Mutiny: Hidden Treasure

Olivia clumsily folded the flags back up like they had been, took the charts, and (with a side detour to her own small quarters under the galley, to hide the stolen flintlock under her matress) return to the deck, bumping her ankle painfully on the ladder on the way up.

Noticing the penguin, she smirked to herself, very intrigued by the hubbub surrounding the animal.

She held the charts reverently as she presented them to Karies (coyly keeping the chest's key in her apron pocket, unremembered). 'I found them,' she said. 'Here. Where we going? South?'

The Captain's parrot takes the key from around the Captain's neck, flies over to the brig and unlocks it, allowing Victoria and Bob to walk free.

Bob walked out of the brig, and stretched his arms. He stood on the deck and cast a contemptuous glance over at the captain. He then looked toward the wheel, where Rick van der Karies was navigating, his feather dancing merrily in the breeze. Bob glared in his direction for several long moments, his brow furrowed, as if he was trying to look through his head and into his brain.

After a while, he snapped to attention and turned towards the captain with the air of a man who had decided to throw all caution to the wind and leap into the perilous unknown.

Bob tapped the captain on the shoulder.

"Alright skipper?" he enquired in an unconvincing attempt at levity. "Nice brig you got there, slept like a log." The several bottles of grog consumed assisted this, but Bob didn't see the point in aggrivating such an unpiratey captain again, lest he end up in the brig for a second night.

Then again, he quickly realised that what he was about to do potentially carried a much, much harsher punishment than a few hours in a cage. Unless Davy Jones Locker counted.

"Just a word to the wise..." Bob muttered quietly in the captains ear. "I'd watch that Karies fella if i were you. If ya ask me, i'd say he weren't on this ship an hour before he started plannin' on how to make it his own. [i:594d36633a]Nice[/i:594d36633a]," - Bob spat the word - "he may be. But slippery he well could be n'all."

Bob stared into the captains eyes.

"I've got an 'unch you've got a mutineer on yer 'ands."

'Oh really?' enquired the Captain, turning to Bob. He revealed from the depths of his coats something he dramatically called...the Sextant of Loyalty. He adjusted the strange device, moving its arm and peering into it.

'Hm,' he said, swivelling to face Karies. 'Well well well,' he said. 'It does appear, Mr Bob... that ye're attempting to cause trouble aboard my ship! Deary me, ye must like it in that brig, because that's where you'll be stayin' until I've decided just what I'm gonna do wi' ye! Rick van der Karies is a loyal man and you're gonna pay for attempting to suggest otherwise!'

Woodle chuckled to himself while eyeing the penguin. "Buggerit" he said. And puched the pengiun on the nose.

The penguin does not react.

[color=red:8185c71217]Note for Bob Amor: The brig offers no shade from the sun beating down upon you.[/color:8185c71217]

The penguin just stood there, not reacting in a very unreacting way for a penguin who had just been puched in the nose by a lunatic old man.

Woodle was shocked. He had expected a reaction. Any kind of reaction. But no, he was denied reaction. The penguin was sans-reaction. Woodle started fuming and sputtering. "damn penguins, coming here and not reacting. Standing there on the deck all penguin like"

He strode on shakey legs to the Captain. "Cap'n, something penguiny is afoot. I senses a mutinnery persona. In penguin form" He rolled his crusy white beard around his hand and gave the captain a wink. "He's tryin' to take over the ship cap'n"

The Captain glanced back at the penguin. 'Penguin, you say? Well, in all my many years of sailing the seas I have never seen anything quite like it. While I have me doubts about whether it'll take over me ship, me old man, I'd certainly like a look, now that I have the Sextant of Loyalty out, to see if it could be givin' me any clues as to where the damn it came from.'

Turbulent placed his eye to the sextant and viewed through it the zombie-like bird of flightlessness. The Captain choked on his own gasp. 'What the devil--' He hurriedly withdrew the equipment from his eye and stood staring at the stoic penguin, looking suddenly pale and wide-eyed.

