Pirates of the Seven Seas [IC]

With a look of excitement coming over her, Izzy gave her captain an honest salute. "Yes, Captain!" She turned to the rest of the crew with more enthusiasm than she'd shown throughout most of the day. "Alright, guys, let's weigh anchor!" Bounding off with excitement, she scurried about to unlatch the cables, draw up the ladder, and draw in the anchors.

She wasn't overly concerned about Charlie's whereabouts for the time being - there was a good chance that the boy never even left the boat, being so shy and quiet he may have been sleeping and gone unnoticed when everyone had been assigned tasks. And, even if he was left behind, they would certainly be returning to Reta at some point or another, unless they were caught up in a fight. She didn't doubt the crew of the Atlantic, though, as she knew that they were a trusty group of pirates. Strong, fierce and brave.

"Allow me to help?" Graham asked for Isidore's approval before going ahead and doing something on his own, however, because there was a good chance he'd screw something up and that's not what he wanted at all. That, and it would only make Izzy more angry at him. "I just want to help with drawing the anchors-"

Giving him a rather cold look, despite all of her excitement, she hesitated for a moment. But, she shrugged after giving it a little thought, "You've got a fine set of arms on you, Graham. Can you go and give that crank a turn?" With a serious gaze, she pointed over towards the metal spool that would collect the chains attached to the anchor. "Just keep reeling it in until the anchor is brought successfully out of the water. Make sure you tie it off well, or the anchor will release and we'll end up stalled in the middle of travel."

Her stern warning was good for him, and he gave her a bashful smile. He was unsure if he'd be able to do it properly, but since she had decided to rely on him to complete the task, he figured it had to be done well! "Yes, ma'am!"

The look Izzy gave Vincent was a knowing one, which clearly spoke her thoughts - if he wanted to assist in the deport of Reta's docks, he was always welcome to lend a helping hand. Usually, it was only Graham that caused any worry with any of the tasks around the ship. With a big flutter of excitement in her chest, Izzy headed off to unlatch the cables from the docks and draw up the ladder.

"Well someone here has to tell you when you look amazing," he playfully winked at the Captin--even though it was obvious that she couldn't see him. To him she wasn't blind though, she knew everything that was going on. Only one day he wished she'd look into his eyes and actually see him. If he could he'd wrap her in his arms, but he couldn't do that infront of everybody.

Izzy started calling the crew to work on setting sail. Technically, Vincent didn't have to do anything since he was in fact the doctor. The look on her face seemed like she wanted him to help. He had nothing better to do and besides it probably could impress Mai. "Got it Iz," he said nodding. He went to the otherside of the achor's crank.

"Graham," he said looking at the rather shy pirate. He never got the young guy. Pirates were supposed to be rude and strong, Graham just seemed plain out bashful. What was the pirate world coming to these days? "Hum a steady beat, it helps you work better."

It wasn't long before Ellie burst out of the lower deck. "HEY GUESS! I MADE SOME--" she stopped herself when she noticed her fellow crewmates hoisting the sales and pulling up the anchor. "Ellie, right on time."Mai chirped messing with the steering wheel.
"Oh my my my, are we going somewhere?"Ellie asked curiously. It wasn't unlike the captain to act rashly, but she normally got Ellie and determined the exact route they would take before setting out again. A smiled spread across Mai's face. "Yep." she said. "Ellie, set a course for Nigul, we've got us a siren to capture."
Ellie felt jolts of excitement electrocute her body. "Yes sir!" she said saluting. Although she wasn't sure why, whenever to Captain got excited, the whole crew seemed to get excited as well.

Graham was slightly startled by Vincent's helpful tip, but quite thankful, as well. "O-oh, does that really work?" he asked, having heard rumors about such things, but not really believing in them before. But, if one of his crew mates insisted it worked, then he wouldn't hesitate to try it! "Thank you, sir, I'll certainly give it a try!"

