Sailing the Seven Seas *Starting/Not Accepting**

Captain Clare Davies:

Twice! The Captain silently fumed. Charlie was asking her where they where headed, disrupting her tiny moment of peace. It was bad enough that Ryker and Mela had just pestered her about the same thing.
Exasperated, Clare muttered, "To the West," and continued facing out to sea.
Charlie Underwood eyed her. "What business do we--you--have in the West?"
"As Captain, most business of mine affects you all in some way, is that not true?" Clare asked, now facing Charlie.
"Uh. Yes ma'am."
Clare continued. "So my business in the West will probably concern you, at some point or another." She paused. "At this time, however, the reasons for my setting us sail to the West do not need to be known. You will understand soon enough."
She didn't tell him that "soon enough" was tomorrow morning, bright and early. Because it was then that she would put the new swords from Rusty to the test--combat training for her pirates was about to begin.

Quinn

Did I have to help this guy? 'Course I am trying to look like a boy. "Let's start over. I go by Quinlan with most, you may call me Quinn. I'm fifteen years. You were in the ocean, bleeding, and floating on a piece o' rotting wood. I fished you out and now you're in the supply closet o' the Calypso, which only I really go in as I'm the only one who swabs the poop deck anymore," I tell him.

"Great," he groans. "I'm Jex, seventeen years, and I should be dead. Why couldn't you let me die?!" That was unexpected.

"Ingrate," I grunt. "I'll bring you food later. Please don't kill yourself, I'd have to clean it up." I sneak out of the supply closet before anyone can see me and run to my quarters.

JEX

I was swallowed in darkness once again, left to mourn. She didn't want me to kill myself, I wouldn't. I didn't have the guts to, anyways. My stomach twisted from hunger and longing. My throat clogged up and I could feel the tears coming. "Don't you dare cry," I told myself quietly. Crying wouldn't bring her back, so it wouldn't do me much good.

My side hurt immensly and I placed a hand over it. The daggar was still in there, and my hand came away sticky. It wasn't too deep, but it was deep enough. I'd get a nasty infection at least if I didn't get it looked at. "Aye Jex, you're really done it this time," I muttered, leaning my head against the wall.

On this bloody ship, rescued by that bloody girl turned lad. I should be dead, my flesh ripped to shreds in the belly of some ravenous shark. I had always assumed sharks came at the scent of blood, but they had chosen the worst possible time to be merciful.

Mela

I pulled at a rope and knotted it securely, then glared at Ryk. "Your fault," I muttered.

"What's my fault?"

"That we don't know exactly where we're going."

"Is not!"

"Is too."

"Is so not!"

"Oh, shut up and tie it down, it's about to fly off," I snapped, dropping to the deck. He muttered something and made a face at the rope he was handling. I smirked and climbed across the ropes until I was practically hanging out over the ocean. I smiled and climbed higher.

Probably would've gotten to the sails, but Ry called, "OI! Get down here, monkey-Mela!" I stuck my tongue out and descended, trying to catch as much of the cool breeze as I could. I tightened a knot or two here and there and stepped back onto the boards.

For someone so fun loving, Ry could really be a funsucker sometimes.

Quinn

There are four rolls in my pockets that I took from the kitchen. So as not to attract attention to them, I have my hands in my pockets. Shoved under my shirt is a small bag on gunpowder I managed to find in the weapon room, and a match. I strut down the halls casually, and slip inside storage. "Jex, you here?" I whisper. My reply is an irritated grunt. Ingrate.

"Here." I hand him the rolls and take the gunpowder and match from my shirt. "By the way, let me see your side wound. Oh, and put this in your mouth," I say, handing him my bandanna. He looks at it strangely.

"Why?" he asks suspiciously.

"Just do it!" He shoves it in his mouth and rolls over onto his side. The dagger juts out brutally. After yanking it out, I take the gunpowder and sprinkle some on his wound. Jex winces, and his jaw tenses on the bandanna. "Move it to the back of your throat and put a roll between your teeth," I instruct. He does so, and looks nervous as I light the match on my belt. Glad he can't make any sound, I light his wound on fire. He bites down hard and thrashes on the floor for a few minutes before finally laying still, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Sorry," I whisper. "I had to disinfect it somehow!" He takes the bandanna from his mouth and glares at me.

"You did not!" He hisses, voice shaky. "I wanted to die, you could have let me."

"I saved your life!" I snap back. "If you wanted to die you would have killed yourself by now! There are old unused weapons in here, it wouldn't be hard!" He sighs at that.

"You're right, I'm sorry. She wouldn't have wanted me to kill myself either."

"She?" I don't know who "she" is.

Jall

Life had been pretty boring these past few days. I spent my time cleaning and scrubbing and did nothing else. The cook is still sneaking me food. She brought me this journal to occupy my time. Like I have any. This is the first time I've been able to write in it in three days. Nice girl, even though she is practically scum. I still don't know why I saved her, that was reckless. Her life shouldn't matter to me. But for some reason, it does.

