~bellatrix~ (reboot)

As Donavan strolled down memory lane while walking back to the Regal Boar a voice rang in his ear

Donavan looked around and had seen all of his crew return, even a few new faces had joined
"Aye, aye I heard ye! Lads and Lassies we got the rum?"
"AYE SIR!" his crew bellowed
"And the steel? This Boar needs some armor!"
His crew roar and yelled confirming.
"Well then, Our next treasure lays on Levia Inferis, Time to sail!" Donavan cleared his throat and then began singing.
"It is time to go now, Haul away your anchor! Haul away your anchor, it's our sailing time!" The crew who knew the song took over and began singing as well
"Get some sail upon her!..." Donavan walked over to the helm of the ship and set down his chest full of rum. He opened another bottle and began drinking as they raised anchor in port.
"Quartermaster! when we get a spare moment in calm water start tacking them plate on the Boar. With any luck the smiths work will help keep her a float, can't sink a ship if ye cannon balls bounce off!" Donavan gave orders to his crew while over looking his ship.

 

Having his rum stolen greatly annoyed Donavan, he watched her share the rum with some of the new recruits while flirting. Donavan had few rulers on his ship but one he had was no men or women having romance on the ship, flirting was acceptable but so much as a kiss was enough to have the punishment brought down on both parties. Donavan had placed the rule because Lorena had joined, to keep her and his crew in check. Having dealt with her power first hand he knew how big a threat she could be, but Donavan also kept it as a means so no other could harm Lorena without consequence, thirty lashes to a bare back. However Lorena had broken the rule more times than he could count. Lass even had me....
Donavan walked down and approached Lorena.
"Wel Blackwater ye aim to work or ye aim to drink all day!?" He said in an irritated voice. While she did help him acquire the rum, she had not done much else while he did captain's work. He grabbed the bottle of rum back from Lorena and took another drink.

 

"Unfortunately, it is likely just the 'calm before the storm,' as they say."
They were getting close to the group now and Mordred didn't want to end things on a pessimistic note, so he tried to find the silver lining in their situation.
"Even so, I must admit, this ragtag band of "pirates" has a way of defying the odds no matter how overwhelming they may be. Sometimes they seem to survive despite their best efforts to get themselves killed. I wonder why that is...perhaps Martyris is not the only god who has given his blessing to this motley crew."
Encouragement wasn't exactly his forte, but he was giving it his best effort.
"So try not to worry too much. We have found ways to survive before and I have confidence that we will do so again."

 

Bored with entertaining himself by shredding a boulder to oblivion, Karma made his way back to where everyone had gathered. With nothing better to do, he began tossing driftwood into a pile for a fire. Using his violin, he played out a request to the people who were not doing anything.
"If you guys have nothing better to do, help me with making a bonfire. Start piling some driftwood in that pile I have been making."
Karma went back to stacking driftwood. But after a little while, he staggered and fell to his knee, feeling dizzy and weak. He propped himself up with one hand, trying to remain conscious.
If I pass out here and now, nobody will be able to cover for me!

 

Leif looked over to Karma, listening to his...rather unique way of asking for help.
"Gotta give the guy props for originality."
He walked over to Karma and waved.
"Sure, I'll help out. I mean, how could I possibly say no after a performance like that?"
He started stacking firewood with Karma and tried making small talk to pass the time.
"You've got some skills with that violin, have you every thought about going pro? Or is the life of an adventurer just too fun to give up?"
As he looked over to him for an answer, he saw Karma fall down to his knees, looking rather pale. Leif immediately dropped the driftwood he was carrying and rushed over, looking concerned.
"Are you alright?! Come on man, don't push yourself. If you need to rest, just say the word and I'll help you get to the ship."

 

"It was mine to begin with Lorena, ye want a bottle grab one outta me chest!" he bellowed while stepping up to her nose to nose. He saw the glare she was giving him and knew all too well the two would butt heads. They had times were they would argue over nothing and either of them didn't really care, Donavan didn't mind as there was plenty of rum. He heard the new recruit laugh at the situation. Donavan pulled his pistol out and shot, the bullet narrowly missing the man. Fear struck the man fell on his backside, without turning his gaze from Lorena Donavan growled "Get up ye fool, what exactly do ye think is funny here? This Lass has more bollocks then ye just by challenging me then you" The man got up but stayed silent.
"Ye want a fight sure Lorena we'll have a fight, but it was rum that started this, rum will end it!" He set the bottle down on the barrel along with the pouch she had stolen earlier.
"Ye win ye get a bonus, I win ye apologize for taking me rum!" Donavan knew having her own gold placed as a bet against her would irritate her, was his means of getting back for the rum stealing

 

