself over to Adrienne with a wide yawn to lie on her stomach. Smirking a little, she scratched the cat's ears, much to his satisfaction as he purred ceaselessly.

She closed her eyes, resting, wondering why she was so much warmer than usual. Likely as not, it felt that way because it had been so long since she had been able to sleep in an actual bed with blankets and pillows and everything, so it was natural that the change would be noticeable. Absently stroking Topy's back, she relaxed beneath the covers, fully expecting Kaz to pop in at any moment and yell at her to get off her a** and send her to do some sort of chore for him. Get him breakfast or something... At least he was consistent.

It bothered her mildly how much better she'd slept while alongside him than she had in decades alone. While she should have been alert and wary, she had relaxed almost immediately, not thinking for a moment that he would harm her in her sleep or anything to that extent. Maybe it had been the dreamy peaceful expression on his face or the fact that if he'd wanted to harm her, he'd have done it already. Or maybe it was because he now knew who she really was, mortality-wise, anyway. Sometimes she didn't even know who she really was in terms of personality, which was rather sad for someone who had been alive for many millennia. Worrying her lower lip, she opened her eyes to look up at the ceiling, Topy reaching out a paw to lightly touch her nose when she ceased in petting him. Laughing softly, she started stroking his fur again and he rested his head on her chest with an appeased mrow.

The seas be ours,
And by the Powers,
Where we will, we'll roam.

Dressed in this.

[ZahraMoon]

☦Ҟȃʑυҝɨ Ⱦѳφȃʑ☦

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Captain Kaz made his way below the deck only greeting a few familiar faces that he gave two cents about. When the reached the dining hall it was already busy with men eating their morning porridge and laughing. There was a sizable line near the pot which Neda was stirring, as men attempted to make her go faster or steal a taste she garnished an extra wooden spoon which she used to smack their fingers back. At the Captain approached the front of the line, the woman brightened immediately, "Captain! What brings you down here? Wading on the Goddess hand and foot now that you know who she is?" Neda questions with a sly smile.

Kazuki snorts and gives her a bored look, "Why the hell would I do that? Goddess or not, she's still the same evasive Adrienne I took aboard this ship two days ago, only now she's proven she's worth something." He leaned an arm against the table separating her from the crew and grinned charmingly, "I came down to check on my favorite cook. How are you feeling?"
At the news Neda blushed but soon turned her head away to hide her emotions from the man, "Don't belittle me, you know I'm just fine."
Captain Kaz raises his eye even through his patch but lowers it with a smile, "I know you are, that's why I like you so much."
For a moment the woman gaped and sputtered before quickly grabbing two plates and slapping them in front of him followed by a bowl of milk with a fish beside it, "If you are looking for your breakfast it's right here!" she tells him
The Captain keeps his knowing grin as he gathers up the plates, but just before he leaves he turns to face her again, "Thanks Neda, you might want to get that bruise on your arm and that limp in your leg checked out." He tells her already out the door so he didn't notice her expression of pure flattery at his noticing her injuries.

Back upstairs, the young man enters his quarters again to see the woman and cat awake. He sets the his plate on the table and puts the second bowl in her lap, "I didn't realize the Goddess was a late riser." He states placing the milk and fish next to a cat who was eagerly meowing at the sight of his meal. He set it down and watched the animal happily lap up the liquid, his tail twitching lightly while his purring increased in speed and volume.
Kaz sat up and picked up his own breakfast while settling in his favorite chair, "You should go down to the ships infirmary after breakfast and get those bruises looked at. Today is going to be spent half at sea and half at port so there isn't much to do today." He admits before gazing towards the deck, "Maybe we'll have some games and music before we go to port..." He wonders aloud.

[RubyMoon522]

The King and his men
Stole the Queen from her bed...
And bound her in her bones...

Adrienne
Nerissa, Goddess of the Sea

Adrienne looked over when the door opened and Kaz entered the room, and she was shocked to see that he had brought breakfast for them rather than coming back to order her to get it. She ignored his remark with a mild smirk, watching as Topy hurried along toward his own breakfast of fish and milk. She had gotten his general reaction correct, it had just been quieter than expected. However his advice to go to the infirmary brought forth the response of, "They're just bruises and scrapes. I'm fine."

She listened to his spoken agenda for the day and found herself content to have an uneventful day after yesterday's tumultuous course of circumstances. Adrienne ate her breakfast silently as she listened, wondering if games and music were normal occurrences on Kaz's vessel or I'd they were celebrating their escape from Davy Jones. Once she had finished her breakfast, she tentatively stretched again, careful to keep her empty bowl from tipping off her lap.

