Jeff the Accountant Escapes the Wretched Burning Depths of Hades

Cat Walks Into a Bar

Port Royal's pubs and eateries were crawling with characters from one end of the unsavory spectrum to the other. Wee John, Buttons and Roach had a run in with two of them when they found themselves recognized as members of the Gentleman Pirate's crew.

"Stones" and Kirk, themselves former members of Blackbeard's crew, who decided to leave his ship after the night of fuckery and Stede's mind-boggling survival of the duel with First Mate Hands, started the scuffle with taunting words.

Words led to blows. Blows led to an abduction.

Aboard Hell's Ferry, "Stones" and Kirk felt fear for the first time in a long while. Being on that ship, (and that inebriated) they had themselves so hyped up that when Cinna climbed aboard, (who they didn't recognize) and looked each of them in the eye, they feared his gaze alone could make them lose consciousness.

"What have we here?" Cinna asked.

"They used to be with Blackbeard, captain." Roach said. "We thought they'd be handy to have around."

"Is that right?" the captain asked in the most menacing voice he could manage. "What say you to that?" he asked the abductees.

"I..." Kirk started.

"Tell me your names first." Cinna barked.

"Stones" and Kirk looked at each other.

"They call me 'Stones'"

"And I'm Kirk."

Cinna looked Stones over, taking in his weather beaten skin, his muscular physique, his various and sundry scars.

"Big ones, are they?"

A pause that gave Stones a chance to collect himself.

"Yeah. That's right"

"And do they get you out of trouble, or into trouble?"

Kirk couldn't help himself. He laughed out loud at that. "A little of both." "Cinna, is it?"

Cinna narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

"Captain." Olu said. "You will address him as Captain."

"My men think you two will be useful to have around. I think I need to know if you'll be worth your keep. Convince me. Does Hell's Ferry have two new crew members? Or do I have two men to sell to the highest bidder at our next stop?"

"Who the hell is Cinna channeling?" thought Pete. He didn't know, but he hoped he'd keep it up. All of them - all of Cinna's men held their heads higher and puffed out there chests.

"Count me as a crew member." Kirk said. "If you'll have me, captain."

"Kirkland? Are you up there?"

There was a commotion at the side of the ship. Within seconds a woman was pulling herself over the top of the ladder. All eyes were on her.

"Cat" said Stones and Kirk in unison.

"Captain Cinna, my husband there, Kirkland, and I would be a great addition to your crew." She had heard the conversation when climbing the ladder. "And my brother, Stones, wouldn't be bad, either."

"That is, if I wasn't being left behind?" She was looking at Kirk, a question on her face. "I was there to meet you at The Blind Raven, after work, but was told you left with some men Tom didn't know. Were you running away?"

"No, Cat. Never." Kirk went to her side. "They nabbed us. They..."

"Alright, alright." Cinna was growing impatient. "A vote, men?" he asked his crew.

"Keep 'em. As crew members." Pete looked at Cat and said "There's always plenty of cleaning to be done."

Kirk warned "Cat will not come aboard and be a cleaning woman. She's as much a pirate as any of you. More, from what I remember, bein' aboard The Revenge."

"Kirkland..." Cinna started.

"Only she calls me that. I go by Kirk."Kirk said.

Further narrowing his eyes, Cinna said "Kirkland...no one will expect, Cat, is it? to do more cleaning than the rest of us. Understood, men?" he said, looking around at them.

"Well, we didn't really finish the vote..." the Swede said.

Cinna silenced that bit of dissent with the last bit of eye-narrowing he could achieve. "We're finished." he said coldly.

Everyone looked around, nodding their heads and smiling. Some smiled nervously, some proudly.

Olu followed Cinna to his quarters, knowing he would be sent for in a matter of minutes. The captain would need to talk.