☠ a pirate's life for me - open, starting!

[Lady Loki;]

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» female » doctor » irritated, impatient » no one

It smelled like a jungle, save for the flowers that normally balance everything out. Drying herbs hung from every available crevice Elizabeth could find. Vials and bottles filled with medicine were strewn across the floor as if to only agitate the doctor. She frantically snatched up every bottle she could, though most of her time was spent chasing them back and forth across the room while the ship rocked. It was a miracle she got anything done at all. When ever her hands were full, Elizabeth would stuff the medicine back into the chest she normally hid them in. It wasn't until she had put every bottle back in its place did they stop rattling. Taking a roll of twine from her pocket, Elizabeth bundled the herbs together and tossed them in the trunk as well. She had first boarded The Black Swan, she had five trunks and three barrels full of supplies. Now? Now she was down to one small chest. It was a depressing sight for any doctor, regardless of who they were. She was just about to lock the chest up when the ship lurched. Al of the contents of the chest spilled out onto the floor again. Elizabeth sat down right in the middle of it all. It was times like this she still wished she was on dry land. But that was the only time. With a reluctant sigh, Elizabeth continued the tedious work once again.

Her legs refused to climb the last flight of stairs leading to the Upper Deck. She had stayed on her knees to scoop up bottles as they rolled by. She was regretting that decision right about now. The salty breeze brought something else along with it, fish and sand. She scrunched up her nose and walked past barrels and the few cannons they kept out in the open. Her legs refused to work properly. Out in the distance she could see the port. She could recognize it just by its smell. This town always had a much more fruity smell than the rest. Although she was almost recognized here once before, this was always the best place to stock up on natural remedies. If she was brave enough, she would wander into the bigger cities and ports to buy professional medicine. Lately, however, they were all forced to live without them. Her tangled hair whipped around her as the wind began to pick up. She only ever brushed it when they were in port so it was easier to cut. She preferred to keep her hair short when possible. She would cut it much more often if it didn't mean trusting someone else with a sharp blade near her neck out on the open water. She didn't trust anyone that much. As she watched the port slowly grow closer, she made a mental list of everything she needed. Who knew when she would get another chance like this.

[feather']

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⚓ Ｖａｌａｒｉｅ . Ｏ' Ｍａｌｌｅｙ
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↪ nicknames ;; Val xxx↪ tags ;; alone xxx↪ title ;; Boatswain

Crew members of The Black Swan bustled around the main deck as soon as the small port, Barranca Bay, came into view on the horizon. The young boatswain, Val O'Malley, was up on deck her alert eyes watching as the crew members changed the position of the sail and moved supplies around the main deck, it was her job after all to supervise both of these activities. If anything had to do with the ship at all she would be there to listen and gather the information she needed to do her job to the best of her ability. Standing by the side of the boat leaning softly against the railing of the ship with her arms crossed over her chest, Val's green gaze swept the deck, she liked to know where everyone was in case she needed to find someone for what ever reason. Looking around she could see the Navigator speaking with the Captain, the Doctor watching the port as the ship grew closer and closer to it, and the Master Gunner tending to one of the guns on deck, chipping at it's side with a wooden handled dagger. Having confidence in the crew, knowing that they had handled the sails millions of times before, Val decided to go see if her assistance was needed elsewhere.

As the ship swayed to the side, with Valarie barley noticing, she pushed herself away from the rail of the ship, and headed across the deck. She a good portion of her life sailing on ships like this one and was used to the way it swayed as waves slapped against it's side making it rock in one direction. She strolled across the deck, in strides as long as her short legs would stretch and soon stood only a few feet behind Gideon and watched for a minute as he tried his hardest to get the dirty cannons once again clean, with she was sure they hadn't been for a very long time, because of the amount of filth built up their sides." Hey Gideon, need any help cleaning the guns?" She questioned him walking around to the other side of the gun he was currently working on to get a better look at what he had all ready gotten off it's side. He was doing a good job considering how the gun had looked before, and she was impressed by his determination to get the gun clean. Val was sure that she would probably have given up a while ago, frustrated by the tough grime clinging to it's sides.

[Scarlett;]

❝ ＣＡＴＲＩＯＮＡ ❞
Navigator / 23 years / The Black Swan
with Captain Law
on deck
feeling curious
no crush & single

↪ Catriona watched as the captain reciprocated her gesture, proceeding to answer her questions accordingly and smoothly. Some light cursing aside, the fellow officer seemed rather at peace today, against everything else: the impending storm, the hustle and bustle of the ship, the constant threat of the lot of them, him inclusive, being marched up the scaffold. She admired that kind of confidence and emotion greatly, though she didn't see it that often from anyone, not to mention the other crew members. But was that disdain that she saw out of him as he gazed at the port? The navigator had been with this crew long enough, but she had never docked off here before; she wasn't sure if her superior officer held a grudge towards the town, or possibly something or someone within its walls or not. It could've quite possibly been the prospect of just being on land that angered him so, but she wasn't very focused on his emotions at the moment. She tended not to ponder on such matters of how people felt, and she never had; it could be called hypocritical and maybe even ironic that she felt this way, given the circumstances and her history that had led her to be employed onto this ship in the first place.

