What would you do with a drunken sailor?

[Lili_Garland]

OOC: This thread is open to all-comers (pun intended).

Setup:
It is dawn on the merchant ship Triton and the day crew is just filing out onto the deck to begin their day. A Spanish ship, it is on its way to France with goods from India and Africa, and the savages that reside there. No slave ship is this, but one that belongs to a wealthy textile merchant and his art patron family.

Senor Pablo Milian, a thirty-ish textile merchant is on this particular voyage bringing gifts to his intended bride in France, Mademoiselle Adalie Mamette. The travellers consist of a usual merchant ship crew, Senor Milian, and five or six young girls, from Indian and African islands, which are to be presents for his new wife.

OOC: If you have ideas for other characters feel free to jump in with them!

 

[Lili_Garland]

Slave girl one - Lavali

Lavali

A slim girl, barely an adult by her village's standards, Lavali had been sold to the Spanish traders because she refused to marry the man her father had chosen. He was a cruel man, demanding everything and permitting his wives to live no better than slaves. Lavali had informed her father of such and consequentially, was sold into slavery by him for the purpose of having more background to base this opinion upon.

Her father, who had named Lavali for the fragrant cloves her mother had so loved, hadn't thought his daughter would be so headstrong as to go through with her oath to never marry his choice for a husband. A man of his word though, he was forced to give her up to the traders when they came for her. Now, she was gone, far away on a Spanish merchant's ship, a mere present for a French lady.

I'll be damned if I'll remain a slave forever... I'm sure there are harems in France, or something like them. I can join one of those and live in luxery again.

She pushes her hair away from her face carelessly and looks at the girls near her. All from different stations in their own worlds, they found equality here on the sea, where they were all categorized by the same name - slave.

 

[Elodie]

Adara

OOC: Hope you don't mind, Lil....but this plotline sounds like it needs a good selection of characters and, since I'm a sucker for a bit of swashbuckling and life-on-the-ocean, I thought I'd contribute a character.

IC: A native of Mauritius originally, life had not been easy on Adara. Both her parents had died of cholera when she was only six and she and her older brother had been forced to live by their wits. They had started out by begging, but that had barely provided them with enough food to keep one of them alive, let alone the both of them. So they had started to steal. Small things at first, a piece of fruit or a loaf of bread from a street vendor's stall. But then, gradually, they had become more adept at their art.

They had been able to live rather comfortably off their takings, even renting living quarters, buying fine clothes and employing a servant. But all good things must come to an end and, on her twentieth birthday, Adara had found herself in the courthouse in Port Louis. The judge had taken pity on her to a certain extent, blaming her brother for leading her astray. He had given her the choice of lifetime imprisonment or a lifetime of slavery. She reluctantly opted for the latter. At least that way she might have a chance of escape. Her brother, however, was not so lucky. He had been hanged the following morning as the crowds gathered in the street outside the jail to watch.

So now she found herself on a ship bound for France, gazing out of the porthole and feeling wretched. She wished things could have been different. She wished she could have hanged in his place.

She scanned the faces of the other girls who shared the holding cell with her and wondered what their stories were....

 

[Lili_Garland]

OOC: Thanks for joining in Elodie! I'm glad someone saw the thread and took a liking to it!

 

[Lili_Garland]

Lavali

Some of the clothing on these other girls are not as shabby as one might expect in a slave hold. Lavali is particularly interested in the one girl who holds her head so high and looks as though she would like to tear out her heart. Knowing some French, she approaches the girl, hoping somewhere in between, they speak a common language.

 

[GageWilliams]

The Captain - Senor Luis Cortez

OOC: Here we go, I suppose. It would be such a pity if this thread never had a bit of a masculine touch... at least, for me.

IC: How he loathed Milian. Always with his orders and his commands. The man knew not a damn thing about how to keep order with the crew or even how to pilot the god-forsaken boat. So, he had hired Cortez. Cortez loathed Milian and it was known throughout their homeland, and he was often asked why he had chosen to work for the man. Simple, really. As excellent a Captain as he was, he was a lousy thief, and when he was caught stealing from Senor Milian, he was given the choice of Captaining the ship, with what even he had to admit were handsome wages, or being submitted to the justice system.

So, here he was on the damn boat, steering it back towards France.

Still despite his obvious distaste for his employer, he had to admit that the man's taste in trade was impressive. And this was a mighty ship that he was piloting over the seas. And the woman, what could one say about the women? All six of them were amazingly beautiful and caused his dreams to be haunted with their forms. If only had was given half the chance... He let that thought end on its own.

