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Archives: Building an Empire at Sea

Chapter 11: Relaxation after a Hard Day’s Work

    Having dropped off the slave woman and overseen the wedding, the captain returned with a healer in tow. The repairs to the Freedom were still progressing into the night. Malak knew from experience that they probably wouldn’t have the repairs done for the next day or so, as it takes time to stain the timber used, otherwise the sea would rot at it. Better take the care to keep her after we stole her, the experienced pirate inwardly spoke.

    “This way,” he beckoned to the healer. The healer, giving a small nod, followed behind timidly.

    Mudan had been working on the hull damage with several other crew men, and saw the captain come back with someone new. Standing on the scaffolding hung over the side of the ship, Mudan wiped the sweat from his brow and watched the captain lead the stranger below deck. Must be some business with the slaves, he thought to himself. He thought for a moment that the healer might have been a new crew member, but obviously not. No longer interested with the healer and captain, Mudan took the moment on his feet to observe the progress. The crew had been working hard, and made a good bit of progress, but they still had a long way to go before they could leave. Glancing toward the sun nearly set on the horizon and their light nearly gone, Mudan decided it was probably a good time for them to call it quits.

    “Oy!” he called, getting the attention of his crewmates. “Let’s call it for the night and get some supper!”

    With that, Mudan grabbed a hold of the rope ladder hanging hanging over the side of the ship and hauled himself up. Swinging over the railing, he immediately sought Alina. She and Tatia had finished their own work repairing the damaged railing, and now the starboard side was a mish-mash of different colored rails; some the same stain as the rest of the wood on the ship, some older, some newer. Mudan strode over to the two women, absently scratching at the cut across his stomach he had obtained a few days earlier when they first took the ship. The knitting of the wound and his sweat had made it itch fiercely; same with the ones on his forearms and bicep. The young Azarnian pirate had long since discarded his shirt while working, and now he was only clad in his pants.

    “Hey Rose,” he said as he came up to her, unable to stop from grinning. “Hope the work wasn’t too hard on you.”

    After her work was done, Alina was watching the sea and thinking of her family. It had been a very long while since she saw them and she was feeling a bit guilty for them. She was sick and tired of the way they acted and their little ‘act’ of loving each other drove her crazy. He mind kept shifting from one thought to another as the sea calmly moved.

    Her thoughts was interrupted when she heard someone shout out something. Looking over the railing, she saw Mudan and quickly blushed as she notice him coming over the railing and heading towards Tatia and herself. She tried to look at the girl, but instead, her gaze quickly went back to him when he called out her last name. “Umm... No it wasn’t,” she paused as she returned the grin, “for your information.” She quickly giggled after the sentence and looked up at the tall man. “How about you? Did things go well?”

    “Yeah... we still have a ways to go yet,” he replied to Alina, scratching the back of his head. “I guess we might as well call it quits for tonight. Tomorrow we need to stain the wood, so you can help with that.” Mudan stretched his arm across his chest, feeling the ache from so much lifting and hammering.

    “Oh, I see,” Alina replied to Mudan as she listened to him. Stain, eh? she thought as she watched him. “Are you in pain, Mudan?” she asked him as she stared at his cuts.

    “Eh, they’re a little sore,” Mudan said with a shrug. “I’ll be fine though.” Ursula had tended to them a little after the battle, and in the following days, he had used alcohol and seawater to keep them clean. The environment of a ship at sea could often easily lead to infection, and well aware of this, Mudan took care of himself.

    Looking at the crew back on deck, he called out to the other crew members; “Can someone go check on Lilly and see how dinner’s coming along?”

    “Oh,” Alina said in a worried voice as she gently touched the one on his stomach. Her hand remained there as she looked up at Mudan and smiled. “Hmm, it seems that you have been taking care of your wounds, I am glad Mudan,” she told the Azarnian man. She couldn’t help but blush once again as the thought of them being together earlier went through her mind. Her cheeks was painted a red color as she looked over the ship, to watch the water, and lean on the railing.

