A Pirate's Life For Us

Chapter 2 - Ashore

The crew had taken turns rowing the small, overloaded dinghy in the direction of land. Fortunately for the former crew of the Revenge and their captain, the currents were kind.

The sea seemed to favour Stede Bonnet, with how lucky he was finding things, and how little the ocean tried to kill him.

You're still alive.

You destroy beautiful things.

"Some men are blessed by the sea," said Mr. Buttons as Wee John and Roach each worked an oar and pushed the heavy craft towards the shore, "Stede Bonnet has been tongue kissed by mermaids, so beloved is he."

But Stede certainly didn't feel beloved. In fact, he hadn't said a word since the others informed him that Izzy had abandoned them on that small rock. He had been moving in a daze, only answering the crew's questions in monosyllables.

All his life, the world had led him to believe that it was better off without him. He never even considered that his absence would have made things worse for the one person he desperately didn't want to hurt.

They came ashore up on a beach in a shallow bay, just outside the town proper, and away from the towering ships at anchor. In the absence of direction from Stede, the crew had decided to land in that bay purely because it was closest and they were all tired and desperately in need of food.

It was actually a wise place to land, seeing as Stede was wanted for two murders and for desertion. His faked death at home would stop anyone from actively looking for him, but that would evaporate the moment he was recognized.

But a numbness had set in. Even at his sharpest, Stede was not a man in possession of a great deal of forethought. He was Epimetheus, not Prometheus.

In fact, he was left sitting in the dinghy long after the others disembarked and disappeared into the wooded trail that led up to the town proper.

Olu started to walk up the path, then turned around when he realized Stede wasn't following them. "Captain? You coming?"

"I'm not your captain, Oluwande. A captain needs a ship."

The small dinghy chose that moment to tip to the side as a wave crested against the shore. Stede gently tipped too, and barely stopped himself from spilling out the side.

Then there was a creaking sound, a splitting sound, and the boat shattered to pieces around him.

Stede sat there in the middle of the debris and murmured, "I haven't even got a dinghy."

Olu stood with his hands on his hips, sighed, then stepped forward to bodily haul Stede to his feet. The fancy man stared at him wide-eyed.

"Now you listen to me. You still have a ship. And on that ship are people you and I care about very much. So we are going to go into town, find some help. And then we're going to go to them. We are not leaving them with fucking Izzy Hands playing puppetmaster to Ed. Do you hear me?"

"Olu, I don't...."

Oluwande grabbed a handful of Stede's shirt with both hands and hauled him up straighter. "Do you hear me, Captain? We are finding Jim. You owe me that, at least. You owe us."

Stede nodded sheepishly. Olu set him down.

—

Most of the crew scattered throughout town to barter or steal bits of food and to find somewhere to sleep. That left Stede, Olu and Roach to head towards the only person they knew who might possibly help them.

Spanish Jackie laughed for a good five minutes, the first two were genuine - the further three minutes were clearly to hammer home the fact that she found their request ridiculous. Every time one of them would try to interrupt, she would bray louder.