The warm lantern's light shimmered off the oddities that littered the cabin, making the otherwise humble room an interesting sight to take in. Cabinets and lipped shelves bore many treasures of the orient, from Japan to Egypt, as well as an assortment of baubles from the Caribbean and Europe. Though one could spy shimmers of silver, gold and bright stones, a majority of the trinkets were ordinary, made of mundane materials. It was clear that while some of them held great monetary value, most were personal- mementos belonging to both captain and crew. One could only assume the few battered chests and drawers scattered about the room held similar trophies along with the usual cloths and important objects.
The dark, worn furniture was simple of make and sturdy, though more than one chair was draped with Hiro's odd jackets and tunics. The broad window was curtained with mismatched, patterned silk and the bay of the window had been turned into a bed, with a plush but battered cushion piled with a handful of thread-bare tasseled pillows from the desert east. A soft, embroidered blanket adorned with cranes and waterlilies was piled at one end, folded with obvious care. Right next to it, leaning orderly against the wall were Hiro's blades. Their lacquered wooden scabbards were stained a glossy red-black and each had a small blue and gold dragon painted about the top. They were nearly pristine, save for a cracked scar in the center of the smaller one, where the pale wood showed through the dark shell.
In the center of the room, a low bamboo table sat covered with an assortment of objects; bottles, tins, bowls, maps and an ink pot, along with a few books- a rarity at sea. Hiro sat before it, two of the books flipped open before him. One was a record of the ship's cargo and destinations, as well as their successful raids and boardings. The last two written in a code that when read, made the information harmless, albeit a bit confusing. The other was in Japanese, the strange lines of text aligning from right to left and written vertically. Hiro was currently adding to it, pen in his left hand deftly moving over the thin paper while his right rested near a cup of what looked to be tea that had lost its heat. Nearby, his coveted revolver lay ready, though it nearly looked out of place among the strangely elegant cabin and its inhabitant, who sat with perfect posture and a focused, reflective expression as he waited for his newest crew member to finish her walk about with El.
The hall to the Captain’s quarters echoed with the sound of powerful and sure footsteps, resonating against the wooden walls as Marina and her guide made their way to the strong door that blocked the view of the room behind it. Plans fumbled around in her brain as she prepared herself for what was to come. Unlike on the Abyss this would be a new captain and crew, a group new to how she worked and the routes she had discovered and deemed safest compared to the ones she had been along to see. For all she knew they would disagree with her strategies, the girl meaning to avoid things that would wish harm to this ship like sea monsters and swarms of pirates.
The navigator continued her confident stride, one hand reaching for her ‘lucky’ compass that was looped onto her belt. Many didn’t notice the things hooked there; things like her compass, a wooden pan flute, and several chains of both silver and gold. Most of the items were hidden behind the coat that once belonged to her previous captain. Her left hand was still stuffed into her pocket and had remained there since leaving the deck, an aching pain raking its nasty claws through it and reminding her of her past.
Nevertheless Marina kept her head up. New routes were always dangerous and unpredictable, much like decisions. The dark haired girl knew that well and with this in mind she stepped up to the door and knocked. The sound rang loudly, replacing the now disappeared sound of their footsteps with the echo of her knock.
The pen that had been writing so smoothly before was now tapping at the thin parchment, thin fingers rapidly moving the instrument in an erratic, though musical beat. Hiro's face had darkened, his brows furrowed as he thought of what he had just put down in the book before him, eyes roving over the words again and again. A curse of moonlight. Marina had consumed his mind; all of her slight oddities, mannerisms and concealed pain. It was easy for him to see she was hiding something, and it was nothing mundane if the glances she had given to the fading sun were any clue. When the golden moon- his beautiful, revered moon- had peeked over the cliff of the bay her anguish increased, and she had not lifted her arm once since. She had seemed edgy, though fairly pain-free when they first spoke... clearly whatever it was, illness of mind, body or magic; it was tied to the changing of night and day.
When the sharp rapping sounded through the room, Hiro gave a sigh and sat back, laying the pen down before bringing his hands to rub at his eyes. "Ohairi kudasai." He called out, velvet voice curling about the syllables in a much more familiar way, unlike when he spoke the harsh sounds of English. However, when he realised his words had not come out in the correct language, he dropped his hands to the table once more and looked up to the weathered door. "Come in, Marina. The door is always open to my crew." He corrected before gently lifting the previously ignored cup of tea to his lips- an act he immediately regretted. He quickly swallowed the cold, bitter liquid that assaulted his tongue and set the cup back down, chiding himself for forgetting about it. He would not have the luxury of such things once they were at sea, and he hated wasting things.