And, just like that, Graham began to hum along as he worked, a strange tune that he seemed to be making up as he went along.

On the far side of the ship from them, Izzy quickly got to work with reeling up the ladder from the side of the ship and then she moved to get hoisting the sails. "Almost ready to set sail, Captain!" she said cheerfully - which was quite a frightening thing, seeing as she was overall a grumpy person. "Once the anchor's been lifted, we're prepared to deport!"

"Very good!" Mai called back. And just like Izzy had said, it wasn't long before her ship had set sail. Off to Nigul. Mai thought. Another suicide mission, nothing we can't handle. Once the boat had been set on the right course and steady winds pushed The Atlantic along, Mai went down on the upper deck to where her crew was. "It will take us at least a day to get to Nigul." she said. "That means we only have 24 hours to prepare ourselves for what's yet to come. As you know, pirates aren't very welcome there, and I doubt a simple "traveling boat" disguise is bound to work." Mai paused for a minute."Izzy and I are going to sneak in and retrieve the siren. It will be less conspicuous if only two of us go rather than all off us. Plus, I won't have to worry about any of you getting hurt." A small smile appeared on Mai's face--something that only occurred if she was up to no good or something had truly pleased her. She sat down on a barrel and began to fabricate her plan.

"Izzy and I are going to disguise ourselves as men and sneak into the government's facilities. There we will stay approximately twenty minutes to retrieve the siren. I have a good idea where she'll be located based on stories and rumors Johnson used to tell about that place." Mai crossed her arms and tapped her right pointer finger as she spoke. "There's a cove located just outside of the island where they'll have her. We'll anchor the ship there and Izzy and I will take a small rowboat to the island. That way, our ship will be well hidden amongst the rocks and we'll avoid suspicion. While Izzy and I are gone, watch the ship and try to be on the deffensive. I doubt you'll be spotted, but in the event you are I don't want you taking any chances. Atlantian Militia aren't simple authorities with little to no experience, they are quite a match. Therefore if something happens, I want you guys to retreat without a second thought. Izzy and I will make our way back to you, I promise." Mai turned to where she felt Izzy was. "Izzy," she said sternly, "If something happens to me in there and I can't make it back out--leave without me. I don't need any of my crew spilling blood on my account. If they catch me, they will imprison me. It is most likely they will kill me, but knowing them they could have other things in store as well. If I do not die, I will make my way back to you guys, this I promise. However, if something does happen and I am unable to ever return to you guys, Izzy is your new Captain. Treat her with all the respect you would me or Jonhson. My final wish is that you would continue to fulfill Johnson's dreams." On that note, Mai stood up. "Izzy, we will start preparations soon. Twenty-four hours is a smaller amount of time then most people take it for."

Upon Mai's beginning to come up with a plan, the fellow crew mates gathered around to hear her out. She was their Captain, and they absolutely trusted her - whatever plan she came up with in their twenty-four hour time limit would likely be a successful one, even if a little rocky in some places. Everyone trusted Mai to not only protect her crew, but to get the job done, as well. And, in every raid in the past, they always made it back alive.

Izzy was more than thrilled to be going into the enemy's territory to take the siren with Mai - she would do her utmost to protect and defend Mai while helping to execute her plans. Raiding the government was a stunt that could not be pulled of with ease, but they were not novice pirates - they would make the impossible possible, reach new limits. They were the Atlantic's crew, after all, and they had expectations to live up to as pirates! At least... Izzy was obsessed with such thoughts. And, she was positive that their crew lived up to these expectations and beyond. Their Captain had been trained by Johnson, had she not?

The plan sounded perfect - as a couple of hard working men, there was no way they'd be suspected by the government. Hard working citizens were what the government expected, so it wouldn't be until all Hell broke loose that they would be found out. Or, so Izzy hoped. With the ship protected, the crew on high alert, and a well-rounded plan, there was no way this attack could go wrong. And, even if something slipped up, they could surely cover it up. Izzy had a lot of faith in Mai as her Captain for reasons that even she didn't understand. But, her faith was strong, none the less.

