A Pirate's Love (JamieXAsaka)

"It's strange how one thing meshes in with another in the tapestry of life." She said softly as she fished out a couple more vegetables and pieces of meat. It didn't have many flavors, but she didn't expect it to. Elle knew she led a luxurious live and that others had it a lot tougher than she did. In Vic's case where he had to leave his home country to serve one of the few powers against those who took his home from him.

Elle paused to find a good explanation for the tale. "It was considered to be the ark of power.
Its true name hasn't been rediscovered yet, but it is indeed a ship, but a living ship. The captain of the leviathan is merely the one person on the ship that shares a consciousness with the leviathan. It was lost in one of the wars of the old worlds. I have reason to believe its resting place is in Galbadia. It's obvious that no one has yet to find it or else all the other countries would be on their knees be now." She told him as she finished up with her soup. Her eyes were filled with the same wild excitement that she had when sparing with him earlier.

She looked into his eyes holding a strong gaze against his. She was used to being watched with such judgmental stares. Elle sighed and leaned back in her chair resting her hands on the armrest. "It served as good nourishment.." She answered staring at him like one person would observe an opponent before a game.

Vic tapped his finger idly against his arm, his cool blue gaze watching her carefully. “Are you sure it’s the wisest course of action to go after it, then? You won’t be able to find it in Galbadia, at least not alone. The military police would be problem enough, and how do you expect to find something that the largest country in the world can’t find? Even if it is well-hidden, they surely have the manpower to find it; especially if they capture you. You’ve surely never been at a Galbadian torturer’s mercy before,” he went on, before he pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head.

“It’s settled, then. I and the crew will help you find the Leviathan. If it’s truly as powerful as you say, we need to find some way to kill it. Anything living is able to be killed. Galbadia is kept in check right now… but if they ever got their hands on that kind of power, the only nation flags you’ll see are theirs’,” he said, pressing his hands against the table, leaning over it. “What do you say, Elle? Shall we help one another out?” he asked, curtly.

"I believed I am the one best suited for the job. I would eventually pull a group together either with promises of money or something that is impossible to attain but still catches the hearts of the desperate. The Galbadians can't find it because they don't have all the maps and they definitely don't know how to read them." Elle paused when he brought up their torture techniques. She frowned and admitted that she hadn't planned for any sort of torture.

Her silvery gaze kept on him like a locked missile. She didn't rise to her feet but she seemed to feel comfortable in her seat. The wild gaze in her eyes shifted to a more sly stare. She knew she would acquire a group of able-bodied people to help her find the ark, but she didn't expect them to appear so soon. Though the reasons used to acquire them weren't by deception, it would work none-the-less. Elle smiled up at him, but the smile held something back. Perhaps happiness? She rarely smiled because she was truly happy.
"I would be a fool to refuse the aid of one of the strongest pirate captains." Elle replied simply.

Vic returned her smile as he motioned toward his bed. “You would; I daresay we’re only of only a few crews who can both get into Galbadia, and are out of employ with your father. But enough of that; you should get some rest. Feel free to use my bed. If you need me, I’ll be at the helm for the rest of the night. Good night, Elle,” he said, and with those parting words, he swept out of the room, affixing the captain’s hat to his head. As she was wearing his coat, he had to at least wear the much-despised hat.

(Sorry for the late/short reply. << We can either skip forward to tomorrow, or Elle can come to the helm to talk to him. We need to get the naughty ball rolling somehow. <<)

((Hmm how would you like it to start? I think I'll have her follow him.))

She watched him put on his hat and looked at the bed. Being stowed away in a box, though it was uncomfortable, it did serve as her sleeping place. She wasn't in the least bit tired and didn't trust being left alone in the cabin when she knew there were crew members that wanted her flesh. Elle stood and walked with him to the doorway. "Would it be a problem if I went with you?" She asked looking at the bed then to him with slight worry in her eyes. Though she was recently taught how to handle a blade, she didn't know how she would fair against someone attacking her in her sleep.

Vic was not terribly worried about Elle being hurt… He had some honorable men on the night watch, and besides, Elle was already under his protection, and no man would risk Vic’s wrath just to lay with Elle. Just like other men who had broken Vic’s laws on the ship, their legs would be broken and they’d be delivered to one of Galbadia’s mines, never to see the light of day again until they were tossed into one of the body dumping grounds and burned alive. However, only two men had ever suffered such a fate under Vic’s command. One had attempted to make off with the haul of a ship, and the other had tried to start a mutiny.

