In the course of a few seconds Marie had come to a decision, while she was perfectly capable of crossing the plank by herself it might be a better idea to seem a bit weaker and more dependent then she actually was. Let them think she was a weak girl or something in the end it might prove useful, internally she smirked it might even help if she played up how she had been molested by Erik the night before. Sympathy was a good tool sometimes, the captain ruffled her hair knocking the cap off and leaving her hair all mused. “Good luck girl I wish you a safe voyage” Marie nodded thanking him in a soft voice laying on some of the ladylike charm that had been breed into her. Smoothing her hair quickly she stepped up onto the railing using the officers surprisingly muscular shoulder to balance herself, taking his arm she used it to help her get across the short distance between the ships.

The men on the naval ship looked cleaner, all or at least most of them were in uniform. Nodding to the men she stepped away from the plank turning for a look back at the ship that had been her home for the past few weeks the captain was watching the navy men leave his ship. Their eyes met green to brown and he nodded a goodbye. Due east he said? At least they weren’t going right home yet, why they were stopping off was a mystery to her but it gave her time to try and escape again. Maybe they had some of her clothes on this ship, playing up the part of a young lady could come in handy. Was it sneaky? Yes. But she would do what she had to until she found her fiancée.


Her hand was warm and the feather light traces of her fingertips skimming his palm brought a deep red to his cheeks, luckily the darkness hid his face, although it didn’t hide the sort of breathless quality his voice had suddenly taken. “You wouldn’t be the first to say pirates need to be gotten rid of, but you are the first to say sailors. I suppose because we pose a danger to you…” James stared at their hands palm to palm, his callused hand was quite a bit larger then hers. Hers was so dainty and small pale skin to his tan, without thinking he laced his fingers through hers. It oddly felt right, he left soon true enough and would probably never see her again, but for now he wanted to spend as much time as possible learning about her, spending time with her.

“So what are the dreams and aspirations of a mermaid?” he asked after a pause, the moonlight played across her face and scales giving her an otherworldly look. He had never really seen her in the sun except from a distance but he thought that the moon suited her in a way made her seem more beautiful almost. But then he had never seen her in anything else so he couldn’t say for sure. “What does a mermaid want to do, or out of this life…. Do you have jobs or…. I know nothing about your kind but what legend says and honestly that isn’t a lot. Tell me about you Evelyn where were you born, how old are you? What is it like living in the ocean?” he was babbling he knew but he couldn’t help himself.

Jace was sure to hold his arm firm for her as she took it, escorting her across the gangplank as smoothly as he could. She didn't seme to need much help, but while he mused that she could've easily crossed that distance herself he then took into account that perhaps it simply wasn't proper for her to do so. It was when they had successfully boarded his ship that he suddenly felt a weight upon his shoulders-- the weight brought by a lack of words to say. He spoke to ladies quite often back at home, and in a friendly setting, but speaking to a lady of superior class was a whole new sea for him to adjust to. After a moment of standing quietly, the ship had set into motion and he ran a hand up through his hair and spoke up, "Nice to meet you, Miss Rossi. I am Captain Jace Masters, and my crew was sent to search for you." He was up-front about his purpose and standing, but after speaking so frankly he softened up a bit. "Are you alright? They did you no harm, did they?" he then asked, genuinely concerned as he observed the girl for any sort of mark to speak otherwise.

While he didn't see anything prominent, he still awaited an answer as he straightened himself up and took to walking to the center of the deck to gesture towards the cabins along the rear. "We'll get a room set up for you, though I'm afraid we truly have no clothing to suit. We may purchase some at dock, but... " his voice trailed off as he looked over at her, his gaze careful as he tried to read the lady before him. She was a beauty, that was for sure, but what one earth was a well-off lady doing out at sea? The idea perplexed him, and his intrigue in her would be clear from his sudden loss of words as he looked back at her. Clearing his voice after a moment, he spoke up again, "If you'd like to rest or bathe, I'd show you to your room miss? Though there are a few matters I'd like to discuss with you," he replied in a more casual manner, then stretching his arms out behind him, and sighing softly. The threat of becoming low on supplies still gave him right to fret. God forbid it that they ran out of decent food or ammunition, especially with a lady on board. What would happen in the case of pirates?

Evelyn's eyes became trained to their hands as they touched, a feeling that earned the slightest of shivers down her back. The sensation was odd, but in every sense of the word, enjoyable. His hand, though calloused, was warm and had a firmness that she appreciated against her much smaller hand. As his fingers found their way to entwine with hers, a blush lit her face, not used to the feeling of allowing a man to touch her. It was unheard of, but she enjoyed every minute of it. After a moment, her fingers hesitantly moved to lace through his as well. "I don't believe that you do," she replied thoughtfully after a moment, allowing her gaze to move to his face, "That you pose a danger to me, that is. Besides, I rather like talking with you."

