Moonie's Ramblings

[Prof. Moonie]

"Hey, wait!" exclaimed Lucius, as Izzy snatched the last pastry from the plate between. "That's not fair!"

Izzy didn't bat an eye as he rushed away from the little spot the crew had settled in in the park for their picnic. They were bloody pirates after all. Why the f*ck were they having a picnic? Putting daisies in each other's hair? Eating pastries for f*ck's sake! Served them right for him to take matters in hand and end the foolishness by taking the last one.

He could see from the corner of his eye that Lucius was following him with his quick little jog. If he wasn't so frustrated by this lot, he would have admitted it was a bit cute. Then just as quickly Lucius came to a halt staring beyond Izzy, his face turning white with fright. What now?

"Oof," said Izzy, as he crashed into a figure. He took a step back and turned to see who he ran into. His immediate gaze came upon a leather-cladded chest and as he followed it upwards, he recognized the long black and silver hair that fell in waves around their face. "Ca-captain..."

Izzy found himself stepping backwards timidly as his Captain, Blackbeard, started to step forward, using his height to loom over his first mate, coming out of the shadows he had been lingering in among the nearby building archways.

"Now, now, Izzy," said Blackbeard. "You all come out here to have a picnic and don't even bother to invite your Captain?"

"We didn't really think you would be up for it," called out Pete.

"Shut up, babe!" snapped Lucius.

"Well, it's true, babe!" retorted Pete.

"Not up for it?" echoed Blackbeard, glancing over at them before back at Izzy. "Why would you think I wouldn't be interested in a picnic? Laying about on the grass?" He gently pulled the pastry out of Izzy's unresisting grasp and took a bite. "Or have freshly made pastries?"

 

[Prof. Moonie]

"Edward... about earlier..." quietly started Izzy. "For the picnic... we... they..."
"Iz... don't," replied Edward.
"It was all their idea," continued Izzy.
"Izzy, you really don't-"
"If I had known they were planning the outing, I would have of course notified you. To ask if you wanted to-"
Izzy's words were cut off as Edward quickly whipped around and pushed him against the wall with his hand around his neck. He barely kept a whimper from escaping.
"Shut up," hissed Edward. "Do you ever just shut up?"
Izzy opened and closed his mouth, realizing it was better not to respond with a response. Edward nodded in acknowledgement of Izzy finally complying to being quiet and his hand loosened slightly on his neck.
"I don't care about the picnic," said Edward. "Sure, it would have been nice to join in... but after everything, it's probably best to let the crew have their own time together in peace and not have to worry about setting me off again. I certainly haven't made the best impression on them."
Izzy narrowed his eyes in confusion as he felt Edward's hand start drifting upwards to caress his check, his Captain's thumb barely touching the skin where his tattoo was as he made circles.
"But..." continued Edward, his voice barely a whisper and occasionally catching. "But... it still would've been nice."
"Nice, sir?" asked Izzy.
"To be invited. To spend time with the crew. Not as their Captain. Not as Blackbeard. Hell, not even as Stede's Ed. Just... as some bloke who wants to be friends with other blokes."
"And a picnic would have satisfied that?"
Edward let out a breath as he dropped his hand to Izzy's shoulder and seemed to curl up on himself as he rested his head against his First Mate.
"I don't know. I don't f*cking know."
Izzy stood there confused on what to do. The man leaning against him was someone different from the Blackbeard figure... and even different from the Ed or "Stede's Ed" as Edward put it. He wasn't sure how to proceed.
"Maybe we could have the crew arrange for another picnic?" asked Izzy.
Edward stepped back, letting his hand travel down from Izzy's shoulder to his arm before finally breaking contact. Izzy couldn't help but notice that the gesture seemed to asking for something, something he didn't want to ask for verbally.
"It just wouldn't be the same," replied Edward. "Let's... let's just forget it."
"Captain," asked Izzy, as he watched Edward sink down into one of the armchairs. "Is everything alright?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" asked Edward, looking up at his first mate, faking a look of surprise.
"I'm your First Mate, Edward," said Izzy, as he stepped forward. "I worked by your side for years with no question. Given you every ounce of loyalty I have. We have never kept secrets from each other. So, why start now?"

