"H - he what?" A shiver crawled up Anette's spine. She felt so saddened, low of spirits, truly sorry for the Captain.
"I barely remember anything from that night." Ren continued, pushing through the painful memory. "I woke up to the noise of someone running on board the main deck. I ran out of my sleeping quarters and saw the figure escaping. I can't recall anything else except that the intruder had a knife wound on his left shoulder." Captain Ren sank deeper into her sadness. After a moment she fell, gently upon her back on her side of the cot, staring up at the dusty ceiling. "I tried so hard to look for whomever it was that took my father's life. I tried for years, but I couldn't get a single bloody clue. So, I gave up. After all," she sat up again, trying to shake off her feelings, " it's not like getting revenge or catching the intruder would bring him back. So I told myself to let it go." Ren turned to Anette, who had turned away from her. "Lovely?" The Captain asked.
"I'm so sorry." a little whisper came from the discouraged maiden.
"It's okay Lovely. I've made my peace with it! I promise." The Captain cheered up a bit, only for Anette's sake.
"It's just it's terrible to lose a parent like that. And to not even have a mother to help you through it." Anette started talking like she had experience with great loss. She slowly turned her head, pushed a long wave of hair behind her ear and looked at the Captain with tears in her eyes.
"Lovely!" Ren was startled to see how saddened she had made the maiden. "I'm sorry. I told you, I've made my peace with it alright." she put her hands on Anette's petite shoulders, trying to convince her nothing was wrong anymore.
"I understand, I'm just sad it happened." the girl put her right hand on the Captain's arm, steadying herself.
"I know Lovely. Thank you for that." Ren smiled. She then got up off the bed, helping Anette up as well. "Now," she said, trying to sound less sad, instead she just sounded like she was trying to talk like a gruff man. "I'm going to sleep in the hammock tonight." The Captain lifted up a floor board, revealing a secret compartment that was separate from the one Anette had seen the captain coming out of in the beginning.
"How many secret holes are there on this ship?" she asked in surprise.
"Oh we have them all over lovely! To hide our secret treasure." Ren told her sarcastically as she pulled a torn up, moldy hammock out of the compartment. She then hung it on two nails, on opposite, low hanging planks of the ceiling. "You can take the bed lovely!"
"Oh I shouldn't -" Anette started to object.
"No you should. You are the guest on my ship after all. Also, I just told you my whole life story, I think you may know me well enough to sleep in my bed!" Captain Ren spoke jokingly. She then chuckled.
"Okay." Anette agreed, somewhat begrudgingly.
"Splendid lovely, splendid." Ren chuckled once more, with a little more force this time. She was trying so hard to make everything seem okay. "Well, you get some shut eye alright? I will be in my office for a little while longer." She then took a few steps and opened the wooden planked door with a creak. She then paused, "Oh Lovely?"
Anette sat up on the cot. "Yes?"
"Good night." Then with a half grin, Captain Ren walked out of the dimly lit room, shutting the door behind her.
Captain Ren walked along the edge of the main deck. Running her hand along the rough, wooden edge railing. She paused when she reached the start of the bow. She stood at the end of the stairs that lead up to the front deck. Ren stared at the dark, seemingly starless night sky. Two older Pirates whom go by the names of Footsman and Yellow Patch ambled over to her.
"Somefin' wrong Cap'm?" Yellow Patch asked hesitantly.
"What's wrong is that you bloody fools are not tending to your work." Ren snapped back.
"Uh, but Cap'm-" Footsman started to defend.
"If you don't have anything to do go down in the Berth and get some sleep." She lifted her right eyebrow with a look of annoyance on her face.
"Right Cap'm!" Both men replied, almost shaking.
"Now go, get out of my sight the both of you!" Ren raised the volume of her voice. This made Nico, who was on the look out post, look down at Ren.
"Yes Cap'm." The two old men ran to the hatch door that was connected to the berth. They swung it open and, almost tumbling, ran down to the sleeping quarters.
"Aye Ren!" Nico called from the high platform. He grabbed a section of rigging, rapped it around his waist, and jumped off the wooden stand. He did a flip, twisting his body in the air. He showed off his ability for air tricks.The rope stopped him in mid air right above the Captain. Nico slowly swayed left and right, hanging up side down.
"You're upset about something, aren't you?" He asked with suspicion.
"Oh how on earth could you figure that out genius?" Ren asked with as much sarcasm as possible. She scoffed, then turned away from her upside down first mate. And walked toward her office.
"Yes siree!" Nico chuckled as he pulled the rope off his legs, flipping himself right side up again. "You are definitely angry about something!" He said cheerfully, knowing she would get even more hot and bothered by his attitude. He followed his annoyed Captain into her office. "So what's wrong?" He asked when he shut the door behind him, this time he was more concerned.
"I told Anette about my father." She admitted with irritation in her voice. She started opening her desk drawers. Searching for something.
"What? Ren why?"
"I know, I know. I shouldn't have. I'm not even sure why I did." She said, distracted by whatever she was looking for in her desk.
"Yes you shouldn't have. What did you tell her exactly?" He asked. He then sat down against the hard wood wall.
"Everything. My father's past," she rummaged through the left top drawer of her desk. "How he met my mother." then she rummaged through the right. "And I told her how he was murdered - oh bloody hell, where is it?" she interrupted herself.
"Ren I can't believe you told her." He scrunched his eyebrows with irritation. While he was trying to talk to Ren about a serious matter, she was distracted. "What are you looking for?"
"Ah! Found it!" She said with an unexpected smile. She lifted up her left arm with a little round jug in her hand. "I found my rum." She exclaimed as she slammed the drawer it was in shut.
"That's what you were searching for?" Nico asked with surprise, he already knew the answer.
" ' course! What else?" Ren chuckled as she took a swig.
Nico put his head in his folded arms. "You're exhausting Captain." He lifted his head tiredly. Then hopped up off the wooden floor. "Give me some of that!" he yanked the alcohol filled bottle, out of Ren's hands.
Captain Ren slightly smiled, "Fine." She leaned up against the wall and waited for him to hand her back the rum. "Have a drink with me tonight old friend!" She chuckled as she stole the jug back just as Nico was taking a sip.
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