Of Pirates and Mermaids

[punky_brewster]

Chastity smiled as the child played again. Her eyes clouded with concern as he seemed startled by the thunder. She was getting ready to convince him that everything was going to be okay when he go up and sprouted that he was going to go help. She reached out to grab him before he could leave, but the boy was fast.

Pushing herself up in a frenzied motion, she tripped against her dress and her boot crashed into the jacks causing them to scatter across the floor. The raven cursed as she felt the storm intensify. Bearing her footing, she tore through the door intent on stopping the child before he endangered himself.

She burst through the opening that led to the deck of the ship. The wind caused the cold rain to sting against her cheeks. However, she had no time to relish in the beauty of the storm. She had to find Aaron. Green eyes squinted to see past the fuzz the rain caused as well as the commotion of men running about.

The wind crashed against her form and forced her back a few steps. She cursed again, this time aiming the anger at this human form and pathetic weak legs. A took a moment to regain her balance. Once she felt stable again, she renewed her search.

Green orbs lit up as they caught sight of the small boy and her body surged forward. She had to reach him, she just had to.

[Doctor Wormy]

Aaron squinted through the rain as he tried to keep his balance ad search for Nicholas as well. A cold shiver went down his small body as the storm got worse, and the rain poured down harder, but even still he grinned at the sight of his captain.

The child, though knowing better than to be out, let alone run on the wet wood as the ship rocked, ran in the direction of the pirate captain. His feet slipped around as he moved, and he ran in to one of the crew, who snarled at him before muttering that he didn't belong before shoving the child out of his path. Aaron gave a small cry of pain at the impact as he hit the floor.

Nicholas tried to keep his men at work, but it didn't look good, they'd have to call it quits soon--he'd already been thinking of it, but as the storm rocked the ship even harder he gave in, giving the order for them to take shelter.

He stared out at the water a moment, it not being wise to let it mesmerize him, but the anger of the ocean was definitely a beautiful thing. It didn't matter if she were calm or deadly, it did nothing to tamper with the beauty.

(Baaah, my mind got stuck o-o)

[punky_brewster]

The raven shoved her way through the raging idiots that brambled about. Her eyes were locked on the downed figure of the boy. She had made the storm to punish the men: the arrogant captain and sexist pigs of a crew. Aaron was not supposed to be out in the storm; he wasn’t supposed to get hurt. Leather boots do not make for good traction against wet wood, especially if those boots have heels. Chastity slipped and stumbled as she forced her legs to carry her to the boy.

Her eyes snapped open in horror. A burly pirate of a man was rushing to catch a swinging rope and was intent on tacking it down. She watched his thick heavy legs pound against the deck of the ship causing little splashes of water to fly back against the rain from the force of his steps. Her eyes darted to the downed boy who was in the path of the stampeding rhino. The man wasn’t looking down and would never see the boy. It was like wagon take off in haste while knowing the bridge was out just a few yards ahead.

“Aaron!” she screamed out knowing full well she wouldn’t be heard over the roaring seas. There was nothing she could do to stop the impact; well, almost nothing. Chastity threw her body forward using her body weight against the male to divert his course. The man stumbled back and landed on his rear. The raven however was propelled by the force of the blow and was sent crashing against the ship deck. The unused momentum channeled its strength by forcing her body to continue moving in a vicious roll.

She smacked into the railing of the ship hard enough that if she were a more fragile creature her spine would have definitely snapped. As it was the wind was knocked from her. The ship dipped down with a wave as she forced air back into her lungs and the motion sent her body over the other side of the banister.

Wind snapped against her, blowing her hair against her face , as she plummeted towards the icy waters. A small smile graced her lips even as pain wracked her body- Aaron was safe: she had stopped the stupid rhino. She cursed the weak state of this form as she struggled the look over her shoulder at the thrashing waves. It was in that moment, as she realized she still had space between her and the depths bellow, that she finally marveled at just how big the pirate ship truly was. Abruptly stopping her thoughts, her body crashed through the barrier that separated air from sea and she welcomed the sensation of tiny prickling needles against her skin.

[Doctor Wormy]

Aaron's eyes widened as he tried to work up the strength to stand, he couldn't tell if it were fear, pain, or the cold that made him freeze in his place on the deck. He didn't even see the large pirate heading his direction, it was impossible to focus on one sound, it wasn't until he saw Chastity run up that he saw the damage that would have been done.

