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Post by blossom on Dec 11, 2007 8:04:55 GMT -5
Belle felt Hattie's thin hands grip her arm tightly as the deck bucked underneath like an angry horse. As the pirate tried to deal with the damage and whomever had fired the ship lurched again and Belle hung onto the other girl just as nervously.
"What in the world is going on? Who's attacking us?"
She turned to see Noros scrambling towards them.
"We though' it were the British," she replied, raising her voice to be heard over the hubub of the crew, "But they're raisin' anoth'r flag ... or they were ..."
She glanced over at the other ship. The second flag was half way up the mast, but had been abandoned when the firing began. Belle squinted, but with her bad eye and the distance she couldn't really see it.
"What kinda flag is tha'?"
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Post by twilightblade on Dec 11, 2007 15:04:32 GMT -5
Alois grabbed the nearest sailor, who happened to be trying to face down Joss, and shoved him toward the ladder into the hold.
"Ge' fin' the gunn'ry off'c'r as ye value yer life!"
Go find the gunner officer as you value your life!
Ignoring the now running sailor, she snagged Joss' arm and hauled the woman along with her and up to the Captain. "Cap'n! Lady 'ere 'as wot's wot on th' ship 'ats comin'!" She nodded once sharply, as he gave her a wave, and scrambled back up into the rigging, trying to make out the new flag.
...It was red. Hells and damnation to all! It was the Bloody flag! No quarter would be given if The Weave lost this battle!
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Post by Kage Chaos on Dec 11, 2007 22:49:38 GMT -5
"It looks...red," Noros said to Belle, "What does that mean? Is it bad?"
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Post by blossom on Dec 17, 2007 10:47:33 GMT -5
"Red?" Belle hissed, remembering the lessons her brother had given her. Panic started to swell up inside her. No ... oh, no, please ... not the Joli Rouge!
She turned to Noros, still clutching Hattie beside her. "Tell me," she tried to stop her voice from wavering, "Is it a long, red strip - more like a ribbon than a flag?"
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Post by Kage Chaos on Dec 20, 2007 12:40:18 GMT -5
"Yes, I think so," Noros squinted to see. It did appear a bit more narrow than ordinary flags. Strange.
(Cefor wants to join, and his plan is to be a prisoner from the other ship. If anyone doesn't like this idea, let him know either in a message or in the brainstorming PIRATE RPG thread. Otherwise, let's make it happen.)
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Post by twilightblade on Dec 21, 2007 19:35:01 GMT -5
Alois yelled down to the ship, her voice on the edge of frantic, her accent entirely disappearing. "It's the Bloody Flag, Captain! The Joli Rouge!"
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Foxee
Chaos Lieutenant
Posts: 208
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Post by Foxee on Dec 21, 2007 23:29:56 GMT -5
Joss was for once completely out of her element. Normally she was in command of any given situation - or at least tried to be - but this was beyond her. She gripped the rail and watched the approaching ship. By how everyone was acting the next few minutes would have a significant effect on all of their futures.
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Post by blossom on Dec 22, 2007 10:02:11 GMT -5
Noros' words and Alois' shout confirmed it. Belle thought she might faint there in the middle of the ship, and would probably drag Hattie down with her. Her face blanched pale with the ugly scar splitting her face a deep, bruised purple. Her brother's voice shouting orders above them seemed distant.
"It's the Joli Rouge ..." she whispered, then explained to the obviously confused Noros and Hattie, "The Joli Rouge, the bloody flag. It means there will be no quarter given if we lose."
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Post by Kage Chaos on Dec 22, 2007 12:03:59 GMT -5
Noros nodded, not sure of what to say.
He thought for a moment. A moment was all he really had, "We should do what we can to help."
He started to run toward the captain to ask what he could do, but stopped, and turned back to Hattie and Belle, "Will you two be alright?"
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Cefor
Chaos Initiate
Death to the Imbecile!
Posts: 12
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Post by Cefor on Dec 22, 2007 19:23:35 GMT -5
((What nationality is the Joli Rogue? I need to fashion a character based on one of their crew, so I need to know!))
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Post by Kage Chaos on Dec 22, 2007 21:32:40 GMT -5
((Joli Rouge is a term that basically means pirates. I believe it's French.))
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Post by blossom on Dec 26, 2007 9:53:05 GMT -5
((Actually the Joli Rouge is an internationally recognised symbol in nautical battle, though the term is French. It's also the origin of the ship name 'Jolly Roger' by the by ... so really, the ship could be from anywhere.))
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Post by jessimyre on Dec 30, 2007 16:51:48 GMT -5
I'd vote French, they tended to mostly stick to the Medditeranean (sp?) but were known across the world as a vicious lot of corsairs back in the day.
"Lets not lose then." Hattie answered firmly. She clambered back down onto the deck, almost tripping over her skirts. With a frown of frustration she leant down and grabbed the ripped hem and yanked hard, tearing her dress. She quickly tore off a couple of wide strips shortening the length considerably.
"There, I c'n move propl'y!" she stuffed the strips into a pocket, they may be needed as bandages later. She looked round at Belle's stark face.
"Come below, I have an idea." she said, turning to include Noros in her glance. "I got out of that putrid prison and I'll be damned if'n I'll die out here."