Thusly, Vic was not worried for her safety, and was in fact surprise when she followed him to the doorway and asked if she could come. “Alright,” he said, his lips curling in a small smile, and he motioned for her to follow him as a he led her out onto the deck, and up a set of stairs to the bridge that rested above his room. The bridge was largely deserted, with a thin man slumped over a number of metallic instruments on a panel, along with a man at the helm, collapsed on a roll of blankets on the floor. “Ever vigilant, my man are,” Vic said with a wry smile, kicking the blonde man on the floor in the side. Hawk, the man who had attempted to take advantage of Elle earlier that day, pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing his side. “Dick move, Vic,” he grumbled underneath his breath. “Go below deck, I’m taking over. Take Crow with you,” he said, and Hawk pushed himself to his feet, not even glancing Vic and Elle’s way as he made his way over to Crow, the thin man slumped over, and pulled him onto his back. He hobbled out of the bridge.

Vic stood behind the wheel, resting his hands on the wheel itself… The ship’s course did not even need to be altered, which was Hawk’s reason for sleeping. It was locked on course, and they were flying through friendly territories, wherein there were even no enemy pirates. Short of a Galbadian attack, the Eagle would stay safe that night. “Take a seat, Elle,” Vic said, motioning to the pallet set down behind the helm.

Elle didn't really feel comfortable about Vic's smile, but she felt even more uncomfortable about being left there with her paranoia. She was glad to see he agreed to let her come with him and followed him up to deck. Elle really didn't have a chance to look around last time she traveled through the ship, so she took this time to glance about a little. She made sure that he didn't run off and leave her either. It was like Elle worked as his shadow. The climbed up a set of stairs that led to the bridge. There were two men there, one at the panel and one on the floor by the helm. Her eyes burned with anger once she recognized who the person was. She made no movements towards him though, but rather watched Vic kick him into consciousness. She stepped back allowing him to pass, but she continued to watch him with her silvery yet angry eyes. Once the two left, she observed the controls and looked to Vic who was now standing behind the helm. She watched closely as he reached out and took the helm. When he mentioned for her to take a seat, she glanced behind where he stood and spotted a pallet set.
Nodding, she walked towards the set, but looked around some more before actually sitting down.

Vic turned around to lean back against the wheel, his eyes dropping to Elle, before he relented and sat down on the edge of the pallet Hawk had been slumbering on, Vic’s arms crossing over his stomach, which was why Vic couldn’t have noticed the two hovering lifeboats that were approaching the ship in view of the bridge. The lifeboats attached themselves to the sides of the Eagle with long steel hooks, and the boarding party of ten clambered on board, drawing blades. Five of the boarding party headed below decks, to the crew’s quarters, two headed for the captain’s cabin, and the final three left to secure the bridge.

Vic was just about to speak to Elle when the bridge door hit the wall, slammed open by the invading crew, sprinting in with cutlasses drawn. Vic looked up to see three rather burly men run into the room, and Vic kicked up, knocking the lock off the wheel. It spun wildly, the ship rocking in protest, sending the men sprawling onto the metal floor of the bridge. Vic stood up, pulling a pistol hidden in his boot, taking a potshot at one of the men before ducking down. “It seems I was wrong,” Vic mused, already reloading the flintlock firearm.

Elle's eyes shot to the now open door. She looked at the men clambering in with surprise then looked around for something to use as a weapon. Sadly, her search lasted a little longer than she had planned when Vic kicked the locking mechanism free and caused the ship to shift and rock in reaction to it's sudden freedom. Elle watched Vic produce a firearm and shoot down one of the men, she looked around with wild eyes and finally spotted something she could work with. It was a tin cup, but she could use it. Snatching up the cup, she stomped on it causing the edges to bend out like a metallic star. Grabbing the bottom, she held the cup low and close to her body in her waiting for some one to attack her. Three men went for Vic and one noticed her hiding around him. She watched a twisted grin appear on his face as he came close to her. Elle had a sly smile on her face when he approached her. At first she avoided him like any unarmed noble woman, but once he caught hold of her wrist, she spun around a sliced across his face with the tin cup. He roared in pain and threw her against the controls. Elle grunted and looked around with the now bloody tin cup in hand.