Adrienne stood a little shakily, holding her hand out for Kaz's dishes when he was finished with his breakfast, already having picked up Topy's. Her look was mildly begrudging, but she found that she actually didn't mind doing things for him, especially when it came to her music like last night. She also enjoyed feeling like she was a part of the crew, she found, like she had a purpose even without her full extent of power.

The seas be ours,
And by the Powers,
Where we will, we'll roam.

Dressed in this.

[ZahraMoon]

☦Ҟȃʑυҝɨ Ⱦѳφȃʑ☦

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Kazuki ate fast while gazing at his maps and placing a wooden carving of a ship in the general location that he found their ship to be stationed at the moment. Finding a port close to them with little affiliation with the British Navy, he nods to himself glad to have a specific destination before swallowing the rest of his porridge. He doesn't bother to look up when the woman takes his plate, but he did notice her stumble a bit when taking her first few steps off of the bed. Captain Kazuki sighs while retrieving his favorite bandana and tying it around his head.
"Oops sorry, Let me rephrase that." He says with a friendly tone before turning to her a bit more seriously, "Adrienne go to the infirmary and get your bruises bandaged up." He orders her instead. Going towards the door, he opens it again and grins when Topy races out only to stop and raise his tail a bit to see where Adrienne was going and if he could follow, "That was your last warning. I'm dragging you down there next." he tells her while going to the helm to steer the ship. Over his head he yells to some crewmen to adjust certain sails so they were soon catching the best wind and going much faster.

Up at the wheel of the vessel he takes binoculars on Ven's hip and starts to scan the horizon before taking control of the ship again leaving his first mate to go about the rest of his duties which at the moment seemed to be taking stock of the crews condition. Over all, though a few were banged up pretty badly after The Dark Selene was nearly tipped over by Kraken, the majority of the crew managed to escape with little more than scratches. After resting the night before they were in relatively high spirits looking forward to a typical celebration on the deck but singing "A Pirates Life For Me" in the meantime since they very weren't allowed to sing "Hoist the Colors" anymore unless they had penchant for pain.

As Adrienne came out of the Captains Quarters the crew gazed at her for a moment before some either waved or continued to work without notice. After resting, and then seeing their Captains continued stead-fast reaction to the news they realized he wasn't going to tolerate cowardice towards the woman. Since their own Captain wasn't falling at her feet in worship they thought it strange to react the same way. So how were they supposed to treat Adrienne? Many of them figured it would probably just be best to see her as just another, albeit higher ranked, member of the crew. Of course calling her Nerissa was probably too close for comfort so as she passed them by everyone continued to call her by the name they had been introduced to her as, Adrienne.

[RubyMoon522]

The King and his men
Stole the Queen from her bed...
And bound her in her bones...

Adrienne
Nerissa, Goddess of the Sea

Adrienne sighed a smirked, "Ay, Ay, Captain...," before exiting his cabin and making her way below deck. Topy tagged along with her, tail high with pride, when she dropped off the dishes, but he decidedly disappeared in pursuit of a mouse as she neared the infirmary, not sure what to expect. She certainly didn't expect the man who turned around to greet her: a muscularly built, six-foot-ten African man with a shaved head and a bright smile.

"Ah, hello, I wondered when I would be meeting you," he noted, tossing down the rag he had been using to wash his hands and moving forward to greet her. His size intimidated her, but his smile and sincerity softened that wariness away. He had extremely kind dark brown eyes. "You caused quite a stir yesterday."

"Things that cause a stir seem to follow me wherever I go," she noted quietly, which caused the man to laugh easily as he extended his hand toward her. "Well, I am a little late in saying this, but welcome aboard. My name is Dorian Moore, the crew's physician and medicine man. It's nice to meet you...?" The much smaller young woman shook his hand firmly, even after it engulfed hers. "Adrienne. It's lovely to meet you," she responded charmingly, noticing the numerous tattoos that marked his deep skin. She also found herself enjoying the richness of his accent and, although she wasn't overly familiar with African cultures, he sounded from the area of Kenya. Pleased with this introduction, Dorian grinned and set to work disinfecting and bandaging her scrapes and cuts, inspecting the more colorful of her bruises before letting her go with a smile and a wave. She had found herself fascinated with the tools and materials about the room and in open cabinets that she had noticed while sitting on the wooden table at the center of his office. Perhaps she would go back and talk to him some time; she knew a fair amount about medicine, but not nearly as much as she wanted to.

