in which maggie kicks back and relaxes
Nov. 13th, 2013 03:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smackenzieThe Black Lightning sailed into Port Doras under a bright blue sky, much to the relief of the her captain, who was tired of the clouds and rain. Maggie sent a ransom note to the local representative of the king of Tanne, which he could send on to the captured lord's family or pay himself. She would not negotiate and said so.
Abna split the combined plunder and distributed shares to all the pirates, the women and men who had set sail from Port Doras months ago as well as the newly joined men from the captured merchant ship and the freed slaves. (Several of the freed slaves had succumbed to the flu - not so mild after all - and had been wrapped in sheets and given open water burials, as was the pirate's way. The priest had even spoken a few words for each funeral.) Maggie was surprised that a number of the freed slaves wished to take up piracy rather than attempt to return home or even make new lives on the islands. But perhaps she should not have been so surprised - after having been captured and sold like cattle, after having been robbed of their freedom, it was natural that they would choose a life in which they answered to no one and had a full voice in where they went and what they did.
There was no message from Bernade at Maggie's favorite inn, so she wrote a short note and left it at Madame Lilyet's. After that, she went back to the inn, had a long bath, dressed, and went out. Her crew - at least those pirates who would sail with her the next time the Black Lightning set out from the port - generally stayed in the same parts of town every time they were on shore, so if Maggie wished to be with them she knew where to go. There were several inns and taverns, gambling houses and brothels, where they might all be, but the only places she was interested in were the taverns. She wanted to eat food that had not been packed in a barrel and drink rum that had not been fortified with lime juice and for now she wanted to sit in a chair that did not roll with the motion of the waves.
She settled at the Green Serpent among a raucous crowd of pirates. As a naval officer she never would have socialized with the common sailors who made up her crew, but this was a different world with different rules and different standards of behavior, and because she could be voted out of the captain's chair at any time, she was much closer to the able-bodied pirate than to the able-bodied sailor.
"Your priest is here," Abna told her, leaning across the table to point to where the priest had just walked in the door.
"He is not my priest," Maggie said.
"He thinks he is."
"He followed you around like a baby duckling after its mother," Yuna added. She drained her mug and waved it at the serving girl to indicate she wanted a refill. "Did he not pester you?"
"Intolerably," Maggie admitted, thinking of the times he waited for her in her cabin, or the times he followed her like a shadow, asking her sarcastic questions and being rude about her ship. "But he was not always bad company." Yuna snickered and leaned into the girl sitting next to her - Maggie thought she might be one of the freed slaves - to whisper something in her ear. The other girl giggled. Maggie wanted to tell them to stop teasing her, but suddenly the priest was standing there asking if she would dance.
The tavern had one fiddler who was sitting near the hearth, trying his best to be heard over the din of eating, drinking, talking patrons. Maggie was fairly sure that there would be fighting in short order and she was not interested in being drawn into it, so she should enjoy herself here while she could.
"I believe I will dance with you, yes," she told the priest, swallowing the rest of her drink and standing up. The priest held out his hand, she took it, and he led her closer to the fiddler as the girls laughed around the table behind her.
"I am not a very accomplished dancer," he confessed. "Try to contain your surprise."
She laughed. "I am shocked, priest. Do you mean to tell me that your church did not encourage dancing in the aisles during the service?" She let him lead at first, although it was clear that he did not really know how to dance. He had very little idea of the steps or their sequence, and after a few minutes she managed to take the lead as the fiddler began a new tune.
The priest was not a good dancer but he did have a good sense of rhythm, and he made jokes about her leading as if she were a man. She laughed and joked back. She had had just enough to drink, she had money, she was in a good mood, and right now, she quite liked her dance partner.
There was not much space to dance but they made the best of it, and Maggie lost track of the time as they danced modified jigs and squares and completely made-up dances composed of whichever steps they could think of. The priest finally collapsed on the end of a bench and as he caught his breath Maggie called for rum. The tavern had filled up and was becoming loud and wild, and while she had no issue with that, she did not want to still be inside when the place erupted into violence.
But for now she could drink with the priest and with her crew, or what of them remained, and when Yuna jumped up and grabbed the girl sitting next to her to dance, Maggie could tease them like they teased her.
"Come back with me," she murmured in the priest's ear, as he watched Yuna try to teach her dance partner the right steps. He didn't answer, but perhaps he had not heard. Maggie rested her hand on his thigh and squeezed lightly to get his attention. "I am saying yes to you, priest."
Now he turned his head and grinned at her. "I said that one day you would." His face was flushed, his eyes bright. Another bottle of wine, Maggie thought - she would get a bottle of wine and they would go back to her rooms at the inn and she would take him to bed.
She surprised herself by leaning close and kissing his mouth. It was a quick kiss, a brief indulgence, and she did not expect him to kiss back.
