Private Tales No Jackets

[Lucius]

"We're gonna have to think of a named for this damned thing." Lucius said as he gave a quiet wince, the sowing needle Peyton was holding going just a little bit too deep for his liking.

They had taken the Galleon almost a day ago now, and although Lucius' wounds had been mostly tended to there was one that still needed sowing up. Kukri had been busy with the folk who had been really bad injured, and thus Peyton had volunteered to do the work on Lucius herself. It had seemed a fine idea then, now?

He wasn't so sure.

"I'm terrible with names," He commented with a frown. "Should probably do a poll or something."

Pirate ships were rather democratic in how they ran, always had been by way of necessity. There were no press gangs forcing someone to sign on with a crew, no one forcing anyone to do it in fact.

A ship survived by treating it's crew well, and hauling in the best booty of course. Something they were already excelling at.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton still looked terrible, she normally took such pride in her appearance, but as she was recovering she was paler than usual, her hair was scraped up into a knot and she wore simple leggings and a vest with bandages over her healing wounds. She was in good spirits however, despite how terrible she felt, and she wore a frown in concentration as she stitched his wound. "Hold still." she chastised with a grumble. She'd sewn plenty of jackets, how much different could it be?

"Hm... How about The Aquaholic.. or uhh Sea Ya! Or Ship Happens.. Oh what about Seas the day!" she chuckled at herself, because she was clearly hilarious.

She shrugged after she'd finished the last stitch and bit through the the thread to tie it off.. "Something, new.. that sounds like a fresh start. Like Dawn or Hope. It's ours, I want us to choose." she smirked. "We're going to need to get you a jacket."

 

[Lucius]

"No ship im sailing on is going to be name with a pun." He absolutely refused to hear any such nonsense. There was a certain amount of pride one had to take in a ship, and that was harder when the name was a joke.

At least for Lucius.

The idea of naming it something along the lines of a new beginning appealed to him though. He had always enjoyed the name of the Concordant, but had never actually understand the history behind it. Lucius wondered if her father had shared it with Peyton.

"What?" He asked in a confused tone. "No, I'll just get another shirt. Fairly sure one of Finches will fit me."

His own had gotten rather bloodied during the fight, and what kind of weirdo owned more than one shirt?

 

[Peyton]

Peyton laughed quietly "I'm kidding, obviously." her eyes rolled and she assessed her stitching with a twist of her lips and a shrug. "Looks good to me.." she mumbled and lifted some linen to start wrapping his wound.

She grumbled at him "You are not wearing one of Finch's shirts, they'll drown you." her head shook and she bit on her lip for a moment, still concentrating.

"You're a Captain now.. Need to look like one." she smiled lightly and lowered her voice playfully "You've come a long way from the gutter."

 

[Lucius]

"WHAT?" His voice was loud enough that it actually almost echoed through the entire ship.

He stood aup almost immediately, taking three quick steps back as if he were trying to avoid something that she might have just stuck to him. His gaze flickered left and right as paranoia nearly took hold, and he quickly thew up his hands.

"No." He told her firmly. "I'm no bloody Captain."

That was for damned sure. "You're the Captain."

He pointed at her as if the declaration would make it so.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton jumped and let go of the bandage just as she'd been about to knot it and the whole thing unravelled. She stared at him, wide eyed, her mouth falling open at his reaction and she lifted the basin of water she'd used to clean his wounds and held it out for him with a grimace. "Fuck, Lucius.." she groaned.

"Why? What would be so wrong with that?... I don't know how to lead people, I know how to read the ocean and the stars and make pretty maps and navigate. I'm not a fucking captain Lucius. It was for you, I want you to lead us." her head tilted at him, her voice soft and calm, hoping he'd stop freaking out.

"You saved my life, I wouldn't even be sitting here if you hadn't been there, what then? Would you have just gone back to the gutter and left the ship to the rest of them?.. You fought for it, it's yours." her head shook.

 

[Lucius]

"I don't want it!" A few short weeks ago he had been stuck in a gutter, ignored and barely alive past a single flicker of emotion buried deep down.

