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 Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:38 am
Jonathan, now officially on vacation from the Dementia, settles down outside of the tavern in a shady spot under some palm trees and sets up his hammock. Swinging softly in the breeze, the Englishman feels finally relaxed from the worries of the day and the arrogance of Katherine, and decides to order something new to drink. Something exotic. Golden rum out of a coconut, perhaps.
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:46 am
Katherine stumbled along the dusty street, so preoccupied with her weighty thoughts that she almost tripped over the very man she was looking for. Having expected to find the quartermaster inside the tavern, the captain was bewildered to find him stretched out in a hammock hung in a most inconvenient location. Scrambling to cover her confusion over his appearence there, Katherine went for her familiar path of berating the man instead.
"What do you mean by this, hanging about in a public thoroughfare? You could kill an unsuspecting fellow with this deathtrap you've set up." She said to Jonathan, though sadly lacking in her usual venom. Truth be told, Katherine could care far less where the quartermaster hung his hammock, but she had a very difficult matter on her mind and no idea how to speak of it.
But speak she must, for the issue could not wait. Sighing heavily, every line of her body showing her internal despair, Katherine swallowed her pride and addressed the man again. "Forget that, get up and walk with me, Mr Graves. There are things we must... discuss."
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:31 pm
The Englishman's vacation now turned sour, as the very person he wanted to avoid was now trying to strike up a conversation with him. "Maybe that's what I planned to do," he replied in regards to her deathtrap comment, casually sipping his rum from an open coconut. "I'm on vacation, Captain. But, by all means, bring up a chair and enjoy the lovely tropical weather we're having." Jonathan studied her figure for a moment before going back to nursing his rum. "Besides, you'll need plenty of rest if you want to have a peaceful pregnancy." It wasn't hard for him to figure out, he wasn't an idiot. Women don't get fat in the belly and stay lean in the thighs and cheeks unless they were with-child.
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:18 am
Katherine nearly swallowed her tongue with shock as Jonathan so casually mentioned the very cause of her troubles. How was it possible for not only the physician, but for her own quartermaster to know of Katherine's pregnancy before she did? It was embarrassing, and even more so when she considered what she still had to ask of the man.
Forcing down the fury she felt at his insolent tone, the captain once more addressed Jonathan, struggling to keep her words polite. "Well as you are already aware of my...condition, you will no doubt understand the difficulties that it presents." It pained her to think of the next words, but she pushed herself on nevertheless.
"I cannot go to sea in this state, let alone captain a ship full of bloodthirsty rogues. It may be many months before I am... before I am fit to sail again. As such, I need someone to take temporary captaincy of the Dementia." Katherine left it at that, waiting for the implication to sink in.
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:38 am
Jonathan surveyed the tropic landscape while listening to Katherine's words. He actually felt quite at peace, swinging in his hammock, allowing the cool ocean breeze to wash over his face. But still, he had to reply. Taking in a few moments to contemplate his decision, the Englishman finally replied with a sigh, "And then I would kill Miss Williams and the others who are loyal to you, dump their bodies, and claim that you gave me the ship permanently."
Jonathan tosses aside the empty coconut-mug, having no further use for it except as a reminder that he was still thirsty. Alcohol does that, making one thirsty. "There is nobody around as a witness, and I can make up any story I want," he says with a smirk, folding his arms across his chest. "And there are many on the ship who would follow me. I am, after all, a pirate. One who has been taught well the art of betrayal by you."
Without giving Katherine a time to respond, Jonathan held up a hand as if to silently stay his Captain's anger. "Write me out a contract for me to sign, one with clauses and obligations, and you will have the proof you need to show to the rest of the crew that my rank will only be temporary." Jonathan goes back to studying the tropic sunset. "While I am not the type of person who would go through with what I just described, you did not obtain the rank of Captain by blindly trusting people, and I am giving you a way to ensure my loyalty to you."
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:01 am
Everything about the man irritated Katherine beyond measure, from the way he delayed answering her as if she was waiting upon him to the way he so neatly sidestepped one of the very issues she was worried about. Cursing the fact that she couldnt just blow his head off and be done with it, Katherine clenched her fists and focused on getting the situation over with as soon as possible.
"The fact that you spotted that vulnerability is precisely why I've chosen you to take command. The fact that you won't follow through with it is why you haven't made captain yet." She smirked slightly at this, but hurried to speak further to keep from tempting Jonathan from doing just that.
"It's lucky that I already had Rachel and her most trusted men informed of the situation, so there would be no confusion. But I'd be happy to have just such a contract drawn up, if you insist."
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 2:09 am
"Ever thought about that why I'm not captain yet is because I might not want to be one?" Jonathan retorted. It was actually quite true, he did not want to be a captain, just someone to be respected and listened to. Still, he did not want his vacation ruined, and dismissed Katherine with a wave of his hand. "The offer to pull up a chair and relax still stands."
