The Night Rider

Ava Kim - Store Owner and Merchant in Tortuga

[havfruen]

[norman-westcott-blog]

Aw hell, it did burn too. He kept a brave face, but his brows furrowed with the concentration of it all. “Is that acid?” 

[navigatorava]

“Maybe.” She couldn't help but smile. She could see he was trying not to show how bad it was hurting. “It may be acid but it works, so bare the pain for a few more moments.” Her tone teasing but firm. After making sure everything was covered and rubbed in, she pulled her hand away. “Done.” 

[noahackerman-blog]

“Honestly, I don’t see what the problem is. The water’s fantastic.”

[navigatorava]

“There’s flesh eating fish and ... suddenly deep water out of nowhere. It’s pretty dangerous, you should get out.”

[tess-volkov-blog]

“Thank God for the bloody alcohol…” The woman took a long sip of her drink before glancing at her guest. “You said you didn’t want one? Why?”

[navigatorava]

“I don’t like to drink when a friend is upset.” She looked at her captain in concern. “Are you okay?”

[wearingnaivety-deactivated20150]

Just Perhaps, open

Perhaps, just perhaps by the slightest of chances, art was beyond her. The bustle of the marketplace weighed heavily on her shoulders, pushing them forward, folding them till she doubled over her makeshift notebook. It was one of those days where no one seemed to want her help, nor did she find anyone interesting enough to offer her assistance. A day wasted. And with this cursed pencil, no less.

Drawing for half a day! Damn. Giving up would truly be a sin at this point. How about another try then? Smile. Be cheerful. Breathe. And–

“Excuse me! Excuse me! Yes, you, the pretty one. Not you, grandma. The other pretty one, see?” Alamri kicked her legs, a bounce at every heel whenever they hit the empty crate she sat on. “How about I draw you? You can pay me with the amount you think my art is worth.”

“What say you?”

[navigatorava]

There was a peace Ava found in the marketplace. She still had many things to do at her shop but she felt like she deserved a rest. She was looking through some delicious looking fruit when she heard a voice calling out near her. She looked up than around before she realized the voice and woman was speaking to her. “Uh.” Ava started before feeling her cheeks warm. “I- Um...Are you sure you want to draw me? “ She asks, still surprised that someone would ask her that.

[sanya-temurtani-deactivated2015]

“Perhaps this is why such people take from you, knowing you are one who does nothing.”

She did not speak words out of disrespect, but as lesson; as parent speak to child who has made small error, little mistake, or as teacher speaks to student.

She looked up to girl, crew behind her setting right was made wrong, and spoke with curiosity behind voice, unsure of what girl had said, what words by her meant. 

“Something will happen that I do not want on my conscience…What…”–and there was silence (empty, noiseless sound; as when moon is high above, in dark sky and wind that moved through leaves of trees in broad forest stills; only dark left, only night, only emptiness, noiseless sound that makes skin feel unease, that makes heart beat beat beat) and her crew stopped their work, feeling this in air–”…What do you mean by this, child?”

[navigatorava]

Maybe that was the reason why her shop was one of the worst destroyed on the street, maybe she was to nice. But she would never change that, Everyone deserved to have someone smile at them, be kind and courteous and she hoped she would the reason someone was happier even for a moment. 

She heard the woman’s crew stop and Ava bit her lip and glanced back at the woman, trying to show that she showed no fear still. “I mean that if you choose to kill  or hurt the rioters, I do not want that done on my conscience. Whatever the reason they did this, I do not blame them. “ She looked at the woman more directly. “So if you choose peace, I would appreciate your help but if you choose violence, than I ask you kindly and respectfully to leave.” 

[norman-westcott-blog]

“Sure, lots of people want adventure, but not all of ‘em are willin’ to steal for it.” He shrugged, hesitating for a moment. “You’re helpin’ me now, so you can’t be all bad.”

[navigatorava]

She did not like that part of pirating but even she knew it was so much more than that. But she did not argue, she knew how stubborn navy people are. “I hope I’m not.” She joked. She gently spread the warm medicine over his face, it was an old recipe her mother used to use on her. “This will burn a little but I promise you will have no infection.” 

[vincent-bones]

    Vince rubbed his brow as if sweat had formed there but it hadn’t, he wasn’t exactly working hard enough, but he supposed that the heat would get to eventually it always did. “Everyone has their weaknesses no doubt theirs could be alcohol. Of course that could always make it worse,” a double edged sword if there ever was one. He shook his head and ended up sat right beside her, “no you have the right to be don’t apologize”.

    He didn’t understand why she was apologizing it’d been out of her hands and the fact it was her livelihood that had been destroyed he was surprised she was calm. Then again he’d only met her the once so who was he to say what she was and wasn’t. Vince wasn’t particularly adept at comforting people he wasn’t particularly adept at people in general. It was morbid but usually the people he encountered were no longer breathing.

    “Still owe a cooking lesson. Fish for two?” Vince offered a trying smile.

[navigatorava]

“Even more reason to hate the cursed stuff.” Ava sighed before glancing at him. She needed to hear that, that it’s okay to be negative about the whole situation. Her store just did get ransacked and there was nearly impossible chances she would ever get the things she lost back. “Thank you.” She smiled softly than looked around. It still looked broken but at least the main debris was out of the way, she could work with this, she would fix her shop if it was the last thing she did. 

