Let's Play Pirates: Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Bessie always woke early- it had been necessary during the war, her brother would have spent the night thinking up a crazy plan to escape from the Takans and would need someone to talk him out of it before he did something he’d regret… But when Bessie awoke today, she was not the first up. Taking a cautious peek at Lulu’s bunk, she found that the fairy was already gone with nothing but a black silk nightgown left behind her, tucked neatly under the lumpy pillow.
She walked onto the deck and tried to judge the time by the sun’s mark. It was very early morning but she soon caught sight of Lulu, Masou and Cori talking at the front of the ship. She watched in silence for a moment, ducking behind a crate as Cori left, not wanting the fairy to think she had been spying… then again… while she was there she might as well learn something new about her companions…
‘It’s odd,’ said Lulu, ‘that Xatu and Kendo would take the girl aboard- for all her bravery, she is squeamish and untrained. Was her brother really so great?’
‘They trained at the same military base,’ said Masou, who, being close to Fern, knew everything about every one of his friends, ‘Kendo and Nik, that is. Xatu was a slave, see? So was Mina, though she was working for a general at the time. They became friends.’
‘So what happened?’ asked Lulu, truly curious.
‘He helped Kendo to escape with Mina- he hated it there, see? It wasn’t the life for him. Xatu and Nik caused a riot as a diversion and they managed to escape.’
‘That explains Kendo,’ said Lulu, still unsure, ‘but why is Xatu so in his dept? If Nik was his master, should he not have been harsher towards him?’
‘Eh…’ said Masou, ‘I’d tell you, Lu… but I can’t. I’m sworn to secrecy.’
‘Why do people tell you these things?’ asked Lulu, sounding half amused and half put out, ‘and not me?’
‘People are cautious around you, Lu, in case you blow your top or something,’ Masou laughed.
‘Blow my top, huh?’ said Lulu, ‘how little they know about me.’
‘Well, you are kinda grumpy, Lu,’ said Masou, grinning.
‘Have I no right to be?’ asked Lulu, looking away.
‘Yeah… I know. I’m sorry.’
Lulu was silent, obviously deep in thought.
Masou stared at her for a moment before shaking his head and turning toward Bessie, who prayed he couldn’t see her, ‘let’s go get Cori, so we can lower this baby back down, yeah?’
‘Yes,’ said Lulu, still not looking at him, ‘that’s probably best.’
Bessie shrank back as the two passed her and found herself wondering for what seemed to be the thousandth time in her short voyage, what had gone down between Kurissyma’s crew before her arrival…
-
Bessie and Jolly Roger spent the morning looking over the side of the ship, trying to discern whether or not they were any lower yet.
‘We’ll be airborne until past midday, I’d think,’ said Kurissyma, watching her, ‘we need to do a couple of system checks and see who’s about down below. It’d be poor form if we landed on some ship. Even pirates don’t do that.’
‘Oh,’ said Bessie, embarrassed. It was odd having Kuris as a captain- she was only fourteen-years-old but everyone seemed to trust her so much. Even the great bulking men like Xatu and Kendo would rather listen to her judgement than follow their own.
‘It’s against our code, yeah?’ said Kurissyma, turning her gaze to the clouds around them.
‘Your code?’ said Bessie, ‘like the Pirates’ Articles.’
Kuris laughed, ‘we follow our own rules up here.’
‘Like what?’
‘General conduct,’ said Kurissyma, shrugging, ‘no drinking, fighting, whatever. Lulu’s excused from no fighting, of course. It’s a part of who she is and it’s beyond us to change that. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, anyhow, and wouldn’t do anything rash.’
‘I see… so it’s more like etiquette?’
‘Me? Following etiquette?’ Kuris seemed amused, ‘I don’t particularly care if you snort into your dinner if that’s what you mean and I can cuss like a sailor myself… so, no, not exactly. Like I said, we follow our own rules.’
‘Do you have a judge?’
Kurissyma raised an eyebrow, ‘you’ve spent way too much time in court, love.’
‘Yeah, I know… my brother would be better at this,’ said Bessie.
‘We asked him,’ said Kurissyma, shaking her head, ‘but he declined- he seemed to think that if he were gone, your father would be angry, and take it out on you. A good brother to have, I think,’ then she grinned, ‘though I’m not sure about your father- is he much of an ogre?’
‘Father does get annoyed… what if he found us?’
‘What would you prefer?’ asked Kuris.
‘Me?’
‘If we attacked his ship, someone here would recognise him. If so, it’d be your choice. Leave him to die or take him on board.’
‘My choice?’ said Bessie.
‘It’s in our code,’ said Kuris, ‘and it’s why we’re all such good friends up here,’ she chuckled lightly, ‘no matter what Lulu says.’