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 2:05 am
Katherine almost growled at the arrogance of the man. It nearly outmatched her own, and that was something she couldn't stand. Still, she needed him. No one else of her small crew held the needed qualifications, save Rachel, and it was doubtful whether the master-at-arms could hold sway over a crew of restless fighters. Silently going over all her options again and reaching the same conclusion, the captain resigned herself and her ship to their fate.
"I don't have time to loll about, and neither do you if you wish to take this opportunity to command. The physician says I've already exerted myself beyond what is recommended for a... for someone in my condition." A strange expression crossed her face as she spoke, unseen before in all her years. It vanished almost as soon as it had appeared, and then the captain was staring down at Jonathan with challenge in her eyes.
"The sooner you agree and come back with me to tell the crew, the better." Said Katherine, holding out her hand expectantly. "So, do we have a deal?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:42 pm
"The sooner you bring me something to sign, the better," the soon-to-be Captain retorted. It was quite obvious that Jonathan was doing nothing but mock her, and it was even more obvious that he enjoyed it. "The more concise, the better."
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 8:38 pm
Alexandra walks out of the tavern, stuffed with food and she have a mug of mead in her hand. She looks around and spots Jonathan along with Katherine talking. She could see that Jonathan is not pleased so she chose not to approach him with a peace offering so she retreats back in the tavern, looking around with bored expression on her face. "Now what?" She mutters to herself while walking toward the bar once again.
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 10:48 pm
Katherine's proffered hand turns into a clenched fist as Jonathan ignored it with his practiced insolence. Sorely wishing she could afford to deck the man she needed to captain her ship, Katherine cursed under her breath and searched inside her coat for a suitable scrap of paper with which to set the deal in writing.
After a few minutes of blind fumbling, she came up with a quill, a dirty stretch of paper barely large enough to cover her hand, and a small shrimp. "Bugger." She said aloud. "No ink." This was understandable, as who in their right mind carried ink around inside a very fashionable silk coat?
A sudden thought struck her, and in one hurried movement, the captain cut her finger on her belt knife and proceeded to use the profusion of blood to scratch down some very simple terms of the contract. It was messy, and difficult to read, but it was all the insurence Katherine would get. Also, she felt the blood was morbidly appropriate for a contract between two rapacious pirates.
Signing it with a flourish, Katherine handed the paper and the bloody quill to Jonathan. "Is this adequate for you, Mr graves?" If he rejected it this time she silently promised herself at least one good blow to his snobby nose.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 1:52 am
Jonathan sits up in his hammock and plants both feet on the ground, allowing himself to swing gently in his seat as he oversees the construction of the contract. Though it was a bit surprising to see something written in actual blood, the soon-to-be captain simply shrugged off the shock as he reviewed the crude document. "It seems that you are quite serious about your job," he comments, licking the blood from the quill with a flirtatious wink in his eye. "Very well, I agree to hand command back to you when you are finished with your shore leave." With that, Jonathan jams the sharp end of the quill into his arm. Not deep enough to cause damage, but enough to burst the capillaries and release the blood needed to sign the document. With a quick flourish, Jonathan signs the contract and hands it back without a word.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 4:41 am
With the signed document in hand, Katherine finally allowed herself to relax. All the stress and worry over making such a difficult decision melted away, the responsibility for her ship was finally off her shoulders. For a few months, at least. Suddenly the captain realized how exhausted she was, not just from the high tension conversation she had just had, but also a bone deep physical fatigue. It would indeed be pleasant to have some time off from the rough living of a seafaring bandit.
After sprinkling a bit of fine sand on the paper to help it dry, Katherine rolled it up and tucked it into her coat with satisfaction. Not wishing to spend any more time in the company of the man who had frustrated her in so many ways (and was more than likely responsible for her current situation), Katherine gave the Dementia's new captain a terse nod and headed off to find suitable lodging for her holiday.
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 3:10 am
As the former captain left to places unknown, Jonathan once again relaxed back into his hammock to do the most important duty of a captain on the Dementia: ignoring his responsibilities, relaxing, and having a drink. After all, the newly promoted Englishman thought as he ordered another rum in a coconut from a nearby sultry and exotic waitress, it would be days before the ship was fully repaired. Surely the duties of a new captain can wait until then.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 7:05 am
"Excuse me..." came a rugged - yet still feminine - voice.
The ex-crewmate looked sternly upon the lounging new captain, though currently unknowing to his new positions. "I'm lookin' for the Captain of the ship 'Dementia'..." she started again, then crossed her arms in waiting. "Have you seen her around?"
The girl was tall and slender and wore ragged clothes. With one arm adorned in a white sleeve and the other arm torn bare, her muscles shown beautifully despite her thin frame. Green eyes lay focused upon the male in her waiting, almost staring at him with a cold glare.
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