 

[Prof. Moonie]

My love... with my love... and their snarky sidekick. xd

 

[Prof. Moonie]

 

[Prof. Moonie]

Good morning everyone.

 

[Prof. Moonie]

 

[Prof. Moonie]

La di da...

 

[Prof. Moonie]

"...and then we can grab some churros and other goodies as we walk around the park," said her friend's voice, shifting back into her focus.
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess we could," she replied.
This has been a conversation they had multiple times over the past few months while planning their trip but she never had the same level of excitement about it as her friend. She supposed that was mostly due to this being her first time going to Disney compared to her friend's annual trips since childhood. Plus she couldn't imagine herself snacking consistently like her friend hinted they would do.
"Trust me, you will want to make sure to save up for all of the delicious stuff!" continued her friend.
"So, you've said."
Her friend didn't press further on the matter as she got distracted by glittery pink merch sitting on the shelves they were passing. Edwardina glanced around her in boredom as she waited for her friend to make a move that they would continue; she didn't fully understand doing all of these outings and purchases her friend invited her along when they were supposed to be saving up for the trip. Though she acknowledged her friend didn't really have to worry about it now, since her parents had announced they would cover for the rest of the trip's cost for her part.
As she ran her fingers through her hair, she realized she shouldn't be as worried about saving up either. She had quite a bit saved up that she could dive into, if need be. Plus it would still be a few months before they left for the trip.
"F*ck off!" exclaimed a raspy voice from down the store from them.
Edwardina found her attention drawn towards the voice and saw a black-haired shorter individual donning a "Daddy" black t-shirt and leather pants, followed by a tall individual in a red bolero and a small plaid scarf tied around their neck.
"Oh, come on!" exclaimed the taller individual. "You know you like it!"
"Stop trying to be such a seductress."
The other individual did a pretend out. "But I thought you loved it when I was."
"Not in the mood for it today."
"No kidding," replied their friend, rolling their eyes and then smirking.
"Ed?"
Edwardina turned to look at her friend in surprise realizing her friend had been trying to talk to her.
"What do you think of this?" she asked. "Should I get it?"
She looked down at a set of various colored pens with stationary. Ed smirked before looking up at her friend.
"Don't you already have pens?"
"Yeah, but they're not glittery like this!"
"It sounds like you've already made a decision."
"You're right. I'm getting them."

 

[Prof. Moonie]

"Tell me again why we're coming back to this place?" asked Izzy, as they strolled through the front doors of the museum. It felt weird doing it after having worked so many years for the place and being able to key in through the back door.
"The f*ck if I know," replied Ed.
"It's because Jackie got in touch with us saying she has a new painting they received and thought it would interest us," explained Stede, not letting his companions disgruntled moods ruin his excitement.
"They get new paintings all the time though. And if they thought we wanted it, why didn't they just send it over rather than making us traipse all the way down here?" asked Izzy.
"I guess they didn't realize what they had when they first received it. It wasn't until they started working on cleaning and repairing it that they discovered what they got."
Izzy grumbled under his breath on how he doubted their new employees would be able to adequately repair a painting to their original glory as Ed and himself did.
"Ah, excellent!" exclaimed a tall dark woman as she stepped into the lobby spotting them. "The men I was hoping to see. Something came up that's made my schedule even tighter than it had been and I don't have a minute to spare."
"So, you've got a painting for us?" asked Ed.
"Yes, and I think you will be quite impressed by it," said Jackie, leading them through the museum towards the doorway to the back hallways to their familiar rooms in the basement area. She looked pointedly at Stede. "Especially you."
"Me? Why me?" asked Stede, his eyes wide with confusion.
"Since you have decided to put those other three on display and make sure a big deal about them."
Ed and Izzy exchanged looks before they followed Jackie into their old work area. There were a couple employees in the room but they were busy working on their own projects, barely acknowledging their arrival. Izzy tried to keep his discontent on how the place had been transformed; no longer was there a separation between work space and breaktime space.
"Here we are," said Jackie, flourishing a hand towards a painting that was sitting on an easel in the middle of the room, covered by a fabric tarp. She glanced down at her watch on her wrist and tsked in annoyance. "Sorry, I have to go. Feel free to look at it and you're welcome to take it with you, if you like. Just let one of these folks know."
They watched Jackie leave the room before turning back to the covered easel.
"So, this is it," said Izzy.
"Apparently," said Stede.
"Well, enough with drawing out the mystery, let's see what we have," said Ed, stepping forward and gently pulling the fabric off. It just as quickly slipped from his fingers as he stared wide eyed at the figure in the portrait that sat before them.
"F*ck," breathed Izzy.
Stede looked back and forth between his companions and the painting.
"Am I missing something?" asked Stede. "Well, aside from the fact that it looks like a similar style to the paintings we have. Now, I understand why Jackie said we would want it."
"It can't be," said Ed.
"Can't be what?" Stede prompted again.
"Mary Anne," said Izzy.
"Who's Mary Anne?"
"Someone from our past," replied Izzy, subconsciously reaching up to play with the green gem ring that hanged from a chain around his neck.

