Captain of the Bloody Rose

"I think only time'll tell." he said simply. "Jane needs to eat, get her strength back... and I think shell get back to her old self eventually. I managed to." he reasoned.

honestly though, it sounded more like he was attempting to convince himself of this rather than Collins.

Collins was silent as he mixed together another small bottle and handed it over to Joseph, his face grim.

“Here this one is less acidic so you can drink, you bloody pirate.”

He sighed then and leaned back, tiredness tracing all his features.

“We can only hope.” He said simply, letting the truth of that statement hang in the air.



When Jane had heard the loud stomping through the hallway she sat up rather abruptly. Normally she would have just ignored something like that, but with a new crew in new surroundings everything put her on edge. So instead of leaving it, she stood and poked her head out of her door, listening hard for what might have happened. She stepped out of her room as she passed the door next to hers she heard a familiar voice and stopped.

That was Collins. She would know his voice anywhere. Then there was Joseph’s voice and she froze. Leaning in closer to the door she could just make out what they were saying. The funny thing was had they never said her name she would have simply walked away and minded her own business. Instead she heard it, and she had to listen.

What she heard however was the last thing she ever wanted to know. First and foremost Joseph was not as well as she had originally thought, and she was hurt that he hadn’t bothered to tell her about it. But then again she knew now why he hadn’t.

Back to my old self? she thought bitterly for a moment before she realized just how true the words were. She wasn’t up to par, she’d known that for weeks. He was right about the eating thing too. No what upset her was that he was talking about this with Collins. He could have asked her. Could have expressed his concerns. What did he think she would do, blow up?

So she did the only thing Jane could do at that moment. She walked off and up to the deck, ignoring the odd looks she was getting from the crew who had yet to meet her. The sun was still high in the sky, she had plenty of time to go think before they would leave. So she left the ship and headed down towards the beach, away from the ship and away from Joseph, so that she had some time to mull over what she had learned.

"Hope is a lot stronger than you think." he said, taking the vile with a shred of hesitance.

He stood up, holding his stomach still, frowning. "Try not to worry so much, alright? Bring bad spirits round.... We dont need anymore of those."

Collins simply nodded, biting his lip for a moment before deciding Joseph was right. It was much better to simply let things lie where they would. How Jane did from now on wasn’t up to them anymore anyways. Whether she got better or simply got worse was up to her and the strength she had within herself. No matter what they did, that fact would not change.

“Careful with that one alright?” He said, referring to the vial. “Take it slow and build your stomach up. If you work yourself up eventually you’ll be able to eat relatively normally again without the medicine.”

"When should apples be ok?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

Collins chuckled, amused by Joseph’s incredulous look. He was a little bit concerned now after throwing up the contents of his stomach before. Rummaging through his bag he pulled out a beat up apple and dusted it off before handing it to his Captain.

“You can now Capn’ It was the alcohol that messed you up before. Not the fruit.”

"An apple a day then, Collins." he grinned taking it with a greatful nod of his head and tip of his hat.

Joseph left the room, headded back above deck. On the bright side, he was fairly sure he would make an awfully unhealthy meal for anything wishing to eat him...

He knocked on Janes door as he passed. "Meet me in my Cabin. We have charts to go over."

Except there was no Jane to hear him as he knocked on her door. She was long gone at that point, walking somewhere along the beach. She had wanted time to think and she had gotten it, at the expense of no one really knowing quite where she was.

So Joseph sat and waited for her in vain until one of his crew mates happened to wander by and ask a innocent question about her, one that revealed she wasn’t on the ship at all. It was Mr. Ferrel who happened to stop by, not realizing that Jane shouldn’t have been gone.

“Ah Capn. Dinner should be ready in an hour or so. Should we wait for Jane to return or go on without her?” He asked, a benign expression on his face.

"She's like anyone else. If she isn't here for a meal, she wont eat." he said. "Get on with supper. The first one finished comes with me to find her. I want to be out of this god forsaken port by moon rise."

He glared at the door before walking off. How irresponsible. As first mate, on they night they were departing, she would have had more sence than to just walk out... It made HIM look bad as a captain. And it made the crew respect her less.

Jane wasn’t thinking about the crew or how she would look for simply leaving. She hadn’t really mustered any desire to really care about that. She had needed a walk so she took one, and damn the consequences that were aligned with that. Besides, she needed the time to think, to put her mind into some semblance of peace before she had to face everyone and everything. She had spent so much time alone that she wasn’t used to having to think about others schedule anymore.

Luckily for her, or perhaps unlucky depending on the way you look at it she returned within a half hour with plenty of time before dinner would start but enough time to hear from Ferrel that Joseph seemed pretty angry that she had left. Sighing she had thanked him before going to Joseph's cabin, not looking forward to what he would have to say about this. She knocked once before opening the door and stepping inside to see his angry expression.

