@captainjacksparrovv
Syrena swam close to the surface of the water, but not so close that observers could see her easily. She preferred not being seen much-she was so used to being alone that it was almost a habit to stay away from everyone now. The brunette thought about perhaps exploring more of the outside area just beyond the bay. She liked to explore, but she never explored far enough to get lost. If she did get lost, there was a great chance that she would never find her way home again.
As she looked ahead of her, she saw a familiar dark shape in the water. Was that…a ship? An actual ship full of sailors? There hadn’t been one in Whitecap Bay for a long while, so seeing one now was quite a surprise-especially since every well-rounded sailor knew that the bay was a dangerous place because of the mermaids.
Curiously, she poked her head out of the water to examine the mystery ship. It was distant, but it was pretty large. And there was no mistaking the black flag that waved at her from the top of the ship. That was a pirate ship sailing into the bay, no question about it. But why where they here?
She sank back into the water and propelled herself forward towards the ship to get a closer look. Who knew what adventures awaited her there?
((yeah sorry this is bad…hope you like it?))
White Cap Bay. No self respecting sailor would drag his crew here on a whim. Not even the most ridiculously daringly dumb sack of bones would intentionally put his crew in waters so fearsome, so dangerous, so hazardly.
Such were the words of the crew. The rumors floated around the vessel, each and every man with a storyof his own.
“Tear off a man’s skin straight to his bones, they will.”
“Kiss you then kill you, sometimes the other way around.”
“They’ll sing to you, you fall in love, and then they eat you! Hear me? Eat you! Why would the Captain bring us here?”
Jack was not a stupid man. He was far from it. He had not earned the title of Captain by his good looks alone, not at all. He was wise, smart, successful. So why had he brought his crew here?
They demanded to know. Waters so foul, so vial, so deadly. And Jack had lead them straight into the heart of it.
Jack laughed to himself as he heard them speak. Certain crew members were even telling others- the ones with weaker stomachs- foul stories of White Cap Bay in hopes the would lose their lunch, and continue to demand a return to a safer port.
After all, no man lead his crew here, no matter how brave or daring, with no specific purpose, no specific plan. No way would any captain intentionally risk his life or his crew’s.
But Jack.
He was far from intentionally putting them in harm’s way. He had left the Pearl at a far enough distance that the mermaid’s would not feel threatened, and perhaps, they would not attack. He had taken every necessary precaution, including not telling his men where they were, but of course, some had known anyway.
Jack had been prepared, though. He had not arrived without good reason. White Cap Bay was the safest place the crew could be right now, especially after what he’d just accomplished.
The king’s men were after him, pursuing him relentlessly. But, after what had happened with Captain Barbossa, Jack knew even the men of the King would not dare brave White Cap Bay. The King himself had forbidden them to even come close to that destination.
And so, White Cap Bay was where he would have to remain for a while… just long enough to wait out the wrath of the king and manage to escape a hanging for all aboard the Pearl.
Jack himself was not nervous. He’d been here before. He would know what to do should the worst happen.
Still, he heard an unnerving cry of alarm from the port bow. A mermaid had been spotted, swimming rather close to the ship. Jack decided to investigate. After all, death by a beautiful fish-woman was decidedly better than death by hanging- and more easily avoided.
As she approached the ship, she realized that some of the men on board spotted her and were currently yelling to the other members of the crew to look. Syrena wondered if they were going to kill her, so she quickly propelled herself deeper into the water and continued onward. Despite the fact that the young mermaid was probably in some very serious trouble-with both the pirates and possibly her sisters-the ship was extremely intriguing, and she was way to close to swim away now.
So, carefully and slowly, she continued on. From what she could hear all the yelling had mostly stopped, possibly because they were quiet and trying to find her. Now she was starting to feel uneasy, but since they didn’t seem to see her any longer it wouldn’t hurt to get a little closer.