 

[Prof. Moonie]

"We're going to have quite the job for us, Iz," said Ed, looking at the portrait more. "Looks like they tried to do some work on it but... you know what sort of quality of work we like to achieve."
"You should have seen the state it was in when it got to us," said one of the employee, glancing over from his station.
"Oh?" asked Stede, smiling to encourage them to continue.
"Apparently it was found among a bunch of paintings and other antiques in an abandoned building over in the Carolinas," continued the employee. "The building apparently belonged to some big name family and the last descendant recently passed away. Rest of the family still resides over here, so they asked for all of the assets that could be saved be sent to them. Most of the paintings were discovered to be long lost pieces of collections, so they were sent to their respective holders. This one though was an unknown piece... well, until we started cleaning it up and someone mentioned the three paintings that you worked on."
"It certainly has the same style, that's for sure," said Stede, before turning to look at Ed and Izzy. "What do you think? Is it possible?"
"From what I can tell, the paint looks very similar to the same time frame," said Ed, leaning this way and that to get better angles at the paintwork.
"Do you think..." whispered Izzy.
Ed and Stede turned to look at him.
"Do you think she's back?"
"Is who back?" asked the employee.
"Don't mind him," said Ed, waving the employee back to his station. Once the employee left, he stepped closer to Izzy. "What makes you ask that?"
"The other paintings," replied Izzy. "They started appearing when Stede entered our lives. We thought it was all over when all three paintings came together. But now... now this one decides to appear?"
"If this painting is related to the others, who do you think she is in relation to them?"
They all stared at the painting in thought, remembering how they had gotten flashes of memories of their painting counterparts - past lives, they supposed - and how it ended up being all three had known each other. The Captain, The Gentleman Pirate, and the First Mate. But who would this lady be?

 

[Prof. Moonie]