Vic soon had his handgun, dubbed the Vulture, reloaded and aimed at the next of the pirates who’d come into the bridge. His shot had gone low, taking out the leg of one of the pirates, and he was limping at him full of malice. Perfect. He caught the pirate’s wrist mid-swing, pressing the barrel of the gun against the pirate’s stomach. He disarmed him with a twist of the wrist and a lead ball in the attacker’s stomach, pushing the pirate into the next one who struck at Vic, whilst the third went for Elle. Vic turned on his heel, the blade he’d stolen from the pirate a lightning strike of steel on the neck of the man who’d attacked Elle, the burly man going down with a fountain of blood for a neck, the crimson blood splattering across Vic’s face.

The third of the men, and the only one left able to move for he had both neck and intact stomach, soon found a blade turned on him, a cold expression on Vic’s face. “Where is your ship?” he asked, his voice icily polite. “S-s-south of here,” the pirate said, shaking visibly. “Good man,” Vic said, before his booted foot caught the coward across the temple, before Vic stabbed down into his body with the stolen cutlass. Vic, heart still pounding, dropped his sword and took a step toward a speaking tube by the helm. “Men, increase engine thrust to fifty percent, we’re cutting through the Dunes. That is all,” Vic said, his voice still low, calm, and ever polite. Vic turned toward Elle. “Are you alright?” he asked, as two men, the ones sent to Vic’s private cabin, entered the bridge, blades drawn, Vic yet unaware.

She glanced at the man she had cut only to watch Vic slice his throat open with a blade that she thought he didn't have on him. He must have taken it off one of the men Elle though as she stood back and watched him finish up the remaining men in the bridge. Her eyes were wild with a mixture of fear and excitement. Her hand shook lightly and after seeing all the blood, she gulped and glanced back to Vic. At the moment he was asking the only man of the group that had survived the location of their ship. Once he got what he was looking for, he gave him a swift kick to the side of the head.
Elle was still as he made his announcement to his crew. Why won't he tell them about the intruders? After a bit of a pause she smiled lightly. It is possible he doesn't want to intruders to know that he has knowledge of them on his ship? Perhaps.
"Yes, I'm fine. How many are there?..Intruders I mean." She paused and looked to the blade.
"I need a weapon.." Elle muttered lightly after looking at her crude weapon that was once a cup.

Viic wasn’t worried about the other intruders; they’d gone into the lion’s den, and the lions were awake with Vic’s rocking of the ship; the other intruders were probably dead by now, Vic thought. “I couldn’t say, I didn’t ask. They’re probably a small crew, though, here to slit our throats in the night; otherwise, we’d have an entire pirate crew breathing down our necks right now. And before that happens, I plan to be leagues away,” he said, placing his hand on the top of the wheel, turning the ship sharply to the right, “Take that weapon, if you’d like; I don’t need it,” he said, motioning to the bloody cutlass on the floor. Meanwhile, guns were cocked, and a loud voice emanated through the bridge. “Drop yer weapons an’ surrender!” it called, a rifle aimed at the back of Vic’s head, dual flintlock pistols aimed at Elle.

Vic froze by the wheel, and slowly rose his hands. “Indeed?” he asked, voice oddly cheerful. He ducked down quickly, jerking the wheel down as he went, the ship rocking violently.

Elle tossed the tin cup to the side and bent down to retrieve the cutlass. That was when Vic had first decided to turn the ship swiftly to the right. Losing her balance, Elle braced herself with one hand and grabbed the cutlass with the other. She was about to show Vic that she had the weapon in hand but that was when a low burly voice sounded and she noticed a gun pointed towards her head. Elle's eyes grew wide but she knew that the man hadn't noticed the cutlass in her hand it was hidden by the remains of her dress. Vic said something and before she knew it, the ship rocked once again, sending her to the floor. One of the men blunder in front of her and she struck him swiftly with her blade across the shoulder. Then she kicked his side into the control table and slashed his other shoulder.

As Elle dispatched one of the men, rendering his arms useless with two well-placed slashes of the cutlass, he went down, howling in pain. Meanwhile, the other fired at Vic, the shot going wide, grazing his cheek. He launched himself at the man, grabbing the gun with powerful hands, wrenching irt away from him. The pirate kicked Vic in the gut, which he braved with a grimace of pain before belting the pirate across the face with the gun, knocking him out cold. Vic dropped the gun, breathing heavily as he made his way back over to Elle.

