A Shark, a Ship, and a Story to Tell

Pirates Aren't What They're Made Out to Be.

A note before this; First off, art of my headcannoned version of Pirate for this story! Also, Pirate will be referred to as Ayer, so I can refer to his crew and such as pirates as well and avoid confusion.{End Note.}

*

You woke up with a start, frantically grasping towards the sky. Once you realized you were no longer drowning, and were dry, you sat up. The last thing you remembered was falling into the ocean and everything feeling freezing yet burning hot at the same time. Your head still felt a bit fuzzy, but you were warm. You looked down and noticed you were no longer wearing your night dress - To be fair, it was probably soaking wet. In its place was a canvas tunic, much too big on you. If you were up stand up it'd go just above the knees. It smelt of rum.

You shakily got up, only to realize part of the shaking wasn't you. The floor you were on was rocking. One true look around at your surroundings lead you to realize you were on some sort of ship. The floor was oddly warm, and you could now register the smell of the sea - At least some of it - And realize it wasn't just sea salt clogging up your nose from your little... Incident. (Though, you had to admit, your nose still burnt. Salt water isn't the best thing to get sucked into any orifice, let alone the one you breathe out of.) You took a step forward and tried to call out, but your vocal chords burnt and all you could manage out was a pathetic, almost silent, "Hello?"

What followed after your weak vocalization was a series of what sounded like... Bubbles popping? Some thuds, and then a young man running into the room (was it a room if it was on a ship?) you had previously been unconscious in. He looked at you and began to speak, though all that came out was a series of "oo"s and noise of bubbles popping. You had to have looked visibly confused, because he stopped and blinked, before raising his hands and signing something - "Do you know sign language?" You nodded, giving him a yes before signing, "Can you hear?" He nodded, then began signing to you again. "I found you, you were at the bottom of the ocean, near a doc at a beach" Well, even you knew that much.

He continued, "You looked like you couldn't breathe, and when I picked you up you weren't. Your heart was still beating, so I picked you up and carried you into our ship." You sat down on the bed, watching his hands. "We tried to get as much water out of you as we could. You began to breathe again, but you weren't waking up. We got one of our crew members to change you, since we didn't want to invade on your privacy too much, then we laid you down in here." "Who is 'we'?" You rasped out. "The captain and I." He replied. Just then, you heard more footsteps- One seemed heavier than the other.

Speak of the devil and he will appear, of course. Or, Captain on this instance. "I see ye be awake." He stated, and you gave a nod. "How do ye be feelin?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Throat hurts... 't hurts to breathe... Okay, other than that." You managed out, your voice beginning to falter towards the end. He nodded, then looked to the person beside him. "Sorbet, go get this young lass a cup of tea, would ya?" The other man - Sorbet? - Nodded, and walked off to get you tea.

The captain walked over to you. He was extremely tall, and you couldn't help but feel intimidated by him. "I be the captain of this ship, but I s'pose ye've gathered that." You nodded, deciding to let your vocal chords rest. "Most on the ship call ke Captian, but for a young lass like yerslef," He held out his left hand. It was covered in rings. "I be Ayer." Is it normal to shake a pirate's hand? Well, it is now, and you did so. "Thanks." You murmured out, and he gave you a nod and a smile. Sorbet came back into the room, holding a mug that was steaming. He walked over and gave it to you, before signing, "This tea should soothe your throat. It had honey in it. It was the last we had." You felt bad for making them use the rest of their honey, but you obliged regardless.

"Rest here," Ayer begin, looking at you. "We can give ya a tour of the ship tomorrow and get ye some better clothes." You nodded, taking a sip of your tea. "If ye need anything, get Sorbet or I, or any of the other crew." You nodded again, and with that, Ayer left. "I hope you feel better soon." Sorbet signed, giving you a sad smile, before also leaving the room and shutting the door. Were you part of a pirate crew now? Or were you just staying here until you were healed? Clearly they weren't just going to kick you off. You could ponder this more once you feel better. You placed your now empty mug down on and began to look around the room, wondering what the rest of the ship looked like. You'd have to get used to the ship rocking while you walked.