Rum On A Sunny Day

[Claude Vernon]

A small rowboat was drifting in the placid waters of the sea, carried gently toward an unknown destination by the salty waves. A man was reclining in the boat, his brown eyes resting upon the sunny sky above. He was a considerably well-dressed man, his attire consisting of an expensive white button-shirt and matching slick black pants. The expensive, although completely ruined clothes seemed to be the remains of an outfit only the British elite could afford.

The tall man glanced over at a moldy bottle of rum, grabbing it and taking a long chug. After having his fill, he tossed the empty bottle amongst the many others. The entire boat was full of rum bottles, most of them empty, and half-eaten pastries!

"Bloody sun, you're probably going to kill me before the day is out." he mumbed softly, once again returning his tired gaze to the fiery star above him. He grabbed an empty bottle at tossed it up at the remorseless orb of flame in vain; the bottle plopped down into the water and floated on the surface.

He sighed in annoyance and anger and grabbed a full bottle of rum, popping the cork out of it and taking a good drink. "Well, at least you can keep the damn rum warm..." he admitted with a wipe of his mouth.

[Elizabeth Swann]

Today had actually been a far better day than her previous few, and the more she was aboard the Crimson Tide, the more she and her crew members got along. Or rather, the more they began to listen after her threats of killing them. She had actually shot one man in a fit of anger. The bastard had been a worthless drunk anyway, what did it matter?

Strolling from amongst the captain's quarters, Elizabeth smiled brightly up at the shining sun. The weather only added to her good mood. It was fair, the wind good, and the sea the beauty that she naturally was. It was at a crew member's call that she detoured from her original path to the wheel, moving toward the starboard side to see what they were speaking of.

Then, she spotted a small rowboat, a ragged man inside looking as if he had been mugged or the like, judging by his clothes. She also noted the amount of rum bottles in the boat. But maybe he had an interest in replacing her dead drunken crew member.

"You there!" She called, awaiting a response.

[Claude Vernon]

A few moments after hearing the voice, his tired and droopy eyes eventually drifted over to the Pirate King and her ship. He was definitely very drunk and looked like he had been floating out in the sea for weeks. Well, if all you had to sustain yourself in the middle of the ocean was alcohol, you'd probably be wasted out of your mind, too.

His face suddenly drained of color and he shot up to his feet, causing the boat to rock violently. The tattered man gave the captain a salute and stood at attention, apparently mistaking her for someone else. "I apologize, ma'am! Please don't hit me aga--GAH!"

The man topped off the boat and into the sea with a loud splash. He resurfaced a few moments later and held onto the side of his boat, coughing and wheezing. After he regained his composure, he raised his eyes to the woman and gave her a bright smile. "Sorry about that, miss. Can I help ya?"

[Elizabeth Swann]

Elizabeth barely bit back the laugh that rose in her throat as the man toppled from his boat after the sudden, though rather delayed, reaction to her calling out to him. She coughed slightly to cover the chuckle that happened to escape, looking at him with a smirk as his composure was regained.

"Could you tell me, sir, what is it that you're doing in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean? It's an odd and rather unfortunate situation to be in," the Tide's captain responded, her voice slightly forced from the bout of giggles that had been stopped in her throat.

[Claude Vernon]

"I don't remember much, but I'll tell you what I can think of." he said with another cough as he climbed back into the rowboat, causing a ridiculous amount of rum bottles to fall out in the process. He took a seat and focused his short attention span on the captain.

"A little over a week ago, some woman in a weird hat had her friends beat me up and knock me out for some reason or another...Oh, yeah, I was snooping around her house for some food and valuables. When I woke up I was in the middle of the ocean with only some pastries and rum." he explained.

[Elizabeth Swann]

Nodding slightly, a smirk graced the features of Ms. Swann. So there was apparently nothing for him to return to. "Then I must ask you, what's your name, sir?" Elizabeth smiled freely at him, knowing he was too drunk to tell and that he may even be seeing double at this point. Leaning her elbows upon the railing, she watched as the Tide came even closer, making it much easier for her to speak with him.

