Once I Was

[Erika Smith]

The past few days had been chaotic to say the least; her crew had set out to kidnap a very important man among the nobles, but instead they had somehow ended up with his daughter. Erika supposed the situation wasn't so bad. After all, they could still earn a few coins from the girl's ransom, but it did offer a lot more troubles than perhaps, they were prepared for. 

She needed them all to be ready.

Thankfully, a little bird had offered them something to keep them occupied with while they decided what to do with the girl. They were supposed to deliver some goods for Trevor Marin, a partner of sorts. 

Standing leaned over her desk with the map rolled across the table, Erika pointed at a possible route for them to travel to get to their destination. She wanted to stay as far away from the Coterie territory as much as possible - she didn't want to risk running into any of the mages residing there, after all. So taking the boat in a half circle towards Westwind seemed like the best course of action.

"But we'd want to stay away from the Shattered Isles too," she said as she pointed towards the map before lifting her head to look at her first mate, Ethan. 

[Ethan Black]

Things hadn't gone according to plan. There was a change. If small. A daughter for the father. Not exactly what anyone had in mind. But it would work. He knew that much. So he trusted her. His captain. It still felt off. Even after all these years. Only slightly. But it was there. Lingering. Sending a sliver of doubt. Only because of the debt he owed.

She pointed. They wanted to stay away from the mages. Yet also the Isles. Ethan frowned. Scratched his chin in thought. "I think what it comes down to is which we're willing to put up with." It was the truth. He pointed to the Coterie area. "Either we take our risk and deal with mages." His hand shifted to the Isles. "Or whatever lurks in the Isles. Either gets us where we want to go. If we've got a deadline we need to make fast, the Coterie way would be best. But if we've got time, the Isles might be the way to go." He flashed her a smirk. "Up to you, Captain." It ultimately was.

[Erika Smith]

The brunette grew somber for a moment. She didn't want to go anywhere near the Coterie - but that was personal. She supposed then, as long as they didn't pass the Devil's Eye, they'd be fine. That was a mark of sorts, she supposed. No one currently alive had ever dared venture further into the isles than that. She understood perfectly why.

"Well," she began, then stopped. She lifted her gaze to look at him, eyes narrowing and nose scrunching. "You're terrible at helping," she continued. Despite her words, the amusement gleamed in the brunette's brown eyes. They could always go straight north, she supposed. Perhaps she was too biased when it came to the eastern territory.

[Ethan Black]

The mood shifted. He knew. He could read it in her expression. It was obvious. Yet it passed. Then she looked at him. Claimed he was bad at helping. Smirk changed to grin. He was being cheeking in the expression. It didn't make him stop. "Maybe you're just terrible at being helped." He returned.

His gaze returned to the map. Scrutinized. Thought. He wasn't extremely certain of a course. But he'd seen her face. How it fell. She was uncomfortable going that way. He was wary too. He looked back at the Isles. Then at her. "Well, how much time do we have? Honestly I would take the Isles. If not for the adventure, then just to brag about how we managed." The smirk was back. But then lessened. "We'd be less likely to run into other ships out that way either."

[Erika Smith]

The brunette's lips formed an 'o' before she lifted her hand to punch the man across the length of his shoulder. "Shut your trap!" There was laughter in her voice, though. He seemed to have the tendency at bringing out her inner child. She didn't mind - as long as it was just the two of them. She still had to put on a front.

"Probably a few days," she said, "Mr. Marin's coming with us too." He was in charge of the shipment. It was his deal. They just had to deliver it him. Escort him. "I'm assuming we'll have more details about the cargo and our schedule once he gets her." She supposed there was little point in worrying about all of this now, but the recent events had left the brunette on edge. Time was crucial; and she had no plan what to do with the girl locked inside the storage room downstairs.

[Ethan Black]

She smacked him. Told him to shut it. He laughed. Rubbed his shoulder. There hadn't been any bite to her words. There was laughter instead. He was glad. She had a reputation to keep. A mask. Something he knew all too well. Yet he understood the necessity.

A few days. With an extra passenger. Mr. Marin. Ethan raised a brow. Gave her a look. But he didn't protest. He was merely surprised. He would give them more details once he was there. It made sense. Yet he wasn't thrilled. He hated being in the dark. Especially taking someone else along. But it was her decision. "So we're bringing a guest along? Should I make everyone get out their best clothes? Get the fancy silverware?" Jokes were good. Jokes could deflect.

[Erika Smith]

Raising her eyebrows, the brunette pursed her lips. "He is our benefactor and it's his shipment." Still, she understood perfectly why it would unease him. She shrugged then. "And we're getting paid for it." She felt that was important to mention. It was like any other mission, just with a passenger. Well, two of them, considering the girl stored downstairs.

She turned then, to fully face him. "Next time you're sassy, you should snap your fingers to make the effect last longer," she suggested with a light shrug. She too, could poke fun at him. It eased her mind too. It felt good. Being able to laugh and joke around even when things were the way they were. She had to remind herself to thank him for that later. He didn't deserve it right now, though.