"Are you alright, Elle?" he asked, before looking down to the pirate that had passed out cold via blood loss. Adrenalin was still pumping through his body, and his eyes had a wild look to them.

Her victim now tumbled into the floor and she stood over him with her weapon raised in preparation for yet another lethal blow. Elle was so filled with hot-blooded energy that she stood over the man like a beast ready to kill. She had never killed before. She had no reason to in the past. Elle's piercing gaze stayed on him until a shot echoed through the room. She spun around and crouched down just in case she was the one being shot at. Once her eyes focused on the one shooting, she saw Vic launch himself on the intruder and pry the gun form his hands. For once, she looked at someone else with concern rather than herself. Of course being heir to a country she cared for the future of her land but she didn't care for another one person's safety over her own until now. Her eyes grew wide when she felt something nudge her. It was the man she struck down before. Without even thinking, she swung her cutlass at him and it lacerated his throat. The man slumped back against the counter gurgling and spurting blood.
Elle's eyes were wild with fear for what she had just done but her grip remained tight on her weapon. It wasn't until she heard Vic's voice that she looked away from the dying man. She turned away and spotted the gunman on the ground out cold then she saw Vic. Her expression was like that of a frightened animal. Elle's eyes were wild but they held fear in them as well.

Vic turned back to Elle as the man on the ground reached for her. He swung the gun up, prepared to take him out himself, but the blade went across the pirate’s throat before a bullet could. Vic dropped the gun in the spreading gore of Elle’s fallen adversary, and he took the few steps toward her that there were to stand by her side. He reached out, placing one hand on hers, as calming a touch as he could muster. “Elle… are you alright?” he asked softly. He could see it in her eyes; killing a man broke something in everyone. For some, the break was clean and easy. For others, it was a tougher experience, and though Vic had claimed his first life as a kid with a pickax, Elle had never faced such circumstances. Her first day into the real world, and she had to murder someone to live. “Elle… drop the sword,” he said, his expression full of concern, a hitherto unknown sight on Vic’s face.
His arm wrapped gently around Elle’s waist as he looked down to her, trying to calm her down, drawing her closer into the safe warmth of his embrace.

She began to tremble as he came close to her. His words sounded far away almost like the vibrations that flew threw air didn't reach her. Her face was pale and blood dotted her forehead as well as her neck. Feeling the warmth of his hand, she looked down and noticed her white knuckles clenching around the cutlass. It was like she was slowly being pulled back into reality. Things began to go back to normal speed and she could hear Vic telling her to let go of her weapon. Her fingers slowly loosened and the blade slid from her hand and hit the ground with a loud clatter on the metal floor. Elle leaned against him and was silent. She didn't make a sound but the shaking didn't stop for a while. She felt his arms wrap around her and if the situation was anything other than the one she was in, she would protest, but it was different. She needed someone to be there with her.

Vic waited calmly for Elle to drop the pirate's cutlass, his hand idly running up and down her upper arm. "Come along, Elle. The crew shall clean this up. Back to my cabin," he said, in as soothing a tone as someone like him could manage. "And no complaining," he added a moment later as, with strong arms, he literally swept her off her feet, and carried her out of the bridge.

The deck was alive with activity as the ship was prepared for the unforgiving conditions above the nearby deserts. The bodies of their enemies were thrown unceremoniously overboard, whilst heads were mounted on the front of the ship. It was as good as a giant middle finger on the bow of the ship. Vic walked silently through the bustling crew, and four men rushed into the bridge to take his and Elle's place; the ship was ready for battle.

Vic pushed open the door to his cabin and carried Elle in, setting her down on his bed before he went to retrieve a fresh linen shirt and a pair of dark trousers; his own, obviously. "Here, you need to change," he said, as kindly as he could with a hopeful little smile on his face.

