Nautilus

I hope everyone likes this chapter :D 3 more until the fun starts, hoha!

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No matter how many times the deckhands scrubbed the blackened deck surface, the bloodstain never faded; it had engrained itself into the wood. Even the sea life had burned away.

With the woman below, Davy felt free enough to move around. The woman herself had been the reason he avoided being around her. He was not avoiding her. At least, that is what he allowed himself to believe.

Something touched him when he saw her panicked and bloody. What had she been through to have her so stricken? Her panic had made him forget, for the moment, why he was so angry first. Terror set her into, but her eyes reflected knowledge he never saw on her before. She knew something. He considered going after her and pry her for information. He took a step towards the stairs below, but hesitated.


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The time went quickly and quietly as Selene leaned against the bars. The bloodstains had burned away any life that had grown before, leaving an odd pattern on the wood. The wound had healed and she bore no physical scar. Her mind, on the other hand, whirred with; from the island, to the letter, to the wound-she focused on each one over and again.

Bill picked at a meal one of the crew has tossed him. Now and then he would take a moment to study Selene and it seemed every glance he would find something new about her. She was exquisite, to say the least. The wings interested him the most and verified that his suspicions were correct. From his limited knowledge, he knew they were usually bright and glowing creatures, appearing only during times of epic battles or from the cries of the helpless. For one to be walking around mortals and more so, to be on this ship, he wondered if it meant either great danger or salvation. She appeared rare among her kind, even if all he knew was skeptical, because of her pale skin, dark hair, and lurid eyes. Nothing along a bright and glorious image he expected.

The blood though, as he looked at the pattern on the floor, black among the sea flora, that was his biggest question. Since when did an angel bleed?
“Do you want some?”

Selene opened her eyes and glanced at the food and turned away. “I do not need it.”

Bill picked at the mess some more. “It must be a blessing then, to not need nourishment or any other needs.”

“It’s a curse, not a blessing.”

Bill lowered the plate to the floor. “How did you get that injury? Did the Captain do that or one of the crew?” No matter what had happened, she concerned him. There was nothing wrong for caring for a similar mate, was there?

Selene hesitated then spoke in a monotonic voice. “I feel now is not the best time for me to speak of what happened; perhaps on a better occasion?

Bill lowered his eyes. “All right, another time it is.”

Selene shifted. She needed to be away from it all for a bit. The cell made her feel like a caged bird. Being in a free space might help though staying as faraway from him she could muster was best. She looked down at her shirt again and though such trivial as human modesty did not bug her, it bugged the Captain and the last she needed now was him coming at her claw snapping and tentacles writhing. It would be a funny sight.

“I will return later.” With one last look behind her, she moved, but stopped when she noticed the expression Bill wore. He looked tired, more so than she had first seen him. His soul was heavy and pain filled. She pitied him and he had been only trying to help her. She opened her cell door and knelt down before the man and reached inside, touching his face. Bill’s blue eyes opened and watched her as she traced her fingers lightly over the newly barnacle encrusted cheek. She took her hand back and left quickly. She left him wondering as he ran his hand over his now bare, human skin.

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Up on deck, she no idea how much time had passed since she had rushed into the cell below. Usually, she was able to tell the time of day and how much time had passed, but now was different. Somehow, she managed to squander the reasons and focused on the present, essentially finding a garment aboard a haunted ship filled with men. It looked like any normal scene she witnessed before on the ship, but there was something in the air, something unearthly.

She passed some crew, who gave her a wide berth, and went to the front of the ship. Her wings gone, she tended to the sorry state of a shirt she had left and tied several knots together to at least hide her chest. Once finished, she sat down, thankfully out of sight of most people. The waters were calm and the sunset was a somber mixture of yellow and orange hues.

How is this going to end? She squeezed her eyes shut. The heart within her had not healed as well as her skin had. It beat in an unusual rhythm, not the normal one she was familiar to. ‘What am I going to do now?’

Stuck in her own reverie, she almost missed the telltale stomp of the person she wanted to avoid. He had cornered her. The only noise between them was the Captain’s breathing, and her own, irregular, heartbeat.

