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24 Pirate Quartermaster The Renegade "I am not the girl you save."

[megcostas-blog]

“Excuse me, but may I ask where the bookstore is? I was hoping to find a gift for my cousin.”

[alicebaudin-blog]

     “I think it’s a few blocks from here.”

[ellaashes-blog]

Nadia moved her feet to be the width Alice instructed, shifting a little to find balance once more.

“And how do I do that again? I attack you?”

[alicebaudin-blog]

     “With all y’got.”

[ellaashes-blog]

“Maybe all I need is that? If I work hard enough, a moment could be all I need to strike. It’s all you need, isn’t it?”

“How wide? Shoulder width or farther? I feel like Alexander told me shoulder width, but I forget. Be light, be light. I think I can do that.”

[alicebaudin-blog]

     “Yes, but you always want to be prepared in case that doesn’t work out. Shoulder width. You’re right.”

     “Good. Now go on offense.”

[delmar-rendon]

     Though he noticed the shift in Alice and the curling of fists, he didn’t bother to stop. His threat, though made rather nonchalantly, was still a threat. It showed that she wasn’t naive enough to just trust him; he wouldn’t have. He didn’t trust her, even though he was currently helping her and taking time away from finding those he really did care for. When he leaned back, the wound as clean as he would be able to get it, his eyes lifted to hers.

     “Can you make it on your own?” He asked, though by the way he stood an stepped back before her answer betrayed that he believed she could whether or not she said she would. Though, with what he  knew of Alice Baudin, she wouldn’t consent to help if she wasn’t forced to, and he wasn’t going to force his help on her in this matter.

[alicebaudin-blog]

     Alice gave a single nod, allowing the man to leave her side to the more taxing matters at hand. She was more than capable of walking. She stood, hand going to her side, the pause in movement had helped but once again, the young quartermaster felt the need to be on the move again. Never one to find fault with gut feelings, Alice bid the other pirate farewell and started in the direction of the shop.

[alicebaudin-blog]

Little Lamb || Alice & Buvalu

[blacksmith-buvalu-deactivated20]

     Buvalu, for all the time that he spent talking with others and playing unofficial matchmaker, it was any wonder that he got his work done. Today, however, was the exception. Rather than being in the forge, where one would expect a blacksmith to be, he was out in town. His apprentice had fallen ill, though Buvalu expected it was less the medical kind and more the alcohol induced kind, and rather than force him in to work he was taking care of things himself. Which meant that, today, deliveries were to be made. With the fact that Ronsanella now had two blacksmiths because of Elijah’s own forge, Buvalu had been afforded the opportunity to limit his craft. His main focus had always been in the making of weapons, but without the drag of other odds and ends bogging down his business, it let him perfect many of his skills to the point of being able to claim that he was the best sword smith in Ronsanella.

     With all of his work simply made to order, he had ups and downs. With the amount of pirate activity around, he was finding the general flow of things to be far more steady than it generally was. Good for business, less good for the social life that Buvalu conducted. Not that he minded too much; it kept him busy. Moving. Anything to keep him from falling prey to loneliness. He’d found, as he’d gotten older, that was more difficult than it had been when he was young. When he had just lost his wife he thought nothing could hurt more than that instant, but as the years dragged on he found the perpetual feeling of lacking a significant part of himself was far worse. 

     Work gave him something to focus on. With three swords wrapped and tucked under his arm, he had set towards their new homes and owners. They’d already been paid for and, after a few weeks, the superb blades were finished. Three rapiers, each with a unique handle and guard to the specifications of the one who ordered it. He had just finished dropping off the first two, and talking a bit more than he likely should have, when he set back to the streets and got momentarily distracted by a merchant to his side. He’d been familiar with the man; friends, if you’d asked Buvalu, acquaintances if you asked the other. But he smiled and waved and starting to send a greeting in his way when he moved forward and quickly stopped himself. This time, rather than barrel Alice over, he stopped just short of bumping her.

     “Oh,” He paused and recognized the face. “Oh. My apologies. I don’t mean to keep meeting you this way.”

[alicebaudin-blog]

     “You?” Alice’s bright green eyes reflected surprise, widening with it in disbelief as she most certainly hadn’t expected to run into anyone she knew in the marketplace-- not after what had happened before. She looked around subtly for any disturbances and found none, gaze returning to the man before her, one who had narrowly avoided running into her again.

