White Sail, Blue ocean...lost soul (open for one female, please PM)

[Bsquad]

OOC: Since the 'threads that need players' thread never seems to work these days for me I thought I'd just put up the first post and see if there was any interest in my story. Send me a PM if you're intersted, I was hoping to take this story into a bit of depth before any SRPing takes place. I was thinking that the tone and plot would be upbeat and along the lines of a rescuing the damsel kind of story (cliched and chauvanist, I know, I know). A woman's adrift at sea, my character's out sailing and finds her, but even though she's rescued things aren't all roses. Detailed posters please.

Well, if you're interested, lemmie know.

IC:

It was gorgeous weather for sailing, it was gorgeous weather to simply be alive in. Clear skies so blue that they almost looked indigo. Water so crisp and clear that the sandy bottom far below looked close enough to touch. The bright early morning sun rising barely a handspan above the eastern horizon. The cool breeze kicking in from the west and catching the sails, driving the boat through the water.

The ship was a sixty footer, large for a sailboat, some might say ungainly. But now in open water with both white sails cathing the morning breeze it sliced through the waters wigh ease. Painted black from the keel to the lower edge of the railing, then with it's upper deck and cabin wood finsihed with a dark stain it looked like a sleek ebony monster being carried along. 'Forlorn Journey' was the ship's name, declared in brass lettering on the stern of the ship, right beneath a flapping United States flag to declare the ship's origin. With it's portholes and fixtures finished in highly polished brass the ship looked like a relic of a bygone age, something from the times of wooden ships and iron men.

But the appearance belied the modern soul of this elegant vessel. Within the deck cabin were three partitioned cabins, one a luxurious bedroom decorated in much the same manner you would expect from the outside. Wood paneling and elegant fixtures. A larger combination galley/lounge/common cabin was next, filled with rare treasures prized from the deep and priceless antiques along side a very modern galley and high tech entertainment center. The final cabin aboard was a high tech office boasting communications and navigation gear along with a high end desktop computer and a very cramped library's worth of books.

It might have been an elegant ship, but this was no sometimes toy of the wealthy pilot, this was home to the man who stood at the helm, savoring the new dawn. He was blonde, though his hair had once been a dark brown it was now bleached a light -almost white- blonde from the carribean sun and trimmed short enough that the breeze barely caught any of it. His skin was tanned dark enough that these days he rarely bothered with sunblock at noon. A hawiian style aloha shirt whipped in the wind around his torso showing the body of someone who had been quite recently in physical shape that would make most Olympic athletes despair, but had been left to slip slightly. His gray eyes were scanning the horizion from behind a pair of aviator style sunglasses looking at an empty sea before him, and then glancing over his shoulder to where the Islands of Key West had vanished from sight early yesterday.

He was headed for Freetown in the Bahamas and then Port Royal, Jamaica. He wasn't expecting company, let alone picking up hitch-hikers.

 

[Bsquad]

Yeesh, no interest?

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

This sounds really interesting!

I wasn't able to take up the idea when you first posted and bookmarked it.
However, as you still seem to have no takers, thought I'd check if this was still an idea you wanted to pursue before sending you a PM.

DM

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Deanna Myles

Back Story - part I


Just when life began to get so bad that she first even contemplated escaping, Deanna could not have told you, even now. It seemed to have sneaked up on her gradually: Bad choices combined with her self-induced blindness to what was happening to her, how he was changing her.

She used to be bright, almost academic.
She used to be smart, with an aura of class largely due to her confidence and sense of self.
Yet over the 8 months she had been with him, he had gradually erased her. Bit by bit her individuality, even her personality had morphed and been absorbed by his demands, by his control.

She had been foolish, she knew that now and although greed had not been her motivator she would always admit that she had been dazzled: Dazzled by the force of his personality, the aura of him which was of course all the outward trappings of his wealth. He was older than her, much older, though at 22 she was old enough to know better! Yet it was difficult to resist the persistence with which he had pursued her, had showered her with compliments, with gifts, with entreaties and finally she had agreed to accompany him on a short trip, to show her his newest apartment … in France … then on to Spain … a brief sojourn in Portugal … across to Italy …. and now 18 months later she had flown from country to country, continent, to continent until she lost count of the places they visited or even where they even were anymore.