Her previous thoughts were confirmed, though, when the captain referenced to not wanting to end up in a dungeon anytime soon. So he didcare... A small grin swept over the woman's features for a moment, but lingered as her eyes trained on the now looming port. "Surely," she mused, understanding his observations and predictions thoroughly. As much as she despised openly admitting to a lack of skill in any subject, Catriona knew well that she wasn't all that resourceful when it came to talking with civilians; the navigator was far better off in a raid or at least out on the sea, given that she hadn't much experience in cities or bartering at all. She'd just have to follow the crew, especially her captain, on this one. The sailing master's train of thought was derailed, though, as she heard a clatter and scrapes from down below decks, even through the din of her other mates working busily. Holding back a wince, she turned back to Laurence, stowing away her spyglass. "Won't be needing this for a while," she muttered to herself as she did so, eventually ceasing and returning her gaze to Law.

((WB, haven't roleplayed in a long while and I have to study. Haha, I'm stuck on what to say next. >.<))

[Greenleaf]

ＬＥＮ ＧＲＥＥＮＥ
ᴛнe cαвιɴ вoy
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feeling bored, excited || location Black Swan || tags no one

The sun's lazy rays beat down mercilessly upon the Swan's decks, the few fluffy clouds in the sky making no move to hinder its glow; and while the rest of the crew busied themselves around the ship, Leander sat slouched against the mainmast, hiding in what meager shade the wooden post had to offer. His nimble fingers fiddled aimlessly across the long piece of twine that lay in his hands; it was tied up into a perfect bowline knot, and the cabin boy ran the small loop at the end of the rope through his fingers ceaselessly, his mind blank.

He should've been proud that he had finally managed to tie off the difficult knot he had been working at, but instead Len was thoroughly bored; he had finished off all his chores some time ago and had been left with an entire afternoon left for him to sit around and do absolutely nothing.
At first he had been excited with the prospect of so much free time, but had quickly found that too much free time could soon turn out to be naught more but tedious hours that dragged by with painstaking slowness. He had tried taking a nap in his hammock down in the crew's quarters, but he was far too restless to sleep; reading the few books that he owned had quickly bored him, though he was one of the lucky few in the crew that could actually read; he had tried helping out around the ship, but had soon realized that there hadn't exactly been anyone that had needed (or wanted) his aid. He had been shooed off by one of the topmen and sent to go practice his knots, and now here he was; he thought dully on how he would much rather be doing something as filthy as cleaning the bilges instead of wasting away in the sun like this.

He had actually started to doze off against the mast when the Swan gave a sudden lurch, propelled forward by an unexpected wave; he was thrown backwards and his head glanced off the wooden deck, sending him jerking upright once more. He glared futilely towards the front of the ship, as if he could somehow catch the 'culprit' that had caused the ship to tilt so, but instead he saw a fuzzy dark line on the horizon, causing him to waken completely. Had they actually reached land at last?

His bowline knot forgotten, Len leapt to his feet and sped off towards the fo'c's'le, running with careless abandon towards the rail whilst dodging various crewmembers along the way. He craned his neck, trying and failing to get a clear view, and with a sound of frustration he turned instead to the rigging of the Swan's foremast, easily scaling his way along the shrouds until he was hanging a few meters up in the air. The height easily allowed him to see the full extent of their destination, and he could perceive that they were headed towards a small port, hardly more than a town, really.

This must be Barranca Bay, the cabin boy thought excitedly. It was the first land he had seen in months, and Len thought longingly of drinking fresh water and eating food that wasn't infested with maggots.

Two years at sea had taught Len a decent amount of ship knowledge, and though he definitely was not as experienced as the ship's officers, he judged that they were probably moving along at a speed of two to three knots, a fair pace, yet he still wished that they could go on faster. As he descended the rigging, he was nigh-on fidgeting with excitement.

