|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:45 am
No matter which way you looked, there were miles and miles of blue surrounding you. It was hard to not appreciate all the nature that passed you by while out at sea. Though pirates weren’t suppose to think things were beautiful except for treasure, this pirate thought otherwise. Espy, or Esperanza to some, was definitely different than most other pirates you came across. Most others wanted adventure, danger, and treasure. None of those had ever mattered much. Often times she questioned why she was a pirate, as she was titled. Everyone seemed to catch on to the fact that she was a bit different, though it didn’t bother her. Just because she didn’t have the same interests, didn’t mean she was any less pirate. When it came down to it, she did what she needed to do to get the job done.
As she was leaning on the side of the ship, she thought about why she had chosen this path in life. The answer came to her easily when she suddenly heard laughter, and chatting behind her. At first, she had felt like her friends had dragged her along. Darn their begging. It was true what people said about her: she was too nice. In all honesty, she didn’t much mind when it came to the people she loved. Of course, her parents were a bit disappointed. Who wanted a pirate for a daughter these days? Her mother had cried, and her father had scorned her. According to them, she was no longer welcome in their home. So once the decision was made, it was final. The only downside to the ‘career’ choice she had made was that most did not take to pirates fondly. Though the adrenaline of being wanted was a rush at times, others it was too hard to take. Unfortunately, thinking of such a thing was a downer at this present moment. Why fear death? Why not instead live each moment as if it were your last? That’s what this life was about. Living each day as if it were your last, and if it did happen to be your last you’d die fighting.
Her parents, or anyone else for that matter, may not have understood her logic, but it didn’t much matter to her. What mattered was that she was doing something on her own. For once, she was making her own decisions, and living her own life. There were no longer any rules, or restrictions. Not in her mind, anyway. No, now it was just the sea and her. Well, mainly. Luckily enough for her, there happened to be other people on this ship with her. Had there not been, Espy was sure she would have gone crazy right now. Though, some might argue that she was crazy already. Had her friends not been persistent with her, she might still be cooped up at home. With less freedom, which was much too horrible a thought. Slowly, she turned herself around, and pulled herself away from thoughts of the life she lived before. She was living this life now, and was much happier with it. Espy pushed herself away from the railing she was leaning on, and walked over to join her friends. She wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but she’d soon find out.
The closer she got, the wider her smile grew. Wesley and Isabelle were two people that meant a great deal to Espy. One day she’d have to thank them for taking her away from what she used to be, but for now she was going to enjoy their company. Plus, it beat being told she was acting too sentimental to be a pirate by Wes.
Once she was close enough, Espy hopped onto Wes’ back. She was certain it’d scare him half to death, but she really didn’t mind. He should have been used to her personality right now. Plus, any opportunity she had to give him just a bit of grief was not one she would pass up. If it had Ella laughing, then she knew she had done good, and really that was all that mattered. She placed her hands over Wesley’s eyes, and an even bigger grin spread over her face. “Guess who.”
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:04 pm
"Ah! Someone man the artillery, we're being attacked!" Wes yelled played playfully. He spun around a few times before dislodging his attacker, Espy. A grin crossed his (extremely perfect) face as he remembered how hard it had been to convince her to come along. He had been instant friends with Espy when they met and their friendship was effortless and always fun. But when he had decided that he was done living on land and being a slave to his studies, she'd been reluctant to join up. In the end, she'd left against her family's will and he couldn't imagine the ship without her.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're crazy?" he teased. Wes was a joker by nature and it helped keep him sane while living in close quarters with two women, however close they all were. Life with Ella, his closest friend since childhood, and Espy was never boring. Adventure, Wes thought as the wind picked up, Now this is what I live for.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:04 pm
Ella laughed at the playful exchange between her friends. The antics of those two were great entertainment. When they weren't in some sort of dramatic play-fight, they were inventing new ways to tease each other.
