Not A Profession For A Woman[OPEN]

[[-Kay-]]

Celeste quieted a bit when he mentioned the bit about being unable to fight for a week. "That's not always the case, Captain MacKenzie. You'd do well to remember that" She nodded to him, striding across the deck to continue directing the crew. Voltaire looked at Alasdair, having been standing behind Celeste in a wayward attempt to keep her from injuring herself or someone else. "You'll have to forgive her of her ways. She's rather set in them. Her past hasn't been very kind to her, so I don't expect she'll be very kind to the either of you two. She's like a rock with crystals in it. Pretty on the inside, but it's damn near impossible to see that. She may have her moments where she'll be nice to you, but I wouldn't hold your breath." He walked towards Celeste, tapping her on the shoulder. "Miss Celeste. The runner is back."

[/u] Celeste ran to the railing of the ship, smiling a bit when she saw the runner, her sailor, and....a girl? She smiled, waiting for them at the top of the gangplank. "Good. You got 'er. I'm glad to see it." She said, taking the girl by the hand gently and leading her to her cabin. "I'll be in in a bit, just try and get used to the place." She shut the door on the dark-haired young woman, turning back to Voltaire and Alasdair. "Alright. I'm in a much better mood, ghosts of my past are all locked up in that room with her now. So, what's our heading?"[/size][/blockquote][/BLOCKQUOTE]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair sighed and rubbed his eyes. That was the problem with being a pirate; having to not kill your crew on sight. He raised an eyebrow at the new girl, then shrugged. What his officers did in their private time was no business of his. Their heading..... That was a good one. ”Send a message to the Caitriona. Alert her to finish here and sail for Tierm. After we introduce you to the Count and make sure he approves of me adding another pirate to our agreement under my command, we have to escort a mail courier carrying vital dispatches to Count Genji's homeland of Itasus. Probably him promising to have Broddring ripe for invasion within two years, slimy Itasan bastard rat. I might work for him, but I don't have to like him. Are you aware of the agreement the Count and I have?”[/color]

[[-Kay-]]

Celeste ignored most of what he said, instead conversing with Voltaire, who was shifting nervously from foot to foot. "Oh will you knock it off, you superstitious fool! Yes, there's another woman on board. No, she's not human. But do you have any idea how long it took me to track her down? Jesus Christ, man! It's not like she's going to sing you into the sea! Her sisters might, but not her! We aren't even going towards the Dragon's Teeth where her lot hang around." She sighed a bit exasperatedly, turning her head towards Alasdair. "What in the name of sanity are you goin on about, man? Somefin about an arrangement? No. I dunno who you are to that stingy old man. What arrangement you got with the Count?"

[/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

At the mention of another woman being on board, Alasdair turned. At the mention of not being human, he started. "Who is 'Jesus Christ'? And I'd like to inquire as to why there's a nonhuman female aboard my ship? As to the arrangement, he pays me not to raid Tierm or it's shipping, I don't, and when needed, act as a pirate deterrent and escort for other ships he deems necessary. It's quite beneficial, as I can always escape to Tierm if need be." Alasdair shook his head, and turned to face the open ocean. Thank the gods he was returning.

[[-Kay-]]

"The term is used as an explicative where I come from, Captain MacKenzie. As for Lacrimosa, I needed her to help me find where I was going to go before you decided to commandeer my ship. After all, who knows the seas better than one of the mermaids themselves? They do live in the waters, you know. And they would know where to go." At the mention of the count she laughed, openly. "So you get to act as his little lapdog, eh? Sit around and play nicely while being sent out and about to attack ships that he deems unworthy of his waters? Just like a great big guard dog. Follow orders enough, Captain?" She shook her head and looked at Voltaire, who was fidgeting and glancing at the door frequently. "Oh knock it off!" She swatted at his arm, only to have him grab her wrist, twist her around and pin her against the wall of the cabin. "No YOU knock it off Celeste."

[/u] Celeste cringed a bit, Voltaire having been a bit more rough than necessary when he did so. She had felt something in her wrist pop and she knew that it would bruise up rather nastily. She sighed, leaning her head against the smooth wood. Why did she always have to get into arguements with Voltaire? "Voltaire. Let go." She said this calmly, but a tinge of fear could be heard in her voice. However, he didn't just stood there and shook his head slowly. "I can't. You'll hurt yourself."[/u][/size][/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair smirked. He was no man's lap dog. "It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. I'm paid, his city's shipping isn't completely destroyed. Besides, he's good in a fight. I like being paid."[/color] Alasdair turned and was about to poke about the anchor, see what it was, when he heard Celeste's small plea. He faced Voltaire and Celeste with the speed of an angry wolf, and before he had even thought about it, Alasdair's fist was flying through the air, followed by two hundred fifteen pounds of angry Gael. It thudded into Voltaire's face, and since Alasdair knew exactly how much force it would take to surprise Voltaire into letting Celeste go, read enough force to break the man's face, Alasdair felt no regret in knocking one of his new officers off of his feet and onto the ground.