On this day, he was just beginning his duties as Captain. After getting his men to their stations, he began to work with them to get the mighty ship on its way. He was not like many of the Captains that sat and watched his men work, no, he worked with them. He would sweat alongside them and bleed with them. Unlike that pig Milian... His brow furrowed with his work. As the labor increased and he began to sweat, he let his dreams focus again on the slave girls and their lithe forms dancing on a beach. What could they be up to this moment, he wondered.

 

[Elodie]

The door to the holding cell swung open, bathing them all in shards of stark, white sunlight. Adara had to hold her hand up in front of her face and peer through her fingers in order to make out the form of a man striding commandingly into the room. Most of the girls seemed to sense that he was a threat in some way and backed cautiously out of his path as he entered.

He was a dark-haired man, certainly no older than his mid-thirties, with broad but sloaping shoulders and an air of unflinching self-confidence. He surveyed the occupants of the room, taking in one girl at a time, scanning them from head to foot and back again before moving on to the next one. Then he approached the first girl to his left, the one who stood next to Adara.

'I am Senor Milian,' he said, his voice low and authoritative. 'From now on, you answer only to me....'

He took the girl firmly by the shoulders. She met his gaze for only a few seconds before averting her eyes, shaking visibly.

Milian laughed throatily. 'I don't know why I bothered to tell you that. I very much doubt that any of you can understand a single word I'm saying.'

His hands gently caressed the girl's shoulders before slowly sliding the thin straps of her ragged dress down her arms. The girl murmured something incomprehensible and twisted away from him, knocking his arms from hers in the process.

'Don't you push me away, girl!' he snapped, grabbing her shoulders and pinning her back against the wall of the dank, musty room.

Adara had seen enough and lunged towards him, knocking him out of the way and forming a physical barrier between the two of them. She stood, her arms raised slightly from her sides, her eyes defiant.

'I understand you only too well, Senor Milian,' she snarled at him through clenched teeth.

He laughed, shaking his head with disbelief, before taking a long stride forwards and back-handing Adara hard across the cheek. She gasped, falling back against the wall, her ears ringing.

'Then understand this,' he growled, focusing his attention on all six girls this time, pointing a finger at each one in turn. 'The next one of you to attempt to defy me in any way will not get off so lightly.'

He looked at Adara in disgust, snorting with derisive laughter, before turning on his heels and storming from the room. And they were left in near-darkness once more.

 

[Mistress Jorja]

Colleen McMathis

Colleen McMathis set down her needlework and shifted her skirts uncomfortably in the tiny misnomer of a “State Room.” The air was stale and the constant tilt of the horizon through the single round window was most nauseating. Standing from the overstuffed chair, she moved to the door and opened it onto the deck to be greeted with the caress of salt water. The stinging water kicked up from the bow of the ship was a welcome change to the lingering sweetness of cigar smoke that permeated her cramped quarters.

Leaning on the railings and adjusting the bodice of her quiteout-of-place frock amongst the tattered rags that most on this ship wore, she wondered not for the first time why she had ever agreed to this harrowing voyage. Not that she ever had a choice in the first place, she consented. As a widow already at the ripe age of twenty, her parents felt that France was surely the place for her to find splendor and fortune. She was to be introduced into Parisian society by one of the members of her father’s tight circle of confidants. Her father, one of Boston’s most prominent lawyers, was able to talk his way into guaranteeing her safe passage to France aboard another family friend’s, Senor Milian's, ship. So here she was, forced to be distinguished and lady-like among these nasty rogues that plagued her with their rude and decidedly un-gentlemanlike behavior.

The brisk sea breeze played over Colleen’s long twists of red hair that were so carefully piled on her head, catching a lock of the natural burgundy that blazed strongly with her Irish heritage and whipped it across her young, bright-eyed face. Twisting an embroidered handkerchief between her slender hands, she sighed and peered down over the railing, wondering when the vast expanse of lonely blue would again hold the happy sight of firm ground.

 

[Morgana]

Salila

"Your name means water, Salila, and you will find your destiny across a vast ocean, my love." Her mother handed her a mirror. "Look...just like me." Salila gazed at the tiny red dot on her forehead, the "tika," a symbol of her coming-of-age and Indian heritage. Her mother lightly cupped her chin and kissed her forehead. "I'm so proud of you, Salila."