With a steady hand she pushed the weathered door aside, stepping into the room with the almost familiar creak of wood under her footsteps. The second she entered her green eyes glinted across the wonders in the room, a slight gasp of shock and amazement entering the air whilst she stopped to take in her surroundings. Everything seemed to be of some value, whether monetary or personally, and each shone with a sort of pride of its own. “Seems you have been many a place Cap’n, you can tell where a man has traveled by the trinkets he keeps.” She says with a laugh, crossing the room to the table.
Her eyes completely focused onto the small Asian man, now more interested in work than exploring for she could do that later. With a soft sound the door closed and her guide was gone, leaving the two to work. Marina gracefully sat down across from Hiro, sitting with her feet folded under her and her right hand placed in her lap. For a second she turned, glancing at the door, then with a sigh she turned back to Hiro with a resolution in mind. “I think I should tell you something before you find out completely on your own.” She mumbles, having been turning the idea of her curse over in her head for a while now. With the crew around she would cause a panic, an uproar, but Hiro had the right to know upfront and she knew it.
Hesitantly the pirate shifted, drawing her now just faintly numb hand from her coat pocket without looking away from the Captain’s eyes. The minute it was in plain sight, the once normal hand hitting the moonlight with terrifying effects, it changed. Where skin had once been was now just ghostly pale bone, each movement creaking as she set her hands side by side on the table with a look of absolute regret. Marina shifted it a bit, a sound you only hear in nightmares echoing off the walls from the skeletal hand’s movement. “It’s my payment for crossing cursed lands. When the moon comes out it shows it’s true nature and eventually it’ll spread until I’m nothing but a bag of bones on some dusty island. I just wanted one last adventure on the open waters before I let Davy Jones have me.” She says, still not breaking eye contact.
The aging captain gave a small smile as the woman's verdant eyes swept over the room, wonder clear across her features. "That I have, Ms. Jones. Though these baubles are not all my own; I have had a steady crew through all my travels." he said as she sat down, dark eyes taking note of the fluid movement. The slight curve of his lips fell, though, as he watched her then nervously glance back to the door. Her actions were becoming more and more suspicious and as she gave a sigh, he started to contemplate confronting her now, before they took to the open waters. He still had a positive feeling about her, yet there was clearly something supernatural haunting her and he simply would not risk his crew or ship's safety over a personal affliction. He was attempting to formulate a proper way to address the situation when she broke his thoughts, voice tight as she addressed him.
His eyes never left her as she explained herself, his expression falling impassive and remaining so as she lifted her decayed hand and placed it on the table with a chilling clack. When she had finished speaking, he watched her, unblinking as they sat in silence. While he had expected something of a curse, he had not anticipated something nearly this severe. What could she have possibly done to invoke such a brutal enchantment? Surely it was not simply breaching malignant sands. No, she must have done something to enrage whomever cast the spell. He assumed, as with most sailors, that she had disturbed something that was not to be touched. Many a pirate was lured by such temptations, and many more have fallen to The Locker attempting to chase them. He had thought she was not the type so foolish to do such a thing; did he pull his hopes too high with this young sailing master?
After another moment of thought, the small man stood and silently walked to the door to deftly flip the bolt lock shut, the dark iron sliding across wood seeming sharp in the quiet that had fallen over the room. He then swept over to one of the cabinets and produced a bottle of brandy and two small, wooden cups. "You thought it wise to bring your burden to another man's ship?" He said, low voice cold as he made his way back to the table and sat down. The cork gave a soft pop as he pulled it from the glass neck. "I should have you thrown back to the docks." He poured a few mouthfuls of the dark amber liquid into each of the cups and set one in front of her before continuing. "While I admire your desire for a last dance with the blue lady, I am disappointed that you have given up. I thought you stronger." His dark eyes met her bright ones as he lifted his cup and sipped at the rather fine spirit within. "Regardless, you need to give me one good reason not to leave you at port, run aground for the rest of your days." His voice held a detached tone much like before, though a sharp, intimidating edge crept in like a shadow- a sign he was more than ready to follow through his threat without hesitation.
Marina barely even flinched as the Asian man’s sharp tone cut through her. The young woman understood the reasoning behind it, he was looking out for his crew, but even so the sound of disappointment crept in like a sickening chill over her.