He'd been saved from the injuries that would have ensued from being trampled by the large man, but he hadn't time to feel relief, he was too busy watching in shock and horror what became of the girl that had saved him, still frozen in his spot, even as his captain came running up to him.

Nicholas had just barely caught a glimpse of what happened, what'd caught his attention was the two smaller figures among the larger rushed ones in the midst of his vision that was fogged by the downpour of rain. "C-capt'in...I...Chastity--she--" The child sobbed out, but the pirate didn't need to hear the explanation, of what happened.

He hadn't even time to think, he glanced at the boy whose eyes, even as it rained, looked full of tears, then to the ocean, she truly was unforgiving and had taken the woman who dared to compete with her--despite it not being by choice. He threw off his coat, a conditioned response; it'd only drag him down further, before grabbing at a rope that'd been tied down, ready to be of use for whatever needed to not be free among the deck.

Aaron watched, confused, his captain hadn't intended to dive in with the storm that was going? In such situations he'd not go personally for even a crew member, but...there he went, over the side of the ship with the rope to be able to climb up after finding out if he was even able to rescue Chastity. The crew had already started running for cover, Aaron was one of the few who'd noticed soon enough, helpless as they watched Nicholas go over the side in to the raging ocean before being dragged away from where the ocean could threaten to take him overboard as well.

Despite trying to brace himself during the decent, the cold and the pressure of the water still seemed to shock him as, for a moment, he sunk lower. The salt stung his eyes and the dark of above the water made it hard to look for the figure of the woman, but still he tried, bringing back a body would be better than giving up for him and his pride...or at least that would be what he'd tell himself if he started to regret his actions later on.

[punky_brewster]

Chastity welcomed the cool water into her lungs. It was like taking in a deep breath of air after holding it for a very long time. She could feel the water’s gentle caress tending to her wounds. The pain in her back dwindled down to a low moan. Oh how she had missed the sweet embrace of the sea- her home and closest friend.

Her peace was disturbed as a figure crashed towards her. She could see clearly through the murky waters as if looking through a piece of thin glass: her eyes were made for the ocean. However, just because she could see clearly did not mean the she understood what she was seeing. Nicholas had jumped in after her? The thought simply boggled her.

The green eyed mermaid had thought that with her decent into the icy depths of the sea that her mission was over and the elders would have to send her sister in her stead. The captain jumping into the furious was had not been expected. Perhaps this judgment truly was meant for her to make. For a second the thought of merely drowning him then and there crossed her mind, but she found that she couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to take the man’s life when he had risked it to save her. After all, she supposed he deserved a fair trial. The fact he would do this made her wonder what else he was capable of. Or maybe he just really wanted that treasure.

Pushing herself against the water, she surged closer to the pirate. She stretched out her hand as if reaching for him. Chastity knew that she needed to play the part; she was supposed to be a woman, not a nightmare from the sea. She sucked water into her lung and held it there. It wasn’t painful and didn’t burn as it would a human, but, if somehow they managed to make it back to the ship, she would have water to cough up and play the part. Closing her eyes, she slipped into her mind and let her body go limp. Nicholas was close enough; he didn’t need any more of her help in order to reach her.

[Doctor Wormy]

If he wanted to make it up before drowning or freezing he'd have to find the woman fast. Despite not seeming to be able to think, his mind seemed to just concentrate on the words.

Nicholas had been ready to give up, his lungs burned from not being able to take in new air, when he saw her, or at least the shadow of the woman. Her hand stretched out, but her body was limp, he reached for her pulling her closer to him by her arm before wrapping his arm around her waist. He wasn't sure how he found the strength to swim up, in normal situations such an act would be no problem, but his limbs felt felt numb and his strength escaped him. He somehow made it to the surface though, gasping for air a moment before glancing at the woman, he didn't know how much water she inhaled, and wasn't sure of how much time he had.

Now, was where the rope he'd dragged down with him came in handy. He heard no sign of his crew on the deck, and even if they were there, there would be no hope in them hearing his calls to pull the up. The waves raged harder and for a moment he was dragged under, taken by surprise. He cursed under his breath, this rescue was now starting to seem more trouble than it's worth. Merely dropping the woman to be engulfed in the waves would make it more than possible for him to climb up, but.....something stopped him. An odd sensation of guilt? He rarely allowed himself dwell on such a feeling, but he couldn't swallow it. His body wouldn't even loosed the grip he had on her.