(I hope this is at least a decent post; I haven't roleplayed in quite a while. :P)

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[Lady Loki;]

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» female » doctor » amused » len

A different shadow fell across the doctor, and it wasn't the sails. Looking up, Elizabeth watched as Len scaled the foremast. She chuckled and walked over to stand beneath him. The rigging creaked and moaned, protesting all of the work it was forced into. "You know, if you waited a bit longer, you would get an even better view Len." she called up to the cabin boy. Even as the words left her mouth, she knew the boy wouldn't wait. She was the same way when she was younger. She could remember weeks worth of traveling by both land and sea as her father answered summons for his skills. She would ask her father hundreds of times when they would reach their destination. Her father, being the patient and kind man that he was, would answer her every time. She looked out to the small strip of land out in the distance. That's all it was right now. A small scar among the flawless blue. All she could think about was medicine, a hot meal, and books. She had gone through all of her books again and again during her watch. She needed more. She looked back up at Len."Hey Len! I have one more book if you want." She often supplied the cabin boy with books after she read them herself and determined that the were appropriate. Some of the things she found in the markets shocked even her.

{I know it's short x.x My muse took a nose dive after school.}

[Scarlett;]

((Bump))

[Keriae]

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[ male ] [ master gunner ] [ tagged: val]

After a while there were footsteps nearby, clearly heading towards him instead of around like most of the crew. When he'd first signed up most had stayed well clear of him: he was an ex naval officer, after all, and therefore hadn't been trusted much. Frankly, Gideon hadn't blamed them, as he wouldn't have trusted himself either. A former lieutenant of His Majesty's Navy, turning traitor and joining a pirate ship after murdering his way out of prison? Hardly a likely story. But after that first taste of freedom, the lure of the sea and no rules had become like a drug, something he craved and he had been unable to stay in that prison cell. He'd never been one for land anyway, but to be free..... Gideon hadn't been able to resist and he had used the first weapon close to hand.

Looking up and seeing that he was joined by Valerie, their boatswain, Gideon struggled with the urge not to curl his lip. Women, aboard a ship? There were three of them aboard The Black Swan, and as far as the master gunner was concerned, women brought bad luck and should be staying on land. Call him superstitious, but he'd seen the trouble brought by women on ships in the past. However, he was no the captain and therefore couldn't decide to leave them at port when they next set off. Instead, stilling his knife, the pirate stood up and admired his handiwork. The cannon was on it's way to getting clean, but they were minutes from docking now and his services would be needed to help with the ropes, once he'd secured all the guns. Those below decks were always secure: it was these that were the problem. "I need to secure all of these. Help would be appreciated."

[Wolvine]

Ｌａｗ  ＆  Ｏｒｄｅｒ
• mid twenties • distracted • tagged: catriona • captain of the black swan •

As Barranca Bay approached, Law found his mind wandering to times long past; his childhood, growing up in a similar fishing village, the stench of offal haunting his memories so vividly even now, as he thought of his mother and the one room they’d lived in for his entire boyhood, it curled into the recesses of his nostrils. A phantasmagoria of nostalgia washed over him, a touch of sadness in his recollection, mixed in with the usual spike of rage directed at the world and its unfairness.
He was not a good man. He knew that. He accepted it, embraced it even. Even so, he couldn’t help but wonder what he would have been if circumstance had not encouraged him to evolve into what he was today. Places like Barranca Bay taunted him with what could have been, of a sick reminder that life was unfair and that he had to work to get what he wanted, even if his work was not exactly honourable.

He allowed himself only a moment of self-indulgent wallowing however, bringing himself out of his melancholy thoughts just as the clatter of falling items drew his attention, causing him to jump slightly. He noticed out the corner of his eye that Catriona was still present, and in fact her gaze was on him. Unease began to trickle in his stomach, worry that she may have noted his momentary weakness. He knew that he could depend on his crew with his life, but their loyalty would only go so far; the moment he showed any sign of being unable to cope, he had no illusions he would be removed from his captainship immediately.

Forcing himself to not show any of his unease, a feat only manageable through years of schooling his emotions, Law offered the navigator a flirtatious grin, though it appeared to be devoid of the usual sense of recklessness and humour his antics typically entailed. “I’m aware I am a handsome man, ma’am, but there is no need to stare for such a long time. We have business to attend to.” As far as cover-ups went, he thought to himself as he began to stride closer to the bow of the ship, it was remarkably transparent, but hopefully she would not attempt to press the issue, especially if distracted by the novelty of land and dealing with the civilians.

That was a point actually. Most of his officers were not from Spain. He had no idea if they could speak Spanish or not, having opted for talking in his only slightly accented English, the tongue most had in common, for the benefit of his somewhat multiracial crew. Communication could prove difficult perhaps, seeing that Barranca Bay was part of Spain’s empire, since it seemed somewhat unlikely that fishermen would speak the tongue of another country, especially one so far away. He paused for a moment in his exit, turning to Catriona, his head slightly tilted as he spoke. “How is your Spanish, querida?” he asked good-humouredly, demeanour slightly different in some minute way.

[Keriae]

(Bump!)