Pirates Return IC

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Daniel put down William Harvey's book and opened up the Treatise on Ailments by James Lind. After a little bit of reading, he was amazed to find that his mother had been right about so many things: the heart pumped the blood, it was important to keep yourself clean to prevent infection and disease, it also was important to eat your fruits and vegetables as much as possible, especially limes, lemons and oranges when you were at sea for any length of time. It was a little disconcerting to find out that mom had been right about so many things. He scratched his head and turned the page.

 

"Aye, an' thankee, Sar - both fer the nice words an' fer gettin' me out. This fiddle wer me Da's - 'e lef' things fer me in diff'rent ports all roun' 'ere. Tha's th'only reason I be sailin' wi' Cap'n Abbot, t' work my way t' th' places where I need t' colleck Da's things."

They made it back to the Pale Horse without further incident. Jacques went below immediately to remove the filth of the prison from his hair and clothes. Matty went over to Daniel.

"Thanks for trying to get me out of there. I'm sorry I ended up getting caught anyway. Da always did say that it's easier to not-think your way into trouble than to think your way out of it again."

"I'm just glad you're back, and I hope that was worth the effort?" Daniel gestured to the fiddlecase.

"Oh, it is, it is! You'll be the first to hear, too, once I get it cleaned and tuned."

"That will have to wait." He told her all about the festivities planned for later that evening. Matty's face fell.

"But I can't go ashore, they'll recognize me for certain! No governor in the Caribbean knows the goings-on in his city better than here. If he's got business with the Captian, I don't want to put it at risk by associating him with a common thief."

[ August 26, 2005, 16:39: Message edited by: Rallymama ]

 

Alexa swept out of the surgery, leaving Ricardo within, and approached Daniel and Matty. As she neared, she heard the last of Matty's words. She smiled, and rested a light hand on Matty's shoulder.

"Matty, child. I believe I might just have the solution to your problem." Her eyes twinkled with amusement as the idea took shape. "Come with me. And Daniel, lad, I'm pleased that you are keeping up with your reading."

Alexa lead Matty back to the surgery and gestured for her to go into the curtained off corner of the surgery which was Alexa's private domain. Alexa waited a moment, then turned to Ricardo, who was still standing in the surgery.

"Ricardo, I must ask you to leave us for a time. There are some things I must discuss with our piper that are of a confidential nature." She waited until the Spaniard had left, then joined Matty, and began to search for something.

"Now lass, the authorities are looking for a lad, are they not? Don't you think that the best disquise is no disguise at all?"

 

"You don't mean... but I haven't ahd a chance to talk to the captain yet!"

 

Alexa frowned slightly. "Matty, lass, I realize you need to talk to the captain about this, but he is going to require his piper to act as his footman. You need to be there, in one guise or another." She stepped back from her clothes with a sigh.

"Unfortunately, I have no clothes that are appropriate for a ball that aren't singed in some way. The captain sent Zheng out to get clothes for us, but he shall be returning with footman's wear for you, not a dress." She paused. "Wait here."

Alexa left the surgery and approached her son. "Daniel, I need you do do some shopping for me." She knelt down and whispered. "I need you to buy a dress appropriate for a ball for Matty. Theose guards are looking for a lad, so we must disguise him as a lass. Bring it to me in the surgery when you have it." She handed him some coins, then walked back to the surgery.

"Lass, it would be best if you stayed here until it is time to leave, once you're dressed. Before Daniel returns though, do you have your flute with you?"

 

"Nay Ma'am, but you're right that I'll likely need it. I'll be right back." She scampered below, taking the fiddle to stash it with the rest of her treasures. She longed to open it but that would have to wait until she had the luxury of time.

Upon returning to the surgery, the work began in earnest. Alexa wasn't satisfied with anything about her, not the way she slouched when she stood, or the length of her stride when she walked, or the tone of her voice when she spoke.

"I can't do this, Ma'am, I'll never pull it off!" she cried in frustration. "I can't help being born a female but that'll never make me into a lady. I've spent too much time around pirates."

"Nonsense, child, it's not that hard," Alexa sighed, privately wondering if the task really weren't impossible. "You've been acting the boy all these years, haven't you?"

"Yes, but it's easy to copy what I see everyone around me doing every day. What you're asking me to do... well, it just seems so unnatural as to be foolish."

"Not really. Look at it this way..."

And the transformation continued.

 

Alexa pushed her hair out of her face and smiled at Matty. "Lass, I am not trying to turn you into a lady, I am simply trying to show you what it is to be female." She chuckled. "Besides, I am far from being a lady myself."

She sat down on her cot and patted the matress beside her, indicating for Matty to sit down for a moment. "Matty... Matilda, I was born in Freetown, my father was one of local sawbones. My mother died giving birth, and I don't know anything about her. Father died soon after, so I ended up teaching myself about medicine." She pushed back the sleeves of her shirt to reveal the mumerous scars on her wrists.