I closed my journal as Jack shouted, "Aye, boy, go swab the poop deck!"
My eyes were clenched shut with anger. Who was this peasant to order me, the heir to a large fortune, around. He made his life by stealing for god's sake.

I went into the room where they kept the supplies, rummaging around in the dark. Then I tripped over a broom and fell flat on my face. There was a snicker.

I whirled around and said, "Who goes there?"

A boy who looked to be around my age stepped out of the darkness. "Quin, er," he stuttered. "Quinlan found me. I'm very lucky to be alive."

Slowly, I looked at this man to see if he was incompetent. "And why on earthare you in the supply closet?"

He shrugged. "It's comfy."
Then he pointed to the broom and said, "Thanks for the joke, that was the first laugh I've had in months!"

I turned around scowling.

Mela

We, Ry and I, I mean, were by the entrance to below deck when there was a clatter. I looked up at him, hand already on the hilt of my new sword, Ry in the same position. He nodded. We dashed in, swords raised at.. this morning's stowaway? This was NOT good- no one had known he would be down here, and I knew everything that went on here. Mostly.

I swore in Irish and ran my free hand through my hair, my sword not dropping even half an inch. I glanced at Ry, who had his mouth slightly open and one eyebrow raised as if to say, "You've got to be kidding me." Unfortunately, none of us seemed to be kidding.

I swore again. "Oi, Cap'n's not gon' be happy 'bout this." Ryker grunted in agreement.

He sighed. "And we didn't even get to have a muffin this morning."

JEX

"She?" Quinn asked skeptically.

My gut tightened and my chest went tight. "Rosa..." I murmered. "She's gone now, the reason I wanted to die. Murdered in cold blood, I killed the man who killed her." I looked at the floor, biting down on my tongue.

"Oh," Quinn murmered. "I'm sorry."

I offered a weak smile and reached into my pocket, suddenly remembering the ring. My pulse quickened as my fingers wrapped around it. I pulled it out and gave a triumphant "Ha!" I pulled it close to my lips and kissed it. "It survived!"

A voice shouted for Quinn and she turned quickly. "That would be the cap'ain. I've gotta go."

I nodded as she left, enjoying the darkness. The girl was absolutely insane. Saving me, burning me to save me... Pretending to be a boy. I smiled to myself. It sounded like something Rosa would have done if she had the chance.

I don't know how long I had been sitting there, but somebody walked in. He tripped over a broom and I snickered, immediately regretting it. It probably wouldn't do me much good to get caught in here...

He turned around quickly. "Who goes there?"

I struggled to my feet and stepped out. "Quin, er," he stuttered. "Quinlan found me. I'm very lucky to be alive." Lucky and cursed. But he didn't need to know that.

"And why on earthare you in the supply closet?" he demanded.

I shrugged. "It's comfy." Actually, it was very uncomfortable, but oh well. Better than floating around on a wooden lid in the middle of the ocean, that was for sure. Or ripped to shreds inside of a shark.

I pointed at the broom with my thumb, chuckling. "Thanks for the joke, that was the first laugh I've had in months!"

He turned and I shook my head, smirking. The man was fun to mess with by all means. "Good day to you," I muttered before reatreating back into the corner.

Quinn

I hear Clare calling me. "That would be the Cap'n. I gotta go," I tell him before running out. I swear I see him smile before I leave. Guess he's warming up, which is a good thing. That thought makes me smile for some strange reason. The poor guy has been through a lot...but he'd rather not be shark bait. I'm sure of it.

When I see Clare, I stand straight. "Yes'm?" I ask.

She narrows her eyes at me. "Where have you been?" she asks. I hesitate.

"Around, as usual," I say. She looks at me skeptically.

After a moment of silence she says, "I need you to straighten up my quarters. Go do it now."

"Yes'm!" I walk down the deck, and freeze when I see the prisoner with a bucket and a mop. Didn't I swab the decks yesterday?! To get the supplies, he must have...oh no. I walk hastily up to him and ask, "Where did you get those?" while pointing to the bucket and mop. He chuckles and gives me a knowing smirk.

"Supply closet. You wouldn't happen to be hiding anything there, would you?" he says with heavy sarcasm.

Glaring, I grab his shirt and growl, "Listen, you. Tell anyone about Jex and I'll throw you overboard. We clear?" He only laughs.

"Kid, your secret's safe with me. Hell, they wouldn't believe me anyway. Now go back to prancing around this ship." For show, I mock-skip the first few steps before running to Clare's quarters. It takes an hour or so to clean, then I'm straight back to the supply closet.

"Our prisoner knows you're here!" I hiss at him. "That could have been anyone, you're lucky it wasn't the Cap'n! While you're here keep quiet and don't make any noise or what I did will be for nothin' and we'll both end up on the end of the plank! Hear me? Would Rosa want you dead?" I spit every word at him in anger.