He stared up at the boat, he was wasting time, not only her's, but his, he didn't know what he'd do if the waves tried to drag him down more than they already had. Moving Chastity so she was partially over his shoulder he gripped on to the rope and began climbing, concentrating on not slipping over the wet, rough material. With much difficulty and time, more than he was sure to have, he made it on to the deck, he lay the woman down, and took a quick breath, but it was no time to take a break.

Cursing under his breath once more, he moved to revive her, though already his mind was going through curses to say to her.

(Bleeeh, so I didn't end it to well, I don't know what they'd know on "reviving" someone o-o so ye can choose in what step she shows she's fine?)

[punky_brewster]

Chastity could almost feel the panic rolling off of the pirate that was currently shaking her and pressing against her stomach. For a moment there she had thought that he would be unable to pull them back up onto the ship. She had to give it to the man; he was mighty strong for such a small package.

Deciding she had acted long enough, she twisted in his grip and pushed the water back up her throat. It came out as choking gasps as she spit the water out onto the deck beside her. Green orbs looked around hazily as if waking from a long slumber. She brought a hand up to her head feigning a dreadful ache had taken place there.

The man had surprised her. First he jumped in after her and seemed desperate for her to wake up. She looked up at him and pretended to be groggy; when in truth she felt more alive than she had in days. While distracting his attention with her acting, she danced her fingers along the wooden surface bellow her tapping out a silent tune that informed the waters to calm the storm.

As the rain slowly began to let up and the ships tossing eased with the waves surrender, Chastity truly gazed into the Captain’s eyes. She wanted to know what had made him jump in after her: was it for glory…or something else?

“Nicholas?” her voice came out weaker than she intended it to as her eyes locked onto his own. The question in his name was evident even to a deaf man- why did you jump in after me?

[Doctor Wormy]

Nicholas gave a slight sigh of relief when she coughed up the water, he scoot back a bit as he waited for her to be well enough to speak. Closing his eyes a moment, he could feel the storm calming slowly, and the ship becoming more stable.

His eyes shot open at the sound of his name, it was all she had said, but he knew she was looking for answers. Both her eyes and tone seemed to be asking the same thing. He didn't know the answer himself. The woman'd been nothing, but trouble, even getting what he wanted out of her was responded with snark words and tones. Then she had to go and get herself thrown overboard in such a storm, he'd nearly drowned himself going after her.

The thought again, as he went over why he saved her, risked himself, it made no sense. Gold wasn't worth it, it'd been pure luck that they both lived--at least that was what he thought. He sat back a moment longer before looking in to her eyes.

"Don't...don't misunderstand me." He said, his voice seemed to falter and crack like an adolescent making his face flush slightly. "I thought ye were someone else." He lied, it was a clear lie as he directed his gaze down to the wood of the deck and ran his hand through his wet hair. It'd been a bit of a nervous habit of his, along with adjusting his patch, mostly used when he was frustrated, flustered, or just didn't know what to do with himself. He hated that helpless feeling.

Not wanting to give much chance for further questioning, verbally or with those eyes of hers, he stood up, a little too fast, his steps swayed a moment, but he regained balance. "I'm going to change to some dry cloth, come if ye want the same." He said, he wanted to just walk off with those words, then move too fast for her to follow, but he held out his hand for her--looking over to the side though. This was yet another thing that puzzled him, he rarely choose to show a kinder side of himself...if this were questioned as well, he'd create some lie about it being because of the stress of the storm, or the pounding in his head.

[punky_brewster]

Green eyes dances with mirth. The man seemed rattled by his own actions and this greatly amused her. So, he had confused her with someone else, eh? ‘Yes, because so many of your crew can mimic my frame and have a hobby of wearing damsel’s garments.’ She wondered why the man was so confused at his actions; then again it was common for beings overflowing with testosterone to act first and think later.

Taking his hand, she allowed his strength to help her stand. Once on her feet, Chastity made a show of attempting to wring out her dress. She purposefully lowered her head while she did this so that the man would not see the grin that conquered her face. She was pretty sure that was going to be as close to nervous she was going to see the mighty captain. Then again, it might prove amusing to see if she could push him further later on. Controlling her features, the raven looked back at Nicholas. There were other matters to attend to.

While she loved water, she found the way that cloth stuck to your skin as it dried out. She knew if she stayed in the dress over night she would be uncomfortable and had a high probability of becoming itchy.

So, with that in mind, she followed behind the taller male. The offer of clothing seemed pleasant enough. Poking her finger to her bottom lip as if in thought, she lifted her other hand to tap the Captain’s shoulder.

