Screw It, I'm Going Out to Find It!

Chapter XXXIII: The Barrel

Cavendish did not appreciate his current situation. The cowering guards be damned, he did not deserve to be placed in an isolated cell in a straitjacket. Sure, when he slept it was like he became possessed by a bloodthirsty demon, but his crew had learned to deal with it. Whitley had managed to deal with it as well, but these marines couldn't be bothered. Instead, they were treating him like a caged tiger, one that they weren't entirely sure wouldn't eat them.

Even so, he was fully awake, and thus his other personality was fast asleep. He was in complete control, but these damned marines wouldn't believe it. He had even offered to put on the jacket each night, but they refused. Too dangerous his ass.

"I haven't had proper beauty sleep in days because of you bastards!" As his voice rang out, he could hear them flinch. None of them dared guard directly in front of the cell bars lest he jump at them. Even still, he could hear their feet against the floor at his call.

As always, they did nothing to react. Cavendish sat back down against one of the walls, blowing a lock of blond hair out of his face. He wondered faintly what his captain was doing. It was strange circumstances that led him to be part of Whitley's crew. At first, it was just to help further his own fame, as he rightfully deserved. Being around those brutes and a snobby child was simply something he would have to put up with. Yet, somewhere, somehow, it had changed. The rest of the crew began to feel more like comrades. Dirty and vulgar ones that he wouldn't want to touch, but comrades nonetheless. As for Whitley, he had almost grown to be a younger brother in Cavendish's eyes. That was why he would personally see to it that every marine that laid a hand on Whitley's head would feel his wrath at the end of his blade.

Cavendish had never had many true bonds in his life. It was difficult to find someone to care for when everyone thought of him as a monster. The fact that he might hurt them in his sleep made it worse. Now, he had finally gotten a group to call his own, and he would be damned if he gave up on it so easily.

"You will all pay for my un-shampooed hair, do you hear me! You will all pay!"

***

"It's nearly finished," Penny said to herself with a determined smile. "The design has certainly changed — maybe a bit too much, but they won't mind, right?"

Penny paused. At some point during the project, she had stopped worrying so much about what the marines would think and she began wondering what the pirates would think instead. It might have been when she asked Ruby about the lumber, but it felt like it had begun before then.

The overall structure was more rounded than the initial design, though the front and back were flat now instead of the top and bottom like it had been. She made the middle more oblong so there wasn't worry of it spinning upside down out at sea. There were masts with sails ready to unfurl, but that was more for the sake of looks as the ship had engines. Penny had never built an engine before, so a quick research helped her greatly. She had attempted to paint the jolly roger on the sails and hoped they would be up to par. The flag was still with her, as that might give her away if it was spotted. Watches don't have flags.

With the vessel itself finished, she had spent time working on its interior. It wasn't anything too fancy, but Penny thought it would feel cozier with furniture and decorations to fill the space inside. Not to mention how she made proper sleeping quarters that was a vast improvement from what was there before.

She also might have borrowed some cannons for it. They were for defensive purposes, that was a promise. She did her best to be more subtle in taking those than the other materials. Even if she did rename the blueprints she made to 'Ciel's watch' in order to better hide the truth of her project, weaponry wouldn't be as explainable.