"Lay a hand on her again, ye son of a bitch, and I won't just be shattering your face. Ye'll lose your bloody nose. Lay a hand on her again, and I shall be making sure tae seperate your skull from your neck, as painfully as possible. I dinnae care how large ye are, I'll nae stand for the hurting of a lassie, even if she is a pirate. I might could forgive that, if I was drunk. But she is wi' child, and a superior officer. Ye're lucky I dinnae feel like staining my coat with blood, ye poxed bastard. Now get up, and either prepare to fight and die, or stay down there and stand down."[/color] Alasdair's voice lost all trace of cultured genteelity or civilization. Instead it held the accent of the Alban Gaels, of the fierce warriors that terrifed their foes with a simple look, of the Alban Highlanders that knew no fear, save fear of fear itself. Alasdair could sound like a Broddring noble if he needed to. He could also sound like an Alban Highland Gael, that had terrified numerous people, simply by exsisting. Alasdair was the latter, and he knew it, his crew knew it, and nearly everyone up and down the coast knew it. This man Voltaire would know it, too, before Alasdair was done.

[[-Kay-]]

Celeste was surprised at being let go, but was rather irritated when she realized that Alasdair had hit him. She stepped between them, toe to toe with Alasdair, a rather irked expression on her face. "Don't you touch him again! I don't care what he's done, you don't hit him you big stupid Gael!" She let loose a string of explicatives, turning to check on Voltaire. The man was bleeding from the nose and mouth, and it looked like he had dislocated his jaw. "Look what you've done you bleedin idiot!" She whirled on Alasdair, aiming to kick him in the shin and hit him at the same time. If she did, she didn't care, instead turning back to Voltaire. "C'mon. Let's get that fixed up. Lacrimosa!" She hit the door twice, the girl from inside the cabin coming out. She had dark hair that reached the middle of her back in loose curls. Bright blue eyes peered out, a fearful expression in them. "Lacrimosa, come help me fix Voltaire. The big dumb Gael hit him in the face." She said, taking the mermaid's hand and leading her over to him. "Of course, Celeste." The girl said softly, putting her hand on Voltaire's shoulder. She was murmering something in the ancient language, too soft for anyone to hear clearly. All it sounded like was some musical tinkling, like windchimes. The bloodflow and such stopped, the jaw reset. Mermaid's had that ability, to heal others. Normally it required contact with the water, but in her case she was able to do it both on land and in the water. Celeste's wrist however, wasn't one of the things she could fix. Dislocation and bruising was difficult to fix. The jaw was simple, because it was only one joint to be fixed back into place. But the wrist, with it's multiple bones, was a far more difficult thing to repair. Celeste just left it alone, turning her gaze back to Voltaire. "Voltaire. Go check on the rigging and help the rest of the crew make ready to sail. Nothing else. D'you understand?" The man nodded, walking away from Alasdair and Celeste. He wasn't happy about having made contact with Lacrimosa, but he would survive, the great huge baby that he was about it all. Lacrimosa, however, stayed close to the cabin door, behind Celeste.

[/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

Alexander swore when he felt the boot hit his shin. He moved backwards, and began his own tirade of defense. "That's bollocks! He hurt ye! By the gods, woman! Ye are worse than my mother! Don't hurt him?! I'll damn well hurt any poxed bastard that hurts an officer! I reserve that right! As tae that, if there's fear in your voice this one time, he's damned well done it more than this! I'll hang the bastard myself from the godsdamned yardarm if I have tae. Ye might be the commanding officer on this ship, but I will be damned if I let discipline slip before I hae even left! I told ye, I would or Vanya would beat the man tae a pulp that disobeyed the rules. I left out woman hittin' because most men dinnae do it anyway. It seems I must add it, if the first mate is tae be allowed tae threaten his captain. James, remember it. As for the mermaid, I expressly forbid killing her or harming her in any manner. Is that clear, Captain Celeste?"[/color]

[[-Kay-]]

"Oh don't act like I cut you off at the knees! I just kick you in the shin, it didn't hurt that bad you great huge infant!" She rolled her eyes as he spoke the rest. Oh Alasdair was going to have a field day working with her. Just filled with personality. She did sigh, rather heavily when he got to the part about Lacrimosa. "Nobody planned on killing her anyway! And we're entirely clear, Captain MacKenzie." Oh she wasn't very nice when she said his name, and she gave him a bit of a glare. "As for Voltaire, he is my charge and no one on this damned ship is going to touch him. Am I clear on THAT, Captain MacKenzie?" She was clearly asking for a quarrel at this point in time. He had already baited her into it, now she was baiting him in to this fight.


[Fail short post is fail.]

[/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

"I was backing away so I didn't get kicked again. As for your first mate, I don't care if he's your god. He won't bloody touch you, or I'll bloody kill him. He of all people should know not to touch his captain, unless his captain is a spoiled girl that's had everything handed to her on a silver platter, including her ship and crew. The fact of the matter is, my officers are not to be touched. That includes him. I recognize that I hurt him, but he needs to understand, I play by my own rules. Because I'm the most senior officer, I set the example and lead by it. This means what for them would be a beating offense, mine becomes a flogging. Vanya. Find a cat o' nine tails and make sure it's clean. James, hold my coat and shirt. This means, girl, that I'm going to let the man I hit flog me for breaking the rules."Alasdair unpinned his plaid, removed his coat and shirt, and handed them to James before removing his sword and dirk. He mentally shuddered, then felt the whisper of the night air against his back, and the crisscross pattern of scar material. Silently, he hoped Voltaire was good at floggings. Too low, and Alasdair could lose a kidney. Too high, and he could lose his head or his neck.

