Hold Steady

Billie Cassidy. Master Gunner.

[billie-cassidy]

shiftingseas​:

their eyes followed Billie as she leaned against the mast net, meeting her gaze as they got to their feet. smiling at her comment, they pulled themselves up the offending rope and finished the knot they had been working on before getting stuck. hopping down, they turned back to the other woman. “you were a rigger?” they smirked slightly, she didn’t seem the type. strong of course, but not sinewy in the way most good riggers Bloom had known were. “I’ve actually found it the opposite.” they gave Billie a genuine smile. “the ropes are never the same of course, but neither is anything else. it’s the knots that stay the same.” grinning as the other woman introduced herself formally, Bloom returned the favor. they immediately blushed when Billie called them out for staring at her weapon. “no I definitely get it, you’ve always got to be ready.” they gestured to their scimitar, sheathed and slung across their back. “what is the deal with ‘our family friend’ as you put it?”

.

“I’ve been a pirate my whole life, so I’ve tried my hand at pretty much every role besides captain.” It was always better to get that fact out of the way early, that way if crew members came across Billie doing something that technically wasn’t her job, they knew she was probably just bored and capable enough. “My folks are pirates, you see.” She shrugged, “gunner has long been my preffered position though, so it’s the role I’ve always had on this ship. Save for that one time I had to take up the helm, but that was because of our rogue sorcerer problem.” Billie shook her head, “ah, see. That’s why it’s your job and not mine. I never quite had the hands for rigger work.” She sighed, eyes drifting downward as if she might be able to watch Arroyo despite the wood of the deck obscuring him from view. “We’re going to drop him back off at his colony. Well, as close as we can get without most of us drowning, of course. Hopefully that’ll be the end of this little side quest and we can find a place to port and make the last of the repairs.”

[father-tobias]

Tobias peeked into the room, grinning as he found the person he was looking for. He leaned against the doorframe. “Billie– I have a proposition for you. It requires your thieving skills and the reward… will most likely be worth it, but be for warned it’s not a perfect plan. You like wine, yes?” @billie-cassidy​

[billie-cassidy]

.

Billie was patching up a hole in her coat. Totally boring, but also necessary if she wanted the coat to last. Still, when Tobias walked by with a proposition that involved stealing, the coat could absolutely wait. She set it to one side, eyebrow raised. “I don’t dislike wine.” Billie shrugged, visibly confused, “what does thta have to do with stealing?”

[cleptaar]

Magni didn’t have a mirror or anything else to see the change of his appearance, but he could feel it. It’s been a while since he let himself change into someone else. Usually, Magni tried to avoid it, but as much as he despised the change, it was a relief to be able to be someone else and to disappear for a moment. After the change, he opened his eyes and studied his hands. They were so different from his own. His fingers were long, and his skin no longer showed any sign of hard labor. Where had he seen this man before? Was it in Westburgh? Or maybe even Luna Island? Magni was startled from his thoughts when he heard someone approaching him, instantly changing back into himself. His freshly washed hair hung loosely over his shoulder, no longer in a braid. “ Were you trying to sneak up on me? “ Magni almost hissed at them before sighing deeply. “ Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Are you okay? “

[billie-cassidy]

.

Billie felt better for being back out at sea, even if their adventure was still taking a detour to drop Arroyo off back home at least there was the rocking of the boat and the bracing ocean breeze again. She’d spent most of her time above deck, unsurprisingly, watching their new rigger work and warily eyeing the skies for signs of more bad weather. But now Billie was bored, and ambling about the ship looking for something more entertaining. Magni was usually good in that regard, but apparently she had caught him on an off day. Billie held her hands up in a placating gesture, small smile tugging at her lips. “Not my fault if I caught you unawares. I’m fine, just a little bored. Are you alright?”