She stood up and held out her hand. "Come, priest," she said. It was now loud enough in the tavern that he might not have heard her, but there was no mistaking her gesture or the expression on her face. He let her pull him to his feet and out of the tavern and through the streets to the inn. A quick stop to acquire a bottle, and they were up the stairs and into her rooms.
words: 1218
total words: 20,337
Abna split the combined plunder and distributed shares to all the pirates, the women and men who had set sail from Port Doras months ago as well as the newly joined men from the captured merchant ship and the freed slaves. (Several of the freed slaves had succumbed to the flu - not so mild after all - and had been wrapped in sheets and given open water burials, as was the pirate's way. The priest had even spoken a few words for each funeral.) Maggie was surprised that a number of the freed slaves wished to take up piracy rather than attempt to return home or even make new lives on the islands. But perhaps she should not have been so surprised - after having been captured and sold like cattle, after having been robbed of their freedom, it was natural that they would choose a life in which they answered to no one and had a full voice in where they went and what they did.
There was no message from Bernade at Maggie's favorite inn, so she wrote a short note and left it at Madame Lilyet's. After that, she went back to the inn, had a long bath, dressed, and went out. Her crew - at least those pirates who would sail with her the next time the Black Lightning set out from the port - generally stayed in the same parts of town every time they were on shore, so if Maggie wished to be with them she knew where to go. There were several inns and taverns, gambling houses and brothels, where they might all be, but the only places she was interested in were the taverns. She wanted to eat food that had not been packed in a barrel and drink rum that had not been fortified with lime juice and for now she wanted to sit in a chair that did not roll with the motion of the waves.
She settled at the Green Serpent among a raucous crowd of pirates. As a naval officer she never would have socialized with the common sailors who made up her crew, but this was a different world with different rules and different standards of behavior, and because she could be voted out of the captain's chair at any time, she was much closer to the able-bodied pirate than to the able-bodied sailor.
"Your priest is here," Abna told her, leaning across the table to point to where the priest had just walked in the door.
"He is not my priest," Maggie said.
"He thinks he is."
"He followed you around like a baby duckling after its mother," Yuna added. She drained her mug and waved it at the serving girl to indicate she wanted a refill. "Did he not pester you?"
"Intolerably," Maggie admitted, thinking of the times he waited for her in her cabin, or the times he followed her like a shadow, asking her sarcastic questions and being rude about her ship. "But he was not always bad company." Yuna snickered and leaned into the girl sitting next to her - Maggie thought she might be one of the freed slaves - to whisper something in her ear. The other girl giggled. Maggie wanted to tell them to stop teasing her, but suddenly the priest was standing there asking if she would dance.
The tavern had one fiddler who was sitting near the hearth, trying his best to be heard over the din of eating, drinking, talking patrons. Maggie was fairly sure that there would be fighting in short order and she was not interested in being drawn into it, so she should enjoy herself here while she could.
"I believe I will dance with you, yes," she told the priest, swallowing the rest of her drink and standing up. The priest held out his hand, she took it, and he led her closer to the fiddler as the girls laughed around the table behind her.
"I am not a very accomplished dancer," he confessed. "Try to contain your surprise."
She laughed. "I am shocked, priest. Do you mean to tell me that your church did not encourage dancing in the aisles during the service?" She let him lead at first, although it was clear that he did not really know how to dance. He had very little idea of the steps or their sequence, and after a few minutes she managed to take the lead as the fiddler began a new tune.
The priest was not a good dancer but he did have a good sense of rhythm, and he made jokes about her leading as if she were a man. She laughed and joked back. She had had just enough to drink, she had money, she was in a good mood, and right now, she quite liked her dance partner.
There was not much space to dance but they made the best of it, and Maggie lost track of the time as they danced modified jigs and squares and completely made-up dances composed of whichever steps they could think of. The priest finally collapsed on the end of a bench and as he caught his breath Maggie called for rum. The tavern had filled up and was becoming loud and wild, and while she had no issue with that, she did not want to still be inside when the place erupted into violence.
But for now she could drink with the priest and with her crew, or what of them remained, and when Yuna jumped up and grabbed the girl sitting next to her to dance, Maggie could tease them like they teased her.
"Come back with me," she murmured in the priest's ear, as he watched Yuna try to teach her dance partner the right steps. He didn't answer, but perhaps he had not heard. Maggie rested her hand on his thigh and squeezed lightly to get his attention. "I am saying yes to you, priest."
Now he turned his head and grinned at her. "I said that one day you would." His face was flushed, his eyes bright. Another bottle of wine, Maggie thought - she would get a bottle of wine and they would go back to her rooms at the inn and she would take him to bed.
She surprised herself by leaning close and kissing his mouth. It was a quick kiss, a brief indulgence, and she did not expect him to kiss back.
She stood up and held out her hand. "Come, priest," she said. It was now loud enough in the tavern that he might not have heard her, but there was no mistaking her gesture or the expression on her face. He let her pull him to his feet and out of the tavern and through the streets to the inn. A quick stop to acquire a bottle, and they were up the stairs and into her rooms.
words: 1218
total words: 20,337
