[[ viN POST SOON KELLY IS THREATENING NOT TO DO THE RUM SCENE ; ~ ; 

-flails about crying and sobbing and other odd things- ]]

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"Make sure the lady eats something, Ella," He said, his voice louder than normal, since Beaux was grunting and whining as he slipped into the too small shirt. "The Captain won't like it if she's weak and useless." He peaked out of the corner of his eye to peer at Harmony. "And we wouldn't want him mad, would we?" His voice was gentle, and even though his words were threatening, his tone made them seem more like advice more than anything else. 


[[ HOMG. NICK, Y UR POST SO FAIL. ;-; 

Anyways, yeah. FINALLY, after a month, a post from yours truly. xD <3 ]]

((Just upping this. c;))

YAY VIN YOU SEXY BEAST.

My post will come when my computer is fixed. I am not sure of when that will be now so. )

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“I never quit.”

The woman said, which didn’t surprise me. I loved the banter we spoke in but I didn’t truly expect her to give up a fight. From what I knew of the pirate, she was not the kind to dismiss one. Before another word could escape my (kissable nomnomnom) lips, I was pushed to my back, the wind knocked from my lungs with an audible oof. Blue eyes widened up at the girl before an impressed smile came to my features. “The lady likes things rough, I see.” I said, my voice low from breathing heavy from the pain when her knee pressed hard against my chest, though the never ending grin still plastered to my face. 

The smile left my face as she lifted the blade and pressed it against my cheek lightly. I might have won that last battle but both of us left with scars. She wasn’t one to mess with; though I wasn’t one to mess with either. We made a good team. (I wrote that meaning her on board the ship but now my ship feels are killing my heart.) I scowled at her, knowing very well that she wouldn’t hesitate to flick that sword against my cheek. She’d do it in front of my crew, on my ship. Because she had the audacity that not many members on my crew had. She had what I needed on my ship. My scowl faded when that smile came back to my face.

(Since I couldn’t think of a good comeback,) I didn’t respond; instead I moved my arm up quickly – risking the blade to cut the flesh on my cheek, but doing it anyways- towards her arms and pushed her swords away; using enough force to knock her to the side.  I hadn’t aimed properly – or more like, didn’t worry as much about wounding her – for, in a matter of seconds,  as I lifted my arms, and as I pushed hers away, my hook pierced the flesh on her lower arm. It felt like the metal had connected elsewhere too, though my focus wasn't on it. A line of blood trailed from the top of her wound in the crook of her elbow, down to her wrist, dripped passed and onto a bloodied hook. Taking the opportunity for her focus to be else where for those couple seconds, and the fact that she was now not on top of me, I had enough time to get to my feet, staring back down at her with a crooked grin on my face – no ounce of worry for her wounds in my features. At least on the outside, I seemed to have no care in the world.

“It was a pity, m’lady; it’s a good thing you made things more exciting.”

Pff. She knew he wouldn't have taken that last reminder lightly, and going by the Captain's fading grin and sudden, visible scowl she'd definately hit a sore spot. Hook wasn't one to tolerate being shown up, particularly in front of his crew. She knew that full well, probably just as well as he knew she wouldn't falter in putting pressure onto that blade she held. Anything that might put him in a bad light was unacceptable... Tut tut. Ship Captain and all that. He had a reputation to maintain, after all.

Nemea made a small, amused sound in the back of her throat, shifting her left arm slightly so that she was able to press the metal more firmly against the soft flesh of the Captain's face. She had been on the verge of moving the blade in order to do what she had set out to; Cut, when the return of his smile had hers faltering slightly. The blonde had perhaps a second to read the small movement of Hook's shoulder that would have betrayed his intentions; And read it she did. Unfortunately, leaning over him like she had gave her very little time to do anything but flinch as his arm quite suddenly flashed below her. The force of his moving limb knocked both of her arms clean out from under her, which probably contributed to her face getting a little too close for comfort. Not to Hook, particularly, but more that metal implement he had for a hand.

As she expected it would, it caught her clean on the face, and Nemea barely had time to register that before Hook's movement flung her swiftly from her stance over him. Working quickly, the woman positioned her legs under her before landing, shooting into a standing position and taking two quick steps away from the Captain, almost a stagger, the small of her back hitting the railing of the ship and she leant over slightly to catch her breath.