She kept her face calm and composed, refusing to lash out no matter what he said. She knew she shouldn’t have left though she had good reason to need the time alone. She doubted he would be very pleased to find out however that she had been eavesdropping.

"Finish what you needed to finish?" Joseph asked, sitting behind his desk, his short hair a tangled mess from his fingers having been torn through his hair repeatedly though the day.

He had been worried about Jane.

When he looked up, his two toned eyes locked onto her.

Jane didn’t know quite what she had expected, but it hadn’t been that. It wasn’t the words that struck the chord within her, but his eyes. If there was one thing she had been good at it was telling what people hid behind their eyes, the emotions they didn’t want others to see. Had he been properly angry, or even resigned she could have maintained the course she had decided on. Keeping what she had learned to herself and coming to terms with it on her own. She had decided that on the beach as she stared at the waves. But with the concern in his eyes, his entire being telling her not that he was angry but that he was worried and concerned about her, she didn’t want to have to hide anything from him.

“I overheard you and Collins.” She started softly, keeping her green eyes locked on his. She knew what must have been flitting through her own gaze, the fear and worry. “I had to think. Think about…what I’ve been doing. What I’ve become.”

She paused again, her eyes filling for a moment before she pushed away the tears, refusing to cry again in front of him. finally she turned away, unable to hold his gaze any longer. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left but...I didn't know what else to do."

Joseph shrugged. "Ya did what you had to do." he said, not ashamed she heard what was said. "Youll have to make it up is all..... Have a seat." he gestured to a chair.

She turned to look at him again, surprise along with wariness etched on her features. What did he want her to do?

Rather than argue however she walked over to the chair and sat down stiffly, somehow maintaining a level of beauty and elegance though she was worried about what he was going to ask of her.

“What can I help you with?” She asked, the curiosity she felt bleeding through her wariness into her voice.

"We're headed to the Bahamas, then open water..." he traced his finger around the map. "Around this coast and up.... we're going to recollect my loot."

He turned the map, tracing their course, down and around Africa. "It'll be long and without much to look forward to until we get there... But there's a reason I have women on this ship." he made a circle with his finger just past the Bahamas. "Sirens lurk in these waters. And they can be found again here... and here.... Which is near our destination."

He ended with his finger near Italy. The Mediterranean. "It'll be at least 3 years journey in total. Think you can handle that?"

She looked at the map, tracing the course with her finger she lost herself in her thoughts, falling into the familiar pattern of planning out a course and how best to complete it with the least amount of danger. She was already thinking of ports where they would be safe to stop for supplies and for that matter what they would need to do to stay safe around the sirens. It was refreshing in a way to see her so concentrated and obviously planning. Like seeing her back in her element, calm and unaffected by the events of the past.

With his last question she looked up at him in surprise, before a small smile played on her lips.

“I think I can handle that just fine if you can promise me three things. First and foremost, I better not find you with another woman on this ship or you will find the Sirens more pleasant company. Second, in regards to the Siren’s, the crew will have to listen to what I say and that includes you, because men cannot have any control of a ship when Sirens are involved.”

Taking a deep breath she looked at him hard, her green eyes resembling glittering emeralds rather than the rolling sea at that moment as she named her last condition.

“Third, I want you to talk to me about your concerns. If you think I’m cracking then talk to me. If you think I need to rest then talk to me, and I promise I'll talk to you. I want to be able to trust you Joseph and you to be able to trust me as well, so no secrets. Including your stomach issues."

He blinked when she mentioned stomach issues then grinned right back at her. "Youve got yourself a deal." he assured her. "As for the stomach, Collins says it'll be fine with time. I lost some of my guts to the sea is all." he stood up, one hand firmly on his desk. "And I'm glad you showed up. If you hadn't I would have had to pick one of the other women to be first mate; I've been through siren infested waters before... I know how dangerous they are."

He looked back down at the map. "The only thing I'm worried about is the men getting rowdy and ending up with babies on board..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "This is going to be quite the adventure."

She smiled brightly when he agreed to her conditions, feeling like she had made a minor victory of sorts. Most women were completely fine being second to their man, having him take the reigns for her and deciding the life she would lead. Every once in a while she would gently interject and put out her opinion but Jane was not that kind of woman. She had been a Captain in her own right and was a strong individual. They would have to be equal partners in whatever they did, or he would find that he had much more on his hands than he would know what to do.

When he mentioned the other women she frowned, knowing full well how men could get. However, she also knew exactly how women could be.

“I see two options here. We can either try and regulate everything the crew does and try and keep the men and women separate.” From the sound of her voice it was obvious that such an option was not going to go over well. Then she smiled again and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest with a cocky tilt of her head.

