1X1 With Talon the Mad King

[Talon the Mad King]

william horatio pellew II--

His crew looked up at him in surprise. surprise that he was here? surprised that he was not dead? probably. about to say more, he was stopped by the medic who wanted to put something on his head wound. if the medic were to look at everyone, he must look at the Captain as well. sitting as still as possible, he kept quiet as the wound on his head was sewn up. it took all of his willpower not to cry out, as there was no rum to help settle his nerves.

After the deed was done, William stood with his crew. they were ready and determined, the eyes and body language of a group of well-trained, well-harbored sailors. even the two midshipmen had stopped their sniffling, instead now standing with their heads up and eyes forward. the harsh training under lieutenant bush had come in handy. turning, he lead his group out the door. not waiting for any jurisdiction to go across the deck and meet the captain, he took to it in stride. hands folded behind his back and head up, he played the part of a strong captain as he lead his little group of survivors.

A brief knock on the door was rung out, and William waited. outside, he was as strong as ever. his resolve had survived this long, and would continue to do so- he did not need human weaknesses to ruin this for him. inside, however, he was dreading this meeting. the other captain did not seem to be the nicest individual, and he had to play to him so the crew of the HMS Hartline would live to see another day.

[Kendall Roy]

C A P T A I N . H A M I L T O N

The Captain heard the knock at the door which admittedly made him jump slightly. He had been half asleep,but only half,the sun beaming through his large window prevented him from falling asleep.

He quickly walked over to where his jacket was left from earlier.He slipped it on thrusting the collar up so the fabric stood up right either side of his neck.

He sat back down once more in his chair,trying to look professional but relaxed."Come in!"He shouted allowing who he presumed was Captain Pellew to come in.

[Talon the Mad King]

william horatio pellew II--

the call to let him in resounded through the closed door, and william casted a small glance back at his crew before stepping in. he stood with his head slightly bowed due to the shortness of the cabin, having to twist his neck to remain his eye contact. his crew stood at the ready next to him, their faces stoic in spite of their former broken resolve. however, if one knew where to look, you could see that the crew were not as strong as their captain. the two midshipmen were standing straight, yes, but their eyes wavered and fingers twitched when they saw the captain of the pirate ship. mr. bush's eyes were cast away in a small, but noticeable sign of submission. even mr. kennedy was not all sound, as his jaw clenched in pain due to his former injuries.

only william remained stoic and challenging, an alpha in the face of another of his same status. a copy of his father, he stands with solidarity and determination. with his hands folded behind his back, he stares at the captain of the other ship with his calculating eyes. only one question was able to be said, and the weight of it unmeasured.

"you wished to see my crew, Captain?"

[Kendall Roy]

C A P T A I N . H A M I L T O N

The Captain stood up as his counterpart and his crew walked into his cabin.He had managed to drag a large trunk in front of his table,he knew his prisoners would find it uncomfortble and difficult due to their various injuries to stand up for a long period of time.He didn't want them to be overly comfortable but he owed it to them to keep them safe,to some extent.

His eyes drifted over the captain and his crew assessing their injuries.He felt a stab of guilt as he assessed the man named Kennedy.His pain was clear and strong.Hamilton had learnt to control his emotions long ago,but he felt guilt,an alien emotion.

He sat back down in his chair stretching his legs under the table letting both his ankles crack.He folded his arms across his muscly chest and leant his elbows on the table casually.

"Sit down Gentlemen."He half ordered half offered the crew,not attempting to show anymore kindness to his prisoners.

[Talon the Mad King]

william horatio pellew II-

at the command of the other captain, his crew shot glances to their own captain for his approval. with a small nod, the group sat down with william standing in the back. it wasn't like he didn't want to sit down (it would be a dream to sit and relax), but he stood back to give his crew more space on the bench. taking a few, slow steps, william was behind kennedy and bush, a hand briefly resting on Kennedy's shoulder before they resumed to being folded behind his back.

tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear, the captain of the HMS Hartline watched the other captain with no feasible questions on his mind. yes, he could ask why his crew was taken, and why they had boarded and robbed his prized ship, but that was a question from a novice captain. he would not want to appear that way. thus, he stayed silent, waiting on what the captain would say.

lieutenant edward kennedy--

the pain in his head made it hard for him to think, and it took almost all of his willpower not to collapse onto the floor with the rest of his former crew. everything to him was a blur- the kidnapping, the wrapping of his head, being lead to the other captain's quarters. when the door was closed and he was left in there with a possible death wish, he thought back to his family back across the waters. no women had caught his fancy during his brief time there, but he still had a family to take care of. an ailing mother and a father who was a captain in the military, he had been supporting his mother and two sisters. they would be without help now, as their letters would not be able to reach their ship-

the hand of his greatest friend on his shoulder brought him back to reality, and he felt grounded. as first lieutenant, he should not be as frightened as he felt. Edward looked up at his captain's stoic face, and he felt a sense of pride. returning his stare back to the captain before him, he gave a gracious nod. "thank you for the seat, sir."

respectful as always, and he noticed a very brief flick of a smile appear on William's face before it turned back into a mask.