Taking a second to glance at her arm, she noted the cut with no interest, then straightened herself up to stare with stormy eyes in Hook's direction. Her ex[injection]pression wasn't nearly as amused as it had been earlier, and she took the Captain's momentary pause to re-arrange herself.

Lifting her un-injured arm, she pressed the back of said hand against her bottom lip, pulling it away and glancing quickly at the small amount of red that signalled the Captain had managed to get more than one simple hit in. She snorted quietly, then returned her gaze to the dark haired male with an explosive exhale of breath. The fact she'd also lost one of her swords in the sudden flash had not gone unnoticed. But that didn't matter.

Stepping away from the railing, Nemea only paid scant attention to the crew's continuing background noise, as she tightened the grip on her remaining sword and blew a strand of pale hair out of her face.

She gave only the barest of smiles in response to his last words, then promptly shot forward without a single warning. Her movements were quick, precise, and very fast, as she rained blow after blow against the Captain. It was no longer a case of playing coy. She fought with every ounce of skill she had, no ex[injection]pression touching her features as she dodged, aim and swung. It was just a case of seeing which of them would hit a snag first. She was certainly doing her best to ensure it wasn't her.

((So much... Ship feels. HNNGGG. Okay I am staying true to my nature and I'm going to be very impatient and just post right now okay. Okay. O_O))

The sound of the crew was almost deafening. Or would have been, had Nemea been paying any attention to the men aboard. Their continuing cheers and shouts paid testimony to just how explosive this fight was becoming. Part of that reasoning, however, may well have just been because it was her and Hook crossing blades. The pirates on the ship always seemed to enjoy these particular confrontations; Perhaps because they were always so uncertain in their results and tense throughout. It provided some real entertainment for them.

Not that Nemea herself wasn't enjoying this, because she most certainly was, despite her focused features. It was never a disappointing experience, facing off against the Captain. He certainly had no issues with holding back, that already proven by the line of scarlet staining the blonde's left sleeve; And that made him a challenging prospect. One not many people on the ship would willingly face.

Nemea snorted quietly at the thought. And they called themselves pirates. Pff. She had gone against Hook many times before, for the exact same reason she faced him now. She never refused a challenge. Not even from him. Especially from him.

A fleeting amusement crossed her face as she fought, idly pondering the memory of that first confrontation over three years ago. Far more deadly, yes, but no less challenging. Her fuel for fighting him back then had been anger. A terrible anger and an all-consuming frustration. She had, after all, almost made it off that ship, caught only because of the blatant idiocy of a couple of damned amatuers.

The fight for her life then had been a long one, ending only when Hook had finally got the better of her.. She hadn't been afraid of dying, really, but Hook had offered her another option. And as far as Nemea had been concerned, throwing her life away there would have been pointless. It would have accomplished absoloutely nothing. And a fool who would throw his life away for nothing was exactly that... A fool.

As much as she had hated him, she still took the chance he offered. She took her life back from him. And now she owed him one in return. Like it or not.

That all too familiar thought must have knocked some concentration, as it was right about there the battle went quickly downhill. Nemea had no chance to alter Hook's aim or her own as the Captain disarmed her with a skillfully thrown strike, and she felt the pressure of railing behind her as the Captain essentially backed her into a corner. She registered the sound of falling metal at the exact same time a cold, icy pressure touched the left side of her neck. Well, great.

Breathing heavily from the exertion of that fight, Nemea gave the Captain's sword a quick look, before returning her gaze to the man himself. She inhaled deeply through her nose, moving her head back only a fraction of an inch as Hook stepped forward, amusement evident in his throaty chuckle.

She returned the sound with one of her own, although it was more of an explosive breath on her part. "I told you. I never quit." She repeated. Lifting an arm, she pushed against Hook's wrist, misplacing his sword from the skin of her throat, before moving her face towards him slightly.

"I lost." She answered, just as quietly as he had spoken, her eyes betraying her slight amusement. Without another word, she stepped past him, pausing only to look fleetingly over her shoulder. "Next time, Captain." She said, heading to collect her weapons before making her way back to the ships rail, as the crew, cheering maniacally, congratulated the Captain on his win.

