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 Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 9:12 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 9:27 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 10:16 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 11:16 am
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 The Revenge crew eyed the newcomer with unease. There always seemed to be something off about those from Blackbeard's past and they were concerned they would be dealing with a similar situation with this new Captain who had come aboard.
"You sure we can trust her, Fang?" asked Jim.
"Oh, yes, for sure," replied Fang, automatically. His cheeks reddened slightly.
"Yeah, no," added Lucius. "You don't need to worry about her."
They all turned to look at him in surprise.
"You say that as if you know her, babe," said Pete.
"Well, yeah," said Lucius, shifting his feet. "You know all about my past after... well... you know."
The others nodded in understanding.
"She... she was actually one of the better ones," continued Lucius. "If she's the one who rescued me from the water. I probably would have still been sailing with her if I hadn't been stolen from her."
"Someone stole you from her?" asked Archie. "That's kinda f*cked up."
"But then we wouldn't have Lucius back with us," said Fang.
"Oh, I'm sure she would have given me back to you guys if we ever crossed paths," assured Lucius.
"So, what's her deal?" asked Jim.
"Her deal?"
"Why is she so chummy with Blackbeard?"
"Oh, um..." said Lucius, looking around nervously. "She... um..."
"You're not teasing my dear Lucy, are you?" said a voice from behind them.
They all jumped and turned to see the woman standing just outside of their group, looking at them with an amused smirk.
"Just letting them know that you're chill," said Lucius, relieved at her distraction from having to answer his crewmates' question.
"Ah, good," she said.
Jim stood up to face off with her but had to look up towards her as she stood several inches taller than them.
"I'm keeping my eye on you," said Jim, threateningly. "Any funny business and I won't hesitate to stab you."
The woman stared down at her for a moment before a wide smile appeared on her face and her eyes flared up with sexual heat.
"Well..." she said. "Don't threaten me with a good time, darling."
Jim blinked at her in shock as the woman walked away.
"Uh, what just happened?" said Archie, a bit flustered by what she saw too.
"Like I said," said Lucius smirking. "She's cool." |
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 11:34 am
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"Alright," screamed Jim, quickly pulling a dagger from their belt as they pushed Mary Anne against the mast and held it up against her throat. "Enough fun and games. How the f*ck do you know Blackbeard?"
"You sure you really want to know the answer to that," asked Mary Anne, calmly.
Jim became still as they felt an answering poke against the area between their ribs. They had to admit this woman was good.
"I need to know whether I can truly trust you. Da*n Lucius' statements of saying we can."
"Understandable," said Mary Anne. "Especially with the lot of untrustworthy folk Edward's befriended during his younger years."
"Edward?"
Mary Anne sighed before removing her own dagger from Jim's side. After putting her dagger away, she held her hands up. "How about we call it a truce? And I'll answer any question you have. I can tell you are someone to trust with the truth."
"What makes you say that?" asked Jim.
Mary Anne slowly moved before tapping Jim's gloved hand. Jim glanced at their hand, knowing they had subconsciously started doing it in honor of the late Izzy Hands.
"What does my glove have anything to do with you trusting me?"
"Because the one I know who wore a single glove like that had issues of trusting others too. He clearly made an impact in your life to honor him like that."
Jim stared at Mary Anne for awhile before finally releasing her and stepping back.
"You knew Izzy?" said Jim, mournfully.
"Edward told me what happened. All of it," said Mary Anne. She glanced down at her hands for a moment, her face taking on a look of deep sorrow before looking back up at Jim. Jim was shocked to see tears starting to build up in the woman's eyes. Quietly, she continued, "Thank you."
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 12:00 pm
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"Blackbeard. Izzy Hands. The other so-called friends," said Jim, as they sat in the mess hall, two mugs sitting on the table between them. "You certainly seem to be in the mix of everything. And yet... I haven't heard any of them mention you a single time."
"As it should be," said Mary Anne. "If anyone knew my connections with any of them, it could be considered a point of weakness in the hands of the wrong people."
"So, that's why you've kept it secret? To protect yourself."
Mary Anne shook her head. "To protect them."
"Why?"
Mary Anne looked down into the mug in her hands before pushing it aside and leaning on her arms across the table towards Jim.
"You want to know who I am? Who I truly am?" asked Mary Anne.
"I thought that's what this conversation was about."