Deanna hated flying.
An irrational fear, she knew, but before they had met, she had avoided air travel as much as possible. But he did not understand, was unwilling to even acknowledge her anxieties; after all travelling first class, or in a chartered flight or private aeroplane was a privilege for her, a treat … And so she had learned not to show how nervous she was, to express appropriate appreciation at first so she did not disappoint him and then later out of habit.
It was the first of many things she had changed about herself over the months they had been together.

The way she dressed, changed subtly at first as he expressed his preferences about how she presented herself, until finally it was he who bought her wardrobe, he who made the selections and finally all but dictated what she wear for him.
Everything he gave her was over the top, garish, showy.
She wore it to please him at first and then because she dare not refuse his requests.
It was apparent to all that he wanted her merely as an ornament, to accompany him, to look pretty, to be on show for other men to envy.
Their gazes embarrassed her at times, but she knew that she was there for them to look at, but never touch...
He was far to possessive for that, aggressively so, she came to learn.

And she was a quick learner.
It only took a handful of put-downs for her to realise that she was to be present, but was to make no comment, express no opinion.
Bit by bit, she realised that either in public, or in private her ideas were not wanted and that her role was simply to be another possession, the mere presence of which was to reinforce add to his status and importance.

Yet the more he shaped her to become his “ideal woman” on the outside, the more she was inwardly repelled by his demands.
Increasingly he disregarded her feelings until he no longer gave anymore pretense that they shared any kind of “relationship”.

At first she had been hurt and confused.
She tried to tell him how she felt, what it was she had hoped for, what she wanted, but he had laughed at her.
He made it clear that as far as he was concerned she had been “bought” for his convenience and that she could leave only when he decided their “arrangement” had served its purpose.

She was trapped. And they both knew it!

It was then he started taunting her deliberately, taking pleasure in her fear and enjoyment in being malicious to her. In fact it had become a game to him now, a challenge almost to see how far he could push her; pushing her to the edge and then threatening her with what might happen to her if she ever dared try to leave him …

He had calculated that it would break her;
that his treatment of her would make her still more malleable.
But he had never truly known her.

It was this cruelty that made her finally make up her mind to leave him.
True he had scared and humiliated her and broought her close to despair,
yet her spirit refused to be quashed.

Outwardly she played the game, yet inwardly her mind searched constantly for a possible way of escape from Max Carmichael.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


”Open your eyes DeeDee!”

He had taunted as the helicopter swooped over the bay, its descent deliberately swift and slanted.
She could not quite repress the gasp of fear as the machine rose and levelled itself again.
She held back a shudder as she heard him instruct the pilot to circle the island once more and to repeat the maneouver.

”We can't have you missing the view. This is your treat after all ...”

His voice mocked her and she knew they would not land until she had forced herself to watch as the helicopter began its terrifying approach once more.
With effort she forced her eyes open, made herself watch, even as her hands grasped the seat beneath her.

His laughter had rung out in triumph.

”Good girl … “

He had praised her mockingly, leaning across to place a demanding kiss on her lips which made her feel doubly nauseous.

”That's my girl … aren't you DeeDee...?”

He demanded as he searched her expression, his voice and eyes equally hard.

” Yes … Max … your girl … “

She murmured even as she baulked at the pet name he now accorded her, purely because she knew how much she hated it.
To her ears, it made her sound like a whore.

Whatever happened to her, she was going to leave him with the week, she vowed!

