Roleplay: A Pirate’s Life
Forum Roleplay
Players:
CharlotteCarrendar
LadyBelz
The morning sun slipped up over the horizon, catching the tiny boat in its morning light. Rachael sat up with a groan, aching in places she never thought she had. Sleeping in a dingy in the middle of the ocean was not one of her brightest ideas. She twisted her body to pop the kinks out, hearing Tim waking up behind her. He sat up with a yawn and a stretch running his hands through his hair. “Mornin, Miss Rachael.” she mumbled. “Same to ya, Timmy.” she returned. “Get that compass out, see where we are.” Tim dug through there belongings, pulling the compass out and holding it in his palm.
“We’re about 15 miles from the island. Might get a good wind today, sail the whole way in. Be home in time for lunch.”
“Lunch be soundin mighty fine right now.” she mumbled, pulling out a tin of fish and some crackers from their supplies. They quickly ate their breakfast, sharing bits with Mr Pibbs between them. Once they ate their fill, Tim got their sails up and the wind began to carry them home…
- – -
Around midday, Rachael happened to glance up over her shoulder to see a large ship bearing down on them. “Oh shite.” she muttered, catching Tim’s attention. He turned and saw what had caught her attention. “Oh shite!” he repeated, moving to put the oars in the water. He started rowing for all he was worth, but their tiny little boat was no match for the much larger vessel. She took up her eyeglass to see who exactly was chasing them. She groaned in misery when she recognized the colors of The Devil’s Mystery.
“You can stop rowing, Tim. Tis Cap’n Moon and his ilk.” He looked between her and the ship, a frown on his youthful face. “Are ya sure, Miss Rachael? He bein’ the one who made ya leave in the first place.”
“I’m sure, me lad. Besides…at least we’ll get a decent meal, instead of tinned fish and crackers.” she chuckled dryly. He nodded in agreement, a small smile on his face. “Ta be a fair point.” he agreed as the ship anchored close to them. Rachael kept her back to the ship, not wanting to even see the expression on James’s face…
The Devil’s Mystery
The tide of fortune was about to change in the favour of the Captain. He had spent much of the day and night, scouring the sea for the tiny boat that contained his love and the cabin boy. Moon had long since lost his anger, for it was replaced with a growing concern. What if they came across the British before the Devil’s Mystery was able to catch up with her? As he stood at the front of the ship, he kept thinking to himself, it was like he was always chasing her, or even saving her from herself. Port Royale was a perfect example of this. Taking off his hat a moment, he dragged his fingers through his dishevelled locks, and then plonked it back on his head, giving it a good tug to make sure it didn’t blow off with the first gale. Truth was, he loved her so much but he had such a great deal of trouble expressing this. Over and over again they fought like cat and dog, much to the amusement of the crew, no doubt. The only man on the ship with a sliver of sense was the Doctor. That man had tried numerous times to smack some sense into the Captain, but just as soon as the Captain was getting close to a break through, Rachael would go off and get herself in trouble again. Maybe this was why the adage said, that Women were bad luck on vessels. He was starting to see that as being a given. Was it just easier to wait to get to port, shag one of the wenches in the tavern, get his jollies and then leave without so much as ‘see you next time I am in town’ At this thought the Captain scratched his stubbled chin. Nah…For one, every man and his dog had a sniff and a poke at those lassies, and well, no one set his desire aflame like Rachael did.
From the mid part of the deck, the Doctor was watching the Captain. It was actually comical now, like you could see the Captain gesturing with his hands. Like he was pleading to God one minute for her return, then he was acting like he was strangling someone. Love was meant to hurt, but…was it meant to drive a man insane? The Doctor sighed, and slowly wandered up to the top of the ship, and came along side Moon, who was again looking set to rip the head off an imaginary person.
“Any luck? Not seen sign of her yet?’
“No. That confounded woman. Why does she do this? “
“I don’t think she set off to steal the long boat on purpose. Maybe you really should sit down and have it out with her.”
“That’s if Moby Dick or the British don’t get to her first. I dunno Doc. Half of me wants to find her, the other part hopes she is playing cards with Davy Jones.”
“You don’t mean that surely.”
The Captain gave the Doctor a stern look, and the Doctor sighed. “Really, Captain. The whole crew knows how you feel about her. “
“Hmmph.”
Just then, there was a cry from the crow’s nest.
