A Pirate's Life For Me

[moneky]

Background Information

THE LONDON INQUIRER: MARCH TWENTY FIRST 1880
Hyde Park, London-- The London Society is pleased to welcome the new debutantes of the new Season into Society. The most surprising debutante is Alice Smith, daughter of the Lord of Sussex, Joseph Smith, A member of Parliment. What is most interesting about this debutante, is not her father, however but her mother, Lady Marabelle Smith, nee Elliot.
Twenty years ago, Lady Marabelle disappeared from society, having been kidnapped by the Pirates of the ship Death Omen. She appeared again, one year later with a strange man and was engaged to the said man before disappearing once again a year later during her own ball. She then reappeared once more, eleven years ago a young boy of 7 in tow and a ring on her finger but no husband by her side. Then, in 1872, the boy disappeared and Alice took his place. Where the young boy went, we can only speculate though rumors believe he is back with his father who is a pirate aboard the ship that stole Lady Smith away.
The story of Lady Smith has been the center of gossip ever since her return. Even her hurried marriage to the Lord of Sussex two years ago did not help dampen the flames of the rumors but rather, fueled them.
Miss Smith has been kept out of Society's eyes since her arrival in London. It came as a surprise to see her finally enter into society at the ripe age of seventeen. All we know of the young woman are her striking features, ebony hair and emerald eyes that seem to shine with passion that she must have gotten from her father. We of the London Inquirer will be keeping an eye on Miss Smith who seems to finally be the spark needed to light up this dreary Season. For more information on the other debutantes, turn to page 15...

Players
Alice & Marabelle Smith;; Catt
Jack Jones & Sebastian Dalton;; Monkey

[Catt]

By the time she was seventeen, Alice was already a heart-breaker. Many men had propositioned her, but every time one would approach with an offer, she would state that her love was a sailor, and her heart was on the sea, still holding onto the hopes that one day, it would be true. Her mother noticed the men's attentions, making her worry about her safety, but she also noticed that she had turned down every chance to date. When confronted about it, Alice merely shrugged and simply stated that no one tickled her fancy. Marabelle was no fool, she knew of the feelings that her daughter still held for her ex-husband's navigator.

"Alice." Marabelle said, attempting to draw her daughter's attention away from the book she was reading, only receiving a slight eyebrow raise to acknowledge that she had been heard. "Look at me, please."

"Why?" Alice asked in typical teenager non-answer form.

"I have something to tell you. I want your attention."

"Still don't understand why you insist that I have to look at you to prove I'm listening." She grumbled, turning the page, her attention all on the novel in front of her face.

Pressing her lips together, Marabelle frowned at her daughter's forehead. Her mother's voice rang through her head, 'Now you know how we felt when you were young'. Feeling her frown deepen, she sighed and looked skyward. "Alright..." She caved, "I just wanted you to know that your father will be returning within the week for a visit."

Slowly the book lowered and her daughter's green eyes peered over the top of the cover. "Dad's coming back?" Alice peeped, attempting to hide her excitement. If her father was coming home for the first time in four years, that meant Jack would be coming with him.

"Oh, now you sit up and take notice to something I have to say..." Marabelle mumbled, "Yes, he is, although I don't know exactly when, so if there's anything you need to do to prepare for his," she paused, watching the faraway look appear in Alice's eyes. "and the crew's arrival, I suggest you take care of it quickly."

Almost before she was finished speaking, Alice was gone, her book abandoned and face-down on the couch. "I wonder if Jack knows what he's coming back to..." Marabelle said with a sigh, carefully picking up the book Alice had been reading and placed her ribbon in her place. The novel wouldn't be seeing any attention for a few days.

[moneky]

Standing at the bow of the ship, Sebastian watched as his country came out of the clouds and into view. His hands gripped the railing just a bit. "Almost there." A voice behind him chuckled, "Are you prepared to see Belle again? She might have moved on, you know. Four years is a long time to be away." Sebastian didn't turn to the voice of his navigator. Instead, he kept his eyes on the land as he spoke, "Belle knew I would be home in four years. There is no reason for her to have moved on."

He turned his head to look at Jack as he came to stand next to him. "How is Josephine?" He asked changing the subject, "Is she excited to meet your parents?" Jack was staring out at the sea as he chuckled humorlessly. "I don't think excited begins to cover it." He said, "She's absolutely ecstatic. She cannot stop talking about it." He looked at the captain then, "She's especially ecstatic about meeting your wife and Alice. She's always saying, 'I'm so excited to finally have some female company! I don't think I can stand men anymore!'" He mimicked his fiancee's high voice before shaking his head and speaking in his normal tone and sounding a bit exasperated, "What does she expect? If she snuck aboard a pirate's ship, of course she is going to be surrounded by men. She doesn't have to complain about it!"

