[PRP] Welcome Aboard! [Jolly Roger/Rocky Road]

[Ruriska]

The Flirty Mermaid loomed ahead in the dark, a single lantern lit on deck, guiding Jolly Roger home. He’d said little during the walk, found himself clamming up, uncertain what to say and unwilling to trade small talk. ‘Some party, huh?’ he’d considered at one point. ‘Stars are nice tonight’, had nearly left his lips. In the end he’d kept his mouth shut and tried not to feel awkward about bringing someone back to his ship, where his crew were probably sleeping.

It was at least good to be out of that mansion Away from the madness, alone with- he glanced sideways at his companion as they approached the ship and then stopped in his tracks, cleared his throat. It was a shame Rocky Road wasn’t seeing his beautiful ship in the daylight, where she could be appreciated properly.

“We’re here.” Yes, good work Jolly, state the obvious.  

[Chrystali]

Luckily for the silent and stoic captain, Rocky Road was more than able to fill in the space between them with words -- as needed, anyway. He didn't yammer the entire time, but if when he thought he could see Jolly Roger stiffen beneath the feathers of his costume or when he thought he could practically smell the regret in the air, he'd make some stupid quip to remind them both that they'd had a good time and that was all it needed to be -- fun, intense, a whirlwind, much like their meeting. Ridiculous things like, "I bet yer a lot prettier without them feathers" and "You can shiver my timbers" came from his mouth to both encourage their journey and to remind the pirate that he was still in control. The cowboy was entirely at his beck and call.

They stopped, finally, and Rocky tore his slate gaze from the seagreen Phony to the ship, brows arching as he let out a low, appreciative whistle. "She's a beaut," he offered, very lightly bumping his shoulder to Jolly Roger's. "Like her Captain, all sea-touched and well taken care of." He winked, flitting his small tail and turning slightly, indicating he would follow the other's lead.  

[Ruriska]

The ship creaked gently, moving with the tide, and to Jolly Roger it was the sound of welcome. It didn’t matter that he had somehow gone against his lonely and cautious nature, bringing home a near stranger that made his heart do strange things; the ship was a constant, a balm on his nerves. Somehow The Flirty Mermaid strengthened his resolve. You are a pirate, she said, you can have this. Or maybe that was what he’d want her to say.

Jolly Roger grunted at Rocky’s nudge and words, a good sound, clearly pleased by the compliment. “Come aboard and keep yer voice down.” Wouldn’t want to wake up the rest of the crew. He wasn’t quite brave enough for that.

The pirate led the way up the gangway and onto polished well-worn floors of the ship. “Welcome to my home.”

Chrystali

 

[Chrystali]

"Aye-aye, Capt'n." The draft chuckled despite himself, but kept himself relatively quiet. He even took great care to make sure each fall of hoof was slow and light, not wanting to stomp on the ship and truly wake the dead. The builder in Rocky was rather impressed with the presentation of the ship; he'd half expected it to be salt-worn and stained, but it was...surprisingly clean and well cared for, much as he'd said earlier.

Using his teeth, he grabbed the cloak off his withers and flit his small tail again, making his way towards what he assumed (and was classically heralded as, if movies were any indication) was JR's quarters. He grinned around the fabric and cocked his head to get his point across; no words were needed. None at all.

Ruriska

 

[Ruriska]

It was a strange sort of thing; realising that Rocky Road was standing there. Of course, he knew he was there but all of a sudden it was much more real. This wasn’t some strange and busy party, courting awkwardly in costume as music played and you let the fantasy of the evening fill you up.

This was the familiar creak of his ship, the smell and feeling of home, as a stallion he had only known for a moment tugged at his clothing and made promises with his gaze. Despite the cool night, Jolly Roger felt the heat wash over him instantly, had to swallow down a lump in his throat.

This was it. This was the moment.

Rocky Road made his way towards the captain’s cabin and Jolly Roger followed.

Chrystali

fade to blaaaaack lmao

 

[Chrystali]

Morning was early, on the ship; the sun had barely crested the horizon and Rocky was already up and in motion. Given what he was made for, long hours were nothing he was new to, and sleeping in didn't come easy, not when there was a certain Captain to impress.

The draft settled into making breakfast, a simple and hearty meal of potato, cheese, and whatever meat was handy (sometimes, it was better not to ask). His portions were naturally large - he was a big Phony! - and larger still to accommodate the crew, which took a decent amount of time for him to prepare: marinating the potatoes in spice, dispersing the cheese just so to get the most use out of it, and a generous spread of the salted, cooked meat to make sure each bite was measured.

Maybe it was a land-Phony trait to cook? Maybe he'd picked it up out of necessity. Rocky wasn't a half bad cook, all things considered.

Then again, there wasn't much he wouldn't learn, when the reason was as good as JR.

Ruriska

emotion_kirakira

 

[Ruriska]

Jolly Roger was normally an early riser; as captain it was important for him to be a good example for his crew, and the best time for sailing was at dawn. However this morning he wasn’t quite on his game, and he allowed himself to drift even after waking, lulled by the warm bed. It was becoming somewhat of a bad habit, one that the others had been kind enough to ignore. He would have stayed longer, except his warm bed wasn’t quite as warm as it could have been and when he rolled over there was nobody there to convince him to stay put.
‘
He rose with a yawn, pulling back the covers and tidying up his sleeping areas. Then he wandered out of the captains quarters, following his nose to the next room. Jolly Roger paused in the doorway of the kitchen and stood, leaning against the frame. The eyepatch discarded by on the nightstand, two blue eyes watched Rocky Road work.

His heart did that thing it always did when he looked at the other stallion, a weird double jump, his breath catching in hit throat. Somehow, someway, there had been many other mornings similar to this one. Just as someone grew used to holding their footing on deck against the swell of the waves, Jolly Roger had adjusted to life with someone beside him.

He didn’t say anything immediately but after a minute in silence he cleared his throat to announce his presence.

Chrystali

cool

 

[Chrystali]

So involved with his own thoughts of food, the ship, and the Phony he thought was sleeping not far off, Rocky wasn't even remotely aware he was being watched. A sometimes-hum slid through him along with a soft expletive he learned on board when he almost dropped some scalding potato. Once, he paused to take in a deep breath: cooking food, the salt-logged wood of the ship, the sea distantly peppering the air, and --

The gentle clear of throat immediately grabbed him and made him turn his head with a lightning fast smile that was both eager and earnest. Making sure he wasn't going to set some part of the ship on fire, he abandoned the food thereafter and closed the short distance to the Captain, touching his nose to the green stallion's neck and tracing up to his jaw. "Mornin' sunshine," he rumbled, as pleased to see Jolly Roger that morning as he was the first time after that night so long ago, "hope I didn't wake you. Wanted t'let you get some extra winks. Sleep okay?"

A gentle nuzzle and a ridiculously adoring look were shared with Jolly Roger, Rocky Road utterly smitten and not afraid to show it. The Captain was fairly stuck with his rather affectionate draft, and no amount of threats of drowning him had changed that.

Ruriska