“Ship…starboard…It’s the long boat!” He cried. The Captain and the Doctor both took out their eyeglasses and sure enough, there was the pair, Cabin boy Tim and the darling Rachael. The Doctor was as pleased as punch, while the Captain grumbled. “I am going to make her walk the plank, for stealing that boat, when we get it back.”
“Captain….”
“Fine…I’ll make her cook for the crew for a week.”
“Oh God.*sighs*..well, It’s a start.”
The ship’s sails billowed and went in full, as the ship changed direction, the first mate spinning the wheel, as the Captain strode back along the deck. There was going to be one hell of a welcome for Rachael when she was brought back on deck.
The Doctor leaned over the rail and called down to the two of them. “You’re a sight to these tired old eyes, Miss Rachael.” Rachael said not one word. She was still too angry and upset. It felt like to her that all the men in her life were conspiring against her in some way and she wanted nothing to do with any of them. One of the crew kicked down the ladder, and tucking her cat into her shirt so he wouldn’t fall, she climbed up with an agility that scared most men. Once she was on deck, she shoved passed everyone without a word, heading to her former quarters and locking herself in. Worriedly, Doc looked up at the helm at Moon and Billy with a shrug of his shoulders.
Billy looked at Moon with a raised eyebrow. “That ain’t a good sign, me boy.” he muttered.
Inside her cabin, Rachael knew that a locked door wouldn’t keep anyone out determined to get in, so she had used all the strength she had to shove one of the trunks in the corner up against the door. Tired and out of breath, she curled up on her bunk, back to the door and slowly dropped off to sleep, the sounds of Mr Pibbs purring following her into her dreams.
The Captain was about to start, finger raised, and a scowl on his face. He was going to read her the riot act, of how taking the long boat endangered the rest of the crew. Many of which couldn’t swim. Course she had THAT look, but the Captain, he was made of tougher stuff, he …was a pirate.
“Now..see here…” he started, but wouldn’t you know, she shoved past everyone and headed below deck with that blastered cat under her arm The Captain jerked his head back, and then pointed to the direction she went.
“See that…Seeee that? That..is…”
“That ain’t a good sign, me boy.” Billy said, with his eyebrow raised.
“No…no that’s bad.” chimed in the Doctor. The Captain glanced between them, and it felt like everyone was in cahoots. “That’s it!” he bellowed, cocking his hat down lower in front of his face, and rolling up his sleeves, as he marched on after Rachael. “No more…nice bloody Pirate. I’m the Captain…I’m in charge…I do the stomping on this ship!”
Thud thud thud went his boots, till he came outside her cabin, and without knocking he tried to open the door. “Oomph!” the door was stuck tight with something up against it. Something heavy. Stepping back, he put his hands squarely on his hips and said. “Rachael….I’m going to count to three, and if you don’t open this door…I’m going to blow it open with a canon.”
The minute sound of the trunk being bumped awoke Rachael from the sleep she’d fallen into only a few minutes ago. She sat up quickly, heart pounding as she turned in her bunk to face the door. She pushed herself into the corner of her bed against the wall, bringing her knees to her chest and dropping her head on them. She wished he would just go away and leave her be. Hadn’t she suffered enough?
“Rachael….I’m going to count to three, and if you don’t open this door…I’m going to blow it open with a canon.”
She snorted at that and decided to bite back.
“Put a hole in your precious, bloody ship? On purpose? That’ll be a sight ta see! Go away, ye ruddy Pirate!”
She dropped her head against the wall behind her. What more did she have to do to get this man to see her as a woman, and not a bedwarmer? She tried everything and it felt like nothing was good enough for him. Captain James Peter Moon, was first and foremost a pirate. Where did that leave her?
The Captain’s face became contorted, when she answered back in such a manner, and a bit of logic too.
“Put a hole in your precious, bloody ship? On purpose? That’ll be a sight ta see! Go away, ye ruddy Pirate!”
A ruddy pirate? The Captain heard this and pouted. Is that all she thinks he is? A ruddy pirate? The part about blowing a hole in the side of his ship, well that wouldn’t be all that nice, but now he felt like she was trying to hurt his feelings on purpose.
“What…do I have to do to make ya see what you damn well do to me?” Now the mask of the Pirate, was starting to slide. And slide…and slip.