Blast it! I can't speak or use telepathy!
Fumbling through his pockets, he began pulling various tiny crystals. Air crystals, nutrient crystals, healing crystals, berserk crystals and more. Sorting through the crystals that had distinct coloring, he grabbed a light blue crystal that represented air and another green crystal that represented nutrients. He pulled off his porcelain mask, one broken half at a time and fully revealing his pale face and glowing violet eyes. If anyone wondered why his mask did not have straps to keep it on his face, it was now evident why. Quarter-inch needles protruded along the inside of the mask along the edge, needles that would anchor the mask to his face. Thrusting the crystals into his mouth and crushing them with his violet void-crystal teeth, the air and nutrients soaked into his bloodstream, alleviating his dizziness and weakness. Standing up, he faces Leif and Trinity and responded with his violin.
"Your concern in much appreciated, and I apologize for the trouble. If I drop like this again, be sure to use those green and blue crystals on me, as long as it ends up in my bloodstream. I used to be telepathic, but for some reason, it can't work in this world, else I could just call out to someone. In my quest to removing weakness from my body, I lost many parts to myself. I can't breathe or speak anymore without lungs, but I cannot drown in my own blood anymore. I can't eat and digest foods anymore, but neither can I die from disembowelment. In the end, it was a heavy price to pay for a heavy gain, gutting myself of all organs that I depended on."
At this moment, Karma felt nauseous.
"And even now, my blood itself has grown dirty without having a liver or a kidney to filter me. I'll get back to you on the violin playing after I filter myself, Leif."
Karma pulled out his fist-sized blood filter and the needles to tap into himself.

 

Leif almost couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing.
"He did all of this to himself...on purpose? I can't even imagine what could drive someone to do that. It sounds like he's barely even human. Was it really worth it?"
As much as he wanted to ask Karma everything that was on his mind, he kept it to himself behind a cool, calm facade.
"Green and blue crystals, huh? Alright, sounds easy enough, I've got your back if something like this happens again."
He tried to give a confident smile, but it soon faded. Instead of saying what he really wanted to say, he brought up something else that stuck out to him.
"So, wait, did you say you're from another world? Seriously? It sounds like you've got quite a story to tell."
With a slight grimace, he glanced at the blood filter in Karma's hand.
"But of course, I can wait until you get done with...that thing. Whatever it is, it sure doesn't look pleasant."
That last part was supposed to stay in his head, but he ended up muttering it under his breath.

If Trinity had turned around while she was running off towards the group, she would have seen a rare sight indeed. Mordred stood perfectly still, his eyes wide in surprise, staring blankly at Trinity as she ran off. For a few moments, all he could do was stand there and blink. Once he got over the initial shock and Trinity was some distance away, he lowered his hood and whispered.
"She...likes me?"
If she had given him some hint of her true feelings beforehand-- which she probably did-- it flew right over his head. He felt that he'd earned her trust, respect and perhaps even admiration, but this was something he wasn't expecting at all. He folded his arms in thought, staring down at the ground.
"I might be jumping to conclusions. Maybe she did not mean it the way I assumed she meant it. Maybe--"
He stopped suddenly, thinking about the way she looked at him when she said it. It really did leave no room for doubt.
"...No, she must have meant it that way."
He paced back and forth for a while, trying to sort things out in his mind.
"Then what should I say to her? Should I say anything? Well, of course I should say something, she deserves some kind of response. But what should I tell her?"
If anyone was watching, it probably would have been quite amusing to see Mordred looking so concerned and indecisive. Here he was, a man who had built a reputation on his cold, ruthless efficiency as an assassin...and if you didn't know better, you'd think he was an ordinary schoolboy fretting over a love letter he received. He finally stopped and took a moment to clear his head.
"What am I doing...? This is absolutely ridiculous. I will simply sit down and have a talk with her later once we have more time to...discuss the issue in further detail."
He looked over towards where the group was and started walking.
"Maybe by then I can figure out what, exactly, I want to say to her."
With that last thought going through his mind, he kept walking and soon caught up to Trinity, Karma and Leif. It seemed that they had the situation under control, so he kept quiet for now.

 

Mordred, looking as calm as ever, gave Trinity a slight nod.
"Yes, of course. Even more so now that I have had a chance to...collect my thoughts."
He couldn't help but notice that she looked even more timid than usual.
"You worry too much, Trinity. You have not said or done anything wrong."
He glanced over to the ship, then looked back to Trinity, speaking in a low voice so only she could hear.
"Though I would like to discuss the topic with you more in private. If that would be alright with you, of course. It should be relatively easy to avoid prying eyes aboard the ship, if you would care to join me."
He turned towards the ship, waiting to see what she thought of the idea.