Letting the man finish his just scolding she sat there, her back straight as if nothing had changed, and her eyes watching his with a fire all their own. Once he had settled back into his question, silent once more, she shifted her bag. “Well I haven’t completely given up. After that damned venture we went searching for a map, a map that is said to lead to a treasure unmatched. If legend serves correctly, among the riches is an item known to cure almost any ailment.” She says with a smile, pulling a weathered piece of parchment from her satchel. In seconds she has it open and rolled out across the table, the delicate handwriting and markings all written in what appears to be Latin.
Marina glanced up, a powerful look of hope in her eyes as she met Hiro’s gaze from her seat. “There’s a map there as well, the map to the Fountain of Youth. I’ve heard a lot of sailor’s vie over finding this very map and I don’t trust a single one of them. “She says simply, standing and walking over to the window.
The young sailing master lets the room go silent, watching the moonlight on the waves with a look of regret. She shifts her hand out in front of her, gazing over the decaying bones like it was a nightmare come true. A sigh leaves her lips as she gives Hiro time to think.
Minutes pass before she speaks up again, this time her voice barely audible. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I kept telling them we should just go around and avoid the damn forest, there was a mountain pass we could take but it would add an extra day to the hike to the treasure. So, they voted and won and my Captain ordered me to lead them in that direction. I couldn’t disobey a direct order… and then we stumbled across what I guess was an altar. By then it was late and we set up camp, a few of the men however got drunk and started joking around and messing with the statue above it… and the broke a huge piece of it off. Everyone, involved or not, that was on those ‘sacred’ grounds were cursed with living their worst fear… and this was mine.” Marina says solemnly, turning back to Hiro after telling the tale behind her affliction.
The aged man's dark orbs lightened with a spark of renewed interest, though his expression remained cool as alabaster while the young sailing master explained herself further. His gaze fell to the yellowed vellum as it rolled open across his books, though not before studying the determined fire in Marina's verdant eyes. Any ailment... he could certainly make use of such an item as that. If it could mend a curse such as that laid on her perhaps it could...but could he risk his ship and crew? Such a journey was fated to be filled with dangers both afloat and ashore. However, if his men agreed, the payout would be priceless.
In the silence that followed, his eyes roved over the map, seeming desperate to find the answer to the choice in the elegant scripture and detailed cartography. In truth, he already knew the answer... he could not afford to not take this chance. He leaned over the delicate map and raised a thin hand to rub at his temple. His mind was tumbling over itself to come up with a way to explain the idea to his crew. Antonio would be livid, chasing magical treasure on a map given to them by a woman. It was bad enough that Marina was on the ship, let alone bringing about curses and mythical bounty. He did not loose men over bringing a female navigator aboard, but this could easily change that. He could possibly leave out certain details of the run... no. Lies are the easiest way to loose the trust of one's crew and the fastest route to mutiny.
He let out a slow breath, calming his racing thoughts just in time to listen to the dark-haired young woman speak again. He remained still, eyes downcast as she softly explained what befell her shipmates. Her tale made the risks of this quest clear. Standing gracefully, he lifted both of the cups once more and silently walked to her side. Unafraid of her skeletal hand, he offered the untouched liquor to her, then turned to gaze at the moon, whose silver light streamed in through a gap in the curtains. "I would like to say that it is not pity which moves my decision on this, but I cannot. What I can say, howe'er, is that I can sympathize with your plight." His deep voice had once more lost the harsh edge, now tinged with what could be mistaken for sorrow or simply exhaustion.
He drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he drew on the soft feel of the moonlight. He relaxed as he could feel it play over his skin. The sounds of the sea filled his ears, bringing a unique feel of both humbling zen and limitless empowerment. As he exhaled, he turned to face the cursed woman, almond eyes fluttering open to reveal silver irises that reflected light like a cat's; where pupils once were, darker swirls of pewter shimmered. "There are many a sailor who bear a curse, Marina, and many of them will be after what it is you seek." Where as before his voice was gentle and melodic, it was now powerful and compelling; weaving through the air in a nearly tangible manner. Soft as silk, it sunk into the mind and fogged perception. After a few moments, he quelled the rush of power and his eyes faded once more to their natural hue. "I will accept your offer." He continued, voice also normal once more, "May it be to the benefit to us all, and may fair winds guide our path." raising his cup in a sort of toast, he waited for her to do the same before tipping back and swallowing the burning amber liquid in one go.
