"Well Brock Feist was my father... He was nothing like the other Corps soldiers. He always did what he thought was right. And anyone who dared to betray him would nearly have a heart attack just by him giving them the most menacing stare i've ever seen. He's the one who trained me to fight. And once I had graduated,we went on vacation,a break. It was the last day,and the longest time I ever saw him smile so...happily. then tomorrow,I get up from bed and step into what I thought was some water. And once I look down,I see myself standing in a puddle of his own blood,a hole in his eye and a giant gash in his throat." Her voice began to break and her eyes started to water. "I ran. And when I tried looking for help,for a home,for someone to comfort me. All I got were suspicious stares, horrified looks,and even a few punches and kicks...sometimes a knife." She lifted up her coat and shirt to reveal a scar next to her belly button. And pulled her shirt down again. " but none of that bothered me. What did was that every time I heard "The Little Corpse Killer, you shouldn't have been born,why would he teach a monster how to kill?, and what hurt me the most was this, are you here to kill us too,like you did with the captain? " By now tears were streaming down her face as she got off the desk and pulled out a rolled up sheet of paper and a blue amulet,a named was scratched out and was replaced with Sierra Feist "So I ran, and that's when I found this paper." On it was a picture of Sierra only more...murder-y. Wanted:Sierra Feist , ALIVE. The price on her head was over 3 million in cold hard gold. then she looked at the amulet. "This used to be his...he was gonna give it to me...the day he died." She was gonna say something else but stopped herself as she repeatedly attempted to wipe off the tears. "I was thinking of telling everyone today but, with everyone else being happy with all the loot we gathered, i thought maybe tomorrow would be better. but mind helping me on breaking the news...hopefully they don't turn me in." she gave a weak laugh as she grabbed her things, turned around and began to walk out. "Tell the cook i've lost my appetite,I'm not eating."
Jade took the glass bottle, her nails clinking gently as she took a swig. "I ran away from home when I was 16," she began, swirling the amber liquid languidly, "due to some family issues. I was alone in the streets of my hometown, Benglier, and one night, a group of men followed me down a dark alley." She squinted at her drink, and took another gulp. "Pretty classic story, I suppose, although this one had a different ending." "I screamed for help, and I remember a chapped hand covering my mouth. I think one of them whispered to shut me up. That's when Natalia came." Jade put down the bottle on the countertop, and squeezed the bridge of her nose. "She killed them. I think it was the fact that they were attacking someone who clearly wasn't able to defend themselves that really bothered her. She cares about honor and bravery, Natalia does. She finds cowardice despicable." "Anyway, she took me in. She took me to the ship, got me medical help, and I've stayed with her ever since." * * * Natalia watched the retreating back of Sierra for a moment, and then spoke sternly. "Wait." She put down the watering can, and turned to Sierra. "9,143. In my time as a pirate, that is how many people I have killed. You, on the other hand, have killed no one, that I know of. More importantly, you have devoted your life to healing the members of my crew. You did not cause this. People will throw insults at you. Accuse you of crimes you did not commit." She stared deeply in Sierra's eyes, an icy blue that seemed to contain oblivion. "The best, and sometimes only thing you can do, is remember that your intentions were pure. No one can take your mind from you. No one can make the decisions that you made, and change them. They are yours." She returned to her desk, and pulled out an inkwell and quill. "If you must skip dinner, you will have to tell the chef yourself. I myself will be at the very least late tonight. However, I would advise you to attend. I hear we are celebrating, and this victory belongs to all of us." She sat down at her desk, and began making notes on the map, a silent indicator that Sierra was dismissed.
"So she's like some, Dark Knight, to you or something?" He took a swig. "This world is full of hate and evil, so it's not hard to believe your story." The pot began to bubble slightly and Jared went over to check on the carrots. He deemed they were done and began to assemble the meals. He finished one and passed it to Jade. "Here. I like to make the others wait. Their hunger makes the food taste better." He chuckled.
Jade laughed slightly. "Oh, that's cruel," she said, shaking her head in mock disappointment. Leaning her head on her fist she took a small bite of the meal. "This is delicious, though, yet again. Thank you, Jared." She looked up for a moment, and squinted slightly at him, and cocked her head in curiousity. "So, your turn. I understand you were on your own, but how exactly did you get in here?" * * * Jack thought for a moment, and his constant worry lines returned to his forehead. "Have you noticed something.. a little off about Mr. Elliott lately?" His glance turned to the man, sitting on the edge of the ship, feet handing off the side. "He's always been a loner, but..." he shook his head, and frowned. "I'm not sure."
"Well..." He cleared his throat. "You wouldn't believe it but my life was normal. I went to school, had a good education... but not everything was perfect. There was a this Mafia which would extort money out of the town's residence for 'protection', aka not being beat up or murdered by them. This was going on for many years but one day, out of the blue, the town decided enough was enough, so they refused to pay. The mafia didn't like this so they began beating us... forcing us to pay. My father began to fight back, almost killed their ring leader. But the leader's goons had grabbed him and beat him to death. He said we were next..." He paused. "So we ran... left our things and left. A few weeks went by and my mother fell ill. I had to look after her for a month or two before she ultimately... passed..." His voice cracked slightly. "I was all alone then... but when I heard that there was a crew looking for new members I hopped straight aboard. Just to get away from those... monsters... those animals... And I hope to get them back some day..." He looked at Jade right in the eyes. "That's my story."
Jade listened to his story intently, resting her chin on folded hands. She looked up at him, and remained quiet until the end. "I'm really sorry," she said softly. She thought for a moment, and then spoke again. "Have you ever been back? To your hometown, I mean?"