Sebastian smiled at Jack's rant and patted his navigator's shoulder reassuringly, "I thought after growing up with Amy as your mother, you'd understand that that's how women are. They like to complain." Jack let out a childish huff, "Its rather annoying." He muttered, looking back out to the sea. Chuckling, Sebastian patted his shoulder once again before moving away from the railing. "Enjoy it while you can, Jack because after complaining comes the nagging." Jack let out a groan, leaning forward to put his head against the railing as Sebastian walked back to the deck, laughing. "Don't spend too much time downing in your sorrows," Sebastian called over his shoulder, "After we dock, you have a wedding to plan."

[Catt]

Flitting about her room, Alice discarded any of her 'childish' things, swiftly deposing of them in her closet. As she rushed around, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Even though she took immaculate care of herself, thanks to her grandmother's insistence, she immediately saw flaws in her appearance. "Why didn't anyone mention my eyebrows?!" She whined, plopping down in front of her vanity, her hands immediately opening the second drawer on the left to find her tweezers, focusing on the little hairs that were barely showing along the perfect inky arches of her brows.

Marabelle kept her mind off of the fact that Sebastian would hunt her down, and she would have to explain everything. Twisting the rings that now decorated her right hand, she looked around, attempting to find something to do until they arrived. The house was spotless, as was the way Joseph liked it. "Oh lord..." She groaned, sinking to a seat on the sofa, her fingers still working her rings.

-----

Elijah squinted in the afternoon sun as he came up from below deck. As much as he enjoyed being a deckhand on his father's ship, the time had come for him to embark on his own journey. In his hand he gripped a rounded worry stone that he had relieved a drunk merchant of at their last stop. "That was fast." He stated to no one in particular, a grin breaking out on his face as the familiar port came into view. "Did anyone think give the welcoming crew a date?"

[moneky]

Joseph arrived home, looking rather exhausted from his time in parliament. He took off hat and coat, handing it to the butler before going to the sitting room where he spotted the familiar blonde head. He sighed as he sat down in his armchair, asking a maid to bring him his usual glass of brandy. When it came, he took a sip and sighed again. It was then that he noticed his wife's rather distressed look. "Is something the matter?" He asked, more out of obligation than concern. Its not that he didn't care about his wife, he did. He just didn't have the energy to deal with her emotions at the moment. He had bigger things to worry about.

===

Brian was shouting at the crew to lower the sails when he heard Eli's question. He looked over his shoulder and grinned, "Don't worry. Amy always seems to know when we come." He said, "Its a little scary if you think about it."

"What's a little scary?" Came a feminine voice emerging from below deck. Brian looked up and saw Josephine come from the stairs, her auburn hair piled up on the top of her head and her trousers stained with oil. "Amy." Brian said, "You might want to rethink becoming her friend. It might be the last thing you'll ever do." He grinned. Josephine only raised an eyebrow before she noticed the incoming land, "Oh! We're so close! I'm going to go change!" With that, she raced back down the steps.

[Catt]

Marabelle cringed at the sound of her husband's voice as he barked orders the moment he walked into the house. She had attempted to get herself back together, but he always seemed to see through her carefully arranged expressions. "Nothing, nothing is the matter at all." She said carefully, standing and brushing off her skirts. "Anything interesting come across your desk today?" This was the typical conversation they had on a daily basis, creating a shaky platform on which their marriage rested. Sebastian had thought her an equal, Joseph thought her a woman who didn't know her place.

-----

Elijah was chuckling over Jack's description of his mothers intuition when Josephine stepped onto the deck. Her presence made him nervous. Of course she was attractive, and a hard worker too, but she was currently engaged to the ship's navigator, and one of his closest friends. When he realized he was staring, he blushed and turned away. "I know grandmother will be here, do you think anyone else will manage to get here in time to greet us?" Elijah said after clearing his throat, making his way towards his father's side in order to watch the land meet them.

[moneky]

Joseph swirled his glass around, the ice cubes tinkling together, "Nothing you would be interested in." He was about to take a sip when he paused, "Actually, you might find it reassuring that there is a bill trying to be passed that increases the security of the seas." He smiled as he looked at his wife over the top of his glass, "You won't have to worry about being kidnapped any longer." With that, he knocked back his brandy before calling for another one.

