Seas of Affliction

After three more days isolated and idle, I was once again up on my feet. Though I had healed tremendously fast, it was the weakness of the human side of my form that was keeping me from getting up sooner. Even now there was a meekness in my breath as I changed into loaned clothes. I had some friends among the divide in the crew about my presence. I was more surprised those who didn’t approve of me hadn’t tried to sneak in and kill me in the night. Perhaps they knew that in my sickly state I would still be a handful to put down.

I stopped at the door, stubbornly admitting to myself that a part of me was afraid of what type of response I would get stepping out onto the deck again. When I opened the door, the noise of the crew working and the water splashing up against the boat stayed at a steady volume. I took a few steps forward, carefully watching things around me, feeling a presence come up and stop behind me. So things were to start immediately.

“If I had known you be a woman, I wouldn’t have let you sleep so comfortably at night by yourself.” The voice belonged to Stephen, a man that I didn’t speak to often but in the scattered cots and hammocks tied to supports in the crew’s quarters, it was him who was on the cot across from me at night.

“And if I knew you were the type of man to think such possessive things, I wouldn’t have let you sleep so comfortably at night either.” I had turned, facing him with the same amount of coercion as my voice held.

He chuckled to himself. “Don’t get your little mind in a twist now, love. I wouldn’t fuck some putrid sea swine anyways.”

I ground my teeth together, my hands were ready to battered his smug face into actual sea swine as they shook into fists at my side. It took every part of me to keep from doing so, reminding myself of the trust I had to build yet. This would not be a good way to start that.
“Excuse me.” I muttered through my grating teeth.

I walked across the deck, most of the crew stopping their work to look at me as I passed. I was heading for the cargo hold to hide away. Nikolai blocked my way. He didn’t look foreboding like others, just unsure and a little afraid.

“I always thought you were too small to be a man,” he spoke lowly. “Features too delicate, hands too smooth. I’m wondering if I was wrong to ignore it.”

My face softened from its hardened shell it took up with Stephen. “Before any of this new revelation was brought to light, did you suspect me to be a possible enemy then?”

He looked me up and down hesitantly. “No.”

“Then why is it so different now, hm? Is it because I normally have a tail or is it because it’s realized I have tits‒or that’s at least seems to be the popular term for breasts amongst you all‒ and I’m a woman, or because I wasn’t truthful from the beginning?”

“It’s a mix of everything.” He averted his stare, looking slightly ashamed at himself.

“At least I know I’m being judged for many things rather than the one I thought I had to be most worried about, then. Now can you please move aside?” I asked of him.

“Don’t move, boy! She’s fooled us all too long to give into anymore kindness.” Mr. Wick shouted from somewhere behind us. I turned, seeing the entire working crew looking at me. Some of their faces read anger and hate, distrust and coarseness, and then some apprehensive or indifferent.

“That’s enough now, men.” Mr. Burke ordered sternly, looking over the edge of the upper deck.

“Come on now, Burke. We should have her dangling over the edge of the ship for the trouble she’s caused us!”

“And what trouble is that exactly? Are you thinking of the trouble I caused your fragile ego after you tried to attack me?” I questioned, seeing a rise of anger erupting from him.

“A woman who can’t hold her tongue and a sea bitch who doesn’t know her place out of the sea,” he spit on the ground next to him. It was brown with tobacco.

“Again, the things that ruin your self-pride and glorification of being a male?” I couldn’t help the corners of my lips barely rising into a smirk beyond the shadow of the firm line they had just been in.

His face scrunched up in slanderment, producing a pistol from the back of his pants. “How many bullets does it take to kill a sea devil?”

“A lot more than you are able to produce, I’ll bet.” I shot back in defiance. If he was right about anything, it was my inability to hold my tongue. Perhaps Priscilla was right when she said I still have a young heart.

“I believe Mr. Burke has said that is enough.” I hadn’t noticed Theo suddenly standing next to me, hands folded behind his back.

“Captain‒,” Mr. Wick started.

“Mr. Wick,” he cut off, “put your gun down.” He lowered it unwilling.

