Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

The young red-headed woman yawned, wincing a bit as her face protested the movement. Damn bruises...not exactly the best thing for a first impression...although maybe they make me look tougher. She hated admiting she was wrong about something, even to herself, but pickinng a fight with the local gang may NOT have been the best idea when feeling cocky.

Glancing around to make sure she hadn't been discovered, she gathered up her things and quickly made a beeline out of the Lion and the Rose's stables. She'd been able to find somewhere to sleep there for the past month...but she wasn't exactly paying for it and wasn't keen on letting the innkeeper or his wife know.

About eighteen years of age (give or take as she wasn't entirely certain what day was her birthday anymore), Fiona Connelly was quite used to life on the streets by now. Her life hadn't started off that way, but she and her twin brother, Aran, had been able to adapt and continue accepting the cards that life chose to deal their way. Well, at least until Aran found himself a job.

Deciding that someone out there might be willing to hire them now that they were practicaly adults and not children, the two had set out to see what could be found. It wasn't easy, but one night the two met back up at the abandoned farm they stayed at with good news. Fiona was certain she might have convinced the owner of the town's pub to take her on, at least to do a couple odd jobs here and there if not a full time worker; Aran had secured himself a position on a fishing ship that was heading out the following day. Dissapointed that she would be parted from her brother for the first time in nearly a decade, Fiona still managed to express her delight, knowing that they HAD to start making decent money if they wanted to try and pull themselves out of their present lifestyle.

However, when Fiona ran back down to the docks four days later to see the small fishing vessel come back in, she panicked to realize that some crewmembers were missing, her brother among them. After interrogating the captain (although dismissive of her at first, he found out just how impressive her right hook could be when she was pissed) she left with a heavy heart. It seemed that the boat had run across a Navy ship not too far beyond the harbor. It seemed that they had been planning on staying in the town for a day or so to recruit some new crew members, but decided it would just be easier to impress the most able-bodied members of the next several vessels to pass them, including Aran.

It took less than a day for Fiona to make up her mind. She would do whatever it took to reunite with her brother, even if only to make sure he didn't die fighting for a monarch they despised.

It had been nearly a year and a half since then, and she had learned next to nothing. Deciding it might be easier to let the information come to her rather than try to sniff it out herself, Fiona decided to rest for a time after crossing to the larger island and reaching the capital.

After stalking the Navy's headquarters for a bit, she came to the decision that she'd just go and join them herself, only for the reason that it might be possible to hear news of Aran out in the open water rather than stuck here on land. Unfortunately, it seemed that they had a little rule barring women from joining up. Outraged that they would practicaly kidnap and force a person into service, but turn down a willing volunteer (she obviously hadn't told them the true reason she was doing this) due to their gender, Fiona found herself practicaly kicked out of the building after making a lunge to the sailor she was speaking with.

Disgusing herself as a boy wasn't working either, not at her present age even after moving further down-river to locations where they wouldn't have heard of her yet.

On the verge of giving up, Fiona wandered into the nearest pub one night, looking for a place to rest her feet before heading out again (or before she got thrown out for not being a paying customer). It must have been luck that made her choose to try heading inside instead of just plopping down underneath a tree as she overheard snippits of a conversation between two rather unsavory looking fellows two tables over. The longer she listened, the more hope was restored as the young woman formulated a new plan.

Once reaching the coast again, Fiona settled herself in for a determined wait. She didn't care how long it would take for her to track one down, but she was going to get herself hired onto a pirate ship and out into the open water where Aran waited.

I am a street child. My name is Adeline, yet I go by Addie on the streets. I was abandoned at age 9 and have never known a family. I hope that this journey will answer questions from my past.