     Despite the docile nature of the man, she felt slivers of suspicion pierce her heart, the pirate not trusting an innocent face in any given situation, and he certainly knew her to be more than a maiden buying tomatoes from the local farmers. He’d seen her, after all, just recently with a sharp sword in hand and a sharper glare set upon him. This time around, there was only a slight unease in her demeanor, the young quartermaster coming to realize that her innocuous visit to the square might stir up something more violent if the man chose to act on the knowledge that she was more a pirate than a lady. Alice’s gaze, once again, swept the surrounding area, a few guards stationed to watch over the crowd and make sure nothing started up a riot again. She stepped closer and to the side of the man in front of her, shielding herself using him when a soldier nearly made eye contact with her.

     “You really ought to look out for the smaller people.” She smiled, slipping deceptively into a look of ease just to spare herself the suspicions of the people around her. She doubted he wished her any ill-will, else he’d have attacked her the first time around but better to be guarded than prone. “Though, I was the one absent thought. Apologies. What brings you to market?”

[alicebaudin-blog]

Little Lamb || Alice & Melanie

[melaniederrieux-deactivated2015]

“How interesting.” Melanie shuffled in her place, she didn’t like the thought of being robbed so easily, she would be a fool to say it would never happen to her but she’s had the good fortune so far to be left alone by those who pick easy targets. Melanie noticed how the stranger before her took notice of her surroundings, a not uncommon gesture after all the attacks on the villages so she thought nothing of it and merely waited to see if she would continue the conversation or if Melanie should continue on her way. 

As the maiden continued talking, this time actually looking at Melanie more directly, Melanie brightened up. She was always happy to make new acquaintances and potential new friends. “A hard feat for myself I must admit, I seem to always have the extra weight of clothing and accessories, but I shall be more cautious in the futures, especially after witnessing such an event before my eyes.”  Melanie smiled at the beautiful dark skinned woman before her, something about her just made Melanie want to befriend her, make her more relaxed in her presence.

“Goodness where are my manners, allow me to introduce myself, I’m Melanie Derrieux, and you are?”

[alicebaudin-blog]

     Names, the cursed cordial greetings the civilians of the Kingdom felt pressed upon to impose on one such as her, were dangerous for a pirate. Not that she was well-known outside of pirate circles, but the ties she had to Captain Barrett made her susceptible to being known, if not by sight then by name. Alice was a common name, though her last would surely give her away if the woman before her knew anything of the crowd she pledged her sword to. Smoothing over the internal debate of whether a fake name would be adequate, Alice decided that it would be best to keep it simple.

     “You may call me Alice,” she inclined her head as formal as a greeting she was willing to give. “What brings you to market?” She asked politely, not wanting to incite any suspicion in the middle of a crowded square, Alice was more than a little aware of what happened when facing masses with a mob mentality.

[delmar-rendon]

“If you continue to complain,” Delmar started, lifting his gaze to look up at her for a moment before back to her side. “I’ll find a way to gag you.” The threat was made casually; he had little intentions of following through on it. If nothing else, it got the point across that for as much as she wanted to say that she was fine he was going to be sure of it before he left her there. The last thing he needed was the Pirate Lord Barrett to be on his ass about that. He was irritated already with the man, and any further communication with him would likely end poorly for one or both of them.

When Alice moved her hand so he could see the wound at her side, he drew in his breath slowly to look at it before nodding. There wasn’t much he could do, but the small water pouch he had at his waist was removed and used to clean the gash, a portion of his own shirt pulled and ripped off to dab at it and make sure it was as clean as could be. “If it doesn’t get bandaged or stitched you’ll be lucky to get out of this without an infection,” He said, looking up to her again and, for the moment, ignoring her comment.

[alicebaudin-blog]

     Alice held her breath as Delmar started to clean the bleeding gash on her side, her fingers curled into fists but the pain was bearable.  It only made her anger towards the Rogues that plagued the Kingdom’s streets burn hotter, their still-beating hearts driving Alice to murderous intent upon those that would see her kind hung for acts not of their doing. Slowly, her attention refocused on the man and his words, calm anchoring her to safer harbors. No one was coming around the corner, the world eerily quiet in the aftermath of chaos. She met his eyes again with her own and nodded in understanding.

“There’s a tailor’s place just up the street,” she jerked her chin in the direction of it. “I’ll get there and stitch myself up.”

[ellaashes-blog]

“I was hoping my heart and good looks would pay off. How can I fix it? My balance, I mean.”