===

Brian thought about it, "Well, considering her attitude when we visited last time, I doubt Alice would come." He paused for another moment, "Your mother will most likely be there. More for you than for Sebastian, I'm guessing." He said with a grin, looking at his son. He was going to look down but caught himself at that last moment. He was so use to Eli being a young boy that it almost caught him off guard to see him growing like a weed these past couple of years.

A few moments later, there was a call for landing in a few moments. The deck hands scrabbled to get everything ready and hide anything suspicious. They were posing as a merchant ship in order to dock at the port. Sebastian arrived next to Brian and Elijah, watching as the ship slowed its speed and was taken in by a towboat. "Happy to be back, Eli?" He asked, looking at his foster son.

[Catt]

Marabelle's body was taut as a wire as she watched the sickening smile crawl across her husband's face. "I was only kidnapped once, Joseph." She said flatly, "I went willingly every time thereafter." She was quiet as the maid stepped in and replaced his empty glass with a filled one. "Regardless, it will never happen. The harbors are just too busy for them to check every ship and its cargo as they pull in."

Alice was quite literally dressed to impress as she practically flew down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Darting through the front room, she paused long enough to give her mother a kiss on the cheek and drop a quick curtsey to her step-father. "It's here." She nearly squealed with excitement as she ran from the house, no doubt to leap into a waiting carriage that magically appeared every time she needed to get somewhere fast.

Marabelle blinked at the back of her daughter's head as she ran, her thoughts immediately going to where in the world she had gotten that dress.

-----

Elijah chuckled as he watched Brian's gaze dip to where he stood a mere six months ago. "I don't know, I have a feeling my sister will surprise us all. Alice is good like that. It just worries me what she'll attempt to pull." He said, looking over at Sebastian, whom his sister closely resembled. His fingers continued to toy with the worry stone as the ship came to a crawl. This was the part he always hated about docking. The inspection. "Happy?" The question caught him slightly off guard, "I'm more happy about being on solid ground. The sharks that followed us these last few days were a little unnerving."

[moneky]

Joseph's eyes narrowed at Alice's apperance and sudden disappearance. "Where is she going, dressed like that?" He asked, setting the glass down and standing up. He had meant to go to the door to stop Alice but the carriage was already pulling away from the door. He turned to his wife looking rather livid, "Do you know where she's going? And did you buy her that scandalous dress?! She had better not be going out where everyone can see her. She's in Society now, Marabelle. And especially after that article that was published, they'll be watching out for her. I can't have my name and reputation stained by your daughter!"

===

"Oh, those sharks were nothing." Sebastian said with a scoff, "They can't harm you if you stayed on the ship. Now, there was this one time when we were followed by a Kraken. Do you remember that, Brian?" He asked, looking at his friend who nodded with wide eyes, "No one believed us but we were this close to being taken by its tentacles." He shuddered as he remembered the memory, "We lost a lot of good men after that fight..."

[Catt]

Marabelle was dumbfounded as Joseph turned and practically snarled at her. A slow, smug smirk appeared on her lips as she adjusted her stance, standing proudly with her head high, not allowing her husband to walk all over her. "If you spoke to her more often, you would know by now where she was going, and where she got her money." She said, "And don't blame me for your reputation getting stained, you do enough yourself to accomplish that." Her smile was a mere baring of teeth as she turned and headed for the stairs. "You know as well as I do that I can't control that child." Marabelle paused at the foot of the stairs and looked towards Joseph, "Only one person can control that girl, and he's not around."

-----

Alice was literally jiggling in her seat as they pulled away from the house and headed towards the dock. Her fingers found a loose ringlet and she wound it idly around her finger, trying to expend her nervous energy. She hadn't seen Jack since she was a gawky, leggy, beanpole of a thirteen year old, and she was wondering if anyone would recognize her.

The carriage hadn't even stopped before she burst from the door, sliding gracefully on the cobblestone before catching her balance. The moment the salt air hit her nose, she felt a giddy grin form on her lips. Tilting her head down, she adjusted her hat, her hair carefully arranged around it to keep it in place. Without another moment of hesitation, she began her trek towards one of the largest ships in the harbor. Her father's ship.

-----

Feeling his face pale, Elijah stared wide-eyed at Sebastian before turning to look at Brian, who looked just as scared as he suddenly felt. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to get back onto this ship after hearing about an encounter with a Kraken." He gulped, looking back towards the crew who were groaning with effort. "I think they need my help." He said, grateful for the excuse to escape. Pocketing the stone, he jogged across deck to join the men he grew up around.