Jezzabelle McKoy, or at least that what she told others her name was, was but a mere child in the streets of grown men. But if you yourself passed her, you could not argue that she held herself well amongst the world of "grown ups". She did not belong to anyone. She was a lost soul, you could say. She was not a street croney, and she did not belong to any of the many gangs of young pickpockets. She kept to herself, supporting her lifestyle from the rich pockets of old men, smelling of cigars and whiskey. Jezzabelle loved her life, being able to support herself and not having to answer to anyone. But alas, the lonely streets were in fact, just as they are named, lonely. She wanted comradary! The trill of sharing her spoils! (Though not many would share that feeling) Reminiscing of the days of pillage!

She decided, was now not a better time than any other to join some sort of gang! She walked down the long boardwalk of the pier, lined with glorious ships and the squacking of seagulls. She listened as the sails flapped in the wind. How peaceful the sea was! She walked past a busy tavern and heard a loud, demanding woman inside.

"Come on ye land lubbers! Join me crew, I say! You shall never spend a night alone, and always get ye fair share!" She heard from inside, among all the yelling and drunken arguing. She pulled her mask tight around her face, so no one would notice what a young age she was. Not that the barkeep was a stickler for detail if you had a few coins on your person.

"Aye fair lady. I heard you was sellin spots on yer wonderous adventure?" Jezzabelle asked the seemingly young woman.

"Aye, that I am my fellow seafarer. If ye wish to give your soul to the sea, and yer heart to me ship, than ye shall be granted admission to my beauty," she replied with a slightly crooked smile.

"Well if that be the case, sign me letters on that parchment!" she answered.

"good! Jolly good! Another soul to the seas, as all... men-er... people should be! I ask not of ye background, as long as you are prepared to set sail in the morn, and work your rear off to share some of that thar booty!" She winked as Jezzabelle singed her less than perfect signature on the parchment. It struck her as odd that that was the only thing required, but as soon as she left the smoky and suffocating tavern, she had not another though of it.

Sasha flashed her most brilliant smile. The crowd had come to see her and she did not want to disappoint. In recent months, her reputation had spread to the neighboring villages and men, women and children alike were all beginning to show up at her performances.A few of them had even sold out, which was not typical for Sasha. While she was not used to such attention, she knew she deserved it. She'd trained and researched the best methods- the most entertaining illusions and tricks she could find. She'd practiced them
until she was dead tired but it was all worth it.

Sasha took one more look into the crowd. A small girl and her mother were among the people in the front row. The girl's face was lit up in wonder as Sasha pulled out her silken tophat. "Alright, Sasha. Here goes nothing. Time for the finale."

After waiting for a few seconds for a dramatic pause, she shoved one hand inside the hat. It took her a moment, but she finally got a hold of the rabbit, pulled it out of the hat with a triumph. The crowd erupted in screams and laughter. Sasha blinked. This was not the usual reaction she got to her spectacular finale. Slowly, Sasha turned her head to gaze upon her hand. She gasped and dropped the rabbit. It was limp and cold.. and very dead. "I can save this. I have other tricks, I can win them over again", Sasha thought. However, it
was too late. The wooden benches that once held her paying customers now were empty.

Sasha sat down on the old, wooden stage with a sigh. "Now, what? The boss is going to have my job for this." As if on cue, a round and red-faced gentleman approached Sasha from backstage. "Sasha", he said "I'm sorry. I don't think we'll be needing you to perform here anymore." She started to object, but he'd already shuffled back
to his office. "Great. Just.. great."

It wasn't long before Sasha found herself walking along the cobblestone streets near the waterfront. Little shops were bustling with activity. Everyone from the fishmonger to the candlemaker were busy with customers. Sasha shivered and wrapped her cloak more tightly around herself and slipped inside an old building
with a worn wooden sign hanging from a rusty chain. The sign once read "Nancy's Tavern" but it was worn and weather beaten from years of salty air and the unpredictable coastal weather.

"wa kin I git ya, young miss?" a gruff voice asked her as she took a seat at the bar. "Mead, that's all". The bartender raised an eyebrow. He probably thought it was improper for a lady to be drinking in the middle of the day but Sasha was past caring at this point. He shoved a heavy, worn mug at her. She took a drink and enjoyed the
burn the liquid caused to travel through her insides. As she drank, she thought of that day 10 years ago. The day that magic almost cost her the ultimate price-her life.

