Irhaboggle Pride (2019) Spectrum

Indigo

"Ah! Tis a fine day for sailing indeed!" Captain Maggots declared as she stood on the bow of her mighty pirate ship, overlooking the vast and endless ocean, seeing nothing but pure indigo for as far as the spyglass could see. There was nothing she loved more than days like this, warm and sunny, with her and the people she loved most on a pirate ship, sailing all the seven seas, nothing but lovely indigo to keep them company.

"Oh, Maggots, do be careful!" A voice from the poop deck fretted as the tiny, orange-haired pirate continued to balance on the ship's narrow edge. It was Contessa, Maggots' wife. Ok, so maybe there was one thing she loved more than the sea and her ship. But to have them all together meant that Maggots was in paradise, surrounded by three of her favorite women: her ship, the sea and her wife.

"Don't ye worry, Tessie, dear!" Maggots cried bravely, throwing out her chest as she continued to balance on the ship's bow. "I'm a pirate captain, remember? I got this all under control and ain't nothing gonna stop me!"

"Are you so sure about that?" A new voice interrupted, low and thick with amusement. It was Captain Jolie Rogue. The surprise at being addressed gave Maggots such a shock that she yelped in surprise, tumbling backward into the ship.

"Shiver me timbers!" she yelped as she fell.

"Oh, Lord!" Contessa bolted forward to catch Maggots, grabbing her tightly.

"Let go of me, woman! I said I'd be fine!" Maggots protested as Contessa dragged her away from any of the ship's sides.

"Well, you are now," the deep voice continued to tease the orange-haired pirate. "Now that you've got someone sensible looking after you, you'll be fine," she continued to jibe, throwing a respectful and fond look at Contessa, who was still fretting over the tumble her wife nearly took.

"You see?! What if you'd fallen into the ocean again?! We would've had quite a time trying to fish you back out!" she cried.

"Ah, batten down yer hatches, the both of ye!" Maggots growled good-naturedly at her two companions.

"Avast! First Mate Maggots! But I don't believe that is any way to address your captain!" Jolie narrowed her eyes, but even though her tone made it clear she was only joking, Maggots was quick to shape up after that.

"Aye, aye! Captain!" she cried nervously, giving Jolie a perfect salute, standing stiff as a board. Contessa and Jolie, meanwhile, only laughed.

Even though it was true that, in their hierarchy, Jolie was actually the senior captain (since she'd created the crew and been around longest), she didn't mind occasionally surrendering control to one of the other pirates in her crew. Especially on lackadaisical days like this. But that didn't mean she wouldn't still use her captain privileges to scare Maggots every now and then. In short, even if they were both the head of the ship, Jolie was the brain while Maggots was the mouth.

As such, even though the entire asylum respected, revered and feared Jolie Rogue as their true captain, Maggots was everyone's favorite "go-to" pirate. She just had a more extroverted personality than her co-captain. As such, she'd become the unofficial, but unanimously-chosen, first mate. But she did like to indulge in the title of "captain" every once in a while. And Jolie let her, not one to get unhealthily fixated on titles. As far as she was concerned, they were all her girls, wives and sisters both. But again, that didn't stop her from playfully reclaiming her title, occasionally.

"That's better," Jolie continued to smirk while Maggots remained at attention. Jolie shook her head with a smile before waving a hand.

"Why don't you go scout the crow's nest?" she suggested, bidding Maggots to be at ease. "Keep an eye out for booty..." she winked at Contessa as she said this, but while Contessa gave her a sheepish grin, Maggots looked delighted at the idea, the innuendo flying right over her head.

"Aye, aye!" she repeated, saluting again, then she turned to Contessa, and before the woman even had time to blink, Maggots had grabbed her hand and started to drag her towards the ship's mighty mast. Contessa made a small noise of surprise, but Maggots continued to drag her along like an overly excited child. Captain Jolie Rogue watched them go with a gentle smile.

Once they were up in the crow's nest, Maggots went hushed with excitement and wonder again.

"Look at that, Contessa! Isn't it all just so beautiful!?" she sighed as she peered out at the vast and endless indigo again. The salty sea air blew all around them. It was Maggots' favorite smell (alongside tea, rum, and her wife... especially after they managed to find some good booty).

"I've never seen anything lovelier," the older, taller woman agreed. She wrapped her arms around the first mate's waist and rested her chin upon flaming locks of orange as they continued to sail along.

"There ain't nothing I love more than a high sea and an even higher sail!" the first mate continued to grin proudly as their ship's large flag billowed in the breeze behind them. It was a large black and white striped cloth with a crude drawing of a rat, a teacup and a pair of striped stockings on it. Every girl wore that banner with pride. And the term "flag" was especially meaningful to them all since it had also since become an acronym for them (Fight Like A Girl).

"We could just stay up here forever, couldn't we? Just you, me, and the indigo sea..." Contessa agreed dreamily as she began to sway to the beat of the indigo waves, gently rocking Maggots back and forth in her arms.

"As long as it was with you, lass, I'd stay anywhere!" Maggots replied with a grin as she hugged Contessa's arms.

"Even Davy Jones' locker?" Contessa teased, but Maggots gave her a very firm nod.

"A pirate's loyalty to her crew is a very fearsome thing, Contessa," she said and Contessa kissed her hair.

"I know, love," she said. "I know..." and she did.

Contessa and Captain/First Mate Maggots ended up unintentionally keeping their promise, both of them managing to somehow fall asleep in the crow's nest as the sky went from turquoise to indigo. And right at that time, as the stars began to shine and the sun began to fall, a soft and haunting voice from down below began to sing, lulling them deeper and deeper into the indigo depths of the sea, the sky and their dreams.

Lift the anchor, raise the sail. Draw your sword and do not fail. Sight be sharp and aim be true, Captain's blade knows what to do...

Through the salty sea air that blows, up she rises, down she goes. Sailing to some place that nobody knows, singing up she'll rise till the morning...

And even though Maggots and Contessa were asleep (only Jolie awake now, keeping watch from below), they were soaring high and fast over the endless indigo sea, together, to some place that only they knew.