Yet even she did not imagine for a moment that less than 48 hours later, a chance comment, an unforeseen opportunity and an unexpected run of luck would have seen her setting out to sea in an impulsive attempt to leave her current life behind …

 

[Bsquad]

The grating rumble of a helicopter is unmistakable. Once you've heard it you never forge it, especially when one has very...powerful memories assocaited with them. Xavier cast his slate gray eyes to the horizon and picked out the garishly painted form whipping in low over the cobalt blue water. He winced as the chopper swung in across the cost, a Dolphin from the looks of it, the same kind that the Coast Guard flew. Though this wasn't painted orange and white, it was some garish tourist rental. Whoever the pilot was he was smart enough to realize that the mainmast of a sailing ship wasn't such a good thing to clip with a rotor blade. He gave the ship a wide berth, but still close enough for the rotor wash to send a sharp breeze across the ship.

He shook his head at the thought of just who might be renting a helicopter to dance around the island. Prolly' some rich guy with more money than sense. He thought with a wry simle. Sure...he was a rich guy but he had a helluva lot more sense than he had money. He looked back to the approaching port and started steering in to dock. He watched the chopper as it pulled out of sight and then gave his full attention to docking. Tying up in the Bahamas was always easy, nobody really seemed to care that much, it was a whole lot more laid back than Miami or Key West. Who smuggled things from the US, after all?

Locking up the ship he stepped off onto the pier and walked ashore, noting off handedly that his ship was the only one with the Stars and Stripes fluttering in the breeze in the entire marina. Not that unusual an occurance in an out of the way place like this. It was the 'off season' for tourists, and not many people simply saild out to the Bahamas on a whim. He shook his head, looked back at the horizon the Chopper had winged over and started walking off to find the nearest pub and a nice rum.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

“...her treat...”

That was what Max claimed that this trip was. And in other circumstances it might have been.
The Deanna she had been would have reveled in a sojourn in such a beautiful location. She bit back a wistful sigh as she sipped her cocktail.
To run barefooted along the sand clad in nothing save a pair of shorts and light shirt, a bikini or even swimsuit beneath. Paddling, swimming, just messing around in the sea and then wandering for long miles along the shore before later exploring inland;
That is how she would have chosen to enjoy an island such as this.
Yet as it was, she was seated beside a pristine pool, the blueness of it's surface somewhat clinical and lifeless when compared by the ebb and flow of the ocean. All around her was fabricated, measured and precise. Like her, there was nothing natural left. All was but an artificial copy of it's original self and, in her opinion, all the worse for it.

Her attention snapped back as Max made his way towards her.
In his late forties, he was just over double her age, yet she had to admit, he looked good.
When they had first met, she had been attracted to his dark brooding appearance and the aura of the enigmatic which seemed to surround him. There was always something unpredictable about him which has excited her then. It made her fear him now.

He had insisted on a trip “the club” as he called it. A somewhat select venue that overlooked the port. And so she found herself in a showy shocking pink cocktail dress sipping a champagne cocktail overlooking the moorings as Max found a table with a crowd of like minded members and leaving her, for once, blissfully on her own. The sun was setting by this time and Deanna could not help but cast a longing gaze across the ocean where the sun glowed rosy on the horizon. Not for the first time, she longed to be in one of the local bars; laughing, drinking, meeting interesting people.

”DeeDee!”

The summons broke into her reverie.
Forcing a smile, she turned and sashayed across to the table of “gentlemen”. She would not let him see her anger, her frustration. She would not put him on his guard, she vowed. Soon … so very soon … she would leave … she just had to work out how …

 

[Bsquad]

Xavier was underdressed for such a sophisticated venue, but he really didn't care that he was wearing a silk floral shirt, shorts and a pair of sandals. Sure, back on his boat he had a hand tailored tuxedo, not to mention fitted suits. But when you had money, and were close friends with the owner, you could avoid such things as a dress code. He always stopped in the first night he was in the islands, and tonight was no exception. Leaning against the bar with a rum and coffee, he looked out across the club and out at the gorgeous sunset when something caught his eye. A gorgeous woman slowly walking across the club in a stunning pink cocktail dress. His slate colored eyes followed her as she walked along, his gaze tracking across the floor towards where she seemed to be going.