"Of course I would follow Johnson's dreams, as well as the dreams of our Captain of today," Izzy confirmed with complete sincerity. It seemed harsh, but Isidore was not fazed by Mai's plans for her own capture or her own death - it was common practice as a pirate. As First Mate, she was next in line to become the Captain unless others were specifically addressed to become so by the Captain. And, there was always the chance that something could happen to either of them during the raid. It was just normal in the life of a pirate.

"I'm a little bit nervous," Graham said honestly as he heard out the rest of the plan. He was uncomfortable with the thought of the ship being spotted, but he knew that the crew would never let anything bad happen. Even if they were caught, they would fight off anyone who tried to capture them while making a run for it. It was just that he lacked the fighting skills, so he knew that if they were attacked he'd be completely useless. He didn't like that so much. "But, if either of you are to go missing, where is it that we'll meet up again? I mean, if we just plan to meet again someday, won't that almost be a wild goose chase? There should be a place that we'll go to, and if we don't meet up there after a certain amount of time, it would be safe to assume that the other is dead?"

It was just too much. Vincent immediatly stopped what he was doing and looked at Mai bewildered. Sure--the woman knew that his reaction would be like this despite the fact she couldn't see him. "Oh, no," he started getting a tad overprotective. "There is no way you are going with just Izzy, Mai. Atleast bring me with."

He went over to the Captin and put his hands on her shoulder as he looked her in her blind eyes. "Why do you put yourself in danger every chance you get?" he asked her very well knowing the awnser. It was Johnson. The only thing Vincent hated about the man was Mai's affection was attracted to him. Vincent felt a sadness, that the person he loved, loved someone else. He had to set his foot down. "I'm comming."

Mai frowned. "You will not." she said in her 'this is what I say and that's that' tone. "You will stay here with the ship. If you dare follow us, I swear I'll kick you off this ship faster then you can blink. Do I make myself clear, Vincent?" Without allowing him to answer, she went below deck and into the Captain's Chambers.
Ellie stood next to Graham and fiddled with her hair. "The Captain sure is a stubborn sort, huh?" Ellie paused, then looked up and smiled. Or rather, perhaps she cares about us more then she'd care to admit. Captain Mai Goodchild, you're more like Jonhson then any of us would care to admit.

Graham smiled nervously as Ellie spoke about their Captain. "She most certainly is quite stubborn," he said with a nervous chuckle. "Anyway, we ought to get to preparation for Captain Mai and Izzy's journey! We only have twenty-four hours to see them off well prepared and ready for what they might face when we arrive at Nigul!"

With a grin, the dark haired pirate headed for the kitchen. "C'mon, Ellie, I'll let you help me with dinner preparations!"

Up on the deck, Isidore was a little bit rattled about Vincent's proposition - he wouldn't let them go alone? Why was that? Did he not trust Izzy to protect their Captain with everything she had? She got the idea that he might have been calling her irresponsible, which she most certainly was not! "That's right, Captain!" she spoke up with some bit of hurt in her stern voice. "I'm going to do my best to protect you as our Captain, and I'm going to do a fine job of it. The less people who go means the less we have to worry. Captain Mai and I will make it back alive!"

Setting her sternest stare, the redheaded pirate made a sharp vow to the crew's doctor, "I swear it on my life."

Sometimes Mai got on Vincent's nerves, this was one of those times. He bit his tounge to the point he could feel it slightly break. Bitter the spat at the floor feeling the stinging sensation in his mouth. His hands were curled up into two fists. Rage was building up in him by Mai's statement in reply to his own.

"Isidore," he said being completely serious. Normally, he would have never address the girl by her actual name. The red head may have been trying to cheer him up, but honestly he didn't want any of that nonsense right now. "Sometimes it's better to keep your mouth shut than speak out. This is one of those times."