Nemea spent a quiet moment assessing the state of her weapons once she had retrieved them, before replacing them and turning her attention to her slight injuries. A quick touch of her bottom lip proved the bleeding had more or less stopped there, and she then looked at her left arm with a grimace. Lucky hit. A pretty darn good one, now that she could look at it. Holding her breath slightly, she pulled up the red stained sleeve of her shirt to reveal the cut, still weeping slightly. It wasn't deep, nor that long, but rather well placed. Ah, hell. She was going to need another shirt.

Also. That post was filled with more ship feels than I can manage. IRK IRK TUT TUT SHNNNNG -gert- -clongs- ]]

((LOLOLOLOL. I aim to please. And yes. 8I))

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My eyes hadn’t left her own as I waited for her response. And when it did, I wasn’t surprised. The girl wasn’t predictable, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know my crew. Before she walked away, she held my gaze with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. It only lasted a couple seconds, but in those seconds, our eyes held each other. A moment of a mutual feeling of pleasure, as though stabbing each other with swords was the best entertainment there was. 

Oh wait. Of course it was the best entertainment; who didn’t like a good sword fight?

I tossed aside the sword as the crew started for the barrels for more drinks while the rest still patting my back for winning the fight. I didn’t always win with Nemea; she wasn’t an amateur. No amateur’s are on my ship. 

That thought made me think of the redheaded beauty with Ella. Sure, she was new to the crew. But the fire in her eyes almost matched Nemea’s. She could learn. I looked back at Nemea as she disappeared from the crowd to the other side of the deck; just then remembering the wounds I had caused. Pursing my lips, I nudged my way out of the crowd as they celebrated with more drinks and obnoxious behavior. They were too drunk to notice me gone anyways. 

“Let me take a looksee.” I came up behind her, my hand resting lightly against the middle of her back as I circled around to face her. I already had a bottle of rum in my hand, I used my other hand to grab her wrist, lifting it up so I could see the wound. Without waiting for a response from her, I lifted up the bottle of rum and let the liquid pour over her arm. It would very much sting, but would help. 

I looked back up at her with a lift of my eyebrow as I leaned against the railing, handing her the bottle too see if she'd cooperate and drink. Or at least pour it over the cut on her lip. As I did so, my eyes went back to the tattoo on her neck; my curiosity in the woman once again ignited. 

"You've worked on my ship all these years. I've never asked about the ink on your neck."

I said, my eyes going from the tattoo before looking back at her eyes. 

Ella

Not a newcomer?... Ella had to turn her head halfway through retrieving her jug of water to look at Nick with raised eyebrows. She listened to his words in silence, then watched as the tall, dark haired first mate left the room, staring for a minute at the door through which he left. Well that was... Somewhat deep. To be expected, probably, considering Nickolai's loyalty to his given orders.

At least. She assumed that was why he wanted to keep an eye on Harmony. Because the Captain had told him to do so. That's how it sounded. So her question had more or less been answered... In a very roundabout sort of way.

Stepping away from the counter, Ella shifted the jug of water in her hands slightly, giving Beaux a somewhat questioning sort of look, more as an after-response of Nick's solid words. She then shrugged to herself, before heading back out of the room the same way Nick had left, making her way swiftly back towards the cabin. Slipping quietly through the door, the red-headed young woman placed the water on a nearby table, pausing mid-turn to stare at Harmony.

The new girl, it seemed, had fallen asleep in the short time it took for Ella to retrieve the water she had promised. (Because we just decided this. LOL.) The young woman sighed quietly, then, making sure Harmony was left somewhat comfortable, slipped back out of the room. She paused for a moment outside the door, then headed straight for the deck, her thoughts dark. No doubt the poor girl would be hit afresh with all of this tomorrow... It was going to be an awful long morning for her. Probably an awful few days. The pain would lessen eventually, but every waking moment was going to hurt to some extent.

Stepping out into the cool night air, Ella positioned herself against the wood beside the door that led belowdeck, her eyes roaming the buzz of the members on board. Clearly she'd missed something up here, going by the excitement zipping through the air. "Huh." She murmered, crossing her arms loosely and staring at the boards of the ship beneath her feet. Funny how the mood up here contrasted so sharply with that of the girl sleeping downstairs.

