A promise to kill

On the wild side

    A promise was made that day, one that sent shivers down my spine when ever I thought of it. I can clearly remember the cold blade against my jugular threatening my life. Killer acted as if nothing was different. When he speaks, it almost makes me forget that he is a killer much like him name. It goes to show that even a man who i thought was as patient and kind as Buddha, can and will run out of patience.
    " Lady!" Kid started the day by once a gain screaming my name over the everyday sounds of the ship. " Lady!" He continued to scream until I appeared before him in the mess hall where he had spread out various charts and maps out on the tables. Killer sat beside him with his legs crossed, leaning back in his chair.
    " Finally, Damn it" He huffs and he aggressively pulled me towards the table but I can tell, he wasn't really that upset. When it came to our captain, if you were truly in danger of his anger, you wouldn't hear it coming. His true anger, it's was silent. He points down at a map with a bright red indicator painted on it. It's well assumed that that indicates treasure.
" What do you think? We'll be docking in the afternoon." Kid doesn't explain or emphasize. I wasn't sure exactly what I am supposed to think. My opinion shouldn't matter much on where this crew goes or does, I'm just a single crew member.
" What Kid means to say is, the villages are known for their dislike of men. Think you can go and negotiate for us to stay a while." That makes more sense as to why they are asking. Though whether I say yes or no, I'm sure Kid would have found a way onto the island be it they kill all the villagers or not.
" We're trying to keep a low profile for a few days until we can get to the new world. This side of the ocean is crawling with officers the closer we get to the new world." All of this was new information to me. None that made any sense but all I knew was that I had a job to do my my captain trusted me to do it and so I nodded my head. Killer goes ahead and starts briefing me on what I should do in certain situations but Kid suddenly interjects slamming his hands on the table.
" What you need to know is that if things don't go your way, you kill em. Nothing simpler than that. If they refuse, make an example of one or two of em and if they fight back, you shoot that damn flare and we'll join the fray. We're pirates not some damn missionaries. If Killer wasn't up my ass about it, I'd just burn the whole village down so we give em a chance and if they don't take it, we kill em all." He smirks sliding me a large flare gun.
" and if you're gonna go out there as our representative, you'd best look the part Lady. Go ask Wire to fit you up some better clothes. You still look like some run away slave." I look down at the rags that hang off of my body. It never occurred to me what I must look like. These had been the only clothes that I owned. The tattered shirt that hugs just past my knees and lose pants decorated in holes. I must look an absolute mess compared the well dressed crew that had been around me. At least they had the courtesy not to ever say anything about it and so I was sent off to find Wire. He had been in the crows nest working on his peculiar weapon.
"Wire, Captain said that I could come to you for better clothes, that doesn't make me look like a slave? Can you, um, help me?" Ive talked with these men before, but besides Killer and Kid, it was always hard to speak to any of the higher up, especially starting up a conversation with one. He looked up from his current project, looking me up and down before standing up.  He towered well above me, not a mere few inches but a good couple of feet. He looked me up and down for a moment before bringing me into his arms and jumping down from the crows nest, loudly landing on his feet, onto the deck. My heart thundered in my chest as he did this, never in my life had I thought that someone could simple jump down from the crows nest but I was proven wrong by this man.
" I can get you a couple things. What kind of things do you need. You need it before you dock yah?" He surprisingly sounded excited. I thought that he would let me down as soon as we reached the deck but I remained in his arms, high above the others.
" Yah, um, I don't really know what I need. Captain just said i need to not look like a runaway slave so is it ok if I leave that to you?" He grins pointing to himself. " So you ok if I give you clothes like mine." I knew he was teasing me by his tone of voice but I couldn't help but blush. I don't know what I would have done if true to his word, Wire had made me clothes like the ones he were wearing. " I'd prefer it if you didn't, not that there is anything wrong with your clothes but I think I'd be a little cold and exposed and.." I was at a loss for words and he laughs out loud drawing the attention of a few of the other crew members.
" I'm only joking but I was supposed to go help Heat get ready to dock so you get to go help him while I get you your clothes yah?" He finally puts me down in front of a door and knocks on my behalf.
" Heat, Captains got me on another project so I brought you Layla here to help in my stead. Be sure to put her to good work." and before anything more could be said, he was gone, walking down the hall into another room. Heat, the other man in the room sat on the floor with rolls and rolls of string laying all around him. In his hands was a boned corset type of article and putting two and two together I realized that he was lacing them. I can see how this can be difficult for bigger men because upon closer inspection, and the laces were quite small and these men, they didn't really have small hands or fingers.
" Can I help you lace them? I think my hands might be better suited for smaller deeds." I hold up my hands and find myself smiling at the large man. He holds out his project in a grateful way. I now realized that I had never seen the said man with anything but pants on.