Salila closed her eyes and remembered her mother's words. She felt like a child again and wished for the musical caress of her mother's voice. She longed for those familiar scents of jasmine and sacred sandalwood. Her family. Her home. Her memories. Gone.

When the Spanish came to the small island upon which Salila was born they took whatever they wanted. She was a commodity and nothing more, valuable, with her long, gossamer black hair, onyx-colored almond shaped eyes, and bronze skin. A beauty, they would tell her. Alone for a sunset walk by the water, only a mile from her home, she had been taken--taken like a pretty seashell or a pebble on the beach. Her captor sold her the next day, her virginity still intact, making her all the more costly.

Salila sat quietly in a corner of the holding cell. She hadn't spoken to a soul since the ship's departure. To speak somehow made the reality of her presence on this ship more real. And she was frightened of Milian. She watched him strike one of the other girls and wanted to scratch his eyes out, hatred bubbling inside of her. But she was silent, a blue veil partially covering her face. She could smell the slightest hint of sandalwood fragrance still lingering within the threads of the light fabric, torturing her with memories of her homeland.

 

[Lili_Garland]

Lavali

As Senor Milian grappled with the other slave girl, Lavali's fists clenched and unclenched under her sari. Just as she was about to join in, Senor Milian backhanded the girl into the wall. He said something in a language she did not know yet, but she understood the meaning of the words.

As soon as the horrible man was gone, Lavali went to the girl on the floor, and indicated with her hands that she could help, if permitted. The unfortunate girl nodded in pain and sat up awkwardly. Lavali made her open her mouth, where a trickle of blood was slowly dripping, and saw inside that there was a small cut where the girl's teeth had scraped her lip. Carefully, Lavali pulled out a bottle of oil she had concealed in the hem of her sari. She put some on her finger and tenderly brushed it across the cut. The girl winced at first, but then relaxed, the pain melting away. Others had gathered around to look, and Lavali stood up to face them.

"Huile de clou de girofle, il détruit la douleur. (Clove oil, it kills the pain.)" she explained in French, hoping someone around her spoke a common language. "Lavali (clove)?" Whispered in her native Punjabi, she prayed anyone understood.

 

[Elodie]

Adara

The oil stung at first, but that soon gave way to warm and welcome numbness. She could smell the heady, sweet aroma of cloves as she closed her eyes briefly in relief. And then she heard the girl speaking to her. French! She was speaking French! Adara understood a great deal of French, but only spoke it a little. It was one of the native languages on Mauritius.

She smiled gratefully and nodded. ‘Merci. La douleur est part maintenant. (Thank you. The pain is gone now.)’ She struggled, blushing slightly in embarrassment at her heavily accented French, hoping she had made sense enough to be understood. ‘Mais était est Lavali? (But what is Lavali?)’

The girl smiled kindly and placed a hand on her chest, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Adara nodded in understanding and smiled, before gesturing to herself in the same manner. ‘Adara,’ she said softly.

And then her face grew more serious as she looked towards the door and then to the frightened girl huddled in the corner to her right.

She looked back at Lavali, meeting her concerned gaze. ‘Nous devons être prudents. (We must be careful.)’ she murmured softly, trying desperately to translate the words in her head as she spoke them. ‘Il est un mauvais homme. (He is a bad man.)’

 

[Lili_Garland]

Lavali

I nodded as Adara warned me of Senor Milian's demeanor. I looked around at some of the other girls. They must have noticed by now that we were exchanging names. Maybe, if we can band together, we can be worth more to ourselves. I slowly pointed to myself and said, "Lavali." Then, pointing to Adara, said her name as well. I could only hope they understood.

 

[GageWilliams]

Cortez waited until the boat was in fine order and then gave control of the ship to his first mate. He stood up and looked around at his finely tuned machine. He knew that these men trusted him and admired him and on some level, yes, they loved him. As the sun beat down on his dark tan shoulders, he had taken his shirt of quite early that morning, he stretched his arms above his head, and every taut muscle expanded to its maximum length.

He was a large man, standing 6'6" with broad shoulders and a large physique. The men under his command called him "The Bull." He had gotten used to the name and even begun to go out of his way to personify it. Today, he decided it was time for him to inventory the cargo of his vessel, if only to know exactly what he was carrying in case that knowledge would ever become useful. He would start of course, with the women.

He walked to a door that he believed led down to the belly of the ship, but was not certain, for he had not gotten to spend much time on his ship before it had set sail. He was replacing the first captain, a man of fifty, twenty years Cortez' senior, who had been hurled from the boat in a squall.