[billie-cassidy]

cleptaar​:

,

So Tobias was scared of magic? Was he only frightened of Athena and what she could do with her magic, or would he be afraid of him as well? Magni’s gaze drew distant, his worry of not only Tobias’ reaction, but Billie’s and the whole crew’s, running through his mind before he finally put on his usual smile, acting as if nothing had bothered him, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “ Exactly, besides, they’re useful. We should be glad to have someone with us who can do magic during this journey and rejoice at everything they may do to help us get ahead of our competition. “ Magni felt sick to his stomach for even thinking about the sorcerers and anyone who might not be human in that way. Useful. It was what people, especially captains, thought of him. His ability was useful to get what they wanted. It didn’t matter if he had to sacrifice himself or his morals to help them get it. “ I mean if they want to use their magic to help us, of course. “

.

Billie observed her friend through narrowed eyes, lips pressing together in a thin line. Of all the people to cause problems on the ship Tobias had been bottom of the list, but could Magni be harbouring some less than innocent feelings? It was none of her business, of course. Except they were her friends, and she didn’t want messy affairs damaging the crew or upsetting people she cared about. “Ah, I don’t care much about their usefullness. We got by well enough before all the magic, hm? You and I especially, I’m sure I’ve never been part of another vrew with supernaturals on board and I survived.” As evidenced by Charles, sometimes it was more trouble than it was worth. Billie kicked off from her place lounged against a tree, “come on, I’ll take you back to the ship. They’re probably wondering where we got to.”

[billie-cassidy]

shiftingseas​:

Bloom grimaced, they didn’t want to be some sort of gimmick, or be made the laughing stock of the crew because of this. it was too early in their tenure for that. with the older woman’s help, they pressed their hands to the deck of the ship, using the leverage to wiggle their ankle free. finding themselves in a handstand, not an uncomfortable position per-say, they walked on their hands for a couple steps before flipping upright. stumbling at the sudden rush of blood to their head, they gave a shaky thumbs up to their savior. “usually this goes a lot better for me, I suppose I’m not yet used to the set up of this most fickle mistresses.” Bloom patted the railing of the ship with lukewarm affection. grabbing the rope that had previously held them hostage, they pulled themselves up a few feet and completed the knot they had left unfinished. they hopped down and looked out over the ocean. “I’ve had enough head injuries for a life time, I appreciate you assisting me in avoiding another.” they squinted up at the master gunner who stood a great deal taller than them. “it’s Cassidy right? I feel like we never got a real introduction, what with the race to repair everything and the craziness that comes along with it.” Bloom eyed the gun on Billie’s belt before continuing. “guess I’ve been spending more time with the ropes than anyone else the past couple weeks.”

.

With Bloom free Billie remained leaning against the ropes, feigning an air of nonchalance she didn’t really feel. She watched them clamber away with one eyebrow raised, smiling. You came across athletic riggers fairly often, but less common were the acrobatic sorts. At least they were competent. “Ropes are a little different on every ship, aren’t they? I always found that annoying when I was a rigger for a spell. Other stuff was usually the same, but never knots.” She nodded, “Billie Cassidy. Things have been a little wild. I’d say that’s unusual but it’s pretty par for the course with this crew.” Billie cracked a smile when she saw where Bloom’s eyes strayed, shifting her coat to cover the weapon. “Always armed. It’s nothing against you, I’m just generally wary of newcomers, especially with our family friend below deck.”

[billie-cassidy]

adelinedrxke​:

The prior hesitation Adeline had was tossed aside now as she moved to hug Billie. She felt anchored there, both in the literal sense and a more emotional one. Adeline didn’t enjoy feeling coddled or pitied, and Billie never treated her in either of those ways. “No, I haven’t,” she finally replied, lingering in the embrace for another moment before pulling away. “Thank you, in that case. I think we can all see the… faults of my stubbornness when it comes to this instance, but it was a judgement call. I don’t regret it, even if I probably should. I’m not sure everyone else even tries to understand that.”

.

Billie did not get hugged often. She did not get touched often, full stop. Something about the generally intimidating air that she gave off that Adeline seemed immune to, even in this more vulnerable state. She shifted a little awkwardly, moving to wrap her arms around the other woman after a moment. “You’re a pirate.” Billie reminds her, “the last thing you should regret are your moments of foolhardy stubborness.” She sighs, “now go dry off and relax, I’ve still got cannons to check.”