[Kendall Roy]

C A P T A I N . H A M I L T O N

The Captain wasn't sure what to reply with.He nodded one more to the entire remainder of the crew.
He turned to his left subtly taking in the information that the sun had begun to set,it wasn't dark but the change was inevitable.

The Captain's eyes drifted over the crew once more,their injuries weren't fatal,not in their current states.

He was tired and couldn't wait to finish dinner and go back to his cabin.
He wouldn't brief the crew on their duties for tomorrow,he would be generous and let them relax for a day,after all they had done exceedingly well and they had captured a grand prize and the deserved some thanks.

Q U A R T E R M A S T E R . C O O K

Cook shouted at a few members of the Jackal's crew,he had been given orders to carry out an early dinner so here he was acting on it.
"Hurry up you lazy dog!"He shouted at some poor cabin boy to peel the potatoes faster.The Ships Cook Mr.lane shot him a irritated glare.
"Mr.Cook this ain't your domain,it's mine,so if you would bug off that would be great."Lane spat as he aggressively stirred the large pot of stew in front of him.

Cook huffed loudly and exited the kitchen making sure as he left he slammed the door shut as loudly as possible.
He would tell the Captain about Lane's insolence when he had finished talking to the toffs.
He made his way back to the deck,close enough to the Captain's Cabin.

M I D S H I P M A N . B A R B A R A

Barbara shivered the sharp and prominent pain in his abdomen had dulled slightly as he had been bandaged by the pirate's surgeon.He wanted desperately to go home,to see his sister and his beloved parents.He glanced sadly at his Captain for confidence,but he wasn't confidence at all.Usually he prided himself on his enthusiastic persona,always happy and willing to carry out any duty that the Captain bestowed upon him.

But all he could think about was death.
He forced himself to look at the Pirate Captain,why was he keeping them alive this long?What did he have in store for them?Why hadn't he already killed them?

He found himself moving closer to Lieutenant Kennedy for comfort,trying desperately not to hurt his superior in anyway.

[Talon the Mad King]

william horatio pellew II--

the small thanks that his lieutenant gave made him burst with pride. even in the face of fear, he continued with His Majesty's duty and was respectful to those fears. it proved that he was of the king's ship and would not lose his humanity. a small smile broke out on his face, but he quickly forced it back into a small frown. not big enough to show sadness or any negativity, no, but small enough to create a mask of bland indifference.

the Captain- Hamilton. hamilton looked out the window, and william let his own eyes glance that way. the sun was going down. the sun's beautiful dying breaths as he was eaten by the sea was stunning, to say the least. he could imagine his crew dancing over the deck, enjoying the evening weather. mr. owens and mr. callahan would pull out their pipe flutes, perched on the riggings as their crew danced beneath them. mr. proctor would sing a jaunty tune, low-set eyes glimmering in the lamplight. even mr. bush would be out, watching his crew with keen eyes. william would be standing and overseeing his crew without a smile nor a movement, that is until Edward would come up next to him and respectfully suggest a drink, and which william would gladly take part in. it was hard to imagine that now.

now, standing tall in a cramped cabin with the ruminants of his crew, it was hard to ever imagine that he would dance again. he could initiate conversation, or perhaps demand what- no. this was not his ship, and he was not the captain. thus, he would stay silent until the other captain was ready.

edward kennedy--

the lack of response from the other captain made him. . . unnerved? confused? scared? unimpressed? he didn't really have much to think about. the sudden pressure on his side made him look down, and it was midshipmen Barbara. he was seeking comfort, kennedy realized. he could not put an arm around the boy, nor could he show any signs of comfort. however, he did not move- hopefully the midshipmen would consider this a sign of comfort. the light from the sunset outside casted the room in an orange glow, making edward feel quite homesick.

he used to sit out with his family near the ocean in his youth, watching the sun rise and fall during the summer months (or whenever he was there). he doubted that would ever happen again.

cabin boy wayne--

his small fingers perched him against the doorframe, his ear pressing against the hard oak door. it was terribly exciting to see someone new come aboard, even if they were the English navy! he hadn't been a cabin boy for too long, but even then he hadn't seen anyone new for at least a year. one eye was closed, the other wide in wonder. he was crouched on the deck- he was to report back to the other cabin boys with his findings.

