Why is the Rum Always Gone? [M]

[DragonSong]

Isabeau busied herself with untying one of the smallish fishing boats and setting it over the side of the ship, prepared to be hoisted down. It was a task she'd performed many times over the years, and so could complete quickly—which meant she had a bit of extra time to check the rigging before Gar arrived, climbing up through the ropes like a spider monkey.

The towering figure of her first mate was easy enough to spot in the docks when he did arrive, but something was...different. She squinted, leaning out with one hand tangled in the ropes of the rigging. Then her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.

"Oh. My. Gods." She grinned crookedly, then placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. "Oi, sailor! Lookin' good there!" she called, laughing, as she swung her way down onto the deck.

Hands on her hips, she grinned as he approached, shaking her head. "Ya bastard, I didn't think you'd actually do that. Ain't ya cold without your whiskers?" she teased lightly.

[DaGlobster]

While he did grow his beard in short and long cycles he'd never been clean shaven before. He didn't quite look like the ship's grandfather anymore, and the clean shave combined with his build and strength gave him the look of someone in their prime.

He was just glad none of the crew were around to see him give Izzy's thigh a squeeze in return to her words.

"Well, I'll know where to put my face if it ever gets cold," he said, moving past her with a dirty grin on his face. He went to a footlocker bolted to the deck on the vessel's port side and procured the fishing gear. Two rods, a selection of hooks, spare line, and utility knives.

"I reckon we can use the last few of those apples from last port's resupply. Those've mostly gone bad anyways."

[DragonSong]

Izzie rolled her eyes and slapped lightly at his rear as he moved by her, shaking her head. "You, sir, are a cad, anyone ever told ya that?" she sniffed primly at him, but her eyes were dancing playfully.

"Aye, those'll probably do," she agreed when he mentioned the apples, starting toward the stairs that led down into the galley. "Cook will be glad to have an excuse to get rid of 'em anyway, he said if we leave 'em much longer they'll be making vinegar soon."

[DaGlobster]

Gar wrinkled his nose at the thought of fruit so rancid it started making vinegar.

"Cad, pffft. I've treated ya nothin' but well and that's me reward. Go on, shoo!" He said, waving his hands at her .

"Grab all of 'em," he called to her as she started towards the galley and he set about loading the boat. Despite Isabeau's teasing he just wanted to fish today. If the mood turned right when they were out there he had zero objections but the chance to relax and de-stress out on the water was a priceless one to him.

[DragonSong]

"I never said I was gonna feed 'em to you," Izzie laughed as she disappeared belowdecks. She was still smiling as she slipped into the galley and hunted around for the nearly spoiled apples--it didn't take long, they smelled strong--and snatched up an empty sack that had once held potatoes to start piling them in.

It took her a few moments to realize she was humming softly to herself, and when she did she actually paused, blinking. Huh. She hadn't done that in a while...

It was--well, sort of strange. Much as she enjoyed the more carnal aspects of the new dynamics to her relationship with Gar, she rather abruptly realized that she'd also missed just...being with him. Since taking over for her father, the responsibilities of captain had kept her so busy she sometimes didn't even have time for sleep, much less a fishing day trip.

And she realized she'd missed it. Missed him. Missed being able to just skive off in a dinghy for the day, or climb up into the crows nest and watch the skies without worry of what the weather might bring for her ship, if she'd have to control it, knowing that someone else was down below making all those decisions.

With a quick shake of her head Isabeau tried to put the thoughts from her mind, hurrying back up on deck. She smiled, hoping it didn't look forced, and tossed the bag of apples into the boat as she approached.

"Alright then. Been a while since we've done this, first mate, you sure you remember how?" she asked with a crooked smirk, rocking back on one heel.

[DaGlobster]

Gar busied himself with prepping the dinghy for launch. He tied down the rope block, loaded the fishing gear and oars, and lowered it down to a level that made it easier to board. He was finishing up with the oars when she came back smiling and he pat the dinghy before her words made him scoff.

He looked to the dinghy as if it was a drinking partner.

"She asked me if I remember how to put down a dinghy and fish. Can you believe it?" he said, and chuckled.