"And, may I also ask you, where do your loyalties lie? For I'm looking for another crew member or two, but I can't have someone of another allegiance join my ship," The young woman continued.

[Claude Vernon]

The man paused in thought and stared up at the clear sky, doing his best to remember his name. Claude had gone by many names during his lifetime and could easily recall some of them, but the one he was currently using seemed to have escaped him. I suppose I can just make a new one, he thought.

"The name's...Claude Vernon, ma'am, and my loyalties only lie with only myself at the moment. Since the sea has cruely claimed my remaining possessions, I'll gladly join your ship if you'd take me." he said with a smile.

[Elizabeth Swann]

Smiling, Elizabeth nodded again. "Then so be it," she responded, before turning to find an idling crew member. "Drop the rope, let him aboard." A more stern expression graced her delicate features as she then turned to her lieutenant, Axelle. "He will be monitored until we're sure he can be trusted. I don't want one of Marcelle's bloody scumbags telling the ins and outs of my ship."

When the lieutenant nodded her confirmation, Liz turned once again back to the man now known to be Claude as a rope was dropped over the side. "Betray the trust I'm placing in you and I won't simply leave in a rowboat to die," came her cryptic warning as she returned to leaning against the rail for the moment.

[Claude Vernon]

"You've nothing to worry about. " he reassured her as he rowed over toward the side of the ship. Being the type of guy who was given death threats nearly every other day, he wasn't really moved by them anymore. After getting close enough, he grabbed the rope and climbed up to the deck.

After getting a good look of the ship's deck, he let out a small whistle. "Quite a hell of a ship you've got here.""

[Elizabeth Swann]

Elizabeth didn't acknowledge his first comment, only thought to herself I better not. Then, as she watched Claude survey the deck and let out a whistle, a smile graced the captain's features. After all, a captain's pride and joy was usually only one thing. Their ship.

"She's a beaut, isn't she?" Liz asked. "The Crimson Tide, in my opinion, is one of the best pirate ships sailing the sea these days."

[Claude Vernon]

Claude nodded as he continued to glance about the large ship, marveling at its impressive features. He had been on many impressive vessels in his time, but this one definitely took the cake. "One of the best ships I've seen in years."

The soggy man paused, suddenly remembering that he heard the name of the ship before. In a quick motion he turned to face her, looking beyond surprised. "Wait, did you say The Crimson Tide? That's the ship of the Pirate Ki--", he paused for a moment as it all sank in, "...So you're that female Pirate King that e--Queen, I mean, erm..."

[Elizabeth Swann]

Elizabeth's smile widened as he paused with a look of recognition. The name of the ship had rung a bell with something, it seemed. Turning toward the center of the ship and leaning her back against the rail, Liz looked to Claude as he continued, though stuttering slightly.

"The 'Pirate Queen' isn't something I normally go by. Captain Swann, however, is. Welcome aboard the Tide, sir," she responded, a lovely smile tracing her pink lips.

[Claude Vernon]

Claude finally seemed to relax, giving her a small smile. For a Pirate Queen, Captain Swann didn't seem to be very rough. Then again, she didn't have any reason to be rough toward him, and hopefully wouldn't; he knew very well that crossing the Pirate Queen herself would be suicide.

"Thanks. So, is there any particular job you want me to do as a crewman?" he asked.

[Elizabeth Swann]

"Well, I just recently lost a crew member," Elizabeth began, carefully sidestepping the truth of how exactly the guy was lost. "So you'll be taking his place. Are you afraid of heights, Claude? Because he worked the sails, the main gallant sail, when it was necessary to climb, to be exact. That's a good sixty feet above sea level."

Pushing off the railing of her ship, Liz looked up, motioning to the sail in question. "Everyone here has a place and a job. You'll learn yours soon enough."

[Claude Vernon]

He walked over to the sail in question and began to circle it slowly, his brown-eyed gaze fixed on the top of the mast. The young man wasn't normally afraid of heights, but the mast did seem a bit imposing. Nevertheless, Captain Swann had saved him from the seas, so he was willing to do the job.

"No, I'm not afraid of heights. I think I should do just fine with working the sails." he replied, his eyes moving to his new captain.