It had been a hazy, dreary day. A nor'easter had just blown in mere days before. The adults had been busy repairing the storm damage. They weren't paying attention to 9 year old
Sasha. She'd been standing on the dock, practicing her latest trick. It was very cold outside, yet Sasha wore no cloak. It would ruin her magician look, after all. Unfortunately, she become so wrapped up in her practice, that she hadn't noticed how precariously close
she had gotten to the edge of the dock. "Ta-da!" Sasha exclaimed as she threw out her tiny arms and took a step backwards. Sasha's eyes grew wide as she realized that she's just stepped off of the dock!
She fell into the water with a "SPLASH". Her dress and undergarments were quickly becoming heavy and waterlogged "Why in the world did her mother make her wear all this fancy clothing anyways?" She didn't
have long to ponder the answer to this question, as she was sinking fast despite her best efforts to stay above water. She was running out of breath, her vision was darkening around the edges.
She was running out of time. She was drowning.

Suddenly, bright light assualted Sasha's eyes. She had somehow gotten onto the dock again. Someone was pushing her into a sitting position. She coughed up some water and rubbed the salt water from her eyes. By the time she had composed herself, the person who had so graciously saved her was gone. She quickly turned around saw her savior-a pirate. He moved quickly away and into the tavern.
From that day forward, Sasha held a special place in her heart for pirates. What a life that must be! The salty air, the thrill of finding treasure and sword fighting. Oh my!

"Are you going to drink that or just stare at it all day?" The gruff voice of the bartended jolted Sasha back into the present
and out of her trip down memory lane. "What should she do now?" She lost her job. She was at a crossroads, she thought to herself.
"I just need a sign. Something to show me what path I should take" Sasha said to herself. She finished her mead,pushed a few coins across the bar to the old bartender and hopped off of the stool. There, in the corner was the most lovely pirate, Sasha had ever seen. To top it off, they appeared to be recruiting people for a crew... on a pirate ship.
Sasha had her sign. She knew what she must do. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and stepped forward to stand in front
of the pirate recruiter. Was this the beginning of a new life for Sasha?

The name's Kyouki! I'm a well known and well feared intense street fighter. Most of the places I usually go to for a fight are now filled with pansies who won't bother to pick a fight with me unless they're drunk. I need some excitement in my now boring life! I'm a pretty laid-back fun loving kind of gal but I need some action back in my life or I'm going resort to picking a fight with anyone who comes my way! I'm just wandering around right now looking for anything to do.

Arianne Becdelièvre was the husband of a wealthy man- in fact, he was the governor of the prestigious city that they lived in. She had no children, both of her parents were dead, and she was quite alone in the world, except for Gareth Becdelièvre, her husband. They had been engaged when she was five, arranged marriages were not uncommon in the wealthy households. She had never wanted to marry him, Arianne was one of those who believed in true love. However, after living in his household for ten years (she is now twenty-five years old) Arianne realized that she had managed to fall in love with this man.

When she realized to Gareth that she had finally fallen in love with him, their relationship blossomed and bloomed for the next five years. For their anniversary, he gave her a beautiful pendant, a blue crystal surrounded by thin crystal wire. She would treasure it forever.

Then, when Gareth was going to a neighboring country to work on a treaty, he was murdered by a group of rogue pirates- the worst kind, having no allegiance or loyalty to anyone, not even each other.

When Arianne heard the news, her heart cried out to avenge her husband. And since all the men she knew were too afraid to do it, she realized that there was only one choice left.

Arianne donned her mourning gear and set out to become a pirate.

After all, only a pirate can catch a pirate.

Chiya had been a ruffian all of her life. Abandoned at age 5 on the streets, she grew up fighting for every crumb that came her way. As she grew older, she became partial to drink, and often dressed as a man as to not arouse suspicion in taverns. On one cloudy, fateful night, she got into yet another drunken brawl with a patron, and in the scuffle, accidentally stabbed him to death. She ran to another tavern where the owner owed her a favor. He gave Chiya clean clothes and bade her to lie low, and wait until the trouble had passed. The best thing for her, he said, would be to get out of the country as soon as possible.