‘If I may,’ said Bessie, ‘from what Masou says there is a very good reason for Lulu’s demeanour- may I know what it is? I would like to understand her better.’
Kurissyma looked thoughtful, ‘I think you’ll find,’ she said, ‘and you’ve probably already been told, that each person on board has a story- a life from before they boarded the Kiteling. You have one, don’t you? And no doubt there are parts of your life you would rather not be publicly known. This is the same. Masou and Lulu grew up together and they are very close, you see? He knows everything about her and she knows everything about him.’
‘Yes, I know…’
‘Masou can know these things about Lulu, but she is not comfortable for the rest of us to know it and we are not to pry- that is also in our code.’
‘I think I understand,’ said Bessie, ‘this code is more on how to behave with each other- to coincide peacefully.’
‘It is,’ said Kurissyma, smiling, ‘I want my journey to be full of laughter.’
‘Captain? May I ask you something?’
‘It depends what it is,’ said Kuris, smile fading slightly as she looked at her.
‘Does Mina know?’
Kuris chuckled, ‘Mina does not know the details of their past together,’ she said, ‘but she knows more about what’s inside than most- perhaps, more even, than they. May I, in turn, ask you something, Elizabeth?’
Bessie nodded silently.
‘What are you leaving behind in New Canaar?’
‘A life of pretty dresses and painful corsets,’ said Bessie easily, ‘it may look nice… but inside? So many rules- so many backbreaking traditions. Sitting still and watching the children of the poor playing in the streets, pricking myself with a needle at every other moment, having my nanny scold me when I make a poor stitch… I think I should much rather be a pirate.’
‘I thought so.’
-
‘Elizabeth- into the crow’s-nest!’ called Kurissyma.
‘Are you kidding!’ gasped Bessie, ‘I can’t climb up there!’
‘Fern- help her,’ Kurissyma commanded, ‘Bessie- from now on, this is your station. You must learn to climb there alone. Practise.’
Fern walked over grinning at her, ‘ladies first,’ he said, gesturing up the rigging.
‘This is insane,’ said Bessie.
‘You said you wanted to be a pirate,’ said Kurissyma, ‘now up with you!’
‘Yes, captain!’
With Fern covering her from below, Bessie scrambled up the rigging and onto the railed platform, panting hard.
‘Pull it together!’ snapped Kurissyma, ‘do you see anything?’
‘What?’
‘Look around- any ships over the cloud line?’
Shivering, Bessie looked around and shook her head.
‘Good,’ said Kurissyma, ‘Lulu- Cori- Masou- are you ready?’
‘Yes, Captain!’ said Cori excitedly, Masou gave her the thumbs up and Lulu nodded silently.
‘Take her down gently then,’ said Kurissyma curtly.
‘Yes, Captain!’
Bessie clutched at the rails desperately. The descent was slow but as clouds enveloped the skyship, she grew afraid in the dark.
‘How are you holding up?’ came Lulu’s voice, appearing strained as she flew up to join her.
‘What?’ said Bessie, her teeth chattering as she tried to see through the clouds.
Lulu took her hand impatiently and waved it in front of her face.
‘Oh, Lulu, hello.’
‘Are you doing okay?’
‘Yes,’ said Bessie, though she was freezing.
‘Next time bring a coat,’ said Lulu and Bessie nodded ruefully.
‘Yes, of course,’ she said.
‘You’ll get used to it,’ Lulu assured her and she let go of her hand, retreating back down to the deck.
After what seemed like forever, the clouds gave way and a drenched Bessie scrambled back down the rigging as the boat touched down to the water.
‘Get used to it,’ Kurissyma ordered, nodding at Bessie, ‘you can get a coat from downstairs.’
‘Yes, Captain,’ said Bessie gratefully and she hurried away.
‘Do you think she can become a great pirate?’ asked Kurissyma, watching her go.
Lulu contemplated this, ‘I cannot say,’ she decided eventually, ‘but I know that she will try her hardest to adjust.’
Kurissyma nodded, ‘that’s all we can ask, I suppose,’ she agreed, ‘very well. Tell Fern I expect him to teach her how to use that hanger. Unarmed combat is out of the question but perhaps there is something else she is good for…’
‘Lu,’ said Masou, coming over, ‘can I talk to you?’
Lulu nodded and left, leaving Kurissyma to smile and wonder if there wasn’t something between them.
-
Fighting wasn’t exactly something Lady Elizabeth Artemesia Hartfield had ever been trained to do but all the same, as she stood the next day in the cold grey dawn with a pirate’s hanger in one hand and a flintlock blunderbuss in the other, she felt suddenly very powerful- as though ever novice’s attack she cast upon the wooden target drew strength not from her own body but from the weapons themselves, making her, in some ways, invincible.
