The Sea Be Ours (Nabari & Schezwan.Beefy)

[Nabari]

A pair of sturdy black leather boots propped themselves upon against the aged wooden table, thudding against it a little as they did so. Sharp blue eyes narrowed in impatience as he glanced up and down the room. There was a dozen or so others sat there, some talking amongst themselves, others drinking bottles of rum. They didn't seem in any rush to get started but he wanted to get it over with quickly so he could leave the damned place and get back to his ship.

He had been called to a gathering of several pirate captains, most of whom were here...apart from one that is. It was rare that they would ever meet, perhaps only once in a lifetime and never for less than the most vital of reasons. Their meeting place was located in Oscuro's cove, known only to chosen pirates. It was a dark place lined with jagged rocks and vicious waters, not easy for even a skilled captain to sail through, and would often result in many a wreck. Though that just meant more to plunder for those who did manage to make it into the centre of the cove. Here, upon a small island, was built an old but large building made from the ship wreckages of those too unskilled to make it through. It was almost akin to a fortress in the strength and the scale of the thing.

He was Pirate Captain Nicholas Morgan or as most just called him, Captain Morgan. No-one knew his first name, nor did he ever plan to reveal it. The dark haired male was well known for being unceasingly brutal and merciless, seeming to not even care for his own crew...many of them having had been made to walk the plank over the years. Yet he had seen the surprised glances of some of the others when they saw him, for he had to be only around twenty six in age, young for one of his apparant caliber. His impatience was starting to get the better of him as he muttered a few obscenities under his breath, forcing himself to lean back into his chair and simply wait.

 

[Schezwan.Beefy]

James T. Dreadwood walked through the door in a hurry, his brown eyes wild while his fingers moved to his long black strands of hair to wipe it from his face. "Sorry for the tardiness, gentlemen, my ship was attacked just outside the Oscuro rocks. It's been a busy day for me - what have I missed?"

He was a tallk, handsome man, one that was rather clean shaven and well taken care of, quite different than many pirates around. On top of that, he looked well educated, but most of those here in the Captain's Quarter's were well educated. They were business men who had taken to piracy as it earned quite a bit of revenue. Things in life weren't free; everyone needed money, and so the had all turned to piracy with their fake jobs back home in the mainland that made it seem as though they were doing quite well in their own business. James, being the owner of a small import and export of rare treasures back in Spain, was doing quite well for himself to say the least.

"Wouldn't start without ya, James," he heard someone say close to him, and he smiled a bit.

"Suppose I have you to thank for that, eh Titus, you old bastard?" he laughed, smacking his friend lightly on the shoulder before embracing him. Some of these men he knew well, some of them were like brothers and uncles, while others were completely unfamiliar to him. He removed his hat as asa sign of respect to those he didn't know - like the man sitting with his boots on the table like he owned the entire place of Oscuro - and ran a hand through his black strands again, and for a man of his age, 32, he looked quite young. He was experienced, having started out in a lower rank as a ship doctor, and slowly moved up until the crew had become his own. "Well, now that I'm here, please begin. I apologize once more and I hope I have your forgiveness."

[Sorry, I had a hard time with an opening post]

 

[Nabari]

Nicholas' focus was turned towards the latecomer as he entered the room, giving only a quick nod in response to the Captains removal of his hat. He had never seen him before but it appeared he was well acquainted with many more in the room than he himself was, waiting quietly for the niceties to be over with.

"No forgiveness needed my friend. But yes, onto business." It was Titus who addressed James again and it was he who would be leading the meeting today, being one of the older and apparantly more experienced captains. He cleared his throat a little before speaking once more...not so eager to impart this news to his fellow pirates. It would no doubt cause a ruckus, for the man he was about to speak of was well known and well liked amongst many here.

"Well men...to put it bluntly, it appears that Captain Krome, along with the majority of his crew have been captured and sentenced to death. The gunner managed to escape before their ship was completely destroyed but even he had little hope for the rest of them." There was no time for stepping around the truth in their world, even if it clearly was not what they wanted to hear. Some of those sat around the table began to mutter to themselves at these words, while others slammed their bottles down on the table and immediately began to conjure up plans of rescue and revenge, most of them too foolhardy to even be considered.

An eruption of voices took over the room for a few moments while Nicholas simply lifted his feet from the table, placing them onto the floor. He rolled his eyes at the idea of even going on a rescue mission, who had ever heard of pirates doing such a thing? He wasn't one to care how liked the man may be. Besides, it was likely they would be too late to save him anyway.

“Any pirate who’s foolish enough to get caught doesn’t deserve to be rescued.” Nicholas spoke to no-one in particular but was loud enough to be heard by anyone who cared to listen. "If that's all we were called here for, then I'll be leaving." With this he stood up from his chair, hoping that that was all they wished to waste his time with.

 

[Schezwan.Beefy]

James' face paled at the announcement. Krome was a good man... he rarely killed other on ships he took as targets. Rather, the old man was a good prankster, and he enjoyed laughing, so he let them go after taking many supplied, their cargo, and sometimes their clothes. He remembered how helpful Krome had been to him in his own jams. He stayed quiet, listening to the uproar of men as they began thinking of way to help their dear friend... he had no idea to even begin.