Life on the streets of Kingston was hard, but harder for some. Elise had come over on a boat from Portsmouth when she was still suckling at the teat of her opium-eating whore of a mother. They had lived in a room of what could only generously be called a shack in the meanest part of town but a few years before, how many was a mystery, her mother's health had begun to fail, the woman's poor overworked body, decimated by years of opium, gin and unprotected with anyone with a tuppence to spare swiving.
As her last dying act her mother had sold her pretty, freckled daughter to the local crime baron who had put her to work begging, where her big dark eyes, plump build and strawberry blond hair tugged at the heartstings of ladies and gentlemen, if that word is to be liberally applied, alike. After some time Elise had proven herself very useful with her quick wit and ability to handle a knife. As our story unfolds she is not yet sixteen and earns her place in the ranks by cutting the strings of lady's purses.
She came to be outside Nancy's Tavern for exactly this reason. It's lights shone out on to the dirty street, slightly defused because of the grime that coated the windows, this wasn't her usual stomping ground but she had heard tell that many of the people here were fat pigeons to be plucked.

"The life of a street rat has it's up and downs" Kit murmurs to you. "It makes for more enjoyable grub when you can manage to find some hot bread and a slab of meat. Those other days, when the hunger sets in an you aint find but a sliver of old rot that not even a mongrel woud eat, they ain't so bad as long as you can keep yourself busy." She fiddles with her hair, brushing stay dirt and leaves out of it. "And at the very least," she says stroking the fur of her faithful companion, a small raggedy ferret, "I always have my mate Pockets here to keep me company."

"It wasn't always like this..." She starts to explain. "I wasn't always an orphan."

Kit was born Kiterina Königinburg, the daughter of Lord and Lady Von Königinburg of Surtsey. Her life should have been different, full of wealth, power and joy, however her fathers involvement in the political realm of Surtsey along with the cut throat and often lawless ways of the standing government officials ultimately brought turmoil to their family. One night as the Von Königinburgs were settling into bed, a loud banging commenced at their door. Lord Von Königinburg rose to see what the fuss was about, only to be attacked by what looked to be a street urchin. Lord Von Königinburg called out to his wife, but it was too late - he had been stabbed. The assailant then hurried to the bedroom and finished the job with Lady Von Königinburg. Upon hearing her parents struggle, Kiterina managed to escape out the window. She hid atop the roof of the next house over - watching silently through the window. She saw the assailant looking through her home - searching for her. She saw when the Kingsman came into the house, noted the dead bodies of her parents and handed the Street Urchin a sack of gold as payment.

Knowing the truth of her parents deaths, Kiterina realized that staying in Surtsey would be too dangerous for her. She fled east, towards the
town of Prolix Purlieu, in search of a new life. What she found was more than she ever imagined. That first night when she arrived in Prolix
Purlieu she entered a local Tavern - The Bilge Ratt. With no money, and nothing to barter she decided to try her luck anyway. She went up to the bar keep.

"Please Sir, I ain't got but the shirt on my back. But the thrist and hunger be unbearable. Would you be so kind as to lend me a glass?" The bar keep look at the disheveled girl in front of him. He let out a billowing laugh.

"Aye, I'll give you a glass - when you come back with something to offer!" he scowled at her.

Kiterina knew at that moment that she should have left, but with the events of her parents deaths still on her mind, along with the long and hard journey to Prolix Purlieu, she could no longer conatin her emotions, nor a rational thought. She waited until the barkeep turned his back and she lunged over the counter, seizing a half broken bottle. "Aye sir - I'll give you something all right, I'll give you your life if ye be so kind as to offer me what it is I need. A drink, grub and I'll be taking some of the gold that lines ye pocket. Simple as that and I shall be on my way."