[Ethan Black]

He was their benefactor and it was his shipment. They were perfectly good points. Especially the fact they were getting paid. Yet still, Ethan wasn't pleased. It might show, but only for an instant. She had her masks, and he had his. While he didn't like them, they came in handy. So he nodded. "Yes, Captain." It was all he could say.

She turned to face him. Gave him advice on being sassy. Poked fun at him in return. It furthered his grin. Lit up his face. Made his eyes gleam. This was what made him happy. Getting her to react like this. Things were too serious. There had to be a break. One he was fine with creating. "Well if that's so, why don't I see you doing it every time you open your precious mouth?"

[Erika Smith]

The brunette's smirk grew into a grin. A grin that seemed to almost color her features. "Because I'm already so good at being sassy, so I don't need the extra aid," she replied without missing a beat. Her eyebrows bounced too and it was apparent that she was smug. Mischievousness danced around in her deep brown eyes.

A thought struck her then. "Why aren't you out with the rest of the crew, enjoying your night off?" It wasn't rare that they stayed at a port, but they usually didn't stay as long as they had here in Goldcrest. She had let most of the crew go off to enjoy their time while they could.

[Ethan Black]

Her smirk grew into a grin to match his. She was so good she didn't need the motion. Her eyebrows bounced while she said it. Her expression was extremely smug. A light like his danced in her eyes. Ethan scoffed and rolled his eyes. "So good?" He repeated, crossing his arms over his chest. "Captain you need all the help you can get. But like I said, you are just terrible at being helped."

There was a question. Why wasn't he off in town? Why was he with her? The answer was obvious to Ethan. He chuckled. "Because I'd rather be around someone with their senses about them instead of babysitting more than a handful of drunken louts." But there was mischief in his eyes. "But by all means captain, if you want me to go out to town then we might as well go together. The night's yours to enjoy too."

[Erika Smith]

Chuckling softly, Erika shook her head. "Don't be so salty, Ethan. It doesn't suit your pretty face." She enjoyed their banter; she always had. It was simple and clean. And most importantly, it was fun. The kind of fun you didn't find a whole lot of in this kind of world.

"Touché," she replied. She didn't blame him. That was partly why she stayed on the ship as well. She wanted to keep her head clear. She needed to. "If I wanted to get drunk, I could do so here without having to deal with other people," she reminded him. Folding the map together, the brunette moved to tuck it into the cabinet. "Besides, I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to remember the night I supposedly enjoyed."

[Ethan Black]

She told him not to be salty. It didn't suit his pretty face. Ethan laughed. "We're on a ship, Erika. If I don't get salty one per day, I'm not a real pirate." He enjoyed their banter as much as she did. It made her more human. Relate-able. Enjoyable. Gave him a captain he could easily follow.

Touché. He'd won. The triumph showed on his face. yet he had a feeling he knew her reasoning. Why she'd stay on the ship. And he was right. If she wanted to she could've drank here. Ethan shrugged, but knew she was right. She tucked away the map. Said she likely wouldn't remember the night she enjoyed. Ethan laughed again. "True, but some people find that to be a good thing. Depends on the night, I suppose."

He turned to her. Observed her. "So then, Captain, what are we to do? We've got a whole night and a whole ship. Surely there's something besides sitting in here debating where to go."

[Erika Smith]

"There's a reason we're on a ship and not in the water, Ethan," she said, chuckling softly as she did so. This, this was why he was her first mate. He respected her as she did him, but they both had enough of a backbone to call each other out on their bullshit.

"You can call me by my name," she chastised him. Being called captain sounded awfully formal in such good company. Still, he'd presented a question. One she'd ought to answer. "Well, if you're that bored, you could always clean the ship..." She was joking, of course, but the ship did need a good scrubbing...

[Ethan Black]

They were on the ship, not in the water. "Well I might as well be, with all the attitude I get from you." He replied, the words dry. "And you dare to call me salty! I suspect you're actually just made of the stuff." It was nice having someone who could keep up with him. Not that the rest of the crew was stupid. Yet he much prefered Erika's company. He knew he'd get smart remarks from her.

He could call her by her name. Which he was aware of. Sometimes the mask persisted. Intentionally or unintentionally. "Right, right. Sorry, sometimes I forget I have the privilege." It was a bit of a tease. One he didn't regret. Especially when she suggested cleaning the ship. Ethan rolled his eyes."I said 'we have a whole night,' not 'we have a whole month!'"

[Erika Smith]

Grinning, Erika patted the older man lightly on the shoulder. "Birds of a feather flock together." She offered him a wink before lowering her hand and returning it to her side.

His words was met with a laugh; the kind of land that caused a tremble to run through the brunette's body. "It's not that dirty." She looked around then, head tilting in contemplation. "I mean... It has a certain rustic kind of... Charm?" It was a ship. A pirate ship at that. It wasn't supposed to shine or sparkle, was it? Their former captain had been a lot stricter on it, though. She had to admit that much.