The question he first asked caught her off guard, leading her to blink at him in surprise. Hr dreams and aspirations? She supposed she didn't have many, though the was much she wished to learn, to do. Sirens, in her eyes, lived a life that she didn't wish to take part in. That was simply that. So, laughing softly to herself, she ran her free hand along her tail for a moment in thought. "Well, I don't suppose most sirens have many, but..." she paused, hesitated for a moment, then smiled and went on to explain, "I'm far more curious than any others I've met. I want to learn about the world, about humans... I mean, I want to learn about their ships and strange manners and their food, their dancing. Oh, and to learn to walk..." Her voice trailed off again, a blush covering her cheeks as she admitted shyly, "I fancy it might've been nice to live life as a human girl. It's possible, we can have feet, but entirely unconventional."

This was when his other questions came into play, and she casually began to explain everything rather openly. Much to her surprise, she truly didn't mind sharing such information, but his questions did drive a small, musical laugh from her. She was enjoying their time together very much so; the idea that he seemed just as curious about her as she was about him definitely helped this. "I am nineteen, and was born somewhere around this archipelago of islands, but I can't be too sure where. It's a nice place to live, here, I'm rather fond of the warm water. Other sirens don't come by all that often, so that is a perk too, they're not so..." she paused to pout slightly before going on, "Tasteful, maybe. We don't take up any kind of jobs, though many try simply to work on finding a way to live happily while staying out of the way of humans. I tend to do the same, but I like to observe from time to time, to listen to those on passing ships... I don't know, but I can't help but be curious. There are so many different things between humans and us, but, we're so similar." She paused for a few moments before admitting in a softer voice, "There are certain disadvantages to being what I am, though." Her free hand sweot her hair away from the side of her neck to reveal a long, thin crescent-shaped scar that swung around the side of her neck. "Not all men are so kind, it can pay to be cautious," she explained briefly before allowing her hair to fall back and sending a grin in his direction.

"Now, please, tell me about you?" she asked, enthusiastic once more as she smiled over at him.

“The only real harm I received was a close call that nearly compromised me. But other than that I was fine see” she held up one pale slender arm pushing the sleeve up to expose her unmarred skin unmarred but for a light red the result of a fading sunburn. “Now as for anymore conversation it will just have to wait until after I’ve washed and rested a little if you wouldn’t mind.” Giving the officer a quick smile she turned away looking out over the ship “the clothes will be fine so long as I can have something clean to change into, when we dock I can buy a proper dress of some sort.” It wasn’t a question of if they would dock or not but when, she knew they would be docking, that they would have to stop off. Mainly because she was there she had no clue of how they needed to pick up more currency, but she had an inkling when he ordered the ship in the opposite direction of where home was that something was up.

Pushing down her sleeve she followed after the officer as he led her towards her room, she was surprised to find herself attracted to this young man, especially when she already had a fiancé and this man wasn’t quite on the same level as her. Shaking her head she tore her gaze away from his strong back and caught the eye of a navy man watching the two of them. He had a smile on his face almost as if he suspected something. Though what he suspected she wasn’t exactly sure. Ignoring him she thanked Jace for showing her to her room. “I’m sure as you already know my name is Marie Rossi, we can talk after I have a quick bath”


James stared at the scar marring her slender pale neck, how could someone dare to hurt something so beautiful so fragile seeming. Reaching out he traced a finger over the scare anger burning in his gut. Taking a steadying breath he dropped his hand away from her neck and instead focusing on her soothing voice and the warm feel of her hand in his. It worked he calmed down surprisingly quick. He had never felt this way around a woman before not even the girl he was supposed to marry. James frowned at the sudden turn his thoughts had taken, for two years he hadn’t thought of the girl he had left behind, he was happy with his life and hopped she was as well. He didn’t care about his parents they had never cared about him as anything other than a method to acquire more wealth. Marie that had been her name, a pretty thing not yet a mature woman, but she hadn’t left a permanent mark on him it’s why he had never thought of her. Shrugging he let her slip out of his mind as quickly as it entered like no more than a passing thought.

“About myself alright. Well my full name is James Stewart of the Stewart family. My father is a lord the advisor of a king. I was born into a very wealthy family and had everything handed to me on a silver platter but I wasn’t exactly a happy young man. My parents never really paid me much attention father had to spend his time at court while mother just enjoyed all the drama and entertainment court provided. To increase our wealth I was engaged to the daughter of a wealthy high class trading family. Marie was her name she was sweet and we probably would have had a happy life together. I can’t say I’m upset when I was taken in a pirate raid, I adapted to the life of a pirate quickly and found a place where I was finally happy….. well that’s all there really is to tell” he said falling into silence.

The young man halted his steps and visibly stiffened in discomfort where he stood. She was nearly compromised, and that was all? This young lady must be a handful, indeed. Sympathy for her definitely swelled in his gut, but he spoke nothing of it as she went on to say there wouldn't be discussion before she cleaned. That was entirely acceptable, he believe, nodding curtly to her in acknowledgement of her wishes, he'd lead her away to the cabins. "Yes miss, I'll try to scrounge up some fresh clothing for you. There should be something below deck," he thought aloud, then snapped back to reality, facing the pretty young girl before him. Now that he thought about it, the age difference between them couldn't be very far, regardless of how far apart their ranks in society would be placed. He found to difficult to maintain strict propriety while he even jested with his crew, but tried his best to do so nonetheless.