She turned her gaze towards the horizon as the cool ocean wind blew through her hair. With every sunset out on the open seas, Ella felt more lucky than ever for this life. She had left behind a life of sheltered privilege with no hesitation when Wes proposed they run off to seek the freedoms of piracy. Ella had an undeniable attraction to the many dangers of sea-life, her main motivation in departing from her old life. She craved the adrenaline rush that came from being pursued, breaking the law, and frequent life-or-death situations. Being at sea had taken away her fears of the unknown. To her, any life this perfect was worth all the risks she had ever taken, and this was a reputation that proceeded her.
She snapped out of her reverie when she noticed the wind growing increasingly more vicious. Ella scanned the sky to see looming clouds moving their direction. She turned to Wes and Espy, who were bickering about Wesley's proclaimed superiority to every other living pirate. She shook her head with a small half-smile. They're too much, she thought.
"Hey you two, there's a storm moving in. I don't think we have very much time. You think we can make it to a port? Because we definitely won't be making it to our destination tonight," Ella informed them, quickly compiling a mental list of preparations to secure the ship and ports nearby.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:54 pm
Giggling was not an activity that Espy often took part in, but while she was on Wes’ back there was no avoiding it. She was quite certain that Wes would make yet another comment on how un-pirate of her it was to giggle, but she didn‘t care. Right now, she was trying to cling onto him as if her dear life depended upon it. She was having fun while watching him attempt to get her off his back. Why would Espy cut her fun short now? But to her dismay, within a few seconds he was able to pry her off him. She stared up at him with a wide grin on her face, and acted as innocent as possible. Of course, it probably wouldn‘t free her of any future bickering, but that was fine for the moment.
As soon as Wes began speaking, Espy shook her head lightly. “You happen to call me crazy just about every day we‘re around each other.” Which was extremely true. If he wasn’t calling her crazy, there were many other names shot her way. None of which were insulting, but the playful back and forth that Wes and Espy took part in was a part of their friendship. It was almost like the fine print in a contract that no one ever paid attention to. It was just a part of the both of them that each had accepted of the other, and honestly, Espy wouldn‘t have it any other way.
Quickly, Espy turned her gaze over to Ella. Just as she thought, Isabelle was laughing at both of their antics. That meant that part of Espy‘s job was accomplished. Had Ella joined in teasing Wes, then she would have been completely pleased. Unfortunately, you couldn‘t have your cake and eat it, too. Besides, had they both ganged up on him, Wes would most likely claim that they were at an unfair advantage. It wasn‘t her fault that there was more estrogen on the boat, than there was testosterone. He had been quite persistent when wanting her to come along, so she was sure he could have begged another male to join. Instead, he was stuck with Espy and Ella. Which always worked in Espy’s favor, as well as Ella’s.
At times, though, there really was no getting around just how ridiculous the only male on the ship could be. Wes was going on about how he was the king of kings when it came to being a pirate. It not only made Espy want to laugh hysterically, but she wanted to pull her hair out all at the same time. Sometimes Wesley’s confidence was charming, but all this made her want to do was jump on his back again. In fact, she would have done just that if Ella hadn‘t started talking.
Now her attention was turned fully towards her female companion, as she took a look out at sea. There was no denying it. A storm was a-brewin’. Espy took a long gaze to where the clouds were, and tried to assess just how far away the storm was. It was not going to be pleasant if the storm hit them, no matter how good of a story it might have made for later. One good thing about being a pirate was that you always carried the tools needed to pin point where you were, and just how far away a port may be. Espy made her way over the first flat surface she found, and looked over the map. She was thinking they’d be able to make it, but she wasn’t on a ship with two others for no reason. Waving her hand a bit, she motioned the two of them over, pointed out their current location, and the location of the port. “I think we’ll be able to make it, but it might be tight. What do the two of you think?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:45 pm
Wes crossed his arms and looked out across the water. Ella had noticed what he hadn't and it was going to cost them some time. He glanced at the map before looking back up at the sky. Wes nodded decisively.
"Let's go for it. Otherwise we're in for one helluva night." With that, everyone dispersed to various parts of the ship so they'd be able to make it to the port before the weather got too bad. As they got underway, the waves got rougher and rain began to fall. It was difficult to keep your footing with the boat pitching and the slippery wood deck.