Davy struck a match with on tentacle and watched as the spilled ashes blew over the side, into the water below. He took one puff, another, breathed out, then another breath in; he expected the woman to at least recognize his presence, but he guessed she had worn herself out during her little escapade.

Neither one of them wanted to break the silence first, but for different reasons. It was not until the last puff of smoke emitted from the pipe, he reasoned he should go first. “What were you looking for on the island?” Not that he needed to know, he already had some hints, but he judged it best to pry it from her first. Being gentle was something he had not done in a longtime.

He wanted no crazed angel on his ship, especially an angel with a lack of sense for human modesty. ‘That isn’t necessarily terrible, now is it?’ There it was again, that nasty voice. It taunted him that it was not the angel he commented, but the other men aboard the ship. They had already seen the critter strut too many times around them and half of that almost naked and bloodied. He nearly chuckled at the thought they had etched in their memories. If he was simply a crew member and not captain, he was not sure if she would scare the soul out of him or leave him dying of thirst to drink her essence.

Selene wanted to not answer his question nor even be near him. It hurt too much, physically and mentally.

“You know, your actions the other day were unsettling. I have done many a beating to a man for lesser acts on my ship. And you have made yourself at home here. Perhaps you would prefer a permanent home below or may be the crow’s nest? You would be most at home there.”

Selene stood up, hands resting lightly against her hips. “You can try, Captain. May I be as bold that I will even give you a head start?”

Selene threw Davy’s humorous jest right back into his face. He had only meant to tease her, and that mood was as rare as a rogue wave. ‘How dare her, the wretch!’ “Do not tempt me, woman.”

Selene whirled around and stuck an accusatory finger into his chest. “You say that word with such contempt, Captain. Am I to plead the object of your affection denied your tries to woo her?” Selene prodded the finger further. “Perhaps she had good reason to.”

That was the final word. Davy grabbed her with his good arm and his tentacle finger gripped her wrist tightly. His entire face moved with fury and the tentacles moved in waves. His breathing grew harsh and the cerulean eyes swirled an icy fire.

“No matter what you do, I will be the victor.” Selene tossed her head back and her hair whipped behind her. An inky, blue black lock caught on his arm and for just a sliver of a second he wanted to grasp it, just to feel the feathery soft hairs glide over his hand.

The two remained deadlocked and blue fire met a frothy silver as each fought for dominance.

His teeth clenched and his mind was apace. For a moment he thought he would succumb to the primal urge to smite the woman, but soon the heat numbed enough for him properly answer her. “Will you now? And here I thought you were not brave enough for such a bold accusation, much less claiming the spoils before the fight?”

Selene removed her finger, but did not fight his hold on her. Her move made him feel bolder, and he took her removal from his person as a sign of yielding. He leaned in closer, pulling Selene closer to him. One long tentacle moved to her face and caressed her cheek and a few more made for her chest, clenching and rubbing the knotted material covering the milky, white skin. “You are clueless to the other ways I could punish you.”

For the first time, Selene’s eyes widened a sliver and she made the first try to pull back. Some anger melted away and half a grin pulled at his mouth. He rubbed a little longer, just for effect and pulled away. “The haul from the last wreck awaits you by my first mate. I will not have you half-dressed on my ship.”


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With her occupied, he moved quickly to the prison below to interrogate another faithful prisoner. He sauntered over to the only other occupied cell. He kicked the cell, waking Bill from his sleep. “What be her name?”

Bill, momentarily dazed, focused a hazy gaze on a moody captain. Davy had no patience for the pathetic betrayer to gather his thoughts. The tentacle hand, only moments ago touching that person, grasped Bill in an iron tight hold.

“What be her name, damn you?” His words failed to produce the venom he held for the betrayer. He wanted, no, needed to know her name and he would find the worst place in the Locker to torture Bootstrap Bill unless he revealed it.

“S-Selene, she said it was Selene.”

Davy threw Bill back behind the bars and moved the hand to grasp the bars. “Selene, her name is Selene.”

And as quickly as he came, he left just as swiftly.


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Phew! Don't forget to R&R! :D