'Er...' he said. 'I...I think I be needin' a quick lie down...' he said, making his way unsteadily back to his cabin.

Woodle jumped. "I's told ye, it's a harbringer of doom, see? ..DOOOOOOOM I says. A pox upon ye penguin"

Emerging from the kitchen with a stretchand a yawn into the morning Harris followed the flow of pirates up to the deck and joined the starers eyeing the 'penguin' and the captain's reaction to it. Frowning at the bird he voiced a thought, "anybody fancy penguin for dinner?"

Slightly woke up to the hear that there would be a possibility of penguin for dinner. After last nights sisaterous reaction to the cook's stew he felt he needed to do something.

Instantly going from a sleeping, partially horizontal figure to a fully awake perpendicular one did make his head spin a bit but he feels that it is necessary to save dinner.

Slightly runs, in a strangely slow motion gate, across the length of the deck yelling "NNNNOOOOOOO!" in that deep slow motion voice you get when for some reason your living in a different time scale to the rest of the universe. As Slightly neared the penguin his personal time caught up to the universe and he went back to operating in normal speed to the shocked onlookers of the boat.

Slightly reached the penguin, stood over it, reached behind his back and pulled out from the waist band of his trousers he Spray'n'Wipe and Chux. He bent over and sprayed the top of the penguins head and began to wipe it down. The penguin showed no reaction to this kind of man handling either.

The Captain strode over yelling "What the hell do ya think yer doin'?"

Slightly didn't even bother to look up "He has to be clean to eat sir. Can't eat unclean penguin sir." And continued to clean the penguin down...

Edward stumbled out of his bunk, wondering what new trials the rosy dawn would bring. Actually, he wondered nothing of that sort, being the kind that would sleep until noon if he could. Unfortunately, he could already tell, today was going to be one of those days. He headed bleary eyed towards the deck, where he could here the commotion. He hoped it wasn't about breakfast; after last night's dubious stew, he was looking forward to some stomach lining fare. "In the gleam of early morn/ onto the deck I strode/ but nothing did forworn/ of the -- penguin?" he muttered to himself.

After no saw last night the duck come on board to see what look some what like a duck and he wasn’t about to stop doing what he’d been doing for the last five years.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
He run to the side of the ship and jumped over board

As perplexed as anybody else on the boat, Rick's attention reluctantly returned to the bridge as he was adressed.

"What? Oh. Thank you Olivia", Rick said, taking the charts from her hand. "No, I don't think we're heading south. Once penguins start to appear, I would say heading farther south is an impossible feat."

Rick tried to glance casually at the charts and at the little piece of paper handed to him by Turbulent the night before, but after a moment he lost interest in both, shrugged and deposited the documents to his inside left pocket of his coat.

"So how was your night, OlivMaaaaan Overboaaaard!"

Edit: To interact with the duck.

[color=red:83fb00e3b0]OOC : of course it didn't react, penguins don't have noses [/color:83fb00e3b0]

Totally bewildered by the whole penguin affair, Paisley had stopped in the middle of swabbing the deck, and was near the side when The Duck went overboard. Surprising even himself, even as Rick was shouting "man overboard" he had already run to the side and thrown his bucket over, in the direction of The Duck, while holding firmly onto the other end.

[color=darkred:83fb00e3b0]OOC : it's The Duck's decision (or the captain's ?) whether the bucket hits him, misses completely or does what it's meant to and lands next to him... Also if he does grab hold of it, young Paisley is going to need some help holding on [/color:83fb00e3b0]

The duck consider his chances to go a board and be ravaged by the duck (penguin) or swimming to land.

he decided to go with the ship not all of it was bad so he graded the bucket

[color=red:d8dd71d267]It's your and the Duck's decision, Katcal. Or just the Duck's, now you've delegated.

edit: crosspost makes me look silly now...[/color:d8dd71d267]

[quote:d8dd71d267="spiky"]The Captain strode over yelling "What the hell do ya think yer doin'?"

