applepirate | 01. Shipwreck [Action]

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01. Shipwreck [Action]

[Little did Captain Barbossa know that day at Tortuga that he won't exactly wake up in the same place he had fallen asleep in - that is, the captain's cabin on the Queen Anne's Revenge. So when his eyes snapped open, it wasn't the hull of the ship they were looking at, but instead it was several tall trees they saw looming over him, along with the overcast sky.

The pirate captain proceeded to stand up from the ground, immediately feeling a new sensation in his back - that of a... pair of wings?]

Shiver me timbers... What is this wretched place?

[Fittingly enough, it was then when a chill ran up his spine and caused his body to quiver, making him notice that he was also shirtless - save for the white cotton pants on his legs.

Wait... did that mean...

Yes, turning his head around, Barbossa also saw no sign of his hat anywhere in the forest he was now in. The hat he had only just regained possession of.]

Arrr! Where be me hat? I swear, if somebody took me hat...

[Speaking of, what had happened to his ship that he had just acquired? Did his crew commandeer it somehow and left him here to perish while he was asleep? Just what in the world had happened in Tortuga? And what was up with this drastic season change? And that journal lying on the ground, which he knelt down to pick up - it wasn't a treasure he remembered uncovering. He was too confused and angry right now to make any sense of it.

Was this all that scalawag Jack Sparrow's doing again? If it was, he should better pray that Barbossa doesn't get his hands on him. Just marooning him on that bloody island wouldn't do this time... No, his fellow pirate would remember him as the scourge of the seven seas...

The (former) captain was already walking through the forest, trying to find anything - a path, a tavern, a port. It's there where somebody could find him and possibly help him understand what's going on.]

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[Barbossa mostly ignored Grell's comment if not for his slight cringing. Both from the sharklike teeth and what she said. Just what was she, really?...

What he cared more though was getting back to his ship and crew, such details not particularly important, certainly not more so that sailing away from wherever he was now.]

I hail from Tortuga - it is where me ship docked last before I woke up in this peculiar place... without me hat or ship.

[The distaste in his voice was not difficult to pick up on.]

It would appear as if some wretched folk robbed me of everything and left me with this.

[He looked at the journal in his hands with equal disdain.]

[Tortuga?

Grell's attention suddenly sharpens and she puts a hand up on the branch above her, leaning over to stare at Barbossa like she's trying to pry into his soul.]

Pray tell...Does the name Sparrow mean anything to you?

[Barbossa froze in sudden dread. The subject of Jack Sparrow was... quite a sensitive one for him.

The pirate's eyebrows were scrunched and there was a hint of anger in his voice, even more so than before.]

Curses! Don't tell me that sorry scoundrel is the reason I'm here?

[What if this Grell person was working with him? Were the both of them trying to make a fool out of him? Leaving him with no clothes and marooning him on this island... Was it petty revenge they were after?]

[Interesting. So they're acquaintances and not on the best terms.

Perfect.

Grell steps off the branch and drops to the ground below, standing to her full 6 foot height with a smile.]

Sadly no, although you've preemptively answered my other question so thank you. You're here because the world itself brought you here and the Malnosso have decided to trap you in our little bubble.

[She gives a curtsey.]

Grell Sutcliffe, at your service, my lord.

[Acquaintances may be the best way to put it, and it was the word Barbossa would use himself, not without a certain degree of reluctance.

He eyed her up when she dropped down cautiously, standing his ground just as before. If what she was saying was true, then it was a relief that it wasn't Jack who had tricked him (again), though now he would only redirect his anger at the Malnosso, for whom he'd certainly have more questions later. Though he wasn't sure whether to believe her or not yet...]

Indulge me curiosity. What other question, pray tell, have I answered?

[He lift his brows at her curtsey and her greeting. She went on surprising him and keeping him as confused as ever.

The old pirate scoffed a little before he responded.]