Topy joined back up with her, a mousy prize in his jaws, halfway to the stairs that led up to the deck. The crew had yet to make a positive or negative fuss and she was pleased to be greeted by friendly waves and hello's once she graced the deck, also glad they called her Adrienne. She returned what greetings she got and followed Topy up to the helm where Kaz was, taking her usual spot at the rail and listening to the crew's chatter, laughter, and singing as Topy proudly laid his kill near Kaz's feet.

The seas be ours,
And by the Powers,
Where we will, we'll roam.

Dressed in this.

[ZahraMoon]

☦Ҟȃʑυҝɨ Ⱦѳφȃʑ☦

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂ ☠☠☠ ▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

Captain Kaz noticed that, once again, the woman didn't seem to mind too much being ordered around. He reasoned that perhaps it was because she had just been trying to put up a tough front but was relieved now that she was being forced to go and tend to her injuries. Still, was she that stubborn about giving her body the care it needed? Shaking his head out of those thoughts he focuses ahead of himself again and only minutely listens to the various conversations taking place around him, some of the crew was just discussing how they hoped the ship would stay in port long enough for them to hook up with a pretty lady while others were talking about what pleasantry they would spend their well-earned loot on. The Captain looked over his head as Allen the man in the crows nest yelled down what the Captain would be doing when they reached port. Kazuki thinks about it before shrugging his shoulders, "Probably browse. There's nothin on shore that bounds me to it, nothin I can't bring to the sea at least."

Hearing Adrienne return to the helm followed by the unmistakeable mew of Topy, he turns arounds just as the cat delivers his lastest capture. Bending down and picking up the dead mouse, he pets the cat around his ears and lets him climb onto his shoulder, "That's why you're my favorite Topy. Way to take care of one more stowaway." He grins pulling from his pocket a piece of jerky and giving it to the purring cat while tossing the mouse overboard.
Seeing Adrienne leaning against the railing he glances at her before nodding in approval at the sight of the bandages, "I see you saw Doran, the medicine man?" He asks.
"Wow, do my ears deceive me or did Kaz remember the name of another crew member?" Ven asks snidely as he joins the Captain beside the helm. Seeing the cat he pets his head, "Hey Topy, didn't see much of you yesterday." He remarks brightly before looking to Adrienne and nodding politely, "M'lady." he greets with the same charming smile.

Kazuki shakes his head accepting the teasing, "How can I forget the only medicine man to ever grace this ship?" he asks before turning to Adrienne, "Doran has been with The Dark Selene since the beginning along with Ven here." He explains since it was common ship knowledge. Captain Kaz smirks to his friend, "I could never forget my original crew, or at least the ones who are still around from my original crew."
Ven still shakes his head but stays quiet on that, he could lecture the Captain all day about how important it was to crew morale for him to make an effort on learning their names and identities a bit better besides what they did and how long they had been doing it, but at the end of the day Kaz wouldn't change one bit."Where are we sailing to anyway?"
"Tortuga!" Captain Kaz announces, this earns him lots of cheers from the men who had been close enough to hear their destination, suddenly the ship became a bit more active and the men worked more fervently trying to get to the island they were sure to have a good time on.

Somewhere in the midst of their work, one of the men swabbing the deck broke out with a fiddle and began to dance with the mop. A few other men clapped along until someone else kept rhythm by hitting a barrel. From other parts of the ship gambling games came to the deck and Neda popped up with a few men carrying barrels of rum. She gives one bottle to the Captain and another to his first mate.
Kaz takes a swipe of the alcohol but hands it back to her. He didn't want to get drunk and go off course after all. Taking back the bottle, Neda leans against the railing beside Adrienne and offers her a swing before looking back at the celebrating men, "Ah, this is much better." she relaxes, on The Dark Selene this was a much more familiar sight to everyone, the crew partying and having a good time instead of what they been doing for the past few days which was basically running for their lives.

[RubyMoon522]

The King and his men
Stole the Queen from her bed...
And bound her in her bones...

