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by ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s » Thu Jan 15, 2015 12:17 pm
Alright guys, I have something for you... Another piece of Scarlet's history that I thought I should share.
May 27, 1703
The port town tavern was bustling with the din of loud voices and music. The pianist kept a quick tune while equally speedy strings were played on the small stage. The entire environment was very fast-pace, but enjoyable. Drunken conversation and hearty laughs were never far away.
A smile lit Thorton’s face as he glanced at Scarlet beside him, sitting at a table with some of the other men from the crew. She was waving her arms and leaning over the table, laughing as she gestured wildly, her voice nearly drowning out those of the grown men surrounding her. Though deafening words were flying about him, he would not have been able to say what they’d been talking about for the last hour.
Thorton looked up suddenly when the song playing changed. The corner of his lips rising with what he believed to be a grand idea, he nudged Scarlet’s arm the few times it took for her to stop and look at him. “Care to dance?” He asked mischievously.
Scarlet raised an eyebrow and looked at him, wondering if he was serious. She then burst into laughter. “Dance?” She scoffed. “Oh… I don’t think so…” She gripped her mug of ale in both hands and looked forward again as her laughs faded nervously.
“Come on,” Thorton insisted, continuing to nudge her with a grin.
“Stop it, Timothy,” she laughed, playfully shoving his arm away. “I don’t even know how to dance!”
“That’s ok, I’ll teach you,” he offered happily.
“Ye know how to dance?” She asked skeptically, giggling at the thought.
“As any gentleman does,” he confirmed with pride.
Scarlet paused and looked him over, her lips quivering with the attempt at keeping her laughter at bay. “What if I’m no good at it?” She countered. “It would hardly be good for morale, the crew watching their first mate stumble around the floor.”
Thorton shrugged and gave a small shake of his head in amusement. “You don’t have to be first mate all the time, you know.”
Smile slowly fading, Scarlet sighed and looked forward again, leaning her elbows on the table. “Yes I do.”
--
That night back on the ship, Scarlet stood at the helm enjoying the silence and serenity of the night. It was the one time she could look at the sea and sky without having to be aware of the crew. She’d allow blackness beyond the glowing lanterns swinging from the ship to engulf her and become lost. To her, there was no better feeling than to be at open sea, floating alone in a void of salty air and the soft sound of waves. She was intently staring at the stars with her head craned back dangerously when the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs made her jump.
Thorton approached her with an amused grin. “What are you doing?”
“Uh- I was just… Findin’ me own constellations…” Scarlet began. “And… Makin’ up stories for them…” she concluded hastily, clearing her throat.
“What?” He laughed, walking up to stand beside her.
“Nothin’,” she said quickly, shaking her head. bouncing the red curls that were tied back and reached just below her shoulder blades. She then paused and raised a sharply arched eyebrow at him. “What are you doin’?”
“Looking for you,” he said plainly.
“Why?” She asked cautiously, though a smile crept onto her lips. “It’s a bit late, wouldn’t ye say?”
“Ah, I know you’re always the last one awake,” he pointed out with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’ve come to encourage you to take me up on my earlier offer,” he said with a grin, folding his hands behind his back.
“What offer?” She scoffed playfully.
“Teaching you how to dance,” he said, straightening up and holding out a hand. “You said you didn’t want to in front of the crew-” he looked around dramatically before returning his dark gaze to her and smirking mischievously.
“What? No,” she laughed, smaking his hand away. “I can’t leave the wheel.”
Thorton simply put his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrows. Then, he pulled his sword from his belt and stuck it through the wheel and into the deck. “Problem solved,” he announced, holding out his hand again.
Scarlet stepped back and looked at him, then at his outstretched hand. “Don’t ye think we should take height difference into consideration?” She tried. “I mean yer so tall, I don’t even reach yer chin- hey!” She yelped as he leaned forward and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him with a roll of his eyes.
“It’s not as hard as you think it is,” he told her. “Shall we begin with something up-beat?” He asked with a soft smile, taking her other hand and raising them both, taking a step back in the same moment.