Once she was sure she had his attention, Chastity moved the hand from her lip to her hip and used her other hand to motion at her body. “Do you even have robes that will suit my frame?” She was fairly sure, that while she had only been there awhile, she hadn’t seen any of the pirates even close to her size. While she was near average size for a lady, she was dwarfed in comparison to the men that paraded the ship. The closest would be Aaron and the boy was a bit on the small side compared to her. She really didn’t want to have to wear the dress as it crusted to her skin.

[Doctor Wormy]

Nicholas watched as the woman stood-this time accepting his help, though it might of been due to it not being offered as a mockery this time. He had to hold back his complaint as she seemed to take her time with attempting to wring the water out of her dress. He'd thought he'd done well for himself, only mumbling about the troubles of waiting on a woman.

When she finished, he started walking to his cabin, not looking back to even see if she were following until she tapped his shoulder, he looked back at her, the look on his face clearly questioning her.

Something for her size of frame? Of course not, even the child's would not fit her--though because he was too small rather than too large like each man on his ship. "No." He shrugged at her before facing forward once more, it would be satisfying to give such a vague answer and make her wonder, but he decided to elaborate. "Ye can use somethin' of mine, too big is better than risking my crew falling ill 'cos ye didn't put on somethin' dry." He shook his head, it would be unfortunate for anyone to fall ill, if it looked to be a danger to the others, he'd be without any man that had caught the ailment.

It wasn't long after he'd given his answer that he reached the door, he opened it, and immediately let out a low groan...the storm had scattered everything, his maps, what was 'his' share of their last attack were all over the floor, he sighed leaving the door open long enough for her to come in, though he didn't look to see if she followed or stopped before he began undoing his shirt, moving the heavy wet cloth on the floor where it wouldn't endanger any parchment on the floor.

[punky_brewster]

Chastity shook her head in mirth causing little droplets of water to scatter from her hair. Trust the man to give one word answers when they were actually being semi-civil. Her head cocked to the side as he mentioned that she could wear something of his. And though she knew he wouldn’t see it, she rolled her eyes. She had thought it had been a silly man’s belief that women were not to wear mens garments under any circumstance. To wear pants let alone those of the captain- what was the world coming to?

The raven muffled the chuckle from her own thoughts with the side of her hand. Her laugh died at the state of the cabin they had entered. For a brief moment, she felt guilty. Then, she remembered how the man had behaved and the crimes he was being charged with and didn’t feel so bad.

She had the decency to turn her jade eyes away from the sight of the man removing his shirt. “I would appreciate it if you could gather the clothing you would like me to change into so that I may leave. I have no wish to see you divest all of your garments.” As she spoke, she couldn’t keep the fact she was slightly miffed by the man’s lack of modesty.

[Doctor Wormy]

Nicholas blinked a moment, confused with her statement. It'd been a man's ship, if the day were hot enough it was a common appearance, and usually the women he'd been used to intended to see more than just his bare chest.

He chuckled softly as he moved across the room to a small type of wardrobe, he pulled out what he figured was the smallest of the small collection of clothes. "Sorry lass, it's not as if it's anything to be excited over." He shrugged as he ruffled her hair a bit and handed her the clothes. His words, though he laughed over them, seemed to refer to the number of scars his chest and arms seemed to be littered with. Being 'king' came at a high cost, he was always fighting to keep his title...whether it was from the law or another pirate who wanted to claim the title.

"Ye should change in here..." He said, it almost seeming sudden, it surprised him a little, though he knew how it must have sounded and he stepped closer to the door. "If the crew sees ye goin' across the deck with clothes---well when it comes to such things, pirates aren't so thick." He sighed as he walked out the door, he'd wait to change a few minutes longer in wet clothes didn't seem likely to change his condition...though as he leaned against the door, now that he was away from her, his mind seemed to wander to if it were really wise to leave the woman in his room alone.

"Who knows what state the woman'd be in....it's best for my own self to try an' wait..." He mumbled to himself to keep himself by the door rather than to suddenly reenter. Though the crew would most likely be leaving the safety of whatever cover they'd taken, it'd be unlikely that they'd come by him. He wondered briefly how Aaron was, the last the child seen was him jumping off the boat...he'd have to make an appearance soon, and while he thought of it, he'd have to make sure he did so before the woman was spotted. If word were spread that he'd gone after her, and she resurfaced, but not he, he had no doubts of the supernatural theories his men would come up with. Thinking her a curse or demon of some sort.