"I was captured once by a pirate and used and abused for his own entertainment. I escaped, and soon after joined a pirate ship, then married a pirate." Her eyes twinkled merrily. "I've been forced to pretend on a couple of occasions when the governor at Freetown had invited me to his formal balls."

Alexa stood, a grin spreading across her face. "So you see lass, I don't know much about being a lady, but I know about pretending to be one. Look at it as another way of disguising yourself."

 

Abbot stood before a small, roofless carriage that had only been repainted earlier that day. The paint job was stripy and bubbly, evidence of the painter's lack of good material but it would suffice and perhaps even look presentable from a distance. "Five silvers." the owner said, crossing his arms and pushing his spectacles up with a wrinkle of his nose.

The man was stick thin, his grey hair fast disappearing from his head. "Three." Abbot said, touching the nearly dry paint. The carriage owner shook his head.

"Five." he said, pushing a finger through the left side of the spectacle frame where the glass seemed to be missing and proceeded to scratch his eyelid.

"No - three. I'm not bartering with you - that's what I'm paying." Three Swords stared down the man who stopped scratching his eye lid to note that Abbot was very tall and very strong - and evidently in no mood to go above three or in any mood to be refused.

"Three it is." the man said, taking a step back. Three Swords handed the man the coins without another word and stepped up into the carriage. "The horses will cost an extra two silvers." Three Swords leaned back, smiled and threw the old man the extra coins who caught them deftly.

"Very shrewd." He said as he shook the reins and the horses set off, back toward the Pale Horse.

 

"Well, which one do you prefer, young master?" the dressmaker asked. Daniel had no idea. The pink one was pretty, but he had no idea if Matty liked pink. He liked the blue one, but the light green one would go well with her eyes and hair. God, how did women make decisions like this? He decided to leave the pink one out and flip a coin to decide on blue or green. It turned out it was the green dress.

"Could you please wrap it up in some paper, my Lady?" he asked. He did not want to be seen walking to the docks with a dress.

He got back to the Pale Horse with out any mishaps, and went down to the surgery. "Here you are, Mom, Matty. I didn't know what color you liked, so I got a green one. I hope you like it." He glanced at Matty. She had a nervous look on her face, but she did look like a girl. A pretty one at that.

"See you on the deck," he muttered as he hastened out the door.

 

Matty was stunned by the green dress. It was by far the most beautiful thing she owned; she felt unworthy to put it on. Fortunately the seamstress had tucked a worn petticoat - too ragged to sell but still nicer than her finest shirt - into the wrapping. She had the urge to bathe before putting the lovely thing on, and Alexa didn't discourage her.

It fit well enough, if a bit loose in the waist and tight across the bosom she'd kept hidden under shabby homespun. Playing the pipes was out but she should be able to manage a tune on the flute, and, now that she didn't have to hide her gender, even a song or two in her clear soprano.

Alexa raised an eyebrow and went to work on Matty's shabby hair. She even dabbed a few cosmetics on the girl's face. When she was done she stepped back, then called Daniel into the surgery under the pretense of having him prepare for the evening. Matty waited for his reaction, not wanting to admit just how much she cared about what he thought.

 

Alexa smiled at her handiwork, and waited patiently for her son to arrive. While they waited, she handed Matty a small mirror.

"Have a look, lass."

 

"What, Mom?" Daniel said as he walked into the surgery, his head in Mr. Lind's book on ailments. He noticed a stranger standing next to his mom and dropped the heavy book on his feet.

"Ow! Matty, is that you? You're...you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, who would've ever thought that? Uh, not that I mean you were ugly or anything as a boy, but, uh, well, you look really nice."

He couldn't think of anything else to say. "What did you want, Mom?"

 

Alexa chuckled at her son's reaction. Seeing his flabergasted reaction to Matty was exactly what she had hoped for.

"Daniel, may I assume that you approve of Matilta's transformatioin?" Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Once Mister Zheng returns with the clothing for you and I, we must get ready ourselves, but first, you need to clean yourself up."

Alexa turned slightly, so her son couldn't see her face, and winked at Matty.

[ September 12, 2005, 19:39: Message edited by: Laiwethel ]

 

"Yeah, she looks great. I'll go wash up. You know what, you've been right about baths and cleanliness all along, it really does help you stay healthy." Daniel went and got a bucket of water, a bar of soap, and a washcloth.

 

Ricardo’s hands shook as he made sure the bow that held his hair back was fastened tightly, and it was not because of the pain still radiating from his knuckles.

He was still enraged at the redhead; how dare she assume the worst of him every single time he approached her? He had been so close to losing control… so close to just grabbing her and letting her know just how much she intrigued him... it was fortunate that she had swept out so imperiously: she had not seen him lash out in anger and smash his hand against the wall.

