The School O'Crossbones

Billie-Jean Shears-Starkey's Log Day 1 - Part 13 - The Sorting Quest

Crewmate of Captain Blue Peter of the S.S. Hillenburg

Now, I have been wondering on what sort of adventures I would have if I were to ever become a sailor, let alone a possible pirate.

Perhaps I could have earned a living wage for myself and finally risen out of poverty. Or I could have done an honourable duty for my country and served on Her Majesty's Navy. Or I could have found myself a place in a crew where I would finally feel belonging.

So you can only imagine my confusion yet intrigue that one of my first acts of piracy was carrying a mermaid on my back whilst trying to evade a rather boisterous batch of angry anthropomorphic ant pirates baying for our blood.

I feel the need to report that Aqua surprisingly was not that heavy for me to carry. Although I kept that to myself as so not to offend.

The First course of action that we could come up with during the kerfuffle was that we would initially retreat  below deck into the hull.

Unfortunately we arrived to a current shoot out between the ants and other trainee pirates using cannons of all things. Luckily we were able to use the hullabaloo to our advantage as we disappeared between barrels to escape our ant-ish pursuers.

My mermaid acquaintance and I were able to get a breath of fresh air. Although I soon learnt that this wasn't entirely sufficient for said mermaid.

She requested. "Please tell me, dat you got any water to spare me?"

The only water I had on my person at the time would be my waterlogged jacket, I proposed if that would be enough. Though I imagine that I don't suspect that the water would be desirable for anyone to drink, a notion I expressed to her.

"No-no-no, me nah fi me to drink, just splash dat ova me." She insisted me, rather casually I might add for a peculiar request.

But I granted her request, wringing my damp jacket over her. I felt rude doing so over her however, usually doing such an act would be improper. I remember when some of my friends would do something similar with each other although in the name of jest and good fun. Unfortunately they would end up being reprimanded by the orphanage overseers.

Thankfully, this is exactly what she needed in order to survive, so I was less perturbed about it.

"Tank you very much me friend." She exclaimed whilst shimming the water droplets through her hair.

Now that most of the excitement from evading enemy ant pirates, it dawned on me that I never asked her the foremost basic question you should ask when meeting anyone new.

"Pardon my manners but I haven't asked for your name yet." I lamented.

"Nah worries. Aqua, me name Aqua." She introduced herself, however I was surprised that she only mentioned her first name.

"Aqua...?" I asked, hoping to find out her surname.

"Ah, I get dis a lot. Me have no last name, many merdem don't, unlike terdem." Aqua explained. Although If I must be frank her explanation only raised more questions.

"I see.....wait, what do you mean by 'Terfolk'?" I enquired further.

"Terdem, yuh know? Terdem and Merdem? Or as yuh call us, Merfolk. To refer to Mermaids and Merbutlers. We call yuh Terfolk, like Termaids and Terbutlers." Aqua did her best to explain.