Slightly didn't even bother to look up "He has to be clean to eat sir. Can't eat unclean penguin sir." And continued to clean the penguin down...[/quote:d8dd71d267]

[color=red:d8dd71d267]Um, Spiky? Remember the bit about not putting words in other's mouths? That includes the captain. It would be acceptable if you changed "The Captain strode over yelling" to "Someone yelled" and then dropped the "sir"s - you're allowed to put words into unnamed people's mouths. Besides, the captain is having a lay down...[/color:d8dd71d267]

As The Duck grabbed the bucket, Paisley was rather surprised by the amount of pull and found himself drawn towards the railings.

"Can someone help me ?" he squeaked.

Woodle wobbled over to help the young boy pull the man up. He grunted and strained and eventually yelled.. "Heeeeeeellllllllpppp" and collapsed in a heap on top of poor Paisley.

Seeing that Karies kindly failed to request his key back from her, Oliva took this chance to depart with it still in her apron.

She did what she could to help the boys haul whoever it was back upon deck. With the help of some others they had the wet duck and a broken bucket safe from the sea.

As soon as she could, Olivia slipped below deck and busied herself preparing the Captain's tea.

If Karies couldn't unlock his chest, he couldn't find out that his two pistols had turned into one pistol. And that sounded just fine to her.

Woodle turned to Bloodbeard..."it's a penguin, see?"

"Big words from a man without a beard", muttered Rick to himself. "I'd gladly play pirate if someone would relieve me from navigation duty."

Not that he wasn't familiar with long hours, but usually there had been a first mate to take over the rudder once in a while, and staring at the sea all night long had made his eyelids heavy. And he wanted to wash up, he could still smell the sweat from last day's swabbing.

"Any of you lads mind go fetch our captain?", Rick yelled to the bucketeers bent over the ducketeer.

"I'll go" said Woodle. And started wobling below to go fetch the captain.

Standing outside the captains quarters he chewed thoughtfully on his beard a bit before knocking on the door.

"Cap'n, Mr Derkaris Laddy wants to be seein' yous, and the durnd peguin is still on the poopdeck, see"

OOC: I'm away for a week. Send all your woes and dreams to Ben.

Just as Woodle knocked, Captain Turbulent opened the door. He glanced nervously at the penguin, then seemed to put it out of his mind as he strode towards the massed crew.

"Right, the accusarr. What we be do..." he paused, "Why be that man thar wet?" he pointed at the Duck. Before anyone could reply, he went on, "Arr, nevermind yer reasons, ye need to get dry and the bes' way te git dry is in the crows nest. Up ye go.

"Now, whar was I? Yarr, Bob Amor." He turned to the man in the brig. "See, I can' stand a man who'll spread lies and mistrust. It's bad fur me crew, so it's the plank fur ye."

The Captain ignored any gasps or cries of protest and took out his cutlass and the keys to the brig. He unlocked the door and pointed the cutless at Bob Amor. "Out!"

He directed Bob towards the plank on the other side of the ship, never lowering the cutlass or his gaze. Most of the crew followed them. When Bob to the plank, the Captain pronounced, "The Plank. Walk it Bob Amor and say yer prayers."

Bob walked to the end and stopped. Captain Turbulent stood at the other end, still holding the cutlass. Bob looked down and saw nothing. The captain stayed quiet for a few minutes. Everything was still, the only sound was that of the waves. Then, eventually, there was the sound of something splitting through the waves, an unfriendly fin.

"Yer see that Bob?" said the Captain. Bob nodded his head almost imperceptibly. "Yer scared?" Bob didn't reply, but the captain could see that he was.

"Yer scared. Good. Ye can get bac' on the ship now. Bu' if ye cross me one more time... arr, then ye get te jump."

Bob turned back to the ship, almost sagging with relief. All of a sudden, there was a small noise and someone on the ship said, "What the...?"