The bar stood silent. The crowd caught in a long stare at the scene that is unfolding. And then from the back of the room, a loud boisterous laugh. A man stands, dressed in regal garb - his sword long and sharp glistening in his waist holster; his eyes with a twinkle in them. He crossed the room, heavy footed, causing the tables to vibrate as he decreases his distance between himself, Kiterina and the barman.

"Now now lassie, There be no need for that there. You look to be of too good of sorts for such a thing. Come - put down that there glass and pull up a seat. There be plenty to go around here." his breathy and soothing voice spoke.

"How do I know you aren't just yammering me? That ye be true to ye word?" Kiterina hissed through clenched teeth.

"That's easy," Says the large, bearded, giant of a man "I be Capt. Samuel Nutt Pugwash of the crew Full Moon Rising under the flag of
Excaliburs Wrath. I be a pirate missy. And if ye can't trust a pirate - well then ye can't trust anyone" he laughed.

Over the next few days, Kit became close to the Pirate Captian and his crew. Capt. Pugwash told her stories of the seas, of riches and brawls, stories of freedom and excitement. He told her pirates we're above the law of the lands and ahered to their own social and ethic codes. Most importantly he told her of how a crew becomes a family, and how no one in that family can be wronged without vengence being sought. The Captians stories mezmerized her and she longed to go to sea with them.

"Capt'n, I want t'join ye on yer voyage. Thar be nuttin' left here on dese lands fer me" she pleaded with him.

The Captian sighed. "I know ye want to be coming lass, but we can not do you no harm such as that. Live hard and grow, seek knowledge and skill and when ye be of age ye shall find yerself a spot right crew."

That was three years ago, but since that time Kit's desire to be a pirate be once again be a part of a family has only grown stronger. Luckily for her, Captian Autio Ainoa has just pulled into port and it's said that she'd be looking for a new crew.

Night was beginning to fall around the bardess as she strolled along the road, the dark form of an inn in the distance rose up within the sunset. With a grin the bardess paused and started dusting off the worst of the road dust, applying a bit of berry juice to her lips and powder around her eyes. Feeling a bit more tidied up she continued on, hopefully there would be a full common room and she'd be able to play a few sets to pay for a warm meal. The warmth of the inn lights were coming more fully into view - dreaming of the warm fire that awaited within she quickened her pace, the chill of the night was setting in and in the distance a howl from one of the local wolves echoed. She'd been travelling for quite sometime, moving closer and closer to the inn a tune came to mind, a simple song... her song - oh how very far she'd come.

“Once there was a fair lass
Who lived high along the mountain pass
Her father insisted that she be wed
And take a suitor to lie in her bed
But she wanted to stay free,
Oh, I wish they would let me be
She cried: “Oh, I wish they would let me be...
Let me be.”

It wasn't long before the bardess got carried away and lost in her music, remembering now long lost days. Her Father's insistence and fury, and my Mother's quiet agreement plagued her mind a moment, ties and family that were no longer hers to hold claim to.

"And then they came, three suitors
Lenneth the warrior bold and so crass,
Believing he's more then a match for any lass.
But in the end no more then an a** was he...
I do so wish he'd just let me be.
Lenneth, just let me be..."

The memory of Lenneth brought a smile to her face, the poor boy really didn't have an ounce of brain for all that brawn it hadn't been hard getting him on the outs with her Father. Really if she'd been being truthful there were a few others then the three in her song, but they were the most memorable and every boring farm boy her Mother threw at her wouldn't have made for an interesting song.

"Then there came Daren the scholar of prime age,
His features a mystery for he never takes his nose off the page,
He sought to outwit me, only to find his own wit lacking.
I do so wish he'd just let me be.
Daren, just let me be..."

Out of the three Daren had been the most condescending, but at least the subtle barbs she'd been able to drop gave him a chance to rethink the whole suitor business. She did give him a certain amount of respect for not actually full out fleeing once dinner was over.