[alicebaudin-blog]

     “You will catch more than one off guard with your looks, but that is a momentary stun.”

     “Widen your stance, be light on your feet when you move. A blade can’t hit what’s not there.”

[alicebaudin-blog]

      “And how do you expect to fight at my back with no balance, love?”

[alicebaudin-blog]

Little Lamb || Alice & Melanie

[melaniederrieux-deactivated2015]

After the horrific violence she’d witnessed, Melanie felt a sense of dread at the thought of even going to any of the villages nearby for the morning market. It was a feeling that wouldn’t leave the pit of her stomach and that only inspired her rage. Those attacks had taken away her sense of safety, something she’d always had in her bubble of privilege. A bubble that had sadly burst and refused to be remade but she would be damned if her fear took over her life. Melanie was stronger than that. She could over come this.

Deciding that now was a good a time as any to face her fears Melanie went to perform her morning rituals. Her clothing and make up a type of armor, she felt more and more like herself now that she looked like the lady she was. After breaking her fast, she decided to go to the nearest town and help out. Not that she was going to do any hard work, her hands weren’t made for that, but the shops still needed to make profit and she had money to burn, or in this case, spend. She wouldn’t be unprepared this time, and would travel with guards nearby and have one of them hold her money so she wouldn’t be robbed blind. 

A smart decision she decided, after witnessing a woman being robbed by a little girl right before her eyes, the woman had caught on and quickly got her money back but still Melanie was surprised by how fast that all went down. “How did you even feel that?” Melanie didn’t mean to say that aloud, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to have a conversation with the woman who frowned at the sight of her. Melanie was used to smiles at her presence but alas her mouth didn’t consult with her brain properly and the words were out there.

[alicebaudin-blog]

     “You learn to feel it,” Alice shrugged, relaxing slightly when the stranger proved more curious than threatening. Subtly, she looked around, on guard as always. Alice hadn’t earned her reputation by walking through places without clue of the dangers that lurked in the darkest shadows. When the surroundings proved innocuous enough, the young quartermaster relaxed a tad bit more, frown easing up on her mouth. She’d learned a long time ago that the only person responsible for looking after her was herself. Not to say that she was without help, the crew offered up their services more than a few times but for the most part, they looked out for themselves.

     The girl before her was beautiful, made up of eyes that reflected the sea, light coral-colored lips. It made it hard for Alice to continue to act annoyed, the other’s disposition akin to Nadia’s with her open curiosity. Huffing out a sigh, she spared one more glance around and then finally, met the gaze of the other girl more firmly.

     “There isn’t much to it, y’just pay attention. Harder to do if you’re carrying a lot.” There was nothing but the concealed dagger on her person, the pirate feeling naked without her sword at her side. It was a necessary thing, however, a sword would be a dead give away to her calling-- even the most untrained eye would be able catch on to the unusual sight of a girl toting a sword around. No, this time around, a sword would bring her more trouble than its worth.

[alicebaudin-blog]

Little Lamb || Alice & Open

Come away little lass Come away to the water Away from the life that you always knew We are calling to you

     The day was pleasant, fair winds blowing towards the South and taking the smell of death and smoke with it. Clouds above floated weightlessly through azure skies, occasionally blotting out the sun as it slowly trekked away from the horizon to the East. Alice inspected the raised line of freshly healed skin at her side, the doctor aboard The Renegade told her that it’d be a faint scar, the wound not deep enough to leave something long-lasting. She was pleased at the thought, letting her shirt fall back down to cover it.

     Morning had the young quartermaster kicking her men from the brothel and sending them back to the ship so that they could sleep off the night’s events. Their grumbling lasted only as long as it took to get back to The Renegade where they passed out beneath the deck in the crew’s quarters, free from being woken up by noises heard through thin walls. Afterwards, she had no other business to attend to, a rare and quiet few hours all to herself with nothing to really spend it on.

     Alice felt out of place, floating about with no sense of purpose, her usual sense of duty now void that she lacked anything to fill her mental checklist. She dawdled on the deck of The Renegade for a time, untangling rope and overseeing inventory until she was waved off and told to relax. Words that fell on deaf ears as the idea of relaxing was foreign to Alice. The girl found herself once again off the ship, this time her feet were not aimed towards any brothel or bar but to the outside market that was still busy despite recent events. 