* * *

    Red Ear smiled at the call for supper and then whistled for Ghost. She came with her most graceful steps and hopped up on his should and let out a small meow and purr.

    “Aye, dat’s a good pussy,” he said with a chuckle. He made his way to the front of the ship to await the stars, as he wasn’t very hungry. Red Ear would be last to the galley for food, but always first for a drink.

    The lanky half-elven pirate hauled herself back up on deck once the day’s work was declared to have come to an end. Once on deck, she stretched her aching back, arching herself and twisting around until a satisfying pop issued from her back. “Oi, much bet’er,” she mumbled to herself. Anisa looked over the crew on deck, looking for someone new to interact with. She had already spent some time with Mudan and Varun, and she intended to get a feel for every member of crew. Spotting the man called Red Ear near the stern with a cat on his shoulder, she strode over.

    “Yo,” she said as she approached. “You be Red Ear, right mate?”

    Red Ear turned with a grin. “Aye, I be, and this be Ghost. Say ’ello to the lass Ghost,” he urged the cat on. Ghost looked at the elf and responded with a meow, almost as if she were saying ‘pleased to meet you.’

    “Not often I see an elf wit sea legs, even more odd be the elf a damsel. Kind of like a squirrel wit’ fins,” he paused for a second... “I guess it ain’t da oddest thing I’d seen” he finished with a chuckle.

    “What can I do you for?” His usual pun was intended with his usual twist of his stash.

    Anisa grinned and leaned against the railing. “I do be an oddity, but I be only ’alf-elven,” she replied. “Ye got three others on, plus a dwarf, and a lot o’ women. This be the smallest n’ oddest crew I ever served on.” Anisa looked out over the deck at the crew retiring from work before she actually answered Red Ear’s question. “I’d like te get te know the men I be serving wit. I ’eard this crew jus formed, ye know the cap’n well ’nough yet?”

    Red Ear glanced around. “Cap’n...? He be of da quiet sort, not much of a talk outta him, more da get it done sort,” he replied. He gave the half-elf a glance over head to toe, not trying to hide it because it wasn’t his style, he just enjoyed the female body. “Ey, far too many dames aboard dis ship, far too many,” he trailed on after.

    Anisa saw his eyes roving, but she had no complaints. She enjoyed the attention, it stroked her ego. “’eard it said that it be bad luck, but I’d say the luck o’ me crews ain’t suffered much,” she said with a wink. Her first ship did eventually fall victim to the seas, but that was after many, many years. It was only inevitable for a pirate ship, after all.

* * *

    Kreoss climbed back up on deck as well, following his other crew mates. Immediately, he looked for his wife, and when he saw her near Mudan and Alina, he headed right over. Throwing his arm over her shoulder affectionately, Kreoss hugged Tatia close. “So, no troubles, I hope?” he asked her.

    Tatia glanced up at him, smiling a bit shyly, as she leaned against him a bit. “Hmm, nope...not really...” she replied as she winked up at him. Feeling a bit more comfortable around him, more... secure as well, she leaned her head on his shoulder. She was starting to feel the day’s activities taking a slight toll on her finally.

    Kreoss held his arm around Tatia’s shoulder lightly as he looked to Mudan. “Maybe we should send someone down to see if dinner’s coming. I’m starved,” he said.

    Mudan shrugged. “I’ll go,” he said, then turned and headed below deck to talk to Lilly. “Come along if you want, Rose,” he said to Alina as he walked away.

    Alina looked at the couple and frowned a bit. They’re such a cute couple, she thought as she looked to the floor. I wonder where Anisa is? I haven’t seen her since we came aboard. She looked around and then saw Anisa, so she smiled and shouted, “Anisa!” She waved to her elf friend, then looked back at Mudan and followed behind him at a slow pace.

    Tatia said nothing in regards to the conversation as she leaned against Kreoss slightly. After the other two, she whispered, “Are you?” Glancing up at him, she nibbled on her lower lip slightly. She, at that moment, wanted nothing more to do than just snuggle in his arms, but they were never alone, especially on this ship; there were always people everywhere. She wasn’t quite confident just yet to be openly affectionate.