Before he could open the door, it opened for him, and a young girl stood there looking up at him. He was surely an intimidating sight, covered with sweat and his chest a network of muscle and scar tissue from accidents on boats long since drowned. Despite himself, he made his best attempt to be cordial and genteel to this woman, for she was certainly not the type of woman he was used to dealing with.

Hola, señora. Soy Senor Luis Cortez. I el capitán esta nave, y yo espera que usted encuentre su viaje el más agradable. Lo que puedo hacer para usted, por favor, déjeme saber.

The look on her face was puzzled. Wonderful, he thought, she doesn't speak Spanish. He hoped for another common language.

Bonjour, dame. Je suis Senor Luis Cortez. I le capitaine ce bateau, et moi espèrent que vous trouvez votre voyage plus agréable. Quoi que je puisse faire pour vous, svp, faites-moi savoir.

He looked at her face, hoping for understanding. Where then was this girl from that she didn't know Spanish or French?

Come circa questo? How about this?

Not Italian, either. This could take a while.

Você compreende-me agora? Do you understand me, now?

And Portugese doesn't seem to work. Then it occurred to him. Of Course! She's American. His English was a bit rusty, but he made an attempt none the less.

Hello, lady. I am Senor Luis Cortez. I am the captain of this boat, and I hope that you find your voyage pleasant. No matter what I can do for you, please, let know to me.

 

[Morgana]

Salila

Watching the other girls come together, speaking their names, gave me courage. Perhaps I was not so alone. I could not understand a word of one of the languages spoken with its strange nasal sounds--so different from my native tongue. The other girl, who wore the sari, spoke in a dialect similar enough to my own that I understood her.

I rose and joined the two of them. I looked to the one on my left and bowed, "Adara." And then to the one on my right, bowing to her, "Lavali." I put my hand to my chest and said, "Salila."

"Where are they taking us?" I asked in my own language, hoping someone would understand me.

 

[superg]

the first mate

OOC: hope noone minds another guy here.

IC: Giancarlo Medaglia was the first mate of this ship. He had served with Cortez for many years. No matter how ill equipted the sailors were at first, the captain could always count on Giancarlo to create a first rate crew. He was known worldwide as a great first officer and liked to think he was a big part of Luis Cortez's fame.

While Italian at birth, Giancarlo knew no homeland. He had been on the seas for most of his 29 years. As soon as he was 10, he had served and worked on great ships. He learned quickly at every job he performed and soon gained a spectacular reputation for his seafaring skills and his high position at such a young age. During his quick rise many affectionatly called him "Golden Boy" in time that nickname changed simply to "Gold."

Getting word from the captain that he was ready to depart, I set out to get us under way. I could tell this crew was experienced but it was in no way professional. The previous capain had been thrown overboard in a grand melee. This was the same crew but that wouldn't happen in this trip. I'd make sure of that.

 

[Elodie]

Adara

OOC: Pleased to meet you, superg! I’m sure Lili’ll be pleased that we’ve got another man onboard (pardon the pun).

IC: Adara smiled kindly at Salila. Lavali answered her question in her native tongue, a lilting language that was completely new to Adara. They seemed to be able to communicate, if a little disjointedly, their dialects differing just enough to make fluid conversation impossible.

Darkness came quickly. Adara watched as the other girls drifted off into fitful slumbers, exhausted from the stresses of the day. When she was sure all of them were asleep she quietly stood and padded barefoot to the door of the holding cell. She examined the lock closely, holding one of the four candles that lit the dingy room up to it, studying it carefully. She smiled to herself. She’d seen better made locks on children’s piggybanks. She pulled several pins from where she’d managed to hide them, fastened to her undergarments, and started to work. The lock sprang silently open within seconds of her starting work on it. She his the pins back in her clothes and swung the door open before slipping out into the chilly evening air.

She tiptoed noiselessly along the sun-bleached boards of the lower deck, hearing raucous singing coming from a room just up ahead. She carefully ducked and weaved between portholes and snuck past the room. She didn’t know precisely what her plan was, but she knew she would feel safer and better prepared if she could at least find herself a weapon of sorts.

She froze when she heard footsteps heading around the corner in front of her. There was nowhere to hide. But then she saw the doorway just up ahead. No light came from the windows of the room. She bit her lip, hearing the footsteps growing closer, and then, taking a deep breath, ran for the door and entered, closing it as quietly as possible once she was safely inside.

