by qwill. » Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:42 am
✧--Talia Fields
Bright sunlight filtered through the open window, bringing Talia's eyes open with a snap. She sat up, her mind clouded and her thoughts murky. She was grasping at the last scenes of a fantastical dream she had been having, one filled with pirates and mermaids and tall, beautiful men to whisk her off into adventure. "Miss, you need to be down at the docks in a an 'alf-hour." The shrill voice of Talia's maidservant Mary floated up the stairs. The docks. Don't remind me. Talia thought to herself, standing up with a groan. It was just another one of her father's send-offs, another trip she wasn't allowed to go on, another ship sailing to adventure without her. And yet, she still had to be present to 'make an appearance' to the locals. No one here in Havana actually cared about her father's industry. There were going to be maybe five people at the send of, waiting only for her father's place on the dock once he had departed.
Pulling on a red day gown, Talia walked downstairs, her hair hanging loosely off her head. The summer heat and proximity to the equator made her delicate northern locks frizz, irritating her to no end. "Let me pull that up for you," Mary said, dropping her cooking on the stove and pulling Talia's hair up into a tight bun.
"Ah, that's good," Talia winced, rubbing her scalp. She glanced out the kitchen window to see a carriage waiting at the bottom of the steps, the driver absentmindedly smoking a pipe. Calling a quick goodbye to Mary, Talia walked out of the door, wandering to prolong her time alone. She was happy to have a life of privilege, but the constant company and waiting on often got on her nerves. She just wanted to make her own choices and lead her own life. Stepping up to the door of the carriage, the driver hopped down from his post to open the coach. Talia dipped her head in thanks, boarding the vehicle. With a start, they were off, taking the short trip down to the port district of Havana. The rocking of the horse-drawn carriage reminded Talia of her dream earlier that morning. She had been dreaming of sailing, smelling the ocean air and feeling the freedom that most assuredly accompanied a life on the seven seas.
Soon, they pulled up to Talia's father's pier. The door opened to the bright day, and Talia stepped down, gliding like a princess through the mass off vendors and crew men. A small group of smartly dressed people greeted her and she smiled back, shaking hands and standing straight. It was standard noblewoman training to know how to fake a smile. Talia was shuffled around, ending up next to the esteemed captain Smith. She groaned inwardly. Smith may be a great military man, but he was fundamentally a creep. She tried to ignore his furtive glances and sultry smiles as her father gave a quick speech.
"Now, on this day, I will be setting of for Eastern China, where it seems I have finally been able to strike a deal for her majesty the Queen," Mr. Fields said, nodding at his family and friends. He smiled at Talia encouragingly. Tali loved her father beyond measure, but it was his oblivious nature that often tore a rift between them. He believed her to be an excellent lady, or, in other words, a porcelain doll, ready at his beck and call to act as almost an accessory. After all, that's what ladies were supposed to do, right?
The ship was seen off moments later, and, as expected, the people on the deck started to disperse, and local vendors swarmed in to set up shop. Smith turned to Talia, taking her hand and smiling sickeningly. "Ah, the beautiful Lady Fields. I was thinking perhaps that she would want to spend a day...exploring the city with an esteemed general," he said with a smirk, kissing the back of her hand.Before Talia could spit on his disgusting face, the general dropped the sleazy facade with a fierce yowl. "A thief! A their has taken my gun!" he yelled, a hand on his sword.
Talia wasn't too worried. Only one person stole from the general, and the same person was also the one they never caught. "Well, general, if that's all, I'd best be off," she said with a curtsey and a smile, heading back to her coach. She smiled to herself wickedly as a commotion split the docks, looking for the thief. She climbed into her carriage, leaning up to talk to the driver. "Sir, if you would be kind enough to take me to the west end smithee, I's be grateful."
"Yes, m'lady," came the reply, and the horses were off.
♤--Jack Brig
Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of a hammer on the red-hot blade of a sword was like magic to Jack's ears, even at this ungodly hour. The commission for a wealthy englishman was almost complete; all Jack needed to fix was the balance, and even that was low priority. It wasn't like the rapier was ever going to see battle; it was just a decoration for some wealthy man's wall. Who would squander money on such lavish decorations? Jack wondered lightly, examining the blade. Swords this well made didn't come cheap, and to think that it would never see action was almost sad.
A knock at the shop door brought Jack away from the bench. Checking the clock on the wall, Jack smiled. Eight-thirty, on the dot. It was definitely Talia, probably storming about some missed opportunity. And sure enough, as soon as he opened the door, she stomped in, hands on her hips. "Enzo will be in in a few, he has to take the back routes again," she said, taking a seat at the table.
"Won't you get dirt on your new gown?" he asked, a teasing edge to his voice. He loved Talia to death, and often poked fun at her lavish styles just to remind her that she was stuck in a rut.
"Don't you start with me, Jack Brig," she said, brandishing a fist. "That despicable general tried to walk all over me again today. I have had it with this godforsaken island!" she huffed, pounding the waved fist on the table and sending up a cloud of dust and metal shavings.