    “Hmm?” Kreoss took a moment to remember what she was asking about. “Oh, hungry, yes. It’s been a long day.” The half-elf looked out over the island for a moment, the waning sunlight illuminating it from behind. The sunset had been rather impressive, but this was the last of the light. With a smile, Kreoss looked back down at Tatia and grinned. Placing his finger under her chin, he tipped her face up and kissed her. He had little concern for being affectionate in public, as it also served as marking her as his to other crew mates so they wouldn’t be a threat to her.

    Tatia’s eyes widened as she glanced up into his eyes when he started to lean down to kiss her, but once their lips met she forgot everything else—where they were, what they were doing, and if others’ eyes were upon them. Her eyes drifted shut as she leaned up slightly, gripping his arms gently as she kissed him back eagerly. She loved the taste of him, and how she felt when he held her and kissed her in this way. She slowly slid her arms around his waist, pressing herself to him as she was getting lost in his kiss.

* * *

    Terelyn rose with the night. Her side still ached from the knife wound, but she stowed away her pain to get back to the ship. Without a course from Malak, she couldn’t work the charts. And without a crew or an unwounded body, she couldn’t deal in any of the repairs. So she did the one thing she had been neglecting: care for Solarus. She hadn’t had the time to let her falcon fly. Up on deck, she undid the tethers and removed the hood. Solarus was anxious to get free after so long. With a gentle arm up, the falcon took off to the skies, but never flew out of sight.

    Noticing that Terelyn had finally gotten on deck, Varun walked over to her, nodding his head slightly as he noticed her releasing her falcon. “It is good to see you resting, even if I think it was because you could not do any more at that point.”

    “I would have been fine,” Terelyn said, her eyes never leaving the sky. The rest she had gotten was haunted with her own thoughts, few of which had managed leave. “Were there any problems with the repairs?”

    Chuckling softly and shaking his head, Varun looked up at the sky, taking a deep breath enjoying the sea touched air. “I was not saying you would not have been, Terelyn. I can tell without having fought you, you can take care of yourself, no matter what, better than most of this crew. It does not mean I don’t worry about you over doing it when you don’t need to.”

    Varun leaned against the railing and shrugged his shoulders slightly, looking over the repairs. “Nothing went wrong, just taking time. There is a lot of staining that needs to be done before we can move on the next part. We should be finished in a couple days if nothing goes wrong.”

    Closing his eyes slightly and sighing, Varun just stood there for a moment speaking softly, “I am not sure what you problem you have with the ship, or the captain, that you have faced in the past—and to be honest, I don’t care. I have seen what you have done for this ship and how good you are, and that has earned my respect. Try not to work yourself to death. I rather like to have someone I know can handle herself as first mate, or maybe a captain one day, than someone I have not seen in action.”

    “I won’t go easy on you just because you suck up,” Terelyn replied, her voice cold and empty. Running her hand through her short, red hair, the first mate’s eyes followed her falcon, which swept from its perch on the docks back to one of the masts. Her mind was on her previous ship. It was back when she was known by a different name, had a different reputation. It had been a while since she had been in this area, but Terelyn wasn’t much welcome. Her mind was running through the fight earlier that day, off on her own. They weren’t random men and their interests weren’t sexual. She just hoped that they were the last. Terelyn almost forgot that Varun was next to her.

    Varun chuckled and shook his head slightly. “Well, I would not want you to go easy on me. And trust me, I am not sucking up. I couldn’t care less what you think about me, or this crew. I value skill and want to make that known before you push yourself to far.” He did not care if Terelyn was listening or not, it was better than talking to love-sick kids on the ship.

* * *

    Malak returned topside with the healer and paid the man a Raiden for his work. “As long as the leg is kept dry and he gets plenty of rest, he should recover from the fever and chills by a fortnight’s end,” the healer assured.

    “I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Malak stated. “Thank you again for your quick work.”

    “It’s not a problem, captain,” the healer stated quickly. “It is my profession after all. I take pride in my work.”