As Jace lead her through the short hallway, another officer caught his eye, and he found the suggestion in his facials expression perplexing, albeit expected. That old fool. Doesn't he know any better? he thought, then sighed softly to himself, knowing that he indeed did not. Even if Jace were captain, he didn't feel right scolding an older sailor, especially one whom he valued so well as the man, his navigator. Spinning back to reality as he came once again to face the ever-distracting lady before him, he would flash a warm smile in her direction-- perhaps the most informal thing he'd done thus far, however innocent it was meant. "Well, here you are. There should be towels and some linens on the nightstand, but a cabin boy can be sent to you if necessary," heel palsied, then paused as she gave her name. Marie Rossi. Yes, he already knew it, but it was a name he already found himself taking a liking to. "I've been told, Miss Rossi, and thank you," he replied casually, hen nodding to her once before strolling back down the hallway. However odd, the girl remained etched in his mind, even if he was to see her just but a little while later.

Evelyn's gaze moved to watch his hand as it went to her neck, a warm blush brushing over her cheeks as she felt him stroke it with his fingers. Her ability to trust him so readily surprised even her, but she didn't regret it, and he didn't disappoint her. Strangely enough, she appreciated the gesture and returned to sitting quietly as she looked over at him studiously. The warm feeling between their hands created a fluttery feeling in her gut that confused her, but made her all the more grateful that she was here with him. This feeling made her want to get to know him better all the more, so she listened especially intently as he bean to speak.

While she knew little of inland affairs, Evelyn had heard well enough to understand the main things about what he'd said. What confused her the most wasn't actually a concept that she hadn't heard of though, it was something that she simply couldn't understand. "Do you ever... Miss her?" she spoke up after a few moments, for some reason feeling that this was something that she must know. Why the idea that he had been engaged bait here her, she didn't know, but she couldn't quite explain a lot of things about the time shed spent with him. His being content in living a different life was something that she could at least grasp, since she thought of the same things herself. Even if she couldn't escape herself, he had, and hearing that he was happy brought a small smile to her lips. "I'm glad that's how you ended up," she then added her own input, glancing down at their hands as if for emphasis before looking back tink his eyes.

“Thank you we will talk later Mr. Masters after I’ve washed” casting once last glance behind her at the traders ship that was sailing away and one last glance at the sailor who had given her the odd look she went into the cabin that had been given for her to use. From the maps and navigating tools littering the desk she assumed this had once been the navigator’s cabin. It wasn’t like she could read any of the charts but they still interested her enough to study them as a bath was brought in and filled with warm water. Thanking the men who had filled the tub she went and locked the door, stripped down, and finally gave herself the best bath she had had since leaving home. It was truly glorious and she luxuriated in the water for at least ten minutes before grabbing the soap and scouring herself clean. Her hair she wet and lathered as best as she could thankfully since she had chopped it to shoulder length it wasn’t all that hard to wash.

She hadn’t known being clean could feel so good, her dirty clothes she left on the floor as she borrowed one of the navigator’s, a rather large man, longest shirt and slipped it on. It fell down to her knees and with an improvised belt made a very short dress of sorts. The leggings would have to wait as hers were dirty and the navigator’s were much too long. She hoped he didn’t mind her borrowing his clothes but she had nothing else to wear. Running her fingers through her drying hair, and feeling more naked then she had ever been in her life in front of people she went out on deck and searched for Jace. The deck was smooth lucky for her and her bare feet. Jace wasn’t too far away talking to one of his men.


“Miss her? Marie?” James fell silent contemplating just how he felt about the pretty young woman, he hadn’t seen her in two years and honestly didn’t know her all that well. He had liked her well enough but she didn’t leave much of an impression. At the time he hadn’t wanted to marry but felt that he could do worse than Marie Rossie. She was sweet, smart, and talented at the things ladies were supposed to be talented in. They had never really talked much and when they had she had been soft spoken, but to be honest he didn’t regret leaving her behind, didn’t miss her, he didn’t even know her hard to miss someone you don’t really know even if they were to be married. Realizing he had been silent for a good number of minutes he shook his head and gave her a sheepish smile. “TO tell the truth I don’t miss Marie, she’s a sweet girl but well I don’t know her. Despite us being engaged I don’t miss her” James shrugged studying their hands intertwined once more.

“Is there anyone you miss? Like your mother. Did you grow up with a mother and a father? Wait come to think of it how does a mermaid reproduce….” He had said that without thinking about it but once he said it he turned an intense shade of red. What an intimate and embarrassing question to ask. It wasn’t his business and it certainly wasn’t proper to talk about sex with a young woman. She might be a mermaid and he might be a pirate now but that was no reason for him to forget his manners and talk about something that wasn’t proper in a conversation between a young man and young woman especially an unwed young woman. “I’m sorry d-don’t answer that” he stuttered embarrassed.

While Marie had gone to wash, Jace stepped back out to speak with a few of his crew members and check their heading. After ensuring that they would reach a small trading port within the next day's time, he would inform his navigator of the circumstance of rooming. Thankfully, the older man was understanding and didn't cause any sort of scene. He didn't even seem to mind when the young lady stepped out wearing his shirt. As the older man's eyes had been drawn in the direction of Marie, so were Jace's. The young captain felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of the young lady in the makeshift dress, which wasn't proper wear for a woman though it did cover her and suit better then the grubby men's clothing she had dressed in before.