He took a sip of his rum as his eyes finally settled on a table of raucus looking men who seemed to be the kind who thought money meant that they could behave in any way they wished. Xavier frowned a little at the thought, but decided that he didn't fall into that category. As he looked back to the woman in the pink cocktail dress he saw that she had twisted her course slightly and was passing by where he stood. His eyes met hers for only a moment as she passed by, and he had the shivering sensation that their paths were more than merely crossing.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Deanna did not notice the man she passed on the way to the table. So focused was she on fixing a smile on her face. As she feared even though this trip was supposedly for her enjoyment, Max had already found a gaggle of the “rich and rowdy” who had taken over the club with their raucous laughter and demands. She stood enduring Max's arm about her as he blatantly pawed at her ass, distracting herself by glancing around the sparsely populated room. ( She guessed that their group may well have driven out the “regulars” that night. )

Her eyes skimmed past the man at the bar, then sprang back to focus on him. It was his casual ease which made him stand out. That and the fact that he was massively under-dressed – at least in comparison to Max.

The grip on her arm made her gasp. Max had made a show of standing and placing a kiss on her cheek. He had noted her surveillance of the room, noted her interest in the man at the bar. To the group before them he was all charm and jest; to Deanna, his whispered warning left it's mark, as did the subtle twist on her arm which left it's bruise.

She spent the rest of the evening at his side, her demeanour subdued, her gaze downcast, until directed to respond, laugh and generally indulge Max's “court”.

Only when they were about to leave, did she get a few minutes on her own. Standing outside in the blamy evening, she took a breath of fresh air. Her head was thumping after the close, cigar-scented claustrophobia of the club. Wearily she awaited Max as instructed, her eyes roaming across the boats moored there. She loved to swim, loved the sea and indulged herself in the fantasy of skidding across the ocean with no one to please, no one to be accountable to. Least of all Max.

She shuddered visibly. He had obviously had far too much to drink that evening. She could only hope that he would pass out before he made any “demands” of her, or recalled her transgression and decided to remind her of who her loyalty belonged to …

 

[Bsquad]

Xavier watched the dynamic of the rowdy group with a trained eye. He could tell that the woman wasn't an entirely willing member, but there wasn't any sign that she was there against her will. She was very gorgeous, and appeared to be with the most disturbing of the group. Sipping at his rum, Xavier considered the situation. He didn't know if he should say anything, but some small instinct told him to wait, not to leave early...and to bide his time. He didn't need to wait long. As the girl walked out of the french doors to look at the sea, he set down his drink and casually walked in the same direction towards the balcony. He was casual about it, ocasionally casting a glance over at the rowdy table, wondering why they hadn't been asked to go.

Xavier used the growing number of people to screen him as he walked out and onto the patio. He didn't immediately walk to the young woman, instead he stood looking out at the sea and savoring the sea air. Part of him longed to not be here, but he couldn't shake the thought that he had to do something to assist her...but the thought wouldn't tell him why. After a few minutes looking out at the sunset before edging his way along the wrought iron balcony before he arrived a few feet away from the woman.

"Beautiful sunset." He said, the tone casual enough that anyone could hear it. But his eyes drifted over to her, a smile on his face as he looked at her.

"So, do you come here often?"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Ooc:

I've been away for an age. (complex reasons)
If it's too late to pick up this thread, then that's only to be expected.
But for the record, I'll post a response ...

*huggs*

Mari x

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Beautiful sunset."

The words were quiet, barely audible in fact, yet they startled her. She glanced across and took in the sight of the man standing just a short way off from her. Her mind raced as she placed him once more. His face held a friendly smile, a smile Deanna knew she shouldn't be drawn to.

"So, do you come here often?"

The cliched question drew a short chuckle from her, before her face became serious once more, her eyes bleak.

”No … “

She looked almost longingly out to sea.