‘Shoot off my hand and I’ll shoot you,’ said Lulu, who had been forced by a “sick” Fern, to help train Bessie on this cold, wet morning and was now holding the wooden target out for her.
‘I can’t see through the fog,’ Bessie complained, screwing up her face in concentrations.
‘You can’t pick battle conditions,’ said Lulu, ‘now shoot.’
The bullet soared over the edge of the boat and, on the quiet morning, they heard the soft plop as it landed in the water.
‘Well that was a waste of ammunition,’ Lulu snapped, ‘now try harder.’
Bessie tried a few more times before finally hitting the small target.
‘Right,’ said Lulu, ‘now- the facts. Us pirates? We rarely command a superior vessel in terms of firepower. You’ll notice that there are no canons on board either, but with me, Cori and Masou, we’re always the faster ship. So what happens is we approach quickly, board their vessel and take off. We rarely have to burn the ship we leave behind like we did to yours but there were just too many people. Pirates are rarely great in number either- you see, there are only eleven of us, and that’s including you and the captain, so we rely on scare tactics and powerful offence.’
Bessie nodded to show she understood and shifted the hanger in her other hand, ‘why don’t you fight?’ she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
‘I’m not exactly a fighter,’ said Lulu.
‘But you know much more about fighting than me,’ Bessie pointed out, ‘you’d be great.’
‘Perhaps,’ said Lulu, lowering the target and heading back for their cabin, ‘but I’ve seen enough violence. Tell Fern he’s dead meat, all right? I’m going back to bed.’
‘Thank you!’ said Bessie, waving absently as the fairy left.
Forget the code, she thought irritably; I have no idea what’s going on!
-
From that moment on, Bessie made it her business to find out everything she could about the people she was beginning to call friends, and she wasn’t above a little snooping about if that’s what it took. Lulu owned very few things, other than her share of treasure, that is, but in her chest, beneath the jewels and coins, saved from her two years as a pirate, were a pile of letters home that were never sent.
(Dear Kay,
I hope you’re doing well. I’m fine, I suppose. Xatu and Kendo brought Nik’s little sister on board since I last wrote- not that she’s any help. She doesn’t know anything about the ship, or about us… I don’t know how it happened, but our ship, Kiteling, is shrouded in secrets- thicker and more chilling than the clouds. Each of us comes from a life better left behind but she doesn’t understand that we would not wish to speak of it. She’s young and naïve, more so, perhaps, than even little Morro-Chai. She is seven next week; I think I’ve already said. What a life for a child to lead… but still she is more help than this Elizabeth Hartfield. Everyone seems to like her well enough, so perhaps I am merely being grumpy like everyone says? I don’t think I’m grumpy- if I’m unhappy I would think it were more for the past than the present, or even the future. I see no ill in the future of the Kiteling, but still I wonder what Bessie brings with her. Like Davus… when he came, it felt as though only ill could follow- and look where he ended up, deep in Hell, I’d say. I just hope Bessie does not meet the same fate.
Masou is well, he tries to make the most of things and wonders if she has any helpful talents, though I do not see how a lady such as herself might be educated in anything but embroidery. He and I speak often to one another, I suppose, but if Cori and Fern make one more crack about us being together, I do not know what I’ll do. Perhaps I will ask Kurissyma to kill them for me, though I’m not sure she would.
Kuris is not so ruthless as she seems, she proved that when she took Morro-Chai on board. Every move she makes, she makes for this ship- she is truly a dedicated captain and one I would not slight for all the world. Nor would I wish for another- for no army general of navy captain could possibly be quite so passionate abut the Kiteling, run down ship as it is, or about us either. She is a captain who knows her crew and I know she is already trying to make something of Bessie’s personality.
What about you? Is your friend Herring still about? It has been a long time, Kay, but you must understand that I had no choice but to leave you. One day I will return and when I do, I will not be your little sister Lulu anymore- I will be the strong and graceful person you always were while I was growing up. I will be the sort of person who could inspire someone other than Hero-Chan… he is far too easily pleased, if you ask me, and I have no idea what kind of role-model I might be to someone like him. He just seems so young, though he is only a year younger than Bessie, I suppose, and four years older than little Morro-Chai… I suppose it is his childlike wonder at the world- it is truly refreshing to have him on board with us.
In a way, everyone plays a part, even the little ones- no, especially the little ones. Naïveté- I would that I could somehow find it again, but it seems that mine is many years past stale. I would be really quite lost if I were to leave the Kiteling after so long. I have not seen you since I was five-years-old, can you believe it? It doesn’t seem real… like talking to a dream. One day, Kay, I will return. I will speak to you and touch your face. I will be the sister you deserve for all you did for me.
Until then, I am, as ever, your loving sister,
Lulu)
Lulu had… a family?