After she had approached, it took Jace a moment to gather his words, then smiling sheepishly, he cleared his voice. "We'll have to fetch you some shoes from somewhere on board a bit later. For now, shall we?" he asked, gesturing for her to follow him to the upper deck. The only crew member up there was manning the ship's wheel, but there was a small table filled with various maps and charts with a few chairs standing nearby. If she had followed after him, he would've escorted her to this spot, near the rear end of the ship. Seating himself in one of the chairs, he leaned back a bit as he thought over what exactly to ask first of her. He found he simply couldn't help himself, and asked the most basic question first, "Miss Rossi, if I may ask, why did you decide to hitch a ride on a trading ship? It's not common to hear a lady had gone out so sea so willingly..." His thoughts from earlier stirred themselves, his gaze politely upon her, though he wouldn't like to admit to the fact that her presence made normal behavior possible. Jace was having a hard time jotting words together, as it were. She was beautiful in a dainty manner, even with her hair chopped short and while wearing makeshift clothing.

Tail flickering before her once gently, Evelyn waited patiently for a repsonse to her question. After a few moments, she realized what he may have to collect his thoughts. The slightest pang of guilt rose in her chest as the time drew quietly on after that. Her gaze moved to the side, off of him, as she began to let herself think that perhaps he did miss his fiancé. How those thoughts had lead her to feel a twinge of sadness was unknown to her, but she had begun to regret asking about his fiancé when he spoke up. A small wave of relief swept across the back of her mind, but she tried to ignore it, uncomfortable with letting herself believe that she felt attached to this man after just having met him. Still, her gaze had found itself again upon the entwined hands.

Evelyn's head turned to the side to face him once more as she spoke up with a question for her in return. At first, she was having a hard time thinking up whom she missed, but her thoughts were quickly muddled by the end to his question. Had he just asked her about...? A blush rose to her cheeks, and she was hesitant to reply. What did prompt her to finally speak however, was his apology. She fancied it was rather sweet of him for feeling bad about asking, so she did give him a little insight regardless of how strange a topic it was of a young, unwed woman to speak of, but not in depth enough for their conversation to become obscene. "We can take up a human form of sorts, though many prefer not to outside of water," she explained, running her free hand through her hair thoughtfully.

She hadn't spoken to another about this before, being that the few sirens that she had contact with dismissed silly thoughts such as hers. Most of her kind hated humans, but she had a curiosity and an openmindedness that overpowered the typical abhorrence. "It's an unconventional form, really, since most aren't fond of humans. Aside from that, though, our legs are so weak when we transform that they aren't of much use on land," she paused, rubbing one of her cheeks embarrassedly as he admitted, "Ie tried moving on land once before in that form, but... Walking is rather hard." Laughing softly to herself, shyly, she then let her gaze move over to him once again. She talked to him so openly that it surprised her, but as she looked over him, she found she wasn't so surprised. He was undeniably handsome, but a feeling stirred in the back of her mind that hadn't been there before; strange, but very pleasant.

His gaze swept over her powerful tail trying to imagine them as two rather weak human legs. He couldn’t help but admit that fact was enticing for her to become human would mean a relationship was possible. That thought brought him up short and had him blushing all over again, a relationship? Why on earth had he thought they could have any type of relationship. First of all he was a pirate and she was a mermaid. Shaking his head he smiled. “So are there mermen? Like do mermaids get married to other mermen and have merchildren. Or do you know mermaids mate with humans and the girls become mermaids and the boys are just human.” It seemed like a good enough guess after all he had never heard of mermen as being real… though he also hadn’t know mermaids were real so anything was possible he supposed. Mermaids were real so that opened up a whole realm of possibilities. Things he had thought were just stories could now suddenly have a chance of being real. Of jumping off the pages and coming to life.

“Maybe a little practice and you could walk just like any human” he realized he was jumping from topic to topic without really giving her a chance to respond but he was excited, all of this was so new and anything new to him he just had to learn as much as he could about it. It wasn’t everyday one got to talk with a mermaid after all. All of this time he had been gazing out over the water, drawing his gaze back to her he fell silent and rubbed the pad of his thumb over the back of their clasped hands, it was easy to get lost in her beauty. “Sorry it’s not often one gets to meet a mermaid guess I’m kind of….” He trailed off smiling sheepishly. “I’m better now”


Self conscious now that she was out under the eyes of other people Marie was tempted to bow her head or turn and go back into her cabin, but breeding and a reminder of status had her lifting her head and following after Jace to the upper deck. She could feel the eyes of the men on her they were probably shocked by her state of undress especially considering her rank. Most had the decency to either look away or bow their head as she went past but some openly stared. A young boy no more than ten obviously the cabin boy or a son of someone on the ship stared as she went past. He had such a sweet little face she couldn’t help but smile at him as she walked past, a smile he eagerly returned before returning to his chores. Chores until a day or two ago she had been doing herself. The chores had been difficult for her as she had never done any before other then cleaning up after herself a little or helping out in the kitchen.

