Stowaway & The Captain-Closed.

[Perplexia]

Since the precious age of 12 Kayla has been on the run. Now at twenty two, she felt as if she’d lived a thousand lives. Her 5’3 frame sat curled in the cargo hold behind some barrels of what smelt like salted pork. Her red curls tied back under the plain bandana that matched her plain simple bandana that went with her laundry maiden outfit she had swiped on her way out of the last port. It wasn’t easy sneaking on this ship and avoiding being seen. But for her it wasn’t all that difficult either.

She had tried to pay passage on one of the ships but they had all said the same thing. Having a woman on board was bad luck, she’d have a better time just joining the whore house at port. That wasn’t an option, especially as she had no desire to reduce herself to that lifestyle. Her skillset was one that was honed. But also one that was better left unknown. Not to mention her lack of experience with men.

The footsteps above were of a crew getting ready to leave. The chain for the anchor was being reeled up. The ship groaned with angst as it started moving forward. She could feel it catch the wind and start to move at a faster pace. Her stomach wasn’t happy, but she had no choice. She had no choice now, too late to say, ‘sorry i’m stowing away could i just get off now?.’. When the noise started to settle, she moved through the shadows to look for a bucket.

Retreating back to her hiding spot with the bucket in tow she spilled her guts and covered it. With a towel and drank from her canteen. She rinsed her mouth and spit it forward. Then she heard it, the creek on the ladder.. She closed her eyes as her body tried to be as small as possible, to avoid being seen. The steps halted on the ladder and seemed to turn around. There was a conversation on top.

Kayla pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on the barrel next to her. She estimated between three and five days with any luck before the ship pulled into its next port. Providing of course they didn’t get into a fight with another vessel to get more booty to sell. As she started to let her mind relax she heard steps on the ladder. All she could see was broad shoulders, then she buried her head in her knees.

 

[cnuveau]

Under normal circumstances Eric would have already gone through the cargo hold to ensure that everything they needed had been loaded aboard the ship but he'd gotten drunk and passed out at the brothel the night before leaving him scrambling to set sail in time to avoid the gathering storm that would make the pass increasingly treacherous. At 26 he was relatively young to be captaining his own ship but he'd spent the better part of his life aboard them, making an name for himself as someone quick with a sword and unafraid to use it. When the ship cleared the pass and began down the coast he passed the wheel to his first mate. "I need to go check the stores." he grumbled, his head still throbbing from the night before.

Stepping out from the wheelhouse Eric stretched and stood for a moment to let the warm sun warm his skin. Years at sea had left his large 6'3 body kissed with a deep bronze huh and bleached much of the color from his dirty blonde hair. Reaching up Eric tied his long locks into a loose knot at the back of his head to keep it out of his face before making his way down to the cramped cargo hold.

As he climbed down the stairs the rickety wood groaned under the weight of his muscled frame until his feet landed loudly on the planks below. It would be several days before they made port again, hopefully longer if they find a ship to loot along the way. The coast was a heavily trafficked trading route providing him a wealth of opportunities to fill his coffers with gold and and exotic gems along the way. His last trip had been exceptionally lucrative which was the reason he'd allowed the crew extended shore leave for some much needed rest and companionship.

Eric made his way through the hold checking off his mental list of the supplies he'd ordered and when he rounded the barrels of salted meats he froze, stunned to find a stowaway cowering behind them. "You there. What do you think you're doing? Are you trying to be killed?" he growled as he stepped closer and towered over her.

Though stowaways weren't an uncommon occurrence on trading ships they were exceptionally rare on notorious pirate ships like his. Even more rare was them being women but the maids dress and flowing red hair made it clear that was exactly what he had on his hands.

 

[Perplexia]

She looked up at him feigning the poor frightened girl mode. Her green eyes grew wide "please don't kill me" she said in a whimpering whisper. "i can be of use to the next port, i can cook, I can sew, I can aid the injured. Surely some of those skills are lacking upon the men. I have coin to pay for my passage to the next port. Please sir, don't make me swim back." She had probably rehearsed this a million times in her head in the instance she was caught. She should have known better then to think she'd get away with it.

"Please Sir, I'll be no trouble i swear" her eyes looked up into his as he was debating her words. He wasn't bad looking for a pirate. It was a dangerous gamble she took entering a pirate ship. They were notorious womanizers, they enjoyed their rum and taking what they wanted. "I can help with your banging head as well." she said in a last ditch effort to prove she could in fact be useful to the ship, with out being reduced as a party favor and being handed around.

"all i ask is not to be touched" she said with a fear in her tone. "please" she pleaded again. The ship rocked and groaned she reached for the bucket again. Not the right time she said in her head to her stomach. She wiped her mouth, then rinsed it, and spit it into the bucket.