The crew saw Bob swivel and look down, just as the swordfish reached the peak of its jump. The sword entered Bob's face at the right eyeball and exited at the nape of his neck. The sword withdrew cleanly and the swordfish fell back into the sea with a splash.

He stood at the end of the plank for a moment, swaying. Eventually, Bob Amor toppled over into the sea and sank without trace.

"Captain!", Rick yelled from the bridge, smiling the fascinated smile reserved for men seeing things most unusual, "Could I have a word with you, sir?"

As a parting gift, I am going to introduce an EXCITING NEW OPTION! We're scrapping the old rule of two predecided Faction Leaders because of various problems that have arisen from it. Now, anyone can now become Faction Leaders if they so wish, by saying so via PM (PM Ben only while I'm away). Anyone who was previously a Faction Leader will now have to PM again to keep that position. Being a Faction Leader isn't easy, but if we get at least two or three Faction Leaders from people who are up for it, things should be a lot more interesting.

Peace out, yarrdoods.

Captain Turbulent took one last look at the empty plank, then walked over to Karies.

"Arr, ye be looking sleepy man. Go te bed. I'll take the wheel. Ye can get some good thinkin' time on the wheel..."

The Captain took the wheel and stared into the distance, under his breath he said, "Yarr."

"He he he...." Woodle Needlebaum giggled. This was getting interesting. He picked on the scraggly end of his beard and started to chew it thoughtfully.

Olivia tried not to be sick into the tea tray when she came on deck to see one of the sailors skewered by a rather talented swordfish. It wouldn't have mattered, in the end, because she bumped someone's elbow trying to carry the thing up to the Captain, and it all splashed across the freshly swabbed wood.
The girl herself staggered, limped unsteadily, and finally fell into a half-kneeling, half-sprawling little curtsy of clumsiness.

'blast,' she said. 'that was real sugar in, too.'

Somebody's boot crushed the slice of toast into inedible mush, and Olivia hoped Captain Turbulent wasn't in any hurry about the tea.

Slightly felt ashamed by his outburst in cleaning the penguin, although its white's were so white and its black were so glossy that it was a damn fine looking penguin now indeed... And if it did end up going in the dinner it would be very sanitary to eat.

Now that he'd finished cleaning the bird he figured he'd go back to cleaning the decks. Surveying the wood work he thought that it was a good time. He went below decks to get the peddle powered floor buffer he'd rbought with him. These decks were gonna gleam.


[color=red:21cda3676e]OOC: Ben I'm sorry. i got carried away and went in for some dialogue...[/color:21cda3676e]

Nodding a thanks to the captain, Rick headed for his bunk. [i:94a767fd85]Give me four hours of sleep and I'll be ready for another night[/i:94a767fd85], he thought.

Not bothering to wash the salt from his face, planning to do that when he woke up, Rick folded his clothes over his storage chest, and lay down spreadeagled with his hat over his face. Within the minute, loud snores could be heard, echoed by tiny whistling, as Rick's bird had followed his example.

Paisley was still picking himself up and helping The Duck when Olivia brushed past him, slipped and spilled her tea, and then someone walked on her toast... Blushing as red as a sunburnt penguin at the view he had of her half-sprawled figure, he tried to offer her some help, leaving The Duck to sort himself out.

Olivia grabbed the boy's hand and tugged herself upright, taking care to stand as close to Paisley as she could.

'Thanks,' she winked at him and petted his scrawny shoulder before turning to smooth her skirts and pick up the tea things.

After returning to the galley to re-prepare the tea, she walked more carefully up to the rudder and presented it to the Captain, dented teacups and all.

With a sweet smile she asked 'Where we sailing to, sir? Any chance of a port in Africa?'

"Arr, thanks," said Captain Turbulent, accepting the tea. "We be sailing this way," he pointed straight ahead and deliberately left the other half of Olivia's question unanswered.

The duck picked himself up and said thank you to Paisley not that he was listening. Then he went to where Bob Amor toppled over into the sea, to see if
There was any of him left. There wasn't so walk back to his hammock to have anther sleep.