After a half-hour battle with the elements, the port was in their distant sight. However, that was when the heavens chose to open up. The boat rocked and pitched as the wind whipped at them and rain beat down. It was almost impossible to see, but they knew which direction to go.
"We're almost there," Wes called over the howling wind, "Hold strong and we'll make it!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:58 pm
As they headed for the port in the blinding rain, Isabelle realized that she was soaked. A chill ran through her but it was quickly replaced by a feeling of urgency. They weren't far now, all they had to do was dock the ship somewhere. There was no way they would be able to stay in it during the night though. The storm still hadn't reached its pitch and they knew better than to stay out in weather like that, even if Ella did love thunderstorms.
Time was lost to them during their struggle to make it through the wind and rain. Eventually, however, she saw Wes jump off the boat to tie them up and pay to dock there. Lightning struck near enough to make her hair stand on end, illuminating the ship, Espy, and the dock they were supposed to be following Wes onto.
"Thank goodness we made it," Ella said, "I was starting to worry."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:58 pm
As soon as Wes nodded, Espy made her way to her station quickly. There weren‘t many downfalls to being a pirate, but being caught in a storm was one of them. There was nothing pleasant about getting rocked back and forth on a ship. Luckily enough for Espy, she didn‘t get sea sick. At least, she hadn‘t been in an intense enough storm that had given her one. She knocked on wood quickly, and hoped she didn‘t just jinx anything. Getting sea sick right now was not something Espy, or her friends needed. When sick, there was no way you could make her get a task done. If she wasn‘t flighty enough when in a normal state, it was much worse when sick or in pain. Hopefully, neither sickness or pain would be coming her way. Hopefully.
Of course, more often than not things never went your way. Espy would have been more than pleased with the slight rocking that had been going on, but no. Instead, Mother Nature, and whoever else may have been involved, decided that a small storm was not in store for Espy, and her friends. The wind picked up, and the rain was no longer drops. It more felt like small pins hitting your face. Espy couldn‘t help but curse under her breath for a moment, before grabbing onto the railing next to her. Wes had yelled, “Hold strong”, and Espy could be quite literal at times.
Though, within the blink of an eye, they were finally docked. Within seconds, Espy had felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She was alive, and so were her friends. Sure, it might have been a bit dramatic to think certain death might have awaited them, but that was Espy for you. She jumped off the side of the ship, and took a look around. This was definitely somewhere the trio had never been before. Espy leaned herself against Ella, and smiled. “No need to worry now, we‘ve reached land”. Now all they had to do was dry clothes, and a place to stay. For once, Espy decided to take the lead. It might not have been the smartest idea, but she was cold and exhausted. Turning around to her friends quickly, Espy smirked and then spoke to the two. “Come on you lazy bums, get moving.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:21 pm
"Lazy?" Wes asked, dismayed. He was not lazy in the slightest. He was built to muscular perfection. Wes was soaked to the core and didn't have the energy to fight Espy for control of the situation. He nodded toward an illuminated building a little ways down the main road. "There's an inn there," he said. They headed for the shelter of the quaint building.
Once inside, the trio headed to the front, where a busty blonde sat at a wooden desk. "Hey there," Wes said, "We need a few rooms. Three, to be exact."
She smiled at him flirtatiously(who wouldn't?) and looked at the ledger in front of her. "You're outta luck, darlin', we're booked 'cept for the Bridal Suite and one regular room." Wes turned to Ella and Espy, shrugging helplessly. "We'll take the suite," he informed the woman. She raised an eyebrow but then said, "Well, I'll have to go check if it's ready. Just sit over by the fire for a minute, if you please."
They gratefully stood in front of a large fireplace made of stacked stone. The walls shook from the thunder that rattled the windows and doors. A man sitting nearby was eying them suspiciously. His hat was pulled down low and he watched them like a hawk. He rose suddenly and walked straight towards them, stopping briefly next to Isabelle, who was standing closest to him. He whispered, "We're coming for you," before walking out the door into the raging storm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:39 pm
Ella's shivering from the cold turned into a shudder as the man whispered in her ear. We're coming for you? What could he have meant? Ella turned to Wes and Espy, both looking at her with concern. Her already too big eyes were wide with shock.