“You say…you want to go to Port Royale. I turn the ship around and take ya there, where you nearly get killed. THEN you want to go to the nearest bloody port….where YOU get kidnapped, and I have to wear a girdle and do a foppy job of rescuing you AGAIN…Then…do you thank me when I am in my …my….no no no no…You kiss my cheek. How am I to feel, Rachael? You send so many mixed signals, its a bleeding wonder I know which way to point the ship. What more do I have to do…get down on my knees? Is that what you want?”
“What…do I have to do to make ya see what you damn well do to me?”
What? She gaped. She jumped off the bed and stomped up to the door.
“What *I* do to you? What *I* do to you?” she shouted. He continued on as if he hadn’t heard.
“You say…you want to go to Port Royale. I turn the ship around and take ya there, where you nearly get killed. THEN you want to go to the nearest bloody port….where YOU get kidnapped, and I have to wear a girdle and do a foppy job of rescuing you AGAIN…Then…do you thank me when I am in my …my….no no no no…You kiss my cheek. How am I to feel, Rachael? You send so many mixed signals, its a bleeding wonder I know which way to point the ship. What more do I have to do…get down on my knees? Is that what you want?”
She laughed harshly. “Do you think I did those things *on purpose*?” she yelled. “The only reason I can conceive of you getting on your knees for me would be to kiss my bloody arse as I try my damndest to get away from you!” She started to pace around the room, now in full on ranting mode. She shoved the trunk away from the door and yanked it open, coming to face him for the first time in days.
“I’ve tried to be the woman you want! I’ve thrown myself at you, you turn me away! I back off and you act like I killed your ruddy dog! What the hell do you want from me?” she screamed, her voice breaking on a sob. She turned away from him, hands over her eyes as she struggled with her emotions. “I can’t keep doing this, James.” she whispered. “I love you. I don’t know how many ways I can say it, show it to you, share it with you, without my heart breaking into these tiny little pieces. I may be a pirate, but I’m a woman first and I can feel pain, can fall in love like any other person on this Earth.” She inhaled sharply, trying to stave off her tears, but the fell from her eyes without her knowing. She kept her back to him, tired and drained, physically, emotionally, spiritually. There didn’t seem to be any fight left in her anymore. “Just…go away…please?”
From the other side of the door, Moon could hear her going right off her trolley. Okay so maybe he went a bit far…a bit too far. She was yelling, and that can’t be good.
“The only reason I can conceive of you getting on your knees for me would be to kiss my bloody arse as I try my damndest to get away from you!”
He looked like he just swallowed a bad egg. Stricken would be a good word. He took her literally, and then picturing it, made it all the worse. She was ranting…oh no. He suddenly was looking for an escape, he knew how this worked. He remembered the rock pool. He dug himself deep this time, and there was no way out…no escape. Then, she opened the door. The look on her face, the sheer confusion in her eyes as she yelled at him;
“What the hell do you want from me?”
“I…”
Then he watched as she turned away, and the sound of her sobbing. It was simply the most tragic thing, and he looked all kinds of sorry now. But then in her whisper, it was like each word was chiseling away at his hard shell, bit by bit breaking off and smashing on the floor. She said, she loved him. The worst thing was, she suffered the same issues with expressing it as he did. It was like listening to his inner most thoughts, being said via her mouth. Rachael kept her back to him, and he watched as her shoulders sagged, the fight in her dying. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He stepped in as she told him to go away, instead, he wrapped his arms around her, and brought his stubbled cheek along side her soft one, pulling her closer into her.
“I…just….I..don’t know how to love ya right. I can turn a wheel, but…not know how to make you understand how I feel. Rachael. I love ya…more than me ship…more than….the sea.” If she allowed, he would turn her round to face him, where she could see the pain in his eyes. “Let me love you, Rachael.” Now, he was begging.
She felt his arms around her and wanted so badly to push him away…but she just didn’t have the energy to anymore. She was tired of fighting. He pressed his stubbled cheek against her softer one and she closed her eyes.
“I…just….I..don’t know how to love ya right. I can turn a wheel, but…not know how to make you understand how I feel. Rachael. I love ya…more than me ship…more than….the sea.” Her heart stopped. She could feel her heart stop. Did he say what I think he just said? she thought to herself. She felt herself turned to face him, allowing it so that he could see the pain in her eyes. She was shocked when she saw the same pain reflected in his own eyes. “Let me love you, Rachael.”
For the first time in days, she let a small smile grace her lips. “Say that again.” she whispered, pressing a hand against his cheek. She held her breath, wondering if he understood her statement. If there was a moment in time that could be bottled up and frozen for all eternity, this would be that moment.