The Captain stood at the wheel for a while, thinking.

"Olivia, will ye tell the cook to make me some lunch," he paused, "nae swordfish. Arr."

Slightly say atop his peddle powered floor buffer, and teddled wildly. The contraption involved more tubes, gears and for some reason blue cheese than was healthy. The basic principle was that Slightly peddled and the buffer circle turned, and the motion sent the contraption in wild circles over the floor buffing it as it went... Although this didn't mention the details involving hot wax and the for some reason a feather boa.

While the machine circled wildly around the deck, it miraculously managed to miss everyone on deck, and the decks now gleamed.

Although the manual that came with the machine mentioned nothing about the ice-skating rink slipperiness that had just been unleashed on the crew...

Slightly smiled manically at a job well done.

As he had been flattened onto the deck by the heavy body of Woodle, and hidden behind the dripping wet Duck, Paisley had completely missed the whole swordfish episode, and it was just as well, because it would have completely ruined his appetite. As it was, he was famished, having missed supper the night before and only had a turnip to nibble.

As he turned eagerly towards the Captain who had just spoken of lunch, he failed to notice the new slipperyness of the deck, his foot slipped from under him and he went sliding towards the strange contraption that Slightly had been using.

Well, that was one for tales around the tavern. A leaping swordfish skewering a man's head... An ill omen if ever there was one!

Hardened to blood over the years it wasnt the man's gore that worried Harris but the manner of the passing and he crossed himself quickly before touching the nearest bit of wood for good fortune.

Eyeing the penguin suspiciously he drew his sword slowly, "cap'n, ya be wanting this thing removed as well? Plenty o' meat on it."

Paisley slid, in a rather graceful glide towards that whirling buffer, with Slightly still peddling furiously in the middle of all the pipes and gears. With no hope of control Slightly tried to make the thing whirl out of Paisley's way...

But with no luck, but in a feat of engineering genious, Paisley bounced off the the red and white rubber ring that surrounded the machine's base and glided off in another direction. Slightly sighed with relief and continued to buff.

Practically sliding into the ship's cook, Olivia tried to blow strands of hair out of her face as she said, 'Mr. Harris, Captain said he'd like some lunch.' She looked smilingly at the penguin and then suggestively back into the cook's eyes.

Then she made her way slippingly below deck, where she found a very secret hidey hole in which to keep the key to Karies' chest (a key he would never see again, probably, she smiled to herself). Returning to her bunk, she retied her hair and sat down to mending some old sails, thinking idly about the reassuring lump of firearm under her mattress.

Woodle Needlebaum walked back and forth on the deck, dodging buffers and penguins and sailors eyeing each other suggestively.

"Hummm...nothing for it, see" He mumbled between chews of his beard "sumpn's gotta be doing" he shook his head as if to dispell the awful thought "per'aps Mr. Pirate Man Bloody Beardy knows sompt'n"

He looked down the deck at Bloodbeard and grunted.

"What be all these slidin' sounds?" said the Captain under his breath. He looked round, "You," he pointed to the nearest person*, "hold the wheel straight."

He walked towards the group around the penguin, nearly falling flat on his face, yet somehow managing to stay on his feet. "Ye leave that thing alone," he said, indicating the penguin. "Thar be summat abou' it and it won't be solved with a blade."

The Captain slipped again, resembling a piratey disco dancer. "An' wha' in the seven blazes is goin' on wi' this deck?" A couple of nods towards Slightly told him all he needed to know.

He strode/slid towards the sailor atop their buffing machine. "Stop yer infernal machine!" Captain Turbulent yelled at Slightly. "Tha' thing's goin' o'erboard and if ye don't get off, yer goin' o'er too!"