There was still an edge to his tone as he continued.

"I don't know how to lead people." He protested. "I can fight, I'll do that any day of the week, especially to protect you."

Lucius firmly His eyes locking on hers. He would have fought a leviathan for her if she asked. "I'll never let anything happen to you."

He was more than sure of that. Captain or not.

"But I can't be Captain." He frowned. "I don't know how."

 

[Peyton]

She stayed quiet to let him vent out his anxieties and she sighed with a soft smile at his vow to protect her.. "I know that.." she told him just as firmly. She patted on the bed where he'd been sitting before his outburst, trying to get him to sit and calm down.

"So neither of us know how to captain the ship we just stole.." her lips pursed and she nodded slowly. "Excellent... But what are we going to do about that? Leave it to Finch?.." she grinned. He'd have them all singing chorus.

"I... wanted this for you." she frowned. Perhaps she'd expected too much, she had a habit of that.. "Maybe, we can both do it, as a team, and work it out together.." she narrowed her gaze, she didn't know if that was even a thing but what did it matter as long as there was authority and direction?

 

[Lucius]

Lucius slowly sat himself down besides her, clearly still somewhat weary. "It should be you."

The protest was quieter this time.

"You've been working for it Peyton, five years." She had told him as much when she'd first dragged him out of that gutter all those weeks ago. The idea of taking that from her? It didn't really seem right. "I..."

He shook his head. "I can't take that from you."

Not even if they were splitting it.

"I'm only here because of you. I was only alive to save you because you got me out of that gutter." How could he take even a little bit of her dream?

 

[Peyton]

Her cheeks dimpled with a grin at him and she shook her head and leaned to press a chaste kiss to his cheek.

“I’d never have managed it without you. It was never my intention to lead I just.. wanted our old crew back, even just a little.” she sighed and dropped her gaze.

“You’re not taking anything from me, Lucius.” she assured firmly.

“A crew will follow you far easier than they’d follow me. I can’t be my father.” she frowned. The thought of even trying slightly terrified her, if they laughed at her she’d be humiliated.

 

[Lucius]

"Peyton..." There was a quality she had that he was lacking, a piece that he couldn't really put into word.

Empathy might have been close, but he was not really certain that quantified it. His fingers tightened for a second, and he wasn't entirely sure what to do anymore. A part of him still wanted to reject the possibility, to push it away and run.

Another part wanted to be the person that Peyton thought he could be. The idea was lofty, far greater than he had for himself, but how could he deny her?

She'd dragged him from the gutter, literally set him back to sea. "Only if you're by my side."

Lucius said softly.

That was the only way he would do it. He would take the title, he would lead, he would do everything her father had done, but only if she was right there besides him.

 

[Peyton]

Golden eyes stared at him expectantly as he said her name. He was considering, and her teeth latched onto her lower lip to chew gently as she waited on him doing so.

She beamed at him as he agreed finally, and all at once her tired and pale features lit up and she was brought to life again. “Always.” she answered and reached to wrap her arms around him with relief.

“Thank you... Proud of you Luc.” She grinned.

“Sorry... Captain.” she smiled and sat back to start wrapping that wound again.

 

[Lucius]

Lucius stared at her with something akin to annoyance and disbelief.

It was slike she'd been planning this from the start, like she'd just been waiting to use the title on him ever since she'd come up with this entire plan. Had it all been some ingenious scheme by her?

It certainly seemed that way. "I swear the moment you start calling me sir I'll batter your rump worse than your father ever did."

Lucius couldn't remember if the Captain ever actually did that, but it was a common phrase in Alliria where he had grown up.

A sigh escaped him, and Lucius resigned himself to the fact that he was somehow now Captain.

Provided the crew approved anyway.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton had always planned on it. From the very moment she’d set eyes on him lying in the gutter suffering she’d planned it. She’d played her cards close to her chest until the last moments, when there was nothing he could do but go with it, and even still she’d left him without much choice.

She was very much used to getting her way...

Peyton laughed at his words “My father never raised a hand against me and the day you do will be the day I drop dead from shock..” she grinned in amusement at his threat, knowing it’d never be something she’d have to fear from him.