"Who the bloody hell was that?" Ella asked, unable to think of anything else to say. She felt tainted after her encounter.
"Your suite is ready," called the skanky blonde that had flirted with Wes. Ella shook her head, indicating that they would talk later, and they followed her to their room.
"'We're coming for you,'" she told them as soon as the door shut behind them. "That's what he said. Who was that guy?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 10:48 pm
Not giving Wes recognition was the best way to go about his response. She knew that if she felt witty enough to say something, a bicker war may start. Even if it did end with her as the victor, she was much too exhausted to argue. With his persistent the two of them, she probably would have ended up more annoyed than amused. So avoiding anything of the sort was the way to go. But with the next words Wes spoke, Espy swore she could have kissed him. Kind of, maybe, almost. She was just excited that they had found a place that was most likely warmer than what she was now.
Waiting for a room was not a problem at all. As long as they were going to have a room of some sort, Espy could completely deal. Propping herself up against, the wall Espy took a look around the place. It was a habit that she had. Noticing details, or looking around for a chance to notice some kind of detail, was her thing. She wasn‘t sure how, or why it started. Often times, she was made fun of for it. But when she noticed something important that others didn‘t, there was no laughing then. While she was having a look around, she noticed the other man sitting now far from her. Espy didn‘t like the look of him one bit, and she really had no clue why he was so intently set on looking at them. She watched him as he stood up, and she almost had half a mind to ask him what he wanted. Of course, it all went back to how tired she was. There was no reason for her to start something, to only not be able to finish it. Once the man was completely up, and whispering to Ella, fuel had been added to her fire. None of them had the slightest idea who he was. All Espy could say about him now was that he was borderline insane.
Making her way over to Ella, Espy made a disgusted face. If it wasn‘t official before, it was definitely official now that she did not like the man who had just left. She had kept her mouth shut until they were in their room, and then no longer could. “I have no idea who that man was, but I definitely do not want to know what he‘s up to. He seems like trouble.” Trouble was probably an understatement. “We‘re coming for you” seemed like a promise at the time, and not just words. Then again, Espy did have a way with blowing things way out of proportion. Perhaps he could tell, not that it was hard to, that the three were pirates. Maybe he didn’t like the fact that women were pirates. She wasn’t sure, but she was certain that it was nothing. Hopefully, it was nothing.
Once inside the room, Espy couldn‘t have been happier. It had been awhile since she had been in a room that was so fancy. Plus after being out in the rain soaking cold, she would have gladly taken anything that was warm. It was a good thing her clothes had dried a bit while waiting for the room to be ready. She walked over the window that was in their room, and smiled a bit. That was until she saw, or thought she saw, movement outside. Her eyes squinted slightly, and she turned to the two of her friends. “Did either of you see anything outside, or am I just crazy? Well, crazier than usual.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:43 am
Wes moved toward Espy to look outside. With the darkness of nightfall and the rain pouring down, it was almost impossible to see. "It's too dark for me to see anything," Wes said, "But I don't like this." He hadn't liked the look of the stranger anymore than Espy had. But something about the man looked familiar. He shrugged, "We're all tired and we should get some rest before tomorrow. It doesn't look like this rain is going to clear out anytime soon." Wes took his clothes off (the part everyone was waiting for) and draped them over the metal cover of the fireplace to dry out. He settled into bed and was asleep almost instantly. As a matter of fact, he didn't wake up once the entire night.
The next morning, Wes woke with a start. He sat up and yawned widely. Espy was still asleep on a couch, so after getting dressed, he shook her awake.