“As opposed to what?” Scarlet asked cautiously.
A laugh escaped Thorton. “As opposed to something slower,” he said.
Scarlet paused in hesitation then shifted her feet. “No, I can do this,” she said with a nod of determination, staring at the ground.
“It might help to look up,” he suggested, dipping his head slightly.
“Nope!” She snapped. “If I’m doing this, I’m doing it my way. I’m ready,” she insisted, gripping his hands.
“Alright,” Thorton said slowly, though amusement played on his face. “Start by taking a step back, then,” he instructed. Scarlet took a step back so their arms were stretched out in front of them. “Now forward again- quickly this time.” She did as she was told and he did the same. Only with his pull accompanied by her jerking too far forward, Scarlet ended up ramming into his chest and stumbling back half a step with a groan. Thorton reached up with one hand and tilted her face back. “Look up,” he laughed softly. “Now let’s try again.”
He took a step back and she did the same, giving him a wicked smirk of accomplishment as they flawlessly stepped back together again. As they stepped away once more, Thorton let go of one of her hands and lifted the other, twirling Scarlet. However, it didn’t go as well as intended when she stumbled in her heels and nearly fell to the floor, letting out a small squeak.
Thorton couldn’t help but burst into laughter as he hurried to steady her. “I’m sorry,” he laughed. “I thought you’d be expecting that.”
“Wasn’t there a slower option?” Scarlet asked flatly.
“There was,” he confirmed with a nod.
“Right,” she said, clearing her throat and standing before him. “Show me that one.”
“I can do that,” he agreed, straightening up and taking her hand in his. He used the other to place her free hand on his shoulder before resting his on her waist. “Ready?” He asked. Determined, Scarlet nodded. “Alright, one step back-”
He took one back himself, but Scarlet stepped with the wrong foot and ended up tripping over his. However, she quickly fixed herself, growing frustrated. “Again,” she demanded.
Thorton simply met her eye and nodded as a signal. They stepped back again and Thorton managed to lead her in small circles. Scarlet, visibly concentrating, did her best not to look down, though she still stumbled a few times. After a little while, she let out a breath it seemed she’d been holding the entire time and slumped against him, pressing her hands and the side of her face to his chest. “Is there something slower?” She asked, exasperated.
“Well… Yes, I suppose so,” he answered cautiously, looking down at her. Hesitating, he wrapped his arms around her and began to sway slowly back and forth, waiting for repercussions that didn’t come. They remained that way for a long while before Thorton spoke in a low voice. “So why the sudden voluntary interest?”
“Oh,” Scarlet sighed, “I don’t know. It probably won’t work…”
Thorton pinched his brow together. “What won’t?”
“Well…” She paused and bit her lower lip. “I was just thinking… Do you think Alistair likes to dance? I started thinking he might like it if I could.”
“Oh…” Thorton muttered, his face falling and his grip on her loosening slightly. “Right…”
“What do you think, Timothy?” She asked quietly. “I need to catch his attention somehow.”
“Being yourself was always enough for me,” he murmured quietly.
“What was that?” Scarlet asked.
A small sigh escaped Thorton. “Nothing.”
August 2, 1704
Thorton approached the double doors to the captain’s quarters and knocked on them. He waited a moment before knocking again, harder this time.
“Go away,” Scarlet groaned from inside.
“Scarlet, please let me in,” he called in a low voice.
“That’s Captain, to ye!” She called louder.
Thorton set his jaw in frustration and couldn’t help but raise his voice a little more. “Captain, please let me in,” he repeated begrudgingly.
After a moment, he heard her stom towards the door and swung it open, already turned and walking away when he caught sight of her. He stepped inside stony-faced and shut the door behind him. Scarlet fell heavily into one of the chairs and slouched, hanging her head. Her arm fell limp, her fingertips nearly brushing one of the empty bottles on the floor.