[punky_brewster]

The raven felt funny hearing the male laugh. It was an odd sound coming from him and she didn’t quite dislike it as she thought she would. The feeling in her stomach quickly left as she had to keep herself from growling when the male tussled her hair. Looking over the clothes in her hands, she decided that they would do.

Chastity waited for the man to leave before removing her garments. She laid her wet dress over the back of the deck chair, not knowing where else to hang it in the room. Wringing out the water from her hair, she enjoyed the cool breeze that caressed her skin. She felt so free. She never understood why humans donned so many layers of fabric; it was suffocating. Deciding she had made the man wait long enough, she slipped on the outfit that he had offered. It was still a bit big on her from and she had to hunt a second for a belt to hold the trousers up on her waist. With the drawstring of her shirt pulled as tight as it would go, she was able to keep it from slipping from her shoulders.

Her boots were soaking and would be quite uncomfortable on her feet. Leather was not a friend of the water. She cast a look at the captains extra boots and shook her head with a laugh. Barefoot it was. Wiggling her twos against the wooden floor she enjoyed the freedom.

Glancing around the room, emerald eyes landed on a map. Picking the piece of paper off the floor, she rested it on Nicholas’s bed. Chastity, drew a small boat on the map and then an arrow leading due west from the boat. She had figured that ‘rescuing’ her life deserved a reward. Especially since the storm had blown them way off course. It wasn’t much, but at least the captain would know where he was and the direction he should be going when the waves evened out.

Exiting the cabin, her eyes landed on the form of the shirtless captain. “I am returning to my quarters. I shall see you in the morning.” With a polite nod of the head she dismissed herself as if she wasn’t being held prisoner. As she sauntered down the hallway, she couldn’t keep the small smirk from making its way to her lips. She wondered what kind of reaction the male would have when he found the map. She was almost sad she was going to miss it.

[Doctor Wormy]

Nicholas waited as patiently as he could manage, he attempted to not show it on his face as he couldn't help thinking of what could possibly be taking the woman so long to just change.

As she left his cabin he sighed, ready to give a snark comment about the length of time, even if it hadn't actually been so long-he couldn't quite tell, but stopped as she announced she was going and that she was leaving and would see him in the morning. He raised an eyebrow, but couldn't see the point in shouting after her, he sighed and chuckled softly as he pushed the door to enter his quarters.

He changed quickly, deciding he'd spent long enough in the wet and cold garments and was due for something dry. His mind immediately went to how quickly he'd be able to try and get his ship back on course, it'd be best to wait for the clouds to clear enough that he could see the stars, it was just before he turned to leave--to make an appearance before the crew designates James, his first mate, captain and went off on a new sort of adventure that he noticed the map on his bed. At first his mind raged, he'd been kind enough to the woman--at that moment at least-and she'd drawn on one of his maps. As he studied it, his glare went to a smirk, she'd given him direction on where to head next. He chuckled lightly as he set it back in his place, going back to what he was doing previously...he was sure the one who was truly worried--for reasons other than who'd take command-would be Aaron. He'd find him quickly, he hoped the child wasn't still crying.

(Baaaaaaaah.....x-x)

[punky_brewster]

The mermaid took the time an careful effort to gather every last jack from where they were scattered across the floor of her cabin and place them back in there bag. What a storm, what a storm. She shook her head as a small laugh left her form. It was actually one of amusement and not hidden disgust. It had definitely been a turn of events. She would have more than she wanted to think about if she let her mind dwell on it for too long.

Her mind shifted to Aaron and she had the morals to feel guilty about endangering the boy. He could have been killed in the ruckus. She wouldn’t have been able to forgive herself if she had caused the child’s death. It would have haunted her for the rest of her days- which were very long indeed.


When morning broke through her cabin window, Chastity stretched out her tired limbs. She wondered how long this judgment was going to take. Her body didn’t like staying in this state for prolonged times. If it hadn’t been for the refreshing embrace of the sea, she knew she would have woken sore today. Deciding she would have to find a way to slip away to the water when the need arose, she crawled out of bed.

She could do with a hot meal. She wondered what the chef had cooked up. Remembering that Aaron worked for the chef; she smiled as if she had won some sort of prize- two birds one stone. Adjusting her wardrobe to be a bit more presentable, she recalled leaving her dress hanging on the chair in Nicholas’s room. She would simply have to change after breakfast. Pleased with this course of action, she headed on in search of the cafeteria.