Joining Jace at the table she contemplated telling him the truth but decided against it, no way he would understand he would probably call it a wild goose chase. Straightening her spine as many governesses had trained into her she smiled a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Why? That’s a good question. Well think about if you were me or any young lady. We don’t really decide much of our lives we are supposed to sit there and let our father’s decide who we are to marry and when and when we do get married we listen to our husbands.” She gave a light little shrug the sun warm on her neck. “I just wanted adventure I suppose” that part was sort of true at least she hadn’t exactly been looking for adventure but when she found it she found she enjoyed it.

Evelyn's own thoughts were swept into a flurry at the idea of her being human-- something she'd thought of frequently, but never really took into account as a possibility. She supposed she hadn't taken into account that she may just find a man of whom she grew fond of until now, either. Casting a shy side glance in his direction, she listened to him curiously, the smallest of giggles rising from her lips as he seemed to be getting carried away. Her smile stayed in place though, just to show she hadn't it minded at all. She figured it to be sweet, and Understood his urge to ask her so many questions. She knew she also had many for him, so curiosity definitely wasn't a one-sided feeling between them. "I don't believe mermen exist, but I've never once heard of a mermaid marrying either," she admitted, then becoming a tad shy as she went on to explain, "You're right about mating with humans, though." What she failed to mention was the idea that her kind never tended to stay with their human lovers. Most tended to either disappear with the children or, in most cases, drown the men. These thoughts weren't someone she liked, however, so she saw no need to explain how others of her kind acted. She fancied that if she did run off with a human man, she'd end up feeling something for him, and wouldn't dare harming them or leaving. This brought a blush to her face again as she remembered whom she was sitting there with, and felt the soft motion of his thumb against her hand.

What he had said about her possible ability to learn to walk drew a great enthusiasm in her. Smiling brightly in his direction, she placed her free hand atop the one of his that was already entwined with her other hand. A brightness shone in her eyes as she thought about being able to walk, to move on land, to dance. "Maybe... Would you teach me? I'd do something to help you in turn, but I'd-" she paused, realizing just how overexcited she had gotten, and shyly continued, "I'd really appreciate it." Her eyes remained upon him curiously, lingering on his face before she forced herself to look away and off over the water. As he apologized, her brows drew together slightly, confused as she looked over at him again. Everything he'd just said had bounced around on a lot of different topics, but she'd been enjoying the conversation with him so much that she had only vaguely been aware of it and didn't mind at all when she had. Yet, she wasn't sure of what to tell him. A thought perked up in the back of her mind, and she acted on it, however hesitantly. Leaning forward slowly, eyes set cautiously on him, she would place a firm kiss on one of his cheeks before pulling back once more and smiling warmly. "I'm feeling similarly right now, it's okay," she explained, having never spoke to a man before herself, "Besides, I'm enjoying our time together tonight." Her voice had softened during the last part of what she had to say, trailing off as she again looked over the calm sea before them.

Jace regarded the girl before him carefully, but not in the way that he might a lady of his same rank or in the way that may be expected of him to look at his superiors; it was a mix of those mannerisms. It proved to be far too difficult for Jace to not register the beauty of the girl before him, but he also lead his mind to also take into account her status. He'd never faced such problems with gathering himself to speak to someone properly before. For this reason, as he waited for her to explain her choice to run off on a ship, he fidgeted between a few different sitting positions in discomfort. Watching this proved amusing to the crew member manning the ship's wheel just a few yards away, whose face was drawn up withh a goofy smile as he occasionally glanced over his shoulder at the two of them.

Finding it hard to understand himself as to why exactly she would've run off, Jace found himself rather intrigued to hear what she had to say. Raising an eyebrow curiously at her, he took a moment to digest the odd reasoning she'd given. Nevertheless, it was good enough reason, we're it not? Letting out a soft sigh and shrugging a bit to himself, Jace leaned forward in his chair to a normal sitting position again. "I believe that's more than understandable, miss," he began, rubbing the side of his neck thoughtfully as he let that thought settle, "I 'spose I joined the navy for similar reasoning." He was about to speak again when the friendly smile he had had faded right off of his face. Standing abruptly, he jogged over to the railing of the ship and leaned over it, bringing out a spyglass from one of his pockets to look off at a spout of smoke billowing off from the distance, upon closer speculation, it was revealed to be a ship caught fire, presumably from a recent attack. Stiffening where he stood, now tense, Jace spoke up to his crew immediately, "Bring her about to the starboard side, Mr. Rogers, an' head straight for her. Prep the canons, boys, can never be too careful!" As the crew flurried into motion, he felt inwardly tugged. A lady was on his ship, and duty was calling, but what was he to do? His first duty was to the governor, even when the occasional side job such as her rescue came up. Still, he didn't wish her to be in danger. "Miss Rossi, can I request that you return to your cabin for now? It seems we've run into a bit of a trouble here," he spoke apologetically, his gaze tender upon her as he hoped she wouldn't mind is rudeness of his needing to take control of the situation.

