Chapter 26: Sunbathing and Sword Fights






It wasn't until quite late at night that Lily returned, and she was a little surprised to see them all still awake despite the amount of alcohol they'd consumed. They were a little tipsy, but considering that they were teenagers they tended to party a lot anyway. Not that she'd know. Parties were a little more tame in this world. They fell silent as the door opened and the first mate strode in, the door being locked behind her from the outside to prevent the escape of the brats within it. They made a point of it not to look at her, though she gazed over at them with narrowed, icy eyes.

The three eldest were sitting up on Alison's bunk playing cards, it seemed, having convinced the Bill guy on the first shift that he should find them some. Marty, however, was the only one not awake; having curled up on Lily's bed several hours ago and fallen asleep as he didn't have anywhere else to sit. Her eye twitched a little, but she didn't say anything for the time being. Instead she chose to turn her back upon them, removing the tight red leather and reveal the old cloth binding beneath it. Taking up a rag, she dipped it into the water and used it to scrub the kohl, sweat and dirt off her face, as well as from the rest of her body that was exposed above and beneath her chest line where the binding didn't cover.

They watched for a moment out of the corner of their eyes, staying silent and only half heartedly playing cards. Most of the time they completely missed what they were supposed to be looking out for as their attention was on the pirate across the other side of the room.

"Stop staring, brats." she growled lowly, able to feel their eyes upon her back. Thankfully the faint lines of scarring from a whipping many years ago were covered by the cloth. Drying herself off, Lily didn't bother pulling the red vest back on, and instead threw it onto the floor next to her bunk, along with the belt that had been strapped across her torso. The clatter woke the sleeping boy up, and he narrowly missed hitting his head on the bunk above him.

"Hm? What's going on?"


"Get out of my bed."


Yikes. She didn't sound too happy. Rolling off of it, he was glad that he chose to sleep on top of it and not clamber in under the covers. He had a feeling that she'd be even more annoyed if that happened. Sitting up on the edge of her desk, Marty swung his feet back and forth.

"Go to sleep, you beetle-headed harpies. And pumpion...There's a blanket and pillow up the top of the closet. Touch anything else and I'll cut off your hands."

She gestured with her left index finger to show him where the closet was. Her voice had softened just the tiniest fraction at addressing Marty, but it was hard to catch. He was nearly falling off her desk he was that sleepy, but he managed to slide himself off the desk and shuffle past the pirate to the closet. Opening it up, he looked up to the shelf that the spares were on, and jumped up a little to grab them.

Yawning, Marty closed the door and spread everything out upon the floor between Lily's desk and her bed, far away from where his brother was so it would be less likely that he'd play a prank upon him. It meant being in reach of Lily's sword, after all. However he didn't go straight back to sleep, and instead took the dagger belt, leaning back against the bunk after hooking it up. The others started to wander back to their own beds with Tyler simply swinging down onto his, and Kirra having to climb down and walk across the room. She ruffled Marty's hair a little and gave him a smile before climbing up and then in under the sheets.

Lily spent a bit more time awake than they did, sharpening and cleaning her sword. The daggers could wait until morning. That way she could show the brat the proper way to clean them and let him try it on his own sword. She didn't want him completely wrecking hers. She needed it more than he did. Her task was made a little harder due to the lack of power she could exert with her right arm form the dislocation, and she noted with some disdain that it was still swollen. Thankfully she could feel her fingers still, so it wasn't a severe injury. Just one that hurt a hell of a lot.

By the time she finally decided to go to sleep, Tyler was already down for the count. Only Kirra and Alison were still awake, though the latter had her eyes closed; just peering at everything from under her eyelashes. This caused her to catch the small gesture from Lily towards Marty as he sat there. After the first mate had climbed in under the covers, she had placed her hand upon his head, gently running her fingers through his short brown hair almost absetmindedly.

The action made him quite drowsy given his current state, and several times he came quite close to falling over. Alison couldn't help cut think it was cute, and she pointed it out to Kirra. Peering over the edge, the Fijian gamer then gave a puppydog face to proclaim just how adorable that was. The two burst out laughing as Marty slid to the side and fell over, hitting his head on the floor with a thump as he fell asleep. Even Lily had to sit up and see what was wrong.