“Or we can use an old trick from your people actually. Since Collins is here I’m sure he’s got the right ingredients.” She was sure he would catch on quickly to what she was insinuating. Rather than try and regulate the carnal affairs of their crew, they could simply regulate and control the babies. It was a simple concoction if one knew how to make it, and as long as the female crewmember drank it every day they wouldn’t have to worry about any little ones.

Joseph thought then nodded. "Come on." he said suddenly pushing his chair back in. "We best be leavin' this port. Too many bitter memories to linger any longer, don't you think?"

The ship was huge really. It had been a slave trader. Used to transport massive amounts of cargo and people. It could hold its own in the deep blue for months and months at a time and not come near running low on supplies.

"Feel like shouting?" he asked.

Honestly, he woudl give the order himself if his stomach wasnt still sore... He didnt feel like busting a gut.

Jane smiled and stood, walking over to him. Tilting up she kissed him lightly on the cheek.

“You’re gonna regret having me shout one day.” She said silkily, before moving away from him and to the door. Once again Jane knew full well the effect she had on men, and when she actually tried to seduce she was like a Siren herself.

Opening the door she walked out onto the balcony and looked at the crew lazily moving around, talking amongst themselves. They had talked for so long they had missed Feller’s dinner, though she was pretty sure she could scavenge up something for them to eat later. Jane simply watched for a moment, a soft smile on her face as the wind lifted her hair for a moment. Then she opened her mouth and she was all business.

“All right you lot!” She yelled, her commanding voice immediately snapping their attention to her. “Some of you may not know me yet but by the devil you’ll know me soon enough. I’ll be the First Mate on this ship and if any of you have a problem with that, feel free to take it up with me at your leisure.”

Once again it was very obvious that her words were not meant to be taken seriously. She was like a snake in the grass just daring them to try anything with her.

“And now that we know each other a bit better. Lets go! Ship off, and on the double. This ship needs to be out to sea by the time that moon is over the horizon!”

She let them get to work then, satisfied that they all seemed to know exactly what they had to do and where they needed to be.

“You put quite the crew together.” She said proudly, turning to Joseph.

"Thats exactly what I thought when I hired them on." He nodded with a proud sort of smirk.

He sighed, leaning back against the wall, his walking stick lazily leaning against his hip. "Been years since I've Captained..." he said wistfully.

He grunted lightly when the ship gave a bob as the anchor was hoisted. He wasnt sure how well, or poorly his back would take to the seas for so long... He just hoped it would be well. "You should go grab something to eat; even if its only a bun,"

Jane smiled, thinking back to the day when she had first caught him and allowed him to join her crew. Even then she had thought he had the look of a Captain to him. He carried himself with that pride and independence that told the world he knew what was best for his life and he would make the decisions necessary for his life. Though Jane couldn’t resist poking fun at him.

“Well you’ve got me around to clean up after you when you mess up.”

When he mentioned the food however, she went silent, the smile falling from her face. The truth was she just wasn’t ever hungry anymore. Food just hadn’t appealed to her for quite some time. Then his words from earlier ghosted through her mind, and she had to wonder if this was one of the things he was worrying about.

“I will.” she said quietly as she leaned against the railing, facing the deck as the ship slowly but surely made its way out of the harbor and out to open sea.

".... I couldn't live on land for long..." he said suddenly, looking out at the ocean. "I wadge were the same that way. Here's hoping this trip'll spark a fire in us both again."

He righted himself and cracked his back with a small grunt. As the moon peeked over the horizon he smiled. He just couldn't not smile. "Ive been dead the past months. Its good to feel the life in my bones again."

Jane stared at the rising moon, listening to him silently, taking in what he was saying.

“I haven’t been to sea for more than a few weeks at a time since I sold my ship.” She said quietly, feeling the familiar trepidation set in. “The open sea made me…remember. So I avoided it. Island hopping so I never stayed on one ship for too long.”

She sighed and stood up straight, wrapping her arms around herself as if she was comforting herself.

“To be honest I’m scared. Scared that something will happen all over again. That’ll I’ll lose you again. I doubt I can handle that.”

Joseph snorted. "Honestly." he turned his eyes to her. "Should anything happen to you, I'll be following you soon after." he informed her in a matter of fact tone. He placed a hand on her shoulder before turning, headed down the stairs to the main deck.

His shaggy hair seemed to glow a haunting purple as the moon took it's rise and the suns finals breaths faded into the distance. He was such a strange soul. Strong. Warm. Yet soft, and blunt. It was debatable though, wither he was courageous, or a coward for admitting his fears aloud. Admitting and almost embracing his short comings.