 

[cnuveau]

Being tossed overboard to swim to shore seemed like an overly optimistic outcome for her to expect for being caught stowing away on a pirate ship. On any other ship she'd be passed around until the crew tired of her then disposed of at the bottom of the sea but that wasn't something that Eric would abide. He'd watched the same happen to his sister when he was a young child and she ship his family had been aboard had been overtaken by pirates. Though he was spared and put to work on it's decks, she wasn't afforded the same luxury. In the quiet nights he could still hear her screams and cries as one of the other took their turns ravaging her.

Eric doubted very seriously that she held enough coin to interest him. Had she had more than crumbs lining her pockets she surely wouldn't have found herself here but the galley could always use a pair of skilled hands especially if they came at no cost. "You'll earn your passage?" he asked, unsure why he was even considering it.

The smell of the bucket when she uncovered it hit Eric's nose making his own stomach to flip and clench and caused him to stumble back a few steps. "How do you know about my banging head?" he asked, curious as to how she was able to deduce that. He realized he likely looked like crap which would be a more than adequate clue but it did seem a rather odd deduction she'd be able to make in the dim light of the cargo hold.

 

[Perplexia]

"You held your head briefly, and I saw you at the brothel. I was trying to buy passage, but all i heard was women are bad luck on ships, and that I should just become a whore." She shrugged. "I would really like to avoid the later, I promise I'll disappear at the next port if you could find it acceptable to keep me safe until then. I'd be most grateful. I realize that may not seem like much to offer. Sorry about the bucket, my stomach is still adjusting."

She laid her head upon the barrel and groaned. This was the first time she could ever remember feeling so bad. "oh I'm finding it hard to breath." she moaned. Kayla was unsure what his decision would be. That was rare for her to not be able to read a mans thoughts by his expressions. It was also quite intriguing as well. She found herself interested in finding out what his story was. Why he chose this kind of life. Yet she said nothing and continued to groan.

"I have much experience in the kitchen and patching up wounds. I have a knack for making meals out of only a few items, and making it seem like its the best thing ever tasted. " she let out another groan and decided to let him think without her mouth over run his brain. Sometimes the wisest thing one can do is lay the foundation and let the other build upon it. She accepted that she may end up having to be his personal whore as payment till the next port. But this was not something she was going to aim for.

"Captain" one of his crew members called. "Helmsman saw a ship"

 

[cnuveau]

She wasn't wrong. Women were considered bad luck on ships but in his experience it wasn't luck at all. Trapped aboard a ship for so long it was only a matter of time before men's needs began to get the better of them and it was the competition and jealousy that tended to wreck the moral of the crew. Invariably someone would get attached or jealous of another resulting in chaos. That wasn't something that Eric intended to see happen to his crew.

Eric was just about to lay out the ground rules if he were allow her to stay when word came of a ship on the horizon. "Shit. Come on and bring that fowl bucket." he said, reaching down to take her hand and pull her to her feet.

Eric climbed the ladder first then took the bucket as she emerged at the top of the ladder. He noticed the surprise on his crew's face to see a woman emerge from the cargo hold with him and immediately they began to mumble to one another. "We have another crew member and not one of you fuckers touches her." Eric barked out.

Pitching the bucket overboard Eric led the girl to his cabin then escorted her inside. "You stay in here and don't come out until I come get you. The deck will be no place for a lady right now." he ordered her before closing the door and making his way up to the wheel.

Eric didn't like the idea of going after a ship so close to port but it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. "What are we looking at?" he asked, taking the scope from the helmsman then peering through it.

 

[Perplexia]

She took his hand to help her up, grabbing her bag she clasped on to it firmly, and followed him up the ladder. The expression of the crew when she popped out of the hatch was priceless. Immediately he had ordered them not to touch her. He put her into his cabin for safety.. Then he was gone. She could hear the orders being bellowed.

Kayla struggled with knowing she could be an asset with her skills, and whether she should reveal them or not. Making the decision she opened her bag and changed into pants and stole one of the captains shirts. She tied her hair back and exited the cabin moving silently in the shadows. She appeared at the captain's side. “I know you don’t have a reason to trust me, she said lightly. “But no man that hits the deck will breathe.”

The ship rammed the side of their ship and threw a plank across and started swinging in. She disappeared into the shadows and moved quicker than could be traced. She was a one woman killing machine. She was jumping on men cutting their throats, and diving between legs cutting achilles tendons. When the last man fell she began organizing tables for the wounded. The most severe to the least. She yelled for hot water, fresh linen, surgical tools and alcohol.

She began performing surgery to save legs and arms and other wounds. She moved from one patient to the next in such a manner it was hard to keep track. The men watch her save their crew mates. Some jumped in to help her with whatever she needed. After working tirelessly for five hours she had the entire crew patched up and not one life was lost.

When she was done she moved silently back to the cabin and began to wash up. She had no choice but to help. She told herself. Her movements and actions were going to cause questions. Questions she hadn’t answered in a very long time. He would be either shocked and require explanations, or he would be mad that she broke his order. Or perhaps a combination of both.

Once she cleaned up she placed her dagger under her pillow in the hammock, and let her hand rest on the hilt, the other in her hand under her body. “I had to save instead of murder” she told herself as the hammock swayed and she waited.