He has managed to exit with some semblance of grace when she had returned with the piper in tow; her abrupt dismissal of him would have not been taken so easily by him had he not known quite well what the boy might have been through during the brief time spent in a Port Royal gaol.

Ricardo had been forced to… indulge again, after he’d retuned to his cabin. He could not get the redhead out of his thoughts, no matter how hard he tried. Had he been a superstitious man, he would have said she’d bewitched him – but he knew better than to believe in old wives’ tales.

He tugged at the ribbon again; he disliked the fact that he had no mirror to check his appearance from, but he was confident that nothing was out of place with his attire. After all, his disinclination for the company of the high society had not prevented him from being prepared for the possibility.

With a grim expression, he began secreting weapons on his person; no matter how insignificant a colonial governor’s ball was in comparison to the king’s court in Spain, he would not let his guard down.

 

A few hours later, Alistair emerged from the tavern he was in and looked around. The navy bastard wasn't here - then again, he was a little bit early. He haven't got much time left, though, the ship departs in another day. If he couldn't find his contact, he would have to quit this mission. The thought made him gnaw down on his cigar.

He made his way towards Pete's gunsmithy and collected the guns. Pete explained that he had realigned them just to be sure, as well as polished it and done the usual tests to ensure it's still accurate. Alistair laid a sack of money and left with the guns, as well as more blackpowder and the like. Not wishing to be seen carrying the items (he suspected he would have a run-in with the Navy rather sooner than he wished if he did), he made his way back to the ship. A few lights were on, but not many, and he seemed to hear talking further down the corridor. Shrugging and not caring he went into the crew's quarters and laid down his new wares near his hammock and dropped a jacket on it, and then sit and started inspecting his guns while humming a soft tune.

 

Daniel's reaction made Matty feel like dancing. The tiny space behind Alexa's privacy screen in the surgey didn't allow for much, but Matty still twirled a bit and savored the feel of how the dress moved against her legs. Too bad she'd likely be too occupied with playing the tunes to have the chance to dance later in the evening.

Maybe being revealed as female wouldn't be entirely bad after all - it would all depend on the captain, really. If he reacted badly to the news of her deception, he wouldn't do anything to stop the crew from...

She didn't want to think of that, and went back to dancing.

[ August 29, 2005, 16:20: Message edited by: Rallymama ]

 

Alistair laid on the hammock, smoke raising from his mouth, as a few pirates under Three Swords appeared. They were talking animatedly about something, and one of them, noticing Alistair, strode over and leered.
"What ye doin' here, eh? Thought all ye important people's going to the dinner w' the captain."
"What dinner?" Alistair asked, boredly.
"Ahah, so ye're not so important after all, are ye?"
"Shut up. What dinner?"
"Tha one the governor's holding," said another, more helpful one.
"Governor...?" suddenly Alistair was interested, and sat up.

Governor, he thought. Governor. That would imply something important. Maybe the navy would be there...ahh, there we go. It'd be a better place to find Colin, perhaps, seeing as how the rat likes to go to important meetings. Or at least one of his collegues would no doubt be there.

His mind made up, he ignored the pirates and removed his coat (as well as assorted weaponary within) and put it careful on the ground. On second thoughts, he carried them outside and looked about. The ship was eerily quiet; even the galley seemed to be empty. Noticing the surgery lights on, he slung the stuff on his shoulder and entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said as he pushed open the door. "I'd just like to..."

He paused when he saw Matty there, dancing, but didn't acknowledge the face, only the dress which he thought was a bit peculiar. As expected, the surgeoness was there, but...there was something familiar about the girl.

Alistair looked at her again. Slowly, realization dawned and the cigar fell out of his gaping mouth.

"I see." he said, after a brief moment. "I guess that makes sense..."

 

Alexa froze, then dragged Alistair into the surgery and slammed the door shut. Eyes blazing, she pulled a dagger from her belt and pointed it at him, maybe an inch from his throat.

"I swear, if you breathe a word of this to the Captian before the child and I have a word, I swear, I shall make what I did to that Red Hand seem like a pleasant jaunt in the park." Her voice grew hard. "And if you even think of saying anything about this going against the Articles, I would remind you that I did not sign said Articles and neither did you."

She took half a step back. "First I want your oath that you won't say anything to the Captain. Secondly, what the Devil did you want with me so that you come barging in without knocking. For all you know, I could have been preparing myself for the ball. For future reference, unless you are injured, knock first before entering."

 

Daniel walked back into the surgery, clean as a whistle, and saw his mom holding a dagger at the bounty hunter. The bounty hunter didn't look like he was getting ready to attack, so he just watched and didn't get ready to fight.

"Mom, do you have a comb or brush? I got my hair pretty clean, but I left my brush back at the Kelp. Also, what am I supposed to wear to this ball? My clothes here really aren't the best." He glanced at Matty, but didn't say anything to her.