The Airship Stowaway ((Mortals_Dream & Vivid Fizz))

Lillian’s heart raced. A fine sweat had coated her palms and a bead of it rolled down the ivory skin of her face. This was the first time that had she ventured outside of the residential and shopping districts of London. In fact, it was the first time she had left her home without an escort of any kind. It just wasn’t seemly for a young woman to be out without some sort of protection. On her way to the port many men had approached her and propositioned her, thinking that she was some common street trollop. Of course she slapped them and went on her way. To think!

Nervously she twirled her parasol around and looked around. The dockyard was busy. Everyone was working hard with ropes, boxes, and other things that a woman of fine breeding had no reason to know about. Her brow knit as she looked around. Going on to a passenger vessel probably wouldn’t have been the best choice. People expected stowaways on them and security was likely to be a problem. She didn’t want to be on a carrier vessel but she needed to find SOME way to the States.

Her mind went to her sister. Emma had been kidnapped, stolen away because of the sins of their father. She was a beautiful young girl and, of course, was a target for these debt collector. Damn her father’s gambling. They were once a prosperous family who owned a very lucrative shipping business. But her father was ill prepared to inherit it from his own father and the man squandered all of the profits on expensive airships and in poker games. Debt collectors were vicious, vicious men.

With a new determination she lifted her chin. No. Her older sister would not pay for her father. She pushed one of her dark auburn curls that managed to escape her tight bun behind her ear and walked towards the other end of the dock, where less people were. The shipyard had been sorted by where they were going and it seemed that not many were going to America. That was fine by her. Some people had gave her strange looks but she simply ignored them and moved along.

Then she saw something that made her heart stop. There was a ship that looked virtually empty with only a dozing guard at the main entrance. It also looked fairly well kept for a cargo ship. Her heart jumped and she slowly made her way over, looking for the cargo hatch on the airship. She found it and with some huffing and puffing was able to get it open enough for her to slip through. It was insanely dark as the hatch shut with a resounding metallic clank. She stumbled around, knocking against objects. The metal boning of her underskirt made it much more difficult to maneuver but finally she managed to find a piled of something soft, which she flopped down in. It felt like she was laying in a bed of silk. These people were obviously merchants of the highest quality. She clutched her lacy umbrella to her chest and waited. As soon as she saw a crack of light she would have to duck behind something.

Though that didn’t happen and after thirty minutes of sitting fearfully in the dark, the lovely young woman found herself drifting off.

((Sorry it took me so long to respond.))

Sean swept through the streets of London, his long coat streaming out behind him as he walked. People moved out of his way, even the toughened dock workers moving out of the way for the hardened man. It wasn't his looks, in fact his clothes spoke of a young noble man, or even the weapons that hung on his belt. No, it was his reputation. No one wanted to draw the wrath of the skypirates down on top of them.

The pirate strode up the plank onto his ship, the guard blinking awake as he walked past. Sean didn't care too much, everyone who matter knew whose ship this was and wouldn't try anything with it. No one woudl be so stupid as to actually try to steal anythign or even to try and get onboard without permission.

"Captain." Sean turned to the yell, his first mate, Turvain moving across the deck to him. "We got some buyers, but we found somethign interesting when we were going through the hold." A dirty grin spread across the man's face.

"You can't handle it?" Sean asked, stroking the well groomed brown hair on his chin.

"You want to see this captain." Turvain wouldn't waste Sean's time, not unless it was somethign important or interesting. So pushing past his first mate the pirate stepped below deck and the cause became obvious righ taway. A well dressed woman sitting on a pile of silks stacked there, one of the few thigns left in the hold.

"Looks like we got ourselves a stowaway." Sean said with a grin, crouching down beside the woman, his wrists resting on the weapons at his waist. "Wake up girly."

((That is alright. Thank you for the awesome reply! I am sorry if mine is lackluster in comparison. I have a migraine. ))
The auburn beauty did not stir even as the first light cracked in. The night before had been filled with terrible nightmares and hours of staring up at her ceiling. Her breathing remained steady and deep as she was discovered.