Sitting up, Marty cleared his throat and rubbed his fists in his eyes to try to wake himself up. But it didn't last too long, as he crawled into the little bed he'd made on the hard wooden floor. It was a little more comfortable, but not by much, and he rolled about trying to get comfortable. It was absolutely freezing down there. He knew he'd have a sore back and neck in the morning. After laying back down, it didn't take Lily long at all to get to sleep in the comfort of her cabin. She was still a little wary about them stealing her weapons and stabbing her to death in her sleep, but she had a feeling they wouldn't. After all, they were kids, and didn't seem to want to get into a fight. But it wasn't long afterwards that there was a bang at the door that sigalled that she needed to get up.

"Ugh..." climbing out of bed and stepping over the sprawled out body of the 15 year old, Lily opened up the door that had previously been locked. "What?"

"Cap'n said ta let you know that we're well out ta sea now. Even if they do get a boat they won't know which way ta go ta row back ta the island. So this can stay open."

"Is that all?" she grumbled.

"Uhhh. It's all he told me ta tell ya." he wasn't surprised at getting the sleepy pirate slamming the door in his face so that she could go back to bed. But it was a rather eventful night with Lily having to get up and down and back up again answering the door and dishing out orders to the crew who couldn't seem to think for themselves.

"Lily. Some bloke stole an extra ration. Cap'n says you can deal out the punishment."

"Let Dougal do it." came the muffled voice from her pillow as she laid on it face down. They could see why Lily was so grumpy if this happened every night. The poor woman barely got any sleep. Hell, the constant interruptions were annoying even the gamers. There was another bang a few short minutes later.

"Lily. Dougal says ya need ta come down ta check the ballast and the hold. Make sure everything is good." the sailor heard a strained sigh from within the cabin, but he knew that it meant that she was coming. Not wanting to face the obviously grouchy pirate, he wandered off.

Inside the cabin, the first mate sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night. Pulling on her boots with her left arm and then sliding on her vest, she pulled the strings tight. Having to brave the pain for a moment, she raised up her right arm and weakly used in to tie up the leather cords and tuck them inside the vest so that everything was neat. That done, she lowered it again and nudged Marty with her foot once she stood up.

"Lay aloft."

Figuring she'd use sailing terms to get the brat used to it, it didn't take him long to figure out that she was giving him permission to curl back up in her bed, rather than wanting him to go above deck. She didn't need to tell him twice. He could barely feel his fingers and toes he was that damn cold.

"Thanks, Lily." he murmured softly so as not to disturb the others. They were already awake anyway, but he didn't know it.

Jumping up, he more than happily kicked off his boots and crawled into the warm covers which heated his skin quickly. It was so much more comfortable, but at the same time he knew that it meant she wouldn't be back for a long time. He was quite right. The first mate didn't return until just an hour before dawn, so tired that she didn't even bother telling him to get out of the bed. She simply flopped down onto the matress, buried her face in the pillow and went to sleep.

Despite all of this, she was still the first one to rise and covered the dark lines around her eyes from lack of sleep with the kohl. She looked quite different without it, but they'd barely been able to see before as it had been dark, and she didn't give them a chance to see it with what little light was filtering in through the tiny window.

"Go and make colours, runt." she nudged Marty once more while pulling on her sword belt. He stopped to grab hold of the other end, seeing she was having a little trouble holding it all together. Once it was buckled up, she gave him slight cuff around the ear. He knew it was her way of saying thanks, and he grabbed his own boots before heading out to raise the flag like she'd taught him how to do. The others watched all these happenings with a manner of curiosity. Despite the fact that they'd only been here in this world for a few days, they noticed that the two had formed some kind of bond or understanding. Simple little actions seemed to mean more between the two of them than they did to anyone else.

Though Tyler wasn't really surprised. The kid had been obssessed with Pirate Islands ever since the developers had come up with the idea and created trading cards and a computer game. They all had, really, but Marty was the one who took the time out to read up on each of the characters, knowing their strengths and weaknesses rather than just going in with all guns blazing. In a manner of speaking, anyway. Even so, the kid was finding out more about them every waking moment, and Tyler had no idea how he could possibly worm his way into the hearts of these rough-and-tumble sea farers who otherwise hated everyone. Maybe it was because Lily was a female and had a natural instinct to look after him? All he knew was that little brothers were annoying, and that was that.




Unlike the night, the day was fairly uneventful and it allowed Lily a chance to relax for once. She chose to do this by stripping off down to the cloth binding again and drape herself over the thick beam and railing that stopped them falling off the deck. This way she'd be able to lounge around in the sun and get a nice tan while she was at it, as she could easily undo the material and leave her back exposed. The large tattoo upon the right side of her form was clearly seen. It wasn't of anything in particular, but just a flame-like design of vines and small pictures here and there.