"Well, there's a ship sailing to Singapore coming in this afternoon, if you wanted to offer yourself up as a deck hand," Jack said, brushing off his hands and sitting across from her. Or we could just run away together, forget the world. Just you and me, he desperately wanted to say. The saddest thing was that she might actually agree. But Jack wanted it to be her idea. He didn't want her to see him as an opportunity to run, but as an opportunity to spend the rest of her life with someone that cared about her beyond measure. He sighed, imagining the two of them together someday, a child at their feet, hard-earned money at their disposal. Her dream may be to travel the world, but his dream was her. It always had been, since that day with the runaway horse.
The door swung open, revealing a dark-skinned young man with an apple in his mouth and a gun tucked into the belt of his tattered pants. "How are you today, mis hermanos?" he said cheerily, dropping the revolver in front of Talia. "You can give that back to your boyfriend." He smiled impishly at the woman, revealing a mouthful of crooked and spotty teeth.
"Thanks, Enzo," she retorted, tucking the gun into her dress. "But he's not my boyfriend. I wouldn't want to infringe on you guys's bromance," she said, smiling. Enzo and Smith were always at each others throats, and Smith had never been able to catch the street boy, which delighted Enzo to no end.
Enzo ignored her, turning to Jack. "So I've heard a few things," he said mysteriously, looking from the older boy to the girl. "Interesting things."
"Christ, Enzo, don't encourage her," Jack said, sighing. "She's already got it in her head that adventure's just a knock away." The kid had recently been hanging around pubs. Known pirate pubs, just to get news of Tortuga and other famed hubs of criminal activity. The last thing Jack wanted was to have his two best friends caught in the middle of some to-do with a lot of pirates. Not only would they all get arrested and hanged, but they would inspire the wrath of pirates!
"Shut up, Jack," Talia said, brushing him off. "Enzo, tell us the news."
☠--Enzo Price
"Alright, so I've been hearing stories," Enzo said, lowering his voice. "Stories of ships gone down few hundred kilos off the coast of Spain. There's a man in town by the name of Pike looking to gather a crew to investigate." From his days of snooping around, Enzo had heard Pike's name uttered many times. He was a notorious pirate with many a tale of buried treasure under his belt, and if he was looking for a crew, one thing was for certain. Enzo was going to be on that crew.
But Enzo owed what little he did have to Jack and Talia, so he figured it wasn't fair to just up and leave them, especially when he knew's Talia's appetite for adventure. "I'm going for it," he said matter of factly, standing up and pacing the floor.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Enzo, are you sure that's what you want?"
Enzo felt his stomach curl with guilt. Jack had always been like a brother to the little street kid, and doing exactly what he had always warned against felt an awful lot like disappointing his only family. But Enzo was nineteen now, officially an adult. He could do what he wanted, right? "It's what I've always wanted," Enzo retorted, stopping to look at Jack.
"And how do you know that they'll take you? No offense, but you look like a child." Jack stood too, almost a head taller than Enzo, despite being only two years older.
No matter how irksome, the remark was true. Enzo was skinny; he still looked like a fourteen year old from years of not having enough on his plate and dodging guards like Smith. Before he could come up with a good reply, Talia stood up too. "Enzo, they'll take you. They'll take you, because I'm coming with you." Enzo's stomach dropped. Not that he didn't admire Talia's resolve, but Jack could never stand to lose her.
"No, Tal," Jack said with a finality. "Do you know what they do to girls out there?" he said, genuine worry in his voice.
"Then I'll disguise myself as a man," she said firmly. "I'm small enough to act as a cabin boy, and I'll keep an eye on Enzo." Enzo could tell she was angry with Jack's protection of her. For as long as he could remember, Talia had been the most stubborn, stick-to-her-ideals person he had ever met, even if she was a girl. Plus, Enzo didn't like to see the two of them fight. They were like parents to him, and he couldn't bear to be the source of argument.
"I can go by myself, I don't need the protection of either of you," he said, stepping between them. Without waiting for a reply, Enzo stormed out of the shop and down the street, pushing angrily past the crowds to the tavern where he had heard all the rumors in the first place.
The atmosphere was dark, with people and drunkards stumbling around in a smoke-heavy fog. Enzo coughed, but made his way to the back, where a man sat with his feet on a table and a pipe in his mouth. "Are you Pike?" Enzo asked, placing a hand on the table.
The man tipped his hat to get a better look at him. Enzo shivered slightly at what he saw when the oil lantern caught the man's face. It was twisted and scarred, with a large chunk missing from the nose. He wore a patch over one eye and a copious amount of eye makeup over the other. He was the absolute picture-perfect image of what, to Enzo, a pirate should look like. He even had a colorful bird sitting on his left shoulder, humming what sounded like a maritime ditty. "Who's asking?" the man growled, leaning close to Enzo.
"I am," Enzo stated, holding his ground.
The man laughed. "Spunk. Come back tomorrow at dawn, and maybe if you make it I'll let you on the Tempest." He leaned back, signaling the end of the conversation.
Enzo let out a breath of air. "Yes, sir," he said, backing away. There was no turning back.