 

As Lorena listed off the challenges, he nodded and thought over each one till she mentioned stripping. His brow twitched as he covered his chin trying to hide his anger, Ye was suppose to keep quite about that night....and lose that night!!!
"I don't plan on being sauced the entire time Lorena, just enough to settle this" He responded. As she raised the stakes even further, he pondered before deciding to accept.
"Ye on Lorena, We will see who can drink a mug the fastest" Donavan said with a smile "However, I limit the bet to only giving orders and following coarse. Only a fool captain would bet ownership of his vessel."
The two sat down on a crate with two full mugs of rum while the crew gathered around. Donavan placed the gold on the table and raised his hand, preparing to state the rulers.
"We start drinking on Go, first to slam their mug down with a clean face wins." Donavan brought his hand down and began to count.
"Ready, Steady, GO!"
Lorena and Donavan snatched their mugs and began chugging. Donavan gave a glance over at Lorena to she her going at a steady pace, a small dripple of rum could be seen dripping from her chin onto her chest. Donavan quickly finished chugging his and as he began to slam his mug heard a cling before his mug hit. Lorena had just barely beat him.
"..... Ye spilt some, that's why ye won Lorena" Donavan grumbled while wiping his own mouth.
The crew all looked at each other and began mumbling themselves, It was at this time one of the crew men called for a rematch, as they both spilt rum. Refilling their mugs they began again. Donavan did't glance this time and chugged his rum as fast as he could without spilling it. He slammed his mug down just before Lorena could.

 

Karma walked away from everyone, leaving behind his mask fragments and seeking some privacy for his task. His face felt heated, embarrassed by his show of weakness. After distancing himself, he sat down against a boulder and rolled up his left sleeve. With caution, he thrust the needle into his forearm, not bothering with sterilization. Taking the needle on the other end of the filter, he thrust that into another spot on his forearm. Closing his eyes, he relaxed and let himself filter out.
I wanted to avoid getting this sort of attention.

 

"Not quite Lorena, I rekon ye forgot the agreement. Ye owe me an apology for the rum stealing. Well I be waiting" Donavan stood up looking at Lorena .
Seems the crew was afraid of what she would do, but still seemed unfair.... But with all her button pushing today I won't mind it.
Donvan gave a light smile then spoke "Well Lorena, once ye decide to loosen ye lips I'll be waiting to hear ye in me cabin. We still need to discuss our plans for this treasure hunt"
Donavan walked to his cabin and sat at his desk. It was a large luxurious desk carved of dark wood, it held various maps globes and even star charts. He browsed over the maps for a moment before pulling out a ledger. It held the Regal Boar's log and inventory, as well as Donavan's own gold amounts and treasure locations. After adding in what he had spent today, gathered as far as resources and crews monthly play the number didn't even dent his coffers.
Donavan was well off for a pirate, more so than most he didn't worry that he kept quite a bit of his loot in his cabin. He would deal with thieves of his treasure ruthlessly, so none but the most foolish would try it. His collection held various items, Two large mannequins one of which held a familiar dress, several chest brimming with gold, books quills and various items of a learning nature, Above all he prized his bed, a massive canopied mattress soft as skin with pillows to match.
As he basked in his own loot his cabin door opened.

 

Mordred gave a slight nod and the two of them made their way back to the ship. Once they were aboard, they made their way to the crew's quarters and once Mordred took a quick look to make sure they weren't followed by any particularly nosy "pirates" along the way, they entered one of the rooms and closed the door behind them. It felt vaguely familiar to Mordred as it was the same room that they stayed in after Trinity fell unconscious and was given a room to rest in. Once they were inside, Mordred leaned on the door and stared downwards, looking deep in thought. An uncomfortable silence hung in the room for some time as he tried to figure out what to say and how he wanted to say it. Then, just as the silent tension was becoming unbearable, Mordred looked up and spoke.
"After that day four years ago, I swore that I would never allow myself to become attached to anyone ever again. I was convinced that isolation was the only way to protect myself. If I never let myself care for anyone, I would never suffer the pain of loss that I felt that day. That was my line of reasoning. Although looking back, I wonder if it was more of an excuse, a convenient lie that I told myself to hide away from the truth."
He sighed wearily, shaking his head.
"Only now do I see how empty and pointless it really was. Despite my best efforts, I am still human after all. I had simply forced myself to forget how much I enjoyed companionship until I found it once again."

He began pacing around the room, looking uncharacteristically insecure for someone who was normally so stoic and calm.
"When you told me how you felt, I had no idea what to say. I am still unsure of what to say now. You must have noticed by now that I am a thoroughly broken man. I told you my past, I told you what I've become, I gave you my darkest secrets and yet you still speak so highly of me. It still feels surreal to me, to think that you could be so accepting even after everything you've heard, that you still think highly of me even now is...it is something that I appreciate more than you know. It means the world to me that you consider a man with bloodstained hands such as mine to be a kind and caring mentor. And to hear that...that you feel something even deeper for me..."

He stood still facing the wall, trailing off until he fell silent. He crossed his arms and stared up towards the ceiling as words failed him for a time. Then, taking a long breath in and out, he relaxed and turned to Trinity, looking right into her eyes.
"What I am trying to say is...even if I was no longer your mentor, I would insist that you stay by my side as you always have. For all the courage I inspire in you, you inspire just as much hope in me, which was something I had long since given up on. So what I really want to say is...what I've been meaning to say is..."
He hesitated for just a moment, but soon composed himself and continued.
"I...I feel the same way you do, Trinity."