It wasn’t until the captain himself was crouching over her did she let out a small groan. Slowly her eyes opened. For a second she looked at the man only inches way for her. Sleep still muddled her mind and she did not fully understand what was going on. Finally it occurred to her and she jumped up, nearly toppling over the pile of silks she was napping on.

Oh bother! She wasn’t expecting to be found out. At least not so soon. Her hair tumbled completely from her bun and went down her back, collecting at her waist. She gripped her umbrella tightly, bringing it up to hit them.

“What is going on here?” she asked, as if HE was the one who broke in to her home. Her breathing was harsh and it was obvious that she was terrified.

“I… I… oh, bollix!” she licked her dry lips. This was not looking good for her. Lillian decided that it would be best to come clean. Maybe they wouldn‘t hand her over to the authorities if she did. “I’m sorry for trespassing on your ship. I need to get to the States. My sister is having some problems. I will just leave though. I didn’t mean any harm.”

Sean grinned as the girl almost fell over, obviously thrown off by the sudden appearance of the owner of the ship. She must have been a deep sleeper in order to not have noticed the men moving the cargo around her. Of course given her clothes she had to have come from money, and sometimes he knew they could sleep through anything.

"So you come onto my ship and just expect to be let free without any sort of payment?" Sean stood, towering over the shorter woman, looking down at her. Of course there was the idea of ransoming her. Those clothes cost serious money and a family like that might be worth something. Of course if he got caught that would get rid of London as a stop off spot. He made sure to do no crime here, after all this was his main selling point and he couldn't loose that.

"So who are you little girly?"

There was no payment he could offer him! Why would she have snuck on board of an airship if she had money for something? She bit her lip and wrung the delicate lace parasol, nearly ripping the material. As he loomed over her, she faltered and her vivid green eyes began to shine with on coming tears. This man was much bigger than Lillian and she had a feeling that he would not let her go until he was given something.

When he asked her name, she was too frightened to answer at first. The prospect of such a man knowing what she went by was not a pleasing notion. But there wasn’t much of a choice for her, was there? A lump had rose in her throat and she managed to choke it down.

“I am Lillian Marie Ranstherford.” she squeaked out. The girl was unaware just how notorious their father had made that name. Every low life, pirate, brigand, and debt collector knew the name Ranstherford. He owed almost every seedy individual in London some sort of money. “I haven’t any pounds. I am completely without coin. I just wanted to help my sister. If you could, please, please forget that I was even here?”

Her begging was starting to sound like whining, even to her.

"Ranstherford hunh?" Sean stroked his beard, looking down at the cowering girl. That name was well known to him. her father was a well known gambler and debtor, constantly in debt to somebody at some point in time. He rarely paid off his debts, in fact he even owed Sean a bit of money as well, though not enough for the pirate captain to go after the man. Still he knew that some of the people he owed money to didn't have the amount of forgivness that Sean did.

Suddenly the deck of the ship shuddered, the groan of the steam engines filling the ship as they began to power up. He had heard these sounds plenty of times, they were the sound of the ship slidding away from the airdocks. The captain always kept orders for the ship to keep on its scehdule unless someone wasn't onbaord. Looks like no one was going to get off this ship for a while.

"Well it looks like you aren't going anywhere at the moment. We're taking to the skies."

Lillian gave a faint cry as the ship started to move and groan. Having not ventured too far outside of her residential block in London, she had never even been privy to watching the takeoff of a steamship. Being inside one as it rumbled nearly set her off balance and she found herself almost being thrown in the chest of the man. She didn’t want to believe that they were taking off. Oh! She did not want to owe him anything! The auburn haired young woman did not want to be anything like her father!

His admission made her feel sick. So did the rumbling of the lifting ship. Damn, damn, double damn! Lillian just had to be the heroine and try to save her sister. This was no place for a proper lady. Her shoulders rounded and she shook her head.

“Sir,” she said. “What is going to happen to me? I don’t want to be dumped off at a random port!”