[color=red:1bc07f5e60]*whoever wants to be that person, just post that you're at the wheel next time round - obviously not Slightly or the people round the penguin[/color:1bc07f5e60]

Harris nodded at Olivia with a scowl and touched the nearest wooded rail again, for as everybody knows, it's damned bad luck to have a woman on board ship. Muttering about women and the likelihood it was her presence sent the swordfish leaping he stomped off to the kitchens, seemed the captain had taken a liking to the penguin so that was off the menu, meat broth it'd have to be.

Scouring the bowls and cauldron of the last nights meal he set to work with a vengeance.

After bouncing of the buffer, Paisley had slid towards the railing of the stairs up to the wheel and gripped it tight to avoid further ice-dancing moves. He was just getting over the fright of the close encounter of the buffer kind when the Captain pointed at him and told him to hold the wheel. He scrambled up the few stairs to the un-buffered sterncastle* where the wheel was and held it steady as best he could.

Wow.

So this was what it felt like to steer a boat. It was amazing. The wheel was almost as tall as him, but it moved smoothly and was quite easy to handle if a little heavy... As he held the spokes, his mind drifted off, and the fuss, the penguin, the shouting of the captain and the noise on the deck were lost on him. He felt like he was flying. He was the king of the world.

[color=red:3a7a983499]*OOC : I'm imagining this is a fairly "classic" and simple pirate vessel, with the wheel up on the sterncastle**, if this is not the case or if it upsets the plot, I'll edit, it was just easier to have that part of the deck slip-free...

**Sterncastle: This raised deck at the rear end of the boat (aft or stern) serves as the ship’s command center during most actions. The pilot guides the ship from a large wheel here, while the captain looks over and directs the crew working above deck. The raised deck at the front of the boat is the forecastle.[/color:3a7a983499]

[color=red:05d076d80d]Yep, that's about right. It's definitely unbuffered, the captain was steady until he started walking on the main deck. You've also taught me a new word![/color:05d076d80d]

[quote:91e5ef4518="Electric_Man"][color=red:91e5ef4518]Yep, that's about right. It's definitely unbuffered, the captain was steady until he started walking on the main deck. You've also taught me a new word![/color:91e5ef4518][/quote:91e5ef4518]
[color=red:91e5ef4518]My pleasure Carrot_Man, I learned one myself, I knew what it was just not what it was called. Yarr !![/color:91e5ef4518]

Slightly stared mutely at the Captain and slowly got down from the buffering machine and promptly fell over as his feet slipped out from underneath him.

The captain pointed at two of the closest crew mwmbers and then silently pointed toward the ocean. The crew nodded and stepped forward and heaved the buffer onto their shoulders, walked to the edge of the deck they awkwardly tossed it over the side.

Slightly regained his feet and ran after them. He leaned over the side of the ship and saw the buffer upside down in the water, floating by its red and white rubber ring, looking for all the world like a drowning hedgehog in a safety ring.

Feeling dejected but knowing there was much work to be done. Slightly reached behind him and seemed to draw from nowhere two hand sanders. He knelt on the floor and made circular motions on the deck, first one hand, then the other. He could be heard to mutter "Wax on. Wax off" under his breath.

Edward stood from scrubbing something that looked like burnt toast off the ship's deck and leaned against the railing, watching as sailors (and sailoresses, he supposed) ran amok in the most disorderly fashion. Some were pretending to scrub the deck, some were running around crying "penguin!", some were standing on the plank and letting silly fish poke them in the eye with swords. "Chaos," he muttered. "I need a drink. Ooh thats a good title."

Proudly holding the wheel, Paisley started to hum a pirate tune...

[color=red:6d61eaba51](OOC : wake up people !!)[/color:6d61eaba51]

"Mr. Bloody Beardy Type Sir" said Woodle as he made his way along the deck to where Bloodbeard was standing.

"Tis a shamey shame 'bout the poor Bob Type Sir, who has most recently been deceased with a swordyfishy, see?" he leaned in and snorted "Cap'n don't seem to be doin' much for the moral type, see. Didja see the way he wentn'all ashen when he lookied at the penguin through that glass dealie type thing?" he furrowed his brow and twisted his beard in his fingers nervously. "A bad omen, I say, see?"

