"Come on, men. Can't we do the ceremony once we leave? Aren't you excited to get back at sea?" Cinna pleaded.
"We don't leave until the ceremony is done." Wee John said.
It had been hard enough to get them to agree to even get on the ship. Only Buttons' assurance that he would perform the ceremony immediately, and his assurance that that would satisfy the gods of the deep, persuaded them.
Buttons told his fellow crew members to scour the ship from top to bottom, stern to bow, to seek out any trace of the ship's original name. When none was found, he took the metal plate that Cinna had etched the name "The Oarsman" onto. Dropping it into the sea and muttering the necessary incantations, he offered a bottle of rum to the gods of the wind and sea, pouring it...ceremoniously...into the murky waters.
Cinna admired the pageantry of it all. And the realization that this very ritual had been passed down from captain to captain. The relief he saw on his men's faces, and the way they shook Buttons' hand, one by one with a "well done" or "good work" offered to the sailor, made him appreciate the wealth of knowledge that he was just beginning to become aware of.
As the men once again became somber, lowering their heads, Buttons said "Now for the re-naming ceremony."
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Jeff the Accountant Escapes the Wretched Burning Depths of Hades
FanfictionBecause it's hard to wait, not knowing what happens next with Ed and Stede, I decided to try my hand at fan fiction. Look at that - just like Blackbeard/Edward, I'm laying myself bare in front of others. And that's okay. This story is pretty dialo...