Adrienne
Nerissa, Goddess of the Sea

Adrienne glanced over as Kaz addressed her, listening to what he said about the man she had just met, Dorian. She was a little surprised to hear that he was a part of the original crew, but then she didn't know how long the Selene had been sailing. When had Kaz started his career in piracy anyway? Where had he come from? Suddenly Adrienne was exceedingly curious, but pushed away the questions she doubted she would ever receive answers to as Ven arrived at the helm and gave Kaz some well earned remarks. Adrienne smirked slightly at those and then at the crew's reaction to hearing their destination, which caused a certain celebration of sorts on deck.

When Neda joined her at the rail, Adrienne smiled slightly and accepted the bottle she offered, taking a quick, straight-faced swig and handing it back to the woman with a nod of agreement to her statement. She had mostly taken a sip of the rum to be polite; she didn't care for alcohol all that much. Adrienne had learned her lesson with that a while back; while she could hold her liquor, she had never quite properly predicted the effects drink had on a human body. She'd ended up passed out aboard the Singaporeans' ship that way. Fortunate as that had been in the long run, she supposed, it had been a large embarrassment on her part.

"Definitely," she said softly, noting the contrast between the calm, sparkling waters and moods of now and the horrors of last night.

Adrienne listened to the crew's merry-making and music, finding the corner of her mouth turning slightly upward with amusement and the contagious feeling of victory. They were proud of their survival of last night, as bad as the odds had been, and she could understand their feeling entitled to a night of rum and relaxation. Contemplating the prospect of Tortuga, where she had been quite a few times before as it was pirates' and merchants' choice port, she was uncertain whether she would go to land or not. The idea of remaining on the ship and having some peaceful quiet to herself was intensely appealing in and of itself. It was a rare moment she had time to think without being interrupted by something.

As the sun began to tilt toward the horizon and dusk started its slow approach, the smoldering, turtle shell-shaped island of Tortuga came into view, gunshots and cannons already being fired off by the local tavern owners and goers and Adrienne thought for the umpteenth time upon seeing this place just what the hell she had gotten herself into.

The seas be ours,
And by the Powers,
Where we will, we'll roam.

Dressed in this.

[ZahraMoon]

☦Ҟȃʑυҝɨ Ⱦѳφȃʑ☦

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The celebration on deck lasted until dusk when Tortuga finally came into view--or rather when it came into earshot for the entire Dark Selene could hear the cannons and gun shots, and even a few screams just before they got close enough to see the details of the port. The Captain nor the first mate needed to tell the crew to break up their activities, for almost as one with no word spoken between them, the crew had already begun to put away their drums and fiddles and get back to work so they could get the ship into port. Captain Kaz had the ship slow down considerably as they reached the pull of the ship, it wasn't uncommon for a ship in this place to slam against the wooden docks as if they were blind, but the Captain wasn't about to add unduly injury to his precious ship. After some careful maneuvering, The Dark Selene finally pulled into a free space and the loading dock boards were laid out so the excess goods could be brought on shore.

Captain Kaz took a moment to lean against the helm before glancing up at Topy. The cat had left halfway through the celebration and leaned against the railing with his tail flickering contently overboard as he himself dozed off beside Adrienne, but as they began to prepare to leave the ship he had snapped awake and joined Captain Kaz on his shoulder again, "Are you joining me on shore?" he asks to which he found himself staring into deep blue eyes. Kaz nodded taking that for a yes. Sometimes the cat joined him off of the ship as he either went to a bar or just walked the shops while other times the creature stayed onboard the ship. Either way didn't much bother the young man who didn't mind Topy's company.
"How about you Adrienne? Are you on board or off?" He asks her wondering if she would be tagging along where he found himself going or not.

To his question, Neda took the other woman's hand and gave her a small smile, "Do you care to tag along with me?" she asks, "We'll probably met up with the Captain somewhere on shore eventually." she admits since that's what usually ended up happening.
Captain Kaz raises an eyebrow in surprise to Neda who usually ran solo if she wasn't following him around. He lowers it after deciding, once again, that it was probably more dangerous a journey than he'd ever faced or would ever face before if he attempted to get into the mind of a woman.

Just below, some merchants had met the ship barely in port and were already offering money for the various goods they had. This was pretty common of at least The Dark Selene who was known to be a more successful pirate ship. The merchants of the area had learned that if they waited too long, another merchant would offer a better price during their waiting and all of the excellent quality goods would be gone before half of the pirates had touched the soft soil. Now they yelled offers as the crew lowered the goods onto the deck. It worked for Kaz since he didn't need to hold the crew much longer from having some fun, but this time it forced him to pull away from the ladies before he could get a definite answer from Adrienne on what she would be doing.

