Chapter Two

"Keep me on board."

"And what would you do on board?" asked the captain. "Got a plan, have you?"

"Um, well … I could cook. Or mend clothes." Ann decided not to tell them that her mending skills were minimal; from the look of the pirates' clothes, she was at least better than they were. "Or I could do heavy work. Lifting and such. Things that she," she gave Trinn a meaningful look, "could not do. So you could put her back on land again, right?"

The captain looked over at Trinn, who had mercifully gone silent. He was giving her the look of a man who had been starving for six weeks and had just caught sight of a large plate of mashed potatoes. This did not seem to be a normal expression for him; the rest of the crew were looking at him strangely as well, and one could see that, though they tried to hide it from their captain, internal eyebrows were being raised. Ann coughed, and he snapped back.

"Well," he said, "how about we strike a bargain?"

"What sort of a bargain?" Whatever it was, Ann was fairly confident that she would come out on top. People tended to give in after a little of her unyielding implacability, and their price always became, eventually, her price. The pie-man with the stall near the smithy closest to Mistress Lovett's had tried to bargain with her once, and the growing circle of customers surrounding them had found it extremely entertaining.

"You become a pirate, and I shall consider putting this … fiery-locked beauty ashore."

"No. That's—that's absolutely preposterous. I don't know anything about sailing!"

"You'll learn. You're strong enough to do heavy work, you said, and you look it. It's mostly just fighting. We'll get a pair of breeches on you and you'll do as well as a man."

"I don't know how to fight! Are you even listening to me, you stupid man?" Though the crew collectively gasped, the captain did not notice: his eyes had wandered back to Trinn. "And breeches! You think I'm going to wear breeches? Trousers, at least. Loose trousers."

"We're agreed, then." He held out his hand. Ann took it without really noticing until they had shaken. There was something about him, something so fascinatingly odd that had gotten past her bargaining wall.

"There's got to be some sort of time limit," said Ann, not wanting to give up that easily. "I will be a pirate for three months—"

"Six."

"Three. And then we will both go."

"Well, you see," he said, "that's not going to be quite possible. After you've been a pirate, you'll be a wanted—" he glanced at Trinn, "—woman."

"You tricked me, you—"

The captain shook his head slowly, the metallic objects in his hair clicking and clacking together. "You tricked yourself. And from now on," he grinned, his gold teeth glistening, "you'll refer to me as 'Captain'. And you are?"

Ann glared, seething. "Ann Mobberly. And she is…she is…we call her Trinn."

Trinn spat at the Captain and stared up into his eyes defiantly. "I am Katryna Athelwine Samar Pridmore." A few of the pirates sniggered. She glared at them all, holding her gaze on the captain longest although he had not laughed—instead, he had a rather sickening expression again. His eyes were definitely smoldering now. They looked ready to burst into flames, nearly. Ann decided that she'd better step in.

"I'm sorry, but what are you planning to do with Trinn?"

The captain snapped out of his daze once again.

> > > > > > >

That night, Ann lay in her hammock, glad to be off her legs. It had been a very instructive day: she had learned to reef sails and tie several new knots and she had also been kept running, as junior member of the crew, to fetch and carry. She had given in to the men's clothing, and apparently, as she was being treated like a man work-wise, she was also rooming with them in the forecastle.

Trinn was, against both of the women's protests, sleeping in the captain's quarters. Ann had the vague suspicion that she was meant to be sleeping in the captain's bed, but everything would go Trinn's way, as usual, so there would be no point in worrying about her. She could hear faint shouts from the captain's room, but they finally stopped after five minutes or so.

The pirate in the hammock closest to hers looked over and grinned. "How was your first day as a pirate, laddie?" That nickname had sprung up quicker than Ann had thought possible- it was as if it had crept from mind to mind all over the ship.

"All right," she replied, "but I can't say much for the food." The pirate chortled, showing his few teeth.

"Old Grimer's not the best cook, but 'e's a sight better than anyone else on this ship." A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "D'you suppose that Trinn girl can cook?"

Ann rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling. "Probably. She can do just about everything else, except maybe gain weight." She looked over at the pirate. "Sorry- who are you?"

"Name's Fladger." He held out his hand and Ann stretched hers out to meet it. "And you're Ann Mobberly. Very nice to make your acquaintance, I'm sure," he said with agrin. "Do y'know what shift it is, lad?"

Ann yawned and stretched her arms. "Fourth, I think."

He nodded. "That's me up for a watch, then." He slowly heaved himself up out of his hammock and shambled to the door. As he opened it, he turned to look at Ann. "Get some sleep, now. You'll be up again for the sixth shift."