((Crappy. Butttt. Still. c;))

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Victor

Bloody typical. He should have known better, really... In fact. He did know better. Unfortunately alcohol was the sort of thing that had a tendency to give you a little more confidence than you are originally blessed with. And Victor had certainly had enough of it tonight. Or, he had so far. It was highly likely he'd return to the bottle once his headache dulled a bit. Sure. He had plenty of confidence anyway. But not nearly enough to go against Nemea so brazenly. Yes, many of the men on the ship were bigger than her, build wise. But the woman was no pushover. She made a better pirate than many Victor knew.

Groaning slightly, the bald headed, muscular pirate shifted himself where he sat on the barrel, allowing his hands to drop for a moment so he was able to watch the ensuing blows of the Captain and the very lady he had challenged mere moments before. Big mistake on his part. No point moping about it now though. She was the Captain's problem now.

Making another, slightly less audible pained noise in the back of his throat, Victor ran a hand over his tattooed head, turning it slightly as the sound of his name reached him over the constant noise of the excited crew. He gave the first mate a welcome grin, squinting his eyes shut slightly at the throb in his temple; The dull glare of the lamps seemed far brighter than they should.

"Ah." He laughed, forcing himself to straighten his back. "I'm all right. Or, you know... I will be." He answered, letting an explosive breath slip between his lips, before gesturing with a hand vaugely in Nemea's direction. "And that's what happened. My own fault, probably." He admitted grudgingly.

Taking another moment to attempt to rub the pain out of his temples, Victor then pushed himself up from the barrel, and stood by his old friend with his eyes focused on the excitable crowd. "Quite a fight, hm?" He asked, his deep voice a rumble in his chest. "I take it you dealt with that thief successfully?" He added. It wasn't something he needed to know, but he was close enough to Nick to ask the question as a curious crew member. He had, after all, known the First Mate and Captain an awful long time. It was only natural he'd have the ships welfare at heart.

((I can't end these gracefully today. LOL.))

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Nemea

As used to injuries as she was, Nemea still felt the sting of the cut on her arm as she gently probed with the fingers of her other hand. It wasn't too nasty, really. A covering of salt water or something similar would deal with it, it wouldn't be a problem in any sense of the word.Exhaling through her nose, the blonde made to pull down her torn sleeve when the voice of the very man she'd just left combat with caught her attention.

Almost simultaniously, she turned her head, her spine tensing involuntarily at the contact of the Captain as he made his way to stand in front of her. She had been on the verge of speaking when Hook promptly lifted her injured arm, quite liberally allowing the alcohol from the bottle he carried to spill over her skin. The shooting sting caused Nemea to inhale sharply, pursing her lips until the feeling passed and looking at the Captain as though that entire action had been completely uncalled for.

"Must have plenty of this stuff lying around." She observed dryly, staring at the bottle as the Captain promptly offered the container. She tried not to roll her eyes at him, and instead managed to level a slightly guarded look at the man. What was he playing at.

Deciding to humour the elaborate Captain, she took the bottle from him, pausing with it to snort quietly at his following enquiry. "There's really not much to ask, Captain." She asnwered, her tone no longer sarcastic or even vaguely steely as it had been during their exchange of swords. It was a relatively normal sort of tone, though slightly wary on a vague scale. "There was no real meaning for it." She shrugged, then turned her attention back to the bottle in her hand.

Tilting the glass in a mock cheers, Nemea promptly took a mouthful, deliberately keeping her eyes on Hook and making an obvious show of it. Nothing quite like playing along, right?

Ignoring the slight pain in her lip, she thrust the bottle back towards Hook, her eyes falling onto the arm he still grasped. Probably a good idea to sort that. A sudden thought caused the woman to glance quickly towards the crew members, busy planting their faces into the drinking barrels in an attempt to carry on getting sloshed. She then turned back to the Captain, exhaling quietly. "I'd thank you for my arm back, Captain." She said with a slightly strained smile, pulling her arm in an attempt to get it out of Hooks grasp.