    Malak helped the healer back to shore, rowing the way there and back with long quick strokes of the paddles. Even with the five years on land, the captain’s physical prowess hadn’t degraded a single bit.

* * *

    Terelyn watched her captain from afar, somewhat embarrassed by her new black eye and beaten knuckles. It wasn’t that she fought, but that she got hit at all. “That’s what they all say to cover their arses,” she said, her accent changing just a little. “I’m gonna have to get me a drink somewhere...”

    “Well I am sure there is something strong to drink down here. I think last time I checked there were a few bottles of rum and whiskey in the belongings of the old crew. ” Varun watched the captain take the healer back to the shore. “If you want I will get a bottle for you.”

    “Yeah,” Terelyn said after a moment. “You do that.” It hadn’t crossed her mind to make anyone get her something to drink, though, in a previous life, that wasn’t uncommon at all. “Bring something up for yourself too.”

    Nodding his head, Varun headed below deck over to where he was calling his bunk. The foot locker here did not have anything really important expect a few bottles of rum, and he grabbed up two. “She needs this more then anyone it seems,” he said to himself.

    Normally he did not do much for others, but for those he worked on the same ship with it was best to help them out because later during battle or a storm they needed to be at full strength physically and mentally. Varun headed back up and handing a bottle to Terelyn.

    When Varun returned, Solarus was perched on Terelyn’s gloved arm. Without a second thought, she took the bottle in her free hand and popped the cork with her teeth and spat it overboard. The slight woman then proceeded to tip the bottle on its end, her lips wrapped around the open end. She didn’t even swallow; it simply slid down her throat as if she were a professional drinker. Terelyn drained a fourth of the bottle before stopping for a breath. A sigh of contentment let loose into the night air. “Good choice.”

    Opening his bottle and taking a swig, Varun chuckled. “Well, it is more just good luck that the person who owned the foot locker enjoyed some good stuff.” Enjoying the night air for a moment after all the hard work, Varun shifted his attention off to the sea. He knew something had happened to Terelyn but it was none of his business. “Hopefully we will be sailing soon, I prefer not to spend to much time here.”

    “All the better, mate,” Terelyn replied. She stared off at sea for a few moments in silence. “Stay in any place too long, you tend to wear out your welcome. Mine’s about run out here.”

    Varun drank in silence as he listened to Terelyn, nodding as he did. “Well, I am not sure what happened and it does not matter. When one of our welcomes run out, I think all of ours runs out, it is just best to stick together as a crew, because losing one hurts us all.” He patted Terelyn on her back and chuckled. “Just remind me never to get on your bad side. If you look like this, I don’t want to think of what those who did it to you look like now.”

    Terelyn smiled, perhaps the first genuine smile she had given anyone. It looked a bit foreign for her face. “Too right, mate. Too right.” She held up her fist, moving it from side to side. For the knuckles of a woman her size, they looked quite calloused, as if she had been punching brick all her life. “The Crim—well, I don’t lose.” Terelyn took a deep swig again to cover up her little slip.

* * *

    Tornalin made his way back on the deck from working and started for the mess area. He loved it when things were this hectic as it took his mind off of his issues. Perhaps he needed to find a better way to deal with his demons. This ship was like home already, and he would not let anything happen to it.

* * *

    Having returned to the ship after taking the healer ashore, Malak strode to Terelyn. “I need a word with you,” he said to his first mate. “We need to discuss the route.” He gave a nod to Varun to acknowledge his presence but said nothing to him. “Come to my quarters after you’ve eaten. I’ll have my charts ready by then.”

    Terelyn coughed, clearing her throat. Her voice dropped, became a little bit rougher than when she was talking to her companion in drinking. “Aye sir.”

    Varun gave a nod to Malak in return, but nothing more than that as he took another swig of his drink. Sometimes it was good not to be that important to the ship. He did not really want to have to put up with to much of the control unless it was his own ship.

    Terelyn sighed, taking another swig of the fire water and handing it back to Varun. “Duty calls,” she muttered. “Thanks.” Giving a glance to him once more, the first mate walked away, a bit more relaxed, a bit more fluid than before.

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