[b]Jacob[/b]

Jacob stood still for a while, finding comfort in the gentle sway of the ship. In port this sway was hardly noticeable, but out at sea it was strong and could easily throw you out of bed. A smile crept across the young man's lips as he remembered his first few weeks aboard The Lusty Pillager - a strange name for a ship he had thought. Vivid memories of waking up on the floor - battered and bruised after being thrown into furniture during the night - were some of the best he had. It sounded strange, but it was true. Those memories were a testament to the latter part of his childhood and he looked back on them fondly. And of course, there were the long days spent working on deck; occasionally below. Jacob clearly recollected being thrown head first into a cannon and waking up the next day with black eye and swollen lip. It didn’t happen just once either, he had gained quite the reputation for his skirmishes with masts, oars and doorframes. Nevertheless the violent sway of the ship helped him sleep at night, always had, but he didn't want to sleep anymore. No, something had peaked his interest. Jacob's fingers tapped along the wall behind him while he whistled a tune his mother had once sung him. It echoed somewhat down the hall but no one was there to hear it anyway; except the woman.

Through the door a slight struggle could be heard. It was obvious that she was trying to break free from her bindings. Jacob didn't expect anything to come of her little endeavour but a sharp intake of air and a sigh of relief told him otherwise. Strange, he thought, that such a fragile looking woman could break free from a sailor's knots. It had occurred to him that she was strong as they carried her on-deck, but it was nothing to worry about. The door between them was strong. It had seen its fair share of beatings and lived to tell the tale. So, instead of pondering the woman's strength or worrying about her confinement, Jacob continued to whistle his tune. He was mid-way through the chorus when shouted threats met his eardrums, shortly followed by a plea for freedom. It was silly of her to beg a crew member for release, the only man who could authorise that would be the captain - a man who would most certainly not let her go. Jacob had been told the previous day that this girl was worth a very serious amount of money. More money than they had seen in all their life combined, supposedly.

"We're not going to hurt you, don't worry." Jacob said, pushing away from the wall. He stood just in front of the door and sighed before adding, "We're also not going to let you go either." His eyes darted about the hallway, searching for anyone who might be below deck. There was no one. Most of the crew, if not all of them, would be preparing the ship to leave port. Soon the city guards would be alerted to the disappearance of the young woman and the captain did not want to be docked when the happened. "If I was you I'd keep the threats to a minimum. Not everyone aboard this ship is as kind as I am." 

After leaving a moment to let the words sink in Jacob paced back to the wall opposite the door and, with his back pressed firmly against it, slid to the floor. He sat with his knees up and rested his arms on top of them. Then, tapping his foot in a steady rhythm he began to whistle the tune from a moment ago, picking up where he left off. Combined with the rocking of the boat and the creaking of floorboards the tune sounded distinctly sinister. He hadn't meant for it to. Occasionally he would whistle an off-key note, at first by accident, and then to spook the woman behind the door. It sent a shiver down Jacob's own spine, he couldn't imagine how she felt. Eventually the tune came to an end and instead of beginning another Jacob leant his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He resumed his appreciation of the gentle rocking and again he cracked a smile. It was astonishing how many parts of a person’s life could be captured by a single movement.