Finally she was close to the ship. Barnacles clung to the bottom of the ship, and she realized that it was black. That was a rather odd color, but she supposed that it was intimidating to other sailors. Underneath the water everything was silent-she didn’t hear her sisters coming. They must have noticed the ship by now, right? Unless they were to busy trying to lure in another victim. Syrena didn’t know or really care where they were-the longer they stayed away, the longer she could study the pirates.
However, she realized that in order to actually see the humans she would have to actually go to the surface. It wasn’t a big deal as long as no one spotted her, and she knew how to be stealthy when she needed to be.
Quietly she emerged from the water, only keeping so much as her head and shoulders above the water and keeping her shimmering orange tail far below. All seemed well so far.
It was only after a full minute had passed that one of the pirates spotted her and yelled quite loudly that he had found her. Her eyes widened and she dove into the water quickly, swimming to nearly the opposite end of the ship and emerging from that end. Thankfully the men were still looking for her on the other side, so she would not be caught just yet.
Jack peered over the side into the dark water. The sun was nearly setting, turning the water almost black as it lapped the ship. He could see nothing remarkable, nothing that needed concern. Had the men been wrong?
Captain Jack took a moment to investigate. He knew he had left the ship close enough to discourage enemies, but far enough to avoid the mermaids. The men must have been seeing a mere hallucination, a fear created by worry and terror of a legend that had more than earned that reputation. Jack glanced down yet again. A slight shimmer could be seen going under the hull, but it could easily be mistaken for the bent embers of dying light. He heard a man yell, but nothing was seen that caused him to worry.
"Shut it, you codfish." he snapped. "You’ll set the nerves of the entire crew on edge."
"They already are, Captain!" The man insisted. "We saw a mermaid we did!"
"Quiet." Jack said. "I told you, we are far enough from the mermaids that they will not bother us. ‘Ave a little rum to calm your nerves. Bring me some as well."
"Your nerves are botherin’ you too, Captain?" A man named John asked.
"No." Jack said, staring at him as if the answer was obvious. "I merely want some rum."
The silence returned, settling over the crew almost eerily. The men were still uneasy, but none dared speak of the mermaids again. Jack took a long swallow from his bottle of rum. Perhaps now he would have some peace.
The mermaid watched everything unfold from her place in the water. For a moment they had almost caught sight of her, but being experienced in stealth she managed to stay hidden.
Syrena squinted to look at the captain of the ship, who seemed not to be bothered by the fact that his entire ship was potentially in danger because a mermaid was in the waters close to the ship. That was especially odd, but perhaps he either didn't believe that the mermaids were here or he was to focused on what he wanted to accomplish on Whitecap that he was ignoring the potential threat.
Which led to the question of why he was here.Of course, he could be looking for treasure. Not that she would know where any treasure was, but her older sisters probably knew if there was any treasure on Whitecap. Of course, on the other hand, they could just be landing here for now either to hide or to make a quick stop before sailing again. those were the most common reasons why any sailor landed in Whitecap.
She thought she would never get the answers to these questions-because most likely she would be spotted on sight so she would never get on deck to ask the captain or any of the crew her questions-so she was content on observing what she could. Right now everything was silent, as if they were waiting to hear her moving in the water.
She smiled, knowing this was the perfect opportunity to sing. Not only would it terrify the crew more, but it would also prove to the captain that she actually existed. So she found a shadowy part in the water so she would not be seen and started to sing, her haunting yet beautiful voice filling the silent air:
"Upon one summer’s morning, I carelessly did stray, Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay, Conversing with a bouncing lass, who seem’d to be in pain, Saying, William, when you go, I fear you will ne’er return again.
His hair it does in ringlets hang, his eyes as black as soles, May happiness attend him wherever he goes, From Tower Hill, down to Blackwall, I will wander, weep and moan, All for my jolly sailor bold, until he does return…
My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold."
She stopped after that, waiting for the reactions. And she was sure that she would not be spotted in the water, so what could go wrong?