On the deck, eyes had been diverted from the penguin temporarily. The penguin took the opportunity to shuffle it's feet to a more comfortable, but more alert position.

Suddenly, it launched itself across the deck, skimming majectically over the shiny deck. The penguin's slide was halted when it twisted sideways into the back of Victoria Shembles, who had been peering over the edge. She hurtled over the side into the sea, where she sank.

Victoria's back allowed the penguin to gain enough momentum to slide back to the same point, where it stood proudly once more.


[color=red:f46f36092d]Updated character list:[/color:f46f36092d]

0) Captain Turbulent (NPC)
1) Ms Olivia Moniker (Cabin Girl) (plaid)
2) Slightly Sterile (spiky)
3) Rick van der Karies (KaptenKaries)
4) Paisley Button (Katcal)
5) Seaman Richard 'Dick' Harris (Interim Cook) (Watchman)
6) Woodle Needlebaum (OmKranti)
7) Brian Shortbread (Tephlon)
[color=darkred:f46f36092d]8) Victoria Shembles (koshu) - Perished by Penguin[/color:f46f36092d]
9) The Duck (edster)
10) Bloodbeard (Orrdos)
11) Edward Jackson (allthatjazz)
[color=darkred:f46f36092d]12) Bob Amor (Delphine) - Skewered by Swordfish[/color:f46f36092d]

Standing at the wheel, Paisley saw the penguin dispose of the strange girl who never said anything, and slide back to its position over the highly polished deck. He had known that pirating was a dangerous profession, but he had figured that they would at least have a first swashbuckle before he saw first blood.
So far the deaths seemed to be accidental and animal-induced, two of the initial crew had gone now, one had talked too much, the other hadn't said a word, and he couldn't see how it made sense. There was something strange on this ship, and it wasn't just the smell wafting up from the galley.

Suddenly Paisley felt alone, terribly lonely at his wheel, and he wished that someone would come and cheer him up, like Rick or Harris... or... Olivia.

He blushed at the thought, and gripped the wheel tightly. Concentrate on the horizon. You're not steering, just holding the wheel, holding it still. Concentrate !

This time she took the pistol with her.

It took some fiddling to get the thing to look perfectly unobtrusive under her apron front, but she managed it. Filling her arms with mended sails, she ventured back on deck. Just outside the Captain's cabin she set down her load and began to carefully spread out and fold each massive piece of canvas.

'Anyone not busy wanna help me here?'

Rick had woken up from his sleep, a bit dazed by the bright light when he lit the oil lamp. He took off his clothes and splashed water from a bowl until he felt clean. Wrapping a towel around his waist and humming a happy tune, he trimmed his beard with a pair of scissors.

[i:112b2a2496]Nothing like putting on fresh clothes after a clean up[/i:112b2a2496], he thought and searched the pockets of his sweat soiled coat for the key to his chest. [i:112b2a2496]Now where did I put the key?[/i:112b2a2496]. After a couple of minutes of rummaging, he realised his search was hopeless. [i:112b2a2496]Could I have left it up on the deck?[/i:112b2a2496]

He stepped out into the corridor and noticed Olivia crouched on the floor outside the captain's cabin. She didn't seem to have noticed him, and as he still was only wearing a towel, he made sure he closed his door silently, thinking it would be easier to sneak past her than have to explain why he was practically naked.

But when he came closer to Olivia, he noticed she was folding pieces of cloth on the floor. His curiosity made him forget his lack of uniform and he silently stepped up behind her back.

Rick leaned forward, and since his mind was still in stealth-mode, he whispered in Olivia's ear "What's that you've got there?".

Olivia jumped and bit her tongue.

'Ah, Karies, didya want to help me get these put away for the captain?'

As she said this she turned around. Seeing the man rather unclothed brought a puzzled look to her face. She smirked a little, almost laughing.

'Why, my goodness,' she said. No doubt she was blushing. All she could do was stare.