“Sounds like a plan.” She smiled happily. "But first we’ll have to buy some fish, I don’t keep the stinky stuff around.”  

[captainbrimms-blog]

“Why do you think? Our legend has spread, love, and everyone wants to be remembered.”

[navigatorava]

“Do you want to be remembered, Brimms? Because I don’t. I want to live a quiet and normal life. “

[captainbrimms-blog]

“That one I do believe. I even met the captain. He’s a clever idiot – the worst kind – but he can’t be older than fifteen.” 

[navigatorava]

Ava’s eyes widened. “15?” How could this be? Surely, the world can not be that bad to cause children to pirate. She knew of some of her own crew being young but they were protected. Who would protect these children? “And why are they here?”

[norman-westcott-blog]

“Ah.” Like pieces to a puzzle, it came together. “You’re a pirate? You sure as hell don’t seem like a pirate.”

[navigatorava]

Ava smiled at him before moving on to the medicine. They did not seem deep enough to cause to much trouble but he would have to watch them. “Not all pirates are evil, some just want adventure.” She paused. “Will that be a problem?”

[vincent-bones]

    Vincent didn’t need much prompting he’d already begun clearing the splintered wood salvaging what he could. He would have offered more help only he wasn’t a carpenter, even if he had read a book or two didn’t mean he could build a chair let alone anything else. Vince worked in silence, no different to usual, but eventually after clearing a corner of her shop he piped up.

    “You didn’t get hurt did you?”

    He straightened up having been hunched over working his back had grown sore, “I heard the shot earlier,” it was what had drawn him from his work originally, “men have a tendency to think they are invincible in groups”.

[navigatorava]

They worked in quiet for a while, the only sound was the wood being moved and their feet moving through the destruction. Than he spoke up, Ava stopped for a moment to look at him before shaking her head. “No, I hid upstairs.” She answered before finishing up a corner also. She sat down to rest for a moment before she shook her head. “They are invincible. No one could stop them even if we wanted too. The only way they would stop is if they grew tired, and it seems they have.” She sighed. “This whole thing has caused me to be negative, I apologize.” 

[wnq-writers]

Sometimes I find myself wishing all the lies were true.

fahimamahin (via wnq-writers)

[sanya-temurtani-deactivated2015]

She walked through the mess, looking as grand commander gotten down from horse, walking through destruction left by wide-waged war. But she thought riot, this chaos, foolish thing; something without purpose, something done by children, something stupid. No, she who had made towns as flat as grasslands which horses feed from, thought this violence void and without goal. This was not act of war, not act of pillage which gain can be made, this was act of disorder without goal or reason.

She knelt down beside the girl–seven of her crew standing by the doorway; being as lieutenants following commander that leads them–and helped to pick up the splintered. She motioned to her crew and they came in, doing the same: cleaning up the shop.

This was not act done out of kind compassion, she was not good Samaritan who stops for stranger along road; it was thing done because disorder was stupid, childish thing, and she would set right what was made bent–she would fall down on these rioters as great storm breaks down on weak ships that think to cross strong seas.

As they worked she spoke; voice like commander, demanding of soldier answer.

“These that robbed from you. Who were these? They take from you, I take lives from them.”

[navigatorava]

There was no answer, instead someone moved closer to her and knelt down beside her. Her hands stilled and she looked over to see a woman, a warrior woman and than 7 other people, obviously and terrifyingly pirates, like the kind that pillaged and burned towns. She swallowed nervously and watched as they started to work, picking up the broken wood from the mobs. She than looked at the woman beside her, she spoke like a captain. She must be the leader of them. Ava stared at her in shock. Yes, she was a pirate, she had forced to deal with violence and revenge and all the things that pirates dealt with but she has never heard someone so unemotional about taking a life. It took her a moment before she spoke. 

“I do not know who they were. There was so many...” She paused. “Stealing and breaking in does not equal death, even if I knew who they were, I would never send them to their execution.” Her voice did not waver, even though inside her she was scared, more scared than she ever was with the mob. This woman did not seem the type to permit back talk. “Thank you for the help, but I fear if you stay longer, something will happen that I do not want on my conscience.” She started to pick up the wood again, forcing her fingers to stop trembling.

[norman-westcott-blog]

“Then how come you’re livin’ in a place like this?” He plopped down in the seat she motioned to, wincing slightly at the slight pain. “I’m a big, tough man. I’ll do whatever you say, ma’am.” 

[navigatorava]

“My crew and friends lived here. I also have no where else to go.” She started to clean out his cuts gently but surely. She smiled a little when he spoke again. “You are also a smart man.”

[captainbrimms-blog]

“I have no doubt they’re going to be trouble,” he pressed on, ignoring her jibe. “And what else have these customers been saying?” 

[navigatorava]

“Not much, just crazy rumors. There’s one that there’s a ship filled with children. I mean who believes that.” Ava rolled her eyes than glanced at him. “Right?”

[wnq-writers]

There is truth in silence The words you do not say Written between the lines The truth untold

itsmistressmystery (via wnq-writers)