A Pirate's Life for Mei

Starting a New Job

Mei

The second deck of the Wandering Sinn had been converted into a lounge/library/writing studio and was used for restaurant seating in the rare event of bad weather.

The fourth deck, closest to the water, was home to a pair of cats who kept the level clean of rats, protecting the supplies and food stored there.

In between the two was the third deck. It had been partitioned into tiny rooms, each barely big enough to enter and lay down on the single bed laid perpendicular to the hull. Portholes, formerly used by cannon, had become windows without glass. A lantern hung under each raised cover for safety's sake, for the flame would fall outside of the ship if knocked by person or wind.

It was still somewhat dark when Mei woke, the world a drab gray in that short period before the sun rose and bestowed the world with a rainbow of colours.

She groaned and sat up, feeling the hangover in her head and gut. Thankfully, it wasn't bad. She'd made sure to cut herself off alcohol at a reasonable hour and drunk plenty of water afterwards. A glass bottle of water stood on the shelf next to her, serving as a night table. She gratefully took a swig and wiped her mouth. A whine and movement behind her made her look behind her.

Lia, still as fully clothed as Mei, was squished up against the wall that the bed was attached to. She'd gotten giddy with all the food and alcohol and good times, and quite drunk. Mei had been reluctant to leave her in a room of her own lest some unscrupulous soul find his way into her room while she could not defend herself.

Giving the young woman a few more minutes of sleep, Mei looked out the porthole.

A sailor lazily meandered by, canvas sack over his shoulder, his eyes drooping. He was probably en route to a ship destined to depart this morn, just like Mei hoped to be. He yawned wide, causing Mei to follow suit.

She stared out at the gray morning, the docks just coming to life with fishermen and others. Would they be allowed to board the privateer today? She hoped so.

Standing, she tried to force away the urge to return to the bed and catch another four hours of sleep. They'd gotten off on a bad foot with the captain the previous day. She didn't know if there was any way of getting past that or any hope of a decent relationship with someone like that. But she was determined to make a good impression.

A flutter in her stomach told her she wasn't just nauseous from the rum, but nervous as well. She half-smiled at a thought. It felt like the first day of a new job. There was so much uncertainty ahead, new things to learn, new people to work with. And all of it seemed so removed from her old life as a journalist. Clenching her fingers tight until the knuckles whitened, she wondered if she was going to be good at this. Or if this whole idea of escaping prison was a fool's dream.

The fear and pessimism gripped her for a few minutes. She felt the urge to give up, which would be so much easier. But as the morning brightened, she shook the negativity off.

She would make the most of this. If she ever wanted to get out of this prison world, this was the road she would need to take. She might not be a captain yet, despite having that class, but she had an opportunity to learn and it would be best to make the most of it.

The room had come with a clean rag for washing and a toothbrush made of a wooden handle and horsehair bristles. She cleaned herself up and then grabbed Lia by the hip, shaking her awake and helping her wake up and clean up too. Lia was in much rougher shape and drooled with eyes half-closed as Mei did more of the teeth brushing than she did for herself. But she was young and would recover soon enough. Together, they visited the head.