Thorton looked upon the scene in dismay, though held strong to his intentions. “Scarlet, you can’t keep-”
“Captain,” she corrected, leaning over to swipe a bottle off the table, only to find that it was empty and tossed it aside. She slouched back, staring straight ahead. Thorton followed her gaze and noticed Gail’s hat sitting on the middle of the table and his heart fell.
“Captain, listen to me,” he continued insistently, though his tone softened as he took a couple steps closer to her. “You have to do something. Something- anything,” he told her desperately. “We’re bringing in nothing. I’ve even heard rumors of mutiny.”
“What?!” Scarlet barked, gripping the arms of her chair and digging her nails into the wood. “Is one not enough?!” On the last word, she reached forward and forcefully backhanded one of the standing bottles off the table, Thorton managing to dodge it as it flew past.
“Think about what he would want you to do,” Thorton pressed, gesturing to the hat on the table. “What would he think if he knew you were running this ship into the ground, destroying his reputation, whoring around-”
Scarlet stood from her chair and cut him off with a slap to his face. Now her body and voice were shaking as she bared her teeth and stared up at him with fire in her eyes. “Don’t ye dare talk about me that way,” she hissed.
Thorton’s hand flew to his shocked face, though the physical pain he felt was the last thing on his mind. As he regained himself, he looked over and prepared to speak, but found Scarlet slumped in her chair again. This time, her anger had given way to heartbreaking sorrow.
Thorton lowered his hand back to his side and wandered over to her chair, which was askew and no longer faced the table, kneeling before it. “I’m sorry,” she whispered in a raspy voice.
“No,” he said with a shake of his head, leaning forward and taking her hands in his. “I am sorry. I should know better than to talk to my Captain in such a manner.”
“I’m not yer captain,” she muttered, defeated. “I never will be.”
He looked up at her with only his eyes, but her hands and head remained limp. “You always have been,” he told her quietly.
That made her look up with a puzzled expression. “What do ye mean?” She asked hesitantly.
He met her eyes then quickly looked away, clearing his throat. “I mean you always passed on the orders,” he told her with a small nod to himself. “You’re the one I always listened to, not Gail.” After a moment of silence, he began to pull his hands away, but she held fast.
Scarlet slid from her chair and kneeled as well, facing him and still holding his hands, though her eyes had migrated to the ground. “I’ve never thanked ye for being there fer me,” she murmured.
“Just doing my duty, Captain,” he assured her.
Scarlet shook her head and looked up with a small laugh. “I don’t see anyone else in here,” she pointed out. A few seconds of silence followed, before Scarlet lurched forward and threw her arms around his neck. Taken aback by surprise, Thorton’s eyes widened and he returned her embrace tentatively. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome…” He murmured after a moment.
Scarlet leaned back again, but her arms lingered on his shoulders and her face hovered a short distance from his. Thorton’s heart quickened at the close proximity, though when she slowly began to close the remaining distance, he found himself doing the same until their lips touched. His previously hesitant hands instinctively wrapped around her as she kissed him, and he kissed her back, but only for a moment. When Scarlet began to pull him closer and kiss him harder, he forced himself to break away. He pulled his hands to his sides and looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry…” He stammered, giving his head small shakes. “I can’t.”
Scarlet slowly leaned back and wrung her hands together in her lap. Her lips moved, but only one word managed to slip out. “Oh…” she rasped dumbly.
Thorton looked up at her, but she wouldn’t meet his eye. “I won’t enable this when I know you can be better.” The words pained him and he wanted nothing more than to take him back, but just enough of him refused. When she said nothing, he sighed and pushed himself to his feet. “You will amount to great things, Captain Waters,” he said, his professional tone slowly returning. He gave her one last glance, but she looked away still. His face fell before he turned away, heading for the door. The moment his hand touched the knob, he paused, hearing a voice behind him.
“At least be my first mate,” Scarlet said to him, then her voice lowered again and she couldn’t be positive he heard. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Thorton tensed, then swung the door open hastily. He stopped again before taking a step, then turned his head to glance over his shoulder. “Aye, captain,” he said before walking out and closing the door behind him.
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ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s
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