After dealing with an hour or more of confused employees not knowing what to do when Ed announced they would be taking the painting, like Jackie stated they could do, they finally left the museum and made their way back to their apartment. Ed unwrapped the paper they had put around it and set it on an easel in their work room. The sunlight coming through the windows landed across it causing the dark green eyes of the portrait to shine brightly, as if the actual model was standing before them.
"What the hell have they done to you?" said Izzy, as he ran a finger across the canvas, noticing the poor workmanship of the clean job and apparent attempts to repairing tears in the canvas.
"I didn't realize how many colors her hair seems to have," said Stede.
Ed glanced over at the painting, looking at the golden blond-brown hair that cascaded around the woman's head and shoulders. The sunlight teased at the golds, browns, and even darker tones that made up the arrangement.
"She must have been someone of import to be wearing that dress," said Stede. "Only those of wealth would be able to afford that sort of fabric." He leaned forward towards the painting before tsking in displeasure. "What a state it's in. Can barely make her out in all of this grime."
"A fancy one?" said Ed. He huffed out a breath of amusement. "Now ain't that something? If she does know our three lads, I am quite curious on how she fell across their paths."
"And who is this Mary Anne?" said Stede, turning to Ed.
Ed almost stumbled as he felt a moment of deja vu, as hearing his own words spoken back to him. No. Not his words. His painting counterpart's.
"Well," said Ed, shifting his weight. "Like we said. She's someone from our past."
"Ed, we agreed we wouldn't keep secrets from each other."
"We went to school together," answered Izzy. "We got close. We went our separate ways. End of story."
"Clearly not end of story, if she's able to affect you like her painting counterpart did," retorted Stede.
Izzy straightened and crossed his arms in front of him.
"She gave you that ring, didn't she?" continued Stede, remembering seeing his companion reach for it back the museum.
"You treading dangerous waters, mate," hissed Izzy.
"Stede, just drop it," said Ed. "She's from our past. There's no need to dig further into it when there's no need to."
"Not even because of this painting showing up?"
"We don't even have confirmation it has anything to do with her," said Izzy.
Stede looked back and forth between them, before finally nodded in acknowledgement. "Very well then. I'll let it be."

 

[Prof. Moonie]

"...and you should have seen the shoes she was wearing with the dress!"
"Lucius, I do hope you are actually doing some work and not just gossiping with your friends," said Stede, not even looking over as he walked through the door.
Lucius flashed a glare at his boss' back at the insult before straightening up and shifting the scarf around his neck.
"I would have you know, I am talking with a customer," retorted Lucius. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't claim I don't do anything in front of our customers when we all know this place wouldn't be what it is if it wasn't for me."
Stede turned to gasp in surprise at Lucius' boldness before hearing the package that had been in his hand clatter to the ground. His eyes was ensnared by the young woman that stood on the opposite side of the counter from Lucius. She pushed herself away from the counter, walked over towards Stede, and leaned down to pick up the fallen package.
"Doesn't feel like anything broke," said the woman, after gently feeling the package and holding it out to Stede.
"Th-thank you," said Stede.
The woman smirked and nodded in response.
"You must forgive him," said Lucius. "He has his moments."
"You look like you've seen a ghost," said the woman.
"So-something like that," Stede barely whispered out.
"Oh!" exclaimed the woman, looking over his shoulder and then back to him. "You weren't kidding, Lucy! He really does look like him."
"I told you!" exclaimed Lucius.
"Lucy?" echoed Stede, finally finding himself return to his senses.
"I have to say I'm pleased you kept the three of those paintings together," said the woman. "It always annoys me when so-called painting collectors buy only one painting of an obvious collection rather than all of them."
"Paintings?" said Stede, blinking before turning to look behind him and seeing the three paintings that had become a discussion point among Ed, Izzy and himself again. "Oh! Yes. I couldn't bare to keep them apart. Especially after all of the trouble we went through to get them and restore them to what you see today."
"Excellent workmanship, indeed."
"Are you in the market for getting a painting?" asked Stede.
"I admit I was tempted to buy those three until Lucy informed me that you have a bit of an emotional attachment to them."
"Did he now?" asked Stede, glancing behind her at Lucius with a stare.
Lucius just smiled and shrugged in response. "She did make a purchase though. Not to worry on that aspect."
"Oh?" said Stede. "What else caught your eye?"
She pointed over Stede's toward one of the walls. He followed her direction and found his eyes landing on one of the rare landscape paintings Izzy agreed to sell in his shop. The one in question was of a beach scene, waves crashing against the shore and the sky radiant with a pinkish-purple tone of a sunset. Izzy never did share the story behind the inspriration for it.
"A lovely choice. I actually know the painter," said Stede, turning back to her. "I'll make sure to let him know you liked his painting."
"Liked?" said the woman, smirking. "I adore it. He did a fantastic job capturing it."
Stede couldn't help noticing the way she had worded her response. As if she knew who the painter was. And knew what the inspiration behind the painting was.
"Would you like me to tell him your name?" asked Stede. "Most people don't think it's worth sharing such information but in case he creates something else he thinks might be of interest to you... then he could contact you."
The woman stared at him for a moment, glanced over at one of the three portrait paintings on the wall, Izzy's painting she had purchased, and then back at him.
"Yeah, I suppose I would be okay with that," said the woman.
"And what name should I give?"
"Mary Anne," said the woman. "Mary Anne Townsend."

