since you're asking for prompts, maybe some anne bonny interacting with flint? or canon divergence, miranda decides to also become a pirate upon her and james's arrival on nasseu?
these are excellent prompts and i kind of have A Thing about miranda and anne, so i combined the two. i might write a lil continuation of this one day too, i have so many feelings lol.
Therhythmic clash of steel on steel was followed by quiet broken only byMiranda’s panting.
“Enough,”James said and lowered his blade. The courtyard’s single lantern’s light flowed along its edge like molten gold.
Mirandafrowned as she let her sword sink to her side. “Already?”
“It’sbeen an hour.” James sheathed his blade, avoiding her gazestudiously. “And you’re not used to this much exercise. I don’twant you to hurt yourself, if you did I’d be doing an awful job oflooking after you.”
Hehad hoped that this would be enough, hoped it sincerelybecause his throat went a little tight remembering what had promptedtheir promise to look after each other.
Heshould have known better than to expect an easy win.
“I’mmore than willing to suffer a few aches and pains,” Miranda saidhotly, assuming once more the stance James had shown her. He noticedthat her feet were placed somewhat awkwardly, not optimal to catchher weight wherever a fight would throw it. “Don’t condescend tome, James, you know I’m not ashamed of being inexperienced, but don’ttreat me like a child.”
BeforeJames could even open his mouth to respond, a shadow detached itselffrom the corner of the courtyard and stepped towards Miranda. A flashof steel and a clank later saw her sword clatter to the ground. Jamesstilled his hand, which had gone instinctively to his sword hilt,when Anne Bonny sheathed her knife again before Miranda had time toeven look up into her face.
“Heain’t wrong,” Anne said, voice abrasive as a whetstone. “He ain’tright either. It’s not just the body, your mind’s not used to it.Don’t matter if you make your muscles go through the motions againnow, even if you could—you’re shaking, you’re not gonna deflect asingle blow like this. You have to give your head time too. Let itsort out the mess you’ve put in there tonight.” Then she slanted alook at James. “Better watch that tone o’ yours, though.”
Itwas a sign of Miranda’s confusion, and of the difficulty of adjustingto their new situation, their fresh grief, that she stood for amoment before leaving with a huff and without words, grabbing hersword before she disappeared into the inn, slamming the door as shewent. James’ nails dug crescents into his palm. He couldn’t rememberever having seen Miranda retreat without having dealt a blow atleast.
“Howlong have you been standing there?”
Amovement in the shadow beneath the wide-brimmed hat indicated ashrug. “Long enough.”
Havingsaid that, Anne seemed to consider the conversation over and turnedto leave.
Shedid, and James had to confront that he had neither thought his intentthrough nor been able to stop himself.
“You.”He halted, inhaled, exhaled. “I mean, people like you—how do yousurvive surrounded by all… all this?” He gestured vaguely.
“Youmean women and you mean pirates, is that it?”
Jamesscrunched his face up but relaxed it into a nod.
“First,stop thinking we’re above this shit. We aren’t. We can handle bloodand muck as well as you lot. Takes more grit to do it, on account ofyou all thinking with your pricks and thinking having one is somesort of achievement. Don’t think right with your brains either. Shitbeen done to me that none o’ you’d have to deal with. But you treather like a little girl, she’s only gonna spit in your face harderlater, once she can. ’S what I’d do, anyway.”
Jamesswallowed down all the things lying on the back of his tongue like afoul aftertase, like something that he had to spit out.
“Shehas it,” Anne said over her shoulder and tilted her head, eyesglinting in the deep shadow beneath her hat. “In case you wereafraid. She’s gonna disembowel a man good, one day.”
AndJames shouldn’t have felt a glimmer of pride at that, shouldn’t havelooked forward to the day even as he dreaded it, but there wascomfort in thinking of scrubbing the day’s blood off his hands withsomeone by his side.
Whenhe looked up, Anne had disappeared.