He then went to his bunk. It was one of those times when Vincent needed to be alone. Most likely he wasn't going to see Mai off.

When addressed by her name, Izzy instantly knew that the words to come were quite serious. It was just normal for her crew to address her by her nickname of Izzy rather than to call her Isidore. Well, the exception was probably Graham trying to win his way back onto her goodside. But, she didn't really understand why that was a problem - she was never one to go back on her word, and she would see through to it right to the end. Even if it cost her own life, she would return Mai back to the ship alive.

Otherwise she'd probably not be able to live with herself.

After the disappearance of Johnson, a small part of her had gone missing - completely. It was as though it had never happened, she didn't remember his face, nor his character, just the name and the role he played. She knew, though, that he was a trustworthy and dedicated leader - it was in her heart. And, if Mai was left in place of him, then she would be just as loyal to Mai. It was her duty as First Mate to protect their Captain. "If you don't like it, then ignore it. But I'll have you know that I mean every word of what I say."

Watching the angered doctor flee the deck, Izzy herself strode off the opposite direction from which he went. It wasn't often that she felt anger towards her fellow crew mates - they were her family and they were the only ones she cared about. However, the anger refused to simmer down and she felt ready to smack someone. Luckily, she had the self-control to avoid such a situation, slamming her fist down onto the wooden railing of the ship instead. "I hate him sometimes!"

But, she paused after she said this. Was her anger really to be directed at the doctor? He had only been trying to inform her that she had upset him in a roundabout way, so was it really her place to be mad at him? With a shake of her head, she adjusted her cap while muttering, "No... I hate me sometimes..."

Ellie opened her mouth to say something to her arguing crewmates, but closed it as she knew it was useless. “Let's go.” she said to Graham. “Maybe one of your yummy meals will cheer everyone up, right?” Ellie smiled brightly at her friend, then proceeded into the lower deck where the kitchen was located.

When Mai woke up, darkness had replaced the clear blue sky. Everyone's probably sleeping. She thought. Everyone except maybe Izzy and Vincent. Mai sighed. She never enjoyed arguing with her crewmates, it weighed heavy on her mind and wore her out. I'll go up for some fresh air. She thought.
It was much cooler on deck then one could have predicted in the middle of the summer. The air was chilly and the gentle breeze that blew the ship and Mai's long brown hair was even cooler. Mai rubbed her hands on her arms to warm them. She took refuge in the soft sound of the ocean pushing and pulling the boat--a sound that often comforted her. I wish I could see. She thought wistfully.Even just for a moment so I can see the stars. Is it a crime to ask? Mai chuckled at the thought of how foolish it sounded. “I'm sorry, Vincent.” She whispered to herself. “Johnson would have done the same to me, which is why I have to do it to you. After all, we were never meant to get involved in the first place. You and I--we know this better then anyone.”

"Yeah, of course," Graham said as a smile of reassurance lit his face. Even if it was only one person, he was glad that someone honestly appreciated his cooking. With that, he led Ellie down to the kitchen.


When night had come, Izzy was the last to retreat to the sleeping quarters below the deck because she had been quite caught up in her own useless thoughts. But, she moved quickly when she realised that she had become quite tired over the course of the day - she had been sent on a search to find the others in Reta, and then she had spent some time arguing with one of the few people she actually liked, so she was about ready to call the day quits.

She found it challenging, however, to find any peace while lying in bed, staring up towards the ceiling. The gentle rocking of the boat, and the distant sound of the waves crashing against the side of the ship usually was enough to send her drifting into a heavy sleep after a long day, but for some reason she felt too anxious to sleep. And it didn't have anything to do with the upcoming raid, she was positive about this. If anything, she would be more anxious to sleep and prepare for the raid, but this was different.