"I've pulled out sharks on this very dinghy, Cap'n. I think I know me way around the oars n' rods," he said. He motioned to the dinghy.

"Hop on."

[DragonSong]

Isabeau laughed, eyes glittering as she climbed into the dinghy with the ease of many years of practice. Sure, she hadn't exactly had time for stuff like this since she'd become captain, but she had grown up on the ship.

"The boat normally talk back then?" she asked, teasing, as she settled herself on one of the smooth wooden boards that stretched across the wider part of the dinghy to serve as a seat.

[DaGlobster]

"The boat always talks," Gar said, it was a line he'd told her several times over the course of her life, and reflected his belief that if one stopped to listen to their boat they could know if there was a problem.

Whether it was true or just some old man nonsense, he never told her. Once she was aboard he gave everything one last check, including the fish trunk and gear, and then lowered them down into the water. He took up the oars and they were off.

"I saw some mangroves on the way in. I'm thinking we can land some catfish. Waddaya say?"

[DragonSong]

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes at the old adage, as she always did, but she was still smiling. She adjusted easily to the slight pitch of the boat as he settled first the ear and then his own weight into it.

She tried to snatch up the oars, but he got to them before she could, earning a quick pout and a quiet grumble about how she wasn't a kid anymore and she was plenty strong enough to row the dinghy thank you very much.

"Alright, catfish it is," she agreed with a shrug. Honestly she didn't much care where they were fishing or what they were fishing for--it was just nice to have the break. "Think we can convince Cook to fry 'em up if we bring enough back?"

[DaGlobster]

"I'd rather hope that he does, we ain't got much salt fer preserving till we finish restocking," Gar said, and he could also tell when she was miffed about something. Sure, she could row the dinghy but Gar could make them truly move and he set off towards the low mangrove islands.

"Prepare our bait, wouldja? You know your way 'round the tacklebox, big girl," he said, eyes peering back towards their destination before he looked back to her. Gar's tacklebox was his only possession of true value apart from his weapons and personal loot collection.

Every pirate needs a stash, after all.

"I think we could pull up a good stew if we play it right. You brought yer pistol, right? In case we hook a big one?"

[DragonSong]

Izzie snorted as she leaned over the tacklebox, sparing a moment to glanced up at him with a dryly quirked eyebrow. "Do I ever not bring my pistol?"

She drew the weapon and spun it around deftly in her hand to make her point, then holstered it again before properly setting to work preparing the bait.

"How long are you planning we'll stay out here?" she asked after a moment--not trying to rush, just curious. It was rare they actually had an afternoon off, after all, but she did want to make sure they were back before too long. She still had a lot of questions for her father.

But that should still give them a few hours, at the very least.

[DaGlobster]

"Jus' checkin. Lola's hammer been loose ever since we hit that merchant a week or so back. I think one of the sods hit her while she was on my belt. Prolly saved me from a saber gash though, so i'm not complainin'," Gar said, speaking affectionately of his favorite "pistol".

She set about preparing the bait and he busied himself by rowing. The sun was shining hot down on them, and he was pretty eager to get to their shaded fishing spot.

"Oh I reckon three hours, maybe four if they're really biting. We wanna pull up as much as we can carry," he said. He was fishing for himself here, after all. The crew would get their catfish, of course, but Gar was going to be cooking and salting a heavy portion for himself as well.

"Hopefully the old Storm'll still be floatin' by then," he added, just to tease her.

[DragonSong]

"Oi, don't joke," Izzie laughed, shaking her head. "Can you imagine what Da would say if we somehow managed to sink the ship while we weren't even on it?" She shuddered dramatically and groaned, "Gods, we'd never hear the end of it."

Bait readied, she nudged the box toward him with her foot as she reached for one of the fishing rods, stringing a line along it. She'd gone quiet after speaking of her father, a very small frown furrowing between her brows.

"...Did you really search for it with him? All this--this family lore and this island and shit. How come you never told me, Gar?"