[[-Kay-]]

Celeste aimed another kick at his shins. "Absolutely not! There are to be no floggings unless I order them! Well, when it comes to you, anyhow. Nobodys flogging anybody! It's bad enough I had to order two floggings thismorning you great oaf!" She was really riled up now. She wasn't afraid to kick or hit the man. "Can you lose your bloody sense of pride and honor for two seconds and quit being so masochistic?! My god, you're like those bloody priests at Helgrind!" She took the whip from Voltaire, glaring at all the men on board. "Christ! And you say that women are the unreasonable ones! I'm the only one here with a lick of sense!"

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair dodged the kick, then sighed. ”It's either the cat, or the flat of my sword. I broke the rules, I get punished. I do not enjoy pain, but the application or receiving is sometimes necessary. In this case, I judge that it's necessary. Therefore, I am bound to uphold my own rules. If I'm above them, then so is everyone. I'm not above my own rules. It's either that, or let any young upstart try to take my crew and ship from me. So, Celeste. It's either the cat or the sword.”[/color]

[[-Kay-]]

"Well then it looks like I'm the one to take your ship and crew, dammit. You'll be no use if you get beaten. So knock it off and get off the Sparrow, dammit!" She glared at him a bit, making a gesture towards one of her other sailors. He moved into her cabin, coming back with the lass that had gone into her cabin and with a box. Lacrimosa had a bit of an odd glow surrounding her, a strange green glimmer that could barely be seen in this light. But the more the sun went down, the more it would show up. Lacrimosa didn't touch anyone, but simply looked up at Celeste. "Now look here, Captain MacKenzie. If you don't get your head up and get over the fact I'm not going to order a beating, I'm going to let Lacrimosa here maim you however she sees fit. But a word of warning. It wouldn't be anything you'd expect. She's special, you can see that. It wouldn't be a physical maiming either, Captain. Consider your answer carefully." She said, nodding to Lacrimosa, who handed her the box. Inside the box was a little crystal, held to a bit of leather with wires crisscrossing it. It glowed subtly as she took it out of the box and pressed it to her lips. The blue-green color flared slightly and glowed brighter than ever as she did so, slipping it over the head. She smirked, turning to her crew. "Gentlemen. We have the key." She laughed slightly as her crew murmered amongst themselves, all the approving and excited words making her it a bit cheerier.


[Click this for the sort of glow-thing I'm aimin for with Lacrimosa and the 'key']

[/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair turned away from Celeste and looked out on the water, silently thinking. It was, he decided, not worth it. Although he had slightly enjoyed the look on the man's face as he knocked him down, Alasdair had to do something to save face before all of them. If he didn't save face, a mutiny would be possible. Such a dilemma. He would rather be drinking, right now. If he was lucky, maybe he would find a new land over the ocean. As far as most Albans knew, and they were better seafarers than Alagaesians, there was nothing across the open ocean. Just more water. Perhaps.... But no. It wasn't worth the risk, not yet. Perhaps when he was a legitimate old man, with nothing left to do but explore the ocean's wastes. But for now....

”All of you, shut up. I'm in command, no? Then my orders are the ones to be followed, no? I would hate to have a lass with child lashed, and a lass at that, but by my gods, I will do it if I am not obeyed. Your Lacrimosa, Captain Celeste, can attempt to maim me physically, mentally, or emotionally all she wishes. I didn't break on the streets of Inlochaber at ten, and I will na break here. Unless you care to adminster the lashing yourself, you will acceed or I will burn your ship. Ships can be built or stolen, but most captains hold their ships in special regard, myself among them. Am I clear?”[/color]

[[-Kay-]]

Celeste rolled her eyes and turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "Then lash me. Burn the Sparrow. I'm a pirate, Captain. I'll get ahold of another ship and I'll just take it from there. You're threats mean nothing to me. Do whatever you see fit." she shrugged, taking Lacrimosa's hand and gesturing for her to go back into the cabin.

[/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair was about to reply when an arrow thudded into the deck next to him. It came from his ship, now sailing past, and then more. He turned and drew his sword from the deck and ran to the railing, ignored all those about him. It was mutiny! He turned again, and put some of his charisma to work.

”Bugger that, now. My ship is being stolen by the gods-forsaken rat bastards crewing her. Help me get her back, by the gods, and I'll get on my knees and thank you. I will put away ten thousand crowns for your child. I will do any thing you want, within reasonable extent, if you help me get my ship back. But for the love of your Christ fellow, help me get my ship back.”[/color] Alasdair didn't even wait for her response. Instead, he ran back to the mast and began scaling it, intending to use a rope to swing across to his ship before she sailed too far away.