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Hung Over

          "Aye! Wake yer arse up!" Water fell on Lydia and her cot, jerking her awake sputtering and cursing. "We found land, Captain. The crew needs orders." Lydia's first mate, Charles, growled before stomping out of her quarters.

          Lydia groaned and held her head. The sun coming in from the small window was painfully irritating and bright. The noise from the men shuffling around on deck was even more painful, however. She had another bloody hangover. Her mouth was dry and sticky and her muscles ached from dehydration. It would definitely explain the rude awakening. Charles always got a bit bitchy when Lydia drank...then slept in.

          Grabbing her belt that held her sword and pistol, Lydia left her quarters to speak to Charles about setting a course for land. They had to stop somewhere, the supplies were running dangerously low and they hadn't found land for months, thanks to Lydia's drunken slacking. As Lydia stepped up onto the deck she tried to remember the events of last night's drinking binge. She could barely remember her first drink, let alone the whole evening. Trying to remember was hurting her head.

          "So, you finally join us, Captain." Charles smacked her on the back, much harder than necessary.

          "I get it. You're angry. Just head for shore." Lydia rubbed her temples.

          "With our flag and guns blazing? We don't even know what port we're in."

          "Cover the flag and I'll tell the crew to behave themselves. We need supplies, we don't even have enough to get into a fight at port. This will have to be a peaceful visit." Charles looked at her in disappointment. Peaceful was not how these pirates operated.

          "If you had been a leader lately this wouldn't have happened." That was enough of that. Lydia threw the first punch, knocking the unsuspecting Charles back.

          "You can lecture me all you want, mate, but you will not question my ability to lead. I won't hesitate to end a mutiny, no matter who starts it." Lydia knew it was unwarranted before she even let it slip out of her mouth. But she was too angry to stop it. She couldn't believe Charles could say something like that, in front of her own crew no less!

          The rest of the crew had stopped to watch the encounter and Lydia turned on them.

          "What are ye lookin' at? Back to work, scoundrels!" Everyone quickly scurried away, along with Charles. Lydia felt bad but knew apologizing for it would make her look weak to the rest of the crew.

          It wasn't long before the ship made it into port. The crew had replaced their flag with a plain white cloth. Everyone had covered their tattoos and taken out their golden teeth. The idea was to look like a merchant vessel. Just long enough to grab supplies and get back on the ship. This port wasn't even on the map, it would be nothing but a waste of ammunition to plunder the little Oceanside town.

          Once on land, Charles took the name of Captain. Heaven forbid they found out a woman commanded a vessel. Lydia had more than once made that mistake. As Charles spoke to the harbor master Lydia slunk off the ship to look around town. The plan was for her to wait on the ship, deciding a new course of action, a place to pillage, another ship to plunder. Charles would be furious if he knew she had snuck out, but she needed some freedom away from him. She was his superior, yet he forgot that a lot. As did the crew. Respect was something she had to fight for daily, it was another reason she over did it every time she drank.

          As Lydia walked through ally after ally she kept her head down and face hidden beneath a wide brimmed hat. No one paid attention anyway and Lydia could start to relax a little. When she came to the end of the network of back alley ways, she could see the port again. There was a woman with the harbor master now. They were with what appeared to be the woman's maid. Lydia looked on as the woman turned just enough so that Lydia could see her face. She was beautiful. The woman's long blonde hair was piled high in a neat bun and her sparkling green eyes captivated Lydia, making her breath catch. Lydia had had her share of women, a brothel would cater to any sin, even that of two women sharing a bed. This woman, however, made Lydia's heart stop every other beat. She didn't keep it a secret from her crew that she was fond of women, she even spoke openly of her own conquests with the men. Pirates were a forgiving lot, but townspeople were not.

          Suddenly, Lydia saw the harbor master grab the woman by the elbow and drag her behind a building. The maid looked very worried but wouldn't move from her spot. Lydia decided to take a look at what was going on. The man had seemed angry and Lydia worried about the woman's safety.

        You couldn't care less about her safety, only what's beneath those swishing skirts. A voice reminded her from the back of her head and she smirked. Exactly. That was all it was. If Lydia swooped in and knocked him out at the right time, she could woo the lady and perhaps get a chance to bring her back to her quarters.

          With that, Lydia made her way by the docks, passing the maid briefly before coming upon the side of the building.