Aurora's Child - ATEEZ Pirate AU

Chapter XIV: Sea Dogs & Ships

A/N: It's been... almost a year lmao. I almost died (legit), but alas, I'm still kicking. I've been itching to write again so here we are. This baby has been in the drafts for quite some time. I'm glad to be back :')

//TW: PTSD responses

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          San and Wooyoung found themselves surrounded by loud vendors and the nauseating stench of seafood. They were sent to a docking area, dangerously close to a Navy base, to search for a shipwright. Hongjoong decided they needed a bigger vessel if they wanted to traverse the seas. San and Wooyoung were the only two fellows that weren't being targeted by the Navy at the moment, so it was safer for them to follow this mission.

          It's been well over a week since they had arrived at the Bahamas. Hongjoong's intense training has been fruitless, or at least had very minimal progress. His success held a lot of weight over their heads. It was only a matter of time before the Navy or Kang Yeosang gets to them.

          San lets out an exasperated sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. The humidity made a few strands stick disgustingly to his forehead. "Where the hell are we supposed to begin? How does one even purchase a ship? I think it would be a lot easier to just... snatch one," San muttered.

          Wooyoung simply ignored him as he looked around trying to locate a shipwright. It should be easy enough to spot a few in this specific location.

          In the distance, he caught sight of a group of men working on repairs on a very beat up ship. The ship was littered with holes all around. Probably a pirate attack? Either way, it was quite a disturbing sight.

          The closer both of them got, they quickly realized the amount of marines around the area. All of them seemed to be on patrol. Better to not attract any unwanted attention.

          A single woman stood out from the group of men that were moving materials and lifting heavy crates. The woman sat on a barrel making notes on a journal while seemingly giving directions to the workers; the boss.

          One quick nod at each other and they made their way towards the woman in charge. Wooyoung cleared his throat making the woman glance up from her notes to acknowledge them. Her sharp gaze glancing between the two as she stood from the barrel.

          "Greetings, boys. How may I help you?"

          Wooyoung, as smooth as ever, quickly takes over with a charming smile. "Good afternoon, ma'am! My name is Lee Minjun, and this is my partner, Park Hajoon. I'm guessing you must be the head of the company?"

          The woman shakes her head. "That would be my husband, Mr. Yang. My name is Marina Yang. I'm merely watching over the operations while my husband handles business with the Navy, but still, I can just relay whatever it is you need to him. So, what is it that you, young men, need?"

          "We were looking to getting our hands on a ship. We have an expedition to East Asia coming up. We're not experienced in this sort of thing so we would like to know what the process of getting a ship with your company would be," San lied with expertise.

          "Oh, that's unfortunate. You see, we're currently not allowed to build for anyone outside of commercial use or for the military. We've been having a 'pirate problem' and the navy has restricted our permission to build to minimize the issue. You would need a special permit of authorization from the Navy so that I can actually build something for you. Many companies, like ours, have been forced to work solely under the marines to keep our businesses running. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. I would recommend asking around and see if anyone is still available, even though I really doubt it," the woman explained with an apologetic smile, but there seemed to be some unspoken rage within her as she mentioned the Navy.