Stretching out like a cat, she let one leg hang over the edge on sea side, while the other rested along the railing. Yes, these sunglasses were a marvelous invention, she had to admit. She kept them up on her head for now, as she didn't want to end up with a white patch where they had been.

"Hey, Marty? Why don't you go and find some sunscreen to rub on your new girlfriend? Wouldn't want her to get burned." Tyler teased, gesturing over at the sunbathing pirate, who was getting a few looks from even the crew.

"Shut up, arse." he recieved a slap around the back of the head for that.

"Don't you talk to me like that."

"Don't you talk to me like that." he repeated sarcastically, poking out his tongue.

"Hey, cut it out, you two, or they'll lock us back in the cabin." Kirra scolded as they walked out further onto the deck and looked around. Lily had warned the two girls not to go anywhere on the ship without each other and Tyler, besides the cabin and the deck where it was well lit and open. It was 'too dangerous' apparently. Even if they were good fighters, they could still be overpowered.

For a while the small group watched as Marty helped out with the daily chores upon the ship, but it quickly became boring. What else were they supposed to do? They felt their respect for the sailors increase a little. Months stuck in tiny, cramped quarters with diseases running rampant with little food to eat. And the boredom. Oh how they must have been bored. It was just torture.

Cannonball flopped his solid frame down onto a coil of rope next to Lily, leaning back against the railing. His face was streaked with sweat and dust as always, and he squinted in the bright light. Raising a hand up, he placed it upon the first mate's back, scratching her shoulders and tracing the lines of the tattoo as if she was a cat. She seemed to enjoy it though, as a lazy smile drifted its way onto her face.

"You get any sleep last night?" he asked gruffly, not really knowing what to talk about.

"Maybe an hour or two."

"Take it you're not up for a game then?"

"Not unless it involves me sleeping." she mumbled, her voice distorted a little from her cheek being mashed against the hand and arm she was using as a pillow.

"Hum. Well that's no fun." he grumbled, though still kept his hand moving upon her back. "Did you really mean what you said before Dougal knocked you out back there?" he hesitantly asked, causing Lily to raise her head.

"Of course. Blackheart isn't giving us anything, and you know it." she lowered her voice so as to not alert the other crew members. "Sailing for his word isn't going to get us paid. We need to sail for the money. We could have been rich three times over by now if he had listened to me. Instead that bloody French ship got all the gold when all they had to do was dig it up. No savages or anything. Now we're sitting here holding a bunch of kids hostage all for some orb thing we know nothing about, when we could be back in Tortuga just living it up. We would have had enough to BUY the damn tavern. He needs to go."

"But Blackheart is yo-..."

"I know. But that doesn't mean he's doing a good job at that or being a Captain. He's a bumbling fool. If we want to get paid, we need to get rid of him. And Dougal too."

Cannonball Bob sighed, and ran a hand over his bald head. He trusted Lily's judgement. She was a smart lass, even if she was unruly and wild-tempered. He wasn't sure how she'd go with the power that being a captain afforded, as it essentially meant she was their master and her word was law. He knew that if they attempted a mutiny though and it wasn't successful, that they would both be in big trouble.

"Hum. Alright. I'll go sound everyone out and see what they think." he gave in.

"Okay. But be careful. We don't need them marooning us." she reached out and have him a pat on the chest before the big man got up and went back over to tend to his babies; the cannons.

Now that he was gone, Marty wandered on over. He couldn't help but let his eyes trail over the strange markings upon her back. He could vaguely see the thin scars from what he could only assume to be a whip. Definately not the cane though. His marks were different from the ones on her back.

"Lily. They don't have the map pieces. I overheard them talking about it. The map is back on the island."

This revelation gained a groan from the pirate. So much for a relaxing day. "Tie me back up." she muttered, burying her face in her arm for as long as possible so that she didn't have to get up. Reaching forward, Marty leaned over her and took the edges of the bindings and pulled it across her back. "Tighter." once that was done, her vest was on once more, and she let him do up the buckles of the dagger belt while she shouted orders.

"Turn this ship around and set a course for the island! The brats don't have the map!"



"Ugh. I'm going to kill that runt myself when I get my hands on him." Tyler seethed. It was obvious that the information that Lily had was being passed to her through his brother. The ship soon broke out of the lazy drone of boredom that had been holding them in, and pretty soon they were rushing around the ship to turn the wooden beast around. The crew didn't mind. It gave them something to do. The sudden lurching as the clipper did a 180 in a tight circle caused the gamers to lose their balance, but the pirates were expert sailors and were well used to the roll of the ship.