She had heard horror stories from her father about captains finding stowaways and throwing them overboard or leaving them to in some foreign port to rot. Her lips trembled and a tear rolled down her cheek. Surely he wouldn’t throw a helpless female out in such a way.

Sean could see the woman seem to crumble under the knowledge that they wee taking off and he could feel a little tinge of guilt. But it only lasted for a second. He might not like to see a woman cry but you didn't get very far as a skypirate if you were willing to feel guilty everytime you did somethgin wrong. After all wrong was part of the job description.

"Well if you don't want to just be thrown off then you have to be able to pay for your passage. Since we already know that you don't have any sort of money than you better figure out what else that you have." Sean looked down at the woman, wondering what she might say. Of course there were always the normal things that a woman could bring to a man. Mainly the pleasures of their body, but Sean didn't find it very enjoyable unless the woman was enjoying it as well. After all it was so much more fun when the woman wanted and asked for what you were giving them.

"So girly, you got yourself into this so what are you going to do to get out of this?"

Panic went through her. What could she offer? Her eyes locked with his and her brow furrowed. There was nothing in her possession that a man like him would want. The clothes she needed, her parasol wasn’t much money, and she was a lady; not daring to even think about what she could offer him as a woman. Lillian was between a rock and a hard place right now and this man was obviously not very much of a gentleman.

The ship lurched upwards, making more noises. She adverted her gaze, pretending to be interested in the sounds, but just looking for a reason not to be caught in the intensity of his orbs. Bitterly she searched her mind for what she could bring to the ship.

“I could clean,” she finally replied. “You know, do laundry, scrub floors…”

The very thought was insulting to her more delicate nature but she needed to think of something! Being thrown out in a different country meant rape, prostitution and eventually death. Or at least that is how it played out in every scenario she played in her head.

Sean burst out laughing as she offered to clean, barely able to control himself. He doubled over, tears streaming from his eyes, as he thought about it. A rich girl like her proably had never cleaned for herself, much less cooked or even done the laundry. He knew enough about woman of her social class. They were pretty much usless excpet for pretty things to look at.

"If that is what you are going to try to do then we can certainly try it. Of course you do realize how much cleaning is required to clean up an entire ship of men." Sean grinned at the woman, whipping away the last of his tears of mirth.

"Well if you are going to clean we better find you somethign more fitting. After all if you only have that one dress than we don't want to mess it up." Sean rested his wrists on the hilts of his weapons as he turned his back on her and walked towards the deck, expecting her to follow behind him.

Her fear had turned to anger almost instantly. How dare he laugh at her for trying to pay for her mistake? Visibly she bristled and her chest puffed out like an irritated bird. There wasn’t very much else she could do! A ship like this probably had cooks to spare and she never went near a stove. That was Emma’s job and Mama’s when she was alive.

Though she honestly didn’t take into consideration how difficult it would be to clean for an entire crew of men. The lovely young woman was unaware even what type of men she was to be working for. Without being told anything, she assumed that this was a ship full of merchants and hands to help keep the ship full of steam. It never occurred to her that this lot could be much more dangerous than that.

She followed but her annoyance with him was almost palatable. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest.

“What is so hilarious about me cleaning?” she asked. “If you have a better idea of how I can earn my way, I would like to hear it.”

Sean almost started laughing again as she puffed her body out, looking so insulted that he had laughed at the idea of her cleaning. Just one more nice little lady, not aware what the world actualyl was like. He had spent plenty of time and money to look like a merchant ship, after all, and he wasn't too suprised she was taking him for someone nonthreatneing. Of course she would find out soon enough, after all the appearance didn't matter in the sky.

"My dear I have seen your type before. A nice girl like you, dressed nice, desperate to stay like the little lady she is. Have you ever even cleaned your own room before?" Sean asked, pushing open the door to his own quarters. The men working the deck followed the two as they walked across the deck, grins on their face as they watched the woman. They didn't often see a woman while they were in the sky and a woman on the ship might get more attention than she wanted.

"You better find something that will hold up to getting dirty a bit better."He gestured to the closet set into one of the walls. Sean closed the door behind her, leanig back against the door, crossing his arms across his chest, and watching her.