"Last of the three,
A forester named Alec was brought to meet
Grasping for his own freedom we met bittersweet.
Parting our own ways, I was left with no husband.
Choosing my own path, nevermore to say to suitors three
Let me be,
Oh let me be."

Out of the various suitors that had come to call or that her mother had dragged home Alec had been a kindred spirit and a friend in the end. But souls such as they shared met but would always part, refusing to be tied down. A touch of sadness remembering her now far away friend came to her as she pushed open the door of the inn and stepped inside.

-"Marianna, please! Why can't you just trust me"
-"How can you ask me that? I want to be with you! Every time you leave I sit, I wait, I think of where you are of who you're with of how you've died, I can't stand it! You ask me to torture myself every time you're at sea, I can't handle that, can't handle this. I'm too young to live this life...
-"Please, mi amor, you've got to trust me."
-"Trust? After all you've done you ask me for trust? You are not my God and I have lost faith. You don't understand me at all. Goodbye, Fernando."

To escape this is why she was here, to escape that man, to escape Spain, to escape everything that had chained her to the land. With the sea she will find her release, she will re find love and she will redefine herself.

her name is isoke.
she was orphaned at a young age and raised by the ruler of her village.
she had become the fairest girl in her village, and so was chosen by the ruler to be his next queen. she refused.
however, in her culture, her refusal meant nothing. so, she had to put a little action to her words.
she ran away on her wedding night, leaving her friends and fiance behind.
now, at port, she's searching for a way to get even farther from the place she once called her home. she spies a tavern and slips inside. maybe here she can find a ride away.

Chiya stumbled into Cap'n Ainoa's room. She decided to rummage through the fine clothing that the cap'n had aquired through plunder.

Conniving cuthroats! The ship has barely left port and already I feel queasy. I hate sailing, ever since my first time out on them rough seas. Ma also said I took after her because we both had weak stomachs. You can't think about her now, Addie. Focus on your mission. Shadow would give you another one of his special "rewards" with his knife for showing weakness. I have to remain calm. These clothes are right awful. I do wish I had my special dagger to slash a few holes in 'em. I better keep this satchel away from those scoundrels.They seem to be a rowdy bunch. Ma would call them 'rascals' in her right affectionate way. Shut up Addie, you have to focus on this mission. It's your last chance. The Shadow won't be too forgivin' next time. He hates failures. I better find a way to get that--scheming scums! It's time to go above to the decks.

I couldn’t help but stare at the first mate when he turned his back. He seemed rough and rude – much like a pirate should be, I suppose – but at least he wasn’t groping at every one of my bits he could reach. Immediately I began stripping off my excess of clothes, rubbing away my caked on makeup. All the frilly skirts and over skirts and crinoline reminded me of what was past and so much of it was piled on now I thought I might be crushed by its weight. Every piece of gold I had collected from clients I threw into the pouch I had been given. I would trade it off later just as all those bastards had traded for me.

The only pieces I kept were two earrings in the shape of hearts that had been given to me by the man I had loved most in Marseilles. In my younger years roaming the streets I had befriended a young and sickly boy. He tried to act tough but all my friends and I could see that he was slowly dying. He and I became very close (perhaps he was my first love?) and met most every night. He presented me with them one week before he stopped visiting, the week that I am sure he died . . . Though I am sure they were stolen, they were my first treasure. Now it was time to find many more.

I turned and watched the other girls trying to coordinate the old with the new, but for me this was easy. The old was gone and done away with for good and now I felt as free as a seabird, as light as air, as unhindered as rising smoke. I took a long drag from my cigarette and grinned as I mounted the stairs to the deck. I remembered all my client’s faces with mirth – now I was the one wearing the pants.