Hours later, they were staring down Sol and the other village warriors again.




"We'll not give up the map. You will fight us for it. One on one. A duel."

"Sol, don't. Please. You don't have to do this." Kirra pleaded. The pirates had let them go, seeing as how they were no use, but it essentially meant that they were in the middle of a war waiting to happen.

"Yeah, you stay out of this." Tyler puffed out his chest, a little pang of jealousy striking him. "You only have wooden spears. You don't know how to use a sword."


Captain Blackheart stepped forward with a smirk. "What makes you think that you can win against us? I've got some of the best fighters in my crew. You may be good, but I doubt that you're that good."

"Oh yeah? Well I'll prove you wrong. Go on. Pick someone and I'll fight them. If I win, then you leave us alone."

"Parlay." Dougal suggested.

"So three for three? Two teams have to win for it to be sucessful. If you can do that, then we'll give you one piece of the map." Tyler conceeded.

"Alright then. I choose Lily to go first." the old Captain stepped back into the ranks, expecting that Lily would more than eagerly jump out at the brats with sword waving about. She always seemed to have a thirst for causing someone else pain. But he was surprised when she stayed rooted to the spot, looking a little worried.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Lily swallowed the lump in her throat as the captain started getting a little impatient. She could barely even lift her sword, let alone fight with it. And it didn't allow her to fight left handed as the guard on it was made for a right handed person.

"No. I don't want to. I don't feel like it." They looked at her as if she was crazy. What on earth was wrong with her? She did look a little pale though.

"Hah! Look at that! Your so-called best fighter is too much of a chicken to fight me. Hey, when the shoe fits. Or the name in this case. Lily-livered. That's all that you are. A yellow-bellied dog. You're too much of a wuss to fight me." Tyler jeered. It was only making the first mate angrier. She stepped forward to give him a piece of her mind, and her stomach knotted up. She'd just accepted his challenge, and was overcome with a sense of dread. She could feel herself sweating, though it was quickly soaked up by the headband.

Tyler took a sword from a pirate who offered it forward, and he removed the sheath upon it, dropping it in the sand. The bystanders started to form a ring with their own bodies, which showed the area in which the two could fight. Eagerly awaiting the battle with the scarlet buccaneer, he lowered his stance a little and gripped the weapon tightly. Lily had to be sent further forward with a push to the back though, which was completely uncharacteristic of her. Stumbling forward, she glared at the one who had shoved her before she nervously found her footing.

"Come on. Draw your sword and lets get this over and done with, pirate." he jeered again, his heart fluttering in excitement.

Marty looked on in worry as Lily's right hand slowly inched towards the weapon at her left side. He wanted to run out and stop them right then and there, but he knew she could still probably throttle him with her other hand. Taking the handle, she removed it clumsily from where it was situated, and she held it down at her side until it was parallel with her legs in a loose-handed grip. Tyler took it as a cue, and lunged forward, slashing with his weapon. Ducking and weaving, the first mate kept a wide distance between the two. Her only real hope was to hope he'd tire himself out.

"Lily! What the bloody hell are you doing? Fight him!" came the call from Captain Blackheart, who was starting to wonder if this was all about the earlier 'conversation' they'd had on the beach.

"Shut up, old man!" she yelled back at him, narrowly missing being sliced open as she leaned back. But her eyes widened at the second swing he was setting himself up for. There was nowhere for her to go. She was right up against the wall of people who were only pushing her further forward. She could either give up now, or raise her sword in hopes she could block it. Doing the former would almost certainly get her killed by her crew, so gritting her teeth, she placed the flat of her black against her left arm to take most of the blow and drove her already aching arm upwards with a pained cry to block the heavy slice that was coming at her left side.

Steel clashed against steel in a rowdy din, heard even above the cheering and booing of the crowd around them. Once again, pain tore through Lily's arm as the vibrations of the blow rose quickly through the weapon and seemed to seem in under her skin with little effort.

The pirates looked on in horror as Lily's sword dropped from her grasp. If that thing hit the ground then it was a sign of defeat. She made no attempt to catch it, and instead dropped to her knees in the sand, her teeth clamped tightly together to pretend she was perfectly fine. Raising her hands with the right one lower than the left, she eyed the tip of Tyler's blade as it wavered in front of her face. Looking up at him with a glare, she then lowered her head in defeat. But she kept up the index finger of her left hand.



A plea for mercy.

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