[Kendall Roy]

C A P T A I N . H A M I L T O N

Hamilton finally spoke.
"Supper will be soon..."He told them.He returned to silence once more.He honestly wanted to be left alone and he couldn't wait to get rid of them from his sight.

He scratched the scars on his wrists slightly letting this action stop him from sitting completely still,something the Captain couldn't carry out.

Q U A R T E R M A S T E R . C O O K

Cook caught sight one of the cabin boys by the name of Wayne.The boy was listening through the Captain's door.Cook rubbed his hands together,he was annoyed,as he often was and he needed someone to take his anger out on.

He stepped quietly but swiftly over to the young boy attempting to scare him as much as he could.A smirk made its may across his face as he mentally pictured the small boy's expression.

Cook got closer to the boy.
He placed a hand on Wayne's shoulder and back.
"Got ya boy!"He declared his mouth inches away from the boy's ear.

Wait to the Captain heard about this;he would be back to his old ruthless self,the Captain had seemed uncharacteristically depressed recently and Cook was intent on changing that.

As soon as the Captain had "gotten rid of" the navy crew the better.

M I D S H I P M A N . B A R B A R A

George shot the Lieutenant a small smile of thankfulness.He desperately wanted to go home,he wanted to see his sister,normally he would have avoided her when he was home but he found himself missing her.Homesickness flooded over him,normally this didn't affect him,being at sea for long period of time made him used to not seeing his family.But now it was different.

The Pirate Captain's statement of supper just filed him with dread.His empty stomach desperately needed food and anything would be better than nothing.

He found himself closing his eyes,to escape what was going on,to be back home.
He suddenly felt extremely cold and shivered which sent a sharp lightning bolt of pain to his abdomen.He winced quietly at the pain but kept his eyes firmly shut.He wanted to fall asleep and wake up somewhere else,anywhere else.

[Talon the Mad King]

william horatio pellew II--

"where would you like us to go for supper, captain?" he was quite surprised that the captain did not have any more to say to him or his crew. would he dine with the captain, or with his crew? or, even worse, alone? a small realization came to him: the stores that they would be dining on for dinner would probably be the stores from his ship. he almost scoffed- he hoped that the pirates liked jerky and the sea biscuits that the navy was famous for.

dry and often riddled with maggots, the biscuits were not the most edible. however, the crew soon came accustomed to it. when they got fresh stores of meat, they would slaughter the beasts before stripping them and cooking the strips while they were still in port. plopping them into barrels filled to the brim with salty sea water, the meat strips would soon turn into jerky. delectable. in the mornings he would have coffee, which was nothing more then hot water with the flavor of coffee. the most prized thing still on the ship would be the liquor that was in the kitchen, saved for days when spirits were low and a morale booster was needed.

perhaps they would dine like kings on this pirate ship. probably not, due to them being on a ship and all. it never hurt to dream, eh?

edward kennedy--

a very small, unnoticeable nod was given to the midshipmen next to him. he needed to stay strong through the meeting with the captain, as he could cry all he would like when he was alone. noticing that George started to close his eyes, he gently nudged the young man. it was a silent plea, telling him that he needed to stay awake. to stay strong.

they had trained for being boarded, and how to survive imprisonment. that training was held for mainly those of the upper ranks. not for children staging as midshipmen. he had started his own midshipmen training at the age of seventeen, and all he felt was pity for the young lad next to him.

cabin boy wayne--

supper? why would they be talking about supper when they were prisoner- the thought was quickly squashed when he felt a hand on his shoulder and back. much too big to be any of the other cabin boys. he let out a small squeak in alarm, all the color fading from his face. it was the quartermaster.

"i'm sorry, sir! i'm sorry-" he could only squeak out tiny, scared apologies as he tried to shrink himself as small as possible. he wasn't doing anything too bad, he swore! however, with the captain's temperament recently. . . he could be lynched or whipped or worse. his big eyes were wide, tears pricking at the corners.

[Kendall Roy]

C A P T A I N . H A M I L T O N

He turned to Captain Pellew."You will dine with your crew,I will find somewhere for you to go.It wouldn't be wise."He told the other Captain trying to regain his authoritative tone once more.

He imagine what his crew would do if they had to dine with the royal navy crew.

M I D S H I P M A N . B A R B A R A

Barbara opened his eyes slowly at Kennedy's nudge.He needed to be strong for his sake,for his crews sake.
He looked at the floor boards at his feet not wanting to look at Captain Hamilton.

Q U A R T E R M A S T E R . C O O K

"You're dead meat boy!"Cook shouted picking the boy up by the fabric behind his neck.
Cook knocked on the door loudly."Captain I've got some news!"He shouted loudly filled with pride at his "catch".