It was that, after being scolded and scolding in return, she was unable to rest easy. She didn't really understand it, but she knew that it was because of her argument with Vincent. "Foolish," she cursed herself bitterly as she rolled over to stare at the wall and possibly find some light form of sleep. "The sun should never set upon an argument, was it...? Well, it's too late for that useless information."

Down in the kitchen, Ellie and Graham appeared to be hard at work with making dinner - well, it was that Ellie was watching and helping with preparation as Graham did most of the cooking. A meal cooked by Ellie... likely wouldn't cheer anyone up. But, Graham was more than happy to show her this and that about cooking, useful tips that could come in handy for the cook-to-be.

"I hope they're okay... I've never seen any of our crew fight like that before..." the boy said with little hope in his voice. He didn't know why, but the three of them arguing like that made things extremely tense for Graham and he became very uncomfortable. Luckily, the kitchen was a good escape from that. "I hope it passes soon, it makes me a little uneasy."

Ellie chucked. "It'll be fine!" She said cheerfully. "You and I know that people can't stay mad at the Captain for long. Not even Izzy, who is--as we both know--an expect grudge-holder. Things will smooth over. They always do." Ellie turned her gaze to the ceiling, then added thoughtfully, "That's just the way they are." Ellie looked back down at Graham's food he was preparing. Wandering over, she took a spoon and taste-tested the soup. "Hm." she said pleasantly but thoughtfully. She grabbed a bag of sugar and dumped it in. "Needs more sugar!"

With a laugh, Graham found that Ellie's presence always cheered him up a little bit. And, in this, she was right - it wasn't like they could stay mad at each other forever, right? They were all part of the same crew with the same common goals and the same dedication to Captain Mai. They'd have to make up sooner or later, or things would fall apart - neither of them would stand for such a thing. "You're right, it'll all be over soon. They'll be back on good terms, capture the siren, and we'll all be one step closer to our goal!"

It was good to have a positive outlook on things, or so Graham thought. Even if everyone else was down, or the situation looked bad, there was no way they could get down because of it! The positive and upbeat pair were necessary in such times. While lost in these thoughts, Graham hadn't noticed that Ellie had gone for the sugar until she had began to dump it in, a white mountain forming in the soup. "N-no, Ellie! There is such a thing as too much sugar! S-stop it!" Moving quickly, he pried the bag of sugar from the smaller girl.

Sighing softly, it was already too late for the soup to be saved. Ellie was hopeless in the kitchen... and for some strange reason, Graham kept trying.

"If you use that much sugar, it'll overpower the soup all together and become too sweet for anyone to eat," he explained carefully, setting the almost empty bag of sugar down onto the counter top. "Sheesh..." But, despite the little bit of irritation that flowed through him due to the current situation, he wasn't angry and still had a small smile on his usually shy and bashful face.

Time had passed and sometime Vincent had drifted off to sleep. Not that it was exactly a peaceful sleep--he dreamt the possible worse thing had happend. Mai died. As a result he quit. Just left and became a deserter. Like he was going to listen to Izzy as Captin in that situation. The thought nearly made him sick.

He woke up in the crowded bunks. It was dark and he fumbled around trying not to step on anyone. Stummbling he made his way to the door and opened it. Fresh air poured into his lungs reminding him of the one thing he hated about the ship. The rooms got stuffy quickly. There were plenty of perks compared to that downfall. One being the sky he was standing under right now. His perfect company when he was feeling like this.

A familar voice alarmed him--it wasn't Mai was it? She knew as well as anyone that the eve before a mission it was important to be well rested, so what was she doing up here at this hour?

"Know what better?" he asked suddenly wondering what exactly the woman was saying. He took a step closer but still kept his distance away from the girl. Sure, by the sound of it it seemed like she needed a hug--but she had just hurt his feelings as well. That was the soul reason he held his own feelings shut right now.

