Thread: Yo Ho, Ho, And A Bottle of Rhum on a Dead Man's Chest;;

-Xin- The Captain was far too preoccupied by her own thoughts to pay much attention to the bitterness in his expression that was obvious even without the bond. Dismissing it with a light smile, she nodded. ''Great,'' she replied, her voice never growing high yet sounding rather light hearted. All was great. Leaning back against her chair, however, she returned to reality, studying him slowly before glancing at the rest of the men. Everyone stopped eating, most glaring at the newcomer while others watched her with an expression filled with curiosity, wondering what she would do in response to his tone. She did nothing. For a moment, she felt a flash of doubt within her as she questioned her choice regarding his presence. Quickly the worries were dismissed. It would be hard to ignore the persisting hunger of his and the ship did not have any fresh meat. Most of it was marinated and such for a longer lasting preservation, and it did not hold a hint of blood in it any longer. The rest was dried, for the main part belonging to fish. ''I doubt that my crew appreciates your ways. And however you look at it, things will be much easier for you if you were to get along with them,'' she stated, her voice lowering, her face becoming unreadable and any emotion she had closing down. ''I don't have any fresh meat, but you can help yourself to the meat that has already been cooked,'' she stated, thinking of a solution. The route they were taking was long yet they would surely find another boat within a day or so since most merchants used it. ''The only source of fresh meat would be the rats, I can't get rid of them, they're all over the lowest floor and they're trying to spread higher,'' she continued, getting an idea. Her men had great instincts yet they were not quick enough to kill the creatures. The only person having been able to eliminate a few was a young boy, present on board for an 'apprenticeship' of sorts. ''I'm assuming that it wouldn't be hard for you to take care of them, and do as you please with their bodies,'' she finished her offer, not having much else to give. She then thought back at the comment regarding her crew, letting out a mocking chuckle. ''As for the perfect crew of mine, they are perfect indeed and I don't quite see the wrong in that,'' she shrugged, smirking. It was not quite the case - while most men looked absolutely civilised it was by choice and not due to her forcing them. She needed a diversified crew, one where she would be able to find a man for any purpose, since their tasks occasionally involved acting. ''There is a single reason I want you to look respectable,'' she stated, crossing her arms under her chest. ''We are currently on our way to India,'' she started to explain, remembering that he had no idea about what was going on on board. ''There, I need to meet with a man who, I was told, knows the location of a sorceress. I want you to come with me, pretend to be my bodyguard. I will need him to think that I am a foreign princess rather than a pirate, gain his trust and then he will have to die,'' she finished, not sure whether it made sense to him yet everything was planned out months in advance and calculated. She didn't have the time to explain to him at that moment, since she needed a greater privacy. As much as she trusted every man, she didn't want to run any unnecessary risks. After all, the reason the Indian had to die was the Panthers' pirate crew, one that tried to trace her footsteps and prevent every action. She turned out to be smarter than them until one man betrayed her trust, costing her a valuable piece of the map. ''I will explain everything later on,'' she raised her arm, motioning a man to come over. She knew how he quickly grew tired of her talking, and didn't think he would mind her departure. ''Xin here will take care of you, he is very skilled,'' she stood up, stepping aside from the table. ''Take him to Charles once you are done, answer any question, tell Charles to show Torean the rats,'' she quickly ordered, turning away. She left the room, her hips swaying invitingly, Xin studying her with a certain longing before turning back to the newcomer. The Captain would soon return to her quarters to work on the maps and the planning, treacherously leaving him with the man most men on board classified as a person to stay away from at all costs. To the men on board felt threatened, and the sneer as well as the blood comment spread through the ship at the speed of light. ''I am Xin, welcome aboard,'' he bowed, reminding himself of his rule. He was one of the rare people to never judge before he got to knew a person. It turned him into a cold blooded killer, as well as a man everyone loved. Sliding his hand down to his hip, he pulled out a small dagger, one everyone used to shave and cut their hair. There was a moment of awkward silence on his behalf as he watched the newcomer. ''May I start?'' He questioned politely, his English holding a strong accent. He was a quick learner, barely able to utter a proper sentence when Desiree and her men found him. He was a sailor years ago, merely seventeen years old, when the Black Pearl has had an encounter with his ship. Soon enough, it turned into a bloody mess with the Captain left facing him. Instead of covering or pleading her to save his life, he stood straight, watching death in the eye. From there on, he was a dedicated member of the crew, part of the upper class. He helped out when the Captain needed someone to play her companion in European countries, dressed men up and prepared them for their roles, fought every battle and trained the apprentice, Charles, whom Torean had yet to meet. ''Any last request?'' He questioned politely although a part of him was rather mocking as he assumed a spot behind the demon.