"I am the niece of a former government official from Virginia. Not because he retired or died of natural causes. No, while my uncle and I were on one of his business voyages, our ship was attacked by Blackbeard himself. My uncle along with a good number of the crew met their fate that day."
"Oh," said Jim. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," said Mary Anne. "The man was a d*ck and I was finally able to live the life I always wanted because of Blackbeard. Blackbeard and his crew accepted me into their midsts and I was able to learn and train the ways of being a pirate. I soon decided it was time for me to branch off to do my own thing. Edward granted me a ship and I started to make a name for myself. Well... partially my name and under the name of Blackbeard."
"So, you are an apprentice of Blackbeard?" said Jim. "That doesn't really seem like something to keep secret. Lots of people could say they've been trained by Blackbeard."
"I'm not just an apprentice, mate," said Mary Anne, tilting her head as the corner of her mouth quirked up. "I'm his wife."
Jim sprayed some of the alcohol they had started drinking in response. After regaining their breath and wiping their mouth with their sleeve, they looked at Mary Anne in shock.
"Wife?!"
"Oh, good," said Lucius, appearing in the doorway. "We're telling secrets to the others, are we?"
"You knew?!" exclaimed Jim, turning towards him.
"I told you I sailed with her!" retorted Lucius.
"Yeah, I get that," said Jim. "But I didn't realize you were on bestie level and trading secrets!"
Lucius shrugged in response to that.
"Leave him alone," said Mary Anne, chuckling. "It was mutual exchange of information. He got to learn a bit about me in exchange for information he knew about my boys."
"Your boys?" inquired Jim, turning to her.
Mary Anne held up her right hand where a green adorned ring sat on her finger. Jim realized the gemstone resembled a great deal to the one that had been on the cravat around Izzy's hand.
"I may technically be considered Edward Teach's wife on land per government documentation... but out here on the sea, my heart belongs... belonged... to another."
"You... You and Izzy were..."
"Things got complicated," said Mary Anne, turning her head to look at the candle on their table. "It's one of the reasons why I decided to sail off on my own. I needed to sort out my feelings... and let them figure out their own as well."
"Did Blackbeard know?"
"Edward and I may still be considered married by law... but it's merely for business purposes now. Sort of a pirate thing. Assurance that should something happen to one of us, our belongings will be inherited by someone trustworthy rather than scattered to the enemy or other unsavory folks. What was between Edward and me..." She shrugged. "It didn't last long. We quickly realized we were better off as friends than trying to force a romance that wasn't working. And it was around that same time that I realized I had feelings for someone else."
Jim leaned back against the hull of the ship, staring at her with sadness. "Izzy."
Mary Anne nodded looking back down at her mug.
"I never did ask you," said Lucius, stepping into the room. "Was he always such a d*ck?"
Mary Anne chuckled.
"Hard on the outside, soft on the inside," replied Mary Anne. "He would've hated I said that about him... but deep inside he would know it was true." She looked up at them. "You had the honor of seeing a bit of that side of him towards the end." She then pointed at the black glove on Jim's hand and the wooden shark that peeked out of one of the pouches on Lucius' belt.
Lucius startled as he pulled the shark out.
"Izzy doesn't give gifts to anyone... unless they mean a great deal to them," said Mary Anne. "You made quite the impact on him, if he gave that to you."
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:11 pm
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"I heard you told Stede's crew about who you are," said Ed, stepping up beside her.
"More like I told two individuals and gave them permission to do what they wanted with the information," said Mary Anne. "So naturally the whole crew knows now. Aside from Fang who already knew the whole time."
Ed chuckled. "Yeah, good ol' Fang. Did you know his real name is Kevin?"
Mary Anne turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow but didn't comment.
"Why now?"
"With Stede and you being... well, whatever you are, they're family," said Mary Anne. "Only fair they get to know their newfound family member."
"So, what are you? Their sister?"
"Nah. I'm the cool Aunt."
Ed chuckled before a silence fell between them for a moment. He then draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently into him.
"I'm sorry about Izzy," said Ed.
"It was bound to happen. With the life we chose."
"Still..." replied Ed. "You deserved to find happiness too."
"But I did," said Mary Anne, turning to look at him.
"You know what I mean," retorted Ed, tilting his head staring at her.
She shook her head and turned to look back out at the water. "No use wasting time wondering about 'What ifs.' Just have to remember what he did for us and continue living. That's what he would've wanted us to do."
"True that," agreed Ed, placing a kiss on the top of her head. |
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:13 pm
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