” .. not often … “

It was actually a pleasant enough venue she realised for the first time that evening. It was just being with Duncan and his lecherous friends that spoiled it for her, spoiled everything for her nowadays.
She tried to bite back a sigh and almost succeeded.

She glanced back at the man beside her. She definitely should not encourage him, but knew she shouldn't be rude.

”How about you …?”

She murmured.

”This your local...?”

 

[Bsquad]

Xavier could catch the subtle reluctance in the girl's reply to him. He knew that she was with the rowdy group, but something told him that she wasn't exactly keen to be with them. She was lovely, and seeing her this close made him smile in a way that was slightly more than friendly, but not one of blind lust. He saw her eyes smile at him, but then grew dark and serious as she replied to his question. Xavier didn't press, he turned back to look out at the sea and the sunset, smiling as he watched them both. His ears heard what the woman said, but he knew that there was more to what she said than mere words. He saw her glance at him and ask him a question;

”How about you …?”

”This your local...?”

Xavier smiled and sipped at his rum, he'd been drinking slowly and was greatful that he had limited his drinking. It was fun to sit around and hoist a few, but unfortuantely, it was hard to get blind drunk these days on your own. He looked over at the girl, turning on the railing so that he looked right at her, leaning on one elbow.

"My local hangout? No...not really, I'm not a local. I just sailed in and decided to stop by and see my freind's club." Xavier said easily.

"Always like to keep in touch, but I prefer the seas more than land these days, it's kinda nice to be alone in the silence on occasion." Xavier said quietly and pointedly, looking back at the group of men she'd been with.

"You look very lovely. Just in case no one told you that this evening." Xavier said looking back to the woman with a smile.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"My local hangout? No...not really, I'm not a local. I just sailed in and decided to stop by and see my freind's club."

Her eyes strayed along the line of the moorings and wondered fleetingly which belonged to the man who stood beside her.

"Always like to keep in touch, but I prefer the seas more than land these days, it's kinda nice to be alone in the silence on occasion."

Nodding mutely, Deanna stared out to see with an almost longing expression. What wouldn't she give to be alone, to be silent?

"You look very lovely. Just in case no one told you that this evening."

The words took her completely by surprise.
Her eyes flew to his face, but rather than the sleezy appraisal she had been subjected to all evening, she saw nothing but a gentle, appreciative smile.

" ... thank you ... "

She murmured.

" ... and no ... those words haven't been used this evening ... "

She sighed without realising.

"Not for quite a while in fact ... "

She said softly, almost to herself.

 

[Bsquad]

Xavier knew that the response couldn't have been scripted, seeing the sharp jert of her head, the wary look in her eyes. He smiled, soft and politely at her, making eye contact, focusing on her and nothing else. He saw her examine him, watching him for something...considering the company she had been keeping, he couldn't blame her for being suspicious of a man talking to her. But he just smiled and looked out at the sunset, listening to her reply. Something about it sounded so...depressing. He heard a rather obnoxious laugh drift out to reach them. Xavier smiled and sighed a little at the sound...normally the club was a more...subdued location.

"Well, it sounds like your...friends are rather a rowdy bunch." Xavier said idly looking back at the club then glancing at the girl.

"I'm Xavier." He said, finally introducing himself.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

She too looked out at the moorings, wishing that she could just take off, escape. The beauty of the ocean and the surroundings made her feel more trapped than ever. As if on cue somewhat ribald laughter rang out from within. She knew it at once. Max was doubtless regaling his friends with tales of his ... prowess ...

"Well, it sounds like your...friends are rather a rowdy bunch."

She looked across at her companion. She knew he had been watching the group that evening and not for the first time was ashamed to be associated with them. She wanted to tell him that they were not her friends, but did not realise that the expression on her face at his words told him as much.
"I'm Xavier."
She smiled, taking in the appearance of the man anew.

”Nice to meet you Xavier ...”

She greeted him, knowing that Max would go mad if he knew she were out here talking to a man.

”I’m ... Anna ...”