"Just thinking out loud." Mai said coldly without turning to face Vincent. She wasn't surprised at his sudden appearance, she had heard him coming. Mai instantly regretted using that tone of voice. Turning stubborn now would only create more problems in the future. I'm still so immature, aren't I? "Vincent." she said more smoothly. "Come here." She turned and faced him, the moon reflected in her dull blue eyes. "I need to talk to you."

At first Mai's words were cold and stiff, like she was angry with him. Wasn't it the other way around though? He was the one that was supposed to be mad at her for being so stubborn and saying reckless things. Oddly her voice turned smoother though. It was rather confusing to go from cold to gentle, but Vincent walked over by her neitherless. Something seemed to be on Mai's mind and being who he was, he was going to listen.

"Yes?" he asked uneasily. What was he supposed to expect in this situation? For her to regret what she said? For her to scold him for acting the way he was? For her to hug him and say the words he wanted to hear so badly? There were so many options that it made him feel queasy in his stomach.

Mai turned twards him and placed her hand on his face, gently rubbing over his facial features she was unable to see. She new most of her crewmates by voice and footsteps, but also by identifying certain facial features. "Listen." she said. "I'm not sorry for what I said before. I am the captain of this ship and as the captain it is my job to take care of my crew and enforce order." Mai paused, and sighed. "I-I can't have you getting hurt, OK?" She said trying to find the right tone of voice. "If anything were to ever happen to you--to anyone on this ship--it would be all my fault. Vincent, you're the only doctor on this ship, no one else knows how to do the things you can do. If you were to get hurt or--" Mai didn't finish her sentence. "What would the rest of us do? We need you to live, to be OK. So promise me you'll stay here, OK?" Mai turned away. "Johnson would have done the same. You know this." Although she held her stance firm, Mai was gently trembling. She may have been the tough captain of a strong ship, but the fact remained she was still a child. Things still scared her.

Mai's hand felt soft as she rubbed in on his face. It was a method of sight for her; a way from her to get a picture of him into her mind. He didn't flinch when her thumb gently went across the bone of his cheek. To Vincent it was quite relaxing. He looked into Mai's eyes. Although she couldn't see through them she could express emotions through them. Her voice sounded tough, but her eyes told a completely different story. She was scared.

"Mai..." he sighed taking hold of her hand that was touching his face with his own. It was difficult for him to find exactly what to say. To him she didn't need to be the fearless leader or immitate Johnson at all. "I may have liked Johnson as a captian, but my feelings toward you are different. That's why I want to go with you. Not because of the adventure in store, but the fact that I'm in love with you, Mai. I want to protect you."

Mai's eyebrows trembled. "I know." she said softly. "And that's what scares me. You shouldn't like a person like me, you'll only get hurt." Mai gently pulled away. She had suspected he had liked her for a while, and had learned to cope with it. The thing was, Mai didn't return his feelings, she couldn't. Not right now, at least. There were too many things going on. "Vincent." Mai said turning towards the door that lead below deck. "You are to stay here. Don't let your emotions.......get in the way of other things. If something happens to them....." Mai's voice trailed off, then she added more to herself then him, "You'll only hurt yourself." She started towards the door, but paused for a minute and added, "If it makes you feel better, then I will allow you to see Izzy and I off."

"Isn't that the life of a pirate though?" Vincent joked trying to ease up the mood once again. A pirates life he had alright. He was practically raised on this ship from the time he was a little lad and knew it like the back of his hand. His life certainly wasn't easy and Mai telling him to forget his feelings was tough for him despite his previous adversities.

Things weren't quite mended between the two of them, but for now they were at least starting. "Mai," Vincent said before she was off. His back was faced towards her because he didn't want to look at her anymore till she was back. "Please come back alive, okay?"

Mai turned slightly towards him, smiling confidently. "Who do you think you're talking to?" she scoffed. "I was hand trained by the nutritious Captain Robert Johnson, of course I'll come back alive. It's a promise." Mai turned back and walked into a cabin, collapsing on her bed once she was alone. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. A very long day. There was only one shot, and this was it.