“I guess that makes me first mate, then..” she smirked, and tied off his bandage.

 

[Lucius]

"Yeah we'll see how far you take it." Lucius grumbled under his breath.

The idea was still entirely uncomfortable for him, and he couldn't much stand the idea of Peyton suddenly treating him any different. Hell, that went for Finch as well. If the damned bird started prancing about with titles and songs of his leadership he was bound to strangle him.

His fingers tightened.

What the hell was he going to do? What did a Captain do? He slowly looked around the cabin, his eyes taking in the Captain's Quarters as he realized they were now his. Then his gaze caught on something in the corner of the room. "And no bloody coats."

Not even over his dead body.

 

[Peyton]

She couldn’t wipe the grin from her face despite how troubled he seemed to be over the whole thing. He’d come around, he’d get used to it and he’d do well. Of all of those things, she was sure.

Peyton huffed as he once again rejected the idea of wearing nice things and she have a throaty sound of irritation. “Fine. I was always the fashionable one anyway. More jackets for me.” her eyes rolled and she got to her feet. She still felt weak, and she looked it. She rolled her shoulder with a wince and wandered over to lean against the desk to smile back at him. It was all his and she couldn’t have been happier about it, like suddenly she’d felt the weight of her guilt lifted.

“At least now you don’t have to share my dingy little cabin.. I don’t think I’ve seen nicer quarters on any ship.” She observed and looked around the room, it was rich with mahogany and just as beautiful inside as it was outside..

 

[Lucius]

Lucius nodded his head slowly in agreement. "Anirian's sure know how to make themselves some nice digs."

He was sure that eventually there would be trouble from the city for stealing this vessel, but for now he didn't really much care. They had yet to search the Captain's quarters or any others, mostly because what they'd found in the hold had been more than enough to distract.

When they'd delved below decks they had learned the truth of just what was on the ship; gold. Almost an entire mines worth, all stamped with the seals of House Relek and marked down carefully by the ounce. The entire wealth of the House if Lucius had had to guess.

It had been impressive, and for most ships it would have been the last haul they ever took.

For them it was only the beginning.

Slowly Lucius stood up, running his fingers over the desk and glancing at the maps and charts on top of it. He patted them and gave her a knowing look.

"These are yours." He told her as he pulled out the chair behind the desk, plopping himself down in it as he began to pull drawers open at random. "The hell does a Captain need a desk for anyway."

Lucius grumbled.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton smirked and nodded lightly as he explored the desk “Aye.. Let me worry about this stuff. I helped my father with the business side of things, and I’ll handle navigation.. Everything else however.” She shrugged and smiled at him.

“I heard you yelling at them. They listen to you. You’ll be a great captain, Luc, you’re strong, and you’ve got a good heart like my father did. That’s why we loved him.” she sighed and picked up a glass paperweight that’s looked like it had stars inside it and she peered into it with bemusement.

“These bastards really were filthy rich..”

 

[Lucius]

"Maybe..." He gave a grunt as an answer to her previous statement, not really sure if he agreed. Being a Captain was hard, there was no doubt in his mind about that. He worried he would make mistakes, make the wrong choice.

Get them all killed. "No kidding."

Lucius said as he popped open a locked drawer with the end of a letter opener. Inside was a journal, a strange white gold medallion and what appeared to be an official Seal. Lucius scooped up the journal first, opening it up and skimming through it.

"Some kind of code." He said as he offered it to her before scooping up the medallion and seal. "This doesn't look Anirian."

Lucius frowned. "Though this does."

He pointed to the seal.

 

[Peyton]

She put down the paperweight to take the journal from him and she frowned as she opened it and flicked through the pages. The handwriting changed about half way through, as though it’d been passed down. There were different languages too, strange symbols and sketches.

“The fuck?..” Peyton muttered as she flicked back a few pages to a sketch that’d caught her eye. She frowned at it and glanced up at Lucius before turning the Journal around to show it to him. A scribble of the same tattoo they had shared with the rest of their crew.

