Can't Live My Life in Yesterday

Emeline strolled down the gangplank after the Fury had successfully docked, with Ben in tow. She took a deep breath as her feet touched the ground. The port was still sleeping since the sun had only just risen, with only a few people roaming or sleeping in the streets. Emeline smiled broadly as she scanned the scene; she had missed this chaotic haven. Ezra walked down the gangplank, stopping to subtly hand his daughter some of the gold from their bounty.

“Be safe,” he whispered to her, eying Ben warily. She nodded, following his gaze to her curious companion. His green eyes were wide as they scanned every bit of what he could see. Her gaze flickered back to Ezra, and she patted his arm.

“No need to worry,” she replied with a reassuring smile. He gave her a hard look and she pursed her lips. “I’ll be fine! Now go off and have some fun,” she insisted, nudging her father toward the town. He gave her a rough smile, eyes twinkling as he walked off down the main road.

“He’s very protective of you,” Ben commented, glancing sideways at Emeline. She shrugged, kicking at the dirt.

“Well, when you think about it, I’m kind of all he has left,” she muttered. Before the conversation could go any further, she cleared her throat, nudging Ben with her elbow. “So what do you think?” she asked, gesturing to the town that lay before them. Ben chuckled.

“Let’s just say the reputation rings true.” He looked over at her with a crooked smile.

“Does that mean you’re not curious to find out how the other half lives?” she teased, smirking a little. He chuckled again, extending an arm forward.

“After you, m’lady,” he gestured, and the two walked forward into the town. Ben’s eyes darted everywhere as he tried to soak in as much as he could. His whole life, he had lived in the lap of luxury. He always had a clean, tidy house with bountiful meals. He never had to want for anything, and everything was prim and proper. He had been through years of schooling and had tiptop manners. He had never really misbehaved, and had followed in his father’s business footsteps; one day, he was to inherit the empire his family had built. He’d heard the stories about this island, of the scum and treachery of pirates, but he was more excited than nervous.

“Be careful when you talk,” Emeline warned as they walked down the now livening street. “Your accent might give you away, and I don’t feel like having to save your sorry ass again,” she chuckled, glancing over at him. He returned her laugh, but raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t exactly sound like a grungy pirate, you know,” he shot back. Emeline shrugged, waving at someone they walked by.

“My mum taught me how to speak, and she was from England. They say I look just like her, too, but I hardly remember her.” Ben frowned, glancing sideways at Emeline’s saddened expression. “Besides, most everyone here knows me, and if they don’t, they know my dad.” She winked, walking toward the biggest pub they’d seen so far.

“Isn’t it a bit early to start drinking?” Ben questioned as they walked up to the door. Emeline turned and smiled at him, a mysterious twinkle in her blue eyes.

“First rule of being a pirate, mate. It’s never too early for a drink.” She swung the door open and walked in, Ben on her heels. She walked right up to the bar and slammed her hand down loudly.

“What’s someone got to do to get a drink around here?” she yelled, her voice echoing into the mostly empty room.

“Oi, who the fuck do you think you are? The queen of Sheba?” came a woman’s angry voice from the next room. Ben tensed up, but Emeline just chuckled loudly as the barmaid rounded the corner. Her curly brown hair bounced around her face, chocolate eyes full of fire.

“Might as well be,” Emeline tossed a few gold coins on the bar top with a smirk on her face. The barmaid stared at the glistening coins before glancing up at Emeline’s face and cracking a wide grin.

“Em?! Jesus, why do you do that shit to me?” the barmaid joked, tossing a rag at Emeline, who caught it, laughing.

“Sorry, can’t help myself.” Emeline smiled as the barmaid stood across the bar from her. “How’ve you been, Darian?” The curvy woman shrugged, leaning her elbows on the bar.

“Can’t complain,” Darian replied, picking up one of the coins from the worn bar top and inspecting it. “I see you’ve been busy,” she mumbled, rubbing the coin between her fingers and setting it back down on the bar. “Impressive.” Darian walked down the bar, picking up a bottle and popping it open. “Who’s the fresh blood?” she asked, nodding toward Ben.

“New recruit,” Emeline explained, grabbing the bottle from Darian and taking a swig. “Refreshing,” she sighed, setting the bottle down. Ben glanced at the bottle and frowned.

“What is that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow when she offered it to him.