[DaGlobster]

"Aye, no end to his jabberin an' no escape either, since we'd be marooned on this placid little retirement plot," he said, and he could feel the air change when she posed her next question. He frowned a bit, and took a moment to pick his words as they entered the shade of the island mangroves.

"Search is a bit of a strong word. Sure, the rumors came up and like any salty dog looking for his riches, we tried. Found some good info, found some bad info. Had a few run-ins with others looking for the same..."

he trailed off at that, and he rowed in silence for a few moments more until he was satisfied with their fishing spot. He threw a rope up and looped it around the trunk of a mangrove, using it as a makeshift anchor.

"'fore we'd known it it'd been damn near three years an' the only thing we had to show fer it were dead friends and the barest teasings of treasure. So we put it behind us, or that's what I thought. But if he's really found it, affer all this time..."

He started to string up his own rod.

[DragonSong]

"Yeah." Izzie frowned slightly as she cast her line and leaned back a bit in her seat. "If..."

She was quiet for several long moments, contemplative. Then she huffed out a sharp exhale and shook her head. "Well. We've signed on now. Crew knows what we're heading for and everything. No point in backing out."

Propping one foot up against the side of the dingy, she glanced sidelong at him and added with a slight smirk, "Who knows, maybe we'll even find the blasted place. Could set ourselves up to retire, with eternal youth to boot."

[DaGlobster]

"Aye, that'd be a grand thing, although with eternal youth, who needs to retire?" He said, and gave her a nudge. He cast his own line and leaned a little back, presenting Isabeau with something to lean against.

"Not that you need all that much extra youth, you're already as fine as a pearl, but me? Hah..."

He chuckled a little to himself.

"Just you wait until I get my hands on you."

[DragonSong]

Chuckling to herself again, Izzie settled against his broad back and let her head tip back against his shoulder with a dramatic roll of her eyes. “My, my. One track mind there, mate?” she teased with a crooked smirk. “Not forgettin’ about our deal for tonight, are we? Believe it’s my turn to get my hands on you.”

Her tone was light, teasing, though there was a flicker of that fiery passion in her dark eyes for just a moment. Isabeau threw all of herself into every aspect of her life, and it was clear even as she relaxed back against him, fishing in the little dinghy.

A part of her mused that this never would have been the life her mother wanted for her, a pirate’s life. But she wouldn’t have been able to say her daughter wasn’t well suited to it.

She blinked and her eyes widened. Where in the world had that come from? Must be seein’ Da, she decided with a little frown. She hadn’t thought about her mother in...a long time.

“So no retirement at all then?” she continued blithely, trying to distract herself. “Not even for a little bit? Find a nice warm beach, lounge on piles of gold, make love all day and night...?”

[DaGlobster]

"Well, when ya put it like that, a spot o'retirement doesn't sound all bad. The Storm deserves it, too," Gar added, drawing in some line to keep the bait floating.

"Maybe give her a few renovations. So that she don't creak so much when we plow," he said with a smirk, and then sobered as he returned his gaze out to the wilderness around them.

"Let the world drift on fer a bit, an' then come back and hit 'em all right when the world's let its guard down. It's eternal youth, so we can wait for our moment."

[DragonSong]

She snorted and swatted at him for the joke, then settled back against him. Her eyes moved easily back and forth over the horizon, allowing herself to just relax and take in the view for a few moments.

Her father really had chosen a spectacular place to settle down.

"Could do it over and over again, if we wanted," she replied to Gar after a moment. "Become one of those sailors' legends that get whispered in the back corner of the pub. The Storm that rises every few decades, decimates the trade routes from Yoreiq all the way out to Thanatos, then disappears..." She trailed off dramatically, wiggling the fingers of her free hand out over the water.

[DaGlobster]

"Ya know... It ain't sound half-bad..." he admitted, picturing a life of endless luxury, followed by piracy and more honeymooning...

Then he pushed her with his back a bit.

"Now shush, girl. All that yakkin's scaring the fish."

It brought a sense of sudden nostalgia through him. He could easily remember when he'd told her similar things, back when she was young enough that he could make her come along for his favorite pastime more often.

"Ya know I'm gonna need silence to land the big'un."