Night...
Aboard the Sunset Chaser...
Captains quarters...
Some time later...
Caer sat at his desk, looking through the papers he had carefully laid out before him. Papers with information on them no mere pirate should have. The look on his face was that of worry, even bordering on fear.
"This is bad." He said to himself, as he began nervously tapping his finger on the desk, probably thinking of what might happen if his suspicions turned out to be true. Things were working out so well, and now it might be in danger of falling apart. Just what was in danger of falling apart? Well, Caer-
*knock knock knock* "Caer, Captain. You in there?" A knock and a voice came from his door, snapping him back to reality. For a second or two, he began to frantically pile the papers, but then he realized it wasn't necessary.
"Is that you, Snoe? Come in." Caer answered, prompting the door to open, and then shut.
The sound of heavy footsteps approached. Caer didn't look back. Snoe was his most trusted crewman. His first mate. And one of only two people who knew the truth.
"It's me." The voice said, as it's approach slowed, moving around to one side of him, glancing at the papers, then to him. "You look concerned. And from what you've got layed across the desk, I can probably guess why." She said.
"If it's true, it's a bad situation. The flow of cash stops pretty high up in the chain. That means someone near the top is the culprit. That also means they know what this stuff really is, and who it's going to."
Snoe was silent for a long moment. She watched Caer. She had respected him for some time. One of the few men she did. His way of handling things always proved beneficial. Neat. And it didn't hurt that he was the only one on board that could beat her in a match. Finally, she spoke.
"Aye. It's bad, if true, but we'll have to deal with it somehow. We'll play it cautiously, like always. Make sure we don't make a bad step and get cornered. But for now, I just came to give you tonights report."
Caer nodded, still not looking up at her. Seems the worry was really getting to him. "Let's have it." He said.
"All's quiet. Kiki just took watch, and the boys on deck are in for an easy night, if it keeps going how it is. There's a bit of unrest, though. We haven't hit a ship in two weeks, and some of them are wondering what's going on." Snoe explained.
Caer was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I'll take care of it. We'll make a pass north of the island tomorrow and get a nice, heavy freighter. That should placate them."
"Aye, it will, but do you think you can keep it going this way forever? Piracy's getting harder these days. The last year's been rough, with the admiral cracking down. All the rookies are just about done. It's mostly the experienced and devoted crews remaining, and even those are staying low. It's going to make it that much harder to manag ethis side business you've got going. You can't afford a mistake there, you know..." Snoe said.
"Do you think I don't know that, Snoe? It's getting to be too much for one man to handle. I'll tell you...I've already started thinking of was to pull out of one or the other." Caer confessed.
"You mean...?"Â Snoe asked.
Caer finally looked at her, and gave a stoic nod. "It may come to mebacking out of the underworld, and going full time pirate... Either that, or handing over control of the crew, and focusing on my other business there. I know you're more than capeable of running this ship, and leading this crew, and the men would follow you, for certain." He explained.
"Aye. Something's going to have to give at some point. But I know you're going to take both of them as far as possible. If you left the crew, though, I do'tknow if I'd stay. I'm not really interested in the captains seat these days. Done it already, as you know. I prefer to play second fiddle to a good leader." Snoe said, as she moved closer, resting her right hand on his left shoulder as he sat there.
"Gee, Snoe. If I leave, you leave? No pressure..." Caer said, almost giving a chuckled.
Snoe smirked, and lifted her left leg, swinging it up and over Caer, and settling down, straddling him,resting both arms on the back of the chair behind him. She moved her face closer. "Don't act conceited. I just don't want the job, and there's no one else on board capeable of taking it. It's not as if I'm in love with you."
"Mm hm. It's still a lot of added pressure though..." Caer answered, as his hands crept up past her hips, and slipped around her waist.
"Well, you know what Ringo always tells you, right? You should loosen up. You've got to deal with the situation no matter what. Stressing yourself sick isn't going to help." Snoe said, as her face got even closer, the tip of her nose brushing past his own, their breath upon one-another.
"Maybe...But you know me, Snoe. I can't rest when something like this is looming over me. It'll always be there, casting a shadow over everything, until it's finished." He said, his voice lowering, as their faces came closer still.
Their lips met, and Snoe slipped her arms around Caers neck as she felt her bottom lip being taken between his own lips, and his tongue gently brush over it. His hands, moved more tightly around behind her, and slowly up back as her chest pressed against him. The parted only long enough to switch lips, Caer now taking her top. Snoe gently took his bottom between her teeth, drawing back slowly, letting it slip from them, and finally sealing their mouths together. The embrace tightened and their tongues flicked past one-another, in a coy game of tag. It continued as such for some time, before they finally parted, Snoe grinning at him, and pulling back. Caer managed a grin of his own, and spoke.
"That could be considereda conflict of interests. Favoritism among the crew." He said, as his hands began to retreat from around her back.
"What the boys don't know, and all that." Snoe answered, rising from his lap. "I trust you to make the right decision, Captain. Always have." She continued, turning to leave, her steps heavy, and measured as she approached the door.
"Again with the pressure. You can bea real bitch, Snoe." Caer said, in mild jest.
Snoe just gave a slow, methodical chuckle, finding the sense of kinsmanship in his words. She gave a silent wave over her right shoulder, ad opened the door, exiting Caers quarters.
Caer stood, and reached for the Chasers pearl, opening a private frequency.
"Zhavi. Met me at the dock again tomorrow evening. We need to discuss something."