( Definitely doesn't have to be the fault of the ship James was on- I don't think it would be, since the attack was so recent- but I figured pirate activity might spice things up. Might give Jace a good reason to allow Marie to keep traveling with them while they look for the pirates. )

Following his gaze she was up and out of her seat rushing to meet the captain at the railing. Leaning over the railing, paying no heed to the fact that the shirt was riding high up on her thighs she squinted. Pirates? A pirate attack? Without a spy glass she couldn’t see much but she could see smoke, the ship was on fire, they had been attacked and whoever had done the attacking couldn’t be too far off right? It had to have been a pirate attack. Pirates. A thrill went through her shadowed by fear. When she imagined finding James she hadn’t imagined the pirates or what would happen if she met up with them, she hadn’t even thought about what would happen if she got caught. In fact she hadn’t really thought about a plan at all, she was suddenly and painstakingly reminded how woefully ill prepared she was for the high seas. She had no knowledge of sailing, no survival knowledge, and no way of defending herself. She didn’t even know how to use a dagger. It suddenly didn’t seem like a good idea to be searching for James but she had come too far to stop now.

Nodding a silent agreement she turned on her heel, tugging down the hem of the shirt when she realized just how high up the shirt had traveled and headed towards the cabin. Once inside she sat down on the bed mussing up the covers, I need a way to protect myself standing up she paced the room restlessly, Her mind touched on a dagger and a sword and immediately tossed them out she needed skill to use them, while a gun on the other hand, she only needed to know how to shoot. Frowning she searched the room, maybe the captain kept an extra one in here.

The search did not prove fruitful, she didn’t find anything in the quick search of the captains, now hers, quarters. The only thing she did find was an eating knife, sharp and would work in a pinch but not something she wanted to defend herself with. Heaving a sigh she sat down heavily tugging down the hem of the shirt, she wasn’t used to such revealing clothes and was thankful to be out of the prying eyes of the crew and captain. She could still remember the heat that came to her cheeks and the quick pitter patter of her heart as he looked at her. It was a look she wasn’t accustomed to seeing and didn’t really know what it meant.

“I am too, and I would love to help you learn how to walk” the full moon was rising higher in the sky now shining fully upon the water. It was beautiful, though it all paled in comparison to the beauty of his ethereal companion. Before he could formulate another sentence he heard a noise coming from down the shore behind them, frowning James stood up squinting into the darkness. Then he heard it again, the drunken revelry of his crew mates, his heart seized. He didn’t know what would happen if she was found all he knew was it couldn’t possibly be good, these were seamen, pirates who didn’t see a woman for months on end there was no telling what they would do. “I should go, let’s meet here tomorrow same time same place okay” leaning down he placed a quick impulsive kiss on her forehead before dashing away to lead the men away. He was just in time the men a few of the shipmates he was closer to, a bunch of the younger men, were stumbling along the beach singing a very boisterous and inappropriate tavern song.

“Hey James!” David, also known as rat by the rest of the crew for his monkey like ability to ascend the ropes and crow’s nest, David was a mop haired, dark skinned young man around James age. Ever since James had first joined the crew he and David had kicked it off and been good buddies ever since. His friend was drunk, drunk off his ass, James highly doubted he could even see his feet, even still he directed him and the other two men back the way they came wrinkling his nose at the rank smell they emitted.

It wasn’t until he was bunked down for the night amidst the snores of his fellow crew members sleeping off their drunken stupor that he could go over the event that transpired right before he left. The firm kiss of full soft lips on his cheek. He had been thoroughly surprised but hadn’t had a chance to do anything before they were interrupted. He was a little irritated with his crew members but it wasn’t their fault they hadn’t known why he was off by himself. He had an easy enough time answering their questions about his whereabouts considering how drunk they were, the only person he had a hard time dodging questions was his captain. His captain could tell something was up and unlike his men he wasn’t drunk. Even still he let it go and James knew he would have to watch himself. Even still he couldn’t deny he wanted to see her again and looked forward to the tomorrow night. The late night and fatigue of the day caught up with him and before he knew it he was asleep.

Evelyn's face lit up with a childlike merriment as he reciprocated her thoughts on their night, then consequently agreed to help her learn to walk. No one could've said anything to drag her down at that moment. She was about to speak up again in thanks, and it seemed he was also about to speak, before noises sounded behind them. This triggered a sense of alertness in her that was all but natural by now. Men were dangerous, she knew this. Whether or not she thought the same of James didn't mean the rest of them wouldn't be a danger to her. Before he began to dash away, she had little but time to nod in agreement to his proposition and say a quick, "Yes, good night." Then she moved into action herself, leaping swiftly from the rock she sat upon into the shallows of the water. It was a quick maneuver with a nearly silent sound that completely shrouded her in the deep coloring of the water below.

It was only when she knew that she was concealed that she took a moment to look back over her shoulder and up through the water. She caught a last glimpse of James running to meet the noise, presumably men of his crew, with a grin on her face. The grin was soon accompanied by a warm blush as she finally let herself think of the kiss to the forehead that she had received. Tail swept into the soft sand before her, she remained in an almost sitting position there for a few minutes before darting off into the depths of the waters surrounding and underneath the island.