     People filled the street along with the clamor of their bartering and chatting. She could see children running from stand, some with heavier pockets than others. One brushed by her but her hand was quicker, grabbing the small girl by the back of her shirt. “My coins.” She held her hand out, green eyes bright and shining knowingly at the girl. The girl was young, a spatter of freckles across her face and teeth that had yet to grow in, light brown eyes stared comically back at her, widened in embarrassment and surprise. She was quick to produce Alice’s small coin purse and the pirate shook it for good measure, the weight of it familiar to her. “Good.” She let the girl go without another word, gaze following after her until she was lost to the crowd. Alice turned back to walking only, to her complete annoyance, to be blocked off in her efforts by someone being directly in her path. Her attention turned from her coin purse to the person, her eyes narrowed and mouth set in a displeased frown.

[delmar-rendon]

     Once Delmar had gotten her a safe distance from the openness of the street and anyone that might come past, he was looking to her. Looking her over. Searching out what he could see as injuries apart from the blood at her side before a brief glance at her face. She wasn’t pale enough for him to think that the blood loss was horrible; most likely a flesh wound. But he was crouching slightly anyway; though his sickles remained close as hand should he need them, either to defend against the woman in front of him or to stop someone that attempted to fall on them while they were occupied.

     He simply nodded at the thanks, nodding towards her side. “Let me see,” He spoke simply. Delmar was no doctor, but he had treated his fair number of cuts and gashes in his time; many of them on himself, a few on the crew. Despite her attempt to wave him off he was simply repeating the command and letting his gaze shift to her face with a more hardened edge than before. It wasn’t as if he wanted to avoid the crew or finding Dimitri. But he also had the undeniable urge, however annoying it may have been, to make sure that others were also okay. Especially ones that he knew. While he wasn’t sure he would go so far as to say he cared for her, as their interactions were limited, and would certainly not lay down his life for her, it was enough that he knew who she was and couldn’t just turn his back without a worry itching at the back of his mind. 

     For his own sake as much as hers, he supposed, he stayed.

[alicebaudin-blog]

     “Rendon...” Alice warned, her mouth turning downward as it fell on deaf ears. The stubborn quartermaster held the other at a distant regard, his relation to her not falling into enemy or close friend, and Alice was unsure if she could trust such a thing. He was intent on staying, for whatever reason, and Alice quickly lost hold of the situation as he looked up with a hardened, stubborn expression. She looked away, removed her hand, and lifted her shirt, allowing him to take in the wound. 

      As he took care of her wound, she remained vigil, emerald-sparked eyes taking in everything around them. Watching his back was the least she could do for him in return, Alice never fond of owing anyone, anything. “You are an odd one. Staying for someone who isn’t your own.”

[blacksmith-buvalu-deactivated20]

Signs of War | Buvalu & Baudin

[blacksmith-buvalu-deactivated20]

     When she first repeated his question back to her, he wondered if he had misspoke. There were times, though rare, that he shifted one language for another. But, then, she wouldn’t have been able to repeat it word for word as he’d believed he’d said it, would she? His brow further lowered, creasing his forehead for a moment before the woman in front of him was explaining. There were parts of himself that he was clearly not utilizing fully. It was silly of him to even think of the fact that he should have to ask this woman–this tiny woman–to allow him to pass. But to barrel through anyone was far from Buvalu’s tendency. Clearing his throat, as if it gave him some freedom to speak and assert authority he was shaking his head.

    “I don’t wish to barrel you over. Or keep you.” He stepped to the side a bit, motioning down the alley to the way that he had come from when he’d nearly flattened the poor woman. But, then, by her look she didn’t seem quite the poor woman. She seemed ready and willing to fight. She could have been a commoner–he’d not seen her before, but that meant little if she wasn’t often near the blacksmith. Instead, it was her blade that drew his attention. There was much that one could learn from the steel of a blade, and he knew it wasn’t his or Elijah’s work that she held in his hand. Nothing that was bought in this port, which meant she either acquired it from someone else or she’d often been to other ports to allow her to purchase a sword. Neither thought was particularly calming. 

     Moving closer to the wall again, he looked to her face. “Please,”  He asked, waving his arm again to motion for the way that she should go and as indication that he was not looking to harm her should they just continue on their ways.

[alicebaudin-blog]

    A rogue pirate would have attacked her, she was certain and any of her other kind wouldn’t be as docile as this, at least she had yet to meet a pirate that would act as the man did, passive and apologetic. She saw him studying her sword but was unable to guess what he was thinking, though he looked intently on, as if familiar with blades and the sort. She felt uncomfortable by it, her grip on her sword tightening, in case he changed his mind about being peaceful.