“Say that again.” Three of the most beautiful words that he had ever heard her say. The way her hand moved so graciously to his cheek, had his brows come closer. He didn’t say what he did cause he felt he needed to. Moon said what was first and foremost in his heart.
“Let me love you, Rachael.” Said with the same tone as before, his eyes not looking away. He could see that she was holding her breath, and he feared her lungs might burst. He reached out and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. It was as gentle as he could muster. “I may be a pirate…but…I’m still a man. I’m not all…rough all the time. I want to love you the way you need. I…was too scared to ask you to show me.”
He had never spoken to her on this level of intimacy before. Maybe he should have done it sooner…a lot sooner, by the state of their relationship.
“Please…”
“Please…”
That one word…such a wealth of meaning. She placed her free hand on the back of his neck, caressing gently.
“James.” she whispered with longing. “Don’t you realize that’s all I ever wanted to hear from you? That I needed that affirmation that I wasn’t just your bedwarmer? How much plainer could I make it?” she wondered. She pressed her forehead against his. “I love you, ya crazy pirate. I’ve loved you the moment I laid eyes on ya when I was a fresh-faced gal of ten and three.”
She wanted so badly to kiss him, but she held herself in check. She wanted him to make the first moves this time. This time she would be the follower and not the leader.
She stared him in the eye and simply…waited.
Moon could hear nothing else. Not the sea with its waves lapping against the side of the ship, not the creaking of the timbers, as the ship rocked through the current, not even the sound of his own heart that was galloping within his chest. All he could hear were her sweet words. The touch of her hand to the back of his neck, it was how he had dreamt, but never taken the step in the right direction.
“I’ve loved you forever…” And then he moved in, cupping her face in with his large hands. Bringing his lips to hers, as he released a moan that was painfully soft. So unlike the hulking Pirate. It was like the yearning in him for her was taking over. From the press of his lips, it grew, like the onset of a storm, building. His hands combing back through her hair, and his body stepping into her space, chest to chest. The sweetest of kisses, the taste of her lips on his…fulfilled his desire. She was not some simple bed warmer….she was his woman, and he was going to treat her as she deserved.
Her eyes closed on a sigh as his lips pressed against hers. The moan he released from his own mouth set her desire aflame. But she would not let herself lead this dance. She had waited so long for this moment, she was not going to mess this up. She felt his hands in her hair as he stepped closer, chest to chest. She could feel his heart galloping in his chest like a runaway horse and it set her own pulse racing. She was pleased to know he was affected as much as she was.
She pulled back slightly to whisper his name. “James.”
It was more of a plea than an actual name. She wanted this man, wanted him to claim her as his so thoroughly there would be no mistaking who she belonged to.
She moaned into his mouth as his arms went around her.
- – -
Up on deck, the crew had cringed when they heard the shouting from belowdecks. But then it got silent, too silent and they threw each other worried looks. Billy looked at Doc. “I be thinkin someone should check on em. Make sure they didn’t kill one another.”
Doc sighed, knowing he was the one chosen for this job. He headed down in search of the two. He heard a sound from Rachael’s cabin and turned in that direction. His mouth opened to call out to her, but when he reached her door, he stopped in shocked surprise.
Seeing the tenderness in which Moon was treating Rachael, he felt like he’d intruded on something private. Not making a sound, he closed the door behind the two of them and headed back up.
“They’re…going to be a fair bit, me thinks.” he mumbled, face heated in embarassment.
Moon had always been gruff and a ruffian when it came to life aboard the Devil’s mystery. He treated his men and his ship firmly, but when it came to Rachael, he was always with two left feet and saying all the wrong things. His awkwardness came simply from not knowing how to treat her without losing her respect. If he had been too soft, then she may think less of him as a man. Now, that was all thrown to the wayside. The kiss was deepening, only for her to break it, and whisper his name;
“James.”
“Rachael..”
He said her name as though he was trying to breathe her in. Then she succumbed to him, kissing him again, and he couldn’t hold back, his hands searched her back, fingers kneading her shoulders, then down her back. The kiss became more passionate, as he held his breathe, not wanting to let the kiss end. Soon his lips made their way down her chin to her neck, as his arms locked around her, so he could never let her go. He started to murmur her name, again and again, and he even struggled to keep standing.
“Rachael…you’re my everything.”