Hours later, she'd be curled up among the smooth rocks of a cove that was tucked up in the underside of a cliff face. She'd taken up many nights in this cavern with the smaller creatures that also used its security in the night. As such, she had what few material belongings she actually kept stored away here-- bits of fabric, shimmering shells to thread through her hair, and a brush. Gaze sweeping past her small collection, one of her hands passed over her neck where his necklace now hung. Smiling to herself, she looked down at it fondly for a moment, letting the smooth tips of her fingers run over the silver cross. She would fall asleep without another thought, her hand still wrapped securely around the precious piece of metal.

Jace felt a soft strangled noise sound in his throat as the young lady swept herself up to lean out over the railing, the thought first occurring to him that she could fall. However, another point soon struck his mind as the shirt she wore began to ride up. The softest of blushes dusting the young captain's face as he realized the revealing nature of her dress in that position, he spaced for but a moment before turning abruptly to the older navigator standing a few yards behind them. The man's head tilted in the undeniable direction so as to look at the young lady, Jace felt a sharp tug in his gut that lead him to give the man a stern, disproving look. Quickly, the crew mate went back to work, leading Jace let out of a breathy sigh. This rescue mission was proving to be a bit more complicated than it had at first appeared.

Glad that this silent exchange of glances happened before the young lady had turned to head off to her cabin, he would send her a slight polite nod of thanks for her cooperation. Once she was out of sight and earshot, he once again sighed, one of his hands rising to rub the side of his face troubledly. What he was thinking in acting so casually in front of a young lady of the upper class, he had no idea. A harsh prick of shame pic his thoughts for a moment before he let himself ease up. He hadn't done anything disorderly after all, right? Still, he knew all too well that he should be holding their relations to strictly business. As it were, a mere navy captain with an earned position had nothing to offer a young lady whose family held a noble title.

Why was he thinking of this now? After a shake of his head, he cleared his voice and took command of his crew once more. Skillfully, he moved about the decks of the ship to tend to all manners that may arise once reaching the site of the burning ship. Any men cast overboard would need to be picked up, all evidence of piracy would have to be watched for, a heading would have to be established to follow the perpetrator-- while young for his position, Jace commanded the ship as well as any older man could have. Yet, when it came down to having a young lady aboard, he was flustered. As he now was, approaching the young lady's cabin meaning to speak with her shortly. They were quickly approaching the burning remnants of the ship and would soon know what the next steps to be taken would have to be. These steps would have to be taken whether Miss Rossi wished to be along for the ride or not, but Jace was wary of simply embarking on a search for pirates without giving Miss Rossi the choice to head home beforehand.

With this in mind, he paused before her cabin's door, taking a deep breath. Then relaxing himself, he rose a firm hand to her door to knock politely. "Miss Rossi, I request a quick word," he spoke clearly, but his mind was all over the place.

The tub and her dirty clothes still littered the floor of the cabin, whole undressing and bathing it had slipped her mind that she wasn’t at home and didn’t have servants who would clean up after her. Staring at the dirty clothes, the only clothes she had aside from another set that got left on the trader’s ship when she was traded over. It hadn’t entered her mind to grab the small bag that held the only other outfit of clean clothes she had. Running a hand through her dry hair she then picked through the dirty clothes trying to find the least dirty out of all of them. Unfortunately they all stunk to high heaven of sweat from all the work she had to do. Never having to do a day of work in her life she had found the chores difficult and they had given her blisters, but the blisters had formed into calluses or were starting too. She did still have a few blisters on her palm from the mop. Rubbing her thumb over her palm she picked up her dirty shirt and added it to the pile, it cleared some floor space to have the clothes all in one pile although the tub still sat in the center of the room and she wasn’t strong enough to push it out of the way.

A knock at the door pulled her out of her musings Marie looked up dropping the clean pair of breeches on the bunk she looked towards the door. She had been debating whether they would fit her or not. Being out under all those eyes had made her painfully aware just how little she was wearing, especially because she had no underclothes on underneath, all of them were far too dirty and she hadn’t wanted to take a bath just to put on dirty clothes when she got out. At the time it had seemed like a good idea until she was around people. She could only hope they would make port and she could stop at a dress shop and pick up some new ones. Dresses seemed like the best choice, not merely because they were proper but because they would remind everyone that she was indeed female and make the men believe her frailer then she actually was, especially if she played the part. She had decided against the breeches just as the captain knocked on the door, as embarrassed as she was to be so bare she could use it to her advantage if need be. Putting the clothes away she took a seat as the captain opened the door.

“What is it Captain?” she asked in a soft voice smoothing her hand over the sheets of the bed she sat on. By that time she had folded her dirty clothes and they sat neatly on a chair till they could be washed, The tub still sat in the same place but she had straightened up the desk not putting anything away just making it neater. She didn’t have anything to do and was more than bored having to sit in the room. Maybe later she could swipe a dagger and practice with that in private. She thought before turning her attention back to the captain. "What would you like to talk about?


