Thread: The Salty Air We Breath(Erit and Eva)

The silence of the morning is broken by the sound of a flute, the soft noise carried through the air from a ship that is rocking in the gentle waves of the ocean. Aboard the ship are men of different ages, size, and race, as well as one woman. The woman sat on the steps that led to the wheel, the wooden flute pressed gently against her plump lips. The crew stayed silent in their hammocks as they listened to the woman play, some of them feeling the sadness that she did. One in particular had tears in his eyes, though he refused to let them fall. Each day started out the same way, with her playing her flute for their ears and their ears only. It had been this way for five years, the only day she didn't play was one of those days were she was too forlorn to force herself out of bed. None of the men knew why she was so sad, and not one dared to ask. The woman played as the sun peaked out from beyond the horizon, the light it brought streaming down on her slender figure. She wore nothing but a dress that had been cut years ago to make it better for her to fight in. The skirt covered half of her thighs while the top was cut so that it was more like the shirts her crew wore. The wind blew roughly against the ship, causing the area of the shirt that was near her waist to rise. As it rose, a mark was able to be seen by whoever dared to look at her in such a way. It was of a bird, a nightingale that was trapped in what looked to be the thorny branches of a rose bush. On the top of this mark, small but noticeable nonetheless, was the letter 'C' which marked her for what, and who, she was. Once the sun covered The Nightingale, a clipper that she proudly called her own, the woman lowered the flute. Her eyes were distant as she looked at the rising sun, feeling twinges of sadness as sounds rang through her head. She could still hear it she could hear people yelling around her, her own voice as she screamed as loudly as she could, and the sound of a crying- Captain, a voice said from the door that led below deck. Her green eyes shifted to the man that stood there, the sadness still in them. She did not hide her feelings from this man. Did she love him as much as she did her first love? No, she did not. However, she did trust him the way she trusted her most loyal animals. August, I'm sorry if I played for too long. I... dreamed again, she said with a sigh as she looked away from him, in the direction of the sun. The crew, are they awake yet? The man, known to her as August, nodded slowly before making his way over. Do we have a heading? Tortuga. However, if we pass by any navy ships, we are to... relieve them of their supplies. Her face grew hard as she got to her feet. She looked at her boots, which were at the bottoms of the steps by him. She walked down the steps, staying on the last one before bending down and slipping the boots on. I want to stay there for maybe a few days, relax for a bit. Do you think the men will like that? She asked, flipping the last boot on before standing up straight to look at him. August nodded then walked up the steps to the wheel. Gale, do you really want to continue this journey of yours? He asked just before she was able to walk through the doorway and below deck. Gale sighed softly, slowly shaking her head before looking back at him. I've been at this for years, August, don't ask me such a stupid question. She didn't wait for him to reply before turning, walking down the steps that led below deck. She passed a few of her crew, who tipped their hats to her out of respect as they went by. She went into the kitchen, setting the flute down on the counter near the sink before gathering some ingredients. She started to make breakfast for her and the crew, still humming a hearty song under her breath as she cooked. The woman wasn't the same person she used to be, it was hard for even a man to come out of jail and be the same but for a woman in those days it was near impossible. Even from her crew she hid her true name. It had been seven years since she was jailed for a crime she didn't know she committed, since her home was burned as she watched helplessly, since her very innocent was snatched away. And she forgot. She forgot what he looked like, what his name was, and liked it that way. If she remembered his name then there was no doubt that she'd be hunting him down.