[shiftingseas-deactivated2021090]

they had set sail mere hours ago, with the high noon sun painting metal bits of the ship bright like diamonds. Bloom found themselves hung upside-down from the interlocking mesh that scaled the main mast, weaving together a complicated knot to salvage a broken rope.finishing their task, keen eyes swiveled away from the rigging and down towards the deck. with calves and feet tangled up purposefully in the net to stop them from falling, they reached for the deck of the ship, planning to use their grip on the wood to pull themselves free. they immediately discovered that they had miscalculated, their fingers only had the ability to reach inches above floor, leaving them unable to pull themselves free. still hanging there, blood rushing to their head, they scowled and folded their arms petulantly. they looked remarkably like a grumpy bat.  what a truly embarrassing mistake to make mere weeks into a new job. humbling themselves, they looked around for another crew member to give them a hand. “hey, uh,” they swallowed their pride once more, “mind lending a hand?”

[billie-cassidy]

There was too much unfamiliar on the ship these days. Bloom, Jaina, Arroyo. It made Billie uncomfortable to have that many unpredictable elements on board at one time. She was, of course, most wary of Arroyo, but neither of the others had been on board long enough to have her trust yet. It lead to her pacing about the ship whenever her time wasn’t otherwise occupied with tasks, one hand always lingering close to the gun holstered at her hip. Bloom was hardly a danger when they were stuck upside-down, though. The sight brought a smirk to her lips as she approached, “looks like the boats got a new mascot.” Billie quipped, only letting them dangle a moment longer before she reached up to the ropes herself, leaning her weight into them so they’d be pulled down and Bloom would be able to reach the deck. “Tempting as it is to let you try and igure it out alone, the last thing we need is a rigger with a head injury.”

[billie-cassidy]

father-tobias​:

The speed at which Billie announced exactly how she would injure Tobias caught him off guard. Though he should have expected it by now. It wasn’t personal, just a survival tactic. Still, Tobias swallowed hard. “I uh… I’ll watch my left side,” he said finally. He saw her jaw tighten, no doubt thinking about that Charles fellow. “Well, from what I heard he’s an ass– was an ass, but he’s not our problem anymore. Not that he was ever really your problem, you know?” Tobias considered Billie’s words. Perhaps she was right and religion just put a bad taste in the navigators mouth. “All she’s ever said to me is ‘god isn’t real’ so you might be right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just so we’re clear– you shooting me in the knee is a quick death, right?”

Billie nodded, “you should. Not everyone will be as quick to spot it as me, but better to be prepared.” She favored her right; the eyesight in her right eye was slightly better. “He was an ass. And an idiot. Tried to convince me back to Dublin with him. y’know. With the promise of money of all things.” Billie rolled her eyes, the very idea offensive. Chat to her for more than a few minutes and you’d know gold was low on her list of interests, for a pirate at least. She chucnkled at Athena’s seemingly blunt dealings with Tobias, which turned into an all out laugh at what he thought would kill him. “No. A shot to the knee would only be to injure you, prevent further attack. If I wanted to kill you quick I’d just-” Billie tapped a finger against his forehead, “between the eyes. Cliche because it works.” She shrugged, giving the hammer another toss. “We should get back to work, Harper has been in a bad mood.”

[billie-cassidy]

Billie had been cleaning cannons for so many years of her life that she could do it in her sleep now. The repetative nature of the task along with the waves gently rocking the ship allowed for an almost medatative state, though her eyes still keenly watched the shifting of clouds in the sky. After a storm like that it should be smooth sailing for a while, but still. Nothing on this adventure thus far had panned out the way it should. 

She was bored. The island had been dull, the mission of returning Arroyo to his home came with minimal risk, they hadn’t seen another ship for battle in weeks. Not that it would be a good idea in their current state, but for Billie that danger was the whole point. She stared across the water and sighed, speaking to no one in particular. “I miss the sea serpent.” 

[billie-cassidy]

cleptaar​:

.