”James…” a soft pleading voice called out to him, the soft voice was so eerily familiar, the deck of the ship rolled and thunder cracked all around him as he turned to find the source of the voice. Marie stood on the deck in pure white nightgown, the long hair he remembered her having hung around her waist a halo of strawberry blond. She couldn’t be more then fifteen, she looked exactly as she did the last time he saw her. “Marie?” he was confused what was Marie doing out here in the middle of a storm. “I’ve been looking all over for you. When are you coming home to me? You and me were supposed to be married” she took a step towards him arms outstretched just as the ship pitched and she went sailing over the side. “Marie!” he made a grab for her but came up with nothing but air, “Marie!” she didn’t surface diving over the side he hit the water hard, icy knifes tore through him stealing his breath, but he couldn’t find her anywhere.

Soft arms closed around his chest pulling him to safety. The next thing he knew the storm was gone, bright sunshine filled the sky and he lay upon a beach. Sitting up he looked around, coming towards him in the same pure white nightgown Marie had been wearing was Evelyn her purple hair blowing in the sea breeze as she came towards him a sweet smile on her face. “Eve? Where’s Marie?” he asked dumbly, Eve didn’t say anything just dropped down beside him and opened her closed hands in her hands was a turquoise ring, it was a ring he had given to Marie on the second time he had met her. He had picked it out because the color matched her eyes. Taking the ring from Evelyn he rolled it around in his hand, the stone caught the sunlight and sparkled prettily. Another sparkle caught his eye and he looked up, it was the cross Eve wore around her neck, the cross he had given her. Looking down at the ring he dug a small hole in the sand and dropped it in covering it up.

James woke with a start rubbing his forehead, what an odd dream that had been. Stretching he crawled out of his hammock on board the ship and went to grab some breakfast, thanks to the island they finally had some fruit, grabbing a banana he munched on it as he went over and over the dream in his mind. But the more he went over it the less he remembered and the less he understood till he could only remember snatches of it. Giving up he set about his chores for the day, repairing what needed to be repaired, and collecting what needed to be collecting. The dream soon left his thoughts as his eagerness to see Eve again made the whole day go slower.



(I hope you liked the dream thing, I was trying to you know symbolize his burying of the past and looking into the future type thing lol. Hope I did alright)

As he awaited an answer, Jace straightened his shoulders out a bit and took a deep breath to ty to calm his nerves. Why was he so nervous walking into a lady's chambers? He supposed that it wasn't an ideal situation, since men usually didn't consult ladies in their private chambers, but after directing the men of his crew with such proficient skill he should be able to handle this. "I can, right?" he murmurabets himself before shaking his head and simply opening the door. In a manner he hoped seemed more casual than he felt it was, he would walk into her room and seat himself in a chair opposite to her bed. "I have a few more questions for you, if you don't mind. Moreso about how to get you home than anything," he admitted straightforwardly.

Running one of his hands up through his hair as he thought of how to phrase his questions, he took a moment before beginning. "To begin with, I would like to let you know that as much as I dislike the idea of embarking on a chase after pirates with a lady as yourself on board, duty calls ma'am, and I'm afraid we have limited options..." he rubbed one of his cheeks in an almost shy fashion before looking over at her. She truly was beautiful, and even just looking up at her after beginning to speak caused him to pause. "I may regret making this assumption, Miss Rossi, but I do not believe that you left home for the reason you provided. That being said, I am also unsure of your willingness to go home at this time. If you'd like, I am here to... hesitantly invite you along for the journey," he spoke calmly, his eyes upon her curiously- yet remaining polite- as he awaited her reaction.

He then spoke up to add, "If not, of course, then we mean to dock soon. I would offer that we request from another naval vessel that is docked at that location would take you home with all haste." He spoke frankly with her, admitting to being suspicious of what little she had told him, but his voice maintained a casual warmth and his steady gaze non-accusatory. Once again, he acted with a mix of formality and casualty that he had yet to figure out. Jace didn't know why he was acting as he was, even though he knew it was slightly inappropriate, but it was difficult to control.

Evelyn awake to se two small beams of sunlight shining brightly through a couple of the rocks enclosing the cavern, causing the water around her to shimmer softly. The rocks were smooth enough that as she pulled herself up to sit on the banks of the water, she slid upwards with ease. Blinking a few times to adjust her eyes to the light, she then looked down to her chest, where one of her hands still remained clasped firmly. Smiling fondly to herself, she opened her hand to look down at the silver cross pendant that was tucked securely in her palm. "James," she whispered softly to herself once, her fingertips brushing along the smooth metal for a moment before she moved her hands away from it. Leaping into the air for a moment, her body smoothly slipped beneath the water and she moved swiftly out from underneath the island and out of the bay.

She figured it safest to avoid the waters that James' ship may be near, so she made her way to the true depths of the area. Of course, while she separated herself by distance he was close in her thoughts. She again spent the day swimming among the thriving throngs of reefs in the area between the two islands of the chain, stopping on occasion to collect shells or admire the creatures there. As the hours creept into the afternoon, she realized just how slowly time was passing. This was when she returned to the island she lived around, slipping past all signs of men present and back into the safety of her cove. Running a comb through her hair, she'd sing softly to herself and thread the new shells through her hair as she tried to find a means to pass the time.

(( I like the dream and think it worked wonderfully for how you meant it. ^^ ))