Her eyes widened lightly when he lifted her up into his arms. All she could do was hold on and watch in the direction they were going. The shaking subsided a little but didn't stop completely and her eyes remained bright and alert, but they also held a tinge of fear to them. She watched the crew swarm around the ship like angry insects. They chucked the bodies over board like trash and even cut off their head for some reason that was unknown to her. Once Vic carried her from the bridge, a few people rushed in to take their place at the controls. She heard the steady beat of Vic's boots against the metal floor of the halls. It was the only constant sound over all the confusion on the ship. Vic gently placed her on the bed and then went over to the dresser to get some clothes. Elle sat on the side of the bed with her feet hanging down from it and watched him. She wasn't visibly shaking anymore, but she still felt a tremor going on within her body. When he told her the purpose of the clothing, she looked down at her clothes that were covered by his coat. It was all splashed in blood. Elle then glanced at the clothes then him.
"..Sorry for getting your coat dirty.." wash the first thing she said before accepting his clothed. Then she looked around for a place to change.

Vic offered her a king smile. "Don't worry about the coat; there have been worse stains on that cloth," he said, which was true enough. A pirate's life was by no means a clean life. It probably had to have at least eighty percent of known bodily fluids on it by now. "You did well to get through your first fight though; I've known strong men to vomit after they've killed someone," he said, as he walked over to his desk. He pulled a strip of cloth from one of the drawers, and tied it around his head, over his eyes. "There, go ahead and get changed," he said, unable to see anything but the barest hint of light under the improvised blindfold. "Now, are you sure you want to keep coming with us, Elle? We'll get into tougher fights than that over the next few weeks. If we can't count on you to help, you need to stay on the ship," he said, his voice not unkind.

He really was looking out for Elle; she'd never been in situations like this before, and he didn't want to expose her to anything she couldn't actually handle.

She looked at him and sighed when he mentioned her killing that man. "I.....it happened so fast. I really didn't think I could do such a thing.." Elle's voice was sort of shaky but she seemed for the most part okay. Watching him blindfold himself, she stood and walked over to him with a suspicious look on her face. She rose her hand and waved it in front of him and stood there.
Her expression switched to annoyed when he asked if she wanted to continue with them.
"Of course I want to stay here! This is ship and it's crew is my ticket to Galbadia as well as completing what I've planned to do. I knew before I got here that things would be difficult and people were going to be hurt. I was just a little shaken from it all. I'll be fine.." She said with determination still standing about two feet from him. Not sure if he could really see or not, she remained there to make sure.

Vic was completely blind to her right now, but still he was aware of the feelings rushing through her; he'd felt them himself, having killed men before, though perhaps he thought she was a bit frailer than she truly was. "Very well; just know that if you come with us, you -will- be forced to kill again, or you will have to let us find the Leviathan. That is all I'm going to say," he said, and having spoken his piece, he fell silent, waiting for a few moments as she stood right before him-- he could see her feet through the small crack at the bottom of the blindfold.

"If you're going to change, et to it. I'm not waiting like this all day," he said simply.

"I'm fully aware of the situations I will be put in while I'm on this vessel." She said with a huff and pulled off his coat in a frustrated manner. Then she walked a few feet away from him and turned her back. Elle pulled his clothes closer to her and tried to sort things through in her mind as she undressed. She didn't like the idea of killing people, but she had to make sacrifices to insure the destruction of the Leviathan. Reaching behind her, she unbuttoned the back of her dress slowly and peeled off the top portion. She was silent as she moved out of her clothes. Her dress fell to the floor and she took off her large boots. The strings were a hassle but the insured that she wouldn't loose her shoes. Since her skirt was no longer covering her thighs, the mark on the top left of her thigh was exposed.

Vic sighed softly after she'd spoken and pulled off her dress, unaware that she was, in fact, completely nude at the moment. "That's good, then. I'd hate to lose a sword hand," he said, pulling off his blindfold, as he'd believed she was dressed by now. The moment he saw her nude, and the tattoo at the top of her thigh, he immediately pulled the blindfold back down, cheeks tinged, for once, with red. "I'll be up on the deck," he said quickly, rather lamely, before he turned stiffly on his heel and made his way up onto the deck.

She glanced back to the blades resting on the dresser. That was when she caught him looking at her in the corner of her eye. Her eyes grew side and the pressed the shirt against her body to cover herself. Then she watched him leave in silence. She didn't know the innocence behind the action. Elle simply thought him being a pirate couldn't escape the temptation of seeing a woman nude. Her face burned with embarrassment and her eyes glared at the floor. After a bit of cooling down, she finished dressing and kicked the bed to vent some of her frustration.