Magni’s breath got caught in his throat when Billie mentioned how Tobias had asked her the same question. He still hadn’t found the courage to tell him about his abilities. As always, he was too afraid of his reaction. “ And what did Tobias say? “ His voice was low and timid, unsure whether he wanted to know the truth or not. “ Does he care about it or not? “ He shouldn’t ask her about it, but he couldn’t help it. He had to know. Magni was nearly startled when she asked him about his thoughts on the matter. He wasn’t quite sure what he could tell her. While he didn’t care if anyone on the crew might be supernatural, and he would do whatever he could to protect them, Magni still found it nearly impossible to believe that people would accept the things he could do. “ To me, it doesn’t matter. “ Magni said truthfully. “ As long as they’re part of the crew, I will care about them and do whatever I can to protect them. It doesn’t matter to me what they are or what they’re able to do. “

.

Billie watched Magni, and his response to her mentioning of the priest. It was entirely Maeve’s fault for putting the idea in her head, but in general she considered romances among crews to be risky, and she couldn’t imagine this one in particular would be smooth sailing, were it to exist. But unless one of them chose to confide in her, she wouldn’t stick her nose in. “Tobias seemed primarily concerned about the danger Athena presented as a sorcerer, but after a little talking it became clear it was because she specifically seemed to have a personal issue with him- over religion, no doubt- so that worried him.” She folded her arms across her chest, watching him closely. Magni had never been an easy read, but Billie did know him well. “Quite. It seems almonst irrelivant considering the common goal we’re all working towards.”

[billie-cassidy]

howlingargent​:#

Jaina smiled at the confirmation, taking a ready stance herself. Billie was certainly a tough customer, a talented fighter–Jaina respected that. Their little sparring matches always kept her on her toes. This one would likely prove to be no exception to the rule. Darting forward, she aimed a kick low, hoping to rush in and catch her off balance. If she got the upper hand early on? Match was as good as hers.

Now, Billie had been fighting pretty much since she was old enough to stand. Granted everyone had different strategies and you were never quite sure how it would go, but she was at the very least good at taking a hit. So when Jaina got a kick at her leg Billie let it send her stumbling backwards, but used that momentum to spring herself back forward quickly and swing a punch towards her jaw.

[billie-cassidy]

doctor-durant​:

“I would love to ruffle feathers, but you’ve asked me not to so you have my word… as a doctor, I suppose,” Thaddeus declared, one hand over their heart and the other lifted up to swear on the statement. “Hey now, me and my ego have been doing perfectly well for ourselves thus far. So ha!” That, of course, wasn’t entirely true, but it would be in their mind for the sake of this moment.

.

“Ah, much appreciated. The last thing I need is to deal with the drama my intelligence would cause.” Billie grins and shakes her head, “oh? Well I’m glad for it, but don’t go letting it get out of hand. Seems to me an egotistical doctor is the last thing we need...”

[billie-cassidy]

baronoftheseas​:

~

“Neither am I.” But she heard enough of the gossip on the ship, it usually reached her ears eventually. “I don’t know much about merfolk, nevermind the politics.” Rav wasn’t really one for human politics either, sorcerer politics? That was something she was forced to learn from her mother–but she wasn’t the biggest fan. “But…he’ll be back home soon enough. Especially if repairs keep going they way they are. Which is well enough, getting tired of this island, you know?”

.

Of course, on this ship the gossip seemed impossible to avoid. People coul dbe so messy. Sometimes Billie missed the crews with the mindse tthat you were there to do a job and work towards a goal. Sure sometimes you got drunk together and had a laugh, but that was as friendly as things got. There was never anyone whispering in her ear about supposed romances while they had a potentially dangerous stranger aboard. “No, I’m really not too knowledgable on the species either. Hopefully we’ll drop him off back home and put the whole thing behind us. Lyra doesn’t seem too cut up about the problems their group is facing.” Billie nods, “yes, I was hoping there’d be some savage locals or something to keep things interesting but I’m quite bored now.”

[billie-cassidy]

grimxintcntions​:

Maeve nearly choked on the air she was breathing. “I’m pretty sure shooting the captain is the ultimate mutiny,” she sputtered, so caught off guard that she couldn’t help but laugh. Still chuckling, she stood up and dusted herself off. “I should probably get to work before the captain or Rav come and see my lazing around. Not sure that’s a good look for a newbie.”