Of course she had cleaned her own room. She was very particular about her own things. Lillian hated other people moving and touching some of her possessions, especially if they had once belonged to her mother. Outside of that, she hadn’t. Emma had taken on so much of the responsibility for taking care of the house. She hung her head a little, shame seeping in with the anger. It made her more frustrated with the captain.

As they passed the men, their looks went unnoticed. Lillian had never thought herself as the attractive sister. Yet, as they grew, Lillian’s physical beauty had grown to rival that of Emma’s. Indeed she would be met with some hardship on that steam machine.

When he held open the door to his room, she paused and looked in. It was obvious that these were living quarters. She could feel her body break out in a cold sweat. Likely something so nice would not be for her. Not as a stowaway working for her way on the ship. She looked at him before she finally entered. He closed the door and her heart beat desperately against her chest.

She shook her head harshly before going over to the closet and opened it. She went through it. Most of it was clothes befitting a hardened man of the sky and not a woman. She gave a sigh and randomly started to pull out a pair of pants and a shirt. The form of her body would be completely visible in such garments.

“Just so you know,” she shot over her shoulder. Her dark black cherry spiral tresses flipping with her movement. “I do clean my own chambers. You should also watch your tongue around a young lady. It is not befitting to ridicule a woman so openly.”

Finally she finished picking out a few things that would better suit her new job as a cleaning lady.

“Now, if you please, where can I get changed?”

"Congratualations my lady, it's not often that a lady goes around touching dirt. But my lady last time I looked a young lady didn't try to steal passage aboard a ship." Sean shot back at her. He was still grinning, his words poking at her, her conciets, her carriage that somehow she thought she was in charge of this situation. Of course that was one mark of the upeer class, so high on their horse that they coudl always look down on you.

"My lady we are in a bedroom. Where else would you change except in here?" The pirate captain gestured with his arms to take in the room.

"Besides you had better get used to a few things for your time here. My men are not nice men. If I left you with them you would not enjoy your time here, I guarentee you that. So will be staying here when you are not doing your job. Remember you are here because you stowed away on my ship. unless you want to get home prostituting yourself out to the airships then I think your better than thou attitude better change my lady."

She flushed deeply when he called her out. No a lady did not steal away on ships. The circumstance was dire though! She needed to make it to New York so she could rescue her Emma. Tears threatened to roll down her ivory cheeks again but she held them in. In reality she was more angry at herself than the man; he was just an easier target for her to take her frustration out on.

“What?!” she asked. His answer took her completely off guard. He wanted her to change in front of him? With the heavy metal hoop skirt, she would not be able to take complete refuge inside of the closet where she pulled the clothes from. “Sir, you do not mean… I mean, I’ll even have to take off my… oh!”

Lillian was feeling faint. If she were weaker of spirit she might have passed out from the shock of it. Her face burnt brighter with each passing second. The more he revealed, the less she liked the situation. For Emma, she tried to tell herself, but her selfishness and pride were getting in the way.

With an aggravated huff she tossed the clothes on the floor and started to unbutton her blouse. As the fashion of the time there were many buttons. She turned her back towards him so he would not see anything important. Quickly she tossed the blouse to the ground. The first layer of her skirt was lifted over her head with ease, revealing her long white kickers and the hoop that encased them.

“Please don’t look at me any further,” she asked. It was not a demand, though her voice was strained as if she wanted to bark the order at him. “I have some humility.”

Someone she managed to get the elaborate hoop off, letting it stand upright next to her. She reached behind her. This is where she had a maid assist her before. Without a helping hand she could not get off the painful whalebone device. Lillian whimpered and attempted to grab a hold of the lacing.

Sean grined as he watched her frustration mount. He couldn't help enjoying tauting the highborn. It was somethign that had always given him plenty of enjoyment. he had started out low born, born on the coks themselves to a fisherman and hi swife. But he had built himself up, through violance and guile he had pushed and threatened and stolen until he had his own ship. Yes it had been tough but he still wasn't completely heartless. The job demanded a certain amount of darkness to the soul but he didn't cling to it like the other men that sometimes found their way to the profession. He had a certian amoutn of honor, to take but not kill unless needed, to keep his own deals, and of course to woo a woman but not to force.

