simplestgift | Twenty-Eight Bells: [VOICE/ACTION(ish)]

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Twenty-Eight Bells: [VOICE/ACTION(ish)]

[It's around ten or eleven at night when the transmission begins. Two voices, Kennedy and Bush, are sounding decidedly sloshed. They are, in fact, sitting at the bar in Good Spirits, because how often do you get to introduce someone to Romulan ale twice and see their reaction the second time like it had never happened before? Only if said person went home and came back and doesn't remember the first time. Due to this, Kennedy sounds considerably more sober.]

Your attention, everyone. Mr. Bush has something he would like to say.

Yes, yes I would.....What was it again Kennededy?

Begin with "my profoundest apologies." And-and end with...with the hair thing.

Ah! Right, right. *ahem* My sensherest apologies to the ladies of Lusheti....I like all of you and your is - hair - is very pretty.

Nunno, William, it's...the envy bit, that was nice. Do add that in.

I envy all of your hair.

And how silly a man are you?

Extremely, Kennedy. Siller man there ever was.

Now recite an appropriate verse.

Help me think of one.

What about, "O woe! O woeful, woeful, woeful day!"

It is.

And...why is that, Mr. Bush?

Hm?

Why is it a woeful, woeful, woeful day?

This isn't England and there's no naaavy. Missthenavy.

And...that's the only reason you insulted the crew, isn't it? Just want things to be like they are at home?

Mmhm.

...Do you need a bucket to vomit into?

Please.

[OOC: This is a joint post with

wouldntbetonit]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why thank you both, then.

[She cannot refuse a returning smile before Archie Kennedy's wide grin, her mouth upturned into an amused smile of her own. Her knuckle reaches her temple as she offers Mister Bush a crooked salute, for if he was truly apologetic, they were both officers aboard the Britannia together. Why not give him respects, even if he is three sheets to the wind?

She claims a place to sit just next to Archie, reaching over to the barkeep to order herself some ale.]

Hopefully you will be here for a time, still.

[She hopes they aren't too drunk that they would head home shortly.]

Till the cows come home.

[A very manly back pat for you Kennedy! Bush is possibly too drunk to do anything but drink some more]

We'll...be here. Yes. Till...

[Till you leave, probably, Elizabeth.]

A-are you well?

Very, actually. I've spent some time about, gathering a few belongings here and there. I had very little of my own to claim aboard the ships, as you well know.

[She takes a sip of her ale and hums after swallowing.]

Books, mostly. I've enjoyed the time to read.

[...Bush might have been secretly sly this whole time and just never let onto it. Or his perceptive skills kicked into high gear. Either way, he'll be slipping out of this conversation.

~~Don't do anything Bush wouldn't do kids.~~]

[Archie, being a perceptive and caring friend, doesn't even notice Bush slipping away. In fact, he barely noticed he was there at all after Elizabeth arrived.]

Which books? Perhaps I've read them.

Just two, thus far, along with a bit of Shakespeare. The Reform'd Coquet is one and The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton is another. Wholly different, but engaging nonetheless.

[Another drink.]

[Oh, women who love Shakespeare are so...]

Captain Singleton! I made it halfway into the book as a lad and didn't finish till I was a man. I think I was disappointed it wasn't a rollicking adventure at first, but I came to appreciate it later.

I regret I had not read it before! It was thrilling in a different way. Reminded me of being a little girl in England, fascinated with all things naval. Even simple merchant ships. I've always been drawn to the sea.

My grandfather's stories of his adventures at sea did the same for me. My father was the only son, and he always wanted a child or grandchild to follow in his footsteps, so he told me all his tall tales.

My father was a governor, so I had few ties in heritage to it. Though there always existed something that... pulled at my thoughts and curiosities in a way that I could not ignore it.

Now, here I sit, no longer the little girl begging for stories but with her own to tell.

[Somehow, this makes her proud.]

Then tell them. I mean...tell me one.

Oh, heavens. Where to begin?

[She begins to wonder what would amuse a man who is a sailor of the sea himself. Then one that has little to do with the sea comes to mind.]

Jack has told you about Tortuga, yes?

I know where it is. I haven't been there myself.

No, I'd expect not, for what it is. Rather raucous place for pirates. Free trade port, to give it a gentler title than it deserves. Certainly makes it sound more inviting and less morally ambiguous than truth would suggest.

I was looking for Jack, and thought it the most likely place to find him. The only problem that existed is that I had no transport. Swathed still in a dress, I stowed away on a convenient merchant ship, stole the clothes of another sailor, and left the dress in the hold behind some crates.

Later, on deck, the dress was brought to the captain's attention. I thought myself caught for certain! But... I managed.

What did you do?

[Enraptured, the same as with Jack's stories.]

I was lucky, you see. Exceedingly so. The men that had found the dress were under the impression that the ship was haunted because of it. There they stood on the deck, squabbling over what best to do with it! Apparently, they thought it had belonged to a woman who was widowed before her marriage, and in a ghostly form, haunted the ship in search of a husband who had died at sea. One wished to throw it over, hoping this 'ghost' would follow it. The other thought it would anger the woman spirit.

The captain at last declared it was nonsense and ordered the men to search for a naked stowaway. I hopped to action, as ordered, took the dress, and waited until nightfall, concocting myself a little plan.

I was perfectly hidden as a deckhand. I now needed the ship to sail to the port I desired.

[She's got a bit of wildness in her eyes as she tells the story. She has always wanted to do this.]

Go on.

Once everything was set, I climbed into the rigging and stood on the fighting top. The dress was rigged like a ghastly marionette. I flew it before the captain's cabin windows, and soon enough the men inside were on the deck, watching. You should have seen their faces! Such fright!

I moved the dress to point out toward the captain, then to the sea off the larboard side. They took the bait, eager to know this 'sign' the spirit wished to show them. As they reached the railing, I swooped it straight over their heads to the port side. The dress's flight knocked over a lantern, and the flame caught a path of oil, carefully lain before.

The oil spelled 'Tortuga'.

[She gestures as she tells the story, hands swooping and then her own body mimicking the dress's eerie posture, her arm pointing before imitating the frightened crew.]

[It's just like one of Jack's stories--possibly too wonderful to be true, but a good story regardless. And when she tells it, he believes it.]

The lady-ghost come among us to deliver a message from beyond the grave!

[She laughs.] They seemed to think so!

Their thickheadedness only proved to be difficult when they ran past the overturned lantern and missed the fiery message altogether. I let the puppet drop while they stared at it, slid down a rope to the deck, and in my most boyish voice, lowly said, "What's that over there?" [She drops it like she did then, then has a short at herself.]

Finally, the saw it and changed course that night. They even let out sail for speed!

[He laughs, delighted.] Did you ever tell Jack?

I wasn't given the chance, really! By the time I did I suppose I had other things pressed on my mind. Once we docked in Tortuga, I kept my male disguise on and looked amongst the taverns.

It should not surprise a soul that when I found Jack, the whole tavern was in the midst of a brawl. The only way to reach him was to... well, join.

[She nearly mentioned James, however it would do no good to tarnish his image here. It was not her place to, nor would she ever desire to hurt him in that way.]

[A lady pirate joining in a brawl?] Do wonders never cease! I think I shall never discover all your depths.

[This lady pirate has been around pirates too long not to find a bit of forwardness in that statement, Archie. Have an eyebrow.]

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