"Espy . . . hey Espy . . . Espy, hey . . . Espy," he said, until she opened her eyes, "Where did Ella go?" He looked around for some sign of her, but she hadn't just gone out for a stroll. She was gone. That was when he noticed the open window. Near the window, pinned to the wall with a small blade was a note. Wes grabbed it and read it over twice before ascertaining its meaning: You were warned.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ella was, at that moment, regaining consciousness to find her self tied up on a strange ship. "Oh, you're awake?" said a voice from above her. Ella struggled fruitlessly to escape, but couldn't. "Well, I did warn you, did I?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:20 pm
Ella awoke confused and with a headache. As everything around her came into focus, she realized that she was definitely not in the Inn with her friends. Soon, she heard the creeper from earlier talking to her. Ella didn't know what to do or what had happened, but needless to say, she was pissed off.
"I hope you know that when I get outta this I'm gonna kick your a**," Ella said conversationally. Her plan was to anger the strange man until he was fed up. She hoped that this would somehow help her escape her current situation, because she still had no idea what was going on.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:13 pm
Only taking a few more moments to look outside, Espy wasn‘t sure what to make of what had happened. Wes was right. It was entirely too dark to really make anything out. What she had seen was probably really just the raindrops. When her paranoia set in, there was no telling how she‘d react. In this case, it was seeing things. Which only lead her to whole heartedly agree with Wes’ next statement. Espy was in definite need of sleep. If she didn‘t get her rest, she was sure her paranoia would only get worse. Plus, when she was tired Espy suddenly became a babbling, incoherent being. No one wanted that right now, especially her. Without much thought about anything else, Espy made her way over to a couch, laid down, and before she knew it, she was sleeping.
Being that Espy was in love with sleeping, waking her up before she wanted to was never pleasant. It took her a minute to not only realize that her name was being said, but to also to realize that Wes had been shaking her. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and stared at him. Had it not been for him asking her about Ella, Espy was sure more than a few not so friendly words would have been shot Wes’ way. Quickly, Espy sat up and looked around. Her first guess would have been that Ella had just gone out, but she didn‘t leave a note, or any indication of such. After taking a few moments to think about it, Espy’s heart sank. She knew exactly what had happened to Ella. Cursing under her breath, Espy looked over at Wes and sighed. “We both know what happened to her. So how do we go about finding her?”
--------------------------------------------------------------
A smirk spread wide across the man‘s face when the girl spoke to him. Girls playing pirate that had no business in it was always such an amusement to this man. He was quite confident in the fact that she would be unable to harm him. Especially since she was without weapons, and both her arms and legs were tied to a chair. Crossing his arms over his chest, the man placed a foot on one of the chair legs, and leaned the chair back until it was inches from the ground. “Your threats don‘t scare me, lil‘missy. And how do you expect to get out of here? Your little friends? They’re about as much pirate as you are.” He placed the chair so all the legs were touching the floor once more, and got close to the girl’s face. “So how ‘bouts you be a nice lil’girl, and use those manners mummy and daddy taught ye? If not, I can make this much worse on you than it needs to be.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:12 pm
Wes paced the room, thinking. "Well, we know what happened, but we don't even have the slightest idea where to start looking." He abruptly stopped walking and stared out the window. The weather was as terrible as it had been the day before, which meant he couldn't see very much. "s**t!" Wes fumed. Of course something like this would happen to them. That damn pirate must have had some agenda, but hell if he knew what it was.
He turned to Espy with a concerned look. "You are not allowed to leave my sight, understand? One of us missing is more than enough," Wes said roughly. He then resumed his pacing of the room.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:22 pm
Ella rolled her eyes. She didn't scare that easily and some freak elitist pirate was not even remotely frightening to her. "Gee, what a coincidence, your threats don't scare me either," she retorted sarcastically. She knew that her friends would save her a** eventually, so she really wasn't too worried. Plus, this wanker was making her head hurt worse.
"And who do you think you're kidding? What are you going to do, breathe on me or something? Please. This is pathetic. You're supposed to be the epitome of a pirate? Don't make me laugh," she continued, her words filled with venom. At this point she was much more irritated than frightened. And she didn't like the chair leaning back, that made her uncomfortable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