“It has been on many thoughts over the past few days that I have decided that if the rest of the crew is in conjunction with one another that she will continue passage until our arrival to Tangia.”

“I don’t know about that, captain.” A crews man voiced.

“How do we know we can trust her?” More voiced their concerns and questions.

“I’m sure anything you are questioning, you can ask her yourself. I want your decisions to be made without bloodshed. I will not have senseless violence tip this ship into some kind of organized chaos. You have until tomorrow morning to have a decision presented to me. Until then, get back to work.”

After a few moments of silence and some muttering from the crew, they slowly started getting back to their responsibilities. I breathed a small sigh of relief, thinking of how quickly that could’ve gotten out of hand.

“And as for you,” my eyes snapped to Theo, “it would be in your best interest if you didn’t wave a red flag at the bull.”

“Despite the fragility of the situation, captain, I will not overlook a moment defend myself when needed. Even if I don’t understand what a bull and a red flag have to do with it.”
A grin barely broke through his waring gaze. “The red flag is an instigator for a bull’s violent or angry reaction. That it’s relevance. And also that your are as stubborn as one as well.”

“Well, then I must say that maybe it is the bull who shouldn’t be so easy to rouse with a simple show of red. Maybe the bull should learn some control.” I answered.

“Ironic coming from someone who always seems to have at least a few flags at the ready to ebb at the bulls ego.”

His retort had me give him an evil eye. “Self-preservation and self-pride are two different things.”

“In the eye of the beholder they are but they walk in a line next to each other, they can be hand-in-hand.”

“I’m not sorry for inciting him if that’s what you are trying to get at, captain.” I argued pointedly.

“No, you already have enough on your plate as it is. Wouldn’t want you to worry your pretty little mind.”

I stared agape as he walked away. That complete‒what’s the word I hear so often to describe people like him...Ah yes, a jackass. How had even heard that? He wasn’t around when another one of his brutish men were insulting me, at least to my knowledge.

“What’s your real name?” I turned, eying Mr. Burke. I could relax a little around his presence.

“Florence Maderiana.” My name sounded odd coming from my mouth. It didn’t feel like mine anymore.

“Nothing short of beautiful,” he complimented without the lightness the word was usually supported with. “And I must say, despite my still wariness of your revealed identity, I feel that will quickly pass.”

“Feeling of premonition?” I inquired.

“A feeling of trust to, Theo. Since he hasn’t carried out any more reprimandation since talking with you personally, I can’t see that as anything other than a sign of trust. And I trust Theo, therefore, I will take a chance on trusting you.”

“He’s leaving the decision of reprimandation up to the crew. Apparently it’s only fair that way, a collective judgement.”

“I stand by my judgements though.” He nodded, holding his hand out.

I looked at it with confusion, unsure of what to do exactly. I copied his action. He chuckled, grabbed my hand to shake with his. I was still lost at this custom I wasn’t aware of yet.

“Thank you for your kind words.” I smiled.

“Florence!” I turned, Theo striding towards us. “Navigation room, now.”

I looked to Mr. Burke, who seemed to read my uneasiness. He followed us down the steps to the level under the main deck. I hadn’t been in the part of the ship more than once or twice, there was no need for it until now. Theo walked into a small room, some maps strewn across a table. Various places were marked on each of them, their distances scribbled by the marks.

“What is it?” I asked, looking to try and figure out what I was looking at.

“Before the situation of your head being put on a stake arises possibly, I need to pick your brain about some locations that pose threats, such as the islands we previously encountered. I need to know what I’m sailing into.”

I immediately felt conflicted about this. On one hand disclosing information is helpful to my safety and gaining trust from the crew and more importantly Theo, but on the other hand it could put my kind and others are risk of exposure if that information is taken advantage of in the wrong way. I decided to voice these concerns before giving an answer.

“While I am more than happy to help you, captain. I must have your word that you will not use information about these locations to a sinister advantage.”

His forehead creased in an understanding I couldn’t identify. “Of course. You have my word.”

“Alright. Let’s have a look then.” I turned the map towards me and started working as Mr. Burke slipped back out of the room, seeing that things weren’t as uneasy as they originally had seen.