She told him, dropping her full name and the horrible nickname Max used with her.
She smiled briefly; the smile did not completely reach her eyes.
She had been known as Anna back home; Anna had had a personality, fight, independence ... she was fooling herself to think she could ever regain that here ...
Inside the laughter got louder. She glanced indoors worriedly.
An excess of alcohol and a pack of males to show off to did not make Max into the most .. considerate ... of companions ...

”... I ... really should ...”

She knew she had to excuse herself, make sure that Max did not catch her talking to this man, no matter how harmless the conversation was.

 

[Bsquad]

Xavier watched the woman's reaction and nodded a little. He could understand it, something in the back of his mind told him that Anna hadn't been a very willing participant in the fun of the men inside. For a fleeting moment he had a horrible vision of just what she might have done...but he banished it, there was something in the woman's eyes that said she wasn't a slave, she was a...

...posession...

He forced a slight smile to be amicable, but his own concern simmered beneath the surface. He looked into her eyes and he could see that her own smile was as forced as his. For a fleeting moment he recognized it in her eyes when the laugh from inside broke the moment of...recognition. He turned to look into the club and sighed.

"You should go, but you don't want to head back to that." Xavier said simply, looking back to her with a sad smile on his lips.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"You should go, but you don't want to head back to that."

Her head snapped around to meet his eyes. His perception shocked her.
Part of her wanted to make some comment to alienate him, to stop him watching her so closely, from somehow seeing the situation as it was, rather than from the perspective of the males Duncan usually brought her into contact with.

” ... no ... “

She said finally ...

”But ... not all of us have choices ... “

She smiled genuinely then, warmed by the fact that he had taken the time to see her rather than the show that Duncan had thrown that evening and that he had taken to time to seek her out and talk to her. His warmth and friendliness made her realise jsut what was missing in her life right now and although meeting him would make her cope with the rest of the evening, perhaps even the next few days, she now knew that she could not cope with this kind of life for much longer ...

 

[Bsquad]

Xavier looked over at Anna and let out a sad little smile as her head snapped around and looked at him. He wasn't exactly a clarvoyant, but he did have an eye for seeing the obvious. Xavier leaned on the railing and looked out to see as his eyes searched the waters and looked at the fading light of the sunset on the horizon. It was a fierce sunset, firey red and orange, but his eyes couldn't linger on it, instead, they were drawn back to the Anna. There was something about her that he knew was hoping to get free of what she had been trapped in. His eyes drifted over her to her face and locked with her eyes.

"We all have choices Anna, they might not always be easy, they might not always be painless, but they're there." Xavier said softly looking over to the folding doors and then back to Anna.

"Sometimes life tests us. Sometimes we think we've failed before the test isn't even over." He said whistfully then turned back to look down the shore.

"I have my own boat, just sailed in today. Lovely sailboat...gives you a sense of freedom..." He said, conversationally, planting the idea there.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"We all have choices Anna, they might not always be easy, they might not always be painless, but they're there."

She nodded, flinching as he spoke of decisions not being painless. From what she had seen recently of Duncan's temper Deanna knew that if she tried to get away from Duncan and failed that the consequences would not be ... pretty ....


"Sometimes life tests us. Sometimes we think we've failed before the test isn't even over."

She looked across at her companion, not sure how his words applied to her.
The only test in her life now was how much of this she could stand until he totally broke her ... or she bolted ...

"I have my own boat, just sailed in today. Lovely sailboat...gives you a sense of freedom..."

Her eyes scanned the water, wondering which vessel was his.

" ... it must do ... "

She responded softly.

"I love the water ... Duncan hates it ... "

She gave a half laugh.

" ... he can't swim, much less sail ... even nice safe swimming pools are too much for him ... his limit is a hot tub ... "

She seemed scornful, bitter and finally realised it.

" ... but we all have our fears ..."

She commented more reasonably.

" ... heights and flying freak me out ... whereas Duncan ... "

She shrugged and turned to stare out at the water.
No need to tell this man that Duncan thrived on her fear, on making himself feel superior to her in every way ...