Are ye pledging yer allegiance to me or what? If ye are, then ye're now talkin' to yer Captain, Ms. Sutcliffe. I be Barbossa of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

What standing the two of you have.

[What a curious thing. A relic, really, but one that should be treated with care and honour and one which Grell is all too happy to indulge.]

I'm afraid my only allegiance is to Him [She points to the sky] and my work, but I'm certainly not adverse to lending a hand to one of such... [She studies him for a moment.] ...charm and grace. Captain Barbossa, how may I be of assistance?

And what business is it of yers?

[Though she would have definitely known how Jack and Barbossa felt about each other if she were his lackey; so in the end her comment worked for her favor. The pirate captain visibly eased up more, though he certainly wasn't as polite as he could be yet.]

Ye're one of them religious folk, then? [He glanced up the sky for a moment.] Or is it not any... fictional god where yer faith lies? [For there were gods he had seen with his own two eyes, and it was only such a god that could be inclined to pledge allegiance to.]

[Her comment after she studied him was dripping with sarcasm, but Barbossa said nothing. She wasn't really trying to make him more friendly to her, though, was she?]

Ye may assist in findin' me clothes and ship, if they be here. [And regain some of that charm and grace, as well as authority.]

Oh, it isn't faith, dear - that belongs to mortals. I quite literally work for Him, receive the memos and everything. Well, not directly from him, but it is close enough.

[Grell smiles and steps aside, bowing as she motions to her left. The village lay just a few more hundred meters in that direction, through the trees. It's hard to tell with Grell what is genuine or not.]

Your ship, I cannot help you find, but your clothes? Most certainly. Welcome to Luceti, my dearest Captain.

[Barbossa's brows scrunched in confusion and disbelief. Was this person a fanatic, or was she actually speaking the truth - or did she only think she was working for him?

Well, he was just supposedly transported to another world, so perhaps anything was possible here...]

...Isn't that interesting, miss Sutcliffe. Ye'd be labelled a lunatic back in me own waters. What it yer god's bidding now, I can't help but be curious?

[The captain then looked to the left himself for a moment, and folded his arms as he glanced at Grell again right after she had welcomed him into Luceti.]

And what is Luceti, exactly? I take it me clothes are there, then.

Luceti, is this place. [She motions to the trees, sky, everything.] The name of our gilt cage in which our ever gracious captors have decided to keep us. Your book can tell you more and help you find all the lovely other villagers who try to live in peace here.

As for what I do? I do hope you've more sense than the others in your world, Captain. After all. [She gestures with a flourish of her coat and a red and black handled chainsaw appears in her left hand in the blink of an eye. She hefts it up with ease, resting the blade against her shoulder.] There are things in this world that cannot simply be explained away by 'lunacy' and 'science.'

[As she explained his predicament, Barbossa followed her gaze wherever it went around them, until it landed on the book that he had in his hands. If this was a cage, it was the most sophisticated and queer one he had remembered being in. All of this was synonymous to being marooned on an island somewhere, except that this time he wasn't given a pistol with a single shot. Who knows whether he would actually need it.]

Livin' in peace here can be a difficult task with these captors of ours loomin' over this cage. Oh, no, it rather smells like war to me, lass.

[The old pirate captain's eyes widened a bit upon the sight of what could only be described as magic unfolding right in front of him, the sudden appearance of the chainsaw taking him aback. It wasn't quite like anything he had ever seen, but he already had a hunch that it was a kind of weapon.

Its presence there made him instinctively grip his journal tighter, a moment passing until he replied.]

Aye...I can't say I'm a stranger to such oddities. Ye see, I've went through things worse than death, and then death itself. Neither of those, I reckon, can be explained rationally or even believed by most folk of me world.

[She gives him a toothy smile and bounces the chainsaw against her shoulder.]

The life of one who cannot die, but cannot live.

[She tilts her head down a little and her greenish yellow eyes shine like a cat's behind her glasses.]

I can feel the kiss of my brethren on you, Captain Barbossa. It isn't so difficult for me to believe at all.