 

[Prof. Moonie]

Ed shifted so he could look over the back of the couch towards the front door hearing it open and close signaling Stede's return.
"Welcome home!" called Ed.
"Ed! Izzy!" exclaimed Stede excitedly in response. "You won't believe what just happened!"
"Oh no," said Izzy, stepping into the living room with a mug in hand. Despite his rough tone, a smirk was on his face. "What nonsense are we in for this time."
"Iz," said Ed, smacking Izzy's leg but chuckled at his mate's teasing.
"You won't be able to guess who I just ran into!" continued Stede as he made his way into the living room.
"Jesus?" asked Ed.
"No," said Stede, frowning at the joke response. "Though close enough."
"God?"
"I thought I was God?" said Izzy.
"Oh, yeah, that's right," replied Ed. "Judas then?"
Stede put his hands on his hips, looking at the two of them disapprovingly. "If you two don't mind, I'm trying to tell you something here."
"Sorry, mate," said Ed. "Your excited energy just got to us is all."
"So, who is this mystery person you met?" asked Izzy.
"Someone you recently saw the image of. Well, her doppelganger, anyway."
Ed and Izzy stared at him blankly.
"Mary Anne!" exclaimed Stede, impatiently. "She's here! In town."
"That's impossible!" said Ed, quickly sitting up.
"She even bought one of your paintings, Izzy," continued Stede.
"That can't be," said Ed. "Mary Anne hasn't been around in years. She went off to America after we graduated. We haven't had much contact with her since then."
"One of my paintings?" said Izzy. "Which one?
"That beach one with the pink and purple sky," replied Stede. "What did she say... that you 'captured it well' or something along those lines? It was almost like she knew what you were painting."
"Because she does," whispered Izzy in response.
"And even if she was in town... why now? Why not get in touch?" continued Ed, not acknowledging the other conversation going on next to him.
"You were right, Stede," said Izzy.
"I am?" Stede stared in shock at his companion.
"Right about what?" asked Ed, finally coming back from his inner thoughts.
"That the arrival of that painting would be tied to her real life counterpart," said Izzy. "The painting appeared in our lives... and days later, Mary Anne supposedly shows up in town."
"How do we even know who Stede met is our Mary Anne? It could've been anyone." Ed said.
"How many people have we known that looked like her? She was one of a kind," said Izzy.
"Yeah, she was certainly unique," admitted Ed. He looked over at Stede. "Did this woman you meet tell you her name?"
"Yes," said Stede. "Mary Anne Townsend."

 

[Prof. Moonie]