Billie chuckled, “only if your intentions are to overthrow him and take his position. Otherwise it’s just murder.” A technicality perhaps, but killing someone and leaving the crew as soon as possible was not the same thing. She sighed and shoved her hands in her pockets, “aye, aye... I should probably get back to work myself soon enough. The sooner we can head off the better.”

[billie-cassidy]

father-tobias​:

“Well–” he stifled a chuckle. “I’d hazard a guess that a bullet to the groin hurts more than a bullet in the arm. But uh, I’d like to continue the tradition of not being shot if you don’t mind.” He raised his hands defensively, “sorry, sorry… I wasn’t sure. Cassidy isn’t exactly an uncommon name. Though I suppose those cheekbones are striking enough I should have figured.” He lowered his hands and slipped them into his pocket. “You said yourself, the family split a long time ago. Even if you and that Charles fellow had grown up in the same city I imagine your lives would have been very separate. Family is the people you surround yourself with more than a matter of bloodlines. You share a name and maybe a few drops of blood with that asshole. Nothing else.” He sighed, “as for the Athena girl– you know better than I. She doesn’t talk to me. Not even to threaten me. So… not a danger?” He shook his head, “let’s be frank– everyone onboard has the capacity to be dangerous. Except me. But the point still stands that unchecked, any of us could hurt the crew. The real traitor proved that.”

“Sure, but it’s not the smartest place to shoot someone. Especially a priest. I’m more likely to go for the knee of the leg you favor- your left, by the way.” Billie point the hammer toowrds his left knee, “that’ll cause you more problems. But yes, for the best we try and avoid it in any case.” She frowned, running her thumb across the slant of her cheekbone. “Yeah, I had my doubts but when I got a good look at him on the boat, I knew.” The Cassidy’s had a look, it was true. Billie was strikingly similar to her father, black hair and stern brow. She grit her teeth at the reminder of their traitor. She’d gotten too comfortable on the ship, and finally unmasking and dealing with him had only intensified Billie’s caution and doubts, rather than soothing them. “Right. And Athena has surrounded herself with us. Perhaps she’s very anti religion, certainly wouldn’t be the first pirate.” She shook her head, “but yes. Generally speaking we have a power to hurt one another. Don’t torture yourself over that. I’m sure if anyone were going to take action against you they’d at least be merciful enough to have it over with quickly- it’s not as if you could put up any kind of an entertaining fight anyway.”

[billie-cassidy]

howlingargent​:

“Who me?” She waved off Billie’s concern, taking one last breath before standing up straight. “I’m fine. Wonderful, actually. Don’t worry about me.” It felt like it had been ages since the two of them last sparred, the anticipation was more than enough to fill Jaina with a renewed energy. “”You down or not?”

Billie cocked her head to the side and examined her for a moment, to be sure. A little out of breath, but energetic enough. Already had an adrenaline rush from being out here working out, which might give her an early advantage but wouldn’t last. “Alright.” She shrugged, stretching her hands out and securing the ties on the bandages around her knuckles. “Yeah, I’m down.” Billie took the gun holster off her hip and left the weapon in the sand with her coat, crossing the beach to take a stance in front of Jaina, arms raised with curled fists. “Ready whenever you are.”

[billie-cassidy]

baronoftheseas​:

~

Rav recalled her own little jaunt with Arroyo, helping him find that makeshift cane to help him walk. “No, I don’t believe that.” She traced the lines on the palm of her hand as she spoke. “He seemed…genuinely remorseful for dragging us in. I think that he may be hiding something, but I don’t think it is an intent to harm the crew. At least, not intentionally.” 

Billie felt it best to be aware of all the possibilities, even the ones she was skeptical of. If Arroyo had intent to hurt the crew she liked to believe Lyra would still know him well enough to sense that. And Rav had built her own assumptions based on their interractions, which is helpful. Not that Rav has been on the boat long enough for Billie to implicitly trust her. “Yes... I got the sense there was more to the story, too.” She hummed softly, “merfolk things, perhaps, There’s definitly conflict with Lyra and he rmother who as far as I gather is the leader of their group, so it could stem from there. I’m not one to gossip, though.”