And if you're accustomed to war as our dear Captain Sparrow is, you'll find plenty to do in our pretty cage.

[And just like that, Barbossa's eyes widened a bit at Grell's words, his own head tilting to the side instinctively. What a curious woman, she was, so seemingly acquainted with what it had felt like; the life of one who was not among the living, but neither had he been dead. It was not something he recalled often, for he wasn't particularly fond of doing so.]

I have to say that what ye're sayin' intrigues me, miss Sutcliffe. It's a peculiar thing to go through death itself, much less havin' to explain it to folk. But ye are among the few who have shown an interest, and perhaps even knowledge as to what exactly happened to me.

[The pirate captain followed all of this up with a node, a sigh escaping his lips, which then pulled into a smile.]

Aye. I've certainly seen me fair share of battles, though I'm more comfortable when out in the seas with a ship's deck under me feet.

[She gives him a curtsy, holding the hem of her jacket as one would the edge of a dress, the other hand still firmly keeping the chainsaw in view and in place.]

It is my business to know, Captain. The least I can do is notice when someone so interesting wanders across my path.

The village has its share of pirates - not all the sort you will remember or even know - but they have ships, even if they're more for sharing than I would have expected from their kind.

[Grell straightens and bows, keeping her eyes on Barbossa.]

Shall I escort you to the village?

[Barbossa took a couple of steps forward as he heard what the death god had to say, her words clearly catching the old man's attention, fascinating him. She was reminding him of Calypso in some ways, especially the seemingly intimate knowledge she had of his journey through death. Hopefully he would get to finding out more about her later...

He reached out with his hand to scratch his beard a little.]

It is unlike our kind, aye... however, from the looks of things, this be a rather special circumstance. I have had the misfortune of sharin' a ship myself before, ye see, and I'm sure these pirates ye speak of aren't too thrilled about doin' the same either.

[At least he hadn't liked it one bit, and he was definitely acquainted with the feeling already.]

Aye, lead the way, miss Sutcliffe. The faster I'm out of this forest, the better. [So that he would get to somewhere warmer, and perhaps find at least some of his lost possessions.]

[She bows as a butler would bow and the chainsaw vanishes from her hands. Easier to move this way, even if her gestures aren't half as terrifying now. When she straightens, she turns and starts walking toward the village.]

You would be surprised. It behoves them to be generous considering the nature of the village. The other guinea pigs can get rather testy when they perceive someone as being less than altruistic on their shared morality scale. A shame, really. It does make them all rather boring after awhile.

[All goody-two-shoes and not a single black pock among them that hasn't yet been tamed into submission.]

You'll find your clothing and weapons at the shops, all laid out pretty for you. Although don't take more than you need. They get testy about that, too.

[And when the chainsaw disappeared, Barbossa had his eyes blink a bit again, only being reminded of what exactly she was capable of.]

Showin' off yer powers, are ye, or what? What else ye got in there? [Short cackle.]

[Not that he expected that he would be revealed everything she could do, and for that, he would still keep being somewhat mistrustful. It was not like he'd normally reveal his entire hand anyway.

Luceti, however, was shaping up to be yet another special circumstance indeed.]

Ye may be right, however, all of us seem to be sharin' this common enemy in the form of these Malnosso folk ye mentioned earlier. Perhaps the thrill both of us seek can be found in puttin' and end to them?

[Well, at least that was comforting. Whatever this place was, there was an element of doubt as to whether it could actually give him the type of clothes he wanted. Ship or no ship, he wanted his own back.]

[She grins as she looks over her shoulder, amused at his interest.] Oh, my dearest captain, when I show off my powers, you'll know.

[She hasn't had a chance in awhile, which annoys her, but sometime soon perhaps she can really let loose again. She just has to be patient and wait the rest of these people out.

She looks away again and keeps moving forward, picking her way along.]