I laughed as Quinlan skipped away. Although I didn't know what guy in his right mind would skip, I had to admit he had guts.
There was something off about Quinlan. His high voice, the way he walked. And especially the way the stowaway hesitated to say Quinlan's name.
I went back to scrubbing the poop deck, vowing to find out. I may have been arrogant, and I was right to be, but I was not unperceptive.
About thirty minutes later, I came across something odd. It was a ring lodged into the slats of the boat. Carefully, so that I wouldn't lose it, I pulled it out.
It was gold with a pink stone that I couldn't identify set into the ring itself. I would have said it was a crystal, but I was no judge of lesser stones. Just as I was putting it in my pocket, something caught my eye.
An inscription.
Safe journeys, Quinn.
It could have been a nickname, the name that was used. But I had a feeling it wasn't.

Turtle

"Ah. It's good to have a break from work," David exclaimed, putting his feet up onto the railing and lying his shoulders on the deck. The Captain scowled and swept them away from her.

"Don't you have work to do?"

"All guns are cleaned and all cannonballs are ready for use. The gunpowder is stored and wrapped away from wet. I think I have quite deserved a break," he finnished smuggly. He propped his feet back up onto the railings.

"I would shoot you for your arogance but you'd be too happy that you got to me," Captain growled.

"Right again," he grinned. From above, an apple core fell on his face and bounced off onto the deck. His mouth opened in surprise, and another apple core fell into his mouth. He spat it out, spluttering. Was that a smile from the Captain?

"Stop flirting!" called Mela.

"You're making me sick!" yelled Ryker.

"Get back to work or I'll flay your hides and use them as rags to clean the deck!" he yelled back. The two sniggered and did what they were told. Turtle took a bite out of the apple core, pulled on a look of disgust and threw it casually overboard.

"Go clean the decks with the prisoner."

"Yes, Captain," Turtle sighed.

Captain Clare Davies:

Clare watched David walk away, her eyes criticizing his posture. She sighed. Not everything could be perfect, she knew that, but it could be close. The nightly crew meeting was coming up, right after dinner. Clare structured her thoughts to prepare what she would say.
Tonight would be the official time to tell them all why they were going West, because they'd be wondering with all the extra fight practices she was going to throw into the schedule. They would be taught by her, obviously, but the co-captain could help; he had a good deal of experience in fighting and she respected him. Somewhat.
Clare strutted away from the bow of the ship and over to where Turtle and the prisoner were cleaning the deck for the second time in the past three days.
She merely stood there and watched the prisoner work, with no explanation for why she was staring. But he would find out that reason later tonight, as well.

JEX

I frowned, swallowing hard. "That was a little...harsh. It's not like I could have stopped 'im from coming down anyways," I muttered, fingering the ring and biting my lip. "But no, she wouldn't. Try to remember I can't control who comes down here."

Quinn sighed, glancing behind her. "Well, keep quiet either way."

"I'm startin' to think that a supply closet ain't exactly the best hiding place." I averted my stare back to the ring, thankful that the shrimp who had come in here earlier hadn't found it. It was the last bit of Rosa I had, and I was going to cling to it like it was life itself.

"And where else would we keep you?" Quinn demanded, arms crossed.

I shrugged. "Somewhere that isn't quite so...public?" I shook my head. There really wasn't anywhere else that wasn't "so public" was there?

Jall

The captain was staring at me while I was working. It was creeping me out. I had to motion to the cook not to come any further because the captain was glaring at me.
Grace. It was wierd how much I cared for her. It was almost like when I was courting my friend Jessica. The fluttery feeling wouldn't go away. But I obviously didn't like the kitchen scum, I just, well, I cared for her.
I shook my head in regret. I seriously needed to stop calling her scum. She was anything but. She was beautiful, and funny, and kind. She had spunk and... stop it! I told myself. She's kitchen scum! She's, she's, she's not scum....

By midnight, I had finished, and had almost forgotten about Quinlan's ring- almost.
She came by the railing where I was writing in the journal. I closed it quickly, stowing it away.
"Quinlan?" I called. She turned around.
I took the ring out of my pocket and gave it to her.
"I know," I said.
Her eyes widened, and I chuckled.

Quinn

Oh, shit.

I had threaded that ring into the inside of my bandanna. It must have loosened when I gagged Jex with it. That ring is the only memoir I have to my old life, given to me by the only friend I had who knew I was running away. So what, this prisoner knows? He also knows about Jex, so...it seems my secrets are with the outlaws now.

Quickly, I snatch the ring out of Jall's hand and slip it into my pocket. "Tell anyone and you're overboard," I mutter while passing him.

"As though they'll believe me," Jall chuckles. True. Everyone knows I have a squeaky voice, but I am pretty far fetched; no one would believe the truth about me after knowing me so long, especially from a prisoner. Luckily for me, the Cap'n went to sleep hours ago and isn't watching Jall's every move. "So, can I call you Quinn?"

"What do you think?" I snap. "Jex is allowed to because he's not part of the crew, and neither are you, but you're...closer." Actually, I couldn't think of a good reason why Jall shouldn't be allowed to call me by my real name too.

Perhaps it's a matter of who I like and don't like...not that I like Jex, I mean I do, but I don't like Jall. My point being I favor one over the other. One annoys me for no particular reason, and the other is sweet and cared enough about a woman he loved to avenge her death. How could I not like someone like that?