Marianna sighed softly on the open deck, leaning quietly over the stern. It was that moment before you did something; anticipation the mounting desire to stop the change before it could begin. The moment in the Novella's where he would run in and proclaim his love...
"Wah' the hay'ell are ye waitin' fer wench git ready ta' meet da cap'in!"
Sigh. The deck hand was already starting this. She had seen it coming, no one liked females aboard boats, nobody. Even when father had taken her sailing the crew always treated her like a leper.
"We'll settle this now" she thought.
She strolled over to her new crew mate and smiled. As he returned with a scowl, she whipped the butt of her gun around her and knocked him to the floor, stunned she knelt on his stomach and pointed the butt now at his throat. He could feel his fevered breathing growing.
By now the crew that had been dressing to meet the captain had noticed the commotion and was watching.
An audience, just like she had planned. She leaned close and whispered into his ear. "Look you were the first to act on what you were thinking, it was a bad choice, you will treat me like a crew mate while I am here. I'm a crew mate first and a woman second." She leaned away from her face and re-applied her lipstick. She Smiled. "Don't forget." and with that she walks to a box and sits. The crew awkwardly begins to return to life.
"He won't be the last," she thinks "but at least I've shown them I'm not here as a hired whore." and with that she returns to the sea, "this is my new life..."

tektek

Resting down on a bunk the bardess opened up the bundle of clothing. Frowning a bit she pulled them out to take a better look at them. They didn't appear all that exciting to say the least, but it was better to get these things dirty. Slipping them on she glanced down feeling a bit naked, at least she wouldn't be mucking up her skirts with whatever she'd be doing on the ship.

She did keep the feather from she wore in her hair before and tucked it into her scarf, it just didn't feel right without it. Shrugging her vest on she relaxed some things just felt a bit more secure. Sighing a bit she realized they hadn't given her any shoes, so she slipped on her clogs, probably not the best for working on the ship but one had to make due with what they had.

As she tied a bit of cloth from one of her cloaks around her waste as a belt she picked her lute up as well. The case for it had been nicked a town or two back in her traveling, with her lute in hand she hummed a jaunty tune as she made her way up to the deck.

As Arianne signed her name on the roster she sighed silently, realizing that there was no going back now. For the first time in her life, this upper-class society lady would be living rough-and-tumble with pirates. If anyone found out, she would be ruined.

Making her way to her bunk with the other hopeful pirates, she grabbed the bundle of clothes that the first mate handed her and eagerly opened it, finding a bright red tank top, a red headband, and red-and-white striped pants. Looking down at her mourning clothes she forced back tears, not wanting the others to see any signs of weakness in her. Taking off her velvet mantle, she put the red tank top over her corset and undershirt, not comfortable with exposing her arms to such a rowdy bunch. After putting on the pants as well, she grabbed the headband and fixed it on her head.

Looking down at herself she smiled wryly, and pulled the pendant out so that it lay over the red tank top. Though it was definitely expensive, and she should probably hide her true background from the rest of the crew, she could not hide her token of her love for her deceased husband. That was why she was here. She would find a way to avenge him.

Linky to avatar

Kit was thrilled to be board the ship. Her dreams seemed to finally be coming into fruition. Now she would sail the seas with her new pirate family, and seek treasures abound. No more having to live alone. No more having to relive that terrible night so many years ago in her head. This, here and now, was a better time. A better place. And a promise of a better tomorrow. Kit couldn't wait for the rest of her adventures to unfold.

Jezzabelle looked at the clothes spread out on her... hammock.

"This just isn't going to do," she thought. they were a pirates clothes, that was for sure, but they were not for her. She stripped and put them on. She would make them work, even if she had little to make it happen.. The end result was not as menacing as she had hoped, but it would have to do for now.

Still having time to burn, she lay down on the hammock and closed her eyes. The smell of the briney sea salt filled her nose. How exciting! She was about to be sent off on the trip of a lifetime. The large boat swayed in the bay, but she was sure that it was nothing like that on the open seas. The thought of the intense rocking on the sea made her stomach churn. That was not relaxing at all.

"Get yer landlubbin arses up on deck!" yelled the same growly man who had given her the clothes. The startle had made her nealry fall off the hammock and caused her queasy feeling to disappear. She went up the stairs to finally meet the rest of the crew.