Truepirate

CassyK/Truepirate

“I am Eli and I don’t know what more explanation you’d want. Bishop isn’t common of a name in England and isn’t it odd that Eli is just a shortened version of Elissa?” She asked with a smirk. Elissa raised an eyebrow when he claimed to already be the greatest pirate alive, obviously not believing him. “Yes, I’m sure you are, that’s why you had to kidnap the daughter of your enemy to get your ship back and couldn’t just take it back on your own.” She gave a small laugh, but it faded with his last point about them drinking together. “I’ve shared a drink with enemies, so I can’t say that having a drink together counts for something. I will acknowledge that with you I at least don’t have to question if my drink if poisoned or not.”

Elissa pulled her knees up to her chin and rested it on them, wrapping her arms around her legs. “Yesterday was my birthday, that’s why we were having the party. Well, it was sort of a birthday party and an engagement party.” She answered. “Not much of a party really, I hardly knew anyone there aside from my fiancé and his father. My own father wasn’t even there, he’s off somewhere on business. I think it was India this time.” She didn’t look at Joseph when she spoke, her gaze was far off and forlorn. One would think that she’d be used to her father being gone from her life after all these years, but she wasn’t. She still wanted him around, wanted his approval, wanted his love.

Elissa brought her attention back to Joseph with a smile. He was still as handsome, if not more so, than she had remembered from when they were younger. While she knew their lives had taken separate paths and another had probably already come into his life, she still couldn’t help but be smitten with him. He’d always had her heart. “Why did you leave?” The question was asked before she realized it. “You didn’t even say goodbye.” There was hurt in her voice. It was the one thing she resented him for, leaving without telling her goodbye.

CassyK/Truepirate

I wondered about a ship’s wheel with a rose wrapped around part of it to connect the two of them? That was the only thought I’d had.

CassyK/Truepirate

“Yes, deal.” She said, giving him a look that showed that she wondered if he had hearing problems, though she made no comment on it. “Last night after my party I was going to run away from home forever. My crew was waiting for me at the docks. I was going to run away to the colonies and start my own shipping company, like you and I had planned to do when we were children.” Elissa sighed and took one more drink, a smaller one this time, before holding the bottle out to Joseph. She knew when she’d had enough and needed to stop before problems occurred. “I still want to get away from my father and my fiancé. I don’t love the man.” A dark look came to her face. It was the look of a woman who truly hated someone, a look that could make even the toughest men cower in fear. “If I help you steal back your ship, I’m no better than a pirate and I’ll probably be wanted by the law. Why not make me a pirate too? It would get me away from my father. I have a ship I can sail, but I can sail it under your command. You could become one of the most powerful pirates around with two ships and the reputation of my crew could help. Have you ever heard of Eli Bishop?”

Eli Bishop was her alias. No one wanted to barter and trade with a woman, so Elissa would dress as a man and go by the name Eli in order to do business. She and her crew had gained quiet the reputation out on the seas as being one of the only ships in all of England to have never lost a ship or cargo to pirates. Eli ha the reputation of being a fighter and was also seen as cunning, many a young lady wanted to meet him, though none ever would. Elissa was proud of the reputation she had as Eli. The one time she hadn’t gone as him had been Spain and she swore after it to never got as herself again, even if people accepted female merchants.

“So? What do you say?” She asked. “You could be the greatest pirate to ever live.” She smiled, hoping to appeal to his ego. “You still don’t believe me though about you and I being friends, do you?” It was a hurdle she’d have to get over soon.

CassyK/Truepirate

For Elissa I was thinking a rose since it is her favorite flower. What would you like for Joseph? He doesn’t have to have the tattoo, but since he is your character you know more about him. What do you think she would had drawn for him?
Bless his heart, I hope you both get to feeling better soon.

CassyK/Truepirate

I want Elissa to have a tattoo, do you mind if Joseph drew it for her when they were young and we’re planning things out? I thought maybe they both could have drawn tattoo ideas for each other for when they were older.

CassyK/Truepirate

Ok.