She held her breath, counting the footsteps as they went past. Finally, once they were out of earshot altogether, she released her breath and turned, leaning heavily against the door, her heart pounding in her chest.

It was only when she finally raised her head that she saw the shadowy figure of a man, sat up in bed, watching her intently. She clamped her hand over her own mouth to stop herself from screaming in surprise.

 

[superg]

Giancarlo

We had set sail at about three in the afternoon. Soon it was dark. Everything was in order so after eating dinner I decided to turn in. My quarters were large compared to most ships he'd served on. Merchant ship cabins were usually bigger than their pirate ship counterparts. This was perfect, at least he had some space to walk and his own table.

I was asleep when I heard my door open. I am a light sleeper. Someone in my position has to be, you never know when a crisis will show up. I quickly popped up in bed ready to hear about any bad news.

I saw the sillouette of a woman at the door. She was shocked to see me. She muffled a scream. I quickly lit my oil lamp. She was stunning. We looked at each other dumbfounded. I had no idea what she was doing here. She must've been part of the cargo. I never liked to carry slaves, but it paid. I try not to know what cargo is on board. I leave that to Cortez.

Suddenly our silence was broken....

 

[Lili_Garland]

From somewhere up in the crow's nest, a shout shattered the nighttime silence of the ship.

"Cap'n! Cap'n!!! Man overboard!!!"

 

[Lili_Garland]

The ship heard not only the door to the Captain's cabin being thrown open, but also Senor Milian's door as well. He was directly below the first mate's cabin, and had to come up the stairs to get to the deck, thereby passing Adara.

The girl froze momentarily with terror, then fled inside the cabin, shutting the door behind her.

"Hide me, please!" The stunning creature begged in heavily accented French.

 

[GageWilliams]

The Captain - Awakened

Cortez was jarred from his dreams and his visions of the elegant stranger in the state room. He had been only dreaming, he realized and much to his dismay, he had yet to see her. His mind quickly remembered that he had been awakened suddenly, and that it was hardly morning yet. That's when he heard the voice of one of his men.
"Cap'n! Cap'n!!! Man overboard!!!"

He was on his feet and out the door without even bothering to put on his shirt. He pulled up his pants as he ran barefoot to the deck.

Stop yelling, damnit! I'm here!

He looked up to see Milian already astern. Son of a bitch, he thought, as he ran beside the man to see who had fallen amongst the chop. It was when he looked over that he saw the person in the waves was none other than the woman he had been dreaming of. He dived headfirst into the water before even thinking about it. He swam quickly and strongly beside the girl, even as the waves pounded her nearly under the ocean. He grabbed her and spoke softly in her ear.
Fear not, dear woman, for I have you now.

He cried up to the men on the ship. Send me down a rope, and do it quickly, the water is freezing and this girl needs to be warmed.

He heard Milian say something as the rope was lowered, the slug of a man was screaming at his men. Screaming at them.
"Hurry up you pieces of dung, I can't lose two captains to the sea this close to each other!"

It took much of his energy to climb the thick rope up the side of ship while carrying the beautiful woman who was beginning to turn blue.

Once back upon the boat, he carried her quickly and silently to the state room, and without any passion undressed both her and himself and lay her in bed, he then got in bed with her, trying as best he could to prevent hypothermia from taking her at such a young age. Milian appeared at the door and stared, and after a moment, spoke:

"You need to go talk to your men, let me do that. "

Cortez' eyes darkened and the muscles in his body tightened.

Listen to me, you rancid filthy man. I am in control of this boat, and you will not be defiling this woman today. Once she is awake and feeling better, I will speak to my men. Tell them that. Go find Medaglia and see if he can get the men back at ease.

 

[Elodie]

Adara

‘Cachez-moi, s'il vous plaît!’ she said in garbled French, once she’d managed to regain some sort of composure.

The man had twisted around in bed and lit the oil lamp that rested on his bedside table. He was not what she had been expecting. He was an attractive man, certainly no older than thirty, with dark hair and eyes and a smooth tanned complexion. They both remained completely still, both at a loss as to what to do next.

It occurred to her to try another language. ‘Please,’ she tried again, in her first language, English. ‘Please hide me!’

It was then that they both heard footsteps approaching once again. The commotion outside had gradually died down outside, but these footsteps broke the relative quiet. And she looked at the man, still sat up in bed, her mouth falling open and her eyes widening in terror as she realised they were heading right for his door, the door she was still stood with her back to.