     Once again, Alice was struck silent by surprise, staring a moment too long at the behemoth before her. He was being all too polite for someone that had stopped her mid run as if the force of her slamming into him was barely notable, an errant breeze to a brick wall. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing parted from her and then she was being waved on by him. With a curious inclination of her head, she kept her sword raised-- couldn’t be too careful-- and went by, making no move to attack him.

     “You’d do well to stay clear of the fray,” Alice said at last, her words of caution spent miserly on the other.

     When she was a bit away, she let her sword down, gaze lingering a second longer before she turned and continued her running from before. She had already wasted too much time with the gentle giant and needed to make up for it.

[crowerichardson]

    “Right,”

    “Baudin,” He repeated, his smile never wavering. “So you’re one of Barrett’s then. Should I walk away before he sees me? Seems the possessive type.”

[alicebaudin-blog]

     Relaxing had been a mistake, she felt her fist fly before she had any means to stop it, insulted by the way the man seemed more wary of Alex than of her. Her fist connected and she felt satisfied beyond measure.

     “Well...I feel much better.”

[delmar-rendon]

     With Alice’s current state, Delmar’s hesitation to approach and put an arm around her had nearly vanished. She looked as though she was about to drop to the ground if she didn’t have something solid behind her, and the chances of her trying to run him through for helping were slim. At least, not to a level where he wouldn’t be able to stop her before she’d killed him.

     The mention of a scar caused a bit of a calloused laugh, a shake of his head as he ushered her out of the line of sight of the main streets. He didn’t wait to see if she was keeping time with his steps, more than content her drag her with him if it came to that. Scars were not something that Delmar wanted to collect, despite the fact that they littered his body like paint on a canvas. He supposed he nearly had more scarred flesh than that that was untouched, but he did not want more. They were a sign of your inferiority to someone else; a weakness. Each scar he wore now was a sign of the time he’d spent making himself better than whoever had given it. He wasn’t sure if it’d be the same for Alice.

      The question of his crew had his jaw clenching, finding a quiet place first to help her sit. “The men are fine,” He said, though the lie was a little less believable in the current situation than it would have been otherwise. But he thought it true; it wasn’t the crew he was concerned about, after all. It was their captain he wanted to find.

[alicebaudin-blog]

       Alice knew her limit and had no qualms with being led from the street. There were few people she would trust to be around her in a weakened state but there was nothing she could do about it, Delmar was not a man she feared-- she had never been at the point of his sword-- though she wasn’t fool enough not to be wary of him. For whatever reason, he’d stopped, though, and went out of his way to help her despite being from a different crew. An action that caused Alice great confusion, seeing as how she was neither used to acts of kindness from strangers nor from people from other crews. As befuddled by the gesture as she was, she held her breath for the other shoe to drop, the pain accompanying the wound.

      But it never came.

      “...Thank you.” Alice found the words to be foreign sounding, the rare coupling rare to those outside of her own crew. The streets around them had cleared somewhat, the sun’s slow crawl across the sky nearly come to an end near the horizon. She leaned against a wall and continued to press her hand against her side, a crate holding up against her weight. The man still loitered before her and she indicated with her hand for him to move on. “Go to your crew, once the bleeding stops, I will be fine.” It was a shallow cut, one that probably looked worse than it actually was, but paired with Alice’s exhaustion it would be somewhat hard to pass it off to Alexander as minor.

[ellaashes-blog]

“Week’s end at dawn. Got it. And I will be sure to sleep before. Thought I might be a little too excited to get as restful a sleep as I need.”

Nadia gave the hand on her shoulder a squeeze before nodding to show she had heard Alice. Leaving the darker girl, she went to find a crew member to ask about inventory.

[crowerichardson]

“Crowe,” He gave readily, smiling and tilting his head a bit to watch her. She had the attitude of a woman that hadn’t grown up in a city like this; too callous and forward to be one of the fine women and or towns people. That left pirate, and that meant giving his real name instead of that of his brother’s. “And you are? Other than beautiful, I mean.”

[alicebaudin-blog]

     “Vexed.”

     “They call me by my surname, Baudin.” Alice informed, finally, arms crossing as she took on a less threatening stance. Not that she was much of an imposing figure when she only stood just past five feet but she made up for it.