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Post by Kage Chaos on Dec 30, 2007 23:30:35 GMT -5
Noros watched the dramatic display of dress destruction by Hattie, not sure what to think.
"Come below, I have an idea," she said.
Noros was forced to tear his gaze away from her newly exposed skin as she turned to him, "I got out of that putrid prison and I'll be damned if'n I'll die out here."
A small grin found Noros' face. Hattie certainly had the same love for life that he had, though she wasn't afraid to show it, like he usually was, "Lead the way, ladies first."
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Post by jessimyre on Jan 3, 2008 2:50:37 GMT -5
Hattie dodged her way between the rushing men, heading for the rough steps that would take them into the bowels of the ship. There had to be something, she decided, that the other pirates wanted. Usually that was plunder...
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Post by twilightblade on Jan 17, 2008 21:24:39 GMT -5
Alois swung down from the rigging, careful to avoid displacing the lines and cleats in her descent, and dropped to the deck. Sailors hurried past her, going for their battle stations, while others rolled out the barrels of sand in preparation for fire.
Dodging the moving bodies, Alois sprang to the railing near the Captain, peering toward the other ship.
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Foxee
Chaos Lieutenant
Posts: 208
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Post by Foxee on Jan 18, 2008 8:27:34 GMT -5
Joss still stood, gripping the railing when Alois bounded next to her and peered into the intervening distance between the ships.
"What do they want?" She asked, never taking her eyes from the red banner.
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Post by twilightblade on Jan 19, 2008 17:38:01 GMT -5
Alois glanced over at Joss. "Loot's my guess. They'ms na gonna gie us no quarter if'n we fight, 'n some fool 'as already fired off cannon. So we fight."
Loot's my guess. Those men are not going to give us any quarter if we fight, and some fool has already fired off cannon. So we fight.
She turned back to study the oncoming ship, noting the number of sailors lining the rails. "S'na so good if'n they's got'sa many up'top. They'ms got 'nough fight'n men as to fire cannon 'n still come up ta' deck."
It's not so good if they have so many up on deck. They have enough fighting men so that they can fire cannon and still have enough men left over to come onto the deck.
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Post by Kage Chaos on Mar 7, 2008 3:25:10 GMT -5
"What's your idea?" Noros asked Hattie, hoping she could hear him over all the commotion.
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Post by blossom on Jul 2, 2008 7:04:30 GMT -5
Belle looked up at the railing, where her brother was stood giving grim orders. The salt air whipping through his hair and the flinty expression on his face made him seem almost a stranger. Unconsciously Belle raised a hand to her scarred face; she'd always been a burden to him. But perhaps now she was here ... now she might be able to help.
Turning away she ducked below deck, following Noros and Hattie.
***
Robert, on deck, watched with a steely determination as their opponent raised the Bloody Flag. At any other time he would be concerned with simply keeping his promise to his men, but now he also had his sister on board - and he wouldn't risk Belle.
"Alois!" he shouted out the order, "Into the rigging. Get us out of here."
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Post by twilightblade on Jul 3, 2008 15:29:17 GMT -5
"Aye Sir!" Alois snapped off a ragged salute and scrambled back up the mast, adjusting lines and cleats as she went to get the maximum possible pull from the wind, then waved to a sailor on the deck to shift the main line around. The main sails billowed out, sending them skimming before the wind, breasting the swells with ease...and leaving the other ship floundering in their wake.
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Post by jessimyre on Jul 6, 2008 20:52:30 GMT -5
Hattie heard Noros shouting, she then felt a lurch as the ship's sails billowed and caught the wind. It seemed to rise up a little and even from halfway down the steps to the hold she could feel the change in their speed.
"Per'aps we won't need it then," she turned to the others. "Just as well," she blushed, "I was goin' to make up a map indicatin' a false bearing for false reasons for them to find. Silly idea, really." She looked up, horrified. Noros, Joss, Belle - they had all followed her. She blushed harder and half shrugged.
Well, whilst she was down here she would make use of it. She would find something to sew with and turn her wretched skirt into servicable pants and also find a weapon. Having lived life by the skin of her teeth for many years, Hattie was in no illusion to the wims of men and how easily they could take them. Her expression hardened as she clattered down the steps and cast around looking for something to defend herself with. She was no longer afraid to fight even if she wasn't in much condition to do so.
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Post by Kage Chaos on Jul 8, 2008 21:52:43 GMT -5
Noros, while not fully understanding what was going on, shook his head and steadied his thoughts. It'd probably be a good idea to find a weapon of some sort...
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Post by twilightblade on Jul 10, 2008 2:27:29 GMT -5
Alois, clinging to the top of the mast, saw the other ship falling farther and farther behind. With a huge grin, she yelled down to the deck.
"We're pulling away, Captain!"
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Post by blossom on Jul 10, 2008 8:12:34 GMT -5
"Good!" Robert called to Alois, a smiled of relief breaking over his face. He turned round and surveyed the deck, but none of the faces he had expected to see were there. Holding back a sigh, he called to one of the pirates on deck.
"Joe! Go and get my sister and her friends. It's high time we found them something to do."
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