" We like to dress up when we dock and it usually takes me a good few hours to lace these. Takes patience to look nice I guess." He sighs as I easily start weaving the string through the various loops and hooks. " As you can see, we like the wild look." I chuckle more to myself remembering both Kid's and Wire's outfits and they are what you would call wild. I laugh a bit more when I think about what I'd seen Killer wear so far, I wouldn't really consider it wild but I'm sure, his mask is wild enough.
"Do you think Wire will make me an outfit that looks wild too?" I ask out of curiosity and Heat nods and before long, I'd finished lacing his corset, loose enough for him to shimmy it on and tie himself. He nods his thanks before standing up tall and stretching his long limbs high up in the air.
" Food?" He questions and again before I can answer, I'm lifted on his shoulders and is walking towards where ever there might be food.
" Why does everyone keep carrying me? I've cable enough to walk on my own." I gaze down at the foam haired man and he stares back with his sunken in eyes.
" Probably cause your so quiet and tiny. I forget you're there sometimes and when I turn, you scare the wits outa me. I'm afraid I might step on you or swing at you so it's easier to just carry you. We'd probably break you if any of us big guys fell on you." I never realized my habits and looking around, I realized that most people gave way to the giants of a man walking. A clear ring of space between them and us.
" I'm sorry I'll try not to be a bother from now on. I'm the newest on the ship and I didn't realize." I never realized how much trouble I've been causing them from simply walking around them.
" No, just means you ain't scared of us the rest of these cowards. And it ain't like you weigh to much for us to carry anyways. Our booze weighs more than you." He gives a hefty laugh, proving his point by lifting me high above his own head with one arm. He brings me back down onto his shoulder. " and I'll let you in on something." He pauses sweeping his eyes around before turning his head, slower to my ear. " Your different from the others, might as well be one of us higher ups. Master Kid wanted you for some reason. And we, at least Killer, Wire and I, we trust our captain enough to trust you. While these other shrimps come and go, dying and such, the attention Master Kids gives you tells us that you're here to stay. So that's why, we watch out for yah, taking care not to step on ya. I even bet the captain would take extra care for you." He grins and we enter back into the Mess hall where Kid and Killer still lounged about.
" Lady. What happened to asking Wire for clothes." Killer notices us first and Kid raises an imaginary eyebrow when he sees me on the shoulder of his fire breathing crew-mate. " He's making her stuff now, and Layla helped me with some stuff. We came down for some chow before we get to gearing up." he pulls out whatever leftovers there were of breakfast and measuring out a good portion for himself and I before setting me down on my own two feet. " Was just telling Layla that for big guys like  Wire and I so that's why we'd rather carry her since she's too tiny for us to notice and we'd break her if we hit her or step on her. She need to put some meat on her bones." He spoons a good amount of meat onto my plate before shoveling some into his mouth. Kid gets up from his chair standing and as i attempted to find my way around my now full plate, I'm lifted by the back on my collar. He crackled in laughter holding me up in the air like a cat held by the nap of it's neck.
" You are tiny." He proclaimed this as if it were new information before dropping me back down and leaning to my height with a heavy hand on my head. I knew what he was doing. He was proving that he was in fact bigger and stronger like Wire and Heat to me. A child, that's what he acted like. His hand was heavy, I wondered if maybe his one arms perhaps weighed more than me.
" Better eat more than that then." He goes to serve me more food half joking but Killer stops him with a single gesture.
" She isn't a bottomless pit like you Kid. She won't be able to finish that. We don't need her getting sick while negotiating in a few minutes." Kid huffs in annoyance at Killer for interrupting his fun but in that moment, Wire walks in holding up new articles of clothing.
" Looks like everyone's gathered. I finished everything up and Killer, I made that mask like you'd asked." He passes everything to me and I stand to hold each clothing piece to my body though he doesn't give me the chance before pushing me toward a random room to try everything on.
In a sense, the first layers of the outfit greatly resembled Wire's unlike what he told me. Though the only sheer or fishnet fabrics where what looked like leggings or stocking. The top was a black and the easiest way to describe them would be that they resembled a cropped halter top. And the bottoms were a pair of what looked to be leather shorts with netted legging under neither. To top it all off, a bright red Haori to cover myself with. With this on, I looked wild enough to fit in with the rest of the crew and as I stepped out in front of the boys, I was told just that by Heat.
" Kinda like mine but not." Wire grins and I smile back. I give a little spin before them and finally a mask was passed to me.
" I thought it might be a good idea for you to wear a mask, till you've upped your skill level." The mask it's self was beautifully made just like Killers, making me wonder if Wire had made his as well. It resembled a sort of bird, a beak? ( like the bottom half of a plague doctor mask) It only covered the bottom portion of my face and wrapped around my neck and locked in the back. It was easy to breathe in and so light n comfortable that I barely noticed it's presence.
As if on que, we hear someone above announcing our arrival to land. I bow to Wire thanking him for the new clothing and face Killer and Kid.
"I'll be sure to succeed." Kid smirks handing me a new gun and dagger and I turn towards Killer. He says nothing but I can almost feel it in the air. As if reminding me of his previous promise.
' don't die'