"M-My name is Marim." Maria looked at the smoke, then at the intimidating man, "and n-no thank you. I have to skin all of these?" She asked, wide eyed at the mountain of potatos in front of her. Picking up the knife and then a potato, she stared at it for a moment, trying to decide the best way to do her task at hand. She had been taught how to cook, and she was quite good at it she thought, but most all of the actual labor, husking the corn, peeling potatos, was done by the servants before the food even reached Maria's hands. With trembling hands, she began scraping the knife around the potato in her hand, making very random, and unclean cuts as she did so. How do the servants do this?

Jack tucked the cigarette back into his vest and sat quietly watching Marim do his work. "Boy you sure were spoiled, you can't even peel a potato." Jack reached over into his boot and took out another knife. He smoothed his hair out of his face and took a potato in one hand. "Here watch," Jack said while moving the knife skillfully over the rough flesh of the potato, making one long skin fall to the ground. "See? A child could do it, even a rich one. Now get to it, we don't have all day."

Jennette blinked, looking at Thomas. "Isn't the air a little too warm right now for fog? I was hoping we'd only have to watch out for sea creatures. Sea gulpers are in the area right now. The captain told me not to inform her of them anymore since they were only threats to idiots to fall overboard and most people can just carve their way out when eaten whole."
As though on cue, one of the bodies sent overboard was suddenly consumed by something smooth of texture, slimy, and dark green in color with black spots and thin, long fins.
"Oh well, at least it's not something dangerous like leviathans or flying lancers or arc gulls. Very hungry arc gulls, of course. Arc gulls wouldn't try to eat people unless they were hungry and desperate."

Maria watched Jack peel the potato and tried to mimic his motions. It was a bit more efficiant than what she had been doing, but it would obviously be awhile before she was very good at it. As she peeled her potato, she kept telling herself I just have to put up with this until we get to land. Once we get to land, I'll be set free.... Just a little longer. As scared as she was, she began to calm down a little, feeling slightly more assured that she was safe as long as they wanted her ransom money. After a moment, she cleared her throat and spoke, a bit more confidently than previously, "What is your name? Why did you attack our ship. We had not done anything to yours."

Thomas's eyes narrowed at Jennette, using his aura of silent fear that every sailor on the ship felt when looking at him.

"Don't question my orders, Jennette."

Thomas turned and looked out to the sea.

"And not just fog. I want to be alerted for any kind of strangeness, such as mist, sudden dark clouds, fish seeming to be laying dead on top of the water."

Thomas turned back to Jennette, his white eye piercing into her own.

"Do NOT be lax on this, girl. If something should happen, and you didn't report it to either me or the cap'n, I will be in charge of your punishment."

Jack had taken off his gauntlets and was in the process of sharpening his blades on a sharpening stone. He passed the blades slowly over the stone. "My name be Jack Aurora, just Jack to most. And beggin' your pardon boy, but you haven't been on the seas very long have ye? We're pirates, we don't need an excuse to attack your ship. Your ship had loot on it, we take it, s'merely business s'all."

Somat was on deck, looking out over the seas. Unlike the others, he didn't really feel any need for immense amounts of material wealth. Having gone from everything to nothing gave him an appreciation for the frivolity of it all. He was also on break now, without any current duty assigned. However, if the past was an indication, Jack would be along any moment now to do three things.

1) Call Somat a girl's name.

2) Call Somat an idiot.

3) Scream at Somat for about rive minutes about how useless he was before giving some small menial task.

Somat didn't mind really. It was their thing. Without stepping out of line, Sweets tried to bug Jack where possible, and Jack was the closest thing to the devil Somat had ever met. There was some sense of mentorship, what many would view as insane hatred, and an odd sense of comradery. Somat served as an example to the crew what Jack would do, and in return most people tended to lighten up a bit on Somat. It all evened out.

Thus, Sweets looked out on the sea, pretty much gazing wistfully, and let thoughts of revenge churn about in his head. Then he started his count-down to being demeaned...

10...9...8...7...

A knock on the door woke the captain from the singing dreams the elixer gave her, dreams free of nightmares of the past. She sighed and stood.

The door opened and a bosun's mate stuck his head in the door. "We've spotted a ship to the south on the distance. White sails from what we can tell."

"I'll have a look." She moved quickly to the fore of the ship and popped out her telescope. She dropped it and smirked. She turned to the Bosun's mate. "Sound all hands on deck. Standing orders are to clean everysurface and make this old girl shine." She patted the railing. "We're having a gam."
"I want the holy stones moving within the hour."

ooc: terms
gam-a get together between ships. usually to exchange info and goods.
Holy stones - Sandstones used to polish the wood decks. It was so named because since its use always brought a man to his knees, it must be holy.

"Aye, sir. I'll keep a lookout so sharp that I'll be able to see separate air gusts." Jennette said, reflexively turning to stare out at the sea. Like most people, she simply couldn't look Thomas in the eyes. He was an unpopular man, and his trademark glare was why. She turned to face him again. "Do you want me to pass this on to the relief or would you prefer to do it yourself?"

Then came the call for all hands on deck.

"Hmmm. That must be about the ship coming at us from the south." Jennette said, and descended to the deck. She was promptly handed a holystone and got to work.

Maria was about to make a comment about their "profession" when a call for all of the sailors came around. "What's that?" She asked Jack, pausing for a moment from her potato peeling and looking around.