As for the Malnosso, I'm afraid they're far too cowardly to show their faces here. Instead they like to shove us into their war and let us fight against those who wish to kill us rather than simply imprison us. However, should you ever wish to have a go at it against them, I would be more than happy to be of assistance.

[And with that, he would drop the topic of Grell's powers for now; for now, she only got a look through furrowed brows in response to her comment.]

If ye are so sure, miss. [He cackled slightly with skepticism, not really knowing whether she was overstating herself and whether she was truly capable of something more than what she displayed.]

In other words, ye're sayin' we be forced to do the dirty work for 'em.

[Just wonderful - and to top it off, there even seemed to be other folk in these lands who even had an even more hostile predisposition towards the villagers.]

Not that I would prefer bein' killed by those who we're sent after, of course. Speaking of, who else is in these lands apart from us and them anyway?

The Malnosso, the cultists, our little enclosure and several enclosures like it, unfortunately. Some have been here longer, some not half as long.

But you'll rarely run into their lot unless you decide to do the dirty work of our all-caring overlords. [Grell waves a hand dismissively toward the sky, then reaches into her jacket to pull out her journal. She turns it to this page and hands it over to him.]

You may find this an amusing read.

Well, well. This lot of miserable and unfortunate souls is even bigger than I imagined, then. [What a big 'happy' family this was turning out to be.]

[Barbossa proceeded to grab hold of the journal that she handed him, and most particularly, the guide she had opened it to. His brows immediately furrowed at the sight of the multiple sections, and he quickly skimmed through it all.

It was so long. If it was truly informative, he would read it eventually, but still...]

What is all this, miss Sutcliffe? A bunch of lengthy guidelines as to what this place is? [One of the few good things about the Code of the Pirate Brethren was that, at the very least, was ten times shorter than this and one could easily memorize it. The other good thing was that it was open to multiple interpretations, of course.]

More like a primer on how not to get yourself killed in the first week.

[She held her hand out for the book again, noting that they were nearing the village.]

It is quite long though, isn't it? Helpful as it may be, it is important to know that your wings are your life; the Malnosso are twisted, death lasts a week, and we are all lovely guinea pigs with the single benefit of everything being free here.

[She gestures forward then to the village opening before them.]

[Barbossa lightly scoffed as he kept his gaze on the book.] I think I should handle meself well enough, I'd like to think I'm... fairly adaptive given what I have had the pleasure of goin' through.

[He had been through so much already that he lost count of how many adventures he had that he hadn't planned on that he had already endured. Hopefully, this will be one of them and he would find himself back at his ship before long.]

Aye, that sounds like a relatively adequate sum-up of our conversation, actually. [He did furrow his brows in response to the last thing she listed, though.] I assume there is still a limit of some sort to "everything", otherwise I wouldn't mind gettin' me hands on a ship to sail out of 'ere as soon as possible.

You'll find that harder to do than expected. Observe.

[Grell picks up and rock and flicks it straight up into the air. It flies up like a bullet, then smashes into the barrier that covers the entire complex - shattering in what would appear to be mid-air a good few hundred metres above them.]

The cage is far more extensive than you can imagine.

[Hmph. That was an impressive toss, and the rock would have probably kept on going and going for a lot more if it wasn't for that barrier that it just hit. It was quite an adequate demonstration bluntly showing the reality behind the hospitable appearance of the village that was already in view and all the seemingly vast nature surrounding it. Quite literally a cage.]

So that's a 'nay' for any probable escape, be it through flyin' away, sailin' or any other means. The Malnosso folk sure like to keep a tight hold over their "guinea pigs", hmm?

[He then nodded in her direction as he ran his hand through his beard thoughtfully as he looked up.] If even yer powers that ye speak of can't break through that, we are up against a formidable foe indeed.

[Though the ever persistent pirate captain would never rule out the possibility that there was, in fact, a way around it all, despite how much the odds were stacked against them. He was not going to admit defeat anytime soon, oh no.]

01. Shipwreck [Action]

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