~Captain?~ Anette thought.
The woman gave Anette a side glance and said with a sly smile, "Slave girl huh? "
"You're Captain White Wren?" Anette started shaking as she imagined the horrible things that could be done to her as a punishment for her grave mistake.
The Captain stepped closer to where Anette was sitting and crouched to her level. "Yes I'm Captain White Wren. However my real name is Ren Whitesman. You may call me Ren if you'd like lovely!" Captain Ren patted the maiden's head lightly. She acted very calm in front of Anette, who was still terrified.
"S - so," Anette spoke with great caution in her quivering voice, "You're not going to kill me?"
Surprise took over Captain Ren's face. She was silent for a moment, but soon smiled and said, laughing, "No! Of course not! I would never kill a guest aboard my ship. Especially a guest as cute as the one in front of me!" Captain Ren winked at the blushing Anette. The maiden turned her head away from Ren, she didn't know what to think of her situation, nor did she know whether she should be wary or glad of the danger that had seemed to pass.
* * * * *
Captain Ren sat in her velvety desk chair in the stern (Captain's office) of the ship while she studied a hand painted map of the atlantic. She was immensely focused on the certain rock areas of the ocean and where they needed to sail to avoid them. When in the state she hadn't even heard the knock on her door.
"'ello? Captain?" the youth slowly opened the wooden door. It made a loud creak, but, even this didn't disturb the Captain. The youth smiled devilishly when he saw Captain Ren so focused. He quietly shuffled his feet across the dimly lit room, bent over her shoulder and exclaimed, "Boo-"
A hand reached up and covered his mouth before he could get the whole word out. "Really Nico? You must think better of me then to think I would not hear you enter!" Captain Ren looked up at the startled first mate. She then let her hand be occupied holding the map once again instead of on the young man's mouth.
"Sorry Ren, I suppose I shouldn't have underestimated your hearing. Though I could've been quieter if I actually tried!" He cocked his head and acted exaggeratedly haughty.
"Oh is that right?" She huffed in disbelief. "Why did you come to my office anyway Nico?"
"Right, so do you really think we should've just let a strange girl stay aboard the ship?" He looked more concerned now. He put both hands on the Captain's desk and leaned backward, looking up at the wooden beam filled ceiling.
"Why?" Ren swerved her chair to face Nico, raised her eyebrow and asked, "Are you jealous?" she snickered under her breath.
Caught off guard Nico's arm slipped off the desk, making him struggle to keep balance. "What? Of course not!" he huffed. "I was just wondering if we should continue with caution."
"Sure Nico, sure that is what you meant!" Satisfied with her joke, Captain Ren leaned back in her chair. "Have a little trust!"
"That is my concern Ren! Usually I would and is it you who wouldn't have the trust."
"Nico," the Captain looked at him with a bit more seriousness. "The girl looks like she had a hard life 'till now. Or at least an unfortunate thing happened to her. So for the time being, we'll let her stay on the ship until she is ready and well enough to go on her own. Alright?" Ren gave a kind smile of reassurance to her first mate.
"Alright." with Nico stepped toward the exit, but paused at the door. "But just so you know," he spoke with determination in his tone, "I will be keeping an eye on her." Then he left, shutting the door behind him.
~Hmm,~ Ren thought, amused, ~That man is as uptight as he's always been! Ever since we were younger he'd always warn be about all the dangers there was going to be as I took my father's place as Captain.~ She squeezed the map tighter, crinkling the edges. ~Such a silly boy.~ though her thoughts were harmless, they couldn't help bring her back to the memory of her father. "Let it go." she told herself as she stood up and slammed the map down on the table without meaning to.
She left the stern, walking onto the still slimy deck. She nodded to the men who were scrubbing the insides of her ship and then entered her sleeping quarters where she found Anette looking through her things.
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