He stood there, leaning against the wall and watching men talk excitedly to one another, but his eyes quickly moved to the man who seemed fed up with the whole ordeal. Who was he, and why was he here anyway? His mouth opened as he leaned in towards Titus to ask the exact reason, but he closed them again as the sound of the legs of the chair grated against the floor. He smirked slightly at the man's attitude, then looked at Titus and shrugged, as if saying 'I told you so'. They were all a tight knit group, and this new Captain wasn't making a good impression himself. What a pity. James would just have to make things a little more clear for the... idiot.

"I'm sorry, but we haven't met," he said, moving to stand in front of the door and extend his hand. "I'm Captain James Dreadwood. Perhaps you've heard of me, maybe not." His smile was friendly, his eyes were warm, and he waited for the other's hand to take his. Whether he would do so or not, James wasn't sure. "Many of us have met before, or we're all good friends of Captain Krome... i'm not sure if your familiar with him either. You should not take his arrest so lightly, however. Krome has high authority... he's part of the Judicial System and has often got many of us out of tight places. He has spy networks and many men in the cabinet working for him... for us. If he's captured, we'll all follow shortly. This life isn't so simple, you're quite aware of that, but Krome has made things easier for us. I hope that you understand and you may be willing to help. Can we count you in?"

 

[Nabari]

Nicholas narrowed his eyes at the Captain as he blocked his exit and then proceeded to introduce himself. Such an expression actually suited his defined features, not that many, if any, had ever seen him with a smile on his face. James on the other hand was donning a smile at that moment as he spoke to the other about Krome, which surprisingly made Nicholas more inclined to listen to what he had to say. "Captain Morgan." He responded, assuming he would know he was speaking of his own name.

He had done business with Krome a couple of times, but he would never say what they had bore any resemblance to friendship. His style of piracy was the complete opposite to his own...merciful even to the point of kindness, and it was no surprise to hear that he was a part of the Judicial System. His frown deepened at the mention of Kromes authority there, for one of his meetings with him had indeed been when he and his crew had gotten into a scrap of trouble. Nicholas would never have asked for help but the old guy had been pretty damn insistant about it. He truly was a fool...

"If I must." He eventually replied, his blue eyes looking James over with an air of unneeded arrogance; in despite of the fact that many here would have been pirates for much longer than himself. "No doubt you could do with the help."

Nicholas had ignored the outstretched hand; he saw no need to be friendly just because he was helping these pirates. Instead he went back to his seat and sat down, once again resuming his stance of barely contained impatience.

 

[Schezwan.Beefy]

James could feel the tension, but he knew the type of man Morgan was. He'd dealt with men like him his entire life and he wasn't about to let the haughtiness get to him now. In time, he had adapted to it and learned that the best way to deal with men like Morgan was to simply play stupid to it, or ignore it and just be friendly. It usually worked... stuck up, arrogant men like Morgan often succumbed to his charm in more ways than one. But James' sexuality was not in question now, and he hadn't any motives of that nature towards Morgan. He was just good at convincing men to do what he wanted. Needless to say, Morgan had fallen for it.

"Good man," he said with a smile, pulling back his hand to gently grab his shoulder and pat it in a friendly way, and then he turned around to take his beer and listen in on the conversation. The question at hand now was... how were they going to get Krome out?

By getting themselves captured as well, it seemed.

"If several of us are caught, it makes it easier to get Krome released. They've passed new laws that Krome couldn't seem to over turn - you know the feeling people have for pirates. There's no bounty to pay off, so we couldn't even pay something off. He's a good man, Krome is, but an idiot for thinking he wouldn't get caught raiding that ship so close to shore." James frowned a bit at the thought of risking his own neck for another Pirate, but Krome had helped him out of jail years ago when he was new to the whole thing. But the idea itself was just too crazy...

"I'm not sure if this is the greatest way about it," he said to Titus.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Well, it's not like I am well skilled in escape plans... if you give me a little time to think about it, perhaps I ca-"

"There isn't any time, James! We must act as quickly as possible."

"I know! But rushing to make a plan will only get us caught and we're bound to do something wrong. Mr. Morgan, have you any experience in these things?" He looked toward the man who sat there, obviously worried about where this meeting was going. He had no problem -helping- with a release, but getting captured and thrown in jail wasn't his idea of a rescue mission.

 

[Nabari]

Nicholas glanced between the other Captains silently as they began to discuss a way to free Krome. The majority of them seemed to think it would be a brilliant idea to get themselves caught, and he had to admit he agreed with James when he was opposed to the idea. What kind if idiot would want to place themselves in the same situation as Krome, a man with next to little hope?

He couldn't help but smirk a little when James asked for his help, his own arrogance having been at least a little justified. “Some.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders lightly as he took a few moments to wonder how he would deal with the situation.

"I'd suggest infiltrating wherever he's being held. In disguise of course...it'd be a little too obvious if we sauntered in as pirates." With such little time it seemed to him to be the best idea, though if that failed he wouldn't mind just storming in there with all guns blazing.

“But it would only work with small numbers." Nicholas then leant back in his chair when he had finished speaking, seeming as if he cared little to whether they agreed to his plan or not; though he was hoping they wouldn't drag him into their first foolish idea.