CassyK/Truepirate

“The bounty is by the king. He and I are rather at odds with each other, probably because I set fire to his palace and let his horses go free. Not to mention I punched him.” Elissa said as calmly as if she were describing the view out the window. If he wasn’t going to turn her in then she had nothing to worry about. She’d vowed never to go back to Spain after she had escaped the first time. Most of the wounds on her back were from that trip.

When he stated that she wasn’t an asset to her father she began to worry. If she was worth nothing to Joseph would he keep her? It’s not like she was a pirate like him. She’d gladly become one for him if he asked, but that wouldn’t happen as long as they were strangers. “Father never really cared for me. I wasn’t a son and my mother passed when I was thirteen, while giving birth to a son. My brother passed not long after her, only making father’s resentment for me grow. I sailed for his company to benefit both of us. I got to be free from him and he got more money, the only thing he cared about after my mother died.” Elissa said bitterly. “The man locked me away in Bedlam when I was fourteen, stating that I was crazy. I wasn’t. I was just lonely, I missed my mother and my best friend had just left without even saying goodbye.” She took another long drink. “In all honesty I’m not worth anything to you, especially now that you don’t remember me, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t help you. It’s like I said earlier, we both have a score to settle with my father. I’ll gladly help you get your ship back from him. Might do his some good to see that he isn’t untouchable. But…” She paused and met his gaze. “You have to help me in return and I don’t mean by letting me go.” She had to get him to remember her. If she couldn’t then she had to get him to trust her. Part of her worried that in order for that to happen she’d have to part with her dagger first. It was the one thing she had that he had given her. It was one of her few prized possessions, it and the necklace that had been her mother’s.

She had a deal in mind, one she hoped he would agree to but did have some doubts. He was the only one that could save her and the only one that could help her. He’d come back into her life at the perfect time, the only imperfect part of it was that he had no recollection of her. If he remembered her it would have made things easier, but of course when did things ever go easy for her?

“Can we make a deal?” She asked raising an eyebrow.

CassyK/Truepirate

That’s sounds great! I wondered about including her dad in his past but wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it so I didn’t say anything. I’m glad we both had the same idea!

CassyK/Truepirate

“I am Elissa Bishop,” she assured him. “Just not the Elissa Bishop you remember and not the one everyone thinks I am. I’ve grown up, Joseph, I’m not the scared quiet little thing I was when you knew me. I’m not a child anymore.” Elissa stood for a moment, ignoring the offered beaker and instead took the bottle from him before sitting back down on the bed. “I have been sailing for my father’s company since I was fifteen. I just turned nineteen yesterday.” Elissa took a long drink from the bottle before continuing. “As for fighting, you taught me almost everything I know, granted I learned more after you left. If you don’t believe me on that fight me now. I’ll guarantee that you’ll win, I was never able to beat you. You never went easy on me, telling me that if I was to really know how to fight I couldn’t have someone pull punches just to let me win. I’d have to win on my own.”

A smile came to her face as she remembered the lessons, taught to her at dusk down on the beach. Her father hadn’t known about them, which was probably best. He wanted her to learn to be a lady. She wanted to be a sailor. He wanted to pawn her off to some lower nobleman so that she would be someone else’s problem. She just wanted to be with Joseph. Even at a young age she was smitten with him. He was everything she had needed at the time, a friend, a protector, and was kinder to her than anyone else in her life.

The smile vanished when he mentioned the brand on her neck. Of course they would have seen that. He probably already knew what it was so there was no use lying about it. “I’m wanted in Spain. It’s a long story, I’m sure you aren’t really that interested in it.” At least she hoped he wasn’t that interested in it. Aside from Bedlam it was one of the darker points in her life, one that made her stronger but also one that she wanted to forget. “I have a bounty on my head there, so I would appreciate it if we didn’t go to Spain.” Maybe with him being a pirate he’d understand her desire to stay away from Spain, of course on the other hand he could use this new knowledge against her.

CassyK/Truepirate

Yeah that works. I figure most of the stuff I mention happened after he left, except maybe her mother passing. That could have happened before he left if you want, if not then it happened after.