 

[Lucius]

”Huh. Well that’s…” the young pirate...Captain glanced at his arm, a frown pulling at his lips as he compared the two symbols.

There was absolutely no mistaking their similarities. Even an idiot would have been able to tell that they were nearly the exact same. Lucius’ Tattoo was somewhat more worn of course, but it was still the same symbol.

”I think…” Had the Anirians been hunting them? It wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility. The crew of the Concordant had been infamous enough. ”I think we’ll need to decode that as soon as possible.”

Trouble was they had no idea where to start.

Something unsettled in his stomach, and that odd feeling he’d had during the fight crept back to him. A frown touched his face. There was too much going on.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton nodded to him and pushed away from the desk to wander to the window and sit up on the cushioned windowsill that ran the length of the diamond panes, her knees pulling close to her as she continued to flick frantically through the pages.. "I don't, understand why this wound be in here.." she shook her head, clearly bothered by it.

She stopped on another page, the same style of sketch of a kraken and a ship, their old ship and her brow furrowed.. "What the fuck is this, Lucius?.." she asked, as though he'd planted it there as some sort of joke. She continued to move through the pages, skimming them for more things that might stand out, but she'd go through it in more careful detail. Most of it she couldn't understand.

The pages fell open to a page with an insert, a folded and tattered looking piece of parchment. It was a ledger of trade, a note of people, of slaves, where they'd been taken from, how old they were, who'd bought them, how much they'd paid.. And there one one of the lines, the details of sales and the signature she recognised.

Captain Jon Sullivan..

Peyton paled to a more drastic shade than she'd already been.

 

[Lucius]

"Maybe the Anirians hunted the Concordant." He said with a frown. They had been infamous for striking at even the strongest vessels, and it would make sense if they'd taken it upon themselves to stop them.

Piracy wasn't exactly the safest of options when it came to employment. Half of what Alliria's navy did was chase down any ship that might even have a hint of Pirate on board. "I don't know."

He said shaking his head.

Lucius didn't really get it either, but he was scrambling to find some sort of explanation in his head. He frowned, glanced down, then back up when Peyton went completely silent.

Her face had gone utterly white, features pale as she stared at the journal. Concern pulled over his face. "Peyton?"

Lucius prompted as he stood from the chair finally and gently grabbed the journal from her. His eyes cast down on the page, an almost instantly a gasp escaped his throat. Shock painted his features, lips thinned, and some of the color drained from his face as well.

"This..." He shook his head. "This can't be real."

The Captain had hated Slavery. He'd made it his goal in life to take down every slave ship they'd seen. They had freed dozens of men and women over the years. Lucius remembered. Lucius had seen them walk. "There's no way."

He said, reading the columns and checking the dates on them.

All were before Lucius had joined the crew of the Concordant, before even Peyton had come aboard. "There has to be an explanation."

 

[Peyton]

She was rigid but let go of the journal easily and she continued to stare at the empty space between her hands where it’d been for a moment before looking up at him. She studied his face, hoping he’d be able to offer some explanation, tell her it wasn’t what she thought. Anything.

Peyton felt sick and looked for a moment as though she might throw up. She didn’t know what to say or do, or think and her mind spun. These Anirians were involved in the slave trade, and so was her father.

Emotions rushed over her in waves, each one higher than the next, keeping her under, drowning her. Confusion, fear, hurt, anger... Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away from him, clasping her tremulous hands together.

“Did we know him?..” the words choked her and her throat ached, but perhaps she hadn’t known her father as well as she’d thought.

 

[Lucius]

Lucius looked up at Peyton from the Journal.

His face held a tremendously pained expression. Not because of his own hurt, not because of the sense of betrayal he felt for himself, but because of the way Peyton peered down at him. The crack in her voice broke his heart.

In an instant he dropped the journal.

It's importance, whatever was inside and whatever secrets it held we're utterly forgotten as he stood and wrapped his arms around Peyton in a warm embrace.

He couldn't answer her questions. Couldn't tell her what her father had really been or even why he had done anything at all. The only thing that he could do was be there for her. "We'll get to the bottom of this."

He told her softly. "Together."

His voice was a solid promise.