‘Please,’ she murmured, almost inaudibly.

 

[Mistress Jorja]

Colleen McMathis

The taste of sea water on her lips and the penetrating scent of lamp oil brought Colleen blearily out of her sea-numbed state. Slowly she became aware of herself and her surroundings. Images flashed through her mind as she licked the salt from her painfully chapped lips.

leaning dangerously far over the railing in wonder...a hem caught by a dainty English crafted slipper...the nearing of the whitecaps...her sharp, piercing scream...echoed with a hasty masculine cry...a splash nearby...the tangle of lace petticoats...a firm set of arms...then only blackness.

Basking in the warmth of the pressing weight against her damp skin, it was only when calloused fingers brushed lightly over Colleen's forehead to sweep back a lock of fiery hair that she realized there were more than blankets on top of her.

“Unhand me you weasel!”

Coughing, her eyes flew open, tears clouding her vision, sputtering out the words between heated feminine indignation and the salty water that still clogged her lungs.

“How...how...how dare you be so presumptuous?”

Throwing the covers back with a shaky hand, she made to dash from the bed, before stopping short at the realization of her nakedness and the cold ocean air that blew goosebumps over her skin from the wideopen cabin door. Blushing furiously, she drew the heavy sheets around her again, caught firmly between her dignity and pressing need to get away from this surely scandalous rogue.

 

[superg]

"Please help me" she said in French. I was still shocked. I understood her of course. If the place has an ocean chances are I know the language. I was about to speak. Then I heard, "Man overboard!!" I quickly got up and bolted to the door. I held the woman and said, "Stay here! You can hide in my bed if you wish."

I ran quickly to find it was another woman in the water. Cortez had already jumped in after her. I quickly got the rope and gave it to one of the men to lower while I ran to the bridge. I steered the ship in a circle so the captain could get onboard. Shouting to my men to lower the sails and stop the ship. Finally the crises averted, I handed control to one of the men and began to find out what happened. On my way to see some of the men I ran into Milian.

"Your captain is with one of my women!! I demand satisfaction!!"

"The captain just saved one of 'your women.' He only cares for her health. Which is more than I can say for you!! I do not like you sir. I do not appreciate your demands. You do not give orders on this ship. And if you know what is good for you, you will make sure I see very little of you during this voyage. Now go back to you room and leave us alone."

Milian just stood there speechless....looking for some sort of reponse. "GO!!" I said. He walked off muttering to himself.

I went back to my state room. Ready to go back to sleep. I sat on my bed and slipped under my covers. There she was. The woman who woke me up. I almost rolled over her. I'd forgotten she was there in all the ruckus. "Who are you?" I asked in my best French. "What are you doing here?"

 

[Elodie]

Adara

I had slipped, fully clothed, under the crisp white sheets of his bed. They were still warm and covered in the musky scent of the man who had just saved me. I lay on my back and waited, not sure what I was waiting for, not sure what he expected of me in return for hiding me like this.

He returned a short while later, rousing me from a semi-conscious state as he rolled over, crushing his body against mine. I was taken aback briefly, before I realised from the equally stunned expression on his face that he had forgotten that I would be there.

‘Qui est vous?’ he asked me softly, gently edging away from me. ‘Que faites-vous ici?’

What could I tell him? That I was a thief? That this was my punishment for living a life of deceit and fraudulence?

‘I am a slave,’ I said, in English this time. It was the simple truth. ‘I belong to Senor Milian.’

 

[GageWilliams]

Cortez

Cortez was shocked to find out that the woman was frightened of him. Surely she was simply confused, after all that she had been through.

My name is Senor Luis Cortez and I am the Captain of this vessel. Though I do not know how, you were flung off the side of the ship and found your way down to the cold depths of the sea. Though I expect no sort of reward, I dived in and rescued you from the waves that surely would have killed you. I then brought you here to battle the possible threat of the cold killing you. I apologize if it seems presumptuous, which it was surely not meant to be, as I was only doing my best to keep you alive. If you feel well enough, I would say that you find something warm from your wardrobe and that we walk to the kitchen to get you something warm to eat and drink.

Without even realizing he was doing it, Luis sat up in the bed where both he and this women were in a state of undress and carressed her face with his hand. It had been a very long time since he had been with a woman and he found this one difficult to resist.

If you would rather, madam, I could let you be and get one of my men to watch over you, but I think you would find them a bit less cultured than I, and less adept to fulfill your needs.