“Man up, just take a drink,” Emeline teased, and Ben accepted the challenge. The liquid burned his throat, and his expression twisted with dislike. Emeline and Darian burst out laughing as Ben pushed the bottle back toward Emeline, who took another swig without so much as a wince. He stared at her, amazed.

“Alright, who is he really?” Darian asked, giving Emeline a knowing look. Before she could open her mouth to argue, Darian interrupted her. “Look at ‘im! He can’t drink, he’s too pretty, and his accent is sharp. C’mon, you should know better than to lie to me.” Emeline gave her a sorry smile before glancing around the empty bar to make sure that no one was eavesdropping.

“He’s a Hooper,” she whispered. Darian’s eyes widened as she glanced back at Ben, who was wandering around the bar, ignoring their conversation. Her eyes darted back to meet Emeline’s.

“Blimey,” Darian whispered. “I see why you’re keeping ‘im a secret. But he’s gonna have a hell of a time trying to fit in here, especially if he drinks like that,” she chuckled, causing Emeline to roll her eyes.

“He’s in my charge, so hopefully everything goes smoothly. Ben!” Emeline called, bringing him back to reality. “C’mere. This is Darian, best barmaid the Island’s ever known,” she explained as he rejoined them at the bar. Ben bowed his head slightly as a sign of respect, and Darian raised her eyebrows. “We’ve gotta teach you to act like a pirate if you have a prayer of surviving here.” He frowned, leaning against the bar. “You stick out like a bloody thumb! She guessed you weren’t a one of us in about two minutes.” Ben glanced at Darian, who shrugged and nodded. She took a swig out of her bottle and handed it back to Ben, who had that crooked smile plastered on his face again. “What?” Emeline asked, blushing a little.

“You just look so much like a pirate when you do that,” Ben chuckled before taking the bottle and staring at it eerily.

“C’mon, it’s just rum!” Emeline egged him on. He took a deep breath before taking another swig, cringing a little less this time.

“Is this really what you all do in your free time?” He asked, putting the bottle down and making a disgusted face.

“If you’re too high society for us, I suggest you return to the ship,” came a voice from the doorway. All three whipped their heads around to see the first mate walking toward the bar, taking a seat on Emeline’s other side. Ben’s demeanor immediately darkened, but he bit his tongue. Jasper smirked at him. “Ah, the discipline of silence.” Ben opened his mouth to retort, but Jasper slammed his money down onto the bar. “Beer.” Darian nodded, quickly fetching him a mug of ale and blushing when he smiled at her and thanked her. Ben grabbed the bottle of rum and took a determined swig, swallowing the alcohol without so much as a shiver, but his face still contorted in dislike. Darian struck up a conversation about how best to handle the burn of alcohol, glancing over at Jasper with a dreamy expression every couple minutes. Emeline ran her hand through her hair, worried. “He’s never going to fit in,” Jasper mused, glancing at Emeline as he drank. She frowned, turning to face him.

“If you’re not going to help, I suggest you shut it,” she spat, eyes narrowing at the unneeded negativity and goading. Jasper raised an eyebrow.

“I won’t take talk like that from a woman,” he spat back at her, downing the rest of his beer before standing. She smirked, standing as well.

“Too bad you don’t have a choice,” she laughed, seeing his temper begin to flare. “You can’t do shit, and you know it.” She smirked, knowing that she already had him cornered. He grabbed her chin, his face uncomfortably close to hers and a dangerous glow in his eyes.

“You just wait for the day that daddy isn’t there for you to hide behind,” he seethed so quietly that only she heard. All of the smugness dropped from her expression as her jaw began to ache and the danger of Jasper’s words hit her. Sure, she may be respected and able to handle herself well, but when it came down to it, she was not as strong as most of the men she knew. He smirked at the realization in her eyes before throwing another coin on the bar top for Darian and storming out of the bar.

“Thanks, Jasper!” Darian called dreamily after him, collecting her money and walking into the other room. Emeline gave her an irritated look.

“Really?” she asked Darian, pursing her lips. Darian blushed, flustered, and shrugged in response.

“What was that all about?” Ben asked, frowning as Emeline rubbed her jaw. She could still feel the pressure as if Jasper’s fingers were still there. She smiled, pushing her fears to the back of her mind.

“Nothing, he’s just an ass.” Ben gave her a disbelieving look, but didn’t push the matter.

“You can say that again,” he muttered, throwing a dark glance towards the door. She chuckled and grabbed the bottle of rum as Darian returned to the room.

“Now let’s see about proving him wrong.”