It was that part of him that gave him a bit og fuilt. It was enjoyable to tease and taunt the woman, almost as enjoyable as it was to watch her remove her clothes. After all she was quite beautiful. Dark hair leading to those piercing eyes and then of course her wonderful body. Very few woman coudl claim such beauty as thier own and fewer still could carry it with such confidence.

"Fine my lady." Sean stepped up closer to her, just behind her but he drew a hankerchief from his pocket, wrapping it around his head and shielding his eyes. His hands went forward though finding the lacings of her corset and slipping them apart easily. His fingers moved down the line of lacings, undoing them with the ease of a man used to removing a ladies clothes, until she was free of the constraingin device.

She wasn’t expecting for him to help her with her corset. Lillian gave a small whimper as he began to undo the lacing. His fingers spoke of skill as they went up, loosening until the corset fell from her body. Quickly her arms crossed over her chest but it did little to hide the ample bosom that was revealed.

Quickly she pulled on the shirt and pulled down her knickers so she could slip on the pants she picked for the day. Her body was indeed amazing for that day. Long slender legs, rounded hips and hind quarters, little nipped in waist, and large breasts. It was a shame that he was missing the show, though she was grateful for it. She turned to face him, seeing the bandana over his eyes.

“At least you covered your eyes,” she muttered. She placed her hands on her hips and sighed. “It doesn’t surprise me that such a cad was able to undo a woman’s piece of clothing blindfolded.”

The shirt she picked was much larger than she was. It hung from her shoulder and the neckline revealed the ample crack of her cleavage. The pants outlined every curve her legs, hips, and bottom offered. How she hated it.

Sean was indeed sad that he missed the show, the sounds of clothing rustling as it was removed from her body and pushed to the floor. He was a bit more used to being the one pulling the clothing off but it was quite enjoyable to hear the same process occur only a few feet away.

"My lady you would be amazed at the things I can do blindfolded. Would you like to try them?" Sean grinned and one hand slipped out, fingers on her shoulder, walking them along until his fingers were brushing along her cheek. The blindfold came off with the other hand and he looked her up and down, giving a small whistle as he did so. Now there were some clothes and fit her body just right.

"My lady the maid look is you. Maybe if the whole lady thing doens't work out you can sign onto my ship and clean my bedroom for me."

Her whole body burnt as he reached out. His fingers on her skin sent little goosebumps where ever they touched. This man, she didn’t even know the name of, was certainly a snake charmer. Lillian’s back stiffened and she attempted to back away a little but her feet stayed planted where they were. It was a mixture of fear and, dare she admit, excitement that kept her firmly glued to the spot. That was the first time that someone had ever touched her skin. His well worked fingers felt rough against her soft and supple flesh. Her body was betraying her and her small nipples stood against the fabric of the material.

The whistle snapped her back to reality and she cleared her throat. “I feel like a derelict child begging for scraps.” Her arms crossed across her chest to hide the hard little peaks. It was humiliating to be so exposed but it had certainly put her in her place.

Sean was skilled and familar enough with the woman to catch the signs of some of her arousal. The shirt was designed for a man and draped against her skin, the thin material hanging on her curves. Her erect nipples poked out firmly and her working to cover them up actually made them all the more obvious to the practiced man.

"Now now my lady. No need to be so insulting. Those are the clothes from my back after all. If you are going to be in the same place that my body has been then you should show a bit of respect." Sean laughed a little bit, a soft chuckle at the embaressed look on her face.

"Maybe we should start you with just cleaning my room, after all we don't want the men to see you in these scraps of clothes."

Lillian was naïve but she wasn’t daft and she knew that he was coming on to her. Repulsed! That is how she felt. He was putting her in a compromising situation just by having her stay in that room. No doubt his men were already crafting lewd and sordid stories to tell everyone else. A strange sensation started to form from her disgust. It pulled just below her naval and made her clamp her legs together firmly.