"We're leaving mid-evening tomorrow morning boys!" Ven shouts throughout the ship, "Until then have your fun!" To which many cheered and started to get off and take off, most likely to the nearest bars to drink some more.
As Kaz worked on prices for his goods he ran through the list of what he himself would be doing before he could relax: selling these goods, placing orders for goods brought on board the ship for their next voyage, finding someone to watch the ship, recruiting... The life of a Captain wasn't always fun and games.

[RubyMoon522]

The King and his men
Stole the Queen from her bed...
And bound her in her bones...

Adrienne
Nerissa, Goddess of the Sea

Adrienne was only mildly surprise that Kaz cared to ask what she would be doing, but she was a little more than surprised when Neda took her hand and looked almost hopeful for her company. She had been prepared to stay on the ship, but... Some strange, all too human part of her compelled her to return Neda's smile and nod. The two disembarked along with the rest of the crew and Adrienne was immediately beginning to regret leaving the solitude of the Selene. Neda had kept her hand and Adrienne found herself glad she did once the crowds began pushing in around them. While she had a composed, slightly irritated expression outwardly, she was more than a little uncomfortable being inside a group of so many people. It was highly unnatural; she felt more like a sheep than a person or goddess.

When they started to get separated, Adrienne switched their handhold to a link of arms, running a hand through her hair. She hated Tortuga with a passion. She hadn't remembered why until they had arrived on the smelly, drunken place. She never managed to get off the godforsaken place without some idiotic b*****d with a death-wish deciding to grope her. It was perfectly infuriating.

She was decidedly not going to last on the island long and, as long as Neda wasn't drinking out of her right mind, Adrienne decided she may go back to the ship much before sunrise, unlike most of the crew, she imagined.

The seas be ours,
And by the Powers,
Where we will, we'll roam.

Dressed in this.

[ZahraMoon]

☦Ҟȃʑυҝɨ Ⱦѳφȃʑ☦

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Neda led the woman through the busiest part of the district showing little to no discomfort, she was used to coming to Tortuga since this was somewhat her home before she had joined The Dark Selene. Used to the crowded atmosphere, the smoke, and the loud noises she was able to easily tune it out while encouraging Adrienne behind her. There was only one moment where she almost lost her crewmate, when Adrienne hooked an arm with her, Neda decided that the men were getting too close and began to lose her temper a bit.

"Alright that's it, MOVE IT!" she snarls while shoving against drunken idiots and giving a few some kicks in the back to shove them away. Only a few turned around to dare to take her on, but seeing her glare they seemed to think better of it and continued to walk, it was never the wisest thing to cross a female pirate. At last the pair made it deeper into the island and away from the busy docks. Neda released her hand since it was safe to do so without losing her, "Whew, that was tough! C'mon what do you say we enjoy the more feminine comforts? I know of a hot spring establishment with some good food." she explains as they continued to walk, "Let's not forget to shop out these grimy clothes and into nicer garmets. We gotta live around men don't mean we gotta look and smell like them." she chuckles.

Reaching the hot waters that she promised proved to lead to a quiet area. Since it was near dusk no one was using the hot springs by the time they got to it, enabling the ladies to fully relax against the rocks with wine.
Neda closed her eyes for a moment letting the warm waters do wonders against her aching muscles and sore skin. Finally she looks to Adrienne and gives her a small smile, "I gotta admit, when you first came on board, I hated you." she tells her before looking up, "Somehow even on your first day, you managed to catch the Captains eye. I was so jealous of how a nobody prisoner could get so close to him so fast, and become my competition." she gives a deep sigh, "Then you proved you weren't exactly a nobody, you have enough skill at the helm to make even the Pirate Lord Barbossa green with envy. Then came the bombshell that you are Nerissa the Sea Goddess." Neda looks back at her and laughs, "Even when I had the Captains affection I was never first, some far off Goddess he never even met or probably would meet was always his 'favorite lady'. Turns out that same woman who was taking my place happened to be the one who was always in front of me anyway. What irony. I knew from the start that falling in love with that reckless red head was a bad idea...I never stood a chance, but just like the woman I am I did it anyway." Raising her wine glass up a bit, she looks to Adrienne with a much kinder and softer gaze no longer holding any spite or reserves, "Cheers to the woman who beat me. Take care of him? Even if you do become that all powerful Goddess again in his lifetime? He can act like a real b*****d and p***k but underneath all of that he's a real good guy."