Aboard the Sunset Chaser...
Captains quarters...
Some time later...
Caer sat at his desk, looking through the papers he had carefully laid out before him. Papers with information on them no mere pirate should have. The look on his face was that of worry, even bordering on fear.
"This is bad." He said to himself, as he began nervously tapping his finger on the desk, probably thinking of what might happen if his suspicions turned out to be true. Things were working out so well, and now it might be in danger of falling apart. Just what was in danger of falling apart? Well, Caer-
*knock knock knock* "Caer, Captain. You in there?" A knock and a voice came from his door, snapping him back to reality. For a second or two, he began to frantically pile the papers, but then he realized it wasn't necessary.
"Is that you, Snoe? Come in." Caer answered, prompting the door to open, and then shut.
The sound of heavy footsteps approached. Caer didn't look back. Snoe was his most trusted crewman. His first mate. And one of only two people who knew the truth.
"It's me." The voice said, as it's approach slowed, moving around to one side of him, glancing at the papers, then to him. "You look concerned. And from what you've got layed across the desk, I can probably guess why." She said.
"If it's true, it's a bad situation. The flow of cash stops pretty high up in the chain. That means someone near the top is the culprit. That also means they know what this stuff really is, and who it's going to."
Snoe was silent for a long moment. She watched Caer. She had respected him for some time. One of the few men she did. His way of handling things always proved beneficial. Neat. And it didn't hurt that he was the only one on board that could beat her in a match. Finally, she spoke.
"Aye. It's bad, if true, but we'll have to deal with it somehow. We'll play it cautiously, like always. Make sure we don't make a bad step and get cornered. But for now, I just came to give you tonights report."
Caer nodded, still not looking up at her. Seems the worry was really getting to him. "Let's have it." He said.
"All's quiet. Kiki just took watch, and the boys on deck are in for an easy night, if it keeps going how it is. There's a bit of unrest, though. We haven't hit a ship in two weeks, and some of them are wondering what's going on." Snoe explained.
Caer was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I'll take care of it. We'll make a pass north of the island tomorrow and get a nice, heavy freighter. That should placate them."
"Aye, it will, but do you think you can keep it going this way forever? Piracy's getting harder these days. The last year's been rough, with the admiral cracking down. All the rookies are just about done. It's mostly the experienced and devoted crews remaining, and even those are staying low. It's going to make it that much harder to manag ethis side business you've got going. You can't afford a mistake there, you know..." Snoe said.
"Do you think I don't know that, Snoe? It's getting to be too much for one man to handle. I'll tell you...I've already started thinking of was to pull out of one or the other." Caer confessed.
"You mean...?"Â Snoe asked.
Caer finally looked at her, and gave a stoic nod. "It may come to mebacking out of the underworld, and going full time pirate... Either that, or handing over control of the crew, and focusing on my other business there. I know you're more than capeable of running this ship, and leading this crew, and the men would follow you, for certain." He explained.
"Aye. Something's going to have to give at some point. But I know you're going to take both of them as far as possible. If you left the crew, though, I do'tknow if I'd stay. I'm not really interested in the captains seat these days. Done it already, as you know. I prefer to play second fiddle to a good leader." Snoe said, as she moved closer, resting her right hand on his left shoulder as he sat there.
"Gee, Snoe. If I leave, you leave? No pressure..." Caer said, almost giving a chuckled.
Snoe smirked, and lifted her left leg, swinging it up and over Caer, and settling down, straddling him,resting both arms on the back of the chair behind him. She moved her face closer. "Don't act conceited. I just don't want the job, and there's no one else on board capeable of taking it. It's not as if I'm in love with you."
"Mm hm. It's still a lot of added pressure though..." Caer answered, as his hands crept up past her hips, and slipped around her waist.
"Well, you know what Ringo always tells you, right? You should loosen up. You've got to deal with the situation no matter what. Stressing yourself sick isn't going to help." Snoe said, as her face got even closer, the tip of her nose brushing past his own, their breath upon one-another.
"Maybe...But you know me, Snoe. I can't rest when something like this is looming over me. It'll always be there, casting a shadow over everything, until it's finished." He said, his voice lowering, as their faces came closer still.
Their lips met, and Snoe slipped her arms around Caers neck as she felt her bottom lip being taken between his own lips, and his tongue gently brush over it. His hands, moved more tightly around behind her, and slowly up back as her chest pressed against him. The parted only long enough to switch lips, Caer now taking her top. Snoe gently took his bottom between her teeth, drawing back slowly, letting it slip from them, and finally sealing their mouths together. The embrace tightened and their tongues flicked past one-another, in a coy game of tag. It continued as such for some time, before they finally parted, Snoe grinning at him, and pulling back. Caer managed a grin of his own, and spoke.
"That could be considereda conflict of interests. Favoritism among the crew." He said, as his hands began to retreat from around her back.
"What the boys don't know, and all that." Snoe answered, rising from his lap. "I trust you to make the right decision, Captain. Always have." She continued, turning to leave, her steps heavy, and measured as she approached the door.
"Again with the pressure. You can bea real bitch, Snoe." Caer said, in mild jest.
Snoe just gave a slow, methodical chuckle, finding the sense of kinsmanship in his words. She gave a silent wave over her right shoulder, ad opened the door, exiting Caers quarters.
Caer stood, and reached for the Chasers pearl, opening a private frequency.
"Zhavi. Met me at the dock again tomorrow evening. We need to discuss something."
Theodric Gray