“Perhaps,” she finally muttered, “just to start out with. I would like to be able to earn the price of my fare, after all. Though I would hate to think what sort of rumors are being spread because of this situation. I do have my reputation to think about… ah, I do not believe you told me your name.”

She did not like simply addressing him as sir. Something about it felt too personal for some reason and she wanted to be as polite as she possibly could. Despite her fiery temper and conceit.

"My lady you don't know what kind of situation you are in. But you will learn with time." Sean shook his head and the woman's lack of knowledge. She didn't know she was on a pirate ship or what kind of men were here. Sean might have a certain amount of restraint but his men wouldn't. They would take her if she wandered, and she wouldn't have any say in the matter, and if they had their way she wouldn't be leaving either.

"You may call me Captain or Captain Sean. You will not call me by just my first name. Remember you are the one in the wrong in this situation, and I will not have my command questioned by you." Sean let his hand fall down to the hilt of his sword, a small gesture but one whose implications were oh so clear.

She swallowed harshly. She didn’t want to know what type of situation she was in! Ignorance was bliss, after all, and if she could keep her nose out of whatever was causing him to be so cautious with her, then that was fine with the pale beauty. Nervously she twirled one of her spiral curls and looked up at him with large, saucer-like eyes. This place was simply terrifying and she was coming to a realization that it was this room where she would be for the majority of her stay.

His words hit home with her. Her eyes were locked on the sword that he patted. Captain it would be. She wouldn’t even dare to add the Sean to the end of it. Her whole body was trembling and she closed her eyes to try and clam herself down. This was partially her fault, after all. She thought that she could get away with this. She had been the one to sneak on this airship. Lillian would just have to endure.

“I-I understand, Captain,” she managed to squeak out. “Um… what should I do first and where do I get the supplies?”

For now she was going to try her hardest to be as pleasant as possible. Feeling anything sharp against her skin wasn’t something she wanted. She also didn’t want to be booted off at the nearest port because she could not keep her tongue in order. Already she could feel the pain throbbing at her temple.

"I'm glad to see that we understand each other." Sean said, his voice not joking or teasing her for once. He may have frightened the girl but she needed to be frightened right now. She didn't understand what kidn of ship she was in and that kind of ignorance could end up with her dead if she didn't smarten up. A woman alone on a ship with men for monthes would not find herself enjoying herself unless she stayed out of the way.

"Their are supplies in the same closet that you found the clothes in. You shoudl keep your cleaning to this room and the officers dining and meeting room connected to it." Sean pointed at the door on the wall opposite of the closet. Both rooms wee small so they shouldn't take too much but he had work to do and she wouldn't do well alone on the deck of the ship.

"I'll be back in a few hours." Sean turned, his coat swirling around behind him as he left. He strode across the ship to the wheel, his first mate already there.

"So hows our little birdie captain?"

"She has been given the warnings needed. Don't see her being worth much. No money, and her family certainly has no money anymore." Sean leaned against the railing of the upper deck the wheel rested on.

"Selling her?"

"Maybe, but not right now." THe first mate gave Sean a knowing look, the online crew member that Sean would take it from. "I know but it seems like such a waste."

Lillian disliked being alone for the most part and being by herself in this situation was not what she wanted in the least. But she held her tongue. Until he left, that is. As soon as he disappeared she covered her mouth and let out a muffled scream. Being put in her place never set well with the auburn haired beauty. Thank God no one else was around to witness her humiliation.

After a few moments of stomping and moaning about her predicament, the fiery woman finally calmed down. She then set to work on cleaning. Even though it was a small room she found herself having some problems, splashing some of the cleaner on herself, and getting some in her eyes. God! It burnt. This was a lesson for her alright. Without her knowledge, the water that sloshed up on her had made the shirt she wore partially see through.

She moved to the other rooms to clean them as well and by the end of the day she was exhausted. Who knew that lugging so much around could tire one so? Lillian put everything away and slumped down on the floor, he back supported by the closet door. With her hair hanging in her face and her body slumped over, Lillian began to doze again.

It seemed to be a habit of hers in that ship.