Jade rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry," she stammered softly. "I didn't meant to be nosy," (@Common Sense, @Stuffy McPatch, @Proxy - I want to get you guys into the story more, because I feel like I've been neglecting you. Jack is trying to talk to Avice and Cobiah. I'm not sure if Common Sense is still in.)
"He does seem distraught. He's staring off at those Corps ships. Maybe he's worried about them? Say... what does he even do on this ship anyway? I barely see him around."
Jack laughed a little, looking at the man off to the side of the deck. "He was a sailor when the Captain and I first started the crew. He was hard working in his day, but he has slowly become more grouchy, and less eager as the years have passed. He and the Captain do not see eye to eye."
(I apologize. I've been quite busy lately.) Avice scratched her head a bit. "I guess there's not much you can do about that. Perhaps it's getting too boring for him," she said, with a hint of sarcasm in her last sentence.
(No, no! It's not your fault. I personally feel bad because I've been mostly interacting with Azure and Starlight. That's the only reason I brought it up. Also, in other news, I'm planning on making a map for your reference - this is kinda an alternate universe. I'm making an OOC thread now, so we can discuss it more then.) "I suppose," Jack said, rubbing his temple. "Although, he seems to be especially bad lately. Perhaps the Captain should have a talk with him.."
"A talk seems somewhat extensive, doesn't it? Maybe it's only temporary or has something to do with what he ate." Avice said, as she thoughtfully came up with some ideas for his grouchiness.
"The Captain has other matters to deal with. I say, if he's going to be uncooperative, let him." Cobiah said flatly, closely inspecting the man.
"There is no use letting a broken cog stay in an otherwise functioning clock," Jack said, shaking his head. He sighed, and offered a browbeaten smile. "Perhaps you are right. It is not my concern, regardless."
Jared realized how stern he was. "No... no, I didn't mean it like that... It's just that I don't want to go back... is all..." "I should serve dinner now..." He began to prepare square, wooden plates with food and his assistants grabbed some and left to hand them out. "It was good to get this off my chest. I've never talked about this before with anyone." He walked up the stairs to the deck. "Grub's up! Come and get it!"
Jade sat alone in the kitchen for a moment. She sighed, grabbed her unfinished plate, stood up and quietly followed Jared up to the deck. * * * Ellia sat in the crow's nest, her eyes on the horizon, as the sun dipped slowly out of the sky. The Corps' ships were just tiny dots now, but when Ellia raised her spyglass, she could see them still pursuing. Another hour or so at this rate, they would give up, she predicted. She looked down, saw the sailors swarming to the food, and settled in to her perch. Jade would bring her up some food in a while, but until then, she would keep watch. * * * Jack looked up at Jared's call and beckoned to the others. "God, I'm hungry. Nothing like a good ol' Corps battle to raise an appetite."
( Spoiler: Redesign ) Avice waited a moment before acknowledging the food that wait. She gazed at the dark ocean in thought before turning to follow everyone else.
(!!! She looks so badass.) They gathered around the large table, and began to eat - there was little etiquette to the table, and it wasn't long before the liquor started to come out, and loud drunken voices began to recall the adventures of the day. "Did you see how we smashed their hull...? Hic!" "Hehe, it was their own fault, pursuing our ship!" "And we.. completely dominated that ship from the Eidlyns." The conversation gradually descended into hysteria, with sailors slapping each other other the back, tears of mirth rolling down their cheeks. Jade quietly stood up, and took an extra meal from the table. She walked quickly to the base of the crows nest, and after taking a moment to determine the best way up with her current bounty, she shrugged, placed the plate in her teeth, and climbed the ropes leading up to her friend. "Oh, God, you are holy," Ellia exclaimed when she saw Jade's head poked over the side. Jade swung over into the nest, and gingerly took the plate out of her mouth and gave it to Ellia. "The cook did well tonight," Jade said casually, looking towards the horizon where the sun had disappeared, leaving a mix over orange, red, and blues. "He always does well," replied Ellia, raising her spyglass once more to check to make sure that the Corps had stopped their pursuit. They stopped about a half hour ago, like they should have, but Ellia was nothing if not cautious. She knew better than anyone that the Corps was famous for their long pursuits. Almost as if she had read her mind, Jade put a gentle hand on Ellia's shoulder. "I'm pretty sure they're not following anymore, Ellia." The young girl shrugged, and ate her food, eyes never leaving the edge of the sea. "Better to be safe than sorry, right?" * * * Back down at the table, the drunken good humor seemed to have gotten slightly nasty. "You... didn't even do anything during that raid! Hic..!" one man screamed, slurring his words so much that it sounded like he deserved no tongue at all. "Oh yeah? Well.. you don't even do anything on this ship..! You just sit on your fat arse all day... and you smell terrible..!" "We're at sea..! Of course I smell..! Hic..! We don't have any access to water..!" "Look around you poor excuse for a sentient being..! WE'RE FLOATING IN IT!" Jack looked on, his hand covering his smile. Fights where the members were depending on their drunken wit was exactly his type of humor, but he couldn't let it go on. "Alright, you two, stop this. Why don't you go sleep? Chances are you won't even remember this in the morning," "Yessir," they mumbled, and as they walked away from the table, their murmured argument continued, and they continued to comment on each other's hygiene and intelligence. "In fact, everyone should perhaps depart to their chambers. We're porting tomorrow."
"In what City, may I ask? If there is a Seatone Mercantile Office there I could use my connections to get us some provisions, sir." Said Cobiah, unfolding a map.