> > > > > > > >

The next morning, Ann was sent to the galley to assist the cook, Old Grimer, despite all of her protests.

"I thought I was a pirate, now! I thought I wasn't being treated as a woman!"

"Most junior man always helps the cook," said the first mate, with a rather strange look on his face. Ann continued to fume.

"Yes, and?"

"Well…" he leaned in closer, "perhaps, you being female and all, you'd know a bit more about cooking, then?"

Grimer was not very pleased at the second addition to his staff- Trinn had also been assigned to his supervision. Davy, who had taken Trinn down to the galley, tried futilely to explain why she was being put there.

"Ever since we lost Red and Billy two weeks ago, we've been short men!" he said desperately. "Mobberly can't stay down here all the time, he's needed above! I mean," he glanced nervously at Ann, "she. Sorry, just used to it," he added in an aside.

"I will not have my galley filled with fluttering women!" Grimer roared.

Davy gave a gusty sigh. "Mobberly isn't fluttering. Treat…her like any of the men. And the other lady will be a great help, I'm sure." Ann noticed that Davy didn't seem to have any problems remembering that Trinn was a woman.

While Davy argued with the cook, Ann rolled up her sleeves and began to wash some dirty pots. Trinn generally bustled about until several pots were cleaned, at which point she set one full of water to boil. As Grimer looked around- Davy had just made a rather good point- "Just look! They're being useful already!"- Ann was scrubbing and peeling potatoes, while Trinn stirred and tasted the few prepared potatoes that had already been put into the water.

Grimer rested his eyes on Ann. "I see we've a one who knows what to do. And another." He graced Trinn with an unfavorable glance, though her native charm still kept him from outright hostility.

After he was assured that Ann and Trinn could manage boiled potatoes and beef on their own, Old Grimer headed out to stand on deck and get "a few drops of grog" in him. When they were at last alone, Trinn decided to unburden herself to Ann.

"Oh, Ann, you'll never believe it!" I probably will, thought Ann. It was likely to be a paean to Trinn's remarkable beauty and wit in some form. "Last night, that horrible Sparrow man led me to his bedchamber, intending to ravish me within. But when he sat on the bed and began to," she shivered deliciously, "remove his clothing, I stood tall and straight and firm and told him that under no circumstances would I give up my virginity to a filthy, unwashed pirate-" Filthy is the same as unwashed- "though, really, Ann, it was quite difficult to say no, as his naked chest was simply stunning, and those deep chocolate orbs… And then we shouted at each other for quite a bit. I hate him, you know. And finally he gave in to some long-forgot bastion of gentility somewhere inside of him and let me have his bed while he slept on the floor. I think," she said with a shrewd look on her face, "that I could reform him. And anyways, he said that I was going to have to stay on this boat for a long time. Actually, he said 'ship', but it very obviously annoyed him when I called this miserable, rotting hulk a boat. What was its name again?" She asked the last with a very carefree air, as though it mattered not a whit to her what it was called; she was definitely far above any sort of consideration of the name of the ship on which she was currently imprisoned.

Ann could not resist. "It's the 'Black Pearl', actually, and it isn't a hulk- it's quite a nice ship. It has good lines."

Trinn gave a sparkling laugh. "I'm sure it does. You have exactly that sort of … well, masculine nature that notices things like that. And fancy calling this a pearl!"

Ann rolled her eyes. At times, Trinn could be quite self-absorbed, only noticing when she was about to do something ungraceful or dirty, so one could get away with a lot of sarcasm directed at her. But at the moment, Ann just didn't feel like bothering with a witty retort, even though there would be no backlash.

She was trapped as a pirate- granted, it was much more interesting than being a maid or an eternal prospective wife- and there was no way to stop being a pirate. And for some strange reason, Ann felt responsible for Trinn. She had a strange velleity to do something femininely reassuring, such as putting an arm around Trinn or patting her on the back. But it passed as soon as it came; Trinn would likely laugh that horrible burbling giggle and make Ann look like an ungainly idiot. Besides, she'd never been much of one for feminine gestures.

NB: Thank you to everyone for reviewing—I would have emailed you all personally, but you were too numerous. (Yes, eleven is numerous. Myriad, even.) And to Araeph, as usual, for beta-ing. U r teh Gr8esT!!!1!11!!

Sorry for the long time updating- hit a rough spot and English work made me forget where I was going. Excuses, excuses.

Is this chapter really as short as it seems to me?