"Let's make a deal."
Faint shouting and various clangs woke her with a jolt. Slowly her eyes cracked open revealing a blur of a room that slightly dipped back and forth. Attempting to clear her vision and her thoughts she scanned the quarters. The dark oak walls that surrounded her rocked with the ship's movement, making her stomach turn. The rapid movement of her chest slowed as her breathing grew calm. It was only dreams and nothing more. Before opening the door to the deck she would have to pull herself together. There was no place on the ship outside where she lay that she could be uneasy. On the small bed, there was a sanctuary. Though the cot was uncomfortable and always relatively warm, it was soothing. Propping onto her elbows the world suddenly cleared as her eyes fully adjusted.
Placing a shaky foot to the ground, the rocking disappeared with her adjustment. After several years at sea, it became a part of her. Straightening her spine several bones crackled from the night before. Nearest to her was the muddied and cracked mirror that revealed her tired face. Along with the skin of someone who had seen a million lifetimes, there was a mass of hair that framed it. Not only was her hair caked with dust and grime but it held several knots accompanied by beads and braids. Once reaching shore a wash would be desperately overdue. Taking the auburn strands between her fingers she gazed at the sunspots and scars that softened over the years to merely pink jagged lines. Under the scars were now rather high cheekbones versus the round cheeks that she came aboard with. Age had become her but also taken a part of her.
Averting her eyes from the mirror, she proceeded to dress in the familiar billowing white shirt. Atop the shirt were the vest and coat. Hidden amongst the layers were a variety of weapons from daggers to pistols and swords. Stuffing the smallest of knives into her boots she took a deep breath. It was well past time to go onto the deck but today she found herself needing more time.
In the corner of the room sat a grand piano where her hat sat along the keys that were covered in a layer of dust. The former captain was the last person to play a melody and since then the ship sat silent. Curling the hat into her fingers she moved toward the desk that controlled the room. It was a mahogany wood covered in markings and dents. Running a hand across the splintered wood she felt the names of past captains and their memories. Each crack and crevice was made by fists slamming and knives protruding. On occasion, she would find a bullet hole that made her lips curl into a smile. They were each a memory of dozens of lives before her. A piece of life that the ship still carried after death.
"Bit of an issue out here Luce!" Edith shouted barging into the room before disappearing as quickly as she arrived. It would have been believed that she was never in the room at all had her blonde hair not trailed behind her.
Pulling the hat onto her head, Luce looked back at the broken mirror once more. The once young girl who looked in the mirror was now a woman. A rugged woman but a woman nonetheless. There was a certain beauty about being a pirate.
"What the hell is going on out here?" Luce called stepping out onto the deck and closing the door behind her.
All around her chaos ensued. The crew ran amuck shouting profanities while the smell of fire and smoke filled the air. Looking about Luce brought her hands to her hips feeling her pulse push against her skin. The stress of this life would forever keep her feeling her heart rapidly beating. Taking a few steps forward she waited for the crew to turn and look at her but no one paused. In the midst of the chaos, she found Damaris, her right hand, sitting calmly atop a barrel with a sly smirk. Her golden hair bounced as she watched the crew scurry about. Tossing her arms in the air in frustration, Luce made her way toward the girl. Upon watching her approach, Damaris uncrossed her legs and now held a full-blown grin. The grin made Luce's skin crawl as her right hand was supposed to be controlling the mass hysteria when she was not around.