Izzy sank down into his armchair in shock. "She's back in town."
"I know you said you didn't want to talk about her," said Stede, moving to sit on the couch next to Ed. Ed quickly snaked a hand into his. "But perhaps it's time you told me about who this Mary Anne is. She seemed quite nice when I interacted with her."
"You spoke with her?" asked Ed.
Stede hummed in confirmation as he nodded.
"We met her in college," said Izzy. "I had been with Ed for a few months at that point. Not on any official terms yet."
"So, she's an artist too?"
"She can paint. Quite well, in fact, though she gets all humble when someone comments on her work or even suggest she sell something. But she never got into the field like we did. She was actually majoring in a different field. What was it?" said Ed.
"She dappled in various areas with her classes, but she officially majored in Literature," explained Izzy. "Literature as Art, as she specified."
"So, you got close?" inquired Stede.
"Yeah, we hit it off right away," said Ed, smiling at the memories. "She comes off as so prim and proper at first, then she'll surprise you by doing the most unexpected thing. When the mood strikes her, she can be quite the daredevil."
"Ed and her had dated for awhile," said Izzy. "I didn't mind much because she was making him happy."
"Oh!" exclaimed Stede, looking over at Ed.
"It didn't last long," said Ed, shrugging. "More of an extended fling, if anything. Plus... she found herself drawn towards someone else."
"Someone else?" inquired Stede.
Ed nodded his head in Izzy's direction.
"I didn't intend to steal her from you," said Izzy.
"I am not accusing that you did, Iz," assured Ed. "Honestly, I was relieved to see she had found someone she could trust so deeply."
"But what happened?" asked Stede. "If it was such an important connection, why did she leave?"
"At the time, things were complicated," said Ed. "She was still trying to be loyal to me... but not ignoring the feelings that were developing for Izzy."
"Loyal to you?"
"They were married."
"Married?!" exclaimed Stede.
"Not in any official sense. At least not in the government sense," clarified Ed.
"And what did she have with you?" asked Stede. "You indicated that ring was connected to her? So, what does it mean? Were you married to her too? Am I suddenly the husband-in-law of some woman?!"
"It's a promise ring. We exchanged rings with the promise that once things settled and if we still felt the same about each other, we would..." Izzy shrugged. "It's been years though. So it probably doesn't mean a thing now."

 

[Prof. Moonie]

"She looked good though?" asked Ed. "Did she look happy?"
"Oh yes," replied Stede. "She looked quite content. And seemed to hit it off right away with Lucius."
"Lucius is quite the social seductress," said Izzy. "It's not exactly a surprise there."
"There's a difference between Lucius worming his way into social groups... and what he seemed to have developed with Mary Anne in a short span of time," retorted Stede.
"Still... she's in town. And purchased one of Izzy's paintings of all paintings," said Ed.
"Well, she originally wanted to buy the trio of paintings but Lucius explained the story behind them."
"She wanted our paintings?!" exclaimed Ed.
Stede nodded. "She was quite gracious at letting them go. Even if I did keep catching her glancing over at them." He thought for a moment before adding, "Though now that I know your history with her, it may not have been the paintings specifically she was looking at... but rather you two. Even if it was just your doppelgangers she was looking at."
"Did she say anything else? Like what she's doing here?" asked Izzy.
"She only said she was going to be in town for awhile and was taking the time to explore the corners she had previously dismissed or failed to appreciate. That's how she stumbled upon my store."

Izzy couldn't sleep. His mind kept shifting back to the conversation they had earlier in the evening of Stede revealing that their ex - if that label even fit what she was to them - was back in town. Mary Anne. He sighed as he shifted under the covers again as his hand found purchase on the ring around his neck again.
"Why are you here, sweetheart?" whispered Izzy. "Why now?"
After another half hour passed and sleep still alluded him, he finally threw the covers back and made his way into the work room where the painting of the young lady resided. He didn't bother turning on the light or opening the curtains to let the moonlight in; he just grabbed a few of the candles and lit them. It had been several days since he had chemically stripped the layers of grime and badly done refurbishing from the painting, both from past restorations and the museum's unsatisfactory attempt. Now the painting sat ready to be repainted, to be brought back to life, to its former glory for Ed's hand.
Izzy stared into the woman's eyes, recalling the butterfly kisses he had felt along his neck and whispered sweet nothings in his ear when he had worked. They had started off so faint at first, he barely acknowledged them; it wasn't until he noticed that as more grime was removed, the more intense the sensations grew. He felt his cheeks warm as he thought about those last few moments he had worked on the painting and what secrets he kept from Ed and Stede on what he had experienced.
Stede had been right. Not just about the painting being a sign that Mary Anne would be returning to their lives but the portrait's subject had known the three gentlemen from the prior paintings. Izzy hadn't even told Ed on how scary the similarities were. The voice that whispered in his ear had spoken of the Captain, indicating their strong bond but that it had no sway over what was happening between him and her. Well, between the First Mate and her.
Izzy found himself pushing his fingers through his hair staring into the portrait's eyes, imagining it was her fingers as he had so many times felt in the past.
"Can't sleep?" asked a sleepy voice from the doorway behind him.